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| This is the face he does now when asked to smile :D |
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Time to learn & time to play :)
Little Elliot going into school with his big ole backpack on his back. I am not sure how it doesn't knock him down. Elliot moved up to the Yellow Room this Fall with 2-3 year olds. It is a bigger room with more kids. He now goes to the "big" playground in addition to the outdoor classroom everyday. The schedule has a later (and shorter) nap built into the day. He has three new teachers and seems to be liking school this year. I still am only sending him once a week. I think he actually would do well twice a week, but they are full anyway. And I do really enjoy my days with this little guy. Soon enough he'll be at St. E's with big brother and he has plenty of time to go more days, so for now this works for us.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
My little Gymnast
Elliot started gymnastics about three weeks ago. He has class on Monday mornings (when Noah is in school) and gets to be in class with his friend, Nona Grace. It's a 2 and 3 year old class and after warm ups they have two teachers and separate the ages, so they don't actually do most of the class together. Parents wait and watch from the bleachers and I get to do this with my friend. It's fun for everyone :) Elliot really loves it! Elliot has a hard time watching Noah at soccer and does not understand why he can't play too. He tries to run on the field and cries saying he wants to play. So I was very excited to give Elliot an opportunity to do his own thing.
(When Noah saw these pictures and some videos I took, he wanted to sign up too. He has only gone twice now. I will blog about Noah's next week when I have the opportunity to get some better pictures. Noah's class is harder, because it's at night with LOTS of kids and classes going on, but I'll bring the camera next week.)
(When Noah saw these pictures and some videos I took, he wanted to sign up too. He has only gone twice now. I will blog about Noah's next week when I have the opportunity to get some better pictures. Noah's class is harder, because it's at night with LOTS of kids and classes going on, but I'll bring the camera next week.)
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| lining up with Nona Grace before class |
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| they go in here to warm up |
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| jumping on the trampoline |
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| doing a "v sit" |
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| dominating the rings |
Goal Scoring Machine AKA Noah
This was the first of 3 goals Noah scored this day. He's a little hustler on the soccer field! Turn off the volume and you won't have to hear my annoying voice ;D
Star of the Week
Being in Pre-K is pretty fun stuff. Every kid gets a turn at being the Star of the Week, coinciding with their birthday. Noah's birthday fell on Sunday, so the following week was his week at school. The day before at his party, Sarah, Sam and I worked on his poster helped Noah with his poster for school. I stayed up late Sunday night baking cupcakes. Monday Noah got to present his poster to his class. Oh how I wish I could have seen him do this :) His friends had a chance to ask him questions. All I got out of it was that a lot of people liked his basketball picture and the picture of him underwater swimming. Everyone enjoyed the cupcakes and Noah informed me, that he got to take the first bite since it was his birthday :)
Tuesday, I got to read his favorite book to his class. Noah settled on the book, There is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems. This is a really funny book, so it was a good choice. The expressions of the characters make it so funny, so I was worried about all the kids seeing the pics and reading it in an entertaining way. Yes, I'll admit it. I was nervous reading to a classroom full of 4 and 5 year olds - haha! But, it was SO FUN! The second I walked in, Noah lit up and was so happy to see me. I was immediately surrounded by kids. It was picture day and all the girls were excited about their new shoes, hair bows, etc. I successfully made the kids crack up when reading the book. Then Miss Mary gave me another book to read to them.
Noah got to present his poster to his class again on Tuesday, because the majority of kids go on Tues/Wed/Thurs. Monday is a smaller class day. I managed to snap a couple pics on my phone before leaving.
Tuesday, I got to read his favorite book to his class. Noah settled on the book, There is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems. This is a really funny book, so it was a good choice. The expressions of the characters make it so funny, so I was worried about all the kids seeing the pics and reading it in an entertaining way. Yes, I'll admit it. I was nervous reading to a classroom full of 4 and 5 year olds - haha! But, it was SO FUN! The second I walked in, Noah lit up and was so happy to see me. I was immediately surrounded by kids. It was picture day and all the girls were excited about their new shoes, hair bows, etc. I successfully made the kids crack up when reading the book. Then Miss Mary gave me another book to read to them.
