Here's Todd with a finished Lite Brite picture-- the Lite Brite was one of his birthday presents.
Happy 5th Birthday, part 3
Whew! Didn't think there'd be THREE celebrations for little man, eh? This afternoon, after the tournament, we held Todd's birthday party at the apartment complex. We had the little personal celebration on the day of, the family celebration last week at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ron's, and then today-- the celebration with his friends from school, plus a couple other kids. Only two kids wound up RSVPing, and then one of them got sick the day of and couldn't come. So it ended up being Ginny and her little brother. Todd didn't seem to notice or mind, though, and the kids had lots of fun. Thankfully the toys that Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ron gave him last week came in handy! 3-D chalk (which worked even better than before!) and bubbles provided lots of entertainment.
Here's Todd with a finished Lite Brite picture-- the Lite Brite was one of his birthday presents.
Here's Todd with a finished Lite Brite picture-- the Lite Brite was one of his birthday presents.
Karate Tournament
Tournament in Carpinteria this morning. Got up early and had a hearty breakfast :-9 Kids could compete in 3 categories: Kata, Sparring and Padded Weapons. Since Todd hasn't learned the latter 2 yet, we only signed him up for Kata. He won 3rd place in his age/belt group, which actually isn't saying much, as there were only 4 kids in his group ;-) Here's some pictures from the event:
Happy 5th Birthday, part 2
Whew! Updates in droves yet again! Added some more posts which are back-dated and interspersed through ones I'd written previously, so be sure to scroll down and catch all the latest :-)
Had Todd's second celebration for his 5th birthday today. Drove down to LA to celebrate with the family at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ron's house. The day was hot and Todd squealed with delight as he engaged in water gun fights with everyone. At one point, as Aunt Debbie was distracted fending off attacks from Uncle Ron, Todd snuck up behind her with his little water pistol, and got her in the back! Now THAT's what I call a sneak attack! ;-)
He enjoyed playing with bubbles and doodling on the patio with 3-D sidewalk chalk, and had a great time building a helicopter with Uncle Ron and Aunt Debbie out of one of his presents-- a junior erector set.
It was great to see him open up a bit more and interact with Allan's family. He's been coming out of his shell a little bit at a time, but this visit brought about the most changes-- this time he wasn't as shy or hesitant about talking to them and actively engaging in conversation as he played. Let's hope there are more strides in the visits to come!
Now... on to the final celebration with the kiddies next week... more when that event happens!
Had Todd's second celebration for his 5th birthday today. Drove down to LA to celebrate with the family at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ron's house. The day was hot and Todd squealed with delight as he engaged in water gun fights with everyone. At one point, as Aunt Debbie was distracted fending off attacks from Uncle Ron, Todd snuck up behind her with his little water pistol, and got her in the back! Now THAT's what I call a sneak attack! ;-)
He enjoyed playing with bubbles and doodling on the patio with 3-D sidewalk chalk, and had a great time building a helicopter with Uncle Ron and Aunt Debbie out of one of his presents-- a junior erector set.
It was great to see him open up a bit more and interact with Allan's family. He's been coming out of his shell a little bit at a time, but this visit brought about the most changes-- this time he wasn't as shy or hesitant about talking to them and actively engaging in conversation as he played. Let's hope there are more strides in the visits to come!
Now... on to the final celebration with the kiddies next week... more when that event happens!
I Madonnari
Today was the first time I'd ever been to the annual I Madonnari Festival in Santa Barbara. This time I actually had a twofold incentive to go: Todd's karate school had a square, and so did Citrix Online. Todd and I went there after his karate lesson, and wandered around, enjoying the fruits of the chalk painters on their hands and knees, hard at work, till we finally found the karate square tucked away in the back-- and shade!
