Preschool, music class, Little Gym, soccer practice, playgroups, parks, shopping...oh my!! Time for a long winter's nap!! :o) The boys have certainly enjoyed the fall. The nice weather gave us so many chances to play the day away at various parks and playgrounds!
A visit to the pumpkin patch. Both boys had a blast!
Nicholas was thrilled to start his second year of preschool in late August. He was very proud to be in the 3-year-old class, and he couldn't stop talking about how he was now a big boy! Nicholas has been having a great time in school. He loves his teachers and his classmates. Most of the kids were in his class last year and they seem to play very well together. Nicholas's teachers have been so wonderful! They immediately identified Nicholas's need to be constantly busy. So instead of forcing him to comply with a strict schedule that would undoubtedly create a Nicholas monster, they attempt to keep his hands and his mind busy as much as possible! His preschool is absolutely wonderful! :o)
My big boy waiting to go inside for his first day of preschool as a 3-year-old!!
He even has a real smile on his face!
Zachary is growing into a little big boy, too!! He had his very first haircut in September! It was unbelievable!!
Check out Nicholas's first haircut story here! From Nicholas's first few haircut experiences, we learned a few things. First, there is a reason that certain places specialize in kids' haircuts. These "specialized barbers" are super attuned to kids in these potentially stressful situations...for the most part! Regular barbers can be great, too, but they don't necessarily have as deep a bag of tricks! Second, it definitely helps to let your poor child know what he's getting into. Rushing straight back to the chair and starting the clippers...not so smart. Remembering your child's fears may also come in handy. Nicholas was scared of loud noises and we let the barber use a hairdryer during his haircut. Not so smart again! And finally, distractions, distractions, distractions!! TVs, train tables, video games, stuffed animals, and a whole bag of toys certainly are worth a shot!
Check out how we started to resolve Nicholas's haircut fears.
Zachary's first haircut was a great experience for him!! We arrived at Cool Cuts 4 Kids hoping to get a haircut for both boys. Nicholas went first so that Zachary could see what was going on. This was a little worrisome for us since Nicholas has only had a few good haircut experiences in his 3 years of life! A screaming Nicholas wouldn't leave the best impression on his little brother! Luckily, Nicholas bravely hunkered down in his little red firetruck chair and tried to focus on watching Cars while the barber did her job. Thankfully, Zachary saw nothing potentially terrifying or painful in the whole experience...mostly because he was distracted by the train table in the lobby and big brother didn't sound the alarm to retreat.
Nicholas putting on his brave face.
When the barber called for Zachary, he happily sat in the firetruck chair. The barber whipped out her clippers and started clipping away. Zachary was curious, but not at all frightened. I suppose that's to be expected since Nicholas, armed with a spray bottle and caterpillar comb, is always trying to comb Zachary's hair at home. And really...what is more frightening than that? Zachary had a good time watching Cars on TV, driving the firetruck, playing with stuffed animals, and flirting with the barber!
Haircuts are scary? Really?
In no time at all, Zachary was covered in little bits of baby hair and looked so very cute in his new little boy haircut! We saved a few locks from this very first haircut, and the barber gave us a nice certificate to document the day. Zachary was perfectly content after the haircut until he realized the brother was getting a lollipop for his job well done. Then, he was ecstatic..and sticky. :o)
Happy and handsome! :o)
Another fun fall adventure was spending the Day Out with Thomas! Grandpa came into town to take the boys to see and ride Thomas himself. Nicholas likes trains and had a great time visiting Thomas last year. Zachary, on the other hand, LOVES trains. "Choo, Choo! Choo, Choo!" can be heard anytime a train, real or toy or cartoon, is near. Zachary's little blue eyes light up as he excitedly points and chants "Choo, Choo!" to the trains. The boys really enjoyed seeing Thomas and playing with all the toy engines of Sodor, but they weren't as excited as I'd imagined they'd be about the actual train ride. Nicholas was so elated to be riding a real train last year, but this year I guess the novelty had worn off. Both boys just don't like to sit still for very long. Nicholas even said, "I like seeing Thomas more than riding him." Silly boys. Zachary would probably love the train ride next year. The boys also very much enjoyed raiding the souvenir store! Thank you, Grandpa!
Choo, Choo!!! Twain.
Soccer time! Nicholas signed up for the YMCA Youth Soccer League this fall and was super excited about being on a soccer team! The season started off a little rocky, though. Nicholas had learned some basic soccer skills from his Little Gym Sports Skills class and he was eager to show off! Unfortunately, his soccer practice time overlapped with the tail-end of his usual nap. This resulted in a cranky little soccer player showing up late for practices. Once he was able to focus a little and get a ball to himself, Nicholas did a great job dribbling the soccer ball and kicking some goals! He appears to be a left-footed kicker! But, soccer games discouraged Nicholas since he had to fight for the soccer ball. He just didn't understand why there couldn't be a ball for each player like at practice! Nicholas eventually warmed up to the idea of having to share the ball with the other players. He had one great game this season where he dribbled the ball across the field and scored his very first goal. After he scored, he turned around to look at me with the biggest, proudest grin! Go, Nicholas!! :o)
Soccer star! :oP
Now what is Zachary doing while Nicholas is tearing up the town?! Why, he's soaking it all in! Zachary is learning new words everyday. Some of his favorites include: Mine!, More!, Girl, Boy, Baby, Cat, No! No!, Ouchie!, Airplane, Truck, Shoe, Apple, Popcorn, Candy (I'm not sure why he's not saying Green Beans!), Hug, and GaaGaa (this means Brother). He even has a few sentences under his belt, like "Here you go!", "Hi, GaaGaa!", and "Where are you?"
Zachary is also extremely active! He throws balls, climbs everything (he's already pushed a chair to the counter to climb up and reach for goodies), plays with all of Nicholas's big boy toys, and pretends to be the Tazmanian devil in our house! He is also very sweet and affectionate, just like his brother.
Hi. I'm cute.
Halloween was pretty fun this year! The boys were very interested in pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. Nicholas even carved his very first jack-o-lantern this year with his Daddy's help! And both boys finger-painted their own little pumpkins that they hand-picked from the pumpkin patch.
Look what I made!
Nicholas chose the Halloween costumes himself this year. We were shopping at Babies R Us when he declared that he would be Tigger for Halloween and Zachary would be Winnie the Pooh. How could I say no to that request? They made quite a cute pair! :o)
Happy Halloween!
Nicholas is finally old enough to really enjoy going trick-or-treating! He covered quite a few blocks of houses on his trick-or-treating run, while Zachary didn't make it more than one block. Zachary didn't understand why he couldn't plop right down in someone's doorway to eat the delicious treat that they gave him! So, after chowing down on a few pieces of candy, wrapper and all, he returned home with Mommy to pass out our own candy. He was very excited to see all the Buzz Lightyears that arrived at our doorstep! He was even more excited when brother returned home and they were each allowed to pick-out and eat one piece of candy...yum!!
CANDY!!! That could be the happiest Zachary smile ever captured on camera.
As the fall neared the chilly finish line, the boys enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving week visiting both extended families.
Basketball star!
Playing basketball over the Thanksgiving holiday. Take that football!
And now we get ready for Christmastime!! Let the holiday stress...continue!! :o) Happy end of Fall...and Fall Novella!! :oP
