decking the halls

Daddy & Bea put on all the trimmings

Our first present under the tree! Wait a minute...

Sweet Lily takes it in. So hard not to touch....

twirling girls

The catching up post

Winter is on it's way - out for a chilly Turkey day walk.

The chefs at work on our Thanksgiving pecan pie.

The kitchen staff hard at work sorting magnetic letters. Serious business.

Beatrice made our Thanksgiving seating cards this year.

The zoo on a beautiful chilly morning.

Lily the Ewok?

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treating in Daddy's office.

Working is so much more fun with a fairy to keep you company.

Lilybug the Ladybug

Off to Trick or Treat

Columbia City Trick or Treating

Garden fairy

Pumpkin Patch 2012

So happy to be picking out pumpkins!

Our "strong baby"! Lily is just realizing how heavy these things are.

Got one before they got away.

There they go...

Lily doing her 'boogy'

Sweet girls

She loves nothing more than the baby toss!

Donuts & cider

1 out of 4 of us is looking at the camera. Not bad!

The hay maze

Lillian is chomping at the bit to reach those pedals and take off.

I can't believe this was our 4th year back at Fall City Farms for our Halloween pumpkins. Where has the time gone? We really lucked out with the weather - the forecast was for rain but it was a lovely morning. Lillian was entranced with the field of pumpkins and, like the rest of us, happily gobbled up the mini donuts.

Fall frolicks

The take-down

Back to school...reflections on summer

The girls started school last week - Beatrice in pre-K (where has the time gone???) and Lily in the "Waddler" room. I'm not sure if any of us were ready - we have all cried at some point. I'm looking back at the summer and my time with the girls - it was one of the best summers of my life. I was initially afraid of being a (part-time) stay at home mama. I might get bored, they might bored, we might end up in a tizzy of whines and spilled juice. Maybe it's that the girls are at the right ages. I don't know. But, waking up in the morning, we didn't have to rush to get dressed, eat breakfast, or get out the door. All we had to do was ask ourselves, "what shall we do today?" The beach? The park? The zoo? Definitely the bakery. Always the bakery, maybe twice a day. Who wouldn't want that life to keep going?

Lily has done pretty well transitioning all things considering. She inevitably koala-clings to me when the teacher walks over to say good morning - it's as if she's hoping she can crawl back inside me. But once she is in the hands of the teacher and washing her hands, Bea and I can sneak out the door without more turmoil. Bea's transition back to school has been up and down. I don't think she fully realized the alternative to school until this summer. She LOVED being home with me or with her best-babysitter-ever Haley. She LOVED being free to fashion her day and is now struggling with the constraints of school. Don't get me wrong - Beatrice is not acting out - she will always follow the rules and conform to structure. She is terrified of getting in trouble or doing something wrong and being called out for it. I think she works so hard to conform that she is at risk of loosing her imaginative joy. It will even out as she settles in and learns the routines and I think she'll still get to have moments when she can loose herself in play. I learned a lot about Beatrice this summer - she is such an interesting, kind, sensitive, inquisitive child. She says absolutely every single thought that crosses her mind. My favorite statement of late is, "Let me tell you what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about fairies." I miss her and Lillian every moment.

the race (sort of)

Bea is off. I think she jumped the gun.

Here comes Ruby.

Lily is off!