Travels V: The Beach

It seems to me that the last two months have been like a season of the Upside Down Show. We've been to the mountains, the city, the farm, the zoo; we've had fireworks and ice cream, we've picked raspberries and chased fireflies. Now I know why I haven't kept up with this blog!

So last weekend we went to Point Pleasant, which is only worth mentioning here because of the cute pictures:




Jack's new and very detailed interest in shells prompted us to check out books about them at the library.

He's enrolled in the summer reading program there, and tomorrow we're headed back for a science program.

Travels IV: Virginia

We all went to Virginia for the family reunion in June. I really should have gotten out the camera more. I did catch this shot from the Green Valley Book Fair:


Which reminded me of this one, from two years ago:

Art Show

This year, Jack entered a painting in Art All Night Trenton. It was an acrylic painting he made last summer with E. You can see it in the photo below just over his shoulder.

Travels III: Washington, D.C.

For our first real vacation as a family of four, we spent four days in our nation's capital!

Day 1: Monuments and the White House
We didn't get very close to the actual White House, but we did see the famous vegetable garden, and its beehives. I was impressed and moved by the WWII Memorial.


Day 2: The Air and Space Museum, with a quick swing through the Hirshhorn
Surprisingly, the highlight turned out to be seeing an actual Mars rover. Jack got an astronaut keychain that he loves very much.

Day 3: The Natural History Museum
The dinosaur room made the whole trip worthwhile, if you ask me.

Day 4: The Botanical Gardens, and The National Gallery
The Botanical Gardens were a last-minute addition to the itinerary, but turned out to be great fun.





We stayed in Maryland, so every day there was an adventure riding the Metro, a trek to find the right spot for dinner, and finally an evening dip in the hotel pool (assuming Jack could stay awake through dinner-- one night he fell asleep in his chicken fingers.)

Travels II: The Philadelphia Zoo

We have made a few trips to the zoo, and there are many more to come! Jack's favorite was the elephants.

Travels I: Camping

For Memorial Day weekend, we were invited to our friend Sam's cabin. Jack had fun hiking, climbing tree stands, throwing rocks in the creek, and most of all, making smores by the campfire!

Super Science Weekend

On Saturday, John was busy with the Trenton Computer Festival, so I took Jack to music class. It was a rare treat to see him making music in a different setting. His teacher was impressed that he knew where monarch butterflies go in the winter (Mexico-- thank you, Toot & Puddle). Actually I was pretty impressed, too, even though I knew it was mere noggin knowledge. She loaned him a book about butterflies, and he has been "reading" it in the car all week. It's amazing how much he can recall from the book, presumably having heard it once.

He is starting to read certain words, usually when he guesses based on the picture and the first letter of the word. Not a bad way to start.



After music class, we stopped by the New Jersey State Museum for their Super Science Weekend. We saw a presentation about dinosaur discoveries in NJ, and visited booths sponsored by various organizations. Many of them had hands-on activities for kids, and Jack had fun. His most favorite part was seeing the dinosaur bones. Yes the special events were nice, but it would take more than even a Lego robot to outshine the Tyrannosaurus Rex skull that they have on permanent display. Jack was also drawn to the curved roof of the planetarium. He took several pictures of it on his camera. It is currently closed for renovations, but I'm looking forward to the grand opening this summer!






Tomorrow is New Jersey History Day at Washington Crossing park, but I'm afraid we're not going to make it. Jack's got a fever tonight, so he'll probably need to rest tomorrow.

David scoots

I just realized that soon he'll be walking. Before that happens, I want to take notice of the unique way he gets around:

Compost

I've been thinking of setting up a compost bin in our yard, so we went to the Master Gardeners of Mercer County Educational Garden. There they have a dozen or so types of bins on display. Jack liked exploring, but he missed the worms we had seen at the vermicomposting display a few weeks ago.

I thought the rain barrel was a great idea. We've started sprouting tomatoes to plant in our yard, and using a rain barrel would not only conserve water, but would actually be very convenient for watering the garden.

As far as the compost bin, my favorite was a fancy rubbermaid container made from recycled plastic. I don't even know where to buy one, or how much it would cost. For now, I'll be happy with a loose pile of leaves mixed with grass clippings and coffee grounds.

Grandma's House

Jack, David and I traveled to Virginia to visit my family. Jack was such a little man the whole time, helping with bags, holding doors, and demonstrating impressive patience and restraint.

While we were there, we celebrated David's birthday a little early.

The Farm

It's been a few weeks since the last post, for two reasons... 1) We are rarely home because we've been enjoying this beautiful springtime, and 2) Jack has been monopolizing the computer playing online games.

He loves PBS Kids games, so I set up an account for him on the laptop. His favorites are Curious George, Caillou, and the Dragonfly games. The Dragonfly stuff is actually well over his head, but the computer has enormous patience for his endless trial and error.


Here are some pictures from a recent trip to Terhune Orchards, which Jack calls "the farm." We had such a nice time that day. We walked the trail through the woods, fed the goats, played on the tractor, and of course visited the store for apples and cookies. We saw a bunch of turtles, a couple of dozen who zipped into the water with surprising speed when they heard us coming. We also walked by the bare cherry trees and noticed the seeds of last year's fruit on the ground. We're all looking forward to this year's Pick and Read series.

Sympathy Card: "To a Disappointed Grandma"

[I DID NOT write this. It belongs to an MDC mom known as "Smokering." I have her permission to copy it here...]

You're a very special Grandma
And you couldn't wait to see
Your children's children go to school
And learn their ABCs

But dreams are fleeting, Grandma
And we're sorry you'll be sad
To know we'll be homeschooling
'Cause we want to drive you mad.

This card is meant for treasuring
The last from us to you
For once we've locked our kids away
They won't learn nothin' new

Their social skills will soon decline
And writing will be scorned
Because it is the Devil's tool
So Grandma, you've been warned

We're sorry that your grandkids
Will be socially inept
(And jobless, broke and single too)
But after you have wept

Take comfort in the thought that you
Won't have to pay for Uni
They don't accept homeschoolers
'Cause we're all a little loony!

Art hero

Favorite books of the moment:

Clifford Gets a Job - Bridwell
The Princess and the Pea - Lauren Child
The Runaway Dinner - Allan Ahlberg
The Great Paper Caper - Oliver Jeffers
Jack and the Dreamsack - Laurence Anholt
Super Duck - Jez Alborough
Felix and the Worrier - Rosemary Wells
Zoom - Istvan Banyai

Easter week

We had a quiet Easter. In the morning, we went to church. Later we took a picnic dinner to Washington Crossing State Park. It was cold, but fun. We hiked through the woods (stroller and all) and found a nature center which was closed.

We'll definitely do it again next year.

I'll add pictures later.

The next day, we spent the day with friends at Giggleberry Fair. David had is first carousel ride, and then his second and third. Jack had his first experience launching dozens of foam balls at adults he doesn't know. I don't think he even found the upper levels of slides and obstacle courses. Just as well-- I have a feeling we'll be going back there when the weather gets hot.

Tuesday, we made cookies with Nee-nee. She recently found her old stand mixer in a cabinet, and she immediately thought of how much Jack would enjoy using it. Boy was she right!