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I began a habit of taking a picture (with my iPhone) of the "Today in Preschool" board when I picked Tyler up. It started when I realized that I couldn't remember the great things that the teachers posted about the day when we got to dinner time and Tyler and I were trying to tell Steve what had happened at school. Most days there was a picture or two posted on the board, so I would take pictures of those as well (especially if Tyler was in them). 
Tyler returned to the Woodbury Preschool the week after Labor Day. He was so excited to be going back to school. In the last weeks of summer he noticed that a few leaves in the tree in our front yard were changing. He insisted that meant that fall was here and he should be going to school. He is in the Monday, Wednesday, Friday AM class this year and just loving it. This year's class has 14 students, 7 girls and 7 boys, all four-year-olds. The teachers for the class are the same as last year, Mrs. Maya and Mrs. Cheryl. The aide from last year (Mrs. Theresa) has taken a new position, so this year we have Ms. Marlene. There is also a student teacher for the first few weeks of school, so there are four adults and 14 kids, a 3.5:1 ratio. Charlie the Tortoise (class pet) is very active in the morning at drop off and has really piqued Tyler's interest. Tyler selects a new leaf from the backyard every morning to bring to Charlie. Tyler has already drawn some pictures at school! We will get to see them on Curriculum Night. Can't wait!
Emma continues to grow like crazy. She is beginning to assert her independence. She wants to try to dress herself, particularly the bloomers she wears under dresses. She also insists on feeding herself, using utensils, and drinking from a big-girl cup. Yes, it's getting really messy around here. She says more new words each day. Right now one of her favorites is, "all aboard!" She says this whenever the show Dinosaur Train is on. We have also started going to a co-op music class together on Wednesdays while Tyler is at school. She loves to play with the instruments and dance. She even knows many of the movements already and joins in while we sing. It is really cute.
I bet you weren't expecting hula-hooping to be the featured skill...
She was having a great time with it at the Strong Museum yesterday. She is also learning a few more "regular" skills, like crawling, standing, and walking. She is finally getting a handle on a normal, forward-moving crawl. She likes to stand while holding onto things and is beginning to let go once in a while. All steps are still taken with assistance.
The garden! A neighbor gave us a few iris rhizomes the other day. This is the same neighbor that agreed to take our extra rose bushes back in March, so it seems we have a bit of a plant exchange going on. The irises have been added to the garden that borders our back deck. (Three of the rose bushes were relocated here as well.) I'm so proud that this garden is finally taking shape and looking presentable. The lilac bloomed beautifully in early May. Now the rose bushes are at it (only the ones that weren't transplanted). I'm hoping to finally transplant many of the perennials that I started from seed this spring into the garden this weekend. They have grown like crazy under the lights in our basement. Here's hoping they do as well outdoors.
The kids! Emma and Tyler are both growing like weeds. Emma weighs more than 12 pounds according to our bathroom scale. The accuracy of this measurement is supported by the fact that she's also growing out of the 0-3 month sized clothing. She's taken on a pleasantly plump appearance which we find adorable. She has periods of time that she's actually awake now. She likes to spend them kicking her feet and watching her big brother. Speaking of the big brother, Tyler is learning to dress himself. He can take his clothes off without a problem and does a great job pulling a t-shirt over his head. He still needs a bit of help pulling his pants all the way up and getting his shoes on the correct feet. Socks are his nemesis. He doesn't know it yet, but in a few weeks he is going to experience an intense week of potty-training while Steve is on vacation from work. Keep your fingers crossed for all of us!
He insists he isn't a "big boy", and that the nursey is still his room, too. He was very upset with my today when I was putting baby clothes in the closet in the nursey. Tyler wanted me to put them in the closet in his room instead. He likes to try to tell me that his new room is Emma's room. I'm sure he'll get used to all of these changes eventually.
We had a lot of fun setting up Tyler's new room. Most of the furniture comes from family members or was moved from other rooms in the house. The bed comes from my side of the family. At least three generations have slept in it before Tyler: my sister and I, my maternal grandmother and her siblings, and her father's generation before that. (Where this bed was while my mother and her sister were toddlers is a mystery.) The nightstand came from Steve's Opa's house. The reading chair belonged to Steve's mom. We decided on "ABC 123" and primary colors for the theme. I made the curtains and bedding with fabric we found at JoAnn's since the bed is not a standard size. Tyler says the sheets have "Put Me in the Zoo" print.
There are still a few things we'd like to do in the room. We're planning to get this rug that has a town mapped out on it. We have a cute mobile from Pottery Barn Kids to hang up. We'd also like to put up a large bulletin board on the wall between the door and the closet so that Tyler has a place to hang his latest works of art and other collections.
