Bowles Blog

Parade in Pictures

After missing last year (busy unpacking PODS), we once again returned the the 4th of July parade in Hingham on Saturday.  It was refreshingly warm and sunny even if the parade was a bit on the um, lame, side.  But that's ok, who really goes just to see the actual parade??
A few photos...
{Cuyler, Ebby & Will, after the Hingham parade on Saturday}

{Cuyler & Daddy picking out a dog on a stick at the parade.  A 'bargain' at $10}

{Most interesting 'float' in the parade.  Gives you an idea of the quality of participants}

{Ebby & Will eating Brigham's ice cream.  At 9:45 am}

{Aunt Louise, us & Nana at the parade}

{BGD's Life is Good shirt I got for $5 at the sale in February :-) }

{Aunt Louise, Pa and a tall looking Ebby after the parade}

{Will, bracing for another round of musket firing}

{Bubbe didn't make it to the parade (she was...napping) but she did put 4th of July flowers out on her flower cart--for the 20th year!}

Humarock

The weather was warm (shocking), the waves were wild and treasures on the shore abounded the other evening when we took a ride to the beach.
{Cuyler in the surf, sporting Spiderman bathing trunks (Yr 3 for those too...)}

{Will found seaweed...with rope!}
{Ebby battled the surf...and the surf won. She ended up being knocked down by a big wave and then got caught in the undertow and tossed about and pelted with rocks. She remained on the beach digging in the rocks and playing with some cute younger kids for most of the rest of our visit after that.}      
             

Slip & Slide

This past Saturday the sun stuck around long enough that Ebby declared the need hook up a sprinkler for some hydro refreshment.  Somehow she couldn't find a sprinkler but did manage to bust out the Wet n' Wild water slide that Bubbe gave the kids for their birthdays a few years ago.  Ebby and our 9 year old neighbor figured out how to work the foot pump and inflation was underway.  I assisted with some hose gathering and soon enough bathing suits were on and we were in business.
The first location we picked ended up being a bit too muddy so we detached the hose and had a change of venue.  The new location gave the kids plenty of room to get a running start before heading down the slide...
Behold, the action shots.
{Cuyler has the light blue bathing suit on, I think this is the 3rd year for that suit}                          
The slide was a big hit and amazingly no injuries--except to the lawn.  Oops.
We've been advised to move back to the mud pit for next time.  Shouldn't be a problem, it's a water toy so they can wash off, right?   

Ballou Family Picnic, 2009 Edition

So the sun was no where to be found and the temps didn't get out of the 60s.
No matter, a good time was had at the Ballou Family Picnic held yesterday in Burlington, MA.
Of course it took some of the Bowles children longer to get into the family picnic spirit than others.  Will jumped right in (after a trip to the adjacent playground), chowing down on teriyaki chicken (thanks cousin Ed!), grilled corn on the cob (thanks Ed/Uncle Ed/Eleanor!) and diet Dr. Pepper (I did bring something for us).  Ebby ate corn and fresh fruit (gasp!) but really perked up when they lit the candles on cousin Louise's birthday cake.  Cuyler spent his time either playing on the playground or pouting under a picnic table.  He came around eventually though--right around the time cousin Christin invited all 3 kids to treats from the ice cream truck.  How well she knows them--and she just met them yesterday.
It was great to see everyone and get reacquainted with all of our "cousins".  Loved seeing Jean & Christin (all the way from Montana) and meeting Jean's beau Jim.  Eleanor, who's lost over 100 lbs (!!) since I saw her last looks and feels great.  I gained 2 new Facebook friends (hi Louise and Theresa!).  I found out that cousin Jackie is a fine artist with a degree from the Museum of Fine Arts school (and he lives in the next town, that part I knew).    My favorite part of the day (in addition to all the laughing and hugging of course) was chatting with my Great Aunt Mary.  I quasi interviewed her and captured her on video (3 minutes and 33 seconds worth).  It's hard to believe that Aunt Mary is 92 years old.  She looks about 20 years younger!  Isn't she adorable?  She told me the secret to a long life which I will now share with you: no drinking, no carousing and be with just one man.
So there you have it, Ballou family wisdom from the Ballou family picnic.

