Hello again kiddo :) As usual, time seems to fly by far too fast and suddenly it's been months since I last blogged. Just FYI, I've also not been able to blog much on my food blog, either...I've made a few things, but not nearly as many as I was prior to our move. Hoping to correct that in the new year (or sooner)!
Anyway, the major story is that you turned 7 years old just over a month ago! We celebrated at Grandma Judy's place with relatives and had a great time. You chose 'Angry Birds' as your theme--we made a really cool pinata of Red, cake was Red, made cupcakes with other characters, had party hats of Chuck, and Bad Piggies on the green solo cups. Everyone really enjoyed it, especially you :D You got lots of great gifts, but your favorite was the Tinker Toy set from Grandma (you already had one set and wanted more to build bigger projects, which you have done).
Another gift you got was a gift card and some money, which you used to buy some robots. You absolutely adore robots and want every robot you can get lol. You've also been using one of the gifts daddy and I got you: programming in Scratch for kids. You've not only done the programs in the book, but created some of your own, too. We love that you are into this and hope you continue on in other programming languages when you are ready!
Two days ago was Halloween. This year, you chose to be a black cat, as you still love cats (almost as much as robots, possibly more). We trick-or-treated the neighborhood streets around our house and had great weather this time--no terrible cold winds, no rain, just cool autumn temps and some clouds. We were equally lucky with the weather when we went to the Ar"boo"retum event of trick-or-treating the stores in that shopping plaza a few days prior. You ended up with 6.25 pounds of candy--not bad!
You are also still doing karate--up to Camo belt now and soon (end of this month) to graduate to Green! You are now part of the leadership team, so you go three nights a week (instead of just two) and seem to really like this. You are currently signed up for another two years of classes...hoping you will continue on to achieve black belt eventually!
We are still working on the house, though now we don't have nearly as many major projects to do. This coming week, we will finally be getting new carpet for the main living room. You helped mommy and uncle Kevin pull up the old yucky one (and padding) and helped move all the stuff out to get the room ready. You are still a terrific helper and enjoy doing so.
More again soon! Love you lots ~mommy
Friday, November 2, 2018
Friday, June 22, 2018
We moved! And a bunch more...
Yes, it's been 5 months again since I wrote--there are many reasons, the biggest of which is that we finally moved! It was a crazy experience; you will have to ask mommy for more details if you want to know one day (it would fill up a few entries here, and that's not what this blog is for :)) Our move date was the 5th of February, but we worked on it all that weekend, too. It took far longer and more effort than expected. Grandma Judy, "Silly Buddy", Nana, Pa-Pa Junior, Kevin, Maryanne, and even our new neighbors helped us out. Most of the winter, we had not had much snow...until it was time to move! It snowed on the 2nd, then again on the 5th (while we were moving in and all that night), and a lot of the following week, too.
For the next few weeks, our house looked like a sea of boxes. We unpacked as much as we could each day, while also cleaning (a LOT--it was very dirty when we moved in) and painting many of the rooms. It took a long time and a lot of help, but the house is finally mostly in order. I'm still working on it, just not so intensely now.
Once we finally got settled in, we started getting back to routine. Despite all the craziness, we did manage to keep up with your karate--you are a yellow belt now and doing well! Homeschooling has still been a bit rough, but we have managed to get it in, too.
We also traveled in April to Las Vegas (another plane ride for you!) to meet up with one of daddy's friends from college (Celeste). Some of her friends were meeting up there, too, so we all got to meet each other. We all shared a large house together and enjoyed the experience a lot. There was only one other kid there. Her name was Hailey, she was 12 years old, loved cats, and you two got along famously right away. She even tried to "protect" you as we walked along the Vegas strip and saw some showgirls who were not wearing very much clothing (you did not even notice lol). We went on the High Roller observation wheel, saw some shows at Circus Circus, attended the "Hawaiian Festival" for a bit, and even stopped by to visit my cousin Bryan at his work for a bit. It was a great time, apart from being super hot there, which you did not like.
