Saturday enjoying our home

This morning, I was able to shower and dress completely before Lilly woke up, which rarely happens. Shawn surprised me by getting up earlier than usual, but he entertained himself while I got ready.

We had pancakes for breakfast and then we played with Legos in the basement. Lilly showed off some dance moves to a musical airplane toy and worked hard to join in Shawn's Legos (or taste them). 

http://youtu.be/ADhAsPG1FaE

While the kids played, I hauled out a bin of Shawn's old 12 month sized clothes to see what Lilly might be able to use. I got really nostalgic seeing his old stuff and a bit emotional at the realization that my baby girl is turning 1 tomorrow! 

I'm not ready for this.  Sigh.

Later, Shawn asked if he could take a bath during Lilly's nap!? So, he tested the jets in our tub for the first time. Just a couple squirts of his regular baby shampoo/soap foamed up great. The water looked a little discolored once the tub started to fill up, but not as bad as the first time I turned these faucets on. (The water was so brown then that I didn't feel comfortable having Shawn bathe in it - he definitely would not have gotten any cleaner!) Raj and I agreed that it's probably a combination of those pipes not being used in at least 3 months (probably more) and simply being well water. (Even the cement on our front walk is slightly discolored orange in some places due to the well water.)

This afternoon, we took advantage of the sunshine and played outside. Even though it was still chilly, it was one of the nicest days we've had this year! A neighbor even came over to introduce herself and welcome us to the area. I wonder how many people we'll meet once the weather improves even more! 

It's so nice having a yard of our own to run around in. Raj and Shawn even played basketball on the driveway. Lilly loved going down the slide on the playset, though we're anxious to get it fixed up and in better shape with safer construction. (There's rust and rotten wood.) Baron was thrilled to spend so much time outside without getting too cold, though he was visibly sore when we came in. 

This evening, Lilly hit it right on the nose! Our noses, actually. She was pointing out our noses on command over and over. Her face showed her pride and excitement. We didn't even mind getting poked in the nose repeatedly!

 

 

Sweets for the sweet: success

We got a cake. Phew! We went to The Sugar Path in downtown Geneva. (Tina, a harpist friend from U of I, plays there for special events and gave them a raving review when I put a message out on FaceBook asking for bakery help.) We'd been there once before and were deliciously pleased with our treats. It has a display case of very unique cupcakes. For example: the Beer & Pretzels cupcake (chocolate cake infused with stout beer, topped with stout beer infused buttercream and pretzels) or the Pancake Cupcake (buttermilk cake topped with maple swiss meringue frosting and bits of real bacon). Not your typical bakery! Plus, they get their fruits from local farmers (and probably other local ingredients, too), which I'm happy to support.

Lilly's first birthday cake will be pretty, yet simple, since it's hard to tell what her 'likes' are yet. (Shawn was mesmerized by airplanes by his first birthday, so I happily ran with it. Lilly is still discovering her preferences.) It'll be a round cake with white & chocolate layers, buttercream filling, and buttercream frosting. It'll be pink & yellow with "Happy First Birthday, Lilly" written on it. They said if we want to bring in decorations to go with the party theme, they'd be happy to add them, but they don't provide that sort of thing. I'm fine with that. They said they'd make it pretty and "Spring-y." It all sounds simple enough, but I really have no idea what it's going to look like! They're the experts and, from the treats we've had from there, I trust it'll be great. I'm sure that, while I didn't select extravagant flavors, it'll be perfectly tasty.

We couldn't possibly leave empty handed, so we brought home a Black + White cupcake (moist chocolate cake filled with dark chocolate fudge topped with creamy vanilla frosting and drizzled with chocolate sauce), a Peanut Butter Cookie cupcake (peanut butter cake, frosted with peanut butter frosting and garnished with pieces of homemade peanut butter cookies), and a PopCorn cupcake (buttermilk corn cake, frosted with a honey infused buttercream and adorned with popcorn). As we paid, the girl behind the counter complimented Shawn & Lilly's patience and politeness while she and I were figuring out the cake. Shawn beamed. Me too.

Dinner was pretty blah compared to the decadent desserts we shared afterwards! I'm ok with that, too. They were amazing.

Party at Monkey Bizness

See a story here.

An exhausting day

It's the first week that we're not going to Gymboree - it honestly feels a little weird! (I may need to find a class for Lilly!) Instead, we met our Gymboree friends at a Chik-Fil-A for lunch. The cow mascot came over to wish Michael a happy birthday & gave him a paper crown (cow head & party hat) and a plush cow. You don't see that at McDonald's!

Then we caravanned to the other side of the parking lot to Little Monkey Bizness for his party. (It's an indoor play center with climbing structures, plastic playground style equipment, a bounce-house... And a cafe.) We joined his non-Gymboree friends and the kids had a blast. Shawn had a run-in with another party guest who he claimed was being a bully and not playing nicely, but who I also saw Shawn karate chopping. Arg. The other boy's mom & I had them apologize to each other and kept closer watch anytime they were near each other. Shawn was quick to get defensive if the other boy even looked at him. He didn't like the fact that this boy used foam blocks to make a 'gun' and was pretending to shoot the kids he was playing with. (I tend to agree, Shawn, but he was definitely into a role playing game and I don't think he was really trying to hurt anyone.) I had to explain that it's okay if the other boy wanted to play something he didn't, but that Shawn couldn't interfere with it. Anyway, once we got past that, it was a great time.

