A's looking ahead to his next birthday (yes, it's a year away...). The theme (at least this week) might be Cats. A's favorite cat at the moment is Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat -- although based on how the CD just got reset, the Magical Mr. Mistoffelees may be giving the railway cat a run for the money.
Yes, we've broken out T.S. Elliot's Old Possum's Guide to Practical Cats in order to stave off multiple playings of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Fathers' Day Remembered
2010-06-20 Sunday
Happy Father's Day!
We went to Dutch Wonderland! Think Enchanted Forest. Think Disney. Think, electric powered, full-motion water cannons and Evil Five Year Olds.
M and J went on a quick coaster ride. It was fast enough that they got smooshed together on the curves, but not so fast that M didn't get sick. It was kind of too fast to be romantic.
M and J reconnected with Aunt M, Cousin D, and A back at the Frog Prince show. This was a diving show, featuring three guys in frog costumes leaping into a deep pool to Renaissance Knight Music. Insert Wicked Magician here, and obligatory splashing of the audience by a frog using the Old King as a target. Luckily, a quick fetal curl around the digital camera saved it.
Then we went to a portion of the park that provided Very Large Water Guns for small children to practice their marksmanship with. This place was an oasis of gushing opportunity for the wicked. While every song ever sung by The Beach Boys played. Loudly. "...Do you love me, do you, surfer girl..." Of course, A loved it; probably because he found another Evil Five Year Old, and they poured water on younger children.
We took many turns down water slides. Along the way out we stopped at various carnival rids. On the carousel, J tried to recapture the romance of the Playland Carousel with M, A insisted that his horse had gone the fastest, and M worked hard to not throw up.
When the day was over, A and Cousin D fell asleep leaning on each other in Aunt M's van (sorry no picture). They woke up twenty minutes later almost fully re-charged.
The evening ended back at Aunt M's, when J suggested that "Snap" would be a less violent card game than "Slapjack." He was wrong.
A was disappointed when we didn't go back to Dutche Wonderland the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that.
Happy Father's Day!
We went to Dutch Wonderland! Think Enchanted Forest. Think Disney. Think, electric powered, full-motion water cannons and Evil Five Year Olds.
M and J went on a quick coaster ride. It was fast enough that they got smooshed together on the curves, but not so fast that M didn't get sick. It was kind of too fast to be romantic.
M and J reconnected with Aunt M, Cousin D, and A back at the Frog Prince show. This was a diving show, featuring three guys in frog costumes leaping into a deep pool to Renaissance Knight Music. Insert Wicked Magician here, and obligatory splashing of the audience by a frog using the Old King as a target. Luckily, a quick fetal curl around the digital camera saved it.
Then we went to a portion of the park that provided Very Large Water Guns for small children to practice their marksmanship with. This place was an oasis of gushing opportunity for the wicked. While every song ever sung by The Beach Boys played. Loudly. "...Do you love me, do you, surfer girl..." Of course, A loved it; probably because he found another Evil Five Year Old, and they poured water on younger children.
We took many turns down water slides. Along the way out we stopped at various carnival rids. On the carousel, J tried to recapture the romance of the Playland Carousel with M, A insisted that his horse had gone the fastest, and M worked hard to not throw up.
When the day was over, A and Cousin D fell asleep leaning on each other in Aunt M's van (sorry no picture). They woke up twenty minutes later almost fully re-charged.
The evening ended back at Aunt M's, when J suggested that "Snap" would be a less violent card game than "Slapjack." He was wrong.
A was disappointed when we didn't go back to Dutche Wonderland the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that.
Friday, July 2, 2010
More East Cost Vacation...
2009-06-15 Tuesday
We (M, M, J and A) piled into a car and drove up to visit M, M, M & M at their new house at New Paltz. Last time we visited the house, it was mostly a shell around their old cabin. Now, it's mostly house around a Very Large Living Space. A loved the two trap doors in the floor and all of M and M's pirate toys.
The drive home featured 100,000 fireflies.
2009-06-16 Wednesday
We rented a car for a Big Road Trip to Virginia. We saw lots of toll booths. M had detailed instructions to his Brother, M's house. This was a good thing -- because who would have believed that M & J (and S & J) live just a couple of miles from the Walton's Museum (yes, as in "John-Boy").
As we drove in, the World's Biggest Thunderstorm blew in. M kept reminding me of the possibility that the river might flow over the final stretches of road. We pointed out the spooky haunted Southern mansions to A (for Sale!).
That night, as we were eating dinner, the electricity went out and we went to sleep to the quiet and the moonlight.
2010-06-17 Thursday.
The Virginia Relatives hosted us at their country house. We reacquainted ourselves with Mow the Chow (ancient) and a less older Shamus.
