It was served with extra creamy vanilla ice cream. Ivan’s favorite.
Those five candles never had a chance.
Here’s grandma reading the newly published Dog Man. Even though it features an evil cat (I think cats are a force for good), it is a great book featuring both dog & bird poop, head transplants, and more zany than its pages should be able to contain.
Here’s hoping week number 2 of school goes just as well.
Lined up and ready to go in. When initially asked to pick up his backpack and line up, he was perplexed thinking the boy ahead of him had taken his backpack. We got it straightened out.
Kindergartners ready to go into the classroom on day one.
My kindergar-nerd is 5.
It’s been a big week with his first full week of school EVER and the birthday celebration.
Ivan is Fivin’ like a pro.
This is his birthday cake. It’s green and decorated with Mario figures. He says we should do 3 cakes – A Pokemon one, a Spongebob one and a Mario one. We’ll see what happens. Since they could be small and just decorated with existing small plastic toys, it’s possible I’ll make/buy 2 more small cakes over the next week or so.
Ezri declared that Ivan’s birthday, “Smells like Hanukkah.” We don’t light candles or matches very often. I like that for her a lit match’s smell reminds her of the Hanukkah.
Ezri wanted to be in a photo too. It’s hard when it’s your little brother’s birthday. Though she does get to play with some of his presents. She took him around the school yard in the morning pointing out to anyone who’d listen that it was her brother’s birthday. She physically picked him up and carried him around for some of this.
Pokeball Pancake
Ivan loves playing Pokemon cards more than most things these days.
Although when he loses and his Pokemon are defeated, he grieves.
But when he wins, he celebrates!
And over the last couple weeks, he’s learned to take the losses more gracefully – though he still really wants to continue playing until he has a victory.
He is getting good at adding the points needed to win and at developing strategies for card combinations that are strong. It becomes clear that he is gamer.
Photo at the Bozeman Children’s Museum
Quotes and conversations with Ivan over the last couple months.
i: What if it rained money and I ran around to get it?
A: Inflation, that means that everyone would have lots of money so things would cost more.
i: What if it only rained money on me?
A: Then you would be rich and have lots of money. What would you buy?
i: A robot. . . the stuff to make a robot
A: What would your robot do?
i: The dishes. Then you could play with me while the robot does dishes. Then it can rain more money.
A: Then what would you buy?
i: A new robot
A: What would the new robot do?
i: it could help the other robot while you are work
“I will do 4 jobs on one day. A astronaut, a builder, a video game tester, and a ice cream truck driver.”
These are the 4 careers Ivan’s been considering as an adult. He plans to build his sister a Veterinary office so she can be a veterinarian and an invisible car because she wants an invisible car. He also says he will drive me to the grocery store in his ice cream truck and give me ice cream.
i: Do you know what are dogs good at?
A: Barking and licking you?
i: Being eaten by crocodiles!
i: Now I have four favorite colors because I’m four.
A: What are they?
i: Green, Red, Blue and Orange
When I’m five I will have five favorite colors – green, red, blue, orange AND gray.
“I make this noise when I fart wee-wee-wee-weeeeeee-Thpthpthpthpt.”
Home early from school because he ran into another child on the playground and got hurt and upset
A: do you want to lie down and rest?
i: Yes. (goes to curl up on his bed)
A; Do you want an audiobook to listen to?
i: Yeah. Can I have something to cuddle with?
A (looking at Ivan’s stuffed animals): what would you like?
i: Can I have you?
Now he’s been on a horse as many times as his father. Though not nearly as many as his grandparents. They say their horse riding days are over. Initially Ivan was nervous about being around the horse barn, but once up on top of this horse named Black Dog he was all smiles.
The swing in front of our digs at the lower lodge was popular with both kids
Everyone loved the hot spring heated pool. Here are the gentlemen enjoying the warm end near the hot tub.
Elk head in the lobby. We saw living elk on our day trip to Yellowstone, but we liked the taxidermy heads.
