Indian summer

No idea where that expression comes from and pretty sure it applies only to warm weather in September, but it was 66 here today. Didn't pick up the camera nearly enough, but like the shot of Lincoln above waiting for something to happen on the playground at Greta's school. We played while Mommy installed 17 new coat hooks in the back room of Greta's classroom so the kindergartners can hang up their backpacks and coats. (It was a 2nd grade classroom until this year, so the old hooks are about 8" too high. Don't ask why Carey spent $30 at Home Depot to do the deed instead of a few pennies from our $12,000 annual tax bill.)

After morning handiwork Lincoln and I met the Haydens at a different playground (the one near the pool) while Mommy and Greta took advantage of a free introductory ballet lesson at a local studio trying to drum up business. Greta was deemed a natural and for $500 through June she could become the female Baryshnikov. She could also stretch in our driveway and hula hoop occasionally.

We're all still a little under the weather with coughs that just won't quit. Greta's the worst today, I'm a bit better and Lincoln fakes it for sympathy. Carey was lucky to be out of town for the 48 hours during the height of the contagion, I think.

Tomorrow it's Emma Bailey's 6th birthday.

Daddy daycare

Carey's on a brief business trip to San Francisco (left this morning, returns on the red eye Friday morning), so I'm Mr. Mom for 48 hours. The kids were angels tonight, enjoying an episode of "Little Bear" while I made dinner (orange chicken, cheese slices, mandarin oranges, jello) and then reading the latest issue of "High Five" magazine with me while we ate. Lincoln got a bath (he skipped last night) while Greta enjoyed "Hands, Feet and Face" -- Mom's catchy phrase for cleaning up without bathing. Each got a book (Lincoln some horrible "Star Wars" Episode 3 rehash and Greta "Katy Duck") then I chose "Curious George Goes to the Movies." Each then got a song and it was lights out at 815. Now I'm horribly bored watching "Survivor" with one eye and blogging with the other. I always have mixed emotions when I'm with the kids alone. I feel a real sense of pride in being their father tinged with an anxiety that their mother isn't here should something happen.

And that's enough insight into my 38-year-old parental psyche for this evening. I probably won't pick up a camera again until the weekend when the weather is forecast to be nice and the family will be reunited.

Faces

The kids posing Sunday night...

Grandparental visit

Mom and Dad drove down Friday and met us after work. Saturday Dad and I built shelves in the garage and cleared out enough floor space so we can park the car in there this winter. Sunday Sara came over with the kids and the cousins largely played together without supervision. I've been under the weather for the last 72 hours so pardon the paucity of posts. I always figure when 2 of my 6 readers are physically with me it's forgivable if I don't post daily. Anyway, here are four recent pix and one above of the Merrill family, all growed up. 

Big boy haircut.

Lego Star Wars! Lincoln LOVED it. (Rob's belated birthday gift to Max.)

Five-year-old funnies.

Max masters the jump ball thingy. Took him about 15 seconds to figure it out.

More Halloween photos

I haven't taken any pix since last Sunday, so here's a few more from Halloween. Grandma and Grandpa Merrill are visiting tomorrow through the weekend and I promise to take plenty then.

My bunny,

Patriotic lollipop.

Joey Ramone, aka Steve Hayden.

Sarah Hayden called herself the good witch, but I don't think the good witch had a green face.

Charlotte Hayden, aka Luciana the Lemur.

These two really like each other.

Jack Hayden the flying dog.

Costume contest MC: "What are you today?" Greta: "An Angel. But I'm also an angel without my costume." Seriously, she said that.

Lincoln's first house.

One of the squirrels that ate all our pumpkins and gourds. We didn't even bother carving them, just fed them to these rats with bushy tails.

About that black cat...

I swear on all that is holy that I didn't stage the above shot from Halloween night. In fact, I was so freaked out by the feline that I barely got a couple good photographs of it. We encountered the furry omen at about our fourth trick-or-treat house, before we climbed the steps. I told Greta we should move along and not tempt the fates of Hell, but she insisted that all animals love her, even the satanic symbols.

Halloween Party

If Carey's second career as an insurance litigation manager doesn't pan out, she can always turn to party planning. Chez Merrill hosted a very well-received Halloween 2010 Bash yesterday. You know it's a good party when it lasts two hours longer than it's supposed to! 28 people total, exactly half of them under the age of 6.

Webbing the house in preparation. Yes, that's Spider-Man.

Requisite cookie decorating.

