Bliss

Tonight it was my turn to put Evan to bed.   Usually Ian and I alternate nights-one night I'll lay with Ben and tuck him in and the next night Evan.  Ben usually requires a drink, a trip to the potty, a song (that he doesn't know), and a cuddle until he's very drowsy or asleep.  Evan on the other hand is more hands off.  If you stay in there with him he'll just keep talking.  If you try to cuddle with him, he'll remove your arms.  So, we typically just tuck him in, turn on his closet light, and kiss him goodnight.

As I said, tonight it was my night with Evan.  He was chilly, so I got out some Star Wars socks for him and covered him up in his sheet, his comforter, and his homemade quilt made by his "aunt" Carrie.  Then he was "cozy".  So, I hopped right in to join him.  This time he actually asked me to put my arm over him.  We laid there.  Occasionally he'd rearrange himself, and occasionally he'd ask me a question or tell me something-profound thoughts like he hair colors of the Ninjago ninjas, how much quartz he'd found at the Kindergarten playdate earlier in the day.

We were happy and cozy.  Then, he did something very rare for Evan.  He fell asleep with me in bed. His breathing grew more regular, he started twitching ever so slightly, and he was out.  It was a moment of bliss for me.  At that moment I got a rare cuddle from my active, growing, curious, ever-talking little five year old, and I realized how much more fleeting those hugs, squeezes, and moments are going to get.  I couldn't bring myself to leave, I just soaked it in.

As all of Evan's friends have been starting Kindergarten and their first day pictures have been plastered all over facebook people have been talking about how teary-eyed all of the new parents are as their kid hops on the bus or heads into the teacher's room for the first time.  I kept thinking to myself, "No, I won't be that sentimental, he's been to preschool many times."  However, in that space in time in Evan's room tonight, I was reduced to a sentimental mommy with a tear rolling down my cheek onto the pillow.

If that's what happens over bedtime, imagine what a pile of mush I will be when he actually does start Kindergarten next Friday.

Camp

I had planned to send Evan and Ben to a camp at their preschool this summer.  However, it was cancelled and I was left high and dry.  I didn't know what I was going to do.  Then, in a happy coincidence, one day when I was at the West Point in the Eno park one day exploring the river with some friends, I ran into some people who work for the Schoolhouse of Wonder.  I didn't know much about them except that they have outdoor programs for kids at the park.  We talked for a while, and my friend Kat and I told them we would help them start a program for preschoolers.  While we were there, they also talked about their summer camp for older kids and it sounded great.  I decided to give it a try and Evan and Kat's son Elliot were signed up.

Now, this camp was a whole day camp that ran for a week.  Evan had never done a full day camp before so I didn't know how it would go.  I was incredibly nervous as I packed his lunch and backpack and greased him up with sunblock and bug spray.  I was praying that everything would go well.  His group would only be 5-7 year olds so I felt good about him not being around kids that were that old.  We arrived and got out of the car.  He seemed excited and ready to go, and the counselors were great.  They met us out in the field and signed him in.

Since the weather looked a bit iffy that week, I asked what they would do if it rained.  They gave me a quizzical look and said, "Well, we do the same thing we do if it doesn't rain, and if there's a really bad thunderstorm, we go under a tarp."  I thought that was really neat.  They truly stayed outdoors all day and explored nature, whatever it brought.  So, I kissed Evan goodbye, dropped him off, and Benny and I went off on our own adventures.

When I went to pick Evan up that afternoon at 3, they were all engrossed in some circle storytime, and I had to wait until they finished to even try to get Evan's attention.  He had a great time!  There was a little hiccup the next day when I mentioned something fun I was doing with Ben that day and realized I had neglected to tell him that camp wasn't just a one day affair.  Evan was a little grumpy, but soon got over it. Then, as each day progressed, he kept getting happier and happier and more comfortable as the day week wore on.  It was great to see him so happy, and I knew camp was a great idea.

While at camp he got to take a dip in the river every day and go on countless nature hikes.  He found big rocks that he called gems.  He painted his own walking stick that he found.  He even met a new "best friend".  While at camp he met a little girl about as old and big as he was and with about as big of a mouth.  Needless to say, they were fast friends.  At one point during the week, he told me that Nora was his new best friend and that he had asked her to be his best friend as they were running down the road one day.  I said, "Well, what did she say when you asked her?"  He replied, "Nothing.  I took that to mean yes."  That's an exact quote.  Well, Evan certainly doesn't lack confidence.  We can say that for sure.

Evan was at camp the whole day, but Ben and I didn't just sit around and wait for him to finish.  We had lots of great fun including meeting daddy at his office one day for lunch.  Another day, Ben even went to his version of Schoolhouse of Wonder camp.  Remember that preschool program that I told you I was going to help plan?  Well, the first session of this preschool program was one of the days while Evan was at camp.  Now, this preschool program was a lot different from Evan's camp.  It was only one morning for an hour and a half, and the parents stuck around the whole time, but Benny still had a great time.  We got to wander through the woods as the guides showed us all kinds of exciting things like red frogs, sour oak leaves that you could suck on, spiderwebs, caterpillars, sycamore tress, and more.  I have to say that his favorite part was when a little grub that the guide found "pooped on his hand".  All of the preschools thought this was really hilarious, and a good time was had by all.

I am so glad that I found Schoolhouse of Wonder, and if I had the time or budget I would probably have sent Evan to another week of camp.  Regardless, I'm sure we will be back!

(My big camper)

(Ben gets musical at his camp experience.)

(The infamous "pooping" incident)

(Ben takes a trip to Daddy's office while Evan is at camp.)

(Evan's circle time at the end of camp.)

(Evan and his new friend Nora)

(Evan and his counselor, Katie)

(A post camp snoball)

Soccer Stars

This summer Evan tried another session of soccer, and Benny was old enough to join him!  Evan had moved up into the Jackrabbits class and Ben was in the Hoppers class.  Fortunately, they both were at the same time and only two fields down from each other.  While they have both told me that this time around, soccer is not for them in the fall, they did have a good time.  It was great for both of them to learn the games and drills and practice all of their running drills.  Benny loved running and over the course of the session, he got much better at following a series of instruction and following the teacher's directions.  Evan enjoyed the ball skill drills, and he always moved at hi careful measured pace.  I was honestly surprised when they picked their sports for the fall-Evan chose tennis, and Benny is going to check out gymnastics, but who knows, soccer may make another appearance before all is said and done. Look at those soccer cuties!

A Trip to the Sciquarium

We used to have to go all the way to the coast to visit an aquarium, so we were so excited when the Sciquarium opened up in nearby Greensboro.  For one of our summer adventures, we headed over to Greensboro with a bunch of Evan and Ben's friends from preschool.

The great thing about the Sciquarium is that it's a part of the Greensboro Science Center, so there are tons of other things to do there too.  We started off at their outside zoo because it was going to be a hot North Carolina day so we wanted to do the outside activities before the heat forced us inside.  It was a great zoo because it has a lot of animals that the NC zoo doesn't have.  We saw giant tortoises, tigers, an anteater, and more.  By the end of our zoo experience, everyone was getting a bit crabby so we decided it was time to get out of the heat and have a bite to eat.

So, we gathered the whole crew at one of the big tables and ate the lunch that we had packed.  After one mild moment of panic when one of our kiddos disappeared upstairs, we ate the lunch in relative peace.

Then, it was the moment that all of the kiddos were waiting for, we headed to the Sciquarium.  It was a smaller aquarium, but it had all of the big attractions of the bigger ones.  The boys loved seeing the penguins who were happy to jump and swim around right next to the wall-so, close to us that we could read their nametags.  Then, Ben saw the polka dotted sting rays which we had to head back and look at twice.  Evan on the other hand was enamored with the anaconda in the neighboring tank--ick!

There was also a tank filled with big sharks.  It was so cute to watch all of the kiddos pressed up against the tank watching the sharks swim laps.  They would wait and wait and wait and then ooooooh and the sharks swam right by them.

