Another Covid Birthday

Everyone has had a Covid Birthday and now we are moving on to the second rounds. This time, it's a little less scary and a bit more hopeful. Stephen turned five on Tuesday and it was worth celebrating! We made it a week long party.

On Tuesday, we started the day with two presents. Enough to keep him entertained during the morning while William was in school. Then after we picked him up, we headed off to the zoo. Bruce the Hippo shares the same birthday with Stephen so we thought there might be some festivities happening, but not this year. We had fun anyway. The boys had been begging to ride the Little Puffer Train since January, and I had promised it could happen on Stephen's birthday. And they loved it.

Since the day was so busy, we waited until Wednesday for own little family party for him with presents (he loved getting so much mail and packages from all the relatives), cake and ice cream. He requested vanilla cake and vanilla frosting (his brother favors vanilla... I think he was just trying to pick something William would like) and he wanted his all time favorite Pokemon on the top. Wailord.  I did a decent job putting a whale on the cake.

And then on Thursday we did a very non-Covid thing and had a mini party at the playground. With one other family who have become such great friends over the last couple of years. I hadn't planned anything big or really planned anything ahead of time but wanted to have a game and dessert to share. So, I made up a theme on the fly and it became a Lego party. We played pin-the-head-on-the-lego-man and had lego head cupcakes. Then they played in the playground and had great fun together.

Stephen picked out this hat at the dollar store weeks ago!

These look more like jack-o-lanterns than I hoped.. but they were delicious.

It was so fun to get to do something so normal! And Stephen had so much fun. So glad we could celebrate. Mini-parties might be my new favorite thing.

Everyone has had a Covid Birthday and now we are moving on to the second rounds. This time, it's a little less scary and a bit more hopeful. Stephen turned five on Tuesday and it was worth celebrating! We made it a week long party.

On Tuesday, we started the day with two presents. Enough to keep him entertained during the morning while William was in school. Then after we picked him up, we headed off to the zoo. Bruce the Hippo shares the same birthday with Stephen so we thought there might be some festivities happening, but not this year. We had fun anyway. The boys had been begging to ride the Little Puffer Train since January, and I had promised it could happen on Stephen's birthday. And they loved it.

Since the day was so busy, we waited until Wednesday for own little family party for him with presents (he loved getting so much mail and packages from all the relatives), cake and ice cream. He requested vanilla cake and vanilla frosting (his brother favors vanilla... I think he was just trying to pick something William would like) and he wanted his all time favorite Pokemon on the top. Wailord.  I did a decent job putting a whale on the cake.

And then on Thursday we did a very non-Covid thing and had a mini party at the playground. With one other family who have become such great friends over the last couple of years. I hadn't planned anything big or really planned anything ahead of time but wanted to have a game and dessert to share. So, I made up a theme on the fly and it became a Lego party. We played pin-the-head-on-the-lego-man and had lego head cupcakes. Then they played in the playground and had great fun together.

Stephen picked out this hat at the dollar store weeks ago!

These look more like jack-o-lanterns than I hoped.. but they were delicious.

It was so fun to get to do something so normal! And Stephen had so much fun. So glad we could celebrate. Mini-parties might be my new favorite thing.

Preschooler B2: Five Years Old

My preschooler turned five on Tuesday. This feels big. It's the end of my preschool parenting. I'm no longer a Mother of a Preschooler (MOPS). I don't talk about MOPS a lot on my blog... maybe I should. It's a mother's group I've belonged to for six years -- a community of women who come together regularly to learn, grow and encourage each other. It really shouldn't be done alone! 

At his latest doctor's appointment, he measured 44.7 inches and weighed 40 pounds! He is grown a lot in the last year! Stephen is still my cuddly little boy who loves to crawl up on my lap and roll up into a ball while I warm him up or rub his back. He still fits on my lap when I read him books and more recently when he reads to me! If he isn't in my lap while he reads, he is rolling on the floor, jumping off a chair or putting something in to his mouth. But when I hold him, he is so focused and still. And he is learning new words everyday!

We started using the Bob Book series a few months ago. By the time I had heard about this series with William he was already reading. The short simple stories and sketches are great for Stephen. He isn't quite ready for the longer books that I had for William. That's my summer goal!

This month, as more things re-opened in our city, Stephen started gymnastics classes. It's just once a week and is more of a fun movement class (and listening to a teacher!) than any actual tumbling yet. This has been so good for him for: 1) a safe place to move around and jump that isn't breaking my couch 2) exposure to a class setting with other children and 3) listening to someone other that mom or dad. We haven't actually been apart of any amount of time in a year so this is a big deal! I was afraid he was going to resist it and fight me when it's time for class but he actually loves it and doesn't resist at all! So thankful we found something he enjoys.

Stephen has really enjoyed having William home this year. They played between every zoom call and Stephen even watched a few of them. It has been an adjustment for him having William back in school two days a week. Stephen is very sweet to share anything William missed out on while at school. When we made cookies and I gave Stephen 4 chocolate chips, he saved 2 for William... and one time he waited to eat his half until William was home so they could eat them together. One of his favorite answers to the question "Stephen, what do you want?" (food, drink, color, activity, anything...) is "Whatever William wants." We are hoping he'll start voicing his own opinion again soon, but for now it's very sweet how close they have become. 

Stephen loves legos, Pokemon, and stuffed animals. This winter the boys watched dad play Zelda (video game) and created an entire set of Zelda inspired lego creations to give dad for his birthday. It's amazing what they will transfer into their play. The boys have started playing MarioKart on their scooter trips to the park; scooter rides become races with pinecones becoming "bombs" or "turtle shells" to blowup the other player. They watch a WildKrats episode and then become animals or play with their growing assortment of stuffed animals. 

He loves when we read Geronimo Stilton books and still loves Richard Scary's "What do People Do All Day?" We read a lot of chapter books for William but Stephen seems to enjoy them just as much. He can sit and listen for very long stints, which surprises but also blesses me.

He has grown and changed so much this year and I'm thankful for this space to pause and take notice of it. We have been together the entire year, so those changes are happening right before my eyes (if I'm paying attention). To see more about his actual birthday celebration, read this.

My preschooler turned five on Tuesday. This feels big. It's the end of my preschool parenting. I'm no longer a Mother of a Preschooler (MOPS). I don't talk about MOPS a lot on my blog... maybe I should. It's a mother's group I've belonged to for six years -- a community of women who come together regularly to learn, grow and encourage each other. It really shouldn't be done alone! 

At his latest doctor's appointment, he measured 44.7 inches and weighed 40 pounds! He is grown a lot in the last year! Stephen is still my cuddly little boy who loves to crawl up on my lap and roll up into a ball while I warm him up or rub his back. He still fits on my lap when I read him books and more recently when he reads to me! If he isn't in my lap while he reads, he is rolling on the floor, jumping off a chair or putting something in to his mouth. But when I hold him, he is so focused and still. And he is learning new words everyday!

We started using the Bob Book series a few months ago. By the time I had heard about this series with William he was already reading. The short simple stories and sketches are great for Stephen. He isn't quite ready for the longer books that I had for William. That's my summer goal!

This month, as more things re-opened in our city, Stephen started gymnastics classes. It's just once a week and is more of a fun movement class (and listening to a teacher!) than any actual tumbling yet. This has been so good for him for: 1) a safe place to move around and jump that isn't breaking my couch 2) exposure to a class setting with other children and 3) listening to someone other that mom or dad. We haven't actually been apart of any amount of time in a year so this is a big deal! I was afraid he was going to resist it and fight me when it's time for class but he actually loves it and doesn't resist at all! So thankful we found something he enjoys.

Stephen has really enjoyed having William home this year. They played between every zoom call and Stephen even watched a few of them. It has been an adjustment for him having William back in school two days a week. Stephen is very sweet to share anything William missed out on while at school. When we made cookies and I gave Stephen 4 chocolate chips, he saved 2 for William... and one time he waited to eat his half until William was home so they could eat them together. One of his favorite answers to the question "Stephen, what do you want?" (food, drink, color, activity, anything...) is "Whatever William wants." We are hoping he'll start voicing his own opinion again soon, but for now it's very sweet how close they have become. 

Stephen loves legos, Pokemon, and stuffed animals. This winter the boys watched dad play Zelda (video game) and created an entire set of Zelda inspired lego creations to give dad for his birthday. It's amazing what they will transfer into their play. The boys have started playing MarioKart on their scooter trips to the park; scooter rides become races with pinecones becoming "bombs" or "turtle shells" to blowup the other player. They watch a WildKrats episode and then become animals or play with their growing assortment of stuffed animals. 

He loves when we read Geronimo Stilton books and still loves Richard Scary's "What do People Do All Day?" We read a lot of chapter books for William but Stephen seems to enjoy them just as much. He can sit and listen for very long stints, which surprises but also blesses me.

He has grown and changed so much this year and I'm thankful for this space to pause and take notice of it. We have been together the entire year, so those changes are happening right before my eyes (if I'm paying attention). To see more about his actual birthday celebration, read this.

Big Boy: 7 years old

My first born turned seven this today. I can't even begin to describe how crazy this is to me. So much has happened in seven years. He has grown and changed so much since that first day I held him. This 7th birthday was unique as are all the birthdays celebrated during the pandemic. Parties and plans have been canceled for everyone. But William was not going to let this dampen his excitement about his birthday. He declared months ago that we would be having a Pokemon party - just for the four of us.

And so on Saturday, we put up a homemade Pokemon birthday banner (thanks to the help of a Cricut a friend let me borrow) and watched the Pokemon Movie and ate a Pokemon cake with ice cream. We let him open one present early and held off on the rest until his actual birthday. (So this morning at 7:30 a.m. he opened the rest!) And at the end of the day he was so happy and felt so loved. Just as he should on his special day. 

He requested the candles be the flame that come out of Charizard's mouth.

William is growing as fast as ever. The jeans I bought six months ago are now getting to too short. He is now 52 inches tall and 53 pounds. His feet look huge. I've been saying these things for 7 years . . . and I'm sure I'll be saying them for another decade. He isn't going to stop growing anytime soon.

William loves legos, Pokemon, and duplos. He loves being read to. Throughout sheltering in place, we have been reading books by Geronimo Stilton, about a mouse solving mysteries. And since the library has reopened (for curbside pickup) we have been reading new ones nonstop. Thankfully Stephen likes them too! His favorite shows are Wild Kratts and DinoTrucks. And our newest "toy" has been letting the boys pay video games with Dad - MarioKart is a favorite now.

He has been doing first grade virtually for the last six weeks and although he doesn't love it (or even like it slightly), he does participate without too much fuss. When the zoom classes run long he gets upset and asks to leave early. And he doesn't like showing up for the class before the teacher. He is very prompt on his own and I barely have to remind him to "go to class." He learning a lot about responsibility this year - signing in to his zoom class on his own and deciding when he wants to do his homework. There aren't any forgotten lunches or homework left at home right now. He misses recess and seeing his friends in person. He was so looking forward to playing soccer with his class (and beating the new kindergarteners). That will have to wait. Still no word on when they can go back to in-person learning. 

During this season of being home so much more than we are used to, we've added a few chores to William's list. He is now big enough to take out the trash which we give a "commission" for. He was so interested in earning more money that we even had him washing dishes, but his interest was very short lived with that one. And the level of cleanliness we expect in the bedroom has gone up a bit. 

As William gets older we are seeing him explore boundaries and experience bigger emotions. When he was young, he was fairly compliant and went with the flow. Now, he is very willing to put up a fight to get his own way and complain when it doesn't happen. He tends to show a bit of anxiety when we are running late or things are uncertain. I'm seeing more of myself come out of him all the time in this area. He also has new fears of spiders, fires and death that lead to long conversations and prayers.

Pandemic life and fire season have certainly changed our year. And he is old enough to know that things aren't quite right. Thankfully he handles it like a champ most of the time. 

My first born turned seven this today. I can't even begin to describe how crazy this is to me. So much has happened in seven years. He has grown and changed so much since that first day I held him. This 7th birthday was unique as are all the birthdays celebrated during the pandemic. Parties and plans have been canceled for everyone. But William was not going to let this dampen his excitement about his birthday. He declared months ago that we would be having a Pokemon party - just for the four of us.

And so on Saturday, we put up a homemade Pokemon birthday banner (thanks to the help of a Cricut a friend let me borrow) and watched the Pokemon Movie and ate a Pokemon cake with ice cream. We let him open one present early and held off on the rest until his actual birthday. (So this morning at 7:30 a.m. he opened the rest!) And at the end of the day he was so happy and felt so loved. Just as he should on his special day. 

He requested the candles be the flame that come out of Charizard's mouth.

William is growing as fast as ever. The jeans I bought six months ago are now getting to too short. He is now 52 inches tall and 53 pounds. His feet look huge. I've been saying these things for 7 years . . . and I'm sure I'll be saying them for another decade. He isn't going to stop growing anytime soon.

