The Posegate Family Blog

>The summer is getting l-o-n-g and Evan is increasingly difficult to keep occupied.  We’ve been buying workbooks full of mazes and dot-to-dots.  Anything to fill the hours.  We’re also taking advantage of all there is to do in our area and sometimes beyond.

The Trumansburg Fair celebrated its 160th year this summer with a zoo, farm animal display, rides, games, food and a quintessential fair atmosphere.  We decided to check it out.

Evan liked the games and came home with two prizes.  Total cost= $9
We had some fair fare.  Ice Cream and a funnel cake.  Total cost=$6.50
6 tickets which got us onto 3 rides.  Total cost= $6.
Entrance fee  $4

Evan was really worried the tortoise was going to run away.  But at this pace I don’t think there’s much to worry about.

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He did go on 3 different rides but only liked the 2 sissiest ones.

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Evan has this unexplainable (at least to my memory) fear of balloons and all things inflatable. So, it was a bit sad when his Uncle Andrew and Aunt Annika sent him this totally cool Toy Story bouncy/ride-on ball. He would cry hysterically if I even brought down the box. So, it sat on the shelf out of site for months.

Until recently…. I managed to covertly get this thing into the car, along with both boys, drive to a gas station and inflate it without Evan noticing.

When introduced to the ball already fully inflated and looking rather stable (his biggest fear is that it will spring a leak and fly around the room) he acted indifferent about it, but at least not scared. After a week or so and after a few friends came over and thought it was fun, he has come around.

Thanks Annika and Andrew! It’s a hit, finally.

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We’ve walked over to the Tuesday downtown farmer’s market twice so this summer. There are lots of yummy things to buy and eat and a nice story hour for toddlers. It’s a bit young for Evan these days but inevitably we run into lots of other parents with kids that we know and it makes for a lovely time.

I love the expressions on Alec’s face in these. So serious, so full of personality. Love it!

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I have a friend who blogs about being a step-parent. She often talks about co-parenting her stepchild. She co-parents this kid with the kid’s dad and the kid’s biological Mom and her husband. It’s a term I hadn’t heard or used but it got me thinking.

Russ and I co-parent Evan and Alec too, sort of. I have to say I feel so lucky that our employment situations allow for us to CO-parent in ways that many families cannot. There are times that I wish I was at home full-time, but the fact that I work (a whole 185 days a year) allows for Russ to be around a lot too. Well, and his schedule doesn’t hurt the situation either.

If we are lucky enough to still have our jobs for the next many years I really like to think about how the boys will get to spend so much time with their Dad. Hopefully, they will pick up his love for knowledge, his wit and sensitivity and thoughtfulness. If they get his cooking and housekeeping skills too, that would be fine.

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Originally uploaded by Russ Posegate

Alec has been really fun lately. He’s smiling and babbling and almost giggling. It makes all the sleep deprivation and diaper changing so worth it. It makes me really want to enjoy every minute of these next 5 months or so before I will, most likely, return to work.

Evan has been fun too. He tells incredibly long, detailed stories or recounts his dreams in vivid detail. Sometimes it takes all of my concentration to focus, listen and comprehend. It’s not that complicated, I’m just that tired.

So, today we made the decision for Evan to go to the public school pre-K program. (Deep breath) I’m terrible at making decisions. Somehow a good part of me thinks there is always more research to be done, that there is one perfect situation if I look long enough or that there is one right answer.

Luckily, as I’m getting older, I realize this isn’t true and I’m able to suppress these ideas long enough to make a “good” decision- not “right”, not “perfect” just “good”. A big part of being better, although only slightly, at decision making is the fact that I’m also getting better at making the best of things. Finding a way to look on the bright side is a skill that is very handy in the life of a parent. (Ok, so my kid just spit up on me. Well, that must mean he won’t need to burp and may be less cranky now. Yay!)

Parenting decisions are some of my hardest. This isn’t just about me. I really want was is best for the boys, so I debate even longer and agonize even more when it’s something for them. Slowly I’m learning to find the right fit for us instead of just what is “right”. This takes knowing who we are as a family, who I am as a parent and being ok with that. A tall order indeed.

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Originally uploaded by Russ Posegate

Last month we celebrated 10 years of being married. As the saying goes…time flies when you’re having fun.

It’s amazing all that we’ve done in those 10 years…we’ve gone through several cars, lived in two different homes (right next door but hey), bought our own house and started fixing it up, both earned our master’s degrees, paid off all of our education, we both made career changes, half a dozen shore vacations, and on and on.