Since then, we've done some short day trips to Wisconsin and Indiana, but nothing major. We are now at Nana Linda's for a short visit to drop off Kevin so he can stay and visit his friends for a while. We'll head back on Sunday. Love you and hope to write more very soon! ~mommy
For the next few weeks, our house looked like a sea of boxes. We unpacked as much as we could each day, while also cleaning (a LOT--it was very dirty when we moved in) and painting many of the rooms. It took a long time and a lot of help, but the house is finally mostly in order. I'm still working on it, just not so intensely now.
Once we finally got settled in, we started getting back to routine. Despite all the craziness, we did manage to keep up with your karate--you are a yellow belt now and doing well! Homeschooling has still been a bit rough, but we have managed to get it in, too.
We also traveled in April to Las Vegas (another plane ride for you!) to meet up with one of daddy's friends from college (Celeste). Some of her friends were meeting up there, too, so we all got to meet each other. We all shared a large house together and enjoyed the experience a lot. There was only one other kid there. Her name was Hailey, she was 12 years old, loved cats, and you two got along famously right away. She even tried to "protect" you as we walked along the Vegas strip and saw some showgirls who were not wearing very much clothing (you did not even notice lol). We went on the High Roller observation wheel, saw some shows at Circus Circus, attended the "Hawaiian Festival" for a bit, and even stopped by to visit my cousin Bryan at his work for a bit. It was a great time, apart from being super hot there, which you did not like.
Since then, we've done some short day trips to Wisconsin and Indiana, but nothing major. We are now at Nana Linda's for a short visit to drop off Kevin so he can stay and visit his friends for a while. We'll head back on Sunday. Love you and hope to write more very soon! ~mommy
Monday, January 29, 2018
Omelettes and grilled cheese
Hello again little buddy :) We think you are hitting a growth spurt--you've been eating like crazy this week! And you took a nap one day, which you haven't done in quite a long time. I'm very happy to report that this week, you decided to try omelettes and grilled cheese! Not together--on separate days :) And you loved both, yay!
You played with Milo a lot this weekend, which is good, as we are hoping Wednesday is going to be moving day...will know tomorrow for sure. We'll still make sure you guys get to see each other, just won't be as easy as it is right now. Mommy spent most of the weekend packing boxes so that when everyone comes to help us, all we'll need them to do is just pick up boxes and haul them to the new place.
One last thing--looks like you will be losing top front tooth very soon. Coincidentally, you'll be seeing the dentist on Tuesday, who I'm sure will remark about this. I'm betting you won't lose the tooth until we are at the new house, as you always wait until the tooth is just about to fall out of your mouth before "pulling" it.
lots of hugs ~mommy
You played with Milo a lot this weekend, which is good, as we are hoping Wednesday is going to be moving day...will know tomorrow for sure. We'll still make sure you guys get to see each other, just won't be as easy as it is right now. Mommy spent most of the weekend packing boxes so that when everyone comes to help us, all we'll need them to do is just pick up boxes and haul them to the new place.
One last thing--looks like you will be losing top front tooth very soon. Coincidentally, you'll be seeing the dentist on Tuesday, who I'm sure will remark about this. I'm betting you won't lose the tooth until we are at the new house, as you always wait until the tooth is just about to fall out of your mouth before "pulling" it.
lots of hugs ~mommy
Friday, January 19, 2018
Tabitha passed away
Hey little guy. I'm sad to report that today was not a happy one. It started off nice enough--we went to the gym/Kids Zone, followed by a little shopping and pizza from Costco for lunch. For a while now, our last cat, Tabitha, has not been doing so well. We were hoping she just had a cold or something, but it wasn't. After finishing our lunch, I went down to check on Tabitha (we had put her in daddy's desk chair in the basement, since that is one of her favorite spots). She wasn't breathing anymore :( I came up and told daddy, which you overheard, and both of you came down to check her, too. We all confirmed that she had indeed passed away. You cried so hard, it was heartbreaking. You picked her up, held her to you like you always do, and hugged her goodbye. You also put her in the box daddy brought down to take her away in. I think you may have handled it better due to having dealt with Phantom passing away back in August. Unlike that time, you chose against going along to see Tabitha off (we had her cremated, like Phantom); you had already hugged her and said goodbye, which I thought was very mature of you to realize.
