Real Pirates Don't Suck Their Thumbs

Wednesday is "Talk Like a Pirate Day"

Did you know there was a day designated to talk like a pirate? Neither did I, until my wonderful Aunt Ginnie emailed me this link. (She's a librarian, and she always knows about the coolest things for kids!) If there is a little person in your life who likes pirates, it's well worth your time to visit the site. There is a downloadable pirate kit with lots of fun activities, and some great suggestions for pirate-related reading. As you may imagine, Wednesday is being anticipated with great relish in our house! Aargh, mateys!

Oh, and in case you need more pirate websites, here are some others.
Blackbeard! Lots of shooting games, and some other stuff
Information on the Whydah galley, a pirate ship that sank off the coast of Massachusetts in 1717
Match pirate captains!
Pictures and detailed descriptions of pirate weapons

Our Little Soldier

We went up to Mackinaw City this week for a family vacation. The highlight of the trip was a visit to Fort Michilimackinac. Ethan had been anticipating going there since last summer, when Luke and I brought back pictures - we had been there celebrating our 10th anniversary.

Ethan very carefully chose what he deemed to be appropriate clothing, and took his tricorn hat, muzzleloader, and canteen. Apparently he also had a number of scenarios he wanted to play out, since all of these photos except the last one are posed according to his directions. He would run around the catwalk that surrounded the fort, dramatically drop down to shoot at the enemy, then turn and ask Luke, "Did you get a picture of that?" Unfortunately, he was moving so quickly, we missed a lot of photo opportunities. But you can still see he was having a great time!

He likes me! He really likes me!

Smiles

Alex is a very happy baby - he often spends a good part of his "awake time" talking, cooing, and laughing. But as soon as we bring out a camera, he typically becomes very serious. (My theory on this is that his smiles are very responsive, and when our smiles disappear behind a camera, his smile disappears too. I have no idea if that's a valid theory, but it's mine.) Today though, Luke got a pretty good shot of him smiling.

Seven Days

Seven days. That's exactly how long it took Ethan to go from being wildly excited about school to saying, "I wish I was graduated already." There were also a few comments about how unfair it is that Alex doesn't have to go to school, how he wishes he'd started school later, and how much work writing letters is.

Life is hard when you're five and in kindergarten.

Family Weekend

We went to my aunt's cottage up near Mercer this weekend. Ethan was so excited about going ... he thought Friday would never arrive. He had a great time playing with his cousin Jonas, kayaking, riding the jetski, swimming, riding 4-wheeler, and numerous other activities. Grandma Cunningham held Alex for most of the weekend - it was so fun to watch her enjoy him!

We always have a great time when we go up there - Ginnie and her family are gracious hosts, and the time spent with family is so sweet!

Starting School

Today is actually the second day of school, I just didn't think to take pictures yesterday. (I know, what kind of mother am I? And a photographer's daughter, no less!) Anyway, here's Ethan learning to write the letter "B".

We start out writing it in a cookie sheet of cornmeal - something I decided to do yesterday when he got so frustrated with the amount of erasing that he was doing that he put a pencil grip on the eraser end of the pencil. (Just for the record, he's the one who insists on erasing things he's not happy with, not me.) Writing this way has a number of advantages - it's very easy to erase, you just shake the pan!; using a finger is easier than manipulating a pencil; it's just kind of fun!

Here he is writing in his handwriting book, once he has practiced for a while with the cornmeal. You may notice the pages of stickers next to him - he gets to pick one or two to put underneath his best letter on each line. He gets a big kick out of that - he actually chooses each line's stickers before he even starts writing.

And, last but not least, being a goofball and sticking pencil grips in his ears.

Squire Brown

Last weekend we saw Luke's sister (Hi Angela!) and she graciously gave us a box of clothes her youngest had outgrown. One of the items in the box was a brown cape that Ethan loves - he put it on as soon as we found it and wore it for the rest of the day. He didn't actually wear it to bed, but he slept with it.

He decided that while he was wearing it, he should be called Squire Brown. (The "squire" is taken from Squire Gordon in Black Beauty, and the "brown" is because ... well, the cape is brown.) Here he is with his machine gun ... excuse me, that should be his Heckler and Coch ... and his sword, prepared to defend his castle.

He's also dubbed his younger brother Squire Chunky Cheeks. I tried to get a good picture of him, but he refused to smile the big happy smile he's been doing lately. Here's the best I could do - at least you can see where the "Chunky Cheeks" name came from.

Wedgit Hats

One of Ethan's favorite toys is a set of Wedgits. These building toys are great for motor skills, creative play, and following-the-directions practice, if he uses the set of idea cards. Today he branched out a bit - do you suppose the creators of Wedgits ever foresaw them being used as hats?

Baby Pirate

Ethan is recruiting for his crew, it seems!

Rocket Science

Here's what we did this afternoon while Alex was sleeping. This rocket is made from Straws and Connectors from Rainbow Resources. They're pretty cool - simple enough for a child Ethan's age to use (although obviously he needed a little help with this project, since it stands well over his head!) but I think they'd hold the interest of an older child pretty well, too. Ok, so they held MY interest pretty well ...

As an added bonus, it makes a nifty jail!

Studying

Ethan is busy studying for his vocation as a good pirate. Thanks to this book on pirates from Usborne books (they have some awesome books!) he knows:

~what careening is

~what sword is designed for fighting in close spaces

~what a sloop is

~what booty is (pirate booty, for any of you who are snickering out there)

~why pirates ate in the dark

~how the cook of the ship was chosen

... and numerous other facts about pirates that he would be happy to share with you if you ever ask him!

Ouch

Alex got his first round of immunizations today. As you can see, it didn't leave him too happy. But we also learned that he's up to 14 lbs and 22 3/4 inches long. The doctor said he's growing by leaps and bounds, and doing great! But then we knew that, didn't we?

Sittin' Pretty

Or is that sitting handsome?

Happy Alex

A baby's smile is so sweet ... and look at those chubby cheeks! They are just so kissable!

Brothers

Ethan has wanted a baby in a bad way ever since he was about two, when one of his little friends gained a baby sister. And he's such a good big brother now! He loves to talk to Alex, and Alex thinks he's just the most fascinating person ... Ethan was the first person he smiled a real smile at, and Ethan still gets a smile more easily than anyone else. It does this mama's heart good to see them enjoying each other!

Future Plans

A few weeks ago, the local fire department was at Charlie's Hardware - just up the road from our house. Luke took Ethan there for a tour of the fire trucks. One of the volunteer firefighters showed him around the truck, and then suggested that as soon as Ethan was old enough, he should come on down and sign up to be a firefighter.

"Well," said my 5-year-old, "that's not really what I have planned."

"Oh?" questioned the firefighter. "What do you have planned?"

"I'm going to be a good pirate," Ethan said with all the confidence of someone who has no idea that his chosen profession, um, doesn't exist.

Worrywart or Future Meteorologist?

Ethan tends to be something of a worrier. His latest obsession is the weather ... every day he checks the forecast in the paper, looking for thunderstorms and tornadoes. He did NOT think it was funny when Luke drew in a funnel cloud one day before he gave Ethan the paper. (The grown-ups in our house found it much more entertaining.) In this picture, you may notice that his snake is apparently concerned about the weather as well.

Quiet time at our house ...