Fun with friends

Something about the Fall makes spontaneous play dates even more fun.

Jump Rope

Stuff they say

I have been bad about blogging lately.  We've just been busy and I have GOT to get better about it, because pretty much every single day the kids make me laugh with things they say.  Or say just the sweetest things to us and to eachother.  And it's time to start blogging it so I don't forget!  Here are a few exhanges/quotes I can remember right now:

Me:  "Elliot, you are a handsome little devil"
E:  "I'm not a handsome little devil!  I'm a handsome BIG devil!"

Noah *while coloring with Elliot*:  "Elliot, don't scribble scrabble on your paper.  You need to always do your personal best"

We were at the pumpkin patch last week and on the hayride.  Elliot wanted to sit at the very back closest to the tractor.  He looked at the man/farmer who was driving it and said to me "That man is a cowboy.  He can ride a horse with a hat.  He is a pard-en-er" (partner is said with 3 syllables and it is pretty much the cutest word, ever!)

Noah:  "I think you are best mom in the whole world, but don't tell the other moms because it might make them feel sad"

Noah school update

Noah has come so far in PreK this year.  Academically speaking he knows all his letters and their sounds, including lowercase (which was new this year).  He's writing his numbers 1-10.  He can count up to 100 with some mistakes/omissions and to 100 by 10's perfectly.  He sings catchy little songs about the months of the year and days of the week.  And he is also starting to sound out and read words.  He read the word "run" on my shirt the other day, and then driving pointed to a sign that read "Block".  Socially, he interacts well with his peers and has a lot of friends.  He likes to stay after school and play on the playground, which we do most days.  I enjoy watching him and his friends play and visiting with other parents.  We even met a 7th grader (and her mom), who Elliot was smitten with that babysat him during Noah's final soccer game last week.

One day picking up Noah in the carpool line, the teacher said "Noah, tell your mom what happened today"  He said "I got to 21 in Down in the Valley!".  I didn't know what that was, but it's a jump roping song.  And getting to 21 was a big deal!  It goes something like this:

Down in the Valley where the green grass grows,

There sits Noah sweet as a rose

Along comes his mom and kisses him on the cheek

How many kisses did he get that week?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6......... (until he hit 21)

I said "Wow, Noah that's a long way to go without getting tripped up!"  He informed me that he didn't trip, but his legs got tired. 

They choose daily jobs.  Examples are being the weather person, getting lunches out of the fridge, wiping down tables, stacking chairs, helping at the library, etc.  But, Noah informed me his DREAM job is sweeping the floors.  He LOVES it and wishes he could do it everyday!  I am planning on buying him a broom and letting him live the dream at home.  Everyday in the kitchen.  

We had parent-teacher conferences this week.  Noah is doing just great and is a very sweet kid.  We are really proud of him.  His school is a great community all around and we feel lucky to be a part of it.

Climbing on the playground

Noah with his friend Finn goofing off

Loving this sweet school picture

Elliot waiting for Noah to be dismissed

Love one another

Noah has been doing well in school both academically and socially.  He has great friends and likes to stay after school on the playground and play.  He always wants friends to come over for playdates.  He really likes his teacher, Miss Mary and her assistant Miss Anita.

Despite all this, Noah would complain he didn't want to go to school quite a bit.  A couple of weeks ago he even cried and didn't want me to leave.  He said he wanted me to stay and work at his school.  I talked to his teacher and we were both concerned, but he was doing well and she said he was having good days.  She said she was really keeping an eye on him, but felt he was doing well.  We both wondered if there was something we were missing.

Finally, he told me that the reason he didn't want to go to school was because a certain boy was "mean".  Noah said he's not just mean to him, but to everyone.  I asked who this boy was friends with and Noah said "No one is his friend, because he is so mean.  We let him play with us the other day if he promised to be a nice guy, but then he hit ______ with a hammer on the head"  He said he hits kids in the head with his lunchbox in line, pushed kids and was just mean.  It wasn't clear to me if he was personally afraid of him or just upset about the whole situation.  Noah is sensitive and is sad when he sees other kids sad.  He said he sometimes gets in trouble, but he also does things when the teacher doesn't see.  Noah didn't tell because he was too nervous.

