Keeping the neighbors healthy

I think this says it all.

Day 2 at Williamsburg

This morning we left earlier than everybody else because we work better earlier in the morning. C4 considered renting and wearing a dress as Q3 had the day before, but as we got closer to the possibility of dressing up (not that we CALLED it that!!!) she backed away from that idea, and just decided to stay in her regular clothing.

We got off the bus at the governor's mansion. A good choice, and a good place to start. The grounds were really lovely. We walked through some formal gardens in search of the hedge maze. We found it. And C4 did the hedge maze about 5 times. She loved it. And I loved that!





After we did the maze over and over, we headed out, through more formal gardens, by the fish pond and to the kitchen garden and the kitchen. The garden was nice, on a steep hill, and about 3/4 of the way down they had artichokes! We've been considering growing artichokes for a few years, and I keep thinking they'd take up too much room. This convinced me we could do it.



And then we finally hooked up with the rest of the family. N38 was off getting us hooked up for the long awaited carriage rides, and we headed off down the green. Partway there we ran into some folks doing rolling hoops games ... which all the girls tried. I think A5 & L5 did great. Q2 never got it despite private lessons. And as C4 started getting it and whacked her finger.



After C4's tradgedy, we moved on, and ended up at the marketplace, where we bought C4's hat. Why she looks like C40 is the scum of the earth, I don't know.


Q3 wanted a hat, too, but since they were $35 and she'd never wear it we managed to convince her that two pony stuffies was a better deal. She bought it and we moved onto the shoemakers, which was just doors away from where we would be picking up our carriage, and where we spent a surprisingly long time. They enjoyed watching the man work on shoes and talk about them.



Then after we got tired of that, Q3 went back outside to pat some horses, and C4 went to do some more writing with a quill at the shop.



Finally it was time for our ride.

you can't see Q3 because she is hiding between C40 & me.

Once the photo op was over Q3 got into it, and had a grand time next to Ninoo.



And C4 ... loved it.



And so did the rest of us. Our carriage driver stayed in character, and we picked up another Colonial Williamsburg actor who interacted with the driver and us on the back of our carriage at about the half-way point. It was a fun, low-pressure ride for everybody.

After the carriage ride we "checked out churches!" for C4. I sat in George Washington's pew. Are they called pew if it isn't a Catholic church? C40 assures me yes. Then we had a picnic lunch, and headed up to Governor's Mansion for the tour. I loved the tour, it was quick, informative, our tour guide (Brandon) was fantastic. C4 was antsy, but Brandon assured me she was doing behaving very well. Q3 was antsy ... and fell asleep on C40's shoulder.

We took the bus back to the welcome center, Q3 woke up, we bought her ponies, a great sticker book and dog for C4, and headed back to our home on the York River.

K-test - results

I wasn't there, but C40 brought home the evaluation for C4.

She needs to work on her math.

Only 99.6% ... I think that is a percentile, not a score, because I have a hard time believing they did 1,000 questions on math, 1,000 questions on reading, and 1,000 questions on spelling (reading and spelling she got 99.9%). So it me that says she is in the 99.9th percentile of kids her age for reading skills and spelling skills, and for math she is in the measly 99.6th percentile.

Anyway, the other bit of the evaluation says she stayed with task, she was confident, willingly participated, was attentive, and easily understood directions.

And she is eligible to start kindergarten.

We just need to hear from the school now. Although if they don't call, we need to call them (that sounds likely!) and I think we'll need to discuss how to keep C4 challenged. At least for the first couple of months while the other kids learn how to read.

Day 2 of vacation

Colonial Williamsburg, day 1

When she saw her cousins renting costumes at Colonial Williamsburg, Q3 decided she could dress up like a colonial girl ... with super cute results.



At Williamsburg, they have a live action show, where characters ride up on horses, fight, discuss the rebellion, etc. So just as we got off the bus and were wandering around in front of the Capitol Building, Benedict Arnold was scheduled to ride up just minutes later. So we hung around. While waiting, Q3 and her cousins maintained their cuteness.



And C4 climbed a tree.





Q3 sat and stood by some oxen for a long time having a snack, and ... enjoying the cattle. Clearly, she isn't my child.



After the cattle left (and left behind some mementos) C4, Q3 & I sat and the kids ate lunchy foods for a while, and some of the live action shows where horses galloped through, which was exciting. C4 got to pet some dogs. Both children were tired already, and Q3 complained of an earache.



