So, bubbles are like, the cheapest toy in existence. At Target, the kids kept asking for all of these crazy, ridiculous toys. So, we plunked some bubbles in the cart instead, and *shazam*, super happy kids, for like, six bucks. We got bubble blowers, extra bubble solution, and even a throwable foam airplane that spits bubbles out of the back as it flies. Magic.
Phoebe: Gymnastics Part II, Electric Boogaloo
Oops, accidentally got some other kids in the video. Oh well, it's focused on Phoebe, and if you're looking at the other kids, you're doing it wrong. That there is the little springboard that Phoebe flipped off of, but I didn't catch it on video, so she's only tumbling here, like she was supposed to. She was also the only kid in the class that was able to cartwheel over the obstacle without falling. On her first try. Nailed it, again.
Phoebe: Gymnastics
Christa and I had been talking about getting the kids into some sort of extracurricular activities since their swimming classes ended. When we first moved here, they went to MyGym to play and have fun, but it was overpriced for what they were doing, and we ended up pulling them out of those classes. So, we talked to the kids, and Charlie decided that she wanted to take karate, and Phoebe wanted to do gymnastics. I'm not permitted to take videos at Charlie's karate studio, but Phoebe's going to The Little Gym, and as long as I don't include other kids in videos, they're fine with me taking them. So far, she's done amazingly well. On the first day, they were supposed to hop off of a springboard, and do a little tumble. Phoebe did a complete flip. Nailed it.
One of These Things is Not Like the Other
Isn't there always a straggler? While we were playing games, Thea fell asleep in my lap. Once I moved her to the couch, Charlie climbed into my lap, and then she fell asleep, so I moved her to the couch as well. So, Phoebe and I continued to play two-person-Pictionary, for pretty much forever, and ever. It was almost midnight before she finally crashed, and if I remember correctly, she fell asleep while it was my turn to draw.
Strategy
I've been teaching Phoebe how to play chess for about two years. The thing about chess is that with as much strategy is involved, it can take years to learn how to play properly, as opposed to just knowing how all of the pieces move. She's known how to move the pieces for more than the two years, but Phoebe hates losing, and that applies to anything, even a game where you learn by losing. She's very, very smart, and has what it takes to learn the strategy of the game, and looking several moves ahead, but what she doesn't have, is patience. She's getting there, but I think it might be a few more months of playing every week before she's really got it down.
Pogo
Phoebe tends to be our athlete. She's tiny, agile, and enough of a daredevil to climb a tree, or jump off of something high. One of the neighbor kids, Dia, had just gotten a pogo stick, and offered for Phoebe to try it out. Dia was having a bit of trouble, and couldn't quite get the hang of it. This was Phoebe's second try, and she pretty much nailed it.
Kids: Always Eating In Their Sleep
Kids. Aren't they always doing something nutty in their sleep? If they're not mumbling, sleeping in some confusingly uncomfortable position, or kicking someone, they're probably not really asleep. This particular evening, Phoebe mumbled something about "tasty", so I paid attention for a second. Sure enough, "sleepNOMs". I only got a few seconds of this, but she went on chewing away for a good five minutes.
Dance Party!
So, Phoebe, Charlie and I made a playlist of all of the stuff we listen to in the car, and at home, that we all like. Over the years, the type of music that everyone in the family likes has all melded together. Everyone reaches out and brings a little more stuff to our scene. Mom's Tegan & Sara, Dad's Foals and Shout Out Louds, and all the stuff Mom and Dad found together, like M83. Then, we dance to it.
Full-House Teamwork. Almost.
When Mommy comes home from work trips, we all team up, and make sure that we get the last specks of dirt tidied up, and that everything is in its place, because coming home to a mess after a week of working sucks. Everyone is happy to do it, we put on our "rockout" playlist, and go at it. Thea generally just watches. Because she's like that. She's very helpful when she knows where something goes, and wants to do her part, but, she also like to not have to clean up.
DDR. Not Sure if They're Doin' it Right
I remember when DDR was the thang. People throwing down all over arcade machines everywhere. I mean, taking this shit seriously. It was like the Street Fighter II kids all over again. I had about as much interest in it as I do having a donkey kick me in my face, hard. But I always thought, man, that'd be a super cool game for kids, if all these teens weren't hogging it the hell up. So, I saw this thing at the minigolf place, and put my biggest girls up on it. They didn't seem as interested or into as I thought they would be. The end.