We had a really good talk about it.  Noah is young enough and trusts me and his teachers, so he didn't mind that I was going to talk to Miss Mary.  And I think he was actually relieved.  I resisted the initial urge to talk bad about this boy.  I told him that he is probably sad he doesn't have friends and that maybe he doesn't know how to make friends.  Noah prayed that he wouldn't be afraid to go to school anymore and that this boy would learn to be a good friend and start being nice.  I talked to his teacher, too who assured me they were trying to be sure someone had on eye on this boy at all times and they were working with him, as they knew it was an issue.  They also decided to move tables so Noah would not sit at the same table as this boy and feel better.  Noah was assured he was to tell if something happened and not be scared.  He felt better about going to school the next week with a new seating assignment.

When I picked him up that day, I was floored at what happened.  He told this boy he loved him.  The boy said he loved Noah, too.  Then Noah asked him why he was mean.  The boy said it's because he misses his mom.  Noah told him that it was ok, he didn't have to miss her, because she would come back.  Then something amazing happened.  Noah invited the boy to play with him and he played nice.  Noah's teacher said he included this boy all day.  Noah says he was only a "little" mean once that day.  And the next day Noah said he wasn't mean, but just got in trouble for jumping off a chair.

I was in shock Noah reached out to be this boy's friend, and it appears to have made a huge difference in this child's behavior.  During religion time their lesson that week was God has two rules:  to love God and to love one another.  Noah's teacher said he shared with the class that he told this boy he loves him and they all talked about how that made Jesus happy to show love to one another.  Wow.  I hope that this boy is learning to be a good friend and I am very proud that Noah made the step to show him love instead of being in fear or being mean back to him.  All at 5 years old.  What an amazing kid he is.

Spring Break

Yeah, I know.  That's an odd title for a post in the middle of beautiful Fall.  I am just excited!  We have already planned and booked a Spring Break vacation.  To the BEACH!  Elliot has never been to the beach and Noah hasn't been since he was one.  They both love the sand, sun and swimming and Paul and I have talked for a long time about getting them to the beach.  I love the beach as much as the next girl, but when it comes time to plan a vacation, I always choose the mountains.  We are going on our first group vacation with another family that we are good friends with.  Since, she's the beach girl, she booked our house.  Right on the beach!  It has a pool and hot tub and we are all so excited.  I told the kids about it, and well, maybe that wasn't the best idea.  We were talking about all we were going to do and how much fun it would be over breakfast Thursday.  When it was time to leave for school I said "Ok kids, time for socks and shoes".  Elliot's reply was "Are we going to the beach, now?!?"  Oh boy.  Then later he asked me if I'd pack two packages of goldfish to take to the beach.  So I'm going to STOP talking about it.

But, I can't wait to see them both having the time of their lives.  They are both old enough to really play and enjoy it.  And with friends along to boot.

Noah & I when he was a year and a half old at Vero Beach, Florida

Noah & I at Isle of Palm, South Carolina.  He was 8 months old.

Lunch Bunch

The place Noah and Elliot take Gymnastics classes started something new called "Lunch Bunch".  It is for ages 4+ and it's a three hour drop-off.  They have open playtime, eat lunch (that you send) and do a craft.  It's from 11-2 every Friday.  It's new and no one has taken them up on it yet.  So I got a couple of Noah's buddies a few weeks ago and signed them up.  They were the only three there and had the huge place to themselves.

When I picked them up, they were all sweaty and red-faced and came running up to me excitedly and asking if they could play hide and seek just one more time.  According to Brina, the activity director, they played for 45 minutes, ate lunch & did a craft for about 45 minutes, then played non-stop the rest of the time.  They had a blast!  We are already planning one for next month.

These three kids met when they were babies in the same playgroup through Brookside Mother's Association.  Once our second babies came along and a lot of the older kids started doing different preschool days our playgroup kind of gradually just quit.  Murray & Noah have stayed buddies since his mom and I have stayed good friends, and even though Sidney's mom and I have kept in touch and do the occasional mom's night out, Noah and Sidney didn't remember each other when PreK started this year.  Now they are all in the same class and friends again. It's so cute seeing them together and having memories of them running around as toddlers playing at the park.

Sidney & Noah back when they were little

Noah, Jack, Liam & Murray celebrating 2009 on New Year's when they were 2!

Field Trip

Since Claire moved, I have yet to find a new babysitter. I was bummed, but was unable to chaperone Noah's first field trip of the year. Considering I went on 3 out of 3 last year, I figured it was ok. It was going to be much too long of a day to bring Elliot along. Noah was paired up with George and his mom. This was a good match. Noah & George are not only in the same class, but play on the same soccer team. They went to the Deanna Rose Farmstead. When I picked Noah up and asked how the field trip was, all I got was "Great!" No details, really. But, George's mom shared a few pics she had on her phone with me :)

Lately, instead of going through the carpool line to pick up Noah after school, Elliot and I have been walking up and then the boys play on the playground for awhile before we go home.  Noah loves to play with his friends that do the same thing, and Elliot really thinks he's big stuff at Noah's school.  I took a couple of pictures the other day when Noah, George and Murray decided to climb on top of a tunnel (instead of through it) on the playground.

