Ok, got the pictures posted

Shara is turning out to be quite the photographer. It really is great that she likes taking pictures because they're pretty good and there are so many. I've noticed all of us have been pretty bad about taking lots of pictures - even though Liz and Jill have beautiful new cameras!. So, here they are:

Hanukkah at Bubbe's & Wii!

We went to Bubbe's last Friday for our hanukkah party. We had a lot of fun. The trip there wasn't very interesting - the usual stop at Whole Foods for some decent road food. Shara had a good nap in the car and I started knitting her leg warmers. Obviously Alan drove. We got to Bubbe's about a hour or two early so got to visit and help out. Shara couldn't wait for her cousins to show up. When they did, as Alan noted, they looked very sophisticated. Can't believe Samantha is almost in college and Lizzy is soon off to Scotland! Wow, time flies. When we moved to this area, I remember the first visit from Samantha and Jill - sam was 8.

Anyway, I hardly saw Shara the whole night. She was more than happy spending time with her cousins. I was there for the dance recital she set up. Liz & Sam knew exactly what "make a window" meant, being old dance pros. They followed Shara's directions beautifully. I also remember us all hanging out in the bedroom taking lots of silly pictures of each other and not feeling so bad that I only got to 16 mhz when Liz & Sam got to just 17. Yes Shara, we know you can hear them all!

Since I can't remember much of the evening, other than all of us staying up until 10 PM! I'd like to invite our family to post their comments about their memories.

The next day, after a good breakfast of Bubbe's eggs, bagels, lox and cream cheese, we drove home, again, nothing special. When we got home, the long clean-up process began. Where to put all the new things! Wow, there was a lot to put away. Alan started getting the Wii set up - that is the best invention ever! We all had so much fun on Sunday. We could all play - Shara was just as good at the golf as we were. She also had fun with the tilt table, getting the balls in the holes. Alan has some video of her boxing, which we'll have to figure out how to post - it's from his phone, so apparently not as simple. We also have tons of photos from Hanukkah, since Shara took the camera and went to town.

Christmas - Part 2

Shara got a utensil set from Oma & Jidor and said, "do you think they'd get mixed up with mommy and daddy's?" I said maybe, and asked if we should keep them separate. She thought so because, "they're special and handy". I asked her if she knew what kind of sheets Oma got her and she didn't so I told her flannel and she said that's a good thing I got them for Christmas because they'll keep me warm. Then she asked if I noticed the big mess she made with all the clothes - she meant the dress- up clothes. We all had a lot of fun at Oma & Jidor's. We all learned how to march through each other, like they do at dance class, and we all had fun playing with the play dough, the princess cash register, and watching Shara do her yoga.

And this is Christmas

Last night we had a good time at Sandra & Peter's. Shara actually enjoyed herself - petted Sadie, ate M&M's & cookies, meatball, etc. It took her a couple of hours to warm up, but once she did, it was much fun for all of us. The best part was watching her with Sadie. It was the same with Belle - she kept daring herself to pet her and then got all excited. We didn't leave until about 9 PM. Shara fell sleep in the car and for the first time since she was a baby, didn't want to wake up enough to change into jammies.

This morning she woke up and thought she didn't have to get dressed because she was all ready. She also noticed that Santa left treats in her stocking and knew that it was candy because that's what Santa brings. Then she realized it wasn't candy and that was because Santa must know she already has lots and lots of candy already. She was also really amazed that Santa had the same wrapping paper that we did. It was really cute. She loved her snow globe, Sleeping Beauty movie and Hello Kitty backpack clip.

Later we'll go to Oma & Jidor's. We decided to bring the rest of the presents there to unwrap because the day really got away from me/us. We took about an hour or so to put together 3 little houses out of five from our gingerbread village. Not a great experience. We had a little fun - no fighting at least, but it was too hard for both Shara & me. The frosting wasn't already made like the King Arthur kit, so next year we both decided we're getting a king arthur kit again. The candies wouldn't stick to the houses, the frosting dried so fast, it was too hard and didn't come out of the bag well, etc. Last year Shara was able to do almost everything - and she was a year younger! Anyway, off for my shower.

Talking on the Phone and other big kid things

Shara started answering the phone this past weekend, but only when she knew who was on the other end. She actually had a very nice conversation with Bubbe, Maggie and then with daddy. From not wanting to talk at all, to answering - big steps. We just have to get her used to talking to people she doesn't hear from often.

This weekend we also had fun wrapping presents together. Shara did a great job all by herself - so much better when I'm not getting over-involved and just let her be. I think we both enjoy being together but not being on top of each other. Kind of like when we were making cookies - I think we fought more than anything but we both seem to remember it was a wonderful time.

The Nutcracker

Today we went to see the Nutcracker at the Opera House in Boston. It was great. Shara was enthralled. It was better than she thought it was going to be. She sat on my lap during the first 1/2 but then we got a booster seat and she sat in her own seat for the 2nd 1/2. It was a very nice performance and the costumes were beautiful as well as the dancers. I can't think of a better first trip to the ballet.
View more pictures here.

mommy, daddy!

shara just came running into the office yelling mommy daddy - she got into my lipstick! Did a pretty good job putting it on too, and didn't even go for the bright raspberry! Quote of the day, "daddy, where does blush go?"

The Real Santa

Saturday we went to the mall and were on the top floor walking toward the Disney Store when Shara looked to the floor below and noticed Santa. The look on her face was so cute - she was amazed and said, "look!, that's the real Santa." We put that on our list of things to do, after the Disney Store, so when we did get down there, I asked Shara if she wanted to sit on his lap and she said, "you know I'm scared of him". I asked if she wanted to say anything to him and she said for me to say something. I asked what and she said, "anything you want". Not having anything to say to Santa, we left shortly after, but she was very excited. She knows I don't believe in Santa but she doesn't care and does. We saw 3 more Santas yesterday at the winter festival and to her they were all real. I suppose it's magic.

Night out with Friends

We got a surprise last night. When I picked Shara up from school, she said she wanted to go to the dinner & a movie night at school. For $20 they had the kids for 3 hours - they wore pajamas, watched a movie, did crafts, had dinner. Earlier in the week she didn't want to do that, but when she requested it, I asked the director who was going to be there and all of her friends would be, so we thought it would be a lot of fun. Alan & I had to figure out what to do (so hard!) We went to dinner at Portocello's. It was good, too rich for me, but tasty.

When we got home from school, we had an hour before the evening event kicked off, we put together the floor puzzle Auntie Chris gave Shara. It was so pretty - lots of fairies and flowers and even a castle!

butt shadow

tonight laying in bed, shara started moving her tush up and down, looked at the wall, laughed and said, "my butt shadow!". I guess that was better than getting hysterical earlier when she tooted quite a bit. My how we grow up so fast!

New Pictures - Thanksgiving

Check out a few new pictures.

Brutus - the new ox?

Shara asked us to tie a rope to the laundry basket and then got in it and dangled the rope in front of Brutus and tried to get him to put it in his mouth and drag her around. Needless to say, he didn't cooperate.

Thanksgiving 2008

• Lunch @ Shara's school - so cute! All the kids wrote their "How to cook a turkey" recipes and had them posted to their cubbies. Shara's, "You can't eat the bones! Put it in a pan with oil, then put it in the oven for 20 minutes." The kids were so happy to have their parents come. When Kacy & I walked in, from outside the kids started shreaking.
• Lookers came and we had Chatta Box - Shara loves the dumplings. Jill asked what was in the dumplings and shara told her "meat"
• Shara stuck to Samantha like glue
• Breakfast time - I cleaned the fruit and Shara stood on her step-stool next to me and cut it all up with her lettuce knife (so glad we learned about that!). It was great as long as I wasn't watching her.
• Shara spent all the day with her cousins and I didn't see that much of her. They played the Dr. Seuss game, watched the parade, bellied up to the bar, etc. Lots of fun.
• Dinnertime I thanked people for things they did and brought and Shara said, "and I thank my mommy for making this great dinner", or something like that.
  
• Bedtime - Shara was asleep before Alan came into the room

New found love

For Shara's birthday, Debby gave her a beautiful, so soft, bathrobe. It has puppy ears on the hood and is so cute. Shara wouldn't try it on. Well, the past 2 nights she's slept with it on and wore it to school today over her clothes.

She's so cute

We had a great time at Hannah's 5th bday party on Saturday. I asked Shara what her favorite part was, thinking it would be making the pizza or the chicken fingers, and she said, "playing with Sophie. She's so cute." Shara was so gentle with her. Sophie was standing, wanting to eat some cherios, and shara brushed her hand. I told Shara she could touch her and she took her hand and was so excited. She really would make a great big sister, but she'll have to settle for baby sitting when she gets bigger.

Tonight she said, "guess what we're going to do in school tomorrow? We're going to make chickens, made out of paper, for Thanksgiving! We can put it on the table and everyone will ask who made this?" Yes, she meant turkeys. But, she can count to 10 in Spanish, including 0, so give her a break. She can also spell - cat, dog, mom, dad, shara, molly, tenley, on, no, book, moon, cow, pig. I think there are others but she doesn't perform well on demand. She also says she doesn't like to read, but apparently she likes to spell. I wonder if she realizes they're related?

Happy Halloween

Tonight we had a great time running around the neighborhood collecting candy from veritable strangers. Actually there were several people we knew and a few new to us. Auntie Chris joined in the festivities while daddy scared the kids coming to the house by passing out the candy dressed in a, well, in a dress. He actually looked ok and several people were surprised after they heard his voice.

