Post 2011 Birthday Report

We made a giant Seal of the President of the United States so we could play Pin the Eagle on the Seal.

The guests colored their own eagles. There were lots of variations; the most memorable eagle was bright green and the most memorable shield had a pirate skull and crossbones on it.


We made a poster of Mount Rushmore. Originally, it was going to be mounted onto a cardboard box so kids could stick their heads through and have photo opportunities. It sort of didn't happen that way.

 President Lincoln didn't come out well, and we were at the eleventh hour on this project.

And then there was the cake.  The 2007 cake was a train.  The 2008 cake was a pirate ship.  The 2009 cake was chocolate cupcakes and a chocolate anvil cake as the Sword in the Stone.  Last year's Monopoly Extravaganza featured a catered ice-cream cake.


 

J had told A that he would make a White House cake.  This required carefully measuring out the ratios in the actual building and taking a tape measure to the store to get the right marshmallows.  And trimming out round parts with saucepans. 


 

The pillars were marshmallows on toothpicks. The collumns were the most coveted part of the cake during the party.... because... well, J got a little carried away with late-night baking and there was probably a timer-set problem and not all of the cake went in at the same time and... so... some of the cake was a little over-done.


The pound cake held together fairly well.   Thank goodness for toothpicks.

And then there was the icing.  It was an orange sugar-icing.  It should have been a butter icing.  It made the cake resemble the Casa Rosada more than the White House.   No pictures to protect the guilty.


Grandpa was a Very Good Sport, rented a costume, and came as George Washington.

Grandma came as herself.

J dressed as a Secret Service Man and "scanned" the guests as they arrived with his camera.

The guests came as presidents, with two pirate exceptions.





M shaved his moustache, kept his beard, and was the best dressed Abraham Lincoln there (and there was some pretty fierce competition).

In addition to pin the Eagle on the Seal, we played Pirates and Presidents (a variation of Cranes and Crows), and Elections (they had to pop balloons for the electoral votes inside).  The games went fast, so we added on a few rounds of Dragon's Tail (form a conga line, the front has to grab a hanky out of the tail's back pocket).




"Uh, what did that recipe say again?"

Field Day at School

Guess who was waiting at school after today's field day?

And The Award Goes To...

Scene: the car driving to pick up M. J has been interrogating A about the day's school events.

A (from the back seat): "J, J; you'll never guess! Elizabeth from the Mayflower came to our class today!"

J (recalling that the class is studying the Mayflower for Thanksgiving): "Oh, that's right, P and D told us about she would be visiting. What did she tell you?"

A: "Her husband fell overboard on the Mayflower and had to pulled up by ropes."

J (dodging traffic): "Oh."

A: "But J, there's something that's not quite right."

J: "What's that?"

A: "Well (pronounced "Weh-ell") how can she be visiting us if she was on the Mayflower? She must have been four hundred years old."

J (impressed and amused at kindergartner math and logic): "Well, I don't think she was four hundred years old. What do you think. (Trying another tactic) How old was she, did look older than Grandma J?"

A: "She looked old!"

J: "Did she look older than (great) grandma A?"

A (considering): "I think she must have been a ghost or a robot."

J: "So, um, bud; when we go to the renaissance faire, and I dress up and we see Queen Elizabeth, we're acting! Right?"

A (slowly): "Yes..."

J: "So Elizabeth was an actress."

A: "But... how did she know all that stuff about the Mayflower?"

October 2010 Slideshow

The elementary school sickness hit us. And then it was Halloween. And then it was post-Halloween. So here are the pictures we should have put up a while back:

Going to School!

The other night was a rough one for A. It involved M getting up and reading a couple of stories to him, and propping him up with blankets and a Really Big Bowl (just in case). At 1:30 AM.

Naturally, A did not spring Wide Awake at 5:45 AM. So we assumed that the next day would be a stay at home day.

Much later than usual (long after M had left), A's bedroom door flung open and out came A.

J: "Good morning. How's your stomach?"

A: (After a second of thought) "Good." (Another pause) "I slept a long time."

J: "Yeah, Bud. You slept so much that M and I think you should stay home from school today."

A: "But I feel fine."

J: (Noticing that school officially starts in less than a half an hour.) "Well, it's awfully late."

A: "No. J! (stomping his foot) I'm not sick!"

J: "Okay, okay; I'll take your temperature..."

He didn't have a temperature.

J: "... I don't know; it's against my better judgement..."

A (proclaiming): "I'm going to school!" (Rushes over to couch and puts on his shoes.

J: "Bud, you're in your pj's; let's get you dressed..."

Kindergarten Photos

Waiting before class on the first day of kindergarten.










And a few weeks later, the Very First Kindergarten homework. Only seventeen more years to go!

First Weeks of Kindergarten

A's been going to kindergarten.

Recent kindergarten adventures:

Snoring during nap time.

Saying that he saw Zachary Taylor coming back from the White House on his horse during an eye exam (there was a horse on the eye chart).

Changing the words to a song about a baby doll from sweet caring ones to mean ones (probably using the Five Words Most Amusing to Five Year Old Boys: fart, butt, wiener, poop, & vomit).

Telling various school staff members all about the presidents (with a focus on their horrible demises).

Learning the entire Star Wars (cartoon) pantheon in spite of the fact that A) we don't have a television and B) Star Wars is something we're not going to show him until he's twelve.

Removing his socks and hiding them somewhere on the school grounds (yes, they came back in a big plastic bag).

Discovering The Best Thing Ever: Hot Lunch. Who knew?