Halloween Happenings 2015

Halloween was a fun occasion this year, as Adam was really into it. The day fell on a Saturday and the weather was perfect, so it allowed for a lot more community and socialization with neighbors.

Adam wanted to be a demolition man for the weeks leading up to it, so I picked up the construction costume. Then he decided he really wanted to be a miner. (I don't know where he gets this stuff.) We added a headlamp, and voila! a miner! (Which, by the way, is the perfect Halloween costume -- headlamp and reflective vest make for ideal safety wear!)

Sam wasn't too into it, but I was just happy he wore the cape I made! I planned on him being a fireman (Adam's costume from a couple of years ago) but two days before Halloween, out of the blue, Adam told someone Sam was going to be a magician. (I had previously commented that Sam looked like a magician in his tuxedo shirt.) Adam's idea stuck with me and I knew I had to do it! It's not Halloween unless I'm whipping up a costume the night before! (I was overly excited about the top hat I made... until it didn't fit him...boo.) Samuel walked around without his hat, wand and rabbit (did I really think he would wear/carry them?), so he looked more like an adorable Dracula instead.

We started the evening with some pizza with Adam's schoolmate, and then some enthusiastic trick-or-treating! So many neighbors made the occasion an event, with fire pits and lawn chairs in the driveways. One house was even giving away hot dogs to anyone that came by. It was a great way to meet some new neighbors and reacquaint with those we don't see very often.

One house was giving away full size candy bars, and Adam chose a big Hershey bar to take home. Later, when I was emptying his bad, I asked him where it was. Answer: "I ate it."

Yep, that's Halloween for you!

Kindergartener

My kid is in real school! Like, he has to be there. No more casual, skip-a-day-for-fun daycare. And with that comes a whole new routine for the family. Checking backpacks, bus schedules, occasional homework projects, reading logs... This is our future for the next 15 years!

Adam was more than ready and more than excited for his first day of Kindergarten. Daddy took him to the bus stop (the bus!) and said he climbed eagerly aboard without a look back. And second and third days and all since then were just as easy.

Adam is in a half-day Kindergarten program, and we were really hoping for the full day option because of how prepared he is. Alas, we didn't win the lottery for that (still sitting steady at #10 on the wait list) and after debating the private school option, we decided for social and emotional reasons it would be best to be in a class of his peer and neighbors. We sometimes forget he's still a five year old.

Two days before the start of school we had orientation where we took him in, showed him around, met his teacher and visited his classroom. I had a moment, just a short wisp, really, when the assistant principal was assuring us parents that there would be plenty of people on hand at all times to look after our precious ones where emotion washed over me. Blink, blink, look up, exhale, blink. Ok, whew. I'm good. We're good. My 5-year old is growing.

His favorite parts of his day continue to be recess and riding the bus. (He is so afraid of missing the bus!) Once a week he enjoys Library, too.  I really miss not being in his classroom each day, as I was for preschool. Even those short pick-ups and drop-offs were a great way for me to familiarize myself with what's going on in the classroom, recognize other students, and chat with his teacher casually. Now I feel removed, and it's discomforting.

Early in the year the school conducts MAP testing to gauge the students' levels coming into Kindergarten. Adam scored in the 99th percentile in both math and reading, and we just got word that this classifies him in the school district as gifted. Strangely, this is designation that will remain throughout his school career, even if he tests lower later. Unfortunately Kindergarten doesn't offer any gifted services for this age at this time, but in future grades those programs will be available.

We met with his teacher for parent-teacher conferences, and we were told that he is at a mid-first grade level and his reading ability is at a second grade level (comprehension level, though, is first grade). Skipping grades was mentioned but is not something we want to do. He's above the other kids in his classroom, so the challenge becomes how to engage him and interest him during more basic lessons and not have the attitude that he's better than his peers or even teacher. He tends to be very impulsive, having trouble waiting his turn to answer and keeping quiet once he finishes the work. While classmates are working on writing the word of the day, his teacher has him writing sentences with the word. She started him on an online reading program where she can read stories and answer questions, and she can follow his progress. He's had to work on using appropriate voice volume in the hallways and in the class and patiently sharing with his classmates. We've made some changes to his home routine to assist in this effort (and sharing with his brother is a work in progress), and this is all the more reason that he remains with his same-aged peers to get a handle on the social and emotional requirements of school.
 


