Christmas 2015!

Back on December 1, Ralph reminded me "Hey, Mom it's time to get the elf out!" . . and so it began.  Smiley the elf returned for another round of flying back up to Santa to keep him updated on the boy's behavior.  They boys had fun finding Smiley each morning - most mornings he would just be in a different spot but he did do some fun antics a few times.  One day he cut snowflakes out of newspaper and another day he made a snowman out of 3 toilet paper on rolls.  Unfortunately, there was a period of a few days Smiley did not return due to Henry having an issue at school that needed addressed.  Henry was a bit sad when he realized why Smiley was gone that morning.


Holiday Laser Light Show
Grandma and grandpa took the boys to the planetarium at Morrill Hall for their holiday laser light show in early December.    The laser light show was set to Christmas songs like Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bell Rock, and Frosty the Snowman.  They spent time looking at Christmas lights on their way back to grandma and grandpa's house.

Christmas Caroling
Ralph and his fellow cub scouts spent some time Christmas caroling at a retirement center.  After the scouts were done caroling they were treated to hot chocolate and cookies and had a chance to talk with some of the residents.

Christmas!
On Christmas morning, the boys were excited to see Santa had ate the cupcake I left out for him after they had gone to bed.

 When it came time to open gifts Henry picked out the gift he brought home from school for us to open first.

The boys then passed out their gifts for Mike and I before looking for their own gifts.    Among other things Henry received a marble maze, more Imaginext batman related figures/accessories, and a youth sized sleeping bag.  Ralph received a magic kit, a glow in the dark fun lab, and a youth sized sleeping bag.  After opening gifts at home we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for more gift opening and dinner.

Candyhouses
We spent some time the day after Christmas doing the candyhouses.  I didn't plan well and didn't have enough white frosting to go around so we improvised with orange, pink, and brown (caramel apple flavored) frosting.  Somewhere between frosting the candyhouses and decorating them Henry lost interest so his house was a cooperative effort between him and I.

As Ralph says "Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!"

Henry: Celebrating 6 Years!

6 Years . . . Again, where does the time go?

Take a look at this guy - his natural smiles are so much nicer, this isn't his worst 'smile' but its on the top 10 list.  He is wearing (hand me down) size 5 jeans . . .and a brand new shirt from the Children's Place - size 5/6 . .and the shirt cuffs are rolled up and they still are too long.  Yes, this boy just turned 6 and is not yet big enough to wear a small 5/6.  He is taking his sweet time growing.  I believe his shoes are size 10.5T but the number has worn off the inside of the shoe.

His diet has not changed a ton - he has his favorites . .and not so favorite foods which have not changed much over the past six months.

For some reason Henry loses clothes as the evening goes on - he may take his shirt off during supper . . in case he spills; then after a bit he loses another article of clothing.

His stubborn attitude seems to have lessened just a bit but it is still definitely there.

Henry has accepted the change to the daily inhaler (with an aerochamber) in an effort to give his lungs a fighting chance when he gets a cold.  We were supposed to up it to four puffs in the morning after our last visit to the doctor in October because of the unknown winter brings.  New germs in kindergarten from kids he has only been near for a few months combined the potential cold weather means it is only a matter of time before Henry gets a cold/sick.  Upping the daily dose to four puffs is just a preventative measure . . I am living on the edge and have not upped the daily dose yet – the time may come soon enough.  Ralph had a cold a few weeks ago – and luckily Henry did not receive that “hand me down”.    

Henry did start Singular back up in August after a cough that wouldn’t go away on its own and finally sent us to the doctor.  He is now taking a small chewable pill – luckily that switch went well and he calls it “candy”.

Kindergarten seems to be going well.  There was one super rough day in September that included 3 visits to the safe seat.  It didn’t take long for him to figure out how to make better decisions – at least I’m hoping he has it figured out!!  During conferences we learned he was reading at a level 6 which is great for 1^st quarter (kids are supposed to be at a level 4 when they complete Kindergarten).  (update on 12/7:  Henry read 27 pages of Ready Set Boo from the 1st Grade Friends Forever Series.  I thought he was reading a Kindergarten Kids book and didn't realize until he hit a wall with the reading.  He was doing great but just grew tired.) 

It took a few weeks to adjust to the Y’s Adventure Club (ie. before/after school care).  Not only did he have to adjust to Kindergarten he also had to adjust to a new place to go before and after school.   He is doing great now.

