Amy is officially a rising sixth grader! How did that happen? I swear that I was just a little first grader on the bench outside my classroom looking at the sixth graders at my school and thinking it would be impossible for me to ever become one. Not only did I actually become a sixth grader, now my youngest child is such! What?!
Sarah and a friend of hers had a fun week of music camp with Anna at our house this past week. They made Music Camp shirts, played do-re-me hopscotch, with each square corresponding to a sound on the scale and colored to match our multicolored xylophone. They clapped out rhythms to their names and other words, making picture cards to match. When it was Sarah’s turn to clap out her name she of course clapped out “croc-o-dile.” They made electric guitars out of cardboard, rubber bands, and contact microphones. They sang karaoke with the microphones Sarah and Amy got at Christmas. They made CD covers for their band’s first album. The name of the group is Reptile. They went to the library to watch buses and read books about crocodiles and reptiles. And they played with bubbles and the sprinkler in our backyard. A wonderful time was had by all.
My hip recovery continues to go well. I have gone on much longer walks than I have since well before my surgery. Sometimes I have to stop and rest, but if I am talking with someone while I’m walking then I have an easier time. I had my first session with a trainer at a gym and I think it was a bit too intense. Not for my legs, but for my arms. I need to clarify again for this trainer that I’m not looking to be super buff. I do want to be strong and capable, but I don’t want to be sore after each session to the point of having my normal life be difficult. I’m meeting with a different trainer this week too and this one is trained in kinesiology so may have more thoughts from the rehab side of things. I have learned that there are some fitness machines that I can’t get into because my right leg doesn’t yet bend that close to my body.
I have also learned that I can’t climb onto a carousel horse (yet). Since Friday was Amy’s last day of fifth grade, her school went to Kennywood to celebrate. That is a local amusement park and the last time we went was maybe three years ago (pre-pandemic). Our first stop was the carousel and it was quickly apparent that there was no way for me to mount up. I felt surprisingly sad about that. Next we went to Kiddieland, and Sarah and Amy went on the very small roller coaster, which is still too much of a roller coaster for me. Carl was going to go on it with them, but they wanted the adventure to be kids-only. When Sarah was done with the roller coaster she was immediately pushing to be done and go home. Thus started a series of my suggesting things that used to be there three years ago that she loved and that are no longer there. I went to get a smoothie for her from the place right next to the small coaster. Nope. No smoothies there anymore. We went to find the sandy area that used to be in Kiddieland. Nope. Just cement now. I took her in search of ice cream but we ended up first getting chicken fingers and fries in an air conditioned cafeteria of sorts. Sitting in the AC and listening to the Killers on my phone while ingesting some protein seemed to help immensely. As luck would have it, when we left we quickly discovered a Millie’s ice cream stand. Millie’s is one of our favorite local ice cream stores. After we got a treat and met up with Amy and one of her friends (while Carl was in line for over an hour with another friend’s dad to ride a roller coaster), Sarah and I went in search of the indoor play area at Thomas Town…NOT there!! We stayed in the gift shop and AC to process our disappointment and wait for Carl. Then we arranged for Carl and Amy to get a ride home later with one of her friends so Sarah and I could go home. We had a nice quiet time at home with snuggles, dinner, and Caillou. Amy and Carl had a great time staying until closing and ending their time with the carousel and a funnel cake.
You may recall that last weekend was a Dad Weekend. That Sunday they made a crocodile head piece out of cardboard and tape. It is as large as the one from the Peter Pan Jr Musical that started Sarah’s love of crocodiles. Sarah loves wearing it and also carrying it while pretending to bring it in the gym to show the Lost Kids. Right now it is still brown cardboard but there are plans to make it green. When they got home from their weekend, Mom-Mom had sent a stuffed animal for each. Amy was thrilled to receive a rainbow-furred uni-kitty. Sarah was delighted by her crocodile stuffed animal that has a zippered mouth in which ride three baby crocodiles. That really is how crocodiles carry their young.
Yesterday Amy had a birthday party to attend and I had tea with some of my Bookless Club friends (we no longer read together and we hardly ever meet, but we still love to get together when it works), so Carl took Sarah to a Juneteenth celebration, complete with food trucks and a bouncy house. When everyone was home, Carl and Sarah resuscitated our sandbox that hasn’t seen the light of day for a year or more except through the disintegrating wood cover and bugs burrowing to make homes. The girls then made upside down sand cakes that we purchased for three leaves a piece. We finished the day with watching Toy Story 2, although as soon as Sarah was done eating dinner she went to the family room to listen to music rather than watching the movie, which is par of the course when we watch movies.
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