Oren came home from preschool last week with what’s to be the first of many “incident reports” in hand. “Oren was running on the sidewalk and fell face first,” states the report. From the 1-inch scrape on her nose and the big welt on her forehead, she must’ve been running pretty fast! She seemed in very good spirits, though, as this photoshoot with her dolls suggests, and even laughed when I pointed to her ow-wees. In general, she’s been coming home with a lot of random scratches and scrapes (plus sand and dirt in the craziest places). We’re definitely going to have to stock up on the Bacitracin.
Today, the Valdez family took full advantage of our first Statehood Day off together (I’ve had more vacation days in 3 months as a state worker than a whole year at the Star-Bulletin) by hitting Magic Island for the 2008 Honolulu Family Festival.
We got there early to enjoy the beach (but not the freezing cold showers afterwards) then it was off to the fest! Last year, was a little underwhelming since Oren’s “fun-sensors” were still developing, but this year, her wide-eyed stares (not to mention her pointing and yelling) told us she was ready to ride! She hit the merry go round first, then Daddy took her on the Super Slide!
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All of us got on the ferris wheel next (and yours truly got motion sickness!), then Mommy and Oren hopped on the mini-coaster (front-seat!). We finished off the evening with some games (that Daddy sucked at) then expensive carnie food. It’s crazy days like this that remind me why I love being a daddy!
We were back at Bishop Museum this weekend, this time for a 1st birthday luau for baby Nolan, who’s amazing journey began in Taiwan where he was born, then adopted by Katrina’s friend Tiffany and her husband Gabe. Oren, through typical “small town syndrome”, saw her babysitter friends Cadee and Cody, who happen to be the kids of a friend of the parents. The familiar faces loosened Oren up a little faster than usual, and they all had a blast in a castle bouncer. She had so much fun in there, I’m trying to convince my wife to get a small trampoline for the backyard. We’ll see… anyway, check the pics above and the little video clip below of the bouncer bday madness!
Today was orientation day at Rainbow School, and we, as well as other first time student parents, toured the facilities, met the teachers, and watched nervously as the little students shared their space for the first time. The transition was a little easier after Oren saw her babysitter friend Kyla (yes, the biter), who’s in an older class, on the playground. The Room 6 “Beautiful Butterflies” don’t begin class til tomorrow, but Oren was already given homework! She was asked to make a photo collage (see pic above) of family members on butterfly shaped paper. Of course, Daddy and Mommy helped out a little.
And here is the nest of the Beautiful Butterflies at Rainbow School in Quicktime VR format. Click and drag to tour the room where the magic’s gonna happen! Or the drama…
We hope that tomorrow won’t be one of those parent-child cryfests that we keep hearing about. We’ll post an update tomorrow to tell you guys how it goes! Wish Oren luck!
After 30+ years, Oren’s babysitter Aunty Sally is retiring. For 2 years (basically Oren’s entire life), she’s been the primary caregiver, and we thank her so much for playing such a big part in Oren’s life. We definitely have her to thank for Oren remembering the five-dollar footlong song from the Subway commercials!
This summer, we have Oren enrolled in Gymboree; a world of primary colors, padded floors (we should look into that) and sing-a-long songs, led by the wonderful Ms. Mary. Oren loves being the first in line for Ms. Mary’s stories, and loves helping during clean-up time (the “Clean Up” song works awesome at home, too). She also loves “Parachute Time” (above), but who wouldn’t love being under a 20 ft psychadelic dome tent? All this play learning though should help her when she starts pre-school in a few days… we hope!
The familiar faces loosened Oren up a little faster than usual, and they all had a blast in a castle bouncer. She had so much fun in there, I’m trying to convince my wife to get a small trampoline for the backyard. We’ll see… anyway, check the pics above and the little video clip below of the bouncer bday madness!
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