Going to see the family

We couldn't make it to my side's family reunion this year. 

It's always the weekend after Mother's Day, and this year, that would've been the weekend after our DIsney trip. It just would've been too much travel.

So we decided to take a long weekend and go visit some of the people we didn't get to see in May. Granted, we won't get to see some of the relatives who travel to the reunion every year, but we'll see the ones we're closest to.

We have some activities planned, mainly for Jeff. He's a military history nut, and he loves presidential history, so I have a couple of day trips lined up to show him some history he's never seen before.

Biscuit is excited because we're going to stop off and pick up Grandmama to go with us. Papa isn't much of a sight-seer, so he'll be staying home.

I'm dreading the drive we'll have to make today. It's 2 1/2 hours to Mama's. Then 5-5 1/2 hours to get to my uncle's house where we're staying.

So cross your fingers we'll have a safe and fun trip.

Biscuit and his bow

No time. No time! NO TIME!!! 

That's what it's felt like around me for the past week or so. I feel about three steps behind where I should be, all day, every day.

We're going to visit with some family at the end of this week, and I'm hoping to be able to get away from work completely. Cross your fingers for me!

So until I have time to tell some more stories (and there are plenty lined up awaiting their turn), here are some pictures of Biscuit practicing with his bow in the backyard.

A little help from Dad with his arm guard.

Dad checks Biscuit's stance.

I love the faces he makes when he's aiming.

Tired boys!

Sleepy boy loves up on Dad.

Out of the mouth of my babe

A few things Biscuit has said recently:


Thought process: Sometimes I'll look at Biscuit, and you can just tell that his mind is a thousand miles away.

And I almost always love hearing the answer when I say, "What are you thinking about?"

One morning a few days before my birthday, I asked that very question.

And Biscuit said, "I was thinking in my head that it's always somebody's birthday, either in our town or somewhere around the world in another country."

"Yeah, that's true," I said.

"That's just what I was thinking, Mom," Biscuit said.


Good fortune: We went to our favorite Asian food restaurant this evening for dinner. And when the fortune cookies came at the end, I found a perfect opportunity to mess with Biscuit.

The first time Biscuit had a fortune cookie, it never occurred to me that he didn't know there was a message inside. He cracked open his cookie, and with wide eyes, said, "Hey! Mine has a note inside!" And he still calls them notes.

"What does my note say, Mom?" Biscuit asked.

"Hmmm. Let me see," I said. I took my time turning the fortune over and holding it up. "It says, 'Always do what your mother says.'"

"Moooooom," Biscuit said. "That's not what it says."

"Okay, okay," I said. "I'll tell you what it really says. It says, 'Your Dad  never really liked you that much.'"

"Mom! You're not telling me the truth," Biscuit said.

"How do you know?" I said.

"Actually because Dad loves me," Biscuit said.

"Okay, okay," I said. "Here's what it REALLY says, 'Today is a good time to take some extra relaxation.'"

Biscuit looked at me, he smiled real big, tucked his hands behind his head, leaned back a little bit, and said, "Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Practice makes perfect

Biscuit's piano lesson this week was SO much better than his lesson two weeks ago. I guess threatening him within an inch of his life worked!

He only interrupted a couple of times, and he did everything his teacher asked him to do, and he did it the first time he was asked.

Biscuit loves to play the pipe organ the teacher has in his music room, but as I explained to Biscuit at his last lesson, getting to play the organ is a reward for a good lesson. I guess the teacher remembered me saying that because at the end of Biscuit's lesson, his teacher said, "Would you like to play the songs you memorized on the organ?"

"YES!" Biscuit said, excitedly.

The teacher set up everything, and Biscuit climbed up on the organ.

I've been thinking lately when I look at Biscuit just how big he's gotten. But sitting on that organ stool, he looked kinda small again.

He played a few songs, and his teacher played with him on a couple. On each song in Biscuit's book, there's a teachers accompaniment at the bottom of the page. I've played a couple with Biscuit, but he gets too distracted.

Biscuit told his teacher the same thing he told me, "I just can't pay attention when you play, too."

But after a couple of starts and stops, they got it together, and it sounded really nice.

