Pumpkins Picking Pumpkins

We had a fun Fall weekend enjoying some beautiful weather and getting ready for Halloween.

First up was Eric's Halloween parade and Fall Festival at Cathedral House.  These events have turned out to be great for both kiddos.  Olivia loves seeing her old friends with younger siblings.  They run around the school like they own it.  I got no pictures of them because they are too cool for school and Olivia didn't even sit with Matt and I for the parade, despite the fact that we were the only parents who had reserved seating.

Eric was slightly skeptical of the entire thing. Despite his expression, his teachers reported he LOVED his costume.  Apparently all day he would walk over to the bag and point to his costume and yell "duck! duck!"  When it was time to get dressed, they brought in extra teachers/parent volunteers.  One of the moms told me it was complete chaos in there - tons of naked babies crying!  Except Eric who kept marching to see his duck feet flap and pointing to himself yelling "duck! Duck!"

Until he saw mamma and realized he was strapped into the Bye Bye Buggy.  Poor sad little duckling.

Luckily we quickly got to him and he enjoyed the ball pit and sitting down for a snack.

I got tickled seeing these 2 walking through downtown.  One little duck wadling along, and one pretty girl looking through her treat bag and complaining in a horrified manner "What?  They gave me toothbrushes and toothpaste?!!!"  :)

And this.  7 year apart.  Same little waddle.  Different duck.  Same sweet daddy, holding the bags

On Saturday we headed to a local pumpkin patch

Everyone got a pumpkin (though some needed more help than others!)

Little pumpkin practiced saying "cheeeseee" -- which is as cute as it sounds because he says it in the highest little baby voice ever

And then big sis & daddy carved them (with baby duck watching intently)!

And we have been soaking up all the nice weather with basically daily trips to the park!

Life lately

I wanted to do a quick post mainly for the memory book because we have had some cute happenings around here (at least to Matt & I!).

Eric – The biggest and most exciting development is that he knows and calls for his people (mamma, yah-yah (Olivia is hard to say I guess?) and dada).  I remember Olivia going through the same phase where she constantly asked about everyone all day.  Eric is the same way.  From the moment he wakes up in the morning, he is asking where everyone is and this continues the entire way to school, and begins again as soon as I pick him up.  Its SO cute!!  He is also learning his parts of the body and animal sounds.  These sweet baby days of learning are so precious to me, especially in contrast to my Olivia who comes home with spelling lists and math tests!

Eric’s appetite is a constant source of anxiety for Matt and I.  Breakfast is his biggest meal of the day.  He loves ALL. THE. CARBS.  Pancakes, waffles, muffins, toast.  He’s there for it all.  Lunch is hit or miss and by dinner-time he basically refuses to eat.  I’ve tried to stick to my “this is what’s for dinner, eat it or leave it” rule but I have to admit that sometimes I’m begging him to eat anything – yogurt, cheese stick, Cheerios, almost literally ANYTHING!  And, mind you, this is not borne out of some maternal concern for his health/hunger level.  Nope, this is all based on my need to sleep and Eric’s hungry belly waking him up in the middle of the night disrupting that sleep!

But he is ALWAYS up for a snack (NACK!!) and will constantly go to the pantry and yell “NACK!!” He has very specific ideas of what constitutes a “snack” – yogurt, cheese, turkey, fruit (except the occasional banana) does not satisfy him.  He wants the junk – specifically chips – from the pantry.  And most of the time Olivia, the original snack monster, is more than happy to help him procure such a NACK mostly because she wants it too.  These 2 sneak Pirates Booty constantly (now on the top shelf) and the other day I found them elbow deep in a bag of M&Ms.

And speaking of Olivia (yah yah), Eric is really into her lately.  Which is sort of a game changer for Matt and I.  They will go alone and play together for 15-30 minutes at a time.  I honestly don’t know much of what they’re doing – but they both love it.  A few weeks ago they were outside playing and then Olivia called me because she said she taught Eric to plie “like a proper ballerina.”  

At this point, I don’t really know that I care what they’re doing – all I know is that I can drink my coffee, do some laundry or sit down and read for a bit!

At this age, Olivia was very into baby dolls.  At one point I recall on a Sunday evening Matt commenting that he’s all for being involved with the things that interest her, but the number of times he played baby doll that weekend was a little high. ;)  Eric doesn’t really have any toys that he’s super into like that.  He likes the cars but won’t really sit and play with them, same with Little People, trains, etc.  But, this boy can sit and read books forever.   Most of the time if he and I are alone (or he and Matt), we are reading.  He’s really patient, curious, and observant.  He has a pretty good memory (and we read each book like 20 times!) so he knows what’s coming up in the book and has certain pages he really likes. 

The other thing he loves is being outside.  He’s been like that for months but now that its getting a little cooler and the mosquitoes aren’t as bad, I’m more likely to oblige his requests.  Again, completely different than Olivia who basically has never asked me if she could go outside until last year.  Eric would spend hours outside on his bike or playing with the ball and he has a mild meltdown each time we leave the park.  

