Last night Addison fell out of her bunk bed for the first time. We heard a noise and then a screech and some crying, and I opened the door to see her coming out. I asked her what happened and with big eyes, she said, "I fell out of my bed!!!" Our bunk bed has a solid rail along the side, and it was determined that she was leaning way over to see if we had left the bathroom light on for her (we always d0). I guess she leaned a little too far and fell out. Luckily, she mostly landed on the lower bunk, which sticks out perpendicular, before hitting the floor. She wasn't hurt, mostly just startled. While I was hugging her I couldn't help but laugh into her shoulder - I'm sure it would have been funny to watch, and it was amusing to see the surprise and confusion on her face. I know, I know, I'm a bad mom. Thank the Lord she wasn't hurt.
I have been extremely pleased with Addie's swimming lessons this year. We've gone from a full YEAR of "I don't want to see my swim coaches" to "I can't wait for lessons! I want to give my coaches a hug!". The coaches are exactly the same, I guess it's just Addie who is different. In three weeks, she's gone from not wanting to put her face in the water at all to swimming about 8 feet, underwater, in the deep end, by herself to the wall and grabbing on, then turning and pushing off and swimming back to the coach. She can't really do real swimmer arms (she rotates them backwards) but she can do doggy paddle motions underwater and kick really well. And when we're just playing in the pool, she goes down and under all the time, grabbing rings off the bottom, jumping off the side, etc. I'm so glad she feels comfortable. Ryan has come a long way too. He likes to walk in the shallow end, where the water comes right up under his chin, and really likes sitting and crawling in the baby pool, where he can balance on his hands without his head going under. Like so many other things, I think watching Addison has spurred his interest. I'll put him in lessons next summer, probably.
Couple of random things:
Ryan can count to 5 - he did it while walking up the stairs with Matt.
Addi was sitting at the table making a clicking African language sound, and I told her I really liked her pretty singing and she said, "Well, I'm singing to God."
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Summer days
I know I might change my mind one day, but I am so thankful that we don't have many planned activities right now. A lot of my friends with school aged kids are joking and moaning about having the kids around all summer, and the Lord knows that there are some days when I wish I could send my kids to school all day, but overall, I LOVE the flexibility we have, with no one to report to but ourselves. Addie's swim lessons are Tues, Weds, and Thurs from 11:15 to 11:45, for the next couple of weeks, and I'm already finding it challenging to plan for those days - no random museum days in the middle of the week, can't make my Thursday 10:15 Body Pump class, and I have to plan around those times for having friends over, etc. Not a big deal at all, but just different from what I'm used to. I'm really thankful that my kids have October birthdays, because that will mean nearly another whole year that I will get to spend with them at home before they are off to school, and they will be old enough to do tons of fun things by then without cramming our adventures into weekends and holidays.
We are headed to Dallas today for a quick visit with my mom and then to my dad's house. Matt has to work with a client in Dallas for three days, so we figured we'd tag along. Then we have a pool party this weekend to go to where Addie can show off her swimming skills. We'll miss a couple of days of lessons this week, but that's ok. My sister and niece should be moving in with my mom in a week, so once the beloved Cammie is here, I"m sure we'll be going to Dallas and/or having company a lot this summer before Cammie starts school.
We are headed to Dallas today for a quick visit with my mom and then to my dad's house. Matt has to work with a client in Dallas for three days, so we figured we'd tag along. Then we have a pool party this weekend to go to where Addie can show off her swimming skills. We'll miss a couple of days of lessons this week, but that's ok. My sister and niece should be moving in with my mom in a week, so once the beloved Cammie is here, I"m sure we'll be going to Dallas and/or having company a lot this summer before Cammie starts school.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
May/June stuff
Ok, long break and now some random updates:
We went to the beach in early May with our small group from church. We rented a beach house with 5 rooms, and there were 10 adults and 8 kids, ages 4, 3, 2, 1, 6 months, and 3 weeks. It actually went really well. Addison could not get enough of the beach, even though it was a little bit chilly. She wanted to play in the waves all day, and liked hunting crabs at night. Ryan, however, hated the beach. He would cry mostly the whole time, and was afraid of the water rushing up the shore. He would cry and run whenever it came up to him. Even after 3 days, he was scared. He also fell a lot and has a little scar by his eye where he scratched it deeply. The adults had a blast – lots of good cooking and margaritas! We will have to get down to the beach again soon, because Addison loved it. She would wake up each morning and say, "beach?"
Our crew on the beach
Vroom vroom (not pictured: Baby MacKenzie being nursed)
Addie in the muck
In Daddy's shoes
Some of the kids eating
Ryan in the sand
For Mother’s Day, I got a present from Addison. She made it with the teachers in her Bible study class, and when they handed it to me, I burst into tears! I had to have the ladies hold Ryan because I was so happy/upset/emotional. I hugged Addie so hard.
We have a garden this year, finally, with squash, zucchini, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and green beans growing. We’ll see how much comes up – I probably need to get some fertilizer for everything.
