schools

called Young 5's and Woodlawn, the charter school we are trying to get him in, to find out about assessments and dates and what-have-you.

So, for young five's we would need to go down to the elementary school (Brendel) and set up a "3 light assessment" for him and fill out paper work, marking (if we want young 5's) young 5's as our first choice and kindergarten as our 2nd.  This would hold him a kindergarten spot if he is unable to go to young five's.  Children with birthdays between Sept 1st and Dec 1st are placed in young 5's first and then the other kids.  If the classes fill up then David would be bumped to kindergarten.

Woodlawn:  I called and they said that they do an informal assessment for kindergarten--which I think can be interpreted  as "really nothing."  I asked when we would know if he is actually accepted.  She said that they are allowed 22 kids per class.  If more kids than that apply, a lottery is done.  However, she said that she doesn't think that they have ever had to do a lottery.  It would be pretty unheard of if they did.  So, David is basically in, but they cannot say that just in case they get a flood of applications.

Technically we can not be sure if he is "in" until after Kindergarten Roundup which is at the end of the month.  So, if he is not, we would immediately have to go to Brendel and do all that paper work crap, because these schools fill up quick.  Or I guess we could do all of that stuff now just to get his place held just in case.

So, I think our first choice is still Woodlawn.  According to the "brochure" they teach the kids phonics which I feel very strongly about.  And from what I have heard Brendel does "sight words."  I believe learning to read/write based on "sight" is a terrible way to teach and is the cause for so much illiteracy, because children are not taught to "sound it out."

Dave and I will talk more about it later today.

true story

costume

david needs a "dr. Seuss" costume for Thursday.  Thanks to my sis I think it will actually happen!  lol
Thanks, Leah!

will post pictures of the final product.

ready?

well, this is a question I never thought I would have to ponder:  Is David really ready to start kindergarten?

David is a smart kid.  his memory is amazing.  If you show him a book of animals, he will name almost every one.  BUT--a retired kindergarten teacher spoke at MOMS last Tuesday, and...  freaked. me. out.

She had quite a spiel about why it is probably best to wait a year to send kids to school if they have a late summer birthday, especially boys.  David's birthday is August 1st.  He will be 5 the entire year in kindergarten.  most kids do turn 6 when they are in kindergarten.  He will be 17 when he graduates.

But, he's just so smart!  She addressed this.  Some kids even if they are "intellectually ready" may not be socially, physically, or emotionally ready.  At this age 6 months does make a big difference.  David is very average in height, so he is on the shorter range in his class.  She mentioned that this would carry on.  While the other kids are going through growth spurts, he may not have one till later.  He may not be as skilled athletically.  He may have melt-downs more often.  The "work load" and paying attention may be more difficult for him.  She said the year may be more challenging, and would probably be easier if you just wait.

We have been tossing around the idea of Young Fives, which is basically just a  bit more challenging preschool.  And if the teachers were to say he is ready to move up, he could.

This may sound superficial, but I do not want him picked last for teams.  i don't want his feelings hurt.  I don't want him to be the youngest, because the younger kids tend to be followers.  That thought makes me kind of nauseous.  And the smaller kids tend to get picked on.

On the flip side--I don't want the work to be "so easy" that he is bored and not being challenged.  And he is sooo excited about kindergarten!  He loves school.  LOVES it.  I want to do what is absolutely best for him, but i'm just not sure what that is.  I am going to talk to his current teacher and potential teacher at Kindergarten Round Up and probably the Early Fives people.

Noah's party

the big cheesy smile :)

Noah's party went very well.  LOTS of people were sick or had made other plans, so there were not as many people there as usual.  But I'm just fine with that.  It was nice having the party a little smaller.

When Noah woke up from nap and saw all of the spider decorations, he forgot all about his need for a "puppy" party.  Thank goodness.  I did not want to have to tell that child to "shut up" when the guests arrived.

He had a big smile on his face and joined in when we sang "happy birthday."  He blew out his candle.  He did not want the cupcake that the candle had been in because it was "messed up."  So he chose a different non-messed up cupcake--of which he ate only one bite.

This is when Elee's first cough-till-you-puke episode occurred.  Luckily she waited until after the cake and presents part was over, because the whole house cleared out immediately.  The poor thing had been so good through the whole party, even though she obviously felt like crap.

singing

picking a different cupcake

boy books

Our haul from the library today.  I am mom to boys.

pee

  Leah and I took Elee and Noah to McDonald's to play in the Play Place.  Yes, it was my idea.  The kids were having tons of fun running through the tubes and going down the slide.  Elee still has a bit of a cough.  Well, she was running around which made her cough worse.  Coughed so hard she puked on the floor.  That's nice....  LOL.