Where are you hiding?

I hope you make an appearance soon.
We really miss you.

Blackhawk in the Backyard (sort of)

Back when I was in elementary school I had some exciting days at school.
Like the time I won the life size paper mache Spanish dancer woman at after school art club (hello, Miranda!).
Or when we brought exotic foods into the classroom during the 5th grade International Festival (hello, mangoes!).
In 6th grade, every day was exciting.  We played a lot of chess and kitty whist in small groups (hello, life skills!).
Things have changed.
6th grade isn't even part of elementary school anymore in most places.
And an exciting day consists of participating in a game show (Brain Quest), attending a concert by a "mouth band" (Ball in the House) or climbing the tail section of a soon to be deployed military helicopter.
Ho hum.  Just another day in the 3rd grade.      

That's right.  A Blackhawk helicopter paid a visit to the boys' school today.  The pilot is the dad of a student and this is the 3rd or 4th year they've been able to fly in.  The kids are able to go in and on the Blackhawk after an extensive orientation during which they must shout back the 2 things they aren't allowed to touch (red buttons and buttons with wires attached).  Other than that, have a blast.
And let me tell you, it was cool!  I rushed right outside when I heard it approaching this morning and again when it was leaving this afternoon.  It flew right over our house, blades whirring.
Daddy was working at home today, so we were both able to go over to school during the time that Will & Cuyler's class explored the Blackhawk.          

 

The boys both climbed up the tail section and touched the rotor blades, sat in the pilot's seat and tested out the troop seating.  Cuyler even took up a spot in the crew chief/gunner's seat and pretended to bazooka a bunch of Germans.  True story.

I found that in order to get more variety in the perspective of the photos I was taking, it became necessary for me to enter the Blackhawk as well.  I mean, it was right there

for goodness sake.  I did not however make the trip up the tail section.

Poor kids, all they get to do tomorrow (Friday) is have an ice cream sundae party.

I was hoping for a traveling circus or at the very least a petting zoo.

At home Art Show

Over the past few days, the kids have all been bringing home lots of stuff from school. Only 3 more days of school left til summer after all. Name tags, gym clothes, and my favorite, artwork, have all come through the door.
Yesterday we were fortunate to have both grandmothers here, 3 piles of artwork and 3 grandchildren who were in good moods. 
I know, it's like the stars aligned or something.
So what did we do?
Impromptu art show/show & tell of course.
If I ever dared to homeschool, this is what I like to imagine it would be like.  Ebby, Will & Cuyler, taking turns, eloquently talking about the creating several varied pieces of artwork to a small, but loving audience.  Passing the treasures around so everyone could get a closer look, answering questions and sharing.  Of course in my fantasy the children would have baked refreshments, combining math, science and artistry in the kitchen for all to enjoy.  They may have even done a writing and art lesson and made and mailed out invitations.  Perhaps we'd go so far as to rent formal wear and a microphone.
But really, our little show was perfect just as it was : )

{Ebby, showing her Line Design}

{Nana & Bubbe, taking it all in on the a new section of the deck}

{Will, showing his paint & planets picture}

 {Cuyler, with his paint & planets}

{Will, answering questions from the audience}

Cuyler on the run

A week ago Friday was field day at Will & Cuyler's school.  Last year they ended up rescheduling it a few times due to rain and then canceling it because the day was too hot.
Heat was not a problem this year.
Nor was rain (at least not until the very end of the day).
It was actually a good day for outdoor activities, overcast with temps in the 60s.  That kind of weather eliminates the need for sunscreen and eases worries about the kids getting dehydrated because they're too hot.  See, crazy New England weather isn't all bad.
I went over in the morning for the Opening Ceremonies and to watch the 3rd grade relay race in which Cuyler was running.
The race course was a grassy oval on the field on the side of the school.  No official measurement of the distance other than not terribly far.  For the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades there was a girls and a boys relay race.  Runners are selected at random and if they happen to be fast, all the better.
Cuyler was pretty excited to have been chosen to run for his class.  He came home every day that week wanted to be timed as he ran a course in the backyard and looking for someone to practice baton hand-offs with.
On the morning of the race, he was all business.
He carefully stretched out his legs.  