We start swimming lessons today. Addie was pretty apprehensive about it, but she ended up doing great. She still remembers her swimming lessons from last year, and for the past 12 months has told me how she doesn’t want to take lessons and doesn’t want to see her coaches and doesn’t want to put her face in the water. She was 1 of only 2 kids who weren’t crying today, and after lessons we played and she dove under the water and swam like a fish. I was so proud of her. I could tell she wasn’t really comfortable with the coaches yet (they are great), but she was brave and tried hard to do what they asked. Ryan had a good time being pushed around in the pool and jumping off the side to me. I think he will move along more quickly than Addie just because he can’t stand not being able to do what she does. He walked all along the bottom of the pool and I had to keep pulling him back as he would get deeper – the water would nearly cover his face as he tried to follow Addison.
Ryan can say lots of words now – he says some words better than Addie ,but some a lot worse! He mimics almost every word now instead of just staring at me. My favorite is when I said, "Aw, nuts!" and he said, "Aw, NUT!" And he says "muss" for mouse, which is really cute. He loves to be read to and brings you books all the time. And he is making some two word sentences, finally, like "Dada shoes", "Milk please," "Bye bye, Mama!", etc. He still adores Dora and Diego, and recognized the Diego animal rescue center logo even though there was no picture of Diego on it. Also, at Chick Fil A one day, he saw the PBS kids logo on the toy in the kids meal, and said, "DDS Deets!!" which is clearly "PBS Kids". I was shocked! He sings the theme songs to Dora and Diego, and can sing ABCs too (well, not clearly, but he tries). And Old McDonald is still a favorite. Oh, and he has a fascination with the potty. He will say Poo Poo and Potty, then go open and close the lid a million times. I actually sat him on the little potty with no diaper on and he just looked at me like I was crazy, then got up and ran away.
Ryan wearing my hat and being silly
Mr. Potato Ears
He and Addison go back and forth constantly between playing nicely and fighting. It has helped some when I tell her to show Ryan how to play WITH her – show him how to put the animals, or set the blocks, etc. She has a little more patience for him, and he’ll often listen to her. But sometimes she tries very nicely to play with him and he’ll just knock over her stuff, or run away with a toy or whatever, which is frustrating for her. But she also likes to laugh at him when he’s being silly, and she likes to teach him new words. He loves any attention, of course.
We have been to the zoo several times already this summer and are going again later this week. Both kids really like it, and Ryan is so much more fun this year – he can see the animals and get excited, and he can run around and play in the water. He loves to crawl in the prairie dog tunnels, and adores brushing the goats. The giraffes are his favorite though. For some reason, he calls them "Bap". Don’t know where that came from. We are looking forward to going with my niece Camryn too when she moves down to Dallas this summer. Addison talks about Cammie every single day, without fail.
At the zoo on the seal
Addie in the nest hatching an egg
Ryan brushing the goat
We got a big backyard waterslide extravaganza thingy for the kids (and their friends). The kids LOVE it. The only drawback is that Ryan can't quite make it up the side by himself because his legs aren't long enough, but I think within a month or so he'll be able to get up there.
Waterslide!!
Daddy being silly
He loves it
We’ve been pet-sitting our nephew’s 2 gerbils, and they have been quite a hit. Addie calls them the "germals" and she and Ryan have spent a lot of time standing on the chair looking into their cage, commenting on their every move – "Mama, the germals are moving! The white one is out! The black one is not out! The white one is sleeping! So is the black one! Now the black one is moving a foot!" Casey was interested in chomping the gerbils, so we didn’t get them out much. They are going home today, and Addie is going to be very sad. Every morning and nap, she’s woken up saying, "Are the germals still here?"
Here is a conversation we had, before the germals came.
–interrupted by "Mama. Where would the fish live while we wash out his bowl?"
Then she said, "Mama, I want Baby to have a fish, and I will have a little mouse, and the fish will keep Baby quiet." ??????
-Addie has a singing dog that sings "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch", but when she sings the song, she says, "Sugar Pie, Honey Pot." It sounds really funny. She tries hard to learn songs now, and likes to hear them over and over. Right now she really likes Shiloh by Neil Diamond. "You Belong with Me", "867-5309", "Time After Time", and "Need you Now" are some of her favorites on the radio.
Addie putting her bunny under the microscope at the vet clinic at the museum.
We went to the beach in early May with our small group from church. We rented a beach house with 5 rooms, and there were 10 adults and 8 kids, ages 4, 3, 2, 1, 6 months, and 3 weeks. It actually went really well. Addison could not get enough of the beach, even though it was a little bit chilly. She wanted to play in the waves all day, and liked hunting crabs at night. Ryan, however, hated the beach. He would cry mostly the whole time, and was afraid of the water rushing up the shore. He would cry and run whenever it came up to him. Even after 3 days, he was scared. He also fell a lot and has a little scar by his eye where he scratched it deeply. The adults had a blast – lots of good cooking and margaritas! We will have to get down to the beach again soon, because Addison loved it. She would wake up each morning and say, "beach?"
