E-RI-E

 We were forty miles from Albany... no, just kidding, we were in Lockport.  :)

We took a cruise on the Erie Canal, which included going up and down the locks (two locks, 25 feet each).  It was really cool!

They also really do have low bridges on the canal (but the bridge operators can raise them up!)

K Orientation

We had kindergarten orientation on Thursday.  The boys got to go on a bus ride around the block (parents were supposed to go, too, but the boys told Mike they wanted to go by themselves).  We dropped off their mountain of school supplies, and met their teacher.  So far they only have 18 kids in their class, which is a nice size.  I asked the teacher if she'd worked with hearing-impaired kids before, and she said yes, that she was special ed certified.  (Yay!)  She also said that the other teachers were teasing her that it was a good match because she's loud.  :)  I really like her so far -- she seems to have a good approach, and I think the boys will enjoy it.

High Roller

James helped Grandpa beat Daddy at backgammon by rolling several sets of doubles!

Doodlebugs

 The boys enjoyed their "camp" at Doodlebugs (just a couple of days a week with some field trips).  We didn't make it to the end of the summer carnival until late, but Mattie had fun on the playground and eating his ice cream.  :)

(He picked out the sweatpants himself -- they don't quite fit any more!)

Olcott

 We had a lovely Sunday in Olcott.  We were there for their Community Appreciation Day, which included music, rides on the fire truck (which would have been more fun if it hadn't taken approximately a million years to load people on), and free carousel rides.  (But let this not deter you from visiting the Carousel Museum on some other days -- the regular price is only a quarter.)

It was a beautiful (if somewhat chillier than expected) day by the lake.  The boys really enjoyed the old-fashioned kiddie rides at the Carousel Museum.

We had heard there was a swimming beach there, so we had told Matthew he could dip his feet in the water.  But when we actually made it down to the beach, the water was pretty thick with algae, and the beach was nothing to write home about -- bordered by concrete on one side, small and rocky.  Ah well, the boys enjoyed tossing rocks into the water!

Elmwood Art

 On Saturday, we went to the Elmwood Art Festival.  (Elmwood is a neighborhood in the city.)  It was a really neat festival, and a cool area in general (why, yes, our first stop was at Penzey's for spices and coloring).  However, it was probably a nicer event for people who do not have five-year-olds!  (We had to do a lot of "no-don't-touch-that-it's-very-expensive".)  They did have a kids' area, but we didn't find it right away (or at all, actually), and after we reached one end of the festival, the little guys were hot and tired and ready to go.  We look forward to enjoying it more in future years.  :)