What a day! Jonathan slept unil 9:30, so we missed the last outdoor Stroller Rollers of the year. Instead, we strolled to the local diner for breakfast. Jonathan waved and blew kisses to all his favorite ladies...and patrons. We went to the grocery store for milk (sorry, dad!). And, then home for a nap.
We started to rake the crazy leaves, me with a rake and him with a beach rake. Mine was a bit more successful. So, when he started to melt down, I took him inside for a nap, and I came back out to finish off the leaves. To my dismay, our neighbor had her hired leaf blowers over and they finished two houses and a siesta by the time I finished our driveway and walkway. ugh. However, they were kind enough to blow one pass of the driveway and under some trees on our property line. I got some exercise in, and the weater was perfect for it. Of course, my hands are killing me now, and my feet hurt (didn't wear the right shoes for that). Not sure when the city's leaf people are scheduled to pick them up, but we could use it now.
Once Jonathan woke up, he had a late lunch. Then, we packed up to go see Iris again, this time with a double stroller in tow to see if her German car seat would fit it. Her stroller is getting repaired so she wanted to borrow ours. So, we strapped her kids in and headed off to a nearby park for a bit. We bumped into a German friend of hers too. We played until it got dark (circa 5). But, alas, the stroller is too cumbersome for her, so she opted to make a sling work. We tried.
So, back home we went to play with our Craig's List toys from yesterday. And, we picked up Dave from the train. Now we can't get in touch with the NY Hardwicks or PopPop or Vicki, so we bagged dinner with them. It was probably too late anyway. Oh well. The boys are playing, but once Jonathan is down, we might watch another movie and call it a night. Boy, my body is achin' from all that rakin'!!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
2008_11_06 Thursday
I got up extra early today b/c the electrician and his team came to finish off our electrical work. That was a great thing to check off our box!! The guys were so nice and worked quickly. I really like them. Unfortunately, though, they had to do a lot of drilling and hammering, and I guess they have to yell at each other to make sure they're pulling the right wires or whatever. I was really nervous about that waking Jonathan up. Ha, silly mom. Jonathan slept right through it...all of it! I was stunned.
He finally got up around 9:30 to have some fruit yogurt that I made for him. Then we hauled over to our last story time. He was so cute. The librarian read a pop-up book, and he was in a trance. Afterward, we hung out a little to play with the puzzles and read some "t'uck" boardbooks. I also found some German kiddy books, but they aren't stories; they're picture books. So, we left around 11. Of course, we got stuck in a rain storm about halfway home. Didn't really need that second shower. I cannot believe how many leaves are still falling. We have already raked up two weekends! It's hard to tell that we have a hill in the front and where the driveway is because of all the leaves. I've got the 'kids' from Seton Hall's Habitat for Humanity club coming next weekend to rake to raise $. Gesh, maybe I need them both weekends!
Then we had a quick snack, played with the new Fisher Price farm, read about the hungry catepiller, and off to Z-land he went.
When he finally woke up, we inhaled a grilled cheese and chicken sandwich, some mandarins and strawberries, and mixed veggies. Then we drove to Florham Park to pick up some awesome Craig's List stuff for Jonathan (tons of t'ucks!!), then stopped by Home Depot to look at kitchen pulls, then by a house in Maplewood for a project I'm working on (homemade lavendar satchels), and finally to visit our German friend who just had a baby. He's adorable...and TINY! We lost track of time, so I had to book it out of there to pick up Dave.
So, now we're all home; we've played with some of the new trucks. Dave had to take a call, so I got to finish off dinner (noodles w/ tomato sauce, chicken, and veggies), give Jonathan a bath, read a book (PopPop and Grandma Pat's nursery rhymes book), and tuck him in. Haven't done that in a long time! He blew me kisses as I left. awwww!
He finally got up around 9:30 to have some fruit yogurt that I made for him. Then we hauled over to our last story time. He was so cute. The librarian read a pop-up book, and he was in a trance. Afterward, we hung out a little to play with the puzzles and read some "t'uck" boardbooks. I also found some German kiddy books, but they aren't stories; they're picture books. So, we left around 11. Of course, we got stuck in a rain storm about halfway home. Didn't really need that second shower. I cannot believe how many leaves are still falling. We have already raked up two weekends! It's hard to tell that we have a hill in the front and where the driveway is because of all the leaves. I've got the 'kids' from Seton Hall's Habitat for Humanity club coming next weekend to rake to raise $. Gesh, maybe I need them both weekends!
