Connor's New Bike

My injury sense is tingling

Good thing we put carpet in his room...

Connor's fourth birthday party

Connor enjoyed his party so much, he went to sleep at 5:30 and didn't wake up until the next morning at about 6:00. His father made the cake, and his mom did a lot of work organizing the event.

Summer Fun

Connor and Isabella enjoying the Slip 'n' Slide in our backyard today

Are Our Dinner Conversations That Dull?

Connor literally fell asleep at the dinner table last night.

Connor and the Beanstalks

 

Connor meticulously planted an entire package of beans in this 2' spot.

Ziploc

(photo: May 8)

Aunt Shannon sent Connor a few of these, perfect for Michigan winters. Connor has been experimenting with adapting them to Mississippi summers. Ha! They are a novelty to him.

When one morning he awoke to discover he was no longer as warmly suited as he had been when he retired, he demanded, "Where's my ziploc?"

I don't know what they call them up north, but here, they're ziplocs.

Fredericksburg

Memorial Courtyard at The National Museum of the Pacific War

Japanese Peace Garden

Marktplatz playground (downtown)

someone his size

second cousins

Snorkler

For Easter Connor received a new snorkling set! Here he is trying it out- in the bathtub, obviously. He later took it to the pool.



Happy snorkling dreams!

Connor's First Prom

Don't worry, this is not his date- she's a Teacher Corps family friend Connor's known since he was a baby. As a teacher at the school, she was a chaperone for the dance.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Connor and Riley

My photo editing software is elsewhere at the moment- sorry about the red-eye, we'll fix that later. Here are Connor and Riley one afternoon when they were actually getting along! Riley is just a few months older than Connor, and lives two doors down. They are frequent playmates.

Button-Down

A few weeks ago Connor insisted on choosing his own attire for school. Initally he wanted to wear dress slacks, socks, and shoes. We made a compromise, and put this shirt on over a long-sleeved henley. (I made him hang up the oxford once at school, for comfort's sake.)

With a fresh haircut and crisp white Ralph Lauren oxford, I think he looks very grown up. Here he is, explaining something. He is always explaining something ....

Planting Seeds

Several weeks ago we planted flower and vegetable seeds. Eventually we will transplant these to the outdoors. Up until last week, it was still too cold. Maybe soon. So far, we have baby lettuce, cherry tomato, and zinnia plants.

Blowing Bubbles

Last week, on Mobile Bay, with Claire:


and this weekend, in our backyard, with Isabella:

Beach Snapshots

Last week during our break, we went to the beach one day. Connor enjoyed it immensely, and now he can say that he's officially been to Florida.

Honk the Moose

Over the past few months Connor’s enjoyed a great quantity and variety of books, and it occurred to me that he might be ready for a chapter book. We read chapter books of the “I Can Read” genre, such as Frog and Toad and others by Arnold Lobel. However, those can be read in one sitting. It seemed to me that he might enjoy books that continued from one day to the next, of a sort that he would have to imagine the characters and action. Part of the idea came from a book I read recently by a literacy guru, and the other part from Connor’s dad, who about a month ago, began telling a story (involving a character called Freddie) in nightly installments.

Anyway, while I was trying to think of a chapter book that would be suitable (like, Charlotte's Web is too advanced at this point), I happened upon an interesting book at the library. It seemed to be perfect. It was a chapter book with some illustrations, not too long, but long enough to be read over several days. So we began. On Friday I read a chapter. On Saturday I read a chapter. Yesterday I read one in the morning and one at bedtime. Today I read one before naptime. We’ve read five, and there are four left. He is totally into it.

When I found it, I scanned it quickly and thought it to be a funny little story, and we’d try it. I just started reading it. Not until today did I glance at the back cover, which led me to look at the front matter. It is a very unique book. First of all, it’s based on a true story. “Set in the early 1930s," explains the cover copy, "[it] is filled with rich, historical facts about life for Finnish immigrant children in a small Minnesota town.” And so it is. It's different.

The author Phil Stong worked as a teacher and coach in Biwabik from 1919-1920, where he learned of the story of Honk. Another teacher used the story in her curriculum for years so that it became part of the community's oral tradition. It seems to have originally been published in 1935; it was a Newbery Honors book in 1936. It was out of print for 40 years. This edition was printed in 2001 through the efforts of the then-mayor of Biwabik.

Author Phil Stong wrote State Fair, which went to Broadway. Illustrator Kurt Weise won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for this book, as well as for The Five Chinese Brothers and The Story about Ping (classics from my childhood).

Connor at the Zoo

The weather was nice, so we made one last trip to the zoo before spring break. Next week we'll be on Mobile Bay.

Growing Up ...

Connor is now tall enough to reach the light switches and can turn most lights on AND off.

This morning before I dropped him off at school, he told me, "Mommy, you don't have to give me a hug and kiss when you leave. I can hang my jacket by myself and my teacher will know where I am."

He didn't renege on this agreement, but shouted a loud series of "Bye!"s as I walked back toward the lobby.

This week after school he and I have been playing "We Love Katamari." He loves it.

He's also been enjoying puzzles and writing. He is left-handed, and can write most letters. He can write his name fairly well now.

Another Snow Day

Beginning Saturday afternoon and continuing into the night, snow fell in our area. When we woke Sunday morning everything was blanketed in white. This time, Connor did play in the snow. Here he is before heading out:

First steps

He found a friend and enjoyed the snow.

Caldecott Medal Books

The Caldecott medal is awarded each year by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the best picture book for children published that year. The first award was given in 1938. The award is named for Randolph Caldecott, a nineteenth century English illustrator.

This year's award went to Beth Krommes for The House in the Night.

Connor has several Caldecott winners in his library:

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats
Finders Keepers by Nicholas Mordvinoff (this copy was mine from childhood - still a classic)

I think I've seen these around too:

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship by Uri Shulevitz
Many Moons by Louis Slobodkin
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

New Sandbox

On Saturday Connor's dad built him a sandbox. The first two pictures were taken before all the sand was added.

Here is the finished product:

Friends

At the Zoo

Snow Day!

On Wednesday we awoke to a dusting of snow on the ground. It was very nice for Connor, who about a month ago, after reading a number of books, such as The Snowy Day, in which children play in snow, cried because, "We never get snow..."

First footprints:


Look! Snow on the roof too!