This year was so different from last year. Shara was a little chatterbox, saying Happy Halloween to everyone and being so polite. She certainly isn't a grabber. Alan said he took the bowl away when one kid went for her fourth handful. Our neighbors had hot mulled cider, munchkins and big candy bars. Another house had Hillard's candy bars - we got two! Shara did get scared, actually more scared than I've seen her in a very long time. At one house, we rang the bell and waited a little bit, then I heard rustling in the bushes and a guy (a dad) poked out wearing a mask. He saw Shara, for just a second because she bolted, and took off the mask and apologized. The sort of funny thing was that she was thinking the dog waiting at the door was the thing to fear.

We headed back home earlier than I thought we would have. Shara was cold and wanted to go home, get her jacket and go back out with daddy. We went home and she decided she wanted to stay in the house and give out the candy. So funny, she said she wanted to give the candy and she was going to pick what candy to give to the kids. I said they'd probably want to pick themselves and she figured she'd just put it in their bags. Well that was fine with Alan and myself because we wanted to see the scary house at the end of the road. Chris, Shara & I had gone by it on the way home, but I knew better than to let her go close, not that she wanted to. It was fun. They had Lord of the Rings playing on their garage, and the dad was dressed in a rather scary scull mask and black robe, the wife was on the porch brewing her vat of something, while the kid was dressed as a "thing" hiding out like a bush. It was very cool.

When we got back home, Shara and I decided she'd probably feel bad if she didn't go to the spider house up the road (blow up spider she's been watching daily), so we went back out. She didn't want to go too far and we decided just to stop at Anne Marie's for one more candy and go home to bed. She was really wiped out!

Halloween already? New Pics

You have to see Alan! It's at the end of the album. Tonight Shara made the correct observation that, "mommy has big ones and daddy and me have little ones of these" as she's digging into her shirt, so I asked, "you mean nipples?" and she answered, "yes".

New Pictures

Day 2 - Saturday

Woke really early - Shara & me. Did our usual - hot chocolate milk & TV. Didn't get our of the room until close to 9 AM. Strolled Shara to Betsy's Diner for a huge breakfast - Alan: bacon, egg & cheese sandwich on roll & grilled bagel, Me: veggie omelet, homefries, toast, Shara: pancake, 3 sausages, egg used for dipping sausages. Didn't eat the white. After breakfast we strolled back & visited the beach - collected shells, walked on rocks, saw periwinkles, enjoyed the sun. Went back to get things for the day & headed to spore gardens for a geocache. Didn't have all the info but spent time looking off a dock into the water for fish & saw swans, mushrooms, and acorns. Shara had to get to a bathroom so we came back tot he room, got more info on the cache & went back. Realized that we really didn't have the info, so left again, this time to a sheep farm for another cache. This one was really fun. We saw a llama & sheep in a field. Then followed a path around the field & into the woods. Shara carried the gps & enjoyed stopping every .10 of a mile to say how much farther we had. Finally we got to the site - after poking around in the thorn bushes and found it! Shara picked out a kalidescope, but is still wanting the Shrek picture viewer, even though the scope is really cool! We made our way out of the woods with Shara only complaining a bit after she realized we were going uphill. I was getting worried because we really thought the trail was a loop but didn't have anything corroborating hat assumption. Well I'm writing this so obviously it was. Nice relief to see the opening right where you thought it would be. We got back in the car & went to see Cape Cod Winery. Alan & I tried a few wines and none were great but we got a Merlot - no sulphites, pesticides & they promote local agriculture, so I thought it would be nice for Thankgiving to share local flavors. After that we talked Shara into relaxing a bit because she wanted to get supper to eat in the room because she was tired. So we went for a little drive toward where I wanted to go - Kreme 'N Kone, and she fell asleep in no time. When we woke her up, she was in a much better mood & we ate - she had a hot dog & fries, I had a huge clam & scallop plate & Alan had a salad & calamari plate - YUM! On the way back we played mini golf at the great Pirates Cove. Shara wouldn't go through any of the tunnels so we had to work our way around them - over ropes & streams, etc. but we managed with only a few tears & yells. Mostly it was a lot of fun and an interesting challange to figure out how to position a lefty. When she tried and took her time, she actually did well. Alan won by 3 points. She got a flag, tattoo & ring, and was only mildly freaked out by the pirates & narration over the loudspeakers.

Another Vacation!?

Day 1 (Falmouth, MA) - Friday
Waited until morning to pack - only going for 3 nights. Also didn't have much of a kitchen so planned on eating out most meals. Got on the road earlier than expected but as hoped, about 10 AM. Shara got a paper cut from a book she was "reading" in the car. She made up her own words to her Clifford books. She knew she was making them up but didn't want to know the real words. Had to get band aid from the emergency kit. She noticed she got cut when she saw the blood and cried, "I have blood!" We then went straight to resort, assuming it would be oo early to check in but happy we were able to do so. Got settled, relaxed and played Cariboo, knit, had a snack.

We decided to look for he first geocache Alan had spotted in Woods Hold, near a playground. That sounded like a great location. First we stopped to eat - picked up sandwiches @ Pie in the Sky. While we wer waiting for Alan to pick-up, Shara & I went outside and enjoyed the sun, many butterflies, dogs, but not the bees. We sat on a set of steps and had our sandwiches. We made it back to the car with 1 minute to spare before the meter ran out. Went to the playground to find the cache & first had fun on the swings & playing on a sit-on back hoe.

We then went into town. Shara had no appetite, but did agree to eat a cupcake. She didn't really like it much, "the frosting was icky". She was right. We had a good time looking in the shops in town, especially the toy store where she and daddy played with an electric construction set. We then made our way down o dinner @ Liam Maguires. It was pretty good and Shara & I had fun coloring Sleeping Beauty's house. Shara did get upset when her water fell into her chowder and was surprised with how easy it was to clean off in the bathroom sink.

All nights we went to bed very early, seeing that we were in the same room, but that was ok - actually got a chance to write all of this!

Look, a hawk!

I learned a lesson last Sunday about keeping clear of the circle of life. I was in the kitchen, making Alan's birthday cake (it's ok you forgot mom), and a hawk lands on the pool deck. I lift Shara up so she can see and then quickly put her down as I see it has a bird in its tallons and then starts jumping on it. I'm grossed out and Shara's wondering what's happening so I tell her that the hawk is beating up the bird and she doesn't need to see. I then go to the door and scare the hawk away. I didn't think far enough that it would leave the bird, dying on our pool deck. It flapped and flopped around until it did die, finally. Shara of course wanted to see, so I let her take a quick look. We then talked about how it was sad it died and what it means to die and then for the past few days she's been talking about dying and when will we all be dead. Nice, happy thoughts!

The other day in the car, while we were going to the drug store to get Alan his card and present, Shara started asking about getting a bunny because they're so soft and cute, etc. I said we already had three cats and weren't getting another pet. She then asked when the cats would be dead. I asked her why she was asking and she was trying to figure out when she could get a bunny. Then she got upset and said she'd be really sad if Brutus got dead and started asking when that would happen. I did the numbers and we figured it would be a while. She didn't seem to care much about Mause or George.

We had fun at the market picking out a card and Shara got Alan a little balloon and we picked up a number 5 candle, which Shara will use for her next birthday. We got home just a few minutes before Oma & Jidor & Auntie Chris arrived to go out to dinner. We ended up at the Chateau and Shara was really good during the very long dinner. There were hardly any people there, especially compared to weekends, but the service was super-slow. We figured it had to be the kitchen. She sat on the seat, no high chair or booster, between Oma & Auntie Chris. We ended up at home for cake, which was really dry. I made a mix and should have made the cake we had for Shara's birthday. But it was the company, not the cake that mattered (yeah).

Very literal

Last week Shara and I were laying down and she started feeling the back of my neck. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "daddy said that grown-ups could see behind them". She was looking for the eyes in the back of my head!

Rosh Hashanna

We had a very nice time at bubbe's for Rosh Hashanna. Shara and I left after work on Monday and she was really great company for the drive. There were a couple of times when she had a melt-down, such as when she got upset that we weren't going to play and have treats when we got to bubbe's, but basically go to sleep. Just a small misunderstanding. We actually didn't go right to sleep. Shara enjoyed relaxing and watching dancing with the stars while I got unpacked and settled. We visited for a bit and slept.

Tuesday we went to shul and shara wouldn't leave my side. She was playing up the shy game rather well, which was too bad because there were a couple of nice kids there she could have had fun with. We went back to Bubbe's and had lunch and started to get ready for dinner. Shara helped me set the table and we went for a walk and had a nice time. Then everyone came over and Shara didn't leave Samantha's side! Samantha even put Shara to bed - got her ready, layed down with her and Shara fell right to sleep.

The ride back was rather uneventful. Shara fell asleep about an hour away from Alan's work, which is where we were headed. It poured and we stopped at Finegel a Bagel for lunch before dropping Shara off at Alan's. I then went to my meeting and Alan brought Shara home.