Our crew on the beach
Vroom vroom (not pictured: Baby MacKenzie being nursed)
Addie in the muck
In Daddy's shoes
Some of the kids eating
Ryan in the sand
For Mother’s Day, I got a present from Addison. She made it with the teachers in her Bible study class, and when they handed it to me, I burst into tears! I had to have the ladies hold Ryan because I was so happy/upset/emotional. I hugged Addie so hard.
We have a garden this year, finally, with squash, zucchini, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and green beans growing. We’ll see how much comes up – I probably need to get some fertilizer for everything.
We start swimming lessons today. Addie was pretty apprehensive about it, but she ended up doing great. She still remembers her swimming lessons from last year, and for the past 12 months has told me how she doesn’t want to take lessons and doesn’t want to see her coaches and doesn’t want to put her face in the water. She was 1 of only 2 kids who weren’t crying today, and after lessons we played and she dove under the water and swam like a fish. I was so proud of her. I could tell she wasn’t really comfortable with the coaches yet (they are great), but she was brave and tried hard to do what they asked. Ryan had a good time being pushed around in the pool and jumping off the side to me. I think he will move along more quickly than Addie just because he can’t stand not being able to do what she does. He walked all along the bottom of the pool and I had to keep pulling him back as he would get deeper – the water would nearly cover his face as he tried to follow Addison.
Ryan can say lots of words now – he says some words better than Addie ,but some a lot worse! He mimics almost every word now instead of just staring at me. My favorite is when I said, "Aw, nuts!" and he said, "Aw, NUT!" And he says "muss" for mouse, which is really cute. He loves to be read to and brings you books all the time. And he is making some two word sentences, finally, like "Dada shoes", "Milk please," "Bye bye, Mama!", etc. He still adores Dora and Diego, and recognized the Diego animal rescue center logo even though there was no picture of Diego on it. Also, at Chick Fil A one day, he saw the PBS kids logo on the toy in the kids meal, and said, "DDS Deets!!" which is clearly "PBS Kids". I was shocked! He sings the theme songs to Dora and Diego, and can sing ABCs too (well, not clearly, but he tries). And Old McDonald is still a favorite. Oh, and he has a fascination with the potty. He will say Poo Poo and Potty, then go open and close the lid a million times. I actually sat him on the little potty with no diaper on and he just looked at me like I was crazy, then got up and ran away.
Ryan wearing my hat and being silly
Mr. Potato Ears
He and Addison go back and forth constantly between playing nicely and fighting. It has helped some when I tell her to show Ryan how to play WITH her – show him how to put the animals, or set the blocks, etc. She has a little more patience for him, and he’ll often listen to her. But sometimes she tries very nicely to play with him and he’ll just knock over her stuff, or run away with a toy or whatever, which is frustrating for her. But she also likes to laugh at him when he’s being silly, and she likes to teach him new words. He loves any attention, of course.
We have been to the zoo several times already this summer and are going again later this week. Both kids really like it, and Ryan is so much more fun this year – he can see the animals and get excited, and he can run around and play in the water. He loves to crawl in the prairie dog tunnels, and adores brushing the goats. The giraffes are his favorite though. For some reason, he calls them "Bap". Don’t know where that came from. We are looking forward to going with my niece Camryn too when she moves down to Dallas this summer. Addison talks about Cammie every single day, without fail.
At the zoo on the seal
Addie in the nest hatching an egg
Ryan brushing the goat
We got a big backyard waterslide extravaganza thingy for the kids (and their friends). The kids LOVE it. The only drawback is that Ryan can't quite make it up the side by himself because his legs aren't long enough, but I think within a month or so he'll be able to get up there.
Waterslide!!
Daddy being silly
He loves it
We’ve been pet-sitting our nephew’s 2 gerbils, and they have been quite a hit. Addie calls them the "germals" and she and Ryan have spent a lot of time standing on the chair looking into their cage, commenting on their every move – "Mama, the germals are moving! The white one is out! The black one is not out! The white one is sleeping! So is the black one! Now the black one is moving a foot!" Casey was interested in chomping the gerbils, so we didn’t get them out much. They are going home today, and Addie is going to be very sad. Every morning and nap, she’s woken up saying, "Are the germals still here?"
Here is a conversation we had, before the germals came.
"Mommy, I want lots of pets. Lots of REAL pets. Like Casey. "
"Well, honey, pets take a lot of work and time and money. We have to buy food for them, and take them to the doctor, and spend time taking care of them. In fact, we don’t walk with Casey enough.. She needs exercise."
(Then, with me thinking about getting her a pet for her 4th birthday – maybe a hamster, but a fish would be less commitment and cheaper ) I said, "Addie what about getting a pet fish when you are older? For your 4th birthday? You would have to help take care of it – feed it, and wash out its fish bowl…."
(Then, with me thinking about getting her a pet for her 4th birthday – maybe a hamster, but a fish would be less commitment and cheaper ) I said, "Addie what about getting a pet fish when you are older? For your 4th birthday? You would have to help take care of it – feed it, and wash out its fish bowl…."
–interrupted by "Mama. Where would the fish live while we wash out his bowl?"
" In a cup."
" But he wouldn’t have room to swim around"
"Well, he wouldn’t be in there for very long, just for awhile."
Pause.
"Wouldn’t it be silly if the fish jumped into the spaghetti sauce?"
and then…
"I want the fish to live in my room. And I could bring him down to watch a show with me."
Then I tried to tell her that she would have to show us that she could take care of a fish. I started to tell her she could show that by picking up toys, taking care of her books, etc, but she immediately stood up tall and said, "Mama, I will show you I can do it. I will feed it every day, and then I will wash out his bowl and talk to him and stuff." She was trying to show me that she knew how to take care of it!
Then she said, "Mama, I want Baby to have a fish, and I will have a little mouse, and the fish will keep Baby quiet." ??????
-Addie has a singing dog that sings "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch", but when she sings the song, she says, "Sugar Pie, Honey Pot." It sounds really funny. She tries hard to learn songs now, and likes to hear them over and over. Right now she really likes Shiloh by Neil Diamond. "You Belong with Me", "867-5309", "Time After Time", and "Need you Now" are some of her favorites on the radio.
-When we play hide and seek, we make a show of loudly looking for Addison, which usually makes her laugh and then call out where she is. Last time when I was counting, she called out, "Mama, go look in the places where I’m not!"
Addison : "Mom, I want to watch a lot of shows." Me: "No honey, you don't need to watch a lot of TV....(stalling for a reason)...it'll make your brain rot." (knowing she has no idea what brain or rot means). "Mama, it's ok if my brain rots. It will be fantastic!"
Addie is still terrified of the Chick Fil A cow. She screamed and cried when he came around to see her. Now when she says she wants to go to Chick Fil A, she clarifies it by saying, "But not the one where the cow is. When I am so much bigger and older then I will want to see the cow."
Addie is still terrified of the Chick Fil A cow. She screamed and cried when he came around to see her. Now when she says she wants to go to Chick Fil A, she clarifies it by saying, "But not the one where the cow is. When I am so much bigger and older then I will want to see the cow."
At a friend's birthday party,all the kids were talking about how old they were. Addie started to say something, then looked up at me and said, "Mama, what old am I?"
Addie putting her bunny under the microscope at the vet clinic at the museum.
Monday, April 12, 2010
April stuff
The kids had fun at Easter. We went to the farm on Saturday to dye eggs with cousins and family, and then hid eggs in the house Sunday morning since it was drizzly outside. Ryan was good at putting eggs in his basket, but Addie was much faster. And once Ryan figured out there was candy in the eggs, he just sat down to open the ones he had instead of looking for more eggs.
Musical toothbrush
Hunting eggs at the farm
She wanted to climb the tree, then she screamed.
Grandmas and budding gardener
Driving Papoo's tractor
Me and Matt
We went to see my friend Kate in Baton Rouge. She has a girl Addie’s age and a new baby, Abrielle, who is 7 weeks old. The girls were very interesting to watch. I could lie and say there were the sweetest things who played great and loved each other and will be best friends forever (well, we will force that on them), but it wasn't quite like that. They did play nice a lot of the time, but there were also several squabbles. They would fight about silly things, of course, like whose yellow dress was whose (even when we told them, they disagreed), and how to pronounce words and who was first and whose turn it was and who was in whose face or pushed whose face away. They would get discouraged with each other for not doing what the other one told them to do – Emmy wanted Addie to get in the hula hoop with her, and Addie wouldn’t, and then Addie wanted Emilyn to stand on certain spots on the driveway and Emmy wouldn’t. It was just very curious to see what set each one off. Kate and I were discussing it and we think that a lot of it is just age – three’s are full of all sorts of new conflicts. We went to the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans and played at the park. It was fun going with just Addison by herself. It was strange to only have to worry about one child, and not have to pack diapers and wipes everywhere I went, or worry about the baby on the long car ride. Addie and I got candy at the gas stations and played at McDonalds and sang songs together. She was great in the car. And, despite all the fights, Emmy cried after we left, and Addie just this second told her daddy that Emmy was her best friend in the whole world. 
New umbrellas (Thanks Aunt Kate!)
Hugging
Loving mother gazing at her daughter
Merry go Round at the zoo
Almost matching dresses
Baby Abrielle (and Emmy, who loved to lean into all pictures!)
My mom was down to watch Ryan for 4 days. Matt was home but had to work, and then he spent the weekend putting more insulation in the attic. It was a long hard job and ended with a fall through the ceiling into the hallway. Luckily he’s fine and the hole will hopefully be fixed easily (and soon).
I finally bought a few more plants and would like to get outside this week and clean up my flower beds once and for all. The freeze this winter really did a number on a lot of my plants and I’ve decided that some of them aren’t going to come back, so I need to get some new stuff in the ground.
