July 7 - 13

On Sunday night I was looking on Facebook and saw a post from OSV that they would be at a local baseball game on Monday to throw out the first pitch for "Historic Baseball Night".  Sure, we thought.  So we bought tickets for the Worcester Bravehearts, which is part of a collegiate baseball league.

Unfortunately due to timing we just missed the first pitch (photo below was snagged from Facebook) but we did run into Rhys, Dan, and Jan later.  Bennett wasn't much into watching the game, but he did like seeing Jake, the mascot.  But by "seeing" I mean watching him from a distance.  I tried taking Bennett to say hi to Jake, but he wanted nothing to do with that!

We also caught a foul ball.  Well, not exactly.  A foul ball was hit over the net and got stuck on the dugout.  One of the players tried reaching through the net and tossing it up to us, but that didn't work.  Some other kids tried reaching through a fence to get the ball but they couldn't reach.  So at the end of the inning the player climbed onto the dugout, got the ball, and handed it to us.  I don't think the other kids were too happy about that.

After school on Tuesday Bennett was all about books.  He kept running up and down the stairs to get more books from his room.  Then after dinner he helped me water the garden and then went for a bike ride with Daddy.

More books after school on Wednesday, but this time he wasn't happy to read them himself.  Instead Daddy read about three different Skippy John Jones books.  Since Bennett hadn't taken a nap (this is becoming quite the trend!) he was looking very tired during dinner so went up to bed early.

On Thursday we played outside for a while before dinner, and then after Bennett went to bed I went for a walk (my knees still aren't recovered enough to try running again) and then when I got back Chris went out for a bike ride.   As you may have noticed, we're trying to be a bit more active.  We'll see how long this lasts as it gets colder and darker.

Ugh!  When I picked Bennett up from school on Friday he was not listening at all.  I had to put him in a time out that ended up lasting far longer than it should have because he kept getting up again.  We went home, picked up Daddy, and headed off to Michael's.  It's a good thing Chris came along with us because Bennett fell asleep on the way there.  So Chris stayed with Bennett while I went into the store.  Unfortunately they didn't have what I was looking for- something for my Derby car.

Yup.  I took a picture of my kid as he was crying while in time out.

On Saturday we went to Sturbridge.  For a day without anything special on the schedule it still felt like there was a lot going on.  Victoria was in the Parsonage making currant pie.  She confirmed that we're still on for the secret activity.  Of course!  At the farm they were making an herb pie.  We also found a few eggs in the barn that Bennett brought in to the ladies in the kitchen.  Our timing was right to see the gristmill in action and we also went into the carding mill, which is a building we normally skip.

Justin working in the cooper shop

Bennett was also excited to play French and English (Tug o war).  However, it wasn't being run well, because Katie wasn't running it.  Katie rocks!  Anyway, it was in groups based on age, with 8 and up playing first, and then 8 and under playing second.  Ok, I kind of get this from a safety point.  However, with the 8 and under, it was all little kids on one side, and those closer to 8 on the other.  This doesn't work well.

Also, a funny story about French and English.  On the 4th of July we were trying to explain what it meant to Bennett.  And we mentioned England, and people from England were English.  He pipes, up, "I play that at Sturbridge- English".  Yup.  It's a little shocking how much he can relate to things from Sturbridge.

We also got to meet the "progressive farmer" a talk that they have later in the afternoon that we usually miss.  The small garden/field area by the Towne House is growing a few crops right now to show things that most general farmers wouldn't grow.  They've got teasel, mangle wurtzel, and they are conducting a potato experiment.  They planted potatoes in three different ways- whole, halves, and quarters and of those, they added compost to half of them.  This way they can see which way grows the best.  It looks as if whole potatoes with compost are the best, but as Rhys commented, that's based only on what we can see above ground.  We won't know the real results until they are harvested and we see what was actually produced.


On Sunday we visited Mimi and then went to Lowes to pick up some materials for redoing our front stairs.  We also got Bennett a toolbox and his own set of real tools.  He was very excited about this.  Now we need to find a project for him.

After nap we tried getting Bennett to play in the sprinkler, but he wasn't a fan of getting sprayed and wouldn't run through it.

We then played inside for a little while before I took Bennett and went to Ikea to get a couple more shelves for the basement organization.  Chris stayed at home to watch the final World Cup match and do some cleaning.

After dinner we all went on a family bike ride.

June 30 - July 6

And just like that, my running days may be over.  In the past I've had a bit of knee pain while hiking, mostly caused by descents.  Not sure what the ultimate cause is, but the pain would normally go away in a couple of days.  It seems that running is also bad for my knees.  I had some pain over the weekend but was still able to go running.  On Monday, it was too much.  I had to stop.  As I'm writing this over a week later, I still have knee pain.  [note- I started writing this about a week before I actually got around to finishing and publishing.] I'm torn between trying to run again or just giving up.  My stubborn side doesn't want to give up.  Part of me wonders if new shoes would help, but I'm hesitant to spend the money on them if it doesn't help and I still need to stop running.  Advil and knee braces kind of help, but not completely.  Hopefully I'll be able to get in to see a doctor soon to get some actual medical advice.

