2012_07_15 Sunday

Our last adventure of the summer is in full swing. I drove the kids to South Carolina!! We stopped along the North Carolina border to overnight, and then hooked up with our friends to caravan the rest of the way. Some highlights:
-We ate at Applebee's for dinner. Jonathan was very disappointed there weren't any apples.
-While changing E's diaper after being in the pool, she asked why my raindrops were falling on her.
-We've seen a real shark (which was 30 yrds away from the swimmers) and a sea turtle.
-Some of the adventures we went on included: Ripley's Aquarium with "real" mermaids; an arcade; the beach (2xs); a hibachi restaurant; riding in a golf cart; a ferris wheel that was fully encased; putt-putt that Jonathan won; swimming every day in the pool.
-Jonathan tried shrimp at the hibachi place, and he does not seem to be allergic to it (great news!) or particularly like the taste of it either (bummer). And, his eyes tripled in size when the chef not only caught a bowl of food in his hat but also lit a 'volcano' of onions on fire. That was truly priceless, and I'm disappointed I didn't have my camera ready for that.
-On our last day, we went to the beach very ill-prepared (ie no bathing suits, etc). I let Elise run around naked, and she proceeded to rub sand in every crevice of her body. We couldn't stop laughing, but she sure thought it felt good.
-The kids were really great together. It was fun to watch them play, cooperate, and share together.

Then we stopped in Arlington to visit and overnight with friends, and we saw the old house. And, we stopped by Nanie and Grandpa for lunch and to pick up some b'day gifts on the way home.

Enjoy:

2012_07_12 Thursday

I was having a normal, fine, blah day today until I was pulling away from Jonathan's camp pick up. The director flagged me down (and I braced myself for what she might report to me), and she said this: "I have been meaning for 100 days to tell you how grateful we are to have you here and for all you do for our program [she was referring to the teachers' gifts, boxtops, etc]. You are a wonderful mom. I see a little bit of me in you." It went on (and on), but that was the gist. She even read this blog, and she said it made her smile because she keeps one too, and we joked a bit about who it's really for and who benefits from our efforts. Boy, did she make my day. I sat a little taller and fewer things bugged me for the rest of the day. Thanks!

2012_07_10 Tuesday

It's Master Hardwick's 5th birthday (1,819 days alive, eh!? who feels old now?!)! Overall, it was a great day. He had cupcakes and a crown at school. We had cupcakes at home. He wore the crown for most of the day, and boy is it's sweaty, but he got lots of good wishes from strangers that he thought was pretty cool. He got two LeapPad cartridges, three packs of Pokemon (which we think has a math component to it), and a scooter (which I'm not sure was the right one). He wanted to go to the burger joint in town for dinner, and I wanted the traditional ice cream for dessert, so that all worked out well. He got a real charge out of knowing exactly when he was born, as he was eating a hamburger, and hearing a brief recap of his birth. He got to goof with dad online for a long time. But, he dropped his LeapPad on the floor and wasn't carrying it in his "murse," so I flew off the handle, and he had to sit and think for 5 minutes. A nice cool bath calmed everyone down, and then both kiddos were off to bed.

Enjoy:

2012_07_09 Monday

(I have a &*^ ton of trip reports to back-fill, but I need to get today up first..)

Today was Jonathan's last day of being a 4yr old, and he went back to summer camp. Elise and I ran around all day doing errands, preparing for Dave's departure later today and ours later this week. We picked Dave up at the train station, and he brought back 'birthday popcorn and pretzel.' Within 30 mins of his arrival, we had to pack us all into the car to take him to the airport and then on to Jonathan's swim class. Jonathan did great, when he wanted to, at swim class. He did some great scooping (maybe 5 strokes, including breaths); he did some good floating, although he doesn't understand that you can't put your feet into the air without sinking. He even did a few dives/bellyflops from the side. But, come time to leave, he threw a full-on hissy fit: screaming, crying, wiggling, running back to the pool and jumping in (!). He just wanted to stay at the pool, but even without swim gear, I would NEVER consider it with that behavior. And, as he was sitting and thinking, wouldn't Lady Luck be on my side, the daycare called b/c Elise had a nasty diaper. I tried to get him back to the locker room to change fast, but he refused, so I began to walk out (he wailed, parents gave hairy eyeballs). We picked up Elise (he was still in his bathing suit w/ sneakers). By then, he was begging to change, so we went back to the locker room so he could change, and I could change Elise's bomb. YIKES. When we got to the car, I told him in no uncertain terms that if that behavior ever happened again, I'd cancel swimming class and he could go to the daycare with Elise while I swam.

By the time we got home, he was fine again. Dinner probably helped too...He fell apart reading a second book (not even trying to sound out words, but rather just making noises), so I put it down (he flipped out), and I explained that his eyes and brain seemed really tired, so I read his chapter book.

...I'm onto some newly acquired wine...