Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Will they never cease to amaze us?
So, after a difficult first week where J cried and followed me to the door and acted like the world was ending every morning when I left the day care, this morning was like a breathe of fresh air. My little boy walked into the classroom, identified his seat, insisted that I hand his blankie to his teacher and then sat down for breakfast. Once settled at the table, he requested that his blankie be draped over the back of his seat and commenced eating. I said "Bye, bye, Josh" and he looked up at me, waved Bye-Bye and that was that. After 4 days at home with us I was prepared for the worst. Instead, I got "ok, mom, you can go now...I'm all settled in and I'll see you tonight"...I was so proud of my little boy!
Monday, September 20, 2010
J's first day of school
Well, J went to "school" for the first time today for a few hours. Jason took him at 9:30 and then went back to check on him after an hour, and then picked him up at noon. He did great...there was some crying when Jason left but when he went to check an hour later in the darling boy was playing in the "kitchen" mixing up some soup with a saw from the building table...having a good old time. He seemed to like snack and lunch (go figure) but was not thrilled with the idea of laying down on the cots for a nap. Luckily Jason swooped in to take him home before he had to really concentrate on sleeping. He was crying when Jason picked him up but they said he had done just fine...some ups and downs but mostly OK. This is a relief...I was really worried that he would cry and be despondent the entire time. Tomorrow is my turn to take him; that should be fun for me! Hopefully it will go better each day. Change is never easy!!!!
Friday, September 17, 2010
From Summer 2007
OK, my sister had these posted on facebook and I could not resist putting them up on the blog. They were taken before I "blogged" and so would not have appeared on here before. These were from Beach 2007, when Macey was 3 and Daniel was 5. Maddie was also 5. I know it was that summer because there is no Josh and the swim caps were part of my training equipment from when I was training for the triathlon I did that August. These pictures were funny then and are even funnier now. I can't wait to use these when the kids are teenagers!!!! Look at cute and little Macey is!! Wow, time really flies!!!
From the night two crazy sisters...
...tried to put these babies as well as a 7 year old boy to bed in the same small hotel room...oh, and we had grand illusions of sleeping too. No wonder we missed our flight the next morning!!
One Day's Bounty from the Garden
Well, fall weather is here and the gardening adventure is winding down. Lots to do out there before we are "winterized"....here is a picture of one day's bounty from August. Good stuff, no??
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Quick Bites
Still wondering if he is ever going to talk...maybe there is hope?
So, the other night I was laying in Daniel's bed reading to him before bed; Macey was on the floor listening too. Generally Josh is in bed before the big kids but this particular day he napped until almost 6:00 and an 8:00 bedtime seemed unrealistic. In he trots, big smile on his face. He first crawled into the bed with me and Daniel, snugging between us for a minute and then he was off. He tried Macey, snuggling under her blanket for a minute but then he was done. Off he went, out the door, which he pulled close behind him. Just before it shut he looked back and very clearly said "Bye, bye" as he strutted out the door.
Yeah! Maybe he is going to start talking one of these days...
She is still the sweetest
Macey went to her first day of "all day school" on Tuesday. She attends morning kindergarten and then comes home at lunch. Starting next week she'll do "kinderzone" 3 days a week, a program that runs from the time morning kindergarten ends until the bus comes home from school with all the bigger kids. On these days, she gets to ride the bus to and from school...she thinks that's pretty neat. As a tester she went this week on Tuesday to kinderzone for the first time. When I got home from work that night she ran up to me and gave me a big hug, she let Josh hug me, then she gave me another hug and wandered around the house with me holding my hand. "I missed you so much today" she said. "For some reason, more than any other day." I think its because she was at school all day for the first time ever and she was tired and had so much to tell everyone but regardless it was such a sweet thing to hear from your little girl.
He does not think he needs me anymore...
So, Daniel was ordered to go brush his teeth the other night. After SEVERAL reminders he finally went to do so. I walked by and asked "Daniel, do you need any help?" His response: "Mom, I'm seven years old. Why would a seven year old need help brushing his teeth?". Now, in my head the response was "For the same reason a seven year old needs to be told 10 times to brush those teeth before he actually does it" but I held my tongue and just agreed that ok, he did not need my help. He's growing up, I guess, at least he thinks so!!
Being ordered around by your 5 year old is amusing...