This weekend we have a Nevill family reunion out near the farm, and then Matt and I have his A&M Engineering department reunion that evening in College Station. Hopefully we will get to go to the baseball game (last year we had little kids with us, but not this time!), and/or a movie or something.
Musical toothbrush
Finding eggs
He LOVES Dora!
Best picture I could get!!
She took over Ryan's new bunny
Little ringlets - lasted through church
Carefully dyeing the egg (in a borrowed shirt)
Eating the egg
Hunting eggs at the farm
She wanted to climb the tree, then she screamed.
Grandmas and budding gardener
Driving Papoo's tractor
Me and Matt
We went to see my friend Kate in Baton Rouge. She has a girl Addie’s age and a new baby, Abrielle, who is 7 weeks old. The girls were very interesting to watch. I could lie and say there were the sweetest things who played great and loved each other and will be best friends forever (well, we will force that on them), but it wasn't quite like that. They did play nice a lot of the time, but there were also several squabbles. They would fight about silly things, of course, like whose yellow dress was whose (even when we told them, they disagreed), and how to pronounce words and who was first and whose turn it was and who was in whose face or pushed whose face away. They would get discouraged with each other for not doing what the other one told them to do – Emmy wanted Addie to get in the hula hoop with her, and Addie wouldn’t, and then Addie wanted Emilyn to stand on certain spots on the driveway and Emmy wouldn’t. It was just very curious to see what set each one off. Kate and I were discussing it and we think that a lot of it is just age – three’s are full of all sorts of new conflicts. We went to the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans and played at the park. It was fun going with just Addison by herself. It was strange to only have to worry about one child, and not have to pack diapers and wipes everywhere I went, or worry about the baby on the long car ride. Addie and I got candy at the gas stations and played at McDonalds and sang songs together. She was great in the car. And, despite all the fights, Emmy cried after we left, and Addie just this second told her daddy that Emmy was her best friend in the whole world.
New umbrellas (Thanks Aunt Kate!)
Best Friends!
Hugging
Loving mother gazing at her daughter
Merry go Round at the zoo
Almost matching dresses
Baby Abrielle (and Emmy, who loved to lean into all pictures!)
My mom was down to watch Ryan for 4 days. Matt was home but had to work, and then he spent the weekend putting more insulation in the attic. It was a long hard job and ended with a fall through the ceiling into the hallway. Luckily he’s fine and the hole will hopefully be fixed easily (and soon).
I finally bought a few more plants and would like to get outside this week and clean up my flower beds once and for all. The freeze this winter really did a number on a lot of my plants and I’ve decided that some of them aren’t going to come back, so I need to get some new stuff in the ground.
This weekend we have a Nevill family reunion out near the farm, and then Matt and I have his A&M Engineering department reunion that evening in College Station. Hopefully we will get to go to the baseball game (last year we had little kids with us, but not this time!), and/or a movie or something.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Preschool!
I took Addison to visit a preschool this morning. Since she has an early birthday, she'll be nearly six when she starts kindergarten. And since she'll be nearly 4 this fall, I've been wanting to put her in a part-time program this coming year, because I'll definitely want her something the next year too. Well, my friend Tricia told me that the high schools around here have preschool lab programs. They have high school students apply for the class, requiring ten teacher references and personal references. The students actually are trained to write curriculums, come up with art and science projects, circle time stuff, etc. and then they get to implement their ideas with actual preschoolers. The school doesn't start till the end of October, so the students have two months of classes before they get the kids. Of course they are supervised by adults too. The best part is that it only costs $180 for the whole school year! The main reason I've been hemming and hawing about preschool is because most of the ones I've checked out are around$250 a MONTH for three days a week.
I went today to check it out. It's Mon, Tues and Wed. from 7:45 to 10:45 (we'll have to wake up early). You never know what the actual environment is like till you go, so I put Ryan in the stroller and went a few blocks down to the high school (did I mention it's right in my neighborhood?). They have 24 kids from 3-4 (split off sometimes into younger/older 3's and younger/older 4's) and I think 14-16 students, plus the director in the classroom, so it's slightly more than 1 teacher per 2 kids. They have art, science, math, reading, circle time, snack time, music, and outdoor play (apparently there is a big playground with climbing ropes, tricycles, etc). I was there about an hour and was very impressed. The high schoolers were attentive and on the ball, and the kids were all very much under control. By breaking up into small groups and changing activities so much, the kids don't have time to get bored or distracted, and the students take turns trading off teaching, herding, etc. I was there during a fire drill too, and I loved how there were so many "adults" to keep track of the kids, hold hands, etc. I was wondering if I would find the girls gossiping, lounging around, or looking bored but they all seemed very busy and focused.
Addison had a ball. She played with toys for a little bit and then sat in on story time. During the drill, one teacher came up to take Addie's hand and from then on, she was just part of the group. They played London Bridges outside, and as we went back in, she didn't even look to see where I was. Then, after hearing another story, I told her it was time to go, and she said, "No, Mama, now it's MUSIC time," and followed the kids to their music mats.
