Tag Archives: Lex

Cub Scouts, Wolf Pack

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After our first cub scout meeting, the Valley Quest outing, and a summer to think about it, Lex is still super excited about joining Cub Scouts. So we did. Tonight was the first meeting. It was a bit chaotic, but mostly because the pack leader was trying to talk to the parents for awhile. Now that the details are out of the way, he promises next meeting will be much more controlled. They had a snack, went outside to play soccer for awhile (which Lex LOVED!) and then just ran around while the parents did a little more paperwork. The leader has two boys, one in Lex’s group, and seems really with it. This is his first year in charge. I was told he was an assistant last year. He seemed great. Lex had a great time so I filled out the paperwork and wrote the check. I guess you’ll find us at scout meetings on Wednesday nights for awhile!

Quiet time love notes

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Lex has taken to using the tablet in place of books at quiet time.  At first he used it for Starfall or Khan Academy, but then we discovered a cool note taking app called SuperNote and now I get love notes most days.  Here was his first one.  He made it one day while I was at work and he was home with a babysitter.

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Here is the picture on page 8.

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Here is his next note.

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Here is the picture from page 9.  I can’t find the pictures he took of himself (that time, we have plenty others!) and the sound on the video is very quiet but you can just barely hear him saying “I love you.”

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Lately he is working on a long note that has taken him many quiet times.  Each day he works on it but refuses to let me see.  I try hard not to peak. :-)  However, while exporting those images I happened to see this one too.

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I think he loves me!

A tiny LEGO sewing machine

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Lex wanted to make this post himself, but I’m tired of waiting for him so I’m going to do it. He likes to talk about blogging, but so far he shows very little interest anything that involves much typing. I’m thinking about teaching him to touch-type. Do they still teach that in school? I was taught in high school, but I know kids these days are learning computer skills much earlier… but I digress…

Last week when my sewing machine was out and on the table, Lex started wondering if it would be possible to make a real working Lego sewing machine. We decided probably yes, but it would be hard. He decided he wanted to make a Lego model sewing machine instead, non-working. The next day, completely unprompted (great minds think alike!) Anna sent me a link to a Lego sewing machine tutorial. How timely! Lex was thrilled!

A day or two later Lex got to it on his mental to-do list and off he went. He made a few modifications, some he explained to me, others he didn’t. He was very proud of his final product and his personal touches. I was very proud of him and his excitement for even the littlest things in life!

lex

A proud Lego builder!

front

The red disks off the end is a spool of thread. The other colored things in front are extra spools of thread. He thought it would be good to keep a few extras on the machine.

side

The tutorial says to use a “tiny hammer or a pick axe from a mini-figure” to make the foot. Lex was so excited to find an axe, but when he started building he said, “Oh, this is from a regular figure, not a mini-figure.” The axe was too tall. Never fear though, he just made the sewing machine taller to compensate! Nothing stops him!

back

The yellow squares are lights. His addition.

The whole time Lex was working on this, Eve and I were also playing with Legos. Eve had a continuing narrative that she and Lex were workers in the Lego Genius factory and I was trying to be a worker. I worked hard on a building (I’m not real creative with Legos!) to prove to her that I am also a Lego genius and should be allowed to work in the factory. I eventually convinced her and we all worked happily in the Lego Genius factory for awhile… until I got bored!

I don’t think I really qualify as a Lego Genius. I get bored too quickly. :)

Lex’s To-Do List

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with dad

Mowing the lawn, with a little help from dad.

all alone

This picture makes it look like he took off on his own! Really it lasted for about 20 seconds. He helped Alan do maybe a quarter of that side yard. Then Alan did the rest. You gotta start somewhere though, right? He was eager to learn, but tired out quickly. It’s a hard job for a little guy!

piano

After dinner piano practice, explaining 8va and slurs to Alan.

list

Not bad for a Sunday!

About Lex

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I have two thoughts for you this evening, both about Lex.

First, we were out and about this morning for his piano lesson. We’ve established a bit of a routine with lessons, then walking around town finding pianos, then getting bagels for lunch. Today we had gotten lunch and were about to settle on a bench to eat lunch, when this big group of people came up to the nearby piano and started remarking over it. Lex, all on his own, started talking to them! He told them why the pianos are around town and that there was an accompanying Valley Quest. They were interested and responded well to him. He had a little trouble making eye contact and keeping himself facing them, and I’m sure they had a little trouble hearing him, but overall I was completely surprised and impressed with his actions. He was brave (by his standards) and confident and knowledgeable. He is growing up!