Then we had a quick snack, played with the new Fisher Price farm, read about the hungry catepiller, and off to Z-land he went.
When he finally woke up, we inhaled a grilled cheese and chicken sandwich, some mandarins and strawberries, and mixed veggies. Then we drove to Florham Park to pick up some awesome Craig's List stuff for Jonathan (tons of t'ucks!!), then stopped by Home Depot to look at kitchen pulls, then by a house in Maplewood for a project I'm working on (homemade lavendar satchels), and finally to visit our German friend who just had a baby. He's adorable...and TINY! We lost track of time, so I had to book it out of there to pick up Dave.
So, now we're all home; we've played with some of the new trucks. Dave had to take a call, so I got to finish off dinner (noodles w/ tomato sauce, chicken, and veggies), give Jonathan a bath, read a book (PopPop and Grandma Pat's nursery rhymes book), and tuck him in. Haven't done that in a long time! He blew me kisses as I left. awwww!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
2008_11_05 Wednesday
This morning, we had a last minute visit from our potential floor guy. He came to measure and to leave three different samples for us. We're meeting with our designer tonight, so now we've got all the parts we need to make a decision on the kitchen. So exciting.
Jonathan and I were goofing around in our office room, and I crawled under my desk to retrieve a ball, ramming my head into the corner of my own @(@#$)*(#$#( desk. Man, that hurt. I was proud, though, as I refrained from yelling out colorful obscenities. As I sat on the floor rubbing my noggin' with my particularly pouty face, Jonathan came over, with a sad face himself, and gave me a long hug. If that doesn't just make you well up!?!? I guess kids this age do understand sympathy!
Then, we booked it over to Sparkhouse Kids, a local toystore, for story time. It's actually more like music appreciation, but whatever. Jonathan seems so much more interested in the ones at the library for some reason; maybe it's because the toystore has so many more cool things to look at and touch. He's very into their easel and oversized stuffed animals. Plus, the lady isn't the most organized (or maybe she's more spontaneous than the librarian), so it doens't hold his attention as well. I've noticed, too, that he seems more shy in this setting than in the library; not sure if it's unfamiliar or what is going on in his head. Today, though, we made rattles out of plastic bottles and rice, with stickers as decorations. He didn't seem to care, but it was a cute project anyway. Then again, maybe it's bad timing for us; he does seem to wind down quickly toward the end. Regardless, I managed to knock out another store for my freelance gig. We may try again next week with Alanya and Aylin.
We had a potential afternoon date today with the 1s&2s or with Alanya/Aylin, depending on the weather. And, while it seems to be sprinkling now, frankly, Jonathan is still asleep (that's nearly 4 hrs if you're counting). But, more pressing is: When will we finally eat lunch?! So he finally woke up, and we ate. But it was raining too much to go outside, so we played in his room.
Around 6:30, we had an appointment with our interior designer to finalize the kitchen. We made lots of decisions, and we're very excited to move forward. We've got the floor, cabinetry, granite, backsplash, and paint decided on! Now, we need to move forward with quotes. I feel like we accomplished a lot in just an hour with her. yeah!
Jonathan and I were goofing around in our office room, and I crawled under my desk to retrieve a ball, ramming my head into the corner of my own @(@#$)*(#$#( desk. Man, that hurt. I was proud, though, as I refrained from yelling out colorful obscenities. As I sat on the floor rubbing my noggin' with my particularly pouty face, Jonathan came over, with a sad face himself, and gave me a long hug. If that doesn't just make you well up!?!? I guess kids this age do understand sympathy!
Then, we booked it over to Sparkhouse Kids, a local toystore, for story time. It's actually more like music appreciation, but whatever. Jonathan seems so much more interested in the ones at the library for some reason; maybe it's because the toystore has so many more cool things to look at and touch. He's very into their easel and oversized stuffed animals. Plus, the lady isn't the most organized (or maybe she's more spontaneous than the librarian), so it doens't hold his attention as well. I've noticed, too, that he seems more shy in this setting than in the library; not sure if it's unfamiliar or what is going on in his head. Today, though, we made rattles out of plastic bottles and rice, with stickers as decorations. He didn't seem to care, but it was a cute project anyway. Then again, maybe it's bad timing for us; he does seem to wind down quickly toward the end. Regardless, I managed to knock out another store for my freelance gig. We may try again next week with Alanya and Aylin.
