Shoes

My boys have stinky feet. Really stinky... and we've always bought shoes at Stride Rite in order to get the Xtra Wide variety. We got some cute "little boy" shoes (just white leather tennis shoes with navy accents - both pair the same - with velcro) at an outlet this summer, and I washed them a few days ago. Those things still stink!! I just don't know what to do with them.

Well, last night we were at Kohls and had a coupon, so I decided to take a peek at the boys shoes to see what was there that might fit. We got Todd some Carter's light up shoes with all sorts of sports balls on them. I think they are a bit on the snug side after seeing him wear them today, but he promises that they feel alright. We got them a bit bigger since they didn't come in Wide. The price was right, though, even if they don't last forever!

We also got Ty some shoes (again - just the right price! woohoo!) with LACES. This morning - before 7:00 - he came out of his room and his first words were, "It's time for some shoe tying lessons". I encouraged him to wait at least until we got dressed and were ready to put on shoes, and he did. He put one shoe on his foot and I held the other in front of me while he sat beside me to emulate what I did. It took me a second to figure out how I actually tie my shoes so that I could effectively demonstrate, but I went step by step and he followed along. Then, he was ready to try the other shoe on his foot. He needed a little bit of help at the end holding the "loop" out of the way while he pulled the other loop through. He was quite proud, though, that he tied his shoes. He was REALLY proud, though, when he finished at birthday party number 1 (at a Gymnastics place) and tied BOTH of his shoes with no help whatsoever. He did it again after Cooper's party at Monkey Joe's tonight. It takes him a little bit of time to get it done, but I think he is really proud to wear laces in his shoes.

Last night I told him that he couldn't wear the new shoes to school until he was able to tie them himself, but clearly that didn't take too long. He is looking forward to going to school on Monday morning and showing Mrs. Moody and Mrs. Thompson so that he can get his name on the "shoe wall" and get his special pair of laces! (I think they are neon green!!) I think it is pretty cool that at least 2 of Ty's assignments on his "homework" chart have been "practice tying your shoes". What an appropriate Kindergarten homework task! Too bad we haven't actually done it until today.... we've done the other things, though! It was kind of hard for Ty to practice without lace up shoes!

So literal

I told Ty that our friend, Patrick, got his baby on Tuesday. He asked what the baby's name was. I told him he was "Baby Isaac". Ty giggled and said,

"That's going to be funny in -like- 3rd grade when his friends are calling him Baby Isaac."

He's so literal!

Happy Halloween

Todd's class dressed up for their Trick or Treat Parade

Set the date...

When I told Ty that we had decided that December 19th would be the date when the doctor will take the baby out, he said, "Oh good - then I can see what I looked like when I was a baby."

I said, "Well, the baby might not look quite like you did."

Ty said, "Right. He could have different color hair, or different color eyes.... or maybe even dark brown skin."

Well, buddy.....not so sure about ALL of that.

Ty's Poem

LEAVES FALL OFF THE TREES

LEAVES FALL OFF IN THE FALL ALL THE TIME.

WHEN THEY FALL OFF, THEY GO

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH

UNDER MY FEET.

AND WHEN THEY CRUNCH, THEY SMASH.

THEY GO CKSH, CKSH, CKSH.

For as often as Ty and Todd comment on rhyming words, I couldn't get him to put any rhymes in his poem. I am not sure he's got the idea of what a poem is, but this is his entry into the "Poem, Pumpkin, or Picture" contest for school tomorrow. Of course, we literally spent about 5 minutes on it, and it was "just right" the first time and didn't require any rewriting on his part. I let him type the title, and when it was 8:15 I took over the typing so that we could finish before tomorrow morning when it is due. He did decide to draw some leaves at the bottom of the page and color them. I didn't really give him the option of decorating a pumpkin or drawing a picture, so I am just proud of him for thinking it would be so fun to write his very own poem. (He told me that he already had one in his head. I am hoping this isn't really similar to one they have read in class recently! I am just happy that he at least has some onomatopoeia in it. I just really wanted to type that word today!)

Folder?

The other night Todd was practicing folding a baby blanket (I think ... it might have been a towel, though). He folds it, unfolds it, rolls it up, unrolls it, folds it, etc.... over and over again. Miama said, "Todd, you're a good folder." In all seriousness, he looks at her questioningly and says, "I do not hold papers." (HA HA HA!)

Hi-ya-tee Man

Tonight Todd told me that he wanted to try to be the Hi-ya-tee Man, and I had no idea what he was talking about... until he started karate kicking and yelling "HiYa!" It was pretty funny to watch him balance on one foot with his hands in the air yelling - apparently, they had a visitor at school this week!

Conference with Todd's Teacher

I met with Mrs. Sierra today for conferences (so nice of them to schedule these on my fall break), and she gave me Todd's report card.

On the back, she wrote, "Todd is a sponge! He learns very quickly and retains information well. He always tries to make the other kids laugh. He's a lot of fun to have in class." That's pretty much how we feel about him at home, too!

