Nine!

The girls gave Silas a nine-fingered salute for birthday #9.

AYSO

Silas enrolled this fall in the American Youth Soccer Organization -- his first sports team.

AYSO focuses on positive coaching and enjoyable games.

Silas has gone from not wanting to play for fear he'd be the worst player on the team, to running his heart out and taking shots on goal.

The team (The Green Machine) is 2-2-2 so far, and Silas is having a great time.

The Preschool Blues

Tess started out strong in preschool. 

Early on, I tried to put a dress on her, and she demanded "my red shirt with words on it." 

Unsure what she meant, I asked what the words said.

"It says, Tess is going to preschool!"

(It says: "Building Blocks Preschool Program.")

Lately, however, Tess has become nervous about going to preschool.

She claims to be "too sleepy" to attend, and around 8:00 a.m. she crawls back into her bed and pretends to fall asleep.

We have called her bluff by allowing her to sleep -- as long as she sleeps "on the way there." 

Tess keeps her eyes shut all the way to the school, and then "wakes up" and marches into the classroom.

Once the day is over, she admits that she had a great time.

Morning at the Park

First Homework

This is Rosemary tackling her first homework assignment.

She tore through the entire week's packet in about half an hour, and then said, "I wish they gave me more.  I want more!"

A decidedly different outlook than that of her brother.

I went back and checked the blog post from Silas' first homework.

Damned if I hadn't written, "As for Rosemary, she can barely wait to have homework of her own."

Almost exactly four years later, Rosemary gets her wish.

Face Plates

The kids -- Rosemary and Tess in particular -- have been asking for "Face Plates" at weekend lunchtimes.

Here are selections from the last couple of months.

End of Summer

School has begun.  The kids will miss their lazy summer days spent swinging on our neighbor's tree.

Biking to the park will decrease in frequency.

And once it cools down, I may have to pay more than fifteen cents a kid to have my car washed.

School All Around

Silas has got company at Meadow Heights this year.

Someone in stripes is a kindergartner!

We told Silas to look out for his sister at school and he replied, "We have different recess schedules."

Rosemary entered the classroom like she was inheriting her birthright.  She's ready to go.

Tess was simply thrilled to be included, finally, in this whole school business.

Monday and Tuesday mornings, Tess is attending the Lakeshore "Friends and Me" program, which is run by the City of San Mateo.

Tess danced on her way in, but once Meredith and I dropped her off, Tess said, "You're going to leave me with those kids?"

She was fine -- she began playing and didn't have any trouble when we left.

But when I got home that night, Tess walked up to me and the first thing she said was:  "You left me with those kids!"

50th Anniversary

My parents' fiftieth anniversary was this August, and we celebrated with Blair's family in Olympia.

We once asked Dad for advice on a long relationship and he joked, "Hey, I'm just taking this marriage one day at a time." 

It's worked out all right.

 We also caught the Thurston County Fair (that's Silas and Aden)...

Swam a bit...

And visited the "beach."  More photos will be posted as soon as I figure out Flickr.  (Picasa, where my albums used to be stored, has been closed down.)