Christmas 2013

A slideshow from our activities this Christmas, including Samantha's role in last night's pageant.

You can see the high definition version here.

Merry Christmas !

Handyman

We have this crazy vent fan in our kitchen. I think we've used it twice when we burned something on the stove. In the winter, it lets a lot of cold air into the kitchen because the outer hatch that covers the fan is about 60 years old.

This morning, Robert put on his super hero handyman outfit and tried to remedy the problem.

It didn't work, but at least he tried.

Christmas Card BTS

It's that time of year again. Preparing the Christmas Cards.

Fall Update

Fall has arrived to Long Island. The leaves are coming off the trees and the air has a certain snap to it in the morning. We've been busy learning our new kindergarten routine, developing homework habits and making new friends.

The kids made this scarecrow in their afterschool program.

Robert has been busy building "sets" from things he sees on television. Here he is in policeman mode, inside his squad car. If you look closely, you'll see a microphone and mobile data terminal he uses to check license plates!

This one is self-explanatory

That's it for now. Enjoy the fall.

First Day of Kindergarten

The kids are entering their 3d week of school. We made this short film about their first day of school and their first trip on the school bus.

The school district did a great job preparing them for this first ride. The kids attended an orientation session and got to go on a test ride on the bus, and Robert and Samantha have a fifth grader as their bus buddy, to make sure they get on the bus and buckled in to their seats.

Robert has a toy bus, which he has detailed to include all of the markings, including bus number and exit signs, of his real bus.

You can watch a high-def version of the film here: http://vimeo.com/75152613

August Update

August is gone. School starts the week after next. Last week, we bought the kids bikes suitable for their size and they have a renewed interest in cycling.

Of course, they took a break from riding to climb a tree.

We are safety conscious. Helmets are required for tree climbing.

They attended school bus orientation last week with Bob. Bob was proud beyond belief to see them sit in the auditorium by themselves, without concern about where dad was sitting. And they took their first school bus ride without any separation anxiety.

Here's Robert helping mom hang some contraption on the wall this evening.

We are safety conscious. Goggles are required for operating the screwdriver.

KidStock

We took the kids to KidStock at the local park this afternoon. KidStock is a festival to promote art and music. There was a pretty good turnout despite overcast skies and occasional sprinkles of rain.

The kids got to color and listen to live music.

There were street performers ( a man on stilts and a cowboy clown) working the crowd.

And, of course, ice cream.

Bittersweet

The past week was bittersweet as the kids said goodbye to their pre-school teachers and classmates. For five years, they have been lovingly cared for and educated in a safe environment. Not once did we worry about the kids when they were in pre-school. We've seen tremendous growth in Robert and Samantha as a result of their schooling and, as such, we are eternally grateful to their teachers.

Some of the teachers read this blog. You know who you are. Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We invite you to use the blog as a way of following Robert and Samantha into kindergarten and beyond.

For their part, Robert and Samantha know that their time at pre-school is coming to an end. They finished their formal classes two days ago. They have two more weeks of daycare and then they will move onto a new school, with new teachers and new friends to make.

Despite growing up in so many ways this past year, they are still childish. In a charming way. Here they are crammed into wicker baskets watching television.

Samantha enjoying some face time with mom

They came home from school Friday asking to be taken to the "instrument store." It seems they saw someone with a harmonica, either on t.v. or at school. A quick survey of their stuff showed them that mom threw out the old harmonicas months ago, so we had to go to the store for replacements. Here's Robert playing a tune at the beach.

and with his sister, making one of the faces she makes when the camera comes out.

The end of summer is always bittersweet, even from an adult's perspective. But we are looking forward to September, with all the hopes and challenges that a new school presents. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

A Welcome Break

It has been a hellacious nine days at the homestead. Mr. Coxsackie virus paid a visit early last week, taking down Samantha initially and then Robert. As Robert was recovering over the weekend, Sam came down with a stomach bug that laid waste to a lot of bed linen, resulting in a trip to the clinic to get an anti-emetic. Everyone was starting to get back to normal yesterday.

This afternoon, however, Robert started exhibiting symptoms of GI upset and it appears he is following in his sister's footsteps. Hopefully we won't go through as much linen and maybe we can skip the visit to the doctor.

On a lighter note, Sam came home from school with a Groucho Marx rig, so we went outside in the nice evening air to make a portrait.

A Visit from the Grandparents

Donna's parents have been visiting this weekend. This picture was taken after a delicious Sunday dinner.

We had dinner Friday at Seasons 52. We don't know who the kids that accompanied us were. They weren't ours! Too polite. Here is Sammy all dressed up in a formal dress, mugging for the camera.

Robert was uncommonly conversational. Here he is chatting with Nana.

We wonder why they only behave this way when we go out to expensive restaurants.

The Painter

Robert doing some paint work to get the house ready for the grandparents' visit.

That wall got a lot of paint!

He's A Graduate

Today was Robert's big day, as he graduated from pre-school. His class put a lot of effort into producing a play for the parents and guests this morning. From the students collecting tickets at the door to an elaborate theatrical set, the stage was set for a wonderful morning.

The class performed The Little Red Rooster. Robert played one of the cats sitting on the porch.

One wall of the classroom was decorated to look like a barn, with the barnyard characters gathered in front.

Following the play, the students were awarded their certificates by the teacher, Ms. Lori.

Ms. Lori and her team put an enormous amount of work into the morning and for that we are sincerely appreciative. She and her team produced a lovely slide show, as well as binders displaying each child's work during the course of the year. Here's Robert with some of his classmates.

And the obligatory poses with mom.

For his special day, Robert asked to go to the toy store and then a playground.

It was a great two days, emotional at times when we reflect on the fact that the kids have been attending this daycare / pre-school program since they were five months old. That's a long time, with many different teachers and students contributing to their development. At the end of summer, they will begin kindergarten and enter the next phase of their lives.

She's A Graduate

For the past few weeks, the kids have been preparing for their graduation from pre-school by singing this little ditty:

I'm a grad-u-ate
Yes it's true
I'm a grad-u-ate
Boo Hoo Hoo

We attended Sammy's graduation this morning. She and Robert are in separate classrooms and, as such, they get separate graduation parties at school. Today was Sammy's special day, beginning with the classroom graduation event.

Sammy's teacher, Lillian, did a nice job preparing the class for the event. The students marched in wearing their caps and "gowns," sang their three favorite songs and then wolfed down a selection of sweets.

Sammy was allowed to pick a place to go on her special day, and she chose the town pool. Not an inexpensive affair, since we had to purchase the yearly membership!

We may have taken the "pick what you want to do" offer a little far. When we arrived home from the pool, Sammy announced that she wanted to go out to eat in a nice restaurant so she can wear her black dress! Luckily she fell asleep shortly after making that request.

Robert's graduation is tomorrow.

Memorial Day

The unofficial start of summer. Saturday was a wash out due to rain storms. Sunday was spent in the yard and running errands. Today we set up the tent to introduce the kids to "camping." They were interested for a solid ten minutes and then ran off to play on the slip 'n slide.

Happy Memorial Day.