Recap

Tis (already) the season.... Our schedule gets a bit nuts from October through January, so I'm lagging in my posts. Here's a brief recap of the past two weeks.

My Pee Wee school is going awesome. I've learned all of my letters, can correctly count to fourteen (when I get to fifteen I call it "five-teen"), and can do some serious finger painting. We've gone on two field trips - one to an apple picking farm and one to a pumpkin patch at Cox Farm. We've made kites, painted rocks, cooked muffins, and walked a pretend tight rope. If this is what all school is like, the next 18 years are going to be fun! (Do med students get to paint rocks?)

We also scored a visit from our fun friends from Bosnia - Liam and Mary (Todd had to stay home and work this trip). While brief, we packed it full of bike rides, tackling each other, and train-playing.

Christine made us dinner one night and came to hang out with me. She's the best - really, who just makes you dinner and comes to play? So cool.

Most of our Halloween decorations are up. We have a big, furry spider that drops down from the front door when you make loud noises so I like to stand near it and jump and yell - my mom said the spider may not survive until Halloween, I wonder if he's sick?

We attended the annual "heart picnic" hosted by the hospital. I got to hang out with Dr. Shen, the awesome doctor that repaired my heart and gave me my power line. He's so incredibly cool, WAY cooler than any superhero. (Geez I was tiny!)

 

And then we scored a bonus visit from my Grandpa! He had a last-minute work meeting in DC, so I filled the gaps between his meetings - bike riding, soccer, cars, and time in the hammock. He's the best.

Cruising

What's not to love about cruising? The open sea, tons of activities, endless food, exciting destinations. My parents weren't sure how I'd like cruising, so we took a "test run" to Bermuda last week and my grandparents joined us. Maybe my folks are also wondering if I'd like a puppy or a giant chocolate cake or a trampoline? Good grief mom and dad, who wouldn't like cruising!?!?!

So I guess they had a concern about the sleeping arrangements on a cruise - small, cramped quarters. Here's what we found out - stick me on a bunk bed in the pitch black and I sleep eleven consecutive hours...and so does my dad. We slept well.

Things I quickly learned. If you're my height and you zip around a cruise (and people think you might fall off the boat), EVERY staff and guest quickly gets to know you. When you yell "BINGO!" someone gives you money. There is no bacon limit at breakfast or shrimp limit at dinner (and if you're with my grandpa, there is no ice cream cone limit any time of day!)

"Cruise wear" comes in all shapes and sizes and looks ridiculous on everyone...even me. They clean the glass doors on the ship so well they are hard to see (I ran full speed into one - funny for everyone but me). Shuffle board is harder than it looks. The pools are fun any time of day. The tall, colorful drinks with umbrellas are better than a homemade smoothie. My parents can turn anything into a competition - ping pong, the rock climbing wall, the foos ball game in the teen lounge - but I guess I already knew this. The destination is just as much fun as the boat itself.

We decided driving around the island of Bermuda was too boring and that we'd miss too much if we took the ferry from one side to the other. So in a moment of brilliance, we decided to bike the island. Yes, me, my parents, and my grandparents rented four very rusty bikes, found THE ONLY kid bike seat on the island (literally), put our trust in the cartoon-like tourist map, and started riding. It was beautiful - really beautiful.

The only real challenge was the map...and the trail...or lack of trail...and the cars whizzing by...and the enormous hills no one mentioned....and the stairs on the trail....and the foot-deep mud....and that the bike shop was closed when we got there to return the bikes...did I mention the scenery was simply breathe-taking? Yes, the whole day was a comedy of errors BUT we would do it again in a second (hmm, maybe don't ask my grandma this question). We definitely got to see the island in a way no one else did. (We were the only bikers!)

We made stops throughout the day, including at Horseshoe Bay Beach. Wow.

Other time during the cruise was spent snorkeling, paddle boating, and adventuring. A great trip.

Adventures and Adventure Wear

Last week was jam-packed with adventures. My buddy Abigail and I went to the National Arboretum where we fed the giant fish, splashed in the fountain, and explored all of the plants and flowers. That place is so cool - never crowded, totally peaceful,l and right in the city.

Then Poppy came over for a play date.  My dad had the day off so Poppy joined us for our typical guys outing. A wagon ride to 7-Eleven for a Slurpee, then to the park, and back home for lunch. This was Poppy's first Slurpee, and I think it's safe to say that she, like myself, appreciates life's luxuries.

Friday my dad took me to the Father/Son overnight campout with a bunch of my buddies. It was just us guys, no moms or girls allowed. If you follow our blog, you know my dad had never camped before marrying my mom. He's getting so good, he can now take me on his own. Amid the excitement of the evening, I ate one of those over-sized marshmallows, the ones that are the size of a small county. My dad thinks that may have been the source of my late-night energy. This is the only proof of the trip - a bit blurry - but clear evidence of our adventure.

When I got home, our awesome neighbors, the Barnharts, dropped by with a bag of prizes for me. They had just returned from a two week road trip across the country, and got me cool stuff from almost every stop. A glow in the dark t-shirt from Mount Rushmore, a coloring book and t-shirt from the Alamo, a cowboy hat, and this awesome thing....I guess it's called a coon skin cap. I think it's hilarious. I put it on my head and spin in circles trying to catch the tail. I'm thinking it will great with my outfit on Sunday for church!

Pee Wee

I'm officially a PeeWee. I'm too young too start preschool this year but too busy not to do something. So my mom and three of her girlfriends are hosting a mini pre-school. Me and three of my buddies go to "PeeWee's" once a week - the moms rotate who teaches. It is awesome! I was so excited I started packing my backpack two days before the first day of "school." Now I tell my mom, "I learned that at school." It doesn't matter what it is, I'm sure I've learned it at school.

I also experienced my first huge amusement park - I was definitely a PeeWee there too! Some of those rides are enormous. I spent the day testing out all of the modes of transportation - cars, boats, roller coasters, cars, planes, and more cars. Here are a few pics from the rides...

 

 

 

We've converted my room from a nursery to a kid's room - new bed and lots more space to play. My bed looks like an indoor tent and when I grow and am no longer a PeeWee, we'll just flip it over and it becomes a loft bed - how cool is that?!?

And finally, if you want to feel small, hop in our new car. My parents got a gigantic 8-seater Chrysler Aspen. The guy at the car dealership looked at them, looked around, and finally looked down at me and said, "Is this it, just this little guy?" Hey buddy, I may appear tiny but I need space to spread out when we travel, lay off!

Dinner then Dunking

Last week I got to to have dinner with two of my most favorite people - M.O. and Sarah. They made us an awesome dinner and even gave me a ball. (Not sure they were aware how high and how much I could bounce a ball indoors!)

Then Saturday we hosted our annual dunk tank party. This year we had an awesome addition - a giant blow-up slide. Our super fun friends, the Nelsons, just moved to Thailand. And before they moved, they gifted us their HUGE slide. So the slide made a debut at the dunk tank party and frankly, it may have out-funned the dunk tank. Thanks Nelsons!

Lots of impressive dunks and slides throughout the day. Only a few adults (my parents included) slid too fast down the slide and shot off the slide and on to the sidewalk - moments I WISH I had a video camera on - absolutely HAAAA-larious!

 I took a turn trying to dunk my dad (he looks pretty scared, huh?). But my mom's fierce arm was the clincher to knock him in.

I too, took a turn in the dunk tank (what 2 year old wouldn't!). I went in so fast that the shot is blurry.