Pogo Stick Record

Noah is an old pro on the pogo stick.  Within less than one week get jumped over 1000 jumps in a row.  He wanted to set the world record.  I googled and saw another 6 year old did 1,290 jumps in a row.  Guiness Book of World Records doesn't publish by age, so their record for an adult is over 200,000 jumps in a row.  We knew he could beat 1,290 and he likes pogo'ing on Grandma Lois & Grandpa Gene's back patio because it's totally flat without cracks and bumps.

Once he got to 1,290 I told him he broke it and he kept on going..... until he hit 1,449.

The funny thing is he had been playing hard all day.  And we walked from my  mom's house to my grandparents house and he pogo'd a lot of the way there (470 in a row before he fell on an acorn or something).

Noah's excited to be the unofficial 6 year old world record holder of most consecutive pogo stick jumps in a row.  Way to go, Noah!

Noah's 6th birthday party

Noah had his birthday party at the gymnastics place he and Elliot used to take classes. It is a really fun/big gymnasium.  The kids had a great time!  Each party has their own party coaches (somehow they managed to have 5 or 6 bday parties going on all at once).  The party coach takes the kids out and parents aren't allowed on the floor.  The coach led them through several stations and things to do.  Paul and I were given bracelets and allowed to come on the floor to take pictures.  Then we had a half an hour in a party room to eat cake.

We didn't have time to open presents, so we did that at home.  Noah was excited to play with all his new toys this week and has been writing one or two thank you notes a night to all his friends.

Finn and Hudson carpooled with us.  These kids were ready to party!

Noah's 6th Birthday

Noah turned six this week!  We started out with singing Happy Birthday and opening his present from us first.

 

Noah's birthday was on a Tuesday, and he wasn't very enthused about having to go to school on his birthday.  I promised him it would be fun to get to celebrate at school.  He got to bring Twinkies for a birthday treat.  The school has adopted a new policy that we have to buy store made treats and snacks due to kids that have peanut and other food allergies.  Noah had never had Twinkies and kind of turned up his nose at them in the car.  Needless to say, once he had it, he loved them - as did his whole class.  Twinkies were a huge hit!  

When we first got to school, Mrs. Pease put this birthday crown on him.  Noah said he wore it all day, even to lunch and specials.  He said school was awesome, because it was his birthday :)

After school I made spaghetti, twice baked cauliflower and pumpkin pie.  Grandma Anita and Grandpa Rick came over and got Noah a nerf gun and Pogo Stick.  The Pogo Stick was a HUGE hit.  He got the hang of it pretty fast.  When Grandparents left he was up to 12 in a row.  By bedtime he was up to 33 in a row.  He called Grandpa Rick every time he broke his record.

nice dismount

Yesterday after school, Noah got right on his pogo stick and hopped to the neighbors house to show it off.  He broke his record and got to 39 jumps in a row and called to tell Grandpa.  He told him when he gets to 50 he'd buy him some candy.  Noah got SO SERIOUS after that.  Within a couple minutes he got 89 in a row.  This kid is on fire with the pogo stick :)

It was a happy 6th birthday for Noah.  At home and at school.

Here are some pictures from the past 6 years.  It's amazing how much he's grown and changed in what seems like such a short time.  Mom and Dad love you, Noah!

Newborn baby boy

6 months

One year

Raiding the pantry

Two years

Two and a half - big bro!

Soccer debut at age 3

Classic - almost 3

4 years - sledding on suicide hill

Five and a half

The skinny on Noah:
48" and 57 lbs.
Fave sport: soccer & swimming
Fave vacation: Climbing mountains in Colorado, beach is a very close 2nd
Fave toys: Legos (and he is really good at them!)
Fave book: Calvin & Hobbes & his National Geographic Almanac
Into: Space, U.S. Geography (knows all his states and lots of facts about them)
Fave food: sub sandwiches, mac & cheese, pizza
What makes us so proud:  Besides being so smart and handsome and strong, Noah is very kind to everyone.  He is also super responsible at school and his teacher reports he is always doing what he is supposed to be doing.  He's a conscientious and an excellent student.

Noah lost his 2nd tooth

Two Dollar Holler!

The tooth fairy came last week

Noah's first lost tooth!

Hot Stuff

Today was blistering hot from the get-go, and the high reached 101 degrees.  The news stations have been hysterically warning us of this all week, so it wasn't a surprise when we and the rest of the city thought today would be a good day to spend at the pool.   We arrived right when it opened, got a table under nice shade of a tall pin oak tree that covers most of the east end of the pool.

We brought with us a friend of Noah's, an equally good swimmer, hoping the two would entertain themselves for most of the day.  We also brought our underwater camera, hoping to get a couple of decent shots of the boys in the water.  We hadn't used in a couple of years because we couldn't find the charger for it, but we were hoping to get a few pictures of Elliot swimming and diving underwater.

We've been attending the Fairway pool this year rather than the Prairie Village pool, partly due to Noah having more friends that attend here, but also because the rules are a little more lax.  Noah still has one more inch to grow before he can jump off the high-dive at PV, and you also can't use dive toys, balls or squirt guns at PV.  Elliot has nine more inches to grow according to that pools rules.

We spent a lot of time at the diving board, the slide and in the main pool area, diving for things underwater.  Elliot has come so far in just a few weeks.  He's never been afraid of the water, and coupled with an older brother who also knows no bounds, he feels entitled to do what he pleases even if that is far beyond his abilities.  Or maybe we just think it's beyond his abilities.

