Parkour Testing

He got his light blue band.  It's a big deal.  In all of Boylee's academic and recreational life so far, he's never been judged or graded in a strict manner.  And parkour testing is a formal, strict process.  So he's very proud of himself, and we are proud of him, too.

Coach Flip (who is famous - he was on American Ninja Warrior and is a pretty big deal in the world of parkour & freerunning) told Boylee that his vaults were "pretty" -- and that Boylee makes it look easy.  High praise indeed.

Flashback

He's a Parkour Boy

It never stops.  Never, ever.

Kindergarten vs. 5th Grade

First Day of 5th Grade!

Highs and lows...

Last Day

So sad and tragic that our stay has come to an end.  Boylee had probably his most fun camp experience ever over these last four weeks.  He loved his counselors, loved almost every activity, and even got sanguine about the repeated visits to his formerly least-favorite place ever, Kent Island.  (I caught him kayaking at the tail end of one visit and he looked to be having fun.)  He caught up with old friends Mark and Rian, and, from what I hear, did parkour at every possible moment, including performing at the talent show, which earned him a round of applause and a request to "Do it again!"  Other fun experiences included cavorting (and jumping off high rocks) at a local swimming hole, visiting his favorite neighborhood farm, and painting the bridge into town, where this year's mural (ocean creatures) faces the mural they made last year (indigenous birds).

Like last year, camp closed with a wedding -- because two of the instructors are getting married for real in the fall.  There was music and cupcakes, and the kids were encouraged to dress up.  Being visitors, we lacked creative choices in Boylee's closet...but luckily camp had a big dress-up pile to choose from.

Next week:  parkour camp back home!

Two Kinds of Vacation Happiness

#1:  Reading The Hunger Games.  Or maybe more correctly, DEVOURING it.

#2:  Mark was at camp today!  YAY! And they're in the same group!  Double yay!

End of Week 1

Camp was a smash hit, and Boylee went out of his way to tell me what a great time he was having.  Even with the trip to Kent Island, and even with a decided lack of boys. I think he's gotten to have some extra bonding time with his male counselor, and several of the other male staffers.  He loves these big boys - they're all cool, skater-type dudes which is precisely Boylee's idea of masculine perfection.  (For now, anyway.)

Next week's adventures:  more archery; constructing rafts (!); painting the other half of the bridge they partially painted last year; riding a public bus to the top of a mountain, hiking down to the beach and eating ice cream; launching their rafts on the outgoing tide (!!) and yes, another visit to the dreaded and least-favorite place, Kent Island.  Somehow I know he'll make the best of it.

Camp!

The high point of the first morning of camp:  realizing that Boylee's counselor (one of two for his group) is Nick, his counselor from two years ago, and who he loves!

The low point of the first morning of camp:  realizing that there are no other boys in his group.

Cue the sad trombones.

But...after a few minutes there was some shuffling done and now there's at least one other boy for today, with rumors of one or two more joining next week.  Phew.

We got the schedule and here are the highlights for this week:  beach day featuring obstacle course, face painting (Boylee rarely participates!), games and an art project; archery; tide pooling; "video work" (we have no idea); origami; art; kickball & soccer; capture the flag; drawing; tennis; seeing an exhibit about birds; and the dreaded visit to Kent Island, which in Boylee's judgement is either okay (if it's hot and sunny) or miserable (if it's foggy and cold).

Off we go!

Highlights

Best Camp Ever!

Just got the update about new stuff at camp this year.  This summer's theme is WATER, which seems appropriate, since they spend so much time at the beach, tide pools, streams, etc.   Highlights of the new stuff:  painting the other side of the bridge they half-painted last year; creating an origami tide pool; and wildlife visits with stream creatures.   Those get added on to the usual favorites: canoeing, kayaking, exploring the lagoon and its island, face-painting, African drumming, archery, aerial arts, hiking, soccer, kickball, and, as the camp brochure puts it, "random acts of spontaneous fun and merriment for all."

Last year's camp featured a wedding, remember, but I don't know if they can top that this year.

Oh. My. Child.

Baby's First Denim Jacket

Just unearthed from the back of a closet.

Spring!

Total Happiness is...

...discovering a discount book store where nothing is more than $10, and many books are $2 or $3.

That Boy!

What Boys Say

Calmly stated, when they're playing intense video games, but they still know how to use their words:  "I'm feeling very disappointed that you keep murdering me."

Parkour!

He said, "Now I can see in HD!"

A More Masculine Take on Valentines

They're valentines and they're bookmarks.  Not too girly for a boy of almost-ten to create for his classmates.

A Very Cute School Photo, Right?

A Sad Day

Boylee just demanded the truth about Santa.  Tears all around.

Meet Papa Pedro

Today was the last day of muppet camp.

First Day of Muppet Camp!