Fiona Goes to Theater Camp

Mike is probably not a lifer at the theater ... but let me tell you, we are taking advantage of every moment he is there. Fiona continued her storied theater childhood by going to musical theater camp at CDT - starting the day after we got back from camping. She and her friend Ellie (who also did the circus play with her) were signed up for a week long camp about Lerner and Loewe. Comments about My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Gigi, and Camelot reigned supreme for over a week.

The camp was in the afternoons, so both girls went to work with Mike in the morning and had the run of the theater (again - storied childhood!). Then their afternoon was filled with voice training, dance training, and more. Let me tell you that these girls were tired at the end of every day! Hours of dance training is no joke! But even better than the tired - Fiona was so joyful, passionate, and excited. She loved every minute of the week! [Funny story: one of the regular main stage actors (who is one of my favorites) was a guest instructor for a day. Fiona told me that he is her new best friend; he just doesn't know it. I told her that he's also my best friend, but he doesn't know it either.]

Late afternoon that Friday, they did a final performance on the main stage. There were probably 200 people there to watch them. Fiona had large eyes as everyone walked in (and we could tell she was nervous), but she did not freak out. Each of the four groups did three different skits, and they did an opening and closing number all together. They all did such a good job and it was really fun to watch.

Grandma and Grandpa J, Dec, Quinn, Mike, and I were all there to cheer her on. I was so impressed at how well she did on her line. We were three rows (of tables) back and I could hear every word clearly - with no microphone. Her singing segment from My Fair Lady was definitely a favorite as well. 

She can't wait to do it again and I love seeing how her stage fright diminishes and her confidence increases with each performance. We were all so proud of her! And now Quinn and Dec can't wait for their turn at camp when we get back from the Fourth!

Father's Day Camping IV: Back on Track

I woke up at 6:15 Saturday morning to the sound of Dec running to the bathroom. To pee. I had been worried it was something much more serious. Whew! I tucked him back into bed for another hour or so and then he was ready to be up for the day. His fever had mostly broken and he looked much better. Once he woke up a bit, he ate a good breakfast and really perked up. After a few hours, I sent Cheryl a text that he was bouncing off the walls and driving me crazy.

While it was cloudy and gloomy in S-town, it was raining up at the campground. We coordinated with Mike and when he told us that it seemed to have let up enough that the group was emerging from their campers, Dec and I loaded up and headed back. I figured worst case, we just went home again - and this time, we'd have our own car. Dec was pretty tired so he took a short nap on the drive, woke up as we pulled into our site, and never looked back. He was like a new (or the old) Declan!

Everyone was gathered on camping blankets playing with toys (Dec joined a pack of boys and proudly shared the monster trucks he'd brought along) or playing cribbage at the picnic table (which is where I went). After lunch, we sat around with the Ps and played giant Yahtzee for a while. It was even chillier than the day before, but nonetheless, mid-afternoon found us putting on suits and heading down to the beach.

And as always, it was exactly what we needed (someday, I'll stop doubting that!). The kids were in the water more than I expected based on the air temperature. But mostly, they had a blast wading into the water and playing in the sand. The six Ps and Vs play so well together - especially when it comes to water.

We headed back at dinner time and ate with the Ps. Then had some bike riding adventures around the loop. This year, for the first time, the girls were allowed to bike the loop on their own (usually with friends). It's a mile around and they were very proud of the freedom. Quinn determined that she rode it close to ten times between Saturday and Sunday. It was really fun to see them join the bike gang and hold their own with all the kids.

I owed Dec a s'more, so we got the fire going while keeping an eye on the weather. It was supposed to storm all day, but the radar kept changing and pushing the time of the storms back. Tiff brought out popcorn for the kids too (several of the big kids went to one of the campers to watch Happy Gilmore. Our big kids did not. Fiona was not happy with me until Jack and Coop described the movie the next morning. Then she decided it sounded stupid and was glad she didn't watch it).

We sat around the fire after the kids were in bed (or watching the movie) and marveled at the fact that the rain held off for most of the day. We really didn't expect to be able to have a fire - and instead, were out until the early morning hours once gain. It was another tough night of sleep in our camper and my 3 mile run at 7:30 was rough. But I did it and didn't die. Or quit.

After breakfast, we did let our crew join some of the others in Phil's camper to watch Frozen. Then Mike and I packed everything up without trying to entertain or redirect or yell at people. It was very peaceful and confusing. We left the bikes out because Declan had a goal of making it around the loop. He keep doubting himself and turning around all weekend. So before the camping trip officially ended, all five Vs biked that loop together. Dec was so proud and can't wait to ride it again. Then the kids and I hopped into my car and headed south while Mike finished breaking camp. We got home just in time to eat lunch and start on the mountains of laundry.

