Happy 1st Birthday Nathaniel Robert Kaplan!

Nate had a wonderful day today. I think he was a little out of sorts (probably a combo of being overwhelmed by all the people and actively teething), but he seemed to have a great time nonetheless. Thank you to our amazing family and friends for helping to make Nate's 1st birthday so special. He received so many generous and thoughtful gifts (wow! what a spoiled little boy) and was showered with love and attention. Today was truly a perfect day.

I still can't believe our little guy is one. The past year has flown by and has been filled with so many cherished memories. Happy Birthday little man. Mom, dad and sis love you to pieces!

Meg

P.S. Pics to follow tomorrow as I'm going to crash now :).

Thankful

I have so much to be thankful for. I have two happy, healthy, beautiful children. I have a loving, supportive husband. I have an amazing network of family and friends. I have it all. Truly. I have it all.

I got word today that a dear friend of mine lost her brave battle with cancer. She had just received a stem cell transplant on Wednesday and died due to complications early this afternoon. She was so young, so full of life. A comedian, a good friend, a good person. I will miss her dearly.

This on the heels of the passing of our beloved neighbor, Sauni, on Wednesday evening, also to cancer.

Christy and Sauni, my love goes out to both of you, your family and friends. You will be missed.

Megan

Best Friends

Tonight, as I was carrying Sophia to bed...

Sophia (whispering): "You're my best friend."

Me: "Awww...you're my best friend too, Sophia."

Sophia: "You're my best friend in the WHOLE world, Megan."

Top Tooth and More!

A few new little tidbits to share.... Nate cut one of his top teeth this week and is working (very hard I might add) on cutting the other one as we speak. Although his sleep is usually interrupted some, he actually does quite well with the whole process. Such a trooper. He is also "talking" constantly, waves bye bye, gives kisses, and is trying very hard to run. He generally ends up falling once he gets up enough momentum, but is able to stand his ground during his nightly rounds of hide and go seek with Sophia. As you can imagine, he does most of the seeking :).

Dan & I met with Sophia's teacher this evening for our very first parent/teacher conference. We received an outstanding report about Sophia. Dan & I actually shed a few tears of pride afterwards. In a nutshell, she's independent, orderly, a leader and a helper. She has excellent verbal skills and is driven by her desire to learn/try new things. She has lots of friends and is polite with her teachers as well as with the other kids (really?). She seems to be thriving in the Montessori environment and Dan & I are very happy and satisfied with the results. Sophia LOVES school and even begs us to let her go on Saturdays and Sundays :).

Dan & I will be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary tomorrow! Geesh! 4 years and 2 kids. We don't waste any time do we? Amazing that I can feel more in love today than I did on the day we were married. Life is good and I have him and my little ones to thank for that.

We got the kids' Halloween costume yesterday! Nana Kaplan made them both by hand again this year and she has reset the bar very high. We had a blast watching the kids try them on. Sophia loves her cat costume and can't wait to go trick or treating. Nate makes a great organ-grinder monkey. What fun!! Thanks to Nana Kaplan!

Sophia's 3-year Check-up

Gracie had her 3 year well child check-up this morning. In true form, she managed to talk the doc's ear off. All is well! She is 36 lbs (82nd percentile) and 38.5" (75th percentile). They took her blood pressure and she sat very still ("like a statue") through the process. She was delighted when the nurse gave her a brand new book and was even more excited when the doc said she could have 3 stickers (rather than the usual 1) after the appointment was over. She is getting over a cold right now and the doc felt as though she sounded a bit wheezy so she prescribed an inhaler (just like dad's) for her until her cough and congestion are gone. She goes back in 2 weeks for her flu shot. Yeah!

Holy Cow!!

Well, it was an exciting night in Silverton. We were attempting to watch the 3rd and final (thank god) presidential debate tonight when, all of the sudden, we were set upon by bovine madness. We walked outside onto our front porch and what did we see? That's right.....a cow...walking down the middle of the street...with a policeman following it on foot. The cow was large and must have been attempting a brave escape from an undeniably bleak future as a pallet of O'berto jerky...on sale at Costco. Sophia walked out onto the porch, "Look Mommy! Look Daddy! A cow in the street!"

We watched the cow meander down the street, zig-zagging from one side of the road to the other, all the way down the block and to the right, onto Pioneer Avenue, to Grammy's house.

We called Grammy and gave her the heads-up.

There is something comforting, quaint, surreal, and authentic about living in a place where you can walk outside at dusk, in your subdivision, and see a cow parade. Cheers to you all - Steers for us.