Ah, fall.
Each year you bring:
- shorter days
- brisk air
- changing leaves
- the smell of smoke
- flocks of geese
- brilliant sunsets
- my annual fight with Josh about how it's too cold to wear shorts and he now HAS to wear pants
Friday, September 14, 2012
Annually
Ah, fall.
Each year you bring:
Happy Sixth Birthday, Josh!
**Note: I started this post yesterday and then burned a bunch of fingers. Ouch. So, future Josh, in case you're offended at the lateness of this post, that's why. Oh - and push your glasses up.**
Yesterday was Joshie's 6th birthday. (And, consequently, the 6th anniversary of the LONGEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. Yes, I'm gonna link to his birth recap again. And I'll probably do it again next year. Because it was the LONGEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. Please excuse the PTSD.)
First, let me just say that I really enjoy Kindergarteners. Seriously, they are so cute and (generally) happy and I thoroughly love having one in my home. There is something extra-special about a Kindergartener having a birthday. I can't quite put it into words, but trust me - it's there. Josh was all aglow with birthday excitement!
That morning we had a very Joshie breakfast: Cherry Pop Tarts, fried eggs, and bananas. It should be noted that I enforced the bananas - Josh would never willingly choose to eat fresh fruit! (Shouldn't the cherry filling in the Pop Tarts count?) But let's not judge the birthday boy too harshly.
That morning I took Josh (and thus all the other kiddos) to school so I could drop off the official birthday cupcakes I had stayed up late to make. I had planned to make them that afternoon, only to discover that I was out of dang cupcake wrappers. But I was able to tun to the dollar store that night and found some wrappers that even came with birthday flags. Score.
As I mentioned in the previous post, I had lunch with Joshie that day. It was fun, enlightening, and made me appreciate only having 2 children at home for lunch. (As opposed to 100 kindergarteners.)
That afternoon I let Josh have his first birthday present: a 64 count box of Crayola crayons. Josh is really into coloring lately. A week or so he was doing some coloring for a homework assignment and I kind of got after him for just scribbling and not staying in the lines or even trying to make it look nice. I guess those were some magic words, because he's been coloring and drawing very deliberately and carefully ever since. Hooray! I finally have a child interested in art!
I had been working on some posters for his birthday party that Josh was only too happy to help color. He happily worked on the posters for over an hour!
The sticker the birthday boy got from school. (Not sure if that's a cursive "o" gone wrong or his teacher made a mistake...)
Trying out the crayon sharpener. That stupid sharpener has become the bane of my existence, since Josh has the tendency to sharpen too hard and break the crayons. The horror!!
The birthday boy chose to go to Tepanyaki Grill & Supreme Buffet for dinner. You wouldn't think that Josh would want a Chinese buffet, but this place also had a dessert bar, mac and cheese, pizza, french fries - all sorts of kid friendly food. I had kind of low expectations going in, but was pleasantly surprised. Was it the best food ever? No. But it was all pretty good - especially the coconut shrimp. I love me some shrimp. I would say this is probably the best buffet in Lafayette; a little pricey, but perfect for special occasions like this.
We let the kids eat (and not eat) whatever they wanted. Spencer tried a bit of everything, including lots of my shrimp. Josh mostly ate mac and cheese and desserts, which was to be expected. Cole ate pizza, mac and cheese, and lots of fruit. And Tess gorged herself on strawberries and french fries. So healthy.
The kids were actually pretty well behaved there, which was something of a birthday miracle! Although Josh decided he didn't want a picture with his brothers.
Gotcha - kinda - Josh!
After dinner we went home for presents. I had convinced Josh that we didn't need a birthday cake since: 1) there was a dessert bar at the restaurant, 2) he had cupcakes at school, and 3) he would have a cake at his party on Saturday.
Josh was pretty good about it - especially because some of his gifts included candy. (Like this cotton candy from the dollar store, which my kids luuurrve for some reason.)
I got lots of great shots of the birthday boy opening gifts. He sure was happy! Here's the Spongebob projector nightlight from Grandma Susie and Grandpa ElRay. There was much rejoicing over this!
Tess enjoyed the ribbon.
Here's the Wii game he had really, really wanted: Super Mario Party 9. Hooray! Too bad we only allow the Wii and computer games on the weekend. The sadness!
Some glow-in-the-dark bubbles from his siblings.
And Twister, also from Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie. He wasn't so sure about this at first.
But then I pointed out that it was for players who were 6 years old and up - and that Josh was now 6 years old!!
Tessie enjoying the view.
Afterwards we played some Twister. I then realized just how old and not-limber I now am. But the boys had fun and Tess went crazy going across that plastic mat approximately 397 times, and then having a blast with the spinner.
I would have taken a final birthday picture of Josh, but he was too busy scarfing down gummy Spongebob candies and running around outside with his friends - in his opinion, the perfect way to end his birthday celebrations!
