Ivan is in with his Exploration Station camp in orange. His counselor is Mr. Jeff. He was excited to tell me that at this field trip the firetruck was in the fire house. They got to look inside the firetruck. When his tot school class went on their field trip a year and a half ago the firetruck was away on a call and Ivan’s memory is long at least where firetrucks are concerned.
Ivan up on an elephant
Ivan down on an elephant
Ivan with his tall, green apple slushie
Friends waiting to go on the rides
Waiting for the bumper cars in the bright sunshine and heat
Sweaty, bumper car selfie. Ivan steered and I pushed the gas peddle. He wasn’t tall enough to go on by himself because he wouldn’t have been able to reach the peddle. There was a lot of spinning in circles, but he loved driving himself.
Ivan also won a stuffed penguin that he has named Flippers in a carnival fishing game. Flippers came home and Ivan had him join a stuffed animal meeting with 13 other stuffed animals. Then Ivan read him two stories – Go Away Big Green Monster and The Egg. He slept snuggled with Flippers last night.
But when asked what his favorite part of Grove Fest he said, “It was going on Zero Gravity. Oh yeah!” He also liked breaking a board at the karate class demonstration we stopped at and playing in the Train Station fountain. He threw a penny in and wished for me to not ever be bossy. Not my favorite wish – since “bossing him” is a parent’s job. We talked about it and he revised to wishing for me to not ever be grumpy with him. Seems unlikely, but a good wish.
The kids love this tree in the front yard. It was too small to climb when Eric’s family planted it when he was child, but now it’s a perfect climbing tree.
Ivan did a great number of laps around the house racing at his top speed. Here he is on lap 15 or so.
The newly remodeled DeKalb Library has a LEGO wall. . .
and a reading area for Grandma, dad and the kids.
Two great dads and a couple great kids
Out to dinner at Rosita’s
Bubbles in the backyard with the biggest bubble wand we’ve seen yet!
This photo is from early May when we were so excited the near park’s water fountains were back in service!
Ivan is pretty impressed that he has grown enough since last fall when the fountains were turned off that he can now use the fountain without a parental boost.
It’s a milestone.
Photos from Rocky’s birthday party.
“It is Rocky’s birthday today. He is turning 6 years old.”
Rocky then had a birthday party Ivan orchestrated with a card he drew, a small toy cake, a pool (shallow dish of water), and an easter egg hunt in Rocky’s box (the eggs were applesauce lids). Rocky and his friends found all the eggs.
“What if we made a rocket and we named it Ben? ”
Ezri and Ivan have been building a lot of imaginary rockets often with 5 or more steering wheels.
They dispute which imaginary paint color to paint their imaginary rockets – it’s all pretty ridiculous.
“Which screwdriver goes with my screws? Holding the play flat head and philips head screwdrivers.”
Ivan has already learned the importance of having the right tool for the job. The screws were imaginary, rocket-building screws.
“If you want to learn to fight evil giant ants, I can teach you.”
“I love black olives. I love ice cream. I think I will love black olive ice cream. Can we make it?”
“Why does June have a year but Ivan doesn’t?” Ivan has noticed his friend June has a whole month he assumed was named after her and he does not. I explained the month had the name first. He suggested that I call him September as his nickname. I have started calling him September sometimes and he likes it.
Ivan pointed at a sign he wanted read to him it said “Ice Cream makes everything better.”
“No, not everything. Not fire. Or other hot things that want to be hot.”
He decided the sign should read “Ice Cream makes a lot of things better.”
I agreed with him because I remember when ice cream did not make the book drop at the library better.
Ivan tells me more about what he does when he’s away from me. Here’s our conversation after camp.
A: What did you do at camp today?
i: Finger painting.
A: What did you paint?
i: a cheetah. They had no white paint.
A: What would you have painted if you’d had white paint?
i: A chicken.
And none on Ezri’s blog.
I want my blog to have more pictures than Ezri’s.”
Okay, Ivan here ya’ go.
Yes.
From up here he proclaims what color the stoplight in the distance is. “It is RED!”
He is pretending to be a frog.
Ribbit.
Ezri tells Ivan a joke.
She thinks her joke is hilarious.
Ivan doesn’t quite get it.
Ezri tells it again.
Ivan gets it.
And agrees it is hilarious.
