Henry Talks Turkey

At the end of September, we visited the National Colonial Farm in Accokeek, Maryland.  The farm sits directly across the river from George Washington’s Mount Vernon and is meant to reflect what life was like on a small eighteenth-century tobacco farm.  We packed a picnic lunch and wandered around the property for several hours.  The kids enjoyed watching the farm animals, some of which were being groomed for the upcoming county fair.  Toward the end of our visit, we happened upon some turkeys.  Click on the video link below to watch Henry’s conversation with the birds.  A few minutes after we stopped filming, the birds got spooked and charged Henry, sending him fleeing in terror.  A memory to cherish…

 

 

Moving Up

After returning from summer break, Henry and Vivian both started in new classrooms at St. Anthony’s.  Henry moved to class 4B, his last stop before Kindergarten.  His new teacher, Ms. Rina, is working hard to get the children ready for next year.  She requires them to sit perfectly still during circle time (which has caused Henry some grief) and gives them a “test” each Friday to review what they have learned during the week.  Henry was so proud (and so were we) the week he answered the most questions on the test!  By some minor miracle, Ms. Rina has gotten Henry to eat the school lunches and, even more astoundingly, broccoli and salad.  Bryant nearly fell out of his chair when Henry started eating carrots at dinner.  Vivian moved to class 3A.  Her teachers report that she is a good listener, who likes to follow directions.  She spends most of her free time playing “housekeeping” (i.e., pretending to cook and caring for her dolls).   Vivian also is very, very independent: she insists on getting dressed, brushing her teeth, and putting on her socks and shoes without any help from her parents.  Just don’t try to tell her the shoes are on the wrong feet—she will NOT let you switch them (there’s a fine line between independence and stubbornness).  Both kids really like their school, and we could not be happier with the care they’re receiving at St. Anthony’s.

Tiny Dancer

Vivian began a “mommy and me” dance class at the local ballet studio, Tiny Dancers, this fall.  The girls practice basic ballet steps, read a story, and dress up in different costumes each week.  Vivian seems to be enjoying the class and proudly shows off her plié and different ballet positions at home for daddy.  But without a doubt, the best part of dance class is getting to wear a pink tutu and sparkly slippers in public.  Below are some pictures of our little ballerina on her way to dance class. 

 

Labor Day 2012

We traveled to Alabama at the end of August.  The kids’ preschool was closed for the week, and we decided it would be a good time to visit Mimi and Paw Paw at the beach in Gulf Shores (that was the theory, at least).  Unfortunately, our trip coincided with Hurricane Isaac, which rolled into the Gulf just as we arrived.  We got to spend one fantastic day at the beach (with some nice waves) before local officials issued mandatory evacuation notices.  So, less than 24 hours after we arrived at the condo, we were packing our bags and heading back to Mimi and Paw Paw’s house in Mobile.  The storm produced some wind and lots of rain but no real damage.  The hardest part was being stuck indoors for a week.  The kids did great overall—just being somewhere new and different (and some Disney DVDs) kept them distracted.  After the worst of the storm had passed, we ventured to the local children’s museum (the Exploreum), a couple of indoor moon bounce arenas, and in a first for our family, Chuck E. Cheese’s.  Along the way, we introduced Elise to the world famous Dew Drop Inn chili dog, which she seemed to enjoy (see below). Henry and Vivian didn’t seem to mind that we weren’t at the beach and had a great time exploring Paw Paw’s studio (lots of stuffed animals and western paraphernalia) and “swimming” in Mimi’s whirlpool tub (see picture below).  On our last day, the weather cleared and we took the kids for a day trip to Dauphin Island, where they got a few more hours at the beach.

It wasn’t quite the summer vacation we envisioned, but it proved to be relaxing (the kids developed a nice habit of sleeping until 8am) and, most importantly, we got to spend some quality time with Mimi and Paw Paw.  Below are some pictures from our week. 

  

 

 

 

 

Henry's 5th Birthday

Although hard to believe, our Henry turned five this year.  Having endured a live reptile show during a hurricane (see Earthquakes, Birthdays and Other Natural Disasters) at last year’s birthday party, we opted for something simpler (and offsite) this year: Pump-It-Up, an indoor moon bounce arena.  To keep things interesting, we opted for the Pirate Adventure package, although we’re not sure anyone noticed the theme amidst all the bouncing, climbing and sliding.  The party could not have been easier: all we had to do was show up.  PIU took care of the rest, right down to ordering the pizza and serving the cake.  Henry had a blast bouncing around with his friends.  In addition to standard moon bounces, they also had giant inflatable slides and obstacle courses.  Even some of the parents joined in the fun (OK, Bryant started it) by taking turns on the giant slide.  Afterward, we all went to the party room for pizza and cake.  Henry savored the chance to sit in the special “birthday throne” and direct the festivities (we’ve noticed that he’s something of the class comedian).  When they turned down the lights to blow out the candles, he had the whole room squealing with excitement.  Below are some pictures from the party.  Later in the week, on Henry’s actual birthday, we celebrated at the house with a chocolate doughnut and some ice cream.  Among other gifts, Henry received a Captain America costume and a Spider-Man sleeping bag.  If the weather cooperates, Henry and Bryant may try camping in the fall. 

 

 

 

 

 

Swim, Run, Cook and Watch TV

July and August were relatively slow months in the Morris household.  We spent most weekends at our community pool, trying to stay cool.  The kids have been doing great in the water.  At the start of summer we bought Puddle Jumper floaties (highly recommended) for both kids, and they were soon splashing around the pool on their own.  This was a big change from last season, when they clung to us constantly in the pool.  In mid-August, Henry took a few private swim lessons.  The instructor had the patience of Job and needed every ounce of it--Henry was a feisty pupil! By the end of the week, she had him swimming without floaties for a few seconds, but he still won’t put (much of) his face in the water.  Hopefully we'll make more progress next summer...

Elise continued to train for her marathon in the fall.  She’s been getting up at daybreak on the weekends to go for 12, 15, and even 20-mile runs.  The big race is only a few months way, so this is really crunch time for her training.

Bryant has continued his culinary adventures, making rack of lamb, boeuf en croute, coq au vin, potatoes anna, cauliflower au gratin and blueberry and apple tart.  Except for a miserable failure with the coq au vin, most dishes have turned out better than expected. 

In between running, cooking and taking the kids to the pool, we also found time to discover a new favorite TV show: Doc Martin.  A British comedy about a doctor living in Cornwall—perfect for us!

 

 

Things Vivian Likes: Band-Aids

It’s been a while since we posted an installment of “Things We Like,” so we thought an update was in order.  By now, you’ve probably figured out that Vivian likes, and we mean REALLY likes, Disney princesses.  Her favorite princess varies from week to week, but Ariel, Belle, Aurora and Tiana are always in the running.  However, Vivian has another obsession we haven’t mentioned: she loves Band-Aids.  Hardly a day passes without a trip to the medicine closet.  The slightest bump, poke or graze is an excuse for another Band-Aid.  Often there’s no actual injury, just a firm insistence that something hurts and needs bandaging.  These “invisi-booboos” can appear in the strangest places: forehead, neck, belly, even the bottom of her feet.  If there’s an open patch of skin, it’s ripe for bandaging.  Not surprisingly, we have princess-themed Band-Aids (although recently we’ve branched out to Dora).  And heaven help us if we apply a Rapunzel Band-Aid for a booboo that requires Snow White.  We’ve tried weaning Viv of this addiction, but in the grand scheme of things, it seems like a harmless habit.  We’ve just had to get accustomed to seeing our daughter covered in adhesive bandages for most of the year.