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!