cooking class

As a belated birthday treat, we hosted a private chef to teach us how to cook a favorite meal: Chicken Tikka Masala, Basmati Rice, Spinach, and Apple Cider Donuts.  Our chef was a bit of a character and at times I felt like those drill sergeant chefs on TV are the real deal, but she mostly teased us.  We had one grease fire and a few misshapen donuts, but J went back for a second serving! And to top the cake, and proof it must have been tasty: Aiden gobbled it up!  So I call it a success ;) 

treats

It's always such a treat to have family visiting!  Makes me wish I could squash the states together every time!  We did a whole lot of chillaxing which we are really good at - but we kept moving too - and I think my sister broke 30,000 steps on her fitbit in one day!  Keaton wanted to copy his cousin and ride in a stroller (which he hadn't ridden in for almost two years!) for some nice walks. My mom and I found a new trike for Cam and he was already scooting around on it.  The big boys looooved their European surprise egg treats and the tiny adorable toys are getting plenty of playtime.  Thanks to our favorite candy mules who even found a giant happy egg guy to decorate and hold all the cute toys ;)

fall fest

Beautiful weather and balloons... Ice cream and cotton candy... Live animals and pirates... Olaf in costume and bouncy houses... Kettle korn and crab soup... Family visiting from out of town... All ingredients for a good day!

tidbits

Tidbits ::  Back on the ice after a session break, this alpha instructor isn't messing around.  He jumped right back in...

The apple pattern hat guy hopped off the bus after his family one apple celebration with all sorts of fun stories... Apple tastings, exercises, pattern hats, songs...

It was color week at Keaton's school and it was so fun to see the kids play with color mixing.  The giant palette was my favorite.

Keaton was so excited to have me in his class again and this time he was able to be the sharer.  He brought a magformer rocket ship he made with a robot and Jedi riding in it.  It was pretty cute hearing him explain it and his friends asking questions about where he got it.  He was excited to say for his birthday from his grandparents - thx!

This guy is back to piano lessons... which are getting tricky and sometimes just plain hard.  So sometime you get the face on the left followed by the shrugging guy on the right.

His sharing bag he decorated himself.

His class looooves having books read to them and they all wish they could squeeze on one lap.

fun run

Aiden's new school started a new fundraiser this year where the kids ask for pledges to run laps.  Parents were invited to cheer and catch a ton of high fives.  The classes were all introduced as music blared.  They were pumped after 8 days of "character development" workshops all with a rocknroll theme: amplify others, listen for feedback, plug into serve, and thank your crowd.  They estimated that each kid would run 30-35 laps but Aiden and his buddies all kept going.  He ended at 46 laps around the field, most he ran but some he danced his way around. It was fun to meet other kids and parents from his class.  

Fun Run 2014 from LB on Vimeo.

paisley

J jumped in the Brad Paisley fan club tickets to his last US concert this year.  Somehow J, a metal shred guitar player, is now into Paisley's impressive finger picking.  I'm grateful on long car rides to listen to Brad versus the other options.  We are all more familiar with Brad Paisley than I ever expected we would be.  

Aiden was psyched for his first concert and along with his openers Brad did not disappoint.  Aiden had a giant red shaved ice kinda deal that was still staining his face a day later.  One of the openers stopped by to talk to Aiden before the show and even gave him a pick.  They asked for fans to text funny pictures, so J took that funny red faced, wild eyed pic and sent it in.  They posted it on the mega screen twice ;)  

picnic

KC's school hosted a teddy bear's picnic for the whole school.  It was a perfect day for a teddy parade.  Keaton squeezed into a swing with his Captain Abearica.  We ate lotsa yummy food - including pumpkin biscuits with ham and cheese which I'm going to have to try sometime - yummo!  Then it was face painting time and after we had a pretty jazzed up Flash and Vampire on our hands.  The vampire cackles trailed behind a spooked Flash running as fast as he could.

tidbits

Whoosh, where do the days go?!  I can't believe it's been four weeks since school started!  This past week was busy with friends coming over, a welcome back social (with treats!), a community wide garage sale, back to school night, and the start of Keaton's Spanish class... I've also had double the photos to edit and was bitten by the knitting bug again... 

For the sale, there were 36 houses in the neighborhood participating.  We did ok selling some bulky stuff. It was really fun for the boys!  Turns out Aiden is quite the salesman, and as a kid would approach he'd say things like, "Hey you look like you'd like trucks!? How about this?"  It was like he'd attended used car salesman training.

Keaton seems to like his new Spanish class where they use complete immersion not using any English.  They use lotsa songs which is what he really likes.  He learned about words for clothing.

