Wednesday, June 14, 2017

In Summeeeeeeeer...


Ada (and Paul, for that matter) is a huge Frozen fan, of course, and so now that "Easter is over, and it's summer!" we've sung Olaf's ring-in for the new season quite a lot. I'm ok with it.

The biggest highlights of the last 2 weeks are 1) Paul and Ada's week of Vacation Bible School (VBS) at a Methodist church over on St. Charles Ave, leaving me with just that big, fat baby during the mornings and 2) said big, fat baby's first birthday. One whole year old. Amazing.


Oh, and an obligatory (ahem) dozen donuts for National Donut Day...

So, VBS was 9-12 M-F for the first full week of June, and after dropping off two of my children Monday morning, I took Jack for a walk in Audubon Park and over to the zoo's playground for some one-on-one play time. I think he enjoyed. And, boy, did those couple of hours fly by! The first time I picked up P&A, Ada was a little hesitant and seemed very glad to see me ... though she later changed her tune to sound a bit more like, "I didn't want to leave VBS." They were both very happy to drop off and very happy to pick up, buzzing about what was for snack, how fun the playtime was, and what songs they'd learned that day. Paul's teacher even gave me a report about the science part: how into the science lesson Paul was each time and how he was one of the only ones (age groups aside!) who knew what stalactites and stalagmites are ... awesome! The last day, they ask parents to arrive a little earlier for a bit of a performance, showing off the songs and Bible lessons they touched on all week; Ada loves to perform and did all the hand motions and everything. Paul does not. He even said on Monday that he loves VBS but doesn't want to do the show at the end. (He remembered from previous years). How I have a kid with a shy bone is beyond me ... must come from his Papa's side ;) 
The sour-puss face is really only a reflection of the performance mindset ... he very much enjoyed himself and sings along to the songs on cd in the car all the time. Shrug - c'est la vie.

Anyway, my time with Jack was mostly a blur of rushed errands, but it was nice nonetheless. Evenings were also a bit funny that week because Dylan came straight home to do some outside work, so the kids stayed out til dark, which is later than bedtime. We've all been catching up on sleep these past 5 or so days.

Good news is that big/little John Joseph has been letting us catch up on some sleep as of Saturday the 10th, the day of his 1st birthday party with Nana, Pappy, Tante Ginny & Uncle Ryan, and it's mostly due to the fact that we're, uh, feeding him before bed. He was still waking 3 and 4 times a night up til Saturday, when we had the chance to eat dinner earlier, thus having the idea dawn on us that he'd need a "top up" before bed ... and then he only woke once. We've done the same - stuff that baby at 8pm - before bed, and I'm sleeping ... aaah! What a difference it is not to read to the big kids at naptime through closing eyelids! I almost can't imagine what it'll feel like in a week or two with the same. *Please, oh please, give us a few weeks of the same or better* ... Sorry. The idea of sleep - idea because it's not been anything tangible for, well, a year+ - is so delicious, and to think it's almost within grasp makes me giddy. I'll stop there, though I could go on.

Birthday party! Yes, Jack's 1st birthday was delightful - from the water play to all his favorite foods, so many fun pressies, and his first dessert: Papa's cheesecake!
Ada, here, is a flower - ha! She loves "Jack's present with the two pools and the little rainbow thing that goes zhhzhhzhhh" with lots of hand motions. Gah. She's too cute.

Then on his actual birthday, the 13th, we finished the cheesecake for breakfast! Paul and Ada really joined in the fun and enjoyed celebrating Jack with us. Precious.