Wedding

We traveled to Maryland for a wedding of a friend of hubby’s from college. The wedding was outside of Baltimore in Ellicot City, MD at Turf Valley Resort. The resort was really pretty and had a pool, which was totally enjoyed by C. He also rode his bike on the paths they had around the hotel, played on the playground, and played ping pong. We drove up Thursday to make it in time for the rehearsal dinner, and then I worked while the boys played Friday. Friday night was the wedding and thankfully the weather was really nice. Very humid, but no rain or thunderstorms even though then had been predicted.
We got to get some family shots out by the golf course and C looked so handsome. He got dressed and said “I look like the President! The President wears clothes like this.” He did look like a little mini President or executive. He had a cool pinstripe Nautica suit with a lavender tie. I picked it up on clearance and it turned out lavender was the color of the wedding, so he matched his daddy nicely. Hubby had to wear a white Tux and while we had thought he would look super duper funny, he looked really good. My dress was purple with black sheer over it. So, while we hadn’t planned it, we all coordinated quite nicely. It was nice to get away for a few days from the stress of moving and packing/unpacking. Cal got to stay at home and we had someone come stay at the house and he enjoyed that so much, he decided to sleep on the bed with her.

Mr. President


Cutie Pie


Me and C


Family Shot



Wedding Party boys and C

Last Day of Kindergarten

So, it has been 180 days of school today and Kindergarten is officially over at the end of the day. I grabbed the camera this morning; I had taken a picture on the first day:

So, I wanted to get a picture on the last day. C decided he also wanted to make a video, it is very short, but cute. This morning was very “foggy and dark”, so not great weather to take pictures. He does look so much older. I still can’t believe my baby is no longer going to be a Kindergartener. He has decided that starting tomorrow he is a 1st grader. Of course, then he says “But we don’t have school tomorrow.” Nope, not until August, he is pretty excited about “Summer Bacation”.

Notes

Christopher wrote a note this weekend. I am sure it is the first of many, many more to come. He basically wrote, "Do not come in if I don't know you." He has said it is going to be for the door on his new bedroom at the new house. I can’t believe he is writing notes to stick on his door already. Pretty soon, we are going to see a note, Mom and Dad Keep Out.

Translated in case the picture isn’t super clear, he wrote:

Do not com in if I do not know you

Pretty impressive for a 5 year old. Even if the meaning behind it isn’t so adorable.

Two Wheeler

C is riding a two wheeler now, big news at our house. We are so excited for him! We tried last summer with no success, can’t tell you how many times I ran back and forth on the grass at the park before we gave up and put the training wheels back on. Then, this summer two of his buddies were riding with no training wheels and he was more determined than ever. Over Memorial Day weekend we went to SC to visit some friends and she just kinda pushed him and he took off, she had said I was holding the bike too much and coddling him. Probably true. She got him riding though.
I had to document his first bike owie. A scraped knee:

School Funnies

Two school funnies this week from C.

Tuesday I went to have lunch with C. It is always so much fun and so entertaining. He gets to pick a friend and we can go outside and eat on the picnic tables, so a real treat. I also usually buy him a fudgesicle from the cafeteria or bring him a treat. I get to see him interact with his friends. In the beginning of the year he always picked a girl, but now he always picks a boy. Usually his buddy Aidan from school.
So him and Aidan were sitting and talking about the behavior colors, green=good, yellow=warning, red=trouble, possible call home, blue=principal office and call home. C always gets green except for only two yellows all year. Woohoo, total proud mommy moment all the way.

Well, apparently someone in the class got a blue. So the boys got to talking:
A: What would happen if you got a double blue?
C: What would happen if you got a triple blue? Maybe you would be banished. (He did actually come up with the word banished on his own).
A: Yeah, banished from school.
C: Yeah, banished from school and then you’d have to go to public school.

Now, for the the part that makes it super funny, he goes to public school.

So, the second one came last night as he was talking to Grammy on the phone. She asked how he was doing in school. This is what he says: "Grammy I only get A plusses, I get A plusses on everything, but someone in my class, they get Z minuses, actually there are two people that get Z minuses." Should I note here that our school grades on 1-4’s? But, he is doing really well and aced his math assessments. He now says his favorite subject is Math. It was science in the beginning of the year.

Great Day, prelude to Mother's Day

Today was a pretty great day. I slept in a bit on the couch after I struggled downstairs and turned a movie on for C at dark thirty, I mean 6:38 a.m. (I would just like to note here that on school days he struggles to wake up at 650, but on Saturdays he BOUNCES out of bed at 6:30 am ready to start the day).
The boys left to run errands at 8:30 and I leisurely ate breakfast and watched a DVR show. They got home and we worked out in the yard where C even helped me sweep the driveway. Even though the house is sold, there was much weeding, mowing (done by hubby), sweeping, and some other stuff that still needs to be done. I had to caulk the front porch to get ready for another coat of paint.
C decided he wanted to go to a Bike Ride today and I thought that sounded super cool despite my hyperventilating (not really, but pretty darn near) on our last ride. I need some more practice and build up my endurance. So we pumped up the tires on the tandem bike and headed to Turtle Fest at Bass Lake on bike. I struggled up the first hill, but then it was pretty smooth sailing down to the Lake. Turtle Fest was pretty cool, C got his face painted, won a few turtle toys, made some crafts and petted a ton of turtles. I even fed him an oh so unhealthy snack there of brownie, chips, and lemonade. We then headed home and I was dreading the ride back up toward home. I realized my seat was sitting too low and raised it and it made a huge difference. I managed the whole way except for the very large hill that we walked the bike on. I still will say I barely made it home on the bike and had the last section not been a little downhill, there was no way. I really need to get in better shape. There was one little section where I did have to tell C pedal faster, help mommy. C said it was nice talking on our bike ride and how he was going to do something special for Mother’s Day. I got to tell him that without him, there is no Mother’s Day and he already made it so special. It was so nice just hanging with him talking and riding the bike.
After the bike ride, we went to the pool at the gym. They had the outdoor pool open already, who would have thought that on May 9th we’d be swimming outside in the pool, but it has been hot. I even went down the slide and got all wet. Chris joined us after his workout and we all three hung out in the pool. C splashed us, shot us with water guns and we got to throw him a lot!
And, since there is no way I am posting a pic of me on the tandem bike, I will post an old one of C and hubby on the one we rented in Hilton Head. They are super fun.

Exploratorium

I went to the Exploratorium several times as a kid and have fond memories of driving down to San Fran, walking around Fisherman’s Wharf and going to the Exploratorium. So, for this trip to California, I had to take Christopher to experience some little bits from my childhood and it was so fun seeing it again through his eyes.
He LOVED the Exploratorium. He RAN from exhibit to exhibit touching and playing (the museum is interactive) with everything. I loved seeing how excited he got making a tornado, listening with bat-like ears, trying to walk across the pebbles when the decibel meter was seeing how quiet he could be, looking at the developing chickens and going in the weird shaped house that I remember from my trips.
Not sure that he learned a lot, I tried to read to him what the exhibits were about, but he was more interested in seeing how they worked and doing things and then running full speed to the next exhibit.
Here he is enjoying the Exploratorium of San Francisco.

Diverting Water (This was one of the biggest hits, isn't water usually though?):

Playing with Black Sand and a Magnet, I loved this as a kid:

C and Brian listening with Bat Ears:

The funky shaped room, they loved looking tall:

Uncle Ronnie, Brian and C, I think making fog:

Oh, and did I mention the Exploratorium is right down the street from the Golden Gate bridge? Pictures to follow later.