Post-Gig Dinner at the Twisted Spoke

We ended up having dinner with Carolina after the gig on the Twisted Spoke's rooftop deck. The weather was perfect for early fall - warm and breezy. Dexter did great but was pretty tired after all that dancing.





Still, the excitement of eating outside on the roof and all the motorcycle parts that adorn the restaurant were enough to keep him going through dinner. He got to see the rotating skeleton on a motorcycle from up close up there!

Daddy's Roadies

Dexter, Carolina, and I helped Ben carry his equipment back to the car after the gig.

Daddy Laying It Down

And biker chick getting down.

Dancing Machine

Once Dexy had had enough pumpkin viewing, he settled in to listen to the music and dance.  He danced with Mommy,

and Carolina.

He even got Daddy to dance with him while the singer did a solo number.

He danced with (near) a biker chick,

and even all by himself. The dude was a dancing machine - he was feeling those rockabilly tunes.







Jazz hands!

Design Festival Gig

Yesterday afternoon Dexy and I met Carolina at an outdoor design festival that Ben was playing.

There were lots of artisans and craftspeople hawking super expensive furniture and knick knacks and then there were haybales and pumpkins - lots of them.

As we walked the length of the festival, Dex pointed out every single pumpkin.

First Homework

Dexy's first homework assignment was completing a poster all about himself. We used different media to complete the poster but I especially like his painting of a dump truck (he wants to be a dump truck driver when he grows up), his depiction of Daddy with all the "prickles" coming out of his head, and the fact that his one wish would be for cake.

Incorporating Reality into Play

Dex: "Hurry Mommy, there is some traffic jam out here!"

Me: "Oh my, that IS some traffic jam!"

Celebrating Seven Years

Each year for our wedding anniversary, Ben and I incorporate something from our wedding into a celebration that includes Dexter. It gives Ben and me a chance to relive some of the early joys, excitement, and anticipation of our partnership as well as share with Dexter the story of his family.

This year, for our seventh anniversary, we took Dexter to Ignotz, the restaurant where we had dinner with our parents the night before our wedding.  Dexy enjoyed the meal but loved coming up the skinny alley to get into the restaurant!

We got the waitress to take a picture of all of us together before the meal (while Dexy still looked relatively clean).

That Frog's Name is Swelva

During orientation for school, I noticed a small frog in a glass container and pointed it out to Dexy, "Look, your new school has a pet frog!"  I then asked the teachers what the frog's name was and they said they were going to have the students decide on a name when school starts. At this point, Dexter declared, "That frog's name is Swelva." Ben, both teachers (Miss Jill and Miss Jenny), and I all turned to Dexy and simultaneously said, "What?" Dexy repeated, "That frog's name is Swelva." As we were all trying to make sure we heard him correctly (we did), Miss Jenny asked Dex how he came up with that name and he replied that he made it up in his head (OBVIOUSLY!).  So, we all had a chuckle and figured that would be the end of the Swelva discussion. 

However, over the weekend, as we were talking with Dex about starting school on Monday, he kept bringing up "Swelva the frog". We explained that the frog didn't yet have a name and that he would have a chance to decide with his classmates what they would call the frog.

At the end of the first day of school, Dexy came home with a slip of paper on which he was to write two suggested names for the frog - a first and last name. He trotted back to school on Tuesday with his choices of Swelva Amphibian written on his paper. When I arrived to pick him up, the teachers made a beeline to me while calling Dexter over, "Dexter, tell your mom what the frog's name is!" They were too excited to wait for Dex to make it over and Miss jenny spilled the beans. "I can't believe it! That frog's name is Swelva! We had a maintenance guy pull the names out of a hat and I almost died when he read out loud 'Swelva?'" She said she was laughing so hard no sound was coming out. Turns out the frog's last name, also chosen at random through a draw from the hat, is "Jackman". Sure enough, that frog's name is Swelva. Swelva Jackman.

First Day of Pre-K

Dexter was so excited to start school again. I took him with me to the parents' orientation one evening the week prior (Ben was working and we didn't have a sitter) and he got to meet his new teachers. Then, we all went to an open house to see the new school building and classroom. It was much bigger than his last school - he was thrilled to see a train table and played in the kitchen making "lunch" for the school superintendent (2 hamburger patties with a slice of cheese in the middle).

