Pirouette!

I don't even know that I spelled that correctly, haha! Anyway, it's been a slow week, blog-wise. Lots of grocery shopping and exciting things like that. Oh, and I caught the cold that my brother so generously shared (Thanks, Grant!). So it hasn't been the most exciting time, especially since I feel like I've been run over by a truck. Yay...

At any rate... We DID go to the dance studio yesterday, so Maya could meet her teacher and see where her lessons will be taking place! They were having an open house, and it was good to get some questions answered and develop a clearer mental image of how this all works. And, it was REALLY good that I convinced Caryn to go, too, since it turned out that her daughter was not on the class list! And yet, they had charged her credit card! It ended up being fine, since there were still a few spots to fill, but Caryn was SO mad. Her inner New Yorker was about to break free! I'm just glad it worked out, and that Paige and Maya will be in the same class. And the teacher was really sweet. She's going to love it!

As soon as we got home, our tiny dancer insisted that she needed to get all dressed up and "practice ballet." I snapped this photo while talking on the phone with my mom. Seriously, could she be any cuter?? She loves to dance, and I think that this class is going to be so great for her. I can't wait!

They're Gone

Insert sad face here! :( Grant, Melissa, and Colton left us today and headed up towards Maine to continue their New England vacation. We were so happy that they were able to spend as much time with us as they did, and that the kids got in lots of quality cousin-bonding time. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we're in California again (fingers crossed for the week of Thanksgiving, but we'll see!). It was really nice to see some family again!

Anyhow... they hit the road shortly after lunch, timing it so that Colton would take his afternoon nap in the car. Once they were gone, Nikos actually asked if he could paint! It's been a while since we've done any art, and I thought it sounded like a great idea. So I set up the easel and kid table on the back deck. That way, one kid could paint while the other one worked on a collage or drew with colored pencils. Maya loved working on her collage of leaves, and impressed me with her efficient (and vastly improved from last time) glue stick abilities. Nikos preferred painting his dinosaur scene, but also dazzled me with his little colored-pencil rendition of all the Yo Gabba Gabba characters. Really, I need to take a picture of it. I knew EXACTLY what it was when he was finished!

At any rate, these kids love art, and I, for one, enjoyed sitting on the deck and doodling with colored pencils, too! So relaxing!

And that was essentially our day! They played on the swings for a bit after that, and then it was nearly time for me to start preparing dinner. Not a bad day, but certainly a lot quieter without my brother and his family around! They can come back anytime!

More Family Time!

Yesterday afternoon, after our trip to the science museum and a nap for Colton, we hung out in the back yard and just let the kids play. I decided to pick blackberries, which naturally meant that Maya (the self-proclaimed "Berry Hunter") immediately ran over to help me. And Colton soon decided to join in. It took some supervision and coaching, but our littlest friend was quickly picking berries and adding them to the tub. Sure, they weren't all black (haha!), but it was still cute. So now there are TWO little Berry Hunters!

After that, we got everyone all set for dinner, and then Gus and I got to go out by ourselves! WOOHOO for a date night! We had yummy Mexican food and then thought about going to see a movie, but then nothing was playing at the right times. So we rented a few movies, and came back to the house to watch them with Grant and Melissa. It was fun!

Then, this morning, I coerced everyone into taking a group photo. Mwahahahaha! I think it turned out pretty well. I thought my mom and dad might like a picture of all their kids, kids' spouses, and grandkids in one picture!

After lunch, we went over to check out our town's "Chili and Chowder Challenge," a big annual event. I really wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a great event! You could pay for a wristband to sample the MANY chilis and chowders (and vote on them), but we got there kind of late and weren't particularly hungry. So we walked around and checked out all the booths. There were a lot of farm animals to see, feed, and pet. I mean, just look at these cute piglets and a calf!

Both kids got to practice milking a (wooden) cow...

And Maya had a blast feeding the baby goats

And THEN there was the crocodile! Someone, at one point, had this as a pet... and it was found in a lake in New Hampshire. It's mouth was bound shut (obviously), but pretty much anyone who wanted to hold it, could.

