Last Lesson at South Coast Karate

It's true: we really are moving...in about a month. So it's time to start having some lasts before we start having some firsts a little farther south. Here is OP at his last lesson with South Coast Karate. He has loved the energetic, fun setting of this karate dojo. Though he lost a bit of his discipline for practicing during baseball season, he did not lose any excitement for attending lessons. They have helped with his balance and his willingness to try new things in front of others. Up this week: last day of kindergarten.

The "creative artist"

OP's school is getting ready for the Multicultural Fair--an all-school evening event in which each grade level hosts an area of the school campus that offers a flavor of somewhere in the world. As the tiny print suggests, Oliver's class is helping to host the India section. They'll have food and henna tattoos, and, beyond that, I'm not quite sure. In preparation for the event each class drew/painted chalk images of their countries on the sidewalk in front of the school. Here is OP showing off his Bengal tiger. It's the best work he's ever done--made him feel like a "creative artist." Three cheers for that!

England Supporters

What handsome boys I live with! You can tell that one of them is a cheeky monkey. Don't be fooled by the calm exterior of the other--he is more than able of gettin' your goat (what does "gettin' your goat" mean, anyway? we'll look it up and report back. yes, it is possible to be both cheeky and nerdy; ask any of us ;o)

At any rate, recently Philip's school had a sport fan day, so he came out dressed in an England strip, only he had originally chosen the red side (I know--a reversible sport shirt; what does that do to the work of laundering stains and odors?). OP promptly said, "It's a shame I don't have a red England shirt." "You have a red England hat," we said. "Papa, wear your white England shirt like mine." Philip does not have a white England shirt and OP's is very stained, so they settled on blue. And aren't they the devilishly handsome pair?

7th Inning Stretch

Yesterday OP was invited to join with another T-ball team to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch at the Gauchos game. Here Philip catches "...three strikes, you're out..."

Budding Orator

Last week we attended the last T-ball game of the season, followed by the team party at the local pizza parlor. OP enjoyed the pizza, as is evident from his marinara, slightly toothless grin, and happily added the trophy to his growing collection. During the party the coach made a few comments about each player as he passed out trophies. After some time, the team mom brought out the coach's present and asked Oliver if he would help to give it to the coach. Once he understood she wanted him to hand the gift over publicly, Oliver staged himself in the center of the room and prepared to make a speech. When we had gathered the attention of those in attendance, he began, "I think we had a good season. It was good for me, and it was good for some of the rest of the players. And I'm glad to say that everyone made improvements during the season..." There were a few more words, but his parents were getting nervous at this point: how long would he go on? was he about to say something uncharitable about fellow players? will he remember to thank the coach? So we both started whispering, "And thank you, Coach," both to make sure the sentiment was included in the speech and bring the speech to a close. Thank goodness our budding orator got the message. He thanked the coach and sat down. Whew!

1st Family Camping Trip

Over the weekend we pitched our new tent for the first time. We camped for one evening on one of the most beautiful weekends we've had in the last couple of months. It was warmer than we expected, so we were not adequately prepared. OP played in the ocean with shorts and underwear--sorry for the lack of photos, but you can be sure there was much frolicking about. Philip and I were stuck in jeans and closed toe shoes. But we made up for it by having good food, great company with friends, and proper coffee in the morning. Oh yes, and there was, of course, baseball at the campground.