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".

Happy 40th!

Our friend Madoka is making an independent film this winter titled "Happy 40th!" As a backer of the film, Dexy received a promotional cap from Madoka in the mail. She scouted a location in Maine for a winter scene so we're all hoping for a beautiful blanket of snow for filming.

Too Much Bucket

Dexter used one of the buckets that Elissa picked up for him to carry in cherry tomatoes he picked from the backyard garden. He chose the green bucket because, "Green is my favorite color!" Even though we had more tomatoes than we could carry in by hand, it was a little too much bucket for the job.

Validation of Parenting Skills

When we took Dex to the dentist a few weeks ago for his 6-month check up, we got the good news that his teeth were doing great - no cavities!  We also got a fantastic report from the dental assistant about his behavior during the check up - he was very cooperative and polite. "Great job with his brushing and flossing - keep it up!" she said to us. Initially I felt very pleased with myself and was all puffed up with pride about our excellent tooth-brushing abilities. Here was some kind of objective "measure" of our parenting skills! But some of this has to do with Dexy's teeth and not our brushing and flossing habits, right? Some kids have the kinds of teeth or environmental factors that make them susceptible to cavities (in fact, Dex has "deep ridges" in his "downstairs" teeth so we need to be very intentional about getting those clean). The more I thought about it, the more proud I felt about Dexter's good behavior during the check up than his no cavities. That was the real validation of our parenting skills. Dexy was a little anxious and hesitant about going to the dentist but we were able to calm those fears and he was able to handle himself wonderfully.

You're Out!

Dex catching a fly ball at Cellular Field!