A Story About What Not To Do

I go to pick Drew up from school earlier this week and I see some new art projects on the wall.... and before I get to the drawing Drew did, let me give you the back story (that I didn't have at the time of seeing his drawing).

Turns out they recently read this book:

He was talking about it at home, but I didn't put two and two together until the day and saw the project and book together.

Here is the Amazon Review:

Officer Buckle is a roly-poly bloke, dedicated to teaching schoolchildren important safety tips, such as never put anything in your ear and never stand on a swivel chair. The problem is, Officer Buckle's school assemblies are dull, dull, dull, and the children of Napville just sleep, sleep, sleep. That is, until Gloria the police dog is invited along! Stealthily pantomiming each safety tip behind Officer Buckle's back, Gloria wins the children's hearts. Meanwhile Officer Buckle assumes the cheers and laughter are all for him. As the master comedian Jerry Lewis once explained, every slapstick artist needs a straight man! Children will be highly entertained by the laugh-out-loud, adorable illustrations in this 1996 Caldecott Medal winner, while learning the value of teamwork and a pawful of nifty safety tips. (Ages 4 to 8) --Gail Hudson

Well here was the "safety tip" Drew drew for his project....

 

That's right - Drew's safety tip, never pick  your nose... and the drawing in yellow... is someone picking their nose with a "don't circle".  

Now if only Drew would follow his own "safety tip" all would be well.

Who Has More Muscle?

Within the past few weeks Drew found out that "Rocky" is also "Rambo" - although he sees Rambo and calls him Rocky.

Anyway, after watching Rambo 2 this past weekend and the conversation that "Rocky" made other movies too including one about arm wrestling.  Of course Drew asked what arm wrestling was.

So Dave showed him...

Any guesses who won?

First Dental Visit

It's good news bad news from Drew's first ever dental visit today. Let's focus on the good news!

He did fantastic!!   I was a little worried with his sensitive gag reflex that he might puke on the dental hygienist the moment they put anything in his mouth.  I actually warned them verbally when I made the appointment, on all his forms and again this morning.

They were beyond great with him, asking him in the lobby if he had any questions (he didn't have questions, but bragged at his brushing ability).  Then took him into the room and explained all the tools that would be in his mouth, let him touch everything, offered him some rubber gloves to play with. 

They proceeded with the cleaning, the counting his teeth and his x-rays.  Now the bad news... he has one cavity that needs treatment between is two front teeth (that appointment is next month) and another one that just needs monitoring.  The dentist said his teeth are really scrunched together, so we can expect to have orthodontia in the future and that it is why there were cavities.  We should start flossing now because his teeth are so close together.

He was so happy to get his goody bag and pick out a toy and stickers.  I neglected to tell him about what the "sugar bugs" means for him next month.  But he was busy showing everyone at school his clean smile.

Man I'm glad to get that appointment over with and with zero drama.  Now to hope for the same next month....

Preschool Pre-K Assessment

Another first for me - in many many ways - yesterday.  It was Drew's first parent teacher conference at school, which is required for all Kindergarten aged kids.  This means anyone with birthdays before November first in the state of California.

Well there was an awful lot discussed at this meeting, some I wish I could've buried my head in the sand or put my fingers in my ears saying "La-la-la" but we'll save that for last just as his teacher did for me.  I'm just trying to suck you in to the very end.

They gave us a very lengthy packet which shows the results of his assessment on December 21st.  They rated on a scale of 1-5, 5 being mastery of the skill.  She prefaced by she does not give 5s because that means there is little room for improvement and nothing more to learn.

