Garrett would like to buy one!
He told me today that he wanted a "baby that is a sister."
When I told him it wasn't going to happen, he told me that we should just go buy one.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Kindergarten homework!
Homework in kindergarten is fun! Braden's assignment tonight was to practice writing his name in flour. Here he is hard at work. This is what Braden has to say:
"Braden had fun playing in flour. I like to write my name with some lower case letters and some upper case letters. And Mommy taught me a different way to write my name. First, it was an uppercase B and the other letters were lower case. That is how mommy taught me."
Me: "Why do you like writing in flour?"
Braden: "It's awesome. It's because I think it is fun. Sometimes I mess up with a pencil and it is too hard to erase."
Me: "Why is it better with flour?"
Braden: "Because if you mess up, you can just put more flour on it and do it again. "
Me: "Anything else you want to tell the people?"
Braden: "I drew a fire truck. It was a guessing fire truck that mommy had to guess."
Braden: "Flour looks like a cake."
Here's Braden's first attempt. My version is on top, and his is on bottom.
We practiced writing lower case letters for awhile. This was really great with the flour because his little finger could trace my letters. After a few minutes of practice, Braden was ready to write his entire name again. Mine's on top; his is on bottom.
"Braden had fun playing in flour. I like to write my name with some lower case letters and some upper case letters. And Mommy taught me a different way to write my name. First, it was an uppercase B and the other letters were lower case. That is how mommy taught me."
Me: "Why do you like writing in flour?"
Braden: "It's awesome. It's because I think it is fun. Sometimes I mess up with a pencil and it is too hard to erase."
Me: "Why is it better with flour?"
Braden: "Because if you mess up, you can just put more flour on it and do it again. "
Me: "Anything else you want to tell the people?"
Braden: "I drew a fire truck. It was a guessing fire truck that mommy had to guess."
Braden: "Flour looks like a cake."
Here's Braden's first attempt. My version is on top, and his is on bottom. We practiced writing lower case letters for awhile. This was really great with the flour because his little finger could trace my letters. After a few minutes of practice, Braden was ready to write his entire name again. Mine's on top; his is on bottom.Saturday, September 5, 2009
10 Things About Daycare
1. Garrett moved up to the Montessori II classroom, and he's never been happier. He is EXCITED to go to daycare every day, and doesn't whine anymore.
2. His daycare just replaced all the sand in the playground with gravel. I was terribly excited about it--Garrett was bringing home at least a cup of sand every day in his shoes, his undies, his hair. I shouldn't have been so excited because it turns out that gravel is covered with a very fine dust that gets all over everything. He is the color of gravel when I pick him up which makes it kinda embarrassing to go anywhere after daycare.
3. As I walked in his room, his very nice teacher, Hannah, was down on his level, hands on his shoulders, kindly saying, "Garrett, we do not throw our lessons." I acted very stern and disapproving, but I really thought it was kinda funny.
4. Garrett is one of the few kids in his class who actually naps at rest time, but that is probably because he wakes up at 5:30 or so.
5. Making lunches for Garrett is alot easier than making them for Braden because Garrett eats pretty much anything.
6. Garrett says goodbye to everyone--teachers, friends, the director. Braden never would do that.
7. I don't think Garrett misses his brother at all!
8. He's going to start kids yoga as soon as his yoga instructor is back from maternity leave. Braden did this and loved it.
9. Sometimes I feel bad that Garrett is one of the first kids dropped off and the last picked up, but he is always having so much fun that I don't feel too bad. Plus, he gets months in the summer with me, 2 weeks at Christmas, Spring Break, etc. and the other kids don't get that.
10. Garrett has never gotten a "bad" note (Braden only got one). He has, however, gotten the notes that say that he has been the victim of a biting. He hasn't gotten one of those in awhile.
2. His daycare just replaced all the sand in the playground with gravel. I was terribly excited about it--Garrett was bringing home at least a cup of sand every day in his shoes, his undies, his hair. I shouldn't have been so excited because it turns out that gravel is covered with a very fine dust that gets all over everything. He is the color of gravel when I pick him up which makes it kinda embarrassing to go anywhere after daycare.
3. As I walked in his room, his very nice teacher, Hannah, was down on his level, hands on his shoulders, kindly saying, "Garrett, we do not throw our lessons." I acted very stern and disapproving, but I really thought it was kinda funny.
4. Garrett is one of the few kids in his class who actually naps at rest time, but that is probably because he wakes up at 5:30 or so.
5. Making lunches for Garrett is alot easier than making them for Braden because Garrett eats pretty much anything.
6. Garrett says goodbye to everyone--teachers, friends, the director. Braden never would do that.
7. I don't think Garrett misses his brother at all!
8. He's going to start kids yoga as soon as his yoga instructor is back from maternity leave. Braden did this and loved it.
9. Sometimes I feel bad that Garrett is one of the first kids dropped off and the last picked up, but he is always having so much fun that I don't feel too bad. Plus, he gets months in the summer with me, 2 weeks at Christmas, Spring Break, etc. and the other kids don't get that.
