Ralph: The Countdown Begins!

 "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear 
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do you measure, measure a year?"

One year from today (according to the Lincoln Public Schools) Ralph will be a Kindergartner!   That statement really does create an emotional response from me.  How crazy is that? (1-that he will be a Kindergartner and 2- that I have emotions.)

It seems so strange, I've dropped him off and picked him up at daycare since he was 10 weeks old, how come "going to Kindergarten" puts a whole different spin on everything?  I have come to know and trust (some better than others) all of providers at Fingerprints; my safety net will be changing and that is scary.  We both will have to learn a new system and, while exciting, will also be scary.  Ah, the fear of the unknown and the excitement the comes with it.  My little boy is growing up!

In a few days he will move to the Pre-K room at daycare.  We received a handout the other week of readiness skills they will be working on throughout the year.  Ralph does good with most of the skills; there's some that definitely need some work but will come along with time. 

Ralph is a broken record.  Most of the time the record is stuck on "why?", sometimes we get to the 2nd song of "what?" and the 3rd song title "how do you know?"  The record gets stuck A LOT and the same songs are repeated many, many times.  There is nothing quite like going somewhere new and listening to all the questions.  Sometimes I just think he likes to listen to himself talk as he really doesn't care what the answer is.  Sometimes he has another question before I finish answering the first question.  Sometimes I just make up an answer to the best of my ability even if its not the right answer.  If you ever have time to go to a baseball game with him, I could use the help.

He can recite the alphabet and pick letters out of words.  He has a great memory. Yesterday, we were at Shopko, checking out, and he points to the women's restroom and says "why does that say womens?" and last night when we were at the baseball game he points to a sign and says "That says Haymarket Park".  At this point we aren't really sure what he can read and what he has memorized.  I'm pretty sure most of it is memorization but sometimes he surprises us by referring to something I don't think he has seen before or no one could have possibly told him that though I'm not with him all day and I think he does a pretty good job extrapolating from other experiences.  He can print most letters but needs to work on upper and lower case letters.

I'm not really sure how high Ralph can count but last week I was working on a spreadsheet and he asked me about the numbers of the side (the rows) and he tells me what row I am on (37).  I decided to highlight rows and ask him what number I was on.  A few times he did transpose numbers but after a few corrections he caught on very quickly.  He did do 104 by himself - and not 1-0-4 but a hundred and four.  Every once in a while we work on simple addition and subtraction.  He likes to learn, unfortunately there is not enough time in the day.

He will share facts he learned during the day.  "Did you know it takes 4 days to reach the moon?" he asked after studying the space at 'school'.

Ralph has been waking at night lately more than we'd like.  He usually comes quietly into our room and either stands at the bed until Mike wakes up or talks quietly to wake him up (most mornings I wake up oblivious that anything happened).  For the first time last night, since he moved into a twin bed, I put the top sheet on his bed.  Up until this point he had just been sleeping with a blanket.  I'm hoping this helps and that maybe he was just waking up because he got cold or the blanket fell off.  He would tell Mike he needs to be covered . . .and the other night he told Mike his blanket needed stretched out.

He is wearing size 8 1/2 Toddler shoes, size 3T-4T shorts (love summer time as length does not matter), 4T or XS shirts.  He is finally tall enough to stand comfortably to do his thing, if you know what I mean.  His preferred menu choices do not change much - hotdog, chicken nuggets, or peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Luckily he really does like fruit, most any fruit.  He is only a morning person if he is getting his way and can hardly be rushed for anything.  I have tried to start a simple chore of putting his dishes at the sink when he is done eating.  It takes a lot of prodding some days.  He still likes to make up words, just tonight at supper he was 'reading' the paper to Henry as he made up words to go along with the story.  Last night he kept making up a story based on what he saw - could almost remind you of The Usual Suspects.  He'd start a sentence, get to a place in the sentence and finish the sentence based on something he saw.   I'm not sure if this is totally intentional but he loves to argue.  If I say a very true statement he likes to argue or contradict it, usually with no reason.  It can be very annoying.

He is not my adventurous son, he can be timid in his actions but he can also be a silly, fun-loving 4 year old who is more goofy the more he is encouraged.

Summertime Fun!!

In addition to visiting the various attractions that were a part of the "Be a Tourist in your Hometown" program, we had fun exploring and taking part in other activities throughout the summer.

