I don't normally post about me, or just me anyway, but I wanted to share how I spent this past Saturday.
Last fall, I was making visits with a colleague in Durham. We had time to kill, so I suggested we visit a yarn store, Cozy. She browsed the clothes and gifty items section while I found some beautiful bamboo yarn in that section. When she realized how interested I was in knitting, she suggested I meet a friend of hers who is also a knitter. She introduced and we became ravelry friends. (That's an online community of knitters who share patterns, notes on yarn, etc.)
Well, Barbara (my new ravelry friend) was having a birthday and her amazing husband, Ed, contacted a woman she had met at SAFF. (Back in October both Barbara and I went to SAFF, the Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival, in Asheville. I was there with a work friend and had no idea Barbara was there.) Barbara had taken a class with an amazing knitter, writer, and pattern designer named Kathleen Taylor. Ed must have gotten an earful about how fantastic the class was and how much she loved Kathi because he decided to fly Kathi out here (from South Dakota!) for a day of knitting. Ed knew that Barbara had this ravelry friend...he tracked me down and the next thing I knew I was committed to spending the entire day with them and some of Barbara's other knitting friends. Wow!
We had an incredible day. In fact, Kathi sums it up better than I could. And her description comes with pictures, so check out her blog post about Saturday. We dyed yarn, stabbed roving with super-sharp needles, ate, laughed, knitted, asked questions, and ate some more. It was so much fun!
While I was in knitting nirvana, Mat took the boys to see barber Dan, went to the grocery store, and took them outside to play with a couple of the neighborhood kids. It sounds like everyone had a great Saturday!
Sunday was a rainy, lazy day. Gage was running a low temperature during the day (that was 103.8 at bed time) but he was in a pretty good mood all day, not too clingy or fussy. He's home today with Mat since his temp was between 100 and 101 this morning. According to Mat, he's happy and playing like a kid with no temp.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Gagey speaks
We've been thinking a lot about Gagey's language development. We're convinced that Braeden talked more at this age than Gage. But we figure Braeden had more encouragement from us as first-time parents to talk. And Braeden didn't have an older brother who never shuts up, so he had lots of chances to talk and practice his new words that Gage doesn't have.
Because one parent is obsessive and the other likes lists, we started a list on the fridge of Gage's words. I figured it was about time we shared that list...so, in no particular order, here we go:
1. mama/mommy
2. mouse
3. dog
4. bus
5. truck
6. duck
7. cat
8. bye-bye
9. off
10. owl
11. cookie (or cook-cook)
12. cracker
13. cheese
14. shoes
15. socks
16. blocks
17. out
18. door
19. put
20. that
21. hi
22. eyes
23. nose
24. mouth
25. ball
26. baby
27. dishes
28. hot
29. uh-oh
30. hat
31. poop
32. ice
33. yea!!
34. apple
35. moon
36. ta da
37. ho ho
38. applesauce
39. fish
40. this
41. yes
42. no
43. daddy
44. choo choo
45. snowball
He's also gotten better at putting together some words into phrases like bye-bye cat or hi guys. When we ask him if he wants something to drink, we get a big nod and a smile instead of a yes usually. If he doesn't want what we're offering, he shakes his head and says no. When he wants to know what something is (which is all the time, he'll point to it and say this.
One of my favorite things he does is make animal sounds. He knows that cows moo, sheep say baaa, frogs say ribbit, dogs bark, cats meow, wolves howl, ducks quack, lions roar, owls say who, and mouses say me me me in a really high-pitched voice.
Because one parent is obsessive and the other likes lists, we started a list on the fridge of Gage's words. I figured it was about time we shared that list...so, in no particular order, here we go:
1. mama/mommy
2. mouse
3. dog
4. bus
5. truck
6. duck
7. cat
8. bye-bye
9. off
10. owl
11. cookie (or cook-cook)
12. cracker
13. cheese
14. shoes
15. socks
16. blocks
17. out
18. door
19. put
20. that
21. hi
22. eyes
23. nose
24. mouth
25. ball
26. baby
27. dishes
28. hot
29. uh-oh
30. hat
31. poop
32. ice
33. yea!!
