Fourth of July Activities

It's been very chilly here these last few days--since July 4, in fact.  We started with nice weather early in the day, but our fireworks were disrupted by brief downpours.  This is two years in a row that we've needed jackets to enjoy the evening's pyrotechnic activities.

Our son loved this slide, and kept signing "more" after each time we went on it.  Pity it cost money, or we could've let him play on it all afternoon.

In fact, we really didn't see many fireworks--just the fountains our party host generously supplied (we have a Canadian friend who throws an Independence Day bash every year :) and the big ones our neighbors set off illegally.  Which was probably just as well.  Our son enjoyed watching the sparks, but he turned into Barnacle Baby whenever they made noise.

The cloudy/rainy weather of the past two days has been putting me in mind of fall.  It's time for pumpkin pies (or better yet, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!) jack-o-lanterns, shorter days, and a cessation of yard work.  But wait!  It's only early July!  We're supposed to get back into the 80s and 90s tomorrow though, so my internal clock ought to reset at any time.

I changed the content of my son's sensory bin yesterday:  it now holds dry pinto beans.  They're much heavier, but so far they're a hit.  Especially hunting for the lonely black and red beans that snuck in somehow.  I've added a new rule:  he needs to help pick up accidental messes right away, or we put the bin away.

I think we might be on the brink of a language breakthrough.  My son is finally calling my husband "Dada!"  (He's been calling my poor hubby "Mama" for many months now, even though he knew the difference between us.)  He also leanred the word "happy," and possibly "up."  Plus, he sounds like he's trying to tell me stuff.  Perhaps he'll be talking my ear off any day now.  Here's hoping!