She pointed out a few things about his report card. First, she said that he was by far the best in the class at all of the "math" skills on the list. She said, "Wonder where he got that." She said that he clearly has interest in that as well, and that helps. She also said he was really good with letters and that she's been so impressed with how well he is picking up the sign language for the alphabet! On his report, there are check-plus and check marks. The check-plus marks mean that she observes this skill consistently, and the checks mean that she has seen it (just maybe not every single day). He has the most Check-Plus marks in "Physical", "Mathematical", "Scientific", "Communicating", "Literacy", and considerably fewer in the "Creative Me". Interesting!

I think the most important thing she told me was that he KNOWS all of the rules in the classroom (like 'no running' and 'put things away when you are done with them'), but he doesn't always follow them. We need to work on being a better listener and following instructions the first time he is asked. (Again, pretty much what we see at home as well!) I appreciate that she is so honest with us. She CLEARLY loves Todd a ton, and he loves her right back. I encouraged her to use a time out or "thinking" chair with him if he chooses not to listen to her the first time she asks him to do something. (I also encouraged her to not give him a ton of warnings. He works better when he knows that someone expects him to follow instructions without being asked a bunch.) While she was talking, I remembered a day a few weeks ago when Todd met me at his classroom door saying, "I got in a little bit of trouble today because I little-bit-disobeyed." Behind him (where he couldn't see her at all), Mrs. Sierra mouthed to me, "And he's just so cute about it that I really can't be mad!" Overall, he's a normal, happy 3-year old boy!

When Mrs. Sierra was talking about her own son (who just turned 2), I was reminded of the time a couple of months ago when Todd wanted to be a helper and fix a water drink for Ty. Todd had gotten a clean cup out of the dishwasher to fix Ty some water, but Ty wanted a different cup. When Ty got a cup out of the cabinet and filled it with ice and water, Todd got very sad that he couldn't be the helper. He pouted and glared at Ty across the room. I encouraged Todd just to use the cup and make himself a water drink. He glared some more and finally got up and went to the refrigerator and put water (no ice) in the cup and headed to the table where Ty was sitting. "Whew - He's cooling off and having a drink", I thought. I was quite surprised, though, when Todd marched right over to Ty and poured that entire cup of water on Ty's head. I sent Todd straight to time out because I was laughing so hard that I didn't need Todd to see me laugh hysterically about something he had clearly done wrong. Luckily, Ty's hair texture just makes water run right off of it (kind of like a labrador retreiver - makes hairwashing really fun), so he just got a dribble on his shirt and a puddle on the floor. I can't imagine that is the last time we'll see Todd get revenge as they grow up!

Return to Kindergarten

I don't know how Kindergarten teachers do it. I spent 2 hours with Ty's class this morning, and I am amazed at how much planning an patience are required. (I don't know when those teachers do their planning, either. It's not just a matter of planning what to do - but they have to have things in baggies or boxes or baskets ready to go in a turn around time of about 15 minutes because the kids can't concentrate on one thing much longer than that. Whew!)

I worked with kids in the art center, and it was a bit trying for me because they had to lace and tie shoes - and none of these kids know how to tie yarn in a bow (even the 2 that claimed they could tie their shoes). There was an observer that came in and made notes about things all over the classroom, too. I am really hoping that was just an interested party rather than someone who was actually scoring the teacher on something today. Talk about pressure!

The kids were great, and I have a whole new connection now when Ty mentions the kids in his class. I will be able to picture the kids (like the little girl who took FOREVER to cut because she was trying to write all 15 million letters of her name before she did her cutting - and she was so easily distracted.) I am curious to know how their groups were chosen for the day - there were clearly some challenges in each group. I also have a new appreciation for how Ty fits into the mix now as well. Now I believe his teacher when she says that he is a perfectly normal kindergartener! (I also have a bit of an appreciation for the fact that I have BOYS instead of girls. Whew - some of those little girls would wear me out -particularly the one who made crocodile tears because a friend tried to help her write the letter N and it was too big.)

I also stayed through lunch, but I didn't eat - just hung out with Ty and the kids at his lunch table. It was fun until it was cleanup time, and Ty was trying to tap the rest of his food off of his tray and his tray accidentally hit another kid's tray....and that one sent food all over the floor. Luckily, they have a swift janitor with a good broom who took care of it all pretty quickly, but Ty felt badly.

First Parent - Teacher Conference

We went to our first parent-teacher conference tonight. Here are the hi-lights.

Even though Ty's birthday is in May, he's pretty much in the middle of his class age-wise. There are about 8 students younger than he is and 11 (or so) older. He did well on the main portion of the kindergarten pre-assessment before school started, but he did NOT do well on the parts where he was given 1 minute and told to identify as many letters (and letter sounds) as he could. Interesting. (I am wondering if he just didn't understand the whole "one minute - work quickly" concept.) He is at a 3 reading level, and he needs to get to a 4 before he leaves kindergarten. She predicts that he'll easily surpass that. She was particularly impressed with his writing assessment (score of 5 on a scale of 1-6) where he had drawn pictures of things he did this summer and had written sentences (on his own) to describe the pictures). I wish I had taken pictures of it when he brought it home to show us. She had asked him to bring it back to school, and I am glad that he remembered he was supposed to do that so we didn't get in trouble!