10. Garrett has never gotten a "bad" note (Braden only got one). He has, however, gotten the notes that say that he has been the victim of a biting. He hasn't gotten one of those in awhile.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
20 things about kindergarten!
1. Braden loves it!
2. He told me today that he wanted to be a kindergarten teacher when he grows up.
3. He started the Spanish part of the dual language program today. They do one day in Spanish and one day in English. He told me tonight that he understood everything in the Spanish classroom, but that he couldn't speak it very well. Then, as the bathtub water was draining, he told me, "the agua is going rapido." I was proud of him for attempting!
4. He thinks the school cafeteria is about the coolest thing ever. He REALLY wants to see the kitchen. The day he got to have pizza AND chocolate milk AND an apple was probably the best day of his life.
5. The kindergarten teachers send home the "Monday Folder" everyday, and I can't figure out why it is called "Monday Folder," but I think it would be rude of me to ask.
6. Braden has some new friends including one named Darren who he met in the butterfly garden. They are not, however, in the same class. They became friends when Darren asked him, "hey, do you want to be friends?" And then they were.
7. Kindergarten has a sandbox. I really, really, really hoped that we were through with sand.
8. Unifix cubes must be just the most incredible thing ever. He talks about them all the time. I don't know what they are.
9. I'm so very pleased that he really loves the library and that he is sad that he only gets to go once a week.
10. PE is his favorite part of kindergarten. There is something called a "home grey square" that he talks about.
11. He knows a song about tigers, but he keeps forgetting the words. He thinks it is pretty cool that his school is the tigers AND my school is the tigers.
12. On the third day of school, he said, "mom, just drop me off. You don't have to come in." So I did. I had tears in my eyes, and I wanted to watch my little man walk all the way into the building, but the teacher on duty was frantically waving me to move on.
13. He doesn't like to wear shorts with buttons to kindergarten. Apparently, he has a hard time unbuttoning them, and it is so not cool to ask for help.
14. He already knew 22 of the 25 sight words that he is supposed to know by the end of the year. I taught him the other three (my, he, she) last night, so we are ready for first grade!
15. He is supposed to be able to count to 20 by Thanksgiving. He's been doing that for at least two years in English AND in Spanish.
16. One of my former student's sons is in the Spanish half of his class, and I'm really excited about that! She invited us to come hang out when her family has gatherings so that he can be more immersed in the language and culture.
17. His teachers use a classroom management strategy called "conscious discipline." As part of that, the kids get to choose how they want to be greeted by the teacher each day. Braden always chooses a hug.
18. He really, really likes Kids Klub, the after school program. He whines when I pick him up because he wants to stay and play. His face is usually bright red, and his hair is all sweaty because he's been playing so hard.
19. They have snack everyday. He likes it when they have goldfish for snack. They get to eat outside under a big oak tree near the butterfly garden.
20. I only teared up once when we dropped him off on the first day, and that was when I realized that my mom wouldn't be seeing the pictures that we took of him. People say that Mom knows and she was there and all that, but I think Mom is too busy in heaven to be worried about us down here. She would be incredibly proud of him, though!!!
2. He told me today that he wanted to be a kindergarten teacher when he grows up.
3. He started the Spanish part of the dual language program today. They do one day in Spanish and one day in English. He told me tonight that he understood everything in the Spanish classroom, but that he couldn't speak it very well. Then, as the bathtub water was draining, he told me, "the agua is going rapido." I was proud of him for attempting!
4. He thinks the school cafeteria is about the coolest thing ever. He REALLY wants to see the kitchen. The day he got to have pizza AND chocolate milk AND an apple was probably the best day of his life.
5. The kindergarten teachers send home the "Monday Folder" everyday, and I can't figure out why it is called "Monday Folder," but I think it would be rude of me to ask.
6. Braden has some new friends including one named Darren who he met in the butterfly garden. They are not, however, in the same class. They became friends when Darren asked him, "hey, do you want to be friends?" And then they were.
7. Kindergarten has a sandbox. I really, really, really hoped that we were through with sand.
8. Unifix cubes must be just the most incredible thing ever. He talks about them all the time. I don't know what they are.
9. I'm so very pleased that he really loves the library and that he is sad that he only gets to go once a week.
10. PE is his favorite part of kindergarten. There is something called a "home grey square" that he talks about.
11. He knows a song about tigers, but he keeps forgetting the words. He thinks it is pretty cool that his school is the tigers AND my school is the tigers.
12. On the third day of school, he said, "mom, just drop me off. You don't have to come in." So I did. I had tears in my eyes, and I wanted to watch my little man walk all the way into the building, but the teacher on duty was frantically waving me to move on.
13. He doesn't like to wear shorts with buttons to kindergarten. Apparently, he has a hard time unbuttoning them, and it is so not cool to ask for help.
