Halloween, Kindergarten Style

Peabody Elementary let the kids dress up for Halloween - if they came as their favorite book character. Meredith is Belinda the Ballerina, a character featured in a series of books covering the exploits of a prima ballerina with incredibly large feet. She took toe shoes to school (handed down by a real ballerina) and having toe shoes is so exciting, I think everything else has just been icing.

As you can see, some students backed into the whole book character thing, but at least now they know that Spiderman didn't start with Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst.

Sweet and Also Strange

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But why can't I go into the ballet class?

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Working Breakfast

In order to accomplish all her goals today, Madeline had to have a working breakfast. Very serious stuff.

Conversation

The pic above is from the LuvMud 5k this past weekend, where Meredith once again impressed me with her ability to roll with the punches. The day was much longer and hotter than we anticipated, and you and I both know that Meredith did not PLAN to be a part of the mud experience. But she rolled with it.

But what I'm really here to tell you about is a conversation. On the way home from school yesterday, Meredith started asking a lot of questions about war. I don't know where that came from, though I could guess their names rhyme with Balt and Badam. Anyhoo, the conversation stopped when we got home and unloaded the car, and I forgot about it. This morning we drove to school together. We were sitting silently at a red light when she said, "Now, Mom, let's get back to this war thing."

And we did. Cause I know I enjoy starting the day with a little Vietnam and Civil War education. Oy.

Madeline: 18 Months

Madeline. 18 months and 3 days.

I promised a post and I'm delivering. 'Cause she deserves recognition for the major developmental milestone we've reached. Drumroll please. Ladies and gentlemen, Madeline Jane Lareau has slept through the night 4 out of the last 7 days!

Now before you start paging up screen and getting confused, yes, Madeline is A YEAR AND A HALF OLD. Some kids start sleeping through the night just a teensy bit earlier. Like, say, 16 months earlier. But that's cool. We have arrived and we are happy to be here. Just imagine the changes you may start to see in the Lareaus! The adult Lareau average bedtime may move from 8:30 to 9. Anything seems possible. And in all seriousness, everything they say about tubes/adenoid removal changing your life? True.

Front porch peek a boo.

Remember awhile ago when I posted about the boundless possibilities for the personalities of babies? How they're just a bundle of mysteriousness? Well, the mysteriousness is fading here and it is being replaced by big hugs, significant ornerinous, a huge sense of humor, lightning speed and lots of courage. She's at least as social as Meredith: she threw the doctor a fist bump today, unprompted. She also took 3 shots without a tear. She only runs, which means when she falls, she falls hard. We're working on learning to walk, if you know what I mean. She scales playground equipment that other children (we will not name names, but will whistle in Meredith's general direction) did not attempt until they were solidly 3.

The run. It is a serious run. If her shoulders are hitched up, she means business.

And did I mention that she snuggles? And puts her head on your shoulder, just like you used to imagine a baby would?

She likes to read often and repetitively and gets pretty mad if you don't acquiesce. She's an incredibly ornery eater and I spend far more time guessing what she might eat than actually feeding her.

The sense of humor.

Oh, and she loves her sister, especially delighting in picking her up after school. We walk around the corner of the building and our walking-training ends as she sprints to find Meredith and hug her.

There, a proper update. For posterity. For when she's president. Of a rock climbing club, or something to that effect.

Idlewild Strikers-W, Arsenal-L

*bonus points if you can spot Mayor Wharton in this picture

Well, Arsenal had another heartbreaking loss, but the Idlewild Strikers were able to balance out the weekend with a definitive win in their first game of the season (or first game of most of their lives, whichever you prefer). Luckily, Aunt Harriet (she's Dutch, and it's a long story) was there to take pictures, because we showed up with a dead camera.

Someday when they're in the Olympics, we'll note that Lea passed to Mer for a goal in their first game. And that they've been hanging out since they were 3 months old. You know how Bob Costas loves the emotional angle.