Elliot has been begging Mandy to go off the high-dive since he learned to go off the low-dive only five days ago. She told him he could go when he turned four, which wouldn't have been until next summer.  After a long day, E kept pestering me to go. Finally, I asked him if he really wanted to go, if he knew that it could be really scary and that it might hurt to jump from the high dive.  He said, "I don't care".

So, while Mandy was briefly off to the shallow end to gather toys, I let him go.  He climbed the ladder while I stood below; my main fear was that he'd fall off the ladder.  My second main fear was that he'd fall off the board itself before he got to the water, and my final fear was that he'd back up the line and I'd have to climb up there to retrieve him in front of the whole pool.

He climbed up, walked out to the end, and without hesitation, jumped.  I was ready to jump in if he came up crying, but instead he popped up and did a mad-dash doggy paddle to the ladder, climbed out with a huge grin on his face and said, "I want to go again!"

A few weeks ago, Mandy and I had a discussion about Elliot's swimming progress versus Noah's, who also learned to swim at three.  We were completely forgetting that three-year olds who swim are pretty rare to start with.  I was a pretty good swimmer at a young age, but it wasn't natural talent. I grew up, literally, next door to a pool so naturally I spent most of my waking hours there.  More than lessons, more than "natural" ability, the best way to get comfortable and strong in the water, is to spend lots of time in it.

Elliot loves diving for the bottom.

He first went down the slide two days ago.

Our biggest fish.

Cute couple

Thank goodness we're not at PV pool - E would still need to grow 9 more inches before doing this.

We are blessed to have the opportunity of good pools and lots of time to spend there, but even so, I really am impressed to see how far someone so young can come so quickly.  Here was Elliot two years ago.  In the past couple of weeks, especially due to the requirement that he swim to the ladder by himself, he's had much more practice and it's made a huge change in his strength.  

Noah, as always, is strong, and even better, encouraging of his little brother. it won't be long before they're on equal footing.  We had a blast watching them, and like all parents, watching them break barriers.

So to recap:

Tuesday - his first jump off the diving board
Friday - his first water slide
Sunday - his first leap off the high-dive.

Elliot is kind of a big deal at the pool these days

You know being the only 3 year old around jumping off the DIVING BOARD!  Elliot's been asking to go off and on this summer.  He's fearless and wants to do everything Noah does.  He can swim, but I wanted him to be a little stronger and have confidence he could make it all the way to the ladder.  Finally on Tuesday he was so insistent.  I had him watch Noah and really explain how you have to swim fast to the ladder.  He wanted to do it right away.  The first time I was ready to jump in and help him to the ladder and save his life.  Yeah.  He was fine.  He didn't need anyone to help him.

The SECOND time I got on video, when I realized he was fine and I didn't need to be ready to dive in myself :)  What followed is probably 15-20 more jumps in a row.  Then popsicles to celebrate! :)  We are so proud of Elliot.  He's a natural in the water and to see how happy and proud he is of himself is contagious for everyone around him.

3 years, 5 months old - what a kid!

Waiting in line with all the big kids for his turn on the diving board

Yum!

The boys synchronized their jumps on the low & high dives :)

High Dive

We are so proud of Noah for getting the courage to jump off the high dive!  At our regular pool we've been members of the past 3 years, he is still an inch too short (they require kids to be 48").  We got a "super-pass" this year so we can visit all the other pools because he has a lot of school friends that go to this other pool (which is the same distance from our home).  It's more chill, laid back.  There is one big pool and one little baby pool.  Nothing fancy.  But, there is no strict pool rules either, including no minimum height requirement on the high dive.  Our first time visiting there, Noah did it.  Between being able to go off the high dive, being allowed toys/water guns in the pool, and seeing school friends every time we have ever gone, let's just say it's pretty much our new pool.  We've only been to our regular/old one 3 times this summer.

Elliot's soccer debut

Tonight was Elliot's first soccer practice at the YMCA's Bitty Soccer.  All these years on the sidelines watching Noah, dozens of times when he was 1 & 2 of me pulling him off the field in tears because he couldn't play, and today was HIS turn!

I expected excitement when I told him this morning tonight was the big night, but he was nervous and said he didn't want to go.  That hesitation combined with his age didn't give me high expectations.  Boy, did he exceed them.  By the time I got him dressed in his own soccer shorts and socks, his attitude changed.  He was excited to just be looking more like a real soccer player.

When we got there I was relieved that he was on a team of all 3 year olds (bitty soccer is for ages 3-5).  So all the kiddos are just learning the game and they ask for a lot of parent involvement.  I was shocked and actually quite amazed at how well he did.  He actually listened to the coach, followed direction well, waited his turn in line and stayed on task.  For the entire hour.  That made me prouder than how well he kicked the ball.  And he has a great kick and dribble.  He did so awesome!  We are super proud of Elliot!

He has 3 practice sessions like tonight total and then 3 games.  We go twice a week, so the season is over in 3 weeks.  It was super cute and entertaining to watch the practice tonight.  I can only imagine the games.

Exited he got his own soccer ball!

Nona Grace is on his team, too

Nice kick, buddy

I love this shot with his big ole jersey.  He just looks so little and cute.

Running sprints at the end of practice

"Go, Blue Lightning!"

Learning to hit the ball

Noah is super excited for T-ball this summer.  He's mastered nailing the ball off the tee, but yesterday afternoon when he went to play with his neighbor buddy, the older neighbor kid from down the street (Parker) came up and was teaching the boys to hit the ball without the T.  It took Noah several strikes before he finally nailed this one.  

Of course, Parker and I immediately get excited and congratulate him for making contact with the ball.  Noah's response "that was a foul ball".  So funny, he understands the game so well from Wii Sports.  

But, after a little patience he was hitting the ball!