Greek Festival

Last night we went to Brockton for the Greek Festival. It was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. We got there and already had to wait in a 20 minute line for dinner. Shara & I took a closer look at the band playing and she had a great time dancing to the music. She really can move! She wasn't so thrilled with dinner though. She tried everything, as was a rule before allowing for treats, but ended up eating some of my gyro meat & 1/2 a roll rather than her pastitsio. I think she'll like it better if it's heated up a little. Alan & I enjoyed our gyros - he much neater than me since i was not using a knife & fork, but opted for the messier hand method. The dolmadas weren't as good as Chris' and the spanacopita tasted much better heated up this morning for breakfast. We got some goodies to go and decided on ice cream at Carvel rather than figuring out what to have there. Should have eaten there because I still ended up having a cookie last night - so so good! and this morning 1/3 of the piece of baklava and Shara had a corner of her heart cookie and we had confectionary sugar all over the kitchen from just that one little bite - I think there is about 2 tablespoons of sugar on the one cookie, if not more!

Today we're going apple picking after dance. Shara wants to go on a hayride. Then Oma & Jidor are going to get to babysit tonight. For the first time in about 2 months Alan & I are going to go out on a date - dinner only, since no movies look good enough to see in the theater.

Summer Vacation - Part 2

View Alan's photos.
Day 5
Since it's been too long since I've written, I may have forgotten the exact order, but we had breakfast today at Martin's in Great Barrington, which was great. I couldn't decide between the apple pancakes or an omelet. I picked the omelet because Shara picked pancakes - but plain, not apple, with syrup of course. She ate quite a bit of my spinach & cheddar omelet, but when I tried to make it for her at home, refused because she doesn't like spinach! She also ate almost all of her pancakes. But I couldn't say anything because I ate all of my breakfast too. It was so good. Alan liked his bagel sandwich but decided an everything bagel wasn't the best choice - couldn't taste the eggs.

Throughout the vacation, Shara's been doing very well with not needing to be nagged about going to the bathroom. It could be that she likes visiting the different bathrooms, and we've not run into any that weren't "clean". So we visited the bathroom at Martin's before we left and she did everything herself, including reaching the soap, etc. There was only one bathroom where she couldn't reach something.

We then took a walk down the street and went to the toy store. Shara kind of took over the place. There weren't any other customers, so I let her use it as a playground, going up the stairs, around and down, making the loop, then wanting us to follow, or wait for her, etc. She was having a great time. She picked out a couple of ballet stickers for doing such a good job hiking the day before and also the butterfly net she'd been wanting. She used her $3 that Bubbe gave her, deciding on the net, rather than "junky candy"! We then walked around and went to a couple other stores, got a little too carried away and crazy at the candy store, and left to go find something interesting to do.

A trip to find a couple of homes was on the list, so we decided to try that. First we checked out Santarella, a really cool home built by a sculpter and used for parties. When a party isn't schduled, they let people into the gardens and tour the house. There was a party, so we weren't able to go on the grounds, but did take a couple of pictures of the outside. Shara limbo'd under the sign, then we left to go elsewhere. Back in the other direction was Chesterwood, summer home to sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial, Daniel Chester French. We sat at the picnic table outside and had a peach and a bar and tried to figure out how Shara would be, since she was clearly tired. We thought we'd check out what was involved with a tour, and after hearing that there were no parts that were free, and only the garden was self-guided, we decided we'd wait until some other time.

We went back to the resort and Alan went to do laundry and Shara & I checked out the pool. She had a great time. The shallow part was 3', so she was basically on her own and was very happy about it. We had a few races, played a few red light/green light games, organized the floats on the rope showing the "adult" side, and then exactly as I was saying to Shara, why don't we head back to the room, daddy should be back by now, over comes Alan! We packed up and went back to decide what to do for dinner. We headed over to Housatonic to go to Jack's Grill. None of us were craving anything, and this was on my list of places that were kid friendly, so why not. It's owned by the same people as the Red Lion Inn and Wednesday nights kids eat 1/2 off the kid's menu. I had meatloaf, which was good. Alan had pot roast, which was good. Shara had chicken fingers & sweet potato fries. The fries weren't that good and the chicken fingers came out super hot, while our meals weren't that hot at all. Odd. We didn't get dessert and also didn't get back until well after 8:30. Already getting dark much earlier these days!

Day 6
Another trip on the list was Bartholomew's Cobble in Ashley Falls. We had breakfast at the resort, then headed out to pick up another picnic and find the Cobble. We went through Great Barrington to get there, but didn't know where to stop for lunch, and then saw Guido's market and decided on that. What a good choice. Alan & I picked a couple of their sandwiches - I had turkey, avocado, sprouts, lettuce & tomato on a wheat bread and Alan had ham, cheese, something interesting on a baguette. Shara had a peanut butter & jelly packed and we picked up some chips, raspberries, strawberries, and a couple local peaches. Picnic ready, we headed through some nice little towns to the Cobble. This place was out in farm country and we even went past a dairy that sold raw milk. We got to the Cobble, went to the bathroom, paid, talked to the nice guy about the trails and our picnic options and while we were talking, a mother & child came in complaining of all the bugs. They said they used bug spray, and I figured they were just wimps. Well, as soon as we hit the trail, which was in the shade, the mosquitos swarmed! We couldn't get out of there fast enough. We decided to go across the street to the trail around a big field and that was a much better decision. It was hot, but not as buggy and Shara got to chase several butterflies with her net. The last part of the walk went through more of a wooded area and again, the mosquitos were fearce. Had they not been there, it would have been a really nice walk - a couple of bridges over streams, etc.

We couldn't find a place to picnic on the walk but thought at the Cobble by the visitor's center it might be nicer. It actually wasn't, so we got back in the car and ended up at a rest stop on the main road. No facilities, so it was just a field where we were able to lay out the neat sheet and enjoy the great sandwiches. Shara again ate filling and didn't really like her PB&J or the veggie bootie we got, but had some other stuff to fill her up.

That evening, after strong requests, we visited a playground and went to dinner at Bizen. The playground didn't end well, someone didn't want to leave, but her "attitude" was quickly found to be caused by hunger. After downing several edamame, Shara was the "perfect" child, enjoying miso soup, noodles, vegetable tempura, etc. We spent some time looking at their aquarium while Alan paid and then walked down the street for a bit to see about dessert options. The ice cream place was closed, so we went back to the car, running into the guy from Bartholomew's Cobble! He recognized us, and we all had a short laugh. We did promise ice cream, even though it was already after 8 PM! Well we were on vacation. We stopped at Friendley's on the way back, though I had made the statement to Alan that I didn't want to eat at Friendley's on our vacation. I guess ice cream didn't count. Shara picked chocolate with rainbow sprinkles, I had a sundae, of course, and Alan had a small dish of something. We got it to go and Shara ate in the car while we waited til we got back. At the resort Shara made her ice cream soup and licked her spoon, and licked her spoon and Alan was long finished by the time we said enough and then it was bedtime, reluctantly.

Day 7
Today we planned to pick up Lizzy at school and go to Magic Wings. Again, breakfast at the resort, and we got on the road for the drive to the school. Shara was great in the car, as she has been the whole trip. We stopped at the Eric Carle Museum to visit their wonderful child-friendly bathrooms and gift shop. Shara actually went in the stall all by herself while I went in the one next door at the same time. It was hard for me to let go that much, but I figured Alan was outside and no one would take her without our knowing. Basically I didn't think it wouldn't be safe. She loves the freedom and being able to do it all herself. We then went to the gift shop and looked around, then to get Liz. We parked and she called saying she'd be down. I walked a little with Shara, looked at corn on the stalk, and when Shara spotted Liz across the street, she screamed, "Lizzy!" It was so cute. From then on, she wanted not much to do with mommy and Liz had to buckle her in her carseat, take her out, sit by her at lunch, etc. We drove to the place and Liz was ordered to sing along to several of Shara's christmas songs from her music book. We found a great bakery next door to Magic Wings that had panini. Next to that was a pizza place, so Shara got a slice while we got panini.

Magic Wings was great. As soon as we went in the butterfly area, one landed on my glasses - what a strange feeling! Then it got a little stuck and I had to help it off. Alan also thinks he had a butterfly pee on him. We spent most of the time identifying the butterflies. We got a chart and Shara checked them off as we found them. She also had a lot of fun with Alan's camera. Liz forgot hers, and I had almost no pictures left! It was really great - Shara performed a little recital for us, Liz almost bought some of the mini quail - they were only $20 a pair! and we just enjoyed the day. After Magic wings, we went back to the college and actually went on a geocache hunt in the woods by the tennis courts. That was fun, again rather buggy, but only as we got to the cache. Liz introduced us to her new Mod before we said our goodbyes and went back to the resort. Shara really wanted to go to the playground again and we said yes, but then when we got closer, realized it wasn't going to work. It was already close to 6 PM when we got back and we needed to have supper and after that it would be dark already. She wasn't pleased, but oh well. She lived.

Day 7 - trip home (coming soon)

Foxtown Coffee and Sandwich Shop

 

Summer Vacation - Berkshires!

Day 1
Not much excitement today. We packed up and left for the Berkshires. We didn't rush and made a couple stops on the way – got a few things from Whole Foods, including lunch – they were grilling hot dogs outside, so shara was all set. Alan got a variety and I had some stomboli. All were good. We also decided to try the all natural marshmallows, but not to share them with everyone at the Lookers party. We then got back, a little stuck in traffic. This wasn't a problem because Shara was having a great time coloring her princess magic color coloring book. We stopped at a rest stop to try out a geo-cache and actually found it hidden among the weeds out back.

