Fall Fun, 2010
School has started for me, daycare/preschool has started for Marcus, and fall weather is here! We've had a great month--here are some of the highlights.
Church softball games (I got conscripted into playing in one, even, when the team was short a woman) and a softball bring-your-own-lobster and cookout at the team captain's house in Woburn. I liked the location--normally in the middle of nowhere for us) because we were on our way back from the Wellesley Day of Service (picking veggies at a community farm where all the produce goes to soup kitchens and food pantries, and then hanging out at the College with another alum and her four-year-old) and it allowed us a stop at the Burlington H-Mart. Here I am with my four children (according to a nice but completely clueless teammate) in Anthony's front yard. Below is the group of Wellesley volunteers at the farm. There were two other dads/husbands/men there, in addition to Robert, but one was taking this picture and the other was bringing his toddler to the bathroom. In the video, you see Marcus rolling me down the hill before the other volunteers arrived at the farm.
Seeing Uncle Mike and Jocie when they came out East to drop Jocie at UConn. Here we are on her first day, after breakfast at our place, before they drove down. Michael (known as Guk-Guk to Marcus) then came back for a couple days in the city and was joined by Nancy and Lexie for more college visits. We had a great time showing off Boston and playing host, and Marcus loved the extra attention, of course--I think it's been awhile since Uncle Michael played with trains or dove under the couch for a toy, but he seemed to take it in stride, and didn't even complain about sleeping in Marcus's (low, but twin-sized) bed.
Apple-picking with Sarah and Sean, and to Kimball Farms. Marcus loved the goats and the apples and the ice cream, and also a funny little blank notebook Sean keeps in his car ("Book! Book! I want the book!" Marcus cries as soon as we get in their car). Sarah didn't like being given peppermint ice cream by mistake.
The South End JazzFest downstairs, right outside our door, on a beautiful 80-degree September Saturday. Marcus loved the Target family area, complete with coloring tables and crafts, drum sets and other instruments, and a giant slide and ball pit. We met up with Ren and Matt there, and Marcus got to express his joy at seeing "his" baby again, and we all ate ribs and jerk and then came upstairs for ice cream and air conditioning. Later, when everything was closing up, Robert and I went back out with sleeping baby in a wrap and got half-price dinners, as the stands were closing, and watched the trucks loading everything up. Below, swinging twin fun with daddies and babies.
Marcus's first ever lollipop, given to him by a life-sized (larger than life?) Dora the Explorer at the JazzFest. First he unwrapped it and stared at it. Then he very tentatively put it into his mouth. Finally he decided it was indeed delicious, and, even more excitingly, the wrapper was his very own trash to throw away.
Assorted city outings: We're still going to JP on Tuesdays for playgrounds, lunch with Miriam and G. at City Feed, and then the CSA pick-up. Most Sundays we go to church (Marcus loves the two-year-olds' nursery and goes running in happily with his nametag on, emerging with various Bible-based crafts) and then out to dim sum or lunch in Chinatown, so baby can eat his fill of dumplings (currently he prefers the insides only, the greasy meaty bits just on his fingers with no dough in the way). One Sunday we managed to hit a kids' concert and pizza party in a South End park on our way home--Marcus slept through the beginning of it, but for that matter, so did Robert (one on my chest, one with his head on my lap, all of us on a park bench in the September sun). There was a pinata at the end, and Marcus yelled "Hit it! Hit it!" and took some pretty amazing swings at it.
Varied modes of transportation! Marcus loves the bus we take to school together, the train we take when going to JP or Chinatown together, all my assorted carriers, and of course his own two feet. Walking is still pretty fun.
Lots of fun playtimes. Uh, how did we get such a ball-lover on our hands? Here he is with the bat Grandma Judy got him as a belated birthday present, and then with a little football we got at the JazzFest. He's even been known to take the football into the bath and into bed.
Night and morning cuddletimes. Marcus has always been a great sleeper, no change there--here he is in his Tigger pajamas (on sale after last Halloween) one morning after waking up particularly happily, and here he is one day after daycare, utterly exhausted, taking a second before-dinner catnap.
Below, two happy videos from around the house--playing with the telephone and then with some play food and the stove I made him.
More playtime--Marcus Legohands strikes again! And you know what? Not only are Legos fun to play with, but the Lego bin is fun to climb into, too!