Vacation

It was a rough week in Longboat Key, Florida.

Lots of relaxing on the beach,

fishing on the dock,

gorgeous sunsets,

experiencing wildlife,

going on rides,

dancing, shopping, and eating downtown,

and don't forget trick-or-treating.

It's a rough life, but someone has to live it! ;)

Lila's Halloween Party

This one deserves it's own post. Lila had her Kindergarten Halloween party yesterday, and I got to be a party mom. I was thrilled to see her in her school environment - she loves kindergarten! She wore a beautiful full Belle costume that a friend loaned us - complete with pumps and a wig, and wow, she was loving it!

Here she is nicely working on her craft with some classmates. :)

Lining up for the parade and starting to channel her inner princess..

That's my Belle posing with her hands delicately placed on her cheeks to showcase the gloves!

The princess - unleashed!

The Rest of October

I'm a bad, bad blogger, I know. Here are some pics of the rest of October:

Pumpkin carving...

The "Halloween Event" at school

A visit from Tessa

Going to the parade

She Can Do It!

Woohoo! Lila can ride a 2-wheeler with no training wheels!

Monday was a beautiful Columbus Day. We took advantage of everyone being off and worked on the daunting task of bicycle training. Lila has tried and almost learned this skill several times, but her wonderful Daddy likes to follow her lead on skill readiness. Not me! "Lila, today is the day you will learn to ride your bike." The first lap around the block was a little rough (understatement!) - for both of us. She could do it, but kept stopping every 20 feet. The fact that she learned how to stop herself was good, but she was too nervous to just keep going and tearful the whole way. We took a juice box break and she thought she was done for the day - no way. Ryan and I both went with her the next time, and she did great! Having Daddy there was just the security she needed. She was so proud of herself and happy.

Here's the proof! Listen to her scream of terror/glee at the end. :)

..a little nervous...

(Are you jealous of our lush lawn?!)

..more confident...

..the big kid...

Emma, celebrating with a piece of chocolate. :)

Museum Trip

I completely forgot to blog about this day until I just found the pictures on my memory card! Of course, my blogging has fallen by the wayside a bit in the past few months. It seems that having my youngest in am kindergarten, doesn't give me oodles of free time like I thought it would. I could also blame Facebook, since it takes mere seconds to let the world know what's going on there, but a bit longer to write a thoughtful blog entry.

Anyway, this was a blog-worthy day. We took advantage of "Free Museum Day", and the four of us went to the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia. The girls and Ryan had a super time! About halfway through the afternoon, I realized that I had the flu. I mustered enough energy to finish the museum, but the following 24 hours were not pretty (the following week was even less pretty as the rest of my family also got it!).

The dinosaurs were awesome! The live butterfly exhibit was beautiful! And Lila found a new obsession, or let's call it a fascination, with mummies. In fact, as I type, my 5 year old is watching a documentary on the Valley of the Kings. Sigh.....

"Look out! There's a T-Rex after you!"

Emma running on the treadmill and making the dinosaur skeleton run

...happiness...

My country girls - loving the city.

What She'll Miss Most About Summer....

Lila's Catch and Release Program:

Mini-Munchkin Soccer

This deserves a post of it's own. :) Lila has been watching her sister play soccer for pretty much her entire life, and now it's her turn. She's playing on the Kindergarten co-ed team, and boy, is it funny to watch! At this age they're just learning to enjoy the game and have fun. Most kids position the ball with their hands before they kick it. They often swarm all together onto the neighboring field and shoot on the wrong goal. Ryan is her coach and is pretty awesome, I must say. Emma is loving helping him out with the five little ones.

The contrast of our two girls is once again very apparent. Emma's soccer strengths in the early years were: listening to the coach, doing exactly as she was told, understanding and playing by the rules, giving all the kids on the field a chance to kick the ball. Lila, on the other hand, is quite aggressive (I know, surprise, surprise!). She scored three goals last week, and probably would have also scored a yellow card had there been a referee! Her competitive drive is amazing - the girl wants to win! She cheers for her team with such enthusiasm that it makes me blush as her mother! It's going to be a fun fall with Lila's adorable games in the morning and Emma's competitive games in the afternoon.

"OK, make sure you remember which goal you're going for."

Lila - controlling the ball

Andrew and Lila :)

Assistant Coach and Coach