Category: Adventurous kids

Tomatoes! and other items of note

If anything can cure summertime blues, it’s a fresh garden tomato. The boys love picking them but they won’t eat ’em. (That’s not a real snake beside Mark.)

Daniel is off having “experiences and adventures” with the Sanchez grandparents this week. Lucky!

Paige returned from Girls Camp Spiritual Retreat in New Mexico just as sunburned as when she camps in the mountains.

I’m reading Democracy in America by de Tocqueville  since I have always wanted to do that.

I’m trying to gather enough courage to open the box of animals I ordered for Paige to dissect. Strange, given the fact I have dissected just about every animal you can think of. I’ve even dissected a shark… and worked with cadavers. You have a new disgusting respect for me now, don’t you? Back to my box dilemma: the specimens showed up in a package on the doorstep from a hot truck. I have a serious case of the willies. WHERE are we going to dissect these? This sort of dilemma keeps my mind busy.

I’m going to make this cake, sans the green frosting and trap.

I’m watching Bride and Prejudice while I ride the exercise bike. The music is so weird, it’s wonderful. I guess I’m on an India kick. Last weekend we watched Gandhi. It was very quotable…and an essential classroom tool I will incorporate next time we talk about Indian independence. I also bought a book of henna tattoos from a local gift shop. It’ll be a couple of years before we study this, but I’m always planning ahead.

I discovered this source for science supplies. The products appear to be high quality and the prices are good. There are chemistry supplies, too, which I have had trouble finding. I’m excited to order a bunch of prepared microscope slides.

I finished our family scrapbook for 2010. Hooray for the unscheduled month of June!

 

 

5th Birthday

“Prepare to be amazed…,” said Mark to one of his friends this week. Yes, friends. Prepare to be amazed by this high-powered achiever and sweetheart. He’s not going to let his status as youngest brother dictate for himself any portion of anonymity. He’s a determined little guy who savors a good ride on a swing and has consumed more peanut butter than I have in my lifetime.

We love you, Mark!

 

 

Faster than Fast

Angela mentioned in a previous post that Mark had learned to ride a bike.  I thought I’d show a little video of him in action.  The bike without pedals is Mark’s.  The bike with pedals is Timothy’s.

Video Player

Athletes

Timothy long legs

 

We try to be athletic. The big boys take a P.E. class; Daniel has been involved in golf and tennis lessons this year; Timothy is in baseball. Paige dances 3 nights a week and Zoomer-Smasher-Dune buggy is always on the go.

 

Here’s the golf boy. I promise to the grandpas that I’ll post more golf course pictures soon.

I see so many benefits from an active lifestyle. There are fewer mood swings; they sleep better; they seem happier when we’re more active. It takes work to get ourselves out the door. For instance, the kids are at this moment in the van waiting for me to take them someplace where they can run. Computer, release me!

 

 

Dad, can you call me…

Zoomer-Smasher-Dune buggy when I ride my bike?

-Mark, age 4

This is the week that Mark learned to ride a two wheeled bike and picked up a book and read it. Blast. Next thing I know he will be telling me that he is engaged.

Richard bought Mark a bike without pedals because it’s the latest thing in balance theory. (I just made that up.) We’re believers in the balance theory, though. Without training wheels, Mark learned to balance on two wheels in about a day. We live on a hill and he walks himself up and then he glides down the hill. His wrecks are spectacular. I can hardly watch.

Sigh. My little Mark is now “Zoomer-Smasher-Dune buggy.”

And if that was not enough, on the same day he decided to read.

I committed a social faux pas last week when I told two friends who are avid preschool mothers that I haven’t been “pushing” reading for Mark. It seems like everyone wants their preschool children to read. I have known for a while that Mark was ready to read but I hadn’t prepared the little books and incentive program that my other children needed/loved when they were learning. I was waiting for a little prep time before we really got started.

Paige’s incentives were stickers and pizza; Daniel and Timothy ate candy and earned pieces of a pirate ship as they learned their phonics lessons. I was hoping Mark’s incentives would involve sharing chocolates and lots of hugs and kisses.

Somehow without the incentives and the structure he learned anyway. Perhaps his was the most powerful incentive of all: he wants to be a reader like everyone else in the house. I’m not saying he’s reading everything, but yesterday his little readers arrived in the mail and he picked one up and read several pages aloud, commenting that the word “and” was sure used a lot.

So there he goes… our baby(whimper)… off into the big world of high speed and higher education.

 

Piano Ensemble 2011

It’s our springtime tradition: a new suit or dress and the big ensemble concert at Centennial Hall. This was Paige and Daniel’s 4th year to participate in this concert.

We invited some friends to join us. Daniel didn’t hang out with us in line because he was with his piano duet partner. Yes, Paige is taller than I am in this picture. We’re both wearing heels. I’m posting this even though I look old.

We saw some Family at the concert! Bryan’s sister was in the concert, too.

Paige and her piano partner played one of the big Steinway concert grand pianos in the front. They played the Liebeslieder Waltz by Johannes Brahms.

Paige is wearing my formal concert skirt with a shimmery silver top from her own closet.

Daniel, always the brave and independent one, went up to the conductor to thank him when it was over. He played the Russian Sailors’ Dance which was just incredible.