Summer Fun 2011:

I started this list last summer and thought it would be fun to look at again this year.  So, I updated and reflected on all the fun we have already had and the things I would like to do in these (hate to say it) end-of-summer days.

X-camp at Branbury   

__-bake bread

X-July 4th parade and festivities

__-family parties—including Nora’s 85th

  __-try fishing

__-make a book with J

__-see a Circus

__-start losing weight instead of gaining it

XXXX-SWIM SWIM SWIM (lake, river, pool, pond; anywhere and everywhere; as much as possible)

X-swim lessons for J

__-a class for me? sewing?

X-Addison County Field Days

__-make something out of wood 

X-summer soccer for J

__-new, healthy foods

X-pick strawberries, raspberries, and blue berries

X-BEACH!!!!! (I wrote this at the beach actually ;-)

__-put food by—freeze and can fruit and veggies

X-veggie garden

__-ORGANIZE HOUSE!!

X-donate lots ’o stuff

X-hike (here behind our house and other places)

__-read my own books

X-festival-on-the-green

X-boat ride

X-Selma visit

__-Visit museums (Shelburne, Rokeby, Echo)

__-Invite more people over here

__-crafty projects

__-less TV (which means ending my habit of turning the TV on for J while I take my shower . . . yikes)

__-go to a baseball game 

X-hang out with J and friends at his school

__ -visit state parks and historic sites

X-stay home and do “nothing”

X-girls night out

__-Echo lake?

X-craft nights with my crafty ladies

X-catch up with old friends

X-plant some flowers 

__-ride a horse

__- PROJECTS with J: crafts, learning, nature . . .

X-read lots with J, and visit the library every week

Holy holidays!

I don't think I have ever done so many holiday activities, but we are really having fun this season.  Joseph is at a very good age for enjoying the festivities!

We went into Middlebury for their big holiday day, just as we did last year.  We visited the train exhibit and other exhibits and activities at the Henry Sheldon Museum (always our favorite), the gingerbread house competition at the Folk Life Center, a clown at the library, and of course Santa at the Community House (Santa is still pretty scary for J, hence the funny face).

 

After that we met up with Brad and Bob (granpa) to hunt for a Christmas tree in the Lincoln woods where I grew up.  This is the first year since Joseph was born that we have done this and I think we will make it a tradition.  We had a really wonderful time and went on quite a trek!

 

Impossible to get everyone to look normal.

 

So beautiful!

 

And we eventually found a tree!  Quite a good one actually.

 

Decorating.

 

We also met up with Bob for a Hanukah party in Middlebury.  Again, Joseph was able to enjoy this much more than other years.  He even one a long game of Dreddle and joined up for some Islreali folk dancing. This was very special for me since I adore dancing!

 

Another very favorite part of the season for us is crafting!  I made the wreath and the Joseph and I made the garland.  I even let J use a real needle.  He worked very hard at it, but I realized that we wouldn't be making enough for the tree and put it on the wreath instead.  I love it!

 

Enjoying the snow and stacking wood.

Since we now have three kitties there have been numerous ornament casualties.  J and I have been working on making unbreakable ornaments,. 

  

Gingerbread houses are Joseph’s very favorite passion right now.  Above he is “posing” with the one he made at school.  I thought it was pretty neat that they actually made the structure themselves.  The day that they were to decorate Joseph was so excited he woke up at four in the morning!

 

This weekend we went with Grandma to NY to make gingerbread houses and cookies with cousins Bri and Jacob.  Joseph had been dreaming about making his house all week and spent  a LONG time on his masterpiece.  I could not believe how he lined up all those tiny candies.

Looking back on my “summer fun to do” list and thinking about fall fun

We had a pretty awesome summer.  The weather was AMAZING in every sense.  It really could not have been a better VT summer.  We were so thoroughly spoiled that I have even enjoyed some of these cold grey fall days.  I certainly did not accomplish everything on my list, but it shows me that we really did A LOT. 

Here is what we checked off:

camp at Branbury State Park (4 nights and LOVED it!!!)

July 4th parade and festivities

family parties—including Nora’s 85th

SWIM SWIM SWIM (lake, river, pool, pond; anywhere and everywhere; as much as possible)

swim lessons for J

new, healthy foods

ECHO Museum

pick strawberries, raspberries, and blue berries

BEACH!!!!! (I wrote this at the beach actually ;-)

put food by—freeze and can fruit and veggies

veggie garden

ORGANIZE HOUSE!!

donate lots ’o stuff

hike

Addison County Field Days

festival-on-the-green

see a free play at the library: we saw “The Jungle Book”  and Mr. Energy sat entranced for the entire hour ;-)

itsy-bitsy yoga

boat ride

Selma visit

crafty projects

less TV (which means ending my habit of turning the TV on for J while I take my shower . . . yikes)

hang out with J and friends at his school

figure out fall plan for work

see live music with J

stay home and do “nothing”

girls night out

craft nights with my crafty ladies

catch up with old friends

PROJECTS with J: crafts, learning, nature . . .

read lots with J, and visit the library every week

And here is what I did not get to, plus some new fall ideas:

Rokeby visit

bake bread

a class for me? sewing?

make a book with J

make something out of wood   

read my own books

Shelburne Museum

Shelburne Farms

invite more people over here

visit state parks and historic sites

plant some flowers

start a quilt

ride a horse

corn maze

trick or treating

more crafts with J!

more of my own crafts! 

apple picking

pumpkin painting

make apples stuff to freeze or can: apple sauce, apple butter, maybe apple pie filling??

get back on weight watcher’s

get a calf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Yup, if you read this far congrats and this is my current big excitement: we are going to get a calf next weekend!  So excited!)

work on getting health insurance

think about my career next steps

clean, organize, beautify the house!!  (including getting rid of as much unnecessary stuff as possible)  What I am actually doing is trying to go through the house one room at a time cleaning and organize all of it.  Here is that list: kitchen, living room, stairs, laundry/utility room, J room, us room, car, garage storage, stuff still at Bob’s house.  I wonder how many years it will take me to cross them all off?

lots of family time!

keep working on the healthy cooking goals

get more photos printed and do something with all the old ones and all J’s accumulating art projects from the past . . .

work on getting a list of all important dates (bdays, etc) and system for staying on top of them

explore in the woods around our house

cut the electricity bill

get outside, walk, hike, exercise . . .

dig down and discover more energy . . . become an organized person . . . and keep dreaming!

And these will have to wait for next summer:

go to a baseball game 

try fishing

Echo lake?

more camping

Finishing up August Pictures

I cannot believe how many pictures I have from August.  Here are the last of them!

I took a week off work after the end of the summer program.  One day J and I went up to the Echo Museum in Btown.  There was an entire underwater ship, complete with treasure, to explore!

 

Our favorite part was operating the robotic bugs!

 

 

And, a new dragon mask!

Another vacation day we met up with friends April, Megan, and Thomas for some apple and raspberry picking here in Shoreham.  SSOOOOOO beautiful!

  

 

April let the kiddos play in her car when they were bored with picking.

  

And this is how that ended!

 

That weekend we spent Sunday at the cabin (my grandmother’s house) in Lincoln to celebrate her 85th Bday (it would also have been Roger, my grandfather’s birthday, as well as their anniversary if he was still alive).

 

Looking good!

 

Awwww

 

I love this pic.  I have one very similar of my mom and I.

Matching boys!

Headed out on a “paper chase:” a long involved game that we used as our diversion so we could get ready for the surprise part of Gram’s party.

 

Our desert spread!

 

 

Waiting for the birthday girl

SURPRISE!

 

The supportive, fun, loving group.  Thanks for coming out everyone!

Wonderful celebration

    

And J, at home, being J!