Social and Behavioral Skills

1. Child can usually inhibit body movements and keep his/her hands to themself while in line and during circle time - 4
2. Child is able to sit quietly for at least 10 minutes while attending to circle time or short story - 4
3. Child is learning to use his/her words to express their feelings and comes to get help from the teacher when needed.* - 2
4. Child participates in clean-up activities - 3
5. Child verbalizes or tries to verbalize his/her frustrations or problems other than physically acting out. - 2
6. Child is able to work in small groups - 3
7. Child attempts to complete a teacher assigned task* - 2
8. Child chooses a free choice activity and maintains his/her involvement in this activity - 4
9. Child easily separates for parents and feels comfortable in his/her school surroundings** - blank
10. Child understands the concept of sharing and taking turns -  3
11. Child seems to feel comfortable in school and demonstrates the ability to participate, and ask questions when needed -  4
12. Child shows respect for his teachers and classmates* - 2
13. Child follows direction and obeys school rules - 4
14. Child is excited to play with the other students in his/her class and seems to have several friends - 3

NOTES: The items above  are marked where we had discussions.
* - She said she really didn't think a lot of his emotional issues were necessarily immaturity but rather stubbornness.  For example, he gets frustrated, and he is no longer lashing out and punching the other kids - there has been a lot of improvement there, but he will whine and cry or throw tantrums. This results in being disrespectful to classmates and teachers.  Another example she used is when it comes time to put his shoes on, rather than asking for help to tie his shoes he'll whine that his shoes aren't tied.  His teachers say as soon as you ask we'll help, but he'd rather cry and whine than ask for help.

** This teacher isn't there for my drop-off (because it's also a before/after care facility) so she said because she doesn't see it I could fill in the blank.  I told her he rarely knows I'm even gone, so she'd put it at a 4/5.

Self Help Skills

1. Child uses appropriate bathroom skills (wipe self, flush toilet, wash hands etc.) - 4
2. Child can dress self. (Socks, coat, and attempts tying shoes) - 3
3. Child is learning to take responsibility for own belongings - 3

Personal Information (They ask a series of questions and post their replies)

1. What is your full name (both first and last) - Andrew "Middle name" Briseno (he inserted his middle name - I'm choosing to delete it because it is a public website)
2. How old are you? 4
3. What is your Mom's name? Brenda
4. What is your dad's name? David
5. Do you have any brothers or sisters? There is an arrow to this question from #6
6. What are their names? My brother is Luke, but he lives far away ** (see discussion below)
7. What is your phone number? He gave our house number (as in address house number)
8. Where do you live? He gave our street w/o house number or city and I'm refraining from posting again because it's a public website
9. Who are some of your friends? A bunny, His name is Andrew (I have no idea where this came from for the record)
10. What do you like to do at [Name of Preschool]? The puzzles that are little

NOTES: So his teacher asked if he really did have siblings.  Um, no, and the Luke he's referencing is my friend's son from Southern California (who ironically I'm going to see later this week) and he's met Luke twice - the last time about 18 months ago!  He randomly makes up who his siblings are - usually they're our friend's kids.

Language and Listening

1. Child can verbalize his/her first and last name - 5
2. Child can complete a two step simple direction - 4
3. Child can share an idea, experience or description - 4 
4. Child has heard a variety of stories and participates in follow-up discussions - 4
5. Child practices accepted patterns of speech. (However, irregular verbs are still emerging) and is easy to understand. - 4
6. Child can engage in socially appropriate conversations - 4
7. Child can participate in informal creative dramatics. (Play house, puppets, role playing etc) - 4
8. Child has developed a beginning sense of phonic awareness - 5
9. Child can sing and recite the alphabet - 5

Writing, Spelling, and Recognition

1. Child recognizes his/her first name - 5
2. Child tries to write his/her first name using lower case letters with a capital at the beginning (see attached) - 3
3. Child can copy draw, and reasonably trace a line and a circle (see attached) - 4
4. Child can identify and name at least 8 of the basic colors (red, purple, white, blue, green, pink, yellow, brown, grey, orange, black) - All were checked
5. Child can identify and name some of the basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, diamond, star, heart, moon) - all were checked
6. child can recognize and name at least numbers 0-10. She only went as high as 25 for this part of the assessment and he got all of them.
7. Child can recognize some letters of the alphabet (Upper and lower case) - He got all of them.

