New Year, New Passions

We're back in the routine. I'm now waiting for Alex to get out of school. I hope he didn't have too hard a time adjusting back to structure. But he has a new love now. During the Christmas holidays, he got into Lord of the Rings after playing the computer game that Santa brought him. He's been eagerly asking for more information about the Tolkein universe now and Dan couldn't be more thrilled. Eventually, we let him watch the first film of the trilogy and he was surprisingly calm after viewing it (even if he talked a lot during the viewing, usually a sign that he's a little bit scared.) Now he's obsessed with that world. It's the height of entertainment to listen to a discourse on Middle Earth offered by a five year old. Wednesday, January 2

A Special Announcement for the Meeting

OK, totally not kidding here. At the end of each Meeting (also called "rise" of Meeting), many Friends typically have announcements, either for the Meeting in general, the Yearly Meeting or even just a personal "concern" (charitable action) that they're taking. As the head member called out for more announcements, Alex kept raising his hand and I was gently pulling it back down. Eventually, the ...

Friend leading the adjournment called on him and asked him if he had anything to say. He said "Yeah. I just want to tell everyone about a really cool place." She eagerly asked him what it was and he said "It's called F.A.O. Schwarz." (This brought a hearty laugh from anyone assembled who heard him.) He continued "They have really cool Lego balls there."

George Fox and other early Friends argued that even children can speak truth in their messages, right? LOL

Aside though, I'm really glad he's feeling so at home there.

Four Years of Daffodils

Due to the unseasonably warm weather, many of the daffodils at the Center are already in full bloom.  Seeing daffodils at the Rye Nature Center always makes me think of the very first time Alex and I went there when he was only 1 year old.

The date was May 1, 2008 and these are somre of the photos I took then.  I found that daffodil broken by the side of the main road and gave it to him. I remember how delighted he was with it.  He didn't want to put it down, not even to investigate other items.

Seeing all of the daffodils out now, I couldn't resist staging some photos with them, just for the comparison.  So, while it hasn't yet been four years since we found the Rye Nature Center, I thought I'd move on the daffodils while they were in bloom.

My favorite photo from that afternoon

Alex also wanted to take some photos of the daffodils.  Like this extreme close up.

This is the approximate spot from where I picked up that first broken daffodil four years ago.  This batch isn't out yet.

Once done with the nostalgia, we continued on our regular, weekly walk through the woods and to the library.   Alex wanted to let everyone know that he really is a tree-hugger.

I love our walk out of the nature center almost as much as I love our walk in to the nature center on our way to his Preschool Ecology class.

Happy Anniversary Rye Nature Center. We're so glad we found you!  We've certainly seen you bloom in the past four years (since Christine became Director, especially.)

And, daffodils?  Thanks for just being you.

Thursdays = Good Stuff

I've always loved Thursdays. I actually don't know why or how it started.  It's just that it's always seemed that the best stuff of my life usually happened or happens on a Thursday.

Take, for example, this Winter and Spring.    Alex has Preschool Ecology on Thursdays, beginning at 12 PM.  Our bus arrives in Rye at around 11:25 AM. That leaves us lots of time to get to class.  We make the most of it by continuing our ritual of our walk from the Hammond Road entrance to the main building of the Rye Nature Center.

I love those mornings.  I know I'll remember them forever, even if Alex doesn't. Special things tend to happen on those morning walks.

Like this:

She's standing in the middle of the path we have to take to get to the main building in which his class is held.  Alex didn't want to come near for fear that his bright orange lunchbox would scare her away.

It's also on these walks that I allow Alex to take the camera and snap pictures of whatever he likes.

He loves him some Sweetgum pods.

He's convinced that places like these are Gnome Houses, where real gnomes live.

Thursdays also give us the opportunity to explore Rye in the Springtime.  Alex took these pictures of a croacus that had bloomed in a grassy spot in a parking lot. 

