TTFN

Two friends of mine from high school who didn’t know each other were married to their significant others on the same day, being yesterday, which also happened to be the birthday of the Hungarian-American 1940’s film actor Peter Lorre (who makes a “cameo” in the Bugs Bunny classic Hair-Raising Hare). We watched a Bob Hope flick (My Favorite Brunette) featuring Lorre, by total coincidence, on Lorre’s birthday. Which also happens to be my birthday.

Twenty-nine and going strong! Well not really. Strong, that is. I’ve been really exhausted lately. Testament to this fact is that Danny threw me a surprise party at my parents house on Friday and the party was half-way over before I’d realized it had begun. Seriously. The ninth or so guest happened to by my brother-in-law who commented on my blasé welcome with, “So, you’re not really surprised?” I walked away scratching my head and considering the embarrassingly blatant reality that the group of friends hanging out with a stack of pizza boxes in the dining room, being circled by my parents with giddy grins and camera flashing, were in fact there to celebrate me.

It wasn’t much of a relaxing weekend, which I was afraid would be the case, as I’d planned to begin formal homeschooling today. Who begins a school year in the middle of summer? That would be me. I told Dominic as I put him in bed last night that we would be starting school the next day. So when he sprang out of bed at 7:05 this morning (just as I was tip-toeing out for my quiet time) the first thing he did was to remind me excitedly that today was the first day of school. Dominic and Noemie were so eager to start that they cleaned up the toys from the playroom floor without dillydallying , then sat right down on the carpet to begin. Weeks ago, I typed up curriculum plans that take me through August with activities, art projects, field trips, discussions, and library books based loosely on the Konos character unit studies. We started with Orderliness. We talked about what order is, we talked about what order is not. We took comic strips that I’d cut up the night before and put the frames in chronological order. That was it for the morning, and as planned, we went to the playgroup at the park. On the way, Dominic and Noemie argued about whether or not there were such things as pink lightsabers, and agreed that regardless, Papi was stronger than a lightsaber. (I'd like to note my kids have never seen Star Wars). At the park, the splash pad was not working so Dominic and Noemie made good use of the open park shower and left chalk markings on the surfaces that suited them: picnic tables, brick pavers, their slimy bodies, strangers’ wagons, and so on. We came home for naps, and when Dominic woke up, had a reading lesson. We read a book from the curriculum plans (on Noah's ark...if there was ever a historical event that demanded order it was this one!) And picked up so Papi could come home to a clean house. It was my most functional day ever!

Father's Day with Abuelo Wilmo

(He doesn't usually dress like this, we caught him in his pajamas.)

Vacation Bible School

Noemie... always doin her own thing.

Our sweet baby boy, Cristovan, continues to be a source of great joy and amusement to the rest of us. Dominic loves to try to get a laugh out of him, and Noemie sees him as another one of her baby dolls. He's becoming a little more difficult to trap in her arms, however, as he gets closer every day to independent mobility. I have a feeling this one's going to run before he walks. And, get out the baby book, he stamped his feet rhythmically in what can be recorded as his first dance last Friday. In his own time, folks. There's no rushing this one.

As an Independence Day present to myself, I will be going sans-computer for a month. In case I don't talk to you until after this experiment in technology-fasting or perhaps torture, I'll be back in August! With homeschooling adventures to tell I'm sure...