So we went to a neighborhood picnic the other night. The family had invited a number of families from nearby over to cookout. The family had one of those bouncer things in their backyard and all the kids were climbing, sliding and playing on it for hours. While there were a number of babies in attendance, Josh was the youngest by a year or so of the kids actually playing on the bouncer and most of the those kids were closer to Daniel and Macey's age-5 t0 8 versus 20 months. I was keeping a close eye to make sure that Josh was not getting trampled but he was holding his own. At one point Macey dragged him over to me and unceremoniously dumped him at my feet, telling me (in front of everyone who was sitting or standing around) "Mom, its too crazy in there. You need to watch this baby better!" Ha!
So, the other night I was laying in Daniel's bed reading to him before bed; Macey was on the floor listening too. Generally Josh is in bed before the big kids but this particular day he napped until almost 6:00 and an 8:00 bedtime seemed unrealistic. In he trots, big smile on his face. He first crawled into the bed with me and Daniel, snugging between us for a minute and then he was off. He tried Macey, snuggling under her blanket for a minute but then he was done. Off he went, out the door, which he pulled close behind him. Just before it shut he looked back and very clearly said "Bye, bye" as he strutted out the door.
Yeah! Maybe he is going to start talking one of these days...
She is still the sweetest
Macey went to her first day of "all day school" on Tuesday. She attends morning kindergarten and then comes home at lunch. Starting next week she'll do "kinderzone" 3 days a week, a program that runs from the time morning kindergarten ends until the bus comes home from school with all the bigger kids. On these days, she gets to ride the bus to and from school...she thinks that's pretty neat. As a tester she went this week on Tuesday to kinderzone for the first time. When I got home from work that night she ran up to me and gave me a big hug, she let Josh hug me, then she gave me another hug and wandered around the house with me holding my hand. "I missed you so much today" she said. "For some reason, more than any other day." I think its because she was at school all day for the first time ever and she was tired and had so much to tell everyone but regardless it was such a sweet thing to hear from your little girl.
He does not think he needs me anymore...
So, Daniel was ordered to go brush his teeth the other night. After SEVERAL reminders he finally went to do so. I walked by and asked "Daniel, do you need any help?" His response: "Mom, I'm seven years old. Why would a seven year old need help brushing his teeth?". Now, in my head the response was "For the same reason a seven year old needs to be told 10 times to brush those teeth before he actually does it" but I held my tongue and just agreed that ok, he did not need my help. He's growing up, I guess, at least he thinks so!!
Being ordered around by your 5 year old is amusing...
So we went to a neighborhood picnic the other night. The family had invited a number of families from nearby over to cookout. The family had one of those bouncer things in their backyard and all the kids were climbing, sliding and playing on it for hours. While there were a number of babies in attendance, Josh was the youngest by a year or so of the kids actually playing on the bouncer and most of the those kids were closer to Daniel and Macey's age-5 t0 8 versus 20 months. I was keeping a close eye to make sure that Josh was not getting trampled but he was holding his own. At one point Macey dragged him over to me and unceremoniously dumped him at my feet, telling me (in front of everyone who was sitting or standing around) "Mom, its too crazy in there. You need to watch this baby better!" Ha!
Friday, September 3, 2010
That J is a smart one...
So, I am a reader. Anyone who has known me for any length of time and spent any time with me knows that I am a reader. In my spare time, when nothing else is going on, I read. Its just one of those things. Some of my "spare time" comes when I toss the baby in the bathtub. For months when each of my younger kids was a baby, I longed for that turning point in their development when I could put them in the tub, settle down on the floor and read my book while they play. No where in the house can you keep a toddler in one place, entertained and safe, as in the bathtub. Mind you, I am not putting the child in there and wandering around the house (though I have been known to clean a toilet or a sink during bathtime); I am sitting down right there beside my kid and reading a book. You take the simple things in life, you know?