34. apple
35. moon
36. ta da
37. ho ho
38. applesauce
39. fish
40. this
41. yes
42. no
43. daddy
44. choo choo
45. snowball
He's also gotten better at putting together some words into phrases like bye-bye cat or hi guys. When we ask him if he wants something to drink, we get a big nod and a smile instead of a yes usually. If he doesn't want what we're offering, he shakes his head and says no. When he wants to know what something is (which is all the time, he'll point to it and say this.
One of my favorite things he does is make animal sounds. He knows that cows moo, sheep say baaa, frogs say ribbit, dogs bark, cats meow, wolves howl, ducks quack, lions roar, owls say who, and mouses say me me me in a really high-pitched voice.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Forbidden fruit
Gage did the silliest thing the other night. Mat immediately told me it had to go on the blog. And he was right!
After dinner one night, Braeden asked me for a piece of gum. We almost always have gumballs or gummy squares (chiclet-type squares in different flavors), but we got down to the flavors he doesn't like and threw them all away. All I had was some gum in my purse. It's not a flavor Braeden really likes, but he wanted gum so he was willing to compromise.
We went into the living room together and I got the gum out of my purse, opened the package and gave him a piece. Gagey whined about wanting one but I explained he's too little for gum. I went back into the kitchen and left the boys watching cartoons.
A few minutes later, Gage came into the kitchen and threw something away. We didn't think too much of it...he's a good little helper and likes to pick up and throw junk away.
He wandered back in a couple minutes later and I heard Mat ask him what was in his mouth. I turned and noticed him chewing on something. I tried sticking my finger in his mouth but he clamped his teeth down. But I could smell the gum, so I forced my finger in and grabbed it out of his mouth.
That kid had gone into my purse, found the package, opened it, taken one stick out, unwrapped it, put the package back in my purse, thrown the wrapper away in the garbage, and was very happily chewing on a piece of gum.
Cute, but naughty too. :)
After dinner one night, Braeden asked me for a piece of gum. We almost always have gumballs or gummy squares (chiclet-type squares in different flavors), but we got down to the flavors he doesn't like and threw them all away. All I had was some gum in my purse. It's not a flavor Braeden really likes, but he wanted gum so he was willing to compromise.
We went into the living room together and I got the gum out of my purse, opened the package and gave him a piece. Gagey whined about wanting one but I explained he's too little for gum. I went back into the kitchen and left the boys watching cartoons.
A few minutes later, Gage came into the kitchen and threw something away. We didn't think too much of it...he's a good little helper and likes to pick up and throw junk away.
He wandered back in a couple minutes later and I heard Mat ask him what was in his mouth. I turned and noticed him chewing on something. I tried sticking my finger in his mouth but he clamped his teeth down. But I could smell the gum, so I forced my finger in and grabbed it out of his mouth.
That kid had gone into my purse, found the package, opened it, taken one stick out, unwrapped it, put the package back in my purse, thrown the wrapper away in the garbage, and was very happily chewing on a piece of gum.
Cute, but naughty too. :)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Halloween
Well, this one has been a long time coming!!
Braeden was a fireman for Christmas this year. We found the costume at Costco and bought it incredibly early as we were worried it would sell out if we waited. Braeden loved it. He hates trying on new clothes and is not crazy about hats, but he was thrilled to put this on Halloween night.
But just because he got dressed right away didn't mean he was prepared to cooperate on all fronts. He did not want his picture taken, so this was the first shot of him I got.
After his initial refusal, he cooperated enough that I could take a few more.
It's almost like he's daring me to take his picture in this one.
For all that Braeden loved his costume, Gage hated his. Just as Braeden was the year he was two, Gage was a duck this year. He was incredibly miserable when I first put the costume on him (just like Braeden was three years ago). He mellowed out when we finally got outside and even got into the fun of trick or treating after a little bit. But the only pictures I could get were of him crying and carrying on.
It was getting dark, so the photos outside aren't the best. But I love this one of him walking. He just looks so little. The thing that finally really calmed him down was getting a couple pieces of candy. The whole night he walked around with a 3 Musketeers clutched in one hand and a Snickers in the other. He would not let them go. By the time we pried them out of his hands so he could have his bath, they had lost all the physical properties of candy bars. Needless to say, I threw them right away when he wasn't looking!
This was the first year I think Halloween really worked in our neighborhood. On our street, there are three other families with little kids. Michelle and Shaler are our neighbors two doors down, and they have a daughter named Kendall who is four months younger than Gage. She's a beautiful little girl with blond curls. Shaler was on his way back from somewhere, so Michelle and Kendall went out with the four of us.