14. He already knew 22 of the 25 sight words that he is supposed to know by the end of the year. I taught him the other three (my, he, she) last night, so we are ready for first grade!
15. He is supposed to be able to count to 20 by Thanksgiving. He's been doing that for at least two years in English AND in Spanish.
16. One of my former student's sons is in the Spanish half of his class, and I'm really excited about that! She invited us to come hang out when her family has gatherings so that he can be more immersed in the language and culture.
17. His teachers use a classroom management strategy called "conscious discipline." As part of that, the kids get to choose how they want to be greeted by the teacher each day. Braden always chooses a hug.
18. He really, really likes Kids Klub, the after school program. He whines when I pick him up because he wants to stay and play. His face is usually bright red, and his hair is all sweaty because he's been playing so hard.
19. They have snack everyday. He likes it when they have goldfish for snack. They get to eat outside under a big oak tree near the butterfly garden.
20. I only teared up once when we dropped him off on the first day, and that was when I realized that my mom wouldn't be seeing the pictures that we took of him. People say that Mom knows and she was there and all that, but I think Mom is too busy in heaven to be worried about us down here. She would be incredibly proud of him, though!!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
First Day of Kindergarten (pics only)
Too tired to write. Too tired to pack lunches. Too tired to brush my teeth. I know you people are anxious for a story or two or fourteen, but I'm just tired. I'll blog this weekend. Or next summer. (just kidding).
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Braden's First Day Outfit
This morning I took Braden to Target so that he could pick out an outfit to wear to the first day of kindergarten.
As you can see from his smile, he LOVES this outfit. I think it is pretty cute, too.
By the way, GrandTom, Braden chose this location for the picture--he wanted to stand next to your birdhouse!
Family Fitness Night
Last Saturday night (or was it the Saturday before?) we held our first Family Fitness Night. It just might be our last Family Fitness Night, too. The bikes were loaded up in the truck, my running shoes were on my feet, and off to Veteran's park we went.
My very brilliant plan was for Kyle to ride bikes with the boys while I ran three laps around the "American Mile" trail. If you know my boys, though, you know that they LOOOOVE their momma, so my plan to jog off into the sunset didn't go over so well. On the first lap around the mile trail, I had Braden as my partner. We left Daddy and Garrett in the dust. Everytime I turned around to check their progress, they appeared smaller and smaller until I could just barely make out Garrett's fat little legs pedaling his bike. As Braden and I were completing our second lap, we caught up to Garrett and Daddy. Garrett was NOT happy and was NOT interested in the fact that I wanted to run one more lap. Instead, the whole family walked back to the truck where Braden and Daddy took advantage of the wide-open parking lot to ride some figure eights.
Since we were parked, the boys took off their seatbelts and were crawling all over the truck. It turns out that taking pictures of booties is wildly hysterical. Here's one of the pics. This pic got a really good laugh even now when they saw the picture again. I have no idea what that spot is on Garrett's bootie.
After so much silliness in the truck, Daddy was ready to escape. Even eating outdoors sounded better to him than eating cooped up with some very wound-up little boys. We took our food over to the pavillion where we enjoyed a picnic after all.
My very brilliant plan was for Kyle to ride bikes with the boys while I ran three laps around the "American Mile" trail. If you know my boys, though, you know that they LOOOOVE their momma, so my plan to jog off into the sunset didn't go over so well. On the first lap around the mile trail, I had Braden as my partner. We left Daddy and Garrett in the dust. Everytime I turned around to check their progress, they appeared smaller and smaller until I could just barely make out Garrett's fat little legs pedaling his bike. As Braden and I were completing our second lap, we caught up to Garrett and Daddy. Garrett was NOT happy and was NOT interested in the fact that I wanted to run one more lap. Instead, the whole family walked back to the truck where Braden and Daddy took advantage of the wide-open parking lot to ride some figure eights.
By this point we were starving and Family Fitness Night was somewhat of a bust. I decided we should make it Family Fun Night instead and go to Sonic. My again-brilliant plan was to park the truck, walk to the Sonic pavillion that is nestled against the Wolf Pen Creek jogging trail, and enjoy a picnic-style experience. The one flaw in my plan is that Kyle absolutely hates eating outside. Hates, hates, hates it. I don't know why I have such a hard time remember this little quirk about him, but I always forget it and am so surprised when he refuses to go along with my fun picnic ideas! We pulled truck into Sonic and ordered.
As I said, we'd given up on the Fitness component of the evening by this point which is a good thing because burgers and shakes were on sale for $2.99. Here is Kyle ordering with a bit of help from Braden:
Since we were parked, the boys took off their seatbelts and were crawling all over the truck. It turns out that taking pictures of booties is wildly hysterical. Here's one of the pics. This pic got a really good laugh even now when they saw the picture again. I have no idea what that spot is on Garrett's bootie.
After so much silliness in the truck, Daddy was ready to escape. Even eating outdoors sounded better to him than eating cooped up with some very wound-up little boys. We took our food over to the pavillion where we enjoyed a picnic after all.
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