Legos and batman/superhero "things" seems to be favorites these days.  The "boys" (all 3 of them) have been watching the original Batman series on Saturdays after supper until bath time lately.  It has given his free play a new look as he incorporates characters and story lines from the show.

THE Birth Day!

Henry wanted to go to Lost in Fun for his birthday . . so we did.  Henry and Ralph got "lost in fun" for 2 hours before we decided the fun had to come to an end.

We returned home to open gifts and have cake.  We went with a lego theme since he does have a fondness for legos.  He received plenty of Legos to keep him entertained for awhile and a Bat Cave.  I had a friend make a cake - She did awesome creating a lego head!

 

Sunday Funday! (Husker Track & Field mini-camp)

I noticed an ad promoting a track and field mini-camp held on Sundays during November for one hour.  It was noted as being appropriate for elementary students of all abilities, including those that have never tried track and field.  Ralph has humored us in "running" in the Pumpkin Run and the Mayor's Run but he is definitely not a runner.  It's too soon to tell for Henry.  I thought it would be fun to expose them to the different field events in addition to track - as well as being a good activity on a Sunday afternoon when the weather starts to turn and may not be good for playing outside (not that we do much of that anyhow).

The warm-up each Sunday involved running 2 laps.  With the exception of the 4th Sunday, that was the extent of running.  The kids would be split into smaller groups and rotated to different stations - anything from the long jump, high jump, shot put, javelin throw, hurdles, etc. - all geared to be age appropriate.   At the high jump they worked on landing on their backs before even trying the approach.  The 'javelin' was smaller and lightweight.  The hurdles were barely off the ground.  During the 4th week they did the 4x100 relay . . not once, not twice, but four times.  That was a long hour!

The 'coaches' at each station were Husker track and field athletes.

Ralph and Henry were in the same small group the 1st week but then were split up the next few weeks and then were together again in the last week.  Henry did great by himself - either he really liked the activities or is becoming more confident.  Henry has picked up his brother's habit of putting his fingers in his mouth while waiting in line.

Overall, I think the boys had fun though I'm guessing they won't miss it either.

The photos are a bit out of order but you can see a variety of the activities they did during the last session including perfecting the landing on the high jump, doing the hurdles during the last relay challenge, the long jump, and a warm up activity.

Swimming Lessons!

Ralph wanted to do a "open swim" before another round of swimming lessons so I obliged.  The "open swim" is nearly 3 hours of swimming at Rhonda's - it included a safety break complete with donut holes - and we also picked them up a bit early but they had fun and could hardly stay awake the rest of the day.  We bought a punch card which has 4 more punches on it.  

They did an "open swim" in October and followed up with lessons on Saturdays in the month of November.  Henry was the only level 3 student in the class - there was also a level 5 student; the rest, including Ralph, were in level 4.  My camera took awhile to acclimate to the humidity so I have few photos.

For the 1st time they took the belt off Henry during one length of the crawl stroke.  He did great.  The belt went back on for the rest of the swimming prior to treading.  During treading Henry did a half effort that might have lasted 15-20 seconds during the time the higher levels were treading.  When they were done, Rhonda asked Henry if he'd show us his treading, he said no.  She then asked him if he would tread for her, he agreed.  Henry then amazed everyone with his treading that lasted 1:20!  It really was amazing - there was no question his head clearly was out of the water.

Ralph showed improvement in most areas.  He seemed more at ease during the swims that went the length of the pool.  He did tread for 2 minutes but there were many times his head did go underwater.  His underwater swim was not quite as good as it was during his previous lessons.

 

During free play at the end of the lesson the boys jumped off the board.

 

Both will continue in their current levels.  They are also signed up for an "open swim" in a few weeks.

Halloween 2015!

The weather was good for trick or treating on Halloween.  The boys and I made an afternoon stop at grandma and grandpa's.

After supper, Mike and the boys . . .er, the Joker, Batman, and Robin walked the streets of the neighborhood fighting crime and collecting treats.

 

 One neighbor was out for the evening and set a bowl of treats in front of their door.

 

 The dynamic duo / partners in crime!

Pumpkin Carving

Halloween almost came and went without carving pumpkins but we found some time Halloween morning. 

Fall Festivities!

(I have 'fallen' a bit behind with the next few posts.)

Other than the weather starting to turn to colder/windier days, fall is a fun time!  The boys were able to attend many fall festivities leading up to Halloween.

Earl May Fall Festival
Grandma and Grandpa took Ralph and Henry to Earl May's Fall Festival early in October.   In addition to picking out pumpkins they did pumpkin bowling and jumped in a bounce house.

