After five lessons, River had her first performance with her dance class at the local mall. Whether or not dance is something that River holds an interest in is not important. For her it's all about fun. It's also a way of maintaining River's comfort level in public situations. She rarely shows any sign of shyness now and we hope to keep it that way.
Sadly, she has already eclipsed her father's dancing skills.
I don't like fireworks. I think I used to once but I've never been as into it as most folks are this time of year. The grownup in me just sees money going up in flames. Don't get me wrong; I'm NOT Mr. Frugal (just ask Jo) but, come on!! Why buy something that is going to last just a few seconds, possibly blow your fingers off and potentially set your roof on fire? Then, of course, there is all the debris scattered across your yard the next day. Funny how your neighbor can't wait to show off the truckload of illegal Chinese mortars they picked up from "that guy in Indiana/Tennessee" but he won't make eye contact with you 24 hours later when your yard/roof looks like Times Square at 12:30am on January 1st.
Yep. Good times.
Little ones pose a special problem. I didn't want to ruin River's holiday by airing my disdain for fireworks so I keep that to myself but I knew at some point she would want more of a hands on experience. Flash forward a few weeks; that time is now. I shot down her request for sparklers but tried to ease the blow with a few packs of that ol' safe standby..
Thanks to her inheriting her mother's sense of self-reliance and maybe a little inspiration from Handy Manny, River has proven to be quite helpful with the remodel project in the master bathroom.
River took "Being in charge" of the screws very seriously.
Yesterday River took a class at The Cincinnati Zoo called Tails, Tails, Tails. It was all about the many different uses of tails in the animal kingdom. Afterward, we took a stroll around the Zoo. It was a beautiful Spring-like day of blue skies and temperatures in the late 60's. After all the snow and rain, all of us (River included) were happy to be cured of our cabin fever and winter blues.
While waiting for class to start, River entertained us by reading about Spiders. It was difficult to keep her mother off the ceiling.
Mr. John introduced the class to Hurricane the American Alligator.
Mr. John lets River meet Brittany the Red Eyed Alligator Skink.
Hurricane was very well behaved and let River pet her tail.
River posing by the Cheetah track.
A Cheetah relaxing in the sunshine.
A majestic White Tiger holding court in the afternoon.
My favorite, the Mexican Wolf. Shortly after this was taken, he and his mate demonstrated their howling abilities.
River and the rest of the class singing the Tails, Tails, Tails song. At this point, River had had enough and was ready to get outside and explore.
Family and friends joined Jo, River and me to celebrate River's Third Birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. I had expected it to be loud and chaotic and.. well, it was but it was also far better than I expected. A great time was had by River and all her little pals and that is all that matters.
Over the past three years River has given me the joy of experiencing so much for the first time.. again. This may have been a celebration of her first three years but she has given Jo and I what seems like a birthday everyday for the past three years.
The Scooby Doo Cake made by Iris Klonne of createcoolcakes.com. It was as delicious as it was fun to see!
Thanks to all our family and friends who stopped by.
River could not stop talking about her Scooby Doo cake!
Making a wish.
I'm sure this is some sort of health code violation.
Lots of goodies were unwrapped.
Lots and lots of goodies!
(Psst, Please don't tell her I ate a chicken wing! P-p-p-lease!)
We took River on her first vacation last week away from home. It felt like our first vacation as well since it had been eleven years since we have taken one. Simply put; the wait was worth it. We all had a wonderful time. . Naturally we were concerned how River would take the long ride in her car seat but she traveled the distance like a pro. On the way home we stopped only once in nine hours for River to enjoy a Happy Meal. Perhaps the next time I will ask her to drive.
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Don't let the Surfer Girl image fool you; River didn't really care for the ocean itself but she LOVED the beach. It was all about the sand as far as she was concerned. The boogie board saw more action in the hotel room with me dragging her back and forth on the carpet while she giggled uncontrollably.
. You don't always know at the time when you are making a cherished memory.. but sometimes you do. This is one of those times when we knew for certain.
. River was lucky enough to have her picture taken with a good lookin' lifeguard. Oh, wait a minute.. that's me.
. One of the many seagulls who either wanted you to give them food or just get the h#ll off of their beach. . We kept hearing an odd thumping sound in the trunk for the first 200 miles but it eventually faded away. We had originally thought that the luggage was uneven but, much to our surprise, Memaw Marti popped out of the trunk at a rest stop in West Virginia. As it turned out, she was a godsend and a blast to vacation with. (She rode in the backseat on the way back home.)
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Jo: The Planner, The Budget Maker, The Navigator. The.. Everything. Thank you Sweetheart.
. She worked really hard to get those toes in the sand. .
River took her sand construction work very seriously.
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Naval vessels were always just offshore and military jets always overhead. Virginia Beach must be one of the safest stretches of American coastline. God Bless America.
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There is nothing more comfortable.
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Hurricane River destroys a beachfront town! News at Eleven!
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Sunrise on Virginia Beach, 09/09/10, 06:44am.
It is easy to forget how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful country. Remind yourself once in a while and just get in the car and drive. Our land is a treasure that I hope River never takes for granted.
The Slip-N-Slide has its place along side Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, the Hula Hoop, Barbie and the Radio Flyer Wagon as classic toys that every child should experience at least once. I remember a summer in the late 70's when I enjoyed running and jumping on my cousin's S-N-S during a family visit to Florida. Of course there always comes a time when someone will slide over a stick or rock (or piece of petrified dog poo) resulting in a scratch that can only be healed by a band aid, a popsicle and a kiss from mom. I think my cousin Hope was the unlucky one who received the boo boo that day. She healed just fine I hear and has managed to continue with her life despite her injury. She always was the strong one. . With the super high temperatures recently we decided to buy River a Slip-N-Slide all her own. She managed to make it through the afternoon without a scratch. As you can see below, she and Daisy had a very good time. .
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