I randomly bumped into another former Gymboree mom, who was not there with the party. Her daughter and Shawn used to be in Gymboree Art together 2.5 years ago! Small world.

The party ended in time for us to get to karate. After all of the running around at the party, I'm amazed (& relieved) that Shawn didn't pass out in route!

Karate:

Rotations with different assistant instructors: high kick, ax kick, 1-2 punch-thrust kick, high block (Shawn gave me a proud look back when Mr. Flight complimented his progress with his high blocks since Monday.) Obstacle course: roll under, jump over, step through rings, 1-2-punch, run through path, duck past chopping bar, high block!

A particular young man is going to sleep well tonight!

Sweets for the sweet, but not today

The bakery in downtown St. Charles that I went to a few days ago, but found closed, has actually closed-closed, as in it's gone out of business! What a shame! We saw it very much in business after the St. Patrick's Day parade, but that must've been their last hurrah. Now the display cases are empty & the walls are bare. It looked like a very tasty place and we never had the chance to try it. Damn.

I remembered seeing another bakery on Randall Rd., a very big road with just about any restaurant and shop that you could possibly need, not too far from our house. We drove over hoping for better luck than our first stop. Nope. It's closed & for sale signs are plastered in the windows. Strike 2.

I couldn't recall seeing other bakeries in the area. My phone / internet searches where bringing up the two I just tried, in addition to place like Panara, The Corner Bakery, Bakers Square, etc. Not exactly helpful. (I know that grocery stores, Costco, etc. can do cakes, but I'm hoping to support a local business. Plus, Shawn's past cakes have been over the top amazing, that I'd be a bit disappointed to get Lilly a generic sheet cake that anyone else could also get. Those are perfect for other occasions, but I'm trying hard not to use them for her first birthday.)

In an effort to get *something* accomplished today, since ordering a cake was not happening, we found a toy store and picked up a present for Shawn's friend, whose birthday party is tomorrow. It was a tough decision to settle on just one thing, but we thought he'd like a superhero Lego kit and added a few dozen things to Shawn's wishlist, naturally.

Glad we got something crossed off the to-do list. Geesh!

Karate STOP

This afternoon, we went to a local bakery to pick out Lilly's birthday cake, but it's closed on Mondays. Rats. I probably could've figured that out before heading out there. Since we were out & it was way too early to go to karate, we got my car washed (I almost forgot my car is white!) and picked up a few things at Walgreens. We still had time before Shawn's karate class started, so he had a quick snack and changed into his uniform. Then he got to watch some of the purple belt class before his. Their kicks were impressive! Shawn understood right away why it was necessary for them to be using padding as protection!

In his class, he practiced:

Ax kick - stand with legs crossed, lift front foot as high as possible, then come down so heal makes contact (able to break a person's collar bone if done correctly!)

Double block - or the instructor would take his ears!

Fold / High block - or get bopped in the head by a padded bat!

Discussion about 'Intensity - face, voice, force'

1-2 punch relay race

At the end of class, Shawn took the 2nd stripe test, but he needed to practice his high block more before he could pass the test. (He wasn't turning his wrist up to the proper position and his arms flailed up & out, trying to knock the hit away, instead of staying firm in an almost 90° angle in front of his forehead.)  He worked with the teaching assistants for extra practice. I could tell he was worried and getting frustrated, but they were encouraging him and he kept working at it. In the end, he earned his stripe. Phew!

While I watched from behind the glass, the teacher in me could barely keep herself sitting on the really uncomfortable bench seat! The teaching assistants were basically saying/doing the same instructions and modeling over & over again, which is fine if he was just needing practice, but Shawn was still making the same mistakes most of the time.  Even though he earned the stripe, I got an idea and couldn't wait to share it with him. I knew it'd help him to understand what his arms were supposed to do. While I bit my lip until class was over, I was practically giddy in the car and promised him I had a trick to help him practice at home. After he changed into pjs and I had dinner in progress, I used marker to draw big red stop signs on the inside of both wrists. That way, when he blocks, he's supposed to show the stop sign to whomever he's trying to block (since a block is supposed to *stop* the hit)! We still had to work on the flailing vs firm 90° arm a little, but the wrist position was instantly fixed! Then, I told him to make his arm look like a box (90°) in front of his forehead. 

Done. 

Like magic. 

Throughout the rest of the evening, I'd randomly call out, "Block!" and Shawn would show off his perfected move.

Oh, it felt good to be able to take something that a student struggles to do and turn it around to make sense! I miss that part of teaching more than anything.

And, Shawn thought it was funny that I drew on him. Whatever works, kiddo!

I wonder if karate has honorary belts ;)

After dinner, we finally changed out the few remaining Valentine's decorations for spring/Easter ones. I cut a few branches off a pussy willow tree by our front walk and Shawn helped me decorate it with hollowed eggs from past years and small hanging ornaments. He also wanted decorate eggs, but it was getting too late for that tonight.

Instead, we started a new book series at bedtime: Judy Moody by Megan McDonald. We're starting with Judy Moody and Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt. Though it's not the first in the series, it's the one we own and if Shawn likes it, then I'll check Freecycle and the library for others. In the first couple of chapters we read tonight, it doesn't seem like reading the series in order is imperative. Shawn's having a lot of fun with the pirate theme. 

Look out Mary Pope Osborne! Jack & Annie's Magic Treehouse adventures might have some competition!

Spelling

Shawn: What does OBOXYX spell?

Raj: I don't know.

Shawn: MOM!!! I just spelled 'I don't know!' With all the right letters in the right order!!!