Blowin' In the Wind...

Cool weather, apple picking and falling leaves - Fall is officially upon us. Despite not really having a lawn, we still have plenty of leaves that descend upon our driveway and sidewalk area. In addition to raking them all up, one of Elijah's favorite activities is helping Marc blow away all the leaves, dirt and debris. The other day they took to the driveway to clean up. But first, Elijah and Marc had a little fun with the camera.

Then Elijah grabbed the camera and got some great shots of Marc!

Elijah had a blast and our driveway looked great. I just looked out the window, however, and it seems like we've been blanketed in leaves once more. Perhaps it's time to pull out the leaf blower again.

As Big As a Whale...

Elijah has been out of diapers now since early summer. He's been great about letting us know when he needs to pee and has no trouble using the potty, except for....poop. For some reason each time he needs to go #2 he demands a diaper and won't even listen to the idea of using the toilet. I figure since he pretty much learned to use the potty all on his own, I'm not going to push this and let it work itself out.
I do however, ask questions. Each time he requests a diaper so he can do his business I always ask if he'd prefer to use the potty. He always refuses. Today I decided to ask when he thought he'd be ready to use it for poop. Elijah's well thought out response?
"When I'm bigger. Like, as big as a whale."
Oh, good to know that it might still be sometime then...

A Walk in the Woods

The other day Marc and Elijah took advantage of the beautiful fall weather to go for a hike. Elijah really loves walking through the woods, searching for various creaturs, checking out what seems like every rock, leaf and twig along the trail and of course, no hike would be complete without a picnic lunch. Despite not finding any dinosaurs, manatees or bears (all animals he hoped to encounter while out in the woods) he still had a pretty fabulous time.

Howling like a coyote

Third... 1st Day of School

Yesterday was Elijah's first real day of school. Never mind the fact that his school had been in session since the week before, I am still counting yesterday as his first day of school. Marc or I accompanied Elijah during the days preceding "the real first day." Elijah's school is fine with parents hanging out in the hallway, reading a book in one of the many chairs that line the corridor. So, we did. Those first few days, with either Marc or I in the background seemed to go well. Elijah did pop out of his classroom a couple of times here and there to check for us, but otherwise seemed to be doing great.
I think that it was really more of an issue for me. This was the first time that Elijah has ever gone to something resembling a school setting. Beyond that he hasn't had much experience being looked after by somebody other than us. He loves hanging out with his grandparents or with friends of ours, but outside of that, this was a whole new world, for all of us. Not only did Elijah had to be comfortable and enjoy his new school, I had to feel secure knowing that his teachers were going to take good care of them.
So, yesterday Marc dropped Elijah off with the promise that I would be there to pick him up, and he left. Elijah didn't make a fuss, but I was on pins and needles wondering if he was truly okay. An hour into his school day (he is only there for three hours!) I called the front office, acting every ounce the nervous parent. The soothing secretary reassured me that she would go check on him. A few minutes later she returned with a positive report - no tears or sadness in sight!
Of course, the real reassurance came when I went to pick Elijah up. He was playing happily on the swings and when I walked up to him I anticipated a cheerful reunion, with him running towards me, wrapping me up in one of his fabulous hugs.
No dice.
He just continued swinging, barely allowing me a second glance before demanding I come and push him higher. Well, at least I'm good for something.
Here are a few photos from the first day Elijah did indeed go check out his school (with me in tow). He had fun making silly faces as you can see...

Country Fair Fun...

Few things scream "Fall is coming!!" to me more than the Tri Country Fair. Every year in early September this fair rolls around. It's not the largest or most unique fair, but it has found a place in my heart. Even more so now that Elijah is able to enjoy it so much. This year he took his first carnival ride ever - the merry go round! He also checked out the various livestock, farm equipment, monster trucks and ate tons of fair food, culminating in soft serve ice cream for dessert.

Cooking Lessons...

I am blog fail. I realize this, I feel bad about it, yet I've done nothing to really change it. So, instead of droning on and on about how sorry I am I'll just say that we've been busy, and I've taken quite a few videos (yay Flip!) that I'll be posting soon to make up for the lack of posts. 

I'll start with this one, of Sina & Elijah cooking in the play kitchen. I've been joking lately that Sina & Elijah should have their own you tube channel of "toddler how to's" as they've shared many important instructionals lately (How to pick cherries, How to do yoga, and now...How to cook).

Enjoy this informative video on how to make hotdogs, salad and potatoes...a complete summer meal.

Outside Art

With the sun shining and a cool breeze a blowin', its been hard to stay inside despite Elijahs itch to color, color, color! So, we just took it outside, marking up the entire span of brick wall outside of our house with chalk drawings of everything and anything we could think of.

Thinking of what to draw...

Some of our finished masterpiece

Elijah with a little chalked up nose (hey, when you run out of canvas...improvise!)