My report

The following is the report dictated by Binbin yesterday morning, first thing in the morning:

a. wear glasses

b. wear stones

c. eat healthy

d. grow strong

e. wear clothes

f. eat fish

That's my report!

[now it's up to you to follow through!]

what we'll miss

About a year ago or so, when Binbin's Lego obsession first bloomed, he was still a little young. His little fingers could work the bigger pieces with ease, but he called on Baba for help with the smaller ones. He sometimes needed additional guidance following the instructions, too. Like any little kid with a new toy, Binbin was impatient to complete the Lego projects. He would say, come on Baba, no, not that one, that one. Or he would say, emphatically, I know! But of course Jack loved putting things together with Binbin. Jack would observe, proudly, that with every project, Binbin got better and quicker. He also observed that he would be sad the day that Binbin no longer needed his help.

The day has come. Binbin can do Lego projects for the 8, 11, even 14 year olds with little or no input! It came sooner than we expected.

Today was a fine day. Blue skies, a few clouds, lots of sunshine. We basked in the warmth. We dragged out green, blow-up, frog pool down from the above garage storage. Binbin and I scrubbed away last year's grime; Jack connected the air compressor and filled it. Binbin stripped down and unabashedly jumped in. He got out a couple of spray bottles, and proceeded to spend the next hour stalking his parents around the yard.

I'm going to be sad when the the day comes when Binbin has grown up and ceases to run around buck naked.

Holger, Claire, Julian, and Adrian

Jack's buddy from college, Holger, and his fam are visiting us for a couple of days, and Binbin has been having the time of his life. Before their arrival on Monday evening, he confided to me that he "can't wait until Holger, Claire, Julian, and Adrian come." Since then, Binbin has been following Adrian around like a puppy, and from time to time, we hear updates about how he can't find the "other brother." We've been treated to much drumming by the the boys, and Holger and Claire treated us to a sushi feast last night.

The boys all went to the indoor climbing gym yesterday afternoon. Julian climbed on and off between reading; Adrian muscled his way to the top of many a rope; and prodded on my Adrian's heights, Binbin pushed himself higher. Binbin also thrilled to be the Adrian's photographer: love the camera, baby!

We played "old buttermaid" (i.e., old maid) last night; and Binbin's not-so-poker-face kept everyone in stitches laughing.

hobbies

Binbin has been demonstrating more active engagement in his drum lessons and in practicing (at least over the past 3 days), and so he has earned a much coveted reward: a tank model of his very own. And, it's not a snap together kind, but one that must be painstakingly painted and glued together with care. He has devoted much of his weekend time to working on it, with Baba supervising at the kitchen table.

We took a short break on Sunday afternoon to hear a concert by Whiffletree over at Two Echo. A pair of farming brothers from Maine. Check these guys out. You can say that you were a fan well before their big Hollywood break.

what we're reading

Jack:
Shop Class as Soulcraft
Thinking Institutionally
Xunzi

De-nin:
Davis' translation of Ouyang Xiu's History of the Five Dynasties
When China Rules the World
Topophilia
Fup (again)

Binbin:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Lego magazine

Also, last night we went to see the local performance of the Woodside One Wheelers, who will be performing the DC Cherry Blossom Festival. Check them out: http://www.woodsideonewheelers.org/

poem and variation #1 (or is #2 more apropos?)

Binbin is a fan of "Flamingos on the Roof," a collection of poems by Calef Brown who writes and paints in Brunswick. He's memorized the following:

Peas peek out of the pod
They ponder, they whisper, they nod
Everything is new
The sky is a dazzling blue
The wind is in the willow trees
The sun is on the sod
Peas peek out of the pod

The variation, inspired by his obsession with potty language, is:

Peas peek out of the poop
They poop, they pee, they fart
Everything is poop
The sky is a dazzling poop
The wind is in the potty
The sun in on the toilet
Peas peek out of the poop

[They say this stage will "pass," right?]

favorite things

Binbin has settled into the whole being a five-year-old thing, which means he's got a hold of physical and communication skills, but raring to get to the next new thing. Usually that involves testing boundaries, and something tells me that this is the brave new world that we'll be in until 2025.

Onto the favorite things:

new nicknames: bobbi for baba; mommy for mama
Harry Potter: finished reading books 1 and 2; cruised through movies 1, 2, and 3 in a weekend
addition flashcards (the anti-favorite is subtraction, "too hard")
"I don't like you" and "I hate you" to express frustration and anger (we all need to vent sometimes, right?)
playing star wars, ambushing parents with his light saber
playdates with Amy, Cameron, Ian, Coco
"battle" (world war ii reenactments on the computer, it's Americans against the Germans, this time let's be the Germans, disc 2 has the Russians against the Germans)
Being right (some things never change)
Eating candy
Sleeping in the buff
Sleeping in his new North Face sleeping bag
black, white, silver, and brown

Not so favorite and "I'm over it" things:

the color lime green
drum lessons
leaving the house on the weekends (playdates are an exception)


Just discovered:

images projected from a slide projector -- hey! it's like a movie!