Fun With Auntie Clare

These pictures are actually from the previous weekend, when Auntie Clare was in town. Gavin was playing with the kids-clothes-hamper ("hampie," as he calls it) after his bath. It had been a long day of visiting the grocery store and a pumpkin patch, and everyone was acting a little silly. Next thing you know, Gavin was getting in the hamper with Auntie Clare's encouragement:



He looks quite proud of himself!




This trampoline was Auntie Clare's birthday gift to the kids. Francis set it up while they were sleeping, and the next morning they were very excited to try it out:



Evie still can't jump - she tries so hard, but can only get up on her tip-toes. Her feet don't actually leave the ground. But she really enjoyed bouncing on the trampoline:

Getting Used To Preschool

Evie and Gavin have finished their second week of school, and they are definitely getting more comfortable with it. Early last week, Gavin tried the new tactic of saying, "Gavin miss Mommy," all the way to school. But by Thursday, he had stopped crying at drop-off time.

Evie hadn't cried as much as Gavin - it was more of a whimpering when I would take her out of the van and hand her to her nurse, But by Friday, she had stopped. She even got to ride a tricycle, with her nurse pushing her, on Wednesday! Gavin's class gets to ride tricycles on Thursdays, and he loves it.

Below, Evie is wearing some of the new outfits from Grandma Cordes that she wore to school this week:

Gavin is getting more comfortable with the speech therapist and is saying a lot of 3-word sentences for her. At home though, he is saying a lot more with me - he said his first 6- and 7-word sentences last week!

The cutest thing he said was when I told him that Nana and Grandpa Cermak were coming to visit, and he said, "Auntie Clare?" And I explained that she lives far away and has to get on an airplane if she wants to come see us. Gavin responded, "Want Auntie Clare get on airplane!"

Pumpkin Patch, Part 2

I wanted to take advantage of the great weather this weekend and continue our pumpkin patch tradition. On Sunday we went to Sonny Acres with Auntie Clare and Nana & Grandpa Cermak.

Evie was ready to go!

In the gift shop:


Evie and Auntie Clare:

One of the highlights for Gavin was this kitten that was roaming around the gift shop and the grounds. He kept chasing it saying "Kitty!" and finally it decided he was OK. Gavin was thrilled to pet it and he was very gentle.

Stairs, again, were interesting to Gavin:

This little enclosure was Gavin's other favorite part of the day. It was a bunch of cornstalks around a tree, with enough space to run around. Gavin ran around in there for probably 45 minutes, and showed every other kid who wandered in how to run and shriek and smack the Frankenstein guy inside.

Gavin didn't want to leave his cornstalk fun, so Evie went on the carousel with Francis, Clare, and Grandpa:

Francis said this was one of the fastest carousel's he'd ever been on. Evie had to hold on for dear life!

Grandma Cordes, this picture on the cow bench is for you!

We had a great time, as usual. Now, to find time to get around to actually carving the pumpkins we bought...

Pumpkin Patch, Part 1

This weekend was all about pumpkins! On Saturday we went to Johansen Farms, which is right near David and Brad's house. We have done this the last 2 years and we always have a good time walking around and eating apple cider donuts. The weather was warmer than last year as well - last year we were wearing our winter coats!

Evie peruses the pumpkins, most of which are as big as she is:

Gavin just wasn't into the pumpkins this time. All he really wanted to do was splash in puddles and climb up and down the stairs.

Picking out gourds:

We went into the petting zoo, but Gavin wasn't interested in that either. David, Evie, and I had a good time though!

Evie is happy as a clam when she's with her Uncle David:

Stay tuned for more of our weekend pumpkin adventures!

Preschool!

Evie, ready to go on Day 1.

Evie and Gavin have started preschool! As many of you know, the twins were getting different therapies through the Early Intervention program, in which the therapists come to the home. That program ends at age 3, and if the kids still need therapy, they get it through the school district.

The twins were evaluated and ended up qualified to go to our public preschool 5 mornings a week, for 2.5 hours each day. They will be in a classroom with other kids their age and will have therapy in the classroom as they do activities with their peers. Evie will also have some one-on-one time with her therapists since she is farther behind than Gavin.

The school hired a nurse just for Evie! This has made us feel more comfortable (and Evie's cardiologist also). The nurse will get her from my car, bring her to class, monitor her the whole time she is there, and bring her back to the car when class is over. She will adjust Evie's oxygen if necessary, and just keep an eye on her.

The school has a drop-off carpool system, where the parents don't bring the kids into the school. The teachers and assistants come out to get the kids and walk them inside. I get to park in the handicapped spot and avoid the wait, which is nice.

