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Our sweet, and sometimes sassy, little girl turned 4 on Wednesday. It was a quiet celebration with just the four of us. She asked for a giant cupcake instead of having a standard cake and was really excited that we were able to meet all of her requests: colorful cake, pink frosting, and the number 4 on it.
She opened her gifts: a ball, hula-hoop, and a 'shelf zebra' from Xander; Some movies, a dress, 4 dollar store fairies, and a dress made by mom from Jeff and I. She seemed very happy with them and most attached to the fairy dolls.
It was kind of a backwards night because we did those things first. Then we had dinner: Mac and Cheese while watching Tinkerbell (one of the movies we bought.)
Overall, she seemed very happy!
Today, she had her 4 year old check-up. Her doctor's comments were: "She's very cerebral and not so athletic." and "She is a very funny little girl! Very entertaining and cute!" That's our girl! She is advanced in cognition, a comedian, and still delayed in gross motor skills, but not as much as Jeff and I had thought. Go figure! The doctor asks her to jump with two feet and she does it 3 times in a row. Yeah! But why couldn't she do that for us?
We are also back tracking very quickly on bowel movements. We are suppose to go back to what we were doing before so it looks like we will be adding Ex-Lax back in.... and 2 new packs of underwear since we can't seem to make it more than 2-3 days before we are out again. That's the relatively easy part. It's pretending it doesn't bother us that is the really difficult part. We will be taking a lot of deep breaths.
Happy Fourth Year! Don't forget your pinky swear to learn to peddle your bike this year!
I've fallen bit behind on posting stories and pictures... although I am better at the pictures. I thought I would go back and do a quick blurb about how we spent our Spring Break. I know there was another story somewhere in there, but can't remember what it is anymore.
So, Spring Break.
Both of the kids were off for Spring Break last week. I had grandiose plans of making it a week to remember even though we weren't going anywhere and I still had to work and go to class. Funnily enough, the week wasn't very grandiose. But we still had fun!
The first day was nice and relaxed. I went to work while Eva went to ballet and Xander played video games. Afterward, we headed home to pick a few things up before our friends met us for a Pizza Party lunch. It was a nice day so all four kids played outside while I prepared the pizza crusts to be loaded with toppings. It took 15 minutes to argue the kids in, but when they finally came in, they had a great time spreading sauce, cheese, and pepperoni across their crusts while my friend and I loaded ours up with vegetables.
Pizzas cooked and devoured, the kids headed downstairs for some air hockey while we cleaned off the table and prepped for making Easter baskets. (Yarn baskets made as if you were going to paper mache were described to me by the stylist doing my hair.) As we talked, we decided yarn would be too hard for the kids and decided to tear up strips of newspaper instead.) Once ready, we called the two little ones in only to receive all of them. It took about 5 minutes of frustration before the older ones agreed to leave and come back later.
About 15 minutes later, we switched forces. Another 20 minutes and the balloons were precariously balanced on their plastic cups to drip dry. That was Monday.
Tuesday morning came in dark and dreary, heavy with rain, sleet, and even hail. We went to Target to do some birthday shopping for Jeff after a long lazy morning in pajamas reading books and eating banana pancakes. Having purchased a few things off the list and being a bit flustered by our search for Wii Sport Resort, we headed home for painting and lunch.
While the kids tried to paint their baskets still stuck on the balloon, I made lunch. Both were messy. Just like the weather continued to be. Finally, out of boredom and web surfing, I ran across Bounce U's deal. Off w went to the bouncy house for an hour and a half. I was hoping they would be tired, but the only one burned out seemed to be me.
One more coat of paint on the balloons and Tuesday was over.
Wednesday brought more cold and bigger droplets of rain. We dodged as many as we could running into my work. From work, we left to drop books off at the library. Surprisingly, they were not accepting returns and I wouldn't allow the kids to check out more books when I already had to keep track of so many. (By the way, I am missing an A to Z Mystery book. If you have it, please let me know!) Since the library trip wasn't successful, we headed off to meet Jeff for lunch. KFC was mediocre, but made the kids very happy. With lunch over, we went Roller Skating-- for the first time ever-- with 2 of Xander's friends and their siblings.
Eva hated it. She did skate around the rink once, protesting through tears and whimpering most of the way. (She never even fell down!) She was happier on the carpet and even independent. Xander was lukewarm on it, which surprised me. I really thought he and his friends would have been flying around the rink. Not so much. They spent most of the time daydreaming of high scores in the arcade.