Noah got to present his poster to his class again on Tuesday, because the majority of kids go on Tues/Wed/Thurs. Monday is a smaller class day. I managed to snap a couple pics on my phone before leaving.
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| Noah with his friend, Murray and his poster. |
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| Noah's awesome poster |
Road Trip
We got to my friend's house about 6:30. Brooke was one of my closest friends in nursing school and her husband Sasha was in pharmacy school at the time. After graduating with his pharmacy degree, they moved to a small town near Branson, where Sasha is taking over a pharmacy. The owner was older and wanting to retire. He still works every Friday, giving Sasha a pretty sweet deal - 3 day weekends! They have an 18 month old little girl. The 3 kids enjoyed playing, Sasha got us all takeout dinner, and we went for an evening walk. The next morning, after breakfast and another walk, we hit Silver Dollar City. Brooke & Sasha are season ticket holders and sometimes get free guest passes. So we used up some of their guest passes, which made for a cheap trip.
It was a cloud covered but nice day in the 60's. We never had to wait in line. With school in session there just weren't the crowds. The boys had a blast! Elliot was above 36 inches so he could actually ride a lot of rides this time around. A couple little ones with just Noah. Noah could pretty much ride everything he wanted. The bigger ones he needed a grown up with him. It's safe to say we had a blast! The kids love Brooke, Sasha & baby Harper as much as we do.
About 3:00pm we had funnel cake. My thought was we'd leave afterwards and get home for a decent bedtime. Noah had a soccer game the next day at 10am, that we didn't want to miss. Noah LOVES his soccer. Well, I decided instead to let Noah ride Thunderation (for the 3rd time) when Elliot fell asleep. I then decided we should just leave and let him nap in the car on the way home. Noah was fading quickly, too. It was a good time to leave. They both slept in the car for a long time and it was an easy ride home. If Noah didn't have a game the next morning we would have just let Elliot nap in his stroller and stayed late and spent the night with Brooke & Sasha again.
We had a blast! We are heading back up in December for a longer weekend - and with Paul, too! We will be hitting Silver Dollar City (on a Friday again) and then doing the Polar Express Saturday. We can't wait to see our friends again!
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| Evening walk at Brooke and Sasha's house |
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| This was the "kid" rollercoaster (hands up so they could check seat belt) |
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| Brave E on the kid rollercoaster |
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| Jumping off the roller coaster |
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| Making friends with some old folks |
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| About 3:30 and they just couldn't go anymore |
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| This made for an easy drive home |
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Crack of dawn
Noah and Elliot slept pretty well together last night, but the power inexplicably went out for a couple of hours around 1:30 AM. Without the white noise of the fan, the boys woke up.
We had earlier decided if they woke up during the night, we would put them back to sleep in their own beds. Our reasoning was based on them waking each other up, not due to it being quiet, but we did it anyway. As Mandy was leading Elliot back to bed, I heard him say, "I want Noah to put me to bed."
Despite being up for about an hour during the night, Noah woke up super early and couldn't be convinced to go back to sleep. I decided to take him to Starbucks to help keep the rest of the house asleep. The Plaza Art Fair was going on, so the streets were all blocked off and artist tents were everywhere, and we had to park a couple blocks away. It was 46 degrees outside, so by the time we got there, Noah decided he wanted hot chocolate.
Crack of dawn visits to this 'bucks were pretty routine back when Elliot was little and waking up so early all the time. It's probably been a year since I came in that regularly, but the guy behind the counter remembered me enough to mention that I hadn't been there in awhile, and to ask where Elliot was.
Afterwards, we walked around the Plaza a bit, and over to Brush Creek to see the sunrise. We'll both need naps later.
We had earlier decided if they woke up during the night, we would put them back to sleep in their own beds. Our reasoning was based on them waking each other up, not due to it being quiet, but we did it anyway. As Mandy was leading Elliot back to bed, I heard him say, "I want Noah to put me to bed."