We went to the houses on our street then walked around the block. When we got to the street behind ours, it was packed with families. Kids in costume, some being pulled in wagons, dogs on leashes (always an issue with Braeden), and one family being chauffeured around in a golf cart (so lazy!). It felt like we were part of a community. I loved it!
Braeden was a fireman for Christmas this year. We found the costume at Costco and bought it incredibly early as we were worried it would sell out if we waited. Braeden loved it. He hates trying on new clothes and is not crazy about hats, but he was thrilled to put this on Halloween night.
But just because he got dressed right away didn't mean he was prepared to cooperate on all fronts. He did not want his picture taken, so this was the first shot of him I got.
After his initial refusal, he cooperated enough that I could take a few more.
It's almost like he's daring me to take his picture in this one.
For all that Braeden loved his costume, Gage hated his. Just as Braeden was the year he was two, Gage was a duck this year. He was incredibly miserable when I first put the costume on him (just like Braeden was three years ago). He mellowed out when we finally got outside and even got into the fun of trick or treating after a little bit. But the only pictures I could get were of him crying and carrying on.
It was getting dark, so the photos outside aren't the best. But I love this one of him walking. He just looks so little. The thing that finally really calmed him down was getting a couple pieces of candy. The whole night he walked around with a 3 Musketeers clutched in one hand and a Snickers in the other. He would not let them go. By the time we pried them out of his hands so he could have his bath, they had lost all the physical properties of candy bars. Needless to say, I threw them right away when he wasn't looking!
This was the first year I think Halloween really worked in our neighborhood. On our street, there are three other families with little kids. Michelle and Shaler are our neighbors two doors down, and they have a daughter named Kendall who is four months younger than Gage. She's a beautiful little girl with blond curls. Shaler was on his way back from somewhere, so Michelle and Kendall went out with the four of us.
We went to the houses on our street then walked around the block. When we got to the street behind ours, it was packed with families. Kids in costume, some being pulled in wagons, dogs on leashes (always an issue with Braeden), and one family being chauffeured around in a golf cart (so lazy!). It felt like we were part of a community. I loved it!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Life
I'm trying to ease back into blogging...I think that makes it sound like I was overdoing it and my loved ones had to stage an intervention. And we all know it's just the opposite for me.
Braeden and Gage have become obsessed with the few beanie babies I have. It started with Braeden and the elephant, Trumpet. Then he had to have a sandy-colored bear named Almond. Gage fell in love with the black labrador. There's also a pug that sometimes gets called into action. Those beanie babies are in addition to the 72,000 other animals Braeden insists on sleeping with. Each time he adds someone new to the mix, Mat and I try to edit one out so there will always be room for him in his bed. The best part about it is watching him with the animals. He is so careful and loving with them. He carries them very gently in his arms as he comes down the stairs or brings them into my room at night to snuggle. And Gage is very cute with the black lab. He tucks it up under his arm and toddles around with it. But when he gets bored with it, he just throws it on the ground. But God forbid Braeden should pick it up. Suddenly Gage is all over it again! Mat keeps saying he understands why parents buy two identical toys just to keep the kids from arguing about the thing. He's probably said it four or five times lately so I think you can imagine the scenes we've witnessed when both boys want to play with the same thing at the same time.
Speaking of playing, another favorite game involves pulling all the pillows off our living room furniture and piling them up on the floor. Braeden likes to jump off the chair onto them and I've been trying to train him NOT to do it if Gage is laying on the pillows. In their calmer moods they like to lie on the pillows and under the blankets I keep on the couch. This past weekend Braeden was completely covered by one of the blankets and Gage plopped down right on top of him. Without thinking, Braeden sat up and pushed him off which made Gage topple backward. He bumped his head into the edge of our entertainment center. You just knew it was going to be a bad one. He started screaming immediately and there was an instantaneous bump when he'd hit his head. Poor kid! He seems to have recovered pretty quickly. But of course I panicked that the kid was going to have some kind of head trauma. I put a bag of peas on it (nope, no flexible ice packs in this house). And he was fine. Just like Mat said he would be.