After I got up to sneak the picture above, I turned back around the corner to my spot on the couch. Except, there was no room for me! Jeff had taken up with another woman!

Two-timer!

I had to work late this evening, so Jeff picked up Biscuit. Since Jeff knew I would be cooking dinner later than usual, he gave Biscuit a snack. They started watching TV, but Jeff said, "Dude! We shouldn't be doing this. You're not supposed to be watching TV before you practice piano. ... But I guess we'll just let it slide tonight." Then Jeff went to change his clothes.

As he made his way into our bathroom, he heard the piano. Biscuit had started practicing by himself.

So it seems like we're back in a good place ... well, at least for now!

Cowboy Biscuit rides again

We got home late this evening, so we just got Biscuit in bed. And I think Jeff and I will be heading there shortly!

We had dinner with one of Biscuit's former day care teachers. The teacher moved back to his home state to help take care of his elderly grandmother, and when he decided to come to town for a visit, he got in touch with us. Well, us and a bunch of the other kids who used to be in his class.

Biscuit talked his ears off and couldn't help himself from crawling all over his former teacher.

And although I don't really have a story to share tonight, I can share a picture from the weekend.

Biscuit was all about playing cowboy Saturday afternoon. We had to speak cowboy, "Howdy, pardner," and "let's rustle up some grub." And we all had to ride our horses. Jeff's horse is xx, and my horse gets a new name every time we play cowboys, just because I know it annoys Biscuit.

So even though he was still dressed in his pajamas, Biscuit decided to, as he calls it, "cowboy up."

He put his cowboy duds on over his pajamas, looked himself up and down and said to me, "Yep, I'm a cowboy."

"Lookin' good," I said to him. Then Biscuit picked up his yellow bandana and pulled it over his head.

"Mom, if I wasn't a cowboy before, I certainly am one now!" Biscuit said.

And he was right.

Cowboy Biscuit comes complete with a
deadly serious stare and a farmer's tan.

Listen here!

Jeff went to pick up Biscuit from day care Thursday, and when he arrived, he noticed one dad and son talking to the teacher and another dad and son standing in the corner having a heart-to-heart.

And seeing as both boys were two of Biscuit's cohorts, Jeff said he figured he needed to stick around and chat with the teacher, too.

And it was a good call.

"Is everything okay?" Jeff asked.

Biscuit went over to say goodbye to one of his classmates, and the teacher explained to Jeff what had happened.

"He is the most polite and respectful kid in this class, but when he joins those other boys, he doesn't listen. And I told him, 'Don't let those other boys get you in trouble. If they're doing something wrong, walk away,'" the teacher said.

"We've been having the same trouble at home with him not listening to us, either," Jeff told her. "We're definitely working on it."

Jeff came home and told me about it, and it really ticked me off.

A couple of weeks ago, at Biscuit's piano lesson, his teacher had to repeat himself several times. Biscuit also interrupted his teacher. And although I would never say it to Biscuit, I was thinking to myself that we might as well have flushed the money for that lesson down the toilet!

At the end of the lesson, Biscuit asked if he could play his teacher's pipe organ.

Jeff and I were still sitting on the couch just around the corner from the music room, and as soon as I heard Biscuit ask about the pipe organ, I couldn't hold my tongue.

"No!" I said.

Biscuit walked around the corner and asked, "But why, Mom?"

"Playing the pipe organ is a reward for having a good lesson, and you didn't have a good lesson tonight," I explained to him. "Your teacher had to repeat himself several times, and you interrupted more than once. Those things are not part of a good lesson."

Biscuit looked at me and tears formed in his eyes.

I got up, walked into the music room and started packing up Biscuit's books. His teacher didn't say a word. Of course, he might've been afraid to!

As we left his teacher's house, I said to Biscuit, "What would happen if you didn't do what your day care teacher told you to do? Or what would happen if you interrupted your teacher during group time?"

"I would get in trouble," Biscuit said.

"Do you realize that your piano teacher is exactly the same as your day care teacher?" I asked him.

Biscuit was quiet for a minute, then said, "I didn't know that." 

Now I have no doubt that he's forgotten all of that, but I'm fully prepared to repeat it on the way to his lesson tomorrow night.

