The kids had their individual school pictures taken a couple of weeks ago. The photographers were scheduled to be at the preschool over a 2-day period, so I wasn't quite sure when exactly Harper and Ryder would get their turn. I dressed them both up on the first day and then found out Ryder's class was actually scheduled for the second day. It all worked out though, because our wonderful preschool director makes sure siblings go on the same day so the photographer can get a picture of the kids together in addition to the individual shots. Perfect! Yesterday the pictures were available for purchase, and needless to say, I bought the whole package. :)
When I asked Ryder on picture day if he smiled for the photographer and said "cheese", he told me he said "french fry" instead. Apparently this is how it went: Photographer: Ok, say 'french fry!' Ryder: 'French fry!' Photographer: "Hey! Did you just call me a french fry?"
Ryder giggled as he told me the joke, so I was pretty sure his picture would be a good one. Look at that HUGE smile!
3 years & 10 months
We definitely have better, smilier (is that a word?) pictures of Harper, but I love how her personality comes through here. She looks so skeptical, as if she's thinking, "What in the world is going on here, and why is this guy talking about french fries??"
23 months
Harper: Ummm, I'm still not so sure about this, but at least Brother is here with me.
My parents came for a week-long visit and timed it so they would be here over my 35th birthday. The kids and I still had school and work, but we took a couple of days off (in addition to our weekend) to fit in shopping, the beach, and pool time. Since my parents had a rental car, they were able to explore the area on their own on the days I was working. Ryder and Harper were excited to have "Gamma" and "Gampa's" undivided attention; there was lots of Lego building and anything else the kids felt like doing. Of course the week flew by faster than we wanted it to, but we made the most of it!
Ryder and Grandpa spent lots of time in the pool together; I think each session began with Ryder pushing Grandpa into the water!
Harper swimming after her purple ball
my birthday dinner
From the decorations to the delicious meal and cake, Mom and Ann went all out!
"I love parties!"
"Happy birthday to Mommy, happy birthday to Mommy..."
Today actually felt like a beautiful fall day, as opposed to the rainy, humid ones that we have had for the past couple of weeks. We enjoyed leaving the sliding doors open and letting the breeze air out the house. And the kids enjoyed the freedom of being able to use the lanai as an outdoor play space again. While I was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, the kids headed outside together; when I peeked out to check on them, I found them practicing their letters with sidewalk chalk. Of course they don't like to draw on the ground--they write all over the screens and any other surface they can find. I guess it's more like a chalkboard? Ryder was "teaching" Harper to make different letters, and she was trying her best to copy him!
pointing to where he had written his name...by himself!!
"RYDER"
Ryder with one of his Lego creations
I think the sun was a little too bright. I couldn't get her to look at the camera for more than a second!
I was trying to fix Harper's hair this morning, and Andrew took this picture. It looks like I'm holding her up by her hair, doesn't it? :)
Just a couple of silly Harper moments from this week...
She loves to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" because they have been practicing it at preschool. One of her stuffed animals plays the song when she presses his paw, so she's been practicing it a lot at home too. :) It's quite a workout for her because she just keeps touching her head then her toes, over and over again. She showed off her new skill the other night for Pops and Grann, and Pops caught it on video.
And I finally found a cute, affordable comforter for her big girl purple bed! I think she likes it. :)
Here are some recent situations that illustrate Ryder's great sense of humor!
And a cute bathtub picture of the kiddos, just because. :)
While grocery shopping with the kids the other day, I gave them each a piece of paper and pen because they wanted to have a list just like me. (I think more scribbles ended up on each other's legs than the paper, but at least they were nice and quiet). As we finished in the produce section, I told the kids we just needed some lettuce and a bag of grapes and then we would go pay. Ryder said, "But we need some watermelon and cherries too." I told him maybe we could get those things another day because they weren't on my list, and he responded with, "But they're on my list. See?" Ha! I couldn't help but laugh at that. Maybe next time he can pay so we can get everything on both lists. :)
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The other night I was dishing up some supper for the kids while they waited at the table. Harper kept saying, "Nunch (lunch)!", which is what she calls any meal that is eaten at the kitchen table. I said, "Harper, you already ate lunch today. Mommy is getting you some supper." I probably said this 5 or 6 times before I quit correcting her. The next time she said "nunch", Ryder looked at her seriously and very sweetly said, "Harper, how many times do we have to tell you it's not nunch? It's supper." I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from cracking up--he sounded like quite the little mommy!
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Leaving Walmart one morning Ryder wanted me to make a right turn out of the parking lot. It's a "secret" way that Andrew sometimes uses when there's a lot of traffic, but it means making a u-turn in order to get back home. I kind of played dumb and asked Ryder if he was sure we could get home this way and if it would be easy. He reassured me that, yes, it was an easy way and even showed me where to make the u-turn. Once the turn was made and we were headed in the right direction, he said, "See, Mom? How easy was that??"
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One afternoon this week, Ryder asked for my help to turn on his music in his room. He said he didn't want his bedtime music but some "man" music. (This is what he calls any music that isn't specifically for children). I scrolled through and found an O.A.R. song, and when it started playing he said, "Oh yeah!" and proceeded to have a one-man dance party.