Weekend of June 10:  After spending the night at Grandma Grandpa's, we picked the boys up and headed to the BryanLGH kids health and safety fair.  Ralph actively participated in some booths; Henry a little less but both seemed to have a good time.  The highlight of this outing was seeing Ralph touch a puppy that was up for adoption.  I'm not even sure what group was with the puppies but we walked by them and, seeing how subdued they were I asked Ralph if he'd want to pet a puppy and he said yes and walked over to where they were.  I pet the puppy a few times and Ralph finally did.  So nice to see him take this little baby step though it was not a major break through; he will still run from 4-legged friends.  There were a few inflatables in the parking lot - one was a pirate ship we had not seen before.  Ralph was not too interested when we first arrived but did decide he was ready on the way out.  It had a little slide as well - we were at an event in May that had a slide inflatable and he choose not to do it.  Again, so nice to see him take this baby step even if it were on a smaller slide.  Our dancing man, Henry, heard some music (the String Beans) as we were approaching their way and started swaying to the music.  He does not miss a beat!

The same day, in the evening we visited the city's Public Works Day. The boys checked out some of the city's fleet - street sweeper, dump truck, bucket truck AND a city bus.  Ralph also got a chance to practice casting a fishing rod.  The instructor let Ralph do his own thing so Ralph made big figure 8's with the rod, not totally sure what he learned but he had a big smile on his face (when he wasn't concentrating by sticking out his tongue).

On June 27, Ralph was given a chance to visit his friend Isaac, for maybe the last time.  Isaac and his family are moving and had left daycare earlier in June.  Isaac's mom invited the boys over for swimming one evening.  Isaac's departure from daycare was tough on Ralph so this was a great chance for them to get together.  These days when we ask Ralph who he played with at 'school' he still reminds us that Isaac is not there anymore.  I think he will remember Isaac for a long time.



On July 13, we visited the Ballard Swimming Pool in north Lincoln to take advantage of their $5 family swim nights from 6-8 pm.  It was our first outing to a swimming pool in Lincoln.  It worked out pretty good and was a good trial for Ralph, having just completed his swimming lessons.  He did practice some of what he had learned - and did put his face in the water (goggles on) for very brief amounts of time.  Henry had fun in the baby pool and jumping off the edge, holding hands, into the big pool.  We did visit Ballard again August 3 - it was great to see how much more comfortable Ralph was in the water . . .and if the crying/whining he did when we left was any indication of how much he liked playing in the water, he really liked playing in the water.

On July 14, thanks to an invitation from the BryanLGH Kids Club we visited Star City Shores for the first time.  Kids Club members were invited to a "private" party before it was open to the public for the day.  It was a good morning to check it out, at no charge, in the company of many families but not overly crowded.  I think we are good for another year and appreciate the opportunity to check it out.  In the hour and half we were there Henry had to go potty twice and Ralph kept wanting to dry his face off.

On July 28, Grandma & Grandpa took the boys to Lost in Fun for the first time.  I can't comment much on this other than I hear they had a good time.  I am glad they finally got a chance to visit.

On August 10, Grandpa & Grandma took the boys out of daycare early and visited the Count Fair.  They saw bears perform, pigs race, visited some of the 4-H animals, and rode on one of the midway rides.  Sounds like an action-packed few hours to me!

Today the boys made their 1st visit to Eagle Raceway (and the Little E track) to watch go-karts race.  The races started about the time the boys should have been napping, we watched a few races and headed home.  Again, Ralph was not too happy to leave.  Henry was sleeping before we hit the county line; Ralph was dozing in and out. 


The start of the Lincoln Public School year is upon us, though we still have another year to go it does mean that most summer type activities are nearing an end.   Summertime was busy, I know it will only get busier as the boys get older.  We tried to do what we could on nights & weekends, of course the heat wave was not kind in July and kept us stuck inside more than the boys wanted.  Also, appreciate the time Grandpa & Grandma can spend with them and be with them as the boys experience new things.

Be a Tourist Program

The Lincoln Convention & Visitors Bureau had a program that took place over the summer: "Be A Tourist in Your Hometown."   It provided a great opportunity to introduce the boys to various Lincoln attractions.  Of course, we didn't bring a camera to many stops.