We had a potential afternoon date today with the 1s&2s or with Alanya/Aylin, depending on the weather. And, while it seems to be sprinkling now, frankly, Jonathan is still asleep (that's nearly 4 hrs if you're counting). But, more pressing is: When will we finally eat lunch?! So he finally woke up, and we ate. But it was raining too much to go outside, so we played in his room.
Around 6:30, we had an appointment with our interior designer to finalize the kitchen. We made lots of decisions, and we're very excited to move forward. We've got the floor, cabinetry, granite, backsplash, and paint decided on! Now, we need to move forward with quotes. I feel like we accomplished a lot in just an hour with her. yeah!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
2008_11_04 Election Tuesday!
What a fine day! Jonathan is back to his 9am wake-ups, and all is right in the world. Breakfast was blueberry oatmeal, and he seemed like he was trying to say "blueberry," although it came out more like "bl'be'eee." Good try, good try. We got off to a late start today, but still managed to make an appearance at the 1s&2s playgroup this morning. There were only a couple of people, but it was gorgeous out, so we stayed until 11:30. He spent most of the time in the swing, calling out trucks, cars, airplanes, and trains as they went by. He even picked up "bus" from one of the girls. So, we may have added two new words to his growing vocabulary.
He's down for his nap now. I had his white noise machine up high to drown out the cleaning ladies' vacuuming, cleaning, and Portuguese. Once he wakes up, we'll head out to vote and have lunch. In the meantime, I need to look up who the New Jersey politicians are and what they stand for -- probably should have done that awhile ago. ugh. I hear Starbucks, Ben and Jerry's, Chik-fil-A, and Krispy Kreme are offering freebies to voters; why are none of them nearby!?!?!
We voted around 2:30. It took me no more than 10 minutes; I was amazed. But, our polling station didn't offer those "I Voted!" stickers; instead I took a couple of self-portraits to commemorate the day. I voted last year in VA with Jonathan, although I don't remember what it was even for then. But, this was a momentous election (either way), so I wanted him to have it documented. See photo (the rest are in our photo gallery). On the way home, we stopped by our local elementary school park to get some energy out, and we bumped into some friends. So, instead of the second nap, we played.
We picked up Dave from the train station. And, Jonathan was exhausted. Dinner wasn't so much fun, and he had a hard time falling asleep. overtired, I suppose. We watched BBC's coverage of the election. They were so entertaining to watch. But, by about 10pm, we fell asleep.
He's down for his nap now. I had his white noise machine up high to drown out the cleaning ladies' vacuuming, cleaning, and Portuguese. Once he wakes up, we'll head out to vote and have lunch. In the meantime, I need to look up who the New Jersey politicians are and what they stand for -- probably should have done that awhile ago. ugh. I hear Starbucks, Ben and Jerry's, Chik-fil-A, and Krispy Kreme are offering freebies to voters; why are none of them nearby!?!?!
We voted around 2:30. It took me no more than 10 minutes; I was amazed. But, our polling station didn't offer those "I Voted!" stickers; instead I took a couple of self-portraits to commemorate the day. I voted last year in VA with Jonathan, although I don't remember what it was even for then. But, this was a momentous election (either way), so I wanted him to have it documented. See photo (the rest are in our photo gallery). On the way home, we stopped by our local elementary school park to get some energy out, and we bumped into some friends. So, instead of the second nap, we played.
We picked up Dave from the train station. And, Jonathan was exhausted. Dinner wasn't so much fun, and he had a hard time falling asleep. overtired, I suppose. We watched BBC's coverage of the election. They were so entertaining to watch. But, by about 10pm, we fell asleep.
Monday, November 3, 2008
2008_11_03 Monday
What the?! Jonathan woke up at 8am today. Stupid Daylight Savings. ugh.
