Summer kickoff

Happy Fourth of July!

Today finally feels like summer.  We frolicked in the sun and had a cookout in the backyard.  We actually had on shorts and sunscreen!  For the sad springs and summers we've had lately, this seems miraculous.  Even though it has been overcast, at least we haven't had days and days of rain like last year.  Zane has been enjoying hanging out on the back porch getting fresh air and listening to the birds.  He has also all of a sudden gotten a great urge to "work" in the garden.  He loves to dig dig dig in areas I've weeded.  He digs holes, moves dirt around, makes lakes with the hose, mud pies, and "highscrapers" for the bugs and flies in the garden.  When I'm ready to quit for lunch or nap time, he tells me I have to keep working.  Such a taskmaster.  I love the fact that I am actually able to get some gardening done while he's busy.  Our yard has been such a disaster for the last three years, and now I feel like there's hope I may neaten it up again.

I can't believe it, but Zane is almost 3!  With my procrastination/busy record lately, my next post will probably be after his birthday on August 15th.  His hair is already getting long from his first cut, and I think some of his pants are finally starting to look a bit short.  He's still a lean mean machine, but when I watch him subsist on fruit and then run around all day like a crazy man, I think I know why.  He's better and better at letter recognition, and can sometimes point out specific words in a book.  Once he even recognized the word gum when I spelled it out to Michael!  Mostly I think he's remembering individual things rather than assimilating the concept of reading, but still, I get excited about the prospect of reading coming in the future.

We've had a bit of a preschool saga, but now we seem to be all settled.  A new Montessori school was built last summer just around the corner from our house.  I contacted the owner and she said she would let me know when they started their waiting list.  And then she forgot!  When I next contacted her she said the school was full for Fall 2012.  Because I thought we had a deal, I hadn't lined up another school, and in Seattle most have wait lists.  I negotiated a #1 spot on the wait list for the Montessori school, and then Zane and I went on three preschool tours around town.  I had settled on one when the Montessori school found they had a spot for us.  It's more expensive than the regular preschools, but I love that it is literally in our neighborhood and Zane will be going to school with kids who live across the street from us.  Also, there is only one tuition (full time), so since I'm paying for it, I'll have Zane go a little extra so I can go back to the gym.  In May my long-time gym cancelled their child-care program so I haven't worked out since the end of April.  I feel like a stiff old weakling.  I'm looking forward to our new routine of school and the gym, although I'll have to adjust to a little less Zane in my life.  Which is sad for me.  The gym will be good.  I've been sick a lot this spring, and I partly blame my lack of exercise.

Some stories.

One night at dinner, Zane told me a story.
Before he was Zane, a long, long time ago, he was a man who painted houses. He painted them yellow and blue. He had a yellow rental car, but he didn't give it back. He left his paint brushes and bucket far, far away and someday will go back and get them. Then, before he was Zane, he was also a woman.

I have no idea where this all came from. It was fascinating to listen to!  This was about a month ago, and a few days ago he brought it up again.  He started telling me that he needed to cover up an old can of gray paint he had left when he was a man a long time ago.  This is so interesting, because we don't talk about past-lives, and I didn't prompt this.  My Mom remembers asking him where he was before he was born, so that may have got him thinking.

At the beginning of June the Touch-a-Truck event happened again.  Last year just Zane and I went, and I didn't even try waiting in the lines to actually get into a truck.  This year Michael and I tag teamed waiting in the lines, so Zane got to explore the inside of an ambulance and a semi truck cab. I think it was actually more fun when we didn't try to wait to get in the trucks.  The ice cream was probably the highlight, though (but I had to wait in line about 40 minutes for it). Zane went back and forth to all three cones treating them like a rotating personal ice cream buffet.

Zane has become a bit of a daredevil on his balance bike.  I have to jog to keep up, and I've been waiting for the inevitable spill.  One day Zane took off down the sidewalk on his balance bike. He went farther and faster than before. By the time I realized he wasn't stopping, it was too late for me to run and catch him. He sailed over a huge bump, went about 6 feet more, and crashed into a huge rock. He got a big bloody scrape on his chin but cried for all of 10 seconds. I asked him, "Were you trying to stop, or did you go fast on purpose?" "I went fast on purpose!" Trying to make a teaching moment I said, "And how did that work out for ya?" "It worked out good!" he chirped.

Last week Zane went to a Princess Party for his favorite neighbor Josie's 4th birthday.  I had been looking forward to this, but unfortunately I was just starting to get really sick, so I had to rouse Michael to take Zane.  Zane had been looking forward to the party, too, so I really didn't want him to lose out.  I put him in a snazzy vest, and then he was completely game to wear a tiara.  The tiara wouldn't stay on, but I did get a quick picture.  Zane ended up falling in love with the vest, though, and it has become a new wardrobe favorite.  When he was littler he wouldn't keep it on, so I'm pleased, too.

Now I have to think of something interesting to do for Zane's birthday!  I'm thinking just burgers and cupcakes in the back yard.  Maybe I can pull off some sort of theme.

 Well, with summer time and nicer-ish weather, we've been getting out to the zoo and the beach a lot.  Today we went to the Aquarium and saw the new Ferris wheel, the Great Wheel.  The line was too long for us, but maybe later in the summer we can give it a whirl.