Off to Egypt

While talking on the phone today, the boys slipped out the front door on their way to "Egypt to find lost treasure". Armed with a CARS sleeping bag, froggie slippers, and little else, I found them four houses down. When I persuaded them to return to the yard, they decided to set up camp in the back. 

With Keagan gathering five yogurt cups, a glass of Tang, and a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, he seemed to think this would be enough to sustain them both in the hot sun. And of course no camping trip would be complete without toys. They picked up a handful of Hot Wheels cars, Ben10 figurines, and a truck. All of the prep work proved too much for both boys; because of the heat, Evan was back inside within the half hour, and Keagan decided a nap was in order.

Young Einsteins

Evan did several experiments while in his science camp in July, and he has asked for days if he can do the same experiments with Keagan. On Sunday I finally agreed. Despite the strong odor, we put an egg in a bowl of vinegar, looked for evidence of a chemical reaction, and decided we would make more observations in an hour. So we went about our way, reading, playing, and watching TV. When it came time to make our observations, we found Wes in the kitchen cleaning up with the bowl of vinegar emptied and the egg in the garbage disposal. Luckily, neither boy seemed too upset about the mishap; both had more fun with the magnets than the egg.

We Need a Doctor...Fast!

It was bound to happen. Especially since Evan had three trips to the ER before the age of three. Today, while I was at work and Wes was watching the boys (I had to add that piece!), Keagan fell off the bed and hit his mouth on the foot board. He bit the inside corner of his lip/mouth, and according to Evan, "blood was everywhere!" Wes was able to get the bleeding to stop right about the time I pulled into the driveway. However, he still had a gaping hole in his mouth from where his teeth bit into the skin. We debated our plan of action...Go to urgent care. Go to the clinic. Go to the ER. Do nothing and hope for the best. 

And so Wes did the first three and some places twice because our insurance company gave us the run around. As it turns out, Keagan is too young to have stitches in his mouth. He was given an antibiotic to keep away any infection. He is not allowed to eat any crumbly food and I am to swab the wound with hydrogen peroxide after every meal. I told Wes I got the raw end of the deal. What three year old is going to allow you to rub that on an open wound?

A Great Start to a New Week

This morning the boys attended Bubble Camp. I scheduled it weeks ago so that I would have a few hours to work in my classroom. As luck would have it, we had a fire at the school. The secretarial staff and I were evacuated. And so I found myself with an hour to spare, no kids...What would I do? I got a pedicure, drank a diet coke, and browsed the aisles of Borders. What could be better than that? 

The theme at Bubble Camp was "messy day" and it was truly messy. The boys' clothes are covered in claydough, their legs are stained with green food coloring, and they smell of shaving cream. They had pizza for lunch, read a book, and played on the gym equipment. They were upset to see that I was the first parent to arrive for pick-up.

And so we all had a great day that might not have gone as entirely planned, but we all return home with smiles on our faces.

The Pool

Equipped with bags of popcorn, granola bars, and Spiderman divers, we have all we need for an afternoon of fun at the pool. The boys have learned so much in swim class  that they have been motivated to practice their swimming, floating, and kicks. Keagan is bold enough to go into the deep end as long as he has a life jacket. And I can sit back in a lounge chair and watch it all or I can join them. The freedom I have this year at the pool is welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed!

Watching the Pros

Tonight we attended our first professional soccer game at RFK stadium, and we had so much fun! The boys, especially Evan, loved the action and really got into the game. Evan was hooked when the announcer began announcing DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD, CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC, UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNITed! With huge flags flying in the stadium, the beat of a drum, chants, and horns, there was no way you couldn't stay focused on soccer. It was exciting to say the least. I think Keagan was most impressed with his encounter with the DC United mascot, Talon. 

Soccer Camp

This week Evan has spent the mornings at a soccer camp sponsored by the soccer league UK Elite. It has been a valuable experience for several reasons.
1. Evan and I learned that he is not the best. The camp was competitive and this was an eye opening experience to play with older and more competitive players.
2. Evan learned to play in the heat. He doesn't take well to hot weather (unless he is swimming) and so he learned to cope with the heat and even developed a strategy or two about keeping cool. It seems silly but is is valuable information.
3. Evan's technique has improved; he is an aggressive player and really learned to tackle the ball.
4. At the end of three sessions, the coach awarded players with tattoos for plays that exceeded expectations. Not every player got a tattoo, and when Evan didn't get one on the first day, he learned that he had to work for the incentive. On Thursday he was one of two players to be awarded the coveted tattoo, and on Friday, he was one of four.
5. The three hours each morning gave Keagan and me some time together. We didn't do anything exciting but I enjoyed the time with just the two of us.

Friday was family day. The parents arrived an hour early to watch the players demonstrate their new skills. Evan's team did not win, but Evan had a hat trick (three goals in a quarter).