My feeling is that it would be perfect for Addison this next year. It is close, the hours are good, it's 3 days a week, and it looks like it's safe and fun. Also I don't have to pack lunch or worry about nap interference either. Whether she learns a lot or not - that's mostly secondary right now, although they were doing letter stuff, sequence of events with pictures, etc. It may end up being fabulous and she learn tons of things, or it might just be a fun place for her to do, well Pre School stuff, like sitting on circle, lining up, sharing, etc. Since she will have another entire year of preschool the next year, I'm fine with taking things slow. Thanks so much for calling this to my attention Tricia!!! I am so excited! When I told Addie that she couldn't go till next fall, when she was a little bit bigger, she said, "But Mama, I don't know HOW to wait till I'm grown up!"
I went today to check it out. It's Mon, Tues and Wed. from 7:45 to 10:45 (we'll have to wake up early). You never know what the actual environment is like till you go, so I put Ryan in the stroller and went a few blocks down to the high school (did I mention it's right in my neighborhood?). They have 24 kids from 3-4 (split off sometimes into younger/older 3's and younger/older 4's) and I think 14-16 students, plus the director in the classroom, so it's slightly more than 1 teacher per 2 kids. They have art, science, math, reading, circle time, snack time, music, and outdoor play (apparently there is a big playground with climbing ropes, tricycles, etc). I was there about an hour and was very impressed. The high schoolers were attentive and on the ball, and the kids were all very much under control. By breaking up into small groups and changing activities so much, the kids don't have time to get bored or distracted, and the students take turns trading off teaching, herding, etc. I was there during a fire drill too, and I loved how there were so many "adults" to keep track of the kids, hold hands, etc. I was wondering if I would find the girls gossiping, lounging around, or looking bored but they all seemed very busy and focused.
Addison had a ball. She played with toys for a little bit and then sat in on story time. During the drill, one teacher came up to take Addie's hand and from then on, she was just part of the group. They played London Bridges outside, and as we went back in, she didn't even look to see where I was. Then, after hearing another story, I told her it was time to go, and she said, "No, Mama, now it's MUSIC time," and followed the kids to their music mats.
My feeling is that it would be perfect for Addison this next year. It is close, the hours are good, it's 3 days a week, and it looks like it's safe and fun. Also I don't have to pack lunch or worry about nap interference either. Whether she learns a lot or not - that's mostly secondary right now, although they were doing letter stuff, sequence of events with pictures, etc. It may end up being fabulous and she learn tons of things, or it might just be a fun place for her to do, well Pre School stuff, like sitting on circle, lining up, sharing, etc. Since she will have another entire year of preschool the next year, I'm fine with taking things slow. Thanks so much for calling this to my attention Tricia!!! I am so excited! When I told Addie that she couldn't go till next fall, when she was a little bit bigger, she said, "But Mama, I don't know HOW to wait till I'm grown up!"
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
March news
Matt got back from his India trip safe and sound, but very tired from his travels. He spent most of his time on the campus of the Hindustan Bible Institute, which educates and trains Indian Christians on how to spread the Gospel throughout the Hindu population. He said that most Hindus believe in God and Jesus, and affirm His healing powers, but see Him as merely one god of many. Matt described the faith of the Indian Christians as such to make even devout Americans look heathen. He also said he has never seen so many people crammed on top of each other in his life. Chennai has 12 million people and is geographically much smaller than Houston. The average household has 5 children, most of whom live in absolute poverty. Here is a picture of a bathroom at a public school they went to visit:
This was in the city. They don’t even have toilet paper – they use a cup to dip water out of the bucket to “rinse” off.
We are very thankful he is home again. Ryan especially missed his Daddy – he saw pictures at my mom’s house and our house and would just say, “Dada, Dada” over and over. It was very sad.
I survived just fine while he was gone. I was home for a few days, then took the kids to see Matt’s mom at Thousand Trails Lake Whitney, where they were camping for Spring Break in a trailer. We only stayed two nights, but that was enough – I hadn’t packed much warm clothing for them, so the unexpected cold fronts were not pleasant. And poor Ryan isn’t quite ready for camping. He fell off the beds in the trailer a lot, fell in the rocks, got sand in his mouth and eyes, didn’t want to hold my hand ANYWHERE, and woke up the whole trailer every morning since he doensn’t know how to be quiet. Addie was running a fairly high fever the whole time we were there, and she wasn’t up for doing much. She slept fitfully at night, and didn’t nap during the day. We left after two days and drove up to see my mom in Dallas. Friday we went to the Arboretum and had a great time letting the kids run everywhere in the flowers. Saturday morning was cold and moldy, so we stayed in and then went out shopping later to get some new summer clothes for Addison. She also got a Princess roll-along suitcase. I figured it was time for her to have her own bag/suitcase for overnight trips. She LOVES it and so far has filled it with many animals that she wheels around. Ryan even took his socks off, put them in the suitcase, and started pulling it, saying, “Bye bye, Mama!” Sunday morning we woke up to …..SNOW!! It was icy cold. We bundled the kids up in whatever we could find, and went out for a grand total of three minutes. Addie threw a snow ball and attempted a snow angel, but then started crying about wanting to wash her hands. Ryan kept pulling his hat off, then started crying while staring at his frozen hands. He was so cold! We went straight in and had hot cocoa.
