Jumping into June

The Nutt House started off our June in typical Nutt-y style (chaotic, busy, fun filled, memory creating).  This past week Kara and Kaden both started taking summer classes at Kyrene De La Sierra (aka Sierra, aka the school where both kiddos will attend elementary school).  Kaden goes for an hour a day to a Tinkering for Tots class where they read stories, do experiments, and do messy art projects.  I wanted him to take the class so he could start to get used to being around other adults and kids without people he is familiar with, especially me, being there.  The first day when we dropped him off he was a tad clingy at first, though not bad at all and by the time I picked him up he was loving the class and his teacher and couldn’t wait to go back.  For Kara, we enrolled her in a kindergarten prep class, skill wise I know she is there and ready for school, we wanted her to become more acclimated with the environment, structure, different kids, one constant teacher she didn’t know and the overall culture of kindergarten.  Starting with the very first day, we dropped her off and she didn’t even look back to say good-bye!  This little miss is so eager to grow up at times it’s frightening.  The two classes also help us as a family to get used to the school schedule and having to be up, moving, ready for the day, and out the door by 7:40.  Knowing that starting in the fall we’ll need to be ready even just a few minutes earlier is somewhat painful to bear, but at least we have this month while the kiddos are in their classes to start to learn and adjust our routines prior to school actually starting the beginning of August.  The first day the kids had school after the mixed emotions of dropping them off I came home and just sat on the couch for a good 20 minutes.  I could and should have used that hour to clean up from breakfast, start laundry, make beds, etc. but the shock of both kiddos gone overwhelmed me to the point I couldn’t do anything for a while.  I now know that when the kiddos do start school it will be me that will struggle the most with the transition, I may not cry but I’m so used to having them with me all the time that it will be an adjustment to not have their tiny hands in mine, the millions of questions, their curiosity filled eyes staring up at me, their angelic voices, their unwavering trust and love by my side at all times.  As the week progressed it was interesting to watch Kara, though I don’t think she realizes it herself, she had missed Kaden something fierce while she was gone.  Toward the end of the week and all into the weekend all Kara wanted to do was play with her brother.  While the two do play together frequently to have her request this specifically and above other activities in a rarity that I am certain leads back to her being used to having him there whenever she wants and she too is in a state of missing the constant that our lives have consisted of.  While I do miss each of them while they are gone I find myself treasuring the after school talks each day when they both relay the adventures of their day to me.  As well, Kara has already made a new friend at class that I have been pleased as punch to hear about.

While Kara has been away at class and after Kaden was home he and I started spending more quality time together, whether that was playing dress up Kaden style, playing go fish, me bribing him with a tv show to just cuddle with me, or other activities I have treasured the simple one on one time that we’re enjoying together.  Wednesday Kaden was able to go to a Practice and Play at My Gym while Kara was at school and without her there it was me that he wanted to play with.  In Kaden terms that meant he chased me around the gym with a ball, put me in “jail” (a corner) repeatedly, hid from me and overall had fun.  After his Practice and Play time was up he enthusiastically stuck around for his weekly class while I dashed over to the school to pick up Kara from her class. We arrived back at My Gym just in time to see Kaden go down the zip line, one of his favorite My Gym activities.

Kaden received a bunch of dress up clothes from a friend
that moved and to say he was happy would be quite
the understatement

He loves the zip line

 As summer has dropped in on us with record high temperatures almost overnight the Nutt House took relief from the heat with a trip to the Nozomi Aquatic Center as a family Wednesday evening.  We met up with some friends there for some water slide, diving, hanging out pool side action.  Where the temperatures have been so much hotter this past week we welcomed the cooling effect of the water and enjoyed the fact we were not shivering and ready to leave after a short 15-20-minute swimming session. 

Pool fun with friends

He got quite the spray with some of his jumps

Thursday brought a new activity for the Nutt House, one that Brent has enjoyed several times over the years but was new for the rest of us…  we took our first journey to Comicon where our eyes were opened to a whole new world.  One that may not be my cup of tea but I can see why Brent enjoys it so much and if for that reason alone I would gladly go back with him again.  We were unable to get a program of events while we were there so we wandered around the exhibit area where a variety of vendors were set up and we walked around perusing the booths and people watched.  Most of what we did was people watched.  When the kiddos saw someone dressed up like a character they knew and enjoyed if they were willing to go up to the person we took advantage of the photo op.  As our Comicon adventure began Kara caught glance of a magical Ariel mermaid tail and we started off on a hunt amongst the sea of people to capture Ariel for a picture.  Alas, we were not able to find her anywhere in the area we were in, but fortunately, before we left we did see her again and Kara was able to have her picture taken with Ariel which made her day.  Kaden was mesmerized by so many characters that he found “so awesome” but he didn’t want to take his picture with most.  Fortunately, there were a few he was excited enough about to have his picture taken a time or two as well.  While both kiddos were done and wanted to go home after less than two hours they both expressed interest in going back next year, though when they go back they are insisting on dressing up as well.

Kaden with Boba Fett

She got her Ariel picture!

He was so happy to get his picture taken with Thor

Making tin foil hats

My little Jedi with another Jedi

Brent stole Kaden's tin foil hat

She was so happy to meet Belle and Alice

And he didn't want to take it off....
at least he looked good in it!

Friday morning, we found ourselves at a dress rehearsal for Kara’s dance recital Saturday evening.  It is hard to believe the dance year is over.  Though we’ve been at the recital point a couple times before the growth that Kara has made over this past year has been phenomenal.  Any longer I don’t know where she will stop, she continues to love dance and amazes me at the skills she works on and the talents she is developing.  Saturday night do to other commitments we did a divide and conquer evening where Brent went and supported friends going to the temple for the first time and I joined Kara at her dance recital.  Where Brent wasn’t able to join us for the dance recital we let Kaden off the hook too and got him a boy babysitter for an evening of boy time.  Kaden was so ecstatic it was definitely the right move on our part.  Kara stayed back stage for the first half of the recital but once intermission came and she was changed out of her itchy costume for hopefully the last time (the itchiness and immodesty of it have bothered us from the beginning) she cuddled up on my lap to watch the remaining dancers take stage and I believe we both found our thoughts wandering to the day when, if life continues as it is now, Kara will be the senior up there on that stage demonstrating her solo for all to see and being acknowledged for her years at Innerlight Dance. 

Group picture time... such sassy girls!

Dress rehearsal... this girl has attitude

Ready for the recital to begin

Post recital fun with friends

Friday afternoon Kaden enjoyed a day camp at My Gym and while he was there Kara and I headed over to the South Mountain Library to witness a master juggler perform.  She, along with her cousin Jessie who went with us weren’t too sure about watching a juggler perform without any additional magic type tricks being incorporated into the act, but once the juggling started both were amazed and Kara, along with a friend that met us there watched intently for the remaining hour, amazed at all they had seen.

Waiting for the show to start

Post show, waiting to meet the juggler

Receiving a special coloring sheet with the jugglers picture on it

Post juggling ice cream

And that, ladies, gentlemen, and wonderful family members, is our week.  Somewhat of a weak entry I know, but I’ve had so many interruptions this evening and I cannot even seem to type an entire sentence correctly this evening, (thank heavens for spell check!) that I know it is time to take my scattered self off the computer and head toward bed.  This next week is packed, jam packed with Nutt House style activities and fun and I cannot wait for this new week to get started!