Beauty of a Morning Park

Summer weekends! How I remember popping awake extra early with the morning sun, ready to get up, explore, and play. My memory's pretty good! I haven't done that in decades. James brings it all back -- that's how he likes to start his day.

There is something not quite right about the ghastly contrast between how happy and chirpy he is and how puffy and lethargic I feel (and, unfortunately, look). I see it nearly every morning reflected back at me in the bathroom mirror as I stand ready during his first potty visit. Ready for what? Well, pretty much to chase after his laughing, bare-behindness as he races through the sleeping house, and stuff him into undies and pants when I catch him.

Summer does mean that on weekends I can get out into the glorious morning with him, coffee in hand, and head to one of our local parks for him to exercise his joyful exuberance. As I yawn, down my coffee, and wish away the grogginess, I start to smile and notice the beauty of my son, enjoying the park on a blue summer morning:

Here's what I like to see at the end -- equilibrium in our energy levels!

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: From His Heart

Last Friday was James' last day of SHAPE with one of his most special people ever. The preschool suddenly announced it was closed on that day, so we met at the park and had a kind of picnic/play celebration.

James helped make the card and write the letters, all the while chanting "I LOVE Teacher Nancy!":

Teacher Nancy has helped him feel loved and secure as he stretched his school mornings into days, dealt with the trauma of potty training, made his first efforts at writing, and helped direct him to play socially with other children. Always she was full of patience, caring, and humour. She saw James as a person who was yearning to grow and do, and she helped him do just that.

James even got himself dressed in clothes he picked out for this special day:

For more great images or to join in the fun, Visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.



and ... Wordless Wednesday

Magic Marker Monday: Hungry for a Story

James' summer preschool session is over. The teacher for this session was also a reading specialist. I really appreciated the fact that she took the time to read with James, and have him start to work on tracing his letters. James brought home a wonderful little book that he'd been working on that month in class. Most appropriately, it was The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Last summer, James made the caterpillar with his SHAPE assistant here at home. It's still hanging on the wall over his bed. How exciting to see it here again, with his bigger handprints, in a book!

I like how it starts simply. These kids have been working on shapes, colours, and basic words for over a year.

I love all the dynamic colours on the caterpillar page. Even though some of the trickier shapes have been cut out for the kids, I know James loved gluing them down and seeing words under what he did.

"I like ..." -- how powerful this is. Makes me think I should do little "I like" books with both my kids.

I love the progression with both numbers and story here. I am guessing this makes a lot of sense to James. More so than simply hearing the story read to him.

Visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday creations.



  

July 4th in SoCo

Growing up in Oakland, July 4th was celebrated rather sedately. It seemed to be an excuse for the boys to light off firecrackers. My brother used to take the bus for a trip to Oakland Chinatown, where they sold them by the brickload.

Then I moved to Alameda, and was pleased to really experience Independence Day spirit, with bunting galore on Victorians and street lamps, bands in the parks, and a fabulous parade (which had its grand finale at the grand stands, just down the block from my house).

I am so happy that Sonoma County shares this spirit. Cities and towns sport flags and bunting, our town had a wonderful down-home celebration, and on my way to a party out in the country, I saw this:






Happy Fourth of July!


P.S.: Last night I watched the fireworks show with my daughter from the sidewalk outside our house. Hopefully James can stay up next year and watch too!

SOOC Saturday: The Last Day

The last day he is going to run out of the house to catch the bus, looking like this:

The last school morning I will be greeted by this parked out front:

The last morning I'll watch him say hi to his buddy, then race laughing to the end of the bus for the driver to catch him and help buckle him in his seat; the last time hearing the nice driver telling James to wave hi to Mommy ...

The last wave goodbye, throwing kisses all the way:

The last time down the street ...

The last turn around the corner, heading off to the last morning of preschool:

James almost didn't make it up the stairs and on the bus -- because up in the sky, just behind the bus, was this:

We'll see that one again, at least!
(told you I would be a mess as we wound up James' preschool era)

The Slurping Life is off to a great start for the July 4th weekend. Visit Melody and check out SOOC Saturday/Sunday entries past & present. No cropping or fixing -- it's life, straight out of the camera.





  

SOOC Saturday: Picnic, Land's End & Beyond

Last week I brought the kids to San Francisco to meet up with my husband and our friends. Despite an amazing bout of car sickness by James at about mile 50 in to the trip down, we enjoyed the afternoon and evening out (thank goodness for towels in the car, an emergency stash of clothes, and a good gas station bathroom).

We started with meeting our friends and their kids at the DeYoung Museum. We have a family+ membership this year, and we all treated ourselves to the Birth of Impressionism Exhibit. James was more interested in the baby that was traveling through the galleries than most of the paintings, although he did like the Monet train stations ("oooh, Thomas!").

Next up was a picnic lunner (lunch + dinner). We fetched our bags from the wonderful (if pricey) underground lot and feasted on the lawn just outside the museum's cafeteria. The kids were hungry, happy to play tag on the lawn, and gave their Daddy an enthusiastic welcome when he joined us.



I wanted to take the kids back in, but the Friday night family music session was in full swing. Very fun music (kind of French Celtic-Zydeco-Folk), but way too loud for James and his sister, who both can't stand loud noises. My husband stayed to visit with our friends and I took off early.

As a consolation prize, I took the scenic route home with them. Nice and slow for James, with the windows rolled down on all the non-freeway roads. Good heavens, we live in one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Land's End, brooding through the fog & sunset (with lots of wind):


Literally up the road and around a bend, the wild outpost of West Fort Miley, bathed in sunshine and natural glory:





Legion of Honour -- so gorgeous and dramatically lit by the fading light:






And winding down into the Outer Richmond, where the roads got even twistier and more interesting, but likewise were less conducive to me pulling over the whipping shots off out the driver's window:




Apologies for being long-winded, but it's all SOOC, and a great reminder of a wonderful day trip together.

The Slurping Life offers wisdom and support. Visit Melody and check out SOOC Saturday/Sunday entries past & present. No cropping or fixing -- it's life, straight out of the camera.



  

Scheduling Dilemma

I am not a fan of shoe-horning activities into a child's day. That said, James is getting the last of several services this month. Preschool for special needs kids. SHAPE assistant hours (with constraints but also with a fabulous woman).

M-Tu-F, James has a decent schedule, with only preschool in the morning. W-Th, he has program for most of the day, with a 2-hour gap of doom in the middle. In theory, he can rest in that interval. What it actually does is push him. Sometimes that's good. But other times, he gets pushed over the edge and:

He gets sick. We had carsickness last Friday, followed by a summer cold, which he gladly shared with me.

It's so scarily easily to just sit and do nothing. That's not good for James' growth with speech and development in general. I am constantly striving to balance. A formula for success has so far eluded me.