Home!
Safe and sound, but exhausted.
We've been singing in happiness all day.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
another week down, 4 days to go
Juma enjoyed his summer camp this week learning about sea coast ecology and preservation ("Did you know zooplankton create oxygen?").
But the week was marred by illness. Juma started out the week with a sore throat and fatigue, and I finished off the week with strep throat, fatigue, and grumpiness. I'm still recovering, but I actually had the energy tonight to actually cook dinner. Well, to boil some pasta.
In better news, Justin's coming home on Thursday! We couldn't be more excited about his return. It's been a long, tough summer without him, and now we can say we survived it. Well, just four more days.
Four days. We can do it.
But the week was marred by illness. Juma started out the week with a sore throat and fatigue, and I finished off the week with strep throat, fatigue, and grumpiness. I'm still recovering, but I actually had the energy tonight to actually cook dinner. Well, to boil some pasta.
In better news, Justin's coming home on Thursday! We couldn't be more excited about his return. It's been a long, tough summer without him, and now we can say we survived it. Well, just four more days.
Four days. We can do it.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
summer camp 6: castles
This week Juma finished his very cool castle.
It comes complete with working draw bridge
and a shark to guard the moat
a jousting knight who can actually be knocked off his horse
and a variety of people--king, knights, a mummy--to guard, watch, and rule.
In addition to the bed and dining table featured on Wednesday, Juma also added a fireplace.
It was a really fun week.
It comes complete with working draw bridge
and a shark to guard the moat
a jousting knight who can actually be knocked off his horse
and a variety of people--king, knights, a mummy--to guard, watch, and rule.
In addition to the bed and dining table featured on Wednesday, Juma also added a fireplace.
It was a really fun week.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
summer camps 4 & 5: sports and castles
After a week off summer camp while Grandma Wilson was visiting, Juma went to a week of sports camp--rowing, squash, basketball, volleyball, tennis, fishing, baseball, yoga, calisthenics, and kickball. He had a pretty good time, but didn't much like getting a wasp sting or a sunburn when his spacey mommy forgot to put sunblock on him.
This week he's back at the same camp as the first three weeks of the summer, building things. And, oh, he loves it. Now he's building a castle.
Day 2:
The beginnings of a drawbridge:
Day 3, with the complete drawbridge:
The bedroom with kingly bed:
The dining room:
This week he's back at the same camp as the first three weeks of the summer, building things. And, oh, he loves it. Now he's building a castle.
Day 2:
The beginnings of a drawbridge:
Day 3, with the complete drawbridge:
The bedroom with kingly bed:
The dining room:
Monday, August 03, 2009
science experiment of the day
Corn starch. Water. Food coloring. Stir.
Play.
Happy, busy child for 30 minutes.
Happy mom.
Play.
Happy, busy child for 30 minutes.
Happy mom.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
birthday party
We invited friends over on Juma's birthday Wednesday for a Bakugan-themed party. (Good thing he let me know if plenty of time that he wanted Bakugan, because party items are not in stores yet; I had to order everything online, including the edible cake picture.)
I had the lucky fortune of having access to the great reception hall downstairs from our apartment, so the kids had a gigantic room to run around in, make noise, hide, and just be kids.
The video below contains some highlights of the party, including Juma opening presents from Justin, me, G'ma and G'pa Beckham, and G'ma and G'pa Wilson. If you think you hear Justin's voice in there, you do. He was on video chat while Juma opened the special present from him.
Also, you catch a couple glimpses of my mom--she flew all the way out here to visit during Juma's birthday. I just took her back to the airport this morning. We had a great time with her here, but I think she was missing Dad enough that it was time to go home.
And here is the birthday boy himself. Seven years old, four feet tall, and as great a kid as a mommy could want. I love you, Juma!
I had the lucky fortune of having access to the great reception hall downstairs from our apartment, so the kids had a gigantic room to run around in, make noise, hide, and just be kids.
The video below contains some highlights of the party, including Juma opening presents from Justin, me, G'ma and G'pa Beckham, and G'ma and G'pa Wilson. If you think you hear Justin's voice in there, you do. He was on video chat while Juma opened the special present from him.
Also, you catch a couple glimpses of my mom--she flew all the way out here to visit during Juma's birthday. I just took her back to the airport this morning. We had a great time with her here, but I think she was missing Dad enough that it was time to go home.
And here is the birthday boy himself. Seven years old, four feet tall, and as great a kid as a mommy could want. I love you, Juma!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
mom's in town
My mom came to visit Juma and me for 10 days, and we've been running to and fro seeing the sights and keeping ourselves entertained.
Friday, we dropped Juma off at summer camp and then saw Harry Potter 6, which was quite entertaining. Saturday, we dropped Juma off at a babysitter's and took the train into New York City to see Mamma Mia! on Broadway. Also quite entertaining, and I've had Abba songs stuck in my head ever since. We got back around seven, picked up Juma, ate dinner, then gabbed into the night (as mothers and daughters do).
