Spring Break...

FAIL....

Thats right, I had a Spring break fail.

We didn't go anywhere exciting or really anywhere. Everything is SO expensive during Spring Break. Albert worked and we opted to just stay home. Monday was kind of a crumy day weather wise but the rest of the week just got better and better!

During the week Antonio and I went to the Childrens Museum in Everett which it seemed as if he is approaching the age where it isn't nearly as fun as it used to be. They have a great outdoor play area on their roof and I asked him 3 or 4 times if he wanted to check it out but I kept getting a no. We also went to two different beaches (different days), 3 different parks (1 park twice), he spent an afternoon with Grammy, we planted some plants and went on numerous bike rides.

I told him this morning that we would probably stick around home today because we had lots to do at home. He somewhat happily obliged. I asked him if he had a good Spring Break and I was somewhat surprised to hear him say "no".

Wait, what?

Yup, he says he wanted to go to the rooftop play area at the Childrens Museum (which he had numerous opportunities to do that day), he wanted go to a hotel, and he wanted to have his birthday party this week. I told him I had fun and that my favorite things were going to the beach. He then told me he didn't like the beaches we went to because he wanted to go to a sandy beach... Oye.

Yeah, those are hard to find around here. I told him I would try to find a good one to go to next time. So if anyone asks him about his Spring Break I am guessing he'll tell them it wasn't fun. Here I was thinking we had fun, granted we didn't do anything special but we also didn't sit a home. Obviously I was wrong.  Summer may be a long break if his expectations are so high and he doesn't voice his "wants" up front. Good thing we're going to California and having his birthday over the summer. Those two things will take care of his sandy beach and birthday party wants! Granted, that might make the rest of the break even more blah.

So in a matter of moments he knocked me right off my "feeling good" about our week and now I feel like I completely failed at having a fun Spring Break with him... :( Anyone have any suggestions of good sandy beaches that we don't have to drive far to get to?

Hurt feelings

Antonio came bounding off the bus to me as he usually does this afternoon and we walked back home. As he was unpacking he said he was STARVING. Which is weird because he rarely even eats his whole lunch.

So we unpacked and he ate a banana.

He asked for another because he was still hungry. I agreed and as he was attempting to peel it he became very frustrated, more than normal. I offered to help him peel it. As I began to open it he got very upset. Upset because he couldn't open it. I told him it was ok and that sometimes they are hard for me as well. He didn't take that response very well.

He ate his second banana and once he was finished I asked him to take out his homework, as we do everyday after school.

He got very upset again. I asked him if he was ok and what was wrong. He said very upset, that he was still hungry and didn't want to do his homework.

However, he didn't want any other food and then claimed he was just mad. I told him if he needed to get his anger out he could on a pillow or the couch. I was surprised to see him pick up the pillows and hit the couch with them a few times all while crying.

Clearly something was wrong.

We sat and talked about his day. He insisted nothing bad happened to him or his friends. We talked about if anything happened at school he didn't like and thats where he filled me in.

He has a friend that he always plays with at recess. Rarely do they play with other kids. Well today at second recess, this friend told Antonio that he "didn't wan't to play with him, he wanted to play with someone else instead". Antonio promptly started crying harder while telling me this and said that it hurt his heart and that it hurt his feelings "so much" that this friend didn't want to play with him. I asked him what he did then and said he just played alone which made him feel lonely and sad.

Ugh...

Talk about heart breaking. I tried my best to keep it together but it was hard. Once we were over the fact that his feelings were so hurt I asked him why he didn't just play with them. He said he didn't know what they were playing or how to play it. I asked him why he then didn't just go look for his other friends to play with and he said he didn't know where to look for them and he really just wanted to play with this particular friend. When you're 6 and everyone kinda looks the same I guess I see why you wouldn't but clearly we need to work on this.

Thank goodness I don't have a girl. As sensitive and big hearted as Antonio is, I am guessing a girl would be much harder.

So he agreed that if this happens again tomorrow he will just ask to play with them. Let's hope. I highly doubt this friend was mean about it or even knew what had happened. They are just 6 and 7 year olds. They are barely thinking of others and how their actions affect others at this point. I will admit, I had to reel back my Mama Bear instincts though, it killed me to see his feeling hurt so badly. It does however, help to know this friend a little and know that he does actually like Antonio back and is a really sweet kid. But man, when someone does hurt Antonio, on purpose, I can see I could be trouble. Ha!

Happily, he hasn't mentioned it since he first told me so hopefully he has already forgotten about it. Lets hope tomorrow will be better at recess! :)

Helicopter Mom

Some may call me that and maybe its the truth at times. And if so, is that so bad?

Maybe I am a bit over protective too. Or is that the same? I don't know but I do know I hate all the mom tittles. Why can we just be Moms in ways we see fit?

I partly blame my anxieties. I constantly battle the "what if's". I also "blame/defend" it on the fact Antonio is very reserved and doesn't always speak up for himself if he needs help or isn't ok. And maybe I created that too... He's also so sensitive, he wears his whole heart on his sleeve and tends to feel every positive, and negative, emotion so strongly.

