Indoor Projects, Outdoor Fun in the Sun

My performing monkeys!

In the weeks leading up to school starting, we found lots of things to keep occupied during the heat of the day. The boys created their own gym out of their bunk beds, and their own slide out of the carpeted staircase. We also did lots of their favorite thing - "projects," the all-encompassing term for anything we devise.

Sebby is the perfect size.

A pillow sled with noodle runners.

Two little heads.

On a recent trip to Target, we picked out two mini-monster trucks that can be released with a squeeze of a special winding key. The cars are very cheap, while the amazing paths, ramps, and loop-de-loop accessories are not. Every child who sees those will undoubtedly ask their parents for them. We admired them, and then I said confidently, "It will be way more fun to make our own paths and ramps!" The boys immediately jumped on board. We bought the cheap cars and went home, where they immediately dug out our collection of cardboard boxes, tape, and scissors. We made a Dead Man's Curve, a Flying Ramp, and our very own Loop-de-Loop. We also used coasters to make a run staircase for the cars.

Our tracks took a lot of trial and error, and we spent two days perfecting them. The ramp was simple and effective. The curve wasn't too bad, requiring a bit of adjustment in the retaining wall. The Loop-de-Loop, well, that was a bit frustrating, and we fiddled and fiddled with it, trying it over and over with slight variations. It still only works about 5% of the time, but the important thing is that, when conditions are perfect, it is at times successful! We cheered with delight every time the car zoomed upside-down, exiting the loop rolling on all four wheels. (Success Kid!) Most importantly, I think we really did have more fun making our own car courses.

The Loop in action:

After seeing me stitch together tablecloths at Muder by Chocolate, Misha was interested in sewing. First he made designs in paper, and then he moved on to making his own cat.

 Food is another ever-present activity, from spaghetti with zucchini to my favorite chocolate-zucchini cupcakes.

Ushu in the kitchen

The boys grate zucchini for the cake.

Ah, delicious!

You can never go wrong with Legos.

Drawing is another wonderful staple.

Endless possibilities for what to do with the pets....

Reliving the fun we had with Nara painting rocks.

Fun with shadows.

Onto the outdoor fun:

The weekend before school started, Ashley's parents threw a back-to-school Beach Bash in Galveston, complete with Boogie Boards and blow-up toys, sand toys, delicious grilled chicken and pork chops, Mexican rice, beverages and snacks galore, and live music provided by Ashley's dad himself and his band.

Boogie Board lessons from Bud

Bud and Ashley in the waves!

Misha catching some waves.

Go Sebby!

Red-headed Beach Boy

So fun!

As the evening went on, the waves got bigger, providing quite a rush when I managed to catch one at the right time to ride it. The water was so warm that you never felt like you had to get out to warm up. Sebby loved the waves, though he played close to the shore so the waves wouldn't go over his head. The water was very shallow for a good long walk into the sea, and yet the waves would rise up impressively high. Besides the water, we thoroughly enjoyed the sand. Misha and Sebby worked on a castle and Misha volunteered to be buried. I lost myself in creating sand reptiles and sea creatures.

Misha's hole was originally for Bud, but it ended up being much more suited for himself.

Bury him!

Tucking in.

There's my missing head!

Live entertainment from Nelson!

My alligator

Hippo, octopus and shark

Mama Stegosaurus with nest

It was all I could do to pull Sebby away from the water.

At home, we washed off all that fine sand in the bathtub and put on warm, cozy clothes for bed.

One of Sebby's favorite books. He has several mostly memorized.