When I say its time to go, this is the reaction I get.

He has still been biting a lot at school.  We aren’t really sure what the deal is – it is not borne out of any aggression.  They said every time it happens he is literally sitting next to a “friend” and then all of a sudden reaches over and put their hand/finger in his mouth. I can’t even with this kid.  The current thinking is maybe its related to teething?  But if he does it multiple times (which he is prone to do) then he gets “restricted” treatment – which means he has to stay with a teacher all day so they can keep an eye on him.  At this age its really just re-directing him, I don’t think he understands what he’s doing.  Now, to some kids this may be a punishment.  But not Eric.  He loves it!  He snuggles and hugs the teacher and makes her read books to him all day.  And, I’m not going to lie – the teachers seem to like it too.  The other day I passed one of the teachers on the way out and she happily told me that she had Eric that afternoon because he was biting and they read books and then she started telling me how smart and sweet he was.  So…..I don’t know.  They don’t seem too concerned, so I guess I won’t be either.  We did purchase a book about not biting that we read almost every night and every morning I remind him to please not bite his friends because biting hurts our friends. 

Olivia - she just seems big to me lately.  I’m probably going to jinx it but she has been pretty happy and easy-going – no big meltdowns or fights recently.  I think that she’s got a group of friends at school that she likes and is settled into the routine of 1^st grade.  She likes her teachers and after-school activities and I just think that when she’s comfortable in her surroundings, it comes across.  (Conversely, when she is uncomfortable or unsettled, that comes across in spades too!).  The biggest thing with Olivia these days has been a transition from Kinder which focused a lot on art and looking at the pictures in books, so more “rigorous” academics – reading at a higher level, math homework, and spelling tests.  She’s handled it all like a champ and seems to be doing well.  A few things I want to remember:

1.  She is still SUPER into writing her own stories.  She told me the other day that Ms. Brown really wants her to “challenge” herself to use a more expansive vocabulary.  So she asked me to read the story she wrote where she tried it.  Um.  She used the word “dreadful” and wrote that one of the characters was “sobbing.”  This is not me bragging about my kid.  This is me in awe of the school and how those freaking teachers get her excited about things like this!

2.  Also the ending of this book was interesting – she just sort of ended the story without neatly wrapping everything up.  I commented on how I was suprpised with the ending.  She said in a self-confident way, “Oh, I know!  Me and Kevin Henkes both do that.”  I asked if Kevin was in her class.  She laughed at me in sort of a pathetic “oh honey” sort of way and then said “No mom!! Kevin Henkes is my favorite author!!  He ends his books like that so I did it too.”  Again, I can’t even.  With my 7 year old and her favorite author?!

We also dealt with a little misunderstanding with one of her friends that made me so sad and so proud of her.  Apparently at after-care the kids were outside and she was with 2 good friends from her Kindergarten class.  They apparently saw an asp on the playground.  For those who don’t know – an asp is a little caterpillar that is poisonous and is known to be extremely painful if touched.  There were a ton of them last summer after Harvey and I told her in no uncertain terms to stay away from them.  So anyways, they think they see an asp and the little boy apparently asks Olivia to kill it.  Now, she claims that she did.  (I don’t know if she actually did or how she did.  She told Matt the story and he didn’t ask that question and she wouldn’t talk to me about the incident afterwards!  But I did make sure Matt told her if she ever sees another one, that she should definitely not kill an asp and to go tell a teacher!).  Anyways, apparently after she kills this asp the girl friend (I will call her “A”) who is with them bursts into tears and runs away.  Confused Olivia goes up to try and find A but she won’t talk to Olivia.  Shortly thereafter, Matt picks up O from aftercare and she is pretty sad/confused about the whole thing.  Matt handled it like a pro – he helped explain to her that the asp is a living thing and that her friend was maybe upset because she killed a living thing.  They then had a really nuanced conversation about why we kill certain bugs (wasps/roaches) but not others (lizards, etc).  She brought up all kinds of questions (why does mommy kill those little spiders? Why do you zap flies with a fly swatter?) and seemed unsure about the rules of engagement.  (Yes, this is 100% my fault. I will admit it – I see a bug or other creepy crawly thing, I’m killing it. Or at least I was. Now I will either try to make the killing more discreet or wait until Matt gets home to take the damn bug outside!).  Anyways, they come up with some general rules and then talk about apologizing.  Olivia wasn’t quite convinced she did anything wrong for which she needed to apologize.  So, another hard convo about being a friend and making our friends feel safe and comfortable and that sometimes we inadvertently hurt a friend and we need to apologize for that.  I worked late that night and by the time I got home, she and Matt had a plan to get to school early the next day, find the friend, and make it right. 

The next morning I could tell she was nervous.  Matt takes her to school and said she tried to back out of getting to school early, but he pushed her.  All day I know both Matt and I waited anxiously until it was time to pick her up so we could hear how it went.  In fact, when I called Matt to tell him I was leaving work and starting the afternoon pick-ups he told me he really wanted to get Olivia to hear all about it since he had been the one to walk through it with her.  I happily obliged his sweet daddy request and apparently she had to do a little work to get A to even talk to her, but she apologized and all seems to be fine now. 

