On the morning of Jack's birthday, we started the day off right with cinnamon rolls (our usual tradition) before the girls headed off to school. We sang happy birthday, lit a candle and Jack made a wish!
I made sure to spend the day focusing on him as much as possible (a strawberry smoothie from McDonald's -- his favorite), a picnic lunch at the park, followed by playing. And then when he got up from his rest, he discovered that the dining room table was covered with presents and a small cake that I made just for him. We went to Old Chicago for pizza (his request) and our neighbor dropped off cupcakes for everyone.
A new flashlight from Dad:
A spiderman watch:
He loved it:
More candles to blow out:
As I tucked my five-year-old into bed that night, he hugged me and told me that it was the "bestest day ever." And it was.
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I planted several pots outside and James found this one. He can never resist smelling flowers.
Side note: He's sitting in the rocking chair that my grandpa made for me many years ago. James was named after my dad (James), who was named after his dad, my grandpa (Albert James).
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Sophia was asked to dance downtown for the Laingsburg Lions Festival -- an annual celebration with carnival rides and entertainment. She danced in her ballet costume on a small stage and did great. We are SO proud of her!
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Jack's last day of preschool ... This Fall, he is headed off to kindergarten for five full days a week. This boy is more than ready and would probably go TODAY if he could.
I am so thankful for his excitement and enthusiasm. He's ready to meet his teacher and "ride the bus everyday."
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Aunt Deb got Jack a set of four superhero capes and masks as part of his birthday present this year and they have been an absolute hit in our household. The kids all love wearing them -- inside, outside, with friends, etc. (I am keeping this in mind for any upcoming birthday parties that Jack is invited to for his friends; they are a great gift).
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For end-of-the-school-year Teacher Gifts, I opted to put together a nice, tall drinking glass for summer with nail polishes, a file and a gift card to Target inside. The kids chose their own cups and nail polishes and then completed the cards for the outside. Jack simply signed his name on the back of the cards for his two teachers, but the girls filled out a special questionnaire about their teacher and their school year that I attached. They turned out pretty cute and the teachers really seemed to like them.
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At the end of the 4th grade school year, the student do a "Genius Hour Project." They choose a topic that they are interested in (it can be anything!), research it and then put together a presentation. After presenting to the class, their projects are set up in the hallway as a gallery for the other 4th grade classrooms to see and ask questions about.
Samantha chose to build a robotic arm. I know. Wow.
Steve purchased her a book about robots and the arm kit online and then they spent over six hours together working on it.
I helped her put together her poster and display of pictures and then made sure that she made it safely to school with everything.
Later, both Samantha and her teacher told me that her project drew the biggest interest of the students -- so many questions and so much wonder over everything.
The arm uses water (hydraulics) and levers to be able to pick up and object, like this dinosaur. Pretty amazing work and Samantha did most of it herself with the aid of a manual and Steve explaining the details as she went along.
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This Fall, it will just be Jimmy and me together all day. The three older kids will be in school full-time, so we will spend our days running errands, playing, reading books and doing puzzles. He is fully potty-trained now during the day (only wearing a diaper for naps and bedtime) and the truth is that he hates wearing diapers. He begs to have "udder-wear" on when I lay him down to put a diaper on before getting him ready for bed. By this Fall, I suspect that all diapers will be gone and that phase of my life will be over.
He's growing so tall and has the biggest personality. He is grouping more words together and there isn't a single word that he won't attempt to say. He smiles more than he cries and those smiles just light up his blue-eyed face. He keeps asking about a haircut (he knows that Jack gets one from his dad on a regular basis) and I laugh and tell him that it will still be a while. He's independent and takes directives like a champ. He gets his own milk out of the fridge (he drinks almost a gallon and a half a week) and puts his own boots on.
And I have to remind myself that he isn't even 2.5 yet.
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very impressive!
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