Big Boy Bedroom

Boylee gets back from China today...and hopefully he'll love what I've done to his bedroom.  I guess I should have taken some "before" pictures, but here's what it looks like now:

New comforter cover, new pillows, new whiteboard, framed drawings by Nickelodeon illustrators, and there's his Hogarts crest to top it all off.

New lamp to replace the babyish old nursery lamp.

Same old desk, reorganized and topped with new bulletin boards, folders and pen holders.

A closer look at his desk, where he now actually has room to sit and work.

His dresser, cleaned out and reorganized.  All the games moved to the living room, so now there's room for other things.

Bookshelf - still jam-packed full of books...but lots moved on to other families or to his baby box.

And the beautiful 4ft x 4ft white board.  At the office supply store it would cost way more than $100.  At the hardware store a sheet of melamine twice this big costs about $20, plus another buck or two for them to cut it in half.  We still have the other half for future use.

Caught in a rainstorm while rafting on the Yangtzee.

Hiking in Yunnan Province.

Hotel in Beijing.

Happy after conquering a "chinese-style" bathroom.

Forbidden City

Tibetan cliff village.

No Safety Features

The Great Wall of China

"hi mom im having a great time.i had some things YOU may find descusting such as.........fungus delight  and shrimp with the eyes still in it."

I'm just going to keep posting them as I get them

The First Highlights from China!

I don't know the story behind all these pics yet, but take a look at the first highlights from Wuxi:

This is some sort of canal boat they rode on.

And this is a museum with a model of Wuxi under their feet.

At an effects studio...

And the effect!

The view out the hotel room window.

Boylee got almost no sleep on the plane, and only three or four hours the first night they were there...but as I'm writing this now it's their second night and I'm hoping that he actually gets to rest.  

His China Adventure Starts!

More Pants

Wow, it's been a loooong time since I sewed anything.  And it's getting warmer, and Boylee is growing like mad, so I got inspired to make him two new pairs of pants.  It helped that I had this fabric lying around...since last summer.  I'm still able to adapt this pattern to make these quick and easy pants...but at some point Boylee is going to get too big.  As long as he stays skinny, though, and doesn't grow more than about two or three inches taller, I'll be able to use it.  

So, in honor of summer and Boylee's upcoming trip to China:  Seersucker and Chinese dragon pants.

Summer Camp!

I just got the brochure for this year and wow -- it looks fun!  First, there are all the old activities Boylee remembers from his previous two years:

swimming
boogie-boarding
exploring the island in the middle of the lagoon
canoeing
kayaking
riding bikes in the local state park
tide-pooling
fort-building at a different beach
bird-watching at a local bird observatory
music
dance
baseball
basketball
soccer
archery
tennis
farm visits

And a lot of fabulous new things --
aerial arts -- I think this is trapeze stuff, which Boylee will love
robotics
repainting a local bridge mural
yoga
visits to new farms & gardens

And this year Boylee will be old enough to go on the overnights that do not include parents -- though I don't know if he'll want to go or not.  A big part of it will depend on whether or not he loves his counselors and fellow group-mates.

Thank you, Papa & Noni, for covering Boylee's camp tuition!  It's worth every penny! 

These were Boylee's shorts when he came home from his first day of camp last year -- totally, 100% sand-encrusted.  The sign of a happy day.

And after a kaykaing expedition last year.  I think right after I took this photo he stripped down to his undies and strolled through town to the car, totally un-selfconscious.  I think those days are over, but I enjoyed them while they lasted.

Heading Out...

...to see Billy Elliot (again).  Boylee is very, very excited and has been listening to the music all week long.  So maybe this will rekindle his desire to take ballet?

Scenes from Open House

Part of our mural-in-progress.  

Boylee's class will get some painting time next week and I'll be there, too.

Showing us his book of Tongva vocabulary.

Some Chumash-related artwork.

This assignment was about abstraction.

Before we left, we went into the music room.  

Boylee took one look at the floor and said, "That says 'fade.'"

News from a 9-Year-Old's Check-Up

Boylee weighs 65 pounds!!!!  Wow, no wonder it's so hard to pick him up.  And he's almost 54 inches tall.

And when the pediatrician asked him what he ate for lunch today, his only answer was crackers.  Argh.  He also had leftover pad thai, chicken taco, pickles and a few other items in his lunchbox!!!!

9 Years Old

Spring

Months ago I tossed the rooted, cut end of a store-bought scallion into a pot of soil. Now we have a beautiful scallion flower.

She Came!

Easter!

We cut it way back this year -- only one dozen eggs, which is much, much less than we usually do.  

We tried a new marbling-type technique, with oil, vinegar and food coloring.  No store-bought dye packs for us!

So once they're dry, Boylee will hide them in the garden to entire the Easter Bunny to come visit us.  And if she likes what she finds she might bring spring to us.  We'll keep you posted and let you know if it worked.

Charoset!!!!

I chopped the apples.  Boylee did the rest.