in which Lucas turns 4

Before James went back to India via France, he and I joined Lucas and his classmates for lunch at the preschool. The school has its own kitchen and cook, and the children get a fresh hot lunch every day. They helpfully post the weekly menu a week in advance so James and I could come when there was something appetizing on the menu. We chose "hamburger soup" which was essentially a sloppy spaghetti bolognese - it was delicious! It was fun to sit with the children and watch the lunchtime routine - bathroom, wash hands, line up, sit, pass the food around, eat, ask for permission to get up, put plates away and then sit quietly in corner reading while the other kids finish up. I'm going to try to go again but it is hard to make the time. Also, lunch is at 11.30 to make space for the older children to come in at 12.15 so it's a bit early for me.

All the sports are still going on but it is clear that Lucas finds it all too much. Football/soccer finishes in a few weeks so then it will become more manageable. On the other hand it is nice to have good indoor activities in winter as by the time I collect him from school it will both be too dark and too cold for playground. We can start having earlier nights - some evenings I have been in bed by 9 which is lovely, and then I get up really early to work before Lucas gets up. We are still planning to move to a bigger house within University Houses, the house I had been allocated has "pest control" issues so that's been shelved, and I am now choosing between two other options. The biggest difference right now is that for one house I'd have to move before we go to India (like, 3 days before), and the other we'd have to move a few weeks after we get back. There are pros and cons to either scenario and I am finding it hard to reach a decision, so I am trying to focus on which house I prefer and leave the moving practicalities out of it.

So - Lucas ' 4th birthday! The event of the month :-). It required a pre-birthday haircut as you can see in the pictures. I threw a party for him at his kiddie gym the week before, and 12 kids piled into the gym with Lucas' favourite teacher "Silly Steve" for an hour of guided play. Then we all had cupcakes and juice, and that was pretty much the extent of it. Not cheap but easy peasy and no mess to clean up! The parents also loved that for that hour of gym class they were free to leave and so those who chose to do so got a bit of time off  as well. Lucas' birthday itself I took him out of school and took the day off, and after a leisurely present-unwrapping morning and Lucas dressing up in his new Bumblebee Transformer suit we biked over to the brand new Children's Museum which is totally fabulous. I expect it gets mobbed at the weekend but as it was a schoolday it was relatively quiet and a lot of fun. They have really done an excellent job - there are loads of things to play with but it's all in an educational setting so it's interesting for the parents as well - to a degree, after 4 hours there I did think I was going to spend the rest of my life figuring out how gears work etc.

Last weekend we went to a farm with an apple orchard, it was freezing cold but still good fun. Lucas enjoyed the horse and cart ride the most. We went to a corn maze yesterday but it was insanely hot (28/82) and so Lucas was complaining about being hot and tired before we has even got to the entrance of the maze, so we aborted that plan. I also heard parents coming out complaining how hard it was so that didn't bode too well. There is a kiddie maze about 45 mins north of here so we may go there later today or sometime this month. It is amazing how farmers use the corn fields to create outings for visitors, I am sure it is a great way of making money for them but it is also a great eco-friendly activity.

Next weekend is our Annual Conference so Lucas and I are spending 4 days in a downtown hotel, with frequent babysitters in the evenings and early mornings. It will be busy but I am excited about it too.