Fall Finger Plays

Ellie has learned some autumnal finger plays at school and loves to share them with us. Click on the links below to see her in action:

I'm a Nut

Five Little Pumpkins

Buckets O' Fun

I found these great fabric covered galvanized buckets on etsy and i had them personalized with the #s 1-4 for a shelf in the basement. I think they're perfect for storing small trains, cars, books, etc. They are navy with lime green numbers (the colors look better in person). I highly recommend the seller on etsy - if you are interested in her things, you can check them out here.

Boston Children's Museum

We spent Sunday at the Boston Children's Museum. I don't think E&J will ever tire of that place. We went to the Arthur exhibit first (see how excited they were to see their pals) and then explored some other areas including the Construction Zone.

James is 18 Months Old!

James turned 18 months old yesterday. It's hard to believe he's a year and a half. We went to the Boston Children's Museum yesterday to see Arthur (his newest obsession) and the other exhibits. He had his 18 month appointment today and did great - he's stringing words together and chatting up a ton. The second photo from the top is of him feeding himself with rice in his hair. James loves to do things on his own and we love seeing him grow more independent and explore the world around him.

Spooky Zoo

We took E&J to the zoo on Saturday for a little trick or treating and pre-Halloween fun. They received many compliments on their costumes and loved getting candy.

The Playroom Couldn't Have Come at a Better Time

Costume Birthday Party

Ellie had a great time at Henry's fourth birthday party. It was a costume party and the kids all had fun dressing up. Ellie wore her costume from last year because it was warmer than this year's costume. She especially loved the pinata.

Before & After: Our Basement!

Laundry Room: Before

scary before shots

the toy closet during construction

new stairs!

custom shelf

the laundry room (on the left): after

I've been a little behind in posting what's new with us. We've been busy- work, kids, etc. The most exciting thing that's happened this fall is that our basement family room/playroom is complete. We decided to have a professional do the job and it was worth it. The rug was installed late last week and we've already enjoyed hours of playtime downstairs. The top photos above don't even quite capture the cave that the basement was. Ellie and James LOVE their playroom and we love it too. The laundry is behind doors and we have ample closet space for storage. We have new stairs leading down to the basement and I hope that the space doesn't resemble its former self at all! The black box that you see above is built around our oil tank and is painted with chalkboard paint for fun for the kids. It's been a lot of fun moving toys downstairs. This huge project was completed just in time for hibernating during winter months.

Mystic

We made a last minute decision to go to Mystic, Connecticut yesterday morning and we're so glad we decided to go. We went to the Mystic Aquarium and then had a nice lunch on the water in Mystic Seaport. At the aquarium we enjoyed an informational show on sea lions, saw the penguins and both E&J had fun checking out the fish in the tanks. James even tried to kiss the fish through the glass. The restaurant where we had lunch had an old "Elizabeth" ship sign and Ellie was happy to pose next to her given name. They both liked climbing around an old anchor in the seaport. It was a great day trip!