Above is the "attachment".  They are working with him to spell his full name and not just Drew (which he's learned to this point) so the proper upper/lowercase for Andrew is slower.  Then the lines were her doing one, and him having to do the same thing as well as a small tracing sample.

Math Skills

1. Child can count to 10.  During the 1st, assessment, the child counted to 100 without skipping.
2. Child can count concrete objects up to his/her age. During the 1st assessment, the child could count objects up to 100.
3. Child can identify 2 objects in terms of large/small, tall/short, long/short, more/less - 4
4. Child can recognize similarities such as color, size, and shape - 4
5. Child is beginning to count by 10s to 100 - 5

Large Muscle Skills

1. Child can identify general body parts (back, stomach, legs, arms, head, etc) - 4
2. Child has had experience throwing/catching balls - 4
3. Child has had experience with block building - 4
4. Child can walk backwards - 3
5. Child can walk on his/her tip toes - 3
6. Child has had experience with keeping their balance.  (On a a balancing beam, standing on one foot, hopping on one foot etc.) - 4
7. Child can jump with both feet off the ground - 4
8. Child is beginning to learn how to skip - n/a
9. Child is beginning to learn how to gallop -  n/a
10. Child can propel him/herself on the swing - 2

Small Muscle Skills

1. Child tries to grip crayon or pencil correctly - 2
2. Child can cut with scissors holding scissors correctly, with thumb facing up - 4
3. Child can mold clay into a desired shape, such as a ball or snake - 3
4. Child can manipulate puzzle pieces to go in their desired place - 5
5.  Child is successful at stringing beads - 4
6. Child can complete the attached figure with at least 6 characteristics - 5

They started the circle for the head and the stick for the body - Drew drew the rest.

Teacher's written notes: Drew is an amazingly bright child.  He amazes us on a daily basis!  He is always eagar to learn new things and picks things up very easily.  I am concerned about his emotional maturity and we are working on that.  We have seen improvement since the beginning of the year.  Ms. Kirsten

We chatted about where how Drew has had to take the role of helper at school since he knows the answers to everything and it's hard to know if other kids are repeating what Drew says or if they actually know it.  So he has to sit alongside the teacher and she'll ask the questions and then ask Drew whether her answers are right.  They do this with the language, math and sign language areas that they incorporate into school lessons.

We also discussed in detail about whether she recommends he go - TK vs K.  She said he'd be bored in TK and she thinks the emotional side will come with time.  And her remark was that her son was held back in 2nd grade (an October birthday) so Drew could always get held back later in time.

Then the biggie... what I bet you all held on for the entire boring post for...

She said and I quote: Drew is an excessive self-stimulator.

Yep, my child likes to hump things at school, preferably the side of his cot at naptime.  But she said he returned a book to the "library" and "stimulated himself" at the bookcase.  She says we need to do something about it and have a chat with him, and if needed speak to his pediatritian.

Can I just tell you how badly I wanted to disappear at that moment?!?

Living Room Campout

Friday night we had a living room campout - the campers Drew, Mason and Troy.  That's right we hosted a sleepover for Drew's friends.  Think of it as returning the favor for our friends - from September!  Better late than never right?

The boys did great!  They were super excited when I picked them up from their house and school and we came home.  They all enjoyed playing our new wii and Mason (he's the oldest at 6) was impressing everyone with his awesome gaming skills.  We had a brief break for pizza and then they were back at the wii.  Around 7:30 we put on a movie (The Incredibles - Drew's new favorite movie) and then had a living room campout.

While I had big plans about having all three boys sleeping in Drew's room with the Trundle bed, they had other plans.  They wanted to sleep right in the living room - with several lights on of course.  No problem.

The next morning they were going to come with us to Drew's soccer practice, but at the last minute Mason and Troy wanted to stay behind and play - what else - but wii.  They passed the time quickly with Drew and after they got home all three boys wanted to play playdough.

