Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

Well, it's about time I got caught up!  June has come and gone, but I'll not apologize.

This summer is not lazy--though June was a bit hazy and crazy at times.

Houston's typical June forecast:
sunny and hot with a 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

A Bucket List Moment

Cecilia got to check one of the items off
her bucket list--the ballet  Swan Lake.

After the ballet in the Green Room at Wortham Center,
C had her moment with a prince and his lovely swan, Odette.

The evil Baron Redbeard (Rothbart) got lots of boo's during curtain calls.
Cecilia apologized, and the Baron replied,
"That's the way I know I did a good job!'

Daniel and I planted beans and corn
to watch the roots and plants grow.

 Summer Science


So fascinating, right?!




Easy to grow!
A clear plastic container with lid, lots of cotton balls on the bottom,
folded paper towel around the inside, and corn or bean seeds
between the towel and container.
Saturate the cotton so that the towel stays wet,
put the lid on, and place in a bright window.
When roots grow and sprouts show green,
remove the lid and watch!

Paper plates make good clouds and suns.
D helped make the sunshine with cut straws
on the pipe cleaner rays.

We talked a lot about the weather.  Outside we looked at
white fluffy clouds and dark rumbly clouds.
Cecilia told me that one day during a storm D asked,
"Mamae, can you turn down the thunder?  It's too loud."



Summer Sports     

 VoVo Dora sent these havaianas from Brasil.

Daniel got into the drama of the FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil.  One weekend we ate at a sports grill while the US played.  He'd start chanting "USA! USA!"  During one of the Brazilian matches, he kicked his futbol and then fell to the ground on his face.  Don't know if he was celebrating a goal or trying to draw a foul . . .!

He got into the spirit of Brazil.




Water Therapy

There are docks and boats on the man-made lakes in our neighborhood.
We have to stop and check them out sometimes.

We see turtles swimming in the water.



And of course, we have to splash a little.
Whenever possible D likes to go pe pelado.
That's 'barefoot' for all you gringos.

More pe pelado at GiGiHeyYea's house.

My suggestion to wear crocs
fell on deaf ears.

Until D learned how hot the sidewalk was.

How heavy is that bucket of water?  It's doable
when His Twoness is determined, which is most all the time.

Our homemade water wall helps cool things down.

Kind of a spa experience . . .

Summer Bugs

This is part of the second crop of Black Swallowtail caterpillars
to enjoy my dill this summer.

Daniel was on caterpillar watch.
Then there was the day they all disappeared . . .

. . .  and a week or so later,
this was the best shot I could get
of a flitty young Swallowtail and his reflection.

Too Hot to Be Outside



Early in the day--before 10 or so--the park is fun.
This is a new park and there's no shade.
But there's an awesome "lion motorcycle!"

And swings for "Higher, GiGi!"

But we always have to retreat to GiGiHeyYea's house
for "cool agua" and lots of wheels.
Our neighbors came by with a sack of trucks that their
grandchildren no longer needed.

There are books to read about pirates . . .

. . . or, take a guess--TRUCKS!



After lunch and a good nap,
D likes to catch up on Curious George.



One post-nap time
we monkeyed around with two "soccer pa's."

In the Front Ard

Late in the afternoon there's shade in front of our house ("the front ard"), so we go out to play in the hose and watch for Mamae or Papai to come.

Reunion time!

Who can resist a wet swimsuit hug?

Well, this is a typical summer day with GiGi and HeyYea.  Now that Mother's Day Out is out for summer, we get to enjoy Daniel at least two days each week.  The privilege of easy access is such a blessing to me; and the blessing is never lost on me either.  Part of the reason I keep this blog is to share some of Daniel's life with his grandmother and family who are a hemisphere away in Brazil.  As nice as Skype is, I can only imagine how their arms must ache for Daniel, Cecilia, and Will sometimes. 

He's a bright little chatterbox.  He speaks complete sentences (including adjectives and proper verb tense) in English with HeyYea and me; and when with Cecilia and Will, he speaks Brazilian Portuguese with them (even when we're all together). 