There have been the different “obsessions” that have entertained us and probably our families… gardening, and growing/canning an insane amount of tomatoes was one. Cooking crazy hard recipes…like french onion soup and homemade pasta. We both went on health kicks where we did crazy amounts of running/swimming and exercising. Including one year when I ran two marathons. There was the era when somehow I let Russ teach me how to ride a motorcycle and then thought it would be a good idea to own my own. (That didn’t last long) The Simpsons were huge for awhile…but now we don’t watch that at all. There was a list of 100 movies that Russ worked his way through for awhile. Attending lots of our friends weddings…sometimes being in them. Then there was France…ah France.

Now (and the last 4+ years) of course it’s our small super cute kids– and knitting and model aviation when we can sneak it in.

Really, these 10 years have been almost all good stuff. And when there was some bad stuff, we managed to get through it together ok.

I’m really looking forward to the next 10 years(and the next, and the next, and the next…) I’m sure it will be pretty “kid focused” but that’s tons of fun too. So…here’s to us.

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We spent a lovely day at Long Point State Park. We had never been there before but it is just a beautiful little spot… rocky beach to swim and play with shade trees very near by. There’s a nice, new playground that kept Evan running and climbing.

It’s been a long haul through our renovations and it seems that summer has come and gone with far too few days like the one we had today. Just sitting and staring at the lake, watching the seaguls, a bit of reading, lots of playing. I packed our lunch and snacks the night before so we were well fed on fun stuff all day. And then we stopped for a slice of pizza in town before we landed at home. So, with no meal prep or clean up, no toys on the floor constantly asking to be put away, no laundry or dirty bathrooms right there waiting, it was truly a vacation day. Sitting outside at a sidewalk table eating our pizza it felt like we were in some far away city on a long vacation. Ahhh…

>A huge thanks to all who made this possible!

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>Well, it seems I’m an on again, off again blogger. Oh well.

Evan and I had a lovely spring break week this week– and after two weeks of crazy busy life and major sickness we were glad for it! Whenever I have a break, I get to the end and think…where did the week go!? What did I do with all that time?! Well…

We started with a weekend trip to NJ to meet Evan’s new cousin Joel Tiernan Walker.

He is so sweet and so tiny and I think got us all excited to meet the our own new family member who you can see “cooking” here.

We also celebrated Dahlia’s third birthday (no pics, sadly) and had some Easter Egg fun at Grandma’s house.

Monday we recovered from the weekend, went to a new playground with Cedar and Amanda (Fall Creek Elementary), and I sorted and washed all our newborn/gender neutral baby stuff. (Hello reality check!!) I think we squeezed in a trip to the library too.

Tuesday we hit Mama Goose with some things to sell and scored some great stuff for Evan and for pregnant me.

Wednesday we had Cedar and Amanda over to our house to play. The weather was nice so we were outside a bunch–fun! Then Evan and I took a quick trip to Salvation Army on our way to Buttermilk Falls playground. We totally scored at Salvation army with the purchase of a dresser for Evan so he can relinquish the changing table/dresser to his new sibling. Wednesday night I also did a bunch of shopping after Evan went to bed…lots of stuff to spruce up the house…hello nesting!

Thursday was grocery and laundry day. It was another nice day so Evan and I went back to Buttermilk Falls playground this time with a really awesome picnic lunch.

Evan took this one…

In the afternoon we all trekked to my midwife appointment. It went well and then we got to take a quick peek at the maternity ward at Arnot Ogden– I was glad Russ and Evan got to see it ahead of time.

More later…must sleep.

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A Snowman Day is a rare and wonderful thing. I’ve been waiting for a good one for about two years. There has to be a good amount of snow on the ground but the temperature also has to be relatively warm. Since we’re a “both parents work outside the home” family it also has to line up with a weekend or a weekday when we have enough daylight. Then we also have to be healthy, rested and awake (ie not napping during precious daylight hours).

I’ve been waiting for such a rare and wonderful day to go outside and frolic and build a really great snowman. My Aunt Nancy gave us the cutest little “Snowman Kit” (here’s Evan bringing it to me)

that comes with a felt hat, scarf and other goodies to make your snowman awesome and yesterday was the first time we got to use it. I have to say it all made me so happy and we have a great snowman!

Evan thought it was lots of fun and was very into helping. He looked a little confused when Russ and I started throwing snow at each other and, gently, at him. How many times have we told him not to throw?