LEAP Olympics! August 28, 2008

Yes, Beijing had the closing ceremonies of yet another exciting Olympic games. Sadie and Elijah watched much of the opening ceremonies and the games as Chris and I intermittently watched them both live and recorded. Sadie announced one day, “I’m amazed that all those people in the Olympics know just what to do at the same time.” I suppose this statement can be deciphered in a number of ways but what it comes down to is that they watched and thought about the Olympians and their expertise. We found Beijing, China on the map and talked about how they experience night during our daytime hours and vice versa. And now, here we are with our friends celebrating the Olympics in our own way. 

Elijah rode the bike obstacle course for the better part of this hot day. He was both intense and jubilant and could not be deterred until he was saturated… with the experience as well as sweat.

Elijah and Ethan stop for a chat.

Sadie decorates cookies with her friends. As you can imagine, this was a big hit. The Olympic committee could learn a thing or two from us.

Flag making!

Sadie attacks the wall.

Declan, Elijah, and Brett have an intentional and extended slide pile-up.

Elijah discovers tennis (or some version thereof) as I pitch wiffleballs to him and he hits them out of the park (or at least keeps me running for them).

Sadie and Rachel team up for the 3-legged ‘race’. Their technique was flawless- that is, until the tried to quicken the speed.

Sure Beijing had running races… but can they do it backwards?

Cooling off.

 

A Visit From Vermont August 28, 2008

A close friend came in from Vermont for the week for a conference right here in the mid-cities! We were able to break him out a couple of times to experience some of the fun, culture, and… heat that is Texas! 

Our move has separated us from some very special friends that became part of our family. We were all so excited to see Jeff again. The kids had a ball showing him around and showing off a little of their newfound swimming talents.

It was tough to decide where to go/what to do with our limited time with Jeff. We decided on a quickie tour of Ft. Worth. Sadie took this picture of Jeff, myself, and Chris. ‘Good one!’ she says, once the picture is taken.

Her turn!

We had Riscky’s Barbeque (sooo yummy!) and wandered the streets. Here Elijah tries to escape the camera as we proceed to race each other down the main street in the Stockyards.

Then we headed over to The Ft. Worth Water Gardens! Dusk was dimming and I was concerned they would have closed the active pool but it was open! We walked down into the active pool and it is equally awesome and slightly disconcerting in the dark.

Jeff traveled to Texas with his daughters’ stuffed animals and took pictures of them along the way so that Abbie and Madison could trace their journey. Here they are being photographed at the bottom of the active pool.

Elijah and Jeff take a moment to consider the water as it rolls down the wall and collects at the bottom.

Sadie and Chris take a quiet moment at the quiet pool.

The roots of these trees are just too hard to resist.

Another one captured by Sadie.

The kids and Jeff try to squeeze just a little more of the experience out of the aerated pool.

From the Water Gardens, we went down the street to Sundance Square- equally lovely by streetlight. We were so happy to see, talk, and share with you, Jeff! Save travels- we LOVERMONT!

More Zoo! August 28, 2008

The Fort Worth Zoo is so huge that our membership has really come in handy. It’s impossible to (happily) see all of the fantastic areas and savor the experience in one visit. We’ve started focusing on certain areas with each visit, taking it in relaxed stride, and leaving before everyone gets ugly and tired. We and several of our friends signed up for memberships at the same time last year and now they’re coming to an end. Pam, Marley, Nash, and Saylor invited us to join them as we try to get the most out of the membership at its conclusion. We all decided to renew…

Marley, Elijah, Sadie, and Nash- excited to see the penguins. It just so happened that we were in the penguin house at feeding time! Did you know that of the 17 species of penguins found in the world, only 4 are cold-weather dwellers? The other 13 are sub-tropical! The black-footed penguins we saw are from South Africa.

Elijah LOVES the herpetarium. While the other kids romp through hitting the high points, Elijah must stop at each aquarium/enclosure and search out its inhabitants (many of whom are using their skills of placement and camouflage so as not to be seen. This guy’s got quite an eye! Marley shed a little information about venomous vs. nonvenomous species and how to decode the signs to make the distinction for each animal. So not only did he need to find each one, he would then let me know whether they were venomous along with a little discussion.

Look what we found! We’ve been to the zoo how many times? Never knew there was a barnyard play area!

Elijah uses a magnifying glass to examine sea shells.

Sadie listens to information about sea horses, red snappers, and other ocean life.

Nash, Sadie, Elijah, and Marley- 4 tired kids- take the zoo train back to the gate after a lovely morning at the zoo.

Christmas in August August 28, 2008

Both kids came to me on this morning and asked if we could take out all (sigh) the Christmas ornaments and look at them. This is always emotional for me. Each of our ornaments has a story, a feeling, an occasion associated with it. We had a lovely morning unwrapping handmade, momentous, and touching ornaments- telling stories about the places we got them, their makers, those who gave them to us, etc. 

