Happy Fall!

Nate and his neighbor and friend Alexander

Nathan and Daddy at the neighborhood Halloween party, winning a medal for best pirate costume

Ellie in her butterfly costume at the neighborhood party

On the way to the party

Nathan - Halloween at preschool

Nathan and Alexis at Boo at the Zoo

Pirate Nathan

Daddy and his girl

yay! picking apples

Lots of apples and two kids in a wheelbarrow

Only apples were at the top - Daddy helped

King of the world!

Pumpkin and apple picking at Homestead Farms

First day of school


Getting better about the frequency of posts, though I am still backlogged with photos. Lots from the summer to upload, but oh well. Happy Fall! It is officially getting chilly and we are enjoying all of the fun of the fall season. I could hardly wait for Halloween, our first in the suburbs, and it exceeded my very high expectations! From the "Boo" on our door to the Halloween party to trick or treating, Halloween in the suburbs did not disappoint. Nathan was a pirate this year and got the opportunity to wear his costume a LOT (thanks to Grandma Wilson for making it). Ellie was a butterfly but didn't really wear her costume...too many issues with the wings, tutu, headband, etc. Figures. We had a lot of fun even in spite of a slightly rainy evening and Nathan got LOTS of candy (two bags and they didn't even cover the whole neighborhood) which we donated to treats for troops. It was really fun to be a part of a neighborhood, participate in Nathan's preschool Halloween parade, church "trunk or treat" and all of the other fun festivities. I am loving it.

Speaking of church, we are in the process of joining the neighborhood church. Very small but we like it that way - everyone knows your name. Very excited about it and something we have wanted to do for a while but since we never felt "settled," it didn't seem appropriate.

The drama the past month or so has been around the H1N1 or "swine" flu. Good gracious. Trying to find the vaccine has been darn near impossible and the resulting chaos and stress has been awful. Lots of people getting sick and the distribution and disorganization of the vaccination campaign has really been a mess. Drove me to the point that I even wrote an oped to the Washington Post...and got published! The good news is that after all the drama, all four of us were able to get the vaccine. Nate and Ellie still need a second dose so we are hoping that they don't get sick while we wait the mandatory 28 days in between...the flu is already circulating around Nathan's school and our neighborhood so we will keep our fingers crossed.

Both kids doing well and keeping us busy and entertained. Nathan is liking school more and more and we have really seen him progress. He is so much better now at playing with other kids, sharing, playing BY HIMSELF (this one is BIG) and we are seeing him use his imagination more and more. He is also really into building "forts" and "walls" to keep Ellie out. Funny. Doesn't seem to deter her, however, as she just climbs over or around or knocks them over to get in. The dynamic is funny. Alternates between fighting and biting to love and kisses between the two of them on a daily basis. What is very sweet is to see how Nathan reacts when Ellie gets hurt...runs and gets her blankie and pacifier and says "it be ok Ellie." I am so happy that we had a second kid and the sibling relationship is so special, even at this very early stage.

Ellie is still really into music, doing her own thing, and bossing us all around. She is getting really verbal - says "ba ba (blankie), bear, baby, ball, eye, nose, no (this one comes up a lot when Nathan tries to tell her no...she says it right back), shoes, fish, cheese, nana (banana)" and makes all sorts of noises for airplanes, cars, tigers, etc. Still think she is over the top smart and she is still running the house. I need to get the upper hand soon or I will be railroaded. Gearing up for the cup and pacifier transition. Wish me luck.

At the beginning of the season we went to Homestead Farms for apple and pumpkin picking. So fun. Except for the fact that I didn't take the hayride with Scott and the kids to the pumpkin patch because of my hay allergy and ended up walking for 30 minutes around acres and acres of farmland trying to find one of about 10 pumpkin patches where they were. Finally, sweating, and crying, I saw them across a field just as they boarded the tractor to head back with their pumpkins. I heard it was fun and they actually "picked" the pumpkin from the ground. After pumpkins we went apple picking which I had never done before either. Scott had to pick Nate up since the remaining apples were at the top but he loved it and we are STILL eating the apples (seems like we will never run out). It was a beautiful place and a great day and I think we will definitely head back next year.

Last weekend Scott put up a rope swing in the backyard which is AWESOME. Like a drug for the neighborhood kids and they are coming over every day to swing. Was a little scary getting it in the tree (let's just say Scott got a ladder out and was about to climb up the tree with the ladder maxed out and very wobbly) but the rope is so long it swings very high and I have even gotten a kick out of swinging on it. So far Scott has executed on everything that he mapped out in the first weeks that we moved into the house - I am impressed - and we are still loving it.

Getting geared up for Thanksgiving, when my parents and brother and sister in law will visit and then Christmas with the Evanses. Really looking forward to the holidays at home with family and the kids. Right now Geri and Lee are in Australia and we miss them terribly! Especially this week when I had to go to Boston for work and Scott was solo with the kids...a little chaotic, but he survived and really stepped up to the plate.

Hoping to see friends, head to New York for a weekend, and keep taking advantage of the wonderful place where we live over the next couple of months. Cannot believe it has been almost a year since we moved here! Seems like an eternity ago.