Regardless, I feel like there are legit reasons for my "helicopter/overprotectiveness" ways. Antonio is, as you know, 6, well 6.5 and in 1st grade. So most of his friends are 7 or turning 7. He only has a handful of kids he calls his friends. We recently went to one of those friends birthdays and it was the first time meeting their mom/parents. We had briefly talked via text and she had mentioned I could drop him off for the party. I quickly responded by asking if it was ok if I stayed to. Happily she was completely fine with it. We went and Antonio had so much fun and this friends Mom was great and made time to talk with me all while hosting the party. She mentioned about having a sleep over at their house. I was somewhat surprised and probably answered to fast with a "no". I tried to back track so it was so awkward, and probably only made it worse. Ha. I really hope I didn't look like a snobby, overprotective Mom.

In all honestly, no. I don't want to have Antonio have a sleep over at any friends house, it's not just this particular friends house. I don't really know this Mom,  nor does Antonio and he has only been to this house once, that day. I felt like it was a first date and she was asking me to spend the night. Ok, it wasn't that drastic but in some way, for me it was. Nobody had suggested a sleepover before so I had never really thought about it, so I panicked. Before my child sleeps at anyones house but my moms, I need to know you and I need to know my child feels comfortable enough with you and your house. Sadly (in the sense of possible embarrassment), Antonio just had a solo play date with a friend at their house, without me a few months ago. I know the mom (and completely trust her), and kids pretty well and we had been to their house often enough Antonio felt comfortable there too. Of course it was fine and quite frankly he had a blast and seemed proud about it doing it alone, he even asked it he could have this friend over and have there be no moms there. So basically he's already wanting to throw parties here. :)

I have been consumed with sleep over idea all week. Am I crazy and overprotective to say no about a sleepover AND for not just dropping Antonio off for the party? I actually had a different Mom this week ask if we'd (Antonio and I) be interested in a sleep over. In some ways that scenario is completely different. I do know the Mom and I'd even dare say pretty well considering I just met her a few months ago. I've seen her parent her littlest and was impressed. Watching someone parent their child can say a lot about them and how they would "take care of" my child, in my opinion. This particular Mom is so patient, attentive and compassionate; I would completely trust her with my kid. She's the kind of Mom that seems to have it all together. Spending the night though, she's only won half the battle, I'd need Antonio to know her and her house too before feeling comfortable with a sleepover. :)

So tell me Mama's, am I crazy to be worrying about all this? Maybe he's ready, maybe not. I know that in the end, I know my child and if he's ready better than anyone, but is this the norm? Are a lot of kids having sleepovers at this age? Should I view this as a possibility in the near future if Antonio is ready? I just don't know...

Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve!

I can't believe today is Christmas Eve! I feel like I have been waiting all year for it. Well I guess I technically have. Those of you who have known me for awhile know that I used to have OCD, obsessed Christmas disorder. I saw that once and loved it. I really did. In jr. high and high school I would start playing Christmas music as soon as I could. I even remember fondly one afternoon calling my friend Myriah so we could simultaneously start the songs at the exact same time. Of course it took quite a few tries until we got it but we did. Pretty sure my Mom wasn't at home at the time. I loved everything about Christmas and would be giddy with excitement.

If I remember right, this is a Christmas card I sent out one year. It was about how I felt inside too! :)

Then for some reason I slowly lost the excitement.

Don't get me wrong I still got excited but it wasn't the same. Maybe it was the growing up part. Then I had Antonio and I thought for sure I would get it back, and I did but not like back then. This year, however, is different. Maybe it is because I am home, not working, and ready. The stress that most of us get around this time of year wasn't present this year. And Antonio? Well he is so excited. This is the year he gets it. He was so excited to see Santa, even wrote a wishlist a few days before we went to see him so he could show him. Thus after trying so hard to get him to write one.

Antonio waiting in line to see Santa with his wishlist!

He was also excited to put up decorations and the tree. One day he came home with three songs he had to practice for his Christmas concert. We practiced everyday at least once and that helped get his excitement going. Then one day he came home with a paper Christmas countdown chain thing, you know, the kind you cut strips of paper and then attach them to make to make a long chain?! You could tell Mrs. Gilmore had been talking about Christmas in class, which I am sure is a big "no-no" but I love it. All the talk at school, stories and crafts he was doing, was building the excitement. 

Although at the beginning of last week, he told me that a boy in his class told him Santa wasn't real. I panicked and said, "what?!". I had no idea what to say. He said that "blank" told him Santa wasn't real. I told him yes he was, how else did the presents get to all the good boys and girls. He paused for a few moments and said, "Yeah, what does "blank" know? He is only at level A (for reading) and I am at H so I know more!" I quickly agreed and went a long with the "trashing" of the poor kid. I felt badly for two reasons. One, that I encouraged the fact that the kid doesn't know very much because he isn't a very good reader and two, because the kid has been told Santa doesn't exist. Which, in my opinion, is more sad than the encouraging of the idea that the low reading level meant he wasn't smart. All kids at this age (6 & 7) should be believing in Santa, at least those who "do" Christmas. This kid is also one who probably doesn't get many gifts which is maybe why he's been told Santa doesn't exist. It kinda breaks my heart for the kid.

