We had a fun Halloween weekend in the Delp house this year. The festivities started on Thursday at the kids' pre-school with their Halloween parade. Fireman, Sam and his trusty dalmatian, Maya were super sweet and held hands during the parade.
On Saturday, a few neighbors and I organized the (1st annual) South Atlanta Treat Street. The event went really well, and it was great to have a safe and creative option for the children in our neighborhood. Sam and Maya ate way too much candy and by the end of the night they were running in circles while naked in the living room. Here is some of the fun from Treat Street.
Here is the cupcake walk:
Sam and Maya loved "Donut on a String". They both took it very seriously, especially Maya. She got right in the middle of the bigger kids and ate her donut.
We try to put all of the cute pictures of our kids up here so that you can adore them and see how wonderful they are. Sometimes there is a not so cute picture that is too hard to keep off of here. This is one of them. This is how Maya and Sam needed to leave the house one day. I tried and tried to get them to put their hats until their hoods, but to no avail, this was how they wanted to go. And of course, Maya needed to get some good nose picking in for good measure as well.
One of my favorite memories as a kid was the annual applesauce making day at our house. I loved to eat applesauce a whole lot more than making it, but I really did appreciate my mom and Nana making applesauce every year. I don't think I ate store bought applesauce until I was in college and I was very disappointed.
We have tried to carry on the tradition of applesauce making while we have been in Atlanta and we have included several of our community members in the annual fall festival. It has become a fun annual event that this year involved 6 different families/houses. It was quite the assembly line! Here are some pictures of our fun this year. We made a ton of applesauce in a very short time. It was a lot of fun and I am already looking forward to it next year!
Sam started dance class last month and we have been amazed at how much he has taken to the idea of dancing. The theory behind the dance class isn't so much about dance at this age as it is about body movement. Sam comes home from class every Thursday and shows us the moves or "shapes" that he learned that day at class. It has clearly been a wonderful thing for Sam and he loves going to class.
We now have as a part of our daily routine a time for "tricks." This is where Sam, Maya, Daddy, and Maya take turns doing "tricks" with our bodies. It is super fun watching Sam be so creative with his moves. Between jumps, standing on one foot, different roll over techniques, etc... Sam has quite a few moves. Daddy and Mommy have to be creative also to not always do the same thing. That can't be said for Maya though. Her main tricks are standing on her tippy-toes and flying around in circles like an airplane.
Mommy tried to teaching Sam how to do a head stand. Here is how that went:
Mornings at the Delp house are quite the affair. Katie and I have started waking up at 6 am together so that we can have some quiet time alone without the kids before they wake up. This worked wonderfully for about 2 weeks and then someone told our kids what we were doing and they started waking up earlier and earlier. Now, we maybe get 1/2 hour alone before one of them wakes up. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
One thing that Sam and I enjoy together when they do wake up is a little reading time in the morning. Daddy is catching up on current events and Sam is checking out the newest Fisher Price toy catalog. He hasn't started drinking coffee yet, but assures me that once he is a big guy like Daddy he will.
We knew it would come one day: The age of questions. Why this? Why that? What does this do? Why? What if we didn't do that? What if cars had no wheels? What if houses could fly?
Every moment of every day Sam is full of questions. He asks them constantly. So much so, that Katie counted 15 questions within a brief 5 minute span. And I don't think that is a record.
Admittedly, it is sometimes challenging to come up with answers to all of Sam's questions in life. Sometimes we tell him to save it for Grandpa, especially if it is a science questions, sometimes we ignore it, sometimes we ask him a question back.
But mostly, we are happy to see Sam really exploring his world. By and large most of Sam's questions are truly inquisitive and not just for the sake of asking a question. He is really trying to figure out his world and we are seeing that play out in the form him asking questions. Annoyance aside, it is wonderful to watch a 3 year old trying to understand why things work. We often take things for granted or have a much better filter than to ask the question a 3 year old asks, but at times (say from question 1-10 in a 5 minute span) it is enjoyable to watch Sam learn about his world.
As I prepare for the Cycle of Love coming up in November, Sam has taken an interest in biking with me. Normally he just rides his bike on the back porch where it is flat and he does not have to worry about cars. However, this weekend Katie and I were able to convince Sam to ride his bike on the street. Yes parents out there, we had to convince our son to ride his bike on the street.
Sam has a lot of rules of his own making about life. These rules are often combined with rules that we have set up for Sam. Parents rule: Do not go in the street without holding an adult's hand + Sam's rule: Do not ride up or down a hill because it may be slightly dangerous = Sam does not want to ride his bike on the street. Even the slight inclines on the sidewalk that make way for the driveway cause concern for Sam and usually results in him getting off of his bike and pushing it.
As we watch Sam and see his world grow, we learn more and more about what makes him tick. At his very core, Sam is a very cautious child. He does not like to take risks and prefers to play things pretty safe. Hence why he did not want to ride his bike on the sidewalk 6 months ago. The difference is that he can tell us these things now. Of course, I also find out what Katie has been telling Sam. Things such as: "But daddy, Mommy said I will break my head open if I fall on my bike with out a helmet."
