Fall is here

Its catch up time for the blog.   I keep waiting for Michael to chime in and make some updates, but he's showing no love to our blog lately.  Its become my project.   And it gets neglected for weeks at a time, till I feel guilty and need to do some catch up.

So Fall is here.  Its wet, rainy, muddy, leaves falling kind of yucky mess all over your yard.    But I also love it.  Those first huge rainstorms and grey days, where everyone sleeps a little longer...yep, I love it.   And Pumpkin Season is here with all the fun Halloween Festivities getting into gear.  

First Day!

Maddy officially started Preschool in early September.  She has a Preschool Summer Camp which helped her ease into preschool mode.   She is going three days a week for 2.5 hours, and it gives me nice little break.   Makena and I have time together which is really nice.  And so much quieter!        

Maddy and her friend, Scarlett

I'm doing a similar Toddler program with Makena as I did with Maddy.  So one day a week during Maddy's Preschool, Makena and I go to Toddler Group.     She didn't love it the first day and spent most of it scared, whining, and crying.  But the second class she was warming up to it.   I can already see her enamoured with all the other kids her age to play with, and all the fun things to do.

Not loving it on the first day.

At the end of September, we finally did a big push for Potty Training.  We'd given it a try a couple times before with much resistance from Maddy.   So at the end of September the 'Pull-Up Fairy' paid the Potter House a visit.  While we were asleep she snuck in our house, took all the pull-up diapers away, and left a cute little package of potty stuff, princess panties, and treats for Madelyn.    Maddy's face was sheer awe and excitement. You would have thought Santa came!     It did the trick and got Maddy on the potty-training path.   Its been a few weeks and things are going well.  Not perfect, but well.  And that is all the detail I'll go into, because no one wants details on potty training.    I will say I'm hoping that Makena will want to be just like Big Sis and hopefully not be nearly as difficult as Ms. Maddy.   One can hope.....

More smiles came out on the playground.

And last but not least, my dear husband turned 39 years old.  He celebrated by having a Red-Neck Birthday Party and heading out to Monroe Evergreen Speedway for School Bus Races.  Think demolition derby with school buses, or so I'm told.   It was a guy thing, so I didn't go.   The guys all put on their best redneck gear, hit Redhook Brewery first for grub..and then off to the fun.  They raved about how much fun it was and have it planned for next year with kids!   I sent a camera with Michael, but he couldn't be bothered taking pics.   Alas, no pics of School Bus Races.  Bummer.

Michael, Christian, and Andy....doing their Redneck best.