Lincoln Children's Museum:  This is already a favorite of the boys but it did give us an incentive to visit during a Music & Mozzarella night.  We made it to the first night, Mr. Stinky Feet.  The boys were more subdued than I thought they'd be but Ralph did attempt to volunteer once or twice.  I think Henry was just tired from his swimming lesson. 

Licorice International:  We piggybacked our visit to the Licorice International with a visit to the farmers market visit.  The boys (and grandma & I) had fun tasting different licorices.

Capital: "that building" - our visit to the Capital was brief.  There was a tour starting but knew the attention span of the boys would not tolerate a tour so we did a quick walk around and took a few brochures.  The boys keep their brochures in the car and would ask "where's my building?" when they wanted to look at the brochure.  They also recognize "that building" when we are driving throughout Lincoln and they spy the Capital.

Wyuka: the boys were intrigued by all the flags that were along the entrance due to Memorial day weekend.

Bennett Martin Library:  our visit to the library was brief, mostly because I'm afraid to check out many books for the boys; that they will accidentally rip a page in a book or do some thing else destructive by accident.  They do have plenty of books at home from the scholastic program at school or through gifts.  They are definitely not lacking for books!

Lincoln Saltdogs:  We did make it to 4 games this season.  Ralph is brave enough to give Homer five this year. Henry finally gave Homer a high-five towards the end of July.  One night in early July Homer did touch Henry's back one night and we heard about that for a few days.  The boys enjoy running the bases after the game and are disappointed when we go during the week and can't stay until the end.  Sunday games are great since they start earlier and end earlier.

Quilt Museum: We took advantage of the free admission the First Friday of the month and visited June 1.  I know I am frugal but also knew it would not be a very worthwhile visit as quilts are not that exciting to a 2- and 4-year-old . . .unless they can use it as a cape or part of a fort.  I was hoping I could engage them and talk about colors, patterns, or designs but it was short-lived.  I was glad the Quilt Museum was one of the stops so I had a reason to finally go inside having driven by it nearly every day since it opened. Ralph recognizes the building as "that building" as well and points it out as we drive by.

Pioneers Park:  Our stops included the Pioneers Park Nature Center, the Ager Nature Center, and trails around the two Centers.  We also found the sand box.

Lincoln Children's Zoo: We made a few visits to the Zoo over the summer.  Favorite stops at the zoo include the vortex to watch the coins go around, Mike & Courtney the camels, Leo the paper eating Lion, the sand areas, and the train!

Lux Center for the Arts:  The Center held a free community arts afternoon on Sunday, June 10.  Ralph and Grandma started the adventure as Henry was late in taking his nap. By the time Henry & I arrived Ralph had made two buttons (one for him and one for Henry) and worked with clay in making a little bowl.  Some of the stations were closing as we arrived due to the time so we jumped in a line for a henna tattoo.

Morrill Hall: We did make a few visits to Morrill Hall over the summer.  The boys like the discovery area where they can dig for bones and smell different scents that are in bottles.

A special visit to the Lincoln Children's Zoo

I am working on a post that highlights our summer activities but this one deserves its own post.  We were lucky enough to receive some passes for a camel ride and tonight was the night we used them! 

I was sure Henry would be a willing participant.  He has asked to "go on a camel ride" since we saw a photo of someone riding a camel in the zoo's last newsletter a few months ago.  Ralph was a little more hesitant.  I wasn't sure if he would do it but kept my fingers crossed.

Our (My) sole mission tonight was to ride the camels.  After checking in we went backwards through the trail so we could get to the camels quicker, not really sure if it worked since we had to stop at the bronze bear, the play area, and Leo the Lion first.  Luckily we avoided the Stego sand area.  We stopped and fed Mike & Courtney the other camels then it was time to ride a camel! 

Before Henry had a chance to change his mind I scooped him up and headed for the stairs and the platform to board the camel.  We got on and away we went.  We learned the camel's name was Joshua, he is 13 years old, and weighs 2000 pounds . . after that I couldn't hear much of what the guide said.  Our ride was done after a quick circle around the trail.

