Home Sick

Violet and I are home "sick" today.

To be fair, she ran a low-grade fever after school yesterday and just did not seem like herself. Very whiny, very lethargic. She really wanted to stay home the next day (Annie got to stay home one day last week with pink eye) but I told her she would probably be fine in the morning.

Well, at 3:30 a.m. she came downstairs in tears because she had thrown up in the bed. When Matt brought the bedding downstairs to start the wash, I did a quick inspection and to be honest, it didn't seem all that bad. Violet said she had woken up to drink some water and the two sips made her throw up. But vomit plus fever equal a day with no school, which is what I told her when she asked. She then promptly asked to watch tv (at three in the morning!) but I squashed that request. Of course, knowing I'd be out of school meant my brain was fired up, thinking through lesson plans and what I would need to tell the sub and how I would have to reorganize my day.

After dropping off Annie at daycare, Violet and I went in to work so I could get my day in order for the sub. There is so much I do on a daily basis that just lives in my head, and it is so hard to communicate that to a stranger! Plus there were a few wild cards happening today, like a tornado drill and a Birds of Prey special assembly, that had to be accounted for. The good news is, being the co-taught classroom means I have teachers coming into my room several times a day to assist, so hopefully between them and the sub, the kids will muddle through okay.

And then I just had to let it go and walk away. We call it a "forced sabbatical" around here. Something out of your control is forcing you to step back, reprioritize, take a break. So I'm going to do my best to enjoy my day off. So far it has involved four loads of laundry and remaking of beds (germs germs).

The good news is, Violet doesn't seem sick at all. (Have I been hoodwinked?) She has a great appetite, no fever, plenty of energy, and she has been asking to do school work! We stopped by her classroom and picked up the work she was missing today, and so far we've done it all: math sheet (she asked for extra math problems on the back), a reading comprehension sheet, practiced sight words, and did her classroom homework and speech homework. Next she has decided it will be recess time and then lunch. She's a nerd after my own heart!

Halloween

Elsa and Anna

Ah, Halloween. I've written numerous times about how this just isn't my holiday. But nonetheless, with the exception of putting on a costume myself, I can still get into the (spooky) spirit of things. This year we had a great crew in the neighborhood. We started at one end of the street with dinner, then trick-or-treated our way to the other end of the street (it's a fairly long street) for the after-party.

My girls were Elsa and Anna (Frozen forever!) and although it may not have been the freshest costume idea, they were adorable as sisters. We even had Olaf show up! Violet was on her mission to collect candy, and Annie was pretty proficient at it, too. She insisted on walking (or being carried... so much for the stroller we brought) most of the way. After the candy haul, everyone played and ate till full to bursting, then Annie promptly fell asleep in the 30 seconds it took us to drive home. Good times.

The crew!

The grown-ups!

Matt decided to call himself the lead singer of Counting Crows, while I pulled a "Reece Witherspoon in Wild" card.

School Pictures

They are growing up so fast, these sweet girls! Violet's fall conference went really well - she is rocking kindergarten. Every day in the car she wants to practice spelling words or math facts or tell me something she has learned. Annie wants to be just like her big sister; just look at that sweet hint of a smile! Also, that blond hair!

Goblins in the Garden

Elsa didn't feel like wearing her costume, but she did get some rocking tattoos.

Score another awesome event at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens! We headed there after church to meet up with Matt's parents and celebrate his birthday. It coincided perfectly with the Goblins in the Garden event, which was basically just an excuse to let the kids dress up in their Halloween costumes and see the scarecrows and do fun fall activities. I love the way this place does such a great job transforming itself for every different season... We will definitely have to take the kids back during Christmas to see the lights.

A book staring Violet!

Some of the activities we did were pumpkin decorating, Halloween tattoos, food tasting (cupcakes with zucchini... frightening!!!), making masks, and every child was allowed to pick out one book to take home - they were really good books, too! There were also pony rides and a train ride for a small extra price. Much fun was had by all.

Showing off her mask.

Anna and her pumpkin.

Violet starts Daisies on Friday, so of course she had to pose with the Girl Scouts scarecrow!

It's Fall, Ya'll

A few things to know about Annie: she is obsessed with the purple hair bow she got for her birthday from her classmate. She sleeps in it. She wants to bathe with it. She has worn it every single day since she got it, regardless of whether it compliments her outfit or not.

