Catching Up

Been busy having fun....   let's see what's in the camera:

It was Farm Tour weekend in Culpeper last weekend and a friend from work (shout out to Gail) has an Alpaca Farm.  Shaeleigh is still really into farms and loves to hear stories about the alpacas so she was very excited to go see them.  It was a bit of a drive but it was gorgeous and since both kids zonked out fairly quickly, it was very peaceful.  I had headed out with some crazy mapquest directions and only got lost once.  Luckily, it was at the perfect time because a) it was right at the last big town and there was a gas station to stop out and get directions and b) we were only about 15 minutes away and the last 15 minutes was particularly scenic.  I had to wake everyone up to go into the gas station so they both enjoyed the scenic last bit of the drive. 

Shaeleigh is also interested in directions lately so she always likes to know the name of the next street and how far away it is and which way we are going to turn.  At least I think she's interested.  Maybe she just doesn't trust my sense of direction and figures she will have to guide me back.

Here are couple of the alpacas munching away at the grass.

They are really cute and very very soft.

I dressed Chance like a farmer but Shaeleigh dressed herself like....  Shaeleigh.

These were the youngest little babies.  I think they were 3 months old.  So friendly.

Shaeleigh was being particularly sweet - kept pushing Chance over and telling him to pet them.  (hm...  somehow this photo escaped my gigundo black border).

Ah, this is my favorite photo.  The big one is the llama.  Shaeleigh has somehow fixated on how I once told her that the llama keeps the alpacas in line.  She loves to hear about the llama.  Ha.  Of course she does.  Sometimes I think we are a household with a few too many llamas.

Farmer Shaeleigh planted Marigolds by seed.  These stinkin' Marigolds must be over 3 feet tall.  They're insane.

Walking through the Marigold forest.

I will never buy another Marigold plant - just seeds for us from now on.

It was school photo day last Thursday so I took a few "pre-photos" before we left in the morning.  We haven't had much luck with the school photos but I think that's the way it's supposed to be right?  Shaeleigh said she smiled this year (she has a history of scowling at the photographer) but it was reported that Chance cried. 

Oh well - we'll see what we get. 

Both kids are doing well at school.  Shaeleigh has settled into her new class  - loves her new teachers and is learning sign language.  One day she came home and signed "good morning" and "friend."  A week later I asked her if she knew any new signs - she rattled off/signed away a whole book "good morning, good evening, good afternoon, this means apple, this means tree, this means hello friend and this is the letter A and Y and R and....."  She stores a lot up there. 

Chance walked into his class this week and as soon as he got through the door he took his shirt off and then strutted across the room pounding on his belly and saying, "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"  I half expected him to say, "I'm home.  Anyone got a beer?"

What are these you ask?  Family Fun Magazine had a recipe for fake rocks that you could hide little treasures in and then bake.  The recipe called for several cups of used coffee grounds so I figured it was perfect for us (no there's not always food in the house but we are never short on used coffee grounds.)  I made about 3 dozen thinking we'd use them on Shaeleigh's half birthday party but they ended up being really messy when you broke them open so I was afraid some parents might not appreciate it.

And so one day when there was nothing better to do - I hid them all over the backyard.

All for me!

Speaking of Farms...  There is this little Farm Museum up the road from us.  The first time I went (when Shaels was just a baby) I thought it was possibly the lamest museum ever.  However, now I see that it is perfect.  There is never anyone there - twice we've been the only people and the 3rd time we went there was 1 other family (who left shortly after we arrived).  The place is not big at all but it is completely interactive.  The cow above you can milk - both kids are freaked out by it though.  They have a little country store FULL of fake produce and a cash register and a post office area (with laminated old post cards and mail).

The store has all sorts of fun stuff.

Oh, and it has these two horses (Genuine Risk and Secretariat) and you can push a button to play the race sound track.  You can ride the horses plus they have all the grooming supplies so you can groom them.

There's also little tractors you can ride, a puppet theatre you can play with.  It's great.

And it's much cleaner than say...  painting.  Here Chance seems to be getting the hang of it.

Here...  not so much.

But he'll be a great fan for some football team out there.

Shaeleigh and Sara made Halloween cookies.  I pretty much spent the morning playing llama to Chance.

Maybe I'm wrong.  I don't know what he's thinking but maybe we could use a few more llamas around here.

Yes... Guilty as Charged

Yes, it's true.  I went to Disney World without the rest of the family.  Me.  Me who would not know Aurora from Belle if it weren't for Shaeleigh. 

I have to admit it was tough to leave everyone but clearly I left Kenn in good hands.  Hehehe.  Kenn rocks and there's nothing like a cheerful blog post from afar letting you know everything is going just fine (dead racoons and all).

Our class got prime viewing of the parade.  I got good shots of all the Princesses!

I would have never guessed I would have been so excited about nauseating princesses.

Everything was decked out for Halloween.

Oh, and the training was good too.  Yes, I was very well trained.  Tough work that Disney Institute.

Ah...  my little Prince and Princess.  We went to the Wolftrap Festival last weekend when it was 100 degrees.  Oh sure, THIS weekend is in the 70's. 

This is how she dresses in 100 degrees.

He'd rather be naked.

They were toast by noon so we headed on home.

Toast.

We found this really sweet Lion puppet at some other fair this summer.  I plan to make a really big one just like it.  Plan.

Budding puppeteer.

Big Boy.  Chance is doing his best to persuade us to ditch the high chair.  He wants it all.  Plate, fork, knife, cup.  But really, you need to wear rain gear if you sit next to him.  And if you sit him up to the table and look the other way for 5 seconds he'll climb right on (just helping myself to the potatos Mom, need anything?)