To help comfort you, I suggested we go to Toys R Us and see if we could find you a stuffed animal cat to remember her by. The only stuffed animal cat you have currently is one that you got Christmas 2016 of Grumpy Cat, so that really wouldn't do. Happily, we found a perfect one--it's black with a white beard/throat and white paws, much like Tabitha. You named her Flower and kept her by you much of the rest of the day :) Love you lots ~mommy
p.s. We got confirmation today that we will be moving to the new house (provided no other snags turn up) on the 30th!!!
To help comfort you, I suggested we go to Toys R Us and see if we could find you a stuffed animal cat to remember her by. The only stuffed animal cat you have currently is one that you got Christmas 2016 of Grumpy Cat, so that really wouldn't do. Happily, we found a perfect one--it's black with a white beard/throat and white paws, much like Tabitha. You named her Flower and kept her by you much of the rest of the day :) Love you lots ~mommy
p.s. We got confirmation today that we will be moving to the new house (provided no other snags turn up) on the 30th!!!
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Swimming with mommy
Today mommy had to work in the morning, so we were not able to go to Kids Zone like we would have normally. Instead, after I returned from work, I did some packing in the garage (despite the very brrr cold), then was going to go to gym with daddy and just leave you at home with Kevin. Then I got a better idea--we could go swimming! Lucky for us, Fountain View Fitness has an awesome pool setup: there is a lap pool and a warm water "family" pool, and it just happened to be open swim time. You were totally on board with this idea--you ask often about the pool when we pass by it on the way out from our workouts/trips to Kids Zone. We haven't been to a pool in quite a while, so we were certainly overdue :)
You don't know how to swim just yet--you've always had a problem with getting your face wet/in the water. This time, however, you got brave--with your goggles on, you held your nose and started practicing putting your face in the water. This went well, so you kept trying for longer and deeper...before I knew it, you had plunged all the way in, head under the water!! This is a HUGE step for you--so very proud of you!! Daddy was up on the 2nd floor, walking on the track, and told us afterward that he could see us and was amazed and proud of you, too! So very wonderful.
We came home and have been just hanging out here, as we are trying to save $$ and also, as I mentioned, it's really brrr outside--current temp is 7°F. Hoping we get some snow tomorrow night like they have predicted. Won't be much, but it'll make the cold worth it :) Love you lots ~maman
You don't know how to swim just yet--you've always had a problem with getting your face wet/in the water. This time, however, you got brave--with your goggles on, you held your nose and started practicing putting your face in the water. This went well, so you kept trying for longer and deeper...before I knew it, you had plunged all the way in, head under the water!! This is a HUGE step for you--so very proud of you!! Daddy was up on the 2nd floor, walking on the track, and told us afterward that he could see us and was amazed and proud of you, too! So very wonderful.
We came home and have been just hanging out here, as we are trying to save $$ and also, as I mentioned, it's really brrr outside--current temp is 7°F. Hoping we get some snow tomorrow night like they have predicted. Won't be much, but it'll make the cold worth it :) Love you lots ~maman
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Mr. Chef and Christmas gifts
For Christmas this year, you asked for 3 main things: a kitchen playset, an RC helicopter, and a Nerf gun. Lucky you, Santa brought all 3! The helicopter, unfortunately, was not working correctly, so we took it back to a store to get a refund--we'll get a replacement one after we move. The Nerf gun has gotten a fair bit of use (you actually got 2--one from Santa and one from daddy), but the kitchen has received the most attention. Nearly everyday, you "cook" for me and/or daddy, which we love. You've even said that you might want to grow up to be a chef :) Tonight you were cooking for me and told me you could cook lots for me, as I could never get actually full on pretend food lol.