All this week Antonio has been out of school and he has been so happy and excited! Happily Tuesday night he spent the night at Grammy and Grampas, which he loved. We've watched The Polar Express (which we only watch in December) 3 or 4 times, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Elf. Last night as we were saying good night he asked me how Santa would get through the glass and I had no idea what he meant. We have a gas fireplace with glass on the front. I told him I didn't know because every time Santa has come before I was sleeping since Santa only comes after everyone is asleep. Then he said, Santa's just really sneaky then, to which I agreed. He hasn't realized we don't have a chimney for Santa to go down yet, and I hope he doesn't realize it, t least not this year. Ha. This morning Antonio asked if I had wrapped his present yet, hence present, not presents. I told him I hadn't and he proceeded to ask if I needed help doing so. More proof he is his Papa's son. :) 

This morning we had a special Christmas Eve breakfast! Since I know were will be eating a lot of junk the next few days I decided that breakfast should be a healthier treat this morning and he was still super excited about it!  He loves his croissants! 

I hope you all have a fun and exciting Christmas Eve building up to tonight when Santa comes and then tomorrow, Christmas Day. We've already checked out Norad to see where Santa is. I am so loving this holiday season and it is so much fun seeing it through Antonio! I hope this level of excitement continues for at least a few more years! I know I will do everything I can to keep it this way! Try not to get caught up in the hustle and bustle; slow down and remember what Linus says in the Charlie Brown Christmas movie about what Christmas is all about. 

Even if you aren't the religious type, the idea about it being about something so much bigger than the Christmas tree and presents is so true. Take time to enjoy friends and family and remember what is was like when you were 6 or 7; all the excitement and anticipation! And for those of you who have all the presents still to wrap tonight, light a fire (or just flip the switch), get a glass of wine, put on your favorite Christmas movie or Christmas music and as you wrap each gift, think about that specific person you bought it for. Oh and, spread out 3-4 rolls of tape so you will ALWAYS find it! :) Ha! 

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas tomorrow! One more day! :)

Christmas is coming...

For the very first time ever, or at last in a very long time, I am ready for Christmas. The only things I/we have to do is mail two boxes to family in California and go visit Santa. That, I am dreading. All the waiting in line for 2-4 minutes top, with Santa. Oye. We are hoping to do it Monday, the 21st. Antonio will be out of school and hopefully most parents will be working still. I hope. We can't skip it because he's made a wish list, just tonight mind you, that he said he will give to Santa. So stay tuned for that Santa pic.

I am done Christmas shopping, except for a couple stocking stuffers and everything is wrapped except for Antonio's gifts. But there isn't many to wrap, thankfully. We try to keep it to, or as closely as possible, to a 4 gift rule. Something he wants, something he needs, something he reads, and something he wears. This year we have pretty much stuck to that, although he is getting two books. Also, Santa brings him his "big" gift; the gift that costs the most and that he really wants. So technically he is getting two wants as well. Regardless, we try to keep it simple and happily he is a simple kid. Last year he gave us maybe 2 or 3 things he wanted. After opening all his gifts from us, Santa, and family out of state Christmas morning, he proclaimed something to the point of, "I got everything I wanted!" and while gesturing to everything else, "and I didn't even want any of that." Ha! That kid. Lets hope he always stays that simple.

I digress.

Thanks to being at home now, I have been able to shop online and go out to get what I need easier. Now that all that is done, I feel like I can really relax and enjoy the rest of the season. No feeling like I have to go out this weekend and fight the crowds; its great! I've even baked Christmas cookies and handed them out to the recipients. Thats great and all but now that we've eaten all the rest we have none for Santa so we are having to make a small store bought batch for Santa next weekend. This weekend we watched The Polar Express on Friday and then Elf on Saturday night which got me extra excited! Antonio was glued to the tv watching The Polar Express. It was the first time watching it this season. We only watch it in December which makes it even more special.

Antonio took his teacher her Christmas gift last Wednesday and will attempt to give his bus driver her gift this week. He tends to have substitute bus drivers often lately, and just in the mornings which is weird. Since in the afternoons it's his normal bus driver. Again, I digress. So as soon as we see his regular driver, we'll give her, her frangos. He's so excited to do so.

Speaking of gifting.

We had a buy one get one book fair at Antonio's school last week and the Friday prior, the teachers had the opportunity to take their class through it as a preview so they could make a "wish list" and tell their parents what they wanted. Well, Antonio's teacher took his class through and she saw how genuinely excited each student was. She knew that about 75% of the class either couldn't afford a new book or the parents didn't seem involved enough to then care enough to get a new book for the kids. It broke her heart to think about that since she saw how happy and excited they were about the books. So Antonio's teacher, Mrs. Gilmore, went home that night, talked to her husband and decided to purchase a new book (well two, since it was a BOGO sale) for each student that they had written on their wish lists. Over a $100 out of her own pocket! I am still thoroughly impressed. I know teachers spend a lot of their own time and money on their students/classroom throughout the year but in my opinion, this is above an beyond. She said that she could've bought gift certificates for each student to buy new books in the next book order but knew those would get thrown out, forgotten about or the parents wouldn't care enough to put forth the effort to use them. So sad for those kids. So she just bought them.

