Picture

I really tried to get James to let me photograph her mock glare when I was writing up the last post. She is a little camera shy. I even tried getting her goat so she would give it to me, but no go. She finally gave me this. It's not quite right, she is smiling a little with her mouth in this picture. And, I think she picked up the look from me, giving it to Bill, when he is teasing.
Here is a look she got from Bill, he always has a hard time smiling on demand. The smile is just a little too cheesy.
p.s. James is Word Girl and Campbell is a bat. They both LOVE their costumes and wear them almost every day.

Did someone just call my daughter Jim?

Today Campbell and I were able to spend half the day with James at school. It was a Halloween celebration. I love watching my kids interact with other people, so these opportunities are always a treat to me. As we were walking around on our, sorry "their" I was not wearing a costume, costume parade: through the music room, pick up a candy from the principle, through the second graders rooms, etc. We were passing a male janitor and James says "Hi Jim." To which he responds "Hi Jim." Instantly I am chuckling. I, seriously, up to this point have not put those two together. Jim is short for James. So funny! I love that she has such a relaxed and playful personality. She, of course, gave him her mocking glare.

I knew she was growing, but now she's a giant!

It might have started when I decided this morning that I wasn't going to get dressed before taking James to school. I haven't donned my PJ's to school yet. Then the girls were particularly sleepy, as they have been lately. I was thinking about my day and all the cleaning and organizing I need to do before people come over tonight and I was decided to put my least effort forward towards getting the girls going. Campbell also wore her PJ's to drop James off, a first again. So, when I retrieved clothing for James to wear to school and attempted to get them on her body I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I was tugging and pulling her jeans on. I had to loosen the waist band. And I kept commenting on how much she has grown as thoughts of having to get her some bigger jeans sooner rather then later were racing through my mind. I get them inched up on her hips and then take a look and notice that they are serious high waters. Then it hits me and I just have to laugh. They were Campbell's jeans. James has surely grown out of size 3T! What a great start to a day. Wish me luck with the rest of the day!

Gourds

Yesterday Campbell and I were invited to go on a walking field trip with James' class to the pumpkin patch. The kids got to pick out a gourd and a little pumpkin. It was so much fun.All of the kindergarteners are in love with Campbell. They kept petting her head and hugging her. And commenting on how cute she is. True to Campbell form she did not enjoy this affection. Kids would bring her presents of little gourds "Here Campbell, I found this for you!" She would take it and after inspection, toss it on the ground, or straight out tell them she didn't want it. She found her own gourd. It is this little bumpy weird looking thing. Campbell was so proud of it. She walked around showing it to everyone.
James found a gourd that looks like the letter J. She also likes to make funny faces!We are really trying to enjoy these last days of weather where you can go for walks outside without mittens!

Happenings.

We went to a park yesterday and the girls had fun playing around.
I call this Campbell in Contemplation.

James was showing all her tricks, how she can hang on a bar. Pretty cool!Today James said she wanted a pumpkin bar so we told her she can get it herself, she is 5! She came back with this piece. Bill gave her one look and said "If you can't eat it all I will help you." She wasn't able to eat it all.

Poor little Campbell. Not many kids James' age have siblings Campbell's age. So she has to swing her imaginary friend (or rock or stick).

While James gets a good push on the tire swing with friends.

Fall Colors

These pictures are not the greatest but it is here. And it is getting cold. The colors are beautiful. And I really do love the fall!

(this is in front of our house. We really need to rake! if it would just stop raininig)

Drip Drop

On the way to school this morning we had an interesting conversation. We were driving in the car and there was classical music on the radio (because James already learns all the lyrics to songs at recess, she came home singing "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me" the other day, needless to say we had a discussion about that one). Here was our conversation about the classical music:

Me: What does this music sound like?
James: Violins (I usually ask what instruments they can pick out)
Me: Yes, but how does this music make you feel?
James: Sad.
Campbell: Yeah, like it makes your eyes go drip drop.

So cute. I guess she didn't have the word "tears" in her vocab yet. So visual. It just made me chuckle!

She knows what she wants.

Many of you have heard how James on her third birthday woke up and informed me that she no longer will wear diapers. So, I put her in panties and there was no looking back. She was potty trained, without the training. She even stayed dry all night. On her fourth birthday she woke up and was quickly disappointed because she could not read. Now, she is starting to read. On Wednesday she announced that she needed her training wheels off of her bike. It was too late that night, here's what was going on Wednesday night at our house:
So last night Dad took the training wheels off. Dad started with the "hands off coaching" approach. Then we each took turns with the "hands on" approach. And we practice the "learning by teaching" approach. (the girls tell me all the time that I picked a very funny daddy for them, so cute!) Campbell had a blast on her tricycle.

Pumpkins

These girls are pretty crazy and hard to get a "good" picture of. Sometimes I look at them and can't believe how beautiful they are. Today we went to the local pumpkin place and I told them to pick out a pumpkin. You can see they have different tastes!

Homecoming

Yesterday the girls and I went out for a walk (James was home sick from school and I wanted them to get some fresh air). I was pulling them in the wagon and we hear a band playing. James tells me there is a parade. So, we walk toward the music and sure enough there is a parade down main street. I think my girls will forever associate Iowa with parades. Homecoming is this weekend and the middle school and high school got out early for the parade. We got more candy. Bill was excited to go to a High School football game, too bad they got creamed. We made it to half time before we were frozen and had to head home and the score was 0-42.

Vitamins

The kindergartners get a snack in the afternoon. With a snack brought by one of the kids they also get milk. Every morning James' teacher gets a tally of who wants chocolate milk and who wants white milk. James is very proud that she always gets white milk. She is very health conscious and she thinks that white milk is better for you, which I guess it kind of is. When we were at my parents on Wednesday we were talking to my mom about school and what James does every day there. James told her about the milk and said that Jacob and Levi get white milk now too! She is so proud. I asked her why they get white milk now and she tells me that she told them that white milk has vitamins. I chuckle and tell her chocolate milk has vitamins too. We'll see if she starts getting chocolate milk, I doubt it! I am glad that she is so health conscious I just hope she doesn't get too fanatical.

Blomster Overraskelser

I have accepted this new past time that makes getting things done around the house easier for me. Campbell, my little 2 yr old (almost 3!), can pretty much navigate her way around any web site. So, I often set her up on the computer playing Nick Jr., pbskids, starfall, up to ten or Polly Pocket. Some days as I walk by the computer I notice that she has figured out something new, like watching episodes of Go, Diego, Go or like this morning she had changed the language on the Polly Pocket web site to Danish. So she was playing Blomster Overraskelser instead of Flower Surprises. I guess she is trying to get back to her Danish roots. Such a smart little cookie. I enjoy hearing her yell new Spanish words back to Dora or Diego and she is really improving her fine motor skills. I know she will be typing in no time!

This age is so much fun because her vocabulary is really starting to take off. It reminds me of James at this age and it just blows us away the words she picks up and can apply in her conversations. I love children that communicate well! Yesterday at my mom's James was coloring and there were words to describe the simple pictures. I asked her what the word said and she was able to spell it out and then sound it out herself. I had no idea she already can sound out. So we will be working on reading! It is so exciting when they learn something new. Especially this HUGE, reading, it just opens up the world to you.