As usual, the sites are already booked for next year - which will be the fifth annual camping trip for this crew. Worth mentioning - it only took us four years to get a picture with all the kids in it!

Father's Day Camping IV: It Went Wrong

Fiona's legs looked the best

The day after Dec's birthday, I picked him up early from school and off we went to the doctor for his five year well check. Dr. H declared him ridiculously healthy, marveled at his calf muscles, and popped him with two shots so he's legal for kindergarten. Then we hurried home so I could feed the kids and be out the door for D's first night of t-ball. Mike was already up at the campground, getting us set up. We tried the same plan as last year - and hoped it would not go awry. I mean, shots, t-ball, late nights. How could it go wrong ...?

Mike got back to town, swung by t-ball to grab the girls, and then went home to finish packing while I sat in the sun and watched practice. Dec and I hurried home after he was done and loaded up to head to the campground. We got there about 8:30 and the kids were so excited to play with their friends. We were out of the car for maybe 7 minutes before I made them come into the camper to put pants on. And in that amount of time, Dec and Quinn's legs became nearly unrecognizable from all the bites. The mosquitoes were NO joke!

It was a beautiful evening and the kids were having a blast just running around together - so we let them. Until about 9:45 when I declared it was way past bedtime. Ours were not happy about heading to the camper, but once their heads hit the pillows, they didn't seem to mind too much. Then Mike and I headed back out to the campfire to hang with our friends. It was so fun hanging out and was close to 1am before we headed to bed. It started to go downhill from here.

About 3am, Dec woke up crying because his bites were so itchy. We battled that for a little over an hour before I pulled him up to the little couch by our bed. He settled in okay and went back to sleep. But neither Mike nor I slept well either. I was up shortly after 7am to meet Eric and Melissa for a 3 mile run. The kids were just starting to move around then as well, so I left Mike and the breakfast prep. [Both the kids and I were very grateful that Dennis was in the process of delivering coffee to Mike as our running shoes hit the pavement.]

When I got back, Dec was out playing with the kids. But shortly thereafter, he wandered back and told me he was really tired. That didn't surprise me as I knew he hadn't slept well. He and Quinn also continue to complain about their bites. We decided to head down to the playground (it was not super warm yet, so no one was thinking beach in the morning).

Declan asked to take a nap instead - which should have been my first clue that we were going completely off the rails. At the last minute, he changed his mind to park. But when we got there, no one really felt like playing so we wandered over to the beach. Quinn and Dec put their toes in and declared the water very cold. Then Mike found a turtle and helped it back to the water.

By the time we got back to the campsite, Dec didn't look too great. I brought him in the camper to take his temp ... 100.2. I tried to give him some tylenol, but he didn't like the taste, gagged, and then proceeded to throw up (thankfully in the toilet!). He put himself down for a nap and slept hard for about an hour. Then he got up, ate lunch, and asked to go to the beach. This time, I managed to get the tylenol in him and that seemed to help.

After lunch, the crew headed down to the lake. While the water was still very cold and the air was not very warm (maybe low 80s), that didn't stop the kids. All three had a blast playing in the water and playing in the sand. Dec, the Pilcher boys, Matt, and Grayson had some solid teamwork on the world's coolest hole. You've never seen five boys so proud of their hole! My favorite part was when Fiona fell into the water ... her shocked face was priceless!

When we got back from the beach, Dec was spent. Even though he napped again, he was really struggling. He wasn't hungry, his temp kept creeping up, and his mosquito bites were swollen and itchy. As Mike was making dinner, we made the call that after dinner, D and I would head home. I was worried about another rough night and keeping everyone in our camper awake. Mike drove us home in case Dec didn't bounce back - as he would need his car to bring the camper home. And everyone crossed their fingers that Dec and I would be back the next day.

As seems to happen every year, I was once again eternally grateful for friends who absorb our children into their world without a second thought. Even if they give the girls s'mores with two marshmallows and three rectangles of chocolate. The horror!

Life in June

I filled out our June calendar during Memorial Day weekend. Then I promptly told Mike not to look at it and I would just tell him on a daily basis which direction(s) he needed to go. It would be less terrifying for him. We've firmly entered into the stage in which every Vanneste has activities and passions and obligations. And there are a lot of us. With only so many days in a week. The command center white board has never been so busy!

Because of this fact, I have a lot of random tidbits to share that don't really require their own blog post. So instead, here's a glimpse of our life in June. If you want to experience it more tangibly, then go to gymnastics on Monday, swimming on Tuesdays, hockey on Wednesdays, and t-ball on Thursday. Or all week long theater camp. Life with us will never be boring!