Amazing.

I've had my doubts, well "doubts" is the wrong word; more like concern's about Mrs. Gilmore. She's a little gruff and negative, on the kids; they are just 1st graders. Not always showing a positive, patient attitude in class and seems to get annoyed fairly easy. Basically she seems like the kind of teacher I would be; which is why I could never be a teacher. Ha. But I've seen once or twice now, some sweet brief moments she has had with a student before she goes back to the normal Mrs. Gilmore. ;) Now this book buying? I'm impressed. She is a great teacher, don't get me wrong, and Antonio loves school and her so I suppose that is all that matters. And maybe she's like wine, she'll get better as the year goes one. In the mean time, I'm going to keep trying to shower her with little gifts to sweeten her up. Ha!

Christmas is in 11 days, are you ready? I know we are! Antonio seems a little more excited with gifts under the tree too. He has two separate Christmas count downs which helps with the, "Is it Christmas yet" question. He knows exactly how many days are left. And whats even more exciting is that my sister in law comes to visit for a few days starting the 1st of January so the fun will continue!

Antonio watching the train go through the "gift" tunnel! 

PTSA here I come!

So I did it.

I joined the PTSA and yes, my life hasn't been the same. It's in a good way though, in fact, it's given me a sense of purpose since quitting Mutual. Don't get me wrong, being at home has been amazing but, joining the PTSA gives me that adult interaction so many SAHM's don't get, yet so badly crave.

Last year it was such a whirlwind with Antonio being in Kinder and only half day. I felt like I knew nothing about what was going on at school and he certainly wasn't telling me anything. In fact, I remember one time as we were getting out of the car at daycare he said, "I'm so excited I get to buy something today at the school store". Yeah, I had completely forgotten but luckily it was Alberts day off so he took some money to him. There were so many times I just had no idea what was going on. Sure they sent paperwork home but that at times, was to much.

So this year, now that I am a SAHM, I decided things would be different. My friend Tanya and I went to the first PTSA meeting and whoa, that was kind of a whirl wind too. Her and I both came up with so many suggestions (after the meeting of course) on so many things but had no answers or even ideas of how to do them. I decided to volunteer that same week to help and learn more. Happily it was much calmer and a bit more "welcoming".

The rest, as they say, is history. Here I am going in weekly, 2-3 times a week, helping and actually liking it. Its fun for both Antonio and I to randomly see each other. He gets as excited as I do when we see each other. I know that won't last so I am enjoying it while it does! :) One thing I have learned is that the PTSA does SO much more than I ever realized. It almost leaves me wondering what the school actually does, besides teach my kid, which is huge I realize. HA. I am getting encouraged to become the secretary for the PTSA for next year and I am not sure I want that much responsibility but we will see. Two of the gals, who do most of the work right now, will be gone next year as their kids will go to middle school so I worry what will happen next year. I am beginning to get emotionally guilted in to the role but nothing official yet. We'll see what happens! I did however, become officially official with my very own "permanent" badge. No more paper volunteer stickers for me; I'm movin' on up! Woot, woot! ;)

Knowing now, how much the PTSA funds and how much money the Box Tops and fundraisers raise for them I am pushing for both of these. So here is my favor (plea) to you;

Box Tops. They are so easy and are probably on products you already buy. Look for this image (see below) on products from cereal, kleenex boxes, pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Ziplock products and so many more. If you see them, I'd love it if you cu, or rip, them out and sent them to me. If you don't have my address already, I'll give it to you! We get .10 for every box top. It's not much but it does add up.

Little Box Top humor and so true! :)

Fundraiser. Antonio's Fall fundraiser has begun and it ends next Wednesday the 21st. There is lots of great stuff to choose from like candy, holiday decor, gift wrap, kid and pet stuff, bakeware and so much more. If you are local, Otis Spunkmeyer cookies are also included in it! And who doesn't need box of "ready to bake" cookies in the freezer for the kids, surprise guests or just for fun?! If you follow the link, https://www.cherrydale.com/go_shopping.php?refid=293416, it will take you to Antonio's online ordering page for those of you who are not local. Anything you buy gets shipped directly to you, which is so convenient for everyone! I know a lot of you have kids who have their own fundraisers but wanted to put this out there, just in case. For those of with kids in school, contact your schools PTA/PTSA and find out if there's a way you can help/support them and the school. 

Antonio, myself and the PTSA, would greatly appreciate anything you you can do to support us and his school. The more money we get from these things means the more field trips, after school activities and supplies we can offer the kids! 

Meanwhile, Antonio is still loving school and has decided on being Darth Vader for Halloween! He specifically asked to get a Darth Vader costume. No, he has not seen any of the Star Wars movies, nor does he really know who he is except that he is in Star Wars. Ha! Here's a sneak peek! It even breathes heavily! If I can just get him to say "Luke, I am your Faaatha...." Right now he doesn't believe me that Darth Vader says that because that is "silly".  

Review and update.

I know, I know.

It's been WAY to long (November 2014!) since my last post. I've found myself combining Antonio news in with my While the Doodlebug Sleeps blog and I apologize.

