A holiday week! A crazy drum circle at the end of the year picnic for music class, a 3rd of July party at our house, water play with Gram, great lunch at Arbor Brewing Company, cooling off at Independence Lake, great dinner at The Jolly Pumpkin, and everything is coming up roses.
365_2010 We celebrated a day early with fireworks, a fire and s'mores, and good company in our own driveway.
At least it wasn't full of water when he put it there...
Either he's trying to eat her sparkler, or she's about to turn him into a newt.
And not to forget the S'mores.
holidays, summer, traditions 
The big news this week was Calvin's first piano recital, which went swimmingly and was loved by all. But before that, on Friday we drove to Grand Rapids to meet a special new baby visiting from Seattle, on Saturday we drove to Ikea to spend our garage sale money on the bookshelves we've always wanted to have covering the wall in our playroom (pictured here on Tuesday with a cat in them), and through the rest of the week we too Paddington for a walk, spent a day at the zoo, and found an intriguing spider in our neighborhood.
365_2010 Calvin has been taking piano lessons for about three months now. He started back in March with group lessons coming from Mrs. Faber, Jon's boss, and has been continuing his learning at home with both of us helping him. He loves to play, and there are days when, from the kitchen while I'm making dinner, I'll hear him sit down and play a song or practice a piece that had previously been difficult for him. He has been improving and learning by leaps and bounds, so when Jon planned a summer recital for his seven studetns and Calvin was eager to participate, we saw no harm in him doing so. In fact, far from it being detrimental, the recital was a wonderful experience for him. It is, after all, one thing to hear your talented and studied father play the piano, and a whole different world to to hear and see other young and inexperienced students of varying levels perform. He played well—very well, really, not even allowing audience noise or minor errors slip him up—and we'd like to point out (because we are, after all, proud and biased parents) that he even plays one song with multiple hands and fingers going. And when it came to the other kids playing he listed with rapt attention. We could not have asked for a better first recital.
Video | tagged milestones, piano 
At least the original part of the butterfly garden is beginning to look lush and inviting; Singing from the top of a step stool; We almost always find bumblebees on this specific bush during our evening walks; A little piano to try at home (the keys weren't actually smaller so it wasn't any real help); Protective mother kildeer at the nursery where we went tree shopping; Does the help of little hands really help? The jury is still out, but at least it's precious (he's working the noodle dough); and the zinnias are in bloomi n our garden.
365_2010