We continued on and got to the resort around 4:30 PM. Good thing because check-in wasn't until 5 PM. We walked around, checked out both pools, the arcade – Shara played the spider stomp game, and wandered a bit. Alan waited in line while Shara & I went back to the arcade. She was rather tired and almost got a skeet ball in the face. We got through the place in one piece and Alan changed our room to a townhouse style room. Many concerns about Shara having trouble walking up and down the stairs, etc. but she's been great managing by herself. We also had to figure out the logistics of sleeping arrangements. First we thought she'd sleep on the pullout couch and she liked that idea but then we figured she'd be asleep and we wouldn't have anywhere to go. We ended up having her go upstairs early and go to sleep, which turned out to be a moot point so far because we've been close on her heels. We've been going to sleep rather late and really feel like it's a vacation. The first night it was close to 9 PM before Shara got to bed, and we just joined her at the same time.

We got unpacked the first night and went out for a bite to eat in Pittsfield at Burger. It was really good. I had a turkey burger with grilled onions and bbq sauce, Alan had a bacon cheeseburger, and Shara had some tuna salad. We all split a basket of mixed fries – sweet potato, white potato, and eggplant. Alan & Shara also had a chocolate shake. We headed back and went to bed.

Day 2
In the morning we gathered our things to take to the Looker's camp and had a simple breakfast in the “apartment”. We got going around 10:30 AM and it took a couple of hours to get to the camp. It was a nice drive – Shara continued her coloring work. We got to the camp and only Dana, David & Olive were there. We got out our chairs and started the process of getting comfortable with Olive. It took most of the day, but eventually Shara petted her. Jill, Liz & Samantha arrived about an hour later and got busy getting food organized. I don't even know where the day went or what we did because it was really fun and relaxing, with a lot of trips up the hill! Liz & Samantha took Shara in the lake and eventually Alan and Andy joined them. Shara came out and the “grown-ups” swam the cove, with Andy and his Styrofoam square and Alan loosing his way and almost ending up on a wrong shore. Because we were all snacking too much, Jill thought it was time to go up to the camp and eat some real food, which is what we all did. Needless to say, it was all good, and Shara would have eaten just the pulled pork if I hadn't made her get some variety. We talked and laughed much more and to Jill's delight, Shara gave some good snort-laughs. She sat next to Jill and Belle, who seemed to be her Brutus surrogate, Shara didn't want anything to do with me or Alan, but only Liz, Samantha & Jill. I asked her about it later and she said she wanted to visit with her family, not mommy & daddy. Okay. That being said, Alan & I took a trip down to the beach and tried to get some exercise by moving the wood to the burn site.

Come evening we got the s'more fixin's together, put on our sleeping clothes and headed down to the beach. We had no idea there would be a live band playing across the lake at the boat launch, along with a great fireworks display – both legal & illegal. Have to say the legal kind were the best. We also witnessed some great bonfires, our included. We had lots of fun playing Taboo, looking for sticks in the dark to roast marshmallows, and awaiting Shara to twist her ankle on the rocks or walk into the fire because she was playing the big kid and didn't want to listen to anyone, especially mommy. That's ok, mommy had another beer and all was well. We eventually went to bed around 10 PM. It took Shara about 10 minutes to fall asleep vs. about an hour for me.

Day 3
Shara slept until after 8 AM, and I even had to wake her up. We were set to meet Bubbe & Papa at 11 and had to have some breakfast, get cleaned up, take down the tent, etc. So we had a simple breakfast of the peach cake I brought, which was great for all of you who didn't have any!, and blackberries we picked on the hill. Shara again wouldn't listen to me and sat in her princess chair to eat and tipped her plate over, sending all to the dirt. I salvaged most of the berries and we went in and got another piece of cake. She stayed on the porch this time, but still have me grief and we argued, me telling her, “fine, you do what you want. I'm not arguing with you anymore!” and her then being so sweet, offering me tastes of her food, asking me questions, etc. I think I made my point, not that it lasted all day or anything! We had a nice talk about mushrooms with Andy and he picked a couple to show us. We've been very interested in them since we've been seeing so many different kinds on our walks. We finally got everything together and headed off to Saratoga to meet mom & Irwin. We were only ½ hour late, but when we called, we thought we'd be much later.

We met them at the Price Chopper on route 50 and had deli at their in-store deli/restaurant. Alan & I split a reuben and Shara had some very nice looking mac & cheese, and a piece of veggie sushi, which she knew she had to eat because she asked for the sushi and was told she had to eat at least 1 piece, which is what she ate. We then met bubbe at Congress Park. Bubbe & Shara rode on the beautifully restored merry-go-round (in the chariot, not a horse). We fed the ducks, ran from the ducks when they got way too close, and then played in the park enjoying the beautiful weather. Bubbe relaxed on a park bench, daddy meditated by the stream, and mommy & Shara played tag and went on an exploration, finding a pond with big fish and crossing the stream using the bridge, then the concrete damn, then the bridge, then one ore time over the damn. We then walked around collecting flowers in the grass, stomped a few crab apples, then back to bubbe. We had to say our goodbyes and then continued on with a stroll around Saratoga. We looked in a couple of shops, stopped for a gelato snack, looked in Mrs. London's, and headed back to the car. Shara was asleep within 3 minutes.

The trip back to the resort was only about an hour or so. We stopped at a Greek Pizza shop and got a couple of salads to go for supper and had that and leftovers, after waking Shara up, who would have been just as happy for us to put her right in bed, maybe. Again, bed then wake up and breakfast in the apartment.

Day 4
Today we had planned to go to Williamstown to hike up Pine Cobble Trail. We didn't end up leaving the apartment until about 11 AM, so Shara had a bar in the car. We got a couple of sandwiches at Pappa Charlies for Alan & myself because Shara was more than happy to have a pb&j. We put our sandwiches in our slick picnic cooler backpack and headed off to find the trail. After a rough start, we found the signs. Our directions were old and the original entrance turned into a new neighborhood with a few beautiful homes. Alan did a little scouting because I wasn't sure if the trail would be too hard for Shara. He said it would be fine so off we went. We laid out the rules and it was a learning experience for all of us. We did keep reminding Shara to look down and watch where she was stepping and if she wanted to look around she needed to stop. The trail wasn't that difficult, but it was rocky and Shara wanted to step on every rock, which would have tired her out really fast, so we explained about going the easy route because we had a long way to go. We stopped several times, but not too many and about ½ way up Shara had her sandwich and we shared an apple. We continued on, only seeing another couple with a dog, which happily passed, not to be seen again. We didn't really know how long it would be before we got to the top, and Shara was really getting tired. He'd been going about 1 ½ hours when we decided to not try and get to the top. Alan & I were disappointed, but Shara was more than happy. We had to carry her a little of the way up, and almost all the way down. We did make her walk the last part though because you can't get carried across the finish line. She did great. We were all really proud of her. What was so cool is that she had been practicing rock climbing for the past week or so, and I know it was in preparation for this because when I first talked to her about climbing a mountain, she was really scared of the idea. It was so cool that she had so much fun and was so proud of herself. We went about 1500 feet and a 500 foot incline. She wanted me to write that she felt happy and proud and to tell everyone that she had a pink butterfly cookie.

She didn't mention to tell anyone that she had been given the three strikes and no cookie when she began acting bratty at the Williams College Museum of Art. One thing she liked at the museum though was an animated film that we started watching then had to drag her away from when it showed a person getting run over by a car and other disturbing images. She said she thought it was funny, which I found rather disturbing. I'm assuming she didn't really know how to react to it and was very interested but not at all scared, which is how I expected her to feel. Before going to the museum, we had to eat our rather late lunch. We found a little patch of grass at the far end of the main street, spread out our neat sheet and had a fabulous meal. I don't know if it was the hike or the sandwich really tasted that good, but my Judge Rinehold – turkey, tomato, cole slaw, and russian dressing, was the best! Shara was hungry so Alan and I gave her sandwich filling and she had more dried apples and a piece of cheese.

After the museum, we got the cookie and a couple of coffee drinks (again, the best iced mocha ever!), headed back to the car and on the way back, Shara enjoyed eating her upper-left butterfly wing, She finished in about 2 minutes, then fell asleep until we got near the resort. We stopped for a takeout menu from a chinese restaurant and then back to the apartment to unload and relax a bit. Shara's version of relaxing was to play gymnast and jump around on the couch bouncing into the pillows. Alan went out for the chinese, we ate too much and now I'm writing this, listening to the refrigerator more than the tv, and everyone else is sleeping.

See the Pictures!

Wilderness Family

Yesterday we all went to John & Maggie's for John's graduation party. They have the most beautiful new home. They certainly deserve it and I want one too - just like it! It's really a great home - huge and brand new. I may be getting a new oven though. Ours is making very bad sounding noises. We'll get it checked out first. My fears of one appliance breaking after another hopefully won't be coming true, but the dryer isn't giving me warm fuzzy feelings - no pun intended. Anyway, the party yesterday was fun and Shara had a great time playing with Hannah and Morgan.

Last night we had a little camp out in our back yard. Shara's first night in a tent! It was a lot of fun. We had beer (Alan commented that mommy should have a beer, and it did make things much more relaxed) & s'mores, which are really messy. I had to bring the marshmallows back in the house or I could have eaten the whole bag. Shara enjoyed them too. We all had a really great time. Shara enjoyed laying in my lap relaxing by the fire, watching the bats fly around, and listening to the band down the street. Our neighbors had their annual party and the band played until after 8 with the karaoke going till around 10. It was great and certainly lent to the festival atmosphere that camping out always has for me. Shara & I went in to sleep around 9 but she wouldn't fall asleep until Alan came in. He was staying with the fire. She did go to sleep and so did I, only waking to Alan's snoring, which made me feel every rock in our lawn. Shara ended up at the bottom of the tent, and I only moved her when she mumbled something in her sleep about moving her up, so I slid her back. She didn't remember any of it.