See? What did I tell you? Good stuff happens on Thursdays.

Alex Entertains the Koi

Music class would have proven to be too much stress for Mommy. She decided that it was Adventure Day instead. And Adventure Day would involve locating the Enid Haupt Glass Garden at the Rusk Institute on 34th Street. Alex wanted to know why we were in a hospital. (Because Mommy missed the signs at the entrance way, that's why.) Shortly, with the help of a staff member, we located the garden. Alex was thrilled to see it. I'd told him all about an Indoor Garden that we could visit and here it was.

The first thing you see is a turtle and koi pond. Alex loved seeing the water creatures and spent most of his time leaning over the edge to see them.

"Hello fishies! Let me tell you a story." And he preceded to tell them a story about a shark. I didn't hear all of it, so when I asked for details later, he told me that the story wasn't for me. It was for the fish and turtles. Especially for the fish that "looks like mashed potatoes". (A mostly white koi marbled with orange and black.) Oh, OK.

Storytime for the Residents of the Turtle Pond

A "mashed potato" fish

And another one that "looks like mashed potatoes"

Alex made a friend there, who was anxious to show him around and Alex was anxious to show him the "black fish" that was in the pond. 

And there was a back room in which the gardens extended and was home to numerous caged parrots, bunnies and even a resident cat.  One bird, an 8-year-old umbrella cockatoo named Chloe, would squawk loudly for attention.   Alex just loved her, especially because she looked like Nigel from Rio.

Later, we spent some time at the Children's Playgarden where he rode around in a CozyCoupe designed like a police car. He pretended he was a policeman, twice asking me if I needed help. (I had to be asked twice to clue in that the correct answer was "Yes.")

Playing in the sand pit of the Playgarden

It was cold out. I promised him that we'd be back when it was warmer. I had also looked forward to a calming East River Ferry Ride for only 8 dollars round trip. That wound up keeping us out later than I had planned. I've since learned that if I want Alex to be in a better mood during the day that he has to go to bed by 7:30. The reason we didn't go to Music Mind Games today was because he was in such a horrible mood when I picked him up from the Children's Learning Center.
But I like boats...and indoor gardens...and watching Alex play.

OK, next time. We'll get an earlier train next time.

You're STILL Here Ma?

We got the earlier train today. This meant that we could take our time getting uptown and take the bus.  Alex sat next to Daddy on the way uptown, but as we approached Dan's stop at 60th, I got up from my seat in order to sit next to Alex.  I explained to them both what I was doing.

"No!" Alex objected! "I don't want to sit next to you! You're a girl!!"

Little sexist fool! (Well, nah. I expected that this would emerge someday.)

But that was nothing compared to when we arrived at the Children's Learning Center.  You see, on Tuesdays, Noe (No-ay) works.  Alex loves the days when Mister Noe is in.  After he washed up, he left me standing in the cubby area without so much as a "By your leave." 

I didn't have to look too hard for him when I re-entered the classroom in order to leave.    He was where Noe was, building with Magna-blocks.

"Bye Gorgeous!" I called.

"Yeah. Bye" he muttered.

Oh, OK.  I get it. You're with Mr. Noe.  The girl has to go now. 

Dragon Rocker: Comparison Pics

Does it seem like every March I get nostalgic?  It seems that way to me.  Sometimes, it seems like March is when I pay the closest attention to the times Alex will do something he often did as a baby or, the times I'll most likely still see his baby face when he's sleeping or resting.

He still rides that dragon rocker I got him for his first Christmas.  I paid a New Parent amount in expedited shipping, because I HAD to have it for his first Christmas.  Had I known that he would use it for more than four years, I might not have gone that crazy.

Here's a comparison shot of his relative size against the rocker. 

And the previous years:



At once, it seems like it was yesterday, but also so many, many years ago. 
I'm very glad I chose to make the most of this time at home with him, even if he won't remember most of it.  I know I will.