Last Day of School

Proof that my children turn into monsters at bedtime

This was Charlie's last week of school and I am SO sad.  I don't usually mourn change, but this classroom has been so wonderful that I highly doubt next year (or any year) will measure up.  Plus there is something so emotional about Charlie finishing his first year of school.  Here he is on this first and last day of school




First Day!

 


Last Day!

We had a class party after the class.  Nothing says summer more than a slip 'n slide! 

Okay maybe a block party with a sprinkler says summer more.  Last weekend we went to a nearby block party and I spent the day bemoaning the fact that we don't talk to 80% of our neighbors.  They had pony rides, a fire engine and sprinklers with water balloons.  Here he is cruising Duddington on a pony.  

Diego and I took a day trip to Philadelphia last weekend to see my mom and we had the best time.  Diego loved having all of my mom's toys to himself and our undivided attention. It was so peaceful traveling with only one child!! Charlie also loved having Carlos' and Abuela's undivided attention.  Although Diego still loves anything with wheels - namely tractors, garbage trucks and fire engines - his new obsession is balls.  Often he'll try to leave the house carrying as many balls as can fit in his little arms.  Here is an example of what I mean - he is taking a bath with all the balls he could fit in the tub.

Surprise! Lawyers have heart - this race proved it and we survived it!

Summer Weekends



my delectable Diego



Eating strawberries while complaining

I did some more forced family fun and marched the kids to a strawberry patch last weekend.  I bought an ambitiously large box and Charlie, Diego and I climbed aboard a tractor to head to the strawberry fields.  It turns out Charlie's looks aren't the only thing that makes him a mini-Carlos; he melts in the heat just like Carlos!  30 seconds after arriving to our designated row of strawberry plants, Charlie started complianing.  Diego at least carried the box for a few minutes before joining Charlie on the sidelines.  I picked strawberries as Charlie and Diego stood watching me, eating strawberries and asking how much longer until we went back in the tractor.  I made them suffer through ~10 lbs of strawberries before I gave up. 

We were in Chestertown last weekend with my mom and the Kopp-Lloyds for the Tea Party re-enactment festival.  My mom packed the most amazing picnic and Charlie loved seeing people get thrown off the boat in the as part of the re-enactment.  Unfortunately it was so hot that Carlos and Charlie were both melting down.

This weekend was just as fun.  Charlie was so looking forward to seeing his friends Nora and Cici on Saturday that he stood near the door asking when they would arrive.  It was pretty obvious once they arrived...The house was turned inside out - all the musical instruments along with the kitchen utensils ended up in the treehouse and all the pillows from the house ended up in Diego's crib. 

They worked so hard destroying the house that Charlie passed out when they left and woke up with a sore

leg.  As if to even the playing field, Charlie scratched Diego's eye so we showed up at the Bowie Baysox minor league baseball game for a birthday party on Sunday with one limping child and one half-blind baby. 

I can't say that I am a total convert, but the game was a lot of fun and I realized that it isn't really about watching baseball!  After surviving 8.5 innings we decided to head to the emergency room.  After limping the ENTIRE day Charlie told the doctor that his leg didn't hurt! Diego on the other hand had a cornea abrasion. Diego was so tired from the weekend that he slept until 9:45 on monday!!!

Charlie recently called Carlos' mustang the 'mustard' which really made me happy.  Here he is singing equally incomprehensible things into his karaoke machine thing (notice Diego flexing his one word vocabulary in the background)...