Harry Potter
Friday, December 17, 2010 by Amy
So, some things are bothering me about the Harry Potter books as I am re-reading them. I just watched all the movies with Riley and am just starting The Goblet of Fire. So, here it is...
Avery's 5th Birthday!!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010 by Amy
Yeah, so I'm changing the date on this post. Yes, probably cheating, but whatever!
Old Orchard Beach
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 by Amy
Shhh, don't tell Riley that we went without her! Monday was the best day to go, and Riley had school.
The beach was absolutely deserted, so we had it all to ourselves (nearly). It was quite chilly, but that didn't stop us from shell-hunting. Ben also found some interesting bones. We definitely need to come back in the spring or summer. Ben and Elizabeth said that they wanted to come back there too.
The beach was absolutely deserted, so we had it all to ourselves (nearly). It was quite chilly, but that didn't stop us from shell-hunting. Ben also found some interesting bones. We definitely need to come back in the spring or summer. Ben and Elizabeth said that they wanted to come back there too.
Lighthouses
by Amy
I almost forgot about the lighthouses! We couldn't possibly let Ben and Elizabeth leave Maine without seeing the famous Maine lighthouses! Of course we went to Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the country, supposedly. We also took in two more that are in the immediate area, two much smaller ones.
Portland Lights
by Amy
We went to downtown Portland to take a carriage ride through the arts district to see the lights. We got there before dark, so decided to spend some time in the public market while we waited for sunset. We'd never been to the public market before, there's lots of cool shops and a cool vibe. We'll have to go back and hang out again.
The girls were almost as excited as Elizabeth to see the horses. Kudos to Elizabeth for somehow finding out that there were free carriage rides!
The girls were almost as excited as Elizabeth to see the horses. Kudos to Elizabeth for somehow finding out that there were free carriage rides!
Turkey Day
by Amy
I made the pies in the morning, two pumpkin and an apple pie. We didn't freak out about Thanksgiving, running around like crazy people yelling and stuff because we're all stressed out. I never understood that. I'm very much in favor of a relaxed Thanksgiving! Thankfully, Ben did the turkey, and did it very well. I don't touch raw meat. We had green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes (and gravy, of course), and I forget what else. I botched the whipped cream, though. I "didn't have" confectioner's sugar, so I tried to blend up regular sugar and it just didn't work. Of course, I found nearly two full bags of confectioner's sugar in the pantry a day or two ago. Dur. We also ate at a normal time. I never understood the insanely early meal time on Thanksgiving. I called my grandparents to wish them a happy Thanksgiving, and they said that they ate between 11 and 12. That's just wacky.
We, of course, had to drag Ben and Elizabeth to Crescent Beach State Park! When we got to the park, we found the gates closed, announcing that the park was closed for the season. What? So, we parked the car outside the gates and walked in. The walk wasn't too bad, and we had the beach all to ourselves. For some reason, Riley chose to wear sandals. Whatever. I learned long ago that she best learns from her own mistakes, so kept my mouth shut! Ben spent a lot of time gathering shells for James.
Harvest Festival @ Dyer Elementary
Sunday, November 21, 2010 by Amy
It's kind of funny that the "harvest" festival involved a pizza dinner! But the girls had an absolute blast. They had different crafts and activities set up in many of the classrooms, and hockey in the hallway and musical chairs.
Riley and Ginger
by Amy
Riley looooooves Ginger! She is so patient with her, unlike Avery who runs after her like a crazy person, trying to catch her, and wonders why Ginger disappears at sight of her.
Santa!!
by Amy
Rudi took the girls to the mall yesterday to see Santa while I cleaned. They also brought in a carousel for the holidays, which the girls were all a-twitter about. Riley asked for pet rats and Avery asked for a Zhu-Zhu pet and a toy truck (a $50 truck she saw in a catalog that is definitely out of our price range).
Dental Stuff and Ear Piercing
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 by Amy
I am really starting to look into dental options for us. I mean, I need at least, bare minimum, $20,000 worth of dental work. Seriously. With brutal honesty, probably over $30K. Even if we made three times as much as we made now we wouldn't be able to afford that. Even with dental insurance, and their $2000 yearly max benefit, it would take 10 years! This is not really something that can be done a little at a time. I know some people think it can, but I'm the only one who has taken a good, hard, close look inside my mouth, and trust me, it can't be. Really. It's all or nothing. Fix them all at once, or just do nothing and wait for them all to fall out. I don't have money to waste on this and that, when it's just putting chewing gum in the hole in the dam. Why get a root canal when I can't afford the crown?
A Couple More Things
Sunday, November 14, 2010 by Amy
Forgot to mention a couple things in my last post!
First, Riley lost her 6th tooth yesterday. It was one of the teeth on the top next to the center teeth. Yippee! And then the toothfairy fell asleep last night, so as she was searching her bed this morning for the dollar, I pretended to help her and slipped a dollar in. Ooops!
First, Riley lost her 6th tooth yesterday. It was one of the teeth on the top next to the center teeth. Yippee! And then the toothfairy fell asleep last night, so as she was searching her bed this morning for the dollar, I pretended to help her and slipped a dollar in. Ooops!
Life Is Crap
Saturday, November 13, 2010 by Amy
So, today being the warmest day of the week, and most likely the warmest day we'll have until spring, we decided to go check out Old Orchard Beach. OOB is the closest thing we have to Ocean City here in Maine, with an amusement park and whatnot. Of course, we knew everything would be closed for the season, but we wanted to see the beach...
