October

How can tomorrow be Halloween already?  How can October be over?

A brief update of what we've been up to this month:

* We went to the Quad Cities to see the Fresh Beat Band in concert.  When they came out on stage, Ben was in awe.  He looked at me and said, "They're real!"

 

 

 

* Cate and I took a quick trip to Chicago to shop and celebrate her good friend's 7th birthday with lunch at the American Girl Doll store.

 



* Maggie's pirate art class has morphed into an "underwater" art class.  Last week they made jellyfish.  She was thrilled.

 

 

*  I've spent hours packing up summer clothes, sorting summer clothes, discarding clothes that are too worn or no longer fit, getting out winter clothes, forcing my kids to try on winter clothes, making lists of winter clothes needed, buying said winter clothes and searching for hats, mittens, and boots to outfit my three children.

* And, of course, getting ready for Halloween.

 

 

On the agenda for tomorrow, the last day in October:  one Halloween-themed dance class, two Halloween parades, three Halloween parties and trick-or-treating.

Girls

I took the girls to Target on Saturday in order to get some things to organize their rooms.

Somehow they convinced me to buy them clothes, which weren't on my shopping list.

The picture below shows how they would dress themselves if left to their own devices. 

Clearly Maggie wants to be a princess and Cate wants to be 13 (note the skinny cords and infinity scarf).

Pirate in Training

Maggie with her self-made pirate hat and spyglass from her "Ahoy Matey's" art class at Parks & Rec this morning.

Ghosts of College Future...

We shared a giant smoothie after Cate's swim club practice on Wednesday.

They put the divided the smoothies into coffee cups for my crew and as they lounged on the furniture, cups in hand, I thought they looked like mini-college students, studying for midterms.

Field Trip

Maggie and I were all set to accompany Ben on his preschool field trip to the Harvest Nature Preserve.

That is until we got of out the car and set out into the crisp, 40 degree(!) fall day.

Maggie refused to walk across the street, insisted on being carried, and clung to me like a baby monkey.  It was quite clear that carrying her along the hiking trails for two hours was not going to work out very well for me.

By all reports Ben had a fabulous time and I honestly doubt that he noticed (or even cared?) that Maggie and I left early and went to Starbucks.

Ben reported several amazing sightings: Canada geese, a sleeping skunk, AND a real bear.

Obviously it was one hell of a field trip.

Lazy Sunday

At the Family Museum, Bettendorf, IA

(Unintentional) Potty Humor

After eating at the Happy Joe's lunchtime buffet (see previous post), I heard a concerning rumble coming from Maggie's general direction.

"Hey Mags," I said.  "Do you need to go potty?"

"No," was her reply.

"Are you sure?"  I asked again.

"No.  My bottom just have hiccups."

Fair enough. 

A Personal Day

After telling Ben's preschool teachers that he would not be at school on Thursday as he was taking a "personal day" we headed to the Niabi Zoo with our good friends.

It was a perfect day for the zoo--cool and cloudy so virtually all of the animals were out.  We road the carousel.  We petted the goats.  We admired the giraffes.  Maggie roared at the lions.

And we ate at the Happy Joe's lunchtime buffet.

Sunshine Day

I couldn't decide which of these I liked best so I included them all.

(Not bad for a camera phone).

Ben Bakes

Of course the day after publicly announcing on this blog that Maggie is no longer napping, she took a nap.

Ben and I used the time to get some things done in the kitchen.

During Maggie's 1 hour and 20 minute nap we baked brownies, marinated some chicken breasts, sliced a cantelope, prepped the Pioneer Woman's "Smashed Potatoes," and made Kansas City Steak Soup. 

(And before you get too impressed with my culinary prowess, please know I probably won't cook anything for the next five days...)

Below, Ben helps with clean-up. 

Preschool Picnic

Now that Cate is in elementary school there is no shortage of school-sponsored events---ice cream socials, open houses, back-to-school night, family fun nights, and more.

Preschool, at least the preschool my kids attend, does not have a similarly active social calendar, which is fine with me.

That said, Ben's preschool had a picnic on Sunday evening to celebrate the new school year and the new surface on the playground.


Ben was thrilled to have an "event" of his very own .  Cate was thrilled to revisit her old stomping grounds.  And Maggie was thrilled to commandeer the one and only baby swing for the majority of the night.

Sleeping Beauty

Maggie, age 2.5, has basically given up her afternoon nap.

Everyday I say, "Mags, let's go take a nap."

Everyday she responds, "No Mommy.  I not tired."

We go upstairs anyway.  We snuggle in her bed.   We read stories.  And...she rarely naps.

When Cate and Ben stopped napping I was devastated.  How would I ever get anything done?  When would I ever get any time to myself?

And now that there are officially no nappers in my house and I find that...I don't really care.  

In some ways it makes things easier.  Chris travels frequently so when Maggie doesn't nap it's nice to be able to put her to bed early and easily.  And Cate and Ben go to bed more easily without Maggie to distract them.

It also frees up our afternoons.  Today we went to the grocery store at 2pm, which for the past 6 years has been unheard of in my household.  A few weeks ago we went to the apple orchard.

She seems to be adjusting to the new schedule pretty well, although once in a while I will find her asleep in her cozy chair while watching PBS with Ben (see below).