Happy Summer, Golden Child,
This Summer post #1 will cover the end of school up to August 1st of the great summer of 2016. This is the time when I truly value being a teacher; I have forgotten about work completely; I’ve forgotten the stress of a job, I have a ton of time to pursue what I want, I my smile wrinkles seem to fade a little…..stress is less for me in the summer. I do need to be aware that Mommy, on the other hand, does not have the same easy schedule I have, so I try to have the dishes put away when she gets home for the day.
Nana and Poppop came at the end of June this year. On the day they arrived, I took them to La Escuelita to pick you up after school and see where you spend most of your days. They were very impressed it, and you added to the excitement by leaping and screaming when you saw them (see :22 of the June 2016 video). All of your classmates caught on and followed like wild monkeys. I sure don’t get that reaction when I pick you up in the afternoon.
During Nana and Poppop’s visit, you sponsored several tea parties, we visited the zoo and the Ballard Locks, and you and Nana worked together to make a cakey. You are becoming more interested in seeing how things operate around the kitchen, including stirring, selecting cups and utensils, and cleaning the chocolate-batter bowl.
July was a month packed with water, travel, and family time. Over the 4th, we spent time on Whidbey Island where you saw your Seattle cousins. You love spending time with your cousins, and Mommy and I love it too because it gives us a little break from each other during the daily tasks of reading (Avery read a Curious George book to you all before bed), getting dressed in the morning (Avery and Ashlan selected your clothes and helped you get dressed (a tough task for us EVERY morning), and tuck-in time (Ashlan is zipping you up). Mommy and I were hoping for a successful slumber party, your first one, but you kept talking even when the lights were out. Avery finally asked that we move you to our room because you were keeping them up. We’ll try again soon.
On Monday the 4th, we had a beach fire and tried to enjoy the fireworks, but you were frightened by the booms so you went inside. I think you were pretty tired, since it doesn’t get dark until after 9pm, and when you went to bed, you snoozed all through the booms and pops without a peep.
1 Second Everyday June 2016
Here are some Crosby quotes I’ve snagged from you in the last few months.
“Dad, Can we ride the bike tomorrow?” (you like to ask this repeatedly when you should be in bed)
“I want mine creamier!’ (I can’t remember what this was)
“Don’t touch me: go back to your seat.” (in a Vermont restaurant, as you sit with your cousins)
“Do you want to smell my feet?” (I’m afraid I taught you to repeat this one)
Last week, when you were pretending to serve Mommy some ice cream, she asked you what flavor it was, and you said, “Glucosamine.” You’ve been interested in the vitamins I take and what the names of them are. Now, serving me my 3 vitamins is part of our morning ritual. You even asked Nichole’s husband Matthew to show you his vitamins when we were at their house for a cookout.
You’ve also started to cook and serve “Toot Soup” to us when you’re in your kitchen. I am respectful and accept the cup, but I don’t smell or drink it.
Mano Mysterioso (my right hand) is a new character I’ve created that appears when we are playing around. Mano does not listen very well, and likes to tickle you when he see’s you. He can sometimes be kept in check by being fed tasty foods, but he prefers Tender Juicy Baby Bellies.
The big event this summer was the Epic Peabody Vermont Adventure – to celebrate Gaga and Grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary – one year early. The destination where The Chuck Peabody family’s family met was Smuggler’s Notch Resort in the Green Mountains near Stowe, Vermont. It was a fun time to spend long days with your Indiana cousins outside in a setting that had many options. The younger ones spent a lot of time in the pool (in between naps and meals) while the grownups swam, hiked, mountain biked, ziplined, toured on segways, did yoga on a standup paddleboard, toured the Ben and Jerry’s factory, and organized theirown sessions around your naps!
The Vermont highlights for me were
- Having you spending lots of time with your Indiana cousins.
- Seeing Grandpa Chuck own the mountain bike teeter-totter and downhill course.
- Doing the zipline tour with Uncle Andy, Aunt Kara, and Kali
- Being able to spend time with my family other than during the hectic holidays.
- Visiting Boston before and after our trip and seeing Mommy’s college campus and college friends.
Here is the 1 Second Video for July, which includes some fun shots from our families at Smuggs.
Now we are back home and the summer is about to close. You are back at La Escuelita and about to begin transition with your classmates to new classrooms, teachers, and friends. I need to keep working on my online course (through Global Online Academy) and finish some summer goals before I report back to school. Out in the world these last few weeks, I’m sad to report that there have been several more shootings in our nation, one of which was a retaliatory targeting of police officers in Dallas. Just this weekend, a 19-year used a rifle to shoot three teenagers at a house party in Mukilteo, WA. The new game Pokemon Go is the hot app this summer, where players use their phones’ GPS to virtually catch characters that exist in public places. You and I had to evade some kids playing Pokemon Go on our bike last week on the Greenlake trail because they weren’t looking where they were going and walked right onto the bike path. The 2016 election drama continues….Donald J. Trump is the hesitantly-endorsed-nominee for the republican party, and Hilary Clinton is the first female nominee for president ever. There was a failed military coup in Turkey, McDonalds is now pledging to serve chicken nuggets from chicken raised without antibiotics, and the Rio olympics begin on Friday (without the Russian track and field team, nearly the entire Russian olympic team due to a doping scandal).
It is so fun being with you and watching pretend, ask questions, and experience more of the world every day, little Berry. Mommy and I want you to be a happy, confident, and kid human who will grow up to make the world happier and kinder, too. Love, Mano Mysterioso