Monkees

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!!"
... but what if it's part of a special one-show-only concert performance?
Answer: Mommy gets out the camera and we have a party!

These monkeys turned into their version of the Monkees, combining acoustic and electric guitar, sax and trumpet (both were a recorder), drums, lots of vocals, and enough movement to make you dizzy into one epic concert.

 The jumping. Oh, the jumping! 

Water Play Sunday

It was HOT and Mike was gone. So... since I won't take these two to the pool myself (I'd need to be an octopus!), we brought out the hose and sprinklers for a good backyard cool-down! These two sure know how to splash around.

Pre-K1 Graduation Party!

It's hard to believe a year has flown by and Evan's Dolphin class is celebrating it's graduation today! Ms. Rita had a great party at her neighborhood clubhouse (the kids loved going to a "real clubhouse"), and the kids sure didn't mind the heat and humidity.

The old farmhouse had a huge wrap-around porch perfect for running (Drew kept asking why we couldn't go in the pool), a great playground, bushes in the back perfect for hiding games, and wonderful old rooms that the teachers and kids quickly filled with games and songs. We all filled the kitchen with the food we brought to share, and Ben's mom stole the show with a watermelon shark, as that's the Pre-K2 class the kids will move to sometime in August.

 

 

The kids had been practicing for weeks to perform two songs for us: "Inch by Inch" and "Preschool." They looked and sounded absolutely adorable as they sat in perfect rows and performed their little hearts out for the paparazzi in front of them - I think every parent and even some siblings had phones and cameras out to capture the sweetness.

After the songs, Ms. Stephanie gave out "awards" to each child. She said the thing they always asked for and couldn't have in class is candy, so it was time to give them their wish! She was super creative and linked each child to a candy: Evan got lifesavers for "always coming to the rescue," because she noted how incredibly kind he always is to help another child when they fall, share when someone is sad, and remind the other children that it's important to make sure no one is left out. [Melt!! I'm so proud of that boy!]

Evan and his buddies Ahan ("being a smartie" - this 4yo is reading at a 1st grade level!) and Joel ("on a roll" - he loves to play and roll on the floor) were only too proud to show off their awards. Good thing we got pictures when we did, as the little bags were opened seconds later and the contents devoured.

It's been an amazing year for the kids in the Starfish and Dolphin classes! As Evan told me the other day, "I'll be sad to leave Ms. Stephanie, because I love her very much, but I'm excited for the Shark class. I'll see Ms. Stephanie on the playground every day and can always give her lots of hugs."

Super Rings

Evan pulled out his bucket of treasures this evening, and grabbed all the rings he could find. One for each finger, and then some! They were deemed "power rings" and thus another super hero was born. Pretty powerful stuff!

We are in the process of demo'ing and redoing our laundry/mud room, and therefore have several large cabinet sized boxes around the house. Evan and Drew claimed one this evening as their hideout. As Drew said, "Look, Mommy - I inna box!"

Pirate Pete's (Charlottesville)

Grandma and Grandpa from Florida were in town this weekend, and the boys couldn't wait to go golfing. We braved the hot sun and went to our local Pirate Pete's mini course and driving range, somewhat less glamorous than the one in Orlando but good fun nonetheless. Drew made sure we all got holes-in-one by chasing our balls after our first shot and politely dropping them in the hole. :)

Then it was time to test out the driving range. After a few shots, Evan really got in the swing of things! (Pun intended.) He actually hit quite a few great shots, and Grandpa was happy to get him another bucket of balls to keep going. Daddy and Grandpa took a couple swings too - it was sweet to watch all the boys golfing together on Father's Day weekend.

 

 Drew wanted desperately to play too, and though Evan's clubs are still too big for Drew, he gave it a good try and made decent contact with a couple. He's got good form, no? :)

 

Pariseau Park

Today was Drew's birthday party. We had lots of friends over to "Pariseau Park" to for a ballgame on "Drew Diamond." There were throwing, catching, and hitting stations, our slide, swings, and sandbox, and lots of yummy ballpark food. The concession stand featured were hot dogs on the grill with all the toppings, [veggie straw] fries, fresh-popped popcorn, pretzels, fruit-in-cones, and ice cold drinks. We even had made our own ice cream sundaes in little plastic helmets! Everyone got to take home cotton candy too, just like at a real game. The weather was great, and we were incredibly lucky to find one of the only breaks in a week's worth of storms. Minutes before the party started the thunder was rolling, but the skies cleared up for 2 1/2 hours, and only minutes after the last guest had left and the ballpark was cleaned up, the rain poured down. Thank you to everyone who came out for a day at the ballpark with Drew!