Yay for toddler parades

Yesterday Jane's school had a little "Pretend Party" in honor of Halloween, which included a parade. When I say parade, I really mean groups of toddlers standing on the stage for one minute and dozens of parents snapping photos. It was hilarious. Here is Jane during her minute of fame, dressed as a ballerina.

Yay! Good standing everyone!

And here is a wobbly video I took. I was ducked behind the end of a pew so Jane wouldn't see me and start crying, hence I am very far away from the subject matter. I suspect only the grandparents will watch this riveting footage. If you'd like to skip it, here is a summary: Enter toddlers (like herding cats); Cue photographers; Applause (Jane claps for herself); and scene.

Please notice the baby Princess Leah, back left.

Terrible photo, but can you tell all the kids are holding
hands as they walk back to their classroom? Precious!

Side note: Jane just woke up from her nap, and I can see her on the monitor bouncing her stuffed bunny along the railing of her crib and saying, "Hop hop hop." Video monitors are the best!

Happy Fall from Tennessee

Maw Jane and Paw Richard wish you "Happy Fall" from the Ellington Agricultural Center! 

Seriously, though, the Ag Center has been such a fun resource right here in our new neighborhood. Last weekend they had a "Music and Molasses" festival that was really cute. Lots of local farmers and craftsmen turned out to share their talents. Jane got to see molasses being brewed and even taste some.

No thanks.

 There were lovely figurines to purchase.

I shouldn't make fun... my child has a mullet.

This awesome yellow line was a big hit.

The best part, however, was the stable full of Metro Police horses, whom you can visit any day of the week! They are so cool, and they even have their names above their doors, which I think is cute.

Oh, and there is a pretty cool old tractor, too.

What's the goodbye version of "Howdy"? If I could think of it, that's what I would write here: "________!"

Daddy made a big door

Well, we owned this house for ten weeks before tearing down a wall. It was so fun and exciting that we had to stop ourselves from attacking another one! So here it is, the first step in reviving this old sixties ranch.

BEFORE

Here is the original den, complete with some of the old stuff
that was in the house when we bought it.

And here is the original breakfast area between the
kitchen and den.

AFTER

Happy to see the wall go,
but kinda sad to lose the pocket door.

More room to run!

Next step... painting the panelling and, yes, the pink kitchen... and possibly opening up another wall somewhere. So now that we have caught the project bug again, we revisited another old pastime: going to Home Depot on a Saturday night. As if that wasn't bad enough, this is how our poor child was dressed:

Yes, she is wearing a diaper, a sweatshirt and sneakers.

21 months and miscellaneous

Jane turned 21 months old this week! That fact is not particularly noteworthy (and I intend to stop counting months when she turns two years old) but it seemed like the best way to tie together these recent pictures and observations.

Jane went on her first bike ride last weekend! She helped pick out this awesome super hero bike helmet, which I might have influenced a tad bit in order to avoid having to buy the pink and purple daisies. This one is way cooler.

She had fun riding with Daddy until she finished her Fig Newton. Without that pleasant distraction, she became acutely aware of the fact that the top of her bike seat kept pushing the back of her helmet up so it fell over her eyes in the front. Not fun.

Another weekend adventure we had was our neighborhood's annual "Fall in the Hall," which was a sweet little community fair of sorts, complete with fire engines, police horses, a guy making balloon animals and such, local honey, and an antique train. Pretty cool for a sleepy little neighborhood.

Sitting on an antique train, listening to bluegrass music,
and wearing a fire chief sticker.

In spite of all those attractions,
Jane's favorite part was playing in the dirt.

Here is a picture I snagged this morning of my typical view at the breakfast table. Tee hee.

Speaking of meals, Jane is learning to drink from a "real" cup (with supervision and a bib).

Got Smoothie?

One last thing for this random post: Jane has invented an odd little game of sorts where she walks around with her eyes closed and runs into things on purpose. It is quite hilarious to watch. She'll face some kind of object (sofa, chair, etc.) then close her eyes and slowly walk towards it until she bumps into it. I just love all the ways she finds to entertain herself, even it they are a bit strange.

*Playing in the dirt photo credit to Anna. Thanks!

Daddy's shoesies

I loved watching Jane trying with such determination to put on Richard's shoes this morning. I kept thinking she was going to settle for one being on backwards, but nope...

While we're on the subject of Daddies... aw.

First day of "school"

Jane had her first day of "school" today! Until now, she had never been left with a non-grandparent caregiver besides going to the nursery at church. So Mother's Day Out twice a week is a big step for us! She got to meet her teachers at the open house last week, so we talked about them a lot over the weekend to prepare her. I gave her a heads up that Mommy would be going bye-bye for a little bit (or "libby bit" as Jane says), so when we arrived at school she got a little anxious and whimpery. To my surprise, though, she just sort of bucked up and braced for the inevitable. She asked for Lovie, then went and got a ball and didn't even cry when I said bye! This was quite shocking considering that merely walking toward the nursery at church brings on a fit of tears and clinging. What a big girl we have now!

I only snagged a few quick pics with my phone before school...

Slightly anxious...

What's that I see?!

An elevator! Oh, boy, I LOVE buttons!
This is going to be a good day.

And look how happy she was after her big day! (Notice the outfit change? That was due to drinking a little too much water during snack time. I did not intend for her to wear crop pants with socks and shoes... not that it matters...)

First artwork from school...Aw. 

Want to hear what little Jane had to say about her first day? Apparently she was as excited about nap time as I was. I couldn't believe it when her teacher said she slept for an hour on a mat in a room with seven other kids. Woo!

New house

Well, we did it! After three and a half years in our old city four square, we have passed the torch onto a new family. We are sad to leave our old neighborhood and wonderful neighbors, but mostly we are excited to begin a new adventure. Our new house was built in 1962 and has not received a single update. Amazingly, it is in pretty good shape, so we are looking forward to just settling in. We'll see how long we last before swinging a sledge hammer and pulling out the nail gun. Stay tuned...

For now, here are some shots from our last days in the city

Last time waking up in her old room...
Mommy got sentimental and had to take a picture.

It's OK, Nickel, you'll like our new house just fine.

A box!

More boxes!

First and last family photo on our old stoop.

Bye, house!

This picture pretty much sums up our new gem of a sixties ranch house.

Yes, a pink oven. There is also a pink stovetop and sink in the kitchen, pink walls, a bathroom entirely clad in pink tile with matching tub and sink, and a second bath that is 100% tic-tac green...and we love it!

Jane approves of our new grocery store because they have these shopping carts (which are surprisingly difficult to maneuver). It was her first time to ride in the "baby vroom" so she thinks our new Kroger is pretty awesome.

This last picture is random but I didn't think it warranted its own post. I just think it's funny that Jane wanted to put blocks on the cat. Nickel gets an A+ in Toddler Tolerance. (Although, the part of the course where Jane was trying to pick Nickel up by grabbing two handfuls of fur was a little rocky.)