The First Fieldtrip

I was lucky enough to be able to accompany Hollis on her first fieldtrip today(50 degrees and cloudy/windy, for the record). We went to the Country Market to learn about bees, pet a week old calf, decipher the difference between a gourd and a pumpkin, go on a hayride and pick out our very own pumpkin to take home with us! I was so proud of my little buddy when she raised her hand asked the bee keeper,"Why do bees sting and why does it hurt so bad?"

Hollis' favorite part?

The bus ride, of course!

Happy Birthday Bruddah (In Hollis' words)

We had a big celebration this week, complete with candles, homemade cake, ice cream, present, and party hats. Wrigley turned 10. A pizza party was held in his great honor and the Happy Birthday anthem was enthusiastically sung at least 20 times. The real miracle of it all is that he made it through the day without upchucking on my rug.

Hollis had so much fun that she asked if we could celebrate the next day too. If only I could feel this passionately about my birthday!

Shake, Rattle and Roll

Hollis and I attended the Lebanons "Back to the Fifties" Festival this morning. With a perfect 75 degree day, dozens of vintage cars and the Big Bopper playing on the loud speaker, who could ask for more? Hollis and I also hit the Friends of the Library Booksale(don't be jealous, Mom!) and bought a couple of good reads(including Paddington the Bear) to add to the LePage library. The only way this day could have been more perfect is if we had family to share it with-oh, and if they had an Elvis impersonator there!

A Perfect Visit

Mom and Dad and Hoagie came to visit this weekend. We had perfect weather for the perfect company! A visit to Sal's Pizza, the Fall Festival Parade, Apple Picking, The Greek Fest, and Bub's Burgers on the Monon Trail in Carmel capped off the visit. We have waited for this weekend for so long that it is hard to believe it is over. Mom and Dad, it NEVER gets easier saying goodbye to you..we love you so very much. Thank you for coming to see us!

1st Day of School

Hollis started her new preschool today at our church. Most of you know I have been counting down the days all summer to this very day. Dreaming of long mornings with Starbucks and my Real Simple magazine, the quiet house(well, not totally true-Wriggles is still here!), catching up with friends via email and phone calls, painting my toenails, trolling through my cookbooks to experiment with new dishes-pretty much taking a lot of "me" time that I have been missing a lot of lately.

This morning Hollis got up, made her bed, brushed her teeth, came downstairs in her new Target dress and pink Mary Janes and she just looked so GROWN to me and 6 hours at preschool seemed too LONG for me. She has grown up before my very eyes. I didn't expect this morning to be such a bittersweet one-but it was.

Hollis loved her new school. There was a can of new purple playdoh on her placemat waiting for her when she arrived. The teachers were so excited to see her and she was excited to give them the cookies we made for them last night. She has a couple of friends she knows from church her class. It seems like a perfect match.

When I picked Hollis up at 3 today, the teacher looked at me and said," She's a perfect dollbaby. Easy as she can be."

I must of looked pretty startled when she said it because I can promise you I have NEVER heard those words muttered about my child. When in doubt, always bring homemade cookies to your teachers the first day of school. :)

A moo-valous time

Our day off together began at our favorite donut shop in Lebanon. Hollis can always bring out a smile to the patrons there..there is always a comment or two about how cute she is and how she devours her donuts. I'm not much better, there is always a little left on my face too!
Our next stop was Traders Point Creamery. We haven't visited "the farm"(as Hollis calls it) all year and figured it was a beautiful day to visit! It didn't disappoint- from the cows, to the hiking trails we discovered to the homemade ice cream at the end! On the way to the car, I overheard Hollis say,"Thank you God, for this beautiful day."

Amen, Hollis.