Pre K Olympics

Last year my sister got me thinking about doing an Olympics for our church pre k playgroup. It was fitting with Beijing. No real reason to do it this year, other than I thought it was fun and wanted to try it again. Prepare for a lot of pictures, but they are cute.


As the kids rolled in, we had them make torches.


Next, we had our march and lighting of the Olympic flame (with inspiring music).




Notice the baby on the hip -the whole time!


You may have a use for that old bent hula hoop and crib sheet after all.


The flame is burning, let the games begin!


The athletes gather for the 20 meter dash


False start or superstar?

After the race, we awarded the kids with crepe paper bands. After each event, they received a star on the band. At the end, we added their medals to them.


Preparation for the stoic in the field events.


A day for the young, and younger...


with the youngest cheering them on.


Shot Put


Javelin (straws)


Discus (paper plates)


Long Jump








High Jump (jump up and mark the spot)


(notice baby still on the hip)


Relay


Medal ceremony. At the beginning, I had a friend -whom I call awesome Anna- take the kids' pictures with her Instax camera (today's Polaroid) by the flag. We then cut those to fit can lids. Whalla, a gold medal.
One thing solidified that day with my son, he is not a crowd/event person. He only started opening up after most of the kids had left. He's much better with just a few- as he stated to me afterwards when I asked if he had fun, "I had fun after all the people left."



His sister is very much the opposite. She couldn't wait to jump off the bus after morning kindergarten to see who was left and march around with a torch.

Well, that's a pre k event for you. Some will break down in tears, some will march to their own beat in the opposite direction, some will be digging in the corner of the sandbox, and some will love it all.

Go Girl and Go Hubby

I did my triathlon last week. No after pictures on the arm muscles yet, I know you've all been excited to see the speed bump growth. Now that I've finished the endurance test, I'll try to bulk up with a little P90X (yeah baby!). Michael wasn't able to do a tri this summer- that ol' double back up thing for work got him. No pictures of the race, I was flying solo there. About the time I was running the last turnaround on the course, Michael was getting off a grueling 14 hour night shift (he's back on nights for the month!). So my thought for the day, if you want something, then you REALLY have to work for it, whatever it is, work, health, family...tidy house, most things come with sweat.

To Fictionize or Not

You come from a family, and your husband comes from a family, and then you have a family together and you try to figure out what to do with it. We keep it an open discussion. When the holidays started rolling around after the kids came, I found myself asking “Who's the guy in the fluffy red suit?” and “What’s the point of the Easter bunny again?” I haven’t quite figured out their reason, so I decided to leave them out of our traditions.

Kynlee knocks out a tooth at the playground and asks about the tooth fairy. She’s picked up on this somewhere and catches me off guard- because she didn’t loose the tooth naturally and I wasn’t prepared to think about this tradition. Sure I’m for it. I love the idea of the tooth fairy. Added bonus, no conflicts with religion. Kynlee gets a little prize under her pillow. She naturally loses a tooth not long later- no problem, another prize.

Then Kynlee starts pounding me with questions about the tooth fairy. Who is she? How does she know me? How does she get in the house? So-in-so said the tooth fairy is really the parents, is that true? Is it you? You have the same wrapping paper. Just tell me, is it you?!


Now I realize my problem with fictional characters, I’m a terrible liar! I get flustered and shaky. I can’t take the pressure! Kynlee has three teeth loose right now and I’m about to buckle, “It’s ME all right! I love you and I want to give you a prize! No more questions! PLEASE!”

“and don’t tell your friends the truth.”

Bless Your Soles

The season of flip flops has past, and the search for closed toe shoes has begun. Kynlee’s not so lean foot, high instep, and tall top add up to one beautiful shoe description, wide. Not just wide, but extra wide, and if we can find extra extra wide, even better. Reality hit a few years ago on Easter Sunday as I got Kynlee ready in her new outfit. I felt like I was cramming Drizella’s foot into Cinderella’s glass slipper. After her grandma found out she was running around barefoot at church due to pain, she told me, “Go buy that poor child some shoes that fit, whatever the cost!” With those words ringing in my ears, I have broken down, moved beyond my ten dollar limit, searched for clearance, couponed, you name it. This year, I found Stride Rite having a buy one get the second pair half off. Only $75 for two pair…whimper. Couldn’t do it Mom! Kynlee’s adorable feet are squeezing into Payless.


Kynlee's first trip on the bus, she has a neighborhood friend at least.


Looking a little nervous, so was I!

Tree House

You wouldn’t think a small ornamental pear tree could be turned into a tree house, but I guess when you are four feet tall it can. It started becoming an idea the day before our community garage sell. Kynlee spent three dollars in change from her purse on a dozen knick knacks she thought fitting for her new hangout. Walla, a tree house in the making.






Please keep an eye on the infant while you take pictures of the older kids, and stop him from eating dirt.


While I was trying to set up a swing for the tree, I heard Kynlee call out “wahoo!” as she sped down the driveway. Seriously, she said wahoo. I looked over to see her riding my old mountain bike! I went from being scared, to laughing, to pushing the button on the camera I was holding. She was losing speed by the time she circled around, but I thought it was cute. Funny, dangerous 5-year-old.

Cap of the Moment

I’ve been in a busy spell. At times throughout the day, I add to my head a design cap. I think we can all say we have some caps piled up on our heads, playing the roles that come our way. For four years now I’ve been working for my brother-in-law’s successful business, The Boston Shade Company. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? The project has been like another little baby of mine, I’ve been working on its image since the beginning moments. Strange to think it’s been ten years since I got my first design job. While we lived in Memphis for medical school, I was a graphic designer for a small design firm. I had a brief retirement, after our first was born, before I was brought back to the professional world (from home though, part-part-time). So here I am now, with my art director’s cap on while the kids roam free, trying to conduct work business on the phone while mischief happens. I am working on a new website, still like the current one, but time for an image update. So if you happen to drop by the house unexpectedly in the near future, don’t be alarmed at the small tornadoes that have hit inside. I’ll understand yours if you understand mine. I think they will all be cleaned up in a few weeks, and you can check out the updated Boston Shade look!

(A designer? What’s up with the look of your blog then? Maybe this has crossed your mind. Right now, it’s one thing I don’t want to worry about designing, you hear what I’m saying? Maybe in the future it will have a little more pizzazz, for now, it is doing just fine.)

The Running Walkers

If you have a five gallon jug, and a three gallon jug, how will you be able to fill one with exactly 4 gallons of water? No eyeballing, give it some thought…it will come to you. Try finding and filling the jug under race pressure though, after spitting twenty cherry pits toward a container while being dizzy and winded and after trying to cross a creek with a couple of buckets, 2 x 4’s, bricks, and rope without getting wet. Yes, it’s our own local version of The Amazing Race, spread out over 5 county parks and 20 challenges. A friend gave us word on the race and we opted to do it. We were curious how we would work together under pressure. I’m proud to say, we discovered we work well as a team. The time together brought back fun dating moments that reminded me why I wanted to marry that man. Ahhhh, such love. My sister Lisa and her husband Leeland also raced. Michael said we were no match for their brain power, so we favored picking the physical challenges over the mental ones. Our team, cleverly named by Michael as “The Running Walkers” took 5th overall out of 36 teams or so and had the fastest time at one of the parks. Lunch and dinner along with a gift certificate and a day with my husband made for a nice memory. Word has it our picture will be in the newspaper. So if you know you can fold origami while blindfolded being directed by a man who’s never seen origami directions before, and you know what the common word between army and water is, join the race next year!