Polly, Din, and Deedlebug

Babysitter Extraordinaire (another late post)

It doesn't happen often, but when we need a babysitter, we count our lucky stars to have Stephanie to call on.  With daddy gone for two weeks, and appointments that needed to be kept, I had just such an occasion.

We took it as a good sign when, on her first visit to babysit, Stephanie brought her own bag filled with arts and crafts to do (just in case we didn't have those things here, ha ha).  Add to that a degree in early childhood education, a passion for working with kids, a super friendly get-down-on-the-child's-level demeanor... and Matt and I (and Sophie!) have scored the Babysitter Jackpot.

Even though she was reluctant for me to go away, Sophie's worries melted away as soon as Stephanie came in the door.  And when I came home, she all but pushed me away so they could continue playing.  An hour of babysitting? $12.00.  Ingredients to make the pizza they had for supper?  $4.75.   Mom being able to leave the house with a child who is happy and excited to spend time with a competent and friendly babysitter?  PRICELESS.

Watercolor

We expect this post to make Grammy (in particular) smile.  Grammy, I'm sorry she seems to be doing it with her right hand instead of her left, but she may have received the talent regardless!

 

 

And just because I couldn't resist (squeeze squeeze!):

Happy Halloween!

It's always a bit strange to think that though she's only 3, this is Sophie's 4th Halloween.  And it was the first time that trick-or-treating really sank in and became something exciting and fun, which of course was exciting and fun for mom and dad.  We baked Halloween cut out cookies, and celebrated daddy's long-awaited return home by immediately putting him to work carving pumpkins. Then we put the final touches on the costume. This year's ensemble (debuted partially in a previous post from last week) was an amalgam of garden fairy, princess, and ballerina.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stash:

 

ee-gads.

New twist on an old tradition

Sunday morning is still "pancakes and bacon" morning, whether daddy is in town or not.  But oh dear - I think I may have gotten us into a fix where expectations need to be managed.    Coloring the pancakes sure was fun, but not something to do each Sunday, I don't imagine.  It's pretty labor intensive.

 

Digging in the dirt for bugs and worms

A perennial favorite.  We got a little bug catcher at the museum, equipped with air holes and a built-in magnifying glass for inspecting the critters more closely.

 

 

Of course, outdoor work does carry with it its hazards.  The bright side?  Justification for trotting out the princess band-aids.

Another trip to a pumpkin farm

Okay, I meant to post this before Halloween, but here it is November 1st already.  Since we had nice weather last Sunday, Sophie and I decided to visit the same pumpkin farm we went to last year.  It had not changed much, but Sophie got more out the corn maze this time around.  She wanted to go though it at least three times.  And although we didn't buy a pumpkin (we had already bought our pumpkins at the last farm the week before), we still enjoyed the decorations, the hayride, and the misadventure of mommy's purse falling through the slats in the back of the hay wagon, landing on the road, and steadily becoming smaller and smaller in the distance as I tried desperately to get the tractor driver's attention to stop. 

 

 

 

Squeezing every last drop out of the season

The first half of October was cold and drizzly, for the most part.  But then something switched and we got this really nice warm, breezy, sunny weather.  It was too bad that Matt was away for these two weeks, because we all would have had fun enjoying the warmth.  As it was, though, Sophie and I out and about plenty. 

We went to the park to do some tricycling and turtle-watching:

 

We went to a natural history museum, which has exhibits indoors and outdoors:

 

 

We also visited the amusement park and met some friends there:

 

 

Considering that both Sophie and I spent the first part of daddy's absence recovering from flu, the time sped along quite smoothly.  We also had our almost daily trips to the gym, as well as Sophie's creative dance class, cookie baking, play dates, and daily routine stuff to help the days go by.   As much we miss daddy when he has to go away, my solo time with Sophie will always be special. 

Halloween Party

Every year, our gym has a little Halloween party for the kids of employees and members.  Last year, you may remember, Sophie dressed up as a pumpkin with a cold.  Daddy was out of town and unable to enjoy the event.  This year, daddy is out of town once again but since there was no cold, it was a decidedly more enjoyable experience for Sophie. 

There were games run by some of the daycare attendants who look after Sophie almost every day, friends, cupcakes, a spooky little "haunted" room, and a cupcake walk.  And in some of these pictures you can actually see one of the rooms where I teach classes on normal days. 

A word about the costume: Sophie wants to be a fairy ballerina for Halloween.  This getup she's wearing also has pink tights, glittery pink shoes, wings, and a crown.  Not havin' it.  She insisted on the red tights and the brown clodhoppers.  Wouldn't have it any other way.  Wings? No way!  Crown? Heck no!  What, and ruin the look? 

 

 

 

The kids and the moms: this is my friend Denise, with whom I've been taking classes for years at the gym.  I remember when her son Cannon was an infant in arms, and it was she who encouraged me in the early days of taking Sophie to the gym daycare.  As Sophie was screaming and crying, Denise (who has four boys!) assured me, "It does get easier."  She was right.  I had to have this picture taken because it is rare for Denise and I to see each other in anything other than workout clothes, usually covered with sweat. (You clean up pretty well, Denise!)

 

After the party, Sophie and I struck out for pizza.  Sophie's favorite: cheese and black olives.

The pumpkin patch

It was cold.  It was rainy.  We were still in recovery from the flu.  But it was our last chance to go to a pumpkin patch as a family leading up to Halloween, so we made the long drive to this farm, and it turned out to be a very fun, if not somewhat abbreviated, adventure.

 

Recovery

Eww!  Cooties!

 

Just kidding, Deed.

Nothing like a little rest, some cold fresh air and...

 

ice cream sundaes to get ya feelin' chipper again!