Max & Alice

Max and Alice have become the best of friends. Max waits to join the circle of children at the end of his preschool day until Alice arrives. When she greets him they hold hands, join the circle, and get rubber stamps from the teacher. He asks her with great interest in the car ride home what she did in her art class. And he wants to go see the ship on the playground where she takes her art class. When we get home from their morning apart they play together so well, laughing and giggling while I make lunch. Max has even taken to sitting and reading with Alice and I and helping put her down for her nap. Giving her a "sleep well" kiss and turning out the light. He told me today that if I lost Alice we'd need to call "everyone in the world" to help find her. They've spent all of their time together while I worked half time the last 6 months. They've really really grown close and it is so sweet to see.

Fall Cooking and Max

Fall has arrived in Seattle and I've been inspired to do lots of cooking. Big thanks to Shawn for watching the kids, and reading countless books to them for hours today so I could cook up some healthy organic fare for our family (veggie stew, pumpkin bread, salad). Max is struggling with some digestive issues in a big way. We hit the end of the road with our pediatrician, so he's seeing a naturopath now. We are using some vitamin c, fish oil, and magnesium supplements, but really focusing on his diet will help him a lot. I'm more mindful than ever now about lots of fiber in his and our diet, and a variety of fruit and veggies. Although he didn't eat the veggie stew I made tonight, at least he looked at it and didn't shove his bowl off the table. He did eat some cooked carrots and plenty of fresh fruit with his meal. I love this kid so much and I really want to help his body and mind be healthy. We recently discovered chia seeds, a great source of omega 3's and fiber, Max has been consuming them every day in smoothies. I'm hopeful within a few weeks things will be going smoother for him. We all love you, Max!

New Fall Schedule

We've got a new set of things to do this fall and I love it. I think the kids do too. I've been working Mondays this month so the kids have been able to still see their sitter they enjoy. That will be ending on Monday though, and I'll just be working a few hours a week remotely or on the weekend. I've been enjoying having more time to spend with the kids doing fun activities. Tuesday and Thursday mornings Max attends a creative arts based preschool at the Creative Dance Center. He's enjoying it very much, showing me new songs and a few dance moves :)
Tuesday mornings I take Alice to a Toddler art class at a community center. I love watching her play, explore texture and finger paint, and then it's super great that I don't have to clean up the mess after a project! Wednesdays the kids attend a playgroup together up at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. They really like the lady Sam who runs the group. She's very fun, positive, and energetic. Thursday mornings while Max is at school Alice and I have been having playdates with toddler friends, it's fun to see her have one on one time with other tots. I think this is very good for her I love seeing her develop her own friendships. Friday is our "free" day and the kids and I do whatever we want. Last week we spent hours in the fall sunshine at a park.

We also have two evening classes! Wednesday nights Shawn and I are taking a parenting class and the kids enjoy the childcare there, it's like another playgroup for them. Last night Max commented on how nice the care providers are, that made me very happy.
Thursday nights is swimming! Max swims first, and then Alice gets to go in the water with Shawn, she loves that so much.

We went back to the UU in West Seattle on Sunday and had fun, I think we'll try to attend pretty regularly this fall, it's a nice activity for our whole family.

Thanks to Alicia and Loren watching the kids for us Shawn and I have gotten out for a few dates. This past weekend we went to a fun opening night party at On The Boards, and got to experience an art installation.

Right now, both kids are napping! This is rare, and the house has been quiet for 2 hours! I hardly know what to do with myself. I snoozed a little, now I guess I'll make tea and clean up toys. Max is asleep on our bed so I can't do much in our room, but I'm not complaining! It's his third nap this week!

In other news, Shawn's job is going well and I am so proud of the hard work he does that takes care of our family. We have a trip to CA coming up on October 8. We'll fly in just in time to attend Shawn's mom's 60th birthday party, I'm sure it will be lots of fun and I'm excited to see everyone and for Max and Alice to play with their cousins who they don't see often enough.

That's all the fall news now from the Kilburn house!

ps: a few photos from Alice's super fun pirate birthday party earlier this month. She's 2!!