On a side note, you see that guy behind Gus-- the one in the black shirt? That was Nikos' t-ball coach. I missed getting decent pictures of both kids petting the crocodile because I was talking to him. He said that Nikos can be on his t-ball team again next year-- we just have to request him when we sign up. Score! Oh, but then I turned around and saw this:

And then they posed for a lovely family portrait, haha!

After that, we wandered back out to the animals, and then both kids begged and pleaded to go in the bounce house. They did, and had a fantastic time! We had to practically pry them out when it was time to go. And then Nikos begged to try and dunk the firefighter. He actually hit the target a few times, but not hard enough to trigger it... so the guy working there just let him run up and hit it. Nikos dunked the firefighter twice, and Maya did it once. That guy was such a good sport, haha!

Anyway, it was really cool. They also had live music, face painting, "train" rides for the kids, games, crafts, etc. Both kids got temporary tattoos, and won frisbees. We will definitely be going back next year!

We ended the evening with dinner at Friendly's, a Massachusetts staple. And now I feel like I might explode. But it was totally worth it!

Catching Up

They're still here! I had a fun few days of being in charge of three kids, but now Grant and Melissa have returned from their side trip to New York City. We've been having a great time. I'm tired!!!

Anyway, where did I leave off? I last posted on Wednesday. On Thursday, we had planned to go to a cool park in Shrewsbury with a duck pond, but it POURED all night (with crazy thunder and lightning), and was threatening to do it some more. So I invited Caryn and her kids over to play instead, and they had a great time! Colton threw his arms around Paige the minute she walked through the door, which was so cute!

After the other kids left and Colton had taken his nap, we went outside to play for a bit. It had finally gotten sunny and warm, and I wanted to enjoy it! I also ended up snapping some pics of the kids that I really love. Colton is so entertained by his cousins, and they are so good about being gentle with him and making sure he's safe. Even now, Maya keeps telling me to be quiet because Colton's sleeping. I'm not making a sound! But whatever, they love him. It's so sweet!

Yesterday, I took all three kids to the supermarket to get a few things, which was my accomplishment of the week, haha! After that, we played outside and just generally stuck close to home, knowing that Grant and Melissa would be back soon. We also baked brownies in anticipation of their arrival.

Today, we went to the local children's science museum! Our passes allowed them to get in for free with us, so that was nice. We weren't there for too long, but that's the beauty of having the annual passes.

After we were done there, we went to lunch, then back home for naps. Currently, Grant, Colton, and Melissa are asleep. Gus and Maya WERE asleep, but have since woken up. The only napless people are me and Nikos. And I'm exhausted-- I could use a nap! It will have to wait, though. Tonight, Grant and Melissa are going to watch the kids so that Gus and I can go out to dinner. A real date! I am so excited, even if it means just driving to the Mexican dive in the next town over, haha!

I also need to convince the other adults that a family portrait is in order. Well see how that goes!

More Cousin Fun!

We are still having a great time with Colton around! This morning, we went to my friend Caryn's house for a little playdate. Her daughter is only six months older than Colton, so it was fun to see him around someone closer to his age. Anyway... Picture time!

Three carseats fit perfectly in Gus' truck!

Playing at Caryn's house. Please note that Maya and Paige are playing with a salad spinner (loaded with My Little Ponies), and that Colton is using a car as a telephone. haha!

After Colton took his afternoon nap, we went outside to play with bubbles and have a little photo op. This was my favorite. So cute!

Cousins!

There are going to be a lot of pictures here over the next week or so. More than usual. Consider yourself warned! :)

My brother and his family arrived on Sunday, after attending a wedding in upstate New York the night before. The last time we saw them was at Thanksgiving-- so almost nine months ago! The kids were SO excited to see them again, especially "Baby Colton," their not-so-little-anymore cousin. And we've had a lot of fun so far!

Yesterday, we went for a long walk on the Rail Trail, where the grown-ups caught numerous frogs to impress the younger crowd. After that, we went to the farm to see the animals and get some milk, since we were running out. Then we played in the yard, grilled dinner, and made s'mores around the fire pit. Today, Grant and Melissa left on a quick side-trip to New York City for a few days, so I am flying solo with all three kids. And so far, so good! Colton seems to really like his cousins, and they definitely adore him. And I am being a good daughter and taking lots of pictures for my mom, since all her grandbabies are under one roof right now! So... here they are! (I told you there were a lot!)