They made plenty of food for Dave and I to eat.  I expected cabin fever from these three since we couldn't go outside due to rain, but they had a blast inside.  I think they were all a bit tired from having so much fun - bed at 10:30, up at 6:30am.  Drew fell asleep later that day while running errands at Costco.  I heard the other two took naps as well on Saturday. 

Nighttime Fears

Some will read this post and judge.  Others may relate and perhaps sympathize.  Some will probably think we're being played.... c'est la vie.

For years Drew has had issues sleeping at night - with night terrors going back to around the age of two (if not earlier).  Now they've mostly progressed to nightmares - but there are still night terrors mixed in.  It's gotten so bad recently he will begin crying at 5:30pm about the fact he has to go to bed in a few hours and he is terrified to close his eyes.

Around Halloween Drew's nightmares reached an all-time high (at the time) and we attributed a lot of the issues to the scary things you saw every time you went to the store or saw any holiday decorations. The dreams and fears started to dissipate as Halloween passed, but then picked up again late in December.  And I mean picked up to a new form of... well torture is all I can think to describe it. 

Late December Drew had what I would call cluster nightmares.  He'd wake up in a terrified scream (you would think someone was attacking him physically.. kind of blood curdling scream) every 20-40 minutes.  We'd go into his room, calm him down, get him to fall asleep to only repeat less than an hour later.  This went on over a couple of weeks.

While with some kids I could see this as a ploy to get their way in the middle of the night, and I know when my child is trying to play us, but you cannot fake that kind of a scream.  We were frustrated, exhausted - which didn't help with the frustration - and we would often get mad at Drew to "just go back to sleep!  Don't scream like that!" (Dave actually fell one night trying to race to Drew thinking he was really hurt - and nearly knocked our tv off it's stand).

We have a blow-up mattress (a Scooby bed) alongside our bed which we said was OK for him to get into in the middle of the night -but he couldn't sleep in our bed.  For those who don't know or have pleasantly forgotten... the only one who sleeps when you have a child in the bed with you, is the child.  They flail, kick, and punch in their sleep.  Most unpleasant.  So we settled for Scooby.  Well for a while there it was enough to lay in Scooby.  Then he started having nightmares in his Scooby bed so I would have to hold his hand so he could fall asleep.

Seems rather sweet right? No it's torture!  Our bed is elevated.  Scooby is on the floor.  I'm only 5'5" and while I think I have monkey arms, they're not that long.  It hurts to reach that far - my shoulder nearly rips out its socket after about 30 seconds.  When I came down with sinus crud, that was the end of hand holding to get him to sleep.  Conveniently Dave was able to sleep through most of these hand holding sessions because Scooby is on my side of the bed - so I was the only sleep deprived one.

While fighting the sinus crud, desperately needing sleep - I convinced Dave that Drew should sleep in our bed.  Drew wasn't sleeping and it was starting to carry over to school as well.  He was so tired that it was making everything worse - going to sleep, the dreams, everyone's frustration level....

Since he started sleeping with us, nightmares are at a minimum and we're easily able to calm him down when he's next to us.  We do move him sometimes to his Scooby bed, and we have dreams of moving him back to his room as soon as possible....

Even in our room he requires nightlights, TVs on (although its not on all night), bathroom lights on, book lights are preferable and if he had his way the entire bedroom light would remain on.  He hates the dark, he hates being "lonely" and he hates to close his eyes. 

Over the weekend he had another rough night - with a nightmare about fire near his feet - that he refused to close his eyes for hours.  I periodically would wake up and find these big brown eyes staring straight at me.  This went on from about 2am - 4:30am. 

Poor kid.  So yes, he's sleeping in our bed.  While it's not ideal, at least we are all getting at least some sleep.

One night earlier this month when he was too afraid to fall asleep in our bed alone, he cuddled with Daddy on his chair.