So like Jeff told the day care teacher, Biscuit has had some listening issues lately.

The morning after Jeff talked to Biscuit's teacher, I wanted to remind Biscuit to stay out of trouble.

It was then that I said something that my teenage self would've slapped me for.

"It's way better to stay out of trouble than it is to be cool," I said to Biscuit.

Ugh! It was such a parent thing to say! And like I said, my teenage self would've hated it. But the older Biscuit gets, the more I find myself realizing how dumb my teenage self was!

And to add insult to injury, after I said it, Biscuit skulked out of the room, leaving just Jeff and me. I looked at Jeff for some reassurance, and you know what he did?

He took his index fingers and drew a square in the air!

"You can call me a square if you want, but I'm teaching our kid a lesson," I said.

But he was so busy giggling, I'm not sure he even heard me.

Next time, I'm gonna make HIM do the lecture!

Out of the mouth of my babe

A few things Biscuit has said recently:


A new job: When Biscuit is playing, everyone in the house gets a character or an assignment. And you never know what you're going to get.

Last night, he decided that he and his imaginary brother Monty would have a race on their horses. Biscuit's is a stick horse named Randy.

So Biscuit hopped on Randy and stood at the doorway between the living room and dining room. And I'm just assuming Monty and Monty's horse, Johnny, were standing at the starting line, too.

"Mom, you're the on-your-marker," Biscuit said.

"The what?!" I asked.


"You know, the one who says, 'On your mark, get set, go,'" Biscuit explained.

"That seems doable," I said. "Get on the line, and get ready to go."

"Okay, I'm ready," Biscuit said.

"On your mark, get set, GO!" I said.

"Good job, Mom," Biscuit said, then he took off galloping.


Saving the memories: Nobody would be surprised to know that I took a thousand pictures on our Disney trip. And I wanted to make an album of some kind for Biscuit.

I thought about creating a photo book, but I knew it would cost a fortune to include all the pictures I wanted to use. Once I get a good coupon or find a deal, I might go back and do one of the fancy books.

But I wanted to do something just for Biscuit. Something that wouldn't be completely ruined if he got too rough with it.

So I found these albums that hold 100 photos each. I filled up one and came just short of filling up the other!

I gave them to Biscuit when he got home from his two weeks at his grandparents' house.

"Mom! I love them!" Biscuit said. And it made me feel really good that he was excited. "These photo albums will help me remember Disney World FOREVER! ... Well, these albums and all the commercials I see on TV."

I'm so glad I could be at least part of his memory helper.

It continues

The best thing about my birthdays as I've gotten older is that the celebration is never contained to just one day. My friends have jobs and families and other obligations, so we might celebrate any time within two or three weeks of the actual day.

The celebration continued this evening when I met one of my friends at a Mexican restaurant I like a lot. Our server saw the gift bag on the table and asked if it was my birthday. I said yes, and she wished me a happy day.

And I wrongly thought that was the end of it!

Because then THIS happened!

I've taken very few self-portraits, but how could I resist with this thing on my head?!

Restaurant royalty

It's no secret that we like to eat out. We definitely eat out too much, especially because sometimes when I pick up Biscuit from day care, we'll get to the car, and he will ask, "Where are we going for dinner?"

We're also creatures of habit. We find places we like, then we frequent them, and become regulars.

We started early teaching Biscuit table manners and how to behave in restaurants. We knew if we were going to frequent eateries, Biscuit couldn't be a wild man, running around, throwing food or being a little snot.

He also orders his own food. I remember when I was a kid, my Mama would give us a couple of choices on the menu to choose from, but when the server came (and they were waitresses and waiters back then), we told them what we wanted. And we've done the same with Biscuit.

We also told him that it was important to treat servers with respect. When they tell you their names, you should remember them. And he does a good job of it.

We were at one of our favorite Italian restaurants one night, and Biscuit ordered a slice of pizza and asked for Parmesan cheese, too. The server brought his pizza but forgot the Parmesan.

As the server walked by to check on another table, Biscuit said, "Excuse me, Jessica ..."

The server's head jerked around, and she looked at Biscuit with wide eyes. "Yes?" she asked.

"Can I please have some Parmesan for my pizza?" Biscuit asked.

"Well of COURSE you can," Jessica said to him, and she wheeled around and went to get his Parmesan.

It's just nice when you go in somewhere and they say something like, "Hey, welcome back." Or sometimes "Where have you been?" Or better yet, they call Griffin by name or sometimes even a nickname.

Jeff and I have tried to clean some things out of our house. I've been replacing some of my small kitchen appliances with better versions and consolidating on a few things. We also had some furniture to get rid of, some toys Biscuit has outgrown, some clothes, all kinds of stuff.

We found one charity group that will drive a truck to your house and take all your stuff away. So we set up an appointment for today.

Two really nice guys (probably high school kids with summer jobs), both named Josh, came and met us at the house just before lunchtime. As soon as we raised the garage door, both boys walked straight to the Barracuda.

"We'll take this for you," one of the boys said.

"I can't send that with you," Jeff said. They did take pictures with their phones, though.

After we got our garage emptied out, I convinced Jeff to go on a date to a restaurant we like near our house. 

We got there and one of the servers we like a lot was working. She and her sister are both servers there. Her sister has even met Monty, Biscuit's imaginary brother. She made a big fuss over getting to meet him.

The server asked about Biscuit, and we told her he was at day care.

"Has anyone ever told you what all the servers call him?" she asked.

"No," I said, trying to imagine what in the world his name might be.

"We all call him The Little Prince," she said. "When we see him, we go into the kitchen and say, 'The Little Prince is here.'" 

I have to say, I was relieved. I mean, I know Biscuit is mostly well-behaved at restaurants, and we certainly don't let him leave a mess. But still, it's nice to know his nickname is a positive one.

"When we say Little Prince, everyone knows who we're talking about, and everyone wants his table," the server said. "He's so sweet and polite and talks to everyone."

I was very proud of Biscuit for his restaurant nickname. But you want to know the best part? If he is the prince, you know what that makes me? Yep. The Queen! Like there was ever any doubt!

Out of the mouth of my babe

A few things Biscuit has said recently: 

Quite a description: I don't usually share much about bathroom stuff, but I can't help this one.

We went and bought school supplies for Biscuit this evening. By the time we got done, it was dinner time, so we went to an Italian restaurant we like.

About halfway through dinner, Biscuit announced (a little too loudly) that he needed to poo. Since Jeff had way more of his dinner left, I took one for the team. 

I carry travel packs of bathroom wipes in my pocketbook (the TP in most public bathrooms will rip the hide off an adult, much less what it'll do to a kid's skin), and I was trying to get the pack out of the zipper compartment it was in. Biscuit started dancing, and I knew I better pick up the pace.

We got to the bathroom. I did the quick clean and paper-lining of the seat, and Biscuit took care of business.

During the process, he noticed that the music being piped in over the speakers was in Italian.

"Mom, I don't think they're speaking English," Biscuit said.

"No, they're singing in Italian," I said, "because this is an Italian restaurant."

"Have you ever been to Italian, Mom?" Biscuit asked.

"It's Italy," I said. "People who live in Italy speak Italian. And sadly, no, I haven't been there."

"Has Dad?" Biscuit asked.

"No," I said. "Dad has been to France and Spain but not Italy."

"So Dad speaks French and Spanish?" Biscuit asked.

"He speaks some Spanish but not French," I said.

"But you said he went to France," Biscuit reasoned. "So he would have to talk to people there in French, right?"

"Well, I guess he does know a little French," I said. "At least enough to say hello, thank you and goodbye."

Biscuit finished up, and we took care of the paperwork.

"Mom, you have GOT to see this," Biscuit said. "That one poo looks JUST like a snake!"

"Uh-huh," I said. I've heard this all before, and quite frankly, I had no desire to take a look.

"Mom, it's okay that it looks like a snake," Biscuit said. "I'm just REALLY glad that it wasn't like a king cobra. That would've hurt."


Sweet boy: Sometimes when my cabinets and/or kitchen get out of order, I get frustrated.

And sometimes, I even throw a fit and fling everything out of any given cabinet and start from scratch.

I had just such a fit the other evening, and Biscuit must have thought I was upset instead of mad.