In other Monday news, Bennett started watching Peter Pan after school.  We had tacos for dinner, which he normally likes.  Unfortunately he wasn't a fan of the salsa (that he requested) so he took forever and didn't finish eating. 

Tuesday was a no nap day at school.  When we got home Bennett finished watching Peter Pan and then played with his Duplos for a while.  We also finally got around to putting the air conditioners in.


On Wednesday morning there was much excitement as we were driving to school and witnessed an accident.  I was waiting at a green light for the oncoming car to go through the intersection so that I could turn.  However, the car on the cross street ran the red light hitting the car coming towards me.  I'm amazed that my car was spared, because the other cars came to rest just a few inches from my car.  We pulled over and Chris called 911.  Ultimately 3 police cars came (1 to direct traffic, 1 to take statements, and I think the last one might have helped with some translating), a firetruck, an ambulance, and a tow truck.  Ultimately it's probably a good thing that we stuck around because both drivers were claiming that they had a green light.  Bennett was full of so many questions about everything!  Two weeks later and he's still mentioning it.  And I'm also much more cautious going through that intersection now.

On Thursday we decided to head of to Ikea after school.  I wanted to get some shelves for the basement and for the shed.  Since Bennett hadn't napped at school he fell asleep on the way there.

We got home really late (at least by Bennett standards) but unfortunately he didn't sleep in the car.  I also did some purging and organizing of Bennett's toys.  I can't seem to do this when he's around, but he handles it pretty well when he asks where things are and we tell him they got put in the basement, etc.  And hopefully, if he isn't missing them, in a little while I can take them to the second hand store.

For the 4th of July (Friday) we had originally planned on going to Sturbridge but the forecast called for rain.  It was clear in the morning so we went to Tougas Farm and picked strawberries, blueberries, and cherries.  I think we'll have to go back again for more blueberries because we don't have nearly enough.  The rain started just as we were leaving.  After nap we baked cookies, went to Target, and then came home and Bennett put together his very first Lego (not Duplo) set!  Daddy helped him read the book with the instructions.  Bennett loves playing with his little police station.

On Saturday, after a late start, we went to Sturbridge.  We got there around noon and we weren't sure if this would mess things up since we've developed a bit of a routine.  However, after some snacks Bennett did well with a late lunch.  As we were driving we asked what he wanted to see.  His answer?  The fish! Since we had a late start and Bennett was in a good mood (not always the case in the afternoon) we were able to stick around to see the sawmill operating in the afternoon. 

a completely unrelated photo from the blacksmith shop

We also spoke with Victoria and were able to schedule a day for my special activity.  (You may or may not recall me mentioning this back in March.)  We also learned that Victoria requested Bennett's birthday party off as soon as she learned the date.  She will likely be coming to do a special project.

While at the farmhouse Bennett went to work filling the woodbox.

After nap we went food shopping and as we were driving home we were discussing if we would be able to make it to any fireworks.  We found out the Millbury had them at 9:30, so we quickly went home, put the groceries away, cooked some food to eat later, and got back in the car.  We weren't sure how Bennett would do with the fireworks, but he did great.  He even did a pretty good job of not squirming around too much while we waited for them to start, which was our main concern.  And now he keeps asking when it will be the 4th of July again so that we can go see fireworks at Sturbridge.


On Sunday we cleaned out the shed.  I know, not very exciting.  But it was a big jumbled mess and it was hard to get to anything.  So we pulled everything out, set up the new shelves that we got, and put things back in a more cohesive fashion.  We also added a few screws so that Bennett could hang up some of his tools.


While we were doing that Grandpa came over to hang out for a bit, and also to dry out his tent.  He'd been in Maine and got rained on so he needed some space to spread out.  Bennett helped a bit with setting up the tent, sweeping it out, bringing things in and out of the shed, etc.



The rest of the day was spent at home doing not much of anything.  It's not that often that we have a whole day at home!

June 23 - 29

On Monday Bennett was coughing a lot and wasn't interested in dinner.  He ended up having an early bed time.

On Tuesday he woke up feeling warm but didn't have a fever.  However, by late morning we got the call from school that his temperature was up to 101 and we had to pick him up.  After lunch he napped and then spent the afternoon watching movies.

By Wednesday, of course, he was better but still had to stay home from school.  Due to work commitments Chris and I split coverage.  However, due to how we coordinated things Bennett ended up only getting about a 10 minute car nap.  I tried getting him to rest longer at home, but no luck.  Instead we went outside to play.  Here his is making "pancakes" on his slide.

