Unrelated to the image above of Josh chewing on a stick, here's a description from Susan of Josh's first taste of a milkshake. Turns out he really really liked it:

I had had about half of a small vanilla milkshake in the car and figured I would share some of the rest with Josh. I knelt down when we entered the house and gave him a sip from the straw, and that was it: he clutched the cup and bent his head over the straw and sucked for dear life! When I tried taking it just so we could walk to the kitchen, there was a major protest. Finally I did get us to the kitchen, and knelt there again. suck suck suck suck suck suck. He scootched around, still clutching the cup, so he was sitting on my lap, sucking away happily. At some point I realized that there would be no sharing the rest of the shake... it was his. It was the love of his life. 

Josh tries to say E-I-E-I-O

Fine art

Personally I like the castle in the upper right, and the ice monsters marching away from it. 

New game!

Weekend update

Fun weekend. Small group, during which Gabriel Hull came over and watched videos with Sam while Josh failed to fall asleep. Ok, the latter wasn't that fun, but having friends over was. Saturday... what did we do Saturday?  A lazy morning, a long nap for Josh, then errands followed by running around at the Y while Susan grocery shopped, then off to Eastview Mall. Sam had won in a raffle through the summer reading program at the public library a coupon entitling him to a free kids' meal at Friendly's (with purchase of another meal, which we were happy to oblige with).  So we went off to the mall, had a delicious and nut-safe Friendly's dinner, and then went to L L Bean for a rain jacket and boots for Sam.  Made it home for a late bedtime for the boys; a nice full day.

Oh, and at the mall we rode the carousel, as you can see. Josh is still suspicious of carousels and looks a little nervous the whole time as if he's afraid there might be a medical procedure involved at some point. 

Josh cried and cried the first time he saw me use a drill (I didn't do a bad job with it, really!). Now, though, the drill doesn't bother him at all. Maybe in half a year he'll be over his carousellaphobia too.

Quiet Sunday. Neighborhood boys in the backyard both Saturday and Sunday. At Susan said, she's glad summer's over and she won't be running a daycare for the neighborhood any more! After this weekend I can really see what she means. Too many boys and at least one pair is always in some sort of conflict, if usually minor and involving some amount of whining.

Here's Josh Monday morning on a walk with Mommy. The air has that fall chill. Josh, outside, is in heaven.

Have a great week!

As you might expect, Sam did a lot of drawing at camp. Below is one I liked, inspired by the drawings in this book. It's complicated--a light in the upper left bounces off mirrors to the lower left, in the process releasing smoke which serves as a signal for the people to descent from the platforms toward the rocket in the lower right. There's more to it than that, but you get the idea. 

Our Final Summer Week at Camp

Just spent a week at camp. It was a very good time. I expected the kids to get cabin fever after just a few days, but we settled in and had a great time. It helped immensely that the new deck has a Josh-proof gate at one end! 

Below are some photos with comments...

We ate out twice. First was at the 1844 House outside of Potsdam, about which Susan had the following to say:

Cost of son #1's good behavior at a very nice restaurant: conversation about what the point of dinner at a very nice restaurant is, and how one behaves to family and to restaurant staff; mild threats; one bribe of an after-dinner scavenger 

hunt ending in a $2.50 toy prize, should dinner go well.

Cost of son #2's good behavior at a very nice restaurant: Cheerio appetizer; one walk outside before soup and salads arrive; several diversionary tactics involving bottles, peek-a-boo, Daddy's keys, and Mommy's keys; Mommy's cell phone offered as a rare sacrificial "toy" for end-of-meal peace.

Hearing the waitress say at the end of dinner that we have such beautiful children, and they are so very well-behaved: PRICELESS.

We also ate out, later in the week, at Sergi's new location down the street from where the roof was blown off its previous building. Delicious pizza.

Sergi's was followed by a trip to the laundromat. As Susan predicted, Josh was extremely happy pushing carts around. :-)

Here Susan and Josh enjoy a lunch out on the deck

No week is complete without a trip to the public library, built by the local philanthropist, Alonzo Barton Hepburn

We also made it for the first time to the mini golf place outside of Massena. The course itself was challenging and well-maintained, if not as flashy as others we've been to. What set it apart was the livestock: ducks, chickens (including some fuzzy Bantams) and goats, all of which we could and did feed. 

Sam, on the Arbuckle dock the day before we left

The gurus on facebook think this striped spider was a wolf, but I am not so sure...

We didn't make it out on the water this year, nor did we go swimming, or visit the state-park beach, or go camping. BUT we did manage a hike of the Beaver Pond Trail at the state park. Josh's first time, and he really enjoyed it

Josh on the boardwalk through the tamarack stand

Before leaving town I went to the gaming store and picked up a little game called Eleminis. It's a step above games like Uno in that there's more room for strategy, but it's still a simple game. We got in the habit of playing three hands after Josh went down each night. Here Susan and Sam are on the last night. As a very special treat Sam was giving a small wine glass of coke. :-)

Those are the highlights. We also walked around Arbuckle more than once; we visited a nurse practitioner in Canton for Josh, who had a cold all week with what you and I would call wheezing; Susan and I watched Salmon Fishing on the Yemen; showed Sam how the light the grill; we grilled speaks and salmon; and really, that's all that comes to mind. May not sound like much but it kept us happy for a week!

First day of second grade

The Penfield Post has a photo of Sam and Josh waiting outside the school, Cobbles, this morning. Sam is the 9th photo in the collection.

Happily, one of the neighborhood boys who played with Sam this summer, Connor, will be in his class.  Starting tomorrow they'll ride the school bus tomorrow.