We woke in the morning all about the same time - around 6, and had coffee and breakfast outside, then went for a walk down the street and a jog back home with me having to have Alan time me doing the 300 meter dash, almost killing myself in my crocs. We then got a little cleaned up and went to West Bridgewater to find a geo-cache. About this time I realized that I hadn't even checked my email! I guess camping out made us all feel like we had a mini vacation. The Geocaching was fun, if not buggy. We saw deer, raccoon, dog, human, and horse prints. We also saw so many mushrooms. One was purple - very cool, but looked really deadly. Shara was a little scared about looking at the little waterfall - more like a drain, but had a lot of fun treking down the path and really wanted to walk in the mud. Of course she wanted to be the leader because mommy & daddy never let her do anything fun, etc. Her new thing! We went for lunch at Good Days. Later on we baked a cake for Jill's party, and then relaxed watching the Nutcracker.

Take me to the Fair - 08

We went to the fair yesterday - weather was great, but it was so slow. They had a 40% chance of rain and we decided the weather's been so unpredictable that we can't make our plans based on the weather. We had fun after we established the 3 strikes and you're out rule when Shara had several fits and didn't stop until we started to leave. I don't know what was up with her but Alan thinks she was just having fun playing us. He's probably right, and it was really annoying. I'd have been really annoyed if we left for that reason.

We ate a little too much and the jambalaya was not so great, but it's good to try new things. Rather disappointing because it smelled so good. Alan's kabobs were very good, as usual and i had a good baked potato - broccoli & cheese topping, hoping Shara would have some broccoli. Shara had 2 italian ices - ate almost all of Alan's and then had one of her own. She liked the lemon ice the best. She also and a huge hot dog (don't think it was a foot long, but could have been) and the roll, while we watched the magician. The fries were had in the car on the way home. We pet bunnies - so soft, and Shara even went to the bathroom all by herself - I stood outside the stall. Shara's favorite part was eating the treats. She also loved looking at all of the rides. I'm sure she'd like it even better at night. The music was good - a retro 50's band, and it was fun watching a group of older women singing and dancing. That's pretty much when we left because it started to really look like a storm was brewing. We got to the car and it started to sprinkle before we left the area.

I'm hopeful that Shara's fits are going to be over. She screams and gets so mad when she doesn't get her way. Really bratty stuff. The other night she slept with us because we watched A Bug's Life and she was scared of the grasshoppers and didn't want to sleep by herself. We decided no more movies but now I'm wondering if we should do the movies, knowing that it will also be a night of her sharing our bed. I'd have no problem with that. Not sure Alan will like that. She went to bed just fine last night, so the fear of starting a habit is gone for me. That's the biggest fear I have with her wanting to sleep with us. But other than her pushing me to the side of the bed, it's not so bad having her with us. I actually like it some times.

Cute & things

• I'll be done in a gypsy.
  
• Makes up her own songs - just sings nonsense words.
  
• Last night we went puff ball hunting.
  
• We made s'mores the other night, gas grill, but real sticks.
  
• Not so fun - last night I had to tell Shara that if she cried and screamed after daddy left her room, she'd be crying and screaming alone and she would not sleep in mommy and daddy's bed. She kept quiet, until she slipped while coming out into the hall to turn on her fish night light. Went back to bed with little problem.
  
• We watched Meet the Robinsons and her big thing after that, which was thankfully short lived, was crossing her fingers when she said something so she didn't have to be telling the truth. Very obvious since she needs to use her other hand to get her fingers to cross (-:
• She really is quite the actress - if she's screaming and carrying on, I can start laughing and she'll start smiling, knowing that it's all a joke. I still can't figure out why it's more fun for her to pretend to be angry, sad, etc. than to have us all laughing and playing nice together. She won't tell me.
• She's up - bypassed me to go turn off her fish light and meow back at Brutus.
  

Catch up

We had a great visit from Bubbe & Jill last weekend. I felt like I lived in California with the perfect weather, swimming, grilling pizzas and eating outside with a nice bottle of wine. The whole weekend was relaxing for all of us. Jill was Shara's idol and it reminded me of when I used to see Liz & Samantha all the time - aunt laur!, aunt laur! Jill had to have company when taking a shower, was the one to keep shara company while getting dressed, playing, etc. Basically her shadow. They both had fun. Bubbe also got some nice Shara time, something she tries to do over the phone, but Shara never cooperates with phone conversations. Yesterday she actually talked to Bubbe on the phone, but it was cut short when she layed down in bed with it and it fell on her face (she's fine). Back to the visit - Saturday afternoon we went to Brigg's nursury and everyone was rightly impressed. I got a white phlox, Jill got a goonie bird and disguested by the pig (it's gross - fat, smells, etc.) Shara had a blast getting pushed on the swings by Jill. She could have swung forever! Saturday night we had a noisy dinner at the Chateau and mom, Jill & I all had the seafood platter and were all a little disappointed. I always say it's best to just get classic Italian dishes there, but it was fun regardless. We picked blueberries together at Ward's berry farm which was rather unexpected because we were only going to be going out to breakfast (Good Days, of course) and on the way back home decided to head out to pick some berries. That was a lot of fun - wasn't too hot, lots of berries, etc. We then said goodbye and all agreed we needed to do this more often.

Nothing too special happened during the week, mostly because shara hasn't been napping and has been a little cranky in the evenings. Friday Alan & I took a hike in the Blue Hills and picked Shara up a little early from school. We went to pick up my car from being serviced and on the way out Shara was "skipping" on the sidewalk and wiped out. Both knees and her hand got booboos. She heals really fast but was rather upset. They were pretty bad scrapes. Friday evening was rather low-key and Saturday was not so great either. Mostly because our plans were interruped by daddy being paged. We were on our way to the Westport farmer's market - actually about 10 minutes away, and had to turn around and go back home. We were all pretty unhappy about it, but we had lunch and Shara and I made zucchini bread. She then took a "nap" - actually I told her she could play quietly in her room. She shut the door and several minutes later appeared bedecked in jewels and her new, too big, patent leather heels. Very cute.

Seeing as quietly wasn't working that well, and she really wasn't acting tired, we got ready for Chris and her friends from England to come over. We were all going to go out to dinner. Shara was, as usual, slow to warm up. She wouldn't look at them for about 1/2 hour, but once she did, she didn't shut up. She danced around and basically went crazy. Dinner was good - Fresh Catch. Stephen had shashimi & lobster for the first time. I got to have my summer fried seafood fest and even have dinner for tonight as well. Everyone was pleased. We had hoped to come home and have somores, something very American, but Shara was too off-the-wall, so she had bedtime and everyone went home for their bedtime too - lots of running around for all.

Yesterday Shara & I tried another farmers market - rehoboth. I was a little disappointed. There was just a farm stand, no crafts and event, like in Carver. We did get some really nice veggies though. Shara picked out several. On the way back we took a large detour to get the doughnuts I've been craving - Butler's. Unfortunately they had no more cream left, so we scrounged and picked up a few that weren't all that good. Shara had no problem with her chocolate frosted with sprinkles. Went home, had lunch, then watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Shara really liked the dancing, lights, etc. I thought she would. Then we checked out the swimming & gymnastics. I turned into an aparatus while she vaulted off the couch and over me. Then on to another dinner. This time at Oma & Jidor's. Chris, Stephen and Jay were there as well, and Shara got to play with her new princess makeup table, which we decided to keep at Oma's so she'd be able to play with it when she visited. Dinner was very good, as usual, and we didn't leave until after Shara's bedtime, as usual, so she's still sleeping and I'll have to wake her up soon. I guess she'll be getting back on schedule with naps again!

Here are some pictures of Caroline's birthday party, the sand sculpture event at Revere beach and Briggs. Oh, also are shara's first dentist appointment. Wow, it's been a while since I wrote anything. That will need another post on it's own.

The Actress

Shara's problem of not sleeping in her own bed only lasted a few days. There were many tears, but she did stay in her own bed and the new thing, that is still going on, is she sleeps with her light on. Small price to pay, if you ask me.

Friday, Alan & I took her to Cinderella, a musical at the Orpheum Theater in Foxboro. It was cute and she had a great time. She's been talking about it every day. She said she wants to be on stage like Cinderella and sing and dance. If she's still interested when she's in Kindergarten, they do have a theater program for kids that we'll look into.

Saturday we all went for a walk around Houghton's Pond. It was quite fun but the part she liked best were the swings. She does want to go for another "hike" and we think it will be fun to bring a picnic and have a cookout. We even got her new sneakers (pink converse) to wear and she didn't complain that they had laces. She did remember when she had a fit about her ladybug sneakers I got her - same, converse - where she pulled out the laces and I got mad. She's remembering several times when I got mad at her.

Yesterday she bit me and I got mad. I wonder if she'll remember that? She was hungry and tired, and got really mad about something - I think I didn't understand what she was saying, and she bit my leg. I pulled her away and she said, "you hurt me". I asked her about it and she said I pulled her arm and it hurt. I said I pulled her away because she was biting me and I was trying not to hit her. The rest of the night was fine. We had fun looking at my old concert tickets. Earlier we had gone to the library to see Rumpelstiltskin puppet show. It was cute, but the kids were very chatty and not paying attention. Shara did. She does know how to behave properly and I was very proud of her.

