Enjoying Our Last Few Days of Summer

Are your kids back in school? I still have a few more precious days with Landon before he starts first grade on Wednesday.

It has been a great summer. L went to the town summer camp, then to the YMCA camp for two weeks, and to farm camp for one. He learned to swim and liked it so much that I drove him to swim lessons for six weeks.

We had the most wonderful time driving to Pennsylvania to visit Hersheypark and the Amish.

I went to BlogHer’12 and needed L to be in camp so I could get my work done during the summer, but boy, am I enjoying the last few days before school with him.

We went to NYC for a fun-filled day recently which we topped off with a mommy-and-son dinner at the Katonah Diner. We cracked each other up so much :)

We went to the mall twice in the last few days. L beamed when I agreed to spent $7 on this double-seater firetruck…

…and he swirled around on the carousel for the first time by himself because I would have lost my just-eaten lunch.

Oh, and he got a haircut, as you can see.

He played football on a newly installed TV in the mall…

…and won (and lost again) some dollars with scratch-off tickets. They are actually a great tool to teach him about numbers (“Which number is bigger, Landon? Did we win?”).

I meant to just stock up on frozen organic orange juice at Trader Joe’s, but of course bought more. L was so eager to help pack everything, as always. He’s a great little shopping buddy and indulges my browsing with a surprising patience.

Our midday trips usually include this: I’m amazed that L still naps in the car.

A few days ago he and Don had a blast playing ball…

…and we pitched his little fish tent in the house.

If you follow me on Instagram (DagmarBleasdale), you know what I finally found and bought at Lowe’s yesterday.

And L had his first private horse-back riding lesson today after liking it so much during farm camp.

I learned to horse-back ride when I was eight and loved my summers on the farm, and I’m thrilled L is showing an interest in it as well.

He has no fear and did super. I think these lessons are a great tool to teach him about concentration because it demands of him to keep track of a lot of new terms while using his body in a new way. Plus it teached him to take care of a big animal, which builds such confidence.

After having a slice of pizza, Mama felt generous and we had a big cookie at the new Tazza coffeehouse in Katonah. They have WiFi, so I know where I’ll be sitting and working once L goes back to school.

Can you tell that one of L’s front teeth is chipped, AGAIN? He woke up with it like that a few days ago.

It doesn’t hurt him, but we need to get it fixed soon. We’ve had so many issues with his front teeth over the years that I don’t remember if this is the one we just fixed a few months ago. Actually, I think that was done during this visit.

Then we skipped down the street because I wanted to check out what’s new at Ebba. This beautiful little boutique always has the most unique home decor items, plus handbags, scarves, tunics, jewelry, and Viktoria’s handmade fragrances and candles.

Remember the pretty bracelet I found there that I wore at BlogHer’12? If you live near Katonah and are in need of a special gift, definitely make a point to visit Ebba.