Boys Day Out

Yesterday the boys in the house had the pleasure of another day off.  Intending to have them use a Groupon I had for Pump it Up, they set out for there early afternoon.  Problem was there was a hidden disclaimer that the Groupon doesn't work on holidays (doesn't state it on the Groupon or on the ad when I purchased it.  Just an added "disclaimer" because they felt like it at some point along the way).  So rather than turn around and head home, Dave paid for the session.

Apparently it didn't start out so well when Drew started screaming because he was afraid of the slides - the only way down.  Finally Dave managed to convince and older child to help him down the slide.  Once he was down, what does Drew say but, "That was fun, I want to do it again!"

After a while they moved on to safer territory - baseball and basketball.

Once the play time was over at Pump it Up, they picked up some lunch and then played some more at the park.  One of Drew's favorite parks - with the tire swing.

Needless to say Drew was one tuckered out kid when he got home.  He had an early bedtime and everything.  Surprisingly in the middle of the night he wanted to sleep on the couch - alone.  (We've had a lot of issues with sleeping and nightmares with Drew)

One Final Christmas Celebration

I'm more than a week late with my post, but things were too hectic last week... but it's better late than never.

Last Saturday we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family.  Yes in January.  The kids patiently waited for Auntie Lisa and Kady to come over, and when they finally did, it was a race for the bigger kids to go upstairs (we wouldn't let them in the kids play area).

And that was why - too  much temptation to go snooping where little eyes shouldn't go.  Isn't that a plethora of stockings?! Nearly all of them were cross-stitched by Mom over the years.  Next up on the stockings to be finished... Adrina, then Rana.  Mom has her work cut out for her... but back to the story at hand.

We opened stockings oldest to youngest.  Of course it doesn't help to ask my 4 year old who is the next oldest - it was a blur for him after the kids.  I mean he had Grammy going before me I believe....

Here Kady opens her stocking...

Then Drew...

 ...who got a new set of underwear among his loot....

And Adrina had plenty of sparkle and tween fun stuff.

After stockings and dinner it was time to open presents.  This year we let the kids each open one at a time simultaneously.  The thought was to speed up the lengthy presents opening and let the kids go play with their new stuff while the adults open their gifts.  It also meant less opportunity for me to snap pictures.  Here's what I got...

  Kady opening all of her loot...

Drew got his first dictionary which is perfect timing since he asks me constantly what something or other means, or "what's another word for....".  This is a very clever way of offering definitions for young kids!  Thanks GG.

Drew and Adrina going to town with their presents...

And Grammy relaxing after all presents were opened.  She went up and down the stairs quite a bit that she used her new wine fridge as a foot stool.  Poor Grammy is getting old and her knees aren't what they used to be.

It was a fantastic day with family and of course everyone was spoiled rotten! 

TK vs K

This September birthday business is the pits!  I mentioned a little more than a year ago the difficult decision we were going to be faced with in the future... well that future is here.  Where to place Drew come the fall - Kindergarten registration is taking place now - well technically February 1. 

The state of California says he's eligible for Kindergarten - the cutoff for next school year will be November 1 (this is the first year of a 3-year rollback plan which ends with September 1 in 2014).

While our preschool parent teacher conferences aren't for another week-and-a-half, the local school distrcit held a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) meeting on Wednesday.  I have no doubt academically that Drew is ready for Kindergarten academically - there was no doubt 2 years ago. :)  In fact one of the teachers was joking with me today that Drew's ready academically for 1st grade.

But it's the social/emotional side that's always been the iffy.  Yes he's a boy.  Yes he is and always will one of the youngest (for the record, so was Dave and I).