The biggest highlight for everyone was the tanks in the middle of the room filled with sting rays.  The kids could walk right up to the tank and pet the rays.  At first they were nervous because they had to stick their hands in pretty far, but after a while, they got the hang of it and really enjoyed it.

We finished the day by making our official Sciquarium pressed pennies to take home.  By that point everyone was too exhausted that we just couldn't see the rest of the science center that day, but it just gives us a great reason to come back!

(tortoise enjoying the shade)

(Benny monkeys around at the zoo with our friends the Turners in the background)

(Evan and Jacob converse with the birds.)

(This is our only picture of the day with all seven kiddos and a monkey in it.  From left to right-Annie, Jacob, Abbie, Edmund, Evie, Evan and Ben)

(Jacob and Ben bond on the way back from the anteater.)

(Everyone is excited to visit the Sciquarium.)

(Hello, penguin!)

(Shark!)

(The boys pet some rays.)

Back in the Water

Ian and I went to the Florida Keys about 6 years ago and both got our Open Water Scuba Diving certification.  Ian absolutely loved it, while I was a bit nervous about the whole thing.  So, in the subsequent years Ian kept on diving and even got his advanced open water certification.  I, on the other hand, have stayed out of the water.

Ian missed having a diving buddy, and not only did it make me nervous to have him going out there without a buddy that he trusted, I wanted to be a part of something that Ian enjoyed so much.  So, for Christmas this year, my present was an underwater photography class for Ian and a refresher course for me.  

A few weekends ago we had the culmination of the class and the refresher.  We headed up to Lake Rawlings in Virginia which is specifically a scuba diving quarry.  We met the rest of Ian's photography class up there, and while Ian practiced taking pictures, I got used to being in real water again.

What I learned is that I should have initially gotten my certification in a lake instead of the ocean.  It was much more relaxing than being thrown out into the ocean.  I could put on my gear at my own pace and walk right in when I was ready.  While Ian found underwater photography a bit tricky, I actually enjoyed puttering around and being Ian's model.  One of the instructors even said I was very good at hovering.  

So, I guess I can scuba dive with my husband again.  We've got a little trip to the caribbean in store so I can hopefully try a few more nice calm dives and Ian can have his diving partner back!  The only negative is that now Ian's talking about getting the boys in the water diving as soon as he can.  While I got back in the water, I don't know if I want the boys diving for a very long time! HA!

(Ian photographs another diver in one of the underwater wrecks.)

(Another cool shot taken by my underwater photographer)

(I model for Ian as I hover in the water.)

(a close up of my dive buddy)

(another one of Ian's shots)

(fake turtle)



(the happy underwater couple)

Glassy Day

We love going to visit Aunt Steph and Uncle Don in Glassy.  It's a beautiful area with their house perched up near the top of Glassy Mountain with absolutely beautiful views.  While we don't get there as much as we would like, we love every chance that we do get to head on down.  So, this summer we did have the chance to squeeze in one weekend visit, and it was great, as usual.

Uncle Don and Aunt Steph are fabulous hosts.  They set up the kids in this fabulous room complete with books, an art table, and new toys to play with while they were there.  Plus, there is the tradition of Glassy Day.  Aunt Steph always says that since she has so many great-nieces and nephews they simply can't give them all gifts for each holiday.  So, when any of them come to visit they get to celebrate Glassy Day.  On Glassy Day, they each get a present and get to have cake complete with a candle to blow out.  It's a really sweet tradition and the boys love it.  It really made an impact on Evan.  Oh, and did I mention Uncle Don is a very dedicated and skilled wrestler.  The boys had a great time playing with him although I think they might have worn him out a bit!

While we were in Glassy, Uncle Don and Aunt Steph took us down to nearby Greenville, SC which is really a cute little town.  There, we went to their fantastic children's museum.  We all had a great time seeing what was there.  They boys loved the big climbing feature in the middle of the museum, but they also had a great time building with blocks, hanging out in a wind tunnel, building paper airplanes, playing with a big light bright, milking fake cows, landing simulated space shuttles and more.  We finished off the outing with a trip to a delicious lunch spot and to visit the beautiful town riverwalk.  It was a great day.