Speech Therapy (for the record, nothing new)
Friday, November 12, 2010 by Amy
Nothing new, don't get all excited! If I update about it on Facebook, or speak to family about things, I never see the benefit in blogging about it. Or, sometimes I update of Facebook and just forget to blog about it. But blogging is an online record, I need to post things here. I always come to blogger to search posts if I can't remember when something happened, or how precisely it happened. I realize that I never blogged about the speech therapist stuff, which is mighty important, I think.
Power Outage
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 by Amy
So, apparently there was some tropical storm Tomas that caused wind gust of 63 miles and hour and constant wind of over30 miles per hour on Sunday night. By midnight our power was out. Riley's school was canceled on Monday. We thought, it will be back on by morning, no biggie. When we woke up we were greeted with the most discomforting sound: the sound of dozens of generators kicking on. Oh, turds, we think, I guess this is a common occurrence here, and we do not have a generator!
Maine's Elections
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 by Amy
Regardless of what happens on the national stage, I am happy to finally be living in a state that is not afraid to vote "yes" on issues even if it means an increase in taxes. In Colorado Springs, voters would never vote to increase any tax, no matter how minutely. Never ever.
Halloween Stuff
by Amy
Riley got invited to a Halloween party held my a classmate the day before Halloween. The thing that sucks about have Riley and Avery in different schools (or no school at all in Avery's case) is that they are no longer a 2-fer. Before, Avery was always invited, or at least welcomed, to events where Riley was invited. Most kids now have no idea who Avery is, and might not even know that Riley even has a little sister. Needless to say, Avery was quite disappointed that she couldn't go to the party. So, I took her to a Halloween event at Borders, which was good enough for her. It's a good thing she went, and that I brought the camera, because that was the only time she wore her ladybug costume. Right after, she decided that she wanted to wear last year's witch costume. The ladybug costume was a wee bit small anyway. Halloween costume sizing is wonky.
Quick Boring Post About One More Thing I Like About Maine
Monday, November 1, 2010 by Amy
I found out today about another reason to like Maine. It's called "implied warranty." You know when you go to the store and buy an electronic, and they ask you if you want the protection plan for x number of dollars? It's always bothered me. Do they know that they sell crap, so are charging you extra to protect the junk? Anyway, no such thing in Maine. (Best Buy and the likes will still try to sell it to you, but whatever...) Everything you buy in Maine (except used cars) is covered by a warranty of at least four years. By selling things, merchants imply that they will last a reasonable amount of time, which the government has decided is at least four years. Major appliances, for example, are intended to last much longer than four years, so the implied warranty is longer, generally about 10 years. Now, if I buy a pair of running shoes and go running across Africa and wear them out, that's not covered, but still. Which is convenient, because Rudi just came home from buying a super-cheap recliner, proudly announcing that it has a 2-year warranty, and I'm like "actually, dear, it has a 4-year warranty, they just don't want you to know that."
Ideas
Saturday, October 30, 2010 by Amy
Yes, I know I start thinking about the holidays before the average person, but that's how we roll. With our budget, and two birthdays around Christmas, we just have to start early. Especially when I am planning on making quilts! I am making this quilt for the girls, with Woodland Wonderland for Riley (which I'm fully aware that most people will find ugly, but I find it delicious, so there!) and Garden Friends for Avery (again, perhaps ugly by some standards). The fabric was on sale for $2.50/yd, so that's what I'm going with. It'll be a fairy gaudy and busy quilt, but I think the girls will like them and that's what matters, right? Neither of them have had a quilt made for them in years. About 4 years to be exact. And they need covers for their beds.
Molting Crab Caught in the Act!
Sunday, October 24, 2010 by Amy
Caution: another episode of nerdiness ahead!
So, as I was changing the water in the hermit crabs' cage (which I am ashamed to admit, it had been several days), I notice that the littlest hermit crab had buried itself under the bowl and was now fully exposed. I see what appears to be a dead hermit crab.
So, as I was changing the water in the hermit crabs' cage (which I am ashamed to admit, it had been several days), I notice that the littlest hermit crab had buried itself under the bowl and was now fully exposed. I see what appears to be a dead hermit crab.
Dude, What's Up With That???
Saturday, October 23, 2010 by Amy
We went to the Maine Wildlife Park tonight for a Halloween event. I'll post the few pictures I took there later, I just wanted to get this off my chest...
Parent-Teacher Conference and Vision Screening
Friday, October 22, 2010 by Amy
We had Riley's parent-teacher conference on Wednesday. Nothing really surprising or anything. As her Montessori teacher said, get used to 12 years of boring conferences, because she's a great, smart kid! She is advanced in reading, which we already knew. Even the things she has to work on, we already knew.
Crescent Beach Redux and Some Other Stuff
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by Amy
We also went back to Crescent Beach the day after we last went. The girls literally played for hours together without even looking in our direction. Amazing! This time, Rudi and I had the presence of mind to bring chairs, towels, water, and snacks. We sat and actually had several adult, uninterrupted conversations. Wow!
