Let it snow!

A couple of weeks ago we had a streak of really cold weather. There were a few days where the high was below 30 degrees. But, alas, it was a perfectly blue cloudless sky...meaning no snow. While we appreciated the reprieve from the just-above-freezing, constant mist, we were bummed about the lack of white blanketing everything.

Much to our surprise, since the forecast called for lows of 41 degrees, we opened our door yesterday morning to find an inch of collected snow serenely clinging to every surface. It was like being a child all over again as we rushed to put the bare minimum amount of warm clothes on before breaking the crust of the snow with our boot-clad feet. We only wish that Ches could have stayed longer to play - but at least we got a healthy dose of snowball-throwing at him before he left for work.

It was such a perfect snow that melted away in the next couple of hours as the sun rose higher and the temperatures resumed their normal, almost-snow conducive levels. Alina told me how sad she was that the snow was melting, paired with an adorably scrunched-up, forlorn look on her face. Hopefully, snow will grace us again this season.

The Next Hit

"Helping" vacuum

Princess Alina

This is Alina's self-made princess costume. It consists of a stethoscope as a belt, two Halloween hand puppets as her royal gloves, and, of course, it would not be complete without the regal pink satin cape. Notice that she is wearing different clothes in the two pictures. This has been her daily get up for the past several days.

Alina's Drum Solo

New Trick

Too bad I didn't keep it rolling for another 5 seconds since she drew in some funky hair! 

Attempted Photo Shoot

Trying to stay ahead of the game (and be frugal), I hung a green blanket on the wall and dressed Avery & Alina up in their holiday dresses today. How hard could it be to get the perfect non-blurry shot of both girls sitting still, coyly smiling without any of the white wall proving the makeshift nature of the scene? Well...here is the uncut, complete attempt to get a photo to grace the front of our holiday card. What do you think? Any winners?

The rest of our Vancouver trip

We try to make it up to Vancouver at least once every 6 months. I have not been to too many big cities in my life, but I am pretty sure none of the smell as good as the streets of Vancouver - especially Davie. There is always a risk of foul weather when travelling in the NW during fall...and winter...okay, and spring, too - but the places are cool enough to warrant the outings. Of course, this past Saturday was the first real storm of the season, which brought constant heavy rain in 40 degree weather. At least we were away from home, which suffered severe winds and power outages lasting longer than 12 hours. But our main goals were accomplished: eat yummy food, have fun at the market, watch a bunch of movies in a cozy hotel room, and play at the aquarium.

Halloween!

Here is an album of the different events and costumes comprising our 2013 Halloween season! The girls were super excited for Halloween and were in complete awe when they saw everyone in their costumes in downtown Winslow for our trick or treating. Favorite costume they saw: Banana. Favorite Halloween Night Activity: Free Mora ice cream cone. Favorite Candy: All-natural fruit snacks (much to our delight!). Enjoy - but watch out for cavities since they are super sweet pictures!

Vancouver

"Daddy, please stop talking to Mommy and just go!" -Alina upon getting into the car on the ferry. Some seriously excited girls.

Island Cooperative Preschool

A little over a year ago, we decided to look into options that would provide opportunities for the girls to be around other kids. The idea of preschool at 18 months sounded preposterous, but we also wanted something to combat our natural tendencies towards being hermits. We found a local cooperative that had a free play day on their outdoor playscape and went to investigate. The layout of the playground was amazing! The teacher seemed fabulous. And the price was right. So we signed Alina and Avery up to be Penguins at Island Cooperative Preschool.

Here we are dressed up for the first day in September 2012. I had no clue what we were in for! Talk about extreme levels of cuteness - picture 10 toddlers, just newly confident with their balance, exploring a cornucopia of experiences. We are talking mud pie messes, dumping tubs of trains, and giant smiles for new accomplishments and discoveries.

