Fall Decorations

So, we're decorating for fall right now. Construction paper bats in the windows, witch hat on my welcome girl statue,

fall foliage and all that other fun stuff. Jake has a different idea of what the kids will be okay with than I do. Kind of funny-creepy

or
scare them silly.

Johnny Appleseed Day

We're always looking for a reason to celebrate or eat. Yesterday was Jonny Appleseed's birthday, so we seized the opportunity to wear red (as did every other kindergartener at Tate's school) and eat apples. (Jake likes them best in pie form.)

What a day

I had every intention of posting this weekend. Lucy got sick. Miles got sick. The car door broke and we have to climb in through the front. It rained. Lucy got steriods and turned into a raving lunatic. Miles stayed sick. I got a migraine. Jake went to work with Lucy's car seat this morning. Tate got stung by a bee at school and had to be picked up early. (walking, thank you very much, because no car seat!) The migraine lingers and Lucy raves on. Sorry, no pictures.

Inability to cross the midline

Tate's teacher cornered me on the playground after school one day. She said, "Hey, Tate has problems crossing the midline." I thought this was teacher slang for "He beat up some kid and we don't abide by violence in our school, so he's kicked out forever." Turns out I was a little wrong. It was only the 5th or 6th day and his teacher somehow figured out that he has a slight learning disability. He can't cross from one side of his brain to the other in one fluid motion. To make a "T", he makes the down line then starting at the top of that line, he'll make half the top line, come back to the middle, and draw the other half of the top line. Same with an "X". He'll make four little lines that meet in the middle, but not one side to the other. I hadn't ever heard of such a thing, but she assured me he definitely had it and told me how to work on it. Within a week of her working with him (I think the school's occupational therapist worked with him a time or two too.) and him doing exercises at home, the difference is amazing. This boy, who would only lift a pencil under extreme duress, draws ALL the time! He's filled 2 notebooks with drawings and is well into the 3rd. He's late for school because we catch him drawing instead of getting ready. He begs to stay up late and draw and tries to get me to let him draw during meals. His teacher says he's doing great. Well, he's doing great with drawing. Apparently all helpers (mommies, vollunteers, etc.) in that class have to be told ahead of time to only ask specific questions to Tate. Any open ended questions lead to hour long speeches on whatever happens to be flying through his amazing brain. From one side to the other, thanks to a wonderful teacher!

Scary Larry climbs now!

That's right, this one is part monkey too. I blame Jake. Not sure why, but this is definitely his fault. Lucy has a porcelain tea set that Miley's not allowed to play with. She keeps it up on that window ledge so as to protect it from the greasy mitts of Miles. We've got to find a new spot now.

Cheetos?! You have Cheetos?!

Little Red Lighthouse

We went to the Little Red Lighthouse yesterday! There's this little red lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge in NY,


and every year they have a fantastic little party for it. There's a book about it that Dr. Ruth came and read to everyone. We rode the subway from the Boyle's home

and then walked (a lot!) down to the park. For the kids, there was free face painting, puppet shows and hay rides.


Vendors came and sold yummy food and artisans showed how to make their bizzare crafts (necklaces made out of clam shell beads, purses made with porcupine quills, and all sorts of other stuff. We brought a picnic lunch to eat on the grass

and Miles was as good as gold

until we were on the shuttle (we wimped out and decided to be lazy) to go back. The kids enjoyed all of it except maybe the long walk there. Lucy and Petra wanted to be butterflies



but it was really hard for these to squirly three year olds not to scratch while the itchy paint dried.

Tate was a ferocious tiger

and Charlie's dad made him into a dinosaur that would scare anyone (and did!). All the kids were good and on the way home, we got to scare everyone on the subway!

Strange little girl

Lucy has a bizarre request every time I put a clip in her hair. She wants it to "hang just a little."

Summer's almost over

Every place I've lived for the last 20 years, summer is something to be endured. With the exception of a few nice days in California, fall is looked forward to like the light at the end of a tunnel. This is the first year I've actually ENJOYED the summer and don't really want it to end. We have gone to my grandma's beach house several times, gone to the beach near us at least once a week, many times more than that, and played in our backyard for hours at a time. This morning we woke up and it was 47 degrees outside! I like fall still, but our playing outside days are numbered and I'm a little sad about it. (My Arizona family, however, is very excited to say adios to the 100's and 90's!)

We forgot Miley's swimsuit one day, but he didn't seem to mind. He tasted every rock on this beach.

I cannot get that hair of hers to behave.

Gull Pond in Greenport right after the hurricane.

I wish I could run in a swimsuit and have not a worry in the world!

Granny's back porch!

Miles loves his chair because he can watch his favorite comedian, Tate.

Lucy got all "dressed up" to meet Tate after his first day of school. They were very happy to see one another.

Lucy and I get to stop in at the tiny library every day on the way to pick up Tate from school to pick out 5 books and a movie for the next day. Our most recent favorite book is Milo's Hat Trick.

The swing in our backyard is my new favorite spot. We got it at Wally World in Texas at the very end of summer, so it was dirt cheap! Yes, that's my giant unpedicured foot.

Lucy and Tate were fighting over who's turn it was in the toy car. Lucy's just a little bit faster and more wiley so she made it in, but Tate made sure she couldn't enjoy it.

Puppet Shows

Tate and Lucy are loving to put on puppet shows lately. Lucy's usually involve singing, dancing, and a happy ending. Tate's usually include fighting, stealing, death and evil villain laughter. One of my children is destined to be a playwrite, the other an inmate.

Mommy's little helper

Miles has finally graduated from that stage where they need held and fed and burped and rocked to that stage where they need muzzled and locked up. No wonder I'm so tired! (all those shoes were in the box and the cereal was in a baggie in my purse.)

One of life's cruel little jokes

I remember lying in bed one night when I was about 10, listing to my parents upstairs (my brothers and I were forced to sleep in the basement of all places!) playing trivial pursuit with their friends. I was really angry because 7:30 was way too early for a 10 year old girl to go to bed, especially one as smart and grown up as I was. As I lay there, fuming, full of 10-year old indignation, I thought, "When I'm a grown up, I'm going to stay up as late as I want every night!"
Twenty years later, as I sit surrounded by mountains of laundry and dirty dishes and sharing time lessons and PTA forms and bathroom cleaning supplies, the most lovely thing I can think of would be going to bed every night at 8:00, and I often think, "Oh, how lucky my kids are because they can go to bed at 7:30."

Gone Fishing

We went fishing at a park in Darien (a 10 minute drive) with Landon and Jacob and had a blast! Jesse (Landon and Jacob's dad) caught a fish and we saw 4 deer run right in front of us across the grass.

Tate wasn't too keen on having his picture taken because I might scare the fish, but he did let his little sister fish with him. She was quiet as a mouse.



It's hard to be modest in a skirt!

Lucy and Landon kept telling me they were looking for stars. I tried to explain the whole no-stars-out-until-dark thing but they didn't believe me.

Alisino the Magnificant!

With just a wave of my magic wand (sponge) I will transform this slimey pile of filth into a bright and shiny little boy.
Ala-ka-zam!
Ta Da!