I was planning on catching up, and now I need to catch up, on my catching up!
The
end of May marked Erica's first long distance road trip. Grandma,
Grandpa, the kids and I headed out for Tucson, Arizona. We made a
couple of stops on the way there and back, which helped. At one point
on our way home, Erica looked as if she'd given up all hope of ever
getting out of the car seat.
It was great to see everyone in
Arizona, and that Auntie Erin, Uncle Jonathan, Auntie Becca, Naomi and
Joe were able to be there as well made for a wonderful time! We were
there to celebrate Great Grandma Blanche's 80th birthday, and it was
fantastic to see cousins we hadn't seen in a few years, as well as
introducing Erica to everyone.
The summer went so quickly!
Miles did a couple Little Gym camps, as well as summer camp at his soon
to be new preschool. The first day of preschool camp, Miles headed
straight in and barely gave me a second glance as he said goodbye. The
next 2 days, there were tears. I started to wonder whether this was a
sneak preview of fall when he started school.
We made a few
more trips up to IL over the summer, as well as Grandma, Grandpa and
Grandma Peggy coming down for the 4th of July. Uncle Jonathan and
Naomi stopped in on their way up to IL for a wedding, and we saw them a
day later when the kids and I headed up to IL to see my friend Lee.
The
day after Labor Day, it was Miles' first day of school! We'd been
reading the Kissing Hand, and talking about how it was just for a few
hours in the afternoon, how much fun he was going to have, new friends,
etc. Dropping Miles off, I gave him a kissing hand, and he gave one to
me. There was a little hesitation as he said good bye, but no tears.
That continued for about a week or so, and then there wasn't the
hesitation. And then he started asking on the weekends "Do I have
school today?" When told no, it was the weekend, he's now actually sad
about not going. He loves school, and is really progressing!
Erica's
growing and learning by leaps and bounds. Now 18 months old, it's hard
to believe she's that old already, and yet watching her, hard to
believe she's not older. Her vocabulary is growing daily, and she's
starting to put together 2-3 words on occasion. She loves singing, and
frequently sings to herself in the morning when she wakes up, or at
night, just before falling to sleep. One night, about 3:30, I suddenly
heard "E I, E I, O. (Erica babble in rhythm of the song)...puppy!"
through the monitor. I couldn't help but start laughing.
Both
kids are still loving Little Gym, Miles is also enjoying soccer, and
Erica's really enjoying Kinder Musik. Watching them both enjoy their
activities, and do more and more on their own is fantastic. They're
also at an age where they can play together, and do, really well.
Erica loves playing with Miles, thinks he's the funniest person around,
and that's something Miles can really appreciate!
Halloween
was a lot of fun. Miles was Donatello (the purple Ninja Turtle) and
Erica went as an angel. When we were checking out costumes at Grandma
and Grandpa's, she wasn't very excited about dressing up, so we figured
that'd be a safe way to go. She warmed up to the idea, especially once
she realized she'd get candy! The costumes got a lot of use, dressing
up for Little Gym, Kinder Musik, a party at Miles' school, and then
trick or treating! We went downtown and met up with our friends Dylan,
Reagan and Wil, the cutest Tigger, ghost and penguin I've ever seen!
Thanksgiving
brought us back up to IL for the week. It was busy, with visiting
friends, family, a 40th anniversary and a surprise!
After our
Thanksgiving dinner (lunch, really), Erin and her boyfriend Joe went to
his parents for their second dinner. Shortly after they left, our
parents informed us that Joe was proposing to Erin after dinner, and
wanted us to sneak in while they were upstairs and surprise her! We
headed up, and Joe's brother let us in. His parents had champagne
ready, and when Erin and Joe came back downstairs, newly engaged, she
didn't quite realize who all was there! It was such a wonderful
surprise, for everyone, and now I get to look at fun wedding stuff
again!!
