Today I am glad that...

• We now have pillowcases that match our duvet cover. I keep walking into our bedroom to admire them.
• The weather is cooler than it was yesterday. Not that yesterday was that hot. It's just that me and the extra twenty pounds I am carrying around really thought so.
• The extra twenty pounds I am am carrying around is because I am pregnant, and that this little girl kicks me constantly to remind me of that.
• When I asked W1 if he was excited to go to preschool tomorrow, he said "Yes!" instead of his usual "No, Mom, I can't.". Perhaps it is only because there is a fun field trip planned for tomorrow, but I am glad, nonetheless.
• We have some very absorbant towels to mop up the excessive amounts of water on the floor when L1 finishes his bath. "The water stays in the tub!" makes no impression on an 18 month old.
• People write books for me to read and therefore forget all about things like laundry and peanut butter that needs to be scrubbed off the underside of the table.
• Saturday I am headed to NYC for a girl's weekend. Yay!

Cape Cod

After our two days in Boston, we spent another two days on Cape Cod with Grandma Donee and Grandpa Guy.

One day we took a ferry from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard and spent the afternoon wandering around seaside villages and making the trek to this lighthouse:


It was a bit of a hike, but when we got tired we put L1 to work pushing the stroller.


The second day was spent touring the Cape and enjoying the beach:


On our drive back to Rochester, we took the scenic route through Newport, Rhode Island. There we admired (from afar) the many mansions built during the Gilded Age. We also stumbled across many a small rocky inlet perfect for anchoring the sailboat of R1's dreams.


At one point while driving, L1 was pointing at something and saying "apple". I'm not sure what he was pointing at, but it wasn't an apple. W1 said "No L1, it's not an apple." L1 kept repeating "apple" over and over, and W1 became quite frustrated, almost to the point of tears. From the driver's seat, I found all this quite funny. It also illustrates how too much time in the car and staying up late can have quite an effect...

Boston

We spent the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend enjoying the lovely city of Boston.

I'll let W1 be your tour guide:


Boston greeted us with gorgeous weather, beautiful architecture,


salty air, fresh seafood,


a wonderful aquarium,


great parks,


and oodles of history.

We discovered that Boston is a place where we could definitely spend more time. So, someone needs to move there, buy a spacious house with plenty of room for guests, and let us stay as long as we want. Anyone?

The NY State Fair

A few days before we left for our Labor Day trip to Boston, we spent an evening at the New York State Fair. Our time there was a little short, so we didn't have a chance to do everything, but we did hit the highlights:

The Rainbow Milk Bar with it's 25 cent cups of ice cold chocolate milk is where we headed first.


Also in the dairy building we admired the butter sculpture and bought our bag of delicious smoked squeaky cheese. From there, we listened to some drum playing in the African village, and watched an antique tractor parade (which had W1 and L1 riveted).

For dinner, we ate baked potatoes.


And set off to admire the animals.


The poultry barn was W1's favorite. (And where R1 pointed out the chicks for sale for only $2! But we resisted.)


After grabbing more chocolate milk and some fried dough for R1, we were homeward bound, with our fair experience shelf fully stocked.

Enough to last us until next summer.

This is what you get...

...when you put 6 tomato plants in your garden, and then Mother Nature conspires against you to begin to ripen the tomatoes the day before you leave for a long holiday weekend.



The result?

Frantic late night tomato canning, many tomatoes to give away, and extra snacks for the squirrels.

How I know we are a little strange

First of all:

Last Friday evening, W1 and L1 seemed to have more abundant energy than usual. So, we decided to entertain them by building a fire in our fireplace, roasting marshmallows, and having s'mores.


Stuffing their little bodies to the brim with sugar.


Right before bedtime.

(Sometimes we don't think things all the way through.)



Secondly:

On Saturday, R1 and I finally went out on a date. Our activity? A cooking class where we learned how to correctly grill flank steak.

(actually really fun and we learned a lot, but not your typical date, per se.)


And finally:

Yesterday W1 was helping me to clean the storm door. The following conversation ensued:

K1: Look W1, there is a fly on the other side of the window.

W1: I want to eat it.

K1: What? No, that would be gross.

W1: No, mom, it's not gross, it's spicy.



See? Our children are turning out a little bit strange, as well.

Success!

A Saturday in pictures

At Stony Brook State Park.



We had perfect weather and an all together beautiful day.



The park was really busy and there were lots of people hiking and swimming. But, with some careful editing, I managed to cut all of the scantily-clad women out of our photos.



You're welcome.

(Because, really, how can you hike in a bikini? Swim, sure. But hike?)