We ate a lunch of pizza and a snow cone, and then went back to the karate square so Todd could draw. Here are some shots of him in action: he basically traced and colored his hand, and then colored the surrounding background black. Notice how everyone else, being right-handed, traced their left hands. Sensei challenged Todd to trace his right hand instead-- and he did it! Not bad, even if it does look like a baseball mitt ;-) Here's a few shots of Todd in action:
We ate a lunch of pizza and a snow cone, and then went back to the karate square so Todd could draw. Here are some shots of him in action: he basically traced and colored his hand, and then colored the surrounding background black. Notice how everyone else, being right-handed, traced their left hands. Sensei challenged Todd to trace his right hand instead-- and he did it! Not bad, even if it does look like a baseball mitt ;-) Here's a few shots of Todd in action:
Froggy costume
Today was the read-in at school, culminating several week's worth of intensive reading. Parents came to the school and helped read to the classes. Daddy read to the kindergartners in the morning, and Mommy read to them in the afternoon. We each had a theme.
Daddy chose the "Froggy" theme, based on the Froggy series by Jonathan London. Mommy chose a turtle theme, and brought Pistachio along as a prop. The kids even got to pass him around and hug and kiss him! Lots of love for the stuffed sea turtle today :-)
Everyone was allowed to dress up as his/her favorite book character, so I made a makeshift costume for Todd out of a paper plate mask and a green t-shirt: Froggy!
Here's the mask I slaved over the day before the read-in (I'm only exaggerating slightly-- I'm not the artsy/crafty type!) some paper plates and green acrylic paint, plus made use of leftover pink felt from my rat ears and black nail polish from my Black Death carrier costume :-)
And here is Todd wearing the mask, along with a green t-shirt (a perfect find at the craft store!) that I got in a too-large size, so he'll have time to use it as he grows into it :-) I added the name label for added recognizability, knowing that he'd take the mask off as soon as he got into the classroom.
Daddy chose the "Froggy" theme, based on the Froggy series by Jonathan London. Mommy chose a turtle theme, and brought Pistachio along as a prop. The kids even got to pass him around and hug and kiss him! Lots of love for the stuffed sea turtle today :-)
Everyone was allowed to dress up as his/her favorite book character, so I made a makeshift costume for Todd out of a paper plate mask and a green t-shirt: Froggy!
Here's the mask I slaved over the day before the read-in (I'm only exaggerating slightly-- I'm not the artsy/crafty type!) some paper plates and green acrylic paint, plus made use of leftover pink felt from my rat ears and black nail polish from my Black Death carrier costume :-)
And here is Todd wearing the mask, along with a green t-shirt (a perfect find at the craft store!) that I got in a too-large size, so he'll have time to use it as he grows into it :-) I added the name label for added recognizability, knowing that he'd take the mask off as soon as he got into the classroom.
Happy 5th Birthday, part 1
With 3 celebrations this year, I figure I'll be blogging a multi-part series. Little nugget from this morning:
When Daddy took Todd to school, Loftur greeted his friend with an enthusiastic "Happy Birthday!" and a big hug. A hug which.... kept.... going...
... after a long while and no sign of disentanglement, Todd finally piped up, in a matter-of-fact tone: "Um... why are you still hugging me?"
Happy Birthday, little man. I can hardly believe you're 5 years old. You're not a tiny tot or even toddler anymore. You're a bona fide kid... making the transition from little kid to big kid! Where does the time go!?
Plans for the rest of the day:
Cupcakes to share with all the other kids at school (and I mean the whole school) at lunchtime, and then an evening of dinner and bowling at Zodo's, with Loftur. More updates later, as they happen!
When Daddy took Todd to school, Loftur greeted his friend with an enthusiastic "Happy Birthday!" and a big hug. A hug which.... kept.... going...
... after a long while and no sign of disentanglement, Todd finally piped up, in a matter-of-fact tone: "Um... why are you still hugging me?"
Happy Birthday, little man. I can hardly believe you're 5 years old. You're not a tiny tot or even toddler anymore. You're a bona fide kid... making the transition from little kid to big kid! Where does the time go!?
