The Yost Family Blog: Catching up...

So much to report, I just haven't had the time... Here's the Reader's Digest version:

Natalie and Cecilia before their first dance class.

Natalie:

She's loving preschool and seems to be learning a lot. They're focusing on the alphabet and she's very interested in know what letters different words start with. Today on our way to Amanda's after school, she asked me "what does tree start with?", "what does cup start with?", "what does Jameson start with?", etc. She picked out one of her Barbies to take to show and tell for letter "B" day. She was so excited! So far, the school thing seems to be going great, despite her difficulty with using words instead of her hands (according to Miss Molly) and the fact that she's usually outnumbered by boys 4 to 1 (and "they don't like playing dress up").
Natalie is completing her 6-week swimming lessons this week and she's done great. She's getting more comfortable getting her face/head wet and has even jumped in the pool without being caught by her teacher (the pool they are in is only a couple feet deep)
And despite my pre-conceived notion that I would not be one of those parents who overschedules their kids with activities and lessons, we also started her in "pre-Ballet" class for 3-year olds. She has always loved dancing and has talked about "ballalet" for a while now. So when her friend Cecilia wanted to sign up for dance class, Natalie just had to join in on the fun. They look so cute in their little leotards! She's only been once so far, so I can't wait to see if she takes to it. I'm hoping it will make her a little more graceful and less clumsy (maybe I should take "ballalet" too!)
She still abuses her brother. And then the next minute, she's hugging and smothering him with kisses. Go figure.
She's going to be Snow White for Halloween this year--the most complicated garment I've ever tackled (of course, this is only my 3rd real garment I've sewed, so we'll see how it turns out. Good thing trick-or-treating takes place at night, in the dark...

Jameson:

Most notably, he started WALKING for reals last week!!! It started out as a stagger like a drunken sailor, but now he's getting tricky and pivoting and walking like an expert (with the occasional loss of balance of course!). He loves the freedom of walking and always has a wide smile on his face when he knows he's walking by himself. Pretty hot stuff for a little man! I'll try to post a video soon...
Despite the big-boy achievements, he's STILL not ready to wean from nursing, even though mommy is!
But he's trying more table foods (non-dairy of course) and we're trying to transition him from soy formula to soy milk. He's got 6 pretty little teeth and loves to use them!
He's not talking too much yet. His only recognizable words are "Wassat?" He'll point to something and ask "whassat"? It's cute. But I'd love to start hearing "mommy" and "daddy" and "sissy" soon! I guess Sissy talks enough for the both of them.
And speaking of his big sister, he's still being abused, but he's not taking it lying down anymore. He'll fight back or at least scream when Natalie does something he doesn't like. I can't wait until he's bigger than her and she'll learn she can't pick on her little brother anymore!
Wiggly and constantly on the move, except when he's strapped in a stroller!

Bonus: Pics from our recent trip to the Pumpkin Patch, one of our favorite fall traditions (both kids have been every year!). This time, Natalie got close and personal with a lot of animals, while Jameson, yep, you guessed it... was confined to the stroller and (thankfully) content to be along for the ride. He's such a great kid!