HRFCC Kite Festival AT THE BEACH!

We are so happy the event was moved from Suffolk to Sandbridge. YES!! The wind was perfect for our $10 Target (Alien) kite, but not enough for our elaborate dragon kite. Alien-kite stayed up throughout the entire event, despite many handoffs to different children. Panda was even rigged up to fly the kite and it stayed up under his watch.

The new vernacular....

Amy comes home from school now, hands me three or four pieces of "artwork", and says, "here mommy-you can put this on the blog, and this on the blog and this on the blog"!

The International Children's Festival in Hampton, VA

I need to expose a little inside joke. Michael and Don affectionately say, "MICHAEL" or "DON" respectively, if they see a stranger in public that has strong characteristics of the other. So Don says, "MICHAEL" (loudly and staccatto) if he sees a, you know, a typically jewish looking 40-something. And Michael says, "DON", if he sees a salt and pepper haired 40-something. Well I'll be darned, if Amy and I strolled up to the International Children's Festival, to hear the tune of "Tumbala, tumbala, tumbala-laika", live by the Klezmer band of Williamsburg, VA, only to hear AMY say, "MICHAEL" -- like father like daughter!!!

Okay, so here's my critique of the festival. Hampton, you have sunk serious dough into this, and I thank you. Thank you City of Hampton for recruiting such classy and amazing talent from so many countries. The entertainment was nonpareil. I will not return, however, unless you have restroom facilities with running water, access to food and drink that doesn't require harassment from overcrowded, overheated, dirty-handed Hampton-ians. While not a requirement, I think 2 face-painters in a "children's festival" is a vast under-supply. I waited on line for an hour with many hot, sweaty-but nice, Hampton-ians who would have glady paid quadruple the price to get a little grease on our face-paint craving kiddos.

Sunday update: India Festival rocked! We met my favorite yoga friend, Carly, and loved it. It turned into a regular HRFCC reunion, with Sylvie, Zoey, Keri and their parents showing up. Jean, blessings for your mom in the hospital. Gina, congrats on giving your dissertation - Dr. to be! I want to be reincarnated as an Indian, go back to college and do Bhangra competitions!

Dim Sum Saturday and a Birthday Party

Amy and I had Dim Sum together. Daddy was horse-back riding with his work pals. We then went to the Mall for her buddy, Freya's birthday party at the Build-a-Bear place. The picture of Amy looking at her new tiara is in the Disney store, where we first went to get Freya's gift. Amy somehow got more gifts than Freya. Amy is pictured hugging two of her friends, Riley and Chloe, from school in one photo. In another photo she is hugging the birthday girl. She loved the coin operated, moving ice cream truck and horse in the center of the mall. The picture of her head on the table is when we stopped at Starbucks for a convenience stop. She was trying to write her suggestions on a suggestion-card, but she couldn't keep her head up.

It was so strange when I received the invitation for Freya's party. The next day or so, I received an invitation for Freya's birthday party, only it was the weekend prior to the bear party, and it was to be at the Norfolk Zoo. The first coincidence was, we already had planned to take Amy to the National Zoo on that same day. I was trying to figure out this "new-age" way of giving your child two parties on consecutive weekends. I thought perhaps Freya's parents were divorced and were having separate parties. I RSVP'd no to the zoo party and yes to the bear party. Come to find out Amy has two Freya's in her class, both with birthdays on the same week! I guess Freya is the new Mary.

Sunday addition: Amy doing a spotted handstand on the balance beam at the park, and Don doing yoga unspotted on the beam.

A visit to Grandma and the National Zoo

Things worked out so well this weekend. Gratefully, the forecasters were dead wrong, and we had a sublime weather day on Saturday. Amy wanted to see Pandas first, and thankfully we parked in lot C. That meant we wheeled the vehicles up the hill for the first animal (Panda) celebration. We then had lunch outside at the Panda Cafe. It was warm outside and the junk food tasted good. From there we enjoyed the downhill stroll to see Elephants, Hippos, Great Apes, Gibbons, Chimps, Lions, Tigers, Bears, Reptiles and the pleasant weather.

In between the zoo and catching dinner out with family, we played in the NEW downtown of Bethesda, including Amy's test of the new huge-screen Macs at the Apple store and her haircut at Hair Cuttery. We are so thankful that Linda and Michel, and Michael, Hilary and Melison (Melanie and Alison) made time to join us. It was fantabulous. Thanks for trekking to Rockville and spoiling Amy with love and presents.

Amy is treasuring her "Green" Panda stuffed-animal (fibers made from soybeans), which was a beloved gift from Grandma at the zoo. Daddy bought her plate and bowl in plastic Panda Dinner-ware, and to her this added to her dinner of pancakes, sausage and egg, the joy of the finest Bone China.