Halloween fun at friend Vivian’s second birthday.

Pumpkin-carving party last Saturday

A ghost craft Jax and I did last night:

I asked if he wanted to glue black “eyes” on, and he enthusiastically asked for several, attaching them to the bottom.

Jax made this cute spiderweb at preschool.

The two of us made this bat last night. Tracing around his hands is something Jax loves to do, and he practiced cutting to make the border.

Here are the craftastic highlights!

The invitation (created in minutes on kodakgallery.com using a July 4th template):

First, we had a craft table set up where the kids glued fuzzy balls of various colors to sheep silhouettes cut out of cereal boxes. We also had paper glasses to embellish with feathers.

Then it was time for the pre-lunch hayride!

We kept lunch simple by ordering party heros from the local Italian deli. Twelve feet of sandwich, three feet each of four kinds. Even 40 people couldn’t get through half of the sandwich slices. Now we know.

{Sources: animal plates, recycled plastic plates, wooden silverware, recycled napkins}

The cake:

Yes, there is a huge problem of scale here. Where you see the little tractor was supposed to be a wooden “2″ in place of a candle. I forgot the number and we had to improvise. Cake Wrecks here we come!

We tried to have many activity options for all the kids. In addition to the craft table, I made a farm scene out of felt, with removable animals the kids could rearrange.

Of course, we also had a mini farmer’s market. It turned out to be a hit with the kids to grab a market bag and “shop”:

I made the canvas market bags out of a drop-cloth I bought at the hardware store and some ribbon from the craft store. I made 16 in all, but with one drop cloth probably could have made another 16. They are really, really easy to make using these instructions. The most time-consuming part was attaching the handles, and I think that was because I went overboard reinforcing them. I would estimate they took about 8-10 minutes each.

Inside each favor bag was a little wooden tractor from Etsy seller TnTWoods, which is based in Wisconsin and wonderful to work with (we created a custom order of 16 toy tractors.)

Highlights from the festivities:

…and a very happy birthday boy!

~Farm animals: The noises they make, the hay and grass they eat, the fields they hang out in.

~Barns: He is exceptionally excited about the barn-shaped tool shed our neighbors have in their backyard.

~Gumby: Who would’ve thought? We tried to make it to age 2 without any TV, but I know I’m not the only parent who’s had to accept that The Plan doesn’t always work out in reality. Sometimes keeping the kid safely away from boiling water and hot oil in the kitchen takes priority. Why Gumby though? Of all the kid shows on Hulu, this is the one that stuck. “I want to watch Gumby and Pokey” is the evening dinner-prep hour request.

~The Farmer’s Market: For the past couple of weeks, every other sentence that comes out of Jax’s mouth is “I going the farmer’s market.” Literally. He’ll be playing with his firetruck and have the little fireman say “I going the farmer’s market. See you ater.” He’ll have the baby pig tell the daddy pig that he’s “going the farmer’s market.” When asked for specifics, Jax tells us he’s going to get cucumbers and tomatoes. It’s crazy sweet.

~Garbage Trucks: This has been an obsession since April, when Grandpa Ron took Jax out onto the balcony of their Florida condo to see the garbage truck collect the garbage. His passion for “wabage” and garbage trucks hasn’t waned. When we go out for ice cream, I swear the most exciting part for him is throwing away everybody’s napkins.

~Tractors: When we were in Ohio in June Jax got to play with Seth’s matchbox cars from when he was growing up. There is a tractor in the collection and it’s a favorite. Keeping it in my purse has made certain outings a tad more manageable.

So given these interests, and the fact that there will be other children there with parents who may not have introduced them to Gumby yet, and who may not find it socially acceptable to spend two hours pretending to throw away napkins, can you guess what the theme will be?

“I swim in the ocean.”

“I make a firework.”

Seals at the New England Aquarium

Carousel in Boston

Walking down the hill to the picnic grounds.

Throwing stones into the river.

The blacksmith demonstration.

Was the sausage in the foreground there as decor or was it their lunch?

Playing the triangle.

Abercrombie & Fitch pose.

Jax interrupted his run to the hay to point out the “airplane sky” he probably thought didn’t fit in with the 17th-century surroundings.

New favorite game: jumping or falling down objects or stairs to be caught. He’s very trusting!

Thanks for all the fun, Ron, Carol, and Renée!

Ice Cream Sandwich

Can you spot the baby frog? There were teeny, tiny frogs *everywhere* on the beach at the lake near Seth’s parents’ place… and tadpoles in the water!

Fun with Aunt Née

Snack Break

Ernest Hemingway’s House

Southernmost Point of the continental U.S.

Train Excitement

The trip back from Key West

Playing soccer in the backyard:

One Saturday, while the boys did this:

I did this:

These table linens were embroidered by my great-grandmother. My aunt Diane gave them to me on our last trip out to California. That table cloth in the back was Seth’s grandmother’s. I was able to get them looking crisp and new by pre-treating decades-old stains with OxyClean and then drenching them in sunshine after washing. These are so special to me, and I’m glad they add a touch of history and elegance to our meals today!

A tag sale benefiting the local historical society was held almost literally in our backyard, at our neighbor’s. Knowing the neighbors and having seen their awesome 1920s house, I knew the stuff would be good. As predicted, I came away with many treasures, including this 22-carat-gold-plated china set made by Limoges USA (I know, American Limoges?!), from the 1920s:

I’m almost embarrassed to say how much I paid:  it would have cost more to see a movie in New York City.

I also picked up the most cheerful vintage recipe box:

and a pretty bowl, which I assume to be crystal because it weighs four tons:

Ah. I live for tag sale season.

Jax grew me a Mother’s Day gift at preschool:

He loves watering it and sometimes dumping out the excess water when it gets a little full.

Jax helped Seth mow the lawn on the morning of Mother’s Day:

For lunch that day we treated ourselves to delicious Mexican food. The table-side guacamole preparation was captivating:

While not a huge fan of the taste of guacamole, Jax did enjoy the cheese quesadillas and refried beans:

A big, quesadilla-filled smile!

For dinner that evening, we used one of my great-grandmother’s white tablecloths:

Seth gave me the beautiful rose plant I’ll be enjoying for months. It has since sprouted even more blooms.

Jax helped me open my Mother’s Day gift, a necklace with a charm that says “jax”:

Last weekend we used my birthday as an excuse to get together a bunch of local families with Jax-aged kids we’ve come to know. We had a picnic that lasted something like five hours, with friends coming and going all afternoon. It was great!

I have been so spoiled for my birthday and received many wonderful gifts that I so much appreciate. I now have Martha Stewart’s Craft encyclopedia and some great movies I’ve been meaning to watch and now can. There are also new treats from France and some fun new accessories I’ll be enjoying well beyond my birthday. So sweet!

My present to myself was finishing the last chapter of my dissertation.  Now on to a summer of editing and rewriting, interspersed with many more picnics and some short trips to see friends and family. Happy times!