So between our rules, Sam's rules, and Katie's words of caution we had to convince Sam that riding his bike on the street was a good idea. Seems like an odd thing for a parent to do.
Well, Sam has taken to really enjoy riding his bike with Daddy on the street. Yesterday we rode to his friend John's house and today we road our bikes together to church. It took us longer to ride our bikes to church than to walk, but it was worth it. As we got farther along in the ride, we saw Sam's confidence grow and grow. It was great to see his confidence grow block by block along the ride. By the time we got back to the house, Sam was really moving.
Here is a picture of the two of us riding together last night. I look forward to much longer rides together one day. And while I would love for him to join us on the 174 mile Cycle of Love ride, that may be a few years off.
Following in the theme of our kids trying to be helpful around the house, this one shows how ridiculous they can be sometimes! Sam has been insistent on washing the back window lately. Who knows how he got on this kick, where it got it from, or how long it will last, but it is pretty funny. And of course, whatever Sam does Maya must do also. Here is some evidence of their work:
Before you start calling to hire them for your home, we need to work on how well they actually clean. The windows usually end of dirtier when they are done with them than when they started!
We have been enjoying family time a lot lately. Maya is old enough now that she is able to join in most of the activities that we do. Sam is generally very patient with Maya and lets her help in her own way. One of their favorite activities is to help in the kitchen, especially with cookies. We decided to make some fall sugar cookies with the kids, and here is what ensued:
This second picture is Maya's S.O.S. to Auntie Shelva for a apron for Christmas. She would like one to match Sam's in the kitchen!
Sam has loved games for a long time. Right now, one of his favorite games is Guess Who which he is really good at. He also enjoys Connect Four, puzzles, and the duck game. When we play Connect Four, we don't really play by the official rules. The version we play involved each of us trying to get our color at the top of the frame. Sam thinks it is hilarious. Tonight Maya joined in the fun as well. She was just as enthusiastic:
Here is the final video of today. Over the past week or two, we have really seen a change in how Maya plays. She has become a lot more independent and has gotten more advanced in what she does. Of course, Maya loves to help around the house. In the video, she is helping to sweep the back porch while Sam peddles around her. And then she is showing off her basketball skills, which are quite good I might say!
Here are two videos of Maya that I have been wanting to post for a while now. She loves exploring her world and constantly thinks that she is bigger than she really is. Here is her trying to jumping on the baseball field:
Well, I finally figured out how to edit with the mac (wasn't hard, just needed the time). So here comes a bunch of videos that were long overdue. We'll start with the one from today. Sam loves to make Maya laugh and when they get going, who knows how silly they will get. A few notes: 1) I need to change the aspect ratio in the future. If you click on the video and go to the Youtube sight, you can see the whole width. 2) In case you were wondering what Sam and Maya are doing in the middle section of the video, that is Sam "putting the fire out." He pretends that he is a fire man and goes around the house making that noise. Yes, he is a boy!
Here is just a small example of how the two of them can get each other going.
Fall is finally here in Atlanta and what better way to end a glorious fall weekend of apple picking, pumpkin patching, wagon riding, and applesauce making than to make pumpkin bread. Of course, we have two little helpers that are eager to help and lick the batter when they are done. Each one has a job to do. Maya is becoming the master mixer:
Sam takes his job of placing the muffin papers in each slot very seriously.
And of course, both Sam and Maya love to eat up whatever is left on the batter:
Sam, Maya, and I took a venture to the North Georgia Mountains this morning for some apples, pumpkins, and a wagon ride. We were supposed to go last weekend, but a round of illnesses in the Delp house prevented that from occurring. Our annual community applesauce day is on Sunday, so we needed to load up on fresh apples to stock our freezer full of applesauce.
Sam absolutely loved the pumpkin patch. He ran around trying to pick up all of the pumpkins, even the ones larger than himself. Maya was pretty unsure about the wagon ride. For someone who is typically pretty adventurous, she was pretty nervous. The apple place was full of school field trips, so we didn't get to spend as much quality time there as we had hoped as both Sam and Maya were more timid with the big kids around.
All in all though, it was good day with the kids. Maya is changing a lot these days. She is definitely more big girl than baby and that has changed her and Sam's relationship also. They have started doing things together, albeit on a small scale, and it has been really fun to watch. They make each other laugh, Sam looks out for Maya and holds her hand when we are in the street or parking lot, and Maya pushes (usually not literally) Sam beyond his timid ways. It is wonderful to see their relationship grow and change over time!
Here are some pictures from today.
The three of us on a wagon ride:
Sam and Maya under the apple tree:
Eating their prized catches of the day:
Holding hands on route to the picnic area:
Unsuccessfully trying to lift the pumpkins:
Sam and Maya painting their pumpkins after we returned home:
