June 2009

Ah summer. It takes so long to really get here, and then it just doesn't quite last as long as I'd like it to.

In the middle of the month Kyla went on a camping trip with her Grandma Linda and Uncle Wes. She was gone for three days, but she's very comfortable with Grandma so she did fine. Their campsite was right next to a paved patch where Kyla could ride her new bike with the other kids, and she had a blast.

This month marked the end, for now at least, of a couple of activities. Kyla's soccer practice finished with an ice cream party and will start back up in the fall.

I have decided that Blake is done with swim lessons for a while. When we started again in the winter after a six month hiatus, he was lukewarm to the class and refused to dip his head underwater. I figured that we'd stick with it and he'd get past it, but it has been six months now and he's still pretty miserable much of the time. He loves going to the pool and playing, so we'll just do that on a regular basis instead. It's a win-win because he's happier and I spend less money.

Getting Blake his daily nap is becoming more difficult. If he gets a goodnight's sleep, then he doesn't want to nap until very late in the day, and giving him a late nap means a very late bedtime, often after 11:00. So we'll try to keep him awake all day, sometimes this works out, sometimes it doesn't. We're trying to figure out if this is an odd phase, or if he's transitioning away from having a regular nap.

Kyla was gone for Father's Day, so it has been postponed for me (though Becky made me one of my favorite meals regardless) and Blake and I spent the day with my family. My request for Dad's Day this year is for us to take a nice family picture outdoors somewhere as soon as we get a free day for it.

I'm looking forward to July which should also be a nice leisurely month for us, though August is already overbooked.

Butterflies

At Toys R Us, Becky found a butterfly kit on sale and thought this would be something fun for Kyla to have as her first pets. They setup the cage and sent away for the caterpillars.

When they arrived, there were five surprisingly little critters but they grew very quickly, doubling in size almost daily. Kyla named them Heart, Jewel, Heart Jewel, Love, and Love Kyla.

While we were away in San Diego, Kyla gave them to Asher to caterpillar-sit, during which time they wrapped themselves in cocoons for their chrysalis stage. Then while she was away at Ocean Shores, two of them hatched into butterflies. After she returned the other two also came out and she fed and cared for them for about a week.

Then it was time to set them free. We opened up their cage and they all were still for a while, until finally two of them flew away. We tried to get the other two to go, but they wouldn't budge.

So we kept them assuming they just needed more time. Unfortunately they eventually died, but by that time Kyla had completely lost interest in them. I disposed of them when she wasn't around to avoid her getting upset.

Overall it was a lot of fun and an interesting learning experience for her.

Dance Recital

About nine months ago we finally gave into Kyla's begging and signed her up for dance lessons. In her class she learned ballet and tap dancing and has thoroughly enjoyed it.

On June 6th she had her first recital. For weeks Kyla and her seven buddies practiced tapping along to "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" from the musical Hair.

It turned into a big event, all of her Grandmas were there, as well as Grandpa Doug, Great Grandma Dot, Aunt Lexie, Leslie, Asher, and Rylee (and of course her parents). Becky was backstage as the official mom in charge of her class. It wasn't easy keeping eight four-year-olds in makeup and tap shoes quiet and composed while the other performances were going on, but at least she was prepared with activities to keep them occupied.

Kyla performed very well for her first time in front of a big crowd and danced her little heart out. After she was done she was given a virtual garden of flowers by her fans and we all went back to our house to celebrate.

I think Kyla's found an activity that she really likes and I'll be curious to see how long she chooses to stick to it.