Then he came home yesterday with bite marks on his arm. The same kid bit him twice in about five minutes time. The first time it was over a toy that they were "sharing" and the second time happened while Bitey McBiterson was in timeout. Apparently Gage who seems not to have a mean bone in his body (seriously, where did this kid come from??) went over to Bitey in timeout wanting to play with him again. I really wish the day care would name names. You only find out who the biters and hitters are if you happen to be picking up at the same time as the offender's parents are there.
Braeden's doing great at school. He hasn't had a bad day in a very long time. In fact, there was a day a couple of weeks ago when he was the only good kid in his room. Which is not to say he doesn't act up at home sometimes. He is one dramatic kid. Or melodramatic, I'm not sure which is more accurate. And of course we think he's brilliant. :) I had Mat bring home a big stack of post-its; I wrote the names of things on them and we taped them all over the downstairs so he could get used to seeing how words are spelled. I'm not sure yet that he's really paying too much attention to them but I'm pretty sure one day he'll surprise me by spelling something from a post-it. His handwriting is pretty good, too. He gets his lowercase b's and d's confused sometimes, but otherwise he's doing well.
He still likes telling riddles...what's blue, really fast, and sounds like this (brrrrrrr)? If you guessed daddy's new car you'd be wrong. Or at least last night you would be. Last night the answer to that riddle was Bill's car. (Bill is our neighbor and he has a blue Nissan Z.) He also likes hearing stories about the house I grew up in in Rhinebeck, especially a certain story about a dog who got stuck in our pool. Last night I told him to ask MeMa and P-Pa about it when we see them next. I'm pretty sure he'll remember. He's good like that. He remembers EVERYTHING!
Maybe with all this writing out of the way, tonight I'll get around to posting the pictures I've taken over the past few weeks. I said maybe, right?? You can't hold me to that. :)
Braeden and Gage have become obsessed with the few beanie babies I have. It started with Braeden and the elephant, Trumpet. Then he had to have a sandy-colored bear named Almond. Gage fell in love with the black labrador. There's also a pug that sometimes gets called into action. Those beanie babies are in addition to the 72,000 other animals Braeden insists on sleeping with. Each time he adds someone new to the mix, Mat and I try to edit one out so there will always be room for him in his bed. The best part about it is watching him with the animals. He is so careful and loving with them. He carries them very gently in his arms as he comes down the stairs or brings them into my room at night to snuggle. And Gage is very cute with the black lab. He tucks it up under his arm and toddles around with it. But when he gets bored with it, he just throws it on the ground. But God forbid Braeden should pick it up. Suddenly Gage is all over it again! Mat keeps saying he understands why parents buy two identical toys just to keep the kids from arguing about the thing. He's probably said it four or five times lately so I think you can imagine the scenes we've witnessed when both boys want to play with the same thing at the same time.
Speaking of playing, another favorite game involves pulling all the pillows off our living room furniture and piling them up on the floor. Braeden likes to jump off the chair onto them and I've been trying to train him NOT to do it if Gage is laying on the pillows. In their calmer moods they like to lie on the pillows and under the blankets I keep on the couch. This past weekend Braeden was completely covered by one of the blankets and Gage plopped down right on top of him. Without thinking, Braeden sat up and pushed him off which made Gage topple backward. He bumped his head into the edge of our entertainment center. You just knew it was going to be a bad one. He started screaming immediately and there was an instantaneous bump when he'd hit his head. Poor kid! He seems to have recovered pretty quickly. But of course I panicked that the kid was going to have some kind of head trauma. I put a bag of peas on it (nope, no flexible ice packs in this house). And he was fine. Just like Mat said he would be.
Then he came home yesterday with bite marks on his arm. The same kid bit him twice in about five minutes time. The first time it was over a toy that they were "sharing" and the second time happened while Bitey McBiterson was in timeout. Apparently Gage who seems not to have a mean bone in his body (seriously, where did this kid come from??) went over to Bitey in timeout wanting to play with him again. I really wish the day care would name names. You only find out who the biters and hitters are if you happen to be picking up at the same time as the offender's parents are there.