But the school ended up being so much more. I never could have expected the feeling of community that the cooperative help of the members creates. Being a co-op, the school tasks are done by the families: washing towels, rotating library books, organizing the fundraising events, building the playground, cleaning the dishes at snack, and so much more! Plus, through the monthly parent education, we learn valuable skills and articulate important values & beliefs before applying everything we learn as teaching parents directly in that classroom. That is right...not the typical preschool where you just drop off your kid and leave (though there is a bit of this, too!). Here, I have the opportunity to be in the classroom sharing in the learning experiences and dirty digging with my daughters! The quality time and deep connection these moments provide are truly priceless.

So now we find ourselves in our second year, with two very proud Sea Otters. The picture to the left is Avery (in green 'Brobee' shirt) and Alina on their first day this year. Pretty sure they have worn these waffle-knit shirts everyday of class so far. This has been appreciated by everyone else since it is an easy tell for who is who.

Snack time and circle time continue to be the favorites with a close follow up by anything involving water. Alina sings most of the songs out loud and Avery loves to fill up the red minivan with as many cats & dogs before touring the classroom. I enjoy my interactions with the other kids and parents in the class. And I know this will be another year full of wonderful memories!

Pumpkin Patch with Preschool

I am so thankful to be a part of our preschool, for so many reasons deserving its own post one day. But I especially love the annual trip to the Suyematsu Farm pumpkin patch. Last year we went with Mimi, and this year we had Ches along for the field trip. Luckily, it was a little less muddy than last year and we were able to tour the whole farm area. We saw the pumpkins (of course!), fresh beets being harvested, workers creating plant houses for winter, bean stalks, and so much more. I even crawled around the hay maze with muddy knee spots on my jeans to prove it!

Eggnog Day

When updating their wall calendar one afternoon in September, the girls pointed to October 10th and declared it to be Eggnog Day. This notion came about because on the last trip to the grocery store, Ches had noted the arrival of the liquid holiday goodness. Apparently, their excitement was enough to devote a day to the occasion. So we marked the special day and knew we must wait until then to taste the creamy drink. While many anxiously await the annual pumpkin-flavored everything of fall, us Wilson gals prefer the to greet the holiday season with the eggy concoction. Guess it was a hit, if judging by their eggnog mustaches!

Tot Lot Romp

Fire Station Preschool Fun

Today was a field trip for our preschool class, the Sea Otters.

While Avery was a little bit reserved initially, she bravely entered the fire station on her own. After talking, she told me she was scared of the sirens and was worried they would go off. I am very proud of how she still touched the hose and air tanks.

Alina was at the front of the crowd, touching and interacting with everything! She put her face in the air mask and helped count the ladders.  She told me her favorite part was the fire boat and the bed on wheels with a seat belt (aka a stretcher).

Fun for all and so glad to have shared this experience with our preschool friends!

"I'm a planet sleeper!"

Incoming

Quiet morning book play

Avery in the green Brobee shirt is piling books on the chair to "fix it." Alina sits reading a giant stack of books.

Waffle knit bagels

Better known as pumpernickel. They were more excited about it when they thought it was chocolate.

Brobee Shirt

Avery and her Brobee shirt. If it isn't in the wash it is on her. When it is in the wash it is being requested.

Bad Shot

Our first library book

We had a very fun morning by walking along the road then taking a detour through a trail in the woods. Our sojourn ended at the library. Unfortunately it was still 15 minutes until it opened. But luckily there's a beautiful garden surrounding the library and we were able to easily pass our time. Our patience was rewarded with entry to an empty library. We spent some time looking at the big fish tank, pointing out the clown fish and the blue tang, before wandering over to the puzzle area. After making a mess and politely cleaning it up, we found some books and sat on the couch to read. Though there were many good options, the girls decided on one book to take home. On the quarter mile walk home, we were able to observe large construction equipment. The girls were very brave even though we were only feet away from loud work. We made it home, ate a snack and read our new book 3 times before taking a nap. Talk about a fine morning!