School's out for summer

Today was Ian's last day at preschool. I know I felt sadder about that than Ian did. He's mostly happy for summer and excited about kindergarten in the fall. I'm not so old that I don't remember feeling that way, but for me this is another milestone that means that my baby is growing up. As a wise person said, the days are long but the years are short.

Dad came with me to pick Ian up and we stopped at DiBella's to pick up subs for lunch. It was a gorgeous day and we stayed home for the afternoon and went in the pool. I cooked hamburgers on the grill, but it took a long time to heat up today for some reason and we didn't eat until almost 7:00. Overall, a very pleasant day.

Lots going on today!

I had an appointment with the foot doctor this morning, and he says that although things are looking better, with the pain that I'm still having I need to wear the cast another 4 weeks. On the way home, I stopped at the store to stock up for the weekend. After a few more chores at home, it was time to get lunch together for the end of the year picnic at Ian's school. It was fun to sit and chat with the parents, especially those like Brendan and Malachy's mothers, who we won't be seeing next year as they scatter to other school districts.

I talked to Antonio's mother about their summer plans and Antonio will be going to Y camp with Ian! Yay! That will make Ian happy, since he's already been whining that he doesn't want to go to Y camp this year. Anyway, Ian and Antonio were desperate for a playdate today, so I brought Antonio home with us. They played mostly with the Ben 10 stuff and only had one brief argument. Antonio's dad picked him up around 3:30 - overall a very nice play date.

Then shortly after 4:00 David's father arrived for a visit for the weekend. It's always great to have him here. There was some confusion about whether and when he was visiting Karen, but that got straightened out (they decided on tomorrow morning) and we had a nice dinner together here. Ian had a great time showing Grandpa all his stuff and explaining all the Ben 10 and Star Wars guys, his Lego sets, etc. He was still pretty wound up at bedtime, but eventually settled.

I'm glad we have a good relationship with Dad. He's been an important part of David's life, and mine too, since my dad died when I was only 20.

Our bedtime routine

Our bedtime routine: At 8:00, it's time to finish up playing and go upstairs to read books. David usually reads to him, but I do it sometimes, too. Then at 8:30 we finish up reading, and Ian goes potty and washes his hands. I brush his teeth and wipe his face and then he puts on his jammies. Ian picks out one more book and I sit down beside his bed with it. Then David comes in to say goodnight. He lays on Ian's bed with him and tells him to go to sleep good for Mommy and don't fall out of bed. He also tells him that he loves him and they have a hug. Then we say "night-night" and David turns out the light. David recently put up glow-in-the dark stars on Ian's ceiling and walls and we admire them for a minute, before I turn on the flashlight to read the book Ian has chosen.

Once that's done, I go over and turn on the "night-night music," while Ian gets under the covers. The night-night music is a special cd that I created when Ian was a baby. The songs are Winnie the Pooh, Chim-chim Cheree (from Mary Poppins), Once Upon a December (from Anastasia), Be a Man" (from Mulan), A Whole New World (from Aladdin, The Colors of the Wind (from Pocahontas) and You'll be in My Heart (from Tarzan). After the music starts, I go over and lay in the bed with him and pat his back and sing along with the music until he falls asleep. Oftentimes we talk about things that are on his mind, but I don't let that go on too long, before it's time to be quiet and go to sleep. He's usually asleep by shortly after 9:00, sometimes a little later, if he's very restless. I can sneak out pretty easily once he's asleep, but sometimes he'll call me back for a few more minutes. Someday he'll go to sleep by himself, but I know I'll miss the sweet snuggle time.

Wednesday, June 16

More heavy cleaning today - bathrooms and kitchen floors. Jean came over before lunch and talked to me while I was cleaning, which always makes it easier. Ian was kind of cranky about going out to lunch, so we did Wendy's drive-through and ate at home. Ian ate enough of my chicken sandwich to earn his frosty, which made him happier. After Jean left, I decided to do another batch of tie-dying. I made a shirt to give to Grandpa for Father's Day. We had made one already for David in the previous batch. I also made one that Ian wants to give to Sam and one for me with red, yellow, brown and black vertical stripes. Ian cooperated by playing mostly on his own while I was doing it. The Ben 10 stuff really holds his attention.

