Summer Comes to a Close

 We finished the summer with a trip to the beach, a hike to the highest point in the triangle and purchasing computers so we could begin our virtual school in the fall. 

Sleepover!

Highest point in the Triangle - Oconeechee State Park

Hanging in the tide waters at Wrightsville Beach

Summer Fun

The pandemic summer has been filled with lots of time at home, entertaining ourselves but fortunately I have Cora to pass the time with. Whether we are hanging in our cozy corner listening to music and drawing, doing obstacle courses in the driveway, spending time in the front yard sitting in tubs full of water or bike riding, we usually get along and I'm so glad that we have each other. On occasion we do get out and do some activities during the weekends or if Mom and Dad take the day off from work. One weekend we drove to Hanging Rock and did some hiking. We saw some great views of NC and a few waterfalls, which looked inviting as it was really hot. It was a great trip, and we would take a few more of those before the end of the summer. 

In our CARD (Cora, Adam Reading Den)

 Pandemic Summer in Photos:

NC Museums of Art Sculpture Campus

I made 4 handmade puzzles!

The puzzle maker!

A rainy day walk - I've got clothes on behind that umbrella!

Saturday evening Sushi session

Special Weekend

Many things have been cancelled, shut down and we don't do a whole lot this summer, but luckily my First Communion happened! And as an added bonus Grammie and Gramps joined us for the weekend! I'm so glad that they made the trip in the midst of a pandemic to enjoy my special rite of passage. We were all safe in our masks and we cautiously went to church together. It was a nice mass (we hadn't been in months) and I finally got to receive the wafer from Father Pat. Aside from the wafer tasting like nothing, I acted very serious and grown up for my special service.

The weekend visit from Grammie and Gramps flew by! We enjoyed baking, and even did a special magic show for them. Before I knew it though, they packed up and were on their way back to PA. Thankfully everyone stayed safe and COVID free and we got to have a little change in pace and change in faces and hugging someone else besides each other!

Oh Wait - I'm Eight!

Sometimes time goes fast, sometimes slow. But something I do know is that my birthday definitely came right as expected on May 26! It was a low key kind of day and luckily it was the day after Memorial Day so I was able to pick whatever I wanted for my dinner and I chose my favorite - tortollini soup! Even though my birthday was on a school/work day, it didn't prevent me from enjoying my day. As an added bonus, I requested breakfast in bed an Mom delivered on that promise! When she brought it to me in the morning I had already put on my birthday shirt and I was ready for her!

 Another exciting event that happened recently was the rocket launch! This was the first time in 10 years that a rocket launched two astronauts from the United States into space! It was a commemorative event! Fortunately, my spacesuit still fit so I could dress for the occasion!

May Days

May is almost over and that means it's the last few days of me being seven. They have been enjoyable, despite this stupid COVID-19 stay at home thing. We continue to learn from home - the biggest learning curve being how to entertain ourselves while Mom and Dad have to work. Cora and I are always coming up with new ideas on how to have fun. We've still been able to find more cozy places to hang out. Our latest spot is the cozy corner in my bedroom where we set up our reading pillows and used my tablet to create a fire place. We have shelves for our knicknacks and I watch Cora solve her Rubiks cube while I watch music videos. We had a week where it rained the entire week so being cozy inside was especially important. Luckily we were able to have fun IN the rain since there wasn't any lightening or thunder. As soon as the sun came out though, Cora and I were ready to be outside WITHOUT any rain. We've started designing obstacle courses for our bicycle in the driveway. It's been helping me gain confidence making slow turns on my bike.
Dad recently bought a smoker and as luck would have it, the first time he tried using it, we had a downpour that dragged on and on. It will certainly be a memorable experience. The wings were delicious and it was well worth the wait for them. So far it has been a great May - and I expect it to get even better when I turn eight!

Easter and April

Staying in and not going places like school has its challenges, but it also has benefits. We go to church every Sunday, but we now get to do it cozied up on our couch together. Sometimes Dad has to remind me to sit up or participate, but for the most part I pay attention. Easter Sunday was especially interesting because we watched the live stream of St Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. We still enjoyed dying Easter eggs and eating ham for the holiday; plus the Easter bunny still delivered lots of treats for us. After Easter we also started school. It's interesting how school happens now. Mom and Dad have their offices set up in the dining room. Cora and I join them for our virtual learning usually in the mornings. It's a different way to learn, but we are doing pretty well. Sometimes Mom and Dad get frustrated but for the most part I'm handling the work on the computer better than I think they anticipated.
Other notable things that happened in what seemed like the fastest April ever were things that don't happen in our normal lives. I did finally end up losing that darned middle tooth in my mouth. It hung out so long in my mouth, my new tooth made a hole straight through the back of it! We finished all of the backyard landscaping, which included a second load of mulch, adding plants and finishing the fire pit. I also got my hair cut by the best hair stylist at 619 Mial. Dad gave me great cut to freshen up my hair. He did it for a dinner party which we planned to celebrate Mom and Dad's 12th Anniversary. The dinner party was fun. We got dressed up, ate an appetizer, had some bubbly in fancy glasses (grape juice of course) and ate a delicious dinner. I can't believe it's only one short month until my birthday - there's still so much I need to do as a 7 year-old!

