Frame A Day '12: Week 30--7/22-7/28

Week 30!  Wow!

July 22--I can't show the photo from today, in the interest of anonymity.

July 23--Stop!  Don't Shoot!!--It's always fun to cool off on a hot summer afternoon with a water fight.

 July 24--Twenty-fourth of July Fireworks--Earnest did this project at camp back around Independence Day, but he just brought it home this week.  We wanted a picture before it got "recycled", although after I took it he then decided he wanted to hang it in his room for awhile.

July 25--Summer Interns--This summer hasn't been all fun and games for me.  For the first time, we are allowing students to take their biotech internships for credit over the summer.  This week, I visited all six of them at their various labs in the area.  Here I am with one of our students and her supervisor.

 July 26--Jeopardy!--At Earnest's camp this summer, the kids have been working on social behaviors with the Superflex system--a host of characters which help young kids develop social thinking and skills.  Today was their play.  The kids were given scenarios where one of the Unthinkables were interfering with positive interactions and the kids described what they should do.  For bonus points, they tossed a basketball into a hoop.

 July 27--Vacation Bible School-Sky--Trust attended Vacation Bible School this week.  This year, her friend was there with her, so she enjoyed it even more than last year.  Like last year, the week ended with the participants singing a few songs for family and friends.

 July 28--After--Trust had her cracked front teeth bonded on Thursday.  I have to say it makes all of us happy to have her pretty smile restored.

Frame a Day '12: Week 29: 7/15-21

July 15--Putting on the Brakes--While we were on vacation, Chretien had to replace one of the rear brake pads.  Today, under less urgent conditions, he replaced the other one.  Earnest was taking notes.  Although he probably can't change brakes (yet), he did learn the names and uses of some of the wrenches.

 July 16--Statue of Liberty, Lego Style--Our library had a Lego contest tonight.  The kids were given a bag of assorted Legos and were instructed to construct a building.  Trust was very resourceful and traded some of the Legos that she didn't need or want to get ones to create her entry, the Statue of Liberty.  Earnest did not really compete and he and I just built different structures from his bag.

 July 17--Let the Games Begin!--Imp and I went to the library today for some Olympic crafts.  He made the laurel wreath, a torch (which he was calling "his campfire"), a bookmark and a swimmer/gymnast on a stick which you could put in either the pool or a balance beam and slide the stick so they could compete.  We're ready over here!

 July 18--Truck Day--It was a dream come true for the boy who loves to push buttons, pull levers and turn knobs...Truck Day!

 July 19--Hot (?) Summer Nights--This child just makes me laugh and wonder.  Even with the cooling thunderstorms we had yesterday, it still gets very warm in my kids' rooms.  Imp insists that we cover him up with his angel blanket every night.  I suppose it could be worse.  During the cooler weather, he wants both his angel blanket and his ducky blanket.  I suppose it's not a huge surprise, as his daddy always wants a blanket as well, even during the warmest summer nights.

I have never come so close to missing a day before.  It's not that I didn't have photos, but for some reason, my cell phone was acting up and they are all ghosty, blurry and unusable.  I am so glad I sat down about 40 minutes ago to look at them and didn't wait until tomorrow to retrieve them, because then I would have been out of luck.  The photo for today should have been one of Trust and Earnest painting suncatchers at the library.  Oh, well.

 July 20--Chips off the Old Block--Trust tripped and did a face plant on the playground at camp.  Unfortunately, her two front teeth were the biggest casualties of the fall.  We managed to get an emergency dental visit late in the afternoon, and thankfully, there appears to be no nerve damage.  As luck would have it, she has a regular cleaning appointment next week, so they will take a better look at that time and figure out how to proceed.

 July 21--Sisters?--Trust's friend came over for a sleepover.  They had planned many fun activities, including water games, movies, reading books and creating new T shirts with fabric markers.  I was amused at the color coordination of the girls here.  I almost think they could pass for sisters.

Frame A Day '12: Week 28--7/8-7/14

July 8--Sunday Skype--It's Sunday night, and that means it's time to Skype with Gran and Gramps.

 July 9--Dump!--The kids have created a new game called "Dump".  Judging by the equipment used, the dirty area, and the resultant looks of the participants, I'd say the name is very appropriate.

July 10--Kale for Trust--Trust and I attended a Young Scientists program at the library tonight.  It was presented by Whole Foods, so of course the talk included free samples of a yummy smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, oranges, plums, pomegranate juice and kale.  Can I say that I love that Trust was excited to hear about the science and is looking forward to the next program?

 July 11--Going Up and Down--Imp and I had fun riding the teeter totter today.

In the interest of anonymity, I cannot post the picture from July 12.

July 13--Still Summer--We bought a hanging basket of flowers from Home Depot last week on sale.  So funny, because I still think we have a lot of summer yet, but all types of stores will beg to differ with me.

July 14--Since we learned about the broadcast of the newest American Girl movie tonight, Trust had been looking forward to watching it.  It turned into a big time viewing, with blankets and brothers and dolls.  I am very amused at Imp's American Girl Doll, Bullseye (and his penguin "Woody" is almost out of the frame.)  The boys only lasted until the first commercial break, but Trust watched the entire movie with interest, although having to wait through commercial interruptions was novel.

Frame A Day '12: Week 27: 7/1-7/7

7/1--Home Sweet Home--Thirteen days, fourteen states, 3575 miles and countless hours in this minivan. Five theme parks, three hotels, two stays at grandparents' houses. Arriving home safely and getting the car unpacked and bags put away? Priceless.

 July 2--Dream Big Read!--The library's summer reading program has begun in earnest.

 July 3--A Quintessential Summer Image--Doesn't this pose just scream summer?  A kid reading a book on a swing, with not a care in the world...I think this is timeless.

 July 4--A Sparking Good Holiday--We got some sparklers and small fireworks while we were on vacation, and had our own little show tonight.  Happy Independence Day!

 July 5--Alphabet Soup--We went to the story and craft at the l today.  The theme was the library today.  The them was the alphabet, and for the craft, the kids strung letters on string to make bracelets and necklaces.  Imp created a new way to spell his name...with the V, X and Z, it will perfect if he moves to a Slavic nation, I think.

 July 6--Summer Camp--Earnest was in the inclusion classroom for kindergarten. His teacher recommended him as a role model for a camp that is held during the summer for some of the kids who have extended school year services. It's at a local elementary school, and it has your basic camp components, including crafts, music, water play and the activities will culminate in a performance the last week of camp. Despite the school being fairly close by, transportation is included in the camp fees, and the nicest perk is that each kid is dropped off in front of their house in the afternoon. Despite never having taken a school bus before, Earnest seems to have adapted to this quite well.

 July 7--Fiery Skies--We went to see fireworks tonight, since we didn't make it on Wednesday.

Frame A Day '12: Week 26: 6/24-6/30

I've been away for two weeks and missed the linky for Week 25. If you are interested in that week, you can find the post here.

June 24--That's (Mr.) Incredible!--......as well as Frozone and our own three superheroes posing together at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Nothing could keep these superheroes apart, not even Tropical Storm Debby, who tried to put a damper on things.  We had a great, albeit very wet, day.

June 25--Down by the Riverside--We drove to Chattanooga to meet my in-laws today.  After a barbecue dinner, we strolled along the Tennessee River.  This scene just seems to typify a sunny southern evening down by the riverside.

 June 26--Lover's Leap--We spent the day touring some of the sites of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga today.  We visited the Incline Railway, a cable car which climbs the mountain at a 72% angle, Ruby Falls, which is a waterfall 300 feet underground in a cave, and Rock City, which is a gorgeous rocky trail which affords amazing views around every turn.  Here at Lover's Leap, we could view seven states as well as this waterfall.

 June 27--Taking the Plunge--We visited Dollywood's Splash Country today.  Like most water parks, they had a version of a scary-looking, super fast slide called Fire Tower Falls.  Of course, Chretien had to try it out.  Earnest climbed the steps with him, but came up just a bit short in his height measurement to be able to take the plunge.

 June 28--Dollywood's Answer to "It's a Small World"--Imp loves all things mechanical.  If it has a knob, it must be opened.  If it has a switch, it must be flipped.  If it has a crank, it must be turned.  If it is a water cannon, it will enthrall him for hours on end.  This ride is called "River Battle" and it was literally a dream come true for Imp.  You sit in a boat and fire off the water cannons at targets, other boats, and not-so-innocent people on shore, who are also firing water cannons back at you.  We joked that Imp could have spent all day there, and if it grew dark around him, he would not have noticed one bit as long as the water kept flowing and the gay little ditty kept blaring from the overhead speakers.  The funny thing is, I think Chretien not-so-secretly enjoyed the ride as much as his son, despite protesting about riding.  (Note that I had already ridden and was trying to dry off.)

 

June 29--I Got the T-shirt--This was a big week for me. On Sunday, I rode my very first looping roller coaster ever at Disney, the Rock N Roller Coaster. Although that coaster is way more intense than the Sooper Dooper Looper at Hersheypark, the coaster as Hersheypark is the first one I remember as a looping coaster from childhood. At the time, I was in awe of those who were brave enough to ride it. I never dreamed I would ride it someday, so when I actually did ride it tonight, I figured I had earned the shirt. As a disclaimer, we all rode it, even Imp.

 June 30--Coal Cracker Crusaders--On our last full day of vacation, we had an entire day of fun at Hersheypark.  We spent part of the day at the Boardwalk, Hershey's waterpark, and then another part just riding regular attractions in the main park.  Coal Cracker is a flume ride but we were prepared for the water as we still wore our bathing suits.  Ironically, we barely got wet on it, but we did have fun, as this photo attests.

Frame A Day '12: Week 25: 6/17-23

We have been away on a somewhat lengthy vacation which left me no time to post these photos in real time.  However, I do want to include them for continuity's sake.

June 17--We Heart Daddy--I found this idea on Pinterest for a Father's Day gift and I was sold.  It was a bit of a challenge to get the kids to cooperate, but worth it.  Chretien's first comment when he saw it was along those lines, too.

As a side note, I originally posted the photo of the kids as my picture of the day for June 9.  However, since I now have the photo of Chretien with the kids with that same picture-turned-canvas, I am going to replace the photo from June 9 with this one that I took the same day.  This is Trust waiting for her soccer game to start.

 

Moving right along:


June 18--My New Bike--On our first official weekday of summer vacation, we had time for a bike ride.  Note that Imp is riding his 'new' bicycle (handed down from Earnest) and having a great time.

 *June 19--Cotton Candy for a Sweet Boy--On the first leg of our vacation, we stopped at a Golden Corral for dinner.  While it's not gourmet, it does offer a wide variety of food and options for the kids other than the standard macaroni and cheese or hot dogs.  As an added bonus, they are serving cotton candy for a treat this summer.

June 20--Night Swimming--After two solid days in the car, we arrived at my parents' house in Florida.  We had dinner, played with some new toys, and then decided to take a quick dip in one of the family pools.  Despite it being the official closing time of "dusk" and a little rainy, the kids and Chretien managed to take a quick dip for about 15 minutes.  This was a perfect way to release some of the pent-up energy from the drive.

 June 21--Daytona Beach Bums--Chretien had requested a trip to the beach, so we headed for Daytona today.  Not only did we have fun riding waves with these inner tubes, but we also stopped to visit the famous Daytona International Speedway, where the Daytona 500 is held every February.

June 22--When You Wish Upon a Star--...you sometimes wind up in front of Cinderella's castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  The castle never fails to impress, no?

 June 23--I Get Around--After a swim in the pool, it's back to my parents' house in a borrowed golf cart.  Yes, in their community, traveling by golf cart is almost as common as the more conventional automobile.  The kids got a kick out of it.