She said that he needed to work on being less social during work time. Apparently, he is capable of getting all of his work done while he is chitter-chattering, but his classmates tend to stop what they are doing to listen to him and talk with him. We also need to work on not making random noises (like a clicking sound). She did say that he always stopped when she asked him to, and we noticed him making silly sounds like that tonight. I bet he does it lots and neither he nor we even notice he is doing it. We'll definitely work on making sure that we try to diminish that a bit.

On another note - last Friday's homework (which we just did tonight) was to list 5 "short o" sound words. Ty's list: October, Nocturnal, Lock, knock, and something else I can't remember. Todd's list: Todd and God. :)

Goal x 2

This second season of soccer has been a bit challenging. Our coach is certainly not patient (nor is he always present... nor is he always prepared), so it's a struggle for me as mom. (Seriously - after the first practice he ran, I seriously considered just telling Ty that the soccer season was over. The next practice was rained out, so we've really only had one practice with him. Hopefully it will get better as his expectations adjust to the kids' ability levels.) We decided to play at a different place this year than we played last year just because it is so close to our house. It turns out that they only had enough kids for 2 teams in each age group, so we play against the same team every week. At this level, I have absolutely NO problem with that. I do have a bit of a problem with the fact that I think we have lost the spirit of the Upward Soccer program at this church. They do not make sure that kids get equal playing time (not because the league director hasn't encouraged it, either), and they don't focus on having fun and learning about being a team. His coach also doesn't always do the devotional time with them, and they all get the same color star each week.

There's one kid (coach's son) on our team who will score all of the goals every week..... until he's not there. Last Saturday, he wasn't there, and Ty and another little boy stepped up and each scored 2 goals. Ty went the entire season last year and never even came close to thinking about scoring a goal, so this was a HUGE deal for him. We were so proud of him! He's always been the type of kid to taste just a little bit of success to know he could do it, and after he scored that first goal he really focused and worked to get another one.

Woohoo for Ty! I think he's starting to enjoy soccer - despite the less than ideal situation from this Mama's viewpoint. Today on the way home from his game he said, "Ahhh... I just had to work hard at soccer before I really started to like it." Guess we're getting something out of it after all!

He's proud of himself

So proud that this morning before school he drew a picture of himself riding his bike (in the yard because that's pretty much where he rides so that it's a soft landing if he falls).

Riding bikes and Playing Football

Ty didn't really ride more than about 15 minutes yesterday, so he wanted to get in some good riding time today. He's riding like a pro now!

Todd, on the other hand, went looking for a golf club and came back instead with a football and a stake that goes with the horseshoes game. He wanted Ty to help him use the stake to dig a hole in the ground so that he could stand the football on end (with the point down in the hole) so that he could kick it. Papa decided it would be easier to use the bat to hold the ball. Later, we got a ring of packing tape and used it for a while (until he decided that Miama needed to RUN out onto the field to take the ball holder off of the 'football field'). Papa offered to bring home his field marker paint to paint a football field on the yard so that Todd didn't have to run to the porch to have a touch down. (Mama is a bit worried that Todd will face plant into the concrete sidewalk!)

I got Daniel a Cracker Barrel rocking chair for his birthday...... then he got me one for mine. (Ty was worried that wouldn't be a good present for me, but I think it is perfect! I almost bought two of them for Daniel for his birthday and then I decided that probably wasn't fair to buy something for me for his birthday. Glad he could pick up on a good idea, though!) They are perfect for our front porch and enjoying this great fall weather we've been having this week! I am thinking that they might get moved inside for the winter time so that we can have a "baby holding" chair in every room!

QOTD

Ty's question of the day, "Mama, what does fart mean?"

I, of course, had to stifle the laughter before I could answer. I told him it was a not-very-nice way of saying "toot". Then, I repeated that it was not really a nice way of saying that.

His reply - "Mama, I knew what you meant. You didn't have to say it twice - that it wasn't a nice way to say something."

Apparently, there is a little girl in his room who hasn't learned that this is a "not-so-nice" word.... He said that he didn't know what she was talking about when she said that, but he didn't want to ask her what it was! Too funny!!!

Bike Riding

When we got home from school today, Ty said he didn't really want to ride his bike because it was leaning (one training wheel was higher than the other). Papa had just gotten home, so I told Ty to go ask Papa if he could fix his bike. Then, I had a second thought and asked him if he just wanted to ask Papa to take his training wheels off. He decided YES that would be a good idea. (For a moment, I thought it might be better to wait until Daddy got home to see this...but since Ty was willing, I decided we should go ahead and do it before he had time to overthink it and get scared.)

Within a few moments, he was riding easily down the little hill (Papa's driveway) and through our yard - even around in a circle! Papa started him off a bunch of times, and then he taught him how to get on the bike without someone holding it. Daddy taught him how to get on the bike without even being on the little hill so that he could ride straight through the grass. After 90 minutes of solid bike riding (with a few falls and a bit of crying thrown in), he was exhausted. I anticipate that he'll be doing this every day after school for a while!