Brother and Sister - Best Friends Forever

Alex and Lauren are really like two peas in a pod. They are the best of friends. Alex is always quick to make sure Lauren in taken care of and he'll be the first one to try to make her happy when she is throwing a fit or crying. He's so kind and loving to her - a fantastic big brother. And while Lauren adores Alex and always wants to be near him doing whatever he is doing, she's shown some empathy lately for him too, which made mom very happy! The other day, Alex left preschool upset because his teachers made him throw away his crackers because he hadn't finished them yet during snack time. So he started crying to me when I picked him up. Lauren rushed over and started patting him on his back saying, "I'm sorry about your snack Alex, but you can have more at home." It was too cute. Then the other day, Lauren asked Alex to go upstairs and play trains with her. Alex said, "Sure Lauren." Lauren responded with, "Thanks Alex, that's so nice of you!" They are really each other's best friends and I feel so fortunate to have had them so close in age. We are at such a fun age to watch them interact with each other, it's just priceless!

Halloween is coming!

The kids are so so so excited for Halloween! They've been counting down the days for the last 6 weeks. And they literally had their Halloween costumes at the beginning of September and they are just dying to wear them. I'll be sure to post some pictures after Halloween. But this past weekend, we went and allowed the kids each pick out a pumpkin and we carved them. Of course, Alex wanted his pumpkin to look scary and spooky and Lauren wanted her pumpkin to look like a happy princess. The kids had an absolute blast helping to carve them and lighting them up outside in the dark afterwards. They are so thrilled that Halloween is in 5 days!!

Lauren started gymnastics

Lauren started her first gymnastics class last week. To say she loved it is one of the biggest understatements of the year. She was infatuated! She loved doing somersaults, walking on the balance beam, doing rotations on the bars, and jumping on the trampoline. She had the biggest smile on her face from start to finish - the entire 45 minutes. She's already ready for Friday so she can go again. Alex even thought that maybe he'd like to try it too next session, so we'll see!

The Apple Orchard

Again this fall, we went and visited the local apple orchard. Aunt Betsy and I took Alex and Lauren. They had an absolute blast riding tractors, running through the outdoor maze, climbing on hay bales, and picking their own apples and raspberries. It was a really fun experience, as always! It's so fun to watch the kids enjoy something different, it was a really nice afternoon.

Alex and his first soccer season

Alex had his first experience with organized athletics this fall. He played on a soccer team for 4 year olds. It was so fun to watch and of course, I think my "little" boy was darling! He struggled a bit in the beginning. As much as I love that my son is a very kind, sensitive, and loving boy - it's not exactly the correct mentality for organized competition. He was sad a lot in the beginning about "how the other boys could run faster than him" or that "he can't kick the ball as much as the other boys." But by his last game on Saturday, Drew said that he was running with the best of them and having a blast kicking the ball. Nonetheless, he was sad that it was his last game and is ready for next season already. He's also ready to play football, baseball and basketball he has informed us. Dad is trying to talk about hockey, but mom is not a huge fan of that! Good thing at this point, Alex doesn't like to skate - he says that it is too slippery!