Next up was convincing Ralph to ride the camel . . . . it took a little time and I was about ready to give up.  We almost had to pair him up with Grandpa but Ralph finally gave in enough that I didn't think he would freak out if we went up to the platform.  We boarded and away we went.  Same camel.  After we took off Ralph asked me why I was hanging on.  I think it was a subconscious thing  so I stopped hanging on to the support bar and waved to Grandma, Grandpa, and Henry, holding on to Ralph with my other arm so he would feel secure.  I didn't hear him asking to go again after the ride but I still think he had a good time.  Maybe next time he does something new he might be a little more willing to give it a try.

They did it! They rode a camel!  Just a little funny because Ralph hasn't even rode a pony at the zoo (or anywhere else) yet.

Henry: 1st Field Trip!

(I just realized last night I had not posted about Henry's first field trip so this is a little overdue.  However, I do not think I posted about Ralph's first field trip - mostly because I didn't go and take any photos. So much for being fair.)

Henry took his first field trip in the daycare van last July 10.  His class went to the Trago sprayground that Ralph's class visited in June.  I decided to walk to the sprayground from work since I didn't get to park very close when I visited during Ralph's field trip.  I also left work after they had already been there awhile, thinking I would stay until they were ready to go; I didn't want to be there right when they arrived.  When I arrived I found Henry sitting on a bench, not at all engaged in playing.  I had to 'borrow' these photos from daycare.  It was good to see these photos, knowing he had been engaged and having fun.  Love the facial expressions!

When I arrived Henry became my best friend and I tried to get him to play in the other areas away from the water but I think he was done.  He had played hard for the 30-40 minutes before I arrived and was ready for lunch.  I did find out my boy is one of the slower eaters.  After lunch they headed back to Fingerprints and naps!

Henry: Celebrating 32 months!

Henry is having a good time with puzzles.  He has mastered the two large 12-piece puzzles we have that fit in frames.  He can be heard saying "is this a corner?", "is this an edge?", "where does this go?"  He is still figuring out what edges and corners are on the puzzles he has not mastered. We are also having fun reviewing letters and whose names start with certain letters when working on the alphabet letter puzzle.

Henry is pretty good at somersaults.  He also likes jumping off the couch and climbing up the chair to his booster seat at the table . .and climbing down the booster seat and onto my chair before he gets down..  Last night he said "watch me jump off the diving board" as he jumps from the old crib mattress that lays on his floor (kind of acts as a step between his bed and the floor) to the floor.  He also likes to say "Hey everybody, watch me." when he wants to show off.

 He is also turning into a little singer.  He likes singing "gertie goose" which he picked up from Ralph who picked it up from his room at daycare - a song working on the letter G.  He also likes singing "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee" and "hokey pokey" both of which he picked up at daycare.  The first time I heard baby bumblebee I was impressed.  Not sure how many times he has heard it but he seems to have the main parts down.

 Henry has a grumpy look he is trying to perfect.  One day he was mad about something so i called it his grumpy look, sometimes if I ask him to show me his grumpy look he will oblige.  He kind of sticks out his lips, pursued together, lowers his head, and tries to furrow his eyebrows.


He is (still) impossible at bedtime.  I have decided it really doesn't help him if I lay in the hallway at lights out; I can lay there for 10 minutes or 30, he is still usually awake.  I have decided to sit on the other side of the hallway and work on the laptop . . . still in the area but can't be seen though I'm sure there's enough light illuminating from the laptop he knows I'm there.  Unfortunately, because he can't see me he has to check on me every 10 seconds (slight exaggeration, not much) to tell me he either loves me or he needs to go potty.

When Henry wakes up in the middle he can't quite decide where I am since it's dark so he just stands at his doorway and let's EVERYONE know he needs me.  Sometimes he asks me to lay in his room, sometimes he asks me to lay in the hallway.  When he wakes up while we are exercising (and our door is closed), he sometimes will turn the knob, open the door, and walk in with a little grin on his face; other times he will stand at the top of the stairs until someone hears him crying (which can take awhile because of the sounds of the exercise equipment).

Henry did have a coughing spell last week, so much so I took him to confirm he wasn't not wheezing.  He was not and its taken over a week to get rid of the majority of the cough. 

Not much else physically has changed with Henry . .still in 12 or 18 month shorts (for his skinny waist), 24 mo/2T shorts (for his big head), and size 6 shoes.  He did officially gain just over a pound since his last doctor's visit just over 7 weeks ago - now up to 26 pounds!  As much as I try there is not enough bribery in the world to get him to eat more food.