Darcy Girl II

Oscar and I went to IKEA tonight to look for a giant pillow (which we didn't find). But on our way out we stopped to play in the kids' section for a bit. When O.K. spotted this little black and white dog, he bee-lined right to it, scooped it up, and exclaimed, "Darcy Girl!" (Never mind that the dog is clearly intended to be a Dalmatian). He tucked Darcy Girl under his arm and that was that.

All the way home, Oscar talked about Darcy Girl. "She has a nose and a tail, like the real Darcy Girl," "Darcy Girl loves this music", "Darcy Girl is cozy", "Darcy Girl, see the lights?". The "new" Darcy Girl read stories with us tonight and is currently snuggled up with the kiddo, who is fast asleep. 

Pretty nearly the best $8 I've ever spent.

Pumpkins!

We're calling it tradition, as this was our third year visiting a farm to take a hay ride and pick a pumpkin. We went to Linvilla Orchards with our friend, Christine, and her two sweet boys, Jack and Cole.

O.K. and Jack on the hayride.

 

After playing on the wooden playground for a bit we checked out the fancy birds. Have you ever seen a white turkey?

Then we picked out a couple of almost-too-big pumpkins to take home and

 carve!

Oscar enjoyed scooping out the pumpkin guts.

Pumpkin #1

Three broken pumpkin saws later, we were finally finished! 

Happy Halloween, all!

Recent Photos Taken Between All the Busy...

O.K. wanted to take his shopping cart to Rite Aid, so we did.

Nora and Oscar playing at the park.

Easily entertained.

O.K. in his pirate hat (spoiler alert: that's what he's going to be for Halloween).

"Nap schmap. Look at all this stuff I was able to grab while inside the pack n' play!"

O.K.'s New Classes

Well, not at a school-school, but Oscar's keeping busy. On Tuesdays, he goes to Jay Sand's All Around this World music class where he listens to and sings songs from different parts of the world (John hasn't taken a picture for me yet). Then on Thursdays, he goes to Zoom Dance class where he gets opportunities to dance around, listen to a story, and then act out parts of the story through movement.

Here he is with his teacher, Rachel. John said at one point today Oscar was supposed to move around like his favorite animal. When I asked Oscar what animal he pretended to be, he replied, "An ostrich!".

My "Kids"

I don't often post pictures of my third graders (for obvious reasons), but we have been making collages that share a little about ourselves (in the shape of a planet--a.k.a. a circle--to go along with a solar system theme). Anyway, our "personal planets" will hang on our door for Back-to-School Night. I took a picture of each child to add to the top of their planet (like they are standing on it). I'm sort of known for painstakingly cutting out each child's picture, and I have to say, it takes some time. But I love how they look all cut out and in their own self-chosen poses (this time many included a flag, you know, like the astronauts on the moon). Plus, they kind of take me back to my paper doll days. Anyway, here are a few:

I'm sure you can tell they are a bunch of characters, AND that I think--in spite of how exhausted I am at the end of the day--that they are pretty great.

That Stuff You Eat On

We are now the happy owners of these:

The GG Macy's dishes. 

They are lovely, and as you can see, fit right in. We were actually in need of some new [to us] dishes, so I am glad that for once my sentimental and practical sides have managed to come together.

Thank you, Sherry and Pop, for packing them up and sending them all this way to us!

Thanks, Gus, Bailey, Addison, Marissa, Cassidy, and Paul!

Look what came in the mail recently:

A Gus-inspired t-shirt with pictures drawn by the Anderson cousins of things O.K. loves (an excavator, a front loader, a garbage truck and a bulldozer). He has enjoyed showing folks the pictures when they ask. I've enjoyed getting to say his cousins and his Gus made it for him.