Stella Luna, redux

We went to Stella Luna a month ago -- no, six weeks! It took two adults (Pamela and I), and we managed a fractured 20-minute visit before we had to pack up and leave. We didn't drive the other patrons from the place with screaming and running-about, but had we stayed another 10 minutes, it might well have come to that. (Civilizing them does take time!)

However, I am pleased to report that today's foray into The Civilized World was much more... civilized!

Also a tad more leisurely. We were able to drink our bottles (mine in the form of a large latte!), and eat our snack...

and charm the other patrons, two of whom were moved to come over and commend your tots on their most excellent cafe behaviour!

Charming, well-behaved, and just plain old adorable. They did very well this morning! I think this whole 'civilizing' thing is beginning to take hold.

Happy Hallowe'en!

First things first: Get those kids into their costumes!

Sophie...

Maeve...

Fenna...

and Nate.

The Big Kids, Dries...

Addie...

and Nora joined in, too!

These three seem pretty happy to see each other again, don't they?

A quiet moment in the kitchen for the big girls.

Nate the Bear. Of the cute, rather than the ferocious, variety.

We knew there had to be at least one of these, from someone, this evening. Maeve's was loud and heartfelt ... but also brief.

Sophie enjoys her costume!

What a cute group, though I did  mean to get another shot with the dads. Ooops!

Happy Hallowe'en.

Happy party!

Happy kids.

Thanks for coming everyone, and making it such a fun evening.

Maeve and Nate Love to Laugh

The whole point of this game was to laugh. Run and laugh. Stomp and laugh. Fall and laugh. Okay, so one fall needed a moment's comforting before the laughter started again. But really, it's all about the laughing.

Stella Luna!

It's been a while since we've been, and without Pamela's help, we couldn't have managed it, but it was lovely to be having one of Stella Luna's terrific lattes again!

I didn't do a very good job with the camera, though. There are no pictures of either Pamela or Sophie, because all pictures of them were blurred and out of focus. Sorry! (Oh, and not to worry: Sophie didn't go without a treat. She got a very tasty, egg-free granola bar, which she enjoyed all to sticky bits!)

Fenna enjoys a maple scone with a side of bottle.

Nate enjoys his scone, while mugging for the camera.

Pamela got a good picture of me! A rare thing, so greatly appreciated.

Windsor Park

Sophie considers leaving the bench for the sandbox.

She did it!

The little red house is Fenna's favourite spot in the park these days.

Up the slide is always fun!

No, it's not a particularly friendly face, but it's such a Maeve-typical one, I had to post it!

Quirky Nappers...

After pulling half the dollies and stuffed toys from the basket, Fenna slithered to the far end of her cot to snooze. I love the baby butt-up sleeping pose!!

A different day. Seems our morning outing began just a titch late for poor Maeve, who crashed moments before I served snack. (Not to worry: she got it later, in the stroller!)

Z is for Zoo

While visiting St Louis, I went to the Zoo, and brought home some nice models of various animals. This is our first exploration of them.

"Panda, Nate. That's a panda."

Maeve was calling that wart hog something. Something consistent. It wasn't 'wart hog', but she has a word for it!

Mmmm. Tasty tiger!

Tasty ... leopard? Snow leopard? Darn. I threw the package out too soon!

Mmm, bacon...

Painted Tots

Having seen this before, Maeve dove right in!

Nate was intrigued.

Sophie, curious.

And when you're curious a curious one-year-old, you look, touch, and (yup!) taste.

Though really, Sophie's version of 'touch' and 'taste' are mild compared to Miss Maeve's!

Welcome Back!

This first post is a mish-mash of unsorted pictures from my camera, taken different days of the first week back in September.

The three littles, hanging out in the living room:

Heading out to the park. Fenna is very proud to be big enough to hang on to the strap.

If you look closely, you can see all four of them in this shot. Those wild hats help a lot in Infant Identification. (Click on it for a much larger view.)

Yes. Dirt. She was eating dirt. But that's okay: it's good for the immune system, right??
As my grandmother said, "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die."
Not that I was ever 100% sure what she meant by that...

I've often said it would be nice to have a motor for this machine. I think perhaps I  may have found one!