William loves legos, Pokemon, and duplos. He loves being read to. Throughout sheltering in place, we have been reading books by Geronimo Stilton, about a mouse solving mysteries. And since the library has reopened (for curbside pickup) we have been reading new ones nonstop. Thankfully Stephen likes them too! His favorite shows are Wild Kratts and DinoTrucks. And our newest "toy" has been letting the boys pay video games with Dad - MarioKart is a favorite now.

He has been doing first grade virtually for the last six weeks and although he doesn't love it (or even like it slightly), he does participate without too much fuss. When the zoom classes run long he gets upset and asks to leave early. And he doesn't like showing up for the class before the teacher. He is very prompt on his own and I barely have to remind him to "go to class." He learning a lot about responsibility this year - signing in to his zoom class on his own and deciding when he wants to do his homework. There aren't any forgotten lunches or homework left at home right now. He misses recess and seeing his friends in person. He was so looking forward to playing soccer with his class (and beating the new kindergarteners). That will have to wait. Still no word on when they can go back to in-person learning. 

During this season of being home so much more than we are used to, we've added a few chores to William's list. He is now big enough to take out the trash which we give a "commission" for. He was so interested in earning more money that we even had him washing dishes, but his interest was very short lived with that one. And the level of cleanliness we expect in the bedroom has gone up a bit. 

As William gets older we are seeing him explore boundaries and experience bigger emotions. When he was young, he was fairly compliant and went with the flow. Now, he is very willing to put up a fight to get his own way and complain when it doesn't happen. He tends to show a bit of anxiety when we are running late or things are uncertain. I'm seeing more of myself come out of him all the time in this area. He also has new fears of spiders, fires and death that lead to long conversations and prayers.

Pandemic life and fire season have certainly changed our year. And he is old enough to know that things aren't quite right. Thankfully he handles it like a champ most of the time. 

Distance Learning: First Week Done

 William started First Grade this week. It was not at all how we intended our son to experience school but with Covid-19 infecting every area of life since March, distance learning is how it needs to be. Six weeks ago we attended a virtual town hall meeting with our school district. It became very apparent from that conversation that I had two choices: 1) expect the district, our school and William's teacher to create and execute an actual distance learning plan and be able to teach my son in Spanish (He's in an Immersion school) better than what happened in the Spring; or 2) Take on the job myself and homeschool him (forgetting about the language, since I don't speak Spanish).

We discussed both options and prayed about it and we kept coming to the conclusion that it would be better to ride this out with the support of the school and keep him at least somewhat exposed to Spanish so when in-person classes became an option he could still attend and not be completely behind in the language. We have been working on math and reading over the summer so we don't have any real concerns of being behind in those subjects if distance learning is a flop.

So, how did the first week go? It was interesting. The first grade teacher seems to be very experienced and I can tell she did her work this summer to make online class doable for six and seven year olds. She started things off very easy -- Just one zoom call a day and three assignments that had the kids drawing, writing and reading. Even with that little of an expectation, William still struggled with motivation to do the work. He didn't fight me on the zoom calls, but was never really looking forward to them. 

Our quiet corner was converted to a school corner using my old standing desk. We hope to get him a better desk soon, but this actually works quite well.

 Things William learned this week include: how to use a touch-screen chromebook (provided by the district) and login to his zoom call and use a new program called seesaw. If I let him, he can do all of these things on his own. I was impressed with the way they had set up the computers so this could happen! He met his teacher and found out who was in his class. 

Next week they'll add a couple more zoom calls and make the school day a bit longer. The end goal is that he'll have school from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with several breaks for at-home work/projects and lunch, but they're working up that slowly. That is a bit longer of a day than I was planning, but hopefully we'll still have time for getting outside, distance playdates, and free play. 

But the really crazy part of our week was what was going on outside. A heatwave hit last week bringing the temperatures up to 100 degrees. We hit the beaches several times and enjoyed the feeling of an actual summer. I can't tell you what it was like to stand in the water, watching my kids splash in the waves, running free and realizing how trapped I had felt most of the summer. All our plans had changed. We stayed home except for the essential trips to the grocery store and the daily excursion to the park. There was very little that felt free. And here I was, watching my kids jump, run, and laugh as free as the birds. It filled me up.

On Sunday night, we had our first thunderstorm in years. Lightening filled the sky throughout the night and into the next day. 

Monday was such a weird, gloomy day. 

Tuesday was hot and sunny so that afternoon we headed to the beach and relived the freedom we experienced on Saturday. It was the most perfect day. 

Then we woke up on Wednesday and saw a red sun and a foggy sky. Fires. There were fires on all sides of the bay. The air was thick with smoke and ash. Everyone started checking air quality reports. 

So, with the exception of a short playdate outside with a friend on Thursday, we have been inside our home, once again feeling stuck with nothing to do. Not at all how I expected this first week of school to go.

And William lost a tooth! 

 William started First Grade this week. It was not at all how we intended our son to experience school but with Covid-19 infecting every area of life since March, distance learning is how it needs to be. Six weeks ago we attended a virtual town hall meeting with our school district. It became very apparent from that conversation that I had two choices: 1) expect the district, our school and William's teacher to create and execute an actual distance learning plan and be able to teach my son in Spanish (He's in an Immersion school) better than what happened in the Spring; or 2) Take on the job myself and homeschool him (forgetting about the language, since I don't speak Spanish).

We discussed both options and prayed about it and we kept coming to the conclusion that it would be better to ride this out with the support of the school and keep him at least somewhat exposed to Spanish so when in-person classes became an option he could still attend and not be completely behind in the language. We have been working on math and reading over the summer so we don't have any real concerns of being behind in those subjects if distance learning is a flop.

So, how did the first week go? It was interesting. The first grade teacher seems to be very experienced and I can tell she did her work this summer to make online class doable for six and seven year olds. She started things off very easy -- Just one zoom call a day and three assignments that had the kids drawing, writing and reading. Even with that little of an expectation, William still struggled with motivation to do the work. He didn't fight me on the zoom calls, but was never really looking forward to them. 

Our quiet corner was converted to a school corner using my old standing desk. We hope to get him a better desk soon, but this actually works quite well.

 Things William learned this week include: how to use a touch-screen chromebook (provided by the district) and login to his zoom call and use a new program called seesaw. If I let him, he can do all of these things on his own. I was impressed with the way they had set up the computers so this could happen! He met his teacher and found out who was in his class. 

Next week they'll add a couple more zoom calls and make the school day a bit longer. The end goal is that he'll have school from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with several breaks for at-home work/projects and lunch, but they're working up that slowly. That is a bit longer of a day than I was planning, but hopefully we'll still have time for getting outside, distance playdates, and free play. 

But the really crazy part of our week was what was going on outside. A heatwave hit last week bringing the temperatures up to 100 degrees. We hit the beaches several times and enjoyed the feeling of an actual summer. I can't tell you what it was like to stand in the water, watching my kids splash in the waves, running free and realizing how trapped I had felt most of the summer. All our plans had changed. We stayed home except for the essential trips to the grocery store and the daily excursion to the park. There was very little that felt free. And here I was, watching my kids jump, run, and laugh as free as the birds. It filled me up.

On Sunday night, we had our first thunderstorm in years. Lightening filled the sky throughout the night and into the next day. 

Monday was such a weird, gloomy day. 

Tuesday was hot and sunny so that afternoon we headed to the beach and relived the freedom we experienced on Saturday. It was the most perfect day. 

Then we woke up on Wednesday and saw a red sun and a foggy sky. Fires. There were fires on all sides of the bay. The air was thick with smoke and ash. Everyone started checking air quality reports. 

So, with the exception of a short playdate outside with a friend on Thursday, we have been inside our home, once again feeling stuck with nothing to do. Not at all how I expected this first week of school to go.

And William lost a tooth! 

Pokemon School

My kids are in love with Pokemon cards. William was first introduced to them over a year ago in Transitional Kindergarten and soon began making his own on little scraps of paper. He had no idea what the numbers meant or how to play, but it didn't matter. He made up his own game with his own rules. With his birthday money, he bought his first actual pack of cards and received a second set for Christmas. But still it was just "his" game.

Fast forward to April 2020 and we find a plastic shoebox full of Pokemon cards on the sidewalk by our house. I bring it home for William as a fun surprise. But the condition on receiving this many new cards was that he had to learn the actual game. So we did. We all learned how to play.

And now, we play and play and play. William and I typically play 2-3 games a day; Stephen and I play once or a couple times a week; Chris gets in the action as much as he can on evenings and weekends. It's actually really fun and I'm really enjoying being able to engage with what my boys love in this moment of time.

But they also still love to draw and make their own Pokemon cards. They get to change the health points and the damage points; they make their favorites even stronger. They create evolves that we don't have. They get really into it. So much so, that we barely have time for anything else.

In Pokemon "school," Stephen has learned how to write his numbers 1-10, his favorite is 1,000,000,000 (+). He is learning which numbers are bigger than others (bigger numbers do more damage and defeat smaller numbers, etc); he is learning to write more letters as he makes up his own card rules. He is learning matching - each Pokemon is a certain type and requires that type of energy card - so he is finding those matches in his deck. He's working on strategy too, even at the age of 4 he knows that one of my Pokemon is really weak to another of his and he'll play that one to beat me.

William isn't into writing much; at least not since schooling at home started. BUT, he will write all the things on his homemade cards. His first edition of cards were very simple; name, health points, damage points and a picture; now they include ALL the details. Attach names, weakness types, resistance type, damage, and a more detailed picture of the Pokemon. William is very strategic in this game, he understands it a lot more and knows (remembers) a lot more details about his cards than I do. He knows how many times he needs to attach before my Pokemon is knocked out, he knows his multiplication a lot better as some damages do "x the number of heads" when you flip the coin 3 times, etc. Sometimes I am really impressed with all this game has taught him.

So, we haven't done a lot of actual school work at home. But as far I'm concerned, they do the following every single day:
 - Math
 - Art
 - Writing
 - Reading
 - Problem solving
 . . . and sportsmanship.

And they don't even know it!

My kids are in love with Pokemon cards. William was first introduced to them over a year ago in Transitional Kindergarten and soon began making his own on little scraps of paper. He had no idea what the numbers meant or how to play, but it didn't matter. He made up his own game with his own rules. With his birthday money, he bought his first actual pack of cards and received a second set for Christmas. But still it was just "his" game.

Fast forward to April 2020 and we find a plastic shoebox full of Pokemon cards on the sidewalk by our house. I bring it home for William as a fun surprise. But the condition on receiving this many new cards was that he had to learn the actual game. So we did. We all learned how to play.

And now, we play and play and play. William and I typically play 2-3 games a day; Stephen and I play once or a couple times a week; Chris gets in the action as much as he can on evenings and weekends. It's actually really fun and I'm really enjoying being able to engage with what my boys love in this moment of time.

But they also still love to draw and make their own Pokemon cards. They get to change the health points and the damage points; they make their favorites even stronger. They create evolves that we don't have. They get really into it. So much so, that we barely have time for anything else.

In Pokemon "school," Stephen has learned how to write his numbers 1-10, his favorite is 1,000,000,000 (+). He is learning which numbers are bigger than others (bigger numbers do more damage and defeat smaller numbers, etc); he is learning to write more letters as he makes up his own card rules. He is learning matching - each Pokemon is a certain type and requires that type of energy card - so he is finding those matches in his deck. He's working on strategy too, even at the age of 4 he knows that one of my Pokemon is really weak to another of his and he'll play that one to beat me.

William isn't into writing much; at least not since schooling at home started. BUT, he will write all the things on his homemade cards. His first edition of cards were very simple; name, health points, damage points and a picture; now they include ALL the details. Attach names, weakness types, resistance type, damage, and a more detailed picture of the Pokemon. William is very strategic in this game, he understands it a lot more and knows (remembers) a lot more details about his cards than I do. He knows how many times he needs to attach before my Pokemon is knocked out, he knows his multiplication a lot better as some damages do "x the number of heads" when you flip the coin 3 times, etc. Sometimes I am really impressed with all this game has taught him.

So, we haven't done a lot of actual school work at home. But as far I'm concerned, they do the following every single day:
 - Math
 - Art
 - Writing
 - Reading
 - Problem solving
 . . . and sportsmanship.

And they don't even know it!

Preschooler B2: Four Years Old

Today, my baby turned 4 years old. So much of the past four years seems to be a blur and yet I can find myself lying awake at night remembering the night he was born, me loosing my phone at the clinic while picking up the breast pump and not knowing the way home, the rush to urgent care with my itty bitty baby who wasn't keeping food down (it turned out he just had reflux), the drive to the appointment to get his lip tie corrected, racing to the ER after he fell down the stairs . . . the anxieties I've had while mothering this child stay close and like to revisit me when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

But thankfully, the last four years have also brought many reasons to laugh and give thanks. He makes the best faces - especially his angry face, it cracks me up every time.  His smile is pretty great too, obviously! He loves and hates being tickled. His laugh is contagious. He is healthy. He loves to cuddle. He loves being cozy, all wrapped up in blankets with his many stuffed animals.

or playing Zingo with them

Stephen has grown a lot this year-- in body, personality, and skills. He's 41 inches tall and 35 pounds. He is starting to recognize more of his letters and can count to 30 on his own (with a little help with "20"). He loves to draw and sticks to geometric shapes, lines and circles . . . but to him they are diggers and shovels and machines.

He loves to run and climb and jump, all things that have become quite challenging while sheltering in place. We do make it outside nearly every day and more recently he and William have taken up fighting trees with sticks, digging for worms, and climbing trees. Tumbling also came into the mix with our couch a month ago, so I purchased some thick foam so he could have his own tumbling pad in hopes of keeping him and my couch safe from harm, but in reality it made him much more daring.

Stephen has always been more aggressive than his brother but as long as we kept active this was usually not a huge issue. But with staying home more and not having our normal outlets for active play, he struggles keeping his emotions and body in check. He is a little boy with very big emotions and oftentimes doesn't have the words to ask for what he needs.

The one thing I want to remember about Stephen at this age is his love for his brother. They have been doing everything together for 8 weeks at this point and Stephen loves it. William thinks it's "annoying" but I treasure it. Stephen is learning how to do so many "bigger boy" things just to be able to keep up with William -- play Pokemon, building with legos, imagination play and using a computer (eek!). 

can't forget that we are in our 9th week of Covid-19 Precautions

Other things that are his favorites: construction toys (he says he wants to be a construction worker when he grows up), building with duplos or legos, Richard Scarry books, Little Critter books, and collecting sticks.

He is growing so quickly, it's amazing to watch all the things start to "click" - like counting and letter sounds and listening/doing what we ask him to do (sometimes). He is a handful a lot of the time-- with his risk taking and need for adventure but this growing boy is also a joy and my heart is full.

Today, my baby turned 4 years old. So much of the past four years seems to be a blur and yet I can find myself lying awake at night remembering the night he was born, me loosing my phone at the clinic while picking up the breast pump and not knowing the way home, the rush to urgent care with my itty bitty baby who wasn't keeping food down (it turned out he just had reflux), the drive to the appointment to get his lip tie corrected, racing to the ER after he fell down the stairs . . . the anxieties I've had while mothering this child stay close and like to revisit me when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

But thankfully, the last four years have also brought many reasons to laugh and give thanks. He makes the best faces - especially his angry face, it cracks me up every time.  His smile is pretty great too, obviously! He loves and hates being tickled. His laugh is contagious. He is healthy. He loves to cuddle. He loves being cozy, all wrapped up in blankets with his many stuffed animals.

or playing Zingo with them

Stephen has grown a lot this year-- in body, personality, and skills. He's 41 inches tall and 35 pounds. He is starting to recognize more of his letters and can count to 30 on his own (with a little help with "20"). He loves to draw and sticks to geometric shapes, lines and circles . . . but to him they are diggers and shovels and machines.

He loves to run and climb and jump, all things that have become quite challenging while sheltering in place. We do make it outside nearly every day and more recently he and William have taken up fighting trees with sticks, digging for worms, and climbing trees. Tumbling also came into the mix with our couch a month ago, so I purchased some thick foam so he could have his own tumbling pad in hopes of keeping him and my couch safe from harm, but in reality it made him much more daring.

Stephen has always been more aggressive than his brother but as long as we kept active this was usually not a huge issue. But with staying home more and not having our normal outlets for active play, he struggles keeping his emotions and body in check. He is a little boy with very big emotions and oftentimes doesn't have the words to ask for what he needs.

The one thing I want to remember about Stephen at this age is his love for his brother. They have been doing everything together for 8 weeks at this point and Stephen loves it. William thinks it's "annoying" but I treasure it. Stephen is learning how to do so many "bigger boy" things just to be able to keep up with William -- play Pokemon, building with legos, imagination play and using a computer (eek!). 

can't forget that we are in our 9th week of Covid-19 Precautions

Other things that are his favorites: construction toys (he says he wants to be a construction worker when he grows up), building with duplos or legos, Richard Scarry books, Little Critter books, and collecting sticks.

He is growing so quickly, it's amazing to watch all the things start to "click" - like counting and letter sounds and listening/doing what we ask him to do (sometimes). He is a handful a lot of the time-- with his risk taking and need for adventure but this growing boy is also a joy and my heart is full.

Big Boy: Six and a Half

William hit the half way mark between 6 and 7 this week. It didn't seem as exciting as his 4 1/2 milestone but I suppose that is to be expected.  He is maturing in many ways but still a young boy needing a lot of attention, love and support . . . and don't forget play. He still needs lots and lots of play.

I think that is what I'm learning as we finish week three of sheltering in place -- That William loves to play with me, he loves to play with Stephen, and he loves to play all day long. "Homework" triggers all sorts of groans and emotions. It never takes him very long to finish and he seems to get into it once he starts, but disrupting play is a big deal.

So what does he love to play? Legos, Duplos, Hot-wheels races, Pokemon, and soccer. He also loves water color painting and coloring with markers. He still loves a good read-aloud but is not so interested in reading on his own (which is very capable of doing). Before we were stuck in our homes for days on end, he also loved basketball and baseball. In fact, we had just gotten in one practice of his new coach-pitch baseball league before all the things were canceled.

He was on a basketball Kindergarten league for seven weeks starting in January and that was a blast. I don't think I'll mind sitting in the stands for another 12 years. He had so much fun at weekly practice and the weekend games were fun too as long as he didn't get too concerned about the score. A few times he was so concerned (in tears) about losing that he asked us to go home before the game even started. We got to work through some hard emotions together this season. He learned a lot of new skills on the court too.

One of the things Chris and I enjoy a lot at this stage is playing games with William. Once Stephen goes to bed we usually have 45-60 minutes with William. And he loves strategy games - like Pandemic, Carcassonne, KingDomino and Ticket to Ride. He doesn't like loosing so after the game he gets a strategy lesson from Dad. One day he will beat his dad. (Mom is an easy defeat.)

 He has lost three teeth so far and looks forward to losing more. 

He has grown a ton this year. I haven't measured yet but he is in size 7 pants for length and 6/7 shirts. The uniform sets we started with at the beginning of Kindergarten are not the sets he ended with. I'm trying not to be too upset that I bought 4 new pairs of pants two weeks before school was canceled; or that he's missing nearly 11 weeks of learning Spanish. I'm praying that doesn't hinder his experiences next year.

I'm trying to enjoy my days with him at home; getting a second chance (or a longer summer) to enjoy his company and get to know him more. But I am very thankful for his school and his teacher.

The photos for this post were an attempt for me to get more practice in photography while stuck at home. The boys were less excited; but I'm inspired to grab my camera a bit more often.

William hit the half way mark between 6 and 7 this week. It didn't seem as exciting as his 4 1/2 milestone but I suppose that is to be expected.  He is maturing in many ways but still a young boy needing a lot of attention, love and support . . . and don't forget play. He still needs lots and lots of play.

I think that is what I'm learning as we finish week three of sheltering in place -- That William loves to play with me, he loves to play with Stephen, and he loves to play all day long. "Homework" triggers all sorts of groans and emotions. It never takes him very long to finish and he seems to get into it once he starts, but disrupting play is a big deal.

So what does he love to play? Legos, Duplos, Hot-wheels races, Pokemon, and soccer. He also loves water color painting and coloring with markers. He still loves a good read-aloud but is not so interested in reading on his own (which is very capable of doing). Before we were stuck in our homes for days on end, he also loved basketball and baseball. In fact, we had just gotten in one practice of his new coach-pitch baseball league before all the things were canceled.

He was on a basketball Kindergarten league for seven weeks starting in January and that was a blast. I don't think I'll mind sitting in the stands for another 12 years. He had so much fun at weekly practice and the weekend games were fun too as long as he didn't get too concerned about the score. A few times he was so concerned (in tears) about losing that he asked us to go home before the game even started. We got to work through some hard emotions together this season. He learned a lot of new skills on the court too.

One of the things Chris and I enjoy a lot at this stage is playing games with William. Once Stephen goes to bed we usually have 45-60 minutes with William. And he loves strategy games - like Pandemic, Carcassonne, KingDomino and Ticket to Ride. He doesn't like loosing so after the game he gets a strategy lesson from Dad. One day he will beat his dad. (Mom is an easy defeat.)

 He has lost three teeth so far and looks forward to losing more. 

He has grown a ton this year. I haven't measured yet but he is in size 7 pants for length and 6/7 shirts. The uniform sets we started with at the beginning of Kindergarten are not the sets he ended with. I'm trying not to be too upset that I bought 4 new pairs of pants two weeks before school was canceled; or that he's missing nearly 11 weeks of learning Spanish. I'm praying that doesn't hinder his experiences next year.

I'm trying to enjoy my days with him at home; getting a second chance (or a longer summer) to enjoy his company and get to know him more. But I am very thankful for his school and his teacher.

The photos for this post were an attempt for me to get more practice in photography while stuck at home. The boys were less excited; but I'm inspired to grab my camera a bit more often.

Toddler B2: Three and a Half Years Old

"How old are you?" is one of the most common questions people ask kids. My grandpa asked me every time we were together! My boys love it when the answer gets to change. And I love remembering the changes they have gone through in the past half-year. Stephen can now answer the question with "Three and a half!" And I get to write about him!

Stephen is no longer a toddler really, more like a preschooler without actually going to preschool. We're looking into having him start next fall. We've been keeping busy this fall with a lot of mom-and-me activities: Parenting/Child observation class at City College, swimming lessons, MOPS, and playdates with friends. He typically doesn't like leaving the house for any of these things and will tell me repeatedly that he just wants to stay home and play, but once we get there he is usually just fine and has a good time.

This swimming session has been a little different in that band-aids are reason enough not to get into the water. And lately, he's had a lot of bandages. No real injuries to report, just the occasional scratch or skinned knee. But the bandages stay on for a long time and he doesn't like to get them wet. So we sit on the edge and he plays with the water toys. Near the end of class I can usually talk him into doing one or two things the teacher is doing and he does seem to enjoy it.

He has really gotten into building and playing with legos recently. William received a lot of lego sets for his birthday last month and Stephen loves them all. We build together a lot. My favorite thing is when he asks for the "constructions" instead of "instructions!" He also really likes going to visit our friends who have bigger toy trucks than we have -- fire trucks, garbage trucks, cranes, etc. If it's big, it's his favorite. Paw Patrol has also become a new favorite. We've let him watch a few episodes on TV and he loves the trucks they drive. Remote control cars are also very exciting to him. He calls them "Comote controls."

He loves drawing. Mostly trucks. I love it when I can actually see what he was trying to draw! More than just lines and circles now. He loves it when I draw tractors, fire trucks, construction vehicles and garbage trucks for him so he can color them and add his own details. He had his dad draw for him once and from that point on the request was "Mom, can you draw the garbage truck like dad draws it?" I did my best.

I can make a pretty decent cardboard car though . . . he took it to school pick up.

We are working on our letter sounds and recognizing them. He loves finding "S" everywhere we go and is pretty close to being able to write it. The "W" the second most commonly noticed letter (for William).

Sports are and always have been important to Stephen. We've gotten the boys into a soccer program this fall and they both really love it. The coaches do such a great job with little kids and Stephen stays engaged and participates the whole time! Stephen still loves basketball but we haven't been around it much lately.

Stephen and William get a long for the most part. They play, look at books, color, draw, pretend and wrestle. Stephen likes to pick fights and has a pretty powerful punch (the back slap really hurts). This is probably my biggest struggle . . . helping them find the line between playing rough and actually meaning to hurt each other.

I do enjoy my days at home with this growing boy. I'm trying to appreciate it more knowing that eventually he too will be off to school. 

"How old are you?" is one of the most common questions people ask kids. My grandpa asked me every time we were together! My boys love it when the answer gets to change. And I love remembering the changes they have gone through in the past half-year. Stephen can now answer the question with "Three and a half!" And I get to write about him!

Stephen is no longer a toddler really, more like a preschooler without actually going to preschool. We're looking into having him start next fall. We've been keeping busy this fall with a lot of mom-and-me activities: Parenting/Child observation class at City College, swimming lessons, MOPS, and playdates with friends. He typically doesn't like leaving the house for any of these things and will tell me repeatedly that he just wants to stay home and play, but once we get there he is usually just fine and has a good time.

This swimming session has been a little different in that band-aids are reason enough not to get into the water. And lately, he's had a lot of bandages. No real injuries to report, just the occasional scratch or skinned knee. But the bandages stay on for a long time and he doesn't like to get them wet. So we sit on the edge and he plays with the water toys. Near the end of class I can usually talk him into doing one or two things the teacher is doing and he does seem to enjoy it.