Despite being up for about an hour during the night, Noah woke up super early and couldn't be convinced to go back to sleep. I decided to take him to Starbucks to help keep the rest of the house asleep. The Plaza Art Fair was going on, so the streets were all blocked off and artist tents were everywhere, and we had to park a couple blocks away. It was 46 degrees outside, so by the time we got there, Noah decided he wanted hot chocolate.
Crack of dawn visits to this 'bucks were pretty routine back when Elliot was little and waking up so early all the time. It's probably been a year since I came in that regularly, but the guy behind the counter remembered me enough to mention that I hadn't been there in awhile, and to ask where Elliot was.
Afterwards, we walked around the Plaza a bit, and over to Brush Creek to see the sunrise. We'll both need naps later.
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| Hot, hot, hot! |
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The value of a nap
We had a birthday party with Noah's friends today, which Mandy will probably talk about later when we have some pictures. In all the rush, we forgot cameras, and got to enjoy just being in the moment.
It was an active party, held at a place that essentially consists of a bunch of indoor bounce houses. Elliot was asleep before we got home, and it was clear Noah needed to go down too. When they both woke up, it was almost like we had two different kids. Kind, funny, helpful to each other and thankful for all we did for them.
It was another beautiful day. The weather in Kansas City does occasionally have its redeeming moments, and we've had a stretch of them lately, with no end in sight. There was a lot on tap this weekend - the Plaza Art Fair, the Waldo Fall Festival, and a number of other smaller gatherings. We could have done nearly anything with this weather, but the boys wanted to go to a park.
Noah suggested a picnic for dinner, so Mandy went home and made dinner and brought it back to the park. Noah thought this was one of the greatest ideas he'd ever had. They were polite, thanked us, asked to be excused from the picnic table, and continued to play like best buds.
Tonight, Noah wrote thank you cards to all his friends, both kids bathed without complaint, and had a great time playing with each other as we moved the train table from Noah's room to Elliot's room in order to make room for Noah's hot wheels.
After bedtime stories, they wanted to sleep together in Elliot's bed. We've tried it once before, and it lasted a few minutes. A few fart jokes, some laughing, some bonked heads and some crying, and it was all over. Tonight though, after telling them we'd let them if they were quiet after 10 minutes, we let them try again. Not a peep was heard, and when we finally checked on them, they were sound asleep.
We'll have to treasure this day. There have been few like it.
It was an active party, held at a place that essentially consists of a bunch of indoor bounce houses. Elliot was asleep before we got home, and it was clear Noah needed to go down too. When they both woke up, it was almost like we had two different kids. Kind, funny, helpful to each other and thankful for all we did for them.
It was another beautiful day. The weather in Kansas City does occasionally have its redeeming moments, and we've had a stretch of them lately, with no end in sight. There was a lot on tap this weekend - the Plaza Art Fair, the Waldo Fall Festival, and a number of other smaller gatherings. We could have done nearly anything with this weather, but the boys wanted to go to a park.
Noah suggested a picnic for dinner, so Mandy went home and made dinner and brought it back to the park. Noah thought this was one of the greatest ideas he'd ever had. They were polite, thanked us, asked to be excused from the picnic table, and continued to play like best buds.
Tonight, Noah wrote thank you cards to all his friends, both kids bathed without complaint, and had a great time playing with each other as we moved the train table from Noah's room to Elliot's room in order to make room for Noah's hot wheels.
After bedtime stories, they wanted to sleep together in Elliot's bed. We've tried it once before, and it lasted a few minutes. A few fart jokes, some laughing, some bonked heads and some crying, and it was all over. Tonight though, after telling them we'd let them if they were quiet after 10 minutes, we let them try again. Not a peep was heard, and when we finally checked on them, they were sound asleep.
We'll have to treasure this day. There have been few like it.
