X day 2013

There are not many words that begin with x, and, thankfully, no one in our family needed x-rays on this day... Please excuse the exceptions to the initial-letter LotD tradition: most of the words in this post just make the "x" sound.

G & J got some exercise at the Y.

We went to the library, where E found several "Exit" signs.

At Best Buy, J & G checked out the Xbox.

The kids watched the original X Men movie on DVD.

We noticed the THX and 20th Century Fox logos.

(J's middle initial may or may not be a nod to Professor Xavier.)

We did some scientific experiments...

T's hypothesized that the number of times a bouncy-ball bounces is directly proportional to the height from which it is dropped. He decided that errors in the experimental setup (uneven floor, difficulty achieving a straight drop and counting bounces) produced inconclusive data.

We also experimented with viscosity by measuring the amount of time it took a marble to fall through a column filled with various fluids.

As you can see, the kids were all extremely excited.

T chewed some Extra gum.

Because the power at our house was out (due to the thunderstorm on T day), we slept over at the kids' grandparents' house. There was a beautiful cross-stitch pillow on one of the beds; E saw a pretty flower basked made with lots of little x's.

bedtime story = A Summertime Song by Irene Haas

(which has absolutely nothing to do with the letter X, but is still a very lovely book)

T day 2013

breakfast = toast

We went to Target to get toothpaste. E & T found books with "T" titles: Tangled

and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Watch

As we waited for lunch, E was tempted by her tiki-cookie, but she had to eat her tomato florentine soup first.

J, T, & E worked with some tie dye.

At NeNe's house the kids had a tank battle on a table.

(G wore his Tulsa basketball shirt.)

J needed a little help from Papa Tom because the fire-stick trigger was tricky.
 

E (wearing a tank top) put on a few temporary tattoos. (Did you see the tiger on Papa's arm?)

We ate dinner at Ted's Cafe Escondido. They have a tortilla-making machine! S ate a tamale and a taco.

Later T & E watched Teen Titans. G & J watched a little TableTop. 

The tie-dyed t-shirts turned out terrific!

  

bedtime stories:

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis
(This is an excellent book about adoption!)

Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo. LeSieg, illustrated by Roy McKie

I day 2013

We had to get a little inventive for this letter day...

lunch = Incredible Pizza

with ice cream

At home, the boys practiced their instruments.

The kids also spent some time playing on their iPods.

For dessert, E at the icing off a cupcake.

 G & T attempted invisibility. (Creeper J photobomb in the background)

We watched The Incredibles.

 

(Did you know that Wallace Shawn, the actor who plays Vizzini in The Princess Bride, also had a role in The Incredibles? He is the voice of Gilbert Huph, Mr. Incredible's boss at the insurance company.)

We also watched a few of our favorite scenes from The Princess Bride:

iocane powder

Inigo Montoya

and, of course, "Inconceivable!"

J day 2013

NeNe has an antique juke box at her house.

J loves to eat at Jimmy John's! (He does not love having his picture taken.)

Later we jumped rope.

T wore his shirt from Eskimo Joe's, "Stillwater's Jumpin' Little Juke Joint".

G wore the "I ♥ JC" shirt he made at VBS a couple of years ago.

 dessert = Jello

And then we played Jenga. 

Jenga!

 

bedtime story = Jamberry by Bruce Degen

B day 2013

breakfast = buttermilk biscuits + bacon

This morning E picked blueberries at Berryhill Blueberries

while her brothers had piano lessons... playing Beethoven.

S wore her Boston hat.

We ate lunch at the best bakery in town.

 Later we went bowling at Sheridan Lanes.

(Bumpers made our scores better.)

E looks like a ballerina!

dinner = brown beans & cornbread

dessert = home-baked brownies

We threw a baseball around in the backyard.

J the bat boy is wearing his WCA Bowl-A-Rama shirt.

E & J built a battle scene with Bionicles.

We watched Beauty and the Beast.

E took a bubble bath.

bedtime story = Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly by Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser