First Day at the Cub House

Well, another big milestone!  Lucas attended his first day at his new preschool, The Cubhouse!  This is a brand new preschool on the Blake campus where Jay works.  We knew the day was going to go well, when Lucas slept through the night on his new toddler bed(not always successful) and woke up happy after a good night's sleep.

It was a quick morning...we got him dressed, combed his hair (of course we had to make a good first impression), brushed his teeth and off we went.  Lucas happily wheeled himself into his new school and eagerly greeted the other kids and teachers.  We didn't stay long because it was clear Lucas was already in the mix with his friends and toys.  We took the typical "your parents are so proud" pictures, gave Lucas a kiss and left him for his first full day.

As I watched the clock tick closer to 4:00, I felt myself getting more and more excited to pick Lucas up and get a report on his day.  I didn't have any concerns, given his exuberance for just about anything, but I smiled ear to ear (like that cheesy proud parent) when his teachers told me he was the official "greeter" at the Cubhouse.  He's obviously a very inclusive kid...what more does a parent want!  He even ate all his breakfast and most of his lunch.  We discovered yesterday he likes hummus and cheese sandwiches...ah ha...the perfect thing to send to school.  He even got creative and wanted to spread his cottage cheese on top of it!  Mmmmm, YUM!

Naps are always questionable with Lucas, so Jay and I were skeptical about his naptime on a cot!  Well, what can I say, he didn't scream. I can't say he actually slept, but his teachers said he did a really good job with quiet time, resting while the other kids slept. I guess we'll take that!

On Lucas' daily report sheet, the bottom has a list of emotions that he may have experienced throughout the day...here is the list circled

1.  Happy
2.  Excited
3.  Talkative
4.  Friendly

5.  Frustrated (with a note saying...during diaper change when everyone was going outside...duh!)

I'd say, a very successful first day of school.  Well done, Lucas!  We are so proud!

I'm ready for a good day!

It's so exciting going to preschool!

My very own backpack!

What a creative welcome...follow those cub tracks!

Cubhouse director Kris

All my new teachers: Nancy, Jenny, Michelle, and Kris!

Doin' a Little East Coast Swing...

Minnesota Deans are Rhode Island Deans for a day.

Sadly, it's August again and Jay has started back at work. Fortunately, we were able to squeeze a week back in Mattapoisett, MA to visit Jay's family and enjoy some R & R. I think we have finally found some balance in these trips back - staying busy, but not spreading ourselves too thin.

Tired from a long day at the Buttonwood Park Zoo.

 On our second day back, we enjoyed a trip to Newport, RI to Kristin, Jason & Zoey Honsel's summer place and then spent the afternoon with Sarah & Sam Marcus at Sarah's mom's. While there, we went down to the beach and almost let Lucas wander into the ocean while we surfed through pictures on our cell phones. Watching Lucas play in the backyard with his former Willows Baby Room buddy Sam was one of the highlights. Plus, Lucas pet some baby sharks and that was cool, too.

Karen and Kristin reunited at Newport Beach.

It's been awhile since Lucas and Sam played together.

Sarah and Karen back together again.

Jay's cousin Beth got married to Walter Freitas on July 27th in New Bedford and we all enjoyed a high-octane celebration down at Shining Tides, the site of Camp Massasoit where Jay went to day camp as kid. There was a lot of fun dancing and way too many Manhattans in honor of Bumpa. There's no better place than a wedding to reunite with family. Thanks Beth and Walter for a fun night!

Newlyweds Beth and Walter with Karen and Jay.

The day following the wedding, Jay got together with some old high school friends. This time we decided to include the kids - the first time any of them have met Lucas. It was way too short of a visit, but hilarious quality time. I'm thinking some road trips to Minnesota need to happen soon.

Jay and Karen with "old friends" Karen, Dawneebee, Ben, Chris, Layla, Matt and kids!

The Dean Family Clambake didn't happen full-blast this year, but we still gathered on Harbor Road for "ChowderFest." Jay's cousin Dean and Uncle Jim cooked some tasty chowder (shout out to Jack Dean for doing the leg work and digging for the clams), and we had other varieties of seafood, too. But, who are we kidding? People showed up mainly to see the kids. Lucas put on quite a show in the driveway on his wheelchair with the help of cousin Emily on the Plasma car. He even almost took out Uncle Jim! Jay's cousin Patrick and his wife Melissa showed up with 6-month old twins Maren & Graham, too! Special mention should go to all the family member's who showed up after all of the wedding and bachelorette party weekend festivities.

Lucas with Uncle Greg and Nana.

Dean family members devouring chowder at ChowderFest.

Mike and Jay with Emily and Lucas.

Mostly, we spent a lot of time in Mattapoisett with "Grandpa" and "Nana" Dean and "Uncle Greg." Some of the fun: walking to the end of Harbor Road to watch the construction trucks, visiting the animals and riding the train at the Buttonwood Park Zoo, grilling on the back deck and eating in the gazebo, spending time with Great Nana and other members of the Lucas Dean Fan Club, searching for hermit crabs at the Town Beach, eating ice cream at Oxford Creamery, and simply just lounging around the house watching Curious George and the Olympics. By the way, Karen got to be the center of attention at a Baby Shower for "New Baby Dean" (only 10 weeks to go!).

Jay, Lucas and Grandpa at the Town Beach.

Our daily trip to the end of Harbor Road to watch construction trucks.

Lucas and Emily with Great Nana.

Thanks everyone for making this another trip to remember. See you next summer!

Back at Logan Airport for our return trip back home (!)

A long-awaited post would be nothing without some bonus videos. In order, they are titled "Olympic Driveway Wheel Racing," "Hide, Grandpa, Hide," and "Water Bombing Daddy." Here you go...