When the first day of school finally came, he put on his backpack and headed off cheerfully, promising Mommy that he would be kind to everybody and use his manners.

It warmed my heart to see Dexy and Ben holding hands in the parking lot. He's becoming more and more independent but is still willing to be close to Mommy and Daddy.

When I picked him up and couldn't fit his artwork into his backpack, we switched him to a larger backpack. Dexy said he had a great first day at school - he met some new friends and got to play with the trains!

Learning to Bump on the Bumper Cats

Dexy got to try out bumper cars for the first time! For some reason, he insists on calling them "Bumper Cats".  That's right, as in "meow".

He told me that they would start and stop all by themselves and people bumped into each other! Ben said Dexy mostly got bumped but also did a little bumping.

Friendly County Fair Animals

It must have been feeding time because Ben said he's never seen such friendly animals at a county fair before.

Dexy named ALL the goats - this one is "High Boy".

County Fair Cuisine

Corn dogs and lemonade!

County Fair Favorites

Dexter told me he had three favorite activities at the county fair:

The House of Mirrors. Ever since his last county fair visit, he's been asking to go "in a house, but not a scary house." He loved how all the different mirrors made him look and he loved the mirror maze.

The Big Swing. Ben said Dexy had a huge smile on his face the whole time. At one point when he passed Ben, he shouted, "I'm having fun!"

The Roller Coaster. This time, Dexy went all by himself. He clung on for dear life but the smile never left his face!

Demolition Derby Fix

Last weekend, I had work to do so Ben took Dexter to what will likely be the last county fair this summer. They got their fill of demolition derby!

I think Dexter was full before Ben was but he was prepared for the noise with his headphones.

Driving Expressions

It is clear from Dexter's and Ben's facial expressions that they are really intense when playing car racing video games.

And that they really enjoy them!

Different (Putt Putt) Strokes

We headed back to the go-cart area to use up our putt-putt tickets and game tokens (it was too busy on Labor Day for us to wait in line). This time, we had the place to ourselves.  Lucky thing - it took more than an hour for us to complete all 18 holes! 

At first, Dexter refused help with his form.

But he observed Daddy and Mommy and eventually let Daddy show him how to hold the club, aim, and swing.

Dexy loved the obstacles (at home, he has now incorporated obstacles and machines into our "roll it, find it" ball game).

Spaghetti Slurp

Dexy now wants to eat his spaghetti "not cut up". He's getting the hang of twirling it around his fork...

and has mastered slurping up the strands that hang down.

Is Dexy's Face a Basketball Magnet?

After getting bopped in the face with a basketball while Daddy was playing a basketball game, Dexy gave it a shot himself on the kids' version.

He managed to bop himself in the face when the basketball didn't make it over the plexiglass barrier and bounced back into his face. But he kept going and, with a little effort, managed to make a shot into the net rather than into his face.

Roller Coasting

Dexy really wanted to ride his first "roller coaster" but he wanted Daddy to go with him. Poor Ben had to squeeze his long legs into the little cart.

Dexy clung to the bar and looked simultaneously terrified and thrilled for the whole ride. Afterwards, he told me that he loved it.

Go-Karting

We did manage to get Dexy to a local kids' fun park on Labor Day. He and Daddy stood in line for about an hour for a two-minute turn with the go-karts.

Judging by Dexy's and Ben's faces, it was time well-spent!

Sam's Club Parkour

Dexter has been enjoying watching American Ninja Warrior this summer. He loves watching the athletes attempt all the obstacles. Inspired by American Ninja Warrior, Dex turned Sam's Club into his own personal obstacle course.

Labor Day Mattress Event

For our upcoming 7th anniversary, Ben and I decided to splurge on a new mattress (our old mattress was about 15 years old so we were due!). Unfortunately, this meant comparison shopping for mattresses so we spent the majority of our labor day weekend doing just that. We tried out dozens of mattresses and finally decided on a firm Beautyrest. Because we had lots of info about pricing, we were able to get a great deal and the option to exchange it after a 30 day trial period if we didn't like it. Unfortunately, we don't like it (too firm!). We are counting down the days to the exchange.

Dexy was a trooper - he hopped on lots of different kinds of beds and learned all about mattress construction (one salesman was especially patient and answered all of Dexy's questions). Dex is now telling everyone who will listen, "mattresses have springs and foam inside but some mattresses don't have springs".