Avery Reads!
by Amy
Riley literally taught Avery to read. Seriously. They were upstairs and Riley was going over letter sounds with Avery. She then got out the BOB books and Avery actually read them! Riley is so well-versed on the Montessori method, she taught Avery in the exact Montessori way :)
Recreation Center
by Amy
We went to the South Portland Rec Center last night to swim. The admission was $3/adult and $2/child. Not too shabby. The pool is warmest on Sunday night, the lifeguard said (and it was very warm! Yay!), because they ramp up the heat on the weekends for the swimming lessons. I think we'll make it our regular Sunday night activity. The pool is not cosmetically nice, the pool bottom was worn through to the concrete in many places, but it was clean and not too busy. No fancy-shmancy stuff, no slides, spray things, just a rectangular pool. But it was nice and quiet. Riley took a while to get back into the swing of things, but she eventually was up to her old antics. Avery hung onto the wall, as usual, for about the first 45 minutes, then let go and started swimming around in her life jacket, which is something she's NEVER done. She was so funny, she moves her arms and legs in slow motion, with exaggerated grace. I couldn't control my laughing a couple times.
Crescent Beach State Park
Monday, October 11, 2010 by Amy
We took an afternoon trip to Crescent Beach State Park and spend a few hours there. It was beautiful! The weather was about 60 and Riley brought a bathing suit and lobbied her hardest to get us to let her put it on. Rudi said absolutely not. I am seriously considering getting her a full wet suit. If the girl wants to go into Maine water in October, then let her have a wet suit so she can do it safely and comfortably! I really don't like to put limits on their explorations, so a wet suit would be nice. I think LL Bean has some...
School Pictures!!
Thursday, October 7, 2010 by Amy
Riley's school pictures turned out FABULOUSLY this year! Oh, my goodness, just awesome! Her hair even looks brushed! That was the longest 2.5 weeks ever. Without further ado:
In Defense of Public Schools
Friday, October 1, 2010 by Amy
Lately, on MDC, I've been embroiled in debates over schools. Even those with children in public schools are strangely critical of teachers. One woman, with a second grader, announced at meet-the-teacher night (ie, before school even started) that her family "doesn't do" homework. Before ever seeing the homework, or knowing how much will be assigned. She then told the teacher that under no circumstances is her child to be punished, either by taking away recess time or by lowered grades, for not doing homework. Excuse me? So the teacher has to come up with a whole new system for your special little prince?
A Couple Quick Things I Love About Maine (so far)
Thursday, September 30, 2010 by Amy
First, there's tons of local and organic products available. Like, a ton. Plus, they don't shaft you on the prices like they seem to do everywhere else. Of course, there are some exceptions, but for the most part they are competitively priced, and often even cheaper. We got local handmade butter for a lower price than factory butter. Potatoes are the same. Even local mustard, honey, jams, just everything under the sun. And when I say "local," I mean just down the street. Our milk is from Scarbourough, which is about 3 miles down the road :)
Eavesdropping on the Girls
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 by Amy
While I was busy examining the hermit crabs in the girls' room, I hear Riley reading to Avery and talking about stuff. It was cute to see them interacting that way, so I videotaped it!
Hermit Crab Update (Really)
by Amy
I'm such a nerd. Riley's big hermit crab is my favorite, because it is colorful and beautiful, and very very active, and not shy at all (doesn't pop back into her shell when you look at her). She buried herself about two weeks after we came back from Maryland. So, beginning of August-ish? She had been buried ever since. I knew that hermit crabs molted, and that they stayed buried for about a month, but it was terrible waiting for her to re-emerge, wondering if she was dead, etc. Hermit crabs frequently die from "bad molts." She was so much my favorite!
Beds
Monday, September 27, 2010 by Amy
Just a quick one. The girls slept in their own beds last night, on their own floor of the house. All night. They didn't wake up once. Which kind of confirms my suspicion that bed sharing with a nearly-5yo and a nearly-7yo upsets everyone's sleep! None of us were sleeping well in that situation!
Old Port!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010 by Amy
We finally made it to Old Port, and couldn't have picked a better way, weather-wise. A cool, foggy, and rainy morning gave way to sunny mid-eighties weather.
I was impressed with Old Port. There's a really nice toy store there, and plenty of places to eat seafood and sushi. However, a cruise ship had docked and Old Port was filled with cruise-shoppers. The cruise ship was amazing to look at, though! No.way.in.hell I'd get on it, though. No way! If I have to get on a boat, it needs to be a smallish one. Just saying that a boat bigger than the state of Rhode Island is not my cup of tea. Rudi said that he wanted to go on one really bad, but there have been many times that I've wanted him to go on an airplane really bad, so he'll just have to suck it :) I'm definitely in for a whale-watching trip, and they have sailboat trips that look fun. But cruise ship? Um, no.
I was impressed with Old Port. There's a really nice toy store there, and plenty of places to eat seafood and sushi. However, a cruise ship had docked and Old Port was filled with cruise-shoppers. The cruise ship was amazing to look at, though! No.way.in.hell I'd get on it, though. No way! If I have to get on a boat, it needs to be a smallish one. Just saying that a boat bigger than the state of Rhode Island is not my cup of tea. Rudi said that he wanted to go on one really bad, but there have been many times that I've wanted him to go on an airplane really bad, so he'll just have to suck it :) I'm definitely in for a whale-watching trip, and they have sailboat trips that look fun. But cruise ship? Um, no.
Picture of Lola as a Puppy!!
Friday, September 24, 2010 by Amy
So cute! Angela just sent me a picture of Lola as a pup, which is great timing since the girls have been begging to see a dachshund puppy so they wold know what one looks like! How stinkin' cute is she?
Meet Ginger!
by Amy
So, we got a cat. First, because we have mice. Second, because we simply wanted one!
We went to the Animal Refuge League. They have a very thorough way of evaluating cats based on their personalities. Then, the families fill out a survey and are matched with a category of cats that would best suit the household.