Braeden's doing great at school. He hasn't had a bad day in a very long time. In fact, there was a day a couple of weeks ago when he was the only good kid in his room. Which is not to say he doesn't act up at home sometimes. He is one dramatic kid. Or melodramatic, I'm not sure which is more accurate. And of course we think he's brilliant. :) I had Mat bring home a big stack of post-its; I wrote the names of things on them and we taped them all over the downstairs so he could get used to seeing how words are spelled. I'm not sure yet that he's really paying too much attention to them but I'm pretty sure one day he'll surprise me by spelling something from a post-it. His handwriting is pretty good, too. He gets his lowercase b's and d's confused sometimes, but otherwise he's doing well.
He still likes telling riddles...what's blue, really fast, and sounds like this (brrrrrrr)? If you guessed daddy's new car you'd be wrong. Or at least last night you would be. Last night the answer to that riddle was Bill's car. (Bill is our neighbor and he has a blue Nissan Z.) He also likes hearing stories about the house I grew up in in Rhinebeck, especially a certain story about a dog who got stuck in our pool. Last night I told him to ask MeMa and P-Pa about it when we see them next. I'm pretty sure he'll remember. He's good like that. He remembers EVERYTHING!
Maybe with all this writing out of the way, tonight I'll get around to posting the pictures I've taken over the past few weeks. I said maybe, right?? You can't hold me to that. :)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
So much to say
I know it's been a long time since I posted when Mat complains about it. I've got no excuse. I guess we've just been living our lives, going about our business, not that there hasn't been a lot of cuteness that I ought to be chronicling. It just hasn't made it from life to the blog, I guess.
He loves playing under the sewing cabinet. Where's Gage?
Let me try to do a quick recap of the last month...
Gage is (finally) starting to say a few things. He loves trucks and calls them guck. He also points to ducks but again, guck. He's been saying cat for a while. Or dat and pointing at the cat. He's been waving forever but he just started saying bye bye when he does it. So cute! He says shoes which comes out more like sues. This weekend we got him saying cracker, more like cra-cka really, and cookie. When we see a dog, he'll say doe. He's been saying ball (baa) for a while now. I think that might be it for now. I'd love to get him saying Braeden or whatever form of that he could get out. I think Braeden would love to tell people Gage can say his name.
I went into the living room the other night to check on the boys. They were watching cartoons, very quietly and peacefully. And this is how I found Gage.
I love his sweet face!
We've got a new-ish bed time routine with Gage. Mat does the bath then it's "go find mommy" time. Gage comes naked to the top of the stairs and Braeden and I go up to see him. Gage waits until he knows we're coming up then he takes off into Braeden's room. Braeden goes after him and pats his belly while saying fat baby. He heads back downstairs to watch more cartoons and I stay upstairs. We get Gage into his PJs and brush his teeth then he and I head into his bedroom to read books. He has several favorites that we have to read. Dear Zoo was a gift from Emily to Braeden way back when and it continues to be a hit in our house. He also loves Goodnight Moon 123, a counting book. It's how he learned that socks go on your feet and mittens go on your hands. He really likes a book about opposites that was a gift from Abi for Braeden. It has flaps that open up to new pictures. She also gave us a board book called Rainbow Fish that Gage adores. After we've read our books, I tell him to get his pacci. He climbs up on Nanny's chair and gets one off the bookcase. I pick him and carry him over so that he can turn off his light. Then it's over to the crib where he picks up his lovey. I pull the pacci out of his mouth so he can give me a kiss then it's into the crib. He is still so good about bed time. He goes right down and never makes a peep.
Mat got a new car that he absolutely loves, a MazdaSpeed 3. It's fast, a little loud, an incredibly bright (and some might say garish) shade of blue, and so much fun to drive! I got a hair cut and have been knitting, knitting, knitting.
And watching tennis. The US Open is my favorite of the Slams. I adore watching night matches under the lights. I love the play on hard courts. And typically, I love watching my favorite American men kick butt. Not this year though. Andy Roddick and James Blake lost on the same day, depressingly enough. My other favorites went out around the same time. I've been forced to pay attention to players I don't normally notice. There's a 17-year-old girl from Georgia who's beating big names (like Maria Sharapova). She's been fun. I rediscovered a guy I've liked in previous tournaments, Juan Martin Del Potro. And the Bryan Brothers playing doubles. They are just so much fun to watch! Apparently me typing that jinxed them...and they're out!
I updated Braeden's blog too, so check it out!
He loves playing under the sewing cabinet. Where's Gage?
Let me try to do a quick recap of the last month...
