I guess I have to explain the title. Because I'm not sure anyone who reads this email will know what that references for me. DANGO (stands for "Doings and Goings On") is the name of the email/newsletter that the physics department at ACU sent out. It has had different "editors" over the years, and we have known two of them pretty well. Neither of them reads this blog. So....anyways....that's all I have to say about that.
Summer is here! Of course, "summer" is loosely defined as "when there is no longer school" because we sure wouldn't know it by the temperature. Doesn't bother the indominateable Tessa who either has a high tolerance for pain or was born part eskimo. Last night, she sat in the cold pool as the sun set and the temp gauge went into the low 60's/high 50's. I made her come in and stripped her down right inside the door and dressed her in dry clothes. She immediately ran to jump in her Daddy's lap. As soon as her ice-cold feet touched his leg, he let out a high-pitched squeal. I'm positive that squeal just served to confirm to Tessa that "it was worth it".
So, Tessa lost her first tooth about a week ago:
The tooth fairy visited our house. And with a little photo-shop, we were able to capture her on film!!
Tessa was just floored by this picture. She speculated all day about what the tooth fairy did and where she went, etc. Then she found another loose tooth next to the, well, hole for lack of a better term. She has been wiggling the heck out of that tooth hoping to make it come out sooner.
Of course, the picture thing was a bit much for Anthony. He doesn't want to "lie" to our kids about the tooth fairy or santa or anything like that. I put lie in quotes because this is such a grey area. Yes you can melt it down to black and white, but you would be doing this sitaution a diservice if you did. There's so much more to it than that.
And besides, when Anthony told Tessa that he was born with several extra feet on his head that came loose and fell off and the "foot fairy" came to his house....well....he lost all credibility as far as I'm concerned.
Jack went on the potty for the first time on the same day that Tessa lost her tooth. But, as you can see, he still makes stinky diapers and we are nowhere near potty training:
I just love this guy's little body. His little pot belly and his skinny arms are to die for. And who can resist a nibble on that neck? I sure can't. :)
Yesterday, the kids begged to put on swimsuits and take their towels out to the deck. This is what they ended up doing. Now that's what I call "laying out"!
Ahhhh! The sweet life! Nowhere to be, nothing to do, no bills to pay, no dinners to cook. Just you, your disney-themed beach towel, and a sippy of apple juice.
Up and up they went. All smiles and anticipation.
I wish I had gotten a better shot of their faces. The ride operator turned to me and said, "Now THAT is the look of pure terror." They were fine once they got off. Tessa did mention that the swing made "my whole body freak out, mom!"
She must have run around for 10 minutes straight. I was beginning to think she had snuck some coffee this morning when she quickly announced that she had to go potty. I guess she just had to run around some first, and found once she started, she couldn't stop.
And taking it in some more...
Then he got brave enough to touch some water.
Well, that is a slippery slope because pretty soon he was wading with a little daring splash.
Then he got REALLY brave and stuck his foot into a waterfall.
I remember when Tessa was the same way. She never would let a drop hit her face. She now spends more of her time underwater at the pool than above it.
So sweet!
Jack is a hand holder. He will hold my hand everywhere we go and throws fits if I am carrying too much and can't at the moment. Sometimes, he prefers to hold Tessa's hand, and she lovingly obliges. (Don't you know we were holding our breath waiting for her to refuse.)
In fact, this whole day was one of those rare brother/sister days where they really played well together and Tessa watched out for Jack in a sweet protective-motherly way.
There are lots of fun big rocks to climb on as you walk along:
And there are frequent points where the path allows access to Bear Creek. Which, by the way, is a great place to get rock throwing out of your system (unless you are Jack and that "system" is a black hole).
At the beginning of the hike there are tons of shaded picnic tables and restrooms. We were able to score one right under a huge tree and right next to the water. It was also just a hop and a skip from the restrooms. We had a peaceful lunch and then drove home. If you are looking for somewhere simple and entertaining to hike with your kids, I highly recommend trying out Lair O' the Bear. And to make it really fun, Morrison is just down the road and you can have lunch there at Beso (my favorite place to eat in Morrison).