Some things about Adam right now:

Current favorite movie: Monsters University

Current favorite phrases: And Guess What? (repeat this every other sentence when telling a story)

Current favorite toy: Anything Lego. He loves watching YouTube videos about Legos, he loves looking at Lego catalogs, and his Christmas list contains several new Lego sets. He is also very aware of the recommended ages on each Lego set. (This one's 5-12! or Mommy, do you think I could to a 6-12 set?)
He is overly concerned about the battery charge on devices, and if it's anything less than 89% he needs to charge it asap and/or will only use the device while it's plugged in.

Not into superheroes but blue collar workers instead (construction workers, garbage me, truck drivers, etc). These are his career aspirations.

He still takes piano lessons weekly and is starting to read music and recognize the appropriate keys.

He is very observant and picks up quickly on advertising slogans. The other day he wanted to play the "Discover App" game, where he pushes the Freeze button and I stop and wait until he Unfreezes me. If you've seen the commercial you know what I'm talking about. Or, he'll say "Awesome Sauce" from another Discover card commercial or that something is a "Two in One", like the Intel commercial. So, maybe it sounds like he watches a lot of TV... but he takes after me and has marketing in his genes! The other night he even made up a commercial for a random toy, complete with sale price and website for purchase.

American Ninja Warrior -- this was huge for him over the summer when the episodes were on, and we couldn't go to a park without him creating a Ninja course and scaling obstacles. On a number of occasions he wanted to take his shirt off, because most of the Ninjas race shirtless. He can tell you all the names of the competitors, their nicknames, their occupation, etc. His memory is unreal. While he's no longer engaged in the show like he was a couple of months ago, it's now Sam's preferred show.

Snow boots -- Yep, still loves those dang boots! And most recently has loved a pair of UK blue pants with a white stripe on the side. He loves to dress himself, and we've had to tell him that not everything matches these pants.

Wii -- recently he has discovered that there is more to the Wii than MarioKart and really loves Wii Sports and Wii Resort, particularly the Bowling, Boxing and Sword Play. Sam loves watching and will often bring us the Wii controller to have us turn it on (Adam is always happy to oblige).


All in all, we couldn't love this kid more! Watch out, world.

Firefighter Ice Cream Social

Firefighter Ice Cream Social

We couldn't turn down an invite to a local firefighter demonstration! Adam is interested in just about anything to do with firemen and firetrucks, and I'm interested in just about anything to do with ice cream.  Clearly this event was made for our family.

Adam had a blast exploring all the different era fire trucks. Kids had a chance to use a real fire hose to put out the "flames" of a house. The fire department lit a car on fire and demonstrated its response and how it puts out the flames. One of the fire trucks was available for painting. And did I mention there was ice cream?

Sam was only really interested in the bounce house.

click to enlarge

It was a very organized, fun event. We left before the pie eating contest (oh darn!) and we'll definitely look for this again next year!

This summer.

I've been away. 

Not to any place in particular; just, you know, around. Busy with kids, afternoon parks, therapies, soccer and piano. Busy with work, little bit of traveling. Busy with Life. And maybe you missed reading new posts. Maybe you didn't. But, a lot happened this summer. A lot of cool, interesting, beautiful, special things. No big beach trips or European vacations for us. But lots of family time, old friend time, new friend time, explorations and developments. 

Sam, oh our Sam. He deserves a post of his own for all the mind-blowing things he's surprising with us with lately. I forget that he's almost THREE, but in my mind he's still clinging to my leg and nuzzling in my lap. But in just a few weeks he'll be off to preschool. Our big boy. Our hearts are so full of this little being. 

And Adam. What a mind in that kid. The other day he described a color Lego he was looking for as the color of the "inside of a banana". His little 5-and-a-half year old brain may not know this color as, say, beige or off-white, but he created this beautiful description to tell me the color he was needing. I'll post about him, too. He's our big Kindergartener now. (And the coolest things about it are the bus and recess.) 

Highlights of our summer as follows:

This girl. Oh my, this little girl. Niece Annabelle Lynn arrives and time is flying too fast. I've already missed bunches of her growing -- she's already rolling and giggling and smiling -- and I don't like it one bit!

This man. My husband is the best at finding little adventures for us to go and explore locally. It's one of the things I love most about him -- his excitement to just Go. Explore. Find. Create an adventure out of an ordinary Saturday when I may want to stay home and catch up on laundry. But he drags me out and I never regret spending the day, usually outside in the beautiful weather, with the 3 of the most important boys in my life.

This job. I'm grateful for my work and the work culture that puts employees first and allows me to balance home with career without too many demands. Occasionally I travel, and this summer brought me to Chicago. M took me there 15 years ago for a Reds-Cubs baseball game, and we returned 10 years later with our 11-month old after Christmas to see the city in lights. But I hadn't really looked at the city itself or introduced myself to the skyline or really felt the city life like this trip. A riverboat architectural tour by myself was really awe-inspiring. Chicago, you won me over. But next time someone else drives me there.

These people. People who make it a point to be a part of your life. People who check in, not just with what you are doing but how you are doing. I'm so grateful. They may never know how much I appreciate them all for making the time and effort and the distance to be with us.

This community. This summer our city really shined with the MLB All-Star weekend. We loved exploring the redesigned riverfront and taking part in some of the festivities. We also made a point to take in local events, fun attractions and new establishments in the surrounding community.

These boots. If you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that Adam hardly went anywhere this summer without this Crocs snow boots. These were definitely his footwear of choice, even in 90-degree weather. Go ahead and look back. Hiking, fishing, parks, and yes, even the water splash pad. As my sister said, "those dang boots!"

Soccer Fans

We wrapped up Adam's soccer season in May, and I'll have to say, it was pretty successful.

The season started in March and it was cold -- muddy fields from the ice and layers upon layers to stay warm.

His coach rotated the players around each quarter of each game, and they all wanted to be goalie. He held his own pretty well in that position. Thankfully. This Momma held her breath every time a ball went near his goal. I was so proud of his defense but more relieved that he did so well, for his sake.

Occasionally we caught him being less-than-focused. I once had to extract his cleats from the goal net while he was playing goalie. He's five.

And his absolute favorite part of the game was the snacks that came after.

It was so much fun to spectate. I don't know how many times during the game we yelled Adam, Adam, Adam, Adam to get his attention, to remind him of his position and purpose. 

He was one of the stronger players on the team, and by the end of the season he was getting more aggressive in getting his feet on the ball.

I'm not sure who was more excited about soccer, Adam or Daddy.

Adam still loves baseball best, but I don't think he's hanging up his soccer cleats any time soon. When are Fall sign-ups anyway? 

Our Little Graduate

I told myself I wasn't going to cry.

But then they started the sweet Pomp and Circumstance music played with children's instruments.

Followed by the parade of graduates in their caps and gowns.

Featuring Adam looking so handsome and proud and excited.

And if I didn't shed a tear then, it was impossible not to when his teachers began their speeches. It is so clear how much they love these kids, and it warms this Momma's heart that he has been blessed with these wonderful ladies who love their jobs and love on our little ones.

[It actually makes me feel quite sad to take Adam out of school for the summer and take him away from them!]

The kids sang songs related to each of their specialty classes.  A song in Spanish, a song in Japanese, a Math rap, sign language to I'm a Little Graduate, a highly entertaining dance montage (Dancing through the Decades) for Music and Movement, and then a song for the parents to the Plain White T's song 1-2-3-I Love You.

Each child was called by name and was presented with their diploma, and following the ceremony each was given a gift bag with a few goodies and a 16-page yearbook that all his classmates and teacher signed.

It was such a sweet ceremony.

Afterward there were refreshments and talk with other parents as to where our children will be going to school next year and what the summer plans are. It was a great opportunity to exchange numbers and set up play dates.

As of now Adam is still on the wait list for full-day Kindergarten in the local A+-graded school district. We are still hoping he gets in, but if not he will still go the half day program. We decided to give him a summer vacation before

Kindergarten and gave notice that Adam will not be attending preschool for the summer. He will be home with Michael and Sam, and I think it will be really great for Sam. (Adam asks me when we can go back and visit his preschool because "they are going to wonder where I've been.")

We are so proud of our little 5-year old. He's become quite the social butterfly with kids in the neighborhood he wants to play with each evening and a couple birthday party invitations on our refrigerator.

The other day Michael showed him a picture of Abraham Lincoln, and he asked, "he had a magic hat?"

Wow, I love this kid.








Here are some more photos from the evening (click to enlarge):

On to Kindergarten!

FIVE!