To very briefly recap since then. Antonio finished Kindergarten with flying colors and I was so glad we decided to send him "early". He did great and his teacher didn't think he would have any trouble in 1st grade! A few weeks after school got out Ms Rosemary closed which was a little tramatic for all of us. Rosemary had been a HUGE influence in Antonio's (and our) life. She taught him so much and loved him as her own. She was a blessing in his life, and ours. She happily recommended another place to send him, so checked it out. At the time, we knew he probably wouldn't be there past Fall since at the time we knew I would eventually be staying home full time. Antonio was happy there but it lacked so much that Rosemary had and gave. I was disappointed, but knew she had big shoes to fill after Rosemary so I went with it. Sure enough, as of August 28th he wouldn't need to go anymore! Yay!

Antonio had his 6th (!!) birthday and requested it be Lego themed. He was able to invite 4 friends from school and per his request, Lucas, his friend from swim. His cousins also came. Unfortunately he only had 2 of the 4 from school come. I had games planned in case it needed structure but it turned out that the balloons Nelly and Eva blew up the night before were the hit of the party! They played with those pretty much the whole party! Yay! We did play musical chairs once, which some liked and well, some did not. The whole losing thing is still hard to swallow. :(  Immediately following his friends party we had a family party. At the time, I wondered if I was crazy to do it that way but decided it was perfect. He had a blast and I'd like to think the party was a success too!

 Lego party!

Friends and their masks!

Blowing out his candles at his family party!

We went on two short family trips this summer. One to Ocean Shores and one to go camping. Both were a blast. They are so different from each other there isn't really a way to say one was better than the other. First we went to Kayak Point for camping, which is so close yet it still feels like a "trip"! Every single time we have camped it rains, at least some and this year was no different. It hadn't rained in literately a month or more and yet the morning we left it started to rain as we were packing up, and hard. We put Antonio in the car and we pretty much threw stuff in the car and left. There was a burn ban and were didn't think we would be able to have a campfire but when we pulled in the campsite we saw and smelled campfires. I asked the park ranger and sure enough we could! Hooray, s'mores after all! Antonio was so glad as were we. Besides the rain, it was perfect weather, really warm during the day but not to hot! The campsite sits up on the hill a bit from the water so during the day we walk down to the beach. We spend a lot of time watching all the boats go in and out at the boat launch and searching for little crabs and other sea life. We had gotten a new, bigger, tent for Christmas last year and got to use it. It was great! Perfect size for us and we could even stand up in it! 

 Family pic! 

Antonio and I on the trail to the beach.

A couple weeks after camping we went to Ocean Shores! Again, perfect weather. The beach can be tricky with weather, usually it's sunny but cool. We were lucky though, it was warm enough to wear shorts on the beach and the wind wasn't to bad or cold! This time we drove on the beach with our car which was fun, no hauling all our stuff down a path. I think Albert also really enjoyed driving on the beach! ;) We stayed two nights and like usual we wished we had one more night. I've always loved the beach, there is something so calming about. It works out great, Albert does his run on the beach, Antonio builds sandcastles, then the two of them play in the waves and I just take it all in. Wake up, eat breakfast, spend ALL day at the beach, eat dinner, swim in the pool then got to bed. Best days ever! A lot people do other things at Ocean Shores, and maybe as Antonio gets older we will too but for now, its perfect this way!

Love this little family of mine!

Those couple weeks before school started and I wasn't working, Antonio and I got ready for school to start again. We checked out books at the library about 1st grade and got back into doing "homework". He was nervous but ready. I was worried about the lack of nap time/quiet time, which he got every day at daycare. He may not have napped everyday there but he got quiet time and in 1st grade there wouldn't be any or even the option. I was worried that that first week would be awful for him. Thankfully I was wrong.

First day of school!

It's been a week and a half into the school year and he hasn't shown any sign of being extra tired or worn out. It's weird, but I'll take it! He is loving school except for the fact he does "to much math". Unfortunately, none of his friends from last year are in his class this year. In fact, only 1 from his class last year are in it! I thought the odds were in his favor for at least a couple. Oh well, just more of a chance to make more friends. He does say he's sees his friends Brody and Diego at recess sometimes, but not very often. :(  A girl from Ms Rosemary's is in Kindergarten this year (she's also 6 and has a summer birthday but her parents kept her back a year before starting school) and apparently she lives close to us because she rides the same bus. Antonio is relatively excited about that. She seemed like a nice girl but a talker so I have the feeling the conversations are very one sided! ;) Regardless, another "friend" who he sees on the bus and occasionally on the playground. This year his teacher is Mrs. Gilmore. She, unlike Mrs. Rusher, has a ton of experience; she's been a teacher at Sunnyside for 37 years!! So she knows what she's doing, how things work, what 1st grades are all about; and her communication skills are already an improvement from last year's experience! I'm guessing this is more like how it should be. I start volunteering in his class Wednesday and hopefully then I can get a better feel of how things are going.

Hopefully I can update here more often since I will have more free time to do so. No promises, but I'll try! :)

School part 2.