I was throwing plastic containers everywhere and must have made a groaning sound.

"Having trouble, Kimmy?" Biscuit said.

Between the tone of voice he used and the fact that he sounded EXACTLY like a little version of Jeff when he said it, I just stopped and stared at him.

Finally, I started laughing. "Yes," I said. "I AM having trouble. But I'm fixin' to fix it."

Step aside, Robin Hood

Biscuit got a real bow and some arrows from Santa Claus, and even though he and Jeff have talked about some technique, he hasn't actually shot the thing until today.

We didn't have a target for him, and Lord knows I didn't want him to shoot at anything BUT a target. The target is just one of those things that we've been meaning to get, but just haven't remembered. So last week, I ordered one for him.

It came in a huge plastic mailing package, but I could pick it up with two fingers. It's basically a big block of foam. Biscuit was so excited.

So while two of my friends took me out for my birthday this afternoon ... 

Jeff and Biscuit went in the backyard to put their talks into action.

I want to see him do it, and of course take some pictures. But here's a video of Biscuit explaining what he learned.

Biscuit told me that you hold your one arm out very straight, and you make sure to wear the arm guard or it can scrape you. And Biscuit found out for himself how that feels because he turned his wrist out and got a nice little burn on his arm. Nothing major, just a red mark. But hey, Jeff said he held his arm straight after that.

On his first few shots, the arrow bounced off the target, but Jeff said once an arrow actually went into the target, Biscuit was quite impressed with himself.

Biscuit said you pull the string back with three fingers, and you make sure you keep your thumb and pinkie out of the way. You can use two fingers to help steady the bow, then you just let the string roll off your fingers. I wish I could've gotten him to explain it all on video. He was so serious about it.

I love to see Biscuit excited about learning something new.

Happy birthday to me!

Today is my birthday, and it was a very good day.

Biscuit and I got an invitation to a butterfly house, and it sounded like a good way to start my 46th year.

And it was.

We started the day late, and I was in a tizzy! They only take so many people for each session, and Biscuit and I were the last two. But it didn't take long for me to calm down and enjoy myself.

I like hanging out and talking to my friend who invited us, and Biscuit and her son get along well, too. Well, until they each have an idea of how things should be. Then we mediate, offer up a compromise, then they're fine again.

Our session started with a lesson about monarch butterflies. We learned about how they hear with their knees, taste with their feet, breath through their bellies and lay eggs only on milkweed plants. And that butterflies emerge from chrysalises and moths come out of cocoons. I have to say that I learned as much as Biscuit did.

Once we got inside the butterfly house, they handed out flat rounds of cotton that had been soaked in sugar water. The butterflies float around and land on the pads, then you get to watch them up close as they taste it, then dive in to eat.

I sat down on a bench to watch a butterfly eat on the sugar pad I was holding. I was trying to take pictures, but it's hard when you only have one hand free. No adjustments, just autofocus and snap.

But it was fascinating to watch the process that close up and personal.

And while I was staring at the butterfly in my hand, another butterfly landed right on the tip of my nose. And then he crawled down on my lip. It was very cool and kinda creepy all at the same time. Sadly, I couldn't get the camera up fast enough to capture the moment.

Biscuit laughed when I told him about it because I said, "I just kept thinking, 'Don't go into my mouth! Don't go into my mouth!'"

Biscuit had a hard time being as gentle as he needed to be. You're supposed to let the butterflies come to you, but he kept trying to go after them. I think I called his name about 50 times in there, just warning him to be gentle and not to try to pick up the butterflies.

Biscuit and his friend ran through a mister before we
went into the butterfly house, so both boys had wet hair.

The house had butterfly bushes, lantana, milkweed,
petunias and other flowers that butterflies like.

Even after Biscuit put down his sugar pad, the butterflies kept landing on his
fingers. I think he was thinking more along the lines of how we'll catch lightning
bugs in the backyard. He wanted the butterflies to come to him, stay for a few
seconds, then go away. But the butterflies weren't coming as often as he wanted, so he
started trying to entice them to come to him. Which, of course, got him called down.

And this is the moment he was
over it! Hot, thirsty and ready to go.

