The Magic of Maia and Cecily!: Hello Fall!!!

Life is pretty great in our house these days. (Though this, of course, implies we're ignoring politics, the economy, etc.) Maia loves school, and while it's been an adjustment for all of us (five days is a lot for Mommy!), we can"t imagine a better place for Maia to play, learn, and grow. It's also given our family a nice routine each day, and Mommy and Cec some great time together. The last few weeks have been filled with excitement and adventure, and here are a few stories...

First, one without photos. We knew sending Maia to preschool would be an adventure for all us, in more ways than we could fathom. We also knew we would be dealing with a new force in our life: peers! Up until now, all of Maia's playtime with other kids has mostly been with Mommy or Daddy in the near vicinity. And much of this playtime has been with kids a bit younger, or quite a bit older. Now... she spends three hours a day with 3, 4, and 5 year olds... The other day I picked Maia up from school. To my surprise, she was dressed in her extra clothes that are left at school in case she gets muddy, has an accident, etc. Her teacher shared with me that Maia had an accident, had changed herself with the assistance of her friend Ellis, and had come out of the bathroom wearing Ellis's extra clothes. Maia, of course, ran right up to the teacher and laughingly confessed she was wearing Ellis's clothes. She got the right extra clothes on, and the day went on. In the car Maia and I talked about accidents, why they happen, how to avoid them, etc. When we got home, I took her upstairs to change her into play clothes so I could wash the extra clothes and return them to school the next morning. As we were getting her changed, I noticed she was wearing the same underwear I'd dressed her in that morning. And they were completely clean and dry... Further investigation revealed it had been a pretend accident, and Maia and Ellis thought it was funny to have a mid-day wardrobe change. And so it begins...

It was actually rather a long week for us. Maia was (is!) battling a cold, and while she was well enough to go to school, it made for some looong afternoons. Thankfully we have some wonderful friends who helped us survive with delightful playdates and Mommy chats! By Friday, we were ready for the weekend. We dropped Maia off at school, and then took Gritty for a nice walk in the gorgeous fall sunshine. Sadly, our Friday morning playgroup was canceled due to illness. Mommy was feeling a little restless without our usual entertainment, and decided we needed a fun adventure to get through the afternoon before Daddy came home. We picked Maia up at 11:30, grabbed a quick lunch, and headed out apple picking! (Maia and her classmates tasted apples on Wednesday, and I thought she would enjoy this complementary activity.)

We drove out to a gorgeous orchard, bought our bag, and headed out to pick. Maia loved it! She thought it was awesome to find a perfect apple on the tree, remove whatever remaining leaves clung to it, and throw it in the bag. Cec and I enjoyed watching her pick, and holding the bag.

Maia asked if she could carry the apples back to the car... sure...

After apple picking, it was time to get some pumpkins for our front steps. So many to choose from...

And then... special treat time. I LOVE donuts. I know, it's not pc to admit such a thing, and it probably surprises some people, but it's the truth. I adore them. I can resist most of the time, but come fall... and apple cider donuts... resistance is futile. This orchard had good, old fashioned apple cider donuts. Maia was delighted to try one:

And then it was time to get into car seats and head home. Have I mentioned how much Cec has been growing and changing in the last few weeks?! She's so much fun each and every moment, and these adorable photos share that: