Off To A FALL-tastic Start!

Helllooo (which reminds me of the Scholastic's "Bookflix" version of Bark George...but I digress).  Fall is upon us.  The kiddos have started at a new school and Fall extracurricular activities are in full swing.  Cate is in the 3-day 2's preschool class with Mrs. Lisa and Miss Jenn.  Brady is in the 5-day 3's class (missed the birthday cutoff of September 1st) with Mrs. Guzman and Mrs. Davis.  Their first days have gone great.  I have yet to see a tear or hear a whine at drop-off.

Brady next to his cubby and Thomas the Train backpack and lunch box.

Cate by her cubby, "Punzel" backpack and lunch box.

On Saturday mornings, Brady is #11 on the Kickaroos soccer team, the Chicken Nuggets.  He plays with his old friends from Primrose School (Ella, Ryan H, Ryan C and Andrew).  Thanks to the 8:30am game time, we get to stick to our weekly morning schedule of waking up at the crack of dawn and running around like idiots to get clothes on, shoes on, teeth brushed, cereal gobbled and lukewarm-coffee slurped.  Once we get to the field it is quite possible that Cate runs around on the sidelines just as much as Brady does on the field.  By 9:30am we are all sweaty and tired. 

Brady being coach by Coach Neil.

Cate is in gymnastics class on Thursday mornings.  She totally loves it!  Running! Bouncing! Climbing! Swinging! Flipping!  Man, she does it all!  I wish she could do it everyday because it really tires her out.  Lucky, Coach Dani is very patient and seems happy to corral Cate back with her class every time she wanders off.  Afterward, Cate and I have lunch together (and usually watch the songs from Tangled) and then go pick up Brady via carpool.  Brady loves carpool!

Four Months of Mayhem!

Oh, the excitement we've had!  Since our last post there have been many changes to our lives.  I cut back work to a part-time schedule (15 hours a week!) with Financial Discovery Group and Cate and Brady bid farewell to their beloved Primrose School.  The kiddos had their first real summer at home and Mom enjoyed a four-day weekend.  Then the kids started at their new school after Labor Day, and I do believe they're enjoying it so far.  Here's a quick recap of our summer highlights (and the tail end of the spring):

Classic Cate. "Heh-Tah"!

May 14th was Cate's second birthday.  Grammy and Poppie came to visit.  We went to the zoo and...didn't see a single animal.  It was all zoo train and carousel.  We also had lunch at "Grilled Cheese Store" (a.k.a. Village Burger).

Our Order Number was "2"! Perfect!

Come for the lollipop, stay for the bloodwork.

May 22 was Cate's two year check up at the doctor.  Here were the stats:

Height: 33 inches (81st percentile)
Weight: 22 lbs 10 oz (23rd percentile)
Head: 48 cm (84th percentile)

So...I think she's taking after her dad at this point.

And let us take a moment for the three-times dearly departed, Lady - whom Cate called "mi-lady".  I've given up on replacing that friend, and thankfully the Disney Store can't restock them quick enough to tempt me.

The first week in June was our annual Wright Family reunion trip to Hilton Head.  Everyone is getting SO BIG!  We had a bit of rainy weather but we didn't let it slow us down!  Who says you can't go to the beach when it's cloudy and raining?!  Nobody in the Wright family!  Again we stayed in Sea Pines - this year on Green Herron Road.

So happy after Daddy "hits" him in the waves.

Brady and Cate had swim class this summer.  Brady's new challenge was swim class without Mom or Dad in the pool with him.  He didn't like it so much.
But a doughnut afterword usually made him feel better.  Cate loved her class, which Mom did with her.  She often wanted to stay well after class was done.  Her favorite part was throwing the little squirty toys in the water and swimming to them.  That girl loves to float on her back, too.  I think she likes when her ears are under water and everything gets quiet.

Brady gave up his nap this summer.  Thankfully, he transitioned well into "quiet time" - because God knows Mom and Dad need quiet time everyday.  And congratulations to Brady and Cate for giving their paci's away to their new baby cousin, Sylas Levin!  Such a big boy and a big girl!  Surprisingly, Brady did just awesome without his paci.  He earned that big boy room in a big way!  Brady moved into his big boy room (formerly the guest room) this summer and Dad painted the walls blue with 3 stripes of green and orange (Brady's 3 favorite colors).  We moved his train table up there, which has made quiet time very attractive to the big boy.  Cate took some time to part with paci.  But she's taken well to a great new bedtime schedule and she now knows how to calm herself down to sleep without paci.  It took pretty much all summer to accomplish.  We are so proud of them!  And the goodbye paci party was pretty fun, too. 

Northbrook Days Tilt-A-Whirl: Aunt Holly is Mommy's Hero!

Brady went to the dentist for the first time and did awesome!  The nice doctors and hygienists played "Up" for him while he sat in the chair.  Grams and Bubba came to stay while Mommy visited new baby Sylas in Scottsdale.  We visited the pool at Mommy's work many times, visited the zoo and the children's museum many times.  We had a wonderful visit at Grammy & Poppie's house where we spent time with Greaty, Aunt Holly, Hazel & Jake, Uncle Jason, Aunt Ronnee, Uncle Matt, Layla and baby Sylas.  The kiddos got to enjoy Mom's old stomping ground at Northbrook Days.  I didn't have the chance to play the gum game.  *tears*  We went to Hilton Head again for my birthday and visited Amicalola State Park over Labor Day.  Phew!  I'm exhausted just recapping the summer!  

Stay tuned for the back to school report!