Summer Fun

It has been quite a month in the Fitch-Jenett household.  Here's a brief update... 

We officially decided to let Simon's hair grow, since he has a total nervous breakdown every time we even touch his hair, let alone cut it.  He now looks like a European soccer star.

 

We thought we got accepted to an afternoon preschool program next academic year and then got possibly rejected.  We're still waiting to hear.  It's just as painful as it was the first time a few months ago.  This is probably the first of many times teachers/administrators will have "questions" or "concerns" before accepting him into programs.  It kinda makes me want to throw things.  I will resist and we will be patient and wait to see if they like our answers.  If not, we will temporarily freak out at the thought of Laura having to deal with Simon every afternoon next year.  Maybe I'll start putting the padding up on the walls now just to be safe.

On the bright side, Simon got accepted into Temple Sinai for summer camp and we got a scholarship from Chai Lifeline to help offset part of the costs. Hopefully he'll be running circles around our Hebrew by August.

We celebrated our 10th (!) anniversary together with an overnight (thanks Auntie Joan and Auntie Dre!) and spa treatments at the Claremont Hotel (used part of Laura's Mother's Day winnings) and a crazy expensive steak dinner using a gift card we got at Christmas.   It was delightful and relaxing and way too short.  We DID manage to remember how much we like each other, though.

This past weekend we went to Albuquerque  for the memorial of the father of Larry (Laura's uncle Barry's partner).  It was so sweet to see her uncles,  Laura's parents and sister + crew (they flew in from NYC and L.A. respectively) as well as meet extended family that has been keeping up with us since Simon got sick.

Hangin' with the old/new family.

With Auntie Pauline and Sesame Street 

Auntie Monica

Simon and his cousin Charlie

Eileen, taking a swing at the arcade

Laura, gearing up

Jen going a little crazy

Jaime, looking like a total psycho

Maya giving it the old college try

Fraaaaaaank!

Bernie, kicking some butt

Obviously we went to an arcade to work some stuff out.  It was awesome to see everyone let the beast out of the cage.  No one was seriously injured.  Honest. 

We stayed at the beautiful but HORRIBLY run Nativo Lodge.  Incredible potential, awful execution.  I can't even remember all the things that went wrong with everyone's rooms. It almost got funny.  Almost. Gorgeous though!

We ate an awesome breakfast at Garcia's Kitchen with a LOT of Christmas chili.  It was totally delicious.

We also completely rocked Simon's world by going to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center where he got to indulge in his most persistent obsession- Native American drumming/singing/dancing.  We're trying not to have feelings about the white boy being obsessed with all things native.  He's 4.  He's too young to understand cultural appropriation, so we're going with it.

We have been making the pow wow circuit at home with his godmommy Joan for the last few months.  Joan is Ojibwe and head of an organization that serves Native Americans.  The organization sponsors/has tables at most of the major pow wows in the Bay Area.  Simon has been to probably 8 pow wows at this point.  The first one we went to this year, he was completely silent, still and un-distractable for about 2 hours while he sat in our laps and watched.  We got home and he immediately began to re-enact what he had seen, for HOURS.  Now, every night when I get home, he wants me to sit on the back porch and drum with him while he sings and sometimes dances.  At night, we have to put his drums up where he can't get them because he will start drumming and singing at 5 a.m.  He can tell the difference between Fancy Dancers, Traditional Dancers,Grass Dancers,  Chicken Dancers, etc.  We watch hours of YouTube video footage people have taken at pow wows all over the country.  So, this was kind of his dream...

 

I came home Sunday night and Laura and Simon were supposed to come home Monday night at 5 pm to give her time to meet me in San Francisco so we could be in the audience as our film played at the Frameline Film Festival.  Of course the universe had other plans, so Laura and Simon did not get home until almost 9 pm due to plane delays and I went to the film without her.  It broke my heart.  It was very well received and people asked about how Simon was and said they loved the film.  We're waiting to hear if it won audience favorite!

So, we're back for not even a week and then we head out to Hawaii for a week to celebrate my mother's 65th birthday.  We're totally exhausted and excited and ready for some lounging by a pool...