By the time I got done with that, it was time to start dinner. The weather had been very dicey all day, alternating pouring rain, with breaks of sun and clouds and lots of wind, so I cooked chicken inside. After dinner, I took a trip to the grocery store to return the Sid dvd and get some Father's Day cards for Ian to write on for David and Dad. Ian was pretty tired this evening and actually asked to go to bed while we were reading. He still needs me to stay with him and help him go to sleep, though.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday....

Sunday, June 13 - Today was Children's Sunday at church and I managed to get Ian to stay up in church for most of it. Of course, we brought a backpack full of stuff, but he mostly was pretty quiet. We played at home for a quiet day.

Monday, June 14 - I have been spending most of the time when Ian is at school working on cleaning up the house to get ready for David's father's visit later in the week. It's always good to have company, if just to force me to clean up around here! Ian was kind of in a mood Monday afternoon, mostly because he didn't eat much lunch. After much whining and fussing about going to the toy store, I finally dragged him to the grocery store where we got a ham and cheese sub. Then we had a brief visit to the library to return books and get some dvd's. It was hot and muggy, which wasn't helping his mood, so he didn't last long on the playground. We had rented a Sid the Science Kid dvd at the store and he occupied himself watching that when we got home.

David and I both had fun in the evening playing with Ian up in his room, all piled up on his bed with his stuffed animals. We hung blankets down from the upper bunk and made a fort.

For a bedtime book we have been reading "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins," by Dr. Seuss, which was a favorite of mine as a little girl. Being able to share favorite stories with Ian makes me very happy.

Tuesday, June 15 - The weather was better today, and we ended up staying home again this afternoon. Ian helped me clean my car and wash the mats and then we went in the pool. The water was nice and warm, but there was still a cool breeze. We played for about a half hour, maybe a little more before Ian decided he was cold and we got out. I lit the grill and cooked steaks and hot dogs. After dinner, David and Ian played in the fort and with their Nerf guns. I read my book and enjoyed watching them play.

Saturday, June 12

We played at home in the morning and then undid our tie-dye shirts after lunch. They turned out great! I am very, very happy with them. Jean came over later int he afternoon and then stayed for dinner with us. We grilled steaks and hot dogs and ate out on the deck. David had worked very hard today mowing and taking down the insulation in the basement, and by the evening he was kind of tired and not feeling great. So Jean and I took Ian out with us to the Home Depot to look at ceiling fans and a stop for ice cream.

I'm very glad that Ian has such a nice relationship with her. Especially since he doesn't have much in the way of relatives around here.

Tie-dying and swimming - fun!

We had a nice day yesterday. I had gotten the idea that Ian and I could tie-dye at home and he's been begging to do it ever since I got the kit. So in the morning I went to Walmart and got the rest of what we need to do it (bucket, rack, 100% cotton shirts). We watched the instruction video, Ian picked out what styles he wanted to try and we started rubber banding. After soaking the shirts in the dye fixer (soda ash) we got to work on applying the dye. I was kind of messy, which I had feared, but using a plastic drop cloth really worked. I ended up taking over, but he really participated quite a bit. We made 4 shirts for Ian and 3 adult shirts. They're resting overnight in their plastic bags. I'll post pictures later once we see how they turned out.

We were just finished when Samantha called and invited us over to swim with them. We took a quick dip in our pool just to cool off and then we gathered our stuff up and headed over. After a rainy week without the heater on, their pool was a little bit too cool for the Jake and Ian, but we all splashed around a bit anyway, before Ian insisted on getting out and getting dressed. Samantha ordered pizza, which Ian didn't care for. I admit, it wasn't the best pizza I've ever had, either. The boys ended up playing on Jake's playset (and eating chips and popsicles) until almost 8:00 before I forced us to leave. It's hard to persuade Ian that it's bedtime on these long June evenings, when it's still full light at 8:00. Jake and Ian play really well together for the most part. They spent a lot of time playing Ben 10 (or other superheroes) and attacking and killing me. Apparently, I'm an evil alien zombie and must be destroyed.

I'm grateful for playdates with friends, and long June evenings.