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| You're going to need those knees someday, son. |
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| Noah's usually one of the bigger kids on the playground... |
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Why we've never been on a cruise
This happened over 10 years ago, but it's a memory that still evokes a visceral reaction whenever the subject of a cruise comes up. Although I felt sorry for her, because she was so looking forward to this trip at the time, this is one of the funniest (because it didn't happen to me) e-mails I've ever received. Forgive the spelling and grammar errors, as she was typing fast due to the cost per minute.
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| Sitting in a Mexican Minute-Clinic. She looks pathetic, doesn't she? |
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| Click on picture to read |
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| Click on picture to read |
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Happy Birthday, son.
Dear Noah,
Happy birthday. You’ve been in our hearts for five years now. You entered into this world full force, crying nonstop when you were born, refusing to sleep, and you’ve not slowed down since. You walked at 8 months, scaled and tiptoed along our narrow rock retaining wall at one, rode a bike with training wheels at two, and without at three. Before you turned four, you swam across a 40-yard pool without stopping.
You’ve climbed boulders in Colorado, played in creeks and stomped through a myriad of puddles. You are easily the fastest kid your age we’ve encountered, and taller than most. Given all this, it’s sometimes easy to forget how young you are. One day, when you were still three, we were complaining about how cranky you were, forgetting we took a bike ride that morning that was nearly six miles. And you pedaled the entire way.
While you have all these raw physical skills, you’re only competitive with yourself. To watch you create one of your “inventions”, and proudly show it off, we can see that your mind works in a creative fashion. When you don’t accomplish what you set out to, we can see the dark clouds move in. You get frustrated and stubborn, refusing help for whatever it is you may be working on. You didn’t talk until you were two, but you learned your alphabet, your numbers and even how to spell a little shortly after. You have one volume - loud. I can tell you to whisper a thousand times, and you whisper, “OK” in acknowledgment, but it lasts no more than a few seconds.
To make you stop at the end of the day, we literally have to lay down with you and make you quit moving long enough to fall asleep. And it never lasts long. Your younger brother will lay in bed for a half hour after he wakes up, talking to himself and lounging around until someone gets him. With you, all we hear is a yawn on the monitor as you first open your eyes, seconds later followed by the hard thump of you jumping out of bed onto the wooden floor to start a new day. One morning, well before it was light outside, I asked you why you were getting up so early. You replied, “Because I’m bored of sleeping.”
I’m tempted someday to throw out my watch and plans, and see just how far you’ll go before stopping on your own. In five years, I’ve never seen it happen, unless you count falling asleep in your high chair during dinner.
Your full steam approach to life is going to create some challenges as we try to properly channel your personality. It will be someone’s full time job to keep you engaged. You love friends, but like me, you make them cautiously and hold them fast. You love your brother, especially when you’re apart, and you’re very protective of him when other kids are around, but my God you can be a pain in his ass when it’s just the two of you. You love your mom and dad, and even though you’re mostly reluctant to give hugs, you surprise us with “I love you’s” out of the blue, hugs that we weren’t expecting, or even more frequently, flowers that you picked for us. Likely out of someone’s garden or a business’s landscaping. You are empathetic towards others; you’re extremely kind to babies and younger kids, and take good care of them.
You know it all, even at this age, and you’re quite defiant at times. You will die on the hill for what you feel is right. If we give you two choices, you will most likely counter with choice number three, and even faced with an ultimatum of “no stories, and immediate bedtime” or some similar consequence, you will cling stubbornly to the unavailable choice.
Your full-on belly laugh is as infectious as any I’ve ever heard, and just hearing it makes us smile, even if it’s because you’re doing something you shouldn’t. You’ve had this same laugh from the time you were a baby, and it hasn’t changed a bit. I watched a video of you laughing at three months old, and it sounds exactly the same as listening to you laugh today. You love to make us laugh.
You inherited your mom’s beauty, intelligence and sweet tooth, and my short temper, perfectionism and reticence. Because we are so alike, we butt heads more often than I would like, and it takes me remembering that in order to de-escalate these situations.