We also went on a pretend trip to Sturbridge.  We got our stickers at the ticket window, went to the tin shop (where Phil was working making lanterns) and then Bennett realized he'd forgotten his backpack.  So he went back to the car to get that.  Down at the farm Dave was plowing with Lance and Henry.

On Thursday Bennett's listening ears stopped working, and I think they stayed off through the weekend!  He watched Curious George while Daddy made dinner and I went out for a run.  When I got back we all ate and then Daddy went back to work for a few hours.  Due to the lack of listening Bennett didn't get to play during his bath, no book at bedtime, and he even lost his stuffies (a last resort for us) before the lights were even turned off.  Normally they get taken away if he spends too long talking to himself after the lights go out.

I think the lack of naps caught up to Bennett on Friday.  He fell asleep in the car on the way home from school at 5:30.  He woke up a couple of hours later pretty disoriented, but he then went back to sleep and was fine until morning.

On Saturday we had our weekly OSV trip.

As we arrived right at opening we were able to see the sawmill running.

Victoria was cutting profiles again, so this time I had one done.  Now Chris just needs to have a turn.  :)

After Sturbridge we headed off to a birthday party and then when we went got home Bennett started working on her Derby car.

Waiting for Daddy to get everything ready.

Cutting out his car.  He got bored after the first cut.

Sanding

On Sunday we went food shopping and then Bennett started painting his car.  At least someone in the family isn't going to be working at the last minute!

Next we went to Uncle Andrew and Aunt Gentry's for a housewarming cookout. They recently got chicks and Bennett was giving naming rights for one of them.  In the past he had suggested "chicken" but then when we asked again he started saying nonsensical two syllable names.  When listing off names he happened to say "yummy".  I think that's a fun name for a chicken!

After a late nap he played in the pool for a while and then we went for a bike ride.  Oh and those listening ears?  Still not working!

June 16 - 23

I think I only took two or three pictures all week and they weren't that exciting. Consider yourself warned.  Also, sorry that once again I've gotten behind and need to play catch-up.


On Monday we went for another bike ride after dinner.  Bennett was doing much better with only pedaling forwards, but he did try going backwards a few times.  Although the bike path by our house is mostly flat, it does have a slight slope so I had to jog to keep up with Bennett as he was riding.


On Tuesday things changed with the bike riding.  We decided it was time to teach him how to stop.  You would think that with all of the backpedaling he had been doing this would be easy.  Nope.  He either takes his hands off the handlebars as he reaches to us for help, he turns and looks at us, thus turning the bike, or he just doesn't listen.  At one point when he was turning he was going a bit too fast and he fell and scraped his knee.

This has been a week without many naps, and on Wednesday we could tell he was tired.  Normally he still runs around going a mile a minute, but he was sluggish during dinner so we decided an early bedtime was in order.


I guess the lack of a nap on Thursday, combined with the fact that he'd been running around all day at school, meant that he was rather tired.  We were about five minutes from the house on the way home from school when I thought Bennett might be asleep.  He then moved his head and started talking, so I figured he was just closing his eyes against the sun.  We looked again and his eyes were closed again.  When we got home I took him out of his car seat.  He woke up a little.  I asked him if he wanted to go to bed.  "No." I asked if he was tired and he said, "yes".  He then started to cry for a few moments before quieting again, closing his eyes, and snuggling into my neck.  I rocked him for a few minutes and then brought him up to bed.  He woke up a few times overnight, but always went back to sleep, and then we had to wake him up at seven the next morning to go to school.

On Friday Bennett was getting very frustrated with his bike.  We were working on stopping again and he just wasn't getting it.  And somehow that frustration morphed into being afraid of falling again.  

On Saturday we went to OSV.  In the nicer months you can try fishing.  Normally we don't do this, but decided to give it a try.  Chris caught a fish.  It's very skinny and sideways and you can barely see it.  I also need to work on my photography skills a bit more since I cut Katie in half.  Oops.

After Sturbridge (and nap) Bennett went to Nana's house for an overnight.  He was very excited when we told him and eagerly packed his suitcase.

What did we do with out free time?  We went to a movie.

In other news, I started a Couch to 5K program.  More on this in a later post.  In looking to find a 5K to run I found on at OSV, but since it's in mid-July I doubt I'll be ready in time.

Our Sunday was pretty low-key.  We did yard work- mowed the lawn, etc.  Bennett was pretty excited to be able to watch Daddy from the porch.

After Bennett's nap we went food shopping and then all went out for a bike ride.  Bennett didn't want to ride his bike (he's now afraid to ride his bike because he can't stop and doesn't want to fall) so he went in the trailer.


And that pretty much sums up the week.