Science, Friends, and Sunshine

INL hosted a family day (the first one in five years). This time there seemed to be more kid-friendly activities, or maybe it's just because we were looking for those things. One group was set up with power distribution demonstrations, which harkened back to Owen's interests a year ago. He got to play lineman for a bit with tools and gear, which was fun.

They even had a tank that the kids could climb around in! Another popular demo was a remote-controlled camera for nuclear device detection.

Then we headed inside for some more "sciency" exhibits, like virtual reality, electrical safety, 3-D interactive modeling, and cotton candy.

Finally, the piece de resistance was Dad's desk! Woohoo!  But don't tell them that I took a picture here. It's top secret. ;)

We did the Walk for Eli again, but we just signed up for the mile walk this year. Neon orange for our team this time.

We had to wait for all of the 10k and 5k runners/walkers to finish before we could start the mile walk, so there was a lot of time for the kids to run around, play together, and cheer on the finishers. One of our teacher friends organized a Duck Duck Goose game to quell the insanity of a dozen bored kids.

Hadley with her medal after the mile walk. Dad had to take Owen to his first football game, so they didn't get to do the walk. (I wish I had it on film, but Owen broke away on the first offensive drive and was on his way for an easy touchdown... until he spiked the ball at the one-yard line! Oh man. Believe me, we talked about that a lot!!) 

And Owen got some more time with his buddy Carson, while they were in town. They still look related and always pick up right where they left off.

Hadley's been accompanying me on Owen's pick-ups from school the first week. She misses him a lot when he's at school! Evidence? 1)The first day he was gone, she asked if we were going to go bring him home for lunch. She was very disappointed to learn that he'd be eating lunch at school without us from now on. 2)One day she cried real tears because he crossed the street to school without saying good-bye to her. 3)She declared that she missed him the second he hopped out of the car for football practice and asked if we could go home so that she could make him an 'I miss you' card. Keep in mind that football practice is only one hour long! It's so sweet!

Of course, lots of time on our bikes and at parks. Sometimes both!

One more tiger-pose for the kids at the zoo...

And although our own yard has plenty of raspberries making their appearance now, we couldn't resist a last-of-summer trip with some friends.

Back to School

This week both kids started back at school. Hadley is in pre-kindergarten three mornings a week. She was very excited to go back to school, even though it's a new place and she didn't know any classmates. It's across town and starts earlier than Owen's school, so Dad will be dropping her off in the mornings.

According to her, her favorite food is bananas (?); favorite colors are pink, purple, yellow, and green; and she wants to be an artist when she grows up.

Owen is in first grade, which means he has to stay at school all day (6 hours) this year and take his lunch! He was not as excited to leave summer and go back to school, and the report so far is 'first grade is boring.' (I think that may be because they are just reviewing kindergarten stuff so far.)

I walked him to school this week, one day on our bikes. The weather felt like fall already with mornings in the 40s, though Owen was in denial about needing a jacket. On the first day, about 5 minutes into our walk he asked to hold my hand. I said, "of course you can!", imagining that he won't ask me to do that for much longer. But once we were holding hands, he snuck them into my hoodie pocket to keep warm! I'm going to savor it as a sweet moment, rather than a manipulation for warmth. Ha ha! Next week I'm sending him in with some neighborhood kids for another step of independence.

Waiting in line at the big school! Not too many familiar faces in his class this year, but I'm sure he'll make new friends easily and catch up with the old at recess. In his own words: his favorite foods are California roll and dumplings; favorite colors are dark blue, red, and dark green; and he wants to do "something easy" when he grows up, like lawn mowing or street sweeping. Atta boy!

Summer, don't go!

We love you so! It's hard to believe that we're in our last week before school starts. We've been trying to soak in the last of summer. Owen just finished his last swim lesson for the summer; the only item left on the checklist was to be able to backstroke across the pool before he moves up to Level 3 (dolphins). Hadley moved up to Level 2 (eels), so next time they'll be in the same class! We've been trying to practice (and beat the heat) by going to the outdoor pool on hot days. These two crack me up, especially with goggles and toothless grins. One day, they tried to gang up on me with a noodle water-shooter, but I kept turning it back on them. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard!

Other summer athletic pursuits: 1) Hadley's soccer team. One game left, and she's only thrown one major fit, so I guess that's a win in itself. She even scored a goal during the last game! I think she's enjoyed having her own thing, even if her mind is wandering while she's on the field sometimes. (i.e. a lot of hair twirling and talking to herself)

Owen has enjoyed keeping score at her games and sharing some tips with his little sis.

2) Flag football. Owen has been practicing with his team all month. His games start next weekend! That will be a fun thing to watch, hopefully. If nothing else, he'll appreciate the game more, but they are taking it pretty seriously (learning plays and positions, etc.). He's enjoying it so far! That's him in the orange hat on the right below.

3) Hadley tried out ballet. Verdict: she loved it! But given the choice, she chose to pursue gymnastics during the school year. This class was really cute though. The teacher knows how to keep their interest with props, fairy wings, and princess tiaras. (She's in black.) I think she likes to perform, so we may be back!

4) Owen's triathlon. That's right! The aquatic center puts on a kids' triathlon every year, and this year, I thought he'd really enjoy it. He's been obsessed with the Olympics, so he liked the competition. Before the race we had lots of time to wait. Corralling and organizing a kid's race requires time and patience.

All the competitors. There were 4 different levels of difficulty. Owen was in the 'Mini' for 6-and-under: 25-yard swim, bike around the block, and run around the parking lot.

Swim. Bike. Run. In that order. He cannot swim 25-yards on his own quite yet, so we opted for a life jacket. It looks so far!

I met him at the other side of the pool to lead him to his bike, help him take off the life jacket, and put on shirt, shoes, socks, and helmet as quick as we could.

He understood the race idea and took off running for the last part! He really thought he won first, since he passed some kids, but the swimming had to be done in heats, so there were staggered start times. He did finish in just over 7 minutes and came in 5th out of 39, so that's pretty awesome!

Afterward, they were serving a pancake breakfast and had some games and prizes set up for the kids. I think Hadley ate even more than the racer! It was a fun experience. Maybe we'll have two participants next year.

We also made it to the Roaring Youth Jam down on the river this year. We hadn't been for 3 years, so it was nice to make it back. The kids loved it. 

They had lots of art projects and music for them to interact with, and we met some friends there for a fun, free afternoon.

There was even a dress-up booth.

And the kids talked me into face paint. They love that stuff, and I'm inclined to acquiesce for as long as they still enjoy the simple things.

Lastly, summer is for reveling in lazy mornings like these...

Base camps and blanket forts...

And outdoor picnics. This one needs better seating! Summer, please stay a bit longer...