Henry's 6th Birthday

With so many folks away in August, we decided to host Henry’s birthday party a few weeks early, in late July.  Having opted for the super easy moon bounce party last year (see Henry’s 5th Birthday), we wanted to do something at the house this time.  We took a chance on the weather and planned a backyard water play party.  We looked into renting an inflatable waterslide, but for the same price, discovered we could buy a slightly smaller version from Amazon.  Between the slide, a few inflatable pools, some water guns and a tub of water balloons, we figured the kids would be sufficiently entertained.  We weren’t wrong.  The boys spent most of the afternoon hurling water balloons at each other while the girls were surprisingly enthusiastic about the slide. 

Consistent with the planned activities, Henry chose a shark theme for his party.  For decorations, we downloaded a “shark sighting” sign from the Internet and posted copies around the backyard.  Bryant also drew some life-sized sharks on the patio with sidewalk chalk.  Henry was keen on having a shark cake—not a sheet cake with sharks on top, mind you, but an actual shark-shaped cake (Bryant made the mistake of showing him some photos from the Internet).  Fortunately, we found instructions online and were able to create a halfway decent version.  We also discovered some nifty ideas for carving a watermelon shark and making shark Jell-O cups (in lieu of ice cream).  You can read more about our party preparations here.

 

 

 

We got lucky with the weather.  It was overcast and not too hot for most of the party.  Right at 5pm, as the party was winding down, an afternoon thunderstorm rolled in, conveniently emptying our backyard of guests.  Henry had fun getting wet with his friends.  With the start of Kindergarten just around the corner, the party doubled as a farewell celebration for the children in 4B.   Between Henry’s classmates, their sibling and parents, and our neighbors, we had quite a crowd (about 30 children in total).  Despite all the work (we were exhausted afterward), it was nice to entertain in our backyard.  Having said that, we’ve already decided that next year will be another “venue party.”

Below are pictures from Henry’s shark-infested celebration:

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

Henry's First Tooth

Henry lost his first tooth in July.  We didn’t even realize his teeth were loose until the dentist showed us the x-ray and predicted his bottom front teeth would fall out in a few weeks (she was right!).  Having been forced to read his sister’s Silverlicious book several times at bedtime, Henry was very familiar with the concept of the tooth fairy.  When he woke up the next morning and found the money under his pillow, he immediately locked it away in his toy pirate chest.  Later on, we discovered that he had written his name (in permanent marker no less) on each dollar bill, just to make sure everyone knew it was his cash!  The second tooth followed a few weeks later, and now Henry is swimming in dough (or so he thinks).  Above is our little man with his first tooth.

Anniversary

We celebrated seven amazing years of marriage on July 8th with dinner at Bistro de l’Herimitage in Occoquan, Virginia.  Tucked away in a sleepy little mill town off I-95, this restaurant was a real find: authentic French cuisine served in an informal setting.  When Bryant first proposed the idea of driving to Occoquan for dinner, Elise was intensely skeptical but became a convert after the first course.  Since it was our anniversary, the restaurant kindly served us an extra dessert, which meant we got to sample not two but three items from the dessert menu: millie-feuille, chocolate mousse and creme brulee.  To avoid traffic, we arrived a little early and had the chance to stroll along the riverfront before dinner.  Occoquan was surprisingly charming, with a number of quaint shops and restaurants in the “Old Town” section.  We both said it would be good to come back with the kids and have ice cream along the river.  Although only 20 minutes from Washington, it felt a lot further away.  This has been a busy summer, and it was nice to escape for a few hours of uninterrupted adult conversation.   Here we are (above), before heading out for our big night on the (small) town.

Pre-K Graduation

Henry’s Pre-K graduation ceremony was held at the end of June.  The children wore mortarboards and sang a few songs (“Lean on Me,” “That’s What Friends Are For,” and “The Candy Man”) for the parents before being presented with their “diplomas.”  Henry did a great job singing (and swaying—check out the video clips below), but seemed a little embarrassed when it came time to collect his diploma.  After the ceremony, we told Henry he could go anywhere he wanted for dinner, and he chose…IHOP.  So, we all headed over to Potomac Yard for pancakes.  Below are photos and video highlights from Henry’s big day: 

Henry has a few more months at St. Anthony’s and then will start Kindergarten at St. Mary’s in Old Town Alexandria in August.  Kindergarten will be a big change for all of us.  St. Mary’s will have four (4!) Kindergarten classes next year (it’s the largest elementary school in the Diocese of Arlington).  Fortunately, five other classmates from St. Anthony’s, including Henry’s best friend Jack, are headed there as well, so Henry will have some familiar faces in his new surroundings.  While Henry enjoys his last few months in Pre-K, we’ve been busy ordering uniforms and assembling school supplies.  We’ve also been trying to keep up with the flood of information about his new school.  We’ve read the carpool instructions several times and still aren’t entirely sure what to do at pick up/drop off.  And it’s still hard for us to imagine Henry buying his own lunch in the school cafeteria.  But friends assure us that it will all become second nature before too long.

In the meantime, we’re grateful to the teachers and staff of St. Anthony’s for providing such a great environment for Henry these last two years.  He has really grown, both emotionally and academically, during his time at the school, and we’re confident that he has been well prepared for his future at St. Mary’s  Below are a few pictures of Henry with his classmates/partners in crime (Jack and Wesley) and his Pre-K teacher Ms. Rina.

 

Play Date at the Zoo

A rainy Sunday at the end of June did not seem like an auspicious day for an outing to the National Zoo.  But the room parents from Vivian’s class were insistent that the 3A play date would go forward as scheduled, so we packed our rain gear and headed into town.  Fortunately, the deluge subsided shortly after we arrived, and because of the weather, we had the zoo to ourselves.  Elise was working, so it was just Bryant and the kids and a few intrepid families from St. Anthony’s.  After a turn on the carousel and a peek at the great cats, we headed over to the sea lion show.  Afterward, the children had great fun splashing around in the new tidal basin sprayground (check out the photos below).  After visiting a few more animals, including the elephants, we had lunch with our friends and headed home for naps.  Despite the weather, and Bryant’s intense skepticism, it turned out to be a great morning.

 
  

 

Father's Day 2013

As a special Father’s Day treat, Henry and Vivian took Bryant to the local Krispy Kreme for breakfast.  Apparently other children had the same idea, because the place was filled with dads and their families.  We first watched the doughnuts being made on the special doughnut conveyor belt (that curtain of icing is mesmerizing) and then ordered a box of hot doughnuts for ourselves.  The cashiers gave the kids hats and balloons, and we all proceeded to get a huge sugar rush.  Below are pictures from our morning out.

 

 

Spring Swim Lessons

Henry and Vivian wrapped up their swim lessons at the beginning of June, just in time for summer.  Henry started lessons in March, and Vivian joined him for a second session in May.  This was our first time participating in an activity without parents, and both kids did great on their own.  The rec centers near us tend to book up early, but we found an indoor pool near Mount Vernon that had plenty of availability and great instructors.  It also was nice to have a regularly scheduled activity to get us through those (sometimes) dreary months of early spring.  Although neither one is swimming on their own yet, both Henry and Vivian made great strides this spring and are looking forward to spending summer at the swim club.  Below are pictures from the last day of swim class.