Gage is (finally) starting to say a few things. He loves trucks and calls them guck. He also points to ducks but again, guck. He's been saying cat for a while. Or dat and pointing at the cat. He's been waving forever but he just started saying bye bye when he does it. So cute! He says shoes which comes out more like sues. This weekend we got him saying cracker, more like cra-cka really, and cookie. When we see a dog, he'll say doe. He's been saying ball (baa) for a while now. I think that might be it for now. I'd love to get him saying Braeden or whatever form of that he could get out. I think Braeden would love to tell people Gage can say his name.
I went into the living room the other night to check on the boys. They were watching cartoons, very quietly and peacefully. And this is how I found Gage.
I love his sweet face!
We've got a new-ish bed time routine with Gage. Mat does the bath then it's "go find mommy" time. Gage comes naked to the top of the stairs and Braeden and I go up to see him. Gage waits until he knows we're coming up then he takes off into Braeden's room. Braeden goes after him and pats his belly while saying fat baby. He heads back downstairs to watch more cartoons and I stay upstairs. We get Gage into his PJs and brush his teeth then he and I head into his bedroom to read books. He has several favorites that we have to read. Dear Zoo was a gift from Emily to Braeden way back when and it continues to be a hit in our house. He also loves Goodnight Moon 123, a counting book. It's how he learned that socks go on your feet and mittens go on your hands. He really likes a book about opposites that was a gift from Abi for Braeden. It has flaps that open up to new pictures. She also gave us a board book called Rainbow Fish that Gage adores. After we've read our books, I tell him to get his pacci. He climbs up on Nanny's chair and gets one off the bookcase. I pick him and carry him over so that he can turn off his light. Then it's over to the crib where he picks up his lovey. I pull the pacci out of his mouth so he can give me a kiss then it's into the crib. He is still so good about bed time. He goes right down and never makes a peep.
Mat got a new car that he absolutely loves, a MazdaSpeed 3. It's fast, a little loud, an incredibly bright (and some might say garish) shade of blue, and so much fun to drive! I got a hair cut and have been knitting, knitting, knitting.
And watching tennis. The US Open is my favorite of the Slams. I adore watching night matches under the lights. I love the play on hard courts. And typically, I love watching my favorite American men kick butt. Not this year though. Andy Roddick and James Blake lost on the same day, depressingly enough. My other favorites went out around the same time. I've been forced to pay attention to players I don't normally notice. There's a 17-year-old girl from Georgia who's beating big names (like Maria Sharapova). She's been fun. I rediscovered a guy I've liked in previous tournaments, Juan Martin Del Potro. And the Bryan Brothers playing doubles. They are just so much fun to watch! Apparently me typing that jinxed them...and they're out!
I updated Braeden's blog too, so check it out!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Vacation
We spent last week in Rhinebeck with my parents. The drive up wasn't too terrible. I suppose if Mat was the one writing this blog, he might have something different to say. Braeden is really great at entertaining Gage which is a huge help. Mat packed each boy a bag of toys and books plus a couple of baggies of snacks to tide us over between stops. Three of us slept some in the early morning hours while Mat drove through Virginia. We had breakfast in Winchester, our usual stopping place, and lunch at Wegmans in Wilkes-Barre. We started stopping there a few trips ago and really, really like it. Mat and I are huge Wegmans fans since our college years in Geneva. If only they could open a few dozen stores in NC...we can dream, right??
Anyway, we had a great time in Rhinebeck. Abi and Jeremy came down Sunday for a cook-out. Jeremy paid Braeden a dollar to help him run things back and forth from the house to the grill. Bray was so proud to help Jeremy and especially proud of his dollar which he carried with him the entire time he was helping.
Abi came down again on Wednesday and went to Trader Joe's with mom, Braeden, and me. I like Trader Joe's, but mom and Abi are a little obsessed. Abi's list filled an entire piece of paper! I think I had more fun watching them shop than anything else. Braeden was happy to get little cups of TJ's version of cheerios and a couple packages of cinnamon letter cookies.
