October happenings...

It's been a while. Sorry, Nana Marilyn, no video this time. Maybe next time?
Preschool has been a huge learning experience for Esther and I. I've always known E was very spirited but it has been confirmed through her interactions in preschool. It's not a bad thing, just challenging. During circle time, E just can not sit still, which is fine as long as she's not disrupting the class. We have found that if Esther has a quiet toy to look at she can be fairly calm. Because she notices everything, she can play with the toy and listen to the teacher at the same time. I guess she'll make a great multi-tasker. Teacher Kathy and the other parents are very supportive and are open to figuring out what works with her. I have come to realize that Esther needs her space and can feel overwhelmed with too much noise and activity. Sometimes the best way to help her is take her out of the crowd and let her regroup. (Sounds a lot like me.) My goal this coming year is to learn the most effective way to parent Esther, sometimes this feels like a daunting task but well worth it.
Gene's been home from work this month, so he's got to come along when I drop her off and pick her up from school, and joined us on the Pumpkin Patch outing. Esther loves having her Daddy around.

Digging for worms.

Petting a hen.

Sharing the tire with a friend.

She was trying to figure out where the eggs were, luckily they were hidden.

Searching for the perfect pumpkin. Each kid got to take one home. Although they were all pretty small, Esther managed to find the smallest one, and that's the one she wanted.

The pumpkin patch had lots of perfect puddles for jumpin' in.

The aftermath.

Rubber boots don't help much in times of exuberant jumping. E's boots were full of muddy water.

The Halloween costume parade. Checking out all the cool outfits.

Esther's turn to show off her costume and of course she moved so fast, she was a blur. I think out of 21 kids, 1 knew who she was supposed to be. Apparently not many parents let there kids watch Yo Gabba Gabba.

Here's a great example of Esther during circle time.