Yesterday was Joshie's 6th birthday. (And, consequently, the 6th anniversary of the LONGEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. Yes, I'm gonna link to his birth recap again. And I'll probably do it again next year. Because it was the LONGEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. Please excuse the PTSD.)
First, let me just say that I really enjoy Kindergarteners. Seriously, they are so cute and (generally) happy and I thoroughly love having one in my home. There is something extra-special about a Kindergartener having a birthday. I can't quite put it into words, but trust me - it's there. Josh was all aglow with birthday excitement!
That morning we had a very Joshie breakfast: Cherry Pop Tarts, fried eggs, and bananas. It should be noted that I enforced the bananas - Josh would never willingly choose to eat fresh fruit! (Shouldn't the cherry filling in the Pop Tarts count?) But let's not judge the birthday boy too harshly.
That morning I took Josh (and thus all the other kiddos) to school so I could drop off the official birthday cupcakes I had stayed up late to make. I had planned to make them that afternoon, only to discover that I was out of dang cupcake wrappers. But I was able to tun to the dollar store that night and found some wrappers that even came with birthday flags. Score.
As I mentioned in the previous post, I had lunch with Joshie that day. It was fun, enlightening, and made me appreciate only having 2 children at home for lunch. (As opposed to 100 kindergarteners.)
That afternoon I let Josh have his first birthday present: a 64 count box of Crayola crayons. Josh is really into coloring lately. A week or so he was doing some coloring for a homework assignment and I kind of got after him for just scribbling and not staying in the lines or even trying to make it look nice. I guess those were some magic words, because he's been coloring and drawing very deliberately and carefully ever since. Hooray! I finally have a child interested in art!
I had been working on some posters for his birthday party that Josh was only too happy to help color. He happily worked on the posters for over an hour!
The sticker the birthday boy got from school. (Not sure if that's a cursive "o" gone wrong or his teacher made a mistake...)
Trying out the crayon sharpener. That stupid sharpener has become the bane of my existence, since Josh has the tendency to sharpen too hard and break the crayons. The horror!!
The birthday boy chose to go to Tepanyaki Grill & Supreme Buffet for dinner. You wouldn't think that Josh would want a Chinese buffet, but this place also had a dessert bar, mac and cheese, pizza, french fries - all sorts of kid friendly food. I had kind of low expectations going in, but was pleasantly surprised. Was it the best food ever? No. But it was all pretty good - especially the coconut shrimp. I love me some shrimp. I would say this is probably the best buffet in Lafayette; a little pricey, but perfect for special occasions like this.
We let the kids eat (and not eat) whatever they wanted. Spencer tried a bit of everything, including lots of my shrimp. Josh mostly ate mac and cheese and desserts, which was to be expected. Cole ate pizza, mac and cheese, and lots of fruit. And Tess gorged herself on strawberries and french fries. So healthy.
The kids were actually pretty well behaved there, which was something of a birthday miracle! Although Josh decided he didn't want a picture with his brothers.
Gotcha - kinda - Josh!
After dinner we went home for presents. I had convinced Josh that we didn't need a birthday cake since: 1) there was a dessert bar at the restaurant, 2) he had cupcakes at school, and 3) he would have a cake at his party on Saturday.
Josh was pretty good about it - especially because some of his gifts included candy. (Like this cotton candy from the dollar store, which my kids luuurrve for some reason.)
I got lots of great shots of the birthday boy opening gifts. He sure was happy! Here's the Spongebob projector nightlight from Grandma Susie and Grandpa ElRay. There was much rejoicing over this!
Tess enjoyed the ribbon.
Here's the Wii game he had really, really wanted: Super Mario Party 9. Hooray! Too bad we only allow the Wii and computer games on the weekend. The sadness!
Some glow-in-the-dark bubbles from his siblings.
And Twister, also from Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie. He wasn't so sure about this at first.
But then I pointed out that it was for players who were 6 years old and up - and that Josh was now 6 years old!!
Tessie enjoying the view.
Afterwards we played some Twister. I then realized just how old and not-limber I now am. But the boys had fun and Tess went crazy going across that plastic mat approximately 397 times, and then having a blast with the spinner.
I would have taken a final birthday picture of Josh, but he was too busy scarfing down gummy Spongebob candies and running around outside with his friends - in his opinion, the perfect way to end his birthday celebrations!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Josh's Birthday Lunch
I went to school and had lunch with Josh today because it's his birthday. Having lunch with all those Kindergarteners sure was entertaining. They're so... wiggly! And happy! And talky!
And once again I was very impressed with the lunch ladies at Wea Ridge Elementary. They are so nice and helpful, and you can tell that they really care about the kids. They don't let the kids get away with anything, but they also provide lots of attention and help. They're great.
