Halloween

Hard to believe it's already been a week since Halloween - the week just flew by! We had a fun day. We went to our friend Steve and Liz Butler's house around 3:30 for a pre-party. We always trick-or-treat on their road with them. This year falling on a Saturday, they had a bunch of people over in the afternoon for food and fun before trick-or-treating. It was a great time! Lily dressed as a "bee fairy/princess", Micah was Spiderman, and Emmalee was a "sun fairy", recycling her costume from last year's dance recital. I figure, if we have to spend $50 on a costume she wears once, for a less than 10 minute recital number, she can wear it again. I'm envisioning many more years as various fairies.... :-)

Early in the evening, we met up with my friend Sandy and her kids Nathan (Mario) and Lindsey (Hermione from Harry Potter) to trick-or-treat on my Aunt Sharon's street. We have been doing this now every year for the last 7 years!

Then it was back to the Butler's to walk their street. They live on a circle, which is nice. We hit every house on the circle and then had more food back at the Butler's house afterward!

It was a fun night, and we have over 10lbs of candy to show for it! Which Steve and I have been diligently eating after the kids go to bed... shhhhhhh

Choo Choo!

All aboard the Potty Train! Yep - I dare say we may be on our last pack of diapers EVER. Lily has been a champ at both peeing AND pooping on the potty all last week and this week! I have just been staying home (for the most part) with her and letting her run around the house with no pants on, and she has peed on the floor only 2 times in the last 2 weeks!

Hooray!!

In other news - Emmalee and Micah are both doing GREAT in school! Micah really loves his class and his teachers - he looks forward to school every morning. They do some really COOL stuff. On Monday they had family night at a local farm that is part of the school, and we got to go on a hayride and see the classroom they will be visiting when they go to the farm. There was a corn maze and a hay ride too. He is also playing t-ball and loves it!

Emmalee is enjoying third grade - she is becoming quite the writer! She really enjoys writing stories and is very detailed in her descriptions! She is participating in Girl Scouts again this year, and of course is taking ballet lessons again. I am one of the room parents for her class this year, and I am excited that I will be able to spend quite a bit of time in the classroom for various activities.

So far it has been a fun year!

Week of Firsts!

1. Emmalee started her first day of 3rd grade bright and early Monday morning! Her teacher's name is Mrs. Jacobs, who has the reputation of being the nicest teacher in the school! Emmalee, of course, already loves her. She is excited about the kids in her class as well, and has been having a wonderful first week! She has had a little bit of math and reading homework every night.

2. After finding Lily sleeping on her FLOOR Sunday night, because she had climbed out of her crib but was unable to climb back in - and she tried; her stool was pulled over next to the crib - we decided it was time to take down the crib and put up her big girl bed on Monday morning! I was unsure of whether or not she would stay in it, and at naptime, she climbed right in, didn't get out, and fell fast asleep for a wonderful 2 1/2 hour nap! Hooray! She has continued to do wonderfully all week!

3. Tuesday morning was Lily's first day of preschool at Little Blessings, the same once-a-week preschool Micah went to last year. We loved it, and the teacher/owner so much, we signed Lily up for the 2-year-old program this year! Off she went, and had such a great time that, when it was time to go home, she threw a crying FIT! I knew she would love it there! She will go every Tuesday morning from 9-11:30am. Which means I will have 2 1/2 hours a week to myself!

4. Tuesday night was the Open House/Orientation at Micah's new preschool. We all went and met his teachers and his classmates, and the kids got to check out their room. Then, this morning (Thursday), Micah had his first day of school! He is going to the Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School (http://www.wintonburymagnet.org/), and he goes to school 5 days a week, all day. He went right in this morning without a second glance back! I have a feeling he's going to love this school!

This weekend we are spending some time at the Woodstock Fair Friday night and Saturday, and Sunday Steve and I are going to MA for the night for a going-away party for our good friend Micah, who is being deployed to Afghanistan for a year. The week after next, Emmalee starts back up with ballet lessons, Micah is starting t-ball, and Lily and I will be going to a Mommy and Me story time on Fridays at the library! Busy busy!