Settling into the Fall Routine

We had a busy week. A lot of what went on was part of the new fall routine. The final element of that new routine was Landon’s start at preschool. He will do five days a week alternating between a preschool and an early five-year-old kindergarten preparation class. He seems to enjoy being with the other kids in the new setting, so we look forward to seeing how things go once he really gets into the full swing of things.

Landon spent some time with Sara and Chase while Hallie took Eliza to Kaufman on Thursday. They whooped it up in Sara’s backyard. Eliza entertained us with her antics both at home and outside. 

Hallie pulled Eliza's curly locks back into a ponytail. It sits like a bun on top of her head. 

Another perch outside of Starbucks

Mom and Landon went with Sara to some yard sales, then Mom took Landon to soccer while Dad helped Eliza with the potty training. We’re taking a slow approach based on what she seems ready to take on. Some days all she wants to do is sit on the potty, and others she doesn’t even look at it. Saturday she was all about using the potty and was quite successful. We have now reached the nadir of exciting things to cover in our children’s lives. We’re writing about bathroom functions.

We cropped this one for decency's sake. Interpret the look on her face however you will. 

We did some organizing around the house in the afternoon. We’re repurposing an old dresser we’ve had since we lived in Provo into a hallway shoe storage unit inspired by Jen at the I Heart Organizing blog. She used a piece of IKEA furniture designed for the purpose, but we figure our unit will hold our odd-sized shoes as well as our regular ones. Plus, the price is right (a can of fresh paint and a brush)! Hallie painted the dresser a sage green that reminds us of the coast. Pics of the finished product will follow.

We're removing this piano to make way for the shoe organizer. In the meantime, Eliza gets her kicks banking on the keys.

Summer may be winding down, but we’re trying to wring out every remaining drop of it we can.

We took advantage of the warm dry afternoon to enjoy an outdoor dinner with our next-door neighbors while the kids ran around like banshees in the front yard. Mike received the new nickname “Farmer Mike” after sharing some of the fruits of the garden. Owen particularly enjoyed the cucumbers, which we had along with pasta salad and chili dogs.