On the menu today was "Texas Straw Hats". Going in, I had no idea what these were or what to expect, but they turned out just to be something akin to nachos: tortilla chips, seasoned ground beef, and refried beans and a banana on the side. Looking down the long lunch table I noticed two things: all the kids get either chocolate milk or strawberry milk (not the boring "regular" milk), and none of the kids even touched their refried beans. None. Well, that's not true - the little hispanic boy who sat across from me took a few meager bites, but I suspect he's probably used to better at home. (What?! Not racist - just truth. Plus, I asked him. He said he "didn't like this [the school's] kind".)
My favorite part, though, came during a conversation with Josh about the recess that follows lunch. We were discussing what he usually does and what he had planned for that day. He was chattering on and then, out of the blue said:
"Well, first, at the beginning all the girls chase me around in circle. And I like it."
Oh Josh. My little six-year-old ladies' man!
And once again I was very impressed with the lunch ladies at Wea Ridge Elementary. They are so nice and helpful, and you can tell that they really care about the kids. They don't let the kids get away with anything, but they also provide lots of attention and help. They're great.
On the menu today was "Texas Straw Hats". Going in, I had no idea what these were or what to expect, but they turned out just to be something akin to nachos: tortilla chips, seasoned ground beef, and refried beans and a banana on the side. Looking down the long lunch table I noticed two things: all the kids get either chocolate milk or strawberry milk (not the boring "regular" milk), and none of the kids even touched their refried beans. None. Well, that's not true - the little hispanic boy who sat across from me took a few meager bites, but I suspect he's probably used to better at home. (What?! Not racist - just truth. Plus, I asked him. He said he "didn't like this [the school's] kind".)
My favorite part, though, came during a conversation with Josh about the recess that follows lunch. We were discussing what he usually does and what he had planned for that day. He was chattering on and then, out of the blue said:
"Well, first, at the beginning all the girls chase me around in circle. And I like it."
Oh Josh. My little six-year-old ladies' man!
Monday, September 10, 2012
OId-Timey Jammies
We're at that time of year where it gets pretty cool at night and warm during the day. Layers are needed to be comfortable, but I always find it hard to get my kids to agree to dress in layers, so they're either too cold or too hot for part of the day. Oh well - it's hard to feel sorry for them when they show blatant disregard for my suggestions.
Anyway.
Tess is currently running low on jammies. This is because she's getting too big for her summer jammies but the winter jammies that she does fit into would be too hot right now. So I had a brilliant idea the other night as I gathered up some of the sleepers she had outgrown:
Yep. I just cut off the feet of the sleepers.
I was hesitant to do this at first, but then quickly got over it. Tess is definitely our last baby, and most of the toes in her sleepers were worn threw already.
At first I called them "homeless baby" jammies. But then Lance and I decided they look more like one of those old-timey swimming suits.
Oh, and ignore the poses from Tess. It was close to bedtime and she really wanted to be held - not pose for the camera. I'm pretty sure she doesn't really care what she wears to bed.
Anyway.
Tess is currently running low on jammies. This is because she's getting too big for her summer jammies but the winter jammies that she does fit into would be too hot right now. So I had a brilliant idea the other night as I gathered up some of the sleepers she had outgrown:
Yep. I just cut off the feet of the sleepers.
I was hesitant to do this at first, but then quickly got over it. Tess is definitely our last baby, and most of the toes in her sleepers were worn threw already.
At first I called them "homeless baby" jammies. But then Lance and I decided they look more like one of those old-timey swimming suits.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
First Hair Cut
Tess was looking like a shaggy dog, so last night I decided to trim her bangs. This was risky, as you never know how a baby's gonna react to a haircut.
I trimmed a good 1/2 to 1 inch off in some places. Not so bad, considering she did nothing but squirm and try to comb her hair!
She wouldn't smile for the camera, which I think is a little rude considering I just took care of the whole hair in the face and eyes problem she had going there.
I trimmed a good 1/2 to 1 inch off in some places. Not so bad, considering she did nothing but squirm and try to comb her hair!
She wouldn't smile for the camera, which I think is a little rude considering I just took care of the whole hair in the face and eyes problem she had going there.
Tess Workout
We have to wait a week or two to get the First Steps therapy sessions set up. But in the meantime I was told about several exercises we could have Tess do to help her increase her muscle tone.
One of them is to have her sit on this step stool and then have her bend down to pick things up. I have discovered that the only thing she will consistently bend down to pick up is fruit snacks. There are worse things she could demand, so I happily oblige.
Notice she has a fruit snack in each hand.
We also practice standing to sitting and sitting to standing. She doesn't like these exercises as much because they actually require work. She flopped away as soon as she could and Thing 3 quickly took her place. Geez, from this picture it looks like Thing 3 has a drinking problem.