Longing

The Church

There is a church down the street from us, at the end of our block.  We've referred to it many times, because we've been there many times.  Never inside.  Always outside, where we take advantage of the empty driveway, the wide, flat sidewalks, being able to climb on the steps, lay in the grass, or pick up pine cones, etc.  It evokes a lot of memories; this is the place I think of when I remember Noah learning to ride his tricycle on the long, sloping driveway, and then his bikes, both pedal-less and pedal-full. He learned something about gravity and physics, braking and turning.  And now his 2-year old brother is learning to do the same.

It was the home of the Sixth Church of Christ Scientists, but it's empty now.  On any given Sunday, there were probably a couple dozen cars parked outside for service, the owners of which were decidedly aged. The congregation, what little there was left of it, had decided some years ago to raze the building due to the lack of membership and the operating costs.  They were talked out of it by the local homeowners, who thought it would be a shame to tear down.  They tried to make a go of it, but dwindling members can only mean one thing.

I'm fascinated by this church, because it's not only one of the most beautiful churches I've seen - and I'm generally not sophisticated enough to be a discerning fan of architecture - but it's one of the most beautiful buildings I've seen. It is built from stone, and from the outside it almost has a castle feel to it.  Its tall copper spire is identifiable from many blocks away, and provides an easy marker to tell how far from home I am. Until it recently collapsed in a storm, the front yard of this church held the most massive tree on our block.  It would have taken four or five of us just to reach around it.  There are many times, especially at night when the moon or streetlights are illuminating it, when I wish I'd had a camera with me to record the beauty, but knowing I could never do it justice.

The church is for sale now, and selfishly I hope it goes to someone who can continue with its intended use.  The property is also zoned residential, so technically it's feasible to make this thing a giant house.  And don't think I haven't toyed with the idea.  But given my gas, electric and water bills, I can't imagine what this thing would run.

A part of me hopes it is never sold, but more than anything, I hope it's never torn down.  I hope it finds new life.  Isn't finding new life what a church is supposed to do?

A typical Mommy/Elliot day

I had a great time at the park with Elliot today.  This weather could not be any more beautiful.

National Walk to School Day

Yesterday was National Walk to School Day.  Well St. E's has dress uniform day/mass on Wednesday, so we observed it today.  They encouraged everyone to walk.  We live a little far to walk, but a bike ride is doable in about 20 minutes.  And the whole point is to exercise and not carpool, so we figure it's the same thing :)

Once we hit the line that crosses from Brookside to Waldo on the Trolley Trail we passed dozens of walkers.  And when we pulled up to school there was no carpool line at all.  Most kids walked.  They had lemonade, too.  Elliot said he needed a cold drink of lemonade after that fast bikeride.  Mind you he rode in the caboose eating bunny grahams the whole time :D

Me & the boys ready to ride to school

If you click, you'll see his tears.  He was upset he couldn't ride his Strider to school.

Some friends of ours up ahead on the Trolley Trail walking to school

Lemonade!

Elliot is fascinated with this turtle & goldfish in Noah's classroom.

Pretty trees starting to turn

Give them a week I'm guessing & they'll be even prettier

Pumpkin Patch

We have had to have record breaking AMAZING weather this past month or so.  I mean it's been perfect.  Noah's only worn pants to school a few times and always with short sleeve shirts.  This weekend we are going camping and I've been itching to go to the pumpkin patch.  We'll have to go to our favorite one still and we'll wait until the next weekend and take Paul.  But, I took them to a new one yesterday.  We had a lot of fun!  There was TONS of stuff for the kids to play on, we rode a train, had apple cider slush, pumpkin donuts, hayrides & the boys each picked their own pumpkins.  And my early birds (who have for some reason been waking up before dawn lately) passed out in the car and took nice naps.

Noah loved the jungle gym

Elliot was attracted to everything with sand

The kids ran through this maze a lot chasing eachother & giggling

And yes, Elliot is barefoot.  He kept taking his shoes off!

Holding up their tickets on the train

excited for our train ride

Hayride!

Riding the monster trike around the path

Hayride

Noah's first pumpkin he picked

Noah helped Elliot

Taking their pumpkins back

"Well that sign doesn't apply to me.  I'm two and do whatever I want."

This went on for about an hour and a half