Today was one of those really hot days with temperatures in the mid-90’s. So, what better day than today to get out our kiddie pool for the first time this year? The kids both had a fun time and it was a great way for them to stay cool. The full album is here, but here a few pics:
Last Wednesday was Aiden’s last day of school for the summer. I can’t believe he’s already done with his first year of preschool! He really grew a lot in his first year there, learning all kinds of neat things, doing fun projects, making friends and learning some great social skills. I know he’s going to miss it while school is out for the summer. Next year he will be returning to the same preschool and doing the 5 day program there (2 1/2 hours a day). He will even have the same teacher, which is great since he really seems to like her. Before school ended, each parent was given a photo CD with pictures that the teachers took over this past year. It’s neat to see all the fun things they did this year, and a great keepsake for Aiden. Here’s a few pictures of Aiden that I found:
Today the zoo opened back up for the season, and since it was such a beautiful day, it was the perfect day for us to visit for the first time this year. We had a great time visiting the animals, and I got to try out my new camera. The full album is here, but here’s a few notable pictures:
I have been months behind on photos and they have really piled up on the camera and phone. But, I’m FINALLY caught up again! Check out Aiden’s picture page for pictures from Halloween the the past couple months. Meanwhile, here’s a sneak preview:
Sorry for the lack of posts on Aiden’s blog lately. I’ll try to catch up a little.
On October 2nd, we went up to Ithaca to visit for the day. While we were there, we went to the Fire Prevention event at Home Depot. It was a neat event, with fire trucks to see and projects to do. We even got to watch a rescue helicopter land! Aiden had a great time! Click here to see our photos from the day.
Some long overdue pictures are up on Aiden’s picture page! Click here for the direct link, and enjoy!
On Friday I took the kids to Iron Kettle Farm. We had a great time! Aiden was really excited to see the farm animals, and I think he especially liked the bunnies.
After playing on the playground a little, we decided to buy tickets to go on a hay ride. Aiden thought it was a very bumpy ride, but we all enjoyed it.
Then we went to see the pumpkin displays, which are really neat.
After seeing all the pumpkins, Aiden really wanted to buy one to bring home, so we looked at all the pumpkins they had. Aiden wanted the smallest pumpkin he could find, which was pretty tiny!
See the rest of our pictures here!
Today was Aiden’s first real day of preschool! He goes for 2 1/2 hours a day, 3 days a week. It’s an adjustment for all of us since I’m not used to having to be out of the house so early, and I had to wake Madelyn up, but we did alright.
When we got there I helped Aiden find his hook to hang his jacket on. He seemed to remember his classroom and went right in and started playing. I didn’t go in with him since Madelyn is still working on a cold, so when it was time for me to go I just called in to let him know I’d be leaving. He looked a little upset but I didn’t hear any crying.
It was a weird feeling leaving him behind at the preschool! I felt a little lost, but at least I didn’t get upset. I decided not to wander too far away, just in case he was so upset that the school needed me to come back, but that didn’t happen. Madelyn and I stopped at the gas station, then went on to the grocery store to pick up food for lunches and dinner this week. It was nice shopping at 9:30am! Then we brought the groceries home and I did a little housework until it was time to go pick up Aiden. The 2 1/2 hours really did go by fast.
When we arrived at the school, Aiden seemed glad to see us. He gave both Madelyn and I hugs. His teacher said that he had some rough times today, but that he got through it alright. Aiden asked if he could play on the school playground, so I let him do that for a bit while I met a couple other parents (and chased after Madelyn!).
After we got home Aiden told me a little about his day. He admitted that he was upset at times, but also talked about playing drums and using the sand table. He said they read a story about a mouse and had crackers and grape juice for a snack. He described it as “fun day” so at least he came home feeling pretty positive about it.
Today Aiden had his orientation day for preschool! He’s been counting down to preschool for months, and it’s finally here. Since it was orientation, today was just a short day for him and I didn’t leave the building, though I did leave him for a while to do a parent orientation.
Here he is, getting ready to go to school:
I was surprised that he seemed a little reluctant to go to school after all the excitement he had previously, but I guess he was a little nervous.
Here he is at the school on the climber:
When we got there he seemed shy, but jumped right in playing with the toys in his classroom. He seemed fine when I had to go to do the parent orientation. During that I heard a child crying, and on the way home Aiden admitted that he cried because he couldn’t find me. After the parent orientation we went back to the kids and watched them play. He had a couple bouts of crying/frustration because he didn’t want to share trains at the train table. I never imagined that he would end up being the crying kid! So, the day didn’t go as well as I’d hoped it would, but in the end he said school was fun. It looks like he has a lot of learning to do about sharing and dealing with other kids, so I think this program will be really good for him. Monday he’ll go for his first “real” day of preschool, and he’ll be going 3 days a week. Hopefully he’ll adjust quickly so he can have a lot of fun there!
I’ve been very behind with our websites and blogs lately, but I’m finally catching up! At the beginning of this month we took a vacation to Lancaster, PA. Aiden had been there before, but he loves trains so much that we figured he’d enjoy going back. We all had a great time! We stayed an entire week but found plenty of things to keep us busy. The kids were even entertained by the hotel room!
On our first full day there, we visited the Choo Choo Barn, which is a huge model train layout. The kids really enjoyed watching the trains go by. Aiden loved it so much that Rob took him around it a couple extra times.
Monday we went to the Strasburg Rail Road and spent the entire day there! We bought all day passes, so we rode the train 4 times. The kids even took their naps on the trains that day. The all day passes also allowed unlimited rides on the mini train and cranky cars. Aiden loved the cranky cars and rode them over and over and over.
On Tuesday we went on an amish farm tour. Aiden really enjoyed it there… there was a nice playground, and lots of animals. Aiden especially loved the baby animals and kept commenting about how cute they were.
Wednesday we decided to go to Dutch Wonderland, which is an amusement park for families and kids. Despite the terribly hot weather, we have a great time! The best part was that we bought 2 day tickets, so we knew we’d be able to go back again. Aiden loved going on the rides, and even rode on the roller coaster and log flume!
Thursday we were pretty exhausted from the park, and it was hot again, so we had a more relaxing day. We did go to see a train museum, which Aiden really enjoyed.
Friday was our last full day in Lancaster, and our 2nd day at Dutch Wonderland. It was another fun day, and a little more bearable since the weather wasn’t so hot. We were there counting down to them opening the gates, and stayed until the rides stopped. What a great day!
All in all it was a fun trip for all of us! Check out the rest of our vacation pictures here.