We visited some more shops and houses (the silversmith, the milliner, a wigmakers). But their favorite thing from today was the blacksmith's shop, and the female blacksmith (And for C4, the blacksmith's very pretty dress). They could have spent all day watching her, I think.



We headed further down the road, stopping at the post office, where C4 got to write with a quill, and Q3 and I sat outside as she moaned and cried and rested on my shoulder.

When C4 & C40 came out we headed down to the printer and the bookbinder, where we got some endpaper scraps for bookmarks (in Q3's hand in photo). I plan on trying to make some with C4 & Q3 at some point.



Back on the main street we saw this:



I'd never seen a carriage where the driver sat on the horse (not the carriage) before. The girls didn't actually notice that particular aspect of the carriage, but they did notice the carriage, and got interested in carriage rides.

We headed back around the corner to the cooper's, but ran into some sheep before we got there.



After about 10 minutes of patting the baa-baas, we got to the cooper ... and both girls hated it. So we left, and headed to the green, where we found our family again.








But best of all ... yes, our cautious, cautious girl, C4, got in the stocks. Kind of.



But we were all getting tired, Q3 was still unhappy, tired, complaining about her ear, so we went home, went swimming in the pool on the base, and just hung out. THAT was their speed.

Back from vacation!

Day one of vacation ... Driving, driving, driving! Actually, it wasn't that bad, only 3 hours and 2 potty stops. So, I was happy for that.

We got to the base annex, toured the house, and saw lots of bunnies!!! The first of many creatures we saw while there.



Then to bed to get ready for the next day.

K-Test

C4 is 4 minutes away from her Kindergarten test ...

Camp at Joe's

They seemed to like camp. I can't get much out of them about what they did. C4 liked the rolls they did after pencil rolls. Q3 ... who knows.

The director told me both girls were very sweet, Q3 especially (uh, oh, what does that mean?) ... and there was a problem with C4. She'd just walk up to Q3 and punch her in the head (oh ... that's what that means).

???

Don't know why.

They had to keep the girls separated. Apparently C4 didn't punch or hit anybody else (phew), but what a bad way to start off the week.

We'll see how tomorrow goes.

more vacation entertainment

At the end of the school year, there was a big bowl in the car, put there to catch vomit, should C4 vomit on the way to the hospital (concussion incident).

Well, she didn't. Which was good. But, since we arrived home at midnight, I left the bowl in the car unintentionally, and the next morning, on the way to school, the girls found it.

And Q3 thought the funniest thing in the world was to put it on her head and call herself ... a pothead.



And then C4 got in on the act. Because the monkeys can go both ways.

Why not

Intermission continues

Dogs for the arts. I didn't go, but here are the photos of our number one dog fan.

Looking cute



Making her own dog prints



And I don't know what she's thinking here ...

To keep you entertained while we are away

Lest you think it is all about the girls here ...

A lovely photo of me. See, C40 DOES still take pictures of me. Isn't that sweet???

Fancy writing.

C4 asked to learn "fancy" writing. By that, she means cursive.

You can see what I wrote, then what she wrote ... I think she's pretty good. At least as good as C40.

Baby what?

I think I've mentioned Q3 has been playing "baby" lately. The game has expanded. She now runs like a baby, talks like a baby, frowns like a baby, crys like a baby.

And she has a baby name.

Baby OrangeSoap. Yes, Baby OrangeSoap. Rolls off the tounge like ... orange soap ... doesn't it??

C4 has 3 very nice bruises on her. The first on her thigh, the size of a pack of cards, where she ran into a picnic table bench at high speed. The second is the size of a dime, on the front of her cheek where her face ran into the corner of table because she was attempting to move while Q3 was attempting to hold her ankle. The third, which you can't really see, you can't see at all because of the band-aid, actually, is on her ear. Not sure actually how it happened, although she did tell me she'd been going crazy loco, but her ear hit the sharp corner of a small chair, spilt open, bled, and swelled up to the size of a child's thumb. She's old enough to hold ice on her wounds, now, so the swelling is down!



Q3, not quite as clutzy as C4, has her own problems. After they'd both been put to bed we heard some whining and moaning and "I need some help, here. I need some help!"

