Fall, here we come!

We're about to start a wonderful Fall adventure! 

Mark & kids will be in MD for the week while my mom and I visit Vermont. We've got lots of fun things planned and I'm really excited to go, especially with Mama.

Please pray we have safe travels and, more importantly, that Mama's not in pain or distress from her cancer. She's willing to push past some recent bad news for the trip and I want to be sure she's not compromising her health or pushing through when it isn't safe. We're both happy to start our trip so pray we can make it through the full itinerary with joy, great scenic views, some delicious food,  good health and comfort, all while making great memories. 

More to report, after it happens!

Brother/Sister

Sawyer misses Alice while she's at school and doesn't even want to nap in the afternoon to so they can be together. It makes things a little exhausting around here at the witching hour, but today they fell asleep during a TV show. We had to wake them for dinner. . .

 Alice loves all things fancy and fashionable. We saw a police car and it read, "Protecting Paradise, Folly Beach". Alice asked what paradise is and I said, "It's where everything is really happy and wonderful." I asked Alice what her paradise would be and she INSTANTLY said, "The whole world full of flowers and princesses."

Sawyer's into simpler things: cars, trains, balls, bicycles, Duplos, and singing.

Sawyer's eye doctor said the right eye has healed after sand scraped his cornea. I asked the doctor to give Sawyer a color blindness test because I was suspicious that he's like Uncle Will and my grandfather Big Jack. She was amazed that a 2.5 year old could be diagnosed with color blindness. His vocabulary is good and he clearly did not see certain colors/shapes she asked him about. She said to notify teachers so he won't be labeled as unruly, disobedient, or unintelligent. We could test more for severity when he's in 5K or first grade. Will said that Sawyer's life won't be as complicated as folks who see the full color spectrum. No wonder my brother wears crazy colored socks without embarrassment!! :)
 Here's a link with a bit more info: Red/Green Colorblind Info

The view has improved!

The weekly yard clean up delights Sawyer every time. Those clippings include the projects from our back yard: Operation Backyard Reclamation versus the azaleas, strangling vines, over-grown limbs, etc

Tree climbers with chainsaws gave us better views from each window and more sunlight in the yard.

We currently call our yard "A River Runs Through It" with all the rain and poor drainage towards the marsh. Sawyer's approach, clothes-free, was quite different than Alice's traditional raincoat. 

Fun & the Fireman Museum

 Alice's "Charleston Best Friends"--she's delighted that the younger sister gets to play on the playground with her every day at school. They have lots of fun together already!

North Charleston Fire Museum

Preschool Ice Cream Social

 Alice invited her entire class for ice cream at our house on Friday. Seven kids came with their mom or grandparents for a treat and play time in the back yard. It was a quick, fun party for us and the kids to know each other better! 

First Day at Westminster Preschool

How is it that sending your child to school five days a week makes them feel so grown up, even at just four years old? Last night Alice said, " I was anxious when I met my teacher last week but I'm so excited for my first day of school." She had a fun first day and really enjoyed it. Alice could name four kids of eleven in her class and thinks Miss Bonnie is a great teacher. I'm glad it's off to a good start!

In Sawyer news: another pediatric visit today because his pink eye hasn't resolved after 11 days, though his ears are finally clear. I heard a  noise foreign to my ears today when there a loud crack in the crib. Sawyer kicked so hard he cracked a spindle on our Jenny Lind crib. He missed Alice just 30 minutes into school today but got distracted enough at the playground to enjoy himself.