Another season over...

Lots going on in our world, it seems. I've decided to pull Zoe and Caleb out of their current day-care situation, which is never an easy decision.  They have been there for almost exactly one year, but there are a enough not-so-bad little things to have added up into a not-good-enough situation, and I am thrilled that they'll be moving into the center where my cousin is a teacher, and closer to home!  Send positive vibes on October 4 when they transition into their new classes and for the first time, into separate classrooms.  We've mastered our ABC's and can count to 14 or 15 without stumbling, and unfortunately they can remember everything that comes out of mommy or daddy's mouth.  I usually drop them at school and fight rush-hour traffic in, and when I get cut off or have to hit the brakes hard, I have an encore from the back row saying, "Mommy, honk the horn!" and "Mama, is he a jerk? Bad driver!"   Friday's commentary was hysterical: "That was a red light! You need a ticket! Where's the policeman!?" Explaining the finer points of a right turn on red didn't get me any traction from my law-abiding daughter.

Dear hubby is in Las Vegas (!!!) gambling all our money away. Just kidding! He's there for a car show hanging out with his dad.  He brought the camera, so I'll have to post some car pics.  Caleb is way into matchbox cars now, but daddy's model sized Mustang is off limits. The kids and I have had a mellow time on our own running errands and going to play-dates.  I would have had my folks up for another visit just for the company, but they have lost their minds and decided to go to Disneyland with my uber-motivated sister, brother-in-law, and their 3 kids under 4.  OH. MY. I'm waiting to hear the crazy stories when they all return...and the obsession with princesses that I hear Disney instills in all little girls.

The Falls Church Fall Fair was pretty much identical to the Falls Church Spring Fair...the same overpriced food vendors, little putt-putt train tooling around belting diesel fumes, and moon bounces with lines half way across the park.  The one supreme highlight was the kid themed show. 

This man is a kid comic genius...he goes by "The Great Zucchini" and somehow he manages to actually control a mob of maybe 50 aged 3 to 10 year old hyperactive children while also entertaining the parents.  You've got to see it to believe it. There is the requisite peepee/kaka humor with, for example, a 3 inch toilet that "accidentally" sprays water on the crowd, but the kids eat it up! We actually got a few minutes downtime while the kids moseyed their way to the front (I love that they are always game to participate and be social at these things).  One thing we did differently for this fair was invite friends, so we had another couple to chat with.  It helps having friends along so mommy and daddy I mean uh the kids are on best behavior. 

Caleb is a little hesitant on the pony.  We had to wait for 2 ponies to go by when we reached the front of the line as he picked this one out from 40 paces. Always the worrywart, I was a bit anxious that his asthma would act up around the horses, hay, and manure, but thankfully no issues! 

He's got a white knuckled grip on the saddle horn, which at first I thought was from being afraid, and then Scott got my attention and said he thought Caleb was listing to one side...good point! Once he was back up and centered, he enjoyed it a lot more.  He liked saying, "Good horsey!"

Zoe just LOVES to pose, the little darling.  I don't know where she got it from, but she is just enormously excited about ponies and horses, and would have rode around and around the circle all day, every day for a year.  Sadly, her father and I would have had to take out a second mortgage to afford that, given that the ride was something ridiculous like 6 tickets at $1 a pop for one rotation lasting approximately 90 seconds.   Not do-able when clearly we better start saving for riding classes...

Beans in a bucket with dollar store shovels, and we had to tear them away.  Remind me again why we EVER go to Toys 'r' Us for Made in China toys that last less than one season, and may have been made in a sweatshop with lead-laced parts? I'm on this new kick where I'm trying to slowly get rid of the remaining battery-operated toys in the house (except the half-keyboard, which they love and which I hope will spark interest in piano lessons in two years!).  They have more fun with tennis balls and packing tape, rubber bands and paper towel tubes, or helping me in the kitchen, than anything else...AND it's getting to be autumn so I need their energies up to help rake the 30 tonnes of leaves that our maples and poplars are starting to shed...

Zoe really enjoys painting.  We've gotten into something of a routine that this is the quiet activity that she asks for after dinner and in that twilight before bath time. She used to use her left hand more often, but now seems to favor her right.  

La petite artiste

On September 11th, we ran our first family race -- a 5K in Arlington.  I was a super-motivated idiot in the first mile and ran way to fast pushing the kids, only to have to hand over the reins to Scott who STILL finished way ahead of me.  My excuse is that he runs at least once and often twice on the job four days a week.  I, on the other hand, am better at "running my mouth" or taking a "run to the store" these days.  The kids had a great time, even though the 6 pm start time is their usual dinner time.  At first, they were SO upset to not be able to run with everyone and were scrambling to get out of the stroller (daddy's shenanigans and goofy antics in front and beside them kept them contained).  By the end, they were thrilled to get their own finisher's medals, and free pizza! Zoe has a man-sized bite in her mouth in this shot.  There were dozens of kids in running strollers...a great turn-out for a great cause, raising money to help those who were directly affected by the 9/11 attacks. 

Have you heard of CrossFit? It's this totally amazing workout style, focusing on "functional fitness" -- hubby just got his level one certification and Tita Sara in California is a total studette and has been doing it for a few months and is already up to something jaw-dropping like 30 pull-ups in a row or something.  Intense!! Way to Go! Anyway, Caleb is doing his own little CF workout in this pic -- entirely on his own, he decided to climb off daddy's lap and do a push up or two. The asthma isn't stopping his enthusiasm!