The weekend of the color run, the kids and I went to our annual college gang picnic. Unlike last year, when it was crazy cold, this year was incredibly warm. The girls remembered that last year was cold and decided to wear long sleeves, despite my alternative suggestions. Dec got up in his own head about the giant climber. Until his buddy Jack came along and helped him through it. Then I didn't see D again for about 30 minutes. 

Sometimes when you are generally fearless, you wipe out in dramatic fashion on your scooter and your sister is there for you. Sometimes you also end up on the counter while your dad digs road pebbles out of your palm. And sometimes you are so tough that once your knee and palm are bandaged up, you are right back outside trying the same trick.

When Gma and Gpa give you a kayak for your birthday, but you don't actually have a lake in your yard, you invite the neighbors over for a life jackets optional ride.

We rounded out Dec's birthday weekend with our first trip to ValleyFair for the season. While there, we discovered that ALL.THE.PEOPLE are at least 42 inches tall. Which means they are all tall enough to ride the kids rides on their own. And Mike and I never have to ride the stupid semi trucks ever again!

Swimming lessons on Tuesday nights appear to be a team sport. The girls are in the same class, and D's class starts about 20 minutes after theirs. Not too bad. And all three in lessons on the same night is a victory!

T-ball weather luck is picking up where soccer left off. Except apparently we play t-ball in the cold and rain. Check out my little lefty up to bat!

Big sister life at t-ball. Crazy outfits and great unhappiness because the adjacent playground was soaked. So instead they stole my chair and my coat. But we made it. And it only lightly sprinkled until the last two minutes of ball, when the skies opened up and we learned how fast we could haul all our gear to the car!

Declan is Five

Dec's teacher sent out a request today to send in a baby picture of your preschooler. They are doing a unit about caterpillars/butterflies and are going to compare their lifecycle to the baby to big kid change. In order to find one quickly, I had to go back to the blog archive ... which meant I just spent the last hour reading the monthly updates from D's first year. It was very interesting to see how many of the things we observed about that developing human are still true at five. 

Most notable are the monthly comments about 1) the level of volume and number of words that can come out of this boy, 2) the intense love of music and desire to always be singing and dancing, 3) love of balls, and 4) professional snuggler status and charismatic smile. 

Mike and I did an informal Facebook quiz a few weeks ago where we answered questions about our kids. One question was "which kid talks the most?" and without hesitation, Mike answered "Declan." And then added that it was an impressive feat because Fiona has set that bar very high. Quinn is still the loudest of the three, but Dec can come close in decibel level when he wants to. Or is standing in the shower. Usually right next to my ear.

Dec spends as much time singing as he can and is always looking to expand his repertoire. He recently taught himself "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by asking Alexa to sing it and then singing along with her. It was super cute for the first 400 odd times he did it. The next 947 times got a little less adorable. But he now knows the song by heart and will happily sing it at any hour of the day. Unless you ask him to do it. Then he will not. 

Soccer just ended (we had horrible luck this season for weather and he only got to play in one game) and he's already asked to register for fall soccer. T-ball started last Thursday and after week one, he says it's pretty fun. He got a lacrosse stick for his birthday that he's anxious to master. And hockey starts back up in October. He's also quite unhappy that he's not registered for summer gymnastics with Quinn. So ... I think it's safe to say that he's currently very happy to explore the sports options at his disposal to see what flutters his little 5-year-old heart.

Every day, I ask him for a "sparkle" - which is my name for his smile. It's a pretty accurate name. When D is happy, he makes everyone around him happy. And even though all other Vs were relocated off my lap during the bedtime routine around age 2, this 5yo still claims his lap position every single night. Even if it's just him, he climbs on up and snuggles himself in. You know I'm not complaining about that at all. 

At his annual well check last week, he was 42 inches tall (32%) and 34.5 lbs (7%). 32% height!!! That's basically legendary in this house! He dropped percentage in weight. But since he eats two breakfasts, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner, our pediatrician feels confident he's been fed. The dude never stops moving, eats [mostly] healthy, and is blessed with solid metabolism. His favorite food continues to be fruit, but we are working ever so slowly on better incorporating vegetables into his food choices. 

Finally, his birthday question answers are:

   Favorite color: Red

   Favorite friend: Riley

   Favorite show: Blaze and the Monster Machines

   Favorite book: Lightning McQueen

   Favorite food: Pizza

   Favorite thing to do: Play outside

   Be when you grow up: Firefighter