Firsties

I wrote so little this summer that I have a stockpile of tidbits never recorded, so have lots of good stuff that I could share. The flip side of that is that I have so many things to record that it is hard to know how to catch up. Have to just do it if I am going to do it, though, eh?

Here are some firsts from the past few months. I'll probably have to update this a few times before I get everything down.

• Zeke, my little culture vulture, went to see his first stage production, a musical adaptation of Good Night Moon. It was delightful. Not quite what I was expecting -- a little more high energy than you would expect given how soporific the book is -- but all of the children really enjoyed it. The children's behavior was also not quite what expected --all of the little ones were entranced, listened and clapped at all the right parts. The night we saw it Zeke wanted to read Good Night Moon and a week later still asks to read it at least once a day. Also making it an especially nice event: it was free. One of the moms from Zeke's school is working on the production and opened the final rehearsal to all of the school families. Interestingly enough, most of the families that attended were families we knew and even though it was late, we let the children take over the lobby of the Woodruff Arts Center for a little while and have some fun together. The show is open for another week, so there is still time to go!

• Zeke watched a movie for the first time this summer. I'm not saying that he hasn't watched things for more than an hour; it is just that it is usually that he was watching one half hour video twice. Zeke's first feature length movie was Babe, one of my favorite children's movies. You know, the one that makes it look perfectly common sense not to eat adorable pigs, especially the kind talking ones that herd sheep. I was thinking Zeke might not see it until that day in the future when he asks why we eat veggie bacon and ham, but we got an early start of it. I just love it: "That'll do, pig." (Side note: I used to work with a woman in her sixties and she and her husband said that to each other as an endearment. I found this very charming, but more than a little odd, too.) Recently, Zeke has also seen Monsters, Inc. and now he wants to see that everyday.

• Zeke also took his first really really long road trip. (The standard trip being the eight hours it takes to get to our family to the south and our family to the north.) We drove up to Chicago last month and Zeke got to go through a couple of new states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. He was so good the whole trip, that I am almost willing to forgive him the whining stage that he has entered this week. No more long trips for awhile...or until next month.

• Zeke got to go see fireworks for the first time. Rather, he got to see fireworks that weren't being lit by a neighbor, something that happens at least twice a year. Anyway, I've always been a little anxious about braving big city crowds on the Fourth of July (yes, I know this was four months ago), so have skipped going out for fireworks despite how much I love them. I got a little more gutsy this year and we rode the train over to Decatur. A total twofer: a train ride and fireworks.

• Zeke had his first music lesson...kinda. A family friend teaches violin using the Suzuki method and was starting a group for little ones. We went to check a sample lesson out and Zeke loved it. For days after, he would plead, "More violence, Mommy! More violence!" However, the commute to class was too much and required that I go further than three miles around the house I like to call my comfort zone. Even in a hybrid, it seemed like too much gas to use. I always wanted to take music lessons as a child, so I hope I am not projecting onto my child too much, but I think Zeke and I will both enjoy him taking music lessons eventually.

More as I think of them!