Vala's Pumpkin Patch
 We ventured to Vala's during one of Lincoln Public School's fall break days.  There were other schools out, as well as some school/day care groups in attendance . . .so it was a bit busy then I was hoping for a weekday.  We ventured in a 'haunted' house not long after we arrived.  Henry was real apprehensive going in but survived. . . at the end of the visit they wanted to go back - and they went through it at least 3 more times.  The big slide was another hit as they went down the slide quite a number of times before it became real busy with field trip kids.  We also watched the pig races which we had not done before.

Cub Scouts Pack Meeting
The boys dressed in costumes and attended a cub scouts pack meeting where the moved through different Halloween themed activities.  Henry had fun hanging with the 'big' boys.


Trick or Treating at HyVee
We ventured to HyVee  for trick or treating, pumpkin coloring, and cookie decorating.  It was a popular event!

Northeast High School Hallopalooza 
Ralph attended this event with some other boys during a birthday party overnight.  We attended this event last year and had it on the schedule but stayed away so Ralph could have fun with friends.  We heard they had more games this year.



St. Mark's Trunk or Treat
We arrived about 15 minutes after the Trunk or Treat started - Holy Cow Batman, What a Line!  I tihnk we stood in line about as long as we did walking through the parking lot to "trick or treat".  There were some uniquely decorated trunks. 

All in all it worked out ok since we decided to try the "haunted barn" that didn't open until a bit later.  Ralph had wanted to go to Vala's when it was dark so he could ride on the hayride because he had heard people follow you or try to scare you.  I was hoping this would be a good compromise.  They were both brave during the "haunted barn" though our tour guide may have gotten lost in the darkness a time or two. I hung on tight to Henry's hands as we walked so I didn't loose him but he made it through just fine.


Game and Parks Outdoor Education Halloween Shootout
The night before Halloween there was a special event at the Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center.  There were a few activity stations along with Halloween themed targets to aim for on the archery range.  Ralph enjoyed himself; Henry was bored.  We need to get some bulk in Henry's muscles so he can pull the bow back.


St. John's Trunk or Treat
After we left the Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center we headed to St. John's after picking up Mike.  It was a bit rainy; I was hoping the moved it inside . . no luck, treat or treating took place outside, in the dark, in the rain (ie.  no pictures to document this outing!)

Southpointe Trick or Treating
We ventured to Southpointe to Trick or Treat as an excuse to go to the newly opened Chick-Fil-A.  After lunch the boys went store to store collecting goodies.  They received some ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.  

Ralph: Celebrating 7 1/2 years!

(photo taken the morning of school pictures / September 16, 2015)

September 20 marked Ralph's 7 1/2 years of life . . .a 2nd grader still waiting for that 1st loose tooth but we try not to dwell on that too often.

It is hard to find Ralph without a book in his hand.  He reads in the car - no matter how long or short of ride it is to the destination.  He takes the book from the car into house and continues to read - I have caught him at least once reading on the floor still wearing his backpack.  He reads at the table.

What is he reading?  Most of the same series' he was reading six months ago with a few additions - Magic Tree House, A to Z Mysteries, Geronimo Stilton, George Brown, Hey Jack, My Weird School, Super Pets,  and DC Heroes. . . He does like to check out books he has read already to read again.  If I try to check out when he didn't pick out it usually goes back unread.

As much as Ralph does like to read he can be a "screen" junky if we are not keeping a watchful eye.  Mario Kart has taken a backseat to the WiiU's Marvel Super Heroes and the Wii's Batman.  Kirby's Epic Yarn makes an appearance when Ralph and Henry are through destroying things.  Kingdom Rush is his game of choice on the Kindle.



This past summer Ralph and some of his peers at summer (day) camp really got into catching grasshoppers and pulling their jumping legs off.  It was good to see him get excited about connecting with nature - so much so we had to clean a jar out so he would have a place to put the grasshoppers!

He also got a bit more adventurous in touching animals at the Lincoln Children's Zoo Critter Encounter and The Hive, along with offering the camels some food in an ice cream cone that sits on a tube you hold and extend to the camels verses dropping the food down a different tube that goes into their exhibit.

Second grade seems to be starting well.   Conferences are in a week and half.

Ralph has found a new friend at the Y's Adventure Club (ie before/after school care) - it's more like getting re-acquainted with someone he used to play soccer with.  Other than not liking the snacks (I think they are too 'healthy' for his liking), he seems to be adjusting just fine.