See that long tube that's curved down into the sugar pad? That's the proboscis or
basically its tongue. That thing would poke around until it found a nice sweet spot. 

When we got home, we had a quick lunch, then Biscuit and I both took naps. I actually slept longer than Biscuit did. I didn't mean to, but I guess I needed it. By the time I woke up, our original plan of going out to dinner didn't sound so great anymore.

So Jeff fetched takeout for us, including a tasty lemon cream cake. After dinner, Jeff and Biscuit sang to me and let me make a wish and blow out the candle.

I used to love playing with a set just like this one when I was a kid.
I had been on the lookout for one for a long time. Jeff found this one
at a secondhand toy store while we were at a cruise-in. You should
see the designs I've already made! Biscuit is fascinated with the process,
but he doesn't want to take part. He just wants me to make drawings for him.
He'd rather be up and doing stuff than sitting and doing artwork of any kind.

They still sell this game in stores, but it's not the same. Jeff found this original
version at the same toy store. I used to love playing this with my brother.
Biscuit was so excited as I was assembling the board. He asked
me about a thousand questions about what everything does.

I got lots of well wishes from friends and family, some really nice gifts, some spending money and time with my boys. Yep, it was a good day.

Out of the mouth of my babe

Since I've been posting so infrequently lately, the funny things Biscuit has been saying have piled up on me.

So ... here are a few more things Biscuit has said recently.

No respect: I said something last week that I thought was quite funny.

"I KILL me!" I said to Griffin and Jeff, waiting for a reaction, but not getting one. "Did you hear me, Griffin? Do I kill you, too?"

And in the most serious voice ever, Biscuit said, "Yeah, it bursted me out with laughter."

I don't know if he can define sarcasm, but he certainly knows how to use it!

Icky stuff: "Mom, you know when you get up in the morning and sometimes you have that stuff in your eyes?" Biscuit asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" I asked.

"I think it looks like mashed potatoes," Biscuit said.

Yep. Icky stuff!

Checking out the veggies: We were in the produce department of the grocery store this evening, and Biscuit was asking questions about the things he didn't recognize.

I picked up a zucchini and put it in the buggy.

"Mom, is that a cucumber?" Biscuit asked.

"No, this is a zucchini," I said. "The cucumbers are over there." And I pointed to them.

"Well, what are those things under-beneath the cucumbers?" Biscuit asked.

I wanted to make sure I heard him right. "What did you say?" I asked.

"I wanted to know what those things under-beneath the cucumbers are," Biscuit said. 

He was pointing to those big, long English cucumbers.

I explained about the different kinds of cucumbers, but secretly, I was just trying to get him to say "under-beneath" again.

Out of the mouth of my babe

A few things Biscuit has said recently:

Words are hard: When I was a kid, my aunt, uncle and cousins came down from Illinois for a visit.

My cousins, my brother and I were playing quite peacefully and very quietly, I'm sure. And my aunt said, in a scolding voice, "You kids better behave."

My reply, in a very innocent voice, was, "We ARE being have."

She started laughing at me, but I didn't understand what was funny. We were always told to "be have." You know, like "be good."

This past weekend, I realized that Biscuit inherited my confusion.

We were at an area the had small waterfalls and dips and steps under the water. Biscuit saw a sign there and asked me what it said.

"It says 'Beware of uneven or slick surfaces,'" I told Biscuit.

In a very serious voice, Biscuit said, "Mom, I don't think those people are being ware."


A trip through the car wash: A flock of birds decided that the red color of my car resembled a big ol' target recently. We were going to drive to the mountains the very next day, so I decided to go through a car wash.

Biscuit didn't really like car washes when he was little. The noises freaked him out. But this trip through brought out his theatrical side.

As soon as the undercarriage rinse started, Biscuit yelled out, "SURF'S UP, DUDE!!! Check out those waves!"

The soap squirted out over the car, and Biscuit yelled again. "It's snowing! We're in Antarctica!"

The final rinse started, and Biscuit hollered, "COWABUNGA, DUDE!!!"

Then there was a pause.

"Mom, just in case you didn't know, that's surfer talk," Biscuit said.

It's amazing how dumb he thinks I am!


