The last few days have been spent wrapping up all of the loose ends that come with the end of school. Never since my own grade school years have I experienced such a fervor that comes with the warmer weather, the constant inflow of artwork, school papers, and the need for snacks and gifts for class parties. While both pairs of teachers the girls have had this year have done a yeoman’s (look it up) job of continuing to turn them into shining stars, the gift cards and potted plants we bestowed on them hardly seem like a fair trade.
Seriously, say what you will about public or private school. It all comes down to the teacher. Exhibit A: Morgan can read, and I’m not just talking Dr. Seuss. She’s reading all manner of street signs, tee-shirt logos, and I saw her thumbing through my Glamour magazine asking me what exactly are the 100 wildest Dos and Don’ts of Summer. As for Coever, this little biscuit knows the days of the week (as sung to the tune of the Addams Family, (which is HEE-larious) and she knows her planets, in order. How old was I when I learned the planets in order? Hmmm, what’s today’s date?
Anyway, school days are behind us and we have jumped into summer fun with both feet. There is a bit of housekeeping that I have to address, however. My blog entries have been coming in fits and starts lately. We’re just busy, but that’s no excuse not to report on a major change in the Dixon household.
Coever got a big-girl bed. . .
with Hello Kitty Sheets!
And she is BEYOND excited about it. She finds a way to work it into daily conversation with just about everyone she sees. Earlier this week, I took the girls out to find two other mermaids that have moved into the Downtown area. As we made our way back to the car, we stopped at a crosswalk just outside our neighborhood FarmFresh Market. Several people were waiting for the light to change, and one older gentleman was sitting on the lip of the post that has the crosswalk button on it. Morgan asked me if she could push the button and I told her she needed to say “Excuse me” to the man so that she could reach it. The man was very courteous, stepping aside to let her push the button and even complimented her on what a pretty girl she was. He then turned to Coever and said, “And look at you!”, to which she replied, hands in the air like an old Jewish mother, “I have a big girl bed! With Hello Kitty Sheets!”But it came out more like, “Ihaveabiggirlbedwithhellokittysheets!”
The man just blinked at her a few times and said, “Okayyyyyyy”, picked up his groceries and crossed the street.
Coever is completely crossing the threshold from toddlerhood into little person-dom. She is constantly talking with her hands, insists on dressing herself (even if her shoes are on the wrong feet, her underwear is on backwards and she’s got both legs in one opening of her shorts), and prefacing just about every statement with “Actually,”. She even got a haircut.
Somehow, she got a stylist who had never “styled” (only cut) little girls hair, so the “after” photo. . .
well, let’s just say, I hooked her up when we got home.
Anyway, we have found three more mermaids in our continuing Norfolk Mermaid adventure. We have a book called, “There Goes a Mermaid” and the girls are determined to find each and every one in the book. They’ve enjoyed spotting the mermaids and comparing the photos I take to the photos in the story.
From top to bottom, they are the Tiger Mermaid at the zoo, the Literacy mermaid at the Virginian Pilot, the mermaid at the Botanical Garden. I don’t know the name of the fourth one, but she’s got a lot of crystals on her torso and clamshell bra, so Morgan dubbed her, “Crystal”. 
I can’t put a name to this one either, but I will say that this is one and Crystal two of the more elusive mermaids. Sometimes they’re there, sometimes they’re not. It’s ridiculous because these mermaids aren’t small and they definitely aren’t light. They’re being moved, but by whom, how, and why remains a mystery. I was really nervous when I took the girls — on foot, no less – to check out the last two. I had seen them the day before as I was running errands around town, but just knew in my gut that now that I was prepared with kids and camera in tow, they’d be gone. There are a few mermaids that we’ve found that aren’t in the book or that are in the book but are now MIA. And then there are some that are affixed to the roofs of buildings or high up on the side of a buildings. I’ve tried to convince the girls that getting a picture of them underneath the mermaid or even just finding the mermaid is a victory, but they want to invest in some grappling hooks, carabiners, and harnesses. I suppose I should be grateful they’re really into this. We’ve got quite a collection of photos and if we can all agree on a stopping point — these mermaids are like weeds, I tell ya! You think you’ve got ’em all and a new one pops up! — I’ve got a great idea for photo book and hanging collage.
So, the summer finds us scheduled and more scheduled. The girls are registered for all manner of camps and sports activities. We’ve got church camp, VBS, gymnastics, and soccer. We’re gearing up for our first family vacation in a few weeks and we’ll have the kiddie pool and sprinklers going in the between times. Busch Gardens is on the books and I’ve poured through Tidewater Parent, ripping out ads for the numerous festivals in and around our area. I even got some arts and crafts projects to keep us busy. Yes, I’m breaking out the arts and crafts (I’m also going to make a reservation for a rubber room, just in case).
The girls are at an age where things like diapers and naps can’t slow us down, so I plan to make the most of this summer. And first up on our extensive Summer o’ Fun 2010 checklist?
Sleeping in. . .
