LEGO!!!

Hayden is a patient kid.  He has 2 younger siblings, both of whom require an extraordinary amount of attention.  He never complains about it.

So, on Friday, I surprised him with two tickets for us to the LEGO Kidsfest.  I am so glad I did.  The one-on-one time was priceless.  I loved being able to spend some uninterrupted time with him, and the convention was pretty cool too.

There were a bunch of large Lego models--lots of Star Wars guys too.  My favorite was the giant pile of legos.  Kids just waded in like it was a pool, sat down on top of the pile and started building.  No one was throwing legos, or kicking legos---just a bunch of kids building with a virtually unlimited supply of bricks.

Hayden couldn't pick just one favorite--I think he liked everything.  We had a lot of fun making landmarks for the giant lego USA map.  We also played a lego game and of course, spent some money in the lego shop.  I think this was something he will remember for a long time--he told me it was possibly his "best night ever."  Happy Mom.

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Hayden turned 6 on October 18th. This year, he had 2 Saturdays of celebration. The first was cake and presents with family; the second was pizza and fun with friends.

The big gift from us was a real telescope. Hayden has been fascinated with space for almost 2 years, and it seemed like an appropriate gift. We were lucky to have clear skies, decent weather, and Jupiter nice and bright in the sky. Hayden got to see Jupiter's moons! Of course, it has rained pretty much every night since then, so we're waiting for a chance to look at the moon.

This year was the first time I agreed to have a "kid party" at our house. I didn't do anything elaborate. They decorated some cookies, ate some Papa Johns, played a simple game, and beyond that, basically ran around. Hayden said it was a "crazy" party, and that he hoped he could always have crazy parties from now on. Hmmm.

Beyond the festivities, though, it's hard to believe he is 6! I've done my best to document and savor each year, and we certainly have the pictures to prove it. Still, at the risk of being cliched, it has gone really fast! Happy birthday, buddy!

Preschool Graduation!

Today was Hayden's preschool graduation, and his last day at St. John's. There were caps (cardboard) and diplomas. Every kid got a stuffed dog with the kids' and teachers' signatures. There was even a program which listed each child's future occupation. Hayden, of course, plans on being an astronaut. One classmate is going to be a "mad kitty." Another, an architect. There were several ballerinas, a Jedi knight, a baseball player, a handful of Moms and Dads, policemen and firemen, and one judge on American Idol. We also got to see where all of the graduates will be attending Kindergarten. Hayden, now an urban expatriate, was the only representative of his new school. That was kind of sad, as he has a lot of nice friends at St. John's we will miss. But what do I know? Here's what Hayden has to say about preschool, in his own words:

His favorite thing about preschool: "making friends."

Favorite thing to do: "play, play, play."

Best friend: "Thomas"

What he will miss the most: "magnet animal builders."

Favorite thing to play outside: "Power Rangers"

Favorite thing to eat: "pizza"

Favorite song at school: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Because it was so short."

What he is looking forward to in Kindergarten: "show and tell"

What he thinks he'll learn about in Kindergarten: "space"

Best part about summer vacation: "break from school."
Me: "I thought you loved school." Hayden: "But Mama, I don't get to sit down that much!"

Hat Trick

So Hayden's in hockey. Twice a week Hayden undergoes this Midwestern rite of passage. Ben wrestles him into an absurd amount of protective gear. The padding serves to protect Hayden when he randomly sits down on the ice. You know, to rest. Sometimes he goes into a full sprawl, spread-eagled. The other kids try to get around him, but no one in his group can exactly skate, so there are a lot of pile-ups. Sometimes the kids scrimmage. They move as a pack (a slow pack) after the puck. Someone swats at it with a stick, usually in the wrong direction. Every once in a while, the puck will dribble into a goal. Hayden often participates in the scrimmages by sitting down. On the ice. He's not grumpy about it. Apparently he just wants to take a breather, or maybe watch the other group of kids play. The coaches have taken to nudging him in the butt with their sticks to get him moving.

The whole thing is pretty comical. But to Big H's credit, he couldn't even really stand when he started, and now he is sort of half-skating. One time he stuck his stick out and even scored a goal. And last week, he didn't sit down once, except when another kid accidentally crashed into him and took out his legs. It's progress, for sure.

Enjoy. Hayden is the kid that is either reclining on the ice, or, when moving, sporting the #10, mismatched socks, and a black helmet.