Back to School!

I have a lot of summer left to write about. You know me well enough by now to know that it may or may not happen. I hope it does because there were a lot of lovely things in the second have of the summer. For now, though, I thought I'd give a quick update about Kindergarten. Duncan started a week ago, and things have been going well. Three of his friends from Little Professors are in his Kindergarten class, which helped the transition a lot. Each day I have asked him if he learned any of the other kids' names; each day he says he has not. Today, however, he told be he made a new (nameless) friend, and then I watched them walk into school together, hand-in-hand. He's enjoying the "specials" (art, physical education, music, library, and something called "project adventure"). He claims that he hasn't "learned" anything, but I'm not sure I trust that assessment. Tonight at dinner we were playing "what was your best thing that happened today" and "what was the worst." To the latter, Duncan responded "Nothing." I asked "So there was nothing today you didn't like?" "No," he reassured me. I think that's a great statement about how Kindergarten is going!

First day pictures:

Back in Time

It turned out that Old Sturbridge Village was a perfect place to spend the 4th of July. It felt right to be connected to the period when the Revolution occurred, and OSV provided many activities centered around the Revolution. Artillery demonstrations, a town parade (including a calf), an opportunity to purchase Independence Day Cake (it was not what you would think), and a reading of the Declaration of Independence supplemented the everyday exhibits provided at the museum.

We tried to hit some exhibits we didn't get to see on our last visit as well as some favorites. Much like our last visit, Duncan really enjoyed watching people make things. We had a nice talk with the tinsmith, who gave Duncan a biscuit cutter and assured me that the Revolution would not lead to a tin shortage because he would get it illegally from Canada, where it was cheaper anyway. The potter showed off his skills again (and I'm sure the picture I took of him this year is identical to the one I took two years ago). Duncan was mesmerized by the blacksmith. I suppose it was the fire; aren't we all drawn to it in some kind of primordial way? We thought with the dangers of blacksmithing that children wouldn't be involved, but we discovered that the blacksmith had an 11 year old apprentice, who was part of the OSV's summer program.

We took a horse drawn carriage ride (well, it wasn't a carriage, but I don't remember what it was called ; forgive me) and a boat ride across the pond and looked at the variety of ways the Colonists harnessed the river for transportation, carding wool, and sawing wood. It was difficult to drag Duncan away from the water pump; other than the boat ride, it probably had the longest line of anything at OSV as the children took turns splashing in the water and drinking it, to cries of parents who insisted "DON'T DRINK THAT!"

Of course, you can never predict what will and won't appeal to children. One of Duncan's favorite parts of the trip was our stay in the hotel. The novelty of the hotel, the pool, and the free continental breakfast (complete with waffles) enticed him like a trip to a 4 star resort. "Look, this hotel even has a safe!" I think he was sadder to leave the hotel than to leave the Village, but we all had a great time, and Jamie and I were reassured enough that we could survive a night in a hotel with Duncan that we feel brave enough to try it again!  Maybe with a historic trip to Mystic!

Just Own the Night Like the 4th of July

This year, we took Duncan to his first fireworks display. Because he's pretty sensitive to the effects of sleep deprivation, we haven't wanted to keep him out that late at night; however, this summer, he has shown a slightly improved ability to sleep in so we thought it would be worth a try. Our original plan was to stay overnight in Sturbridge, watch the fireworks display at Old Sturbridge Village on the 3rd, and then spend the 4th at Old Sturbridge Village, soaking in the history. At the last minute, the fireworks were canceled at Old Sturbridge because one of their possible launch sites was flooded from early July rains; the other had been destroyed in a tornado. Instead, we took Duncan to Lime Rock Park. We had a nice picnic and were entertained by the cast of Rent from Sharon Playhouse. There was a visiting group of hearing impaired children from a summer camp, and it was heartwarming to watch as their counselors jumped into signing the songs for the kids. One of the counselors stole the show; Jamie thought he was part of the cast at first. He knew the songs well and added so much emotion that he seemed like he had rehearsed with them. Actually, I was really impressed with those counselors. While they were waiting for the sun to go down, they quickly got the kids involved in races rolling down the hill, leapfrog, and, of course, singing Katy Perry's "Firework," on repeat.

Finally, the sun went down; it was a struggle for Duncan to stay awake, but he enjoyed the fireworks immensely.

Graduation! (Bring Your Own Airquotes)

My baby boy "graduated" from preschool! Honestly, I expected to be overcome with motherly emotion, that kind where pride, anxiety about the future, and the sense of ceremony combine to set an unmistakably emotional scene. Or is that just me? No? Anyway, I expected there to be tears, but it really wasn't much of a ceremony (as is appropriate, I believe, for preschool). Miss Anne called each kid out the side door onto the deck, one by one, handed him/her a certificate, and sent the little ones to stand in line for a picture. Then we had a potluck dinner. And cake. I did tear up once when we arrived, but really, that was the only opportunity I had because here's what happened.

Duncan, who had talked excitedly about "graduation" all week, at home and at school, was overcome with anxiety, possibly sadness, and an overwhelming sense of pissiness for the actual event. Look at these faces:  

  

Then, once the "ceremony" was over, and the girls turned back into tomboys, and teachers turned back into teachers, and he was cautious but relieved.