We went to the Animal Refuge League. They have a very thorough way of evaluating cats based on their personalities. Then, the families fill out a survey and are matched with a category of cats that would best suit the household.
Back-To-School Night!
by Amy
Stupid thing like back-to-school night make me giddy. I'm weird. I think things like that make me feel like a grown up :) At the age of 34, I still don't feel like an adult!
All I can say about Dyer School is WOW! Love it! Miss Foster has been teaching for 25 years, and over the years she has amassed an amazing quantity of books. Holy cow, every wall is filled with organized little bins of books. Literally, no exaggeration, she has a couple thousand at least. Just totally awesome.
All I can say about Dyer School is WOW! Love it! Miss Foster has been teaching for 25 years, and over the years she has amassed an amazing quantity of books. Holy cow, every wall is filled with organized little bins of books. Literally, no exaggeration, she has a couple thousand at least. Just totally awesome.
The Beach
Thursday, September 23, 2010 by Amy
We managed to get a short trip to the beach in before sending Riley off too school. However, we did NOT pick a very warm day! Had we waited a week, the weather would have been a lot better. From what I gather, the shore in Maine is usually rocky. Sandy beaches have to be sought out. The thing I do like is that we can go to the beach to go to the beach, and don't have to worry about the vendors, rides, food, etc. It's just the beach. If we want touristy beach, we can make the quick drive to Old Orchard Beach (about 12 miles away). Don't get me wrong, I love touristy beaches, but not every single weekend. That would absolutely kill our budget. The beach we went to was Willard Beach, only about a mile long. It has barrier islands that act as breakwaters, so the surf is really gentle (more like the surf on the bayside of Ocean City). Avery was comfortable enough to actually wade a bit inot the water. We were the only ones crazy enough to be there on a windy and cool day. The water was a tad chilly, but warmer than I expected it to be. Kind of like Ocean City in June.
Riley was up-and-at-'em on her first day, so excited to start school. We arrived early so that we could meet her teacher. Miss Foster seems like she'll be a great teacher for Riley. There are only two first grade classes at Dyer Elementary, so the school's not HUGE, but definitely larger than Golden Mountain. After meeting Miss Foster, she took her out onto the playground (there is playground supervision starting at 8:30 until 8:45 when school starts) and she found a girl named Elise who helped Riley find where to line up when the bell rang, and helped her with the morning routines. After that, Riley just ran onto the playground with Elise and didn't even hug me or say good-bye!
Kansas City!
Sunday, September 5, 2010 by Amy
We are finally making progress! We go here late, thanks to a nasty and ill-explained detour. It's 11:30 pm and Rudi took Riley and Avery to Denny's for a bite to eat while I chill in the hotel with Lola. I tell you, in unfamiliar places (hotels), Lola DOES NOT like anyone to be missing, particularly Rudi. She is whining all over the place and scratching at the door. It's driving me crazy. Even if I can get her into bed with me, she keeps an eye on the door. She is really bonding with Rudi, since she is riding with him. The moving truck has a huge space between the front seats and Rudi put way too much thought into how to make it comfy for Lola. Once Lola learned that neither running under Rudi's feet or chasing a fly in the truck are desirable activities on the road, she's been doing well. The girls are hanging in there, considering that this is our 5th night in a hotel.
Moving Update, Playdate, and Lost Tooth
Thursday, September 2, 2010 by Amy
Sitting here in a hotel room for the second night and I even update the blog! About time, right?
We picked up the truck today and loaded it all up. It's weird to look at a 15 foot truck, knowing that all of your worldly possessions are in it! The movers loaded it really well and worked magic getting it all on. We did get rid of a lot of stuff, but nothing really that we hadn't planned on ridding ourselves of. Now the task of cleaning the apartment. Fun times. Tomorrow will be full of cleaning and then we leave on Saturday morning for Maine! Oh, yeah!
We picked up the truck today and loaded it all up. It's weird to look at a 15 foot truck, knowing that all of your worldly possessions are in it! The movers loaded it really well and worked magic getting it all on. We did get rid of a lot of stuff, but nothing really that we hadn't planned on ridding ourselves of. Now the task of cleaning the apartment. Fun times. Tomorrow will be full of cleaning and then we leave on Saturday morning for Maine! Oh, yeah!
Rants
Thursday, August 19, 2010 by Amy
Rudi got rid of his books. I can't say he got rid of them all, but after packing a couple boxes of them, he got tired of it and took them to the library instead. Honestly, I never understood the act of keeping things just to have them. I mean, I can understand collecting, in moderation, but a stamp collection or coin collection, or baseball card collection, doesn't take up much space. At least for normal people they don't. But collecting books (and bookcases to hold them) when you never look at them again is just ridiculous to me. Is it just so that you can say that you have a "library?" Is that a status symbol I'm not aware of? I mean, sure, having a library 300 years ago was a status symbol, but today we have these buildings that are actually called libraries, where you go to borrow books for free.
Purging
Monday, August 16, 2010 by Amy
Sorry, no pictures! We haven't really been doing anything picture-worthy, just packing. Lots and lots of packing. We've thrown out far more than we've packed, which is a good sign so far. Much much much more than we've packed. By "thrown out" I mean donated, trashed, or otherwise disposed of. We're trying to make do with a 17' moving truck, which will save us a considerable amount of money and I have a feeling that the new house is smaller than this one, with less storage. So, we are purging very aggressively! Even Rudi is, and we all know what a pack-rat he is!