Antonio still loves school and is doing great! I've had the chance to volunteer in his class 3 times and it was so great to be able to see what (and how) he is learning everything. And to see and meet his friends and watch him interact with them.

Diego, his very best buddy and who he sits next to, is such a sweet boy and so smart. He's a well behaved kid too! The first time I saw him, the first thing he said to me was, "Antonio is my best friend" and he proceeded to tell me about when Antonio fell at recess and how he (Diego) came over to Antonio to see if he was "crying and ok." He said when he saw he wasn't ok (he fell on his face and scraped up his chin, nose and forehead) he ran and got the recess lady. Such a sweet kid Diego is.

I was so afraid Antonio would get "lost" or taken advantage of in school. He is young for a kindergartener and tends to be pretty quiet and reserved. But he is right in the mix with everyone else in his class. He has even told Mrs.Rusher a couple times when someone didn't treat him the right way. I was so proud of him. Another great thing about volunteering is that I have gotten see where is in class as far as academics and he is definitely right in the middle. I wasn't to worried about that when sending him early (5 instead of waiting until next year). There are a few kids higher than him but definitely some lower too. Everyone thinks their kid is smart and so it was a nice reassurance for me.

He still loves the bus and insists on riding it to and from school when I volunteer! :) He is starting to read and I am so proud of him. Every week he gets new books to bring home and read and he gets so excited about it. He is also learning math and oh my gosh, everything is counting and adding. He's constantly quizzing me. "Mama, 6+3=9, right?", or "Mama, 8+2=10, right?". As some of you know, I am terrible at math. I already have to stop and think when he asks me most of the time! Ugh, its only kindergarten; I am in trouble! Thankfully he is loving school and I completely credit his teacher. She has helped him learn to love school and learning! Mrs. Rusher is so great with the kids. She gets so much in, in the short amount of time she has with them without them getting them overwhelmed; it's impressive.

School.

Antonio is a month into the school year and he is loving it! His favorite part by far is riding the bus. For me, that was the most worrisome part. You hear horror stories about (little) kids getting forgotten on busses for hours, getting bullied/picked on etc. Happily, Antonio gets on the bus 2 stops before school and then on the way home it is just Kindergarteners. His bus driver in the morning is great. Every morning when he gets on she says, "Good morning Antonio!". He promptly walks about half back and finds a seat. I had told him the school bus rules before school started, always stay seated on your bottom on the bus and only get off at the school or unless he see's me or Ms Rosemary (he gets off at her stop 3 days). There are speed bumps on the road into the school and he says that his favorite part of the ride because he bounces up and down. :)

He has already made a best buddy, Diego. His other friends he says are Makai, Kennedy and sometimes Grace. But he will correct you if you call them his best buddies too, because they aren't he says; they are just friends. We had curriculum night the other night and even his teacher, Mrs. Rusher, mentioned they were best buddies so it must be a mutual friendship. Happily, they haven't gotten in to any trouble yet.

I had voiced my concern to Mrs. Rusher about Antonio being a summer birthday (just turning 5) and going in to Kindergarten and she seemed empathetic but said he's been doing so well she forgets he is so young. He gets homework 2-3 times a week and he flies through it; it's almost to easy for him. The directions are the hardest part. Ha. He goes every other Friday and on those days he gets to take a lunch which he loves. Every week he does P.E., library and music; he likes the library the best he says. The last two weekends he's come down with a fever on Saturday that wipes him out, even goes to bed early even but Sundays he always wakes up better. We think his body is having trouble adjusting to school a little maybe so we've gone back to insisting he naps.This weekend there was no sign of fever! Yay! He's been napping for at least an hour at daycare too which he had stopped doing mid-summer. I'm glad all he does for extracurricular activities is swimming. So far the fevers/exhaustion is the only sign of him not being ready for school. I'm relieved because I was pretty unsure.

Conferences are at the end of this month so I will be anxious to hear in a little more detail on how he's doing. I'm also feeling better about his teacher. In my opinion, it was a little bit of a rocky start in the sense she seemed to have a lack of confidence in what she was doing. Antonio seems to really like her (and school) and she even remembered I was Antonio's mom at curriculum night after only meeting me once, at the meet and greet before school started. I was impressed. :) My mom is planning on volunteering in his class this year and is already scheduled to go starting this week. Antonio is so excited to have her there and I am excited to hear her feedback on the school, classroom, teacher and Antonio in class. I trust her opinion and instincts on it all since she's taught Kindergarten (and other grades) for so long.

I hope Antonio continues to love school through the rest of the year and I can't wait to see how much he learns.

Kindergarten

I officially have a Kindergartener now!

Whoa.