It's a pretty drab day so he's dressed in his cammo sweats. We had hearty breakfast of milk, cheese, strawberries, kiwis, fruit yogurt, sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, and maybe a Cheerio/Kix or two. Gesh, he was ready to party this morning! After I got my shot of coffee, we hit the road to pick up a Fisher Price farm set, courtesy of G
randma Cathy for Halloween. We've got all the parts, and the farm itself has sections that make animal noises and sing. Jonathan is loving it. See picture. Plus, we also got tractor that doesn't really go with the set, but we'll pretend.
I got confirmation today that Seton Hall University's Habitat for Humanity will come on Nov 8 to rake our yard for a donation (I shared that nugget with my mom's group too). Hurrah! They're checking to see if it's tax deductable, but either way, a good cause.
He went down for a nap around 11ish and it sounds like he's waking up slowly (it's just after 1). Oh how wrong I was...he got up at 2. We did a warm lunch, and then we got onto my ToDo list. We stopped at one of my freelance gig store reports in town, mailed some letters, deposited a check, got Jonathan into story time again at the library, and picked up a couple of groceries (hoping for homemade soup tonight).
He's back down now for his second nap, albeit a bit later than usual, and he's not off in slumberland yet. Hard to tell if he really slept much for this nap. But, we made it to the train station to pick up Dave. We showed dad our awesome new toy, banged on dad's birthday balloon, and threw some balls around. Jonathan ate dinner (fish sticks, fruit salad, cheese, noodles, black olives, and peas/carrots), and took a bath with dad's supervision, and now is back off to bed (after a book or two).
It's a pretty drab day so he's dressed in his cammo sweats. We had hearty breakfast of milk, cheese, strawberries, kiwis, fruit yogurt, sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, and maybe a Cheerio/Kix or two. Gesh, he was ready to party this morning! After I got my shot of coffee, we hit the road to pick up a Fisher Price farm set, courtesy of G
randma Cathy for Halloween. We've got all the parts, and the farm itself has sections that make animal noises and sing. Jonathan is loving it. See picture. Plus, we also got tractor that doesn't really go with the set, but we'll pretend.I got confirmation today that Seton Hall University's Habitat for Humanity will come on Nov 8 to rake our yard for a donation (I shared that nugget with my mom's group too). Hurrah! They're checking to see if it's tax deductable, but either way, a good cause.
He went down for a nap around 11ish and it sounds like he's waking up slowly (it's just after 1). Oh how wrong I was...he got up at 2. We did a warm lunch, and then we got onto my ToDo list. We stopped at one of my freelance gig store reports in town, mailed some letters, deposited a check, got Jonathan into story time again at the library, and picked up a couple of groceries (hoping for homemade soup tonight).
He's back down now for his second nap, albeit a bit later than usual, and he's not off in slumberland yet. Hard to tell if he really slept much for this nap. But, we made it to the train station to pick up Dave. We showed dad our awesome new toy, banged on dad's birthday balloon, and threw some balls around. Jonathan ate dinner (fish sticks, fruit salad, cheese, noodles, black olives, and peas/carrots), and took a bath with dad's supervision, and now is back off to bed (after a book or two).
Sunday, November 2, 2008
2008_11_02 Sunday
Happy Fall Behind Day!
Dave treated us to breakfast at our local bagel shop. The owner sat with us for a bit, comparing Jonathan's cheeks to his (is "rotund" polite?) belly. And, on the way home, we stopped again to play with the remaining pumpkins. A few had disappeared and others have been cracked open. But, Jonathan got to push a couple around. It's cool and crisp now: nice to be outside if you're dressed appropriately. So, how do we keep a hat on that kid's head?! Plus, he rides in the stroller with his hands wide out, almost like he's catching the wind. I've tried to put his hands in his pockets, but that only lasts until I get the other hand in. ugh.
Today should be a pretty quiet day...or so I'm hoping. Did lots of weekend work yesterday. Dave put Jonathan down for a nap, so the house quite literally is silent. He got up, we snuggled, we played, and ate. Then he and Dave watered the plants; Jonathan ran around with the watering can. He actually did pretty well. And, he's back down again, and I've wasted the better part of today between Facebook and Craig's List. Gesh, they're addicting! I did get some crayons, pantyhose (to make lavendar satchels, a farm w/ animals and tracker, and a big wheel (I think) all to be picked up tomorrow for a total of $5! Dave's off to asst. coach HS wrestling practice in Millburn soon.
