This year Eliana has full confidence to tackle the backyard sled hill by herself. There is a gently sloped, wide-open diagonal path, with a long flat bottom, which makes it about as safe as sledding gets while still being fun. The only exception is a solitary cherry tree, about the same age as Eliana, whose six-inch trunk seems to posses magnetic powers. Fortunately, it’s near the top of the hill, so while it did literally stop Eliana in her tracks, it was only for a moment.
The Christmastime visit with my parents included a trip to a live exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Taking the train made it an especially fun adventure for the children. On the Metra, they rode in the upper deck. Ethan and his cousin Arron rode in facing seats. Eliana found a seat by herself where she could be a big girl – and as it turned out, also peak down at some reassuringly familiar faces.
If it involves a sharp blade, it’s fun, not work. Whether it’s the chef’s knife or apple corer, there seems to be something satisfying about the artistry of apportioning food into bite-sized morsels. Even when Ethan just wants to eat an apple, sometimes he just takes bites, but other times thin apple slices call his name.
After Eliana drew her pumpkin carving vision of a baby dolphin swimming on the water, she didn’t feel ready to copy her drawing onto the actual fruit. She asked me to do that for her and along the way incorporate some artistic liberties, including tweaking the shape and adding a second dolphin.
It was a fun challenge, but looking back I wish I’d asked her if she’d rather use her picture. A pumpkin-stable design based on her original concept would have been ever so cute.
Ethan is getting started on learning his fives division. For today, I told him to look up or figure out the equation on each of his flashcards. I thought he’d want to cut them up right away, but he decided on a tastier way to track his progress for this initial pass: every right answer equals one sourlicious raison to enjoy.
We took advantage of a slow time at the arcade for a one-on-one round of laser tag. I had the edge on long distance hits, but Ethan managed to get in plenty of his own. When he did, he was tenacious, sticking right on me, ready the instant my equipment reactivated to rack up another hit. As laser tag goes, it was quite a battle. When it was over and the scores were announced, Ethan was thrilled to hear that youth had triumphed over experience.
Camping comes with tasty treats, including portable drinks. What better way to experience your orange juice or chocolate milk than on a midsummer’s bike ride around the campground?
