Lions Game

With Rowan and Quinn, we saw Columbia's football team get crushed by Princeton today.  The kids didn't mind.

 

Inwood, Sunday Morning

Pictures from last Sunday morning in Inwood Hill Park.

Homework

Apparently there is homework in kindergarten these days.  That's nuts. 

So far Silas has been a good sport, although he needs some coaxing.  As for Rosemary, she can barely wait to have homework of her own.

9/17 update: This evening I was trying to get Silas to complete a worksheet where he had to count candles on a series of cupcakes.  Silas said, "This homework doesn't seem very important."

10/1 update:
Silas:  Thanks for having my homework take up all my play time.
Me:  Okay, but why are you thanking me?
Silas:  That was sarcasm!

Kindergarten

Thursday was the first day of kindergarten!

Here is Silas wearing his school uniform (which in cooler months will include a green sweater) in front of the school.

We cannot yet report that Silas likes kindergarten.  He says that it's too long (he's right -- 8:00 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.) and that there's not enough play time (probably right about this, too).

We expect that he'll warm up to it, just like he warmed up to pre-K and nursery school.

Rosemary, on the other hand, was thrilled to be at kindergarten.  We all attended the first day, and Rosemary waltzed into the center of the room while Silas hung back with us.

Silas eventually sat on the carpet to listen to Ms. Paynter read a story. Partway through the book, Rosemary started squirming, so I put her down for a second.

She made a break for it. She darted between the other parents and before I could get past them to catch her, she was on the carpet. She plopped herself down and listened to the teacher read for a bit. Then she got up, walked over to Silas, and gave him a big hug. He kissed her on the cheek. All the other parents said "Awwww...."

Silas is attending our local public school.  The list of required supplies appears to be a not-too-subtle attempt to stock the school's cupboards in budget-conscious times.  Here is a picture of everything he had to bring.  A roll of paper towels.  Three (count 'em) sets of watercolor paints. A container of hand soap -- and -- a container of Purell.  Thirty-six pencils!  And more...  (My mom said: What's he going to do, go through a pencil a week?  Meredith said:  At least they didn't ask us to bring toilet paper.)  

Labor Day

We spent a lot of time at the beach over the Labor Day weekend.

Above, Rosemary reunited with Lucy, daughter of our friends Kate and David, at Atlantic Beach.

Below, photos from Long Beach Island.

Rheanna and Andy, who hosted us on the Jersey Shore, are shown here helping Silas with one of his inventions. This may look like a sand castle but it is designed to trap incoming waves and to create little waterfalls in the sand.

More pictures from the Labor Day weekend are here.