And finally, he was won over by the opportunity to spend extra time in the sand.

In the end, he had a great time and allowed us a few extra do-overs with the camera. This is a MUCH better one for the archives.

Well, baby boy (because you will always be my baby boy, even if you fight it every time I dare speak the words), welcome to Kindergarten! 

Fathers' Day 2011

Way, way back, when summer was fresh and new...and in fact, I wasn't even on vacation yet...we celebrated Fathers' Day. It is becoming our tradition to attend a minor league baseball game on Fathers' Day. It's a pretty great setup. Jamie gets to enjoy some baseball; there is plenty of family activity to keep Duncan from getting bored, and there's lots of good people watching for me. The baseball, the cheaper food (than at Yankee Stadium), the mascots:  it's a no brainer.

But first, we gave Jamie a hammock. I wish we had all found more time for it this summer. It is sheer heaven to lie in the hammock on the perfect summer day, daydreaming or reading a book. Check out Duncan's choice of reading material that week. It was all about mummies, Pompeii, and gross insects.

And then we were off to the game. We caught a Tri-City Valleycats game in Troy. I have no idea who won. I'm pretty sure it was the Vermont Lake Monsters. Seriously.

See how intently the boy is watching the game? His interest was partly encouraged by how close we were. We were in the first row! See how close we were?! It makes it a lot easier to follow what's going on, even if a 5 year old would rather watch cars race around the outfield and people dressed as catsup, mustard, and relish running the base lines.

All in all, it was a great tribute to Dad and fun way to usher in summer!

Underwater Adventures

One day, back in the dark depths of winter, we took a trip to the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. We had been before but were due for a dose of penguins, and seals, and frogs, oh my. In addition to the regular exhibits, they had touch tanks where visitors could pet manta rays and nurse sharks. I did; Duncan didn't; rays are slimy; sharks feel like sandpaper. We watched the visiting meerkats, checked out the river otters, and ogled the moon jellies. We caught an IMAX movie about sharks, which was Duncan's first movie in a theater. It was a fun day out; a day of ocean creatures is a great antidote to the mid-Winter blues.

April Fools

This is Duncan's first "collection" of 2011; it consists of items he collected in the yard and on the few walks we have taken since Spring officially began. I was certain his little cache was a true sign of Spring, yet it has snowed not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES since I took this photo. Today, I am choosing to believe that we got lucky. The original forecast was for 10 inches of snow between Thursday night and Saturday morning. We awoke to about 1" of snow, which melted throughout the day, even as the snow continued to fall. We still have green grass, daffodil sprouts, and blooming crocus so I am certain today was just a blip on the radar, so to speak, but really, Mother Nature.  REALLY???!!!

Going on Five; Going on Fifteen

Sometimes, I would swear Duncan is going on fifteen. When I get home from work, or when I pick him up from school, inevitably I ask "How was your day?" to which he responds "Good." I follow with "What did you do?" There are two possible responses:  1)  "I don't remember."; 2)  "I don't want to talk about it."

Part of me wants to be offended. These are social niceties:  have a good day; how was your day; what did you do today.  The thing people are supposed to do is...well...answer. It's not just that I'm his mother, and I care about what he did all day when he wasn't with me; it's also that in polite society, you come up with something to say back. Luckily, the wise woman in me, the one who peeks her head out once in a while and says "you might want to rethink that" has helped me to be quiet and patient. Many times, if I just keep quiet with my ears open, I will hear my answer. As he unwinds and develops some distance from school, he remembers things he wants to tell me. It's not so much that he doesn't want to talk about it; I think it's more that he hasn't really had a chance to think about it yet. He went to school; he lived it; he hasn't really processed it yet, and suddenly there's this overly involved woman who wants all the details. If she'll just shut up, she will eventually get the story.

If the wise woman in me doesn't get the answers, the teacher in me (whoa is the teacher in me strong!) can usually get to the heart of the matter, for she has learned that sometimes you have to ask the question in a different way. "What was your favorite thing you did today?" "What was your least favorite thing you did today?" "What did you have for snack?" "Did you build anything today?" Usually, changing the question, narrowing it, and making it a little more manageable opens up a great discussion of the day's events.

The fun part of these social conventions is that Duncan has begun to ask us what we did at work. There is little that is cuter in the almost-five set than "So, what did you do at work today, Mama?" Interestingly, the answer is usually "I taught some kids. I answered some e-mails. I went to a meeting." As I write it down, it sounds a lot like a 46 year old version of "I don't remember; I don't want to talk about it." It's almost the 16 year old "You wouldn't understand." 

Maybe if I tell a better story, I will get better questions. 46 going on 16. The teacher in me is strong. Stop talking and listen.

Hearts 2011

We've already had two snow days this winter, which is rare for a boarding school. During the last storm, Duncan and I decided to make sugar cookies, which is another rarity. I simply don't have the patience for the endless rolling, cutting, and decorating, but we were in the Valentine's Day spirit, and I thought it would be a good project to keep a young boy with ADHD occupied for a good chunk of a day at home. Once I acknowledged that we would, indeed, make a colossal mess, and that Duncan would, indeed, mix up all the frostings and sprinkles to resemble something from a bordello, we had great fun. They don't look like Martha baked them, but they were entertaining and tasty!