We also have her stand with her back to the couch. If she stands with her tummy to the couch she knows she can easily flop down on her bum, but this way it's a face forward proposition - a bit scarier.
You want some of my fruit snacks, Cole? I don't think so!!
She'll stand here for a good long while, as long as I keep her distracted. But eventually she decides she's tired of standing and flops down and scoots away.
Not quite the Insanity workouts, but close! (In Tess's mind, at least!)
One of them is to have her sit on this step stool and then have her bend down to pick things up. I have discovered that the only thing she will consistently bend down to pick up is fruit snacks. There are worse things she could demand, so I happily oblige.
Notice she has a fruit snack in each hand.
We also practice standing to sitting and sitting to standing. She doesn't like these exercises as much because they actually require work. She flopped away as soon as she could and Thing 3 quickly took her place. Geez, from this picture it looks like Thing 3 has a drinking problem.
We also have her stand with her back to the couch. If she stands with her tummy to the couch she knows she can easily flop down on her bum, but this way it's a face forward proposition - a bit scarier.
You want some of my fruit snacks, Cole? I don't think so!!
She'll stand here for a good long while, as long as I keep her distracted. But eventually she decides she's tired of standing and flops down and scoots away.
Not quite the Insanity workouts, but close! (In Tess's mind, at least!)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Cole and Preschool
When people ask about Cole's first day of preschool I always say the same thing: it could have been better, but it also could have been worse.
When I picked him up that day the teachers pulled me aside to let me know how Cole had done. He had cried for quite a while after I left. He eventually got over it, but would start crying again any time anyone brought attention to him. He wouldn't sit on his mat, but he did participate in all the activities. Unfortunately, he also tried to hit a couple of kids while on the mat.
Yes. I'm that mom. The mom of the hitter.
Oy.
He came home very happy about the whole experience, though, and talked and talked about it. Until he passed out in my bed, that is.
The child was exhausted.
Yesterday we walked to preschool. It's only about 1.2 miles from our house, so it was a pleasant - if rather muggy - walk. The whole way there Cole kept talking about preschool and cars and more preschool and such. In other words, he seemed quite excited to be going. He had his backpack and everything.
And then we got there and he freaked out again. His teacher had to pry him from me, because he was clinging to my legs like a little rhesus monkey.
Fortunately, he did better the second day. Not perfect, of course, but better. He even got a stamp on his hand, which means his caterpillar stayed in the "good zone". (That's their good behavior gauge/incentive.) He passed out for a couple hours again that afternoon. Maybe they do cardio for the 2 1/2 hours they're there?
I suspect that once Cole gets used to the routine he'll do fine in preschool. Hopefully. Maybe. Please? I have no illusions that he'll become the perfect pupil - that's just not his style. But if we can just socialize him enough to get a stamp on his hand 90% of the time, I'll be a happy momma.
The preschool asked the parents to create a scrapbook page for each child. I'm sure there will be grand and glorious hand-made pages. Me? I totally did mine on the computer. Because I don't have the time nor the inclination to do something like this by hand. So here's mine.
Cole liked it - "Hey, that's Mr. Cole!" - so that's good enough for me!
When I picked him up that day the teachers pulled me aside to let me know how Cole had done. He had cried for quite a while after I left. He eventually got over it, but would start crying again any time anyone brought attention to him. He wouldn't sit on his mat, but he did participate in all the activities. Unfortunately, he also tried to hit a couple of kids while on the mat.
Yes. I'm that mom. The mom of the hitter.
Oy.
He came home very happy about the whole experience, though, and talked and talked about it. Until he passed out in my bed, that is.
The child was exhausted.
Yesterday we walked to preschool. It's only about 1.2 miles from our house, so it was a pleasant - if rather muggy - walk. The whole way there Cole kept talking about preschool and cars and more preschool and such. In other words, he seemed quite excited to be going. He had his backpack and everything.
And then we got there and he freaked out again. His teacher had to pry him from me, because he was clinging to my legs like a little rhesus monkey.
Fortunately, he did better the second day. Not perfect, of course, but better. He even got a stamp on his hand, which means his caterpillar stayed in the "good zone". (That's their good behavior gauge/incentive.) He passed out for a couple hours again that afternoon. Maybe they do cardio for the 2 1/2 hours they're there?
I suspect that once Cole gets used to the routine he'll do fine in preschool. Hopefully. Maybe. Please? I have no illusions that he'll become the perfect pupil - that's just not his style. But if we can just socialize him enough to get a stamp on his hand 90% of the time, I'll be a happy momma.
The preschool asked the parents to create a scrapbook page for each child. I'm sure there will be grand and glorious hand-made pages. Me? I totally did mine on the computer. Because I don't have the time nor the inclination to do something like this by hand. So here's mine.
Cole liked it - "Hey, that's Mr. Cole!" - so that's good enough for me!
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