Pumpkin Carving

We spent the morning at a Pumpkin Carving play date.

Instead of helping out and wielding large carving knives, most of the kids chose to play - pulled by the lure of a sandbox, a swing set and a large, open field.





While they ran themselves ragged, the moms got to work.




The pumpkin innards went to feeding the chickens, which the kids did help out with.




Then it was back to playing.



At one point, I overheard Luca tell his friend that he was a king and she was a princess.





He had such a great time, I had to drag him away when it was all over.

Now - I'm at my computer with my feet up, the pumpkin seeds are in the oven and Luca is napping (a.k.a. - yelling out to me every two seconds to tell me that he has to pee).

Sunday

Our day started with buckwheat pancakes - with a few chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.





Then, the paper and play doh.



Around lunch time, Debbie and Luca left me to my domestic duties while they went pumpkin picking. I use the term "pumpkin picking" loosely because, here in The Land of No Seasons, pumpkin picking means choosing your pumpkin from a tented area in a parking lot, rented out especially for the holiday.



After his two hour nap, Luca put together a Halloween card to send to Great-Grandmom Connie.



For dinner - take out sushi.



And tonight holds the promise of - It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, care of You Tube.

HAPPY NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY!

Baby Love

Debbie and Sophia

Perpetual Motion

Luca and Grace. Whooping it up at the Greek Festival tonight.

Since last week...

The last week is kind of a blur. I went to Philadelphia to see my grandmother, who is ninety-three years old and not doing too well. Given a diagnosis of "failure to thrive", she recently entered a nursing home facility where she will receive hospice care. I wanted to get up there before I am too pregnant to travel and I'll try to make it up again one more time in the next month. I worry a lot about the fact that I may not be able to get home to Philly when she gets worse - or once the inevitable happens - but I am trying to stay in the moment.

Luca and Debbie had a full weekend while I was gone, but no pics to show for it. And, I have been lazy with the camera this week. We did have a few minutes of play time before school yesterday and Luca was very happy to use that time to try out his new pirate garb from Nova Natural.





We had even more time this morning, due to the fact that Debbie agreed to go in a little late so that we could all have French Toast together. He used the time to play with the balloon he was given at a diner last night.





Then I spent the remaining few minutes wrestling him to the ground in an attempt to get a shot of us together.





The play time before school idea really worked for us this week. It puts us both in a better mood and it makes the transition from home to school much easier. It takes a bit of effort because he is the Slowest. Eater. Ever. And, on most days, breakfast is painfully long and drawn out. I like that we can give him the freedom to eat breakfast at this own pace most of the week, but on school days - that's just not possible. So, in order not to feel like a drill sergeant, I am trying to get him up a little earlier on Thursdays and Fridays. I am also trying to get up earlier myself so that I am showered and dressed, his lunch is (almost) packed and his breakfast is started by the time he wakes up. A much better alternative to fighting him into his clothes, shoving a toothbrush into his mouth while he's sitting on the potty, barking at him to hurry and rushing him out the door.

Remembering The Frog Pond School

One of my best memories of Luca's early life here in Florida will be his first "school" experience. Although Luca only attended The Frog Pond for just a few months before he turned three, this first school setting set the stage for his independence. A mix of Montessori, Waldorf and Unschooling ideals, The Frog Pond was a wonderful introduction to learning outside the home. His time with Ms. Odiya and the rest of the children (ages 2.5 to 6yrs) was filled with dress-up, dirt digging, bug-collecting, painting, play-dough, make-believe, singing and story-telling. I know that his love of nature and exploring was nurtured there, as well as his pagan-y propensity to create "the circle" in all forms of play and his tradition of the Waldorf blessing before meals. 

We were all very sad when Ms. Odiya and her six-year old daughter Maya moved to New Mexico early in the summer. The concept of their move across the country was a hard one for Luca to grasp. He spent several weeks missing them both and asked when he would be going back to school to see them. When Montessori was about to start, we had to explain over and over that he would be spending time with a new teacher this year.

Although it's been awhile, his first teacher and his first school still come up in conversation. Just this week, Luca very adamantly asked when he was going back to his other school - meaning The Frog Pond. He must have sensed a visit - because we were both very happy to find out that Ms. Odiya would be in town this week! 

Tonight, we spent time catching up with Odiya and playing with Frog Pond friends - who are now Montessori friends. Luca even got to speak to Maya on the phone from New Mexico.


Odiya gave Luca the security to confidently enter into a world apart from his parents and she gave me the ability to feel okay about letting go of this little boy for a few hours a week so that I could get a few things done on my own. She helped potty-train him and she helped him to become a "big kid" who is old enough to go to school.



Visiting with everyone tonight made me realize how far Luca has come in the last six months, how fast toddlers grow into preschoolers and how I am grateful for the people and experiences that have come our way in the past year.


Visit again soon, Ms. Odiya.

Dress-Up with Friends

Tuesday night...

Click here....

...and watch through to the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

Honestly?

Goddess help us if this woman is elected.

First Football Game

Debbie took Luca to his first football game. Jacksonville Jaguars vs. the Houston Texans. They don't know who won because Luca had his full by half-time and - Debbie reports - he preferred to ride the escalators over watching the rest of the game.

Pride

Shoes

Went to see Margaret Cho at the Florida Theater in Jacksonville last night. As usual, she was brilliant and hysterical. I even peed myself a little. I think I might have anyway, even if I wasn't swollen with child.

Liam Sullivan opened for her and performed "Shoes" live. I like the video better... (beware of F-bombs towards the end)

Adventures of a Super Hero

Super Hero.









Super Hero making a small costume change.













"I have to save Douglas the Dog!"







"Follow me!"











Watch as the brave and daring Super Hero scales the safety bar that is still installed on his mommies' bed, even though he made the transition to his own bed months ago.






Watch as the Super Hero throws us his super side-long glance as he saves Douglas AND friends (bonus saves).












But first, a post-save picture.







It's so hard to stay still, especially when the Super Hero's mother is trying not to use a flash.












"Look, I don't have time for this. There are other things that need rescuing, for cripe's sake"






And, he's off.












Stayed tuned for upcoming adventures...

Juvenile Delinquents

We met with friends at Starbucks late this morning, sat on the outside patio and enjoyed the first non-humid day on recent record. The kids played nicely for the most part, aside from some sharing issues involving finger puppets and small plastic frogs. At one point, my friend and I had been talking for a bit when it occurred to us that the kids (ages 3, 3 and 2) had been under the table for awhile and were being a little too quiet. When we looked, we discovered that they had been drawing on the brick patio with crayons. Nice. After serving individual time-outs in opposing chairs, the three-year olds each went in separately and confessed their wrong-doings to the employees inside. They knew that they shouldn't have drawn on the ground with crayons and they handled taking responsibility for their actions very well. The whole thing became really comical, though - especially the mumbled confessions. But, we managed to get through it all - with lessons learned (for the moment, anyway) and a nice late morning play date to start the day.