Since we don't expend as much energy as I would have guessed, we went to karate. Lots of "aye-aye's". Some flashing feet and hands. A lot of running! Then dinner, painting of Easter Basket handles, and off for swimming. Who would have thought that Eva would fall asleep before they got home and both kids would sleep until nearly 8 on Thursday? (That's almost 2 extra hours of sleep for Eva and about an extra hour for Xander.)
Thursday was spent in pajamas until after lunch. We were suppose to go to the Children's Museum, but the kids were not at all okay with leaving the house. They kept blaming it on Wednesday's non-stop action. Instead, we played Minute To Win It. (Videos in previous post.) Then we lazed around the house some more. Finally, we popped the balloons, finished decorating our baskets, and colored eggs. It's too bad I am the only one who eats them because they wanted to do A LOT more of them.
Friday was quick. Between laundry, packing, and cleaning, our day was gone. Okay.... up to lunch. At that point, we drove to Aurora to enjoy spending the Easter weekend with family. It was, again, a nice, but busy weekend.
Xander and Eva love to do science/ art projects. Our latest experiment was to make ice boats and see how long they would last before sinking or capsizing. I won! Ha... just kidding. There was no betting taking place. They didn't last as long as I would have expected though.
Anyway, the kids picked out containers that would make the shapes of their boats. Then they filled them with water and their choice of food coloring. (Xander chose red, Eva chose blue.) While the boats froze, the kids designed sails and then built them. They both said that was the best part of the project and it certainly was a part they were proud of. Personally, I think the best part for them was when the water changed color as the boats sailed across the bathtub!
Either way, they had a great time doing the project and I am pretty sure this one will be repeated again!
The kids opted out of going to the Children's Museum today. Instead, they opted to play games they've seen on Minute to Win It. I've posted two videos. They are really funny! (If you are reading this post on facebook, you'll have to go to our family blog to see the videos.)
Enjoy!
Sometime just before Christmas, I think, I posted that Eva really wanted to learn to read. It lasted about two weeks, as I expected it might. It came back up about 6 weeks ago, maybe less, and she is doing wonderfully. Ask Aunt Sarah! Eva read 3-4 stories to her tonight and would have read more given the opportunity and lack of clocks. (It was bedtime!)
I can't replicate Sarah's experience, but you can have your own! Here's Eva reading one of her stories.
For Christmas, Santa brought Xander a skateboard. He was nervous at first, but before long I could hear his shouts of glee as he coasted down the hall and pushed himself around the staircase. On that wonderfully nice weekend we had, I encouraged Xander to try riding it outside. "You can't ride it in the house forever," I reasoned with him. I resorted to practically pulling teeth to get him to acquiesce.
He was too afraid to try on the hill so we started on the little walking path directly in front of the house. I probably should have tried harder to convince him to try it on the sidewalk. He tried the path for a while, but quickly became frustrated with the abrupt stops when he hit a break or crack in the sidewalk.
I extracted another tooth and managed to get him to try going down the hill on the sidewalk. he insisted on holding my hand going down hill the first 5 or 6 times. After each run, he would push himself up the hill. His little legs grew tired and he quit. "Please, please do it one more time!" I half asked half pleaded. "I want to take one good picture to put on the website."
Refusal. I put my request out there again. Refusal. One last begging. I could tell he was considering it. His skateboard balanced on his hip and tucked under his arm, he said, "I'll do it if you give me some M&M's." Foolishly I was stunned.
"No. If you are going to do it you'll do it because I asked you nicely."
"No. I'll do it for candy or I won't do it at all."
I was miffed and bemused by his presumptuous attitude. "I am not giving you a reward for doing this. No candy. Do you understand me?"
He shrugged his shoulders and picked up his skateboard. "Then I'm not doing it." He turned to walk into the house, glancing over his shoulder to see what I would do.
"Fine," I replied. Reaching in my back pocket I pulled out the lens cap and replaced it on the camera and then began walking toward the house.
"No, no mom! I'll do it. Don't go in." I guess I called his bluff. I wasn't trying to. I was simply not willing to let him negotiate-- I mean extort-- the terms of our relationship in a way that would leave me paying him for every favor. That, and I wanted to remain the one with the upper hand.
"No, that's okay. You made a decision. I'll respect it. We'll try and get a picture another time." With his arm on my arm, he begged me to allow him to skateboard down the hill one more time so I could take a picture and put it on the website. Grudgingly, I accepted. (It really was a hard choice to make. I wanted the picture but I also wanted him to know that I wasn't willing to play this game in th future.)