One day mom and I went to Tivoli to visit a yarn store I'd been dying to check out. Unfortunately I got the hours wrong so we just ended up having coffee and corn muffins at a weird, little grocery store/diner/coffee bar. Mat and I went back to Tivoli another night for dinner at a fun Mexican place. We drove mom's Miata and ate on the patio. The weather was beautiful, not too hot or humid with a great breeze. After dinner we drove down to Rhinecliff to sit by the river for a little bit. We watched a couple of guys launch out on the river in kayaks. Personally, I thought they were a little nuts but it looked like they did this a lot. It was so nice to get away together for the night, to enjoy a really great dinner, uninterrupted conversation, and a few minutes in one of my most favorite places.
We got out the inflatable pool and the boys played very happily in it for hours. Gage was so not into it at first. He screamed when I first put him in it. It took at least a couple of hours before P-Pa convinced him to get in it again. He was fine until he slipped and got wet up to his waist. But he really loved using mom's measuring cups to pour water onto himself, the grass, the bushes, and back into the pool. Braeden loved splashing and jumping in the water. He used the measuring cups and an old coffee can to make us food to eat and coffee to drink. And he really, really loved having squirt gun fights with my dad.
I didn't bring my camera so I have no pictures of our visit except for the one I took with my camera phone of Braeden in the pool. Mom took some pictures, so I'll have to wait until she e-mails me a few.
The only trouble we had was with Gagey sleeping. Either he didn't like his room or his crib, or maybe he was just off kilter being in a new place. I don't know. But he had serious trouble sleeping. He wouldn't settle down when I put him in the crib. Most nights (and nap times), mom or I would have to hold him and try to get him calmed down. He was perfectly content to fall asleep in our arms but would wake up the moment we made a move to put him in the crib. Most of the time he had to cry himself out before he could fall asleep. Poor kid.
The drive home was definitely rougher than the drive down. Gage was less thrilled to be in the car than he was on the way down. We made it, though. And as much as we enjoyed the visit, I think we were all glad to be home again.
Anyway, we had a great time in Rhinebeck. Abi and Jeremy came down Sunday for a cook-out. Jeremy paid Braeden a dollar to help him run things back and forth from the house to the grill. Bray was so proud to help Jeremy and especially proud of his dollar which he carried with him the entire time he was helping.
Abi came down again on Wednesday and went to Trader Joe's with mom, Braeden, and me. I like Trader Joe's, but mom and Abi are a little obsessed. Abi's list filled an entire piece of paper! I think I had more fun watching them shop than anything else. Braeden was happy to get little cups of TJ's version of cheerios and a couple packages of cinnamon letter cookies.
One day mom and I went to Tivoli to visit a yarn store I'd been dying to check out. Unfortunately I got the hours wrong so we just ended up having coffee and corn muffins at a weird, little grocery store/diner/coffee bar. Mat and I went back to Tivoli another night for dinner at a fun Mexican place. We drove mom's Miata and ate on the patio. The weather was beautiful, not too hot or humid with a great breeze. After dinner we drove down to Rhinecliff to sit by the river for a little bit. We watched a couple of guys launch out on the river in kayaks. Personally, I thought they were a little nuts but it looked like they did this a lot. It was so nice to get away together for the night, to enjoy a really great dinner, uninterrupted conversation, and a few minutes in one of my most favorite places.
We got out the inflatable pool and the boys played very happily in it for hours. Gage was so not into it at first. He screamed when I first put him in it. It took at least a couple of hours before P-Pa convinced him to get in it again. He was fine until he slipped and got wet up to his waist. But he really loved using mom's measuring cups to pour water onto himself, the grass, the bushes, and back into the pool. Braeden loved splashing and jumping in the water. He used the measuring cups and an old coffee can to make us food to eat and coffee to drink. And he really, really loved having squirt gun fights with my dad.
I didn't bring my camera so I have no pictures of our visit except for the one I took with my camera phone of Braeden in the pool. Mom took some pictures, so I'll have to wait until she e-mails me a few.
The only trouble we had was with Gagey sleeping. Either he didn't like his room or his crib, or maybe he was just off kilter being in a new place. I don't know. But he had serious trouble sleeping. He wouldn't settle down when I put him in the crib. Most nights (and nap times), mom or I would have to hold him and try to get him calmed down. He was perfectly content to fall asleep in our arms but would wake up the moment we made a move to put him in the crib. Most of the time he had to cry himself out before he could fall asleep. Poor kid.
The drive home was definitely rougher than the drive down. Gage was less thrilled to be in the car than he was on the way down. We made it, though. And as much as we enjoyed the visit, I think we were all glad to be home again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