M set up the Monopoly board on the grass. And we had a few rounds. Uncle M dressed as Marvin (the) Garden(er). Aunt J wore beach wear as Mediterranean Avenue. Cousin J wore over-alls with a pillow tucked in and a long stem o grass in her mouth -- there was debate whether she was Virginia, Tennessee or North Carolina Ave. Boyfriend H dressed as Oriental Avenue, with a really cool Dragon Sword.
A wore his Mr Moneybags outfit, and promptly discovered that he was too warm. So I held an umbrella over his head to keep him from overheating.
We also had only one die, which added an extra dimension to getting doubles.
2010-06-18 Friday
J decided that it was too hot sleeping in the second story room, so at midnight he wandered downstairs to look at the stars (and pee). The screened in gazebo was available, and after re-arranging some futons, he fell asleep listening to the rushing water from Uncle M's fountain. And the night-sounds of distant dogs killing something.
A, M, and Uncle M went on an archeological dig, and J stayed inside, out of the bugs and sun, to write.
A, M and Uncle M returned about an hour later with a trophy from their dig -- an old cow skull. A thought it might be a triceratops skull. A showed me the teeth, which were a plant eater's teeth, and the place he thought the horns aught to go. M says that he was just playing along and that he knew it was a cow skull the entire time.
Probably somewhere around here is where A thought that "Camp M" was the greatest and that Uncle M was the coolest (East Coast) relative.
We (M, M, J and A) piled into a car and drove up to visit M, M, M & M at their new house at New Paltz. Last time we visited the house, it was mostly a shell around their old cabin. Now, it's mostly house around a Very Large Living Space. A loved the two trap doors in the floor and all of M and M's pirate toys.The drive home featured 100,000 fireflies.
2009-06-16 Wednesday
We rented a car for a Big Road Trip to Virginia. We saw lots of toll booths. M had detailed instructions to his Brother, M's house. This was a good thing -- because who would have believed that M & J (and S & J) live just a couple of miles from the Walton's Museum (yes, as in "John-Boy").
As we drove in, the World's Biggest Thunderstorm blew in. M kept reminding me of the possibility that the river might flow over the final stretches of road. We pointed out the spooky haunted Southern mansions to A (for Sale!).
That night, as we were eating dinner, the electricity went out and we went to sleep to the quiet and the moonlight.
2010-06-17 Thursday.The Virginia Relatives hosted us at their country house. We reacquainted ourselves with Mow the Chow (ancient) and a less older Shamus.
M set up the Monopoly board on the grass. And we had a few rounds. Uncle M dressed as Marvin (the) Garden(er). Aunt J wore beach wear as Mediterranean Avenue. Cousin J wore over-alls with a pillow tucked in and a long stem o grass in her mouth -- there was debate whether she was Virginia, Tennessee or North Carolina Ave. Boyfriend H dressed as Oriental Avenue, with a really cool Dragon Sword.
A wore his Mr Moneybags outfit, and promptly discovered that he was too warm. So I held an umbrella over his head to keep him from overheating.
We also had only one die, which added an extra dimension to getting doubles.
2010-06-18 Friday
J decided that it was too hot sleeping in the second story room, so at midnight he wandered downstairs to look at the stars (and pee). The screened in gazebo was available, and after re-arranging some futons, he fell asleep listening to the rushing water from Uncle M's fountain. And the night-sounds of distant dogs killing something.
A, M, and Uncle M went on an archeological dig, and J stayed inside, out of the bugs and sun, to write.
A, M and Uncle M returned about an hour later with a trophy from their dig -- an old cow skull. A thought it might be a triceratops skull. A showed me the teeth, which were a plant eater's teeth, and the place he thought the horns aught to go. M says that he was just playing along and that he knew it was a cow skull the entire time.
Probably somewhere around here is where A thought that "Camp M" was the greatest and that Uncle M was the coolest (East Coast) relative.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Stamp of Approval ?
We're back and we've unpacked and now it's time to write Thank You Notes.
Given that A has some pretty creative ideas about letter placement, J thought it would easier to make Thank You Notes if we used a stamp pad. So, after gluing some letters to a block, we now have a our very own stamp which reads "hank you," only as a mirror image.
Today's attempt at creating actual Thank You Letterhead featured some water color paints. J had a vague notion that A could use globs of colored paint to make individualized stamped Thank Yous. But. A) the paint was too globby and got all over the stamp, B) we didn't have an inking brayer, and C) A thought it would be best to paint the home-made stamp with hues of red and blue.
On to take two....
Given that A has some pretty creative ideas about letter placement, J thought it would easier to make Thank You Notes if we used a stamp pad. So, after gluing some letters to a block, we now have a our very own stamp which reads "hank you," only as a mirror image.
Today's attempt at creating actual Thank You Letterhead featured some water color paints. J had a vague notion that A could use globs of colored paint to make individualized stamped Thank Yous. But. A) the paint was too globby and got all over the stamp, B) we didn't have an inking brayer, and C) A thought it would be best to paint the home-made stamp with hues of red and blue.
On to take two....
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