You are one of the bright lights of our lives, and while some days it seems to have taken forever to get here, mostly time seems to be rushing by at a speed beyond our control. Given all you’ve accomplished in the first five years, we’re excited to see what you will do the next five.
Love,
Mom and Dad
Happy birthday. You’ve been in our hearts for five years now. You entered into this world full force, crying nonstop when you were born, refusing to sleep, and you’ve not slowed down since. You walked at 8 months, scaled and tiptoed along our narrow rock retaining wall at one, rode a bike with training wheels at two, and without at three. Before you turned four, you swam across a 40-yard pool without stopping.
You’ve climbed boulders in Colorado, played in creeks and stomped through a myriad of puddles. You are easily the fastest kid your age we’ve encountered, and taller than most. Given all this, it’s sometimes easy to forget how young you are. One day, when you were still three, we were complaining about how cranky you were, forgetting we took a bike ride that morning that was nearly six miles. And you pedaled the entire way.
While you have all these raw physical skills, you’re only competitive with yourself. To watch you create one of your “inventions”, and proudly show it off, we can see that your mind works in a creative fashion. When you don’t accomplish what you set out to, we can see the dark clouds move in. You get frustrated and stubborn, refusing help for whatever it is you may be working on. You didn’t talk until you were two, but you learned your alphabet, your numbers and even how to spell a little shortly after. You have one volume - loud. I can tell you to whisper a thousand times, and you whisper, “OK” in acknowledgment, but it lasts no more than a few seconds.
To make you stop at the end of the day, we literally have to lay down with you and make you quit moving long enough to fall asleep. And it never lasts long. Your younger brother will lay in bed for a half hour after he wakes up, talking to himself and lounging around until someone gets him. With you, all we hear is a yawn on the monitor as you first open your eyes, seconds later followed by the hard thump of you jumping out of bed onto the wooden floor to start a new day. One morning, well before it was light outside, I asked you why you were getting up so early. You replied, “Because I’m bored of sleeping.”
I’m tempted someday to throw out my watch and plans, and see just how far you’ll go before stopping on your own. In five years, I’ve never seen it happen, unless you count falling asleep in your high chair during dinner.
Your full steam approach to life is going to create some challenges as we try to properly channel your personality. It will be someone’s full time job to keep you engaged. You love friends, but like me, you make them cautiously and hold them fast. You love your brother, especially when you’re apart, and you’re very protective of him when other kids are around, but my God you can be a pain in his ass when it’s just the two of you. You love your mom and dad, and even though you’re mostly reluctant to give hugs, you surprise us with “I love you’s” out of the blue, hugs that we weren’t expecting, or even more frequently, flowers that you picked for us. Likely out of someone’s garden or a business’s landscaping. You are empathetic towards others; you’re extremely kind to babies and younger kids, and take good care of them.
You know it all, even at this age, and you’re quite defiant at times. You will die on the hill for what you feel is right. If we give you two choices, you will most likely counter with choice number three, and even faced with an ultimatum of “no stories, and immediate bedtime” or some similar consequence, you will cling stubbornly to the unavailable choice.
Your full-on belly laugh is as infectious as any I’ve ever heard, and just hearing it makes us smile, even if it’s because you’re doing something you shouldn’t. You’ve had this same laugh from the time you were a baby, and it hasn’t changed a bit. I watched a video of you laughing at three months old, and it sounds exactly the same as listening to you laugh today. You love to make us laugh.
You inherited your mom’s beauty, intelligence and sweet tooth, and my short temper, perfectionism and reticence. Because we are so alike, we butt heads more often than I would like, and it takes me remembering that in order to de-escalate these situations.
You are one of the bright lights of our lives, and while some days it seems to have taken forever to get here, mostly time seems to be rushing by at a speed beyond our control. Given all you’ve accomplished in the first five years, we’re excited to see what you will do the next five.
Love,
Mom and Dad
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| Welcoming Elliot home |
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| Riding his first bike. At 2 1/2 |
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