Jonah is really already four and a half? Wow! Time flies!! Also, this month they decided they didn't want basket pictures. There are lots of pictures. Not to worry!
Growth: Nothing official for a while to come and the kids haven't gotten on the scale at home recently. But we can tell you, he is at least 40 inches, which means he got to ride a new roller coaster at King's Island and he's jumping with excitement that it means he will get to ride Splash Mountain this winter!
Sleep: There was some disruption of the usual schedule around the end of Daylight Saving Time. Jonah has been getting up pretty early (like around 7); Tessa has continued to sleep until 9 or so. We have been experimenting with not letting Jonah watch or use the tablet in the morning for fear that he was getting out of bed earlier than he would otherwise because he wants the screen time. He's been earning it back but only one episode at a time as long as he lets us turn off the TV nicely when he's done. Naps have been the same with Jonah falling asleep maybe half the time. He always lays down and rests.
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| River Otters |
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| For a few nights, Jonah wouldn't let us brush his teeth unless the crown was on and blinking. Really. |
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| That one day they didn't nap. And came out the loft hand in hand looking guilty. |
Eating: The kids, especially Jonah, have been eating a little less at mealtimes, and have frequently asked about getting something to eat right before going to sleep (including a couple of "secret pizza parties" in the bathtub!). We're trying to encourage both kids to make sure they're feeling full before leaving the table and asking several times before naptime/bedtime to avoid these late snacks. Jonah has been a little more picky at dinnertime especially, outright stating that he does not like a lot of foods before trying them. Another habit we're trying to get him out of! But then if Tessa pulls that (rarely!) he is so sweet and persuasive until she tries a bite.
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| Diggin' on some Indian food from Aab. |
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| Jonah and Mommy went to sushi making class with the awesome guys at Fusain, as part of the Little Yelpers Club. He's a natural! |
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| A few friends from our block met us there and they all took a little while to warm up, but then they broke out a game of tic-tac-toe. |
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| Spontaneous Waffle House runs make these two giddy with delight! |
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| The kiddos loved them some noodle bowls at the Commons |
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| Lately if Tessa knows there's cooking going on, she wants in! We made buffalo cauliflower together. |
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| In line for food at 6-1-Pho |
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| Pho fans |
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| Best part of making. Am I right?! |
Personality: Both remain wonderful, sweet little children. Tessa is a comedienne at heart and will play up almost anything for a laugh. Her T-storms seem to be decreasing in frequency as well! Jonah has been much more agreeable to getting dressed since the advent of his sticker chart. It's earned him three great prizes so far (Halloween candy, a Paw Patrol toy [more later], and a Lego train kit). Their preschool dropoffs are getting less clingy as well and their teachers say when happy and active participants they are in their classrooms. Their favorite thing to do is still play at home with each other.
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| Said sticker chart |
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| Preschool pick-up crash hug! |
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| The kids LOVE going to COSI and Legos. Guess what? Both are there! |
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| Sweet little Buckeye cheerleader likes selfies |
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| We have had some spectacular fall days for walks and leaves. |
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| They stomped, played, and rolled in the leaves. |
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| Tess and Mommy take a pause between rounds of catch in the yard |
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| This bark fascinated her |
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| We squeezed in one last visit to The Commons for the season |
Books: A new favorite is
Robosauce, a new book by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri (of
Dragons Love Tacos and
Secret Pizza Party). Spoiler alert - the book even turns into a robot at the end!
Play: Both kids got Paw Patrol toys for success with getting dressed and using the potty. We wish we had created Paw Patrol, since it seems like everyone their age loves it!! Jonah has been obsessed with Legos recently. He has several kits and will frequently take them apart and put them back together, following the instructions very well. He loves his Magnetiles as well. Tessa still wants to do whatever he is doing. At school she loves My Little Pony toys. She enjoys her doll and stuffed animals at home in addition to trucks, cars, and trains. Their favorite thing is still to play together. For the first time the two of them played together in the basement while Mommy and Daddy did some laundry and cleaned up from dinner for about a half an hour!
Milestones: Tessa's speech continues to get more advanced and clearer. She is using more and more complicated sentences all the time. She loves singing songs and can get through several of them quite well. She's still working on her potty skills. Jonah has been really interested in counting recently. His new record is 120. He has been doing some work on reading and writing as well.
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| In the past, the kids have taken turn being challenging at the dentist. This time, they both encouraged each other and they made it through with ease! |
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| The next day, they did the same, comforting each other through a hair cut, so again nobody cried! |
Events:
Once again this year, we went to King's Island Halloweekends. Jonah got to go on a few new rides including a real wooden roller coaster and he was just delighted. He got a huge kick out of us pretending to be scared and needing him to reassure us. We packed the day with fun and who knows how many circles Tessa went in.
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| Jonah won a prize on the hammer game. But then he insisted on taking another turn so he could win a prize for Tessa. |
Every year the Taste of Bexley gets better and the kids get a little easier and more fun to take! They like the JPops popsicles best and playing in this elevated gazebo.
We went to the zoo for Boo at the Zoo and in addition to the usual routine, there was a superhero show Jonah loved, decorations, and candy! But of course, the ponies...
Piccadilly hosted a great Halloween party! Tessa danced along to her favorite Shazzbots hit "Peanut Butter," and they played and decorated cookies like mummies. They got some great professional pictures taken but they're physical prints so you'll have to come over and see them!
Demonye's Greenhouse nearby us does one heck of a job with fall entertainment! The haunted house was pretty involved and the kids went through over and over. They dug in corn, bounced, played pretend, saw animals, got pumpkins, and on and on!
The kids loved Halloween this year! Grandma and Grandpa came into town and helped trick-or-treat. They both really got into it and Jonah especially was great at actually saying "Trick or treat!" and "Thank you!" at the houses. They have been very slow at going through the candy, but still enjoyed it! After that we went to Mimi and Poppy's for their party, and we had our own Halloween party with many of their friends that weekend. Everyone had a blast! That was the night of "falling back," so staying up late helped get transitioned to Eastern Standard Time better.