It figures, the pictures weren't all that great. But, Jeff happened to pull into the driveway on Xander's last run. They were both super excited to share the experience.
Xander brought his report card home the other day. Only the sections on reading were filled in. I was so confused by this that I called a friend who has a child in the same school and asked if hers looked the same. It did. I assume that 3rd quarter report cards are more of a literacy check and way to inform parents if their child would be offered summer school services. (I got that last part from the letter that accompanied Xander's report card.)
A few days later, we attended a Spring Conference for Xander. In Madison, spring conferences aren't actually held. This was something that his teachers offered to parents who were interested. Of course, we signed up to go. Xander is doing really well. Not that the information was a surprise, but as Jeff said, "It's nice to know everyone is on the same page." His teachers said he was advanced in reading (a level 6, the highest level for kindergarten), advanced in writing (could write a paragraph that was focused and relevant), and advanced in math (only one to start understanding practical use of fractions-- such as if I cut an apple in half I have 2 pieces but it is still one apple.) He is a leader in the class and works well with almost everyone. He is willing to help others and enjoys school overall. He's even a good negotiator, always trying to get his group to do a little more. If the assignment is to add 1, he wants to have everyone add 2.
Even though they wish he could go to summer school so he can keep practicing his Spanish, he won't qualify in any way imaginable. I guess I can accept that.
As Spring showed signs of being sprung, I asked Jeff to please take down the Christmas wreath which still adorned our front window. He agreed he would take care of it and a couple of weeks later I asked again. Well, spring is officially here and the Christmas wreath is still officially there. Only, we no longer have the option of separating the two. It appears a Sparrow has decided our wreath would make a good home. With a hard night's work (or more), she has built a lovely nest.
Other than the chaotic swing when a wind blows, it's actually an ideal location. Predators can not reach it and most would be too scared to come so close to the house. It would be incredibly difficult to get to from the ground. Most creatures that could scale the siding and the window would most likely be preyed upon. The oversized eaves also protects it from torrential downpours, hail, and other typical Wisconsin spring weather. I am certain these are all reasons why the bird picked the location to build a next and lay 3 eggs.
We can't take down the nest without pretty much killing the unhatched baby birds. At least the kids have easy opportunity to watch the process. Eventually those little eggs will make cheaping sounds and Mama bird will be feeding them in front of our curious eyes. Eventually those babies will want to leave the nest and we will have a front row seat to their flapping until they are strong enough to fly away.
Next year though, I hope he takes the wreath down the first time I ask.
It has come to our attention that the large swing set we have in the backyard has become quite boring since last summer. I quote both of my sources as saying, "There is nothing to do on it. We've used the slide and swings before." In ordinary circumstances, I would be disappointed that the product was not worth the money having lasted only one summer. But these are not ordinary circumstances. Far from it. For one, the swing set was given to us by friends whose child had truly outgrown it.
Still, Jeff couldn't rest. If the set was 'boring' and 'old', then he needed to do something about it. So on a beautiful day last weekend, he made some upgrades. It now has a double-sided rope ladder (meaning two kids can climb on it) and a rock wall. Xander has mastered the rock wall already and Eva claims the rope ladder as her own. But the best news according to our sources, "The swing set is fun again, but can you give e another underdog?"
For the first time in a long time, or the second time in forever, I had a large amount of time to myself! Four entire hours with no obligations or plans. Wow! I was overwhelmed. "What should I do?" I asked Jeff. We agreed that I should do whatever I wanted to do. Not cleaning. Not planning or organizing. Not anything that would equate to work.
So, I did some homework. (Okay, that was a necessity.) I ordered some books on-line for the kids. I went to the fabric store and bought some material. That was fun and frustrating as it always is. Then I came home and started to sew. In the end, I made 4 dresses. One each for my two oldest nieces and two for Eva. I almost had time to make my youngest niece her baby blanket, but not quite enough. I plan on finishing that today..... or maybe this weekend.
The pink dress is for Kaitlyn and the blue dress is for Ella. The pink materials behind the dresses will become a blanket for Brynn. Eva's are not pictured as one will be for her birthday and the other will be for Easter. My kids like looking at the pictures.
It's been a busy day. Eva and I frosted cookies for the Japan Relief Bake Sale the kids in her preschool were hosting. She loved decorating them with various types of sprinkles and was very proud of her work. In all, the preschool raised $162 in an hour and a half for the Red Cross's relief efforts in Japan. But that has nothing to do with the stories I really wanted to tell you.
About Xander:
Eva had finished going to the bathroom. I was lying on the bed pretending to sleep, a ploy to be woken up by a kiss from one of the kids. Jeff was washing his hands. It was time to get shoes on, but we weren't sure where Xander was. We could hear him breathing, but we couldn't see him. He had to be hiding in our room somewhere. Not being too concerned I continued to pretend to sleep.
"Have you seen Xander?" Jeff asked quietly.
With my eyes closed, I responded that I thought he was hiding on the floor next to the bed. "Check under the clothes of maybe in the closet?" I offered, still not moving from my spot.
Jeff walked around the bed. He asked me three times to look and see where Xander was. Reluctantly, I rolled over and looked. I was sure he had probably buried himself under the colored clothes that needed to be washed. That's where he sat, but he wasn't hiding. He was reading from The Complete Works of Shakespeare. He sat doubled over the book, his finger trailing the line as he read silently.
Having finished the stanza, he looked up at me. "I like this book." He closed it and dragged its weight back to the shelf (of sorts). He liked Shakespeare? I happen to love Shakespeare, but that wasn't until after college. My 6 year old was now claiming to like reading Shakespeare.
"You do?" I asked, disbelief obvious.
"Uh-huh."
"What did it say?" I wondered if he was actually understanding what he read. Not that I could have checked since he seemed to be reading a random page and I had no way of finding it again. At least, not reliably.
"It said women were not allowed."
"It said women were not allowed? What does that mean?" I asked, pushing for more than regurgitated information.
"You know. No girls allowed. That's why I liked it."
That was funny! And knowing Shakespeare, probably pretty accurate. But I still have to ask: Was that my child reading Shakespeare?
About Eva:
Xander's karate class was about to end. The dozen kids or so were lining up in order to bow. One of the older girls who was helping with the class were helping kids get into line. Eva was watching her carefully. Finally, she looked at me and asked, "Mom, why is that big fat girl doing that?"
I was so surprised! I actually looked to where she was pointing to see if she could have possibly meant something else. No. The older girl who was helping was big, in the sense of not a little girl. She was not, however fat. She was big boned, but I would hesitate to say she was overweight. This took me less than a second to take in. I'm sure of it. It wasn't fast enough. A little louder, the question came again. "Mom, why is that big fat girl doing that?"
Quickly I picked her up and very firmly told her that I needed her to listen to me. I explained that saying the girl was fat was not okay because it could hurt her feelings. I told her I would talk to her about the girl after we left. I didn't answer her question because I didn't want it to seem like I approved of her description of the girl. So she asked her question again. Exactly the same way.
I tried to explain it again. "But she is fat." I could tell that she wasn't getting it. To her, she was just stating what she figured was the obvious unaware that it wasn't socially appropriate. I tried an example. "What if I said that you were ugly because you had brown hair. How would that make you feel?" She cast her eyes down to the floor. I thought maybe she was starting to understand.
"That would be okay because I have brown hair." My frustration level was rising. I tried again, but she just continued to tell me that it would be okay. I could call her ugly if I thought brown hair was ugly.
I don't think she is ugly, even with brown hair. I actually like that her hair is so dark. And I have no idea where she picked up 'fat' because we don't talk about people disrespectfully like that. We've used terms like overweight or heavy, but not fat.
This situation is still unresolved as I look for a better explanation and a time where there are fewer distractions. Until I find one, I have to ask: Are you my child?
I bought Xander a book called 101 Science Things To Do sometime around Christmas. Most of the activities are actually elaborate art projects. All the same, he loves them! There is one in particular that he has been asking to do since I gave him the book. Build a catapult. I’ve consistently said no because of the multitude of steps and the difficulty I perceived each one to be. This morning, while I read a book, I could hear Jeff walking them through the steps. Lo and behold, both Xander and Eva have little catapults.
Here is Xander’s tutorial on how to use one:
Here is Eva’s catapult blooper track:
Xander has been coming home for months telling me about his friend Eric's karate lessons. The demonstrations typically go on for a few minutes and the narration goes on even longer. He was obviously very interested. I was not. I didn't mind him taking lessons, I just preferred to pay for things that would offer skills that he could use far more frequently. (By the way, when I asked Eric where he took Karate lessons, he told me he had never taken lessons.)
I know! How shallow of me! I know Karate builds confidence, encourages a healthy life-style, helps keep you safe if you were to be attacked, and reinforces the idea of treating others with respect-- something our country is in short supply of these days. But I figured any team sport would do the same thing. We've seen him become more confident through ballet, swimming, and soccer. Any sport pushes you to be physically active and generally health conscientious. Sports typically require team work as well, something that isn't an absolute in karate. Plus, you are more likely to play soccer or tee ball than practicing karate with friends.
