Field trips galore

At the end of September, we enjoyed a visit from Pops and Grammy, and even had the opportunity to clean Pops' car!

In October, with a little encouragement from Louise, Claire discovered dresses!  These are identical, reversible dresses:

Last weekend, we had a lovely meal with our beloved Ms. Judy.  That afternoon, Charlotte came up to Mommy and asked, "Mommy, can I get my whup on?" Took us a minute, but we realized she wished to put the artificial whipped topping on the chocolate pudding pie.


Yesterday, all three girls went on field trips.  Louise went to the 911 call center.  She was sweetly proud of one of her classmates, who picked up the phone in the "smoke house", called 911, and told the operator his address.  "He's really smart, and a bit quiet.  I'm not jealous, I just really like his personality!"

Charlotte & Claire had the opportunity to milk a fake cow, feed real goats, take a hay ride, enjoy a rather wet picnic lunch, and jump in the corn crib at Ganyard Farm pumpkin patch:

Beach holiday pictures continued - now with actual beach photo

All of these photographs were taken by Grandad:


Photo of Louise's last day at School for the year, with the leaving 5th graders walking by on their very last day at Cameron Park:

 More Myrtle Beach holiday photos:

Pops & Grammy

Pops & Grammy have returned to the Eastern half of the US, and they came to visit for the first time since September.  Do you remember Pops & Grammy, we asked Louise.  "Of course!  Pops brings us presents.  But he doesn't have to bring something this time."  Of course, he did bring something - a zebra pillow pet for Louise ("Carrot!"), a giraffe for Claire, and "Chocolate" Moose for Charlotte.  Pops' sister Candy also came to visit, with her friend Ken.  Charlotte got a haircut after gymnastics on Saturday, so she is fully visible.  Her teacher commented today, "She looks all grown up - like a proper three year-old!"  Claire remains skeptical of the virtue of haircuts, so she now has the longest hair in the family.

Wild Christmas!

Louise is officially wild. She told Daddy that she and her friend Kate can be "wild...as wild as wild goats!!"

All three girls were wildly excited about Christmas. After declaring repeatedly that she hoped Santa brought her "cookies", Claire asked Mummy at bedtime, "Santa's coming?" Charlotte, who had no publicly declared wish list, showed symptoms of having watched too much West Wing in utero. "What next, Mummy? Presents?" Louise received a video email from Santa, in which he reminded her to say "please" and "thank you." "Pleasethankyoupleasethankyoupleasethankyou" was the refrain after she got the message...next year we'll let Santa know that Louise has been asked to say those words when appropriate.

We are blessed to have generous family members and friends, who gifted all of us with toys, clothes, money, and food. We are also delighted to have warm and generous neighbours, who invited us into their home for appetisers when we were sated with gift opening.

Louise came in to Claire’s room at bedtime with some of the instruments from Rock-n-Roll Elmo. “I’m going to sing ‘The End of the World’. No, Mummy – it’s okay, it’s a lullaby.” The lyrics went something like this: “The world goes round and round and round the sun./ You think it’s going to be forever. / But then it stops./ It’s the end of the world, end of the world, end of the world./ Tambourine, tambourine, tambourine…” I think she caught the expression on my face, however, because the lyrics then switched to “But the world isn’t ending, jamboree party!”

Today we went wild at Marbles. After we returned, home we got back to nature by planting branches from a discarded Christmas tree.

Christmas Cheer

Pop and Granny have arrived! We are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with them. They are helping us get into the holiday spirit - we decorated the tree, delivered cookies and cards to neighbours, and built a gingerbread house last weekend. To be accurate, Granny and Louise built it; Charlotte & Claire ensured that we didn't have too much frosting on the outside of the house. But Claire was clear about her intentions from the outset - "You build it, Mommy. Me eat it."

Fireworks

Louise is excited about the 4th of July holiday. She has been talking about fireworks, and this evening she and her sisters put on a display. ("No, Mummy, don't touch it! It will burn you!"). Before too long, Charlotte & Claire were practicing "Stop, Drop, and Roll." (Nana Chris would've been very reassured to know that no actual explosives were deployed in the house, but it's probably best to include fire safety when igniting imaginary fireworks).

Thanks to Granddad for the pictures! We returned to the Burlington City Park again today, where a good time was had by most (Claire wasn't quite herself). Charlotte & Louise had their most fun today, however, in the bath - they splashed each other and generally acted like children.

Father's day

Happy Father's Day! Daddy does occasionally find fatherhood a bit noisy for his taste, but all three girls are also capable of making him very happy and proud. Louise has taken over the task of putting her sisters to bed at night - Mommy or Daddy will quickly read a story and deposit a sister in her crib, then Louise serenades each sister with a lullaby or two (sometimes with a brief intermission - "I've gotta go potty and brush my teeth, then I'll come back for the second verse, Charlotte").

Claire and Charlotte particularly enjoyed the pool this morning. Claire gleefully jumped off the steps into the pool and laughed if her head got submerged in the process. Charlotte is also enjoying (obsessed with) her "new bike," Louise's old balance bike.

Nana and Granddad arrived on Tuesday, and we're all enjoying their visit. The following photos come from Granddad's camera:

Amusement

The Athertwingles became cousins this weekend - Kathryn Grace Schulz was born on Saturday.

We visited Burlington City Park for the first time this weekend. There were miniature planes, trains, boats, and automobiles, as well as a restored Carousel. All three kids were enchanted, and Charlotte & Claire surprised Daddy by happily going on "kids only" rides.

















Thanks to Pop & Granny, our house became more amusing as well - they purchased a sand-and-water play table for the girls.

















Unfortunately (for us, at least), Pop & Granny return home tomorrow. If the noisiness of our home fades in their memories, they may return for Christmas.

Photos courtesy of Granny:

Summertime fun

In keeping with American tradition, this Memorial Day weekend we went to the pool, shopped, and made passing reference to the troops (because Louise wanted to know the reason for the holiday). We also enjoyed ice cream at Maple View Farm, where they were celebrating the occasion with a balloon artist and a book sale. Charlotte also got a haircut - being able to see is so trendy this summer!

C&C had their first day at Bright Horizons today. Claire did not immediately approve of her new surroundings, and spent a fair bit of time demanding that Daddy reappear and take her home. Charlotte enjoyed the water table and the bikes, but she will probably also need a few days to adjust. Both girls were very happy when they saw Big Sister on the playground, and Big Sister was very proud to hug and take care of "her babies."

'Cation!!

Pop, Granny, and the five Athertons went to Williamsburg this week. During the journey up, we stopped to eat lunch. Next door, a vendor was displaying new and used golf carts for sale, so we decided to get some wiggles out and hone climbing skills. "Are you ready to go on vacation?" Granny asked Charlotte. " 'Cation!!" Charlotte cheered.

We enjoyed the seals, turtles, and other sea creatures at the Virginia Aquarium, though Daddy was disappointed that the sharks were much smaller than the ones he, Louise, and Pop saw in the IMAX film about the Great Barrier Reef.

Charlotte & Claire also enjoyed the novelty of sleeping outside a crib. Shortly thereafter, Claire discovered she could turn a door knob and open the door of her room - a great game was enjoyed by one.

Today, the two year olds took Pop, Granny, and Daddy to the local pool. The kids were initially apprehensive, but once the balls and other toys came out, the water looked much more appealing.