Caitlin: no more pacifier, back to school night, and first crush (?!)

Although I said we were going to do this when she turned 3 (and possibly 2), I kept finding reasons to let Caitlin keep her pacifiers.  She only used them to go to sleep, and was so sweet in her need to have one for each hand and one in her mouth, but ... it was time.  So Alli brought Sebastian by the house and we told Caitlin that he needed more pacifiers and that big 3 year old girls shouldn't need them anymore.  She gathered them up and handed them over.  Just like that - no drama, no sadness.  At bedtime, she looked around and asked me for them, and I reminded her that Seb had them and she said okay (it didn't hurt that we promised her a big girl gift if she slept without them!).  A few minutes later she called me to her room - she had a handful of pacifiers (apparently her hidden stash!) that she wanted to give me -- such honesty! I took them and left and she talked and sang for about 45 minutes, and then went to sleep.  No issues.  Every  night since then, she has talked and sang for awhile (I guess a byproduct of not having a pacy in her mouth!), but we've had no sleep problems or drama, which is fantastic! I should have done this sooner... :)

Here you go Sebastian (sniff sniff)

Cate sleeping soundly...after chattering for 45 minutes

A couple of weeks ago, Caitlin's school had a "Bring Your Parents to School" night, which was adorable.  I got to meet Caitlin's teachers, watch her interact with her friends, and she was thrilled at the opportunity to teach me all the lessons she has been learning: "Mommy, you have to push your chair in when you get up from the table!" and "Mommy, if you want to do a craft project, you need to get a craft mat so you don't accidentally get marker on the table!" Jeez...if only she brought these lessons home! She apparently loves the activities relating to art and "home living" the most, and showed me her cutting, her water pouring, and her tea party (as explained to me, this is stuff that works on dexterity).  In any event, I heard nothing but good things about Caitlin's focus and curiosity and good manners, and loved spending the 1:1 time with her in her new world.

Caitlin's class was full of parents

Finally, I was introduced to "Liam" (always said with a huge grin), one of Caitlin's classmates who she apparently digs.  Mayensi and Caitlin ran into him at library story time last week, and Mayensi couldn't resist sending this video of Caitlin FLIRTING (and doing the robot) which is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Her daddy was not as amused :)

Baseball and Visiting Cheerleaders

We were too late for soccer, so we signed Isaac up for Fall baseball, which was machine pitch.  Not sure he was entirely ready for it, but he was excited to try it, and Bill was excited to teach him.  Bill signed on as a coach, and they began to practice.  It took awhile, but Isaac really started to get the hang of it by the second game, which is impressive since the pitches come hard and fast out of the machine and he was playing with and against kids as old as 4th grade!  When he got his first hit, he was so excited that he forgot to drop the bat and run to first base :)  He did make it all the way around the bases a couple of times, but probably still has some work to do before he gets called up by the major leagues...

Grandma and Caitlin eating snacks in the stands to replenish all the energy they burned by cheering Isaac on 

Coach Daddy giving Isaac some batting tips.

Isaac swinging for the pitch

Line drive - he made it to first!! Check out proud papa to the right of the pic (he was 1st base coach on this inning)

Caitlin likes to climb the fence to cheer "Go Isaac, Go Isaac". Auntie Barbie cheered from the stands. 

Papa Rich got a close up view of Isaac's first real hit and cheered wildly

The adorable post-game team handshake

Some other cute pics from our visits with the cheerleaders (Papa Rich and Auntie Barbie):

High holidays

It was great to have so many friends and family around to celebrate the Jewish holidays this year.  We made a big dinner at our place for Rosh Hashana for us and the Reiss's and Sambur's.  We all got dressed up, and even used the china and silver (not at the kids' table!).  This is the first time the kids outnumbered the adults -- between us, we have 7 kids - but they were very well behaved, and we all still had fun!

For the actual day, Bill and I checked out the "Adventure Rabbi" program (only in Boulder!) which involved a hike through the mountains, some group discussion about the meaning of life and religion, and then a sermon in one of the most beautiful settings I've been in.  Much better than the services where you count the ceiling tiles and wait for the obligatory event to end.  At the end, she unrolled the torah and asks each participant to hold a part of it while she read the final prayers, which was both inclusive and beautiful.  Even the animals got into it -- two moose strolled through the water and looked on :)

For the second night, we went to my sister's house for another delicious feast. As always, we all had a great time and the food was delicious.  Jen managed to pack a crowd around the table, and at the end -- as always -- the kids didn't want to leave (even though the basement was out of commission due to the floods)!

We ended up having a big dinner for Yom Kippur's break the fast too, but since it was thrown together at the last minute (was supposed to be at our friends' house, but they had too much water damage), I seem to have forgotten to take pictures!!

Date with Grandma (and Belle)

Grandma Gerri took Caitlin to a pancake breakfast with the cast of Beauty and the Beast - what could be more perfect for our princess-obsessed little girl? She dressed up in her finest princess garb and was beyond excited to meet Belle! Grandma said she spotted Belle across the room and was transfixed the entire time! She posed with all the cast members for pictures, but was star-struck when it came to Belle.  She hasn't stopped talking about it since - and has told EVERYONE she sees that she met the real Belle!

After the show, she and Grandma got manicures and then Grandma got her a Belle barbie to take home.  If that's not a perfect date for a 3-year old, I don't know what is!!