The Last Week of Summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, Labor Day has come and gone. And the last week of summer has been exciting to say the least. Well, some parts of it were exciting. I got a good tip on a gymnastics studio in Huntington Beach and Joy did a free lesson. As you can see, she LOVED it. I bought her a leotard (which she lived in for 2 days) and signed her up for classes. Not sure when they start as she will be the 3rd girl in a brand new class.

In a previous post I showed you how well she has come along in her skateboarding. At the beginning of summer she could barely scoot along. Then she was introduced to a cruiser. Now she can zig-zag, do hills (sort of, hops off if she goes too fast), and can confidently tackle the skatepark. That was a field trip with daycamp. I have the feeling that as soon as she can swim without floaties or a life-jacket she's going to ask for a surfboard. It's the next logical step. I'm a bit relieved that she wants a cruiser more than a regular skateboard. You can't do tricks on a cruiser. :)

Let's see, we also added a new family member. Buddy :) He's awesome for an old dog, and adjusted really well to Joy's imitation of Elmyra.

Zoe has been insanely jealous, though learned the dominance game fairly  quickly.

 

All of us (me, Josh, and Joy) all agree that this summer has gone by much too quickly. School starts tomorrow, and the beginning of another season. Josh starts High School as a 9th grader (where has the time gone???) and Joy starts 1st grade.

On Sept. 8 I start my new job at D.I.G. 

First Haircut EVER!

Joy and Ro. Ro rocks when it comes to cutting curly hair and Joy behaved BEAUTIFULLY for her.

Joy's been asking for a haircut for almost a year now. being my baby and having such gorgeous, curly, soft hair I wasn't too keen on it. But, I know what it's like to be tender-headed and have tangles that take FOREVA to get out, so I thought shoulder-length would be OK.

 

My hyperactive child sat perfectly still while she got her hair done.

The finished product!!!  Joy has a natural side part and one side is fluffier (thicker/fuller) than the other already, but Joy liked it. Later in the day we bought some hair things, so now she can wear a ponytail that she does herself, and headbands. She was so happy to be able to brush all the way through her hair with no tangles.

Yup, that's all hers. Not quite as much as when Josh gets a haircut, but her hair isn't that thick yet.

My Little Gymnast

She's getting really good at headstands. her next goal is to be able to walk on her hands.

my own little monkey

while Zoe was playing, Joy was climbing :-)

School was fun!

Joy's teacher said that she did very well her first day, fit right in with the kids, got exhausted during recess, and she has no doubt that Joy will do well this first year. Neither do I. Joy can already do a lot of the things that they are asking her to do academically, like count from 1-10 forwards and backwards and recognize and spell her first and last name, and write it.

And so it begins. Now to get her to do her homework.

Musings: first day of school

Musings: first day of school
Joy is definitely ready to start school.

Limbo Contest

Go Shawty, It's your birthday

Musings: joy has lost her 3rd tooth

Musings: joy has lost her 3rd tooth

Advanced Grammar

We're going to be relocating over the summer, and last night our daughter quite plainly said:

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I have a problem with moving."

Now, I was slightly stunned at her choice and use of words....but once I recovered my wit, I said "What's the problem?"

"We can't take my toys in the toy box."

Ahhh....easily resolved. I assured her we could take her toys and toy box with us....

Baby Blues: Updated Bball Skillz

Baby Blues: Updated Bball Skillz

Updated Bball Skillz

She can talk, walk, and dribble all at the same time. And uphill too!

Joy's Basketball Skills

Jam Session

Jam session taken 4/20

It's her Special Day

Left, Left, Left. Right, Left
I don’t know but I’ve been told
This Port Kid is getting old
It is a very special day
And this is what we like to say:
Ha-ppy Birth-day
Ha-appy Birth-Day
Happy Birth-DAY!

On Turning 5

This morning our daughter's daycare provider told me that she had gone up to them and said "Jerry and Kathy, my birthday party is Sunday, but I won't be here. So you can ship my present to me."

As I've often told my wife, our daughter is too smart for our own good :)

On the way to daycare this morning, I told Joy that her brother had just turned 5 (the age she turns on Sunday) when I met him. Her response?

"That means mommy was a single parent..."

"Yes, mommy was a single parent when I met her."

"But how did she have a baby without being married?"

...

See my previous comment about said daughter's intelligence and it's affect on our own good.

Talk about opening a can of worms...I told her we would discuss that at a later date (like when she's 70 or so, I think) :)

Joy's Christmas List

I came home from work Wednesday evening to be shown that Joy had been practicing her writing. I was able to read everything except bathrobe .. because well, the letters are on a slope :) Most of the letters Joy writes just by looking at them and then drawing. We are working on tracing letters which is why some of her letters are quite good :)


Translation
Joy's Christmas List (what she wrote, with Tim spelling for her)
- Power Wheels
- Motorcycle
-Bathrobe
(what Tim wrote while Joy dictated)
Toy Soldier battery
Rabbit Slippers 

Green Eggs and Ham

Joy reading Green Eggs and Ham to Auntie Kayla. She got a little tired and Kayla finished the book. (BTW, it's a 10 minute video)

Boyfriend

My daughter has a boyfriend. She can't remember his name. When asked where she met him, she said "At work somehow". "At work?" I ask. She tells me it's one of the guys Daddy works with. We narrow it down to Rich. A handsome guy, tall, but married with two daughters!!!

Oh goodness! She is going to be more than a handful when she hits puberty!
--
Annette Sargent

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." -Robert A. Heinlein