October 2015

I can’t believe it is already December. The weather doesn’t either because it was really warm today. So, what did we do in October? I don’t remember anymore. I’m going to try to figure it out by looking at the photos.

Our favorite supermarket (not because we love the company or anything, it’s just convenient and we like the people who work there) was sold to another company as part of some anti-trust agreement. That company began small and overnight increased the number of stores they had by a factor of 10. Many, myself included, predicted the deal was going to fail, and it did. Within six months, shelves began to look like this:

They closed whole aisles before clearing everything out and finally shutting down in November. I was angry about it. There were employees who worked there for years and years, who watched Fiona grow, knew Victoria, who have kids the same age as mine, who I talk to and see around town. I was told at least half the employees lost their jobs because some were able to find jobs at other stores around. That’s all depressing. Here is something that is not:

We went to many birthday parties. This one was for a little girl who is named Victoria:

Her mom went all out, and the party was great! There was a taco man, a bounce house, lots of treats, fun games for the kids, and a pony. My Victoria didn’t like it and cried so I took her off and she didn’t ride it, but Fiona loved it of course.

Fiona wearing her music bag the way I wear my purse (when I use it):

Fiona was inspired by the song leader at Torah School, so she tried to dress like her, boots and all.

The song leader and all of Fiona’s friends have long hair, so now she wants long hair. She is using her cardigan as hair in these photos because hers is still short. I love her short hair and she gets tons of compliments on her hair cut, but she really wants to grow it out. I remember feeling the same way at her age, and I didn’t look half as cute as she does. Here it is braided:

The vision testing person at Fiona’s school told me there was something wrong with her eyesight. I took her to an ophthalmologist:

Her eyes were dilated so she had to wear these snazzy sun glasses. She didn’t mind. She was great at the appointment and her vision is perfect for her age. As a bonus, I learned that prematurity did not affect her eyes at all, because they checked.

Every year, our street has a big yard sale day, when everyone puts things out in their driveways and tries to sell them. Our neighbor had a lemonade stand, but he needed to leave so he asked Fiona to replace him for a while. She made many sales and he gave her some of the money, even though we told him it was not necessary:

You cannot tell, but she is in her pajamas.

We went somewhere and Victoria fell asleep in the stroller:

I’m shocked…shocked!

I took Victoria to a pumpkin patch:

Can she be any cuter?!?

Pat pat...

This one? You want me to lean on this one?

Or this one?

Mine!

 

I LOVE that little face! I wanted to take her because it’s her first Fall season and first Halloween. There are so many pumpkin patches around I didn’t feel right not taking her. Also, I didn’t want it to come about later in her life that I just didn’t bother with some things because I was too tired. So the two of us went together, had a nice time, and bought pumpkins for carving and eating. Here are the carvings during the day and at night:

A lot of playing happened:

The lamb with the sweater “hair” and greenish skirt is dressed up as Elsa. The dolls were having a costume parade. Fiona told me she was a bride. I love how imaginative she is and that she uses what ever she has, makes due, in order to create different scenarios for herself. I’m going to be sad when she outgrows that.

I do not have a clue what is going on here or what John has on his head:

I’m sure it was very funny at the time.

I took photos of my girls:

  

 

So good those shoes:

Victoria loves her books:

Fiona was actually posing in the photo above on the left. It was supposed to be something funny, but now I cannot remember it. She said something, we all laughed, and then took a photo. She and John and still taking their gummy vitamins every morning. They each take two and hide them, then take turns guessing what color they are. Then they eat them and tell each other what the vitamins taste like (they make up the flavors).

I guess it rained:

 

 

Victoria standing to see the book:

Victoria, our little entropy unit:

Remember the September photos? Here is Victoria again, standing and looking out the back door wistfully.

 

We do let her outside quite a bit, but she puts so many things in her mouth so we limit her time a little. She’s getting better.

Victoria loves the play kitchen and spends a lot of time there:

 

I remember when we got it for Fiona and how much time she spent “cooking” in it. I’m glad Victoria is getting use out of it, and at a younger age because Fiona was 18 months old when we bought it.

If you lie on the floor, you will be assaulted by a baby:

 

Fiona’s school had a jog-a-thon. Really, it was just a day when all the students were outside doing various things they don’t get to do normally because of the stupid testing and budget cuts forcing schools to cut physical education.

Here is Fiona with a hula hoop:

 

 

Water bucket relay:

Potato sack race:

The person she hopped to was her teacher from last year, whose children go to Fiona’s school. The sack had no bottom to it for some reason, and no one was really racing, but the kids all had fun hopping around and loosing their way. It was kind of the same with the water bucket relay. They had to run to a bucket, plunge a sponge into it, run back, and wring out the sponge into another bucket. Some classes had more kids or faster turnover, or were better organized, so when they measured who had the most water, they won. But there was no prize. Other events were a hip hip dancing station, a small track for kids to run around, and a freeze dance station. It was so hot, the hottest day of the month, that by the time Fiona’s class (and all of the kindergarten classes) made it to the last station, the freeze dance station, they were done. Adults were standing like statues and kids were sitting in their shadows. Fiona’s class went to the water fountains and pretty much gave up on trying to do anything else. The kids at the running station were told to walk. At the end, they all got popsicles. It was a fun and tiring day for the kids. I am just glad I remembered to slather Fiona in sun-block.

Reading with Grandma:

I have pictures of Fiona doing the exact same thing:

Morning snuggles:

We bought a real 88-key keyboard:

It was becoming necessary because Fiona was not able to do some of her music homework on her little toy keyboard. It doesn’t have the range to play some of the notes she is supposed to play. Sometimes we are supposed to play duets and that is almost impossible when there are only 20-something keys. Also, they are so small and not at all like the keyboards and pianos at class, so Fiona’s technique was suffering as well. Now she plays it and the small one every day.

Some things never change:

Fiona made this and it was something really specific and interesting, and now I cannot remember what it was supposed to be. She took it apart at some point, but I might show her the photo and ask her if she knows what it was:

Fiona is learning how to read and can read a lot, so she likes to read all of the board books. She often reads to Victoria, which I think is really sweet and also very handy:

Halloween:

We went to a barbecue. Victoria was a pumpkin, but wouldn’t keep the hat on. Fiona was supposed to be a ghost (hence the all white clothing) but grew tired of the sheet either blocking her vision, making it difficult to walk, or falling off, so she put on her Minnie Mouse ears and gloves instead. Fiona is so good at self regulation. We still have one piece of Halloween candy left.

I feel badly not taking more photos of Victoria, or more videos. I don’t want her to feel cheated later, or like I wasn’t paying attention because I have five years of blog about Fiona but very little about her. But the truth is that as soon as I take out the camera, she moved toward it and tries to grab it, so I use it less, and I have less time to take photos, upload, and write. She’s so cute and sweet and I hope one day she will read this and know that it’s not that I didn’t want to document her life like I did Fiona’s, it’s just that I am not able to as much. I have some videos to sort through and upload soon too. For now, I have to finish planning Victoria’s birthday party that is this Sunday (Saturday was booked at the place we are having it).

Sigh. Maybe I’ll get November post up before January.