Not to Be Forgotten...

We wouldn't want Emily to look back on the last series of posts about Elizabeth and think to herself "what about me?!"  So here goes.  Emily is doing great - we had her first parent-teacher conference this week and her teacher is pleased with her progress.  She is a good sharer, a good listener and plays well with other children, which is all we can really ask for at this age.  In the pool, she is still struggling a bit - we think that she has the ability, but that she is simply too afraid to let go...her teacher suggested that she move on to the non-parent class in January, but we are not certain that she can handle it, so we'll have to play it by ear on that one.  Oh, and she is still the cutest little girl around....

Swimming with barbells.

Ready for school.

Swims Like a Fish

For the last six weeks, Elizabeth has been taking swimming lessons.  This is the first set of "big kid" lessons - the classes are in the lap pool, there are not PFTs in sight and the teachers assume that the kids can swim.  And to our amazement, swim is exactly what Elizabeth has done these last six weeks.  She was the youngest child in her class, but week after week, she swam the length of the pool (25 yards) completely unassisted and usually without stopping to rest.  This week, her teacher advised us that she had mastered all of the skills for Rays (her class level) and that she should move up to the next level - that's mastery of the beginners' crawl stroke, elementary back stroke and side stroke.  We are duly impressed.

Excited for class to begin!

Learning a new swim stroke (hence the noodle).

Learning the back crawl.

Student of the Month

A few weeks ago, Lee and I received a postcard in the mail, advising us that Elizabeth had been named Student of the Month for the month of September and inviting us to a ceremony at her school.  To say that we were surprised is an understatement.  Of course we think that she is great, but between ourselves, we often downplay how well she does.  Apparently, she made a great impression on her kindergarten teacher, who selected her for her "hard work, personal behavior and good behavior."  We attended the ceremony last week - below are a few photos and short videos from her big day.

Walking up to get her award.

  

With her classmate Colin, who was the October Student of the Month.

Shaking the principal's hand.

Shaking her teacher's hand.

We missed the actual calling of her name, but you the context is there.....

Shaking her principal's hand.

Fifty Amazing Years

Today, my parents celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary.  It is a milestone that I can barely wrap my head around, although it is one they never doubted would occur.  In fact, they cannot seem to figure out why we are all making such a "big deal" out of it.  Below is a video that I made for my parents (and gave to them at their party), which celebrates just a small portion of what they have accomplished together.  I watched this video at least 50 times (during its creation and since) and it still moves me.  
Congratulations Mom and Dad!

Click on the four arrows to maximize and turn up volume.

Welcome to My School

Elizabeth and Emily do not really understand that we have this website that keeps our family and friends up-to-date on all of the goings on in their lives, but Elizabeth does ask, from time to time, about "the blog" - especially after someone mentions to her that they saw something about her on the blog.  Over the weekend, she told me that she wanted me to take pictures of her school so that everyone (Grammy & Grampy, Grammy & Grandpa, and "my godparents in Chicago" in particular) could see where she spends her days.  You could say that she directed this entry - she pointed out what pictures she wanted and what she wanted to say about each picture.  There is no doubt about it, she truly loves school and wants everyone to know what a special place it is.

This is the playground.  It's actually larger than this, but this is the area where the younger kids, including the kindergarteners, play.

Elizabeth playing "just like at recess."

Demonstrating how she walks back into school after the whistle blows to end recess.  Some of you may recognize her proper "mouse tail" form.

The nurse's office (with the teddy bears in the window).  Although Elizabeth has never been sent to the nurse's office herself, over the last few weeks she has escorted many of her classmates there.

Standing outside her classroom.

The front of her school.

She Sings!! She Dances!!

Yesterday afternoon, Emily started showing signs of her old self again.  I captured this cute little video of her singing and dancing...

How We Spent Our Weekend

This weekend, half of our house was completely healthy and the other half was very under the weather.  On Saturday, we visited Grammy and Grampy - Elizabeth and Grammy had a great time making all sorts of craft projects while Emily basically crashed on the couch for the afternoon.  On Sunday, Elizabeth and Lee raked almost the entire yard together (seriously - she did a lot of raking with him!) while Emily and I napped the afternoon away on the couch, battling fevers and coughs.  Things are starting to look up tonight, but this is a little peek into our weekend....

Elizabeth, busy crafting.

Emily napping on the couch at Grammy and Grampy's.

Lee and Elizabeth raking.

Emily snoozing on the couch.

Pocahontas & Mulan

This year for Halloween, the girls decided to be Pocahontas (Elizabeth) and Mulan (Emily).  I waited and waited and shopped and shopped and finally picked up their costumes and some accessories (at a price we could stomach!) a few weeks before Halloween (although I found the shoes mere days before the big day).  The girls LOVED their costumes and they got a lot of use out of them, especially Elizabeth.  And not only that, they looked absolutely adorable.  They had a great Halloween, although Emily was quite scared of any trick or treater wearing a mask - every time she saw one, she screamed and jumped into our arms!

Mulan and Pocahontas

Mulan shoes (they even lit up when she walked)

Pocahontas moccasins (although a bit unnecessary because, as Elizabeth pointed out, she was barefoot in the movie....)

Lee and Mulan heading for our traditional first stop of the night - Peter and Lisa's house.

 

Pocahontas and Mulan with our friendly neighborhood Acorn (aka Debby) - whose daughter Sarah was very proud that our girls chose to be ethnic princesses!

 

To the trick or treaters go the spoils - one candy each before crashing for the night!

Happy Halloween Party

I had hoped that this post would be about the multitude of parties that the girls attended during this Halloween season, but the rapidly spreading H1N1 put a damper on things so they ended up only going to one.  The good news is that it was a GREAT party and they had a ridiculous amount of fun!  The weekend before Halloween, Elizabeth's friends Madison & Victoria (and their terrific parents) threw a party that included arts and crafts (each girl took home a pumpkin magnet that they decorated), games, great food, and plenty of friends.  Perhaps one of the funniest parts of the night was when first Woody, then Lee, had to serve as human-pinata-holders because the string broke from the beating that it was taking.  There were no injuries and a good time was had by all.  Special thanks to Madison, Victoria, Apryl and Woody for including us!

Emily plays darts.

Madison and Victoria (our hostesses)

Elizabeth takes a turn at darts.

Tavio and Jen

Apryl didn't miss a single holiday touch.

Waiting in line.

Woody holding up the pinata.

The kids go crazy for the pinata.

       

Emily makes a delicate swing.

Elizabeth takes a whack at the pinata.

                          

Perhaps my favorite picture from the night....

Jack-O-Lantern

Pumpkin carving is a family affair for us.  The girls tell Lee what they want for a face and then he patiently carves up the pumpkin.  We all dig out the seeds (for roasting later) and the girls make several trips to the compost in the garden with all the chunks of pumpkin that we don't use.  I think that this year's pumpkin is one of our best, if not the best we've ever had.

Designing the pumpkin's face.

The guts.

Cleaning out the seeds.

Carving.

Precision.

The girls with their prize.

Checking out the inside.