Sunday after Mom went to church, we visited Yale's two art galleries, where we saw everything from portraits of the British leisure class with their favorite dogs to 5000 year old pots from China to Buddha's footprints to carved masks from southern Tanzania.
Next, we took an afternoon stroll around a lovely city park that used to be a private estate, and is still surrounded by a stone fence that seems to belong in a Jane Austen movie. I had to be home for work after that, so we relaxed and watched Nacho Libre, giggling our faces off at Jack Black's funnies.
Today we got a slow, summer vacation start on the day. Since this is Juma's only "real" summer vacation week where he doesn't have any summer day camps to go to, he took advantage of his leisure time by watching Sponge Bob Square Pants all morning. And I do mean all morning. I had a little work to attend to once again, but around noon we took a quick tour of the Yale library, then I sent Mom and Juma off to the public library while I had another appointment.
This afternoon we introduced Mom to the Peabody Museum of Natural History, a long-time staple of entertainment and education in our family. I realized we've been going there for six years, since before Juma could say much more than "Die-saur! Raarrr!" Now it's, "No, Mom, that's a mosasaur, not a plesiosaur," and, "Hey, they moved the triceratops skulls. But where's the torosaurus?"
After those trips, we were 10,000-step pooped-out, and just relaxed the rest of the evening.
Friday, we dropped Juma off at summer camp and then saw Harry Potter 6, which was quite entertaining. Saturday, we dropped Juma off at a babysitter's and took the train into New York City to see Mamma Mia! on Broadway. Also quite entertaining, and I've had Abba songs stuck in my head ever since. We got back around seven, picked up Juma, ate dinner, then gabbed into the night (as mothers and daughters do).
Sunday after Mom went to church, we visited Yale's two art galleries, where we saw everything from portraits of the British leisure class with their favorite dogs to 5000 year old pots from China to Buddha's footprints to carved masks from southern Tanzania.
Next, we took an afternoon stroll around a lovely city park that used to be a private estate, and is still surrounded by a stone fence that seems to belong in a Jane Austen movie. I had to be home for work after that, so we relaxed and watched Nacho Libre, giggling our faces off at Jack Black's funnies.
Today we got a slow, summer vacation start on the day. Since this is Juma's only "real" summer vacation week where he doesn't have any summer day camps to go to, he took advantage of his leisure time by watching Sponge Bob Square Pants all morning. And I do mean all morning. I had a little work to attend to once again, but around noon we took a quick tour of the Yale library, then I sent Mom and Juma off to the public library while I had another appointment.
This afternoon we introduced Mom to the Peabody Museum of Natural History, a long-time staple of entertainment and education in our family. I realized we've been going there for six years, since before Juma could say much more than "Die-saur! Raarrr!" Now it's, "No, Mom, that's a mosasaur, not a plesiosaur," and, "Hey, they moved the triceratops skulls. But where's the torosaurus?"
After those trips, we were 10,000-step pooped-out, and just relaxed the rest of the evening.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
the apartment, part 2
Continuing the tour from "the apartment, part 1"...
Near the art corner, there's an open doorway into another "hall." The view from there is of Justin's desk area
Here's a closer view of Justin's desk area. Since he's been gone, I've taken over this desk, since it provides a good view of the living room where Juma usually plays, is much closer to Juma's room, and is much, much closer to the fridge.
Looking back from Justin's desk toward the entry/hallway, you see this area. I've had grand plans of making it a "reading corner," but without a nice comfy chair to put where that uncomfortable wooden chair is, it hasn't happened.
Directly off this hallway are the bedrooms. The master bedroom:
Juma's bedroom:
Off the other side of the hallway, opposite the bedrooms, is the living room:
The living room blends into the dining room:
And off of the dining area is, naturally, the kitchen. Strangely, it's in two parts:
And finally, as if the builders remembered only at the end, there's the bathroom, hiding behind the dining area, oddly enough.
Near the art corner, there's an open doorway into another "hall." The view from there is of Justin's desk area
Here's a closer view of Justin's desk area. Since he's been gone, I've taken over this desk, since it provides a good view of the living room where Juma usually plays, is much closer to Juma's room, and is much, much closer to the fridge.
Looking back from Justin's desk toward the entry/hallway, you see this area. I've had grand plans of making it a "reading corner," but without a nice comfy chair to put where that uncomfortable wooden chair is, it hasn't happened.
Directly off this hallway are the bedrooms. The master bedroom:
Juma's bedroom:
Off the other side of the hallway, opposite the bedrooms, is the living room:
The living room blends into the dining room:
And off of the dining area is, naturally, the kitchen. Strangely, it's in two parts:
And finally, as if the builders remembered only at the end, there's the bathroom, hiding behind the dining area, oddly enough.
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