There was a grumpasaurus in my house yesterday - a snarling, glowering, ill-tempered grumpasaurus of epic proportions. After four fun-filled days in a row, reality settled in and Aidan did not like it one bit.
Thursday
It was the first full day out of school and Aidan loved every minute of it. He "slept in" until 7:20 am - egads - then played on the computer, watched television, played outside and even helped me ready the house for guests. In the afternoon, our friends Geri and Fred from Toronto arrived, although they came to our house from Rochester where they had attended the Wegmans LPGA Championship. It was great to see them and to show them the house and neighborhood.
Friday
After a leisurely morning and lunch at Five Guys, Aidan and Fred went golfing (mini golf, that is) while Geri and I went to Sheep Thrills yarn shop. Geri is the person who encouraged me to take up knitting and I consider her to be my knitting mentor, and it was fun to peruse with someone who has far more knitting knowledge than me. The shop was quiet so we were able to talk at length with the woman in charge that day and a friend of hers who had stopped in to knit.
Aidan was attending his first sleepover ever on Friday night, so I got him ready and over to Justin's house by 5 pm. Aidan was so excited that he could hardly stand it! Friday evening was a lovely treat for all of us; Aidan was having fun with his friends and we were able to relax all evening without the company of a nine year old. Ah, luxury!
Saturday
Geri and Fred were on their way by 9 am, then we went to pick up Aidan. I was very impressed that we did not receive a "come get me" call in the middle of the night! He was thrilled that they had stayed up until 2 am. The rest of the day we did some errands but generally stayed around the house. Aidan played outside with the children next door but went to bed, exhausted, early.
Sunday
James and Aidan were out the door before 8 am, meeting up with friends Mike and Ryan to go fishing in Oswego. They had a great morning and even caught a few fish. After they came home around midday, Aidan was able to play outside all afternoon with our neighbors, and again he went to bed a tired but happy boy.
Monday
Ah, Monday - can't trust that day. After the swim lesson in the morning, the day went downhill fast. The neighbor children were not around and I had things to do around the house, so Aidan was a bit at odds. Oh, who am I kidding, he was A LOT at odds. A trip to the library to restock on books helped, and he ended up passing the afternoon reading. By evening he was in a better mood, thank goodness, and he promises that I won't see the grumpasaurus at all today.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Whatcha got cooking?
Last evening I was slicing sharp New York cheddar cheese to melt on our hamburgers and when Aidan saw it, he said “Rrr!”
Me: "That is what people usually say when they see someone who is good looking."
Aidan: “That cheese IS good looking!”
Me: "That is what people usually say when they see someone who is good looking."
Aidan: “That cheese IS good looking!”
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Summer!
Summer may have officially started yesterday at 1:16 pm Eastern time but at our house, it started at 11:30 am today, when school ended.
Here is our very excited fourth grader:
Our summer is off to a great start with friends Geri and Fred arriving tomorrow for a short visit, and Aidan goes to a sleepover birthday party on Friday evening. Swim lessons start next week and we have our first play date scheduled, so the days will pass quickly.
Let the fun begin!
Here is our very excited fourth grader:
Our summer is off to a great start with friends Geri and Fred arriving tomorrow for a short visit, and Aidan goes to a sleepover birthday party on Friday evening. Swim lessons start next week and we have our first play date scheduled, so the days will pass quickly.
Let the fun begin!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Father's Day 2011
What a fun Father's Day! James woke up to Father's Day cards and a new garden stone made by Aidan (James also received a blueberry bush, which we bought and planted several weeks ago and which already has tiny blueberries). James chose to have waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast so that is what I prepared:
Aidan certainly enjoyed his portion:
We spent the day much as we did Mother's Day, by taking a picnic lunch to a state park, and hiking and geocaching. We picked up our picnic sandwiches at our favorite Italian market, Vince's Gourmet Imports, then drove over to Clark Reservation in Jamesville.
It was a perfect day to be outside: sunny, light breeze and eventually in the mid 70s. We had entered the coordinates of four geocaches into our GPS and we found the first two fairly quickly:
We then hiked back to the car to pick up our food and enjoyed our picnic. After lunch, we found another geocache and attempted to find the fourth on our list, but the trail we needed to take was closed due to high water. We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking and enjoying the outdoors:
Dinner was Dad's choice, and James chose steaks on the grill served with risotto and wilted spinach. Good choice, James, and happy Father's Day!
Aidan certainly enjoyed his portion:
We spent the day much as we did Mother's Day, by taking a picnic lunch to a state park, and hiking and geocaching. We picked up our picnic sandwiches at our favorite Italian market, Vince's Gourmet Imports, then drove over to Clark Reservation in Jamesville.
It was a perfect day to be outside: sunny, light breeze and eventually in the mid 70s. We had entered the coordinates of four geocaches into our GPS and we found the first two fairly quickly:
We then hiked back to the car to pick up our food and enjoyed our picnic. After lunch, we found another geocache and attempted to find the fourth on our list, but the trail we needed to take was closed due to high water. We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking and enjoying the outdoors:
Dinner was Dad's choice, and James chose steaks on the grill served with risotto and wilted spinach. Good choice, James, and happy Father's Day!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thriving
James' garden is doing very well. Here is the garden today:
Rumor has it that there are a few small tomatoes amongst all the tomato blossoms and it is all I can do not to stand out there and cheer them on - grow, grow, grow! I have already eaten most of the radishes, we've had lettuce and broccoli, and there are shallots ready to harvest.
The garden is thriving, and so are we. Sometimes it hits me just how different our lives are here in New York than they were in Georgia, and those differences are all for the better. We have made friends here and continue to make friends, we adore our village, we know and like our neighbors, we are active outside year round, and there are so many things to do that sometimes we can't fit them all into our schedule. A summer full of fun activities for all of us is ahead and we couldn't be happier. And happy is a word that I would not have used to describe us in that other life.
Rumor has it that there are a few small tomatoes amongst all the tomato blossoms and it is all I can do not to stand out there and cheer them on - grow, grow, grow! I have already eaten most of the radishes, we've had lettuce and broccoli, and there are shallots ready to harvest.
The garden is thriving, and so are we. Sometimes it hits me just how different our lives are here in New York than they were in Georgia, and those differences are all for the better. We have made friends here and continue to make friends, we adore our village, we know and like our neighbors, we are active outside year round, and there are so many things to do that sometimes we can't fit them all into our schedule. A summer full of fun activities for all of us is ahead and we couldn't be happier. And happy is a word that I would not have used to describe us in that other life.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Art doesn't have to match your sofa
It is almost the end of the school year, and Aidan is bringing home more and more projects. Two weeks ago he proudly brought home a clay pot that he made:
It was made by the coil method, not on a wheel, so the sides were made by adding coils of clay. The pot slumped during firing but that doesn't seem to bother Aidan one bit.
Yesterday he brought home another art project. Aidan's photo was enlarged and three copies were printed, then he embellished the prints in the style of famous artists. I am the first person to admit that I know very little about art in general and about famous artists in particular, so I have no idea if his interpretations are in the style or not.
Here is Picasso Aidan:
Van Gogh:
And Aidan Warhol:
I think it was a very creative project for the students, but I am still glad that Aidan asked for this triptych to be displayed in his room and not in the public part of the house!
It was made by the coil method, not on a wheel, so the sides were made by adding coils of clay. The pot slumped during firing but that doesn't seem to bother Aidan one bit.
Yesterday he brought home another art project. Aidan's photo was enlarged and three copies were printed, then he embellished the prints in the style of famous artists. I am the first person to admit that I know very little about art in general and about famous artists in particular, so I have no idea if his interpretations are in the style or not.
Here is Picasso Aidan:
Van Gogh:
And Aidan Warhol:
I think it was a very creative project for the students, but I am still glad that Aidan asked for this triptych to be displayed in his room and not in the public part of the house!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Aidan vs. strep
We are fortunate that Aidan is very healthy and is rarely sick. In the past year and a half, he has really only had one cold and minor seasonal allergies. So I was a little concerned when he told me Monday morning that his throat hurt. I took his temperature and it was normal, then peered at his throat; a Maglite, however, is hardly a precision medical device and I could really tell nothing. Other than the sore throat, he felt fine so off to school he went.
The school nurse called me around 2:30 that afternoon, said that he had a temperature of 101 and could I please come and get him. My first thought was strep so I got him an appointment with the pediatrician for later that afternoon. The fast strep test was negative so the PA declined to prescribe antibiotics in case it was viral. She said that an overnight culture would be done and I would be called only if the test was positive.
The call came at 9:30 am and by 11:30, the prescription had been picked up and the first dose administered. In less than two hours, I could tell that he already felt better. But he still spent most of the afternoon resting and even snoozed a bit.
Today he feels almost back to normal but I still had to keep him home; strep is contagious for 24 hours following the first dose of antibiotics. Aidan likes school and with only two weeks to go, there are lots of fun activities going on but he has handled the confinement rather well. Today his class was going to have an afternoon movie and popcorn, so we had our own little matinee. But am I glad that he can return to school tomorrow? Absolutely!
The school nurse called me around 2:30 that afternoon, said that he had a temperature of 101 and could I please come and get him. My first thought was strep so I got him an appointment with the pediatrician for later that afternoon. The fast strep test was negative so the PA declined to prescribe antibiotics in case it was viral. She said that an overnight culture would be done and I would be called only if the test was positive.
The call came at 9:30 am and by 11:30, the prescription had been picked up and the first dose administered. In less than two hours, I could tell that he already felt better. But he still spent most of the afternoon resting and even snoozed a bit.
Today he feels almost back to normal but I still had to keep him home; strep is contagious for 24 hours following the first dose of antibiotics. Aidan likes school and with only two weeks to go, there are lots of fun activities going on but he has handled the confinement rather well. Today his class was going to have an afternoon movie and popcorn, so we had our own little matinee. But am I glad that he can return to school tomorrow? Absolutely!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Veggie surprise
James is excited to have a garden again. We identified the space behind our garage and next to our side neighbors' fence as an excellent spot - plenty of sun and out of the way. He built two raised garden beds and planted a wide variety of items, although tomatoes are the primary crop and the one in which I am most interested.
The plants are coming along quite nicely, and James has already harvested some radishes and one head of broccoli. The broccoli is particularly lovely:
Aidan adores eating raw broccoli and asked to take some of the broccoli in his lunch yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly; he ASKED for broccoli in his lunch, and I happily obliged.
As we drove home from school yesterday, he cheerfully told me that his broccoli had a surprise in it: a caterpillar! I laughed so much I thought I might run off the road. Apparently we did not wash the broccoli vigorously enough, and it survived the refrigerator and the lunch box. The lunch personnel allowed him to set it free outside, and the news of the caterpillar was all over the cafeteria by the time he returned.
One thing concerned me, so I asked him: "Did you find a WHOLE caterpillar or HALF a caterpillar?" When he realized what I was implying, Aidan burst out laughing and said, "Mommy, don't worry - I didn't eat any of it!"
The plants are coming along quite nicely, and James has already harvested some radishes and one head of broccoli. The broccoli is particularly lovely:
Aidan adores eating raw broccoli and asked to take some of the broccoli in his lunch yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly; he ASKED for broccoli in his lunch, and I happily obliged.
As we drove home from school yesterday, he cheerfully told me that his broccoli had a surprise in it: a caterpillar! I laughed so much I thought I might run off the road. Apparently we did not wash the broccoli vigorously enough, and it survived the refrigerator and the lunch box. The lunch personnel allowed him to set it free outside, and the news of the caterpillar was all over the cafeteria by the time he returned.
One thing concerned me, so I asked him: "Did you find a WHOLE caterpillar or HALF a caterpillar?" When he realized what I was implying, Aidan burst out laughing and said, "Mommy, don't worry - I didn't eat any of it!"
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