We’re having some beautiful weather in Connecticut right now, much to my surprise and happiness. Between the time change and the onset of winter-like temperatures I had resigned myself to feeling grumpy and sun-deprived until at least April. The truth is, we don’t go outside more than we absolutely have to when it’s cold. I’ll bundle up the kids for a real snowfall so we can take a few pictures for next year’s calendar but as far as playground time, long walks and adventures go, I don’t have the energy or desire to wrangle two coat-and-hat-adverse children into coats and hats more than absolutely necessary.

So getting a few days of warm, early fall temperatures is like getting a surprise vacation – and not just because we’re not burning through our zillion-dollars worth of heating oil in the tank. We spent 3 hours at the beach park on Sunday, getting dirty and wet and salt-air covered. The kids slept last night like only kids who’ve been at the shore can. Today is less sunny but just as warm, so we’re headed to the park to collect pine cones and rocks for Evan’s treasure chest. If I’m REALLY lucky I’ll talk Caroline into her fairy wings to take some birthday pictures but I’m so excited to be outside and not freezing I don’t actually care if she cooperates or not. It’s a November Miracle!

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There isn’t exactly a shortage of scenic, fall-like locations in Connecticut, but sometimes you gotta escape to the Island. Rhode Island, that is. (Sidebar: trying explaining to a 3 year old why a place is called Rhode Island when a) it’s not an island and b) you don’t actually know WHY it’s called Rhode Island is hard). The Ocean State is pretty scenic too, especially if you’re a toddler who likes giant slides and goats. Then I highly recommend Clark Farms.

I’m taking a break-out session through Clickin Moms called Photographing Your Everyday and it’s sort of amazing. I was secretly hoping that just by READING really good advice on the internet my photography would somehow improve instantly. Oddly enough, it didn’t quite work like that and it’s going to take a lot of hands-on practice before I get better. But going into the day the intention of telling a story and a plan for how to do it definitely made a difference in my shooting.

Since we spent three full hours at the farm, it was kind of a long story.

Thanks to our friend Merin & her girls for inviting us and playing so nicely, even if the goats didn’t. I hope your kids crashed as hard as mine did last night, and you finally get to enjoy 9 hours of sleep.

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Let’s not even talk about how late this post is, since my reasons for being late are mostly valid. And by mostly valid I mean first we were busy traveling to Caroline’s BFF’s house on Long Island and then Caroline turned into a horrible screaming monster. We have apparently entered the Terrible Twos a few weeks early and it is taking every ounce of patience I have in my body not to turn into a screaming monster in return. Sometimes even every single ounce I have isn’t enough and I have to fortify my patience with wine and chocolate and Diet Coke. I’m getting lock-jaw from all the teeth clenching and bald patches from ripping my hair out in frustration and I could pack her entire fall wardrobe in the circles under my eyes from the stress of handling her in public.

But then she goes and does something hilarious and when I laugh she says “Caroline funny! Funny Mommy!” and does anything she can to make me laugh again. She loves being the center of attention and has no problem making friends, even with kids older than she is. Her broken collar-bone hasn’t slowed her down or made her more cautious at all – which is good, I guess, I don’t want it to hurt her. But DEAR LORD she is hard to keep out of danger.

With just two month months before she turns two, I’m trying to decide if sending her to school in January is the right choice. Right now she really WANTS to go to school. She cries when we drop Evan off and God forbid we actually have to go INTO the school for anything, since she’ll try to angry-badger her way out of my arms and run into the 2-year-old class. But in some ways she’ll still just a baby who needs a cuddle if she falls down and doesn’t understand why some kids aren’t always nice. She’s smart enough to count to three but not mature enough to negotiate a complicated sharing situation. She gets along great with her brother…except when she doesn’t. Am I trying to push her into school more for selfish, two-child-free-mornings-a-week!!!! reasons or would she do amazingly well in a school environment?

Besides counting to three (which she hilariously does anytime I threaten her with it – “Me: Caroline, get off the dog now or you’ll go to time out! One…” Caroline: “TWO!!! THREE!!!”), she’s started naming colors and shapes, reciting books we read often, and helping with Evan’s alphabet puzzle. She will repeat and remember any word you say in her presence and can (almost) tell knock knock jokes. I hope some day she becomes an actress – even if it’s only in the middle school production of Annie – since she has the most expressive face I’ve ever seen.

Favorite things include dancing, singing, reading, Mickey Mouse, Elmo, running, jumping, gymnastics, juice, cheese, iGadgets of any kind, trains, elephants, hayrides, boats, baths, The Fresh Beat Band, being naked, princess skirts, sparkly shoes, coloring, throwing things, shopping (a.k.a. throwing things into my cart that I don’t want), books, pirates, slides, cereal, eggs, and petting zoos.