I finally gave in when soccer was over. "For the next two months," I thought, "he could take karate instead. At least that should satisfy his curiosity." I started looking at places and prices. Wow! I had no idea it would be that expensive! $75 per child per month .... and Eva wanted to do it too. I wasn't prepared to spend $150 per month on any activity so the pace slowed way down. I was suddenly in no rush to get him started somewhere.
Then Jeff found a little place that was just starting up. Advertising was pretty much nil. The classes were limited to two days a week, but the days worked in our schedule. It wasn't as close or fancy as the other places and Eva wouldn't be able to start for a while. (She could have started this month in the other places.) Still, they offered 2 weeks free and that sounded like a good way to let Xander try it without having to make a commitment.
And just like that, I was transformed into a believer. I loved the discipline and respect the kids were expected to show from day one. I loved seeing how strong and capable all these little kids were. I loved that the classes had a teacher and two to three helpers. I loved that their wasn't a lot of pressure on perfect form (which would burn most kids out right away), but on fun and developing a respect for each other and the art. Okay. I loved that it was only $35 a month for 2 classes a week which happen to fit into our schedule too.
Two weeks went by and they extended it a week to make payments easier to figure out. We opted to pay the $25 for a Gi that is one size too big for him. Now we have one karate kid. Eva desperately wants to join. She usually stands off to the side and practices right along with the class. The instructors don't mind at all. Even in that little bit of practice, she is becoming more physically coordinated. In about 6 months, with special permission, she could start on her own. So, even that is a win.
Eva and I needed cheese to make the homemade Macaroni and Cheese we had been talking about since the night before. We dropped Xander off at school, came home to feed the dogs, read a few books, and then headed back out to the grocery store. On our way into the store, we saw a few men in the uniform camouflage military personal currently serving are wearing. It was good to see their smiling faces home and on safe soil. One of the gentleman was carrying a couple of bags and a case of 2 dozen water bottles. The case broke open and the bottles started spilling out. 1-2-3-4, rolling through the parking lot. More threatened to fall. "Do you want some help?" I asked as we approached.
"No. I think I've got it," he called out, precariously balancing the rest of the case on his knee as he set the bags on the ground and proceeded to pick up the loose bottles within his reach.
"Are you sure?" I would be so simple for me to pick them up. I was almost to where the last two were still rolling into each other. It was such a nice day I would have happily carried his bags back to his car so he could manage the water bottles with less risk of them spilling again.
"I'm good, but thanks."
I smiled and continued past him. Suddenly Eva's hand pulled out from mine. I turned to see what happened, the movement was so sudden, I thought perhaps she had tripped. She hadn't. Eva had run the two steps back and picked up the last bottle. She told him how heavy it was as she slowly raised it to his patiently awaiting hand. He thanked her graciously. It seemed to me he was going to rustle her hair, but his hand stopped mid-way and just hung between them until one of the bottles started to slide again. He grabbed it and Eva ran back to take my hand.
"That was a very nice thing to do Buggie. It's such a nice thing when people take time to help others. It makes everyone feel better. Thank you." I said to her. I think my smile was as big as hers.
We entered the automatic doors and began the process of selecting the perfect cart: the little green ones that are child-sized; the race car styled ones; the stacked baskets on wheels; a standard cart. With children, this is always a major dilemma. Eva opted for a green cart after I denied use of the gigantic race car for the 2 items we needed. As we turned to walk away, two men in uniform approached us. "May I talk to your little girl?" one of them asked me.
It's an odd feeling to have a man ask to talk to your child. It doesn't matter what they are wearing, a police uniform or jeans and a torn T-shirt. It stirs something deep inside and I caught myself inching closer to her as he dropped down on one knee, even though I had given him permission. "It was very good of you to help my friend pick up that bottle of water. You should be proud of yourself. I bet your Mama is. I just wanted to say thank you. Things like that are the reason I serve this country."
Eva just stared at him as he started to walk away. I nudged her. "Say thank you," I whispered.
"Thank you," she yelled. The men turned around and smiled as they walked out the door.
She opened her gifts: a ball, hula-hoop, and a 'shelf zebra' from Xander; Some movies, a dress, 4 dollar store fairies, and a dress made by mom from Jeff and I. She seemed very happy with them and most attached to the fairy dolls.
