silver linings and quilt tops
5 years ago
2000 Meter XC Race
Will had his first race on Saturday (we've been a bit remiss about meets because we've been so booked on weekends this month!) and he had a great time. When he finished the first words out of his mouth were, "I never want to do that again!" but then after he cooled down, enjoyed his ribbons (sixth and first place!), he realized that he might be willing to do it again.
At the end of the month we have Junior Olympics so we'll have to see how that goes for him. It is going to be a huge meet but might inspire him more with the process of psyching up for a good race. I was really amazed watching some of the more seasoned kids who were doing windsprints up and down the starting line and really warming up their muscles. I've been talking with Will about the nervous energy you feel before a race and how that helps you go faster but I think we have a ways to go to get the "racing mentality".
More Farm Trips
These are photos from a few different pumpkin patches/farms. We've gone to many many farms this month. I am starting to think that for us, October/Halloween is almost as busy as Christmas with all that there is to do. This month we've been double and triple booked most weekends!
Afternoon at the Beach
Will has a few days off for parent teacher conferences this week. Combine that with lovely sunny 70 degree weather and you have the makings of a great afternoon at the beach! They loved working on their huge driftwood fort, finding shells and rocks on the beach and circling the lighthouse. We even saw a baby Harbor Seal sunning himself on the shore while waiting for his mama to return from hunting.
7
Golden Gardens
Had fun exploring the park/beach today. Jasper is getting amazingly adept at climbing and sliding. He climbs ladders, stairs, crosses bridges, goes down all kinds of slides from long to short, curly to wide and flat all by himself! Often parents come over to ask me how old he is because he is just a little man on a mission out there running from the bottom of the slide to the ladder and back up again. Nine year old in the way? Not a problem, he just slips right by and continues on his way! I don't even catch him at the bottom of the slide! He is far more confident about navigating these play structures than his brother was at this age and I thought that Will was pretty coordinated at the time. But Jasper has both coordination and fearlessness on his side. Will was far too calculated of a risk taker and at this age tended to stick with the tiny tots play area. Jasper doesn't even bother!
Picking Pumpkins
This series of photos with the boys in the pumpkin patch were great. Jasper is just starting to learn about "cheese" and when we say it he gives us a really funny forced grin.
We've been going to this same pumpkin patch/CSA since Will was little and it is interesting to see how much they have grown in all these years. We used to park in front of the barn and now they have us all parked in a field with an actual parking attendant!
But I also experience some pangs of sadness as Will took less delight in the things he used to do in his early years. He says he is too old for the pony rides and isn't so interested in sitting in the old tractors or feeding the pigs scraps of pumpkin. He still loves the big loppers that you use to cut the pumpkin from the field, the giant trebuchet that smashes pumpkins in the field, and the apple cider press.
Jasper has been to this patch before while I was pregnant and also when he was a baby but this year he could really explore. He was so proud to choose his own tiny gourd to carry, he tromped through mud puddles, and he cautiously rode the tractor on the way out to the pumpkin patch.
Pumpkin Patch
We had a fun playday at the farm with a corn pit, hay maze, water pump/duck races,animal petting, fudge treats, tractor train ride, and two boys asleep in the car on the way home!