The Dicks Family's Blog: May 2009

Strawberry fields

We went to Boyd's Orchard to pick strawberries last night. The strawberry crop this year was fantastic. We came home with a ton of strawberries, which we've been pigging out on all day. Yum!

Jonathan and Elizabeth also had a lot of fun playing at the playground. Elizabeth is getting braver all the time. She's been too scared to try it before, but she absolutely loved the bouncy train last night. And, she even tried out the smaller of the two big slides!

Today, David took Jonathan and a few friends to Louisville to play paintball. It was an end of the year celebration for him. His school year ends on Thursday and he's leaving for Alabama on Friday, where he'll spend the summer with his mom. Elizabeth and I have had a fun girl's day today while the boys were gone. This morning, I took her to get her hair cut, then we did some shopping and went to the mall for lunch and to play on the playground there. The rest of the day we've spent cooking food for our church potluck tomorrow, swimming in the wading pool, and watching Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. (No wonder I'm tired!)

Moving on up

Elizabeth had her graduation for her 3-year-old preschool class tonight. It seems a little over the top to "graduate" from preschool, but it was still a cute little ceremony - short and sweet, with all the kids singing several songs together. Elizabeth did really well. She knew at least as many words as the rest of the kids, and sang enthusiastically and made most of the hand gestures. All in all, a very good showing for her. Especially considering the last time she was supposed to sing with her preschool choir at church she just burst into tears!

Since none of the pictures of her from the graduation ceremony really came out, I finally got around to scanning in her adorable school picture from this year, which is shown above, in honor of the occasion.

She also recently had her 4-year-old checkup. She handled the shots bravely, with only minimal tears that subsided when she got to pick out her bandaids and a popsicle. She now weighs 29 pounds and is 38 inches tall, which is 6th percentile for weight and 15th percentile for height. That's actually quite a jump for her, so she must have had a big growth spurt. Still, we anticipate her baby cousin William (who is now 6 months old) passing her up soon in both categories. Based on her growth curve, the doctor estimated she would weigh 102 pounds and be 5'1" when she's full-grown. She recommended we sign her up for cheerleading or gymnastics. It doesn't look like there will be much serious basketball playing in her future, that's for sure!

We've got an exciting summer planned for her. Next Saturday, we leave for a week's vacation at Disney World. After we get back, she'll still be going to her Mother's (Daddy's) Morning Out program 2 days a week and she'll be taking a soccer class and swim lessons. Plus, David is planning to spend a lot of time outdoors and at the pool with her. In between everything, we'll also be spending some more time at Camp Crestridge for the 55th reunion. It will be a fun and busy summer!

Maintain the Memories 2009

We had a really great time at Maintain the Memories last weekend (the annual work weekend at Camp Crestridge). I got to catch up with a lot of old friends and their families, we all helped to get a lot of work accomplished, Elizabeth had a fun time playing around camp, and we even got to eat S'Mores. What a great time!

Here is Elizabeth playing on the Chip/Chick playground:

She was also really excited that her arms are now long enough for her to play on the tire swings:

She made it look like so much fun that David even took a turn:

Elizabeth also enjoyed a favorite camp pasttime - playing in the creeks and lake:

At first, she was hesitant about meeting the new bears on the bench that was installed at the beautiful new Bear Trap that day, but she warmed up to them quickly. I think she even gave them their first kiss:

As usual, Jonathan spent most of his free time playing 4-square:

And, in between all the fun, we managed to get some work done. Jonathan, Elizabeth and I helped mulch, and David spent the day painting, mulching and raking.

After a hard day of work and fun, it was nice to sit and relax:

And eat S-mores, of course!

After all the Crestridge fun, we stopped in Pigeon Forge on the way home. On Sunday, we had a great meal at the Apple Barn restaurant, then David and Jonathan had fun in the indoor skydiving place:

After that, we spent the night at a new indoor water park hotel, which was very relaxing and a lot of fun:

Here's a comparison shot from July 2005, so you can see how much our kids have grown in the last 4 years:

The time sure has flown by! In just that short time span again, Elizabeth will be starting camp. That's hard to believe!

Spring cleaning

Yesterday, we were planning to go to the orchard to pick strawberries. But, it has rained so much lately, they were not letting anyone out into their fields until they dried out. It was also threatening rain for most of the day, so we really couldn't plan anything also outdoors. So, David and I decided to spend the day getting some things done around the house.

Elizabeth is always eager to help, so she thought it was a great idea. First, she helped David plant some new flowers by the mailbox:

Then, David put mulch out in the front yard while Elizabeth and I cleaned the insides of the windows and blinds:

Jonathan even got involved by mowing the lawn and David finished out the work day by cleaning the outsides of the windows. We were really glad to get those chores out of the way. I just wish I could make myself enjoy the work as much as Elizabeth does!

The best birthday ever

Yesterday was my 35th birthday, and David made it a wonderful day for me. I was working at home, so David fixed us a special brunch. When I came up, I found the kitchen filled with balloons, presents, and a dozen beautiful roses.

The meal was delicious - fancy french toast/cream cheese sandwiches, cut fruit and cheese, and bacon. Yum!

There was even a small cake to finish everything off. (Pat is making my real cake on Monday.)

Elizabeth tried to help my blow out the sparkler candles, but they proved too much for us.

I got a bunch of very nice cards and presents - including a new laptop backpack, several running outfits, and a candle. Elizabeth helped me open all of them, of course. She also had a lot of fun playing with all the balloons!

Last night, David had arranged a surprise for me. He took care of everything, including getting Gran to watch Elizabeth. Then, he drove me downtown to a mystery dinner theatre. We had a great time watching the show and eating the good food. It was wonderful, especially because David had gone to all the trouble to coordinate everything and kept it a surprise for me!

All in all, it was a wonderful day, thanks to my fabulous husband. Thanks, sweetie! You're the best!

I'm a little worried about David...

Here are two sides of him we hadn't seen until Elizabeth's birthday party today:

Elizabeth's 4th birthday party

Elizabeth had a very fun birthday party this afternoon. It was pretty laidback - just 4 friends and their parents, plus a few grandparents. That was plenty of excitement and fun for everyone.

We invited Elizabeth's friend from down the street, Anna, then 4 of my friends from high school (or soon after) and their children. That left us with a good age range for the kids - an extremely cute and snuggly 6 week old, one 3yo, one 4yo, one 5yo, and 2 8yos. They all had a good time playing together, and the weather even cooperated to allow them some fun outdoor playtime. The adults also got to enjoy some time hanging out - and passing the baby - while the kids played. Elizabeth really enjoyed it and was spoiled rotten with a bunch of nice presents.

Waiting for her friends to arrive: