The Ranch!

A few weeks ago we traveled to Texas to spend a weekend at our friend's ranch outside of Houston. Elliot now thinks Texas is the greatest place on earth. We were joined at the ranch by several other friends from our California days. All of them have kids. Elliot was right in the thick of things with two 5 year olds and two 3 year olds. Bea spent her time with the younger crew (17 and 14 months), but also played with the big boys. We had such a wonderful time! Sorry for the picture overload, there were just so many great shots (thanks to our friends Monica, Karen and Santiago and their fancy cameras!)

Pumpkin Picking

Today we met up with the Haugen family (including the au pairs Lara and Ricky) to go pumpkin picking. We arrived at the Patch at about 11:00 AM to much warmer weather than what we had when we left the house  an hour earlier. Thus Bea's outfit change towards the end of the trip (you'll see what I'm talking about in the pictures). We had a great time checking out the animals at the petting zoo and picking out pumpkins. Elliot's favorite part of the trip was the hay ride. Bea, on the other hand, was not a big fan of the hay. Neither was Mommy, my allergies are still bothering me. It was all worth it though to spend a wonderful fall day with my family and our good friends.

Fall in Charlottesville

A couple of weekends ago we all (Lara included) spent the weekend in Charlottesville (just outside of c-ville to be precise). We were there to celebrate the wedding a dear friend. My sister (Aunt Lindsay) and her family (Uncle John and Natalie) along with Mimsey and Gramps were also there. We rented a lovely house for the weekend (SOOOO much easier than a hotel when traveling with kids) and had a lot of fun at the wedding festivities and hanging out with each other at the house.

Natalie and Bea loved the rocking chairs on the deck... 

Especially when gramps rocked them. 

Both girls were very interested in this flower dog at a local shop. 

Four!

Elliot celebrated his 4th birthday with a party on September 10th. Per his request the party had a Superhero theme. I still can't believe my little man is 4! He tells me daily that he is a big boy now. Elliot continues to amaze us with his kindness, curiosity, creativity, and happy go lucky personality. He has developed quite the vocabulary at 4 and regular uses words like fantastic, similar, amazing, and specimen. He knows the names of most dinosaurs and loves learning about nature. One of our favorite activities is to take nature walks and collect specimens for our nature/bug boxes. Elliot has an incredible attention span for a 4 year old and is content sitting quietly and listening to books on CD. I picked up Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories at a Garage sale a few months ago and his aunt Lindsay gave him Frog and Toad and Winnie the Pooh for his birthday. He listens to at least one CD every day during quiet time.

Elliot's birthday party was a lot of fun. His buddies Gus and Conor were there with their parents and younger siblings. Family in attendance included Mimsey and Gramps, and Mommy's cousin David and his son and youngest daughter (Joey and Phia). It was a nice day and the kids had a blast playing in the yard. Elliot got lots of fun toys and all of the kids went home with super hero themed gift bags.

Elliot's gift from Mommy and Daddy was a bike with training wheels. Elliot has been enjoying riding ever since. Beatrice also loves the bike and wants to ride it just like her brother, helmet and all.

Goodbye Sweet Zsi-Zsi

On September 19, Brian and I took our sweet pup, Zsi-Zsi, to the vet for the last time. She had an infected tumor in her mouth, leukemia, and failing kidneys. It was one of the hardest, saddest things I have ever experienced. We held her and and comforted her until the very end.

My mom gave me Zsi-Zsi at the end of my junior year of college. She was a wonderful companion. We made two cross country trips and lived in five different states together. She adored Brian and learned to love Elliot and Beatrice. We were very lucky to have had her in my life and I miss her dearly.

I wasn't quite prepared for the deep pain and sadness that accompanies the loss of a pet. Each day that passes makes things easier and we are slowly getting used to a new normal that doesn't include the routines of letting the dog out, feeding her, walking her, and snuggling with her after the kids go to bed. After experiencing this loss, its hard to imagine ever having another dog; knowing that someday we would be back in this place. But then I remember all of the love she gave us and how she completed our family. Someday we will have another dog, but there will always be a place in my heart for my sweet little puli.


The kids have taken this all pretty well. Elliot said he is sad but he has been more worried about me being sad than anything else. He drew a picture of Zsi-Zsi and he reminds me frequently that "she is in heaven and that we will see her again when we are really really old."

First Day of School

First day of School

Elliot is back at his little neighborhood pre-school this year. He goes twice a week and LOVES it. I know he would love to go every day.  He has a "best guy" in his class named Luke. When I picked him up from school the other day he ran over to me with Luke and said, "Mommy, this is my Luke!"

Beatrice is going to start a movement and dance class next month that she will go to once a week while Elliot is in school. Hopefully she will like it as much as her big brother likes pre-school.