Anyway, at this Transitional Kindergarten meeting the stressed the things they would work on and tried to convey the differences between Preschool and Kindergarten.  Honestly I was hoping that attending this meeting would offer the definitive answer I was looking for - it was not.  I left just as unsure as when I went in.  Here's a snapshot of what they do in TK:

• Learn their letters and their sounds (Drew mastered this before the age of 2)
• Begin learning and recognizing sight words (Drew again was reading Dr. Seuss on his own at 2 1/2, and has progressed since. And he's understanding what he reads, it's not just repeating the words on the page. NO we did not use Your Baby Can Read!)
• Learn numbers 1-10 and begin recognizing larger numbers (Drew can count and recognize 1-100, and beyond as well.  Admittedly he occasionally flips the numbers around... so he sees 52 but will say 25)
• Learn to count in sequence (he's mastered this around the age of 2)
• Learn to cut with scissors (he can do this admittedly not a master at it, we really need to get kid scissors at home to help him work on this)
• Write and recognize his name (check)
• Play independently (he is an only child, duh)
• Learn to manage emotions when performing activities (this is where Drew is "immature" or rather age appropriate, but being as he's younger he of course appears more immature compared to some of his peers).

(If you want to see more of my dilemma, look at the kindergarten readiness skill "checklist" our district puts out.   You see why my only issue is emotional/social).

So honestly is it worth putting him into a two year kindergarten and have him learn to mange his emotions or is it better to challenge him like I know he needs and craves?  He's already telling us he doesn't do certain things at school because he's bored or it's boring.  This is precisely my fear by "holding him back" and putting him in TK the 2 year preschool program. 

I've been the child who was bored and shoved in the corner to read or do irrelevant worksheets while the rest of the class "caught up".  It sucks.  This went on until middle school/junior high when I could go to a class where I would be challenged.

So I guess we'll speak in depth with his preschool teacher in the next week, in addition I am going to have Drew evaluated in May by the District to ensure that wherever we put him, he's in the appropriate place.  That said, I'm going to sign him up for both Kindergarten and the TK program (which not at our home school, but somewhere else in the district) and make the final call in May.  The TK administrators said they do not want to put anyone in this class that truly belongs in K and they do not want to put anyone in K that should be in TK. 

Did I mention having a kid with a September birthday is the pits?!

Pee Pee Happy Dance

We are doing the pee pee happy dance at our house this morning.  While Drew was daytime potty trained since Presidents weekend 2009 (he was just shy of 2 1/2) we haven't mastered the nighttime training.  He's worn a pull-up to bed for the past two years.

Of course he is starting to get to an age where he was commenting that pull-ups are for babies (Dave always called the pull-up a diaper).  So he wanted to start going to bed without the pull-up.  For months - like the past year - he was dry only 50-75% of the time, so I told him if he could stay dry for one week we would let him sleep in underwear.  That one week ended yesterday and last night he slept in his undies for the first time - and stayed dry! 

We're so proud of him!! (And he's rather proud of himself too)

New Year, New Goals

I meant to recap my 2011 annual goals and how I fared about a week ago.  But time got away from me.  So better late than never right?

So in 2011 I vowed to run 475 miles... I actually ran 524.75!  I could've done better but I really slacked through the month of December.  So I decided to challenge myself this year.  I am going to run 600 miles!!  I'm off to a slow start thanks to some sinus drama, but I have my first race of the year at the end of the month.  And it's a 1/2 marathon at that (13.1 miles)... through Disneyland. :)

I needed to get some new tools to help me get across the finish line and before the New Year I picked up a newer model of the shoes I bought last year.  I got them 1 full size bigger than I normally wear because the dreaded black toe never went away.  Runners understand this common ailment.

In addition to my mileage goal, I started doing a 20-30 minute walk every workday.  I actually leave my desk and take a quick stroll through the area.  It's a nice mental break and a good reason to get an extra work out in.

Another goal I set for myself, to read 40 books through the year since I received my Nook last Christmas.  Not only did I read 40, but another 10 for extra credit.  Yep 50 books!

Here's the list and my personal rating system for what I thought... maybe you can find something interesting to read.

