On a (Blog)Roll

Day three of preschool went very well. I dropped Ethan off in the car line again. I got him out and put him on the sidewalk. He closed the van door (a good sign, I thought, since it meant he wasn't going to jump back in and hide!), and when his teacher came out, he went in with her no problem. Not a tear in sight. He may be skipping Friday for an event we have, so I'm really hoping that having a long break (Wednesday to Monday) won't derail his progress. I'm relieved that he's doing so well. The teacher says he's doing great, and he even gives us very specific details of what happens in school (playing blocks with Timmy), like what picture he had on his carpet square (a lolipop) and what book they read in circle time (David Goes to School). It's too cute!

And it's also great to get some time a few days a week to get things done around the house. I put Eleanor down for her morning nap as soon as we're home from dropping off Ethan, and then I can fold laundry, prep dinner, wash the kitchen floor, or just sit and watch Oprah if I want. And it's a lot easier to be more patient with Ethan when I get a break from him, too. It's a win win.

And I like that we have two days to do with as we please. Yesterday, we went to the Morton Arboretum with my mom. Ethan has a blast exploring the Children's Garden, and Eleanor was her usual cheerful self in the stroller. It was a gorgeous day and would have been perfect were it not for the awful bees when we tried to eat a snack. They are awful this time of year! But I'm already thinking about the long, long days of winter we will be having all too soon, and I'm more than grateful to have nice days now to be out of doors. Just yesterday I said to Will, "What will we do to get through the witching hour in a couple of months when it will be too cold to walk to the park?" Ugh. I don't even want to think about it.

I've included a couple of videos of Ethan and Eleanor swinging at the park. We go to the park a lot these days after dinner, and Ethan has a renewed love of swinging. Eleanor swings with him, and he likes to push her sometimes. She LOVES when Ethan pushes her, and she laughs and laughs. In the video, you can hear her low growling, too, which cracks me up. In the second video, Ethan starts singing part of the days of the week song he is learning in school.

Checking his (my) watch.

He he - seriously. How cute is this little muffin??? I always have a hard time getting Ethan away from this pump. Sunflower, like the ones from Sunflower Valley from Bob the Builder (at least according to Ethan).

Butterfly #1

Butterfly #2

In the giant acorn.

Climbing the web.