Last week, my friend Karen came over for lunch with her little girls. It was great to see her again – the girls have grown up so much! This past weekend, James took Zachary to the library for their monthly storytime/craft event. And on Sunday, I took him to a free art demo at Michael’s (a craft store.)

After Michael’s, we went to Lina’s birthday party at Little Gym. Happy 5th Birthday Lina! And we’re still doing our dinner/playdate rotations … this month, we’ve had chicken casserole, steak, and shepard’s pie.

Finally, here are some more pictures of the kids. Zachary is in love with his baby sister. When we were all in the master bed one lazy morning, he positioned himself on the edge “so that she does not fall off.” He also saves candy for her “to eat when she gets bigger.”

I think Calie is going to be a thumb sucker. She constantly has her hand in her month and loves to gnaw on toys.

Zachary’s teachers tell me that he likes writing numbers. His speech therapist even says he has “an unusual gift with numbers.” They tell me that sometimes he writes in order (ie. 1-100) and sometimes it’s “random.” Now, I’m not a math major, but I do know that true randomness is nontrivial. Especially for a 4-year-old.

(says: 15111929415573)

So here’s the puzzle of the day. Tell me why the last digit is wrong and what it should be.

(Post has been modified: The last 1 digit is incorrect, not the last 2 – thanks babytaz113 for catching it!)

What a week! The stomach flu hit our house right after Halloween. Fortunately, it was the 24-hour kind, but we quarantined ourselves for a few extra days just to make sure we didn’t spread it. We stayed home and watched videos, played computer games, read books, did activity books, and drew a lot of chalk pictures!

The next weekend, we went to Josh’s birthday party at Tricks, a children’s gym. There was a bounce house, a big trampoline, an obstacle course, and a swing for the kids to play with. Zachary had a great time – he loves going to parties. Happy 5th Birthday Josh!

And here are some 3 month pictures of Calie…

<Bonus videos removed per Zachary’s request>

Happy 3 months to Calie! I took Zachary to get his flu shot this Thursday and weighed both kids. Zachary is slightly over 35 lbs and Calie is 15 lbs 8oz. I’ve already put away two of her 3-6 month outfits and I’m trying to “squeeze” a few more wears out of the rest of them. I’m glad she’s a healthy (big) baby, but I’m bummed her cute 3-6 month outfits only got worn a few times. Zachary, on the other hand, is getting my money’s worth out of his clothes. He decided that he wanted to be an octopus for Halloween and was able to fit into the same costume he wore 2 years ago!

Speaking of Halloween, yesterday I went into work to say hi to my coworkers and check out the annual costume contest. Since I had time, I volunteered to be a judge while James watched Calie. In the evening, I took Zachary (octopus) and Calie (mouse in cheese) down our block for Trick-or-Treating. Calie started whining and it started drizzling, so we went back. I dropped Calie off with James, and Zachary got into his mouse costume to go Trick-or-Treating with me again (down a different block!) I think we’re taking too many pictures because this is what happened at one house:

Me: Okay Zachary, you know what to say. Say it loud so that the person can hear you.

<I ring the doorbell and step aside. Zachary stands in front of the door … lights go on and the door opens>

Zachary: CHEESE!

Man: What? Did you say Cheese?

Zachary: Yes, I did. <pauses, realizing his mistake> I said Cheese?

Man: Huh. Well, okay. Take some candy. <In the meantime, I am shaking from silent laughter>

<Zachary fumbles through the candy basket>

Man: Look, there’s no cheese in there. Just take a candy. Here, take these. <Puts a few candies in Zachary’s bag and shuts the door>

It was so serendipitous that he was dressed like a mouse. I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!