Field Day

It was bound to happen . . . rain on field day!  Better luck next year, but 1 for 2 in Seattle isn't bad.  Here's a few (very few- I was trying to keep Seth and Elyse dry and entertained) pictures of some of the action.

Crawl Spaces

Elyse likes to hide herself in the smallest places!

Giants Game (in Seattle)

 . . . or was it a Mariner's game?  For us it was definitely a Giants game and not just because they won! We were actually surprised/thankful that there were so many other Giants fans around us and in the park. It made us a lot less obnoxious. Although I'll admit I'm pretty slow to correct Sethie when he points out "Giants" stadium now when ever we drive by.  We can fix that one later . . .

 

 

Moving

She's on the move! Forgive the fizziness!

Elyse's 1st Grade Friends

This year Elyse was privileged enough to be a Roots of Empathy "teacher."
http://www.rootsofempathy.org/
I had heard good things about the program and since I'm a glutton for volunteering myself and my family, when asked, I said yes.
Unexpectedly, visiting the class fast became a monthly highlight. Each month we'd discuss some aspect of Elyse's growth and development.  I loved having to actually think and report about her temperament, her skill development, and her unique ways of communicating.  I also learned some tricks for working with Matthew and Seth and helping them adjust to the new member of our family.  Overall it was a fabulous experience and I'd highly recommend it to any family of a newborn.  It almost makes me want to have another baby so that I could do it again, ALMOST!

Elyse and her class!

Elyse (in the very back with the green headband) and some of the other baby "teachers" from the Seattle Area.

Trike

We took Elyse out on the trike (glorified stroller) for the first time on a walk with Grandmother Ruthie.  She loved it!  I can't believe how big she's getting!

 

I love this series of pictures I got with her and Ruthie. My kids are so lucky to have THREE great grandmas still in their lives.  I wish we could see the other two as often as we see Ruthie.

 

Self Feeding

Admittedly, I've been a little negligent about allowing Elyse to wield her own spoon.  Honestly, I just really didn't want to deal with the mess.  But, since Jon was eating chicken noodle soup perfectly from a spoon at 13 months and that has always been the standard for my kids, I figured that I better let nearly 11-month-old Elyse have a go at her own spoon.  Besides, it was bath night.  

It took all of about 30 seconds for her to figure out she could get more yogurt in her mouth with fists full rather than the spoon, but with a little coaching she improved.  Sort of.  

 

 

Needless to say, chicken noodle soup won't be on the menu for a little while.