Sunday, June 24, 2012

Bye, Bye Baby Tooth




Yesterday, I noticed one of Gus' teeth not aligning the way it always has, when asked, he wiggled it for me with his tongue very non-challantly, before running off to do the next little-boy thing he had to do. I, meanwhile, freaked out, stormed through a couple of websites and fired off a dozen texts, then decided to just make him a tooth box and talk to him about losing his teeth - a subject I thought I wouldn't have to broach for another year or two. Admittedly, Gus managed to quietly grow a full set of teeth, at a time when other children his age where still in the throws of teething, but 4 1/2 seems so early to say goodbye to those sweet, little teeth.



Armed with the tooth box, I felt better. Gus never felt anxious or worried at all. With the calm of a child, who can put himself to bed, while the sitter is clearing the dinner table (true story), Gus humored me and let me peer at his mouth countless times and tell my story about the "tooth-tinker bell fairy" (that's the only visual of a fairy we know) and how there is a prize (what's the going rate for a tooth these days, anyways?) if he managed to hold on to that tooth and put it in the box.
Well, as the somewhat fuzzy picture above shows, the tooth came out without a hitch and absolutely no extreme emotions - unfortunately it came out in the pool, as we cooled off this afternoon. While everyone was trying to look for it (thank you, lifeguard and all the nice folks, who ventured into the water to "feel for a tooth), I had a gut-mommy feeling that I wouldn't get my hands on that new tooth...oh well.
What I have in its stead is a gappy-toothy grinny boy. He doesn't care one bit and is not fazed by it at all.


Here he is after dinner, singing to himself and watching the weather - tired of smiling for Momma "just one more time."

I can't believe he lost his first tooth and my tooth box is EMPTY!!!

- Geraldine, posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Brevard, NC

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Swimming at the Shoals





Fridays in the summer have been our favorite days for as long as Gus has been alive. Since his first summer we've been coming here Friday mornings for an impromptu playdate and picnic with other mothers and tots from the area. What began as a little group of friends looking for something to do, is now a full-fledge standing outing, that is being planned and discussed on Facebook.




To us, this place is magical. No wonder they filmed the Hunger Games here. This place is so wild and beautiful, it takes my breath away every time we journey there. Gus loves the many natural pools and puddles, some deep enough to swim in, some shallow enough for the little ones to splash in.



One of my favorite pics of Gus from yesterday. I can see all the wisdom of a soon-to-be-5-year-old in it, but there is so much of my sweet baby still to be had. We swirled sand in the water and later walked up the spillway to Lake Julia and Gus fearlessly got in and swam, while I kept a lookout for the snapping turtle, rumored to live there.



This is always one of my favorite images, we all hike in 3 miles with our ragged all-terrain strollers (whenever there is a shiny new one, we know we have a new mom among us) then park them carelessly as we all shed coverups and get in for a cool, refreshing soak.

- Geraldine, posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Dupont Forest, Cedar Mountain, North Carolina

Big Bike








Introducing Gus' newest recreation possession a 20-inch (20 inches!!!) Specialized Bike from Sycamore Cycles in Brevard. It's still a bit too big, but at the rate Gus is growing, we didn't want to invest too much money in a bike he would tower over next summer. The push bike got handed down to Rion and now we are on to learn how to ride with pedals, a handbrake and a disk-brake.
No gear shifting though. We figured that was too much of a transition for our little cyclist.
We'll be spending some time in abandoned parking lots before we take this show on the road.
- Geraldine, posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Brevard, North Carolina

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Playing Dirty


Today we finished our first ever mud run (a 5K with 23 obstacles in it - most of them having something to do with dirt, water or both). Jacob raced on a 4-some team with his firefighter colleagues - and then decided to run it one more time - just because that's how tough he is.

That tough...

I raced with my best Brevard girlfriends: Perry, Aleshka & Heather, as dirty, white squirrels (Brevard is famous for having a healthy population of non-albino white squirrels) and despite all my worries that this wouldn't be fun - I like distance, I like racing against clocks, and I like my race course unencumbered - I was surprised by how much fun, wallowing in mud pits can be.
I felt tough, too...as tough as you can feel with fuzzy white ears and glitter on my arms.
Today was a good day.
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Friday, June 1, 2012

Packages with string...

If anyone feels called to send Gus a package or card to camp, they allow it! (most camps nowadays stay away from packages). Here is the address:

Gus Dinkins
Christmount's Camp Lakey Gap
222 Fern Way
Black Mountain, NC 28711

He will be there from June 10-16 (camp booklet says to send things early)

Not sure what to tell you to send. Maybe pictures? Water toys? Anything that a lot of children can enjoy together? That he can share with everyone. Baked goods? A flashlight?

Your guess is as good as mine.


- Geraldine, posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Water Play

It's been hot and sunny here in beautiful Brevard and we were lucky enough the other day to steal away in the late afternoon as the whole Dinkins family of three to go explore a good swimming hole in the Davidson River in Pisgah National Forest (we are truly spoiled, this unspoiled piece of idyllic scenery is just three traffic lights away from our home.)


Gus has discovered swirling mud in the water and can be bent over happily in frigid water doing just that - swirling mud in the water....all the while displaying the cutest, tiniest little plumber's butt....I need to remember to cover the cheeks in sunscreen, as well.


The second funny sight, is the fact that a bit further up the stream and a bit deeper in the water, there is the exact replica - plumber's butt and all - bent over to pick up rocks to skip - Jacob can do that seemingly for hours, as well.



They both look so much alike in that moment, same rib cage ripples under the skin, same curve to their bent back, same singular focus...

...I guess this is an early Father's Day post. They are so much alike, sometimes I have to tell myself I'm there to point that out, not to feel left out.



- Geraldine, posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Brevard