Ralph: 1st Day of Kindergarten!

We, I mean, he did it!  He survived the first day of kindergarten . . .and did it looking like a pro!

He started off the day sleeping until 7:20, which is almost unheard of for Ralph.  The last time he slept that late may have been the day of his 5th birthday party back in March.  He ate some cereal and we took some photos outside.  

 We then leave to drop off Henry at Fingerprints so he can get about his day.  While at Fingerprints we happen to see the school-age kids eating breakfast and he tells me he wants to stay here (at Fingerprints); "go get my backpack," he tells me.  He is the only kindergartener at the breakfast table.  I told him I'd meet him at school and he asks why.  I asked if I should pick him up after school and we could go out for a treat and he said "I want to come back here."  I  think the thrill of riding in the van and possibly playing Wii (which he just discovered yesterday) was too much for the boy. 

I got to Kahoa moments before the Fingerprints van.  I see Ms. Crystal walking Ralph and go to meet them.  He gives me a hug - I take that as a good decision to meet him at school.  After a bit we spied some other friends from Fingerprints and take photos then head over to door #2, where the kindergarters enter.  I noticed there were students each holding a sign for a different teacher.  I saw his teacher's sign and got him in line for her class.  I handed him a bag of supplies we forgot to bring to the open house and before I know it his class heads inside leaving the parents outside.    I'm guessing there were some teary eyes - either parents or kids - but I did not notice any.  I came close to loosing it while taking photos of the kids waiting to go inside, with their oversized backpacks on but snapped out of it. 

I did not pick him up from school since he voted to get picked up by the Fingerprints van.  I tried to ask lots of questions tonight but am not sure if I remember all the details.  His teacher showed them a picture of "Stanley" and pointed out how nicely Stanley sat, he played with a classmate named Jarrett, he had some time on the computer . . .I'm sure I'm missing a million details.  He said the teacher didn't ask any questions that she was looking for answers he asked her some questions.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

He did opt for hot lunch today (cheesy pizza) and thought he would take a cold lunch tomorrow but after reviewing the menu I think he will get the hot lunch.  I'm hopeful he'll go through a cycle of hot lunches and not be so quick to take a cold lunch but I think he also just wants to take a cold lunch to take a cold lunch.

Reflections of a Ralph

I have been reflecting all weekend about Ralph's last day as a PreK student and his upcoming adventure to Kindergarten.    I have been reflecting on his last five years at Fingerprints and various memories that stick out in my mind.   It is hard to reflect on Ralph without reflecting on where he spent the majority of his time the last five years.

(after the first day of daycare @ 10 weeks)

Not too long after Ralph started there was another baby that started, a girl.  I remember "joking" with him that first day asking him if that was his new girlfriend as they both were sitting in bouncy seats, side by side.  This girl stayed on until last fall, every once in awhile I'd hear they fight like an old married couple.

Bouncy seats and swings . . . I don't think Ralph every met one he didn't like.


One morning, while still in the infant 1 room, I'm going to guess around 11 months, maybe right at 12 months, I was telling his teacher something about the book Brown Bear and almost as clear as it could be Ralph said Brown Bear with nearly the same intonation I did.  He loved reading that book and I could almost recite the animals in order at one point.

Buggy rides, no matter how sad he was, would always brighten his day. Although he had favorite teachers, and they were pretty well known,  I was told more than once that it didn't matter who was giving buggy rides he was always game to ride along. 

He would go through periods of various levels of separation anxiety. I was going through some old daily reports a few months ago and ran across the same common theme quite a bit "Ralph was a bit sad this morning; had a better afternoon.". When he moved to a new room around 2.5 we started a new tradition of waving at each each other - he from inside the classroom; me from the car across the playground - it helped get me on my way and continued on until he moved into the next room and even a bit into the PreK room. 

Somewhere along the way, my little baby grew - sometimes willingly; sometimes he was forced a bit.  As much as he stalled, he finally gave in and started walking at 15 months.  They sometimes set him in the chairs (seats in the table cutouts) in the Infant 2 room so he could get above everyone else toddling around him; where it wasn't so intimating.

I remember after the first few days in the toddler 1 class (roughly 18 months), he seemed to play much more independently at home, it was almost like an overnight change.

He liked to make up wacky ways to say goodbye in the mornings, the wackiest only lasted a few days but we would put our fingers like "a-ok" and flip them around our eyes like we had glasses on and touch our fingers or "glasses" to each other.  I think he called it applejacks.

The floor tiles in the hallway were mostly white with some colored blocks.  There was a period we'd have to walk only on the colored tiles - or else we'd be in lava.  I know it was a class thing as I heard other kids say the same thing.

Ralph had friends come and go during his time at Fingerprints; the one that made him the most sad was no doubt Isaac.  That was a hard one as they had been turning into good friends and Isaac's family didn't live too far from us and the boys would run into each other on the playground a few times.

This past year in the PreK room proved to be his most relaxed year, I guess you could say.  He was more relaxed, more daring, more outspoken (when maybe he shouldn't have been), etc.  He and some friends took it upon themselves to cut hair one day.  The act surprised me a bit as he used to be a bit more timid and quiet but he reached a level with his friends that is similar to a sibling relationship since they are around each other so much.  We have also noticed he is aware of his audience and conforms to fit in which isn't always the best choice.

 I remember selecting our daycare - do we pick somewhere close to home so we don't have far to go, or somewhere close to work so I could visit during the day if I wanted?  As with many things baby-related decisions, we really did not know what we were in for.  Fingerprints proved to be great choice.  On those nights when Ralph was an infant and he'd cry all the way home, I was so glad we opted for a place close to home. 

I'll be curious to watch him grow and develop; curious to see if his past patterns repeat themselves. 

Sometimes he seems like he is wise beyond his years.  Last night getting out of the car he tells me "I will never let you down" and repeated it a few times.  I'm not sure where it came from or what he was getting at so I could only reply with "I hope not, I sure hope not." 

Tonight we visited Kahoa and met his new teacher, Mrs. Woodward.  I really did enjoy watching him as he was attentive and answer her questions with a head nod or his voice barely above a whisper.  I  was glad to see my timid boy return in this new and uncertain environment and am a bit hopeful it will remain for awhile.

Tomorrow begins a new adventure, a new school, a new teacher, new classmates, and new rules.  I hope he embraces it all!

(at the end of the last day of PreK - jammy day)

Lessons from Grandpa

The boys are well aware Grandpa is a hunter, mostly due to the "trophies" hanging in the garage and downstairs.  Today, Ralph told me he had a surprise for Grandpa . . he was going to ask him how bow and arrows work.  He did watch the Disney movie Hercules lately, which has a bow and arrow in it - and he saw some on display at Morrill Hall last week so I'm guessing his interest had peaked.  It was good timing as I had bought some play bows and arrows I had bought months ago in the car to take to Grandma & Grandpa's..   After he told me his surprise I told I had a surprise too but he had to wait until we got to Grandma & Grandpa's.  I had him ask Grandpa the question then I revealed my surprise . . .It really was like Christmas morning.  Ralph was definitely surprised and so ecstatic I got at least three thank yous and I love yous.  After Grandpa put a notch in the bows the boys were ready to learn a few tips.  Henry got the first successful long launch, after Grandpa tied his string tighter, taking out some slack.  Ralph kept at it the longest.  I love that Grandpa can pass on his hobby though I'm not sure what they'll think if they ever go hunting with him.  . 

 Henry found other things to do while waiting for his lesson.

 Trying to show a lefty how to position his hands correctly.

Ralph practicing . . .

Going to see Uncle Nick!

After taking trips to Des Moines and Kansas City the past years we decided to expand our windshield time and take a roadtrip that was a bit longer.  A trip to Uncle Nick's seemed like a natural choice.  

We had been planning a trip since spring and various things kept getting in the way. There was finally a break in the action the week after the 4th and we made the trek to Minneapolis.  Unfortunately it wasn't the best time for Uncle Nick but we did spend an evening at his new house, ate some pizza, and hung out in his backyard.

We left for Minneapolis around 11 am on Wednesday, July 10 with the short goal of getting to Des Moines for a night at the "pirate ship" hotel.  We visited the hotel last year and couldn't pass up a visit since it was on our way though it did make the trip a bit longer.  This visit was better than last year as it was less busy, probably because it was a weekday but still strange since it was summer.  Both boys were more brave in going down the slides except Ralph wouldn't go down the big slide this year.

Thursday morning we left for Minneapolis, stopping at Medford for a little outlet shopping which turned into a little longer than necessary based on our lack of bags.  We did get some deals but not as much as we'd like.  Made it to the Embassy Suites in Bloomington around 3, checked in, and headed to the Lego store at the Mall of America.  Henry enjoyed playing with the lego table and Ralph finally found a computer station that worked.  Left after a bit and made our way to Uncle Nick's.  The boys had fun playing at his house - especially his backyard, I'm sure they were just thankful to be out of the car!

Friday we headed to Como Town in St. Paul.  Mike told me it reminded him of rides at the county fair which is a good comparison.  Henry barely passed the height requirement for the basic rides - train ride, cars that go in a circle - and could ride with an adult on the bumper cars and tilt-a-whirl.  Ralph was tall enough to ride a few more rides and he rode a few I didn't think he would.  There was a zoo attached to Como Town but after being in the park for 5 hours we were ready to go.  We made a stop at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  Luckily it was open past 5 but by 5:30 we were ready to find supper.

Saturday morning we headed back to the Mall of America not knowing if there was a ride or two the boys would want to do but nothing really jumped out at them and after spending a day riding rides the day before I didn't push anything.  I had hoped to get some photos with costumed characters which unfortunately didn't start making appearances until noon so walked around and came across a Wii interactive exhibit.  The workers were nice about letting Ralph try various games and knowing him, he could have stayed for longer but it was finally time to visit the character spot.  Two of the Ninja Turtles were first up.  Henry would not go with Ralph but Ralph had a good time posing as a ninja.  After we went back to the Lego store and found some lego tables outside the store until the next character sighting.  Just before 12:30 we went back to the character spot to get in line for Spongebob and Patrick.  Ralph had fun posing with them - and I even got a hug too.  We left the mall in the quest for a shorter lunch line but I took us to the interstate too soon and we started to head out of town.

We spent Saturday night in Des Moines and went Blank Park Zoo Sunday morning.  We had visited in September 2011 and we had another great time.  The zoo is a bit bigger than the Lincoln Zoo but not close to the Omaha Zoo.  After lunch we headed back to Lincoln.

We had a great time - so much so we are working on ideas for our next roadtrip!