B is for...

B is for Bakery!
But it was closed, so we opted for Bass Guitar, Banjo and Bells at a local music shop. We spent a day on Birds and another day on Bears and sprinkled some Bubbles in there, too.

B is for Break!
My good fortune allowed me to join two other artists on a women's retreat in northern Minnesota last weekend. We didn't make a lot of art, but we had a Blast! (Thank you, Mary and Kevin, for helping to make that happen.)

A is for...

A is for Apples -
we went to an orchard
and hiked on a trail.
Poor Kevin was tortured
with Allergies.
(Hey, that begins with A, too!)
We brought home a peck
to make (Ah-Ah-Achoo!)
Applesauce, roasted
and Applesauce muffins.
With hot Apple crumble,
our bellies we’re stuffin’.

A is for Animals
housed at the zoo:
Antelopes, ‘gators,
and Anteaters, too.
We went there with Lisa
and also Aixing,
took a class about trees,
and went picnicking.
(*Teo and XingXing held hands on the way home!)

A is for Alcohol -
Kev brewed Chocolate Stout.
In three or four weeks,
drinking time comes about!

A is for Art!
I’m tired of rhyming, so let me just say that I was super-excited to start an arts-based pre-literacy program for preschoolers and their caregivers at our local library this past week. This month’s focus was collage - it was a big success, a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to continuing and growing this program.

A is for Art, again!
Mateo spent the weekend picking butternuts and pontooning with Gabby and Papa while Kev and I enjoyed the theater arts and culinary arts of the big city. Nice.

Doe, A Deer

Okay, we went to check out this wildlife education park a couple of days ago. It was a teensy bit depressing, but who can stay bummed with this little guy around? Mateo was sporting the shades his cousin had given him a couple of days earlier...way cool. There were a lot of animals here - elk, peacocks, rabbits, raccoons, porcupines, grizzly bears even, but Mateo's favorite was BY FAR the deer. Probably because they were so mellow and feedable and touchable, unlike the ones that stroll through our yard.

S'more, Please!

We took our first and only summer vacation of the season this past weekend, Lucy included. In fact, I think this had been our first "family" vacation EVER! We spent the weekend at a fairly nearby resort in a cabin on a lake. The weather was gorgeous so we opted to spend a lot of time outside swinging, sliding, playing volleyball and badminton, and taking walks. Highlights: Kevin enjoyed the virgin pines; Mateo enjoyed his first s'mores (we ordered vegetarian marshmallows especially for this!); and I enjoyed relaxing by the lake during naptime.

So, are we all rested up now? Heck no!

Printing Press

Mateo (& Mommy) have been taking a series of amazing book arts classes for preschoolers - it's so cool. We've done bookmaking, printmaking, and papermaking - today we made stamps and used the printing press. This teacher, Miss Ellen, is fantastic - super-enthusiastic.

This appears to be my blog catch-up day so I will add "in other news": Kev & I have been playing volleyball during the course of the summer and our team is in the middle of the pack just like last year (darn - I KNEW we should've practiced all winter long!); Mateo is working on some preschool-type stuff at home (developing focus and skills - yay!); the adoptive family playgroup continues to meet every so often (so nice to see our friends!); Mateo had a blast at Jonathan's 3rd birthday party (superhero theme!); and Kev & I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary (congratulations to us!).

Happy Birthday to Kevin!

The Ethertons visited for Kevin's birthday this year. We met at the local pizzeria and then came home for cake and ice cream. Kev's only real request was a generational photo with his Dad and Mateo. We also took some pics of his Mom and Aunt Pat and his brother, Kurt. And Kevin's oldest friend (meaning they've been friends since they were four), Brian, stopped by with raspberries. It was a very nice day. Happy Birthday, honey.

The County Fair

Yes, fair season - we hit our local one and Mateo rode on rides ALL BY HIMSELF this year! There was this great airplane one (does he look worried?) and then a similar ride with a band of turtles circling a psychedelic mushroom that he did solo. Mommy joined him for the merry-go-round, the ferris wheel, and a toddler version of the tilt-a-whirl - that one nearly did Mommy in.

We sampled some of the fair food - pizza, ice cream and pie - and checked out the animals. A very helpful 4-Her let us pet some juvenile cows, and a very noisy horse whinnied at us and scared "us" to tears sending us toward the very quiet llamas. Maybe next year we'll get to the chickens and rabbits? Oh, and we paid a special visit to the Recycling Center tent - for anyone not in the know, Mateo plays recycling at home a whole awful lot.