buzzed!

Tonight (very late) Dennis got his summer haircut. David gave him a buzz all over his head. He is thrilled with it. I can't believe how much older he looks! The haircut was rife with drama, as usual. He cannot stand to have the hairs fall on him as they are cut, and since there was quite a lot to cut, he was wailing big time by the time it was over, big tears plopping down to mix with all the loose hair on his legs, snot running down his face... Thank goodness that's over for a few weeks now!

a walk down our lane

Tonight after supper, Dennis and I took Lemonade and Tabasco with us on a walk. We strolled to the end of our road and met some other dogs (glad we had our dogs along to watch out for us), walked a bit farther and had a nice 'conversation' with a horse (we talked, he nodded or shook his mane) who seemed very interested in us and the dogs. Except for me constantly telling Dennis to get out of the road (and then Dennis telling Tabasco the same thing), it was a very enjoyable stroll!

Dennis doesn't seem to know what to do with himself this week. He's craving more human interaction than he's getting. David and I are just not enough! He is striking up conversations in stores, begging to go to the gas station... I think the boy misses school! Surely he'll get settled in soon. I am adjusting a bit more happily to summer vacation, but i do find myself keeping busy with various projects.

Today Dennis asked why gum is sticky and why Adam decided to call vultures vultures when he was naming the animals (and I admit, I never thought about this being where some animal names originated). He's an interesting kiddo!

contest winner

We were delighted to get the phone call today that Dennis was one of the winners of Winn Dixie's Memorial Day coloring contest. He won a dozen cupcakes and he was beyond thrilled!

We had a real family day today. We were home for most of the day, building Lego planes in Dennis' room with him and doing some light housecleaning. Tonight, we cuddled together on the couch and watched Star Wars: A New Hope, Dennis' first Star Wars movie experience. He loved it, of course, and he shot his hand up into the air and yelled "YES!" twice as the Empire's ships were destroyed. He had a few questions, sure, but they became less and less as he watched more of the movie. He really wanted to know "why did Obi-wan let himself be killed by Darth Vader?". Perceptive of him to notice that he just let it happen. Like me, Dennis loves R2-D2! He can't wait to see the next movie.

Today's excuse for not wanting his nap: "I'm going to put on a dance show in my room to raise money for the St. Jude hospital for children and I can't do it if I'm taking a nap!". He gets points for creativity and generosity for that one!

the family that churches together...

What a blessing that Uncle Denny became a member at our church today! And what an honor it was to stand up beside him and recite the church vows on accepting new members, and an even greater honor to be chosen to say a prayer for him... My heart is just full! Dennis is just thrilled, too, and was delighted to stand up with his Uncle Denny, as well. That was certainly the highlight of our day, the brightest spot in an already wonderful weekend of swimming in the lake and sharing time with friends and family. It's just so special to share time with loved ones, even more so when we can worship together as a family.

The only blemish on our otherwise perfect day? I'm still wondering where Dennis wiped that huge booger he liberated from his nose during this morning's sermon. Sigh. Only Dennis and God know the answer to that.

another new skill

Dennis accompanied his Daddy tonight on a mission to fix a pipe at the lake. On the way home, Dennis learned how to text. David wanted to communicate with me but not while driving, so he taught Dennis how to type what he told him. Dennis added "from Dennis" to the texts that he typed, and after our conversation, he sent me an "I love u mommy" text and then typed some random phrases that he thought were cool. He especially liked when I attempted to pronounce his weird letter combinations to him after he got home. I guess he's our new 'dictation' app!

kicking it

After one extremely long teacher planning session, Dennis and I took long, glorious NAPS! Tonight he had some skills clinics at Taekwondo. He started with board breaking and then did some forms training. The highlight of his evening? Sparring! He was turned loose against others for the first time. He loved it! And he landed some pretty good punches and kicks against the bigger kids. He's very proud of himself.

He cried more than usual today--first when we were leaving school (I think it became real to him that he won't see the preschool teachers much any more). Then, tonight, he had a terrible Walmart meltdown. To be totally honest, I had one of those as well when I spent a nice long time editing and choosing photos to print at the instant photo kiosk only to have the computer lose my order. Here's to summer vacation: may it only improve!

sad happy day

Today was Dennis' official last day of preschool. I worked on classroom cleanup afterward, but I sighed big time when we walked out the door for his last time as a student. Tomorrow is our planning meeting for next year, and Dennis will be there for the meeting (because he and another teacher's grandchild will be playing together), but it won't be the same. He came home with a bag of stuff: his photo album from the year, a story book from his teacher, art work, his perfect report card, and the notebook of pages of the alphabet (1 project for each letter). I can't believe he's done!

Yesterday was awesome, filled with parties and family and friends partying at the lake, and when I am not completely exhausted, I will write more. It sounds like I need to walk the dog in a minute, anyway. I just heard Dennis tell him "don't you see the sign on my door? It says 'do not enter'." We don't let Lemonade go in Dennis' room unless all his toys are picked up (chew temptation), and right now they aren't!

our little grad

I was so proud of Dennis today at his preschool closing ceremony. He had a speaking part and he used that microphone like a champ! Preschool is almost officially over for him, and I'm starting to feel little pangs of sadness at the thought of being there without him next year!

He enjoyed swimming in the lake with Chloe this afternoon and then hanging out and playing with her until bedtime. She was his very first friend, and I'm so glad they still enjoy each other so much.

He has asked me for a shirt that says "why?" because that's his favorite thing to say. Indeed.

birthday festivities

We celebrated Chloe's birthday today at the lake (her request--it's where she wanted her party to be this year!). We swam for 2 hours! Dennis tried out his new Aqua Jogger Jr. swim belt. He's able to swim with the techniques he learned in swim class because his arms move freely. His Puddle Jumper was great the past couple of years, but now that he knows how to swim, this flotation belt is just what he needs. He was the bravest of all the kids today, happily jumping in and swimming all around. It took the other 5 kids that got in the lake an hour to stop crying and panicking and relax enough in their various flotation devices to stop screaming for their mommies. Oh, the drama!

Tonight we have with us a digital SLR camera that a friend has loaned me while I try to decide if I'd like to buy it from him. I've always wanted one, and my lenses from my old film SLR camera work with this digital one. What I didn't expect was how much interest Dennis would have. He's already learned to work it. He loves photography and he's really got skill for his age. I might take him on a nature photography expedition just to see what he shoots! I can't believe he can work a camera this large, but he is completely adept. I predict more odd job seeking in the near future. It's a nice camera and much much less expensive than a new one would be!

Super

He wore his Superman shirt to school today. Tonight at Taekwondo, they celebrated the big donation the school was able to make to St. Jude with Superman cupcakes. He is very pleased to have a Superman ring to add to his collection of superhero wear.

He has 2 more days of preschool to go, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday will be my last class. I can't believe the year has nearly ended. I can't believe he has finished preschool! He tells everyone everywhere that he is "almost in kindergarten" and is so excited about going. The school board is in meetings now to determine the new calendar. We thought school would start August 9, but a new state ruling declares that it cannot start until two weeks before Labor Day. He will have a longer summer vacation, but I'm hoping this won't mean a shortened fall break or Christmas vacation. There's talk of adding 12 minutes to each school day to make up the number of instructional hours needed. I hope they do this instead of losing holidays! Preschool won't start until after Labor Day, and this means he won't start school nearly a month before I do. I will treasure those two weeks!

firefly safari

What a busy day! Dennis went to school, had lunch with us, Gran, and Uncle Denny, had his last swim class, went back to Gran's and spent a happy afternoon playing with his cousins, and then accompanied me to my gym job and then church tonight. He must be exhausted. I certainly am!

Before we turned in, he and I took a walk down to the darkest part of our driveway to watch the lightning bugs. He saw many of them lighting in different patterns, some in unison but in a different pattern than another group all flashing together. He said "it's a lightning bug show! Look how they're entertaining us!". We went back in and settled him in bed. And now I hope to sleep long and well in preparation for a big day at preschool tomorrow.

Dennis is counting the days until his cousins come back to visit! Fortunately, it's only five days he'll have to wait. He and Mirella play just alike and had great fun together.

drama break

I planned to give myself Mother's Day off from writing. It was an excellent day and I love my gifts (a Minnie Mouse watch featuring Minnie as a teacher, chocolate covered strawberries, cards). I loved sharing chocolate filled croissants with my own mom before taking an early night to veg out and watch TV by myself. And it was nice I had the break because all hell broke loose yesterday in the department of Family Drama. I won't get into the details, but someone I love hurt someone else that I love very much (and, in case you might be concerned, neither party lives in my home). I can't even describe the state I was in last night, shaking with the shock and hurt of the rejection we all feel. And I was completely helpless. I could not fix it; I could not understand it. I'm in a better place tonight. I can't fix it, can't change it, so I must let it go. It's in God's hands.

Tonight concluded Dennis' soccer season, which he celebrated with an after game ice cream social and award presentation. This was followed up with a lovely dinner out with Uncle Denny. I am reminded of the blessing that is my family, of the joy we receive in being together and sharing our lives with one another. It's why we choose to live near them, so that Dennis' life will be enriched by time with his family, feeling the love and sharing the fun. How blessed he is to have his grandmothers so near, his godfather so involved in his life, his Pop (and his great uncle/godfather) to share his love of gross noises and general disgustingness. How full our lives are of each other and the happiness of being close.

And now to reign in the sappiness: Dennis told Uncle Denny tonight that his guacamole looked like "a whole nose-full of boogers". So I'm surprised he didn't try it, actually. He really enjoys boogers, much to my horror and dismay!

parents' night out

Dennis' Taekwondo instructor hosted a Parents' Night Out event at their main school in Pelham. It was a luau themed event, and Dennis happily wore his Hawaiian shirt (which finally really fits him, though he's been wearing it since age three). He jumped right into the fun and games (after they played Duck Duck Goose, which he doesn't love) and was happy to see us leave. We didn't really know what to do with ourselves! We had a quiet dinner out and strolled around the mall without spending an hour at the Lego store. Unheard of! When we arrived back at the gym to retrieve Dennis (after three hours), he was not happy. He said "you aren't supposed to come back until 10:00!". So we sat and watched him play kick ball and dodge ball and have a dance contest, having great fun all the while. He was pumped up from his fun and chattered all the way home. David and I were glad he was keeping us awake--David worked all day and I gardened in the morning and then cut grass for three hours myself (and I sure will be glad when the riding mower comes back from the shop). We are exhausted, and it's a rainy night. I'm thrilled that we're home safely after a wonderful day!

putting in a garden

Today we paid homage to a big family tradition.  We planted a nice sized vegetable garden.  Dennis and Gran and I planted seeds for radishes, onions, watermelons, pumpkins, beans, peppers, different tomato varieties, collards, and spinach (and probably more that aren't coming to mind).  We also put in some tomato, lettuce, pepper, sweet potato, and kale plants.  I planted a few herbs in pots for my porch.  Dennis is quite the gardener!  He put in a number of plants and seeds on his own.  He dumped a whole pack of heirloom tomato seeds in one hole, so I expect to have a big thinning job in the near future.  He did better with transferring plants from pots to the garden.  After he worked a bit, he was happy to declare a "sit down break" and went to fetch drinks and chairs.  He helped water a bit before he surprisingly turned the hose on me and soaked my back!  My first reaction wasn't good (I was pretty mad), but instead of yelling at him, I grabbed the hose and hosed him right back.  We shared a big laugh over it. 

I thought about my papa and his garden the whole time we were working.  I hope he was watching from Heaven (and maybe not cringing too much when we planted some things in a kind of rocky area).  Thanks to David for tilling up a big area (with my papa's tiller that has been passed down) for us to plant.

a "first" I wasn't prepared for

Dennis started learning sparring tonight in Taekwondo. His set of protective pads came in and he happily wore them for his class. He learned fighting stances and sparring combos. His teacher gave him his own Bo Staff (actually, he phrased it "this is for your Mom and Dad, and if you are good, they will let you use it"). Dennis loved every bit of it. He was especially intrigued with a piece of equipment that he's never seen or heard of before tonight. He now has his first cup and jock strap. I was woefully unprepared for this. I'm not sure I'd ever seen one either. Luckily, David taught him how to wear it. He's had it on for two hours and keeps asking us to punch him in the crotch. The rest of his gear he's been trying on and taking off throughout the evening, but he loves his jock strap. Boys!

car dancing

Sometimes being the Silly Parent gets a bit wild. We were out too late tonight, and Dennis and I expended our so-tired-we're-manic energy with a bit of energetic wiggling and dancing in the car on our way home. We turned up the radio (always tuned to his favorite station--WDJC, all Christian music) and let ourselves go. He rewarded my nuttiness with that big belly laugh he does so well. He laughed so hard that he got the hiccups (which always happens to him when he has serious laughing episodes). He told me he was going to marry me when he grows up. He just loves it when we get silly with him!

neighborhood watch

I got involved in an after school teacher project today, putting my students' masterpieces on display in the school hallway, when David called to say he wanted to meet up with us during his lunch break. I told Dennis to go to the door and keep an eye out for his dad (so that he could open the door for him). Several minutes later, the church administrative assistant (a friend) brought him to me and told me he was just wandering around outside and she feared for his safety. I explained that I had sent him to the door (but not outside!) to watch for David. She told me she asked Dennis what he would have done if there had been bad guys out there. He told her he would have hit them and then run! After that, he positioned himself by the door but on the inside. David came to get us, and when I got to the door, I saw that Dennis had taken one of the stepstools from the bathroom (sink area) and put it in front of the door. I asked him how it got there (figuring it was his work) and he told me that he'd put it there so he could see out the door window and watch for Daddy. Smart thinking!

accomplishments

This has been a big day in Dennis World. He finally was able to tread water a bit today at swim class (with his face actually out of the water this time!). He asked me in the way there "did you know that the brain is the boss of your whole body?". I told him I did. He then asked (laughingly) "so do you think there are desks all inside your body?". Appreciating his visual, I asked "if there were, what do you think would happen at the Stomach Desk?". He talked about food and then said "and the Bowel Desk is where the poop would get processed!". We have our best conversations in the car!

Tonight he showed me how he can tie a shoe. I was very confused when he made a loop with his left hand first until it was revealed that Daddy taught him how to tie his shoe and Daddy learned it from his left-handed mother!

Dennis read two lessons in his primer and then read Hop on Pop (all 64 pages) to his Daddy and me. We're just disgustingly proud of him tonight!

a little restraint

Duct tape might have made my day easier. Dennis was wiggly and super chatty today. And he's trying his hand at naughtiness, not a particular line of experimentation that makes me happy. I've been pinched, kicked, and elbowed a good bit lately. He told me he was pretending he was a robot that had knives hidden in his elbows. I believe him. And I'm officially reintroducing the daily nap. He still needs it. It's been random lately, but it's very evident that it is a necessary break, at least until school's out. I suppose when it gets to late summer, we'll abolish the nap and introduce an early bedtime (I don't think they nap in kindergarten). I'm sure he'll just love that.

gender roles

I'll keep this brief. Out of necessity, I left the house today to take Dennis to his soccer game. It was hot out and the game was delayed 45 minutes while we waited for the game before ours to finish. My intestines were not ready to be out in public. I didn't disgrace myself, but it was a close one! As a result, I was feeling pretty rotten when we got home. Dennis took a nap (we both did), and when he got up, he came to snuggle with me (as in he came to wallow all over me like I was coated in super glue). He had taken off his shorts, so I asked him what he was doing. He said "I'm doing what a man does--hangs around in his underwear." He regaled me with bad knock-knock jokes for the better part of an hour before I caved and turned on an episode of How It's Made (he loves that show!) so that I could have some peace! Now he wants to try frosted shredded wheat cereal and buy his own cannon, both things he saw being made on the show.

my spy kid

I don't know if the stomach virus decided to make a sudden and vicious return or if I might have gotten a touch of food poisoning from my lunch McBurger (it's happened before). At any rate, I was up every hour last night and this morning, explosively expelling my intestinal contents. I have since been writhing in pain and soreness from all the cramping. I spent my day in bed. David was off work today, so I had two sweet caretakers on duty.

Dennis spent his day playing outside and inside, busily conducting spy missions in all manner of situations. I saw him popping up at the foot of my bed, toy hoe in hand (he'd been gardening with David but needed a rifle for his mission and so repurposed it). I was given orders to contact him if there were any emergencies. Most of our conversations of the day began with "come in, Spy Mommy, do you copy?" and ended with "10-4, over and out!".

We both have souvenirs from our McLunch date yesterday. He got spy toys. I, apparently, got dysentery.

future Navy spy

I had a good bit of work to do regarding our upcoming Vacation Bible School, so I took Dennis to the church with me. He happened to get spy toys in his Happy Meal today, and when we got home, he packed a "spy kit" with his new toys and a disguise (his fireman jacket, a pair of fake eyeglasses with no lenses, and a camouflage ball cap). He took this kit with him to church, and he spent a very happy three hours sneaking around. Every person that passed me told me about my child, the future Navy spy (today's future career choice) as he'd talked to every person around on his 'missions'. After both pastors remarked on it, Dennis came in to say "I talked to Brother Larry and Brother Brian. Did you know they both have offices upstairs?". He apparently talked to the Administrative Assistant about fingerprinting, to the Youth Minister about a spy team, and to one of the other Preschool Teachers about his work. She (the teacher) entrusted the spy on a secret mission to deliver a note to me, which he did, and I went to talk with her about her class that I'll be teaching on Monday. Then he recruited one of the Children's Minister's kids (his good buddy Grace) and her babysitter to play spy with him. They spied on everyone who walked through the hallway. Dennis had a fabulous day. He hated to leave the church to go to Taekwondo!

The graduation pictures were up on the school bulletin board as we were leaving earlier today, so I snapped a quick phone pic of Dennis in cap and gown. Sigh.

school preview

What a growing up moment we had today! He went on a field trip with the other 'graduating' preschoolers to the elementary school. They rode a school bus and toured the kindergarten classes, had a snack in the lunchroom, met several teachers, and had a wonderful time. I was substituting for another teacher so I didn't get to see him board the bus, but I happened to be out on the playground when they got back and saw his smiling face as he got off the bus. Only three more weeks of preschool for us, and then he'll be getting ready for school. Sigh.

I know that he can take care of himself at school. He knows how to ask the right questions of the right people. Yesterday at Books-A-Million, I lost him for a minute and then found him up at the service desk asking the cashier for their "cheapest Optimus Prime stuff". He was busy doing a computer search for Dennis when I walked up. I had just told Dennis that the Optimus he'd asked for was too expensive (because I'd just seen it for $2 less at Target). I think he's just amazing!

Tonight he finished his AWANA Cubbies program, earning all the patches he could possibly earn in 2 years by memorizing over 60 bible verses. It's getting hard to say goodbye to his "little boy" years, but maturity is fast approaching!

another fun zoo day

The stomach virus struck Gran and me yesterday. I don't have much to report other than Dennis taking good care of himself during my suffering. Pop brought him home from swim class a little later than I expected, and when they arrived, they were each holding ice cream treats. Pop said that Dennis made him stop for ice cream, and Dennis was pretty delighted with himself and his power.

Today we went on the school field trip to the zoo (not the easiest trip to make just hours after a stomach bug), and we had a pretty good time. Dennis enjoyed filling out his scavenger hunt paper and hanging out with his friends. He requested a stop at Books-A-Million on the way back, and we let him look around at everything.

He's really been picking his nose lately, and when we asked him what he was doing, he said "I'm farming boogers, of course." When we told him not to do so, he said "but I have a really good crop that needs picking!". We didn't really have a good reply to that but did request that he harvest his crop with a tissue in the future.