Iris turned 3 at the end of August, and oh, what a Thomas birthday it was! She got several Thomas track sets, which have kept her occupied and playing by herself consistently. She and Felix like to put all 5 of the trains she has on a short loop of track and wait for the inevitable crash. Then she comes out and tells us we have to see the "huge crash!", and proceeds to break down what happened like a no-nonsense crash reconstructionist. Iris has also started swimming lessons and has moved up to the pre-school room at daycare. I'm glad, because the kids get to do a lot more at the facility when they get older. Do your kids watch Peg + Cat? Because they should. It's an awesome show to which Iris is addicted, and misery loves company when it comes to earworms... :o)
Felix has started 1st grade and is doing very well. He seems to be transitioning to it a lot easier than it was last year. He flies through his reading and math homework, and he's learning to he can read just about anything with a little help. And Common Core math is just fine with me, especially if it helps Felix finish his homework so quickly! He's also been playing soccer again this fall, this time on the Spiders with two friends. Oh, and he got hand, foot & mouth disease last week. Thankfully, it was very mild and only kept him out of school for one day.
We went down as a family to Madison for a football game. That was... interesting. We drove down Saturday morning, tailgated with my parents, spent some time chasing them around Badgerville, and went to the game. All well and good. And then we left at about the end of the 1st quarter because it was too loud for Felix and too boring for Iris. We should really know better by now. If we (the grown-ups) want to enjoy ourselves, we need to leave the kids at home. We headed back to our hotel for the night with tempers flaring, but a family swim in the pool helped to make everything better. The next day, we took the kids to the zoo and had some fun, but playing on the playground seemed to be a deal-breaker for Iris, who threw a tantrum until she passed out and we drove home without lunch. Sigh. I don't want to stop trying to do things with the kids, but they sure have a way of making me wish I could go back in time and stop myself. On the plus side, Nick and I are going to another game this weekend, sans kids.
I'm glad the kids have been able to play in their bedrooms with something, because our basement is currently off-limits... due to getting it finished! We're very excited about the prospect of having additional space to play and unwind. It's already framed up and plumbed, and getting the electrical installed in the week or so work has been done. It's on track to be done by the end of October, perfect for when we don't feel like being outside anymore.
Various adventures:
- We finished off our summer bucket list with a trip to the National Railroad Museum with grandparents. The kids had a blast, and we dealt with only one tantrum (bonus!).
- We had some fun with the "super blood mood" when it rose on Sunday night. Felix got to see the start of the eclipse before going to bed.
Good or bad, it's always an adventure, isn't it? Enjoy the autumn weather!
Felix: 6 yrs & Iris: 3 yrs
