Before I forget - cruise countdown: 367 days. HELL yes. Almost at the one year mark!
We are done with first grade! As I've mentioned a thousand times over the previous nine months, I can't believe he's getting so old so quick. *poof* What a great year it was, filled with lots of laughs, new friends, and a few manageable challenges.
He and his dear friend.
Z's fabulous teacher.
Three of my most favorite people.
We squeezed in one more field trip before the last day of school. This time we went to McKinney Roughs Park, which is a nature reserve & packed with all kinds of cool stuff. The kids (and parents!) got to touch turtles, a snake, and a baby alligator, which thrilled them all.
After the reptilian meet 'n greet, we had lunch, then set out on a hike. WOW, it was hot. Summer has arrived very early this year, and we were feeling it in full force that day. The kids were melting right before our eyes, doing everything short of faking their own deaths to try & get out of it. My son resorted to sitting down every time we stopped to supposedly learn something, and even stuck his water bottle down the back of his shirt to cool off. Crafty.
Scenery on the hike.
Trend-setter, he is.
The line of dragging children.
More pretty scenery along the way.
Gotta do whatcha gotta do.
A few weeks before the field trip, we participated in the school's annual "Fun Fest", once again. This year we chaired the dunk tank, instead of the cotton candy booth, which was a wise decision. It was nice to go home and not stick to my car or my furniture when everything was said & done. We had a few teachers (reluctantly) volunteer to be dunked, but until they showed up, Aaron was Dad-of-the-year and sat in the tank. It was hilarious.
Mr. Daigle took the prize for best sport, dressed up in his wig & "Vote for Pedro" shirt.
Z got gutsy & decided he wanted to try the rock-climbing wall. He was the first kid of the day to get all the way to the top, & he loved the thrill of it all. I think he did it three times over the course of the day.
Mommy heart attack #1
A little higher, so Mommy heart attack #2
He made it! Stud!
The weekend before Memorial Day, we crammed in a road trip to Port Aransas with the Young family. What a blast this trip was! We rented a big condo from the internet (which we ended up loving), hung out in the sun (which we also loved), and grilled a feast (which we always love doing when we get together). This was the first time Z had ever gone to Port A with a friend in tow, so he thought it was the best trip ever. We're planning another trip in July, if the Gulf isn't smothered in oil by then. [sad face]
Home away from home.
Our street.
A lovely patio that we didn't use because we were actually being eaten alive by mosquitos. Who would've thunk they would follow me to the beach?
The living room.
Where all the magic happened.
It had a loft, which made for two enthusiastic boys.
Beautiful.
Malcolm, doing one his favorite things.
Karen, doing her absolute favorite thing. (Despite her crappy taste in chairs.)
My two most favorite people, relaxing.
Had to take the Young's to our favorite dive on the beach.
Mmmm, lunch.
The only picture Karen would let me take of her facing me.
Happy dudes.
Can't go to Port A without taking a picture in the shark.
We also had Z's last soccer game the morning after the last day of school. I must admit, I'll be a little happy to get my Saturday mornings back, but I know I'll be jonesing for more time on the sideline by the Fall. We were really lucky to get to know Z's coach & his family, so we gained a few more new friends. Love it!
Z and his coach, mid-game.
Action shot. (Wedgie shot, too. Oops.)
Whew! That sums up the past few weeks, I think. (See why I haven't been on the computer?)
Now, we are solely focused on on having fun with Z over the summer break - all lousy 9 weeks of it. Gah! Does anyone else besides my husband remember when summer was actually 3 full months?? Oh, how times have changed. Since he's older, we're ok with signing him up to do *some* stuff (helps resist the temptation of playing the Wii twenty-four hours a day). No offense to any Moms out there, but I've never been a big fan of signing kids up for camp after camp after camp & keeping them busy so they don't get bored (aka - so they'll stay out of your hair). I think summer is the perfect time for them to be creative, to read, and for us to spend oodles of time together swimming, laughing, and staying up past bedtime watching movies. Z asked to repeat the only camp he's ever done, which was last summer for one week of half-days. It was a "young scientist" camp at the Austin Children's Museum and he absolutely loved it, so we had a good experience. Unfortunately, the ACM camp this year for his age group was an all-day thing versus half-day, so we opted out. I just think that'd be too much for him & his 7-year old attention span. He took the news well (because he had no desire to do an all-day camp), and then asked to do the basketball camp & the art camp that his school was offering, so we said ok. When those are over June 18th, he'll just be hanging out a lot with me, Dad, Grandpa, Preston, & Thomas. We want him to really relax, break up his routine, and have tons of fun. So much so, that we're planning our next quick trip to Six Flags as we speak. He's finally tall enough for roller coasters - BRING IT! Hey, you only get to be 7 once, and your summers disappear once you become an adult ... what better time for him to let loose & just be a kid?
Three things I'm grateful for today:
1. A/C. (We may have tons of fun in the summer, but I'm not stupid.)
2. Being a Mom.
3. Snow cones.
As the weeks go on, my life will slowly be consumed with attempting to balance my crazy workload & having summer fun, so I still can't promise I'll write again very soon. I just promise it'll be sooner than later. Until then, peace & pastries to everyone. Muah!
1 comment:
I need this blog bc I don't get to see you! I'm glad y'all are having so much fun
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