Summer fun 2.0

Calvin is loving his bike right now.  He has a balance bike which means it doesn't have pedals and the goal is that he can go from this bike to a pedal bike without training wheels since he'll already know how to balance on a bike.  It didn't have a brake so Calvin had to use his feet to stop but for those of you who have been to our house know that our neighborhood is full of hills which means Calvin gets going really fast.  Not having a brake led to a few tumbles off the bike so Dan added a hand brake.  Calvin got the hang of it quickly and was tickled pink to have a brake just like Mom and Dad's bikes. 

Since Calvin takes swimming lessons for most of the year we decided to take a break this summer.  He needed it and I think Dan needed it too since he takes Calvin most of the time.  So instead we've been filling our time playing outside, bike riding, having picnics with friends, playing in our little pool at home, and swimming in one of the city's outdoor pools.  Calvin is also playing t-ball at our local YMCA.  I think he would like it more if he could just bat the entire time and didn't have to practice throwing and catching.  We've been going to the river museum a lot to look at turtles and other water creatures.

Okay, I think everyone is now officially up-to-date on our lives.  Or at least Calvin's.  

Summer fun

 Calvin and I have been busy, busy, busy so far this summer.  One favorite activity was riding the Fenelon Place Elevator.  According to their website this elevator is the world's shortest, steepest scenic railway.  Whether that's true or not we both enjoyed the ride.  After about 2 minutes at the top Calvin was ready to go.  Apparently he's not much into beautiful views of Dubuque, the river, and the tri-states.  

 New (to him) race car!  Grandpa PK (yes, like the cat) was such a trooper running along side Calvin on a hot and humid day just because Calvin wanted him to. 

 Calvin turning the car around.  We tried to teach him to swing out wide so he didn't have to get out of the car but he wasn't having any of it.  We also tried to teach him how to to a Y turn but again wasn't having any of it.  A few days after getting home Calvin and I were playing race car and he told me to turn around.  So without thinking I just stopped in my tracks and turned around.  I was promptly scolded and was then accurately told how to perform a Y turn. 

 Mid-June we went to Green Bay for A Day Out with Thomas.  Above is the train car that we rode on and below is Calvin right before we departed from the station. 

 Calvin after the train ride trying to smile.  Don't let the grimace fool you, he had a great time on the train ride.  Pesky sun was in his eyes.

 The observation tower and Dan forcing Calvin to pose for a picture.  It's hard to tell but Calvin is actually laughing.

 Calvin with Sir Topham Hatt.  Sir Topham Hatt is the railroad controller of the North Western Railway.  He is known (at least in our house) for saying "What really happened is what really happened."  I officially know too much about Thomas the Tank Engine. 

 Calvin is obsessed with school buses.  He likes to tell me that when he gets older and goes to a bigger school he will get to ride on a school bus.  Poor kid is going to be so disappointed when he finds out that he will have to walk to school.  Hopefully he'll get to go on a few field trips!  Anyway, after we had our fill of Thomas we were facing a long walk back to the car when we saw the shuttle bus about to take off.  To Calvin's delight the shuttle bus was actually a school bus.  I'm not sure if he had more fun riding on the train or on the school bus.