Halloween Wind Up

We spent the weekend with friends in Connecticut, where we made an apple-centric outing to Maple Bank Farm in Roxbury. It's one of the oldest farms in the country, dating back to the 1700s, and the family who runs it has done so for 9 generations. They had about 12 different types of apples there right then, heirloom and not, all yummy. We didn't do any apple picking or pumpkin patching, but the farm stand and its surroundings were so pretty it felt good and autumn-y. Here's Rosemary with her sweet buddy Bea. R completely refused to put down her hot spiced cider for the photo.

In this one she agreed to put the cider down but only because she wanted to eat her apple instead.

Back at home in Brooklyn, we just carved our pumpkin today and are treating it like (I recall hearing) the eskimos treat whales they've hunted, making use of its every part. Here's a little pumpkin lid printing from this morning.

Later on today we'll cook up the pumpkin seeds. She's been looking forward to making them the way they did at school, or I guess just one of the ways. They made both the usual savory style but also sweet ones using cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar (she gave me the recipe). Then they took a poll and made a chart of which kind each kid liked better. They did this last year too and R categorically refused to try them. Progress!

Carved pumpkins below - R made the faces, grown ups did the carving. Jason (handiwork on right pumpkin) clearly has the smoother touch, though I don't think we'll be winning any family pumpkin carving contests just yet. Grinch standing by (not stealing Halloween).

Grandma Nancy!

Here's Rosie getting a helpful hand frog jumping from Grandmama Nancy, who came for a quick but wonderful 3-day visit. (Plus an unknown little onlooker)

Ballet Class

Rosemary started ballet classes a few weeks ago and oh WOW did she take to them. She looks forward to them every week. There was one week in there when we had an extra make-up class to do and she was thrilled. I think she would follow her lovely teacher, Miss Marie, dancing off a cliffside. She is not alone. Every 3 year old in there is completely enchanted. (I have heard recently that Miss Marie is a former Disney Princess, which explains a lot.) They watch her very closely and follow her every move.

Grown ups aren't allowed in class. There's one viewing window where we all line up, the short ones among us (me) on tippy toe. This video was taken through the window, so you can't really hear her class, just the mama small talk.

It's hard to pick her out in this video, what with everyone in their matching tutus. She is in the dead center, closest to the foreground, and turns around to look at the camera partway through.

First Day of Her Second School Year

Rosie's first day of school was last week. It was barely sprinkling outside, but she decided to go fully togged up in rain gear. She's going to the same school but has now graduated from the blue room to the green room, new teachers and everything. As I turned to put her lunchbox and stuff in her cubby, Rosie waltzed away down the hall into her classroom without so much as a so long see ya soon. Actually, I heard her teachers say she walked into her old classroom, but anyhow, the happy point remains she didn't have any first of the year jitters.

Two Big Friends

"Once upon a time, there was a scary, white dinosaur and he looked like a potato. Do you see him? One day, a GIANT met the dinosaur. He had an appointment. He's also shaped like a potato. Oh, his appointment was with the dentist and the doctor, and THEN he was going to see his friend the dinosaur. They were going to Ikea on the dinosaur bus and the giant buses. When they got to Ikea they were in trouble, because they didn't have dinner there. They didn't have food at home either so they couldn't have dessert."

The end. Or as Rosemary put it, "And that's the sad end."

This story was accompanied by a couple of drawings of a dinosaur and giant, both of whom really did look quite a bit like potatoes.

Sock 'em!

Among the many outcomes of R's Annie obsession is her frequent demand for pillow fights. Jason is a good sport.

'Tis the Season

It's the time of year we wait for all year. Tomato season! (Never mind the crazy 105 degree days. Eaters can't be choosers.) We bought someone's CSA off of them for the month of August and picked up our first week's worth yesterday. Holy Zucchini! Actually, now that I write that, it was actually kind of holy zucchini because the pick up is inside the old Episcopal church in our neighborhood. Huge piles and bins of fruits and vegetables were laid out in the church's aisles. It is old and stony and stain glassy in there, and when we walked in Rosemary (no churchgoer she) puzzled over what it was: "It's some kind of museum...it's like a museum, but maybe not a museum...it's a church?"

Here's Rosie singing a song to our bounty (while doing a phrenological study of the carrot tops and beet greens). It was probably mostly about the Sun Gold tomatoes, which are her absolute favorite:

Cucumbers are up there on her list too. Don't try to take that away from her:

Cucumber on the cob?

She ate the entire thing.