Duncan McVety's very red lips.

Charlotte Hayden in her lemur costume.

Power Ranger Lincoln poses for Charlotte.

The grub: Mac & Cheese, chili, cornbread.

Slide train!

Shaw McVety, just over one year old.

Duncan McVety, cyclops.

Emma Hayden tries to eat a donut with no hands.

Duncan McVety does the same.

Greta Merrill shows 'em how it's done!

Jeremy Kamber's vampire teeth.

Early Halloween

When Halloween falls on a Sunday, it's more than a one-day holiday around here. Today both kids had parties and parades at school. Tomorrow Carey is throwing a house party for 27 people (kids and adults) and Sunday, well, Sunday we actually trick-or-treat. Here are the best pictures Carey took today as she remembered how glorious life was before she went back to work.

Greta with classmates Sumner and Jamie.

Our Angel.

Emma Bailey the butterfly.

Gracie the cat.

Astronaut Max.

Dakota the cat.

Mrs. Mendez, Jets fan.

Principal Allen, with omnipresent megaphone.

Duncan, aka Luigi McVety.

Trick or treat!

Crashing Lincoln's party. He's a scuba diver, but wouldn't wear his goggles or oxygen tank. Wore the shark hat though.

Do-Gooder

Greta is almost creepily proud of not getting in trouble at school. Each kid starts the day on green on the classroom chart. They move to yellow as a warning and red when they have repeatedly done something wrong (talked without raising their hands, not following class rules, etc). Greta has never been on yellow and came home today with the bracelet below around her ankle. The principal visited their class today and apparently most of the class -- except Greta and a boy named Owen -- talked while Dr. Allen was talking. After the principal left, Mrs. Mendez gave Greta and Owen the bracelets. Carey and I were always good students, but did we respect authority that much? I can't remember.

Weekend update

We enjoyed a Saturday sans kids at Ithaca's All-Theatre Reunion. The theatre department invited back anyone who graduated from the program or is currently in it, so it was an interesting mix of the very young (Class of 2014, are you kidding me?) and the very old (Class of 1942). Carey reconnected with half a dozen friends who joined her to celebrate the re-dedication of the campus building where they took all their drama and acting classes. Didn't get any photos of the kids, who stayed in Syracuse with Grandma and the cousins. The girls went shopping (new sneakers and a winter coat for Greta) while the boys stayed home and played Wii. Lincoln waved his hand around on the car ride home Sunday and when asked what he was doing he said, "Playing Wii." This is the best shot of Carey and her fellow theater grads with Cayuga Lake in the background.

"You look nice"

In the crucible of daily parenting it's not always easy to notice your kids growing up before your eyes. We get so caught up in the little things ("Do Lincoln's glands look swollen?" "How did Greta get that scratch on her cheek?") that moments of maturity sometimes pass us by.

Not this morning.

7:45, Greta is still bleary-eyed as she makes her way to the bathroom. Pulls down her pajamas and sits on the toilet. Waits about 5 seconds and then mid-stream looks up, straight into my eyes, and says, "You look nice."

I'm wearing dark jeans and a navy blue cotton pullover with a zippered collar.

"Thank you, big kid," I say.

(We're off to Carey's college reunion in Ithaca this weekend, so no posts until Sunday night or Monday.)

Our little storyteller

Unprompted, Greta asked Carey for paper, a pencil and crayons a few days ago. She said she wanted to write a "book." This is her story, which Mrs. Mendez told us at last night's parent-teacher conference she will soon be reading in front of the class. (Click the image to make each page bigger.)

Parent Teacher Conference

We had our first with Greta's teacher Mrs. Mendez tonight. She said Greta is a joy to teach and always respectful. With 18 kids in class, she never has to worry about Greta, who is getting tired of putting her head down when the lights are dimmed for bad behavior. Literally, tired. She told me the other day that it never lasts long enough to take a nap.

As far as the kindergarten benchmarks, she's hitting them. Counting to 30, writing her letters, listens without interrupting, completes work in a timely way, fine motor skills, saying the alphabet, printing her name, yada yada yada. We left convinced our child is well on her way to a Rhodes Scholarship, or maybe a Watson Fellowship.

Halloween face paint

We stopped at Greta's old pre-school/Carey's church on Saturday after Emma's birthday party. They were selling pumpkins and had a woman painting faces for a donation. Carey happily paid $4 for these adorable feline faces. (Note: Click the X in the upper right of the annoying Super Poke ad to hide it.)