Plans for the rest of the day:
Cupcakes to share with all the other kids at school (and I mean the whole school) at lunchtime, and then an evening of dinner and bowling at Zodo's, with Loftur. More updates later, as they happen!
White Belt, 2nd class
I put in for Todd's promotion-- had to fill out a form and have Todd's teacher sign off on it, vouching for his good performance in school. Monday he was awarded his 2nd stripe! He is now a White Belt, 2nd class. Just one more stripe to go, and he'll be able to test for his Yellow Belt, after some more training, of course :-)
Next day, Sensei visited Todd's school and taught the lower school kids about bullying: how to spot it, and what to do about it. The kids really enjoyed his presentation, hopefully he'll be back to the school again soon to teach some of his other safety classes!
Next day, Sensei visited Todd's school and taught the lower school kids about bullying: how to spot it, and what to do about it. The kids really enjoyed his presentation, hopefully he'll be back to the school again soon to teach some of his other safety classes!
Strawberry Festival
Whew! Updates in droves again. I really should update this thing as soon as the events in question happen, otherwise I'm liable to forget details or funny incidents themselves... it's been a crazy busy month!
Took Todd to the Strawberry Festival in Oxnard. I'd been wanting to go for the past 7 years, but every year, something always came up and I couldn't go... this year I was bound and determined to take my little man there before he outgrew the rides.
We arrived in the morning and had a TON of fun. The crowds hadn't grown yet, so there were virtually no lines for many of the kiddie rides. We ate strawberry pizza and strawberry crepes for lunch. When I suggested we go to the sinks to hose him down after a messy lunch, he said "Don't hose me down! Just wipe me off!" We waited an hour in line to ride the Strawberry "teacup" rides, which we spun so fast that I stumbled out of the ride, dizzy as all heck. We shared a strawberry smoothie while we rested. We met some of our small group friends and chatted a bit, and wrapped up the visit with a gift purchase for daddy: a whimsical adult-sized bib! :-)
Did a bit of shopping at Wal-Mart and Fry's (since we're in the area, why not!) and then went home, exhausted but satisfied.
Another fun Mommy-son outing. I collapsed into bed when we got home that evening, and let Daddy take over the nighttime kiddie chores, but it was so worth it. Nothing quite like seeing my little man giggle with glee as he enjoyed a ride or dug into some yummy strawberry treats :-9
I took lots of pictures but haven't had time to get them off my camera and post them yet... soon, soon!
Took Todd to the Strawberry Festival in Oxnard. I'd been wanting to go for the past 7 years, but every year, something always came up and I couldn't go... this year I was bound and determined to take my little man there before he outgrew the rides.
We arrived in the morning and had a TON of fun. The crowds hadn't grown yet, so there were virtually no lines for many of the kiddie rides. We ate strawberry pizza and strawberry crepes for lunch. When I suggested we go to the sinks to hose him down after a messy lunch, he said "Don't hose me down! Just wipe me off!" We waited an hour in line to ride the Strawberry "teacup" rides, which we spun so fast that I stumbled out of the ride, dizzy as all heck. We shared a strawberry smoothie while we rested. We met some of our small group friends and chatted a bit, and wrapped up the visit with a gift purchase for daddy: a whimsical adult-sized bib! :-)
Did a bit of shopping at Wal-Mart and Fry's (since we're in the area, why not!) and then went home, exhausted but satisfied.
Another fun Mommy-son outing. I collapsed into bed when we got home that evening, and let Daddy take over the nighttime kiddie chores, but it was so worth it. Nothing quite like seeing my little man giggle with glee as he enjoyed a ride or dug into some yummy strawberry treats :-9
I took lots of pictures but haven't had time to get them off my camera and post them yet... soon, soon!
Crazy Hair Day, 2
More popular than we thought! Remember Todd's crazy hair day from preschool?