He has really gotten into building and playing with legos recently. William received a lot of lego sets for his birthday last month and Stephen loves them all. We build together a lot. My favorite thing is when he asks for the "constructions" instead of "instructions!" He also really likes going to visit our friends who have bigger toy trucks than we have -- fire trucks, garbage trucks, cranes, etc. If it's big, it's his favorite. Paw Patrol has also become a new favorite. We've let him watch a few episodes on TV and he loves the trucks they drive. Remote control cars are also very exciting to him. He calls them "Comote controls."

He loves drawing. Mostly trucks. I love it when I can actually see what he was trying to draw! More than just lines and circles now. He loves it when I draw tractors, fire trucks, construction vehicles and garbage trucks for him so he can color them and add his own details. He had his dad draw for him once and from that point on the request was "Mom, can you draw the garbage truck like dad draws it?" I did my best.

I can make a pretty decent cardboard car though . . . he took it to school pick up.

We are working on our letter sounds and recognizing them. He loves finding "S" everywhere we go and is pretty close to being able to write it. The "W" the second most commonly noticed letter (for William).

Sports are and always have been important to Stephen. We've gotten the boys into a soccer program this fall and they both really love it. The coaches do such a great job with little kids and Stephen stays engaged and participates the whole time! Stephen still loves basketball but we haven't been around it much lately.

Stephen and William get a long for the most part. They play, look at books, color, draw, pretend and wrestle. Stephen likes to pick fights and has a pretty powerful punch (the back slap really hurts). This is probably my biggest struggle . . . helping them find the line between playing rough and actually meaning to hurt each other.

I do enjoy my days at home with this growing boy. I'm trying to appreciate it more knowing that eventually he too will be off to school. 

SIX YEARS OLD

William Bradley is six years old today. Is it strange to admit that when I had a baby I never really imagined what it'd be like to have a school aged child? (or a teenager or an adult son . . . ) But he keeps growing and I need to adjust my ideas of who this baby of mine is and is becoming! It's exciting.

He loves learning about and pretending to be animals. Not dogs or cats, but animals like perigean falcons, honey badgers, and black jaguars. He also loves dinosaurs and more recently dragons. He doesn't really like playing by himself, he would much rather play with a friend, a parent or his brother (if he plays along with the rules...). He loves watching sports with dad and playing football, soccer and basketball with friends at school during recess. Over the summer he really got into swimming and will do lessons again next month. He is pretty competitive and always wants to know who was the best swimmer, player or runner. What he really wants to hear is "you were the best one!"

He also really likes drawing and he is pretty creative in what he comes up with. Mostly animals but he is expanding his subjects more now. With both William and Stephen drawing more, we've nearly gone through an entire ream of paper this year! Those afternoons of coloring or drawing are my favorite moments. They cooperate, they're quiet and creative. And I love hearing their stories about what they drew.

He loves going to school and seems to be doing well. He has made some really great friends already. He really likes his teacher and even wants to become a teacher when he grows up! That or a professional football player (yikes!). He doesn't speak too much in Spanish at home yet, but does come home with new words all the time. It's the songs that get stuck in his head and he sings those for days!

It's been a really fun year with this guy -- he has grown and learned so much and we are so very proud of him.

William Bradley is six years old today. Is it strange to admit that when I had a baby I never really imagined what it'd be like to have a school aged child? (or a teenager or an adult son . . . ) But he keeps growing and I need to adjust my ideas of who this baby of mine is and is becoming! It's exciting.

He loves learning about and pretending to be animals. Not dogs or cats, but animals like perigean falcons, honey badgers, and black jaguars. He also loves dinosaurs and more recently dragons. He doesn't really like playing by himself, he would much rather play with a friend, a parent or his brother (if he plays along with the rules...). He loves watching sports with dad and playing football, soccer and basketball with friends at school during recess. Over the summer he really got into swimming and will do lessons again next month. He is pretty competitive and always wants to know who was the best swimmer, player or runner. What he really wants to hear is "you were the best one!"

He also really likes drawing and he is pretty creative in what he comes up with. Mostly animals but he is expanding his subjects more now. With both William and Stephen drawing more, we've nearly gone through an entire ream of paper this year! Those afternoons of coloring or drawing are my favorite moments. They cooperate, they're quiet and creative. And I love hearing their stories about what they drew.

He loves going to school and seems to be doing well. He has made some really great friends already. He really likes his teacher and even wants to become a teacher when he grows up! That or a professional football player (yikes!). He doesn't speak too much in Spanish at home yet, but does come home with new words all the time. It's the songs that get stuck in his head and he sings those for days!

It's been a really fun year with this guy -- he has grown and learned so much and we are so very proud of him.

Dragons Love Taco Party

About a month ago, William was begging to buy a dragon costume. He just really wanted to dress up like a dragon at home. So he used his savings and bought one (and that meant Stephen did too). When it arrived in the mail he exclaimed, "I'm going to wear this to my birthday party!" While he didn't really want to have a costume party, he definitely wanted to be a dragon at his party. So we went with it.

Brainstorming what to do with dragons at a birthday party I remembered the book "Dragon's Love Tacos" which the boys thought was hilarious. And the boys both actually love tacos. So I planned our menu off that and had a Dragons Love (Breakfast) Tacos Birthday party last weekend.

William then requested he have a "6" on his cake that looked like a dragon! Well, I was not going to become a professional cake decorator overnight so I had him draw me a picture of what that actually looked like. And I have to say, I did a pretty good job of transferring his idea to the cake. (Turns out I can decorate a cake like a 6 year old's drawing!) Whew! He loved it.

The day of the party arrived and I was fearing forecasted rain but it turned out to be the most perfect day and not too hot (as we had suffered for the week prior). He wore his costume until he got too warm and feasted on his taco and wrestled and played with his friends who came to celebrate with him. He blew out his candles and devoured his cake (each child requesting part of the "6"). 

We had a great morning with our friends. And I love this photo above because it's what I hope for with our birthday parties - the kids are off playing (or having a snack) while the parents get to catch up on life and enjoy time together.

My only fail (other than ordering too many tacos, but we are enjoying the leftovers) was the party favor... they were cute and made to match the theme, but I will never include slime in a favor bag ever again! It was basically sticky water. . . Stephen opened it right after we got home from the party and it ended up everywhere! In the trash they went. Sorry parents!!

About a month ago, William was begging to buy a dragon costume. He just really wanted to dress up like a dragon at home. So he used his savings and bought one (and that meant Stephen did too). When it arrived in the mail he exclaimed, "I'm going to wear this to my birthday party!" While he didn't really want to have a costume party, he definitely wanted to be a dragon at his party. So we went with it.