Renaissance Festival 2010!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010 by Amy
We finally made it to the last day of this year's RenFest, and our last in Colorado! The weather was a little warm at first, but it cooled off significantly as it threatened to rain after a while, but didn't actually rain until we got to our car several hours later. Phew.
We've already looked into Renaissance Festivals in Maine, and they do have one for one weekend only in May. I think Portland weather in May is definitely long-sleeved weather, which makes costuming easier. Rudi says that he wants me to make him a kilt and a shirt.
We've already looked into Renaissance Festivals in Maine, and they do have one for one weekend only in May. I think Portland weather in May is definitely long-sleeved weather, which makes costuming easier. Rudi says that he wants me to make him a kilt and a shirt.
Hermit Crabs!
Saturday, July 24, 2010 by Amy
Alert! Boring post about hermit crabs ahead! Alert!
The hermit crabs made it to Colorado okay. Except three trips through the x-ray at the airport can't be a good thing :) But no signs of radioactivity yet LOL! After the Dallas checkpoint I opened the backpack to check on the little critters and the lid had come off and the crabbies were all over my backpack. Good thing I checked!
We had to use a 10 gallon aquarium. I'd like to get a bigger one, but certainly not before we move, and I can't justify the expense right now. Unless one comes up on freecycle. They have a nice little habitat (or "crabitat" as hermit crab people call it!)
The hermit crabs made it to Colorado okay. Except three trips through the x-ray at the airport can't be a good thing :) But no signs of radioactivity yet LOL! After the Dallas checkpoint I opened the backpack to check on the little critters and the lid had come off and the crabbies were all over my backpack. Good thing I checked!
We had to use a 10 gallon aquarium. I'd like to get a bigger one, but certainly not before we move, and I can't justify the expense right now. Unless one comes up on freecycle. They have a nice little habitat (or "crabitat" as hermit crab people call it!)
Officially Retired!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by Amy
So, Rudi is officially retired! I don't know how Social Security stuff works, but we got lucky with the woman who is handling his disability and retirement case. She is super-duper on-the-ball. She even called him on Saturday to take his applications. She returns calls within the hour (unheard of! LOL) We're talking the Social Security Administration here!
Father's Day at the Zoo...
Friday, June 25, 2010 by Amy
...without the father! We promised the girls that we would take them to the zoo on Mother's Day, but I wasn't feeling well that day, so we postponed it. Then the girls asked if we could go to the zoo on Father's Day, and we agreed. Then, Rudi woke up on Father's Day not feeling well, so we decided that I would take the kids to the zoo myself so that he could rest in peace and quiet.
Swimming Level 3
by Amy
Riley passed level 3 swimming lessons! She is so darn proud of herself, and so am I! She really rose to the occasion in this class, because it was not easy! There's a big jump in skill requirements between Level 2 and Level 3. I mean, they were starting to teach the butterfly for heaven's sake! The girl was barely above the water the whole time. While waiting her turn with the teacher, she was diving to the bottom, practicing floats, etc. She loves the water. I think that Riley has found her "thing." Oh, and the grin from ear to ear when she comes out of the water exclaiming "I LOVE swimming!!" Finally.
Riley
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 by Amy
Ugh, what is there to say about Riley? She got her comeuppance today, that's for sure.
Yesterday we made plans to go to the sprayground today and I asked her if she wanted to invite Matthew and Julia (siblings). She was thrilled. So, I spoke to their mother and made arrangements to fit everyone in our car, spoke about time, etc. All was set.
Fast forward to this morning. Riley decided arbitrarily that she does not want Julia to come. I told her that she was already invited and that uninviting her would be rude and hurtful.
Yesterday we made plans to go to the sprayground today and I asked her if she wanted to invite Matthew and Julia (siblings). She was thrilled. So, I spoke to their mother and made arrangements to fit everyone in our car, spoke about time, etc. All was set.
Fast forward to this morning. Riley decided arbitrarily that she does not want Julia to come. I told her that she was already invited and that uninviting her would be rude and hurtful.
Random Stuff (Again)
Friday, June 18, 2010 by Amy
Well, some things....Riley is doing phenomenally in swim class. I have a video somewhere, but I'll have to find it. She is actually SWIMMING!! At first she swam a sloppy freestyle and could go about 20 feet, which was as far as she could go without running into another class. Who knows how far she could have gone? Now her teacher is fine-tuning her strokes, so she's slowing down her crawl and can sustain herself for about 10 feet, she's concentrating so much on technique, not speed. Once she gets the strokes down, speeds up, and can maintain her momentum, she'll be going far again. However, I am not totally sure she'll pass this class the first time. No biggie. She is awesome at the front float, freestyle, and diving for rings, but she has great difficulty with anything on her back. Not that I blame her!
All in all, we did really well financially on this trip. We brought our own food and other than a stop for dinner on the way there, managed to eat it alone. I bought some meat before leaving, but it in a bag with marinade, and froze it. The meat kept everything else cold, and when it thawed out we were ready to eat it, and the meat that we weren't ready to eat stayed refrigerator-cold long enough for us to use it. The girls loved the camp-cooked food and asked that I cook on the green stove at home too. Funny kids.
Spruce Tree House
by Amy
Information here: http://www.nps.gov/archive/meve/cliff_dwellings/spruce_tree_house_home.htm
We tried to see Spruce Tree House on the same day we did the Petroglyph Point hike, but alas, they were closed :( We had pretty much decided that we weren't going to be able to go, but then our other plans had fallen through (we intended on going to the Four Corners, but the monument is only open F-Su) and Rudi and I mentioned how the Spruce Tree House had a reconstructed kiva (with roof and ladder) and the girls really really really wanted to go into the kiva!
