Ralph: T-ball

Ralph wrapped up his 2nd season of t-ball last Wednesday night; this year he played under the Waverly Parks and Rec program.  It was much less intense and much more our speed.  The practices were once a week just a bit before each game - and they were always on the same day (Wednesday) rather than sometimes two games in a week or a game and a practice in a week . .that time is coming soon enough!  You could see definite improvement this year over last year.  He also matured some and wasn't as distracted by the little things. 

Ralph did tell me at least once that I should have signed him up for coach pitch as that is what he does at Fingerprints . . .and another soon-to-be first grader had signed up under coach pitch. 

Waverly Parks and Rec does not allow players to request friends to be on the same team.  Ralph got lucky and was put on the same team as Tyson who goes to Waverly now but they were had "grown up" together at Fingerprints so it was nice to have a friend on the team.  There was also a boy from CCD on his team.

Henry: Blastball 2014

Blastball: a precursor to tball for 3-4 year olds.  Kids hit the ball off the tee and run to first base where the bag makes a squeaky noise.  The kids in the outfield are encouraged to yell "blast" when they get the ball. 

The week before the first game the coach got everyone together for a meet and greet so faces would look familiar at the first game.  Unfortunately the first game was rained out.  Finally had the first game on week 2 . . . .it was met with some challenges.  Challenge #1 was putting on the shirt.  Henry did NOT want to wear it.  There was resistance; there was tears; there was anger.  He really does have something against shirts with prints on it - plus it was just a wee bit too big.  I tried to convince him his teammates would have the same shirt on but he didn't care; he hadn't seen these kids for 2 weeks; he had no connection to them.

We made it to the game.  He seemed to have gotten past the shirt issue.  The coach had him join the team in warming up (we were close to being late as it was a 6 pm game and we tried to go home to eat).  Henry batted and ran to first.  The next boy batted and started running to first.  Unbeknown to Henry he was supposed to just run back home but THIS WAS a baseball game so he tried to run to second and third but there was no second or third.  He kept running not realizing he was running to far.  I ran to rescue him but he was embarrassed and not so happy.  That it took the rest of the hour for him to drop his attitude.  I had to stand near him in the outfield - I tried to inch a bit further away each inning.  I had to meet him at the first base when it was time to bat.  We had a rough start.

Fast forward to tonight . . . Henry had a great night.  He got more balls in the outfield than he should have.  The coach tries to move them around so all the kids get at least one ball but Henry kept going after the balls.  In the past few weeks they put out a 2nd & 3rd base so the kids got to run all the bases.  A friend from daycare was on the opposing team and they had fun bantering.  I am pretty sure everyone knew they knew each other as they pointed each other out as much as they could.

Henry: 4 1/2 years!

He really is 4 1/2 years!  As each 6 months goes by I think about how far we have come . . .the most important one being sleeping all night (albeit sleeping all night and sleeping in are not synonymous)! 

Since he is at that age where naps may or may not be necessary if things come up on the weekends we may slip and not have time for naps.  If it's a Saturday you can almost be assured he will end up sleeping at church however.  Luckily last Saturday we had the row to ourselves.  After a busy day of attending a morning fundraiser, flag football for Ralph, and a birthday party Ralph was invited to we didn't have a chance to slow down until church.  After he fell asleep in my arms I was able to lay him down and not risk waiting him up every time I moved.  There really is nothing sweeter than a sleeping child, no matter the age!

Henry is still opinionated about the shirt(s) he wears.  One day a few weeks ago he would not wear a muscle shirt that a screen print on it, tried again this past weekend after Ralph had a muscle shirt on and he was agreeable.  I was surprised and hope it'll be easier to get it on him next time.

Henry tends to be a follower.  I think the striped shirt phase started because another child in his class wears a lot of stripes.  Along the same lines one day in class they had to share their favorite color - Henry's was surprisingly green; his teacher let me know it was the same color as another friend's.  Henry also tends to repeat a lot of words and actions big brother does.