This afternoon I encouraged them to do a summer journal entry since we’ve been so busy doing things and they haven’t done a journal entry in awhile. Eve eagerly drew a picture of the Home Depot car at the races, but Lex decided he wanted to make a 3D car instead. He is an ambitious boy! He drew it out on paper, all one piece, like an exploded out top view. If that makes any sense. Then cut it, colored it, folded it and taped it together. Then he experimented with 3D wheels, with no luck, so he resorted to flat wheels attached with fasteners so they really turn. He was so proud of his project! Tomorrow he plans to make an interior. I’m not sure how that will go, but he has ideas!

He went to bed tonight with a to-do list running through his head for tomorrow. Practice the piano, do some Khan Academy, play more of his Transformers game, learn to mow the lawn (Alan’s idea!), make more paper cars, make a paper Nascar race track… there was more I can’t remember now. I know Alan also wants to take him to Home Depot for some project shopping. So much for a down day before Splash Camp starts again on Monday!

Into the deep pool

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When I picked the kids up from swim camp today Lex was super excited to tell me that he went in the big pool today! The big pool is the competition pool that he has so far completely and totally resisted even being near. His teacher said he wore a life jacket, but he didn’t mention that part to me ;) She said it only took a little bit of encouragement and he had a great time. He says he’ll be jumping in again tomorrow! I love that boy!

Sadly I was not there to take pictures :(

Pianos around town

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I signed Lex up for piano lessons. He has been super excited, until, of course, this morning when it was time to go! Fortunately I was able to get him out the door with relatively little fuss and we made it to his first lesson. He absolutely LOVED it! The woman teaches lessons in her apartment. She also holds group lessons once a month which she encourages kids to attend so they can meet other piano players and play together. I think he’ll like that once he gets a little more practice. She was very impressed with his existing knowledge, once or twice glancing over his head towards me with a look of surprise. He is so excited and loved the lesson. As I was sitting there listening to them (parents are encouraged to stay, which is a good thing because I was staying) I was noticing how completely comfortable he was. The place was homey (her home!) and quiet and it was just the two of them together. He just settled right in and played!

numbering fingers

Each finger gets a number. They practiced wiggling each number. :)

playing

He’s so cute! He has to scoot his little butt back and forth across the bench to reach from one end of the piano to the other.

Alan had Eve for the morning so when we left we decided to get some lunch. Along the way we found a sparkling piano! To celebrate their 50 years, the Hopkins Center has placed 50 pianos all around town (the exhibit is called Hands On Pianos). Each has been donated and decorated by local businesses and artists. There is also a Valley Quest to go along with the exhibit. Each piano has a letter written on one of the keys. Collect all of the letters and they form a song.

Lex and I got some lunch, ate outside on a bench, and stopped along the way to play several of the pianos. He is excited about the Valley Quest and we’re going to try to find all 50 pianos this month! :)

piano 1

This one was missing it’s letter!

piano 2

Some of the pianos have extra games on them. This one has 50 smiling faces, some more famous than others. They challenge you to identify as many as you can and email them. I think there is a prize for the person who can identify the most. It will not be me!

piano 3

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piano 4

We got in the car and were about to pull out of the parking space when Lex spotted this one. We had a few minutes left on the meter so we jumped out of the car again and went to check it out.

piano 5

This is a neat looking one with whales swimming above the skyline.

piano 5 inside

We spent quite a bit of time at this one once we realized the front opened up. Most of the others were painted shut or somehow otherwise secured shut! Lex studied the inner workings of the piano while I did my best to explain things to him. His mechanical mind is so far beyond mine!

piano 6

This afternoon we went to a birthday part at a playground and despite everyone being hot, tired, and hungry on the way home we took a quick stop at this piano we spotted along the way.

When we finally got home this afternoon we printed the Valley Quest and matched up the clues we could with the pianos we visited this morning. We know where a few more are and are exited to visit them and find the rest. Apparently the game ends on July 31st, so we have to stay focused! :)