Nick's Life: April 2012

Our first visit to the Detroit Zoo was a struggle.  On a cool day with practically no one there, the part-time security was prepared for crowds like Elvis was performing at the Houndog exhibit.  Every turn we took was going 'the wrong way', setting off an alarm, or critically risking the lives of precious animals (or so we were told... that was in the butterfly house, which once we were in, was littered with dead butterflies already.  Not a nice exhibit.)  There's a picture here of Nick and Brandi in the Prarie Dog exhibit.  It was a lot of walking for Nick, and wore him out early.

Nick attended his first ballet when Seta, his friend next door, was performing in Cinderella with her dance crew.  He really watched it closely most of the time, and asked good questions (good questions because I ask the same things... I'm not all that culturally well-traveled.)  At one point, he threatened to storm the stage to take out the wicked stepsisters, but we restrained him.

Nick's interest in building things took off this month, so out came boxes of 30 year-old Lego blocks from the attic.  Every car I constructed decades ago has been dis-assembled and rebuilt into a jet plane somewhere.  The old city is back up in the new play room, or toy room as Nick calls it; we converted a bedroom into a dedicated toy area, so we no longer trip over train tracks out in the open walkways of the house.  He's now sleeping in his own bedroom as well, insistent on having his own space.

New foods this month: gnochi, dunklings (which are dumplings) and kiwi.

New Nickabulary: Cometeor (co-MEET-ee-or), which is a silver Corvette.

Many of the pictures this month are from the beginning of what appears to be every modern kid's agenda: continuously running to activities.  He's enrolled in soccer, tee ball, and a general intro-to-sports class.  Tee ball has been a real winner, with them already playing a game on the second day, where he covered every hit ball from left field, so they moved him to first base.  (Coach Jo scares me.  Tough woman.)  His buddy Jack is in the same tee ball class.  This class also gives him a chance to hit on the little blonde girls while they wait turns to bat (in my opinion, he really should chase the brunette, who has an awesome swing and a heckuva arm for a five-year old.)  We got some practice in tonite; he is throwing and hitting really well, but catching, not so much just yet.  I owed him male bonding time as the last week had me laid up with a kidney stone, followed by a kidney infection, topped off with a bad reaction to the antibiotic... six tough days, man.

Pictures here from this month, and a few left over from last month (like the sunflower cake, and Nick's re-creation of Plants v Zombies out of Play-Doh.)


- Jason