(or someone else's)

   A few other kids came and went while we were there.  One little boy was doing just fine running around and playing, and his dad was sitting at the table next to us.  Dad got up to (i assumed) check on his son, and soon thereafter he left.  A few minutes later Elee and Noah come out clutching their socks in their hands.  "what?!  No, you have to wear socks in the play-place!"
   "They're wet!"
   "what?????  why are they wet?"
 
   Leah investigates the situation, and announces, "that little boy peed in here."
UUUGGGHHH!!  No wonder they left the crime scene so quickly!  And it's not like the boy peed his pants.  I saw his pants; they were dry.  He must have actually 'went potty' in there!  And our innocent children stepped in it!!!!  Our babies had some stranger's PEE on them!!
 
   There was a mad dash to the bathroom and lots of hand washing.  Leah informed the staff of the situation.  They took their sweet time getting to it too, i might add.  And Leah told me afterwards that they didn't exactly do some careful sterilization process to the offending area either.  That's nice.  I will be sure to bring my children to your play-place again.
 
   There was another mad dash home and into the tub.  His boots got dropped off in the washing machine and Noah got a thorough washing.  He did, however make sure to add his own pee to the mix in the bath water...

broken hearted :(

Well, my previous post should have been done about a week ago.  Altogether David and Kilee had been boyfriend and girlfriend for about 2 weeks.  But, alas--it was not to be.  Their promising romance has ended today.  I was talking to David about her and he got kind of upset.  "Ryan said he was her boyfriend now!"
"What did Kilee say?"

"She said that Ryan is her boyfriend now."

It was so sad.  I tried to console him.  He even asked me if I would tell Ryan "stop it."  :(  poor kid.  He's so brokenhearted.  He told me that Kilee is the prettiest girl in the whole world, and he only wants her to be his girlfriend.  My poor little baby.

I told him maybe he should talk to Daddy about it, and he agreed.  Daddy was slightly less sympathetic, but gave the stereotypical Dave answer of, "Dude, you can have any girl you want!  Ask another girl to be your girlfriend!"  and ended in "but you don't need a girlfriend right now anyway."  You know, something empowering.  I agree that he obviously does not need a "girlfriend" at the age of four, but apparently that is the class-wide game that is going on right now.

Before bed we got him to smile and giggle about other "pretty" girls in his class.  He got a little animated when Anna's name came up.  "Blue polka-dot dress with a flower."  He seemed pretty  excited about that prospect.  So, I think she or Reece has a good shot.

girlfriend

(Noah's birthday party went well.  Will talk more about that when I upload some pics.)

My oh-so mature 4 yr. old has a girlfriend.  Her name is Kilee.  Kilee goes to David's preschool.  She is very sweet and always gives me a hug when I pick up David.  I approve.

Our conversation while watching Beauty and the Beast:

David:  Why is Gaston always asking Belle to marry him?

me:  Because Belle is the prettiest girl in town, so he wants to marry her.  But you don't pick who you want to marry just because they're pretty.  You should pick someone who is nice and fun to play with.

David:  Yeah, i want to marry Kilee because she is nice and pretty.

Me:  Well, that's nice.

David:  Do you kiss when you get married?

Me:  Yes, when you get married you will kiss.

David:  Yeah, Kilee said that maybe we should kiss on the lips.

Me: (holy crap!!)  Did you?

David:  (giggle, giggle)  NO!

Me:  ok.  you don't need to do any kissing till your older, ok?

David:  ok.  I'm not gonna get married till I'm older--like 17, 18, or 19.

me:  Yes, it's best to wait till you're older.

David:  And when I marry Kilee, can she live here?

Me: sure she can, when you get married.

David:  ok.

mind change

Noah: "Waaahaa!  Don't wan' spider birtday party!  Wan' puppy birtday party!"

sorry, little man.  The day before the party is not the time to change your mind about the theme that you chose.  You're having a spider birthday party, and you will love it.


____________

Darn it--just looked at pics of puppy themed parties...  stinky cute.  and lots easier....  Puppies don't discriminate against seasons.

humming bird

David:  Mom, what's a humming bird?
Me:  It's a tiny bird with a long skinny beak, and he flaps his wings so fast that you can hardly see them, and they make a humming sound.
David:  Oh.  And you can shoot them?

ugh!  that's the first thing he thinks of???  too much hunting talk in this house.  Who raised this child?!

target practice??  i think not!

Noah's birthday

Yesterday was Noah's 3rd birthday.  My little baby turned 3!  that seems nuts to me that "the baby" is 3 now.  He had a fun day.  he received 2 presents first when he woke up--a toy shot gun and skidders (kinda slippers, kinda shoes...).  He was very excited.