I know she was stressed about it but I think it was a good lesson in friendship and value of life.  This role of a parent is just a tough gig.  When they are little babes like E, you make all their decisions and worry whether you are doing it correctly.  Then they get a little bigger like O and you can’t really make decisions for them.  You just have to walk next to them and hold space while they figure it out.  She’s still little enough that she comes to us for help and we tread ever-so-lightly to try and ensure she comes to us for as long as possible. We know the problems will get harder and the options will be grayer.  Hopefully we can be a calming space for her to safely land while she works things out.

And finally, a few pics of the babes to end on a happy note.

On Saturday mornings all the rules are out the window and baby can have a bottle and watch TV with his sister.  She loves it at first but then gets annoyed quickly because he constantly asks "that? That?" and wants to know all the characters.  And then, when he finds someone particularly interesting or a scene that is funny, he will wildly do the sign for "more" and yell "More! More!" because he wants that character back on the screen doing the scene again!  Ha!

#bff

He has been referring to every bird as a "duck" but we have recently convinced him a turkey is a different species and he can say "gobble gobble gobble" in about the cutest little voice you ever did hear.

We went to the park after school one day and Eric for some reason refused to climb through the tunnel.  He does it all the time, so I know he can but for whatever reason he just refused.  I too, refused to go up and help him through it so I told him to either come through or turn around and go back to the stairs.  At which point Olivia -- who had been doing the monkey bars -- overheard the exchange and rushed over to ask him if he wanted "Yah Yah to help you through the tunnel?"  He reached his little hands out, nodded yes, and then emerged with this little grin.  Sucka!

These babies have mamma wrapped around their little finger...

Fall Fun

Despite the fact that its still 1 bazillion degrees in Houston, we have been pretending Fall is coming and enjoying some pumpkin patches around town.

First up was the Cathedral House Pumpkin Patch.  I think Eric was generally confused about these big orange "balls" that filled the playground, and the fact that we were staying at school instead of going home.  He was most interested in the bananas at the snack table and the slide.

Olivia on the other hand was thrilled to be back as an "alum" and happily ran around with her old friends!

A few weeks later we headed to Blessington Farm with the Williams crew.  Eric and Olivia both loved it!

Pumpkins

 Train rides

 Snacks

 And flower picking

  

 

A few other happenings -- Eric's bedtime routine gets more complicated by the day.  We have added a whole host of "friends/toys" that he sleeps with - Puppy has been there since the beginning, but now we have Duck, several blankets and a doll tennis racket that he wants every night.  And usually when he wakes up in the morning, he brings Puppy and tennis racket with him as he wakes up/gets dressed/eats breakfast etc.  The tennis racket is a doll accessory that Olivia got a few years ago for her birthday.  Thankfully she's been a trooper about sharing it.

We got "Boo'd" last weekend - a neighbor left a bucket of Halloween goodies on our front door and we had to "pass the Boo along" to 2 more neighbors.  Olivia absolutely LOVED everything about it and is pretty fascinated with the whole thing.

I want to always remember these baby CURLS on little E!

We had one morning where the weather was in the low 70s, so of course Eric and I bundled up and headed to the park ;)

And then we went to Kinkaid to get Olivia a cheerleading outfit for football season and this little guy charmed his way into a free football

Eric's vocab is still fairly limited but one word he has mastered is NACK! (snack) which he always seems to yell.  He knows the pantry where we keep the snacks and every morning he walks over to it, opens the door, and yells for NACK (Pirates Booty).  Good lord.

My bff Kate got this sweet little onesie tailored so that it still fit Eric for this year.  Those cheeks with that little belly?!  I can't even!

And he got his school pictures back.  There were a few "mug-shot" images but this one turned out pretty cute:

And a story I want to remember about Olivia.  A few weeks ago she came home and told us she "knew our secret" about the tooth fairy.  And she did.  A little "friend" at school had spilled the beans to her.  So my antennae goes up everytime I hear Olivia talk about her new friend.  The other day Houston had its first minor cold front (we are talking 67 degrees!) and Olivia told me that her friend taught her a new phrase - WTF.  It means Walking Talking Freezing! ;)

Finally, we got to see Yazzie for a quick (literally 1 hour) visit when she was in town for a funeral.  I was glad she got to see Eric and of course Olivia was thrilled to hug her precious Yazzie in real life (as opposed to FaceTime).

Funny story:  When Olivia was little, she would always confuse Yasmin and I -- running up to Yasmin and then quickly realizing it wasn't mamma.  This is the first time Eric has seen Yasmin in probably 8 months.  We were walking up my parents' driveway as Yasmin walked out to meet us.  Eric was holding my hand and when he saw her, he looked up at her and in the most confused little voice said "Mamma?" LOL.

We have a few weeks of rough work/travel schedules coming up, but if we can make it to November, I think we will be okay!