We tried to see Spruce Tree House on the same day we did the Petroglyph Point hike, but alas, they were closed :( We had pretty much decided that we weren't going to be able to go, but then our other plans had fallen through (we intended on going to the Four Corners, but the monument is only open F-Su) and Rudi and I mentioned how the Spruce Tree House had a reconstructed kiva (with roof and ladder) and the girls really really really wanted to go into the kiva!
Chaco Canyon: Chetro Ketl
by Amy
Information here: http://www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit/chetro-ketl.htm
Chetro Ketl was located just a (normally) short walk from Pueblo Bonito, but a new trail was "curing" (whatever that means) and there was a long detour. Oh well, we were already hot and sunburned by that point, what's a little more? There were petroglyphs to see between Chetro Ketl and Pueblo Bonito that were interesting. The think I like about Chaco is that all the dwellings are open and you can walk all through them. They just ask that you not climb the walls. Duh.
Chetro Ketl was located just a (normally) short walk from Pueblo Bonito, but a new trail was "curing" (whatever that means) and there was a long detour. Oh well, we were already hot and sunburned by that point, what's a little more? There were petroglyphs to see between Chetro Ketl and Pueblo Bonito that were interesting. The think I like about Chaco is that all the dwellings are open and you can walk all through them. They just ask that you not climb the walls. Duh.
Chaco Canyon: Pueblo Bonito
by Amy
Wow, I kind of pooped out there on the vacation pictures, didn't I? Well, here's more...
Info here: http://www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit/pueblo-bonito.htm
Info here: http://www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit/pueblo-bonito.htm
We drove hours into northwest New Mexico to see Chaco Canyon. It's a must-see in the area, and we couldn't pass it up! Pueblo Bonito is the most famous Anasazi settlement in North America, the one you see in all documentaries on the subject. The drive was not very fun at all, though. First, Rudi severely underestimated the distance, as usual! Further, the road turned to a rough unpaved road about 16 miles outside of Chaco. It's the kind of place where if your car breaks down, they'll find your dried skeletons months later LOL.
Mesa Top Sites
Saturday, June 12, 2010 by Amy
There are over 4000 archaeological sites in Mesa Verde. Only a few are open to the public, so many are visible from the road or on short walks. The Mesa Top loop offered views of several cliff houses. Way cool. I mean, we couldn't even get pictures of them all, or even find them all. This is called the best view in Mesa Verde, as so much could be seen from this overlook.
Petroglyph Point
by Amy
After going to Cliff Palace, we decided to take a hike to Petroglyph Point. Petroglyphs and pictographs were top of Rudi's list. Well, it turned out that the hike was more than we bargained for! The trail information states that there is a 100 foot elevation gain, but what is doesn't say is that you gain, lose, and re-gain those 100 feet over and over again. That trail was so up and down! There were stone stairs, narrow passageways, and just a plain old rocky path.
Balcony House
by Amy
History here: http://www.nps.gov/archive/meve/cliff_dwellings/balcony_house_home.htm
Balcony House was an absolute no-go for Rudi and Avery, so Riley and I had a go at it just the two of us. One of the ladders was 60 ft, and there were two more that were shorter. There was also a tunnel to crawl through that was quite a tight fit.
Cliff Palace
by Amy
An overlook of Cliff Palace. It's so huge that you can't get super-good pictures up close:
The girls both wanted to pose for pictures on the fence. Don't know why, but I'm always happy to oblige! We were on the way to meet the ranger for the tour.
Ha! Got a picture without any people in it! Score!:
The girls needed some sort of covering for their heads, it was so hot. Sun hats were super-expensive at the gift shop so they both got bandanas. They loved them!
Listening intently to the ranger's presentation:
The original wall paintings in one of the towers.
The girls kept wanting me to take pictures of them rather than the cliff dwellings!
Riley examining one of the kivas:
Climbing out via ladder:
History of Cliff Palace here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Palace
Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America! Quite a sight! You have to have a ranger-led tour and tickets cost $3 each. Not too shabby. We got up there and the ranger starts giving the beginning lecture and Rudi chickens out because of the height. Avery and Riley and I had a grand old time on our own, although Avery was a bit nervous about the ladder coming out. The amazing thing is that although the Anasazi used ladders to enter and exit the kivas (they originally had roofs) they did not use ladders to access the cliff dwellings themselves. They carved hand and toe holds from the cliffs and climbed! I have pictures later that show the original hand and toe holds. Craziness!
The girls both wanted to pose for pictures on the fence. Don't know why, but I'm always happy to oblige! We were on the way to meet the ranger for the tour.
Ha! Got a picture without any people in it! Score!:
The girls needed some sort of covering for their heads, it was so hot. Sun hats were super-expensive at the gift shop so they both got bandanas. They loved them!
Listening intently to the ranger's presentation:
The original wall paintings in one of the towers.
The girls kept wanting me to take pictures of them rather than the cliff dwellings!
Riley examining one of the kivas:
Climbing out via ladder:
History of Cliff Palace here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Palace
Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America! Quite a sight! You have to have a ranger-led tour and tickets cost $3 each. Not too shabby. We got up there and the ranger starts giving the beginning lecture and Rudi chickens out because of the height. Avery and Riley and I had a grand old time on our own, although Avery was a bit nervous about the ladder coming out. The amazing thing is that although the Anasazi used ladders to enter and exit the kivas (they originally had roofs) they did not use ladders to access the cliff dwellings themselves. They carved hand and toe holds from the cliffs and climbed! I have pictures later that show the original hand and toe holds. Craziness!