Dave treated us to breakfast at our local bagel shop. The owner sat with us for a bit, comparing Jonathan's cheeks to his (is "rotund" polite?) belly. And, on the way home, we stopped again to play with the remaining pumpkins. A few had disappeared and others have been cracked open. But, Jonathan got to push a couple around. It's cool and crisp now: nice to be outside if you're dressed appropriately. So, how do we keep a hat on that kid's head?! Plus, he rides in the stroller with his hands wide out, almost like he's catching the wind. I've tried to put his hands in his pockets, but that only lasts until I get the other hand in. ugh.
Today should be a pretty quiet day...or so I'm hoping. Did lots of weekend work yesterday. Dave put Jonathan down for a nap, so the house quite literally is silent. He got up, we snuggled, we played, and ate. Then he and Dave watered the plants; Jonathan ran around with the watering can. He actually did pretty well. And, he's back down again, and I've wasted the better part of today between Facebook and Craig's List. Gesh, they're addicting! I did get some crayons, pantyhose (to make lavendar satchels, a farm w/ animals and tracker, and a big wheel (I think) all to be picked up tomorrow for a total of $5! Dave's off to asst. coach HS wrestling practice in Millburn soon.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
2008_11_01 Saturday
Good Morning!! We just got back from our local diner. Jonathan was up around 9 again today. We could see remnants of the street party in Maplewood on our walk into town; lots of candy wrappers and Halloween decorations throughout the downtown area. We saw police barracades in place in the afternoon, so it must have been a goooood party! Breakfast was nice and relaxing, as always. We stopped on the way home to play with (ie roll, push, and sit on) some abandoned pumpkins (see photo).
Jonathan went down for a nap, so Dave went outside with the leafblower and I grabbed the rake. We got another tarp-full for the leaf collection. Jonathan got up after about 2.5 hours and had a late lunch. He's figured out that he can put black olives on his fingers...so now he does the same with noodles, too.
Progress! The boys went off to the mall to get Dave a new cell phone. Dave's cell phone died overnight. We think that Jonathan may have had something to do with it; he loves to play with (read: drop) daddy's phone. This may well be the first time that they've ventured out without me. Honestly, it feels strange! I ran over to the local grocery store ALONE. what a strange feeling. We've got another Halloween party this evening with my babysitting coop moms. It's potluck, so I thought I'd be cute and make spme Halloween cookies (plus they were on sale). Well, I managed to burn them all. Maybe I'm just not meant to cook. So, I did a pasta salad with pepperoni; it seemed to be a big hit. Thank you, Betty Crocker! The party was a blast, though. Jonathan saw lots of his buddies, and it was nice for us to meet some new people too. Dave got to meet a couple of the husbands as well. Our network is growing!
The boys just fed the cats, and Dave's giving him a bath now (it's been 2 stinky days). Then it's off to slumberland for one of us!
Jonathan went down for a nap, so Dave went outside with the leafblower and I grabbed the rake. We got another tarp-full for the leaf collection. Jonathan got up after about 2.5 hours and had a late lunch. He's figured out that he can put black olives on his fingers...so now he does the same with noodles, too.
I called the floor guy to schedule a measurement. We have to get the kitchen plan together so we can start getting bids on the renovation work. Can't wait to have it finished!
Progress! The boys went off to the mall to get Dave a new cell phone. Dave's cell phone died overnight. We think that Jonathan may have had something to do with it; he loves to play with (read: drop) daddy's phone. This may well be the first time that they've ventured out without me. Honestly, it feels strange! I ran over to the local grocery store ALONE. what a strange feeling. We've got another Halloween party this evening with my babysitting coop moms. It's potluck, so I thought I'd be cute and make spme Halloween cookies (plus they were on sale). Well, I managed to burn them all. Maybe I'm just not meant to cook. So, I did a pasta salad with pepperoni; it seemed to be a big hit. Thank you, Betty Crocker! The party was a blast, though. Jonathan saw lots of his buddies, and it was nice for us to meet some new people too. Dave got to meet a couple of the husbands as well. Our network is growing!
The boys just fed the cats, and Dave's giving him a bath now (it's been 2 stinky days). Then it's off to slumberland for one of us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
