barrett: 75 months old

Barrett has grown a ton this summer!  So much so that when his size 13/1 crocs were giving him a blister, I took him shoe shopping.  And lo and behold, he's wearing a 2.5 now!  And all his size 6 shirts are way too short now, so we need to get some size 7 for going back to school.  Barrett's back to obsessing over Legos - he has an amazing ability to think of what he wants to build, and then he just builds it!  We got him a Lego lunchbox for this school year, which he loves.

Another big development this summer is that Barrett learned to swim!  He's been relying on the puddle jumper, but it started to fall apart.  It was past time for him to learn to swim, so we started getting in the pool every evening.  After a few nights, and the discovery of goggles, Barrett is now jumping into the pool in the deep end and swimming all the way to the steps!

Likes:  playing with Ruby, Legos, swimming

Dislikes:  not much these days

britton: 120 months old / 10 years old

Today Britton is a DECADE old!  We spent the day together, doing some back-to-school shopping and a haircut (the monthly picture is the long hair, haircut shown with the cake).  Britton has been doing a triple threat theater camp this week, and her performance was this afternoon, so we headed there to see it, then to Tiger Noodle for dinner - Britton's choice.  We finally made our way back home for oreo ice cream cake and presents!

More on Britton's performance today - her camp group performed two songs (with choreography!) and then they paired off for scenes. Britton and her partner Idira were amazing!  They were expressive, funny, and best of all - they enunciated!  No mumbling for those girls, which was much appreciated.  

Britton didn't know anyone at her theater camp, nor did she know anyone at sleepaway camp.  She charged into swim team this year, not apprehensive at all about having no idea how it worked or who most of the team members were.  It absolutely amazes me how brave she is.  At 40, I still hesitate to go places alone, afraid of being awkward or bored or whatever, but not Britton.  She shows up and gives it her all, and her enthusiasm is contagious.  I love that she is all in for new experiences.

barrett: 74 months old

Barrett is living his best life this summer!  We've decided that this is the summer that the puddle jumper life jacket gets thrown away.  Admittedly, it's coming apart at the seams and won't last much longer, but we're also past the point that Barrett needs to be a swimmer.  With the pool in the backyard, and swim team coming up next year, he's ready to swim like Britton does - like a fish!

Yesterday we went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and got to see the dinosaurs and gemstones - amazing!  It was fun pointing out the children's birthstones to them, especially when Barrett's emeralds were in a queen-like necklace, 100s of carats total.  We also did a first for us - we went to the planetarium!  Barrett loves space, and he especially enjoyed the show.  We have a membership to the museum, so I really do need to plan more trips to the museum and planetarium this summer - such a good place to hide from the heat!

Barrett also loves Pokemon, and can't get enough of Eevee.  We decided to put together a chore chart for him to earn the Pokemon plushies he really wanted, and he was begging to wash dishes and take out the trash!  I can definitely see a Pokemon backpack on our back-to-school shopping list.

Likes:  Pokemon, talking about how far space goes, building LEGO cities

Dislikes:  when Britton won't let him play with her stuff

119 months old

One month until this sweet thing turns 10!  Mostly sweet, and sometimes salty and emotional for no reason, and when that happens puberty comes and hits me in the face with the reminders of the emotional rollercoasters.  I'm not ready to navigate the "tween" years and yet, here we are!  

We've been planning Britton's birthday party - she again wants a pool party at home.  And that's fine with me because she's up for some fun games and activities!  The theme this year is "mermaid" which is so apropos because this summer Britton really came into her own with her swimming.  I think she must be part-mermaid (comes from my side)!

Britton's dance recital was in June, and she had THREE routines to remember!  Her class consisted of ballet, tap, and jazz, and she's already signed up for next year's intermediate class of ballet, lyrical, tap, and jazz, because she enjoys dance so much.  And it's rubbed off on Barrett, who is now enrolled in a hip hop dance class for the year - these kids just love moving and grooving!

Tap Costume

With dance friends

Likes:  playing on her iPad, swimming, dyeing her hair (the red has all faded out!), getting ready for sleepaway camp

Dislikes: being with Barrett for too much of the day and Toy Story 4 (gasp!)

barrett: 73 months old

Barrett and Memaw put together a first-aid kit, and Barrett has taken that thing everywhere!  Even to his monthly pictures!  He tells me that if people get hurt, he can help, and it's just like this kid to be thinking of others.  And I love that he painted the top white and added the red cross, being as artsy as he is.

Barrett is loving his summer, even though Britton's activities have taken precedence over his down time.  He's happily joined her for swim meets, dance recital rehearsal, and goes with the flow, so long as he gets some time to draw pictures, play with his stuffed Pokemon characters, and dance to some You Tube Kidz Bop videos.  

Likes:  corn dogs, rainbow sherbet ice cream, Squirtle and Bulbasaur (Pokemon)

Dislikes:  most dinners I've made this week - this kid could live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Goldfish crackers!

118 months old

School's out for summer!  And Britton is ready to start her summer vacation!  First up - swim team.  Britton has swim practice every morning for almost an hour, and just last Saturday had her first swim meet.  I must not have believed everyone who said I would be there for six hours, because guess what?  I was there for six hours. And Britton was in only two events, so it made for a looooonnnggg day.  Luckily, there's only 3 more meets left!

Britton also has her dance recital this Saturday!  She's doing three dance routines - ballet, tap, and jazz - and she modeled her costumes for us tonight.  They are stunning!

Likes:  sequins and feather dance costumes, Drumsticks ice cream cones

Dislikes:  getting into the pool when it's chilly in the morning

barrett: 6 years old

This little guy is 6 today!  We've been treating his birthday like an Indian wedding - it's been going on for days!  We went out to dinner twice, held his party on Saturday, and celebrated today, on his actual birthday.  But it's impossible not to celebrate this kid, he's just the best.  His enthusiasm is contagious, and love and positivity just ooze out of him. If you can be in a bad mood around Barrett, you'd best get on because no doubt you've got the devil in you.

Barrett is in kindergarten, and is reading on his own!  He likes reading "Dick and Jane" books because the repetition makes learning new words easier.  Currently, he loves learning about outer space, dinosaurs, and animals.  Every night, after we read 3 books together (sometimes 4 if he gives me the sweet smile) he lays in bed for a bit and "reads" books on his own.  He flips through large books about the planets or plant-eating dinosaurs, and gets drawn in.

Barrett's favorite activities including imagination play, like setting up dinosaurs to battle or Power Rangers to fight each other (or the dinosaurs, you never know).  He loves acting out books he has, so he'll gather all his books of one subject (Piggie and Gerald, the Pigeon, My Little Pony, etc.) and the toy figurines, and act out an entire play of sorts.  He has a remarkably creative imagination!

Barrett played soccer this fall, and started piano lessons in January.  Like Britton, he will continue piano lessons for a few years (more if he enjoys it), and sports as he develops the interest.  One of his true passions is drawing.  Barrett can use up a ream of printer paper faster than anyone I know!  His drawings might reflect what he saw one day, or a scene from school, or a story he made up.   He loves scotch tape (so much so that the Easter Bunny left him a 3-pack in his Easter basket, and it was the highlight of his haul!), and tapes up his pictures all over the house.  

And the hair, yes the hair - he doesn't want to cut it.  We've offered, shown him pictures of shorter looks, but he likes what he likes.  Maybe he'll get a trim when the heat of summer hits!

Likes:  drawing, play dough, orange yogurt, any carb ever, apple juice, music

Dislikes:  allergies, when Britton gets snippy with him, when anyone gets impatient with him, piano lessons

Sizes:  clothes - size 7, shoes - size 13/1