Happy 4th Everyone!

First days at summer camp!

Rosie survived her first two days at camp! And she actually had fun, believe it or not. We signed her up for a week of Soccer & Swim camp at a local Rec-Center, where we sent her due to its proximity to her Grandma's house, not because she had any friends going there or it was recommended for its excellence. She told us that she did make friends at camp, but couldn't remember their names. That's okay, as long as she's enjoying the activities.

Monkeyrotica and I had quite a time gathering all the gear she needed on Sunday night. We dug our own hole, as it was a lazy, balmy evening and we kept the kids up after bedtime. The sun went down and we had a grand time chasing, catching and releasing fireflies. Rosie was creating a community of them in her critter case, while Dash would hold one in his hands for a minute, then cajole them to fly away saying, "Go home to your family! They're looking for you!"

By the time we had them bathed and all the gear assembled (and LABELED), it was well past 10 p.m. Between soccer and swim gear, there were eleven items on the checklist to fit inside Rosie's backpack. Of course, when we started, I didn't even have a list ready and all the stuff was in various places around the house. Monkey had packed her lunch, got the water bottles ready and set two snacks aside; I located her soccer cleats (which we found out later, weren't needed. Craigslist?), her shinguards, soccer ball, baseball hat, sunscreen, swimsuit, goggles, flipflops, and towel. Then every last little thing needed to have her name on it, since I can only assume the undressing and changing into swim gear from soccer gear would be a riot zone. Rub-a-Dub marker to the rescue! Somehow, through my mastery of spatial relationships and packing prowess, all of the above fit in her school backpack.

I'm a little in the dark on what and how exactly they're teaching the soccer/swim skills in the camp. Maybe some well-structured questioning will get more information out of my girl. For now, it matters that she's not begging to stay home with Grandma!

Greens harvest

I picked a bunch of large collards leaves for Monkeyrotica to do his
magic with; also, I brought in a teeny carrot, and a sprig of dill.

I'm a little disappointed in the strawberries, as some of the fruits
are barely past green and are going brown. Any suggestions?

Kids bowl free at AMF lanes!

FTW!

Dash had his four-year checkup today. He did great, as usual! He's 35% for height, and 75% for weight, but somehow, that doesn't appear disproportionate on him. He told his doctor that his name was "Mr. Laser-Eyes" for some reason. He was in really good spirits for the entire appointment, even after I mentioned shots. He needed five total.

I asked him, "How many shots do you want, Dash? Ten?" He thought a minute & replied, "How about just five?" The doctor's eyes widened and she muttered, "I need to remember that one..." WIN!




























Anyway, here is how he looked after the five shots. About what I expected. I'm betting that ploy is played out.

Rosie learned that my phone has a camera

I think she took about 50 photos before I got my phone back from her. We're at Spill the Beans coffee shop in south Alexandria, Va.

This boy woke up HAPPY!

I was still considering getting out of bed around 6:00 this morning and I heard a little "Whump!" of a boy getting out of bed and "whump-whump-whump-whump" of feet heading my way. He made his entrance into my bedroom with the sweetest, "Hi Mommy!" and huge grin on his face. After leaping up onto the bed, he said, "watch this trick, Mommy!" and showed me how very expert he is at flopping down heavily into a piled-up down comforter.

Such a cutie! What a nice way to wake up.

However, all this show of sweetness and light dissolved when I didn't back down on my "no-TV-before-school" rule. Ah well, if he were a bright sunbeam all the time, I wouldn't appreciate it as much when the clouds part, right?

End-of-school picnic

Rosie and her friend Margaret just finished their kindergarten year together. I am hoping over Summer break that we stay in touch with some of the close pals that she made in her class. Who knows how they will all be dispersed in First Grade. And that's right! I have a First Grader now. Despite a rocky start and some behavior relapses along the way, Rosie did fabulously in her final scores! Kudos to Rosie.

Huge thanks go out to my mom, who will be caring for Rosie all Summer. Yesterday was the beginning of week one of Rosie's first Summer break ever; she's been in full-day childcare since infancy, as has Dash. For those of us who work full-time or who have been out of school for a long time, it can be hard to wrap our heads around the reality that the school break is eleven (11) full weeks. That's practically three months of no school! I have Rosie in camps for three weeks and we'll be on vacation for one week. That still leaves seven entire weeks with just Grandma. Dash is already horribly jealous.

I'll be finding ways to break up the weeks for my mom, by either putting Rosie in backup care, bringing Rosie in to work with me, or arranging playdates. Anyone have helpful tips on how to creatively pass the summertime with a 6-year-old? My mom is averse to spending time in full sun, so that's a limitation. Tips please!

Happy 4th Birthday, Dash!

"If June 22 is your birthday, 2009 is a year of sociability. It is a friendly time, when it's easy to enjoy life and other people. The focus is on personal freedom, reaching out to others, making new friends, and exploration. You're more enthusiastic and ready for adventure. It is likely to be a rather lighthearted year, when opportunities for "playtime" are greater than usual. It's also a good year for expressing your creativity. Advice - reach out, but avoid scattering your energies."

Wow, did they have my enthusiastic, friendly four-year-old in mind when they wrote this horoscope?

Dash has become the most lovable and charming little preschooler. It's so hard to sum up how far he's come this year with his vocabulary, potty training (done!), sleep habits, helpfulness, and general ability to charmingly manipulate the socks off of everyone around him. All this past week, as we've been planning his birthday party, both Monkeyrotica and I have heard, "I love you so much Mommy (or Daddy)!" Lots of big kisses and hugs for his parents, for isn't he getting lots of birthday party fun and gifts? Why yes! He happily and transparently announces everything that he is doing—good or bad—with disregard for consequences. If he doesn't get what he's asking for, he'll ask again and again, with the same inflection or a slight change in tonality, because he is the minister of persistence.

Much of the latter half of last year focused on changes in Rosie's life, primarily starting public school. Dash has been a rock, just keeping on with his schedule, only getting upset about the missed details (You forgot my bag of teddy grahams, Mommy!). He wants to go to his "New" school someday, just like Rosie, or get a new "big" bed like Rosie, and play with all Rosie's toys. He denies that he's copying her, but she complains often that Dash is following her around. He loves Rosie so much! They are the best playmates together, as Dash willingly plays whatever game Rosie sets up (especially the doll-play).

I am looking forward to learning more about him, hearing his stories, listening to his songs, whatever he has to offer, and gently parenting him every day. Happy birthday, my cutiepie, little Dash.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! We spent our dad-time with Monkeyrotica at the National Arboretum. Lovely day for it! Rosie and Dash such had a fun time on our walk, looking for fallen leaves to put in a leaf journal, visiting the bonsai pavilion, and especially feeding the koi at the visitor center's pond. Man, the kids (and the koi) would have been happy feeding those fish (and being fed) all day long.