Category: NHL
Sandy’s Halloween Trick
Wednesday is Halloween. However, thanks to Hurricane Sandy, going Trick or Treating is the last thing on many people’s minds. We knew that Wednesday was likely going to be a washout here. Of course, if that’s Sandy’s only legacy by us, we’ll count ourselves lucky.
On Sunday, the sky was cloudy, but there was no rain. It was a perfect time for the boys to a) be outside (something they won’t get to do for the next couple of days) and b) try out their costumes.
JSL had decided he wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. Unfortunately, all of the Buzz costumes were for little kids and didn’t fit him. After Buzz, he couldn’t decide on Indiana Jones or Captain America. In the end, Captain America prevailed.
The costume itself was purchased for Halloween, but the mask and shield were items JSL already owned. (His mask fit better than the costume’s included mask.)
NHL chose Harry Potter, of course. We’re in the middle of reading the books and he’s in love with the entire series. When he needed glasses, back in March, he even picked a frame out because it looked like Harry’s.
NHL loves casting spells with his wand, even if he wasn’t quite character-accurate with the magic he was doing. Hint: Harry Potter does not tend to use Unforgiveable Curses like Cruciatus or Avada Kedavra.
The kids had a blast playing in their costumes. We don’t know what the next few days will bring. Hopefully, we’ll escape this hurricane with minimal damage. At least the boys were able to have some fun before Sandy struck.
Musical NHL’s Shoo Fly
We recently discovered something about NHL. He has a talent for music. He began playing drums and bells (which I always just call xylophone) last year. This year, though, he’s really hit his stride.
A few month’s back, while at B’s grandmother’s, NHL picked up a an electronic keyboard and began playing a song. He had never actually played this instrument before so his ability to play a song astounded us. Then, I realized what he was doing. He took a song that he had learned on bells and mentally remapped the notes to the keyboard. We later asked him to duplicate this feat on B’s parents’ piano and he was able to easily.
I help him out with band practice many times a week and I’ve seen the same thing happen with many songs. He’ll play very slowly, struggling to find the right notes to hit. Suddenly, a light will go off in his head and he’ll play the entire song perfectly without looking at a single note. His teacher is impressed with his skill and we’re so proud of him.
And now, a special performance of Shoo Fly by NHL:
Nearly Wordless Wednesday: Lego Helicopter Construction
NHL has become quite obsessed with Lego building. After I built a Lego Harry Potter set with him, he broke out some other Lego sets. This particular set was given to NHL by Uncle I a few years back. It had gotten put away and now was the perfect time for it. NHL, over the course of a week or so, he followed all of the steps and put together a Lego helicopter on his own. (I only helped with putting the stickers on.) I’m so proud of my Lego builder!
Aloha Friday: School Time
This was the first week of school for NHL and JSL. NHL is now in the fourth grade. After a very rough second grade and some moments in the third grade that made us want to break down and cry, we’ve got some hope that this year might improve.
JSL, meanwhile, is now starting kindergarten in the same building as NHL. The transition hasn’t been easy. He’s embarking on a brand new adventure, but he is scared of the change. Drop offs have been filled with tears (both his and B’s). Still, once he gets into the groove, I know he’ll have a blast.
My Aloha Friday question for today is: How have your kids taken to the start of the school year?
P.S. If you haven’t already, try out my Twitter applications: FollowerHQ and Rout.
Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #155