New friends

We decided to get Dennis a guinea pig. We were planning to visit the pet store on Sunday after attending the tea for our new pastors. I happened to check Facebook and saw a post from a friend asking if anyone wanted 2 guinea pigs. So we got 2 guinea pigs, cage, food, bedding, hay, book on their care, water bottle, food dish, and hideaway log, and it was FREE. What a blessing! Dennis has named them Flash and Spike. They are about a year old. They seem to like it here, and we enjoy their cute little personalities.

Bedtime negotiations

The proportion of how irritating Dennis can be exponentially increases as we pass the bedtime hour. Just now I told him it was almost 10:00 and he needed to go to bed. He informed me that he goes to bed at thirteen o' clock and not a minute before.

Just beachy

Dennis and I enjoyed a spectacular short getaway this week. We spent a night with Granny and explored Landmark Park, and then we were off to Panama City Beach to visit Gigi. It was breezy and perfect for most of our trip, and Dennis enjoyed a long morning beach frolic. He rolled in, built with, dug through, and immersed himself in sand. He made a friend, a fellow sand creature a year or so bigger than himself, and they happily alternated between wave jumping and beach excavation (all with ninja flair). I sat blissfully in my beach chair under an umbrella, enjoying the delicious breeze and gorgeous sea. And then a seagull pooped on my leg, so I enjoyed some ocean wading myself.

We swam in the pools. We played putt-putt and discovered that Dennis is not so bad at it. We shopped some, giving Dennis the opportunity to acquire for himself a very reasonably priced Thundercats sword, of which he is immensely proud. It makes sounds and extends, you see, and he used it to fight off invisible bad guys while we watched the dancing fountain show from a gazebo on the lake. I'm certain we left that gazebo a safer place.

I hope to raise Dennis to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Daunted by the 4 hour drive home, I employed delay tactics. First, just as we made the turn away from the ocean, I changed my mind. A u-turn (safely and legally executed, of course) brought us to Pier Park for amusement park rides and lunch. I rode The Scrambler with Dennis and delighted in his giggles as he squished me against the outside of our seat during the fast turns. We eventually left Panama City and took a less traveled road home. We happened upon Ponce de Leon Springs State Park and stopped for a frigid swim. There might have been more detours if my traveling companion hadn't sacked out before 7pm. He was not thrilled with the backwoods route. He said "Mom, there is no signal on my phone to watch movies. All I see is trees and a house every once in a while. Reading makes me carsick. WHY did we come this way?". True, there was little to spark imagination on the route. I stopped and downloaded an audiobook to keep me company.

We are home now and have spent another water filled day, this time at the lake. We enjoyed time with good friends and a fun kayak jaunt down river. We've had summer fun in abundance!

Aqua freedom

Memorial Day weekend nearly always marks the beginning of summer lake swimming. Today was no exception, though the water was extremely refreshing (chilly). We enjoyed ourselves despite the cool of the water. Dennis tried out his kayak for the first time today. He seemed to intuitively grasp the mechanics of paddling and steering. He didn't flip the kayak but did jump off so he could learn how to climb back on. He loves his kayak and is thrilled with his skills in piloting it. We are pleased at its sturdiness and maneuverability and its resistance to flipping. All those phrases about it being a kid friendly model in the online description were quite accurate. He can really zip around in the thing!

Hours in the water always make us hungry, and we shared yet another fine meal with family & friend. How relaxing it was to spend a recreation day on the water, to share good company and conversation. Dennis put down the iPad (at our insistence) and was soon begging for more funny family stories. Though several family members were missed, the time was still well spent and highly enjoyable. And we are ready for a repeat tomorrow!

The graduate (g-rated)

Today Dennis' class had a little graduation party. His teacher asked them to raise their hands if they wanted to tell something they had learned this year in Kindergarten.  Dennis raised his hand but kept squirming out of his chair in his eagerness to share.  When he finally remained seated, she called on him and he had forgotten what he so desperately wanted to say. She asked what he'd learned in science, and he said they'd learned all the shapes.  She asked him to name a shape that he'd learned.  I don't know what I was expecting him to say, but it wasn't "rectangular prism", which was his answer.  He received his diploma and celebrated with his friends, and now he has finished his first year of elementary school.  Summer, here we come!

Show-off

Dennis attended a church event for 5th & 6th graders tonight. It was big fun for him, especially since they were having shaving cream battles and wrestling in jello. After an hour, they all went in to clean up and change, and while they were eating, they all got out their iPods and phones. Dennis went to the car and got his phone, too. It caused a stir, as it always does. "YOU have an iPhone? And you're in what, KINDERGARTEN?" followed by, "Mrs. Christi, is that really his phone?". Yes, I tell them. I give the reasons, as usual. It was cheaper than an iPod touch or any of the Leap Frog learning devices. He can Face Time or text his grandparents, who are in another country. He always hogged our iPhones before he got one. Sure, there are infinite numbers of learning apps. Sure, I can call him if he's in the men's room too long. It has its benefits.

He told me in the car on the way home that he loves it when kids react that way to him having a phone, especially an iPhone. It reminds him of how fortunate he is. And it makes him feel cool enough to hang with the bigger kids. He's always kind enough to let others play with it, so I fear a little less that we are teaching him rampant materialism. He's very excited that he has a Bible app that he can read on his phone.

There, I think I've convinced myself that I'm not a terrible parent. iPhones are just terribly useful devices, and I'm glad that he enjoys it.

Grieving

I haven't written in quite a while! Dennis is still his wonderful, witty, fun self. He can read now, and I wonder how much longer I can feasibly blog about him without causing him embarrassment.

Lots of changes going on around here. Both our pastors have been appointed to other churches and will be leaving at the end of June. While I intend to stay put, I wonder what will happen to my ministry with a major change of leadership. And I love both our pastors and am so sad to see them go. How many more loved ones will move away from us? Dennis is handling it well, I think, but I know he will be terribly sad when it's time for them to go. One of them is not going far, just a half hour away, but our senior pastor is moving to Pensacola.

I suppose it is part of the growing up process (my own) to stay behind while people you love go on to other callings, but it's so difficult to remain behind!

So Kindergarten will end in just over 3 weeks, and Dennis and I are hoping for a fun summer together. We are both ready for a break from the intensity of our current routines! David has just started a new job that he loves, but it is a half hour away, and I'm missing our lunches together!

I probably should write more when I'm less sad. I hope to report soon that Dennis and David will be advancing to new belt levels after their upcoming Taekwondo testing on Friday.