Henry has transitioned from sleeping with the comforter snug around him to sleeping with just a sheet.  He still protests sometimes but I can't imagine how much longer in the heat of the summer he could tolerate the comforter.  The pillow would get a ring of sweat on it from his head when he used a comforter.

Henry likes to babble - he knows he is talking nonsense and goes so far as to add dance moves or arm movement to the babbling sometimes.

Henry has a surprisingly big vocabulary.  The other night he saw a small artificial tree and commented it needs "small decorations" - How many other 4 year olds say "decorations" without being prompted (okay, probably a few but it's fun to listen to him recite multiple sounding words).

Within the last few days he has begin saying the "th" sound correctly.  Up until now "mother" was pronounced "mufer", "thank you" was "fank you" . .you get the idea.  Every few weeks we would work on the correct placement of the tongue & teeth but it still wasn't coming.  I picked up at daycare on Tuesday and he said something with the correct "th" sound (you'd think I'd remember but we've been saying a lot of words with the "th" sound in them the last few days).  We've had a few congratulatory high-fives.  I'm not sure if he realizes all the words he has been mispronouncing so we have been working on them as they come up - this morning was when he requested to do his "breafing treatment."

One thing that has NOT changed with Henry is his ability to take a painstakingly long time to eat.  It is amazing.  Every little distraction causes a delay . . most often it's his brother and the "need to go" but it could be anything.

Henry LOVES looking at books.  He also likes being read to but has really taken to just looking at books . . in the car, in the bathroom, at the library, in bed, and during a breathing treatment (if the computer/tv privilege has been taken away.

Henry has become a lot more jittery with new/strange noises since the tornado hit Beaver Crossing.  Even though he wasn't there to experience it (thank God!) he has drawn us some pictures of a tornado at Uncle Larry's house.  He also gets a very concerning look when he hears the wind pick up or rain on the roof . . or a truck drive by he isn't used too.

He is into counting and announcing how many boys and girls are sitting at a table or playing a game. (ie.  When the four of us are eating there are 3 boys and 1 girl eating . . . and you wonder why it takes him forever to eat - the kid is always thinking.)

Henry is still pretty persistent and has trouble letting things go.  The other week at flag football he found some Smarties in the "entertainment" bag.  He had a package then found more and kept insisting he needed more.

Breathing treatments are down to once a day per doctor's instructions (once school got out).  We took them down to once a day about a week before school got out.  Henry is still trying to get that 2nd treatment in so he can watch tv in the evenings. 

The basics . . .he is wearing size 9T shoes, 3T (or 4T if they have a adjustable waist) shorts, and 4T shirts.  He averages 1-2 injury accidents a week at daycare . .at least this week.  He has a good streak and then it spirals down.

Give me enough time . .or a day or two and I can come up with a pretty good story . . Two nights ago Henry was put to bed - we said our good nights, lights were turned off.  Ralph couldn't find the current animal he sleeps with so I went downstairs to look for it.  When I returned Henry was standing beside his bedroom door ready to go bug daddy about something.  I reminded him if he gets out of bed there is no tv (for his breathing treatment) in the morning.  He retreated back to bed.  About 50 minutes later I hear from the top of the stairs "I'm the boss of this house."  While there is/was some truth to that statement (thinking back to the sleepless nights when he was in charge) we try to keep the adults in charge.  I went around by the staircase and told him to go back to bed.  Last night I jokingly started calling him "boss" and he got mad so we talked about being a team.  Then as he was going to bed he told me he is not the boss, we are a team.  Go Team!

Henry: Gymnastics Review

Henry had a gymnastics "recital" in the middle of May.  They allowed spectators to come inside the gym and watch but because of the way it was laid out it was hard to get a good photo.  The last photo (the boys have termed it the "smile & salute" photo) was taken at the recital.  The rest of the photos were taken during Henry's last session before summer break.  There are summer classes, he is not currently signed up for any.  June is too busy with blastball and Tball.  The jury is still out on July.  I still can not tell how much he likes going or wants to go . . . he has a great time while he is there but acts like he dreads it. I just hate to think of the regression if he doesn't go and then starts going again.