And he's big into the markers too.  Shaeleigh, although her sharing skills are sketchy at best, has been a champ about sharing her markers.  She lectures him about putting the caps back on but really, she hasn't made a single stink about him chewing the tips off or banging them so hard into the paper that the tips are flattened like pancakes.  I think she likes a drawing partner.  They colored pumpkins together tonight and for the first time he went the entire time without putting a singer marker into his mouth.  I noticed but didn't say anything (didn't want to jinx it) but as we're cleaning up Shaeleigh says, "he didn't eat a single one Mom!"

His new thing - if he sees you with the camera he looks up and says, "Cheeeeeeeeeeese"

And Shaeleigh - she's gone crazy.  She's suddenly getting very detailed about what she draws.  We got her some of these "How to Draw" books a few months ago but she wasn't too interested.  Last week she picked them up and goes page by page drawing the people and animals.  These are her ballerinas above.

I'm liking the big green dress

Pumpkin Head.

She's home!!!

Well, my work here is done. Although Joanie is threatening to make me do an entry every week. Hah!

It's been fun, and it's been real..........

seeya next time!! K

Sheesh......teeth....#$%^&*

Okay, 'sheesh' no longer works. I have taken to using other terms but ONLY under my breath. Today was our first early morning...no, I mean EARLY morning start. Had to be at the school when they opened in order for me to get to work in time. Didn't happen. We were off to a good start until it came time to actually go out the door. Then things started coming up: what budds to bring, what budds to allow Chance to bring, "I need a snack", "You just finished two bowls of cereal"!, "Ma-maa"!, "Waaa-a-a-a"!. Sheesh was still working at this point. School drop off was rather smooth- I got this now......no I dont!!

I waved good bye to both tikes through the window and hoped for the best. At least today I didnt forget to label Chances' toiletries like I did yesterday. Wonder what they wiped his bottom with.......Can ya spare a square?

Pick up was almost fun, everybody happy to see the old man and no hassles getting out. Then we got to the truck and I have to assume this is when Chances' molar started bothering him. By the time we got home, I was laying him over my lap to get a look in his mouth because there was no other way to explain his mood. Fed him, dry-diapered him, coddled him, ....has to be teeth. Sure enough, big ol' molar on the right side. Nice sharp piont shooting through but clearly the rest of the little brick trying to get through, too. Sheesh stoped working here. Tylenol wasn't doing it's job yet either, although I did get it in him shortly after I removed the previously mentioned "sharp point" from my finget and my finger from his mouth. Good strong jaw muscles.

The racoon was bad....tonight....baths. Yikes. Oh well, I think to myself, it'll pass the time until bedtime quietly. Wrong. So wrong. I should have known. Got messy. Fast. Chance had fun, though, until I rinsed his head. Must be a better way than dumping a pirate ship full of scurvy water on the lads head. Worked though....sorta. Next! Shaeleigh can take care of herself mostly but that does leave me playing zone in a very small room. So we all had a shower. With bubbles.

Joanie called in the middle of the changing of the bath water. That'll learn her! She won't try that again!! Hahaha. She is doing well, working hard and interviewing all the princesses she see's for photo ops.We sure do miss her! Twenty Four hours to go!!! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.......

For crying out loud.....

'Round these here parts, "crying out loud" is a peace-shattering, dream-shaking, vocal freight train in the form of "Ma-Maaaa!!!!" followed by the inevitable screech of the crib railing being rattled to its pins.Yep, Chance is awake and ready to start the day. The day is supposed to start at 6:00am. It was only 4:50am. I tried, honestly I did, to explain this to him. He simply turned around in his crib, bent over and picked up Sully, Froggy and Brown Doggie and turned back to me, as I was EXPECTED to now lift him to freedom and warm milk. As I have been saying quite a bit lately,...Sheesh. He's a pain. hahaha, I kid, but really...he demands a lot of attention. Shaeleigh, on the other hand arose quite peacefully this morning. We heard her stirring and (remember, she can be a little cranky in the morning!) had to walk past her door and we did so VERY carefully. To our surprise, our quiet little squeak of a 'good morning' was met with a chirpy little "meow". A good sign,... she is waking as a kitten and not a lioness.

We had a nice breakfast and were off to school. All in all, a great morning even if it DID start a little sooner than I would have liked. Chance didn't want to stay at school when it came time for me to leave. Thats a hard goodbye. I seldom, if only once to date, drop the kids in the morning, so this is all new to me. Once again, thank goodness for Shaeleigh. She knows it all. She rocks! But Chance crying when you drop him off is almost too much to take! I'll take picking them up anytime.

From the time I picked them up after school until bedtime was really no different than any other day. We came home, discussing dinner on the way to give me time to prepare, and watched good ole Blues Clues while we snacked on multi colored fish and sipped juice. Shaeleigh nailed her make-it-yourself pre-made pizza(seriously) in nothing flat while her little brother once again emptied my culinary imagination while ingesting virtually nothing. Except the fish. Oh well, I think his teeth or the arrival of same are causing him some discomfort. Poor little guy.

After we ate we headed out to the cul-de-sac to run around for a while before calling it a night. Uneventful ending. PJ's, bottle, stories, brush teeth and gums and sleep. Chance still resisting and it feels different than his normal aversion to bedtime. Same as last night. I declare it Separation-From-Mommy Syndrome. He's asleep now, she's still talking to her buds but heading out and I, I am going to chill a bit and mentally run through the morning so I'll at least see the train coming.

'Night all-Kenn

p.s.-if anyone is looking for pics....I dont have time. Visualize.