Brainstorming what to do with dragons at a birthday party I remembered the book "Dragon's Love Tacos" which the boys thought was hilarious. And the boys both actually love tacos. So I planned our menu off that and had a Dragons Love (Breakfast) Tacos Birthday party last weekend.

William then requested he have a "6" on his cake that looked like a dragon! Well, I was not going to become a professional cake decorator overnight so I had him draw me a picture of what that actually looked like. And I have to say, I did a pretty good job of transferring his idea to the cake. (Turns out I can decorate a cake like a 6 year old's drawing!) Whew! He loved it.

The day of the party arrived and I was fearing forecasted rain but it turned out to be the most perfect day and not too hot (as we had suffered for the week prior). He wore his costume until he got too warm and feasted on his taco and wrestled and played with his friends who came to celebrate with him. He blew out his candles and devoured his cake (each child requesting part of the "6"). 

We had a great morning with our friends. And I love this photo above because it's what I hope for with our birthday parties - the kids are off playing (or having a snack) while the parents get to catch up on life and enjoy time together.

My only fail (other than ordering too many tacos, but we are enjoying the leftovers) was the party favor... they were cute and made to match the theme, but I will never include slime in a favor bag ever again! It was basically sticky water. . . Stephen opened it right after we got home from the party and it ended up everywhere! In the trash they went. Sorry parents!!

First Day of Kindergarten

Yesterday was a big day-- it was William's first day of Kindergarten. He was well versed in the idea of getting ready for school and biking with dad in the morning since he did a year of Transitional Kindergarten last year. But this was a new school, a new uniform, new kids, and a new language.

He was pretty nervous (he says scared) when he left the house yesterday morning. I couldn't even get him to crack a smile for the picture. But when I picked him up at the end of the day, he was all smiles! As we were leaving, the principle asked him how his first day was, and William responded, "Great!" He didn't stop talking about recess and playing soccer with is new friends -- and one very special friend who attended the same TK as he did last year! It helps to know someone when going somewhere new. I should have taken an "after" picture!

I'm really excited for his year ahead. It's a small, community-focused Spanish Immersion school; we've already met some really great families and hope we can develop lasting relationships! And I'm hoping I can do some work on my own language learning too.

Yesterday was a big day-- it was William's first day of Kindergarten. He was well versed in the idea of getting ready for school and biking with dad in the morning since he did a year of Transitional Kindergarten last year. But this was a new school, a new uniform, new kids, and a new language.

He was pretty nervous (he says scared) when he left the house yesterday morning. I couldn't even get him to crack a smile for the picture. But when I picked him up at the end of the day, he was all smiles! As we were leaving, the principle asked him how his first day was, and William responded, "Great!" He didn't stop talking about recess and playing soccer with is new friends -- and one very special friend who attended the same TK as he did last year! It helps to know someone when going somewhere new. I should have taken an "after" picture!

I'm really excited for his year ahead. It's a small, community-focused Spanish Immersion school; we've already met some really great families and hope we can develop lasting relationships! And I'm hoping I can do some work on my own language learning too.

Transitional Kindergarten Graduate

Nine months has come and gone since William first boarded the tag-a-long bike behind dad and road off to his first day of Transitional Kindergarten. August 20, 2018; he wasn't yet five years old--still such a little boy. This would be his first experience with an all day school program. His preschool experiences being only 2-4 hours a few times a week. This TK program was everyday for 6 hours.

But so much growing and learning has happened since that very first day. He loved it from the start. He made instant friends who would eventually introduce him to TY beanie baby toys, Pokemon cards, and join him in daily pretend fighting games. His teacher was a very sweet woman dedicated to pouring knowledge of numbers, letters, words and writing into these little sponge-like brains.

It didn't take long for William to come home and count to 100 (they had put it to music so he just sang the whole song on the way home one day). He practiced writing numbers nearly everyday -- some are still backwards but much improved from that first attempt. He knows all the site words appropriate for this level and can now read a few level 1 books from the library all on his own. 

His favorite areas of the classroom during "exploration time" (free play) were the block area and the art table. His drawings are much more detailed and he enjoys it so much more now. He even started writing his own version of his favorite "Who Would Win" books written and illustrated by Will -- complete with facts and a battle between the animals just like the actual books. So far he has 20 editions!

They went on field trips throughout the year to an art museum, and Asian art museum, the zoo, a pumpkin patch and the symphony. He loved them all. Stephen and I got to join him on most of them.

The school held a small graduation ceremony for the two TK classes as they will all go to different schools for Kindergarten in the Fall. It was sweet and I felt more sentimental and proud than I thought I would. Something about seeing my little man in a cap and gown just brought tears to my eyes.

We are very proud of all the learning our son did this year and are very excited for the years to come. He'll be attending a Spanish Immersion school in the Fall.

Nine months has come and gone since William first boarded the tag-a-long bike behind dad and road off to his first day of Transitional Kindergarten. August 20, 2018; he wasn't yet five years old--still such a little boy. This would be his first experience with an all day school program. His preschool experiences being only 2-4 hours a few times a week. This TK program was everyday for 6 hours.

But so much growing and learning has happened since that very first day. He loved it from the start. He made instant friends who would eventually introduce him to TY beanie baby toys, Pokemon cards, and join him in daily pretend fighting games. His teacher was a very sweet woman dedicated to pouring knowledge of numbers, letters, words and writing into these little sponge-like brains.

It didn't take long for William to come home and count to 100 (they had put it to music so he just sang the whole song on the way home one day). He practiced writing numbers nearly everyday -- some are still backwards but much improved from that first attempt. He knows all the site words appropriate for this level and can now read a few level 1 books from the library all on his own. 

His favorite areas of the classroom during "exploration time" (free play) were the block area and the art table. His drawings are much more detailed and he enjoys it so much more now. He even started writing his own version of his favorite "Who Would Win" books written and illustrated by Will -- complete with facts and a battle between the animals just like the actual books. So far he has 20 editions!

They went on field trips throughout the year to an art museum, and Asian art museum, the zoo, a pumpkin patch and the symphony. He loved them all. Stephen and I got to join him on most of them.

The school held a small graduation ceremony for the two TK classes as they will all go to different schools for Kindergarten in the Fall. It was sweet and I felt more sentimental and proud than I thought I would. Something about seeing my little man in a cap and gown just brought tears to my eyes.

We are very proud of all the learning our son did this year and are very excited for the years to come. He'll be attending a Spanish Immersion school in the Fall.