After we dropped David off at school, Noah and I ran around getting stuff for his party and Leah's baby shower.  He had fun and behaved himself in the stores.

After Dave got home, we gave him his last present from us.  A Jumpolene.  The boys love it!  It's a big blow-up trampoline that they can use inside.  He chosen "burger" for dinner.  So we went to Halo Burger.  He actually ate his entire hamburger, which almost never happens, and ate a good amount of his fries.  David ate his burger in record time.  Apparently, he was starving.  Whenever we asked Noah "Are you done yet?"  He said "No." or "Not yet."  It was cute hearing him say that stuff.  He is usually the first one done, because he doesn't eat that much.  But last night he would not be rushed.

Dave inflated the Jumpolene when we came home, and the boys jumped away till bed time.  Turns out the Jumpolene also doubles nicely as a "lion cage" and "bear cave."  They were very creative  :)

Also in the middle of Noah's festivities, we realized that David's shoes were way too small.  So some new shoes and slippers were bought for our rapidly growing child.

not mine, but very close

On the way home from Halo Burger David told me that he liked my earrings--probably because they are red, and red is his favorite color.  I asked him if he knew what they were, and told him that they were made out of guitar picks.  huh??  "You use them to play the guitar.  Well, I don't because I don't know how, but other people do."
David:  "I know how to play the guitar."  He expertly raised his air guitar and began making electric guitar noises while doing all of the hand movements.  it was hilarious.

Even funnier though is that we're pretty sure that in his 4 yr old mind he thinks that he really can do all of this stuff.  He's "known" karate for a while, cuz if you watch Power Rangers and Kung Fu Panda you're bound to become an expert, right?  And now he also knows how to play the guitar; I think I can thank Bubble Guppies for that one.  He's so cute.

yeah....  this is when he started using david for target practice with his new toy gun.  isn't he just the sweetest??

embarassing

on FB:
So, I meant to send a text to my sister saying, "When do you think your shower will be over?" meaning her baby shower. Turns out I did not send it to Leah. I sent it to the FATHER of the little girl I babysit for. ho-ly crap. I sounded like a crazy, inappropriate home-wrecker. Needless to say, he was a bit confused, and I apologized profusely. so embarrassing.

Party supplies

Noah's


have

• spiders
• table cloths
• napkins
• forks
• web
• markers
• crepe paper
• cupcake mix
• frosting stuff
• kidney beans
• onions

need

• ground beef
• tomato sauce
• cheese
• hot dogs
• buns
• balloons
• bowls
• spoons (maybe)
• mustard
• chips
• plates
• box potatoes
• frosting dec supplies

Leah's

have

• table cloths
• vases
• napkins
• cheddar
• cream cheese
• crackers
• Worcestershire sauce 
• lemon aide

need

• plates
• pimentos
• lemons
• sugar

Valentine's Day Party

David's school party went great.  Both boys had a ton of fun.  David did GREAT with Noah.  He stuck by him 98% of the time.  It was very cute.  David always pulled Noah right next to him while they were sitting on the floor and at the tables and on their walk.  It was so sweet--David was in top form today :)  Such a good big brother.

A few issues did surface that didn't even cross my one-track mind.  That track was: make sure David has everything he needs for the party (valentines, fruit snacks, etc.).  It wasn't until all of the kids had their valentine boxes and were getting ready to hand out the valentines that it hit me--Noah doesn't have a box, and he's not going to get any valentines.  Oh--he realized immediately.  It was so sad!  "Where my box?"  "I don't have a box!"  I suggested sharing a box with David, but that just wasn't going to cut it.

I was horrified that my little baby was going to be left out.  I hurriedly scribbled a valentine and taped on a fruit snack (i had brought extra just in case i had forgotten anyone--turns out I did.  My own child.).  Then i began searching for any random box that i could quickly decorate.  David's teacher Ms. Joy was on top of it immediately.  A small box appeared out of thin air.  She placed it in my hands with tape and scissors and pointed out to the hall where all of the remaining coveted, red paper was stored.  We quickly covered his box with red paper, wrote his name on it, and threw on a few stickers.  He was thrilled.

I stuffed his valentine from David (the one I had made moments before) into his box, and sent him back to his seat next to David.  Apparently some other parent's had the same idea to bring extras, because Noah's little box was pretty full by the end.  :)  Thank you, everyone!!!  And thank you, Ms. Joy.  You are awesome!

All of the crises were averted, and, as I said--both boys had a great time.  

yup, that little girl next to him is Kilee--his girlfriend.  :)