Wanting to sleep in mommy & daddy's bed

Well, bad things are starting again. It has been a glorious week, complete with sunny skies, swimming in the pool - Shara's been like a fish once Alan put on her vest - dinners by poolside, and even a date night for mom & dad. One night last week I brought home Beauty and the Beast. I had prepped Shara about the beast, and it seemed as though that part was ok, but the problem were the wolves, or so it seems. That night Shara refused to sleep in her own bed. We understood she was having bad dreams and let her sleep with us. The next night she was fine. The night after that, not so fine and Alan basically stayed with her until she fell asleep. Last night was a similar story, but with a lot more arguing. This time I stayed until she was sleeping. As I left, she woke up and I lied and said I'd be back in a few minutes, I just had to go to the bathroom and needed to change into warmer clothes. She said, "ok" and by the time I was done, didn't think I heard anything from her room. The part that really bothered us was that she promised she would sleep in her own bed and we aren't really sure she's telling the truth about being scared of her room and having bad dreams - which are really thoughts because she didn't even have time to fall asleep.

Advice would be appreciated!

Fireworks!

We had our fourth of July celebration at Sharon's July 3rd event. It was a lot of fun. Alan picked Shara up from school and we got a picnic together and headed out. The wind was whipping as we walked to the pond to set up our spot. As we started eating, they made an announcement to move away from the water because a thunderstorm was moving in. We packed up and moved away, and actually went back to the van, but down the seats and had our picnic there. That worked out very well and we had a fun time as the bad weather moved out and the wind calmed down. We then went back to the festivities, walked around while avoiding the man on stilts because he was so scary that Shara couldn't be put down when he was near.

We found a spot, which was behind a stand of trees, but it was hard to see where a better place would be, so we stayed put. There were lots of light sticks and light sabers and a kid next to us had a big, super-bright green one and he kept turning it on and off and at that point it was getting dark and it was obviously bothering me and Shara said, "mom, just let the kids have fun" and she was absolutely right, so I chilled and had a much better time!

When the fireworks started, Shara kept her hands over her ears and really enjoyed the show. About 1/3 of the way through I traded with her and covered her ears. Had I known he show was going to last so long - about 1/2 hour!, I would have had her cover her ears for longer. There were 5 finales and we didn't know when the end really was! It was actually pretty funny. Shara thought the fireworks were cool and her favorites were the pink ones. She had a great time, except for the man on stilts, and wants to see fireworks again. We didn't get home until 11 PM! It was a lot of fun for all of us and we have to go there some day to swim. What a great place and it's so nice that it's so close.

Summer Reading Program

Last year I tried the summer reading program from the library, but Shara was too young to "get it". This year we went to the magician at the kick-off party and got the reading log and it's becoming more of a big deal to her. We're keeping track of all the books we read (not sure if Tumblebooks count or not) . She happens to now be on my lap, watching a Tumblebook! The magician was fun. She had just seen one at her school and made several comparisons and was so cute as she looked on with amazement at the tricks and got so excited when he said similar things as the one at her school. Near the end of the show Madeline, the director, came out and announced that people with vans needed to move their vans so a bus could get down the street. I started to get us up to move the van when a man came back and said it was only a Sienna that really needed to move. That caused Shara to ask a lot of questions. I think she was worried that we didn't move the van and should have? I just asked her and she was actually wondering if the magician made the bus go away and that was why we didn't need to move the van.

Happy 4th Birthday!

We all had a great time and hope everyone else had as much fun as we did. All the kids were terrific. I can't think of much else I'd do differently. Shara's sleeping it off at the moment. She must have been running on adrenaline just as much as I was. We couldn't have asked for better weather, better company, better surroundings, or better behavior. That's something we kept talking about - how well behaved the kids were and that it was so wonderful to see them all playing together and having so much fun. Even Shara, the little dictator didn't seem to bother anyone with all her rules and regulations. Yes Maggie, like mother, like daughter.

Alan and I have promised ourselves now that we have the pool & yard fairly finished - always adjustments here and there, but no major project like, to list a few during the past 4 years - siding, pool & apron, and landscaping the back 40+, we will be taking advantage of the pool & yard, and look forward to sharing with our friends, family, and friends to be! As Andrea said, "this house rocks!"

Recital - went great! & Birthday info

Well Shara did great. In the morning I asked her what she was most excited about and she said her family coming and at the end of the day I asked what her favorite part of the day was and she said, "dancing on the stage". She had a wonderful time and so did everyone else. As usual it was over too quick, but Shara entertained all. She is such a little dictator. She really tries to run the whole show.

Here are some pictures. I ordered the video of the whole show, but we'll try to put the video we shot from rehearsal up here some time.

Recital08

On another note, several people are asking me what she wants for her birthday. To tell you the truth, she hasn't asked for anything. She always seems to find things to play with, be it a bag filled with tissue paper, plastic easter eggs, or her baby. She did mention a pink dress for baby. Shara's favorite color is pink. She likes frilly, dress-up clothes and jewelry - where did she come from?

I updated her Amazon wish list. The link is on the front page of this blog - just to the right of this posting, most likely. Please read the comments on the wish list because, for the most part, it's just a general list of ideas. For those of you who will be attending the party as friends of the parents (Laurie & Alan), please don't feel obligated to bring Shara a present. As I said, she makes her own fun and seems to build toys out of junk, which is why there are gobs of paper all over the house. We (I) can't throw anything away because it's a potential toy.

As for the party itself, we will have the pool open by then. After the "official" party - is cake served before presents or presents first? Anyway, after cake & presents, feel free to swim. I don't want the responsibility of having a pool party for a preschooler, and there wasn't anything about it on the invitation, but it would be fun and as far as I'm concerned, people can stay until it's no longer fun, or they have other places they need to go.

Last Day - Coming home

Our last day was kind of tiring, and I'm sure it was because I was a little hung over and also because we didn't have the luxury of relaxing completely. We had to pack and be ready to leave, also arrange for our shuttle to the airport, and make 6 PM dinner reservations. We grabbed breakfast at Bouchon's Bakery and I got a pecan sticky bun to bring home. I only ate 1/2 of my bran muffin, not because it wasn't good, but it was really filling. Alan had a plain croissant, but we had ordered a chocolate one. The plain tasted great to me. After breakfast we headed out to do some souvenir shopping, of which there was a lot, even just in the hotel, see the shops we missed before, and just hang out - felt like killing time a lot today - really looking forward to going home and seeing Shara.

Then we looked around the casino and I finally played a bit of black jack. The dealer we had was great for my first time. She wasn't too fast, still added the cards for us, and used to be a teacher, but dealing cards 3 days a week paid better - 'nuf said. I didn't win, but didn't loose much either. It was tons of fun and I can see going to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun a few times a year for a day trip. It is expensive to play though. At least for me, since I didn't last too long. We did play for about an hour or so, and it was also fun just watching others play.

After that we headed down the strip to Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. This is a chain from the Lettuce Entertain You group out of Chicago. They have a lot of restaurants and all sound good to me. This was probably the best burger I've ever had. I'm not one for beef burgers, as though who know me can attest, but this was fantastic. The meat didn't taste gamey, it was juicy, and the toppings were perfect - asked for grilled, rather than raw onion, tomatoes - juicy & red, lettuce - flat! And it came with pomme frites which weren't like regular fries but more like chips. Yummy! Alan had a Cuban sandwich which was good, but not nearly as good as the one I had when doing training in Wareham - the one that came from the gas station where the owner cooks his own meats. Then we waddled back to the hotel - we did walk back, and it was a beautiful day. Headed to the room to clean up a bit, call Shara (who was out and about at the playground) and went down to check our bags and arrange for the shuttle. We tried getting Shara again and had success. We then went back up to the pool because we planned not to hand in our room key - after overhearing one of the other guests tell his girlfriend, "I keep using the card over and over" upon getting to the guest elevators, where you need to show your card prior. Then back inside and over to dinner.

Dinner - we had reservations at B & B, Mario & Joseph's more upscale place. The food was incredible, though too rich for me and I paid for it later. Surprising since the meal the night before seemed very rich too, and I even ate the butter. Service was odd. I'm not sure if it was the way we were dressed or not, but our waiter didn't seem very interested in us. We had to pry answers out of him, where as with the table next to us he was very chatty. I ended up having 2 pasta dishes and Alan had a pasta dish & a meat entree. They mentioned the menu was set up with the 3 courses & dessert - appetizer, pasta, & entree. I wasn't in the mood for anything really meaty, and Alan knew we weren't close on our wants, so didn't try to split things. I had squash raviolini with Rabbit and Pancetta and the Homemade Orecchiette with Sweet Sausage and Rapini. The portions weren't more than having the pasta & dinner, but both were very rich. Alan had Bucatini all’Amatriciana with Guanciale (I think it's pork cheek prepared like a pancetta), Hot Pepper and Pecorino and Grilled Quail with “Scorzonera alla Romana” and Saba - which definitely had fennel in it. As you can see, it's important to have a good waiter to do the translations. So we did enjoy dinner, and good thing we took the 6 PM reservations because the place was filled up and we didn't get out of there until after 8 PM. We skipped dessert.

