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.

Quality Cousin Time

Mateo had a blast when Reggie and Justice came to visit last week. I don’t think he realizes how much younger he is than them! The weather was unusually cold, but that didn’t stop Justice from spending as much time as possible in the pool. He was the only taker, and he kept himself busy playing with a “toypedo” and learning how to use snorkeling gear. Reggie spent a lot of time chasing after Mateo (and smacking her brother with a pool noodle). We scored some free root beer floats complete with big tin mugs, watched movies, did a little karaoke, listened to an acappella group, ventured down by the falls, went for a paddleboat ride, checked out a farm festival and went on a picnic. Whew! Sounds like a lot, but they were easy to have with us – very good kids…xo

Independence Day

What an appro-priate holiday for a 3-year-old to celebrate! We had a wonderful day starting out with a visit to urgent care where it was determined that Mateo was not contagious, then spending the afternoon with Gabby and Papa and Reggie and Justice at the cottage (and Jake and Ora – see them enjoying corn on the cob?), and ending up at a cookout at the Buenzli residence where we watched the notoriously drawn-out beautiful fireworks display of a certain nearby town. Yay, America!