The first day went well. He even got a call from Ms. Rosemary while he was getting ready to wish him a happy first day of school, love her! Parents were encouraged to meet their kids at school that morning join them in class for the first 30 min. So Albert was able to get a couple hours off to join us! He got home right before it was time to go to the bus stop. So the three of us walked to the corner to wait for the bus. There were 2 other moms and maybe 7 or 8 kids. When the bus arrived they all got on, then so did Antonio. He got on without any hesitation. The bus driver asked him his name and he promptly told here, Antonio. I was so proud of him. 

 waiting at the bus stop.

 still waiting

 about to get on the bus

Getting on the bus! :)

Once he was on the bus, Albert and I got in the car and went to his school to meet him. All the younger kids, (K-maybe 2nd) meet under the covered play area in lines with their class. When we got there I didn't see Antonio yet, so of course I started to worry but sure enough he came walking over. Happily, a boy form his bus stop, the one getting on in front of him, was walking over to the covered area with him. I was so thankful for this. Antonio was smiling the whole time. Once I saw him, the kid went off to his classroom and Antonio and I got in line. Of course we got in the wrong line but once we figured it all out all was good. A few min later, Mrs Rusher came over an walked his class to the room. One by one they all went in. 

 Walking to his classroom

Waiting to go in. (probably the youngest in class, but the same size!)

Once in, they all got seated and started coloring a picture. Then they all sat and listened to a story, The Kissing Hand, before heading out to recess. During recess is when the parents left. Surprisingly, I had no tears. I think Pre-k last year helped me with that. I was definitely sad but no tears. When I got home I went on a run to try to calm my nerves, which I think helped. At 12:25, I went out and waited for Antonio's bus to drop him back off, due at 12:27. I was so excited to see him. There was one other Mom waiting so that was nice to see but of course she didn't speak much English and well, my Spanish is awful, so there wasn't much conversation. However, when 12:40 rolled around and the bus hadn't shown up yet she asked me what time they were supposed to be dropped off, in case she had it wrong. I told her, no they really were that late. She promptly called the school and sure enough the bus came around the corner about 1 min later. We were both relieved! Turns out the little girl is also in Antonio's class!

Antonio happily got off the bus and proceeded to tell me how they went all over, through the nursery and by daycare! He said, I wish I could be on the bus all day long. To which I respond, it felt like you were not he bus all day long! Then he told me the bus didn't have a potty and that he needed to go because he held it the whole time. :)

Every friday his school has a half day so he will go to school every other friday. So yesterday (last Friday) he went. On half days, school gets out at 1:35 (instead of noon for AM Kinder on regular days) so he got to take a lunch. He was very excited about this! He also got to take the bus from Ms Rosemary's with all his daycare friends. Rosemary had already asked the bigger boys, William and Marquis, to sit with him on the bus and help him find the right line when he got there. William seemed very anxious to help Antonio. :) All must have gone well because Rosemary texted me at 2:30 to let me know Antonio got off the bus safe and sound. Phew....

Rosemary also mentioned that a little girl form his class gets on and off there too. So both bus stops he will have a familiar face. Antonio said he had a good day. He ate most of his lunch and said he even went potty at school! (big yay since the day before he hadn't). I was telling Albert tonight that since Antonio is going early (just turned 5 versus just turning 6) he will probably "grow" so much this year. There were a couple kids in his class that looked 6, or even almost 7 but most of the kids looked about the same. Mrs Rusher, his teacher seems very nice but not very confident which concerns me. We found out that she taught Kindergarten last year but not until November, so she has never started a year with Kindergarteners. I then wondered why November and turns out the original teacher last year suddenly resigned, and they brought in Mrs Rusher. So I guess if she can come in in the middle of the school year and keep it going well then she can't be all that bad. I just wish she appeared a little more "with it". Hopefully she'll grow on me.

He has a nice size class, 18 including Antonio. I just pray all goes well for him this year. He seems to be really liking school though. Monday starts a full week of school (minus friday), so hopefully all goes well. I guess as a Mom we always worry about our kids; I just hope this anxious, over the top worry subsides soon. My mental/physical health can't take much more. Regardless, I am proud of him. He is starting out on this new adventure and appears to be conquering it just fine. 

Article from The Huffington Post as mentioned in previous post.

Here is the article from The Huffington Post:

**grab a tissue or two**

To My Fellow Moms, on the First Day of Kindergarten

Dear New Kindergarten Mom,

This morning, I bundled my boys into the stroller and went out for one last impromptu morning walk. Max will be starting kindergarten next week, and the days spent hanging out in our jammies and meandering to the nearest park or Starbucks are almost over. My best friend texted me a picture of her own 5-year-old a few minutes later, standing in front of his new elementary school. "How did we get here?!" I texted back. It was yesterday that we were pregnant together. Visiting the fire station with toddlers together. Welcoming second babies together. "How did we get here?!"

Well, Mama, I want you to take a break from packing lunches and tucking pencils into binders. Click out of Pinterest for a minute, and stop reading the list about the Top 10 Lessons You Need To Teach Your Kindergartner. Put down the chalkboard frame that you're making for the perfect first day photo shoot, and listen up. This one is for you.

Kindergarten might be the beginning for our little ones, but it's a graduation of sorts for us.

How did we get here?

We waited and we worried, reading the BabyCenter emails each week that compared our rapidly growing babies to kiwis and oranges. We mourned losses and said goodbyes to the babies who grew in our hearts, but not our bellies. We labored and breathed and screamed and prayed as our littles made their way into our arms. We ate celebration dinners in hospital beds, or put on our best outfits and brightest smiles as a judge declared us a forever family, or opened our hearts to new dreams as we embraced our partners' children.

