Birthday Workshop

After many nights' toil, filled with stenciling, cutting, painting, magic-markering, and coloring, we finally managed to finish off one aspect of the upcoming Monopoly Birthday Extravaganza.

















There's still the table and tarp, rulers and T-squares to be put away.







M gave all the properties a final spray of fixative. J wants everyone to know that he was having some interesting dreams and would wake up to the scent of magic marker while M, who had arisen Very Early, was putting finishing touches on things.







M laid out the finished squares and A dressed up (again!) as Mr. Moneybags so we could get an idea about how large this whole thing would be. Then we sent it off via the Postal Service to Grandma M's for birthday fun later.






A helped out.

















So far I haven't seen anyone's costume suggestions, but there's some rumors going around about "Community Chest."

Mr Moneybags

Things are gearing up at our house for A's Birthday Party. He has requested a Monopoly Theme so that he can dress up in the starring role of Mr. Moneybags.

So we're working on the invitations and making poster-board real estate spaces so we can turn any room into a giant monopoly board.














A is really into the whole thing and has been asking us to help him dress up in his Mr. Moneybags outfit (and has even given up "Smoking" (imaginary) cigars for the privilege of wearing the costume). More pictures here.

Do You Believe in Magic ?

Scene: post-breakfast living room. A, who has checked out a few books on magic tricks, is standing at the coffee table.

A places two pennies, a dime, and a plastic piece-of-eight into a paper. Folds paper (after asking nicely for some after being admonished that playing cards mustn't be folded). Dances over it, waving hands in the air. "Ala-ka-dabrica Go away! Go away! Snick, snack, snorum!" Flings paper into the air. The observer is unsure about the trajectory of the coinage. "TaAaAa-DaAaAh!!"

Probably the most entertaining moment is when A watched J palm a coin and then still believed that J had made it magically appear ten seconds later.

April / May Photos

Show and tell at school. A was very excited.



















I believe the quote was, "You'd better work!"


















One of many Mr. Moneybags poses.



















Although all of the Calvin and Hobbes books have been locked in a vault, A seems to have taken a page from the Calvin school of photography.

News Udate

The Pirate Ban is back. A's been a little too rough (and rude) at preschool, so all fighters and fighting toys have been put away for a while.

A is getting ready for his Birthday; we're going to have a Monopoly Themed party. A says he wants to be Mr. Moneybags. Various family members want to be "Go to Jail." Mark's going to be the Dog Token, and I'm going to be "Chance." ("Honey, I'm still free; take a chance on me...")

I Need A Hero

A (coming out of his room): "J! You want to see my Bad Guy Machine?"

J (sipping his morning tea): "Okay."

(they walk into A's room)

J: "Wow." There's what looks like a four-way computer screen (made of long blocks) and what obviously look like...

A: "And these are levers! When I pull them the entire world will be FILLED WITH POPCORN! Mwa-ha-ha-HA HA!"

(J reflects that A sounds an awful lot like Backyardigan Austin (the kangaroo) in his bad buy role as The Gloom-meister.)