Faux-hawks, obviously, are the easiest thing to do-- minimal fuss and mess. A little harder to do with shorter hair (as evidenced in the preschool photos), yet we discovered that if your hair is too long, that is also difficult. We only had mousse and hairspray on hand, I believe if we'd had good ol' hair gel, the faux-hawk would've stayed better. Ah well, here's some shots in the morning, before trotting off to school:
Faux-hawks, obviously, are the easiest thing to do-- minimal fuss and mess. A little harder to do with shorter hair (as evidenced in the preschool photos), yet we discovered that if your hair is too long, that is also difficult. We only had mousse and hairspray on hand, I believe if we'd had good ol' hair gel, the faux-hawk would've stayed better. Ah well, here's some shots in the morning, before trotting off to school:
Who cooks around here?
Todd: Mommy, how come Daddy always cooks?
Mommy: Because he's better at it than I am.
Todd: You mean you haven't learned how to cook yet!?
I couldn't answer through my fits of laughter. Nor could I really explain how Daddy and I had made a deal before marriage: he cooks, I clean the kitchen afterward. Funny thing is, he never asks Oma why she cooks, despite the fact that Opa indeed never cooks, either.
Mommy: Because he's better at it than I am.
Todd: You mean you haven't learned how to cook yet!?
I couldn't answer through my fits of laughter. Nor could I really explain how Daddy and I had made a deal before marriage: he cooks, I clean the kitchen afterward. Funny thing is, he never asks Oma why she cooks, despite the fact that Opa indeed never cooks, either.
Mother's Day
Mother's Day started out without Daddy because he had to go to church early to help set up (because of the fires, our church had been in the evacuation zone, so he helped lug sound and lighting equipment to a nearby movie theater, where we held services). Todd woke up before Mommy did, went out to fix himself breakfast (he's been doing that lately-- getting up on his own, grabbing a bowl and spoon, pouring cereal in, and pouring milk in the bowl... all by himself!
When Mommy came out of the bedroom and crawled back into "bed" on the futon, Todd was pleased that I was still technically "in bed" so he could serve me breakfast in bed. He poured a bowl of cereal for me, stuck a spoon in it, and brought it to the bed (I asked him not to put milk in it, for fear he'd spill it while bringing the bowl to me). How sweet! Toddy got to fix his first EVER Mother's Day breakfast in bed-- and without any help from Daddy! :-)
When Mommy came out of the bedroom and crawled back into "bed" on the futon, Todd was pleased that I was still technically "in bed" so he could serve me breakfast in bed. He poured a bowl of cereal for me, stuck a spoon in it, and brought it to the bed (I asked him not to put milk in it, for fear he'd spill it while bringing the bowl to me). How sweet! Toddy got to fix his first EVER Mother's Day breakfast in bed-- and without any help from Daddy! :-)
Birthday errands
Mommy celebrated her 32nd birthday with a very fun little Mommy-son outing. Okay, it was really only a shopping trip-- and even then, shopping for necessities, not fun stuff. Still, it's always enjoyable to spend a whole day with just my little man. Also gave Daddy quiet time at home to work. Now that gas prices have dropped, it's once again worth it to make the 40-mile drive up to Lompoc to stock up on a few weeks' worth of groceries and other essentials that are much more expensive in Santa Barbara, with its lack of Wal-Mart, Target, dollar stores and discount supermarkets.
So we trekked up north and proceeded to spend the next 6 hours hoofing it from store to store and filling the trunk of my car to the brim with groceries, birthday party supplies, and other essentials. Todd even picked out a Mother's Day card for me all by himself!
It was a long day, but a really nice treat to spend some time with my little man. Now THAT's a birthday present :-)
So we trekked up north and proceeded to spend the next 6 hours hoofing it from store to store and filling the trunk of my car to the brim with groceries, birthday party supplies, and other essentials. Todd even picked out a Mother's Day card for me all by himself!
It was a long day, but a really nice treat to spend some time with my little man. Now THAT's a birthday present :-)
