The Summer Begins

This kid is now a first grader!!  Incredible!  Kindergarten ended today and Benjamin was a bit sad about it.  He really enjoyed school for the most part.  He hated getting ready in the morning and was often bored with the work.  "She never taught us much math!" he declared sadly as we drove home today.  I guess he'd held out hope all year and now realized it was never going to happen.  He loved the kids, though, and his teacher, and the craft projects, and art class, and gym, and he adored center time when he got to go around and choose to do whatever he wanted.  Kindergarten was a happy place.  I'm so glad he got to have that experience.

Now onto Summer!  Kelly kicked off the Summer by coming home with a kayak on the car's roof.  I assumed he'd borrowed it, but no, we are the proud new owners of a kayak.  I guess it was about time we got our own and stopped renting them every time.  The kids were very excited.  They played pirates all day in the backyard. 

 This is Benjamin being our ship's figurehead (the statue on the front of the ship).  I didn't get a pick of Bella purposely violently rocking the boat and throwing him off...or a picture of him pummeling her for it....alas, they fought like pirates too.

Spring soccer season ended last week.  I love their soccer league.  It's a non-competitive, instructional league and the kids love it.  Well....mostly.  Bella has issues when the mob is all charging at the ball.  She participates okay during practices, but once the game starts, she is most comfortable watching from a distance.  It'll come, though.  Benjamin was the same way when he started and now he's fearless.  It's so fun to watch.  So fun, in fact, that I signed up to coach in the fall.  I'm excited!

Every start of Summer we go to our city's safety fair at the police and fire stations.  The kids get to pretend to call 911, play trivia games with cops, sit in the fire engine, put on fireman gear, ride their bikes through a course, etc.  It's really a lot of fun, and it also helps me to discover what they need to know but don't like, I thought they both knew our address, but when they're talking to cops on the phone, they freeze up and practically forget their own name.  It was good to get them comfortable and the cops gave good ideas, like, if you call 911 and forget your address, you can always go outside and look at the numbers by your front door.

The bike course was hilarious because it so highlighted the kids' personalities.  Benjamin was very law abiding and did what the cop asked.  Bella, however, listened intently, answered the questions correctly, and then did whatever the heck she wanted.  She rode in crazy circles, ignored stop signs, and rode her bike in places he told her to get off and walk it.  The cop finally just gave up.  That girl is Trouble!

 This is how Christian shops - diaper bag and baby in the stroller.  He wouldn't go anywhere without these items.  I even tried to distract him a couple times and ditch the stuff.  Didn't work.  He screamed "dolly!!" with great distress in his voice and ran as fast as he could back to where I'd rolled them.  Alas, he loves his little babies.  He's incredibly loving in general.  Every morning as each person wakes up, (because he's ALWAYS the first up) he'll run to greet them and give them a big hug saying, "Good morning!" and then run around to everyone else and announce, "Bella wake!" or "Benjin" wake!"  Then he'll run back and give the person another hug.  Such a sweetheart. It's a great way to wake up.