Our shuttle picked us up at 9 PM and off to the airport we went for a singling out at security for the bomb sniffing test, an emergency run for me to the bathroom, and then to the terminal for 1 3/4 hours to relax before the flight. We got out the laptop and finally watched a couple of shows alan had transferred from Tivo. We must have slept for a while on the plane because the flight didn't seem the full 4 1/2 hours, but it seemed like I was awake a lot. I was going through my Peptos and thankful I had carried so many emergency items with me! Things did go smoothly though and we actually were able to get Shara by about 10 AM!

Neither of us were sure if she would run into our arms or run away. She didn't really do either - more like sat there watching TV and asked me to be quite because she was trying to listen to the TV. Then she went into the other room to show me some of what she was playing with and seemed nonchalant to see either of us until I had to run out to get something from the car. Alan came out carrying a hysterical Shara who thought I was leaving. I then held her inside on the couch for several minutes while she calmed down. We all agreed that we were gone a couple days too long and we all really missed each other a lot!

That was on Friday and we had Saturday, Sunday & Monday together and I'd be happy to have a few more days before heading back to the real world. We all did a lot of work outside, made a couple of batches of cupcakes for Shara's party, etc. On Saturday we went to Brigg's garden center then out to lunch at Cosi in Mansfield Crossing. Sunday & today we stayed home, happily. Each morning we worked out in the yard and after lunch & nap, relaxed, had dinner & went to bed. Last night I got to sleep by 10:30, vs. 12:30 the night before. Tonight I'm going to try for 9:30. Back to our usual programming.

Vegas Trip - Day Three

Yesterday was the day for food. We woke, got showered and changed, and caught the Deuce to Paris Paris for their buffet. The original idea was to go for a late breakfast but by the time we got ready, it was lunch time. Paris Paris is a very cute hotel/casino. It really does a nice job with the touches of paris, not that I've been there to really know, but stereotypical at least. I can't think of a time at a buffet, in the past several years, where I really ate way too much, until yesterday. Normally there are several items that look good, but nothing so special or different that I need to try too many. At this buffet there was such a variety that I did want to try most. I started with cold items - lettuce w/ Champaign vinaigrette, great beets, grilled vegetables, smoked trout, tomato salad, easy peel shrimp, excellent carrot salad (with cilantro), stuffed grape leaf (mint?), and marinated mushrooms. Then I went for the hot - leek mashed potatoes, bacon topped mashed potatoes, beef bourgounone, salmon w/ a leek fondue, sole Veronique, can't think what else. Then dessert - they had a crepe station and the person making crepes was great. She would make suggestions upon request, since the choices were overwhelming. They had blueberry filling, apple filling, cherry filling, bananas, that's all I remember. Then the sauces - caramel, apricot, strawberry, chocolate, nutella! So she made me a small sized banana & nutella and I took a little whipped cream and spot of caramel to taste. The first bite was the best. Not sure why the flavors didn't last, but the first one was the only one where I could really taste the nutella. I also took a lemon cream filled macaron, which was excellent. We were stuffed when we left, but did some walking and felt much more comfortable.

We looked around the shops at Paris Paris and I found a chandelier that I really loved - it was black Murano glass, but was fashioned like a traditional chandelier, with the crystal drops and gold body. We didn't get it. We then walked over to Caesar's and were very impressed with the whole place. It was so big and bold and though we missed the animatronic fountain show, didn't feel like we missed anything. Words can't do it justice because it is so huge. I can't imagine what the original was like. I was able to get some macarons at Payard. I can't wait to try them tomorrow. Maybe Alan & Shara will share them with me!

We came back to the hotel and were going to play some cards but the $10 tables were filled, so we watched for a while. The dealer was really cool. He'd add up the cards for everyone and dealt super fast. He was also funny and if someone had a 17, wouldn't wait too long to hear if they wanted a hit or not. We then went to the room and made our nightly video call. Shara sounds like she's having a great time. She went to the Zoo and saw giraffes, alligators, and went on the swings again. I can't wait to give her big hugs.

Then we showered, and got ready for our evening out. My god, dinner was amazing. This is now the best meal I've ever eaten. We went to L'Atallier at the MGM Grand. Our reservations were for 6 PM and we got the Deuce, but traffic was dense and I thought it would be quicker if we got off a stop ahead and walk, since we'd be able to cross the street and not have to go up and over using the pedestrian over pass. Well as they say, it's farther than you think. I do believe it's only farther than you think if you're trying to get somewhere at a certain time. If you're just strolling, it doesn't really matter. My crocs worked out great. Yes, I do have a blister on each foot now, but compared to other shoes, these were wonderful. We got the the restaurant a few minutes late, but not too bad. We were seated at the counter and were pretty much the only customers there yet.

Since we were getting the dinner & show package, there weren't too many questions, other than if we wanted the fish or steak. They started us with an amuse buche - lemon jelie, with a top of some type of creamy foam. There was a little dab of vanilla bean as well. It was super refreshing and really lovely. I had a Rosy Pomme - pear / pomegranate martini w/ tarragon - it was dried and stuck to my lips a little, but after the first sip, I could really taste the pear. The rolls they served were exactly the kind of rolls I was hoping to have at lunch, but couldn't come close to this. I even tried some of the butter. Then came the best grilled eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, & buffalo mozzarella salad I've had. The pesto was super intense, and the amount of grilling was perfect. Everything tasted wonderful. Next came the entree, which for me was salmon with a black olive filling. Again, perfect. Alan had the hanger steak and the flavor of that was also great. I didn't love the steak, but the onion topping was great - very sweet. With our entrees came the famous mashed potatoes - wow, people were saying that it tasted like butter with some potato and that's exactly it. But it's not just butter, it's the most clean and flavorful, fresh butter. Not Land o lakes! A cheese course came next. I don't know the names of the cheeses, but there was a thin slice of a nutty, harder cheese, a triple cream cheese, and a rich goaty cheese that reminded me something I've had before and I could probably find again. It was served with a really nice cranberry nut bread that I had a hard time stopping myself from eating it all. Dessert was amazing. A chartruse souffle w/ pistachio ice cream. The ice cream melted into a sauce and the souffle tasted like an airy, sugary fluff - a little peppery too. Everything was absolutely wonderful. It was also fun sitting at the counter and watching the cooking being done, but what was most fun was watching the people sitting next to us. It was a friendly way of dining. I liked it.

After dinner we went to the show. Not what I had expected. It was actually much better! I had high hopes and this surpassed them. The women were beautiful, sexy and interesting. There was a lot of humor, and even had two guys who were hilarious. They did this move where they walked around their hats - held in their hand, and it looked like the hat was floating in the air. They also did this hysterical skit where one was dressed like Michael Jackson in the Beat it video, but the arms were the legs and the guy was jumping around, I can't describe it. Maybe it's on YouTube, if someone was able to sneak a video.

We then headed back to the Winn for a drink by the Lake of Dreams. Alan recorded several of the "shows". We both had an excellent espresso martini & I ate almost all of the potato chips they served. What a great last night!


Today we're going to be packing and getting ready to go home. It sounds like we can extend checkout until 5 PM, which really opens our options for today. I think we'll do a little shopping. I'd like to find something fun for Shara & Alan wants to find something for his mom. We then have to get a rock for Chris. I want to stop by the Bouchon bakery to pick up some goodies to bring home. I also have to gamble. I have a $25 voucher to use and still haven't sat at a table, and I'll kick myself if I don't do it.

Vegas Trip - Day Two

We did go to Bouchon for breakfast and it was wonderful, and if there weren't other places that I want to try, would go again and again. Everything wasn't perfect, foodwise, but the rest was. First we had to go to the Venizia Towers to get to the restaurant, hidden on the 10th floor. At the end of the hallway was a restaurant that reminded me of restaurants I've seen in movies set in Paris, like Gigi. It was a big room, long, zinc? bar, tables dressed in white linen, dark brown wood, and a really friendly staff. We walked in and were asked if we wanted to sit inside or out. Didn't even think out was an option, but quickly said out! Wow, so relaxing - no breeze, slightly cool, and basically we were sitting at the side of a garden.

The waiter set us up and put a plate with a ramekin of butter, covered in a wax paper circle with their logo, and a small ramekin of jam. I had looked at the menu several times before we went and figured I'd have the french toast, seeing as so many people had raved about it, and I stuck to it. Alan got the Amerikania breakfast - 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, brioche, pomme frites, juice, and a pastry of his choice. He wisely chose a pecan sticky bun. I'm thinking of getting some to bring home. This was one of the best pastries I've ever eaten. I couldn't believe it could taste so good! The sausage was also very flavorful - sagey, Alan didn't care for them, but I did. The eggs were cooked perfectly, and he flipped over the toasted brioche. I think we need to pick up some of that as well. I couldn't stop eating his fries though. They bring over a huge cone of them, perfectly salted and crunchy. Can eat them like popcorn!

My french toast was very good. Compared to Alan's the flavor was much less intense, but I think the real draw to this dish are the textures - warm, creamy, crunchy, and the visual appeal - it's stacked circles of brioche and sauteed apples. I don't know if they compose it after it's baked, but I suspect so. They also don't put on too much maple syrup, but it is a bread pudding vs. a standard french toast. I think what would really make it for me would be a salty component, like maybe a little crumbled bacon, if they could keep it crunchy, mixed with the apples. Just told Alan that Thomas Keller, should he read this, would probably be appalled.

After breakfast we walked around the hotel and took some pictures of the amazing ceilings and lighting - they have the corridors lit with gas lanterns along the walls. It was very lovely. We then went back toward the Venetian and got set up with our Gratzie cards and a promo for $15 in slot credits and the $25 table match voucher. Alan lost his slot credits and then stayed at the casino to loose another couple hundred at the blackjack tables. I went shopping and actually spent less than he lost. I went across the street to the nice mall and found a very cool blouse that I wore last night and a skirt that I also wore. For Shara, or maybe more for myself, I got a Paul Frank Las Vegas store tee-shirt.

