Kai at Play

You always knew when Kai had been playing somewhere. He usually left the toys, often cars in neat rows or organized. When you would stop to watch him while he was in deep play, usually talking to himself and sometimes jumping doing his "Kai dance," he would look up see you and say "Doon't listen to me" embarrassed somehow. He would play uninterrupted and by himself for hours at a time. Not evening taking time to put on clothes. Mainly he would play LEGOs, coming in and asking me to separate pieces he was having trouble getting apart with his little hands, or to show me his latest creation.

Some days he would beg to watch videos showing how people build LEGO creations or asking to look up instructions for certain Star Wars vehicles. He would spend about a half hour, then look up and say, "I'm done" and rush off to recreate what he had just watched or saw.

Lake Fun with Family!

After four months cooped up in D.C. we decided it was time to get the heck out and head for the Lake. We did a two day drive that went super fast because the boys were so excited about what was in store for them at the end. 

We were lucky that we got a few days with some of our cousins and aunt and uncle visiting from Colorado. The boys especially had a good time with Luke and Zack to play with.

Super Cousins!!

 

Even in the rain, the cousins always manage to have fun! Our first trip to see them this year and what a blast they had.  Slipping and sliding and soaking each other with water guns.

At the Drive In

 During the pandemic, old fashioned activities took a new relevance.  Independence still has a Drive-In, and we went around 5 times, even seeing the National Lampoons Vacation in December.  

Foster is 8!

A weird quarantine birthday for sure, but with Aunts and Uncles, a Wimpy Kid Ice Cream Cake and  Freddy's burgers, we still made the most of it. Although he did wake up with swimmer's ear so no swimming.

He was very specific about his presents and got a few things on his list, whittling kit, Harry Potter books 5 and 6, a craft kit from Aunt Whitney, a prank kit and a new card game.  Although we couldn't go to our usual trip to Adventureland, instead we went to a drive in!! Maybe a new tradition.

We ran across this sign on Goat's Hill on Foster's birthday.

Making a lending library with Grandpa

 Before we left for Kansas City Foster talked a lot about and made plans for things he would build with Grandpa.  For part of his birthday he got a "free library" to put together that we will put outside our house in DC.

4th of July!

A quiet 4th--with few people and some rain, but still the main elements were there, including Aunt P.'s beautiful cookies and fireworks to cap off the evening. This year it seemed like there were so many fireworks all over that spanned a whole week.