He had plenty of encouragement.      
As much as he was ready to go, the girls race was first.  The girls team in Cuyler & Will's class dashed to victory, despite a bobbled hand off or two.  The girl that ran the final leg had quite a kick.

Then it was time for the 3rd grade boys race.
Cuyler took his place at the start of the 2nd leg.   You can see that he was up against some tough competition.  But he held his own and was full of determination.            And gave his team a chance at victory.      
Alas, it was not meant to be.  Cuyler's class came in 2nd place, though it was surprisingly close at the finish.  If only the boys had the kick of the girls.
Oh well, it was all about having fun and good sportmanship.
And there's nothing better than friends and classmates to cushion the blow of disappointment.
Great job Cuyler!

Award Winning Ebby

About a month ago, the weekly middle school bulletin came home with the schedule of upcoming events through the end of the year.  One of the events was the 6th Grade Awards Assembly on Wednesday June 10th.  Hmmm, I thought.  I bet I'll be going to that...
And indeed, I did.  Not just because of my great love for middle school assemblies, but because my own personal 6th grader, aka Ebby, won an award.
It was a little touch and go for a while.  Apparently there were issues with the automated school phone system (ConnectEd).  The first message went out saying 'because your son or daughter has won an award, you are invited to attend the 6th grade award assembly'.  Only problem was that the system inverted the list--so instead of calling the families of students that won awards, it called families of students that didn't win awards.  Oops.
Ebby came home with a note from her English teacher so I knew I'd be going.  Eventually (after 2 more ConnectEd messages) they got everything straightened out.  At the beginning of the assembly the principal did apologize to the students and parents about the mix-up.
He blamed technology.
The assembly itself was reminiscent of a cattle auction.  Or at least what I picture a cattle auction would be like.
Welcome and great job all 6th graders remarks from principal.
Instructions on when to applaud for the students (after each group of award winners had been called).
Assistant principals alternating reading/mispronouncing award names and recipients.
Students walk up on stage, accept award and handshake from principal.
Assemble at end of stage, bask in glow of stage lights and applause.
Award winners return to seats.
Repeat.
Many, many times.
They gave out about 120 awards in 30 minutes.
Very efficient.
The only stressful part for me was that I had the video camera and instructions from the Video Dog himself to get Ebby on film.
Only I didn't know which award she was getting or when.
And then the charge battery light started flashing.
But I got it.
Thank goodness.
In the meantime, here's Ebby at home with Cuyler, showing off her award.
In case you can't see it, it says: 
AVID READER AWARD presented to Elizabeth Bowles.
Of course we are very proud of Ebby for being recognized for something she loves to do.  The best part of the assembly for me though was when she waved to me (before I even waved to her) on her way into the auditorium.
Acknowledgement from your tween in front of her friends.
So rare, so sweet.
Great job, E!
xoxo

A Short Tale from our long day at the ER

If you happened to read my twitter updates from this afternoon, you may have figured out that I spent the afternoon in the Emergency Room with Rob/Bob/BGD.  He's fine. I  now have a headache.  Actually, a crushing headache, along with nausea, dizziness, & a few other assorted symptoms are what started the whole incident today.  I drove into Boston to pick up BGD (good thing I wasn't at work or anything...) and when he called his doctor and described his symptoms, they told us to go directly to the ER.  When you stagger into the ER barely able to lift your head and have tingling in your arms, they see you immediately.  Which is nice.  However once it was determined that he wasn't having a cardiac event or a stroke, things slowed waaaaaay down.  He did manage to score an IV and a prescription for some headache meds, which means we didn't totally waste 6 hours of the day.  His final diagnosis is PHI (protected health information) but I'll just say 2 words:  brain cloud (a.k.a. we have no real diagnosis for you, please follow-up with your primary care doctor so he can solve this mystery. But don't worry, whatever may or may not be ailing you is not life-threatening.)
Oh, and I think he'll be working at home tomorrow.