Ryan has been picking up words like crazy. Just this morning he learned, “Hey!” They are not always understandable, but he’s getting them with very few repetitions. I’m still getting used to the differences between him and Addison when she was his age. His slower verbal development makes me think he’s younger than he is, but he very obviously understands a lot. When I asked Addie if she was going exploring, Ryan immediately piped up with, “Dora? Dora?” He will say “Dora” all day. He has started to attach to his blankets. Oh, and he calls Addison DeeDee. She fussed about it at first, saying her her name was NOT DeeDee. So I told her that was just his name for her since he couldn’t say Addison. I told her that we could start calling him Ryan instead of Baby, since that wasn’t his name, and she said, “Yeah, but Baby is my name for him.” So we have DeeDee and Baby. He looks for her and calls her when he can’t see her. But man oh man, he has learned quick how to take care of himself. He’ll snatch a toy and run as fast as he can to a corner, then screech and scream and wave his arms and stomp his feet if you come near to try to get the toy back. He’s also started the lovely phase of “going boneless”, where the legs turn to jello and he flops on the floor about to crack his skull when he’s mad. I kept him by himself for a day while Matt’s sister took Addie and my nephew overnight to the farm. I took Ryan to the library for story time, which he’s never gone to, and it was SO different than with Addie. He wanted to stay in my lap most of the time. Addison would have been on the floor with the other kids. He stood a little, clinging to my leg, while they did the Hokey Pokey. Addie wouldn’t have been the first kid to dance, but she would have been the third or fourth. He is not as easy for me to read – I don’t know what he’s thinking a lot of the time, while it seemed like I could see Addie’s whole thought process unfold on her face. I don’t understand what sets him off, or what might draw his interest. Could be because I haven’t had the time to study him and get to know him by himself like I did with Addison, or could be because he’s a boy, or maybe it’s because he just has a different personality. However, I know that when Addie starts school, I’ll have two years at home with just him as a 3-4 year old.
This was in the city. They don’t even have toilet paper – they use a cup to dip water out of the bucket to “rinse” off.
We are very thankful he is home again. Ryan especially missed his Daddy – he saw pictures at my mom’s house and our house and would just say, “Dada, Dada” over and over. It was very sad.
I survived just fine while he was gone. I was home for a few days, then took the kids to see Matt’s mom at Thousand Trails Lake Whitney, where they were camping for Spring Break in a trailer. We only stayed two nights, but that was enough – I hadn’t packed much warm clothing for them, so the unexpected cold fronts were not pleasant. And poor Ryan isn’t quite ready for camping. He fell off the beds in the trailer a lot, fell in the rocks, got sand in his mouth and eyes, didn’t want to hold my hand ANYWHERE, and woke up the whole trailer every morning since he doensn’t know how to be quiet. Addie was running a fairly high fever the whole time we were there, and she wasn’t up for doing much. She slept fitfully at night, and didn’t nap during the day. We left after two days and drove up to see my mom in Dallas. Friday we went to the Arboretum and had a great time letting the kids run everywhere in the flowers. Saturday morning was cold and moldy, so we stayed in and then went out shopping later to get some new summer clothes for Addison. She also got a Princess roll-along suitcase. I figured it was time for her to have her own bag/suitcase for overnight trips. She LOVES it and so far has filled it with many animals that she wheels around. Ryan even took his socks off, put them in the suitcase, and started pulling it, saying, “Bye bye, Mama!” Sunday morning we woke up to …..SNOW!! It was icy cold. We bundled the kids up in whatever we could find, and went out for a grand total of three minutes. Addie threw a snow ball and attempted a snow angel, but then started crying about wanting to wash her hands. Ryan kept pulling his hat off, then started crying while staring at his frozen hands. He was so cold! We went straight in and had hot cocoa.
Ryan has been picking up words like crazy. Just this morning he learned, “Hey!” They are not always understandable, but he’s getting them with very few repetitions. I’m still getting used to the differences between him and Addison when she was his age. His slower verbal development makes me think he’s younger than he is, but he very obviously understands a lot. When I asked Addie if she was going exploring, Ryan immediately piped up with, “Dora? Dora?” He will say “Dora” all day. He has started to attach to his blankets. Oh, and he calls Addison DeeDee. She fussed about it at first, saying her her name was NOT DeeDee. So I told her that was just his name for her since he couldn’t say Addison. I told her that we could start calling him Ryan instead of Baby, since that wasn’t his name, and she said, “Yeah, but Baby is my name for him.” So we have DeeDee and Baby. He looks for her and calls her when he can’t see her. But man oh man, he has learned quick how to take care of himself. He’ll snatch a toy and run as fast as he can to a corner, then screech and scream and wave his arms and stomp his feet if you come near to try to get the toy back. He’s also started the lovely phase of “going boneless”, where the legs turn to jello and he flops on the floor about to crack his skull when he’s mad. I kept him by himself for a day while Matt’s sister took Addie and my nephew overnight to the farm. I took Ryan to the library for story time, which he’s never gone to, and it was SO different than with Addie. He wanted to stay in my lap most of the time. Addison would have been on the floor with the other kids. He stood a little, clinging to my leg, while they did the Hokey Pokey. Addie wouldn’t have been the first kid to dance, but she would have been the third or fourth. He is not as easy for me to read – I don’t know what he’s thinking a lot of the time, while it seemed like I could see Addie’s whole thought process unfold on her face. I don’t understand what sets him off, or what might draw his interest. Could be because I haven’t had the time to study him and get to know him by himself like I did with Addison, or could be because he’s a boy, or maybe it’s because he just has a different personality. However, I know that when Addie starts school, I’ll have two years at home with just him as a 3-4 year old.
