Garden Stuff

We got this beautiful angel statue from Nana's friend Joan.  Gavin painted the little bird blue, since he loves blue and Evie was in the Bluebird Room.  We put it in the memorial garden outside the classroom (pictures to follow in a later post).

We set up a hummingbird feeder out back.  Last year we saw a hummingbird stop by the little bushes that you see.  They have small trumpet-shaped pink flowers and are called "weigela."  So this year, we hope to see more!

A Trip to the Cemetery

I'm behind on my blogging!  This one and my next few posts are from Memorial Day weekend.  Auntie Clare was in town and came to the cemetery with us.

Putting out birdseed and snacks for the mouse and squirrels:

Can't stop Gavin from jumping!

Gavin made sure Evie's spot had the most flags.  Francis, Clare, Gavin and Grandpa rode scooters around for awhile, too.

A Visit to Daddy's Office

Gavin's last day of school was Monday and we're in between sports, so we have some extra time this week.  (Time?  Wait, what's that? Ha!)

We're cramming in as many extra swim lessons as we can.  But one afternoon, we went over to Francis' office.


Gavin acted shy, his usual behavior around adults he doesn't know.

Miss Beth showed him her typewriter.  He got to use a typewriter in the Cat room, so he was completely intrigued.

Francis' office is full of toys.  Here's him and Gavin with lightsabers and a Tron disc:

He was being "sneaky:"

Gavin played with all the toys: action figures, Indiana Jones props ( a whip that makes a noise) and other various noise-making items.  Let's just say I'm glad those are at the office!  Needless to say, Gavin was fascinated and can't wait to go back.

Fixing the Sink

Last week I dropped part of an earring into the sink in our powder room and it slipped down, out of sight.

Francis and Gavin took the P-trap off and there it was!

Inspecting the section of pipe.  

It was a pretty straightforward process!  Francis has done this before, and Gavin constantly watches a You Tube video that shows how to do this, step by step.  Even so, I will always close the drain BEFORE I put my earrings in, from now on!

Cat Room Picnic

Gavin's class finished up their unit on "The Farm" and had a picnic that parents could attend.  We got rained out, but we sat on blankets in the classroom and ate a snack together anyway!

Mrs. Seppa read "Click Clack Moo - Cows That Type" and each child got to type something on the typewriter.

Then the kids got to make slime!  They combined glue and liquid starch in a ziploc bag.  Here's Gavin squishing it all together:

He requested purple food coloring:

The finished -  and very slimy  - product!!  Gavin refused to touch it, so I did.  Carefully.  It was messy but fun!

More Swimming!

I know I've had several posts about swim class lately, but we've been able to squeeze in a few extra lessons and Gavin is making good progress.

I tried to get some action shots but they mostly came out blurry, especially because I had my phone and not my Canon camera:

Eye Doctor Visit

Last week, Gavin had his first eye exam!  It is required for kindergarten, at least in Illinois.  

Gavin did GREAT!  He has come along with me many times during the last 18 months, so he knows almost every corner of Dr. Lisa's office and is quite comfortable there.  He's comfortable with her, as well.  It helps that she is an awesome eye doctor!!!

Gavin did everything Dr. Lisa asked.  He read big letters and small letters and told her when they got blurry (which was only when she made them blurry on purpose).  He did a test for colorblindness and had to put on 3D glasses to identify animals jumping off a page.

Gavin is fascinated with all the equipment - no surprise there!

His eyes are perfect!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he inherited Francis' eyes and not mine, and they'll still be perfect decades from now!

Visiting Nana at Work

We had the chance to see Nana at work two times last week!  The first day, she had gotten an award for 15 years of service at Benedictine University.  She was all dressed up and happy to have Gavin come over!

Gavin loved drawing on the dry-erase board.  He was fascinated with the magnetic eraser.  This is a picture of Daddy:

This is him drawing himself:

Making copies with Nana:

Gavin LOVED Nana's desk phone.  I think he liked it so much because it has a cord.  None of our home phones have cords!  He also liked the shoulder rest attached to it:

Gavin decided to sign for a couple language classes while we were there:










This last video is something he learned from the movie Ratatouille - not from Francis!

Gavin went back the next day with Francis.  He helped change the clock in the testing room to one that is silent.  The other one makes a ticking noise.

You can see his eye is a little red from allergies  The trees that have flowers in the spring are almost done with their flowers, thank goodness.  Once they're all gone, Gavin can be outside again!

Berni's Party

Last weekend, Grandma's cousin Berni had a party at her beautiful home in Geneva.  Gavin was happy to hang out with his third cousin, Robbie, and show him stuff on the iPad:

It's always fun to get together at Berni's.  Part of the reason (hey, we don;t need a reason!) was to celebrate Grandma's birthday, and also her cousin John's birthday.  I'm not saying their ages, or which one of them is older. :)

Art Show

Over the weekend, School District 204 had a student art show at Nequa Valley high school.  One of Gavin's pictures was selected to be in it!

This show had drawings and paintings from students in all grades, preschool through high school.

Gavin painted this pig, below.  The kids are doing a unit on "The Farm."