The next day we were lucky enough to also get to see Grammy who lives nearby.  She stopped by for lunch and got to show the boys some great pictures on her I-Pad.  Evan also discovered that he liked ham for the first time.  Amazing what you discover if you try.

We love getting a chance to see our family, and Uncle Don and Aunt Steph certainly made the visit special.  However, they wouldn't have had to do anything.  Just getting to see them was pleasure enough, and we can't wait for our next stop in beautiful Glassy, SC.

(Ben climbs at the museum.)

(Another little monkey)

(A look at the whole climbing structure)

(Benny and Uncle Don land a space shuttle.)

(Aunt Steph instructs Evan in plane folding and flying.)

(Everyone goes driving.)

(Grammy smiles with her great-grandsons.)

Rebellion

Now our home owners association can be sticklers on a lot of points.  A few weeks ago, they added a new paragraph to our home owners agreement.  It stated that we could no longer have a vegetable garden in the front yard.  This angered quite a few of the neighbors and started a firestorm of back and forth e-mails on the list-serve.

Now, Ian and I prefer to stay quietly under the radar and not enter in to the neighborhood arguments.  However, when I walked out of the house a few weeks ago, I noticed a little plant sprouting up out of the grass.  A few days later and we could tell it was a zucchini plant.  I don't know how it got there, but there it was disobeying the neighborhood HOA.

Well, I decided I couldn't very well kill the poor little plant, so when I mowed the lawn, I mowed around it.  Now, a few weeks later, we have a four ft. long and still growing, blooming zucchini plant in the middle of my front yard.  I couldn't garden that well if I actually tried.  So, we're going to harvest some rebellious zucchini in a few weeks and see if our HOA says anything.  Hey, I think it's fate. :)

(the rebellious zucchini plant)

While He Was Out

So, Ian's got a new job.  After a series of negotiations that lasted many secretive months Grassroots was bought by the company that's been funding them for years, Monsanto.  That was very good for us because we had some stock and Ian got a lovely raise.  I'm very proud of him because he worked very hard to get his company in the position where it could get that offer.  We have got some fun things planned with a little bit of the fun money that he earned, but more on that later.

As a new employee of Monsanto, things have gotten busy.  He's had lots of meeting and appointments and conferences to get used to the procedures of a big company.  He's also been out of town a lot more than we are used to.  That means that the boys and I have had more time to ourselves at home.

Thankfully for us, we've got some great friends that have been keeping us company while Ian has been out of town.  One of our favorite excursions has been to head over to our friends' Scott, Amelia, and Alex's house.  Their mom, Amy, was also having some time away from the house, so Scott and I were both doing the solo parent thing.  It was a great way to spend several evenings.  Scott would prepare his famous spinach pancakes, sausages, and smoothies.  Then, the kids were free to run.

Needless to say...a good time was had by all.  Take a look at the proof...

(Evan and Alex goof around.)

(Amelia and Ben speed around the room...Don't you love Ben's outfit?)

Swimming Lessons

I always like to have the boys do some swim lessons during the summer.  They love the water, and I want to make sure that they're safe and know how to swim.  I was never a very strong swimmer, and I hope they'll be better swimmers than I was.

So, we signed the boys up for two weeks of swim lessons at Woodcroft, where Evan did them last year.  I was excited because Benny would get to take swim lessons by himself for the first time.  So, we showed up on the first day and both boys were excited and nervous.  Ben's teacher Abby was a cute young college student.  Benny flirted a little by hiding behind my legs shyly, but in the end he hopped in the pool and did what she asked.  Evan's teacher, on the other hand, was a no-nonsense third grade teacher.  She started by saying that he couldn't use his goggles because he would get too dependent on them.  This, of course, made him very nervous, but we went with it.

Over the course of the two weeks Benny was sure at some times and unsure at others.  For the most part, he was willing to do what Miss Abby said.  He kicked, blew bubbles, swam in her arms using his "ice cream scoop hands" and kicking his legs.  He even jumped in in the shallow water and the deeper four feet.  However, he drew the line at jumping off the diving board, but he was willing to walk out to the end of it and look into the water.  It was a successful first series of swim lessons.

Evan did really well.  He could use the kickboard with his teacher's fingers just on the edge of the board.  He went under water without his goggles, and he would jump off the side with some reluctance.  There were two days where the teacher was gone.  The substitute teachers did let him use his goggles.  When he could wear them, he could swim about 20 feet without the teacher's help.  He's really getting to be a good swimmer.  Sometimes he forgets to use his arms, but the teachers worked on that.  I was really torn about whether the teacher was right about the goggles thing, but in the end, I figured she was the teacher and she knew what she was doing.

The slide was an important part of the whole week.  Benny loved it from day one.  It's a twisty slide that's about 20-30 feet tall.  His teacher would sit him on her lap and go down the slide.  It was the favorite part of each of his lessons.  Evan, on the other hand, wouldn't go down the slide for some reason.  At first, he said it was the heights, then he said that he thought the water was too deep.  All of the other kids in all the lessons were willing to go down the slide, except him.  I didn't push it too hard, and on the second to last day he went down the slide on his teacher's lap.  He was so proud of himself and had a big smile on his face.

So, we went in on the last day and he had been talking about the slide all morning.  He was so excited that he had overcome that fear.  We went in to the lesson and the first 25 minutes went fine.  Then, it came time for Evan to jump off the edge of the pool.  He was scared to jump off, partially because he didn't have his goggles on, and his teacher wasn't willing to step in any closer.  I tried bribing, threatening, and any other parenting moves I could think of and nothing was working.  Finally, all the other kids were waiting and the teacher said she couldn't wait any longer and went off to the slide with the other kids.

I panicked because I knew how much Evan had been looking forward to the slide.  So, in a split second decision (I happened to be wearing my swim suit because were headed to our pool afterwards), I took off my clothes and hopped in the pool.  I thought if he jumped in to me, he still would have been accountable and would be able to go down the slide.  So, he jumped off to me, and we headed over to the teacher.  He asked if he could go down the slide.  She said, "No, we had a deal.  You didn't jump to me, so you can go down by yourself and I'll catch you, but I won't slide down with you."  Evan was devastated.  He burst into tears.  She was serious, she wouldn't take him even on his last day, even with his issues around the slide.  I didn't know what to do.  So, I asked her if I could go down the slide with him and she said yes.  Evan was happy and he gave me a big hug.  Swim lessons had been salvaged, but I was very upset.

Being a teacher, I hate doing anything that subverts the teacher's authority.  However, in this situation, knowing Evan, I really thought that what I did was the right thing to do.  I realized that, being a parent, there will frequently be situations where you don't know what the best thing to do is.  You just have to use your judgement and bluster through as best you can.  Oh well, we all survived that one.  I just hope I don't have to make any hard decisions like that for a while.

(Ben and his class get ready for their lessons.)

(Benny the big swimmer)

(He practices floating on his back.)

(Jump, Ben, jump!)

(Mom, did you see what I did?)

(Benny's favorite part, the slide)

(Evan plays ring around the rosies with his teacher.)

(He practices with his kickboard.)

(Boy, swim lessons are tiring.)

(Evan relaxes in a back float.) 

(For once, Evan actually jumped in.)

A Little Summer Fun

While we had a bunch of big adventures this summer, we also had some time to just have some fun with our friends.  We have spent a lot of time at the pool.  Ben loves pouring water into and out of the pool while Evan loves swimming down to lay on the bottom of the pool or crawl on the wall over to the deeper water.  It's gotten to the point where it's actually a little relaxing to go to the pool with the boys because they're pretty self-sufficient.  While I'm not to the point where I can come without my swimsuit (plus, why would I want to miss out on all the fun?), I don't have to be in the water every minute.  Here are a couple of my favorite shots of the boys and some of their best buddies Nathan and Anna at the pool...

(These two are trouble!)

(Big boys in their noodle boats)