It was a beautiful mess and one I didn’t mind cleaning up- rewrapping each ornament gently and looking forward to Christmas. Following this, they asked to take out the other tub in the closet. We went through things we forgot we had. Living without a basement is very liberating. We only keep what we need and use. I was able to weed through and freecycle a few things. 

Pool Maintenance August 25, 2008

There is a lot of maintenance required for upkeep of the pool. Even Chris (the Pool Guy) will tell you that it’s worth every second. This Sunday morning was spent giving the pool gear a routine cleaning with Daddy at the helm.

Elijah helps Chris hose out the chlorinator (salt water pools convert salt into chlorine).

The kids and I took turns hosing down the main pool filters. This is where all the sand, grass, and general tiny gunk from the pool eventually ends up.

This is Elijah’s favorite place to play- moving water. He spent a lot of time damning the cracks in the driveway, putting grass and other debris in the running water and following it down, etc. Once everything was cleaned, Daddy gave us all a lesson in how the pool actually works, what all the contraptions do, what the levers control and how the water flows. Elijah was riveted and probably retained more than I did. Then we all went swimming, of course!

 

Online Interest August 25, 2008

The kids are just starting to figure out this blog thing. They have shown sporadic interest in the home computer to this point- maybe I should learn to share Here they are surfing our friends’ blogs. They have also spent time several mornings this week playing on a variety of kids’ websites that were suggested to us by our friends.

Camping to Capp Smith August 25, 2008

This day started off with a burning desire to pull out the camping stuff- apparently we’re all starting to itch for some outdoorsy time- so we pulled out all the gear and checked it out.

This little gecko was hiding underneath the tent bag. We are seeing lots of these around the house these days- cute! The kids spent a long time following and talking to him.

Tents are way fun! As soon as the pup part of our tent was up, the kids wanted in. I wish I had pictures of the set-up of the big part. It is a team effort for sure and it’s a good thing I had such strong and dependable helpers.

This was a good game. After a swim in the pool (it’s hot in that tent!) the kids pretended they were chickens and Mama rolled them up like a shade so they couldn’t (easily) get out.

Later in the afternoon, we made the short trek to the library and Capp Smith Park. We tried to feed the ducks in the nearby pond but they were not interested. We spent the time running around (in the heat) and checking on some letter boxes we planted some time ago.

One of them was in the hole of this tree.

The kids took a closer look to see what they could see but to no avail. This one’s MIA.

Last stop: the library. As is usual, Elijah and Sadie played computer games before getting books, books on CD, books on CD with books that you follow along with, and DVDs- we are a very multi-media family!

A ‘Bowl’ of Soup-y Weather August 25, 2008

We must get out of the house! Several days of rain had us feeling cooped up and then it came to us- a sign- a coupon from the bowling alley!

2 children sit mesmerized by bowlers as we wait for our spectacular bowling shoes.

Elijah was ready to call it a day after the first roll- we could’ve gone out for pizza while we waited for the ball to make it to the pins. He was frustrated and did NOT want my help rolling his ball (7 lbs. is the lightest weight they have). He found his method, though, and it was all smiles thereafter.

Listen as he guides the ball, ‘Get over! Get over!’

Sadie took a cue from her brother and, though her ball takes its time, she can knock ‘em down!

It’s a waiting game after her roll. We had taken to blowing down the lane to try to get it to go faster (and to pass the time .

 

Dollars to… Dollar Store August 25, 2008

Elijah decided last night that we were overdue for a trip to the dollar store. He had some change burning a hole in his piggy bank so we sat down to count out how much he needed to bring. He decided $2 would be enough so we set to work sorting and making dollar piles.

Sadie took his cue and got down to business trying to figure out which ones were the quarters. With an 8.5% sales tax, the kids figured out how much extra they would need to pay ‘the Man’ on top of toy money (8 1/2 cents for each dollar).

We couldn’t go on our adventure without a map so Sadie drew it and then recited the directions to me while I drove:

1. Take the road that goes to the dollar store.

2. Turn into the parking lot.

3. Find a parking space.

4. Step up onto the curb and walk through the door.

So general and yet so specific… 

It felt a little strange taking out the camera in the dollar store so you’ll have to take my word for it. Careful selections were made by both children, cashier was paid exact amount, plastic toys and fuzzy red purse are being cherished.

Art Nouveau August 25, 2008

Interesting art is not unusual in our home. This week has been especially interesting in the art realm, however. This morning I was awoken with a request for a pan, aluminum foil, fingerpaint, and ‘that thing you use to cook that looks like a rainbow’. After a lengthy discussion trying to clarify what, exactly, I might have in my kitchen that resembles a rainbow (the semi-circular rack for the wok), I figured it out and she was off creating with said tools.

I was flabbergasted when I returned to this! What a creative mind.

I was able to gather up some of the paper that we made the other day so as not to keep you in suspense.

This masterpiece is actually a laptop computer that Sadie created after playing computer games that morning on mine. It’s called the ‘Pom Pom Dot Com’. I try to get her to tell me over and over just to hear her say it- so cute. I was scolded for hanging it up since clearly it’s for practical use.

This is what the dining room floor looks like most of the time…

…until the artists are through creating!