1.) My Antonia (+)
2.) Cutting for Stone (-)
3.) The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (-)
4.) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet (++)
5.) The Missing by Tim Gautreaux (+)
6.) Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (+) Slow start, good ending
7.) 9th Judgment (+)
8.) Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest (++)
9.) Water for Elephants (+++)
10.) Dark Places - Gilllian Flynn (+, dark.. slow start)
11.) Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (-)
12.) The Book Thief (+)
13.) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (-)
14.) A Reliable Wife (+)
15.) The charlamagne Pursuit (+)
16.) The Lacuna (+/-)
17.) The Big Bad Wolf (+)
18.) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (++)
19.) Hell at the Breech (-)
20.) Blood of the Prodigal (+)
21.) The Art of Racing in the Rain (++)
22.) Room (+++)
23.) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (+)
24.) The Shadow in the  Wind (++)
25.) Broken English (+)
26.) The Wednesday Sisters (+)
27.) The Paris Vendetta (+)
28.) A Stolen Life (++)
29.) London Bridges (+)
30.) Still Alice (++)
31.) The Wednesday Letters (+++)
32.) Girl in Translation (+)
33.) Unbroken (++)
34.) Molokai (+)
35.) The Tiger's Wife (-)
36.) The Paris Wife (+)
37.) Eat Pray Love (+)
38.) Heaven is For Real (+++)
39.) Before I Go to Sleep (++)
40.) In the Garden of Beasts (+)
41.) What Alice Forgot (++)
42.) Emperors Tomb (+)
43.) Sister (+)
44.) The Language of Flowers (++)
45.) When Darkness Falls (+)
46.) The Memory Keepers Daughter (+)
47.) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (+/-)
48.) Caleb's Crossing (+)
49.) The Kitchen House (+++)
50.) 10th Anniversary (+)

This year's goal?  Another 50 books.  I don't plan to do as much traveling for business or pleasure this year, so I'm not planning on finding as much time.  I'm still working on my first book of the year....

It's kind of fun to set some interesting goals and track them throughout the year.  I hope you stick to your own resolutions!

2012 - Something to Cheer About

We joined our friends Brian and Stephanie for their annual New Year's Eve Party and as expected had an awesome time - in fact it was one of the better parties over there.

They had about 50-60 people over - adults and kids (which you can't tell by these pictures), but it was all the usual suspects.  We've become friends with the "regulars" and recognize their other friends.

The ladies are getting the night started...
L-R: Me, Jonelle, Stephanie's Friend, Stephanie

If you can't find your husband we've all learned to look outside...
L-R: Dave, Brian, Travis, Greg

Dave and his ladies...
L-R: Jonelle, Dave, Steph

When it came time to ring in the New Year we had the ball/TV on in two different rooms to hold us all.  Drew was oblivious to all the activity around him...

L-R: Me, Dave, Rene 

And the happy couple I think after the official start of 2012... but after consuming as much as we did who knows for sure!  We were both impressed that we made it to church the next morning so Dave could fulfill  his ushering duties. (I didn't say we felt 100%... just that we were in attendance).

Annual Zoo Trip

This appears to be a new tradition, for my high school friends to gather at the Oakland Zoo the Friday before New Years - along with their kids.  We started this last year (here's the evidence), this year Heather, Irene and I brought all the kids together (4 kids total).  Thankfully the rain held off.

L-R: Drew, Nikos (4 1/2), Olive (2 1/2)

L-R: Olive, Nikos, Drew

L-R: Nikos, Drew, Olive

Despite the lack of pictures, Irene did have her nearly 2 year old son there as well.  I apparently never snapped any pictures and at dinner later that night, Heather confessed she didn't either.  Some friends we are! Ha!

Only mishap of the day was when Drew and Niko ran off together near the children's play area, and Nikos stopped, but Drew apparently kept going.  He and all the kids in the play area were wearing brown jackets so it was tough to find him.  He turned up with one of the park rangers while I was off looking for him - MIA maybe 2-3 minutes. 

I think he learned his lesson about why I tell him to stay where I can see him!