Recently we’ve had quite a few “rainy, rainy days” in the words of Max. The good part is it hasn’t been too cold, so we’ve been able to enjoy some puddle stomping and are getting good use out of our raincoats. The pictures below are just the alley behind our house, but the kids were having fun in their boots and coats with the puddle, so I grabbed the camera. 

School is going well for Max so far. He often says he doesn’t want to go, but is okay with us leaving (as long as the prescribed routine is followed: watch him wash his hands, then wave to him through a particular window). He reports back that he has fun at school, so that’s good to hear. He’s also recently started a “Creative Music and Movement” dance class at a local studio. The teacher is great and it’s a nice small class–one other boy and two girls. Max wasn’t too sure about taking a class where we didn’t go in and participate with him, but I talked up the fact that I would be right outside the door and he could see me through the window the whole time. He has done really well and the teacher reports that he is a great listener. He’s really into pretend games right now so we play a lot of restaurant, hardware store, doctor, etc. Of course he has very specific ideas about how these games should be played and doesn’t hesitate to correct us if we stray from the script in his head.

Max started preschool again last week. He had mixed feelings about going back because he has a different teacher this year. He loved Miss Megan last year and really wanted to have her again. We talked up Miss Tally and reminded him about all the things that would be the same. I also got some special matching bracelets for Max and me to wear. I told him they have extra “love waves” (from a book we have) and if he was feeling sad or missing me, he can look at his bracelet and feel better. The first few dropoffs his eyes teared up a bit but he didn’t cry like he did last year. And I’m happy to report that the past couple dropoffs have been smooth. This year he goes to school three days a week for 2.5 hours each day. Our friend Emmeline is in his class again, which helps a lot. 

Sorry, faithful readers! It’s been a busy summer, plus some technology changes, plus getting ready for an upcoming children’s clothing consignment sale. All that to say, blogging has taken a back seat. But I am back in the proverbial saddle and hoping to get caught up, so prepare for more frequent posts. Let’s start with our visit from my Dad and Helen in July. We absolutely love it when grandparents come to town. They take amazing care of all of us, the kids adore them, and the time always flies by far too quickly. This visit we took a trip to the zoo, they took the kids to the children’s museum, there were several trips to the park, playing at home and of course some quality iPad time. Here are some pictures from their week with us! (Side note: Sorry if this post takes forever to load. I realized too late that I didn’t shrink the pictures like I usually do. I’ll try to remember next time!)