Kimler Adventure Pages (http://randsco.com)

Alex goes to Vancouver for Spring Break 2009! Alex visited maternal grandparents for a week of fun, most of which has been captured in this online scrap book (Thanks Gran!)

Alex has a "Whale" of a Time in Vancouver!

Spring Break: Alex had lots of fun on her Spring Break trip to Vancouver. She went to the Vancouver Aquarium, Lynn Valley Ecology Center, Science World, took in a play, went to the park and swam in the community pool!

I still have to pinch myself at the fact that Alex is in school! She's finished her 2nd (of 3) kindergarten terms and did very well on her report card, by the way. (Alex "meets expectations" or "exceeds expectations" in all 42 of the development metrics and improved over her first term marks in 7 of them.)

Yay Alex! (Congratulations and high-five's all 'round for our "Oop"!)

For her week-long Spring break, Rachel ferried Alex over to the mainland, so that she could spend a week with her maternal grandparents. Rachel returned after a couple days and we were "kid-less" for the better part of a week! (Not that we really took advantage of it, but we did note how clean the house stayed and - sadly - how quiet it was in her absence. On the plus side, we did enjoy a few "pub dinners" and even had a lunch-date at a sushi restaurant, so mom and dad enjoyed some "quality time" for ourselves.

Alex was kept very busy in Vancouver and even kept a journal of her activities! ("Thanks Gran and grandpa for taking good care of me! I had lots of fun and I especially liked making the scrap book," said Alex, adding, "Well, Dad said to say the bit about the scrap book, but I did have fun making it - really!")

To see what the Oop was up to on her Spring break ... read on ...

Alex's Spring Break Journal

Alex "wrote" her very first letter to Santa Claus, with a list of what she wants for Christmas. Her wants are few! She also visited Santa at the local mall and is eagerly awaiting the red-man's trip down our chimney. Merry Christmas everyone!

Alex's first letter to Santa Claus!

Well, it was more a dictation that actual writing, as Mom played the part of "secretary" and Alex acted as "the boss" (a role she plays all too well).

The Oop did pen the salutation to Jolly St. Nick and then - at the end - penned her name, which was followed by an alternating, ungulating row of X's and O's - for hugs and kisses. (I think she's pretty smitten with the rosy-cheeked, gift-giving man)!

You can see from the above image that Alex is still struggling with the letter "S" (and also has a tough time writing the number "3"), though she fairs pretty well with the others. There's always the occasional "backward" letter and sometimes - guess this is common? - Alex writes a whole word (her name, usually) in mirrored reverse. I couldn't do that if I tried. I wonder if that's why Dad and Mom are palindromes? Makes it easier for kids to spell!

Although the body of the letter was in Rachel's handwriting, the words belong to our 5-year-old kindergartner.

To read Alex's cute Santa Claus letter, Merry Christmas greeting and pictures ... carry on

Alex's letter to Santa

What parent isn't proud when their kid takes the stage for the first time? Alex's school put on a Christmas Pageant and the kindergarten classes all joined in to do a reindeer "Hokey Pokey" dance. (Video included)

Alex Takes the Stage for a "Reindeer Hokey Pokey" Dance

Hokey Pokey Kid: Here's Alex in her "reindeer" costume (cut-out of hands for "antlers" and a Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer red nose!). Here, Alex is enjoying a bit of post-Christmas-Pageant, home-made apple and blackberry pie!

Alex loves to perform at home, taking over the living room, doing her modern, "interpretive" dancing (and sometimes singing). So I figured she'd be all over her Christmas pageant like a dirty shirt, but I was a little surprised she wasn't more "into it" than she was.

Woodbank Primary School put on their annual Christmas Pageant the other night. They had an afternoon performance (rehearsal with the other grades) and a 6:30 PM performance, for the parents. Each class did one (or more) songs on a temporary, elevated stage in the gymnasium. It was pretty cute, watching all the kids perform. Some were really into it and others weren't, but a fun time was had by all, I think.

We sat next to our family doctor, Neil Rogers, who has twin boys starting school next year and another son in 2nd grade. (You know you live in a small town when you go to the "school play" and see your doctor!)

Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead, but Rachel came to the rescue and caught video of "the Oop" doing her Hokey Pokey thing! (They were supposed to be "reindeer" and each kindergartner had a red nose and a head band with cut-out hands as "antlers". Both the morning and afternoon kindergarten classes were combined, which is why there's so many kids.)

Alex is wearing a blue dress and is - pretty much - the kid in the center of the video. Her teacher, Mrs. Pettit, is the one you see in front, waving her arms and shaking her head, giving directions to the kids.

OKAY ... I'll shut up now. Head to the next page to see the unedited, raw footage. (Pasted in a relative hurry for eager grandparent's pleasure)!

Alex does the Hokey Pokey

Our five-year-old daughter, Alex (whom we call "the Oop"), had a great Halloween this year. Her Halloween costume was a princess gown, tiara and a shimmery golden cape. She thought she was pretty cute. She was! Hope you had a great Halloween too!

Halloween Tales of Princess Oop

Princess Oop: Alex wearing her "Princess" Halloween costume, standing next to the one-tooth pumpkin she helped carve, is ready for an evening of trick-or-treat. A dollar-store crown and a six-dollar thrift store costume shows that parents don't have to break the bank to put a Halloween outfit on their kid.

Alex has been enamored with Princesses for some time. It all started when she received a Disney "My Princess Collection" Alex's Princess Books "My Princess Collection" is a boxed set of 12 hardcover books containing illustrated stories about heroines from Disney and Pixar films, including: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Toy Story 2 (Jessie), Alice in Wonderland, Atlantis (Kida), Aladdin (Jasmine), Sleeping Beauty (Aurora), A Bug's Life (Dot), Pocahontas, and The Little Mermaid (Ariel). They're all told from a first-person perspective - that of each Princess - each being a story of true love, adventure and "living happily ever after". The Oop loves them and both Mom & Dad can tell each story, from rote memory.  of bedtime stories, as a gift from her "Uncle" Bruce and "Aunt" Michelle. For a while, they were her favorite bedtime reading choice and it started a near-obsession with Princesses, which resulted in a myriad of drawings, discussions and has - hopefully culminated with - this year's Halloween costume.

Trust me, as a responsible father, no-one wants their little girl believing that they are "a princess" ... with all the self-important, royal behavior that might follow! (Pity the poor guy marrying into THAT, some day, eh? I'm not sure where he'd sit on that royal court, but I doubt it'd be as "prince" ... more likely knave, slave or court jester!)

Alex's "princess" costume consisted of a $5 princess dress at the thrift store, a $1 jewel-studded tiara and the golden cape she was given for 'dress-up' on her birthday, a few weeks ago. Best $6 Rachel ever spent! The Oop loved it and played her part royally, wearing it to the local pumpkin patch, then to kindergarten, a party at day-care and (of course) trick-or-treating on Halloween night!

For a slide-show of the Princess Alex's Halloween festivities (and a celebration of the joy, innocence and excitement of a 5-year-old girl) ... read on ...

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First School Bus Ride: About a month after school started, Alex had a chance to take the school bus home. Boy, was she excited about doing that!

A "Proud-as-Punch" Kid

Barreling Down Yellow Point: Alex's school bus arriving at her stop. Yes, there are still a couple of 5-acre parcels available at the end of our street. See that pot-hole? It's something we have to try and miss, each time we come home. We're getting pretty good at putting the tires between the pot-hole and the road edge!

School started some time ago, but it wasn't till this month that Alex rode the school bus home for the very first time. It wasn't for lack of lobbying on her part.

"Mommy?" (or Daddy, depending), she'd ask, "Can I take the bus home tomorrow?"

More often than not, Alex was headed to day-care immediately after her afternoon kindergarten class, or off to swimming, or we'd pick her up on our way into town ... or some other activity. It's a rare day that she can actually ride the bus and boy-oh-boy, was she eager to do so.

Riding the bus to school isn't really an option, since the bus comes at 8 AM and her kindergarten class doesn't start till 11:35 AM. However, riding the bus from school is an option and (somehow) she knew it! She was bugging us about riding the bus since school began.

Finally, the opportunity to take the bus home came up and she was sooooo excited!

To see how excited and proud a 5-year-old can be about riding a school bus for the first time .... read on ...

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