2009_08_08 Saturday

Jonathan and I went to the diner together to start the morning off right. That worked, of course.

Then, we slowly got ourselves together to go to Darren's first birthday party in NY. We left just after lunch. Unfortunately, I hit some traffic along the way and ended up nearly an hour late. But, the party was fun. Jonathan and Dave got into the big pool for awhile. And, J2 had a blast with all the little kids who attended. We stayed until 9ish. J2 fell asleep no less than 10 minutes into the drive home; good thing I had him in his jammies.

2009_08_07 Friday

This morning we had our last class at the nature center; this time, the focus was on herbs. We picked four herbs and tied them to a stick to dry. Then, we made two sachets: rosemary/thyme and lavendar. The hit, of course, was the walk past the frog pond -- although we didn't see any frogs -- to the herb garden.

As luck would have it, the gutter guy came by today right at Jonathan's nap time to clean off the roof and give us an estimate for the ripple above my office. Naturally, I left J's window open, since it was so nice out. So, I had to sneak in so the guys wouldn't disrupt his slumber.

I had a really off day. Nothing was going my way, although Jonathan certainly wasn't doing anything to goad me. Little things were driving me nuts all day, and my temper was really short. I felt horrible even snapping at J2, since he wasn't doing anything wrong. ugh, then I felt worse!

Dave called and is going to spend the night in NY after attending a buddy's father's memorial service. We'll head up to NY for a birthday party tomorrow, so it really doesn't make sense for him to come back tonight and then head back up tomorrow.

2009_08_06 Thursday

We went to the movies again this morning. We saw Escape to Madagascar, and I even splurged on a small popcorn (for $5.08!!) this time. Jonathan seemed to enjoy it, but toward the end he got restless and wanted to stand in the aisle or climb on the chair in front of us. I think his threshold is just under kiddy movie length!

2009_08_05 Wednesday

We had a ton to do today! Our first order of business (after getting up and breakfast, of course) was our art class at Whole Foods. Today's was a little disappointing, in that we made melon parfaits, which we've done before and I was hoping for a piece of art for the grandparents. No matter, we had a good time anyway. Jonathan was too shy to say his name infront of the group, though.

Then we hit Home Depot for paint, spray paint, and some Cars appliques for Jonathan's room. Then, to the paint store for 4 more gallons of paint. Then, to the post office. Then, home for lunch/snack and a nap. Tino is going to come next week to paint the hallway. We put up 2 cars and 2 'signs' in his room. When I get them all up (later this afternoon), I'll post some pictures. Then, the gutter guy came to check out why we have crazy amounts of water pouring over one side of the house; he'll come back tomorrow to inspect and give us a quote. I'm waiting for a call-back from our electrician to see what he suggests to do about our downed power line to the garage.

So, all in all, it's been a very productive day. I've accomplished a lot that was on my shoulders.

2009_08_04 Tuesday

I finally got my hair cut! Jonathan hung out with Oma and the chickens. We got on the road back home around 2, which had us arrive right in the middle of rush hour. I can't seem to not do that! The drive was uneventful, and I decided against stopping at Reptiland this time; maybe next time. Jonathan barely napped in the car; that seems to be a new trend of his. But, we sang lots of songs and nursery rhymes. He picked up Ring Around The Rosie! We managed to get home right in time to pick up Dave, so that was really nice. Good to be home. Of course, the minute we got home, Jonathan asked where Oma, Opa, Gambol, the chickens, and the peeps were!!!

2009_08_03 Monday

Oh boy, did morning come early!! The sun rises much earlier at the Barony than in NJ. Plus, we don't have the pleasure of having roosters crow as soon as the first ray of sun shines. ugh. We were all up before the clock hit 7; I think the last time that happened was either here or when he was still an infant!

After a hearty breakfast, courtesy of Opa, Jonathan cracked into the train set and is now driving the engine across the couches while Oma tries to snap photos.

Now, Oma wants to capture all the words/phrases that Jonathan knows.

2009_08_02 Sunday

We left NJ for the Barony this afternoon. Jonathan and I hit bad rain right away, so rather than muscling through it, we stopped for coffee and a bagel somewhere early on I-80. We were pretty soaked, but it was a good stop. I balanced him in my arms (he was hugging me tightly), the umbrella (which he helped hold upright), a coffee for me, a bag of treats, and the car keys. He managed to get a bunch of donut holes for free...must have been the cheeks. I put the car keeys in his window pocket and forgot them in my rush to get out of the rain; when I couldn't find them, he sweetly reminded me that they were in his pocket and then passed them to me w/o even hitting the car alarm button! what a smart boy. Then, a few hours later, he dropped his paci, and I needed gas, so we stopped again (UGH!). At least the weather cleared up nicely. We finally pulled into port at about 3.

He did a pretty good job with his new sleeping arrangement too. Oma and Opa got him a very fancy sleeping bag; it has a forest scene with a bear as a pillow. Very cool. We had him in the bathroom for awhile, but he wiggled around too much and ended up on the hard stone floor. Then, we moved him to the bedroom floor, and that worked out pretty well...until the morning sun and roosters...