He can read!!

Well, it's a little premature to say that, but I just wanted to take a minute to talk about how proud I am of our big boy! Many moons ago (when he turned three, haha), I purchased the first 40 lessons of the Headsprout early reading program. This was after my very old friend, Alayna, and her partner had done the program with their son and had great things to say about it. I checked it out myself, and I knew it was the thing for us!

Nikos, however, was not ready when he was three. So we didn't push it, ever. I want reading to be fun for him, and I knew he would do it when he was ready. Well, I guess he's ready! In the past week or so, he's gone from lesson 4 (where he had stayed for the longest time) to lesson 19!! He is SO into it, and begs to do his reading lessons on my computer. And how can you say no to that?

The kicker was this afternoon, when he finished up a lesson and had to read a few short sentences. He did it EASILY (fluently!!), and then had no problem selecting the picture that went along with the sentences. And when I told him he should be proud of himself, he was just BEAMING. I was so proud! I love that he is loving his reading lessons-- and am so excited for all the doors this will open for him! He's already trying to read the "environmental print" everywhere we go, and with some success. He blows my mind! And, bonus: Maya loves watching him do his lessons, and is learning some things, too!

HOORAY for reading!!! :) :) ---------------------- On a totally different note, we picked blueberries today and then played in Caryn's new bounce house. The kids were in heaven!!

Tap Shoes

I just wanted to share this little video of Maya from this afternoon. Her tap shoes arrived in the mail today, and she was SO excited to test them out!! She can't wait to start dance class in a few weeks. Love my tiny dancer!

Camping, version 2.0

We had a fantastic second camping trip!

Despite the thunderstorms that hit later in the afternoon both days, we still enjoyed our outdoor experience. We got to the campground just after 1:00 on Saturday, which was perfect timing (check out is at 11am, and check in is at 1:00). We registered and drove to our site, only to find that it was occupied. A complete setup-- tent and all. We drove by a second time to make sure that it was, in fact our site. And then we drove back to the ranger station. They sent someone down to tell those people they had 15 minutes to get out. The ranger also discovered that they had brought their own firewood (a BIG no-no), and made them leave it behind. But then he told us we could burn it. So we ended up with an abundance of firewood, which was pretty cool!

Anyway... While this was all going down, the kids and I were lounging on our picnic blanket on the shady grass by the lake. It was so nice! Once our site was available, Gus drove down there and parked, and then walked back to the lake to get us. We loved our campsite this time! It was very private, large, and had easy access to the creek behind us. We got everything set up much more efficiently this time, and we were all set! We grabbed our fishing gear and headed back to the lake.

This is where I suppose I should mention that we hadn't really been using bait. We had no desire to actually CATCH anything-- it was more for the experience for the kids. But we could see Nikos starting to get frustrated, as everyone around us seemed to be reeling in fish and he wasn't. Still, we fished for a while, until the thunder rolled in and we had to take cover in our tent for a while. We actually ate dinner inside our tent, on our picnic blanket. It was definitely an adventure! But it cleared up not too long after that, and we were able to start a campfire and make some s'mores. Of course!

The next morning (Sunday), we went fishing again... Still no bait, and still no fish (go figure!).

When we got back to our site, Gus took the truck and drove to the nearest gas station to see if they sold worms. And they did! But more on that later! It was time for the wild animal presentation! There are all sorts of summer programs going on at the park right now, and the campers get to participate in them. This one program was a presentation by a guy from Creature Teachers, a family-run wildlife education program. He brought out all sorts of animals that live in the area: a flying squirrel, a woodchuck, a porcupine, a skunk (with scent glands removed), a milk snake, a gray fox, a snapping turtle, and a fisher-cat!! My friend here in town, who lives right around the corner, says she sees fisher-cats all the time. They are big weasels that eat porcupines. And they make HORRIBLE noises!! Anyway, I got to finally see one, so now I know what to look for! But I won't scare you. I will share just two pictures: the woodchuck and the porcupine, because I think they are so cute!

Nikos LOVED the entire thing. The guy had him from the moment he pulled the flying squirrel out of its carrier-- Nikos has been asking about flying squirrels for weeks! It was so awesome!

After the presentation, it was back to our site for a quick lunch, then down to the lake for some REAL fishing. With worms. And wouldn't you know it... Not 15 minutes later, Nikos had caught his first fish!

Not to be outdone, Maya soon caught her own first fish!

They fished for a while longer, but we were all kind of tired. We went back to the site and rested for a bit, until it was miserably hot and humid. Then they wanted to swim, so we got ready and walked back to the lake. They were in the water for all of three minutes before the thunder started booming and the ranger ordered everyone out of the water. Boo! So, back to camp we went. And we made it just in time, because it started to POUR moments after this photo was taken!

This time, it stopped long enough for us to eat dinner outside and enjoy the campfire again. We had a lovely evening! It was warm and dry by the time Gus and I went to bed. We even decided to tempt fate and leave the camping chairs outside, instead of putting them in the truck. ha!

So... we shouldn't have been surprised when the lightning started flashing like crazy, and the thunder indicated that another storm was rapidly approaching. I was lying in bed and counting the time between the lightning and the thunder (with three seconds = 1 mile), and I swear that it went from being about 10 miles away to about 2 miles away in a matter of minutes. And then it was right on top of us, so loud that the ground was literally shaking. That went on for quite some time before the rain started pounding us, and then THAT lasted for what seemed like forever!

Suddenly, everything was silent, like the water had just been shut off. I should add that it was especially silent, since our half of the campground was entirely empty, except for us. It was spooky! All the sites around us had been full, but everyone left on Sunday morning. So it was empty, and pitch black, and silent. And then the foxes started barking to each other across our campsite. There were at least three of them, maybe four. But it was a scary noise. Oh, and the kids didn't wake up for ANY of this, by the way. I kid you not. ha! Even Gus heard the foxes, and he's a heavy sleeper!

Anyway, it was a slow morning, since I was tired, but we packed up camp, went fishing a little more (Nikos caught and released another fish!), and then came home. Everyone but Nikos is covered in mosquito bites, but a good time was had by all! And now, to sleep in my own bed!!

Blueberries!!

Okay, so I think I may have discovered my favorite berry picking place, EVER. Seriously-- EVER!! There is a small mom-and-pop farm in the next town over, literally two blocks down the road from where we go to the supermarket. It's owned by an elderly couple, and you drive right past their house to get to the little barn/parking area. And they don't have crazy acreage or anything, but they have this amazing, densely packed area of blueberry bushes that is just insane! You can get lost in there, since the rows are not even clearly delineated in areas. And the bushes are just loaded with huge, sweet berries. But the best part? They were only $2/pound, which is far cheaper than what I can get them for at the supermarket. Even at the wholesale club, it still works out to about $2.50/pound. And hello, picking them is so much more fun! Especially when the old couple that owns the place is super sweet and friendly!

Anyway, we met my friend Jen and her kiddos there this morning to pick berries, and it was a lot of fun! Her kids weren't as into it as mine were, and we beat her by a pound (she picked 2.75 pounds; we picked 3.8 pounds). haha! Really, Maya did most of the work. That girl loves to pick berries! She barely said a word the entire time, and was focused on the task at hand. She calls herself a "Berry Hunter," and I believe it, haha!

But... how about some pictures? I didn't take too many, since I was helping with the picking, but oh well!

Oh, and check out how big some of these berries are! Crazy, right??

I've already made two pints of blueberry jam (yum!!), and am about to make some mini blueberry pies. The farm owners told me that the picking should still be good for another two, maybe three, weeks, so I plan on going back for some more (and maybe dragging my brother and his family along when they visit, hehe!)! My kids can easily consume at least half a pound of blueberries per day. And the price is right! WOOHOO! --------------------------------- Edited to add: Here are the "fruits" of my labor (pun intended!). I ended up making a full-sized pie, and I'm glad I did. It is so unbelievably delicious! The jam is amazing, too! I canned two pints of it, but had a little extra that is currently in a bowl in the refrigerator. And I keep sneaking spoonfuls of it. SO GOOD!!! (pardon the bad picture, though. The jam looks almost black in any light, so it just doesn't photograph well, haha!).