We're definitely enjoying having a comfortable place to sit in that room. Otherwise, we have slowed down drastically on the house updates, but that was bound to happen when school started.
Hallie is pulling up everywhere and scooting sideways along tables and couches now. She shows no interest in walking independently yet, which is fine with us. She'll get there in her own time.
She was playing with the train table at Barnes and Noble
And I turned my back for a minute and she was emptying out the shelves! It's still her favorite pastime.
I've been reading books to Hallie regularly in the mornings while she drinks her first bottle of milk, and she has finally begun to show an interest in "reading" on her own. I'm very excited about it, and hope that she'll love books and reading as much as Emma and I do.
Emma has continued to do amazingly well after her last emergency kidney surgery. We are so grateful to God! We have seen a new level of happiness in her that we think is due to the fact that she feels good every day. She has been loving all the rain we've gotten recently, and always begs to jump in the puddles!
Grandpa and Grandma came to visit, and Emma and Grandpa's outfits happened to match. Twinsies!
Emma began her first swimming lessons this month at our local YMCA. We go every Saturday morning for a half hour. When I told her that I had signed her up, she burst into tears because she was "too scared to go" and "didn't want to do it"(!!!!!!) Then we got to the lesson and she absolutely loved it and was heartbroken when class was over. Heh! It's been a fun thing to look forward to each weekend.
She got a cut and lump on the forehead this month. She was running through our hallway, tripped, and landed head first into a door frame. It was a big deal at the time and I thought it would look much worse than it did. Thank God she missed her eye!
We had lots of fun times with family and friends this month, too!
Dan's sister, Robin, and her girls, Naomi and Miriam, drove to Virginia Beach to play with us at the park one day. The girls always have the best time together.
I took Emma to her classmate, Remy's, birthday party one Saturday. It was at a giant indoor playground, which was a blast!
Remy's favorite characters are the Minions, and a real one came to visit during the party!
After Remy's party, Emma and I picked up Hallie and ran over to Hallie's friend, Eli's birthday party! Hallie's babysitter, Lauren, has two sons, and her oldest was turning 3. They had the cutest superhero-themed party in their backyard, complete with an obstacle course for the kids. Emma got a cape to wear (she is taking her superhero role very seriously) and Hallie got a mask (she is trying to eat it off her own face since I'm holding her hands down for the photo).
Eli dressed as Spiderman during his party. He was "super" cute. :)
We had another fun-filled Saturday with our families at the Norfolk Zoo. It was free museum day, and we were able to print enough free tickets for everyone to go.
My parents, Dan's parents, and Dan's brother, Tim's, family joined us. We had quite the crew!
The kids climbed on a rhinoceros statue for a photo shoot.
Some crazy kids (aka, Josiah and Emma) they kept behind bars with a "warning" sign.
Riding the train around the zoo
It was a slow train. Lots of opportunities for photos.
After the zoo, we went to Doumar's, an old fashioned drive-thru restaurant, for dinner and ice cream
The girls and I visited a farm (Bergey's Breadbasket) with Emma's friend Elisha and his mom, Jenna. They had a corn maze, a hay ride, a petting zoo, a toddler play area, a corn gun, a pumpkin patch, and a restaurant with killer breads and sandwiches for lunch.
Emma and Hallie with Elisha
Exploring the corn maze
Emma befriended the sweetest barn cat
And we took pictures in the pumpkin patch. Happy Fall!
