First Field Trip

Catherine took her first school field trip today. The Terrific Twos went on a picnic to the park together, all wearing their matching school T-shirts. The girls sat and ate and played on the swing set, and the boys apparently played in mud puddles. Gigi and Catherine had a great, great time.

The Little Gymnast

Catherine started gymnastics lessons this fall, and she has such a good time every week. Since Gigi is on vacation this week, Daddy took Catherine to her class, which was a real treat. Her best skills are walking on her tiptoes, galloping on the trampoline, crawling through the foam block pit, and performing donkey kicks during the obstacle course! And she follows directions better than anyone else in class.

Warming up and stretching with Daddy Crawling through the Pit

Big Flip into the Pit
Galloping down the trampoline
Swinging from the high bar
Silly Daddy
Balance Beam
Donkey Kick!

Mini Va-Ca

We decided to take a mini vacation this weekend. The beach is just 4 hours away, so we thought, "Why not!" I hadn't been to the Alabama coast in years, so we thought we'd give it a try. The opportunity to see the Clemens family down near Mobile was an added bonus. Funny thing, we never actually made it to the coast. We stayed at the Grand Marriott Resort in Point Clear on the Bay. It was such a fantastic place, with restaurants, bikes, kayaks, fishing, a pool, playground, and "Bay Beach" that we never felt the need to leave! What a great place for a fantastic little get-away!

The pool had a walk-in entry that was perfect for Catherine.
The playground adjoined the pool in case you needed a play break--removal of floaties was optional!
And what about the beach, you ask? Why, it was just out the back entrance of the pool!
Adriane and Amber came to join us Saturday evening...we gave Dad some practice with 3 on 1. He did pretty well, so a 2nd baby will be a breeze, right?!?
Catherine adores Adriane!
(Friday night we had dinner at the Clemens's house. If you ask Catherine what the best part of the trip was, she will tell you it was from that night. Adriane asked her to climb into the passenger seat of the Barbie jeep, and Adriane took off across the yard at the fastest speed, flying over all the bumps. I've never heard Catherine laugh and squeal so much. Then, she realized that as the passenger, she got to run the radio! What a blast! Dear Aunts, please don't get any ideas for Christmas!)
Ahh, sunset on the beach.
Up to something...

Beautiful.
Moonlight playdate. The See-Saw was a hit.
Who do you think was on the other end??
What a relaxing break from reality. When we were packing up this morning, Catherine "disappeared". This is where we found her...outside rocking and enjoying the Bay breezes.On our way out of town, we thought that visiting the USS Alabama would be a nice way to celebrate 9-11. We had a hard time explaining to Catherine why the boat didn't get sail out into the water when we were on it...she REALLY wanted a boat ride!

BIG NEWS...

From the BIG SISTER!!

Yes, the Driscolls will be expecting our newest addition sometime around April 4, 2012. Catherine is already so proud and tells everyone she sees that, "Mommy has a baby in her belly," and, "I'm going to be a BI-I-I-G Sister!" It is so cute. She often asks me if she can see "her." In Catherine's world, the baby is already a girl, and it is tough to convince her that there is a possibility it could be a boy. We are affectionately referring to this one as The Sport since Catherine, prior to her birth, was called The Champ. We are very excited!

As a side note, it took Catherine about 24 hours to figure out that only women can be pregnant and only mommy actually has a baby in her belly...she now points to Jim's stomach and calls it his beer belly! Ugh! There are some things that you wish they wouldn't remember when you say them only once!

First Day of Pre-School

Today was the first day of school. It is going to be a big year. Big changes, too. Instead of being walked inside every morning by Gigi, Catherine gets dropped off in the carpool lane and walks into school by herself. She eats lunch in the big lunchroom, too. Her classroom has 13 children, most of whom are new friends. Her teachers, Mrs. Tait and Mrs. Amy, are absolutely wonderful. We are so excited for this year, and by the look on her face, I think Catherine is, too.