She has not slept through the night in weeks. She is an absolutely terror to put to bed. Regardless of when we start the process, it's 8:45, 9 o'clock before we're safely out of her room with the lights out. She cries, she begs, she demands an entire litany of things: fruit loops, sleeping in Violet's bed, her boo-boo buddy, more water, the yellow blanket... and one wish fulfillment only leads her to make the next. I've finally accepted the fact that we are in a season of life where our two-year-old wakes up every night. For some reason it makes those 3 a.m. wake-up calls a little more palatable. It's just another phase, folks. I'm sure Violet went through it too (although I wasn't nearly as overwhelmed, tired or bitter about it when I only had one child).

The extent of my pumpkin-carving capabilities.

Thankfully, Violet is sleeping through the night. But the closer we get to Halloween, the more timid she gets. She compensates, insisting that the neighbors' Halloween decorations are not frightening, claiming she wants to watch scary movies, then balking when it comes to bedtime, pulling the covers over her head, admitting she's spooked. I'm the first to admit that Halloween just isn't my gig, so our decorations consist of a few pumpkin-related things and Stu the skeleton. But it will be interesting to see how she handles what will surely be some gruesome costume choices made by our neighborhood boys. The other day she told me she didn't even want to trick-or-treat this year (and this girl NEVER passes up free candy) so you know she's feeling some feelings. Trying to tread gently with this sweet girl's heart during this holiday.

Speaking of Stu the skeleton, he's a recent addition to our paltry Halloween decor collection. Annie  spent several hours walking by saying "me no like him" until she finally warmed up enough to give him a high-five. But mainly we've been focused on teaching her what to say if she wants candy on the big day. We've had a few dry runs at the neighbor's house and let me tell you, she's a quick study when there are sweets involved!

At the Pumpkin Patch

We have taken advantage of this absolutely perfect fall weather this weekend. Yes, I should be working on parent-teacher conference reports. Yes, I should be finalizing my grade book for report cards. But YES, I am hanging out with my sweet girls under a cloudless blue sky, enjoying this season!

The corn pit!

Corn angels? 

The always favorite bumpy slide!

We took the girls to Warbington Farm yesterday after Violet's early morning soccer game. It's my speed of pumpkin patch - inflatables for the kids, a "hey" ride with a tractor to see some cows, a pretty little pumpkin patch with overpriced pumpkins (that we managed to escape without having to buy this year!), some slides, a refreshment stand with 50 cent ice cream... maybe one day my children will want to tackle a full-blown corn maze, but until then, we're keeping it low-key and loving it.

I told her the cows were coming and this is what she did.

She warmed up to the idea of getting up close and personal with the bovines.

Baby goats!

Thinking her cute face can convince me to buy an overpriced pumpkin.

Sweet and silly girls.

Last year's trip... my how we've grown.

This girl loves the corn pit, no matter what age!

You Are Our Sunshine

On one of the gloomiest, wettest days this fall, we threw our Little Sunshine a birthday party, and it was as bright and beautiful as I had hoped for!

The decorations from my baby shower keep getting reused - first as nursery decor, now for a birthday party!

First, let me just say how much birthday parties stress me out. I have an irrational fear that no one will come. Of course, I know I can always count on our families and neighbors, but this year I took a leap and invited some of Annie's friends from school. Violet had two little school friends at her second birthday party, and those girls continue to be good friends today. But I haven't bonded with any of the moms from Annie's class the same way, so I honestly wasn't even sure who to give an invitation to. Then I only got one RSVP. Awkward! Fortunately, by the big day, I'd heard from a few more people and was actually relieved I had ordered 24 cupcakes... we ate them all!

No tears during the birthday song this time!

And speaking of cupcakes, my friend Shannon is dabbling in the "baker on the side" business. Her desserts are legendary in our teacher break room and at book club. So when I texted her to see if she had any ideas for a "you are my sunshine" theme, she had tons of great (and delicious) ideas. It's nice to delegate some things to the experts!

Annie was so excited to see her friends and so many people in the house for her party. She rocked it! There were no tears this time around when we sang to her, and she tore into her cupcake like she knew Shannon baked it for her! (Smart girl, this one.) All in all, it was a lovely, exhausting day. (Remind me not to schedule a party at two in the afternoon again... it's too hard to keep the house clean that long! Parties should begin as soon as your children are up and dressed - all the more time for naps when it's all over!)

Some friends from school came to play...