picnic

Last Saturday, we had Ralph's annual work picnic in the park. It was a beautiful day, and the kids spend a few hours in the inflatables. G had no fear this year with the giant inflatable slide, and even got pretty daring sliding down head first. He even needed to take a few breaks to slide during our picnic supper. The girls spend most of their time in the inflatable toddler center. M treated the ball pool like her personal hot tub...just sitting in it with her giraffe, reclining. And, she sat at the top of the little slide forever! L had fun with all of the animals, and G put all the other kids to work sorting the balls by color into the ball pool, and playing basketball.

My little graduate

I can't believe that he's done Kindergarten! I know it's a cliche...but time sure flies! It seems like just yesterday that I dropped a nervous little boy off at school for the first time.

I was so proud to see him in his cute little tea party outfit, parading with his teacher and classmates to celebrate their graduation. He brought how an About Me book that has samples of his work throughout the year, and the book really shows how much his printing and drawing have improved over the year. There are also a lot of really nice photos and stories about many of the activities he did over the year.

There were a lot of tough days throughout the year. Days when he was anxious because there was a change to the usual school routine. Those days often started with tears and reluctance to go to school. I'm very lucky to have enough flexibility in my life and work that I was able to stay with him at school until he was feeling more comfortable and confident. I'm so proud of this guy's persistence... there were many days when he was very anxious, but I got him through the door, and calmed down...and he learned that he would be okay! I'm sure the anxiety will still be there in fall...but we've come a long way in building his memories of being able to cope over the past year.

I'm so grateful for the caring teachers and staff at his school! They have done a lot to support him, and us in making the transition into school. The greatest success this past year was that he made some friends. One of his new friends said that his favourite part of school was playing dominos with G! He'll have four close friends in his class next year, and another great teacher!

Growing up

I've been so impressed with the changes that have happened with L over the past few months. She's gone from having regular tantrums to expressing her feelings with words, and regaining control of her emotions much more quickly. She's still dramatic...that's just her hardwiring, but she's really starting to grow up.

She's also become a real helper. She loves to help me sweep the floor, wipe up spills, and just today she tried cleaning the bathroom mirror all by herself. She still thinks that mom or grandma should clean up her toys, but she does help quite well.

She's become a real social butterfly! She plays so well with her friends. We used to need to really watch her for flare-ups in her temper, but she's learned a lot about compromise, sharing, and problem-solving at daycare this year.

She's also getting smarter every day! She knows her alphabet, recognizes letters, counts accurately, and spells her name more neatly every day. Just a few months ago, her attempts to do any of those things was really quite comical. I'm sure looking forward to what this summer will bring!

Spectator sport?

We took everyone to G's last t-ball game of the season, and this one was in there like a dirty shirt...pulling on the fence, and running onto the field non-stop. She just loves to be in the middle of the action...in the middle of everything!

The soother hasn't been such a big part of her life until the past few weeks. She's been cutting molars and is downright grumpy without her "soo soo."

T-ball

This was the first year that we tried any kind of organized baseball activities. We opted for the t-ball program run by the rec dept rather than the minor baseball league because we weren't too sure how it would go, so we liked the option of flexible attendance. It turned out that was a good decision, because there was a lot of bad weather! G did really well. He hit the ball well, threw pretty well, and was really encouraging and enthusiastic about the other children who were playing. I'm thinking he'll be ready for the minor baseball rookie team next summmer.

Happy Birthday!

I can't believe that he is 6 years old! I know that there have been a lot of days that have felt pretty long, but the years have flown by. I still so clearly remember the wonder and joy on the day that he was born. As our oldest, we really didn't know what to expect... and this guy sure has surprised us in so many ways. I do know, though, that I wouldn't change a thing! I love you, G, for exactly who you are, for your courage, your many gifts, and for teaching us every day to be better people!

There is nothing quite as special as the excitement and innocent joy that comes each birthday morning! It was so rewarding to see how special G felt, and how perfect all of the gifts that we and L chose for G were! The day was very special! G got to share his birthday excitement with all of his friends at daycare, and then had a very fun party with friends from school and daycare.

We had hoped to have the party outside at our house, but after a week of rain, and more rain forecast, we made a fairly last minute decision to take the kids to our church basement. There we had a kitchen to prepare the pizza and other food, and lots of room for games and running. The kids had a lot of fun...and a few minor injuries (what party is complete without someone getting rug burn or biting their tongue?). We played games, played with a parachute, beat a pinata to a pulp, and played with presents.

Sunday School Picnic

The annual church picnic was the first Sunday in June, and as usual, we had a beautiful day and lots of fun! The kids enjoyed the outdoor service, their Sunday School promotion, potluck lunch, and lots of fun games. At times, I find myself wishing for the opportunity to connect with even more young families through a church community, but I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know the families that are part of our little church. I have also become increasingly grateful for the intergenerational nature of our church family. There are so many caring adults who we have gotten to know, and who are invested in our kids. That's so good for them, and so good for us...and probably one of the gifts of having a smaller group of kids in our church.


As usual, the balloon toss got a little out of hand ;-) I think that the organizers have learned that the adults have as much fun during that event as the kids! I also really appreciate the way that the events are organized to be sensitive to the comfort level of kids. Games like the three-legged race are not easy for our G...but everyone just celebrates the completion, and it doesn't get too competitive. The little kids also get their own candy scramble, without the bigger kids trampling over them.

And, it's been so nice having mom & dad around again. I can't express how much I appreciate the connections they have with their grandchildren, the time they spend really engaged with them, and the support that brings us in managing a very busy household.

it makes me so sad

to see this little girl so terribly sick! It started a week ago, with a fever of 104... and then throwing up, not eating, hurting. The fever's gone up and down all week. Because of her reflux & kidney issues, I took her in on Monday for a urine test. We finally got the results on Friday, and they were irregular. Hopefully this infection didn't cause too much more kidney damage :-( I'm sure looking forward to having her back to normal.

Other big news around our house... M has decided to start potty training herself. I was going to change her diaper one evening about a week and a half ago, and she said "no no no no," so I asked her if she wanted to go potty. She ran to the bathroom, tried climbing up onto the toilet. So I held her up there, and she peed! Then when I went to put her diaper on, she said "no no no no" again, and ran back to the bathroom, tried to climb up onto the toilet. When I put her onto the potty, she pooped! She's been using her potty quite regularly. It's pretty unbelievable!

And G is back to his usual self again! He had a birthday party this week, a playdate, and he's on a fishing trip with Grandma and Grandpa this weekend. Can't believe that he's almost six years old!

favourite things

They're all loving the backyard these days...spent far too long cooped up inside. Every time that we get home, they go running for the backyard. They all love swinging! M loves the slide, and the sandbox. G and L are loving running and helping around the yard. G is waging a war against weeds in our flower beds ;-) They've made friends with our backdoor neighbors too...it's soo cute to see their little friends creeping up to the edge of our yard, just waiting to be invited over :-)

Progress

On Friday night, G had his piano recital for Music for Young Children. This was his second year of lessons, and I'm so impressed with how much he's learned and how much progress he's made. He wasn't too excited about the recital, but he did great. He had his piece memorized, and he played it really well!

MYC is held using group classes, which are sometimes a little challenging. It's hard to listen and play at the same time for this guy ;-) When he was first learning how to play, it was really hard for him to position and coordinate his finger movements. His movements are still quite stiff and deliberate, but he's come a long way. So proud of this guy!