... and then of course twice the tantrums and twice the germ exposure :)
Thanks to the start of the fall activities and the subsequent introduction of new germs into our weekly routine, we're battling colds. Thankfully, it's been mild and short-lived, but still. I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that if we're going to do things like go to story time, playgroups, museums, etc. then we're just going to end up with colds. Oh, well. After the bad one this summer, I feel like we can measure our colds on a different scale.
One of the experiences last week that might have caused these lovely colds was a day trip to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa, with a neighbor and her two boys. Picture this ... four kids ranging from 2 months to 3 years in the van for an hour and half each way plus a few hours exploring the indoor and outdoor exhibits. All in all, I'd call it a success and Anna is still talking about some of the exhibits, including the big fish, sharks, and sting rays that were in the huge tanks.
Another activity that could have caused these colds might have been the first Kindermusik class of the semester. Now that Anna is older, she attends most of the class by herself, with Kate and I only making an appearance at the beginning and at the end. She seems to be enjoying it, but I think I'm having a harder time adjusting, especially since "music class" had always been a special activity that Anna and I did together.
We also did a few afternoon activities last week that might have caused these colds, including a trip to the Madison Children's Museum one afternoon. I'm definitely going to remember that it is much less crowded (and thus much more fun) in the afternoons!
By Friday morning, Kate had a runny nose ... just in time for my parents and brother to come for the evening and Saturday morning. Oh, well. The girls had a great time, especially with Uncle Adam, who they don't get to see very often. Saturday morning we all loaded up in the van and drove downtown for the Farmer's Market and to visit the Capitol (Anna was SO excited to show it off).
Anna is still very much in the "why" stage, as my parents and brother discovered. Of course, they thought it was hilarious, but I'm ready for it to be done. Kate has actually picked up on it, too, and if Anna doesn't pipe in right away with a "why", then Kate will say "why", without quite understanding what it means. Sometimes I long for silence :)
Although I must admit that the bus game we play in the van now is pretty entertaining. Kate likes to identify any kind of bus she sees and will usually say "too bus, Too Bus, TOO BUS, TOO BUS!" (kicking and waving her arms at the same time, this kid has bottomless energy) until either Anna or I acknowledge that she has accurately identified the school bus, or we say "No, Kate, that's a city bus." Then Kate says "ci-tee bus". After having Kate do this several times, Anna tries to get me to laugh by saying "Mommy, school bus, school bus" and pointing at random things until I say "No, Anna, that's a car/truck/building/whatever-she's-pointing-at".
Anyway, I digress ... after my family left and the girls napped, we headed to a birthday party for a friend (turning 4) and her dad (turning 40). It was a great evening filled with good food, good company, and a special birthday performance by David Landau! Anna was thrilled and couldn't wait to dance. (If you could really see her expression in this photo, you'd understand just how excited she was.) Although by the end of the night, she proclaimed that Pastor (who was also there) was more fun to play with than Dave Landau :)Whew! It feels like time is just speeding up, just when I'd really like it to slow down a bit.
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