Call Day #86, 9/20/14

Saturday morning is soccer morning again as the fall season has started. Helping Claire get shin guards and cleats on.

Oliver is happy to help carry a ball to the field.

Today was the first game. Somehow both girls ended up being #1 on their respective teams.

Sweet players.

Nanny and Papa came to watch the girls play. Oliver points at the numerous soccer balls.

Oliver is so good dribbling a soccer ball! A taste of his 19 month-old soccer skills. (Long video but shows how he keeps himself busy at soccer practice and games.)

 Claire's practice and game is first.

The usual huddle of kids around the soccer ball.

Eleanor plays second. Warming up with her team.

Our crew during a break.

After soccer we went to an arts festival downtown. Eleanor made a flower.

Everyone colored in the kids' craft area.

Butterfly mask.

Sleepy color-er.

Eleanor and Claire make big bubbles.

Seeing one of his favorite things, Oliver gets right in there.

We live in the Bull City.

Ice cream!

Cute chocolate face.

Watching a magician.

Happy even when sleepy!

Call Day #85, 9/12/14

Oliver has been wanting to kick the soccer ball around a lot lately. He brings it in the kitchen and wants someone to join him.

Focusing before kicking the ball.

There he goes!

Eleanor made two necklace and bracelet sets for friends at church.

Claire has been coloring her calendar a lot lately. It's even more fun with new markers!

When I pulled out lemon juice for a recipe, Eleanor asked to make lemonade. She made it herself and shared it with Claire and Oliver.

Oliver joined me in waiting for our baking to be done. We watched through the oven door together, Oliver proclaimed it "hot," and he wanted to wear oven mitts.

Oliver really likes the mixer and says "tur" (stir) when he sees it. He watched it stir frosting and ate the powdered sugar I spilled on the counter.

The fascination with walking on Mommy's treadmill continues.

Oliver was more interested in "smelling" and pointing at Daddy's orchids than in watching the treadmill.

Call Day #84, 9/4/14

Oliver plays with dry erase markers while girls do school work nearby. It's often tricky trying to keep him happy so we can focus on school.

Nanny offered to take one girl for a special outing today; next week it will be the other sister's turn. The girls picked numbers, Claire got closest, and she chose to come with me instead! I was really surprised but she wanted "to pick new books at the library" as we had planned to do. Here she is with a backpack on, ready to fill it with new stories! Hooray for loving books!

Oliver plays with trains. He's not the best at sharing them, preferring to gather as many as he can.

Claire wanted to look at her books as soon as she chose them.

While I checked out our huge stack of books, Oliver played with crayons and a puzzle. I could hear Claire happily chatting with her favorite friend whose family had just arrived at the library.

By the time I'm done at the self-checkout: crayons everywhere! He pointed and said several "uh-oh"s before helping pick them all up.

After quiet time, we did our science for the day, building models of atoms using candy. That gets them interested!

Eleanor's hydrogen atom.

Claire's oxygen atom.

Claire was very excited to go to kids' choir for the first time! Afterwards, she was most interested in telling me who she got to sit next to, but she also confirmed that she liked it and wants to keep going. 

While I fixed dinner, Eleanor read some new library books to Claire. Easy readers about Greek mythology were a big hit! They fit well with the history we've been studying.

After dinner, Oliver discovers that the layout of the guest bathroom makes a nice loop to run. Around and around he went.

Eleanor and Claire talk to Nanny about the bracelets and necklaces they've been making.