Category Archives: Ramona

Birthday no. 5

Calvin, Ramona,

This last week Ramona turned 5. It’s hard to believe our little girl is ready for kindergarten next year, is riding without training wheels and is starting to recognize a few words in her books. Ramona celebrated her birthday with her daycare class by sharing a Tinkerbell cake and at home with some cupcakes.

I took the kids for a short hike at the arboretum a couple weekends ago while the weather was still nice and Dad had taken them to an apple festival at the nursery the day before. Actually, I had taken Ramona on Friday and she enjoyed it enough that she begged to go again Saturday with Dad and Cal as there would be more entertainment for the kids (and larger crowds). The kids came back exhausted and slept quite well that night.

The kids had another dentist appointment. Ramona did great, though has a few spots to watch. Cal did great as well but had to have a couple cavities filled. Fortunately, they were on the surface so didn’t even need his mouth numbed for the process. While they were in there, we had a couple sealants applied as well. This week, we’ll be consulting an orthodontist on the joys of orthodontia that await Calvin.

Back from summer vacation

Calvin, Mom, Ramona, ,

Hmmm. I guess I haven’t kept up with this blogging thing very well. Allow me to do a recap of our summer.

Calvin turned 7 in July and to celebrate we invited 3 of his friends to join us at the bowling alley for some fun. It went really well (and stress-free!). Calvin also got the birthday present he wanted most of all; a skateboard. He’s found it’s harder to master than he thought, but we’re sure he’ll get a lot of use out of it.

Later in July, Calvin, Ramona and Mom all traveled to SD to see grandma and grandpa (and Mom went to a reunion). Dad had to be away on business at the same time so he missed out on all the fun. The kids enjoyed seeing Mt. Rushmore and Storybook Island. Calvin especially enjoyed seeing a baseball game and hanging out in the garage with grandpa.

In August, we went on a campout with a bunch of people Mom used to work with and had fun. Calvin managed to hang out with a bunch of other boys about the same age and had a blast with them. Ramona also played with another boy her age and generally hung out and rode around on her bike.

Calvin started first grade right after Labor Day and has been having a good time. When we ask him if he had a good day, a response we often hear is “I didn’t have to go to the Principal’s office.” Good enough, I suppose. By mid September, Ramona had managed to start riding her bike with only two wheels and now is quite the speed demon. We are now working on stopping and traffic rules.

Calvin is doing soccer again this fall and is enjoying it, even if the game is in the rain (actually, liked that best). Ramona keeps asking for ballet or gymnastics lessons. We may eventually cave to one of those requests.

Is it summer already?

Calvin, Dad, Mom, Ramona, , ,

Wow. It’s almost July. What has happened in the past two months?

Calvin finished Kindergarten and is more than ready for first grade. His K teacher will be one of the 1st grade teachers next year, so we’ll see if they are together again. He also passed Otter in swim lessons and the next time he’ll get to be in the Seal class. Soccer wrapped up at the beginning of May and he’s already registered for soccer again this fall as it seems to be a good experience as well as a good energy outlet. We signed Calvin up for Y-care day camp this summer. Before going his first day he was beyond whiny and not wanting to go. When we picked him up, he was very excited about his day and the fact that he made 3 [foam] airplanes and had SO MUCH FUN! So, he’ll keep attending.

Ramona also wrapped up swim lessons at the Penguin level and will repeat that level one more time so she can get more comfortable putting her face in the water while swimming. She has been a bit sad that some of her playmates will be going off to Kindergarten this fall, but is making friends with others.

Dad had a bit of a health issue crop up in May right when he was supposed to go to Belgium for work. Instead, he stayed home and was poked and prodded by several doctors who came up with a diagnosis of “we’re not sure. Maybe it’s a mild case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome”. Great. He is feeling better (not 100%, but much better) now.

Mom [me] continues to ponder career choices and remains as indecisive as ever. But I did decide I will be attending my high school reunion in July, so the kids and I will be in SD this next month.

Other news: Spring was particularly wet and cool out here this year and I think we broke most rainfall records for the area. Because of all the cool, wet weather the strawberry harvest has been lackluster. The berries are very watery, so spoil rapidly and lack flavor. Several have rotted or gotten moldy before even having a chance at being picked. This spring, I did have a friend take away the rose bushes we had out front and I put some small blueberry bushes in their place. Even though we aren’t supposed to pick berries off them for a couple years, it is nice to note that they did actually produce a few berries this year. The first day of summer had me adjusting the thermostat and wearing a sweater. The next day, the sun did decide to finally make an appearance and we broke the 70 degree mark. For now, we’ll enjoy the sun while we can.

Time marches on

Calvin, Ramona, ,

Though time marches on, it seems not a whole lot goes on around here. The kids are in swimming lessons now. Ramona is in pre-goldfish and doing great.  I was so used to signing Calvin up for the same level 2-3x, I did the same for her. But she is doing well enough to advance. Or could, if the next level wasn’t already full. Calvin is doing well in otter where he’s learning the crawl and back glide.

Swim

Our little guy is quite the athlete. One day last week he biked to school (1.5 miles), ran 2.5 miles for a school fundraiser, biked back home (another 1.5 miles) and then went to swim lessons. He’s also playing soccer on Saturdays for a few more weeks.

soccer

Our house and vehicles continue to try us. The pickup died at a restaurant and is still there. We are deciding whether to fix it or just donate it. The car will be going in for repairs later in the week for something going on w/ the exhaust. Actually, it’s been going on for a couple months, but we knew it was something that could wait. And now our dishwasher is buzzing rather loudly. I’ll probably work on that later in the week if it continues and see if something is stuck or if the motor/pump needs to be replaced. It’s only about 2 years old. Appliances just don’t last long anymore.

On her fourth family day

Ramona

It is hard to believe that it’s been 4 years since Ramona joined our family. She has been an absolute joy to have in the family. She is forever full of smiles and giggles. She wakes up with the sun, singing and dancing and goes to sleep the same way. Ramona is mastering writing her letters and is learning basic addition by adding up points when we play games. Oh, the games! She loves to play games. Her favorites right now are Rat-a-tat-cat, Chutes and Ladders, and Uno. She also loves to draw pictures and make cards for everyone she knows.

Happy family day, sweetie!