It's almost 6:00!

Here the kids are watching the time in the van because it's 5:59 and will next be 6:00 and they really don't want to miss it.  So yes, Simon is still obsessed with time. But his enthusiasm is contagious and we all start looking out for those special times.

Fun in Durham

We never get tired of taking the kids to the Durham Museum of Life and Science because it is just so much fun.  We just wish it were a bit closer (35 min drive). Zac took the kids there on Monday.

I always knew they were wild creatures, unfit for civilization!

In this video, I love how Simon is pretending to be lost and Alice is taking it literally. Sums them up.

Simon's desk

Simon had been asking for a desk in his bedroom for a long time, but we were hesitant because that was back when Simon was still having a lot of trouble staying in bed at night, and we didn't want to encourage it by enabling him to stay up all night drawing pictures. We were also trying to use it as a reward for him staying in bed and not waking us up in the middle of the night.

Finally, after over a year of his nighttime antics, Simon pretty much stays in bed at night and wakes us up rarely. We figured that was good enough, and we were tired of having the desk in our room (we'd bought it used in April on one of our shopping dates while my parents watched the kids).

Simon was pretty thrilled to have his own desk, and got right to work decorating it and populating it with all the supplies he thought he would need.

  

Alice's Artwork

This first picture she made at home.

These other three she brought home from school.

Camping at Izzy's

Our annual campout at Izzy's was a blast. The kids ran around and played, and we didn't really have to keep an eye on Alice at all anymore. Simon stuck by the fire most of the time, burning sticks which he called his candles. It was a bit chaotic at times with so many kids and sticks and fire, but somehow we all got through it unscathed.

Jess even gave the kids a pick up truck ride around the driveway loop, much to their delight.

We had to tear Alice away when it was time to go.

Time Spotting

Simon is completely obsessed with clocks and time now. He'll lay in bed at night just staring at his digital clock. We can tell how late he stays up, because one time he was so excited to tell us that "12:12" is a real time!  He loves watching the hour change and any time there are repeated numbers. The drive home from school is always very exciting because he usually gets to see 5:55.

Here are a few of his favorite times:

Here's a couple of videos of him watching the time change.

He also loves typing the numbers into the calculator. You can't see it very well, but in this photo both the time on the oven and the numbers on the calculator say 1111.

BBQ Plans

We are eating supper on the back deck, and Simon notices a wasp on the door.

He asks, "How will we get back in the house because there’s a wasp on the door?"

Zac says, "Well we do have another door." We also discussed the possibility that the wasp would  fly away.

But then, I also say, "We could just stay out here forever. I mean, we’ve got a grill and plenty of meat."

Simon thinks about it for a moment, and catches on. He looks right at me and says, "Mom, I’ll eat Dad and you can eat Alice." 

Sounds like a good plan to me!

Simon working at school

When I picked up Simon from school today, he was working away on this incredible volcano picture.

Menagerie

As our friends Kate and Rob pack up and get ready to move, they've been finding some stuff to give to the kids. So now we are the proud owners of a large stuffed iguana. Alice loves it, and it seems to be making new friends.

Volcano!

Alice Roller Skating

It was a lovely rainy Saturday morning, perfect for taking Alice to the roller skating rink.  She did much better this time, and by the end even skated on her own on the wooden floor.  (Usually she likes to do laps on the carpeted outer area.)

Luckily, Parker was also there, so they got to hang out.

 And, I indulged and let Alice buy cotton candy. She was thrilled.

Simon's Musical Performance

The sign that strikes dread into my soul every year.

They had the kids design the backdrop.

Simon's drawing was a little different from the others.

We had to sit through many abysmal guitar performance groups until Simon's cohort came out. As soon as he saw us, he squeezed his eyes closed the whole time. It was hilarious.

But for the signing portion, our shy little Simon got up and sang at the microphone. He's hard to see since he's facing away from us, but he knows all the words and is singing at full volume.

The reward! Cupcakes!

Simon's Work

This first picture is of our house Simon drew at school. It's actually pretty good. Bottom right is the guest bedroom. Bottom left is the basement play room.  Then the main floor, where apparently we just stand around with our arms out. Then upstairs he is showing his and Alice's bedrooms with their ceiling fans. Then the attic is apparently just large boxes, which is also fairly accurate.

He's really into rainbows, suns, and moons. Often he'll draw an eclipse too, but not here.

Volcanoes are still a prominent artistic subject.

I have no idea what's going on here. 

I think he said this was a dinosaur.

Simon on a bike.

He loves writing in the numbers on the calendar and will often make his own. I'm impressed by his neat handwriting.

Alice's Artwork

I don't know anything about the other pictures, but Alice explained that this first one is a Hamburger-Bat-Cat.

Mother's Day

For mother's day, we had pancakes for breakfast out on the deck, then opened presents in the basement (where the new homemade Lego table was revealed).  

After that, we had lunch and drove to Burlington to watch Amelia's performance in the Lion King.  The kids did great and loved it!

Then we headed back to Fountain Place for some fish feeding, video games, and scooter riding.