Daffodil

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

I don't know about that, but daffodils are very special to me because they remind me of Eric. Well, actually they remind me of the way he makes me feel: happy.

We met in our freshman dorm. It was January. I enjoyed spending time with him, but I was hoping to meet lots of cute boys in college and not do the "boyfriend" thing. I had done that in high school - three years with one boy. It was time to Sow Some Wild Oats! (ha! we all know I don't have any oats!)

But the thing was, the more time I spent with him, the more time I wanted to spend with him. Try as I might to remain casual, I couldn't fight off my feelings very long. By Valentine's Day, I had fallen in love with him.

We became inseparable. During the times when we were apart (we did have to go to our classes, after all), I would find myself smiling as I thought about seeing him back at the dorm in just a few more minutes. As I walked through campus headed back one day, I saw that the daffodils had sprouted and were lining the walkway. There they were, with their sunny yellow faces in merry groups, looking like pure happiness amidst the end-of-winter weather.

They looked exactly the way I felt inside. Pure Happiness.

So, against campus policy (I know! what a rebel I am, right), I picked one daffodil and hid it inside my coat. When I got back to the dorm, I put it in a cup of water on his desk so he could find it when he got back.

Every year, I gave him the first daffodil I saw. (Did I miss one year? Doesn't matter, it was so long ago now that the story can be "every year!")

I still do. Because thinking about him still makes me feel happy.

Nick's Parent Ed

You may be wondering ...

... "What does Nick do at Parent Ed?"


Well, never fear, I'm here for you!

When we arrive, there are many options for free play. Nick went through a stretch when he had to play with this counting toy every time, first thing.


These days, he is instead trying out the Special Activity of the day. Today, it was collecting and sorting natural items from the outdoor area (leaves, flowers, seed pods...). Other days, it has been cutting vegetables or planting grass seeds.

Sometimes he paints on the easel outside, while other weeks he plays with the Play-Doh.




After Free Play, it is Singing Time. The teacher leads us in many favorite songs, some of which have a puppet that Nick likes to go up and pat gently (or squeeeeeze), such as the green frog, Matilda the Gorilla, the iguana and the little duck. The Crocodile is "no touching."

Sometimes she reads a story at the end of Singing Time.



At Snack Time, Nick gets to try a variety of different snack items. Today, he was happy to see that someone brought dried seaweed again!




Then, the Moms have their discussion and the kids get more Free Play. Some of the things Nick enjoys during this time are:

Lining up the cows. Yeah, that's right; he likes them lined up.

Playing with cars.

Playing in the sand.

Riding a tricycle. (He won't let me call it a "trike.")

Driving the toy cars.

I am proud and delighted that he tries so many different things during Free Play and participates during Singing Time!

But this is our Nick after all, so...

...what do you think he spends the most Parent Ed time doing?

Stories

Today in Parent Ed, the discussion was about storytelling. It included telling stories to your child, encouraging your child to tell stories, and writing down stories told by the child and by other relatives. The teacher made a real quick mention that writing down the stories your child makes up can be a step to reading (i.e., show them a picture and ask them "what's happening in this picture?", then write their "story" down as the picture's caption).

This very quick remark about the "step to reading" got me thinking about Julianna.

She is becoming a reader before our eyes. There are quite a few words she can read, and she is pretty good at sounding things out. There are a lot more words she can't read, but she is definitely coming along. I feel like it was just a couple of months ago that she couldn't even identify all of the letters of the alphabet, and now she knows what sounds they all make. Watching reading bloom seemingly out of nowhere is really interesting, as it was with Katie. (Speaking of whom, I suspect that Katie has been helping Julianna learn.)

Anyway, back to the Parent Ed discussion - it made me think about Julianna's interactions with books up to this point. She has been "reading" books for a long time, meaning that she takes a book (picture, chapter, you name it) and makes up her own story while turning the pages and pretending that she is really reading it. I love hearing her made-up stories in the car, and even though she is "reading" out loud, she is only talking to herself. I have to sort of eavesdrop.

Usually her stories are conversations between the characters. Sometimes they are inspired by the pictures, and sometimes there aren't any pictures, so they must be coming from just her imagination.

I hope that even though she is starting to be able to read the words in books, she keeps on making up her own stories as well!

Julianna's Spring Break

Last week was Julianna's Spring Break. Katie was back in school, and Grandma had gone back home. We had to figure out some things to do.

We went to the zoo one day. J and N really wanted to see kangaroos, and we succeeded on that front. We even saw a baby wallaby in a pouch! We saw lots of the animals we hoped to see: zebras, giraffes, an elephant, and a cool baby gorilla that was playing with the kids on the other side of the glass.

This meerkat is sitting on his haunches with his hind legs and tail straight out in front!


E, J, and N got to go to the Dodgers-Giants game with friends in their primo seats.
Here, Julianna is showing you her hot dog.


And here, the kids are dancing to the music! They did this every time music played!


We also went to the Pony & Train Rides. Julianna rode the medium-speed ponies. She loves them "even though they are so stinky!"


Nick enjoyed the bumpy medium-speed pony, but decided to also enjoy the leisurely pace of the slow ponies.

made by Katie...

...with a little help

Happy Baptism!

We wish we could be there! Have a wonderful day!

Easter

We were visited by the Easter Bunny!

The kids found baskets filled with stuffed animals, toys, and candies, as well as little pots and carrot seeds.
The grownups found flowers and bulbs to plant in the garden!





One of the plastic eggs in each child's basket contained a clue sending them off on a treasure hunt! They found more eggs containing clues in lots of funny places, like the swing, the basketball hoop, and the violin case!




The treasure was found and unwrapped! The girls got new Easter dresses, as well as new ballet outfits...


...and Nick got a soccer ball and soccer outfit!


After church...

...we came back home and changed into the dresses the Easter Bunny had put in the baskets, as well as...

...lots of playing outside...

...including swimming! What an Easter!


In the days leading up to Easter, Nick enjoyed an egg hunt at Parent Ed class...




...and we painted eggs with our friends Emma and Sara.

Jog-a-Thon

I am so far behind posting photos.

The Jog-a-Thon was a couple of weeks ago, and it was a great day as usual. Katie's goal was 15 laps in one hour. In Kindergarten she finished 10 laps, and in 1st Grade she finished 11 laps. We thought that her goal of 15 was pretty ambitious.

But she Did It! 15 Laps!

She ran or walked the whole time, stopping only for a few seconds to drink some water between laps. We are very impressed and very proud of her! Way to Go!

The warm-up:

She's off and running!

Daddy came by for a bit:

Younger siblings bring some things to do:

Everyone gets a popsicle for a job well done.

funny picture

Hey, aren't you a little young to be sending text messages on your cell phone?




Katie and I had fun taking this picture.


And then we had to take this one!