It's hard to tell from the photographs, but the rooms go WAY back into the cliff. Each dwelling had a reliable seep spring in the back so the ancient puebloans would have daily access to water. This is cited as a major reason that they moved from pithouses on the tops of the mesas where they originally lived, to the cliff dwellings.
On the Way to Mesa Verde!
by Amy
Our drive down there was uneventful, although it seems like Rudi has to make a dozen stops before even leaving town! Argh. When I'm on the road I like to hurry up and get on the road! We managed to pack quite a bit of food to keep us going the whole trip. The drive took about 7 hours, not including stopping for dinner.
We got to the campground in time to set up the tent before nightfall. Rudi and I make a good tent-erecting team. The tent is quite nice and we're both happy with it. It is big enough inside to fit a queen-size mattress, plus a twin (which is good because that's what we have LOL!) and still a little room left for clothes and stuff. It has a large vestibule which helped a lot. It kept things out of the sun and such without having to put it in the car.
What I could have done without was the enormous spider in my shoe the first morning. I mean ENORMOUS! I tapped out my shoes, them put them on and felt something funny in the left one. I took it off and shook it out again and nothing. I still felt something when I put it on again, so I tapped it out again and this time a huge spider tumbled out. It was fine, I was fine, but I learned a lesson: bring your shoes inside the tent! The spider was seriously as big as a Halloween spider ring. I took a picture because I was sure Rudi would think I was exaggerating. I needed proof:
The people in the campground across from us has the same tent we did. They did practice runs and theirs was tighter than ours. We decided that the tethers and such weren't needed, so ours was wrinkly (probably from our ball-up and stuff method of putting tents away!)
Territory Days!!
Monday, May 31, 2010 by Amy
We used the free shuttle to Old Colorado City. Riley was quite thrilled to be riding on a school bus for the first time!:
Fire engine!:
Riley wanted to ride the mechanical bull. She did great, although she was a little nervous about the being thrown off part. She was pep-talking herself, saying "Stick! Stick! Stick to it like a tree frog!" (you can hear her if you listen carefully!)This was supposed to be Avery's turn, but she backed out. I didn't want to have waited in line for nothing, so I offered the ride to Riley. She was more confident this time!
This is our first time going to Territory Days. The only problem was that there were no ATMs to be found. Finding one was like finding sasquatch. We would hear a rumor of one, chase it down, only to find that it was a figment of the imagination, or to get completely different directions from someone else. The bank's ATM was out of money, as were the mysterious portable ones that were taken away because they were empty. I did save a young man from embarrassment in front of his girlfriend as he was trying, unsuccessfully, to withdraw money from the ATM by telling him that the ATM was, in fact, out of money, not his bank account LOL! Luckily, we had just enough cash for drinks and food, but it would have been nice to have more. It was a fairly hot day and the girls were troopers. And I feel like a good mom because I actually brought sunblock for the kids. Thanks to the 70SPF the girls didn't get burned. That is quite an accomplishment for me!
The Lady at Walmart
Sunday, May 30, 2010 by Amy
We had to go to Walmart today. HAD to, although we didn't want to. We needed camping stuff, and are on a budget...The older woman in front of me in line said "What is her name?" indicating Avery. I said (obvioulsy), "Avery." She said, "She is beautiful." Why the hell to people think it's okay to repeatedly point out Avery's looks and ignore Riley's? Why? Avery happens to have other attributes other than her looks. And Riley will grow into her looks in an astonishing way. Mark my words!
Saturday was Riley's last ice skating lesson. Thank goodness. She wasn't enjoying it at all and couldn't even muster up enough enthusiasm to attempt to do what the teacher was asking her. I know she knew all the stuff, because this was a repeat class for her, one she already passed. The only reason she was in this class was to be with Caoimhe. Needless to say, she was the only one in the class not to pass, and although she noticed this, she didn't care in the least, which is unusual for Riley. Although she showed early promise, ice skating is just not for her. I'm proud of her for sticking it out even though she didn't like it.
That said, I got Riley a pair of inline skates last night. She skated until dark, then put them on again this morning and hasn't taken them off in the past 3 hours or so. She really loves them. I think inline skates are more practical since she can use them right out front. No driving 25 minutes to an ice rink. I do think, though, that the ice skating lessons are helping her get a hang of inline skating. She's doing the things that she learned in ice skating class (the very same things she refused to demonstrate for her ice teacher!) and taking to it quickly.
This video was taken the very minute that Riley put her skates on. It's kind of funny. Of course, Riley chose to go down the neighbor's hilly driveway!
This video was taken just now. Avery wanted to be in the video too and wouldn't give Riley her space :)
On a different note, Spring seems to have passed us by. We went from snow to 85 degrees. No spring at all! I do look forward to living in an area with four seasons. Actually, many argue that Maine has five seasons with the addition of mud season between winter and spring.
Riley is squeezing in one more swim session between our camping trip and our trip to Maryland. It'll be every morning for two weeks. Swimming seems to be Riley's "thing." She just is willing to try anything. It is level 3, which is Stroke Development. Sounds hard. I think Riley will probably be in it more than once.
RIley's Graduation!
