We DO exist!

Pin It Well, it has been a crazy few months!

My husband and I went to France for an adult family vacation, and my brave, dear friend stayed with the Toddler, the Dog, the Cat, and the whole house. She did a great job, and my kid and puppy didn't break her. That accounts for two weeks, plus a week of recovery.

So, what have we been up to? Well, Toddler started gym class, and has been absolutely loving every second of it. She's 21-months-old, and she climbs up on the 3' tall balance beam fearlessly. She can walk down the beam with little support, but she wants to run (as all toddlers do) and that causes balance issues. It's gymnastics, not parkor, kid. She can even walk backwards and do a forward roll on the beam with help. If you have a tot gym class nearby, it is worth it. Just be aware that there are many things in your house that look like gym equipment (crib mattress, backs of couches, the chandelier above the dining room table...) and that your toddler may want to show off her new skills at home. I'm pretty sure I have a grey hair for every time I've found her reaching for the "swing bar" while standing on the table. Next week, How To Dye Your Hair During Nap.

We also took advantage of the beautiful autumn weather, spending most days playing outdoors. We got a swing set (and a beast of one, too. It is a Creative Playthings) and we've spent many mornings using it. I like to sit in the tower and drink coffee while Toddler runs around like crazy, collecting acorns for our "ship house." It works for me.

Halloween happened. Last year, for Toddler's first Halloween, she was 9 months old, and we had just closed on a house days before. Since all our stuff was in storage, sewing machine included, I had no means of making a costume. This year, I made my first costume, and it was easier than I had hoped, even if I did sew the arm on inside out the first time, then upside down the second. Third time was a charm. Toddler was Madeline, and adorable.

Lastly, we've been counting. More than anything, it seems she wants to count. So we do. We count books, we count socks, we count leaves, we count beads, we count anything there is to count. One morning we went up and down the stairs at least 5 times, just to count all the stairs.

Now we are gearing up for the holidays. We have a ton of travel coming up! It will be so nice to see our family and friends over the next few months.

Welcome back, sorry for the break, and stay tuned, because a ton of posts are coming!