The students had a few lengthy walks throughout the day, but no complaints! So glad. Whiny middle schoolers are not pleasant. It was quite an accomplishment to get 500 students safely from the East Bank to the Sports Pavilion. We had a crew of U of MN volunteers that helped guide us there, and patrol the streets when we crossed. Phew.
I've never seen such a large group of students completely quiet as when they listened to our speakers- Coach Brewster (Gopher football) and then Trent Tucker (former NBA player and U of MN gopher). The messages to the kids were great- work hard, have goals, accomplish much!
Coach Brewster.
I was able to pose for a picture with Trent Tucker (and one of my colleagues, another Student Advocate, Nate) after the presentation. I was called down to the floor to be introduced and thanked for organizing the day. All of the kids whooped it up and cheered for me! I then had to grab the microphone and thank THEM for representing our school so well and also to thank the other staff responsible for the day. It wasn't just me that organized the day.
On Saturday we met Grandpa Roger and his friend Linda for breakfast. After breakfast we went back to our house and played some golf. Of course!
Waving goodbye to Grandpa and Linda!
Trying out the close-up focus on my camera. Are these lilacs?
Later, James was a jumping bean as we were getting ready to go for a bike ride. He was so full of energy!
We rode our bikes to the big lake so that Jim could launch his remote control boat. James probably didn't remember it from last summer so we were curious to see if he would like it. But first, below, he is pointing out the playground.
Experimenting with effects.
I really like this playground much better than the one by our house. The equipment is meant for bigger kids (too) but it feels safer. James loves to climb but still needs assistance.
Dada takes a rest. I was joking that he was imitating Forrest Gump in this picture.
Forrest Jr.
Wow, on Sunday we headed to Shakopee and Chaska for a full day of mini golf, a cool playground, and then dinner at Grandma Rosie and Grandpa Larry's! It was a beautiful, beautiful day and James had so much fun! I know this because at the end of the day, as we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa, James said, "That was fun!" Really!
Grandpa Larry gives James a quick lesson.
High five!
James totally understood the concept of mini golf. He started the ball at the end and took several shots to get the ball into the hole. No wild swings, like I was afraid of. He was very controlled and aimed well.
He quickly got the idea that when you finish one hole, you move to the next hole. He would say, "Go to next hole!"
Grandma was kind enough to take the camera from me and take pictures! Wow! I'm in pictures!!
I don't think purple is your color, Dada.
I bet no one saw that Jim and I were stealing kisses between mini golf holes! We knew James was well taken care of with Grandma and Grandpa :)
Grandma golfs too.
A troll bridge!
Oooh, sand play!
Ummm, Grandma sat us in the handicapped spot. What does that mean?
After golf and lunch, we went to a very cool playground in Chaska. It was HUGE! I liked that it was made of wood and recycled plastic. Even the woodchips were recycled tire pieces! Below you can see that some of the playground were store "fronts", like a town.
James' favorite area was probably this bridge. Over and over and over. Fun!
Grandma tries to swing across! Go Grandma!
Golf area. Stonebrooke is the name of the golf course that Grandma lives on.
Taking a rest.
More pictures with Mama! I edited some of them a bit.
After the park, we beat Grandma and Grandpa to their house. James was so sad that no one was home to open the door. He knocked and knocked...
Grandma, James, and a little sidewalk chalk art.
Later, James watches others play golf on the course below.
And of course there is golf on TV.
Grandma and James enjoyed the beautiful day. I really like this picture!
James tries to call Tia ChaCha.
On Monday we had a lazy day of outdoor shopping in Maple Grove, lunch at an Irish pub, and then home for a nap. That night Jim and James biked over to Grandma Laura's. I saw them from the window so I greeted them on the front step and took pictures.
It was bath night and James was a poopy mess when he got home. Jim stripped him down and cleaned him up. James ran around naked for a bit. I blurred out the nudity! And then a stair railing is strategically hiding him :)
You can see he's already getting some funky tan lines. Just like Mama!
What's that? A penis! (We use the correct term around our house. I never liked baby talk anyway.)
Goodnight Mama! Time for my bath!
Some other cute moments:
James is REALLY REALLY into his Wonder Pets. He will randomly start singing the theme song. The Wonder Pets have replaced Blue's Clues (entirely), but sometimes he will watch Dora. I will have to tape James singing the song, so cute!
James is amazing me with his vocabulary and speaking skills. I watched him several times talking to Christa, Grandma Rosie, his Dada, etc. and James is holding real conversations with people! All of a sudden its become more than just asking for what he wants, but now he is telling stories and/or describing things!
He also amazed me with how he is transferring what he learns at one place to another. We think he learned about "space" and planets from the TV show Dora the Explorer. When we were at Borders bookstore and he pointed out the murals of space and pointed out the "purple planet" and stars, I was amazed! I thought he was a genius baby!
I'm so excited that James will start his "school" in August. We did tell Sandra that we are transferring to the daycare center. I know she is sad to see him go but I know that he'll transition well and we'll always love and appreciate her. She's so dedicated to her kids, I know she'll keep in contact with us and ask for updates.
Come back tonight or tomorrow for more pictures. I don't know what happened to the pictures from the Mall of America, with Christa, Andy, Ryan, and Jesse, but they are on the other computer at home. I'm anxious to share those too!
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