Wordless Wednesday - Take a Guess

A Star Wars Party

If you want to throw together a themed birthday party in no time (like I got a few ideas for food from this website yesterday, and went to the store this morning three hours before the party), Star Wars is it. And since Star Wars is what The Boy wanted, I lucked out this year.

The other Jedis arrived at 11:00 (earlier in the day being better for seven-year-old Padawan learners, and for this Jedi Master), and first went to work on posters for their rooms at the academy.


They then went downstairs for lightsaber combat training while this Jedi Master made lunch. (The Boy was reluctant to share his new super-cool-from-his-sisters-for-his-birthday lightsabers with the other Jedis, but eventually did.)


After training, lunch was served.

(double-sided lightsaber hot dogs)

(Ewok food, including fish and mattberries)

(carbonite Jell-o with poor Han Solo frozen in it)

(Yoda Soda with super cool lightsaber straws)

Next, the Padawans had a test in speed and agility, when they competed to see who could first successfully build a TIE starfighter.


Finally, cake to celebrate of a hard morning of training.

Good work, young Jedis!

Seven

HAPPY BIRTHDAY


to my not-so-little-anymore,


full of life,

always constructing,

fun-loving,


Momma's boy.


He's my mischief-making,


Lego-loving,


seven today,

favorite son!

Yarn Along et al

In an effort to prolong my son's life,
I am reading this again.

In an effort to prolong my son's life,
I am knitting.
a lot.

It calms me.


I finished another dishcloth,
but am now out of yarn.
Being a new knitter, I don't have a stash.

I want to make a hat.



I do have a stash of books, though.
What should I pick up next?


I am looking forward to going on retreat this weekend.
in beautiful Medora, North Dakota,
gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

with my husband.

without my children.

to recharge my batteries.

because I feel a lot like this lately.


The Boy
told me this morning he loves me more than Legos.
Wow! That's love.
That earned him some points with Mom.

and made me feel better.


Miss Rose and Miss Sunshine
cleaned my bathroom for me yesterday.
to surprise me.
They left me a note.

That's love, too.

and made me feel better.


The Baby's
new favorite thing to do when I'm cooking
is to set the table.
by herself.
on her own initiative.

Girls are so very different from boys.

Say "Cheeeeeese."

To see what others are knitting and reading,
visit Ginny at Small Things.

Stay warm,
if you live near me.

Stay in the house,
if you live somewhere that got dumped with snow.

Hug your kids,
if you've got some.

Live.

Laugh.

Love.

Six-Year-Old Boys

What is a six-year-old boy's favorite line in this book?



Why, "U is for underwear down in the dryer," of course!

He loved this A, B, C rhyme so much, he's been singing it today.
over. and over. and over.
ad nauseum!

Wordless Wednesday - Finally Warm Enough for Baby

Wordless Wednesday - Vaseline (aka hair gel) Meets Cornstarch

(Hope this works!)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - From the June 2008 Archives

I'm having a feeling invisible week.

(If only I could sleep anywhere!)

Opinions

What do you think of their new looks?

Wordless Wednesday - The Tooth Fairy Came

New Smile

The Boy has had two kind of loose teeth for quite a while. That all changed last night when he ate a none-too-soft pear for a snack after dance. In fact, I was a little worried he might swallow one of them, it was so loose. But he didn't want me to touch it.

This morning he pulled it out -- his first lost tooth. My Boy is growing up way. too. fast.

Weekend Update - New Words, New Art, and New Music

Well, I didn't finish the basement. It turns out the second half requires a lot more work than the first half did. There are definitely more half-unpacked boxes in the second half! I spent as many hours down there as I did last weekend, but it looks worse than it did when I started. (Although my dear husband assures me I am making progress and reminds me how easy the next move will be with everything so organized. He even took time out of his writing to run to Target to buy me about twenty large plastic bins to aid in the organization process, as things were starting to get damp and smell of mildew in the boxes, and we definitely don't have the room to unpack everything.)

The Boy was especially happy with the progress I made because I found a bunch of his toys that have hitherto been buried. He was happiest about his cars, but his hammer was a close second.


When he wasn't racing his cars around, he was happily "hamming" away -- what a great onomatopoeic verb!

(Which reminds me of some other words The Boy has invented along the way. Some of my favorites have been: the "comfterble": that thing on your bed that keeps you warm and comfortable at nap time and at night (aka as a comforter) -- the "giving room": the room of the house where one "gives" of his or her time to other members of the family and guests (aka a living room) -- and the "pahcuter": that thing mom is always sitting and typing on (aka a computer).)

After spending all day Saturday in the basement, I needed to leave the house on Sunday. We found a new place to visit -- Caponi Art Park. There are hiking trails and a sculpture garden and an outdoor theater. The sculptures in the garden weren't exactly "my cup of tea" (as Gramma would say), but some of the landscaping and architecture were fun.


The mosquitoes just about carried us away, so we didn't spend a lot of time in the woods.


But the outdoor theater was excellent! After escaping the woods, we were quite early for the evening's event, so we enjoyed a picnic dinner and a chapter of The Last Battle, the final of the Narnia series. The setting reminded me of the ruins of the amphitheater in Pompeii. The Art Park hosts various events, including a Shakespeare weekend and a Medieval Fair, that we are excited to attend in the future.

Last night the Park hosted a performance by Zeitgeist, a music ensemble comprised of two percussionists, a pianist, and a woodwind player (what do you call someone who plays a woodwind instrument!?!) Anyway, Zeitgeist is all about "new music." Personally, I prefer the old stuff. My husband and I joked that it had a high "twitch factor." After a long day, or a sleepless night, loud noises, including overenthusiastic children, cause me to twitch (in a joking way, as if I'm on the verge of a breakdown). We are not music experts, so we judge music according to "the twitch factor." We prefer music that calms to music that causes us to twitch. But it was a great opportunity for the kids to experience live music, in a beautiful setting (and it was free!).

This week, the plan is to stay on top of my work, spend a couple hours each day in the basement, and start getting things ready for the new school year. My hubby is planning on working three long days writing at the library, in the hopes of making his Friday deadline by Wednesday. If that happens, we will celebrate by getting the tent out for the first time this summer (!) and heading North. Wish us luck!

Of Pirates and Sword Fightin'

The Boy has been attending Pirate Art Camp this week.  And he has absolutely loved it!  First, he loves anything having to do with pirates.  Second, he loves art and making things with his hands.  And, third, the camp is for boys only -- The Boy feels outnumbered at home and loves spending time with others of the male species.  

He has made a pirate T-shirt and a pirate hat, some treasure maps and a treasure chest, and he and his sisters have pulled out our other pirate paraphernalia -- another hat, an eye patch, a hook (to replace one's hand), and a plastic sword, among other things.  The pirates are running rampant around here.  The Older of The Girls is Elizabeth Swan; she captains a ship named The Rocking Horse.  The Younger of The Girls is the Princess of the Deep, captain of the Black Pearl.  And The Boy is Blackbeard, captain of the Jolly Roger.  This morning they were making flags for their ships.

They are asking me to find the other plastic swords.  I have been reluctant.  But if I don't find the swords, they'll be using sticks, or something else, anyway.  I was reminded of a great post I read on House Art Journal on rules for sword fightin'.  I think I'll discuss this with the kids later when I get out the other plastic swords and send them out to the backyard to play.

Have a great day, mateys!