The 27th was Mom and Dad's 40th anniversary. We took
a limo downtown to Bin 36 and had a wonderful dinner there to
celebrate! It was a fantastic way to celebrate an incredible
milestone.
All too soon, it was time to head back home, but
we really only had a few weeks before our next trip. Jonathan was
graduating from Baylor and receiving his PhD. Mom and Dad drove down,
spent the night, and then the kids and I joined them on a road trip to
Waco. We took 2 days to get down there, spending Thur. night in
Oklahoma City at the Baymont Inn and Suites. Though really, we needed
to confiscate the S from Suites, as they only had 1 suite. We got into
Waco Firday afternoon, met up with Jonathan and Naomi for lunch, then
headed to the hotel to check in, and get ready for the Doctoral
Dinner. Naomi's roommate was kind enough to watch Miles and Erica
while we went. Which was good, since all the doctoral candidates in
attendance gave a 2 minute "thank you" speech, though not everyone
stayed at 2 minutes! It was a very nice dinner, and Jonathan
definitely have the best speech (not that I'm biased)!
Saturday
(12/19) we all got ready, and headed to Baylor for the graduation
ceremony. We'd been warned at the dinner by Jonathan's mentor that the
doctoral students are last, so there was a bit of a wait. Lots of BAs,
a number of masters, a good portion of people left after their student
walked across, so we were able to move down from the nose bleed
section. Finally, Jonathan was called, hooded, and it was official, he
is now Dr. Jonathan Miles, PhD!
Saturday night, we went out
to dinner with Jonathan, Naomi and her mom to the Green Room. Jonathan
and Naomi's friend Jake is the chef there, and he came out to make
recommendations for dinner, and dessert, and give Miles and Erica some
chef hats. The food was fantastic, and it was a wonderful way to end
the weekend.
Sunday, it was time to head back up to MO.
Grandma had to go back to work for a bit, plus pick up Aunties Erin and
Becca before heading back down for Christmas. They were both to get in
the 22nd, about an hour, hour and a half apart at Midway and O'Hare.
Then Erin called and her flight had been delayed. It'd be a little
closer to Becca's flight. Then it was delayed again, and it'd be
arriving at the same time as Becca's flight. Then it was canceled.
She ended up flying into St. Louis on the 23rd, arriving about a half
hour after Joe arrived.
Wednesday was also when Grandma Peggy
was arriving, in theory around 3pm at St. Louis. Craig called from
work to say she'd called him to say her flight had been canceled, but
she'd gotten a flight that would get in about 8, roughly the same time
as Erin. However, the flight was a little late, and slightly delayed
in landing, so she didn't arrive here till midnight that night!
Fortunately everyone made it in safe and sound, if a few hours later
than planned.
Christmas was wonderful. The kids had a great
time. When Erica noticed that the stockings had things in them, she
stopped in her tracks and just stared. They'd both written letters to
Santa, letting him know what they wanted. Miles asked for Buzz
Lightyear and Woody, and Erica asked for Word World. Santa delivered,
and they were both very happy! Erica's enjoying Buzz and Woody almost
as much as Miles! We spent the next day just relaxing and playing with
all our new stuff. Unfortunately, Grandpa wasn't feeling well, so
instead of staying through the New Year, Grandma and Grandpa left
Sunday with Erin and Joe. Erin and Joe were going to do some wedding
location scouting before heading back to DC. Grandma Peggy headed home
Monday, this time with no delays, and Jonathan and Becca headed to Waco
on Tuesday to ring in the New Year.
After a quiet New Year's, it
was time to get back into our normal routine. Miles was actually
excited to get back to school! That only lasted three days, as
yesterday it started snowing, and today we have several inches of snow,
and most schools, including Miles', are closed. We're only expected to
have flurries today, but it's incredibly cold, so we'll see what
tomorrow brings, in terms of school.
So, today's been a lazy
day, hanging out, catching up on the website, and just staying inside
and warm! One of my New Year's resolutions is to be better about
posting more frequently, so we'll see how that goes!
