Hike

Sunday afternoon was the perfect fall day for a family hike. The hike also offered some space to quiet my head after a less than ideal week for our country. (and given the number of people in the park, I don't think I was the only one looking for a little escape!) I love having Castlewood State Park (and my parents) so close.

 This reminds me of the walls in the movie "Labyrinth" -- like you could just walk through and find yourself on a path you couldn't see before

these three are getting to be pretty good hikers! 

Interview with a 9-year-old

Oh boy. We are inching ever closer to the teen years! Unbelievable....

• What is your favorite color?  Purple and Green
• What is your favorite toy?  desk
• What is your favorite stuffed animal?  Love Bug
• What is your favorite thing to sleep with?  Love Bug
• What is your favorite fruit?  raspberries
• What is your favorite cereal?  oatmeal with chocolate granola on top
• What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  oatmeal with chocolate granola on top
• What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  ham and cheese sandwich
• What is your favorite dessert?  sugar cookies
• What is your favorite drink?  hot chocolate
• What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? lasagna
• What is your favorite animal?  dragon and hummingbird
• What is your favorite book?  Land of Stories and The School for Good and Evil
• What is your favorite song?  Black Horse and The Cherry Tree
• What is your favorite game?  Life
• What is your favorite t.v. show?  Young Justice
• What is your favorite movie?  The Spiderwyck Chronicles
• What is your favorite thing to do outside?  Climb the tree
• Who is your best friend?  Lily and Malia and Merrill
• What do you want to be when you grow up? an explorer, a detective and a reporter
• What is your favorite outfit?  new jeans and orange shirt (see below)
• What is your favorite snack?  trailmix
• What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas

Stats 11/23/16: 56 pounds 6 oz (22%)
                         4 ft. 2.75 in (24%)

Interview with a 4-year-old

• What is your favorite color? blue and black
• What is your favorite toy? black monster truck
• What is your favorite stuffed animal? panda bear and giraffe
• What is your favorite thing to sleep with? giraffe (he doesn't really sleep with anything except mommy ...)
• What is your favorite fruit? strawberries
• What is your favorite cereal? Cheerios
• What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? peanut butter sandwich 
• What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?noodles and carrots
• What is your favorite dessert? cake
• What is your favorite drink? almond milk
• What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? Gorilla cheese
• What is your favorite animal? giraffe
• What is your favorite book? the library book about growing up
• What is your favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• What is your favorite game? CandyLand
• What is your favorite t.v. show? Rescue Bots
• What is your favorite movie? Chicken Run
• What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike
• Who is your best friend? Cooper (and Adam and Rosie)
• What do you want to be when you grow up? everything
• What is your favorite outfit? Tigers shirts
• What is your favorite snack? Lara bar
• What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

The stats: 28 pounds (29 with his cast and boot...) 1%
                 3 feet 1.75 inches (adjusted slightly for cast and boot) 6%

Interview with a 7-year-old

• What is your favorite color? Magenta
• What is your favorite toy? legos
• What is your favorite stuffed animal? Big bear
• What is your favorite thing to sleep with? Big bear and bear with a bow
• What is your favorite fruit? watermelon
• What is your favorite cereal? cinnamon cheerios
• What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? eggs
• What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? peanut butter and jelly
• What is your favorite dessert? cake
• What is your favorite drink? chocolate almond milk
• What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? pizza
• What is your favorite animal? elephant
• What is your favorite book? Harry Potter
• What is your favorite song? One Short Day from Wicked
• What is your favorite game? Candy Land
• What is your favorite t.v. show? Lego Friends
• What is your favorite movie? Harry Potter 
• What is your favorite thing to do outside? ride my bike
• Who is your best friend? Millie
• What do you want to be when you grow up? a teacher
• What is your favorite outfit? my new blue dress
• What is your favorite snack? trail mix
• What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

The stats: 47 pounds (32nd percentile)

                 3' 11" or 47 inches (33rd percentile)

Happy birthday to this sweet girl! She's growing up so fast

Millie celebrated her first reconciliation yesterday at church.  The ceremony was very nice and centered on building a relationship with a God who will always love you and accept you back just as the prodigal son was welcomed back by his father.  It took a while for a large bunch of 2nd graders to get through their confessions (though there were five priests there), but it was such a positive experience overall that the extra time didn't seem too bad.  Millie was very excited to wear one of my old dresses for the ceremony.  The dress was made for me to wear in my aunt's wedding and I also wore it for my first communion (my first reconciliation was not the event that Millie's was). Merrill already has plans to wear it next year.  Wonder if I'll be able to convince them to wear my wedding dress someday ...