Skateboarding

November

November has come and gone! Isla's personality keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. She keeps us smiling on a daily basis. I haven't been a very good blogger this month, so I'll just provide a smattering of photos and comments to sum up the month. 

Photos

1. Sporting her new winter coat on her way to school.

2. Talking on her phone (a.k.a. monitor)

3. She has decided lately that shirts are hardly a necessity, but sunglasses most definitely are.

4. Most fabulous outfit so far: Onesie, pajama bottoms, knit hat, purse, babydoll, one sock, one tap shoe and her keys. She came up to me wearing this and said, "Bye Momma, I goin' to skoo"

  

 

Watching Her Play

It really is fascinating to watch kids play. I wish I could jump inside their little minds and see what they are thinking. Isla goes to a cooperative pre-school which means there is a lot of required parent involvement. 11 parent helper days! So far, I've done four. Tomorrow is James' first. He's in for a treat. There's nothing quite like herding cats. The first time I was a parent helper is was a bit overwhelming tending to 10 one-two year olds, but eventually you get the hang of it and it becomes very entertaining.

I love watching Isla play when she's in her own little world.

Our Happy Halloween

We had an eventful Halloween weekend. We carved pumpkins and baked pumpkin seeds, put out decorations,  went to a Halloween brunch for Isla's class, marched in a parade and went to a party. By Sunday, we were pooped. Here are few photos from our pumpking carving evening.

Little Pumpkin

Getting ready to go to the Cat's Class Halloween party.

Play Doh

One of Isla's favorite things is playing with Play Doh. Here she made her monkey a hat and a little paintbrush abstraction on the side.

To the Zoo

We've spent a lot of time at the zoo the past few weeks. The weather has been beautiful and it's such an easy outing. Plus, Isla loves it and when she looks at me and says "Mommy zoo?" with those pretty little eyes I can't say no.  When we pull into the parking lot she yells "yay zoo, see mingos?". "Mingos" are flamingos and she really likes watching them. 

It's such a time to cherish. She's growing up and becoming my little buddy and I really enjoy our little outings.

In other news, Isla had her parent/teacher conference last week and they were very complimentary. She is advanced in her motor skills and is one of the leaders in the class. They also said she was very sweet and sensitive. All things that make her two very blessed parents very proud. I'll stop bragging now and get to the photos! Here is Isla at the petting zoo part of the zoo.

"Oh-Hi Mr. Sheep"

"So...how's your day going?"

"What's that, is there something in your ear? No, looks good to me."

Isla listens while Mr. Sheep tells a story.

Which apparently was hilarious.

Bags, Hats and Babydolls

Bag - check, hat - check, babydoll-check, pants with dress-check.

 

 

Waking up from her nap. 

And something that has nothing to do with Isla. This is what happens when you put Dawn dish soap in the dishwasher. Surprisingly, this was not one of my goofs, but one of James. Since I'm usually the one to get picked on for things like this, I thought it would be fun to heckle him a bit. Love you babe :)

The Sweetest Thing

Yesterday I was getting Isla ready for a bath and while I was taking her shoes off, I look up to see her staring at me and smiling. She took my face in her little hands and gave me a kiss, then a hug. It was quite possibly the best moment ever.

Bye Aunt K

This is our first week without Isla's Aunt Karri here with us. She moved out on Sunday and with many tears we said goodbye. She has been such a wonderful blessing to our little family and I couldn't ask for a better caregiver, Aunt, or sister than she has been and I know will continue to be. We do hope she will visit soon and wish her the best on life's new adventures. We love you, Aunt Karri!

First Day of Preschool

Isla's first day of preschool was today and it went very well. She was a little clingy the first part of the morning, but after singing time, she started to explore a bit. By the time we were done with the nature walk she was completely settled in.

A few minutes later it was off to the playground and "bye bye mamma". With a hug and kiss she ran off to fetch a big blue ball in the playground.

The same didn't go for me, it was a bit of a struggle to hold it together until I got to the car when leaving. I couldn't wait to go pick her back up. Refraining from accelerating into a full sprint as I approached the ramp to the preschool door at the end of the day proved difficult. But I managed ;)

 

When I picked her up to go home she had a huge smile on her face and her teachers reported she had been great! 

 All ready to go.

 Checking out the shapes on the light box.

 Waiting for singing time to start.

 A stop along the nature walk to play.

 Snack time.

Pigtails!

Snug as a bug in a...tub?

Isla is definitely a water baby. If she is around it she thinks she needs to be submerged in it. When I water the flowers and the garden she leans over and sticks her head in the stream from the hose. And as you see here, she has managed to squeeze herself into this little tub - no bathing suit required. She later came and plopped right down in my lap soaking britches and all.

Our little Bean is going to school!

Isla starts preschool August 29th. It's hard for me to think about it without tears stinging my eyes,(I'm a little attached) but I know it's going to be great for her. She loves being around other children and I know she'll also enjoy the challenges it will bring her way. Today we had a home visit from her two teachers and it went great. She opened up to them almost immediately, showing them her toys and a few of her favorite books. I think a good connection was made and it made Mommy feel better too. New things are coming our way!

Summer Sun Fun