One Front Tooth

We have been waiting since summer for my loose front tooth to fall out. One of the first big milestones (there will be many for sure) at our new house was losing my first front tooth! It took forever, lots of tugging from Dad, but it finally came out one morning before school. I wasn't too dramatic about it (well maybe just a bit because I'm Mr Drama) but thankfully I have a nice big tooth right in the middle so even though I'm one tooth down, I still sound like normal. Who cares if I look silly with one tooth smack in the middle of my smile!

Fun at Fallon Park

Digging with Dad

I really like our house! Cora and I love playing restaurant in my clubhouse (aka oversize closet) and it's nice having my own shower to sing in and enjoy. February managed to just fly by and before I knew it, March started. Shortly after March started, things really got interesting. A few days after we celebrated Mom's birthday, schools closed because of COVID-19. So, for the next few weeks, we just stayed at home and took lots of walks. I really enjoy walking to Fallon Park and riding my scooter around the driveway. I've also been a big help around the house. We ordered lots of mulch we had to spread in the yard (I lost count of how many wheelbarrows I hauled into the backyard) and I helped Dad install the fountain in front of our house. We also watched a concrete patio get installed in our backyard. We were able to count how many wheelbarrows of concrete it took to build the patio (I think it was 27 in total). We also had the excitement of our tree crashing down in the backyard one day right before dinner. It was crazy!

Waiting on the new front porch

Waving at our teacher parade!

 Another interested event during our first weeks off of school was the Joyner teacher parade! Cora and I ate lunch on the front porch and waited for the teachers to drive by. We heard honking in the distance and knew they were coming and they drove right in front of our house.  There must have been 30 cars! It was fun to watch!

Cleansed

In the mayhem of getting ready to  move to our new house, we celebrated my first reconciliation on January 11. On a Saturday afternoon we went to the church so that I could visit with a priest and confess my sins for my first time. I was a little nervous, but the father that spoke with me really listened and helped me with what to do. The next day at Faith Formation, I was able to correctly recite my Act of Contrition - my teacher was really impressed, said it was the best she has heard.
Now that I am cleansed of my sin, I'm going to try to be good, but I'm not making any promises!
I was good for my economics fair at school. For my project I made pencil boxes out of popsickle sticks (dad helped me). They turned out really nice. The morning of the fair, Mom came to the school and she helped me to sell my boxes while I went around shopping. I think Mom and Dad were impressed that I didn't spend all of my money. I just enjoyed walking around and looking at all the other kids' wares. Either my boxes were really nice, or Mom did a good job selling, but my pencil boxes sold out in record time!

Christmas Time!

Although this Christmas was a little different because we were in an apartment, it didn't have any affect on our ability to enjoy the season and all of our fun Christmas traditions! Leading up to Christmas, we enjoyed a relaxing few days watching movies, doing puzzles, playing games and most importantly decorating the gingerbread house! This year, I drew a plan for Cora and me to use. It was helpful and I do think that the house turned out well. I also was busy crafting and making a Santa costume and Grinch costume out of paper. One day I surprised Mom and came out of the bedroom as the Grinch and starting to steal ornaments off the tree. Dad and I also made cookies together and another day we went to the church to listen to music called Handel's Messiah. If the weather was nice, which it was mild and nice most of the time, we would enjoy visits to the park.
On Christmas eve, we enjoyed a yummy dinner of soup (my favorite!) then headed to Mass. After we got home, we enjoyed opening family exchange presents by the glow of the tree. We got ready for bed, then set out cookies and a glass for milk along with a note for Santa. I threw in a carrot for the reindeer and the last moment. Then, it was off to bed, although with all the excitement it took me forever to fall asleep!

On Christmas morning Santa had found us! He had delivered everything on my list, plus a few unexpected goodies! I got a dinosaur transformer, the books I asked for, new pj's and slippers! Unexpected things I got were new wristbands for my fitbit, a next gun, a reading pillow, a rock set and a new clock radio! It was such a wonderful time opening presents at a relaxed pace. We spent the rest of the day playing with our new toys, and we even had the chance to get to the park and try out my new nerf football! I love playing football games at the park. Too bad Cora broke her arm on New Years Day (more on that later)!
The Christmas season kept going because the weekend after, we went to see the Nutcracker. It was fun to watch, although I kept waiting for people to talk and only at intermission did I realize there would be no talking. That's okay, it was still fun to watch! On New Years Eve, we went downtown to First Night Raleigh where we stood on Fayetteville and counted down for the acorn drop! It was fun dancing in the street to music as we waited for the countdown to start. I had a fun evening downtown! The next day it was still really nice outside, so we went to enjoy another family football game. This one didn't last long though because Cora fell and said her arm felt funny so we left the park immediately. I felt bad because I think I made her fall. Anyways, the next day I got to go with Mom to work so Dad could take Cora to the doctor and take care of her arm. I had fun at work with Mom although I was surprised that all the people do is sit at computers ALL DAY LONG! Once Dad and Cora were done, they drove downtown so we could all enjoy lunch together, and I didn't have to go back to work with Mom! I had such a wonderful holiday break from school although I will say I am definitely ready to get back to school!