His brain is a sponge, you know?  He used to scan books for vocabulary only--he wanted to know the names for everything.  Now he enjoys listening to a whole story--sometimes repeated two or three times.  When I'm driving, I can hear him in his car seat 'reading' a book pretty much word-for-word.

The car obsession continues!  Sometimes I wonder if you might see a picture of Daniel playing with his cars if you look in the dictionary under OCD--he always keeps them lined up very carefully as he plays.  So interesting and fun to watch him order his little world.

Though, for the most part, he's happy and social, Little Man has his TWO moments.  Sometimes we take a breath and remember that this is an appropriate developmental milestone, and thank the Lord he's exceptionally normal.  Cecilia and Will are doing a wonderful job steering him through all those tough concepts--sharing, waiting and patience, listening, obedience, kindness, respect.

Well, to keep from boring you into an afternoon daze, I'll sign off for now.

Next blog post?  Photographs from a Short Boy.

    





Catch Up!

I just turned around, and September was done!  Before the day is over, I want to catch up on some pix from the last 4 weeks.  Shots from Friday play dates with my favorite 19 month-old and other September things:

GiGi's garden hat is on the move.

No more tip-toes needed
to turn the lights on-off-on-off-on-off.

The crazy thing is
GiGi's hat nearly fits.

Going to the pantry for . . .
(any guesses?)

. . . a bahnah.
Still a favorite, though now it's called by two names: bahnah and broom.

D fixed the drawer pulls.

 In addition to bahnah, Little Man played with cars and kucks, airpane and cot-ter.


The cot-ter has blue rotary blades,
in case you wondered what a cot-ter is.

The orange car (background) is a pillow
that Josie and Papi brought months ago
when they came for a visit.
D calls it Papi Car.

 While waiting for lunch, it was time to catch up on a few phone calls.

HEY-OH!

That number is 88888888888888888888888,
right?

We were on speaker phone . . .

. . . and someone really called!
Hey Yea sounds a lot like Papai.

 Daniel started Mother's Day Out in September.  Two days a week, he plays with his new friend (there are two toddlers in the class) and learns new words from his teacher Ms. Charlotte.  There's a shady playground, snack, lunch, and naptime on a mat on the floor.

No tears on the first day of  'school.'

At least no tears from Daniel.
Mamae wore the feather necklace that GiGi gave her before leaving Brazil,
to give her courage for Daniel's first day of school.
 

This year, for the first time in a really long time, I purchased season tickets to The Houston Ballet.  They were half-price!  The beauty of these performances, amazing professional dancers, choreography, lighting, sets, costumes, and a fantastic Houston Symphony Orchestra--I'm transported.  There were two ballets in September to start the season.

Steve was my date for the first performance of the season.
He's not mad; just doesn't especially like to have his picture taken.

My friend Jo joined me for the second ballet--The Merry Widow.
We both hummed the waltz all the way home.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch--

Not rubber bands.  Pasta.
And neither of us wore burnt orange--the color of that other university in the state.

D still played in the hose.
With temperatures in the low 90's throughout the month,
there was plenty of time to play outside in the shade.

Saggin'

Let me interpret this look.
Is this boca nao? or can I drink this cool agua?

A bucket for washing finger paint off the hands
and belly.

Daniel still loves to read books.  He points at every picture and wants to know what it is--if he doesn't know already.  I noticed he's getting a little bored with the same old format, so we played a new game.

GiGi said, "I Spy a . . .  "
and D filled in the blank.
One of his funniest new words:  pickemup.
It's what he calls paper clips, because he and Papai
play a game scattering and picking up paper clips.

Fall has arrived in Texas, according to the calendar.
GiGi brought out a big bag of acorns
for scooping and pouring.

With morning temperatures a little more bearable,
we took a pumpkin for a ride in the wagon.
See the drool?  Daniel is cutting all his 2-year molars at once.

What's September without Aggie football?!!
Uncle Dodo showed D how to take a hike from the center.



D took the football, turned, and ran down the hall.
All the time he ran yelling, "Go! Go! Go! Go!"

During a time-out on the field,
Daniel checked out Aunt Nana's computer
while Mamae (and Johnny Manziel) looked on.


H a p p y   F a l l ,   Y' a l l !