Summer

It's a lot harder to post in the summer. The great outdoors beckons, FFM and I play a lot, read often, and generally poke around. We've been slowly doling out the bounty of birthday gifts he received so the fun lasts all summer. There's always a new Lego set under construction, outdoor toys to test out in the greenbelt, and new books to read. We go to the library a couple times a week, avoid the grocery store and pluck dinner from our garden instead, and we're both always up for a trip to the pool.

Last week F wrapped up a two week theater camp that gave him a little change of pace and me time to do a quick swipe over all the house to get the worse of the grime and to start (not finished yet!) a painting project.  The first week of camp they learned about stage direction, projection, and tips like to face the audience even if they are talking to the person next to them. The kids worked in small groups of about 4 and rewrote a traditional fairytale in their own words. They learned how to create and use storyboards, and at the end of the week there was a small performance.

The second week they spent more time on the BIG stage and learned more theater speak. I got a tour and was shown the house, pit, backstage, lighting tech, etc. Week two the kids broke into different small groups and wrote their OWN play from scratch. They were great! Good plots, interesting characters, and great DIY costumes. Friday brought the Final Performance. F's group performed "Good VS Evil" or as he puts it, "The Queen, The Kitty, and The Witch."

Synopsis:
The Princess falls ill and her mother, The Queen, sends off Magical Kitty Miracle to find the Magic Flower that will cure her. Kitty is intercepted by the Evil Queen who casts a spell on him, renames him Darkenss AND kidnaps the Princess! The Queen sends the Magical Dove and once the Dove saves the Kitty the two have enough power to defeat the Evil Queen and turn her to stone. In the meantime the Queen has found the magical flower, saves the Princess, and they all live happily ever after.
Guess who was the Kitty?
Video quality is poor, my phone camera struggled. I promise it's not too painful to watch, but the sound is bad.


P.S. I had no idea the magic bird was a dove until she told me. I was fully under the impression she was a magical crow.

Swim 2013

We just finished a crazy fun summer swim season. It was F's first, and he took to the pool like a fish to water. I won't lie, it thrills me that our kiddo enjoys one of my favorite sports, and the only one in which I was ever competitive. While he may look like his Dad, there's pool water flowing in his veins just like Mom.

He's surprisingly competitive (again, Mom more than Dad) and it was exciting for him to win (he won his heat several times). Those first hard won ribbons lit him up! He placed in nearly every event he swam in this summer and only got disqualified once (flutter kick during breaststroke).  Our team does a great job of organizing photos during all the meets and here are a few from the first two meets of the season. I'm already wishing for next summer!

Birthday Blowout

Given that our birthdays are only a few days apart, F and I usually take at least a whole week or two or four to celebrate.

F's 6th birthday party was a small affair. We talked about options and he choose Build-A-Bear. 6th birthday = six guests this year, and it was a really good time (a bigger hit than I expected).

Doing something funny with their hearts.
Everyone got two, one to keep and one to give special birthday wishes to FFM

spider-bear, police bear, cammo-bear, swimming kitty, ironman bear, police dog, and pink princess 

 We crashed the  Noodles restaurant next door for a bite to eat and for the serving of the cake (which came from Coldstone around the corner, easiest birthday party ever!). The Noodles staff were super helpful, even though we made a huge mess!

 F received a couple "experiences" gifts this year. The day after his birthday his Granny Annie had arranged to take him on a train trip and mine tour in the mountains about an hour west of us. F still has a freaky obsession with trains and was thrilled to get to spend the day riding one with Granny Annie and Eric.

 Blurry mine tour photo op

Another fun gift was the giant inflatable ball. There was much discussion and rock-paper-scissoring about whose turn it was to roll the ball.

endless giggles 

teamwork to get it back "uphill"

 F got his first giftcard this year, and it was for Barnes and Noble. It was a perfect gift for him, while we were choosing books he asked several times if these were his to keep. He's got a huge library of his own, but this is the first time he's been interested in picking out his own books. We've been doing it at the library for a while now, but of course those have to eventually be returned.

at the hairdresser enjoying his new book

 My birthday was as low key as it's been every year since F was born. A bunch of my aunties were in town so we had a fun family GNO. Dinner out with friends on my actual birthday left me feeling well celebrated!

The Best Thing About Summer Reading

The best thing, sharing a book and a comfy chair with your best friend.

Wet Hands

This is what I'm talking about when I say F is "on all the time." He runs at 110% during all waking hours. There's no downtime, no break, no mellow bits. It's full tilt boogie from 7am to 7pm.  Drying hands on a towel is just so BORING!