It's been 3 months since my last post! We've spent the new year focused mostly on Sam's speech, scheduling appointments and evaluations and taking advantage of new resources for him. I'll update you on all of that soon. We've also been hitting the gym a lot more. Michael has lost FORTY pounds and I've been training for a half marathon again. (Notice I did not mention any lost weight myself -- ha!) In January Adam turned FIVE, and I've been working on his post for 2 months! So without further ado....

Adam is FIVE and ready to take on the world!
Seriously, he is.

The other day he corrected Michael on spelling. (Sorry, Michael, but I'm going to share.) So here's what happened. Adam is really into Bernstein Bears books. There is one call No Girls Allowed. One day he pulled out a notepad and wrote a note that said Girls Welcome (because that's more polite), with a little help from us on the spelling. Then, instead, he wanted to make a No Bad Guys Allowed sign but needed help on spelling allowed. Michael coached him, telling him a-l-o-u-d and was immediately corrected by our 5 year old that, no, Daddy, that's not how you spell this 'allowed.'

He chooses more advanced words for common things than is expected. His stuffed animals are plush toys. He asks if a puzzle piece is in the right position. This morning he told me to come see his tidy room. He asks for assistance. He told me a toy was random. He walked in his room and found a malfunction. He asked Gramma if she was prepared to go to Kroger.

Between his Great States board game and his US states puzzle, he's learning the states and state capitals on his own by reading the names. We know this because if you ask him for a state capital he'll pronounce it like it's spelled (or how he remembers the word looks) instead of how it's pronounced if taught by us. Like Maine -- (which he insists is pronounced Main-ey), he will say August-a (AUGusta, like the month instead of AuGUSTa.) This winter our neighbors built a giant head sculpture out of snow in their front lawn. First thing Adam said when he saw it was, "That looks like the heads in South Dakota!" I'm not sure I ever knew for sure that Mount Rushmore was in South Dakota. You know, it's in one of those Western states I've never been to. But he knows.

He's very particular about sharing the rules. Sometimes these rules are just memorized. I remember when he was just 2 yrs old he'd recite to us “No mulch, no water, no biting”, a refrain I'm sure was drilled into little toddler ears at daycare before going on the playground. Or, he can repeat rules from his Fly Guy: Firefighter book about fire safety. (Last night he emphasized to me that we should never leave a candle burning while we are not home. Or near pets.)

Other times these rules are self created, like his rules for his apple slices (with no seeds and no seed holes) or his clothing (shirt with words and no buttons) or his bedtime stories (which he only tells me and not Michael):
1. Make sure I (Adam) can see the pictures.
2. Start at the top.
3. Read loudly.
4. No talking while yawning.
(Rule 4 was a late addition to the rule list due to my interrupting yawns, apparently. And even though I'm fully aware of #4, I often forget, and he will stop me every time to say (with exasperation), "Mommmm, no talking while yawning!")

His memory is astounding. He can recite whole books or full lines from his Mighty Machines movies or definitions he learned at school. Ask him the definition of Tundra and he will say, and I quote, "an area of land near the North Pole where the soil is permanently frozen a few feet beneath the surface." He loves advertising slogans and will tell me we need to go to "cut your rate plan in half", like it's a store name. Or, "hey, Daddy, did you know 15 minutes can save you 15% or more on car insurance?". Or "More Saving, More Doing. That's the power of the Home Depot."

He's pretty amazing.

Which is why we have him scheduled for an IQ test next week. Kindergarten is upon us and we are evaluating options of where to send him. He is currently registered in the local public school system (which has an A+ rating), but it's a lottery system for the full day option. (Do we feel lucky?!) We'll know in late April if he gets in the full day or half day. Since he's been used to full-days, 5 days a week, we definitely want him to go all day. We really like the school he'd attend and the principle there, but the school is only K-1st, and we wonder if he'll have access to resource materials at a higher level, if needed. (We are against grade-skipping, which Michael did in his youth. We wish for him to remain with his peers.) Which brings us to a private option, specifically a gifted school. An IQ of 130 is required. If he fulfills that, then we'll do a site visit and discuss further requirements and then make the best decision for our family.

Sending children to school is much harder than I anticipated! But there's no doubt he's ready. He's beyond ready.

But when he's not being a little grown-up man, he has plenty of time to be all boy.

