A Robotic Birthday

B turned THREE while we were on the Vineyard, and he is so proud of his self-proclaimed "Big Boy" status. The cake was actually more fun to make than I thought it would be, what with being in someone else's kitchen in a house full of people. I didn't let the need for perfection get in my way like I've tended to do in the past, and without that pressure hanging over my head I was able to actually enjoy the process. We had a small party after lunch with cake and presents, and then off to the beach to play in the waves.

Hubby also turned THREE (plus 8) this month. He has been lost in the birthday shuffle since B was born (the day before his bday)....but his father really knows how to celebrate. So this year Hubby got an enormous lobster feast, fine wine and some really nice gifts. The festivities took place after the kiddos were fast asleep, so we were able to enjoy some grown-up time together with our family and let DH have the spotlight for a few hours.

JULY is Already Upon Us

In our household, the month of July is comparable to the month of December in both festivity and overwhelming craziness. December brings D's birthday and all the endless Christmas preparations and celebrations. July brings a trail of birthday celebrations to plan for (B's, DH's, my mom/dad/brother's), DH's annual family reunion for the 4th of July weekend, and our yearly trip down to Martha's Vineyard with my FIL. Not to mention trying to cram every possible moment outdoors while the weather is nice. But this year is different. This summer brings the added challenge of preparing for our homeschool year, which is scheduled to begin early August. At times I feel as prepared as I'll ever be, while on days like today I feel like I'm in over my head. I still have to:

* Organize, decorate and clean the living room, which we'll be using as our "schoolroom".
* Put together a handful of "activity bags" and finish making file folder games/ felt board pieces which will mainly be used for B's preschooling and to keep him busy while I'm working with D.
* Put the finishing toches on my Teacher's Notebook in order to have it workable and functioning in time for school. I'm ALMOST there :)
* Place my final order from Rainbow Resources and shop the back-to-school bargains when they start to stock up on supplies.
* Work on my menu plans to try to figure out a way to reduce our astronomical weekly grocery bill.
* Wrap B's gifts, figure out what type of cake to make him for his "robot" birthday party, make lists of what to bring to MV, call friends to see if they'll come over while we're gone to feed our cats.
*Get off the computer and stop making lists when I could be downstairs accomplishing something!!

I have to remind myself that this is *only* Kindergarten and that everything that is really important has already been planned and is set to go. The rest is just finding the time to create all the supplemental activities I have in mind, decorate my bulletin board and walls with all the fun educational stuff I've collected over the months, and to relax so I can enjoy the summer while it's here.

Mr. Moose and Mother Goose (Part 2)

Here are the photos from our weekend. I saved the photo of the moose with inverted colors because it was just too dark on the original to see. This was when the moose came onto our path and was looking our direction, deciding which one of us looked the tastiest. The next one is one of the waterfalls at Diana's Baths. The dad's and the 'big kids' climbed the rocks to the top area and were thrilled to find even more water to swim in. The rest are from Storyland. B in the pumpkin, me and my boysies on the swan boats, and Hubby and D on the roller coaster (that's them in the last car coming around the bend).

Mr. Moose and Mother Goose

We don't get away much, especially as a family. Last weekend we spent three days up north with another family that we don't get too see often enough. Four adults and four children in a chalet-type condo right next door to Storyland. I spent the week prior to our getaway wondering how it would go.... what food should we bring for D? Were there any safe restaurants nearby? Did Storyland have any food he could safely eat? How would B do sleeping in a 'big boy bed' in the same room as his brother? Would any of us get any sleep?

Not only did we survive, but it couldn't have gone more smoothly under the circumstances (food allergies, kids getting along, B transitioning to a bed, D's behavior issues). An added bonus was sharing a condo with our friends, allowing us to hang out together after the kiddos went to bed.

The boys got a weekend jammed-pack full of activity, with new sights to see and new adventures to be had. We hiked a path near Echo Lake that led us to the rocky, beautiful waterfalls of Diana's Baths. No sooner had we started up the trail when--literally FEET away--we spotted as moose. We felt safe observing this quietly majestic creature because he was on the other side of a small creek. For the first few minutes. Then he decided he wanted to get a closer look at us and crossed the creek onto our path. Moose are typically gentle by nature but will charge if threatened, and there we stood, all eight of us, stumbling over each other as we backed up ever so quietly (which,if you know my boys, is fairly inconceivable) onto a nearby footbridge. We found our way safely to the waterfalls and spent the afternoon enjoying the icy-cold water.

The highlight of our weekend was our day at Storyland. The kids were just the right age to enjoy the attractions, with the little ones loving the storybook character area and the bigger ones riding every ride in the park. To "close the chapter" (so-to-speak) on our weekend getaway, we ate breakfast at Glen Junction, a fantastically kid-oriented restaurant with a toy-filled waiting room and an electric train chugging along the walls. It was the perfect warm-up to our visit to Hartmann's Model Train Museum, which included a ride on their miniature train. It was a great time, especially getting to witness the excitement and laughter of my boys as they shared this time together.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

To everyone we know who responds when a child calls out "Dad", have a happy Father's Day this weekend. Enjoy the family you helped create. Know that you are loved and appreciated in ways you may not even realize. And to the "Daddy" of my boys, a special thank you for all that you do to love, support, help out with, and take care of your family. Because of you, our house is Home.

Pitching a Tent

The boys love to go 'caterpillar hunting' and were quite thrilled to find their first caterpillar of the season. We examined his colors (black with white stripe down its back and blue stripes down the sides) before D picked him up to feel how "soft" it was.... the fuzzier the better in his opinion. This caterpillar met his approval. He anxiously told me to take pictures so that we could look it up later to see what kind it was. When I came back outside with my camera, they had found a few more fuzzy friends, and D was letting them crawl up his sleeves (boys will be boys, right?). That night we looked up caterpillars in The Gardener's Bug Book by Cynthia Westcott (an old book I found at our library book sale for twenty cents!!) and found out our little visitors are Eastern Tent Caterpillars. They form communal "tents" in the nooks of twigs until they are ready to morph into moths (reddish brown with two diagonal stripes on each wing). It was fun to search in this book because there aren't a lot of pictures so D and I had to read through all of the caterpillar entries in order to find the one that best fit our observations (a.k.a. cuddle time on the couch). We then confirmed our findings in my Audobon guide. The next day we found their nest right near the end of our driveway. The boys have been checking back every day to watch them crawling in, out, and all about their nest, and today B found a teeny little baby one crawling on a branch nearby. The next thing we're bound to notice is all the holes in the foliage as they eat their way through our trees. I guess we'll have to reread "The Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle tomorrow night (again.........).

A Week of Accomplishments

The training wheels came off last Sunday, and apparently D's been ready for this for awhile because he took off without a bauble. I can honestly say I have never seen him SO PROUD of himself as when he told me how he did it the very first time Daddy let go, without even falling. Not to be outdone, the very next morning B hopped onto his tricycle and began pedaling, all on his own. After weeks of trying to get him to even TRY to pedal and getting nothing more than a blank stare in return, suddenly he's off and rolling. Isn't it amazing what a little competition between brothers can do?

D also learned how to partially tie his shoes (doesn't really count but he was excited) and this morning he tied a balloon by himself. He must be going through a developmental growth spurt. They say it's common for this to happen around the time of a child's half-birthday, and his is just weeks away.