Underwear, Underwear

CJ was watching Bunnytown on the Disney channel yesterday. In one scene, a group of bunnies was singing various nursery song. Another would cut in and yell, "underwear" and keep doing it.

CJ thought that was so funny. During our after dinner walk on Saturday, CJ asked me to sing various songs and he would cut in with "underwear." He would break out in hysterical giggles, it was hilarious. Kids find the silliest things funny. But then again, Disney got it just right.

Giant Waterslide Fun in the Sun

CJ and I attended a waterslide party for Peyton, one of CJ's buddies in the neighborhood.  Peyton's parents, Seana and Duane, own a giant waterslide and they set it up in the park between our houses.

Wow, you have not seen a waterslide like this outside of water parks.  The waterslide was probably 10 feet tall and had two slides; it has a tunnel to play in, and a large wading pool.  This waterslide entertained dozens of kids all afternoon.

The kids enjoyed every part of the waterslide.  They enjoyed climbing up the slide, sliding down the slides, playing in the pool, splashing, playing with the water gun, and generally just goofing off in the water.

Check out this fun video of CJ and his best friend, Beckett (Peyton's brother), going down the slide. 

Southern Hospitality

Last weekend, Maki, CJ and I had the pleasure of attending the Alabama Associated General Contractors chapter-wide convention in Sandestin, FL.  Matrix Group had just launched the new ALAGC site and I was invited to present the new site at the business meeting on Friday morning.  The launch was a success and I just know this site will be the best AGC site out there.  But that's not what I want to talk about here in my personal blog.

What I do want to talk about is how real southern hospitality is.  From the moment our plane touched down and we were picked up at the airport by ALAGC's VP, Jim Rives, we felt truly welcome.  Jim and his wife, Sandy, were gracious hosts all weekend; they sat with us at the Board dinner; introduced us to Board members, partners and members; played with CJ during the pool party; took us to lunch our final day; and drove us back to the airport.

The ALAGC CFO and his wife, Daryl and Sherry Hutchins, could not have been kinder.  They, too, made sure we felt welcome, and,

 get this, they asked their children, Katelin and Hunter, to take care of CJ so Maki and I could attend the Board dinner and awards banquet.  I have to say that Katelin and Hunter defy the notion that all teenagers are cranky, sullen and uncooperative.  Katelin and Hunter were a joy.  They were sweet, they wanted to hang out with their parents, they chafed at some of their parents' rules but they knew their limits, they are interesting and accomplished in their own right, and they were amazing with CJ.  A few days after we got back, I asked CJ what were his favorite things about the trip and he said, "Katelin and Hunter."   His next favorite was Jim Rives.  Tells you a lot, doesn't it.

Well, let me tell you that we thoroughly enjoyed Sandestin.  We had fun at the beach; CJ made sand castles, buried his mommy, got buried by mommy, and played in the waves with mommy and daddy.  CJ loved fried crab claws, sweet potato fries and shrimp.  He also had his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread and loved it.  His new phrase from the trip is, "mama, I loved this."  And he said that a lot on this trip.

These Alabama and Florida contractors sure know how to hold a convention.  This convention was family-friendly, but there was also a lot of networking and dealing going on.  I'm going to have to figure out a way to get there next year.

Here is a video of CJ dancing at the beach.  He just loves to dance and he loved the beach!

Alexandria Waterfront Festival

On Saturday, the whole family went to the Alexandria Waterfront Festival with the Dunton family. Harrison is the eldest son and he was CJ's classmate this past year in preschool.

This is our third year attending and we always love it. We went on the early side to avoid the heat and the crowds. As usual, we had a terrific time.

The boys had a great time playing together, and they enjoyed the rides, the food, the snacks, and the open space. CJ and Harrison especially liked dancing to the live band; they even mimicked being rock stars during one song -- CJ played trumpet while Harrison played guitar. We parents were stunned and amused to watch them entertain us!

CJ rode the train ride, the car ride, the giant slide and the ferris wheel. He says his favorite ride was the ferris wheel (he and I rode together) because he got to see the entire festival from up high and "dada was so small." The ferris wheel ticket was price was a little shocking -- 4 tickets per person or the equivalent of $8! No wonder they make you buy tickets!

I love the crafts at the festival. This year, I brought a print of a blue crab by an artist who uses fish and other marine life as stamps for his artwork. His work is beautiful and mesmerizing! Check out his site at http://www.reeldreamsfishprints.com/

By 2:30pm, the sun was beating down on us and we were all tired, so we headed home.

Here is a video of CJ dancing at the Festival. He just loves to dance!

Water Fun at Summer Camp

This is the second week of CJ's summer camp. He's enjoyed summer camp. But then again, what's not to enjoy? The kids have been playing outside and creating art projects.

Yesterday was water fun day at summer camp. The kids were asked to come to school in their swimsuits and bring a change of clothes. CJ was so excited! He said that the sprinklers were on and there were three inflatable pools. The kids ran through the sprinklers (can you think of anything more fun on a hot, summer day?) and then jumped into the pools.

