Welcome to fall! It has officially arrived on our street, and actually, after the winds of today, all our trees might be "naked" tomorrow as Grant calls them.
Just a few weeks ago we were out enjoying the sunshine, walking through the park. They actually never sat still, I just took a bunch of pictures while they kept wiggling and this is the closest one I have to a smile pose. They did have snacks, but as you can see, those were long gone by the time I took the picture.
I feel like the permanent soundtrack of our house is "Anything you can do, I can do better... ." Between Grant and Logan, and Ollie and Toby, there is always a case of one-upmanship going on. This morning we had a lovely time in the basement playing until this started happening...
So we did.
Grant was happy to get dressed warm, especially with the gloves once I told him he would be able to hold on to his handlebars on his bike and ride faster in the wind.
Logan needed some encouragement as to why he had to put a jacket on that was twice the size of him.
He asked, Why do I have to put this on??
To go outside and play? OKAY!!
Grant had a great time zooming around our court. He learned pretty quickly that the piles of leaves in the street were slippery and he could do the ever-popular Hot Wheel spin-out in the leaves.
True to form, it took 40 minutes to get everyone brushed, dressed and outside to play, and about only 11 minutes for everyone to get tired, hungry and cold and want to go in. What time is it? Time for LUNCH!
Last week was a bit warmer, and while still windy, we could be out and about and enjoy the sunshine for a while. I started raking leaves here and there, and both boys were really interested in what I was doing. AND - we happen to have two rakes! How lucky is that?
Did the leaves get raked into any kind of organized pile? Mmm...no. Did many leaves actually get raked at all? No. But it was fun!
And yes, Logan at 16 months can somehow just one-hand a rake. Cannot wait until this guy is 16 years old!
Halloween
Thanks to Target's ever over-achieving of having the next holiday stuff for sale while you are still celebrating the last holiday, we had our Halloween costumes in late September. Last year, Grant was just not in to dressing up and had a great time with dad on the driveway passing out candy. Our court only has five houses on it, and we've started a tradition of all the neighbors sitting outside on one driveway handing out candy to the kids that come by. Saves the kids time, and we have fun hanging out with our awesome neighbors.
This year, Grant decided he wanted to be a dragon. He carried it around the house, he slept with it in his bed, he snuggled with it for cartoons, but on the actual day of Halloween.... well, we needed some encouragement to actually wear it to school for the parade. We met up with our neighbors and walked around to 5 houses that night - it was 41 degrees - and Grant declared he was cold and ready to go home. We spent the rest of the night hanging out on the driveway around our fire pit, talking with neighbors, and handing out play-doh to the one group of about 15 kids that came by.
Logan was the cutest little X-Wing pilot, wearing Kyle's Lakers knit hat from college might I add. I call this a costume of geography, as in, when I grabbed Grant's dragon off the shelf at Target, this X-Wing costume was within arm's reach.
Grandparent Day
Grant recently had Grandparent Day at school, and we were so lucky to have Grandma Leona come out and play with us.
Grant was very excited to have Grandma Leona at school and happy to show her around the classroom and read books with her. Did I mention no parents are allowed on this day? The kids have a special singing program prepared and only Grandparents are allowed to stay to see it. Parents had to watch it online later that week. So much fun!
Of course, Grandma brought great weather with her and we headed off to the zoo. Most of the zoo was decorated for Halloween already, and we had a great time seeing all the animals and playing with all the different themes around the park.
One of the few seconds at the zoo that day where everyone sat still....just for a second.
The Universe is so Big - and I Made a Hat
Grant's class was learning about the universe, and when I picked him up that day, he was so excited to tell me all about the sun and all the planets that line up - oh, and "I made this awesome hat!" He wore his hat at school... he wore his hat in the car... he wore his hat all the way home, until...
We got to the grocery store, and he decided it was no longer okay to be wearing the hat. I think a few people winked at him in the store and he felt sef-concious about it so he took it off. I asked, Can I wear it? YES! So I did. I wore it for 30 minutes as we strolled around the grocery store and all the moms knew exactly what was happening.
They would say things like "Ooh, what a nice hat. That must be custom made!"
I would smile and say thanks, but Grant would have the biggest grin. His chest puffed out and he was so happy everyone liked his hat, even if he didn't have to wear it.
I will end with this picture, because to me this is what life and being happy is all about. A bib, a spoon (that you may or may not use), and a cup of chocolate pudding, all to yourself. Total happiness and joy, and a bath later.
Until next time, keep exploring! Love and hugs from our family to yours.
M, K, G, L, T & O
