End of Summer Bash

Shane's preschool friends threw an end of summer bash Saturday. 

"We're sorry about the late notice..."

No need to apologize. Shane and I were there. I hoped someone would invite people over. Our house isn't conducive to large parties due to parking and plague problems. We'd all be stomping right over Nova's head and while the cul-de-sac is great, it's not a big yard.

Hayden's family had a great yard.

They moved in July. The new house had three acres for the kids to run all over.

And there were a lot of kids. Hayden's big brother, Harrison, had invited over a bunch of his old kindergarten class mates, too. There was a lot going on.

Including dancing.

The kids were in and out and out and in. There were enough adults around that there was plenty of coverage. They kids got along fantastically.

Hayden was all about silly. "Shane! Do you want to be a monster and chase me!?"

When Shane got off him, Hayden laughed, made a face, and said, "Shane's a monster!"

The day ended with boys sharing tunnels together. If there would have been a time for a squabble, it would have been when all the boys were overtired and trying to co-inhabit a tunnel turned sideways.

Nope. They still got along.

"Daddy! Can I come back again! I want to live here forever!"

"If they invite you back."

"Hayden! Can you invite me back?"

Hayden's Birthday Party

Happy Birthday, Hayden! I lost the original invitation, but we RSVP'd through Shane's teacher. The party was at the aquatic center.

It was a big hit. All of the kids ran around screaming and splashing to tire out.

 A conversation would start and stutter whenever a kid flopped underwater. The kid always got back up, but water + non-swimmer's = an edge. It made the fun tiring to watch. I was happy that the deepest part of the pool was 3'. Shane's toes could touch and he bobbed up and down happily.

There was one valuable lesson he learned: Don't drink pool water.

"Daddy, I threw up a medium-sized amount!" 

Shane made a small circle with one hand. There was no Caddyshack panic.

It took three tries and one blarf for the lesson to sink in, but it should be there now.

During break, there was food and lots and lots of Octonauts. All of the kids went to the same preschool, so there was plenty of common ground.

I don't know if the pool or the party room was the bigger hit.

Everyone got along famously. Here's what it was like trying to get a group photo.

I need to pull a screen cap from that. The kids were always in motion, so I never knew what sort of picture I'd get (or if it'd even be in focus). Grayson and Owen making tough faces was the best of the lot. They giggled and ran off the next moment.

We're going to need to call people for some play dates this summer!

Graduation Walk

Shane graduated from PreSchool today! I put some nice clothes in the car and picked him up early for Subway (No "hangry" kids allowed). We ended up a little late, because Carrie demanded kilts. We had to race home and back. Shane's teacher was crying when I dropped him off. She did a great job.

I recorded the whole thing for Nana and Pop. Shane's been singing the songs all week. He was dubbed "Most Musical." I'd contest he's got the biggest lungs. 

Intro - (Shane's supposed to start off National Anthem):

Lots of little kids singing:

Lots more singing. Shane starts to get talked about at 5:04 if you want to skip:

Lots of other kids get awards (but not much Shane screen time):

Passing out diplomas:

It was probably more organized than the high school graduation. We were packed in pretty tight, so I got jostled with every round of applause. 

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

PreSchool Birthday Party Sunday! Owen turned five.

Big Success!

And I have more proof Shane's mine (the first 20 seconds or so should get the point across).

The party favors were a huge hit. Shane blew on his noisemaker so much it got clogged with cake. Strangely, no one was willing to clean it out for him (he asked!).

Afterwards, we went by the used sporting goods store. It's about time to teach Shane how to play catch.

We swung by Costco for milk, but suffered a catastrophe when we got home. Shane's new party favor slinky was BENT!

That's what happens when you sling it around like you're Indiana Jones, Jr. 

Shane had a hard time accepting that. He pouted through multiple rooms until he threw himself on the couch. He threw some junk on top for extra drama.

Shane didn't get a lot of sympathy on this one. I let him crash on the couch for 15 minutes and then he was good to go. Frankly, the birthday party was scheduled for nap time. I bet he was overtired.

We went outside to play some baseball when the world was bright again.

And then Shane wanted to go down the path. It looked a lot different without the undergrowth. It's a lot less reminiscent of The Hobbit when I can see through to the playground and basketball courts.

Shane's eyes were rooted on rocks and waterfalls.

Trees are a blast, too. We played until he fell ankle deep into the water.

Meanwhile, Carrie turned her target into a pincushion. The weather was too nice to be inside!

Thus, our weekend ended. I was a little late writing this, but I'm caught up now.

School Spirit-Wear

Shane's class was asked to dress like zoo animals Friday. No animals existed in our wardrobe.

"You can buy one!" Shane said.

He was upset when we replied, "No."

We did have a certain birthday outfit. Why be one animal when you can be many?

Well, it wasn't Shane's idea, so he fought it tooth and nail. He complained all morning. Carrie was almost ready to say "FINE! Take it off!"

Then, when I arrived at school, I found that it wasn't a bad idea after all. Shane stood up in front of the whole class to show them his creature power discs.

And the whole class listened. Grayson repeatedly shouted, "Be a rhinoceros!"

