First Day at the Beach

We were so fortunate to go to Hilton Head for a few days last week, thanks to some very generous friends (thank you Fred and Mary!!!)

It was quite perfect: warm weather, waves, wind, and a Daddy who loves playing too so I could sit on the shore reading and taking pictures. Indeed, it was perfect...

Baseball Legacy

Here's my dad, playing for the Chicks:



And my brother playing for the Pirates:



And then Henry, running for the A's:









Stuff like this turns me into a sappy mess. Thanks, Pops, for helping gather the pictures. And by the way, I just noticed, there are no action shots of the Chicks. Were you picking flowers in the outfield, too?

A Little Help From Our Friends...and Family

And a little Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and I, Me, Me, Mine and Here Comes the Sun...Beatles Rock Band has hit our home!










As well as taken over Father's Day Celebrations.

You can barely see Mama J over Brian's shoulder, sitting in the next room talking with Grandaddy about outhouses in Sweden in the winter. I am not kidding.
She should have chosen Rock Band.

Henry and Pals

Strikingly different manners in these two situations, but the one at the table with Sam and Abby is AFTER a big meal and BEFORE the ice cream took affect.
With Luke, Caleb and Paul, we skip the food and go straight to Special Treat Land.

On the back porch.

Sweet Svea at the Pool...

She still won't put her face in, but she looks good sitting on the side...

Cliff Dwelling, Tree House Style

Since our back yard is on a steep hill, and since it is full of trees all the diameter of my arm, and since the 6 and 4 year old did not have a tree house or fort, iHusband had to take matters into his own hands.

So he built a free-standing tree house fort at the bottom of the hill where all the water rushes when it rains.

This is my favorite picture from his little helpers:

They did indeed use some power tools, though I think they loved writing on the wood the best.

Another favorite part was when iHusband built the slats for the roof, then crawled up between them to hammer the roof shingles in place (hidden by the trees). After swinging about 5 packets of shingles up to him, he realized that once the shingles were all on...there was no way for him to get down. Can't go back between the now-covered slats, we had no ladder tall enough to reach the roof, and it was far too far to jump...so he swung all Mowgli-style to the nearest skinny tree and slid down to the fence and jumped. My hero.

The other little Mowglis (or Mowgli and Shanti, I should say?) love this new addition to our home...especially since they moved their little porch chairs to the second floor and can now eat their popsicles in peace away from the mean witch and king back in the house.

Svea's Big Graduation

Here she is on her first day of 4K Preschool:



So proud and big!


And here she is, amid GREAT pomp and circumstance, at her 4K graduation:



She is so ready for big school...

From Coldplay to the Beatles

We all just want to be rock stars...even in kindergarten.

Today is the last day of kindergarten. So much has changed...most notably, the hair. And the fact that he only wants to hear "Let It Be" when we are in the car.

He always remembers his air guitar.

First Baseball Practice

Henry had his first baseball practice the other day. One practice, one game each week which makes the days in between very long. This kid is in love.



During the practice, I was trying to entertain Svea, meet some of the other parents, not eat or inhale the bugs that hover one inch from all exposed human skin, learn some of the other players' names, and not get hit by wayward balls. They use real baseballs and no tee in this league. We're moving up, yawl.



There were several times during that hour that I felt trapped in a comic strip. Or in a story about a baseball practice from twenty years ago. There was a child who fit into each role: the total slugger who could hit any pitch, the kid who watches 19 pitches go by until another parent comes up and swings for him, the kid who kept screaming to his dad, "I feel like SITTING DOWN!" and "Where's my DRINK?!?", the kid who showed one butt cheek to his dad - you know, just to show him something, the kid who got hit by every ball even if it wasn't hit anywhere near him, the one who just stood there, etc.
I kept looking to see where Henry fit in. I think he is still contemplating what kind of practice player he will be...




In addition to the kids, the parents were fitting their roles nicely too. There was the angry father who urges (criticizes) his son in the spirit of competition ball and his idea of good parenting, the dad who doesn't care, the mom who promised the younger daughter a new app on her iPhone for every practice she sits through watching her brother, the socialite mom, the awkward couple who won't speak to the other parents, the dad who forgot to exhale after working out at the gym and came to relive some memories through his son, etc.
And I sat on the bench wondering what role would be helpful for me to play. Does that make me the helper mom? the silent blogger mom?

I'll have to discuss this with Henry.



Svea did great - especially with the bugs and after she found her new gum in my purse. The new main thing in our house? Spread chewed-up gum on your teeth so you look like you have none and then collapse giggling saying it's time to go to the dentist. It just never gets old.

Only 6 more long days until the next practice...

Tattoo at the Zoo

Svea and her pal Giyah got tattooed at the preschool trip to the zoo...

and then they were off!

(Luckily their matching dolphin tattoos washed off the next day)

Birthday in the Park

It wasn't any of our birthdays...but that didn't mean the blue icing wasn't sweet...and permanent.

Twelve to Twenty

Henry graduated from his 12" bike to a 20" this past week. For those of you out there learning (like me), the 12" refers to the diameter of the wheel (I'm pretty sure). There is a 16" model before the 20", but by supplementing with a Razor scooter and some too-big roller blades and the skateboard, we got to skip the 16 incher. Woo hoo we stuck it to the man on that one!

Henry was dying for me to take his picture riding (future blog posts to come on how we screw up our children making them pose and repose for the sake of a blog?)

Luckily the camera was still on the "sports mode" setting - though some of the shots still came out blurry. Super fast 20 incher...

Then Henry had a "wreck" and luckily did not squish all my squash plants (ironic?) and he had a mad dash to wipe the bike down with his t-shirt before the final posed shot. Svea got tired of waiting on him and wanted me to take a picture of her with her banana, little monkey.

Ah, finally. The posed shot by the kick stand (an essential feature for the Big Boy Bike).

I think his Dad taught him how to stand like that.

This Time, She Let A Professional Do It

So we got to Head Start the other day and Svea told the lady, "I want to look like Dora."

The lady said, "Who's Dora?"

Awesome.

I think Svea enjoyed her first salon experience:

Especially when it was over. What's up with all the silly faces? I swear, I have no idea who she is related to.

The rainbow lollipop at the end of it all + a new 'do = an awesome afternoon for Svea.

Heard and Overheard

(Overheard while Henry and Svea were playing in their room...they are both shouting):

Henry: It's time for you to go to ESL tutoring!!

Svea: Well...I'm going to nail you to a cross!

(No need to worry that they are memorizing their surroundings in a diverse elementary school and a church preschool around Easter time)

Henry: Mom, is Santa a vampire?

Me: No...why?

Henry: Well, he DOES stay up all night.

Svea: (in response to her pollen allergy) Mom! I'm running out of my voice!

Henry: Ooooo Mom! Gimme one of those Barbie band-aids.

(silence)

Henry: She is CUTE.