My guy!
My brother and sis-in-law and niece Sarah are coming next week to visit. Sarah is 3 weeks younger than Ryan, and about half his size! I haven’t seen her since she was about 8 months old, so I am dying to hold her and see what kind of cutie she is. Addison will probably have a great time with her too.
My brother and sis-in-law and niece Sarah are coming next week to visit. Sarah is 3 weeks younger than Ryan, and about half his size! I haven’t seen her since she was about 8 months old, so I am dying to hold her and see what kind of cutie she is. Addison will probably have a great time with her too.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
End of February Update
Matt's parents kept the kids at the farm last weekend and they had a blast. They got to ride the Rhino, play in the dirt, play with toys, and ate like hogs. Matt and I had a wonderful weekend. The weather was beautiful! We spent Friday night with our friend Eric, who cooked us dinner, and then Saturday morning Matt borrowed a bike and we went riding along a creekside path, through parks and into his old neighborhood. It was so much fun to just cruise along wherever we wanted! We rode by his old house that he lived in from 5th-12th grade, and the lady who owns it (actually, the people who bought it used to own the farm, and they traded the farm to Matt's parents for the Houston house!) came out and let us come inside to see how it looks after all these years. It was neat. Then we ate lunch out, and came home to do just a little bit of yard/garage work. I had a $50 gift card to Cypress Station Grill from when Casey won the local newspaper costume contest at Halloween, so we ate there, and then we had free movie passes to Studio Movie Grill (they give two free tickets to anyone once a month) and watched Shutter Island. After sleeping in Sunday, we actually got to lounge around while reading the paper and drinking coffee. Then we drove up to get the kids.
It was really fun spending time with Matt again, and having fun together on our own schedule. But we did miss the kids and were happy to see them again. It was a perfect little break. I've been trying more and more to truly enjoy the kids every day instead of keeping them occupied while I try to do a million other things at once. I don't pick up the house every day or feel like I constantly have to keep moving to get stuff done, and it's so much nicer overall - the kids are more relaxed because I am. I didn't think I was "overdoing" it in terms of housework and other distractions - but I don't think I was ever truly at the "letting things go" stage. I'm trying to find the right balance, which things to really just "let go" (if the laundry's in the basket instead of on the floor, then who cares if it takes a few days to fold? And every toy doesn't have to be picked up every day) and which things I do need to stay on top of (clean kitchen and bathrooms, washing clothes). My house is messier than normal, but I can already tell a change in my mood and the kids have just been behaving beautifully (mostly) for the past few weeks.
We took pictures last year of Addison in Matt's mom's wedding dress - the original plan was to take a picture every year on her birthday, but we never got around to it until March of last year, so this past weekend was the perfect time to capture 3-year-old Addie in the dress. I keep meaning to put her in something of mine every year, and Ryan could wear something of Matt's maybe? And I'll have to find something of my mom's too.....I guess you never know what piece of clothing would really epitomize a time period in your life that you can watch your kids grow into over the years. I first got the idea when I saw an article about a mom who put her girl in her grandma's old 1950's bathing suit, with the longer legs. By the time the girl was 16 or so, the swimsuit fit her like a glove and was a great vintage piece. Maybe I should have kept my Units outfits from the 80's!
Silly girl
She was actually very still and good
This was Matt's dad's suit jacket from their wedding
He loved it.
Oh, and we know we're spoiling the kids, but we bought them a couple of cheap toys while they were away. And we're probably setting a bad precedent but we got two of each toy. Partially so they won't fight, but also because it's so fun to watch them both play with the toys together. We got little bats and balls at the dollar store, then two microphones ($2). I had acquired two ride-on toys even before Ryan was born because I knew I'd have two kids and they would both need (want) a riding toy at the same time. Ryan is so cute copying Addison - he looks to her for information from how to climb into the car by yourself to how to dig a hole to plant flowers.
Singing "Jack and Jill", of all songs!
Standing up on the cars and "dancing"
I taught Ryan to snore today - Addie took a long nap so I told him she was still asleep and put my hands up to my cheek and snored. He thought it was hilarious, and he covers his mouth and makes hacking noises.
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