Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Birthday!

Today we had a little party for Eli’s birthday.  We all had a lot of fun, especially Eli who got to eat a chocolate covered pretzel for dinner…

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…got a whole bunch of new cars…

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…and then got cake!

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Not that he ate it.  It had carrots in it.  But he did eat lots of ice cream to make up for it.  Happy Birthday, Eli!  Love, mom…

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…and dad!

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Fun at school

Brian is having a great time at school this year.  They have spent the last month learning about their senses, doing activities such as cooking, using scented paints, and writing their names in Braille.  For those of you who haven’t seen it, I took some pictures at school after picking him up the other day.  Camp Arrowhead is beautiful, and if the weather is nice we always stay and play!

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They love to climb up the stairs and then run down the big hill!

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Sometimes they are not back yet when Eli and I get there at pick up time.  Here they come marching back from the playground:

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So of course Eli wants to go play!

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Usually, though, we go and play in the enormous sandbox.  Brian and his friends are always building houses and making compost.  Don’t ask, I have no idea. 

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Winter is pretty much here, so we probably won’t be playing there anymore, but it was fun while it lasted!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Things they say

Two men in suits walked into the YMCA lobby where we were having a snack.  Brian whispers, “Mom, are they the president?”

Hiking in the woods, Brian (our self-appointed line leader) tells us we are going to continue for 0.4 miles.  He also tells me his teachers called him a GPS.  Can’t imagine why…

I asked Eli what he wanted for breakfast and he said “cinnamon.”  On applesauce?  In oatmeal?  I asked.  “No, mama, no.  Cinnamon.”  He knows what he wants!

Eli saw a school bus (this is big excitement in our car) and said “Bus!  Bus!”  Brian and I had already seen it, so I told Eli we’d seen it already, that was the bus we were talking about.  Brian said “Yeah Eli, I already saw that bus waaaaaay back in the 1480s.”

Brian told me, “When I get big, I think I’d like to have a job.”  Good, I say, most people do.  What kind of job?  “I’m going to work at the hospital like daddy.  At the same hospital with daddy.”  A doctor, I ask?  “Yes, I’m going to fix broken bones too, we can work together!”

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Eli's first day of school

Then on Tuesday, Eli started preschool at the Y too! He is doing the same 2x2 program that Brian did when he was two. Eli just barely makes the cutoff and is probably one of the younger kids in the class. He was very excited to go!





He was not very excited to pose for this picture.




Eli knew where he was going already; he was not nervous like a lot of the other kids.




He's a preschool pro, having followed Brian to school all last year. He found some toy cars right away and got to work! We know 2 of his teachers from when Brian was in the class, and they were happy to see the boys again.



By all accounts he is doing great so far! I've had 3 people tell me they checked on him and he was doing great, so it must be true. It's nice having a network of spies there! In the afternoon, after dropping off Brian at his school today, I told Eli we were going home for a nap, and he said "No mama! No nap! School!" I'm glad that he's enjoying it so much already!
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Brian's first day of school

Monday was Brian's first day of preschool!



This year he has school at Camp Arrowhead, which is part of the YMCA, but has the advantage of a lot of outdoor space compared to the Y where he has been doing school.



The classroom is full of fun things, including a pet hermit crab!




His class is small, just 8 kids, all boys. They all headed straight for the play kitchen (Eli too!)


So far Brian is really having a good time at his new school. Having school every day in the afternoon has been a bit tiring for everyone, but hopefully we'll adjust and sleep more at night (haha)!
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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Rehoboth Beach, take 2

This week, Calvin is on vacation, so we are down in Delaware for another visit to the beach!  The weather forecast looked grim, but fortunately we had a couple of nice days before retreating north today.  We went to the beach right away when we arrived on Sunday, thinking it might be our only chance!

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Eli loved walking on the “mountain”, and Brian worked on some kind of wall/moat system that I don’t know the details about. 

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The wind was brisk, so we took the kite out for a spin after dinner.

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Eli got a turn too!

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Monday morning, still no storm!  So we were back at the beach where I got a picture before my camera batteries bit the dust. 

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The rain finally came, so Tuesday was a day to visit the library, walk around town (sans kids, who were at the library), and visit the Dogfish head brewery.  It was supposed to rain all week, but lo and behold, Wednesday morning was bright and sunny again, so off we went!

IMG_1774 Run, run!

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Playing with the beloved sand toys – the jeep and bulldozer. 

IMG_1803 Running to get water, dark clouds always on the horizon. 

IMG_1805 Fun with Papa in the water. 

IMG_1806 The guys working hard on a construction project. 

IMG_1820 Family picture!

In the afternoon we went to Cape Henlopen state park, where we visited the nature center, and Fort Miles, a WWII fort. 

IMG_1832 Petting a horseshoe crab

IMG_1836 Eli in a bunker (he is saying “cheese” rather unhappily). 

IMG_1840 Climbing on the enormous guns

DSC_0819 Oh, that smile!

DSC_0834 The end of a hike, with some tired kiddos.  And the end of our beach vacation, a good time was had by all!