Finding a Babysitter

Emmy returned to school after spending two days at home with strep. She went back last Thursday and finished out the week. Her friend Peyton was very happy to have her back at school again. Mrs. Wooten sent me a message to brag on Emmy's writing and drawing skills. Even though Emmy enjoyed the spoiling at home with Daddy, she does love being at school. I am hoping we can avoid any sickness for awhile!  

Last weekend, we made another trip up to Virginia for a family wedding. Boomer's cousin Lacey got married in Staunton, which is about an hour south of our usual Virginia destination of Woodstock. The three hour trip was manageable after a full work day on Friday. We arrived to our hotel around 9:30PM and quickly got the kids to bed. On Saturday before the wedding, we explored downtown Staunton with Boomer's parents and had lunch at the Old Depot Grille. The wedding was at 4:30PM, and much like the family wedding in September, Boomer stayed back at the hotel with the kids while I tagged along with Bret, Cathy, and Carlin. We had the best time dancing and celebrating the new couple. Congratulations to Lacey and Vonte'! 

We arrived home on Sunday afternoon, and Boomer left again on Monday for an overnight conference in Cary. I was invited to dinner for Emily and Carrie's birthday on Monday evening, and with my parents out of town, I was in a bit of a pickle. It meant finally (for the first time in almost 6 years!) hiring a babysitter. Luckily I was able to find a high school student named Rachel whose mom is a teacher at Eli's preschool. Eli knows Rachel from church too when she helps in the nursery. Both Emmy and Eli took to Rachel right away, and they were playing together in the sunroom while I scooted out to dinner. After reading Fancy Nancy and the Sensational Babysitter, Emmy made a list of the things they would do while I was gone. I think they accomplished all her items, and Rachel had both kids in bed when I arrived home shortly after 9PM. For our first babysitting experience, it went very well! I am so thankful for all the time my parents have helped over the years, and I am glad to now have another option for times like this one. Luckily Boomer and my parents returned on Tuesday, and we have Grammy lined up for two dates in November - yay! :)

Happy Halloween

After all the dressing up last week, it was finally time to put on our costumes for Halloween. We had such a fun weekend carving our pumpkin and then going to our church's Fall Festival. Our little royal duo was just the cutest!

In full disclosure: Eli wanted to be a race car driver and was bribed heavily with candy to put on his prince costume! :)

On the night of Halloween, Emmy and I did a lap around the neighborhood with the Bentons who live two doors down. Emmy and Rochelle led the way and went house-to-house collecting candy. 

Right after all the Halloween festivities, Emmy came down with a cough and a sore throat. She also didn't have the energy she usually has. After staying home with Daddy on Tuesday and a trip to the doctor later, we found out that she has strep. She has begun an antibiotic, and hopefully she will feel well enough to return to school on Thursday. She really loves school and does not like missing. We got her school pictures this week - look at our big kindergartener!

Dressing Up

It's been a fun week for Emmy at school. The book fair came to town, and one morning before school, Aunt Megan took her to do some shopping. She was given the strong suggestion from Mommy and Daddy to use her money to purchase a book, not toys, trinkets, bookmarks, posters, or games. She choose a book called The Good Egg, and we have enjoyed reading it each night before bed. Emmy almost has it memorized! Wednesday was pumpkin day at school, and then Friday was Career Day. Emmy dressed up as a teacher. She's already practicing on her little brother when he lets her. She insisted on wearing her teacher badge today during our visit to the Science Center. 

There have been a lot of opportunities to dress up lately. At Tuesday's dance class, the dancers could wear costumes. Emmy dressed up as a butterfly over top of her regular dance leotard and tights. Eli had Team Day at school on Wednesday, and he matched several of his classmates in Panthers gear. Eli also tried on his prince costume in preparation for the upcoming Halloween festivities. Since big sister wants to be a princess again this year, little brother will be Prince Charming. Stay tuned for more pictures of our duo on Halloween!

Even though it is still only October, I couldn't resist taking this sleigh pic at the Science Center today. It won't be long until Christmas is here!

Jumping into Fall

After our usual running around from school and evening activities, we ended the week with a visit to the doctor.... 

All throughout the week, Eli had a runny nose and cough. When he woke up on Friday, he was a pitiful mess, so instead of sending him to school, he stayed home with Grammy. He was not much better on Saturday, and he was tugging on his ears and saying that they hurt. I took him to the after-hours clinic that morning. We had to wait about 1.5 hours, and Eli was content sitting in his car seat, which was a sure sign that he was not quite himself. The doctor confirmed that he did in fact have an ear infection. We were sent on our way with a prescription for the next 10 days to hopefully get him back to 100%. He and Boomer stayed home that evening while Emmy and I went to the Williamses' for a birthday party for Luke and Laurel. There were all kinds of fun fall games. Emmy's favorite was the mummy game. She loved having Aunt Megan as her partner. 

We attended another birthday party today. We celebrated Maddox who will turn 7 on Wednesday. He picked the bowling alley for his party, and there was a big crew of friends from school, church, and from his sports teams. Eli and Boomer stayed home from church in the morning, but they joined us at the party for a little bit. Emmy was a sweet big sister to let Eli share her turn when bowling. Together they used the ramp to get the ball down the lane. Uncle Boomer was in charge of the birthday shopping, and so Maddox's present included glow-in-the-dark poop...yikes! 

After returning home from the party, we played outside and enjoyed the beautiful fall evening. The kids loved making a big leaf pile to jump in. Eli seems to be improving, so hopefully we will all make it through the week in good health.