C40 went in ... and found that couldn't pull the zipper of her sleep suit up. Because she'd stuffed Zebra in there, bent her leg, and just couldn't zip it up. Once C40 zipped her up she fell asleep no problem.

sweeeeeet

Q3 has been parrotting Martha (of Martha Speaks) and saying to C4 that she needed to TRY things before she said she didn't like them. Well, yes, Q3, I'm glad you agree.

However, C4 still isn't sure of that. BUT, after years of refusing maple syrup (???? why??? Why would anybody refuse maple syrup???) C4 & I were reading Little House in the Big Woods and we got to the bit about maple sugar candy.

Oh ... she wanted to try that. She's got plans for next winter. I've already found a recipe online. In the meantime, however ... she tried some maple sugar candy bits from our cupboard.

And then, that was so good, she tried the real stuff.

And liked it.

When did I promise this?

A while ago. But since then the girls haven't been scooty scoot scooting! But bringing the Skuut into the house has encouraged Q3 to try it out again. Try to ignore the disgusting state of the house ...

Too Loud!!!

I don't YELL a whole lot. So yesterday poor Q3 was scared out of her wits when she was yelled at TWICE in one day.

The first time was when I was trimming and sewing up her curtains (yes, after 4 years I have FINALLLLLLLY trimmed them ... because she liked to spin herself up in them and I keep thinking she's going to pull the curtain rods out of the wall — something Celeste did in her room a year or so ago). My fault, I left the machine on while I stopped to thread her needle (C4 * Q2 were embroidering), so she went over to the pedal and pushed it down as far as it would go ... so the needle flew at top speed.

And I yelled.

And Q3 started crying.

The second time was when ... Q3 wanted to run outside when C39 was sweeping up some residual glass shards (I broke a window earlier, just after telling the kids to be careful with the screen door!). Both C39 & I yelled "NO!" and Q3, again, started crying.

Because it was "Too loud!"

Yes, I suppose it was.

Did I tell you

That C4 read 3 pages of Little House in the Big Woods to me tonight? No, I didn't, because she just did it.

Did I tell you we bought summer hats today? Cuteness abounds.

C4 loved hers so much she wore hers out to dinner. As you can see Q3 bought one only reluctantly.

Reading

Hey, for once this reading post is about Q3. She can read NO and GO and SO! She's best at NO ... it is another proud mumma moment ... we were at the pool the other day and she saw the NO DIVING! sign pn the concrete and said "MUMMA! N-O ... NO!"

E38 [Beaming]

When Q3 reads "So" she has to sound it out (Hard to imagine sounding out a 2-letter word, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt since she is only 3). And go is kind of here and there. We get it about 90% of the time.

Wet behind the ears

For the first time, we've joined the pool. We've been asked for, er, um, about three years now. And I've always said no no no girls too little, can't do two at once, etc., etc.

But, after months of demanding to go swimming every week with C39, I finally realized they would be interested in swimming every day this summer.

Or so I thought.

We've been about five times, now. And every time has been progressively more trying to get there.

The first time was easy. But ... there was thunder and we were all hearded out of the pool. So, we left.

The second time ... not quite as easy for us to get out of the house and get there, but we checked the weather, and let C4 know that the lifeguards were looking out for us. C4 went fully intending not to go in the pool, but after a bit she went in and did some amazing face-down, underwater swimming. Q3 just enjoyed every minute she was there, playing with the noodles in the H₂O, playing in the sandbox, etc. All was fine ... until the over the loudspeaker came an announcement that thunderstorms were in the area, and we might have to go quickly. C4 jumped out of the pool and clawed her way onto Daddy and then hid under the play structures. Then lightning was sighted and everybody was told (via loudspeaker) to get under the porch on the building and make it snappy. We left with two frightened children. Well, one honestly terrified child and one monkey-see-monkey-do terrified child.

The third time was C39 and both girls ... they never got into the H₂O because of thunder and lightning.

Saturday was the 4th time. Q3 was thrilled to go, her suit was on and she was ready to go. C4 had a tantrum, but when she realized we were going anyway, she consented to walk there with me (with stroller) and sat under the porch until we told her if she got in the pool she could have a fudgesicle. In the pool and was fine the rest of the day.

Sunday was the 5th and C4 sat at the picnic table until she remembered that she'd get an icecream if she went in the pool. She went in the big pool without C39 ... dunking, holding on, pushing up & down in the water without him next to her.

Q3 put on her new goggles & water jacket ... but refused to go in the big pool. Whatever. We spent hours there, just playing on the toys, in the kiddie pool, hanging with friends.

... To be continued!