New words: I was walking through the girls clothing at a local department store, looking for a cute shirt for my niece's birthday present. Jeff and Biscuit trailed behind me.

The clothing racks were close together, so as I walked through, Jeff and Biscuit had to take a detour ... right through the training bras.

Biscuit hasn't really said anything about boobs, breasts, ta-tas or any of the other names he might have heard along the way. But I know he's aware of them because when he and I are playing around, and it gets physical, I have to remind him to be gentle in that area.

Anyway, as Jeff and Biscuit strolled past the training bras, Biscuit pointed and said, "Look, Dad! Baby boobies!"

Jeff was a little shocked because he had never heard Biscuit say that before. I asked Jeff what he did or said.

"I just said, 'That's not nice, boy,' and kept on walking," Jeff said.

Running, bouncing and flying through the air

Biscuit and I had a date with another couple last week. We met my friend and her son at the bounce house.

There are a couple of local advertising companies that send out coupons every so often, and I was excited when the last envelope we got included $20 off one of the local bounce houses. And since admission is $10, that added up to an afternoon of free babysitting!

Our boys are old enough now that we can let them run around on their own, just checking in every so often. That leaves time for us moms to have an actual conversation.

The bounce houses are lots of fun for the kids. Plus, the get a lot of physical activity. All the inflatables require climbing and crawling and sliding.

And on this trip, Biscuit got brave.

There's a kid-size zipline there, and he's been convinced he was too small for it until this trip.

The thing about Biscuit is that he is quite brave, but he is not at all tough. He'll be the first one to jump, then the one to cry the longest when he falls.

But he did a really good job on the zipline.

Biscuit the graduate

Jeff and I were a little concerned about Biscuit's graduation. He was at his grandparents' house during most of the graduation practices.

But there was no need to worry. He got enough practice to mix right in with all the other kids.

Biscuit is so weird right now about having his picture taken. There are times when he loves it and times when he doesn't. Take a look at this pre-graduation picture and guess which frame of mind he was in!

So we got to day care, and they took the kids into one room and sent the parents back to the big room. We had to sit on the same chairs as the kids. Yeah, THAT was comfortable!

The kids filed in wearing their caps and gowns. Cute as they could be.

I'm not sure who put his cap on, but did they not
notice that stray piece of hair on his forehead?

There was an introduction from the day care director. Then it was time for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Biscuit and one of his friends led the pledge. Biscuit held the flag, and his friend asked everyone to stand.

I put my hand over my heart and just happened to be looking at Biscuit when I did it. I guess he thought I was telling him to do the same thing, but he whispered to tell me that since he was holding the flag, he didn't have to do that.

He wasn't as quiet as he thought he was.

 

The kids sung some cute songs, some of which Biscuit has sung at home, but a few I hadn't heard before. Then they gave flowers to their teacher.

I've heard some other moms criticizing Biscuit's teacher because she's strict on the kids. They do walk the line in her class. But Jeff and I are fine with the structure in her class because Biscuit responds well to it. He has learned so much and is ready for kindergarten because of what he's learned in her class

Then they handed out the diplomas. They did it just like high school graduation - they called out the kids' first, middle and last names. It was very cute.

And then the kids had a surprise for the parents. They had been working on singing the song "Happy," complete with cool hats and sunglasses.

Toward the end of the song, the kids came out and grabbed their parents to dance with them.

And then they danced with their teacher.

And then the kids had one more surprise. They had decorated shoe boxes and filled them with booklets they had made about themselves. They included their handprints and footprints. They wrote their names and some other words, letters and numbers. They took pictures on an outing to the park. They had a photo collage of all the kids in their caps and gowns. And some other really cute and fun projects.

The kids presented the boxes to their parents.

After the graduation ceremony, everyone walked next door to the Mexican restaurant for food and cake.

When we got home, Biscuit wanted to pose for a few fun cap and gown photos. Look at how much fun he was having in these pictures vs. his face in the picture before his graduation. It's crazy how back and forth he goes on having photos taken.

I think I'll have him pose like this when he graduates from high school.

Silly boy said this is the hamster dance.

It was a fun evening, and we were very proud of how good Biscuit was during the ceremony. And he seemed to have a good time, too.

And now we get ready for kindergarten!