There were other gifts besides these, too. You got an Angry Birds themed LEGO set, a set of talking Angry Birds figures, a Lite Bright, a book about a "mousetranaut", Mad Libs booklet, and a super nice blanket that Nana made for you. There were probably a few other little ones I can't think of as well. Point is, Santa must have thought you were very, very good this year.
Today was a good day, spent indoors at home, as it is suuuuper cold right now. We've been below freezing since we got back from Nana's (27 Dec), and forecast says we will likely stay that way for a while to come. The highest temp we are going to see will be on Sunday, which is currently predicted at 30°F--on verra... For this reason, we've been staying inside for the most part, only venturing out when necessary. Tonight we took down the Christmas tree--something I usually reserve until 6th of January or later, but given the upcoming move is in 13 days (!), need to get as much packed as soon as possible. I also packed up some of the downstairs closet; while doing so, you hung out with me and we decided that in the new house, we must set a 'family game time' for each week. We have A LOT of board games, so this should not be a problem :D
Another part of routine I want to get back to implementing is the bedtime book. With my job last year making me go to bed early (and keeping me busy late in the evening), we got off track from doing this. You are still an amazing reader, though, so no worries on any hindered progress, thankfully. Tonight's book was "I Am Not Reading"--super cute. Love you lots XOXO ~mommy
There were other gifts besides these, too. You got an Angry Birds themed LEGO set, a set of talking Angry Birds figures, a Lite Bright, a book about a "mousetranaut", Mad Libs booklet, and a super nice blanket that Nana made for you. There were probably a few other little ones I can't think of as well. Point is, Santa must have thought you were very, very good this year.
Today was a good day, spent indoors at home, as it is suuuuper cold right now. We've been below freezing since we got back from Nana's (27 Dec), and forecast says we will likely stay that way for a while to come. The highest temp we are going to see will be on Sunday, which is currently predicted at 30°F--on verra... For this reason, we've been staying inside for the most part, only venturing out when necessary. Tonight we took down the Christmas tree--something I usually reserve until 6th of January or later, but given the upcoming move is in 13 days (!), need to get as much packed as soon as possible. I also packed up some of the downstairs closet; while doing so, you hung out with me and we decided that in the new house, we must set a 'family game time' for each week. We have A LOT of board games, so this should not be a problem :D
Another part of routine I want to get back to implementing is the bedtime book. With my job last year making me go to bed early (and keeping me busy late in the evening), we got off track from doing this. You are still an amazing reader, though, so no worries on any hindered progress, thankfully. Tonight's book was "I Am Not Reading"--super cute. Love you lots XOXO ~mommy
Monday, January 1, 2018
Happy 2018!
Hey, little guy :) Or big little guy, I should say--you are 51" tall now, can you believe that?? (You are about a foot taller than your friend Milo, who is just 2 months younger than you.) Speaking of Milo, he came over today! He went away to Florida for the holidays and we didn't know when he'd be back--you were over the moon when you heard him come though the door :D So, your last day of 2017 was spent playing with him for a while, then he went home and we went to feed Buddy the parrot (he's a pet that belongs to one of daddy's friends--she is away and we go over to feed him for her) and go get Casey's pizza in Hampshire (yes, we went that far--we had the coupons to get a free one :)) Then we spent the evening hanging out at home, watching "The Compleat Al" (a gift daddy got from me for Christmas) and then daddy practicing playing his bass for us. We let you stay up to countdown to midnight (you normally get to bed around 10:30-11pm, so this isn't the stretch that it would be for most kids), where we watched the countdown on TV and toasted together. It was a great last day of the year. Here's to a great 2018, full of lots of love and fun! *big hugs* ~mommy
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