Pumpkins!

Fall is my favorite season, and it's not just about the apples.  Or Halloween candy, or my birthday.  There are also pumpkins  Someone is out there reading this, saying, but Emily HATES pumpkin!  And you're right, I do, I think pumpkin pie and lattes and ice cream are the worst.  But pumpkins themselves make for really cute, happy trips to the pumpkin patch with friends.  

There were also pony rides.  At first, Scarlett said no to the pony ride.  But after watching the other kids, and picking out a pumpkin, and scrubbing the pumpkin (pumpkin scrubbing is also a thing she does at school), then she was game.  This horse is named Molly, it was the smallest horse but later, telling Charlie about it, Scar would say it was the BIGGEST horse.

Apples!

It takes surprisingly little time to pick 50 pounds of apples...

Future Athletes of America

I just got home from NYC today.  I saw my first Broadway show- Once, which was perfect just as the movie is perfect- and I ordered a $14 glass of wine just so I could patron the on-stage bar.  A few things I learned, so I can blend in better next time:

• Don't call intermission 'half-time'
• Don't hurry across the street. Dare the cars to hit you, like a true New Yorker.
• The 'hot nuts' stands (those nuts are awesome) are on every corner, until the time when I actually want the nuts.  Last night, I walked around for almost a half-hour looking for one, so I could bring some home to Scar.

And so, on to the real blog topic.

The day before Erin and Maggie's 26.2, the kids did their own race.  Here are Ramona and Scarlett, getting all pumped up for their kid race.  They ran a quarter-mile around a track, then did some obstacle courses, had bouncy house time, and drank chocolate milk. 

Dance-party warm-up.

Kids running is such an adorable site.

Last year Scar was wary of the bouncy house obstacle course but this year she loved it and went through it over and over. 

They also had some laying-down-on-the-ground time:

And a kiddo obstacle course.  When it gets warm, I want to set something like this up in the backyard, with tires to jump through and something to duck underneath.  That way, Scarlett and Ramona can train for the apocalypse.

I Love Marathoners

Yesterday, my two most hardcore friends ran the Portland Marathon, on a beautiful sunny day.  I'm beaming with pride just thinking about it, how many miles they have run this summer to prepare.  ERIN AND MAGGIE, I AM SO PROUD OF BOTH OF YOU!!

We did some cheering, along the way:

 

I did a little running at the end, to help them along, and we sang Lean On Me and chanted.  They ran 18 miles before I caught up with them, but they mostly seemed fine at the end.  A little tired, achey, ready to be done, but overall much more cheerful and determined than anyone has to be after so much distance.  Here they are, looking strong and pretty badass as the finish:

We also cheered on Grandma, who was kicking major ass at the half-marathon.  She stopped to get a Scarlett hug along the way.

Then early this morning, I got on a plane to NYC for work.  Scarlett fell asleep in the car last night, on the way home from dinner for Aunt Sally's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLY!!!) so I didn't get to say a formal goodbye before I left.  I don't get to help make her lunch this week, or snuggle with her in her new bed.  She is happy at home with dad, and tonight when we spoke it was easier to understand her little high-pitch voice, but still, I miss being there for her nights and mornings.  The good news is, she loaned me her pink suitcase with the frog on it, because I promised to bring it home filled with presents.

Mud Saturday

Today we went to a picnic for Scarlett's school.  Really it was a camping trip, but those unable to camp (or people who, like me, don't like camping despite being native Oregonians) could come just for the afternoon.  It's storming, and there was a torrential downpour when we arrived, so everyone stood inside the shelter looking sad and cold, staring.  But after a while, it let up and there were GIGANTIC PUDDLES (Scarlett loves the word 'gigantic'):

Also, pigskin:

Then we took a nature walk to the muddy river.  Scarlett had a rough day, she was tired and overwhelmed by seeing teachers outside of school, she couldn't decide if she wanted to stay or go, she wasn't even thrilled with mud or puddles.

The best part for us as parents, we got to meet Dabria.  Dabria is five and has been paired up with Scarlett as her lunch buddy and to show her the rope for the past few weeks.  Every day, Scarlett tells us how she had lunch with Dabria, and followed Dabria around the playground, and told jokes with Dabria.  Sometimes at home, we play a game- "Mama, you pretend to be me and I will be Dabria and it's the first day of school."  So we were able to meet the famous Dabria, in the flesh, and see how sweet she is with our little Scarlett.

The Dickerson Sweatshop

Charlie is teaching Hope to sew.  The little girls watch, hold the pin cushion, and play with fabric scraps.

Our little preschooler

A couple weeks in, and Scarlett seems to be loving school.  Mostly, her daddy drops her off.  But I get to occasionally, and last week when I took her, we looked at pictures of frogs in the hallway before class.  Then she told me to put her down, so she could go into her classroom.

She sets up little 'works' at home, like they do at school.  If I ask, what activities did you do today?  She will correct me, tell me to call them 'works'.  At home she washes her own dishes, practices water pouring, sets up elaborate systems where she rolls a ball along a long strip of books on the floor.  Some days she waters the plants.  Some days she plays on a big hill in the playground.  She's working on buttoning her own jacket and zipping her coat.  I can see her mind expanding and her fingers working more decisively.

This week for one lunch she had oatmeal in her new frog thermos.  She had leftover pizza one day, one day a hard-boiled egg.  She has raw vegetables with every lunch.  It appears that she'll eat whatever we put in her lunchbox.  The school-provided snack might be oranges and green beans, or apples and crackers.  When I come home from work, she starts telling me what her snack was, even before I've opened the door to walk into the house.  I can see her little mouth moving excitedly through the glass.

In the past week, we've stopped putting her down for naps consistently.  If she's tired, she naps.  If she's not tired, we don't ask her to nap. So she's sleepier at bedtime, and going to sleep a little earlier and with less of a fight. 

I get warm fuzzies when I think about her school, I just love it and so does Charlie.  The community is really welcoming.  We were scared at the prospect of someone else watching our precious cargo, but Scarlett is thriving and the adjustment has been mostly pretty painless.  I wish I could tell the Emily of 6 months ago not to worry so much.