Monday

Bennett with his 4th grade buddies

Wednesday. Sports class. Caroline actually participated, or at least followed the other kids around, during the whole class!

 Thursday
I decided Bennett would help me make dinner. We made tacos. I had Bennett help cook the meat, make the taco sauce, set the table and even make quesadillas. He did touch a finger to a hot pan. We got an ice pack on it quickly and he didn't complain about it much. He was quite proud of himself for making quesadillas! I asked him if he enjoyed cooking and he thoughtfully said "Yes... but I still want to be an astronaut when I grow up." Then I reminded him that astronauts need to eat dinner on Earth to, so cooking is an essential life skill.

Friday
Caroline's class took a field trip to the Children's Theater:

Saturday
Bennett and I went to a Zumba class, while Joel took Caroline to Kiddie Wumpas for a storytime with Princess Elena. Joel said Caroline was enamored with Elena. After the storytime, they did a drawing and Caroline won! Naturally, she picked out a new baby.

 Picking her prize:

After lunch, Caroline took a quick cat nap on the way to ballet. It was a successful class! She did great!

 Sunday
Caroline wrapped Baby Stella (now Baby Adeline) in her dress to keep her warm.

Saturday 11/4

We started off our day with a quick stop to Target. Bennett had me pose with some ornaments:

Then we went to the Walker to meet Grandma, Grandpa, August and Alfie. There was a family cultural event happening. The kids all seemed to enjoy seeing new things. At one point, we went into the theater to watch some Indian music and dance performances. All of the kids, except Bennett, got hungry and wanted to leave. I was surprised that Bennett wanted to stay and see more... but when I told him we could either watch more performances or eat lunch, lunch won.

Throwing a tantrum at lunch

After lunch, Caroline had her first ever ballet class. I was extremely nervous to see how it'd go, since the class is smack dab at the beginning of nap time. Caroline fell asleep in the car after the Walker and was able to squeeze in a 30 minute nap by the time we got to class. I carried a sleeping Caroline into the bathroom to change her, and of course, the ballet slippers we had didn't fit. Ugh. Her teacher suggested she go without since the floor can be slippery with tights, but already Caroline was not impressed. Looking cute and fitting in is already really important to her, and she is very particular about her clothing, so I could tell she wasn't happy about not having shoes. Being in a new class, without her brother, was another big challenge for her. I was one of the new parents who had to sit in the corner of the room, just so she'd stay in. She sat with me often, and I'd threaten to leave the room, if she didn't at least STAND with the other girls. I think in the entire class, I saw her do one tendu, but that was the extent of the dancing she did. If she was standing with the girls, she literally stood while they danced. When they did things across the floor, she literally walked from one end of the room to the other.

At this point in their routine (which Caroline stood through as everyone else danced) they did sashays around the room, while Caroline stood motionless and watched. Eventually she just walked back to me, while the girls were still circling.

Doing spins across the floor. Caroline is walking.

After class, I asked if she wanted to go home and nap, or go out and buy ballet slippers. Caroline obviously insisted on ballet slippers. We were able to pick up a tutu also. Then for the rest of the day, she wore her leotard, tutu and slippers. She said she enjoys ballet and will participate next week. We'll see...

Wednesday 11/1

 Thursday 11/2

 Friday 11/3

Caroline had her 3 year old checkup on Friday afternoon (and a few weeks late). She is in the 79% for height and weight! At the Little Gym birthday party, a mom commented on how big she is, for having just turned three, so that was weighing on my mind. Then we find out she is in the 79th percentile. By comparison, Bennett was only 40% for height and 60% for weight. No concerns from the doctor, she is very proportionate.  The kids got their flu shots. Caroline volunteered to go first and didn't flinch a millimeter when she got her shot... but ended up crying about it HOURS later when we got home, saying her leg hurt. Bennett flinched slightly when he got his shot, but didn't comment on it afterwards. The nurse was SO impressed, saying it was by far the easiest shot session she has ever had, even compared to some teenagers, who flinch at the very least.