We met up a couple hours later and headed over to the pool. I wanted to do some knitting and relax and didn't feel that Tao Beach suited that activity. I think the dance music, viewing young girls eating small plates of seaweed salad (or whatever that was) in a bikini, looking sexy, would have made me feel like an old lady if I were sitting there knitting a sock. So we went to the other pool and did relax, had a great raspberry stoli frozen lemonade, and knit a bit. Then it was time for our nightly call to Shara, so we headed upstairs. Or so we thought. The elevators were broken and it took another 20 minutes before we could go up.

It was good to hear and see Shara. We heard about her day at Auntie Chris' and the new kittens Chris got. Shara demonstrated how they ran around in circles, and we also heard that Shara can now pump her legs go keep her moving on the swing. They had bucket swings at the playground they visited. The last time I had seen Shara on a swing was back in March when we went with Chris to the maple syrup demo and played at the playground later. That swing wasn't a bucket and I don't think Shara felt comfortable enough to really concentrate on pumping. She likes the bucket swings best. She's having a great time at Oma & Jidor's, so it's easy for us to relax here and enjoy ourselves. We're very fortunate that they live so close to us and are so happy to have her staying with them as well.

Last night we went to dinner at Cut. It was good. The Kobe beef shashimi was excellent - fork tender, with a little sesame oil flavor and arugula, shaved radish topping. My pork chop was good. Alan's fillet was good. The broccoli w/ sun dried tomatoes & a smoky grated hard cheese was way to smoky. The bread plate was also excellent - a rosemary focaccia, pumpernickel bread, what tasted like a soft pretzel roll, and an ok rustic bread, served with softened butter dusted with a red salt (I think Hawaiian). We skipped dessert and headed to catch the Duce over to New York, New York for Zoomanity. Wow. What a show. It was great - fun, sexy, really makes you feel good and happy. Just what they say in the ads. I can't really describe it because it was so visual, as I'm sure is the problem with all the Cirque de Soleille shows. We got the bus back and went to bed. Tonight we'll try to get to Winn for a drink after tonight's festivities. We should be ending much earlier tonight because our show is at 8 PM, rather than 10:30 PM!

Vegas - Day 1

I know this is Shara's blog, but I'm guessing this trip is effecting Shara as well.

Yesterday after an very early and uneventful flight, we got to vegas and caught a shuttle to the hotel. People are right, this place is huge and really unruly. The pictures lie. The hotels are all intertwined. Alan & I went into what we thought was the Palazzo but ended up being Winn - which was great and probably where we should have gone. The vibe there is really great - friendly, fun, unpretentious, as far as what I could see. The Palazzo is rather pretentious and the people aren't really that friendly.

After settling down, we had a great lunch at Enoteca San Marco. We shared Roasted Beet with Horseradish - very nice, light, flavorful. As I was eating it I realized that I've always had beets with horseradish, but not so obviously. Then I talked Alan into splitting a Romana Pizza - tomato sauce, mozzarella, capers, and anchovies. These were big anchovies, a little like vinegary sardines. I thought it was yummy. Alan liked it a little, but gave me the anchovies. For dessert we split the toroni sundae - toroni & chocolate gelato (gelato is everywhere around here) with crumbled pieces of toroni - excellent. That with a nice glass of wine each made for a great meal. It was also nice that we were listening to live opera - there were street performers by the canal.

We then came back to the room, set up the laptop and gave Shara a call. It was so nice to be able to see her and not just hear her. They had a great day too. They visited Auntie Chris at work, had Wendy's for lunch and a nice, long nap. When we called it was about 6 PM their time. This time change is very strange. It's a very big difference. I'm glad the laptop has the EST on it. I haven't stopped thinking, with everything we do, would Shara like this? Should we bring her to see this? There was no question about it when we saw the fountain at the Bellagio. It was really cool, but I'm guessing if it wasn't with music it wouldn't have been very impressive. Music moves.

So, after out talk with Shara we checked out the pool. Very nice. Reminded both of us of Hedonism. We could only stay for so long because both of us forgot our sunglasses. So the next step was to go walk the strip a little to find glasses and get a lay of the land. The little walk turned into a 3 hour hike. We found the glasses within 20 minutes, but kept on going. We zoomed through the MGM Grand casino - smoky & loud - reminded me of Foxwoods. Saw a cool car we could have rented with a showgirl - not sure if we'd get her with the car or not, went past a giant Coke bottle, went up over and under with all the stairs, escalators, and overpasses, and spent a few minutes at Bellagio. That's a beautiful hotel. The lobby with the Chihouley glass ceiling is amazing. So is the botanical garden behind the lobby. This is something Shara needs to see. The way they did the water fountains is great. So playful yet precise. I wanted to find the pastry shop there, but we decided to wait. I wasn't really hungry, my feet were starting to really kill me, and it was time to move on. We were outside close to 6 PM, so after debating whether to stay for the fountain show, it got closer and closer, so we stayed. The show is really short - lasts for just one song, but it was beautiful. I do want to see it at night. Night doesn't happen until late because it doesn't start to get dark until after 8 PM, Pacific time zone, which, don't forget, is really 11 PM back home.

Ok, so we went back to the hotel, arrived about 7 PM. Relaxed a bit, took showers, got dressed and headed toward downtown for the Freemont Street Experience. We got the bus and after a good 1/2 hour drive - stop - drive, got there. What keeps surprising me is the amount of smoke everywhere. I'm sure it was also because it was so late, we hadn't eaten, and the smoke, but the smoke seemed to be what was making me most cranky. I wasn't really cranky, really tired more than anything and couldn't make up my mind so we walked in circles a bit. Alan was starving, I wasn't really hungry and had no craving for anything thanks to the Melaluca attain bar with crave blocker I had in the morning - they really work! After walking around, trying to get an idea of what food was there, other than deep fried oreos & twinkies, we went to the Golden Gate Diner. That turned out to be a very good choice. I had my usual diner meal - hot turkey sandwich and mashed potatoes. Alan had the $8.99 Prime Rib special. It was all quite good. His fries looked really good.

After dinner we caught the bus back, as each of us felt too tired to sit at a table and play anything. As I mentioned at the beginning, we ended up at Winn and realized we need to go at least have a drink there. I think that's where we'll go tonight, before our Zoomanity show at 10:30 PM. It's nice to have so much time. We can have a morning, afternoon, rest, and then night.

Right now I'm obviously typing and not so obviously, at least not to anyone who doesn't really know me, having my coffee, that I had to go downstairs to buy since they don't have coffee in the room. The also don't have free Internet - we get a 24 hour pass, same as with the bus, which is actually a great deal. To sum it up -
dislikes - smoke is awful, room is layed out strange, no in-room coffee, no water pressure, feet hurt, I didn't pack well
likes - room has remote controlled shades, nice lighting options, so much time to do things, weather (it's warm, but not too hot, sunny!!), food (so many options! and so far, very good), lots to see, can walk or take bus (no need for car), lots of time, can keep busy or relax any time of day.

Plan for today - after coffee, shower, dress and get breakfast at Bouchon, or someplace else. It's hard to decide since I'm still not really craving anything, so it may be up to Alan. Then I want to go to the mall across the street and get myself a hat (also forgotten) and another pair of pants. I really didn't pack well. I thought I did but it turns out that I don't want to wear any of the clothes I brought. I want to be more comfortable and what I brought isn't so. I'll see. And we'll also relax by the pool, and maybe do some gambling. Let you all know tomorrow!

Vacation Time

Well Shara's at Oma & Jidor's and we're off to Vegas. Alan set up the web cam at his parent's so we can do videoconferencing nightly. I think it will work out great. Shara's very excited to be there and was even telling us that it was time for us to go, before we even sat down for dinner. She did have a concerned /sad look on her face when she noticed I was crying as we left, but quickly got over it. Quicker than I did! But we'll all have a good time, seeing as my back is starting to feel better. I woke up yesterday and could hardly move, but as the day went on, it loosened up a bit. I'm really hoping by tomorrow I'll be back to normal.

washing

Tonight after supper, I told Shara to clean up and be sure to wash her mouth, because there was egg yolk on it. I went to check on her and she was so proud of herself. She says, "mommy, I'm washing my mouth. I'm using soap, but I'm keeping my mouth shut." She's saying this, mouth wide open, with bubbles all over her face. So funny.

The Princesses on Mother's Day

We had a very nice mother's day last weekend. We met the Looker's, Bubbe & Papa in Old Historic Deerfield, at the Deerfield Inn. It was beautiful! The day couldn't have been nicer and we really enjoyed relaxing with family. The only issue, in my opinion, was feeling a bit rushed at the restaurant. They wanted to seat us right away, and brought the check a little quicker than we thought appropriate. The food was very good, the desserts not so - the cake was delicious, but there was one piece left on the tray and they didn't bring out any more, so Shara & I shared it. The best part was the hour + we spent in their garden area on the side of the Inn. The flowers were blooming, bees were buzzing, sun was shining, and I'm sounding like Moose & Zee during the breaks on Noggin. Don't know what we'll do next year, but the Yabroudy's will be there, I'm sure. We did miss them, but were very happy they were able to be away for such a wonderful trip to Sicily.