Birthday Week

Celebrating the big 3-5

I got reports that there were a *few* people who were slightly disgruntled at the lack of kid-related pictures and stories last week.  Apparently my mushrooms were not nearly exciting enough.  I therefore had the camera at the ready this week, and was determined to take enough shots to make up for it.  Luckily there was a lot going on - A WHOI picnic, Juniper's first soccer practice, the first day of fall, and birthdays galore, including my sister Andrea, and also Clark, who turned 35 yesterday! 

Legs crossed, contemplating the deeper aspects of life, the universe and everything.

We have also succumbed to the first sickness of the season - a good old fashioned sore throat-runny-nose-coughing-achy-exhausted cold/flu. Linden was the first to get it, and spent all day Friday moaning and groaning in true man-cold fashion.  "I SICK!" He would wail pathetically, wait a few seconds and then add "I STILL sick!"  This would be punctuated throughout the day with reminders such as "I have a cold!", and "I don't like coughing".  Just wait until he's a bit older, and can really ham it up!  

I poke fun, but I got the full brunt of it yesterday, and it really is not very pleasant.  Juniper seems to have it as well, and so far Clark has been spared, though the sneezes have begun, so it is only a matter of time.  

After a birthday breakfast at Persey's Place

Besides that Friday, however, the sickness hasn't slowed Linden down much, and Juniper was feeling it the most on Clark's birthday, and so therefore refused to miss any of the fun.  I would have loved to have holed myself away and spent yesterday sleeping, but of course that was not in the cards on such a special occasion, so I too plodded on.  Here's to hoping it disappears soon!

Anyway, wah wah wah. Onto the pictures!

1. WHOI picnic.  Here is what one can enjoy at the annual fall picnic at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:

Lounging and eating pizza

Cupcakes and glow sticks

Playing pretend baseball, complete with pretend players, pretend ball....

... and pretend bat

Playing with loads of other kids (including ridiculously cute babies such as Owen here)

2. Soccer: We decided to sign Juniper up for a fall soccer "league" for 4-5 year-olds.  The first day was actually last week, but we had apparently signed her up a day past the cut-off, so she was told she had to wait until the second week to get a team and her "uniform" (a shirt and shin guards). I was not entirely sure this whole weekly Saturday morning commitment thing was a good move (considering Juniper is still struggling to adjust to the 5 long days a week of kindergarten), but she was so excited, I couldn't say no.  Honestly, I think she is just as smitten with the idea of being part of a team as she is about actually learning to play soccer. So far, they have been spending their hour learning different skills, and rotating around the field doing drills. She is officially a part of the "catfish", and wears a white shirt.  She LOVES it. Here are a few pics from her first day:

All ready to go!

Action shot! (in her shirt/dress.  This is what happens when you are the last to get assigned a shirt, I suppose!)

Post-practice.  Linden is looking super disgruntled, either because:  a) He still has a cold.  b) He didn't get to play soccer. c) Juniper has him in a choke-hold.  d) Some combination of all of the above.

3. Everything else: I don't mean to lump Clark's birthday in with "everything else", but I have scattered most of the pictures from the day in various other parts of the post, so lump it I shall.

Fastidiously making crafts at Annabel's 6th birthday party

"TA-DA!" (What Linden was up to while the girls were outside playing at the party)

Movie night.  The opening credits of Shrek. That was as far as we got. As you can see, Linden was slightly disturbed; Juniper was petrified.  Movie nights are not as straightforward around here as you'd think.

At the annual Falmouth "Touch-a-Truck" event. Linden's idea of heaven.

Blowing out the candles on a store-bought ice-cream cake.  I had big plans to make one, but those got squashed when the cold/flu took over. Also, the party-goers were limited to our little family of four.  Juniper had suggested that we invite a large group of kids, and just get the parents to drop them off, but somehow I managed to skirt around that particular suggestion.  Juniper carried out the cake all by herself, and managed to get it to the table in one piece.  It was looking dicey for awhile!

OK, I feel that is quite a lot of post to have accomplished for this sickie. See you next week!