Hammock Time

Our college friends have strung up a hammock in the backyard -- the perfect way to enjoy some of this nice cool fall weather that has finally arrived! When at a loss for blog content, I pull out the camera. Nathan suggested the hammock for today's pics. It certainly beat our crispy dead grass. I'm already craving spring and the chance to see GREEN again. And please forgive Ellie's straight-from-school, disheveled hair-do in need of a trimming.

Speaking of school, Ellie seems to love it. They just finished studying the weather. Ellie loves to be the 'wind' and wave a scarf in the air when we read to her from the book they studied, "Storm is Coming". She comes home less hungry because she's doing better trying new foods at school for lunch, but more tired. We're already seeing improvements in her social skills and communicative abilities. She is also saying 'thank you' more frequently without prompting! I don't know that we have mentioned here that she rides the bus to school. She is one of the, if not the, last stop on the way to school so making the decision for her to ride the bus to school wasn't too difficult for us (we pick her up at the end of the day).

At the top of the bus stairs, she is in the routine of turning around and telling us goodbye, multiple time -- in no hurry to get to her seat -- good thing they have several monitors to give her a few nudges. A few times this week she has boarded then called out for a kiss (stalling?). Today, when Nathan went back to the bus door, leaned in and gave her one, she got the biggest grin on her face, then turned to find her seat. She kept smiling at us out the window as the bus pulled away. It made my heart melt. Other times, like yesterday, when Ellie got on board the kids were singing "Five Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree" and she didn't even look back at us but ran straight back to her seat to join in the singing. So much for mom and dad when there's other little kids and singing.