Summer camp has been good for CJ and us. Maki and I now realize how challenging it will be to have a kid in school every day, 9-12. It's the 12 part that is particularly challenging. Our nanny does not drive, so one of us has to pick him up every day. We have alarms on our phones, and the receptionist has been instructed to make sure, at all costs, that CJ gets picked up. CJ will be in school every day starting in September; let's hope we survive.

A Change of Plans

Today was supposed to be a big day.  We were scheduled to go to Celebrate Fairfax with my sister Dina and her daughter Jessie, and then visit with our friends the Jopps, who just had a baby.   My sister Dina called on Friday to say that she was bailing on Celebrate Fairfax because temperatures were supposed to hit the high 90s and who wants to go to a fair in that kind of heat?

So, Maki and I decided we would attend the Armenian Festival in Old Town instead, and then visit the Jopps.

Unfortunately, CJ came down with a fever on Friday night.  Kid illnesses tend to come on really fast, we have noticed.  CJ seemed find when I got home from work on Friday, but was feverish by bedtime.   I knew something was wrong because by 8:30pm, he said he wanted to go to bed.  Mind you, this is a kid who never wants to go to bed.

So, Maki went to the Armenian Festival for a few hours while CJ and I stayed home.  CJ was only mildly feverish, but he must have been feeling really bad because he slept pretty much all day.  He slept until 10:30am this morning, and then spent the rest of the day on the couch.  Oh well.  It was probably better to be inside on such a hellaciously hot day.  And I got to watch hours of Food Network.  I even watched the Belmont Stakes horse race; like the rest of the world, I was shocked that Big Brown did not take the crown.

CJ is feeling better, but he still seems a little tired, so we will probably take it easy tomorrow.

The happy parking lot attendant

Yesterday, I witnesses the cutest thing. I was picking up my car from a parking garage in Georgetown, where I had just finished a meeting.

I handed my ticket to the senior parking lot attendant, who gave my key to the junior attendant. I said, "gold Civic Hybrid" and he said okay. I watched with amazement as he skipped, yes skipped, across the garage floor. It was hot and muggy in the garage, but this guy made me smile.

He gave me a huge smile as he got out of my car, then asked if I loved my Hybrid (I do). Then he walked back to his little booth.

National Harbor

Last Sunday, my friend Megan was in town, so we decided to check out National Harbor in PG County, just across the river from Alexandria on the VA side. Maki and I had been watching the construction every time we dropped off our nanny in Oxon Hill, so we were excited to see the new place.

There is a water taxi that goes back and forth between Old Town and National Harbor and that seemed the like way to travel last Sunday. The weather was sunny and warm (but not yet humid), and I was thrilled to be on the water. The water taxis leave every half hour for National Harbor or Gaylord National Resort. Gaylord is the giant hotel and convention center that serves as the anchor for National Place.

There isn't much open yet at National Harbor, but it was fun to walk around. The Awakening status that used to be at Haines Point is now here; CJ just loved playing in the sand around the statue. The Westin and Gaylord are open, as are a few shops and Potbellies sandwich place.

This is going to be fun and pretty once all the shops and restaurants are open. The streets remind me of Reston Town Center and yes, there will be lots of chain establishments. There is a good breeze off the water from the hill leading to Gaylord, so it shouldn't get to muggy.

We hear that National Harbor is pretty at night, so we hope to have dinner there one evening with CJ and the nanny.

Winnie the Pooh

On Saturday, May 31, CJ and I met Dina and Jessie (my sister and niece) at the Thomas Jefferson theater in Arlington to watch a Children's Theater production of Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh is very special in our family. Jessie has had a Pooh bear for years and years; she does not travel anywhere without him. CJ loves the entire Winnie the Pooh cast of characters, but especially Tigger and Winnie the Pooh.

The show was supposed to start at 3pm, but we had a torrential storm (possibly a tornado) in the Northern VA area. Thomas Jefferson lost power as a result. The dozens of parents and kids waited patiently for a hour and a half, and then we finally bailed. CJ and Jessie were amazingly good. They walked around, checked out the displays, and listened to the storytelling. But after all that waiting and still no word about whether or not the generator could be turned on, we decided to go shopping.

We headed out to Pentagon City mall for shopping and dinner. Jessie and CJ were great: they let Dina and I get some real shopping done. I bought a pair of shoes, got some new makeup, and some clothes for CJ.  We made the kids pose in front of candidate cutouts in front of a souvenir shop.

The funny thing is that I don't think CJ even noticed that the Winnie the Pooh performance happened at all. He loved the storytelling at the theater and then the shopping.

CJ, btw, seems to really like shopping. He is actually commenting on the shoes I look at. And he likes jewelry. At a jewelry cart int he middle of the food court, he picked out some bracelets and said, "mama, this is gorgeous." Fun day.