Minnetonka Orchards 2011

A perennial favorite family fall outing...

Renaissance Festival

Brad and Emma Claire spent the afternoon at the Renaissance Festival. Emma Claire went dressed in princess attire (that's what people do - some people really get into the medieval thing).

She came home with a crown of flowers and a fancy scarf adorned with silver coins that jingle (for belly dancing???). The report I got is that they watched performers, Emma Claire did the trampoline bungee and they shared a turkey leg.

Watching Grass Grow

The road work in the neighborhood, although a pain at times, has been a major source of entertainment for us this summer. Arnold loves to watch the workers and the big trucks, bulldozers and equipment. They were laying sod Wednesday.

When nothing would make Arnold happy, I sat him at the front door in his high chair for lunch. I bet he sat there for 45 minutes, completely happy to watch and point.

She Did It

It is nothing short of a miracle that Emma Claire is going to sleep on her own and staying in her bed every night now. I am really proud that she is doing it. I think she just decided she was ready (and REALLY wanted a power wheels jeep).

The Dora jeep arrived last week. There is enough room for Arnold or Tuna and Bean in the passenger side (I'm not sure if all 3 will fit at one time, though). All must wear the velcro "seatbelts" and hang on for dear life. Emma Claire took Tuna and Bean to the "apple orchard" this weekend and thought it would be a good idea for her to drive it out to the real orchard. I told her I didn't think the battery would last.

Super Arnold in Jammies

I love Arnold in his too tight super hero jammies. He is into climbing now, and getting good at it. He climbs up and down from the couch. I caught him yesterday one rung away from being on the top bunk in Emma Claire's room. Bye-bye ladder.

Calvary Welcome Days

The beginning of a new year of Grace Place started a couple of weeks ago with an Open House and Welcome Days in Calvary Park. Emma Claire's favorites were the "bouncy thing" and the petting farm, which was also Arnold's favorite.

Bowling with the Cousins

We went to watch the first Ole Miss football game of the year a couple of weeks ago at Pinstripes. Emma Claire bowled there for the first times with the cousins. The best part of the bowling was the adorable little bowling shoes.

Pointing

Arnold points at everything. The very first thing he does in the morning when I walk into his room is point at something. He does this all day long. It is not always clear what he is pointing at, but he always does it with enthusiasm. If he gets grouchy, just walk him around so he can point at things and he is happy.

Hotty Toddy!

Game day in Oxford Mississippi from scottburtonphotography on Vimeo.

Words

Arnold has been saying a couple of basic words for a while now. "ma-ma, da-da, uh-oh". In the past week he has been saying "woof-woof" when he sees a dog. Last night, after taking a sip of water from his sippee cup, I am pretty sure he said "wa-wa", then he pointed to a bird at our birdfeeder (Arnold is very into pointing at things) and I'm SURE said "bird".

Sleep Progress

Parenting at it's finest...

We are desperate, so upped the ante on the whole sticker chart/sleep thing with Emma Claire. The new reward... a Barbie jeep.

She has been doing unbelievably well. We read a couple of books and she then sits in her bed by herself and usually flips through her Hidden Pictures magazines and yells across the hall to me different things that come to her mind, before finally falling asleep - ON HER OWN!!! It is all about the sticker for her. But, hey, it seems to be working!

She is halfway there and is really proud of herself. At this rate, she will earn her new wheels by Wednesday.

Dinos and Skunks

Emma Claire started in the Dinosaur (preschool) room at Calvary Tuesday. She was excited. We found her new cubby and she entered her new room without hesitation and allowed me to leave without hesitation. Emma Claire discovered all sorts of new toys and games and made a couple of new friends, although most of the kids were in the transition room with her. Her favorite thing was the tire swing.

I feel as if she just "grew up" overnight. At the end of the day and through the night, Emma Claire was all manners and was even calm during the 5-6:00 "witching hour". She is even starting to go to sleep on her own (that is for another post).

Her report card from the first day:

Arnold is still in the infant room, although, within just a few months he will make the move to the toddler room. The babies are the skunks for the new year. Seems appropriate.

Training Wheels

This has been the summer of biking in circles in the driveway for Emma Claire. She has become pretty confident on her Dora bike and just this week (road is finally paved and smoothed after a summer of dirt and mud!), we ventured out of the driveway and around the neighborhood. This was another reminder to me how grown up Emma Claire is becoming. She thinks it is the greatest.

We go our same route every time. She lets go of a handlebar to wave at people as they pass. She still needs some practice with the brakes. Brad took her out this weekend and I guess she wasn't paying attention and slowly ran into the curb and a parked car. Only a minor scraped up knee (that you would think was life threatening, the way she was acting when she got home "I don't want to go to school ever, ever again because I have an ow-ie").

Arnold, too, has enjoyed the little Radio Flyer bike, although he can't reach the pedals yet.

Zoo

Emma Claire, Arnold and I took a little field trip to the Minnesota Zoo yesterday morning. I haven't been since Emma Claire was old enough to enjoy it, and did she ever.

Arnold sat in the stroller and pointed his way through the zoo, perfectly content to watch as we strolled through the exhibits.

Emma Claire especially liked the "fairy dogs". I told her that the prairie dogs were coming up and she asked me if they would have wands and fairy dust. I didn't get it, but played along. When we saw them she called them "fairy dogs". Oh, I get it now. From this point forward they shall be called fairy dogs. When we got home, she fairy dog holes with her play doh.

We rode the tractor to the farm exhibit. Emma Claire got to touch a cow, feed a goat and pet a new baby chick (the highlight of the trip).

We watched a cow milking demonstration for a couple of minutes, but had to leave because Arnold didn't much like it.

It is a big zoo with a lot to see. Three hours in, Arnold was done. It was hot and naptime, so we headed home. On our way out, it dawned on me that we forgot to look at the new penguin exhibit. Emma Claire told Brad that the penguins were her favorite, but "we didn't get to see them".

I guess we'll have to go back...

Sleep Wand

Sweet Hope (babysitter in training) came over yesterday afternoon to help entertain Emma Claire (and Arnold).

With her, she brought a special "sleep wand" and had a talk with Emma Claire about sleeping by herself.
The way the wand works (as Emma Claire was telling me) is that is has special magical powers. I am supposed to swirl it around her head at night and it makes her "magical, powerful, the best" - and helps her sleep in the meantime. If she does this, she "gets a treat from the good fairy". However, Arnold took over the wand and wouldn't let it go. He tapped Sophie and Rudy with it, talked on it like a phone, banged it on the wall, etc.

Hope (just happened to have a spare) came back with a bigger, better, extra magical sleep wand for Emma Claire, so Arnold could keep the little one.

Well, Emma Claire took the wand to bed with her last night and we did just what Hope said we should. We read stories and did the swirling around the head thing with the wand. Emma Claire said she wanted to read her magazines in her bed and I could check on her in "three minutes". There was some crying involved, but she did fall asleep in her bed on her own.

Thanks, Hope!

Movin' on Up

Emma Claire is "officially" no longer a "Rubber Ducky" (aka - Transition Room). She is moving up to the "big kids" (preschool - Dinosaurs - Emma Claire voted for the mascot to be a pony, but was in the minority, apparently) room after Labor Day. How can just across the hall seem like such a big step? I don't think I will ever be ready for kindergarten. She, however, is excited about playing on the big kids playground with swings (and a tire swing). She and 9 of her classmates, along with one teacher, are moving together.

I joined The Rubber Duckies yesterday for a picnic lunch, to celebrate the last day. I am endlessly amazed the control those teachers have over 14 energetic toddlers. They stand in lines, they listen, they wait until after their prayer to open their lunch boxes, they put their plates in the sink when finished... Emma Claire set her pudding aside until she finished her lunch - WITHOUT BEING TOLD 8 times that she has to eat a good lunch first! How is that possible? Tami and Andrea (and everyone at Calvary, for that matter) are special people.