The 2nd year of scouts (wolf) just started. . . .along with popcorn sales.  He visited work one day and made the rounds giving his spiel asking for support.

He is continuing with basketball 1-2 times/week . . practicing skills and fundamentals.

CCD is occupying his Wednesday evenings - this is a sacrament year for him: 1st Confession and 1st Communion.

Cereal is lasting longer at our house as he is eating his breakfast at Kahoa.  Even though used to eat breakfast at Fingerprints he would still usually eat breakfast at home but now he is fine waiting for breakfast at school - and some mornings when he sleeps later than normal that works out well for me!

Ralph: . .and the winner is!

We entered the boys in a drawing last May that would give the winner a $1,000 in a 529Nest plan.  The theme was "Farm Fun Photo".  In the spirit of "fun" and "farm" we dressed them in jeans, a plaid western-like shirt, a cowboy hat . .and rain boots (because they don't have cowboy boots) and set the stage at grandma and grandpa's since they have some "farm-ish" stuff.  Ralph's photo was one of 6 photos selected in a random drawing!

 

The presentation was held today at the Nebraska State Fair with representatives from the Nest plan and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg.   Congratulations Ralph!

A New Chapter Begins - A New School Year!

A new chapter started last Wednesday, August 12.  Henry started Kindergarten and Ralph started 2nd grade!  Both boys . . . in school.  What a milestone!

We started the day with photos at the house. 

On the way to school Henry said his tummy feels funny so we talked about 1st day jitters and how our tummies sometimes feel funny when we try new things.

We made it to school and took a few more photos.

Mike arrived and took Ralph to the 2nd grade doors and Henry and I ventured over to the kindergarten doors and we lined up in Mrs. Peterson's line.

After some minutes the teachers came outside to get the kids ready to go inside.  Remembering I was a bit shocked when Ralph entered for the first time . . not really thinking about before hand how it would happen; I was a bit surprised when Ralph's teacher led them in and all the parents were outside. . . . I thought I would prep Henry a bit that I would not be able to enter the building with him.  I thought his teacher, Mrs. Peterson, would take them in right away so I told him a little too bluntly which caused him to break down.  Mrs. Peterson caught a glimpse of me hugging Henry as he is crying and walked over.  She asked Henry if he would like to hold her hand as they went into school and he nodded.  She told him to hold you mom's hand and I'll be back when it's time to go in.  He cried a bit more but composed himself by the time it was time to go in.  Mrs. Peterson came back and away they went!
 

 Over at the 2nd grade doors about the same time . . .Ralph entered school as well - 

When school ended I was there to greet Henry . .and what a smile he had!  I am pretty sure it was a smile of relief the day was over and he finally spied a familiar face.

Leaving the area, I did notice 2 people with the Y staff blue tshirts on so I walked Henry over to show him who to look for on Thursday (and his teacher would help make that connection).  Ralph found us and we took off for TCBY to celebrate making it through the 1st day of school!

Much of our discussion about school was fine.  I tried asking who they played with at recess, who they sat by at lunch, if they had enough time to eat lunch, etc.  Henry did say he cried a little at computers but couldn't pinpoint the cause. 

 

Henry ended the night about the same way he did the night before school started.  The night before school started he claimed he did not want to go to school.  The night after the 1st day of school he said he didn't want to go again tomorrow. . .  He did expand a bit more this night than the prior night.  I asked him why not?  He said "because I miss you" which is a little ironic coming from someone who has been in daycare since he was 10 weeks old.  I think he more meant I am someone familiar, it is scary at a new place, and he is not used to all the changes - nor he is really excited about them.  Ralph tried to offer incentives for Henry to brave on Thursday - many were kind of generous but Henry kept saying no.

 

Thursday marked the 1st day of the before/after program at Kahoa (but serviced through the Y).   We arrived just after the other family from Fingerprints and Ralph automatically went to those 2 boys (2nd grader and 4th grader).  Henry was holding my hand.  I tried to find another option for him but didn't notice any kids I thought were kindergarteners yet (I did see the list of groups the other day and there was a group of kindergarteners) . . Anyhow, I led him over to Ralph and he was good with that.   When I picked up the boys after work and asked Henry how his day was, he said he wanted to cry but didn't.   Baby steps.

 

2015-2016 Kahoa Open House!

Last Monday, 2 days before school started, we had the chance to attend Open House.