Thursday, May 27, 2010 by Amy
Riley's Kindergarten graduation was on Wednesday. It was a fun time for all. I was really thankful for all the families that showed up even though only two kids were graduating. Kind of makes me feel bad for never attending any of the three graduations at the school before my kid graduated. Riley was super-tired and yawned throughout the ceremony.
After the ceremony, everyone gathered for snacks. Riley just broke down and cried uncontrollably, like her heart was breaking saying that she didn't want to leave the school. I don't think she quite understood that Kindergarten is only one year, since she had three years of preschool there. Rae said that she had never had a child react so strongly. Of course, Riley's been at that school for most of her life, literally. Then, five minutes after she managed to stop crying, she would start all over again. I took pictures of her with each of her teachers to frame for her, and arranged for pen pals.
I was in charge of taking the video, and Rudi took pictures. I did snap a few pictures between videos, but Rudi took the bulk of them. I haven't looked at the pictures on his camera yet, so I may have more to post later!
Overheard Conversation
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 by Amy
I was folding laundry, and I overhear Riley and Avery having a conversation. I didn't catch the beginning, and couldn't get the info out of Riley after it was all said and done:
Riley: You need to be in love with a boy first.
Avery: I'm in love with two boys.
Riley: Who?
Avery: Matthew and Grandpa.
Riley: You can't pick Matthew, I already picked him.
Avery: But you already have too many.
Riley: I know, I'm in love with three boys.
Avery: Who?
Riley: Matthew, Carlos, and Mr. Rob (Mr. Rob is Ms. Rae's husband!)
So, my question is: Is there a place I cay buy a pre-cut Rapunzel tower kit or something? But this one needs to be "new and improved" so not even princes can get in...
Riley: You need to be in love with a boy first.
Avery: I'm in love with two boys.
Riley: Who?
Avery: Matthew and Grandpa.
Riley: You can't pick Matthew, I already picked him.
Avery: But you already have too many.
Riley: I know, I'm in love with three boys.
Avery: Who?
Riley: Matthew, Carlos, and Mr. Rob (Mr. Rob is Ms. Rae's husband!)
So, my question is: Is there a place I cay buy a pre-cut Rapunzel tower kit or something? But this one needs to be "new and improved" so not even princes can get in...
Camping!
Sunday, May 23, 2010 by Amy
**All bundled up in Daddy's sweater!**
**Avery wants me to take a picture of her on every rock she sees!**
**My adorable little girls!**
**Daddy and Avery at Manitou Lake**
**Riley, Taryn, and Avery at Manitou Lake**
**Avery found a wildflower for me!**
**Nothing like hot cocoa in Daddy's lap!**
**Rudi was fussing over Lola, always worried that she wasn't warm enough (she was shivering!)**
**I suppose a small stump is still significantly high for a dachshund. Surveying the camp site.**
**Riley falling asleep in Ms. Rae's lap**
**Avery's turn!**
**Mmmmm...smores!**
**Roasting marshmallows for the smores**
**Riley and Lola waiting for the car to be unpacked at the camp site**
Those pictures are pretty much in reverse order. Oh, well. The Kindergarten camping trip was last night. It was a lot of fun. Only two Kindergarteners this year! All four of us came, and Taryn's grandfather brought her (I didn't think her mother was the camping type!), and Rae and her husband were there. I think Rudi was relieved that he wasn't the only dude there. The campground was not too far away, just in Woodland Park. But oh, my, it was WINDY! We thought this would be a test run for our larger family tent with vestibule, but it was so windy we couldn't even get a good look at the tent to figure out where everything was and how to put it together. I mean, the think was flying into the air like a parachute! Beyond windy! Luckily, Rudi also had a 3-man tent in the trunk for when he goes camping solo, and we put that up with no problems since it is a simple dome tent. We survived the whole experience in good humor and with our marriage intact, which is saying something for anyone who knows Rudi!The wind prevented us from having a camp fire that night, so everyone roasted hot dogs over the stove instead, and later marshmallows for s'mores. We all sat around the fire ring anyway, chatting.
The night was pretty cold. The girls each have their own sleeping bag, and Riley slept like a rock all night long. I don't think she even moved! Lola slept in the foot of my sleeping bag, so she kept my feet warm. Avery was in her own bag, but being in separate bags made the snuggling she's used to impossible, so sometime in the middle of the night she migrated to my sleeping bag. It was getting tight in there with Avery, Lola, and me in one bag! I should have gotten the family sleeping bag that I was *this close* to getting instead of buying each of the girls a bag. Lesson learned.
For some reason Rudi and Taryn's grandfather got up early and built a campfire. I'm pretty sure Taryn's grandfather knew what time it was, but I'm pretty sure Rudi didn't because there is no way that he would get up voluntarily at 7am. Knowing that, I got up a a short time later, thinking it was later than it was. Riley got up with me, and Avery, Taryn, Rae and her husband continued to sleep (like normal people!). We chilled around the fire until everyone was up and then we had breakfast. We chilled some more, waiting for it to warm up (at least the wind had stopped!). Then we took a short drive (about a mile) to Manitou Lake.
We took a leisurely stroll around Manitou Lake, which was beautiful with Pikes Peak in the background.
I can't believe that Riley is graduating Kindergarten on Wednesday! I always thought that preschool, Kindergarten, 5th grade, and 8th grade graduations were stupid, but I have to admit that this is hitting me pretty hard. That, coupled with all the teeth that Riley has lost, make me realize that she is growing up! I'll have lots of picture and video on Wednesday!
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