Julia Time

Evelyn went to a friend's birthday party this evening, and Julia had the house (along with Mommy and Daddy) to herself for three hours. She helped make supper, she set the table, and she got to swim and play in her bubble bath without big sis. The girls get along well with each other, but I think Julia enjoyed her "me" time tonight.

November Trip to the Zoo

Today's weather - sunny and 65 degrees - mandated that we do something outside. It has literally been years since either Troy or Julia have been to the National Zoo in Washington, DC, so when Evelyn requested that we go to the zoo today, we gladly obliged. I also couldn't wait to take my new camera for a spin at the zoo. After wandering around the cats, prairie dogs, turtles, lemurs and orangutans, we settled down at the picnic table area for lunch. I know it looks like we only gave Julia bread for her sandwich, but we didn't - she just prefers to eat the cheese first and the bread last.
In previous trips to the zoo, we have ridden the Metro down to DC in order to avoid the zoo's $20 parking fee. The only problem with that is you have a 1/2-mile hike from the Metro stop to the zoo entrance. Not wanting to get the girls too worn out before even seeing the zoo, we drove there today. This meant we could bring the wagon for the girls to ride in. It seemed like a cozy ride, but they didn't mind.

The pandas must have been inside today because we didn't see them in any of their outdoor displays. However, we did see a pair of playful otters near the panda pens. They were hard to catch with the camera, but I nabbed this shot before the little guy took off with his buddy.

After hiking and riding around the entire zoo (minus the indoor exhibits), the girls were understandably exhausted. They fell asleep within five minutes of leaving the zoo parking lot.

Near the End

When the leaves on the tree in our "backyard" turn yellow, it signals the end of the fall colors around here. It happened a week later this year than previous years, but it was still just as brilliant and beautiful.

Reading Practice

Julia might not realize it, but she is a big reason Evelyn continues to improve her reading. This morning, the girls were ready for the day earlier than usual, and Evelyn had time to read a book to Julia. Here are the girls, in Julia's room, reading The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. Evelyn didn't need help with a single word, and this was only the second time she had read that book by herself.

Ballet

Parents were invited to watch Evelyn's ballet class this evening, and I was eager to see how she is doing. Last year's observation days were a little rocky - she didn't follow along very well and she didn't act like she was enjoying herself.

Tonight was the complete opposite. Evelyn was focused and worked hard on her warm-ups and stretches - she even smiled now and then.When it came time to practice barre routines, Evelyn was right on tempo with the music. She also performed the routines from memory, without looking at her teacher for assistance. Evelyn always tells us that she enjoys taking ballet, and watching her in tonight's class proved it.

Troublesome Tooth

Last night at supper, Evelyn could hardly eat because her loose tooth was bothering her so much. It seemed that the tooth's roots were completely dissolved, and it was getting in the way when Evelyn would eat or talk. She asked Troy and me several times to pull the tooth, but she just couldn't get brave enough to let us do it.

First thing this morning, Evelyn came to me, holding her snowman and two tissues. She said she wanted me to pull the tooth out, and I could tell that she really meant it this time. I used one of the tissues to give the tooth a gentle tug, and it came right out. Evelyn said she didn't even feel it. Looks like the tooth fairy will be paying her fourth visit to Evelyn tonight!

Adoption Birthday

One year ago today, we adopted our sweet Rosie from the Montgomery County Humane Society. I've said it before, but she is the perfect fit for our family. Here's a perfect example:

This morning, Julia and I were watching an episode of "Thomas and Friends." We were both sitting on the couch, and Rosie sauntered up to us, checking out the lap situation. Whose lap did she choose to sit on? Julia's! Rosie curled up on Julia and slept through the entire 25-minute program. I never would have imagined that a cat would want to sleep on a toddler - she is such a sweetie!