To continue this story, you have to know that a couple of months ago, I bought a Nook, one of the many e-readers out there on the market. Now, if you have known me for any time at all, you also know that I'm not a shopper. I have a two store per trip limit (give or take) when shopping for myself and only a slightly higher tolerance when shopping for the kids. This premise pretty much holds true for all stores, whether clothing, grocery, home goods or outdoor merchandise is sold there. Except for one place...stick me in a Barnes and Noble with all the time in the world and they will have to kick me out when the lights go down. Anyway, in a moment of weakness I broke down and purchased a Nook at Barnes and Noble. While I was not convinced I would really like an electronic book, I thought I'd try it out. I had always been one of those who says "but I like the feel of the book" and "I would never be able to just read a e-book". Well, I've been converted. I love the Nook. I love the convenience...now I don't even have to go to Barnes and Noble, the one store that I actually liked! Stupid as it sounds, getting a Nook did change my life in a subtle way. No more late evening runs to the bookstore between the kids' bedtime and when the store closes; no more picking so-so books off the bargain bin. Now I have immediate access to whatever I want to read, right there in the comfort of my own house! Traveling with books is a piece of cake...just load on there what you want and off you go, no need to lug three or four books with you to the beach...just the one. Nook is a beautiful thing.
There are those naysayers who will say that I can't really like books that much if I like the NOOK. I get it; I was one of them. I disagree and really don't feel it necessary to explain more than that. I have found that what I really like the reading of the books, not so much the procuring and holding and storing of the books. So there.
OK, all that is kind of beside the point of the story I am trying to tell, so I'll get back on track. Now, my little Josh (19 months and counting) is a reader too. He loves books as much as any kid I know. If those books have trucks and tractors in them, all the better. He's a reader too...more along the lines of But No the Hippopotamus then of Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, but he's still young.
ANYWAY, finally the actual story...the other night we were in the dining room finished with dinner and I asked Josh if he was ready for a tubber (our term for bathtime). He nodded and headed across the living room for the steps. I was a few steps behind him and about half way up the steps when I realized he was carrying my Nook. The darling boy, knowing he was going for a tubber, found my Nook and was going to bring it into the bathroom, because he knows that when its bathtime for baby, its reading time for Mommy! For all he knows, I have been reading the same book for about 6 months now, and he must think its a good one!! Too cute.
OK, it does not seem as funny or meaningful in print, but it was both funny and meaningful to me, and its my blog, so there. One more little bit of stuff on us for your enjoyment!!
To continue this story, you have to know that a couple of months ago, I bought a Nook, one of the many e-readers out there on the market. Now, if you have known me for any time at all, you also know that I'm not a shopper. I have a two store per trip limit (give or take) when shopping for myself and only a slightly higher tolerance when shopping for the kids. This premise pretty much holds true for all stores, whether clothing, grocery, home goods or outdoor merchandise is sold there. Except for one place...stick me in a Barnes and Noble with all the time in the world and they will have to kick me out when the lights go down. Anyway, in a moment of weakness I broke down and purchased a Nook at Barnes and Noble. While I was not convinced I would really like an electronic book, I thought I'd try it out. I had always been one of those who says "but I like the feel of the book" and "I would never be able to just read a e-book". Well, I've been converted. I love the Nook. I love the convenience...now I don't even have to go to Barnes and Noble, the one store that I actually liked! Stupid as it sounds, getting a Nook did change my life in a subtle way. No more late evening runs to the bookstore between the kids' bedtime and when the store closes; no more picking so-so books off the bargain bin. Now I have immediate access to whatever I want to read, right there in the comfort of my own house! Traveling with books is a piece of cake...just load on there what you want and off you go, no need to lug three or four books with you to the beach...just the one. Nook is a beautiful thing.
There are those naysayers who will say that I can't really like books that much if I like the NOOK. I get it; I was one of them. I disagree and really don't feel it necessary to explain more than that. I have found that what I really like the reading of the books, not so much the procuring and holding and storing of the books. So there.
OK, all that is kind of beside the point of the story I am trying to tell, so I'll get back on track. Now, my little Josh (19 months and counting) is a reader too. He loves books as much as any kid I know. If those books have trucks and tractors in them, all the better. He's a reader too...more along the lines of But No the Hippopotamus then of Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, but he's still young.
ANYWAY, finally the actual story...the other night we were in the dining room finished with dinner and I asked Josh if he was ready for a tubber (our term for bathtime). He nodded and headed across the living room for the steps. I was a few steps behind him and about half way up the steps when I realized he was carrying my Nook. The darling boy, knowing he was going for a tubber, found my Nook and was going to bring it into the bathroom, because he knows that when its bathtime for baby, its reading time for Mommy! For all he knows, I have been reading the same book for about 6 months now, and he must think its a good one!! Too cute.
OK, it does not seem as funny or meaningful in print, but it was both funny and meaningful to me, and its my blog, so there. One more little bit of stuff on us for your enjoyment!!
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