Routine

A routine is such a nice thing! It's been very comforting to get into a routine, have a good schedule for our day-to-day activities. It keeps the kids busy and active and makes for a smoother day. However, that will change after next week b/c the kids have a 2-week break in between terms, the "holiday". So, we'll have 2 weeks off to do whatever then get back to a normal routine 11 October.

This week we've had a fun time of playdates, kindie, Calvin's last school visit before he starts "big boy" school & the museum. I even drove to Wellington over the weekend...the big city! Despite what Ben may say about my driving, I think I did pretty well in the craziness of city traffic. (to give him credit, it's really scary riding in the passenger seat b/c you feel as if you are going to hit everything on the left! Until now, he didn't understand why I gasped often as he drove along the highway...now he knows! ) :) I do, however, have to admit I did hit a cone on the side of the road that folded my left rearview mirror in...but who's counting? They shouldn't put those orange cones so close to the road and in my way! At least it wasn't a person or another car. This week we booked Junglerama for Calvin's 5th birthday party and even had friends to invite. :) It will be 2 October and the kids are so excited. It's one of those fun places with the bouncy castles, ball pits, etc... He has dinosaurs as his theme and he can't wait!

Doing a little grocery shopping at Te Papa Museum.

"That will be $20, thank you" says cashier Mary Katherine. (when you get rung up at a store or anywhere you do a transaction, they say..."That will be $xx, thank you."...they add the thank you before you pay...then instead of "you're welcome" they say, "that's alright". It's taken some getting used to but we're starting to learn the lingo.

Foam blocks make the bestest castles.

Here's MaeMae at her 1st birthday party in Cincinnati...notice the dress.

Here's Caroline in the same dress. Unfortunately, she didn't get to wear it at her 1st birthday, b/c she's a July baby but she can wear it here b/c it's still chilly out.

MaeMae's follow-up nit treatment. She was none to happy to have it done. Screams and cries began even before we started the process as she knew exactly what was to come...shampoo, wait, rinse, shampoo, wait 3 minutes, rinse, condition, then the tortuous nit comb.

I've been working on Caroline's sign language for a while now and she's starting pick it up. Here she's doing her version of "all done".

And here is Caroline signing "more". She also does "please" when she feels like it and she's starting to sign "milk". We're also working on "thank you". It makes life so much easier when she can communicate what she wants. Calvin and Mary Katherine did really well with signing and it's so darn cute when they do it!

Ben gave Calvin a nice haircut this week. His best haircut so far!

Calvin's "big boy" school supplies. Notice the reading book and writing notebooks. He's going to learn so much this year.

We like to tie things up in our spare time. Mary Katherine was dying for me to take a picture of the hanging banana.

Daddy and Caroline enjoying some doodle time. This is Ben's office, right next to the kids' room. One morning, as soon as I got Caroline out of her cot she made a beeline for Ben's office. While standing in the doorway, she called "dada!", "dada!"...she was looking for her daddy. It was so cute. :) (Ben was already at the hospital.)