August can only be described as a whirl wind. The weather gave us a break which renewed our enthusiasm for summertime activities like going to the beach, swimming, boating, picnicing, etc. and we worked extremely hard to squeeze all of those things in.
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| From August 2009 |
We had a very nice visit with Jacob and Jordan's grandparents from Florida. Grammi Alice and Bill Knapp stayed with us the better part of three weeks. This gave the kids lots of time to show off their 'real' selves - night & day. J&J loved greeting them in the morning, and kissing them before they went to bed. They showed off at swimming lessons, and got treated to ice cream in the park. Jacob spent the day with Bill, Mike Perry and Grammi Alice in Ogdensburg and he loved it. The report back was that he was a very well behaved little boy the whole day (Mommy wants to know why he can't be like that all the time!!) Grammi cooked for the kids several nights when I had to leave for meetings. This was a big help and I think everyone enjoyed the time together.
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| From August 2009 |
Simultaneous with Bill & Alice's visit, Stephen's campaign to run for office in his union local began to heat up. He is running as a trustee, on a slate of six other candidates. They are seeking a clean sweep of the incumbant administration. The decision to run was not made lightly, but once agreed he became 100% committed. I am helping where I can and offering support when asked. The guys were interested in utilizing the web to get the message out, so I helped set up a blog and email mailing list. If interested, you can check it out at www.membersforchange687.blogspot.com. Nominations occur on Sept 8 and campaigning goes on all month. The election is in October by mail in ballot. Wish us luck, as they are going to need it!
Our gardens took on a whole new look once we installed 7' 'deer gaurd' fencing. I think Stephen took pity, because he independantly went to Agway and spent $160 on the stuff. I was skeptical and not sure that was what we should do. But I have to say the stuff has been worth every penny. Granted it'll be a long time before we grow $160 worth of produce, but the fencing has kept the critters out and the plants have florished. With renewed interest, I planted several lettuces, radishes, & beets - in time for a Fall harvest, which should be really nice. I read an article by a local gardening expert in the past Sunday's paper, and she verified that this has been one of the worst gardening seasons on record. That somehow gave me comfort, and am looking forward to a fresh start (with the fences) next year.
Miss Jordan has begun to verbalize her interpretation of the world in her own words. It is simply amazing how many words she has in her vocabulary at 16 months old. New words come effortlessly for her, and very often she will use them on her own shortly after. She picks up words people say in conversation, and repeats them. You can speak to her in complex sentances and she understands what you are describing or instructing her to do. She also has a very strong desire to do what you ask. "Put this in the garbage" results in her walking over to the garbage can and making the deposit. Amazing! Definately a new experience for me! I just can't emphasize how taken aback we are with her language abilities. I've begun to note the words she is verbalizing in a list in the the right hand column. I'm going to try to add to it regularly in an effort to demonstrate the vast number of words in her vocabulary. Watch to see it grow!
Jacob is ready to start school. Both grammi's did their part by showering him with lots of back to school clothes. He is definately set with pants, shirts, socks, underpants, shoes, jackets and the rest. I got him the book bag. He is excited through and through. Today, we all went for orientation. He dove right in with much pent up enthusiasm. There was a hint of nervousness when the parents had to step out of the rooom for a meeting. But the teacher quickly diverted his attention, and I doubt he looked back. I don't know as I quickly turned my back so he wouldn't see my tears :(. I'm going to miss my little guy. We won't be the three musketeers at lunch time any more. I'm going to miss our days together with only our own schedules to keep. I was exhausted after today. Luckily, we have a few days off before he goes back. How are we going to do this day after day???
Ok, enough of that. Growing pains can be the pits. I know all you seasoned parents out there are thinking "this is only the beginning". I know you are right, it doesn't make it any easier!
We had a nice visit to Lockport marking the end of summer (getting it in before school started). The boys got to fish in grampi's pond which was a hoot. They were pulling in fish that were smaller than most household aquarium fish faster than they could worm a hook. It was great fun, and a real confidence booster. They loved it. They also took a paddle around the pond which was equally exciting. Everyone showered Jacob with birthday gifts, and Aunt Molly made him a beach themed birthday cake. This was great fun and everyone enjoyed it.
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| From August 2009 |
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| From August 2009 |
In September, I have Happy Birthdays for:
5 - Joey Barone (1st!)
12 - Jacob Perry
18 - Fisher Tiernan
24 - Sally Page
To view August's photo album click here!
Enjoy!
2 comments:
Laura-What a wonderful way to relive our vacation! All the pictures are great. Love the captions.
You think it is tough sending Jacob off to Pre-K? Wait until he decides to go 3000 miles away to college. The tears will flow freely at that time too. The good thing is we have the children to "laugh over" as well as "cry over". No one ever said being a parent is easy nor do kids come with a "SOP". It is all on the job training and probably the lowest paid but most rewarding job you will ever have.
Thanks for the reassurances. I'm sure we'll get through it. When they're born, you think the day they leave for school is really far away. It feels like yesterday!
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