What's Big for him:

• Riding his bike -- training wheels will come off this summer! (Though he tells me his new bike does not work well "up hills." I know the feeling, kid.)
• Wanting winter to be over. I don't know how many times he's asked me this. I think it started in January.
• Legos and Mighty Machines and Fly Guy and Books! Books! Books!
• Semi-trucks, flatbed trucks, log trucks, transport trucks, etc. Trucks, trucks, trucks!
• Piano lessons -- he is really loving piano! He frequently thumbs through his music book throughout the week. The new song he learned uses both hands to play.
• A few words still trip him up, but I love them -- Valentimes, sumbarine, light bolts, lemolade, snowmobio (snowmobile)
• He likes to direct you in conversation. Mommy, when I say this, then you say this.
• He likes to play a guessing game where he'll describe an object and I have to guess what it is (with the rule being I can't guess it on the first try)
• He likes to play word games -- name words that rhyme. Or are compound words. Or sound the same but mean different things (homonyms). Aloud/Allowed!
• He confuses phrases used for the passage of time. He'll say yesterday when he means last week.  He'll say I never when he means he hasn't done something in a long time. If I say we'll do something another day, he'll say we'll do it tomorrow after breakfast.
• He speaks from the heart, as in "My heart is hungry." Or, "My heart wants a new book." 
• He recently ran his third 5k race. He gets pretty distracted along the course but always finishes. Before the race Michael told him we need to practice (train), and he said, "But I already know how to run!" And then I asked him why we run and he said "to weigh off those extra inches!"
• Which leads me to his confusion of units of measure. The other day he used a yard stick to tell me the wall was 28 pounds tall!
• He'll begin soccer practice next week with his first game next Saturday.

I could go on. He has so many funny, surprising moments and draws amazing comparisons to things, we are often blown away. He's 5 going on 8, and I sure hope we don't skip those years in between for real because I love every moment with him!

Five year old Adam is so fun!

Autumn Wrap-Up

When you look outside and see this....

you know you're behind on updating about our Autumn. It was a really pretty Fall this year, and we did so many things to enjoy the weather.

Evans Apple Orchard

With Aunt Amy and family and Grandpa Dave on perhaps the hottest day of the season -- Adam was a sweaty, dirty mess by the end but had so much fun. We never actually left the play area to go to the orchard itself.

Horse-Daze

This is a really neat event annually held by the county parks system. It features all kinds of horse-related activities and games, including horse rides, horse grooming, an equestrian course for kids to jump themselves, face painting, a hayride, food and more. The event raises money for the public horse trails around the county.

Pumpkin Run & Fall Festival

We'd been looking for a 5k for Adam to do, as part of the mile-per-year plan Michael has for Adam. Last year, when Adam was 3 years old, he ran his first 5k. Three years, three miles. This year we needed a four mile race, which don't really exist, but we found a small community 5k that also had a 1-mile family walk. The Pumpkin Run is sponsored by the local YMCA and was held in the quaint river town of Franklin, Ohio.

First up was the Family Walk, and Michael and Adam headed out quickly. Sam was itching to get out of his stroller so I let him loose on the course as well and he pretty much completed the distance all on his own.  Following this race was the Pumpkin Run with several costumed participants. Aunt Angie and Kevin joined us for this race. I pushed Sam and Michael ran with Adam. Four miles completed all on his own!

Following the race was the town's Fall Festival with street food, craft vendors, kid rides and presentations by local groups. It was a perfect Fall day to be outside enjoying the event, and cousin Jake was able to come play with us.

Halloween

Halloween snuck up on me this year, and once again I was staying up late to finish Adam's Halloween costume. He'd wanted to be a mummy for a long tim but the closer the day came he kept changing his mind. I made the final decision for him and threw together a mummy costume using liner fabric I had on hand, ripped it up and dyed it with tea, and attached it to a t-shirt and pants. For Sam, we recycled the frog costume Adam wore at the same age.

We had tickets to go see Garth Brooks in concert Rupp Arena at 10:30 Halloween night, so we drove down to Lexington to join the cousins for trick-or-treating before the show.

Mother Nature didn't tell Autumn that her season was over before the first snow fall came mid-November (4 inches!), and we lost a tree in our yard due to the weight of the snow and ice on tree branches that still had leaves.

Our November ended quite busy with Sam's birthday (2!) and an active Thanksgiving week with friends from Florida. Posts on those to come!