Seriously beautiful...sunny, breezy, low 70's...simply perfect. Evan is working today, M is off to VT with a couple of buddies for one last summery cabin getaway and my little sidekick and I have spent most of the day outside. A trip to our local orchard for the first round of apples of the fall, lunch with dear friends in the park, the 20th annual Tub Parade and a swing by the library to pick up a few favorites. We are currently hooked on books by Lauren Child...my personal favorite being Beware Of The Storybook Wolves...funny stuff. Oh...AND...our caterpillars have arrived! Let the butterfly hatching project commence! Some snaps below of bits and pieces from this lovely, lovely day. I adore the fall...plain and simple.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
A weekend full of not a whole lot...
It has been a low key weekend here on the home front. I'm here tapping away as I sit waiting for M at McDonalds...the universal drop off/pick up joint for divorced folks the world over. So back to the weekend...not a whole lot to report. The first two days of school went really well for both kiddos. Poor Sam has been a total bear at night...meltdowns a plenty. Damn you, brand new school year transition period! For M, it's old hat...he can roll along with the best of them...tired or not. Anyway...I digress...this weekend was mellow. M was with his dad, Ev worked doubles and my little sidekick and I held down the fort. Our great pie crust adventure was thwarted by my inability to hunt down a pie dough mixer...or whatever it's called. You know...the thing that helps keep the crust maker from over mixing...guilty...every single time. So maybe next weekend. Instead we ran errands, cleaned...and then cleaned again after Sammy un-cleaned, rearranged a few things, paid bills, ordered caterpillars for our butterfly hatching project, laundry, laundry and more laundry (cripes, it just never ends) and then hunkered down while it rained buckets today. It was good...we were due for a little quiet. Some snaps below of this and that...including pugs, sleepy orange cats, playtime on our ridiculously cluttered porch (Skeeter's handiwork there)...meet Charlie and Lola (I played Lola) and their baby panda. And the last is what happens when Sam plays with my iPad in the car...there were at least 7 of this exact same shot. We're going to have to revisit our conversation about why it's frustrating for mommy to delete 50 random pictures of shoes, the ceiling, pug tails and total darkness.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
And off they go again...
First day of school...first and ninth grade, respectively, and I have to say that it was an awesome start. I was a mess when M started kindergarten. He has always been my quiet kid...an old soul really and when he was little, he was pretty much attached to my hip. Sending him off on that first day was tough on both of us...but he rallied. We both did. Sammy on the other hand is a completely different kiddo...super outgoing, adventurous and loud...very very loud. When he started both preschool and kindergarten, he was more than ready and that eased the mama heartache quite a bit. I still cried on both occasions though. But not today...today was just plain exciting...watching my two boys head on to new adventures...one less enthused than the other, but still cool with heading off to begin another year.
And so vacation is officially over and I somehow managed to roll out of bed early enough to make lunches, feed the puggers and kitties, load up Sam's new back pack and bake a batch of back to school scones. I kinda like being the first one up...time to enjoy a quiet house...the calm before the morning storm, if you will. So here's the rundown in pictures of a lovely first day of school. I'd like to note that M totally tolerated his pic like a champ (good man) and Sam threw all sorts of teenager grade "don't take my picture" 'tude my way (too soon for that Skeeter.) It's also worth mentioning that Sam picked this particular outfit because the sneaks are super fast and because "I look awesome in these clothes, mom!". Yes Sammy...yes you do. I adore his self confidence and I hope that he always holds onto it. Happy first day of school out there!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Helloooo iPad!
And a very big thank you to my dear ol' dad who one time...that's right, just once heard me say that I am not a gadget person, but I think that the ipad is pretty darn cool. One very happy 38th birthday later...here I sit, tapping away on this little tablet of wonder. Will this help me keep up with my little blog that I've so neglected since last fall? We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime...some iPad camera shenanigans...
Friday, September 10, 2010
The week (and a half) in review...
And Miles...changing right before our very eyes. All of a sudden I am looking at this teenager who is gaining on me in height and shoe size, has impecable handwriting and is more organized than I will probably ever be. When the hell did all of this happen...and how did I miss it? Another kid who really seems to like school...two for two...knock on wood. And boy can this kid write...this was done during the first week of school....
“I am from …”
I am from front kicks,
from round houses,
from side kicks.
Swift leg thrusts,
promoting acute force.
I am from soccer balls.
Black and white,
glistening in the sun.
I am from board games and video games,
both just as fun as the other.
Move the petite pieces across the vividly colored board.
Control your character to complete his quest.
I am from desserts,
such as rich chocolate glazed cakes,
or candy of many varieties.
Sweet sensations,
and lip-puckering sourness.
I am from music.
From vibrant acoustic,
to heavy electric chords.
I am from, “wake up! It’s time for school.”
Then drowsily dosing off again.
On top of that, he wrote an incredibly insightful paper on The Outsiders that pushed me right over the edge into tears (I'll admit that there was a minor case of PMS involved) as he wrote about why Johnny should have seen the value in his own life. M thought I was crazy but I also caught that slight crooked smirk that spreads across his face when he knows that I am exceedingly proud of him. And I really am...the kid amazes me.
In other news, we spent last Saturday at Ioka Valley Farm...such a great place with TONS of things for kids to do. It was sweet and we are totally going back there when they open for the fall round of fun. We also took Skeeter apple picking for the first time...an activity that we will revisit as well. Long deep inhale...ahhhhhh...warm sweaters, layers, jeans, boots, kneesocks, knit caps, hearty soups, pies and pumpkin bread, crisp air, the smell of wood stoves burning and rosey little cheeks and noses...I love the fall. It makes me feel alive.
A couple of baby goats who were pleased to meet Sammy's aquaintance...and his ice cream cone full of food...
Pig buns...
Our favorite little goat...
Smiley Sam...
Some tractor tire climbing...
The target apple...
Target aquired...
Is this a good one mom?
A day in the orchard...
An apple a day...
And then my latest goal is trying to A-get Sam to go pee as soon as he feels the urge...there have been at least three incidents of the pee pee dance leading into an explosion all over the bathroom floor this past week. And B-when the skeeter does manage to get to the potty in time, helping him to perfect his aim so that he doesn't pee right through the crack between the seat and the toilet. Lets just say that the bathroom floor and I are BFF's after this past week. Don't even get me started on bum wiping...sigh...it's a work in progress.And in late breaking news, Sammy caught me off guard with the "where do babies come from?" inquiry last night at bedtime. The conversation went kind of like this...
Me- Yup.
Sam- Oh.
And that was the end of that. For now anyway. I can hardly wait to find out what is in store for me next! Happy weekend to all!