So, it is a big adjustment and the twins are not quite used to it yet! Here is a brief summary of the first few days:

Day 1: No tears at drop-off! Gavin even turned around and waved at me. Afterward, I learned that they both cried in their classrooms, Gavin more than Evie. When I picked them up and asked how their day was, Gavin said "Gavin cry again, again, again, again."

Day 2: On the way to school, Gavin said, "Gavin stay in van." Tears from both when I pulled into the parking spot. Now they know what's happening! Gavin's teacher carried him into the building, but told me later that he only cried for 25 minutes - an improvement! Gavin told me that he cried "again, again, again, again." He also told me that he heard a story about a chipmunk. His teacher told me that he played with cars and shared them with kids that he wanted to play with.

Day 3: Getting ready in the morning, Gavin said, "Gavin stay in jammies. Gavin stay at home." On the way there, he kept saying "go home." Evie whimpered a little when I unbuckled her. Gavin had lots of tears and had to be carried in again. He cried for about 10 minutes less than yesteday.

Gavin enjoyed story time with the speech therapist and also rode a red tricycle. Evie played Barnyard Bingo at a table with 3 other kids, and enjoyed a Halloween song where the kids yelled "Boo!" This was the best day so far. The teachers each sent some photos home today, which I LOVE. It's nice to see the kids in class, playing with their peers. The kids also keep a notebook in their backpacks, and the teachers and I write notes back and forth.

When they get a bit more settled in, Francis and I will go and observe them. All the classrooms have one-way glass for just this purpose. And when they are totally comfortable, I can volunteer in their classrooms. And the best part is... because the twins qualify for school based on developmental needs - it's completely FREE!

Kids-n-Cats

On Sunday we went over to visit Auntie Di and Uncle Kevin and their cats. Gavin can now say their names: Fern and Fergie! The kids were interested in Uncle Kevin sealcoating the driveway ( I told them he was painting it with black sticky stuff), but we stayed and inside and played with their four-legged cousins.

If there is a flashlight in the house, Gavin will find it and probably take it apart. Luckily he was content with learning how to turn this one on:

Just chillin', eating a snack...Gavin offered his snack to the cats but they weren't interested:

Cat treats were more to their liking. Both kids got a turn at feeding the cats a treat:

What's a visit to Auntie's house without a cat ending up in a box?

See the smirk on Gavin's face, and the warning look on Evie's face...this is my life lately! He's about to take the cat toy (the stick) and she is NOT letting go:

Peeking around the stairs:

Silly girl!

We had a great time, as usual! Next time, we hope to meet Diana's third cat, Anissa. She is the mother of the other two, but cats don't seem to remember stuff like that, so they didn't exactly give her a warm welcome. I am certain that Evie and Gavin will give her lots of pets and treats when she is ready for kid company!

Birthday Party!

On Saturday, we had our families over to celebrate the twins' third birthday. They got books, toys, and clothes galore! After all, their only "first cousins" have four legs, so Evie and Gavin usually get completely spoiled. The kids had a fun afternoon, although a bit overwhelming, and the adults had a great time too.



Here is Evie in her party dress. She loved the cat on the front! Grandma Cordes got it for her, along with a long-sleeved dress in case the weather was cold. You just never know with October weather, so Grandma made sure Evie was prepared!












Grandma and Nana:





Auntie Clare and Auntie Di:






Nana with Uncle Brad and Uncle David:






Evie took a break to eat sausage:




Grandpa Vic helped her out:

Grandpa with his darling daughters:

Evie and Auntie Clare:

Evie took a short rest on Daddy's shoulder:

Gavin rested on the floor with his new slinky dog toy:

Grandpa Cermak helped Gavin string beads:

Evie played with some of her new stacking toys:

Uncle Brad helped both kids open some gifts:

This cash register was a big hit:

We had an "Elmo and Abby" theme, complete with these delicious cakes made by Uncle David's friend Curtis. He has a webpage: http://www.creatingwithcurtis.com/:

The twins just love their books! We took a reading break when Gavin opened up some "Cars" books from Grandma:

At some point during the afternoon, Evie and Gavin each reverted to playing with their tried and true Starbucks cups. No, the irony is not lost on us at all!

Gavin decided that Uncle Brad needed a closer look at the cash register coins:

Evie gave her uncle a kiss:

The uncles help Evie string beads:

Me and my little brother!

Uncle David and Grandma:

We had a great afternoon! Evie and Gavin still have a few gifts left to open. All their new stuff should keep them occupied for awhile!