We stopped at Henry's room first where he was given a scavenger hunt to find his coat/backpack cubby, the bathroom, and where to mark lunch for the day.  Ralph helped him cross off the items as I was filling out forms.  We found out he'd be sitting by Emery, a girl who had been at Fingerprints the past year.  What are the odds in a classroom of 24 kids Henry would get placed by the one he knew?  Also at his table was a boy, Cooper, we had just met the past Friday at a small "meet & greet" of other Kindergartners.

The stop at the Y table was somewhat informative but I knew most of it would just be learning as we go and getting used to a new system.  We did see a list of other kids in the program grouped by grade, along with a sample schedule but it was hard to remember either by the time we left the multipurpose room.

In Ralph's room, Mrs. Mac introduced herself and asked Ralph about his summer.  We found his desk and checked out the names of some of his other classmates.  Ralph's desk was in the middle of the room it seemed - middle row, in the middle . . .

A Fond Farewell!

The end of an era . . A bittersweet day . . A day I knew would come - someday. . . all these thoughts have rang through my head in the most recent days.  Today marked the last time I dropped the boys off at daycare (Fingerprints Child Development Center) after 7 years and almost 2 months of making that trek from home for the first time with Ralph.  Oddly enough, I think it was almost harder to drive to work today knowing this is it.  We are leaving our comfort zone.  We are closing one chapter in our lives.  I'm excited to start this next chapter with Henry starting kindergarten.  I'm anxious to make the transition to the before/after program at Kahoa . .and I'm hopeful we'll settle into a new spot for days off and explore some fun daycamps next summer!  While this change is a part of life and a chance for us all to grow, it is change and change leads to uncertainty.

With few exceptions, I have loved the care the boys have received at Fingerprints.   There are so many memories I will carry from the various rooms for both boys.

 Ralph

Ralph heading to daycare for the 1st time . . . and at the end of the 1st day . . .

 

  . . . . and at the beginning of the last day . . .

• When Ralph was in the Infant 1 room, I was talking to his teacher about the brown bear book once and Ralph said Brown Bear about as clear as could be.  That kid loved to be read to and loves to read on his own now.
• When he moved up to the Infant 2 room the transition was a little rough; for weeks after the move I made sure he wouldn't look in the Infant 1 room as we walked by so he would not get emotional.
• Since he didn't walk until he was about 15 months old, he preferred sitting at the tables in the Infant 2 room where is was taller.
• I spent a lot of time hunched over holding his hands walking him down the hallway as we left for weeks/months trying to get him to walk on his own.
• After it was safe to acknowledge the Infant 1 teachers again we'd stop at the window and talk to his teacher for a bit and he'd sit on the counter soaking up the attention.
• There was a teacher leaving the week Ralph started in Toddler 1. . who ended up being his Kindergarten CCD teacher.
• The Toddler 2 teachers get extra gold stars for helping potty train him!  Oh, his hair was also long enough for little pony tails.
• In the transition room he got to have a teacher who had also been his infant 1 teacher.
• In the 4's class he experienced his 1st friend leaving.  Isaac . . his best friend.  That was a rough day.
• The Pre-K year was the year Ralph decided (with some peer pressure) to trim his hair just a little while hiding under a table.

Henry

Henry bundled up for his 1st trip to day care . . and at the end of his 1st day . . 

 . . and at the beginning of his last day  . . 

• Henry didn't transition to the Infant 2 room until he was 13 months in an attempt to give Henry the chance to be the "big man on campus" in the Infant 1 room for a bit.
• Sometime in the Infant 2 room Henry received a blankie somehow from somewhere (it really just appeared).  He loves/loved that blanket. 
• We received a call on day mid-morning while Henry was in the Toddler 2 room letting us know he fell on the playground and his head was bleeding pretty bad.  Seems he fell back onto a pebble of all things in just the right (wrong) spot.  Mike and I brought Henry home, cleaned him up, and decided he was ok to go back.
• In the 3's room he ran into the gym wall and had a pretty colorful eye a few days later. 
• Henry was given the nickname "Bob" while in the 3's room which has stayed with him.
•  While on a field trip during his Pre-K year Henry fell off a slide and ended up beaten up and earned a trip home with Grandma.

There were also some traditions that started with Ralph and carried on to Henry . . . When Ralph moved to the 3's room we somehow we got started on waving to each other - him from the inside of the room . .me from the parking lot inside the car as I was driving away.  There were a few days I absentmindedly forgot and hoped it wasn't too traumatic for the one waving to me!

Farewell Fingerprints!