Our Boring Week

Not much of note to write about this week, but here's a summary of what the kids were up to.

Elias had school again on Tuesday. Despite having to run the gauntlet of crying children clinging to their parents in the hallway leading to the classroom door (apparently not everyone has adjusted as well as he has), he went in cheerfully and willingly, and didn't even ask to ride the schoolbus on the way home.

On Wednesday the three of us went to Longwood Gardens to see the awesome garden railway set up there each fall. Before we reached the trains, we meandered through the gardens. As we got close, I asked Elias if he could hear the noise. He stopped his incessant chattering long enough to hear the distant "chug chug chug" and a long, low "Woooooooo Hoooooooo". He yelled "Engines!" and scrambled off to find them. It was an excellent display, with a circus train carrying all kinds of animals, a passenger train (which Elias decided was the express, or "press" in Elias-speak), an engine hauling hopper cars full of coal, and even Thomas the Tank Engine pulling Annie and Claribel. He spent a full hour circling the display, pointing and laughing. Immediately after that, I spent close to a full hour trying to wrestle a screaming, crying Elias back to the car so we could go home and eat lunch.

School again on Thursday, at which he made his second art project, and his very first using glue!

Showing his artwork to daddy and Graham:


Masterpiece #2:


Saturday was the start of the new session of swimming classes at the Y. Elias's passion for swimming runs hot and cold - though he's usually excited about it before we leave the house, once he's in the water with daddy he's not always so enthusiastic. Saturday, though, was a good day - he kicked his feet, reached his arms out to paddle, & even blew bubbles. He still would not put his head under the water, despite his teacher's best efforts. She held a pole for him to climb, the idea being that he would slide back down the pole and dunk his head under the water. He eagerly scrambled up the pole, but then waited for daddy to lift him off. Oh well. He ended his trip to the Y with one of the Amish-made oatmeal whoopie pies we buy during the summer when the West Chester Grower's Market is open.

While Elias does all this fun stuff, Graham tags along, usually strapped to mommy in a baby carrier. While Elias was in school Graham did two 2 mile walks around the Y's indoor track. He also enjoyed the sights and sounds at Longwood Gardens, and he went to the growers market and helped pick out vegetables. While he starts out each trip with his eyes wide open taking everything in with interest, after a few minutes of walking, he invariably falls asleep.