Shane took several minutes to go through everything before we could leave. He told me he had a great day.

It looked like a productive one, too. Before we left, we had to check the backs of the giraffe pictures to figure out which was his.

Shane loves to show off his artwork.

Doesn't look like there was any big fooling around for Fool's Day. I'm happy for any day that ends well!

Makes You Think, Doesn't It?

Hmmmm....could it be related?  There's still a good chance Shane's was a fluke. Then again, I don't really want to ask which rooms or how long the bug lasts either.

Adult Decisions

Shane threw up shortly before midnight. Round two was at 3:30 AM. However, the little tyke still came bouncing into our room at 7 AM. "I'm awake!"

If the kid was sick, I expected him to at least act like it.

This left Carrie and I with decision to make. Did Shane eat something weird? Was the throw up a cough gone wrong? Was he sick? 

Should he go to school?

I would have used sick leave, but I knew two other teachers were already out. We're a small program with four full time teachers. One teacher found a sub for a half-day, and the other put it for one with no guarantee. I had to go in for at least the morning.

Carrie's work started later. We decided that we would play "hot potato." She'd take the morning, and I'd grab the afternoon. I went in and talked to my boss. She understood.

Meanwhile, Shane bounced happy-go-lucky. Carrie gave him an ibuprofen and sent him to school.

I was worried, but this is what I found after school...

...a happy bunny. Carrie had asked the teacher to keep an eye on Shane. She reported he napped an hour, ate with a normal appetite, and dyed Easter eggs. Shane showed me some of his artwork on the way out.

I guess it was a fluke? It's hard to tell these things without hindsight. Shane had more energy than me when we got home. He wanted to play our new Ticket to Ride Europe map.

Shane linked St. Petersburg to France. I wanted to nap on the couch. Shane went back to sleep better than Carrie and I combined (the nap didn't hurt either).

Looks like things worked out. Shane would have been sad to miss out on the Easter festivities. I'm not as good at remembering to do special activities and crafts for holidays as Nana was.

The Long Stretch

It's marathon time teaching again. The February-April stretch is always tough. The holidays have ended. Winter sports have ended. Snow has ended (Hopefully). The end is not close enough to inspire urgency, and the students end up restless, in a blah mood. 

We feel it, too. I come home more drained that I should be. I accidentally took a 10 minute power nap Monday. Raheem said he knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, but I didn't hear him. My phone now has an alarm in case I succumb again close to Shane's pick up time. 

I'm not worried about picking him up earlier; He's happy to play at school, as usual.

I sat around for 10 minutes while Shane enjoyed the sandbox today. We weren't in a hurry. Beautiful spring weather is here. Why not enjoy it?

Oscar's Pictures: Behind the Scenes

Here's a look at the edited pictures that DIDN'T make it into Oscar's Travel log. John had us rolling (laughing).

Oscar promotes his latest film:

Oscar protests Croatia's army:

Oscar rides along:

Oscar contributes to the war effort:

Oscar's Travel Journal

We finished Shane's homework before bed time.

The instructions were on the first page.

Ms. Hollie said to look through the other families entries for ideas.

Oscar went bike riding..,

 ..., to a grandma's farm,...

...and spent a lot of quality time with everyone's family.

One family took him to NYC for Christmas. Oscar got to see the big tree!

Our printer was out of color ink, so we had to do a family run to CVS.

It was a final jaunt with Oscar before we recorded our adventures.

Adventures With the McRuari's

Oscar and Shane went to Central Library and the Discovery Museum.

Then Shane and Oscar learned how to ride a horse. They relaxed with a computer game.

At the library, we discovered that Oscar has quite the history. His dad, Orville, helped build skyscrapers in order to pay for Oscar's college and flight school.

Oscar was the first octopus on the moon!

He was asked to be the Best Cephalopod at the Royal Wedding.

Oscar ran a popular campaign for President until his bid was halted
due to a small oversight....only humans can be President (for now).

So he continued his Jedi training and saved a galaxy far, far away with his friends.

To thank him for his efforts, Starfleet offered to beam him
back down to Charlottesville, VA to rejoin the Octopus Class.

Keep on trekking, Oscar!

We may have overdid it. The journal won't shut now.

It helps to have a friend with Photoshop (Thanks, John!)

I think we were the last family. Otherwise, someone has a tough act to follow!

Oscar For the Weekend

Oscar the Octopus came home with Shane for the weekend. It's our job to show Oscar an adventure and fill out his travel log for Monday. Shane's ecstatic.

He doesn't like to let Oscar out of his sight.

They do everything together.

Shane introduced Oscar to the cats...,

...and Voltron.

Shane is 100% into the idea of taking pictures with Oscar anywhere and everywhere.

"Shane, do you want to take a picture by the news truck?" I asked.

"I don't think so." Shane paused. Then the light went on. "Quick! By the sign! Take a picture!"

"Look! A prickly bush!"

Oscar almost got mailed.

After a Saturday morning of adventures, Shane was pictured out. He wasn't tired of Oscar, though.

The best pictures will go into the travel log. That will be another post.