Least favorite things include not getting her way, not getting her way and not getting her way.

p.s. I made the skirt and am SO IMPRESSED with myself.

21 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter, as usual)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Kicks ball forward – Yes, although she could work on her aim.
Follows two-step requests (e.g., “Get your doll and bring it here”) – When she feels like it she can follow a 10-step request, but mostly she’d rather run away and drive me insane.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Does simple puzzles – Loves to do the big dinosaur puzzle, but loves smashing it up even more.
Draws a straight line – Only if she’s coloring on something she’s not supposed to be coloring on. Like the tv or the dog.
Names several body parts – I think she knows pretty much all the body parts. Or at least the common ones – I doubt she could find her uvula.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Puts on loose-fitting clothes – Puts on and takes off clothes at will. Usually in public.
Might be ready for a big bed – Been in a big girl bed for months, although still chooses the crib at night most of the time.
Understands opposites (e.g., tall vs. short) – I know she knows UP/DOWN, since she enjoys screaming it at me when she wants to jump.

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I think all vacations should automatically come with one at-home recovery day, where no one is expected to do anything but the bare minimum of feeding/clothing themselves/dependents and lying on the couch checking email is a perfectly good way to spend 6 hours. Unfortunately, despite making wise choices before we went away for the weekend (all the dishes were clean! all the laundry was put away! the toilet bowls were scrubbed!) I’m already behind on my to-do list for the week so I’m wearing my running shoes and blast through these dirty clothes and floors while the kids fall asleep sitting up watching Disney Jr. Caroline begged for a nap starting at 11 am and has been asleep for 3 hours already. I’m going to throw dinner at them at 6 and then crash for the night by 8. (I feel even worse for my husband, who has duty today into tomorrow and gets ZERO couch-sitting-email-checking time – at least at home I don’t have to wear real pants.)

We had a great weekend at Sesame Place. The ratio of 4 grown ups to 2 kids is MUCH more relaxing that the other way around. Caroline realized Elmo probably wasn’t going to try to eat her and loved every character, every show and every ride. The weather was glorious – 60 on Saturday and close to 70 on Sunday.

But, oh guys, it was so so so so SO crowded. I wasn’t prepared for quite so many people. Large groups of people suck, since statistically speaking you are bound to run into more Jerky McJerkfaces the bigger the group gets. It’s science: Out of 20 people, maybe 1 is the kind of self-entitled a-hole who thinks cutting in line in front of preschoolers is cool. So if you have 40 people, 2 of them are a-holes. In a super crowded amusement park where everyone is tired and wrangling toddlers and there is absolutely no beer, that number soars to approximately 17 bazillionteen. The park wasn’t prepared for that many people – let alone that many jerks – so by the end of Sunday we were glad all the “fun stuff” (tm Evan) was over and we could go home where there were no lines to ride the King Sized Magical Bed To Sleepytimes.

Although on the way out I added Christmas to our season passes so obviously it wasn’t TOO traumatic of an experience. Maybe I’ll knit us all matching wool hats and we’ll plan to go when it’s freezing and miserable so we won’t have to wait in so many lines.

Caroline’s reaction to the line at the spinning teacups

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It might have been technically fall for a while now (er, maybe? I just asked E when fall started and he didn’t know. If only there was a website where I could ask questions and get instant answers!) but this was the first week that felt like fall. I’m enjoying the crap out of it.

Sunday:

Plaid! Leaves! Headspolsion of autumn!

Most adorable family who walks to church in our town. Possibly the ONLY family, but that’s a technicality.

Wine for mommies, cookies for the kids.

Monday:

Big girl does all her own walking.

Caroline takes fake-boating safety very seriously

She is skeptical that hayrides to feed cows can be considered “fun”.

Tuesday:

This llama is a crazy drama queen, Mommy.

Caroline insisted on a giant pepperoni stick. I already ate it all.

DOES THIS CHILD EVER SMILE???

Wednesday:

There it is! Being upside down does it every time.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!!

My three favorite tushies.

Thursday:

A little educational iPad time while mommy gets 10 more minutes of sleep.

This crayon is not the right shade of pink for me.

I think we should refloor the kitchen in a lovely hand-hewn cherry.

Friday:

Dancing in the craft store (to the beat of her own drum)

All those unsmiling faces from the previous days ended in three hours of THIS.

Cheap curtains + embroidery hoop = instant play tent.

Today we’re at Sesame Place, hoping to have a lovely magically amazing Halloweeny time despite a loooooong week. Luckily my folks are going to come share in the child-minding fun and mini-roller coaster riding. I heard Elmo does a Sesame Street version of Thriller, which I might be looking forward to a little too much.

Did you take camera photos this week? Share one day or all the days by linking up below. You can grab the code for your own site too!

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