Simon somersaults!

Electronic babysitters are the best!

On Saturday afternoon, while Zac was out canvassing for the election, I had my weekend phone call with my friend Laura while the kids napped and I folded laundry. When Alice woke up, I went and turned on Cat in the Hat on Netflix for her, and was able to keep talking with Laura. When Simon woke up, he didn't even come find me--he just went right to the living room, and this is how I found them when I got off the phone.

Marcelo's birthday party

On Saturday, Alice went to Marcelo's birthday party. It was the first party from her new class, and it was held at the local fire station. Alice had a great time and even made some new friends, who she played hide and go seek with. It was funny to see some other kids at the party being shy and clinging to their parents, whereas Alice knew right how to party. All our birthday party training has paid off.

Step one: Upon arrival, find the birthday child and give him your homemade card.

Step 2: Smile for the group picture on the fire engine.

Step 3: Sit as close to the birthday cake and/or birthday child as possible.

Step 4: Entertain yourself and those around you while you wait for pizza.

Step 5: Grab a string for the pinata pull.

Step 6: Grab candy as it falls. (But then be nice and share with kids who didn't get as much).

If you give a girl a role of scotch tape...

It will keep her busy for at least an hour.

Sight words and bugs

Alice tries to teach Simon her sight words, while Simon is really just paying attention to his cockroach traps and a little lego motorcycle. (They just got home from school - it was pajama day for Alice.)

Campout at Izzy's

Saturday night, there was a campout at Izzy's for Alice's daycare classmates, just like we'd had in the spring. This was a belated birthday party for Izzy, since Natasha wanted to wait and have it after her husband got back from Afghanistan. The weather was chilly and I was freezing the whole, but everyone else was fine. It was the first time the gang was back together since starting kindergarten. They all got along great and were quite happy to see each other.

Bond Park

Zac took the kids to Bond Park Saturday morning so I could do laundry, pack up and get us ready for camping that night at Izzy's.

Alice go herself dressed, and was quite proud that she managed to tuck her pants into her shoes.

Trains on tracks

 

This picture represents a milestone. Simon is finally able to let the battery powered trains go around the tracks without trying to catch them. I hate the sounds of the trains, so now this is actually worse because he just lets them go around and around while he goes and plays on the cushions (his cicada hill) or something.

Owl cards

Simon was pretty happy to receive some owl pictures in the mail from grandma and grandpa Shogren.

No School - Hurricane Day

On Monday, daycare and the Wake County schools were closed due to power outages, so Zac stayed home with the kids. He ended up taking them to marbles, to help pass the day.

House Hunting, Van Portraits and Godbold Park

On Sunday morning, the weather had cleared up. We decided to go check out a house for sale that looked interesting, then go to a nearby park.

We didn't actually have an appointment to see the house, but we just drove by and I discovered a back door open (the owners had already moved out), so I looked around inside. The pictures online made the house look awesome, but in reality it was really run down and in need of a complete makeover. We're just a the very beginning of what is sure to be a long and fraught process of house hunting, but I've been looking at houses online for years in preparation. I guess this was a good reminder that there can be quite a difference between the pictures and reality.

While I was poking around, Zac was playing around taking portraits of the kids in the van.

We finally headed to the park. Simon swung on the big kids swing. They both played on the playground quite well. It is so nice that they can finally both play on their own at the playgrounds (except for the swings).

Then we walked down a path and spent the rest of the time playing at the creek.

"You just move your body to the rhythm." Alice explains dancing.

Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina Friday night and hovered over the state all day Saturday. We didn't want to drive anywhere Saturday morning in case the weather took a turn for the worst and there was flash flooding or something.

Zac decided to just embrace the rain and take the kids out to play in it.

We actually got off quite easy in this storm. There were lots of power outages, flash floods, and quite severe flooding elsewhere in the state. We just had a rainy day.

Simon opens a package

Simon got a belated birthday present package in the mail from Cam today. He loved opening it!