Lego Engineering

I took Gavin to a Lego engineering class over Spring Break. It was part of the Engineering For Kids program at Airtastic.

This class was in the Mechanical Engineering category and had them build a sailboat (which he and his buddy dubbed a "pirate ship") and they connected wires to make sounds and make it move.

Of course, the kids got to have a break in the middle and run around Airtastic. Gavin loved it!!!

Adler Planetarium

Yesterday we went to the Adler Planetarium. It was Gavin's first visit. He is totally fascinated by planets, stars, and our solar system, so we figured he'd like it.

We found a lot of cool things, like this model of the solar system from back when people thought Earth was at the center, not the sun:

We spent a lot of time in a hall with models of each planet:

It's hard to see, but Gavin is in that window. This was a pretend crater on Mars:

This is like the machines at Brookfield Zoo that flatten a penny and stamp an image on it. Gavin chose a Mars image:

Cleaning dirt off of old sundials. Gavin loved this!

A staff member was demonstrating what happens to objects (like a balloon) when the environment has no air. Gavin loved it!

We had a great time and Gavin can't wait to go back!

Riverwalk

Last Tuesday was election day, and as usual Gavin's school designated it to be a "teacher institute" day, so there was no class.

The temperature hit 48, which felt balmy! Gavin and I went to the library and Riverwalk:

By the Dick Tracy statue:

Under the Eagle Street Bridge (Gavin loved the echo under there):

Here's my favorite pic of the day:

We walked down to Centennial Beach - frozen solid! 

Sigh, once July comes, Gavin and I will be there every afternoon!

New Fridge

Our almost-twelve-year-old fridge, which came with our house, died the other week. We were excited to get a new one with an icemaker, something the old one didn't have.

Gavin had fun helping to pull all the tape and plastic off (and there was a TON of it)!

Dentist Visit

Gavin had his six-month dental cleaning this weekend! He was excited to show the hygienist and the dentist that he lost one tooth and has a second one that is wiggly. 

He hates the light above the chair, so the hygienist always has a pair of sunglasses for him to wear. He was very brave and told us when he needed a break because as he put it, "There's too many things in my mouth!"

He has no cavities - YAY! Now we'll just wait and see if his six-year molars grow in  by our next visit in September. I think he got the two-year molars at age three. 

Gavin's First Tooth

As if last Friday wasn't momentous enough with Gavin earning his blue belt...that same night his first wiggly tooth came out!

It had been loose for about a month. He wasn't in a big rush to get it out, and neither was I. 

The tooth fairy left him a $5 dollar bill - a little extra for the first tooth. He's got nineteen baby teeth left, and I think the tooth fairy will be a little more thrifty with all of those. :)

Gavin's dental hygienist told me that kids lose their teeth in the same order they get them. So here's a picture of my chubby, smiley, nine-month-old baby with only his first tooth in. Sure enough, it was the first one to come out!

Tae Kwan Do

Gavin recovered from strep throat in time to test for the next belt level in Tae Kwan Do. He's determined to get his black belt. Although that's still a ways off, he earned his blue belt (5th belt color) tonight!

He's in the center of this picture, with the other green belts, running through their moves before the test:

 Here is where he had to break a board by using what is called a "side kick" - you can see the focus on his face!

He broke the board on the first try and the instructor handed him the two pieces (the kids get to keep them):

And he passed! Master Beck tied on his new blue belt:

We're so proud of him!!!

Strep Throat

The day after the Valentine party, Gavin didn't feel well. We were at Grandpa and Grandma Cordes' house for dinner, and he actually fell asleep on their couch.

When he didn't get better in 48 hours, I took him to the pediatrician. Turns out, he has strep throat. 

At least he now has antibiotics to help him get better!

Valentine Party

I got to volunteer at Gavin's class Valentine Party. I just love being there with his class! The kids, especially the boys, have a lot of energy, but listen well when told to settle down. :)

The kids made necklaces out of Froot Loops....and Gavin and some of the kids at this table turned them into headbands. Oh, well. Some of the girls turned them into bracelets. 

 We also did relay races in the hallway. The kids had to balance candy hearts on a little plastic spoon. We added hearts with each new turn. They did really well!

All the kids decorated boxed for their Valentines, but they distributed them before the party started. That was just as well, since we had another craft planned that we didn't even get to!

This was the last class party of the year, but there is still one more field trip that I hope to be able to chaperone. We'll see!

Superbowl Sunday

We had fun watching the Seahawks win the Superbowl on Sunday! Gavin was thrilled.

He even drew a picture about it at school. He wrote: "This weekend I watched the super bowl. It was crazee!" (Gavin-spelling)

And he drew out favorite Seahawk player, Marshawn Lynch. Look closely...those colored dots around Lynch's head are Skittles.

He eats Skittles after each touchdown he scores. And the fans throw them onto the field. Some fans even dress sup in Skittles costumes! So Gavin made sure to include them.