The photos kind of illustrate what some of the various circuits are.  He has come a long way in 9 months.  A part of his progress was just dropping the attitude and taking some responsibility for himself.

In the first photo he is in the process of putting his feet on the bar and hanging there for a second.  For months he would allow the teacher to help him.  There was probably a period of weeks he didn't need help but still let her.

 

Same thing with rings but he was super excited the first time he flipped over by himself - so excited I got to go inside the gym and watch him do it again.  It was good to see him excited about something.

This is a simple exercise of swinging on the bar to knock over the piece of equipment in the way.  The kids really get into it.

A backward somersault!  This is one skill that wasn't worked on much until the last few weeks.  It took him a bit but he finally got it.  It's still a skill that needs some improvement but he can do it (or could do it).

 The balance beam!  Most of the time they walk forward . . but every once in a while they go backwards . . .and then like waving at whoever they know in the audience.

 . .and a forward somersault!  No explanation necessary, he has this one down pat!

A cartwheel . . it's tough for a lefty to learn a cartwheel when the hand/foot guides are for a righty but he isn't doing too bad.

AND from the recital . . .when you receive a medal . . you "smile and salute"!

Ralph: Kindergarten Graduate

This photo is slightly staged but it is symbolic of Ralph walking through the doors of Kahoa for the last time as a Kindergartener.  His class departs through different doors BUT these are the same doors he did enter last August on his first day of Kindergarten.  What a year it has been!    

  

 I remember learning about this new math where they learn things in groups of 5 - and stacking their hands rather than putting them side by side.  I kind of remember looking at his teacher during conferences as if she had two heads trying to remember all this information she was giving me about snap words and walking words down your arm and stretching them.  I learned about the wh brothers.   I remember learning how a story is made with 3 different colors of blocks that represent a beginning, middle, and end.   I remember Ralph bringing home things his teacher said like "one, two, three . .eyes on me" to which the class was supposed to respond "one two eyes on you".   I remember thinking why can't they just learn math and reading . . .BUT somehow in the midst of all these various techniques there was learning going on.

I remember Ralph coming home wanting to try tapioca because there was a song in music class about tap - tap - tapioca.  I remember Ralph coming home, excited because he was the standing long jump champ for all kindergartners - beating another boy in his class by 1".  Ralph's jump was 4' 4" long.  I remember attempting to learn the what letters relate to which specials (gym, computers, music, art, and library) because Ralph thought it was more fun to just tell me which letter it was that day and not specifically which special he went to.

Oh, kindergarten was a new experience for Ralph and for us.

Ralph enjoyed computers class.  He kept telling me I should get the same programs Mr. Price has.

Ralph liked music class and tried but still doesn't think he sings very good.  It is hard for him to understand the pitch.  Unfortunately I can not set a good example.

He, of course, liked gym.  He will tell you that was his favorite subject.  I think the scooter unit was one of his favorites.

Reading is a very strong subject for Ralph.  By the end of kindergarten he was reading at a 2nd grade level.  He loves to go to the library.  He is starting to read (small) chapter books - but he did admit to me he skims them sometimes.  He likes reading the level reader books.  I try to sneak in a few regular books (what one might read to their youngster) as suggested by his teacher.  He also likes spelling words.  He enjoyed looking back over some of the stories he wrote at the beginning of the year to see how he used to spell some words.

One of the most interesting things to me was the weekly school folder that was sent home on Wednesday.  The folder/envelope was key to communication from the school and PTO to parents.  The backpack was just as interesting . .we'd put something in it for the teacher or PTO and it would magically get where it needed to go. 

 

This photo is also symbolic of Ralph, taken on the last day of Kindergarten.  He will pick up a book whenever he can . . . he also has trouble keeping his shoes tied!