Aiden's Back to School Night was a treat. The teacher's "discipline" program includes discussing the Core Virtues: respect, compassion, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, generosity, self discipline. I can't think of a better way to motivate kids to do the right thing than explaining the core reason why.  The kids had made paper versions of themselves and we were supposed to try to match them with our kid's about me pennants.  Talk about a challenge!  I guess the kids love to see how we get them mixed up ;)

tidbits

Tidbits from the last few days that feel kinda like Groundhog's Day on repeat... As much as I don't like that movie, it's been easy to fall into a school year routine already.  The bus stop has been crisp a few mornings and we are still greeted by an ultra enthusiastic guy when he gets off the bus usually covered in sweat.  

Saying hi to the cow outside the ice cream shop, even while dodging a visit since Aiden and I killed a cinnamon bun earlier.

Playing with a new batch of second hand superheroes....

Chilly guy at story time on a beautiful breezy morning used my sweater to cover up...

Sneak peek at Aiden's seventh birthday for spies!  I paused when I made the reservation thinking it can't possibly be he is turning 7!

Grooving leprechaun guys make everyone smile...

New 'be curious' banner for the back to school guys - this banner is chalkboard material - woot!

This guy's favorite way to sit when his brother is away... I guess there is at least one advantage to his brother buddy being back at school.

laser tag

We went to check out the Ultra Zone laser tag arena for Aiden's seventh spy birthday (7?!)  It was a huge hit and they even let Keaton play even though the vest is almost as long as he is.  Daddy had all sorts of tactics and tips to share and they were pumped.  We then had a visit from Bat Dad at the party store looking for some spy favors ;)

teddy clinic

We ventured out to the National Museum of Health and Medicine.  I can remember an event similar to this when Aiden was a bit younger than Keaton… It's so simple and so darn cute to see kids marching around ready to get a check up for their teddy bears.  They upped the ante and made it even cuter by giving the doctor's a checklist and a lab coat.  Captain Abearica and Raph the puppy got their shots out of the way right away, then they got a full vital check, a good teeth cleaning, a nutrition consultation, and a fitness regimen (which included a game of twister and some fun darts!).  The craft table had a fun reflector and doctor's bag full of fun stuff. We also looked around inside the museum where we found some interesting medical exhibits and some "creepy" stuff according to Aiden (it's not every day that your six year is pointing out a fermented scrotal elephantiasis).  They earned squishy microscopes for completing all the teddy missions.

tidbits

KC is getting ready for Halloween and wishes stores had costumes out all the time!

Aiden giggled as he finished up his first homework paper ever!

Keaton was the tiger at story time this week and his job was to chase the other animals around...he has that job mastered.

These magna tile continue to be a favorite.  Keaton built these rockets all on his own.

Having your own mini umbrella covered in animals is an ingredient for a fun  morning!

Love getting all the day in review pics from Keaton's school.  He can't wait to have me in the classroom but in the meantime I love getting a peek at what he's up to.  This week was a short one, but I have already filled up those three short mornings.  I added a new photo client and made it into the PTA meeting at Aiden's school (my first and it's exactly what you'd expect - someone needs to make a Office/Community like tv show about the PTA!)

The boys' new dentist office is insane and fancy with a dancing room while you wait, TVs in the ceiling, and the swankiest setup.  Aiden is the proud owner of a shark tooth!  Turns out it's really common for kids with strong teeth roots to develop a second row of teeth that later moves forward.  So instead of pushing out the baby teeth they just join the party for a while.  Those baby guys are already wiggling around...so the tooth fairy is waiting in the wings.

Impromptu play dates with the class buddy that lives across the street...bonus: they nicely included little brother. Yay for neighborhood schools!

last hurrah

The last hurrah at the pool last weekend along with the neighborhood bands playing all day in the annual Man.tua.pa.looza.  We caught the Black Tie Project of high schoolers and the boys were really bopping to the beat.  I can't help but flash forward to my guys up there in ten years, but for now we'll enjoy playing horsey in the baby pool.

Then it was time for the doggie dive in the pool they are getting ready to drain and clean for the season.  There were black labs galore all trying to chase down the same ball.  Once you get over the wet dog smell, it's really fun to watch them play in the water.

super saturdays

We're back to our Saturday fun days with J off teaching and the boys and I searching for low key fun... It's again a novelty to have the brothers together now that school is back in session.

Keaton was really able to work on his project and follow the directions now, while Aiden can do it all almost independently.  This was a funny Wizard of Oz themed bird house where the witch legs are the perch for the bird.

first day

Little brother had his turn to go to school at the start of the week.  Keaton's in the big three year old Ladybug class full of superstars.  Their experienced teacher said this was the first time in her teaching career that she didn't have any tears at drop off time!  They had such a fun first day.  Keaton said, "I learned to be patient today!"  That and, "My new friends are fun to like!" And, "I know how to walk down the hall just right with my girl friend Virginia!" (Her name is actually Sophie).  He talked a lot about the routine and how he "waited for a turn for everything…" He was excited that his friend also likes riding the swing "superman style!" He loved telling his teacher that he "actually helped make the playdoh that smells like something funny!" The lemonade smell faded into just lemon ;) I think it was such a great transition back on a drizzly day where they still had a chance to get on the playground under the cover of all those beautiful trees.  She took these hilarious all class shots where the kids were all making fun faces... wish I was allowed to post the full class pic of all 12 kids, but here are Keaton's zoomed in mugs:

tidbits

Our car trip into Aiden's school has been replaced by the hang out time at the bus stop two houses from our house.  We search for the shady spots and bring some fun with us.

Keaton set up shop on the empty bed frame before they delivered our new bed - which I love!

Date day was amped up by the addition of Jeni's ice cream straight from Ohio!  

This Calvin and Hobbes just about sums up my feelings this past week:

"Well, Summer is almost over.  It sure went quick, didn't it?  Yup.  There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."

Keaton on his daily exploration in our wild backyard… before the bugs chase us back inside - can't wait for the cooler weather!

Keaton's visit with his new teacher could not have been more fun!  They made special placemats for snack time with hand stamps.  The walls are ready and waiting to be filled up with colorful kid art.

playdoh

We tested out the big batches of playdoh I made for Keaton's school.  I made this yellow smell like lemonade as a last nod to summer.  

Here's the recipe that worked best:

Ingredients (for a double batch)

2 cups flour
2 cups water
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons cream of tartar

Extras:
Food coloring (gel works best for bold colors)
Scent (unprepared Kool-Aid packets, flavor extracts, spices, etc).

Instructions
Mix the above ingredients in a large pot and place over medium heat. Stir constantly. Everybody seems to have their own opinion regarding how long to cook the playdough since too little heat results in a “droopy” dough and too much results in stubborn crumbles. A good rule of thumb is to look for the consistency of mashed potatoes (or about the time your arm rebels against stirring). When in doubt, pull it off the heat a little early and have a little extra flour on hand to help firm it up if it seems a bit shapeless. Once off the heat, knead the playdough until cool–a fairly cathartic process–and store in an airtight plastic bag.

Note: This recipe is NOT edible, but it is not poisonous either. It will keep for 3 months without refrigeration.

art class

Clearing my phone and archiving all the summer photos, I realized that I never gave a rundown of our summer long art class.  This was a great class for both brothers.  They made each other and everyone laugh during the sharing time at the end of each class.  I think the funniest moment was the "aquarium" where Keaton accidentally painted over most of his oil pastel drawing, so he ripped his cellophane, and told everyone that his fish swam away through that crack ;)

Silly Splat the doggie with his artistic mustache was a favorite guy. I think the favorite project of the summer was the model magic doggie with habitats.  

Other fun making Fifi bunnies and adding "fashion" to them.  Keaton also started making tons of these little Mickey guys on just about every scribble drawing.  It's like his signature ;)

page to stage

The Kennedy Center was hosting a Page to Stage Festival all weekend.  We were able to catch the preview of B lossom's Rainbow featuring the same group that hosted a camp for Aiden a while back.  They performed by the M illennium Stage and even invited folks to sit in the middle of the action as the dancers danced around and the drummer played all his instruments.  The boys thought it was pretty neat to be at the Kennedy Center, and it wasn't something that you see everyday.

Above is Keaton's best impersonation of a distinguished theater connoisseur.

book fest

The National Book Festival had its "pavilions" set up inside the convention center this year!  Big win with air conditioning and quieter author sessions than when it was setup on the dusty outdoor Mall space in DC.  We arrived super duper early to get the lay of the land, and get ahead on visiting each of the state tables for our map stamps.  We were lucky to score a bunch of the state books for free. For completing the whole map, the boys also each got a big squishy lego that they like to match up together.  We had a few rounds hooping the giant stuffed horses to earn some stickers.  We listened to a fun book at the kid's story time.  We also had a chance to see the Jedi Academy author draw some of his favorite characters and talk about how his books all started with a google logo request that never flew (for a Darth Vader as a father for Father's Day).  We also listened to all sorts of math tricks with the author of Bedtime Math.   We spotted the Flora and Ulysses, Iggy Peck Architect, and Bats in the Library authors and the Alexander and the No Good Very Bad Day author was there too!

interview with KC

Starting a new tradition with the big kid - It's the occasional random interview I started with Aiden at nearly the exact same age.  He had a classroom visit with his new three year old teacher today. He enjoyed showing her the letter X and telling her it meant "Errnt" (like a strike out noise).  She had a good sense of humor and laughed at his joke, so he's now her biggest fan.  He was so calm and zen the whole visit and didn't want to leave, so I'm sure he's ready for the real first day on Monday.

Here's the cuddly goofball's first interview in the series:

One word to describe you would be:
Hugging!

Why do you like being a kid?
I like to hug my mama!

If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why?
I like to be a cheetah because I want black spots on me!

Tell about a funny time in your life.

The fun part of my hugging.

What is your favorite thing to do? Why?
I like to go everywhere because it's funny for me!

What do you love most about your sibling?
I like to hug him!

What was the nicest thing you did for someone?
Hug!?  I like just liked it!

What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now?
Uh, hugging...

What is the grossest thing you can think of?
A dried up french fry is really, really yucky.

What is your happiest memory?
Um, I think running around inside the playground.

one second summer

Whoosh, it still feels like this summer flew by!  I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun…  Turns out Vergil is really right: Tempus fugit!  This summer was the absolute best for a whole bunch of reasons, mostly having to do with having two boys ready and willing to have fun just about all the time…. and I became much less responsible for their messes (no more diapers!)  We've almost reached the veritable "sweet spot" a la Juliana Miner.

J and I take a date day occasionally where the boys play with a babysitter and we get a blissful brunch and try to catch a movie.  We saw the feel good move Chef where they highlight the One Second Everyday app.  It's taking a one second snippet from a video you took that day and compiling it into a giant montage.  I technically didn't start our summer version until the end of July, so there are a few days missing, but I had a bunch of video already from our summer adventures.  The app is very strict that it has to be video taken that day, so I couldn't just plug in extra bits ;)

But it's so fun to look back on our summer, I think I'll continue throughout the fall…

Summer Seconds from LB on Vimeo.

first day

Aiden had his first day of first grade at our neighborhood school today!  We were ready to go pretty early, so Aiden made his own first day sign and packaged up some treats for his teacher.  We wandered around in front of our house in the steamy humid weather, not quite sure where the bus would pick up (just about everyone at the stop was new too!)  The new neighbors have new puppies that are just adorable.  The bus did eventually cruise up and stop before the intersection, so we took a quick walk over.  Aiden really wanted to be sure that it was the right bus and once he spotted the number he hopped right on.  I had talked to Keaton about how the bus was for Aiden and we were going to wave to him… As the door closed, he whimpered "I want to go too!"  Then after the bus pulled away, a few tears came as he realized his brother was gone and he got to go off on the fun bus.  He perked up and I'm grateful that he helped distract me ;)  He said immediately he wanted to go to Trader Joes, so we hopped in the car.  I couldn't help it and took a quick detour to drive by the school to see the bus drop off the kids.  It seemed like a really nice welcome over there as the kids calmly filed off the bus and into the school with their 'family' group.  Aiden has such a determined walk and pep in his step.  

He had an even quicker pep in his step when he hopped off the very late afternoon bus with the biggest smile and the sweatiest brow…. and a package of Runts candy that he earned from the teacher's "candy jar" for answering a question with good problem solving. He was excited to tell me he was the very first one to earn candy for the school year and the only one for today.  I think his teacher is really encouraging and the candy jar is just one of her tricks.  His homework is to bring in five objects that represent him and start his reading log. Then we as the parents have a homework sheet to fill out his likes, dislikes, etc. He loved his Italian class and said that was the best part of the day. Turns out the Italian teacher doesn't speak any English so it's total immersion. He wanted to buy lunch and looooved using his credit card account. He ate chicken, veggie juice, regular milk, and even carrots!  I think he's really encouraged to eat enough by the aides. He said the biggest difference from his last school is that he gets his own table with his name on it and a place for his stuff.  I think the best part is that his classmates live close by - Turns out two of his classmates a few houses from us, so that is nice!

more games

So many games that Keaton can play now compared to the beginning of the summer… I think Zingo and Feed the Kitty are big favorites (along with the piggie game.)

Robot Turtles is one of the games the Think Fun folks gave us.  It's ridiculously awesome at teaching kids the basics of programming/coding.  The hype is that it's the biggest kickstarter backed game (where people donate to the early stage development) and everyone is hyped by the idea of kids learning about programming.  It reminds me of the Logowriter program on the Apple IIe setup in Zenith back in the day.

The Balloon Lagoon is a fun game with a time limit and little mini carnival games.  Keaton is able to play along with us!

Lotsa fun games at Grand and Pop's house too - Like Booby Trap!  And a good team up on a Sudoku with Gran.

Above L: Puzzles taller than he is!  R: The favorite piggie game!

This building set is really fun to make forts and rocketships!  This is Catan Junior which seemed complicated at first, but when you get the hang of it it seems like a perfect match for Aiden.

Above L: Another strategy game, this time with Superheroes!  R: Another game we can all play and enjoy together.  It's Operation Brain Surgery where you have to stick your hand in and find certain pieces by feeling them.