We cradled impossibly small newborn bottoms in the palms of our hands, cut hospital bracelets from tiny ankles and learned to swaddle little limbs into baby burritos. We winced at each bad latch, and exhaled with each great one. We filled bottles and emptied breasts, measured milliliters into droppers and g-tubes. We pumped and we mixed and we forgot to feed ourselves. We fed our babies with love.

We rocked, we paced, we sang. We woke every three hours, or every three minutes. We shushed and we danced and we dozed. We may have spent more time awake than asleep.

We cut grapes into tiny cubes. We cleaned pasta from the carpet and yogurt from their hair. We made sure that the green veggies weren't touching the orange ones.

We were Batman and Thomas and a dinosaur and a policeman and a princess. We stepped on 47 Legos and built 72 towers and 298 spaceships. We hid in blanket forts and behind closet doors. Sometimes we hid in the bathroom, because it was the only quiet place we could find.

We drove to preschool and playdates. We practiced our goodbyes and perfected our hellos. We caught slippery bodies at swim lessons, and twisted perfect topknots for ballet. We played the tambourine at music class and sang the "Hello, friend" song at Mommy and Me 341 times.

We held chubby little arms and legs tight as the doctor gave each shot. We counted ounces and inches and celebrated each step. We met with speech therapists and occupational therapists and oncologists and radiologists. We elbowed our way down paths that we never thought would rise up to greet us. We fought fear and doubt and guilt. We woke up each day, and put one foot in front of the other.

We yelled at our partners and cried to our mothers and fell into the arms of the friends who became our family. We learned to let other grown-ups love our kids, and struggled to accept a night out or a lasagna or a hug. Or a mimosa.

We worried about TV time and Vitamin D and developmental stages and hearing tests. We celebrated birthdays and did the potty dance and doled out stickers and ultimatums.

We kept going. We got better at it. We surprised ourselves.

We've been exhausted, and fed up, and overwhelmed, and overjoyed. We've cheered for first words and first steps and first date nights in months. We've fallen asleep during Dumbo and memorized Goodnight Moon and Horton Hears A Who.

We've bargained with God over stitches and lab tests and "routine" operations. We've soothed bad dreams and inspired bigger ones.

We've stepped on 4,724 Goldfish crackers and 3,193 Cheerios.

We've kissed scrapes and cheeks and noses. We've bathed squirmy bodies and cut tiny bangs. We've whispered I love yous against giggling bodies. We've hugged and we've helped and we've explained. We've answered 17,000 whys and why nots.

We've made it.

They've made it.

There will be thousands of firsts that follow this one. Our jobs aren't even close to being done. But on this first day, for the hours that stretch between squeezing his little hand goodbye and welcoming him back to the arms that he began in, be gentle with yourself.

In your heart of hearts, you know that he's ready.

But I'm here to tell you that you are, too.

You might think this first day is all about him, friend. But it's also about you.

How did we get here?

You.

You rocked and you fed and you soothed and you worried and you taught and you cuddled and you counted the nap time minutes and added up the ounces and marked the passage of time with pictures and gasps and tears.

So as that brave, crazy kindergarten teacher ushers you out tomorrow and closes the door behind you, be proud.

You did it. We did it.

That classroom of amazing, brilliant, imaginative, loving, self-sufficient (well, sort of), hilarious, unpredictable, completely capable little people? We made them that way. So before you walk away to worry about all of the first days to come and the homework and the life lessons and the setbacks and the TV time and the reward charts... come find me on the playground.

I'll be looking for you.

Let me be the first one to tell you "Good job, Mama. You survived. You watched as your heart grew outside of your body, and then you prepared him to greet the world alone. He is ready, because when they placed him in your arms, you were." For all of the times that we've told them "good job," and "great listening," and "you're so brave," and "I'm so proud of you," not once did we say those things to ourselves. So on that very first day of school, as you take one last look over your shoulder to make sure that your little one is safely tucked into her classroom, and you wipe away the tears as you climb back into your (suddenly very quiet) car, remember this.

You did it. You are so brave. I am so proud of you.

Just look how much you've grown.

Happy graduation, Mama.

Love,

A Kindergarten Mom, bawling her eyes out in the car parked next to yours

**This is such a great, very true article. 

Kindergarten, here we come.

Welp. Its here.

Antonio starts Kindergarten tomorrow morning.

The bus will arrive at 8:57 to pick him up and take him to school to begin a whole new chapter of his life.

Am I ready?

Plain and simple. NO.

However, I think he is. As you know he just turned 5 and the trend tends to be that summer birthday kids, especially boys, wait a year. We decided to go against the trend and send him this year. It was an incredibly hard decision for me, one that I am not 100% sure of yet. Both his Pre-K teacher and Ms. Rosemary seem to think he is very ready. I am sure part of my reasons for not being sure is that he is my baby and well, I am not ready to accept the fact he is going to school because that also means he is growing up and I'm not ready for that either. Another reason is that there are some social skills he hasn't mastered yet but that he can do.

I am sure he will be fine. I trust Ms Rosemary, in fact she is he second Mother in my opinion and if she says he's ready then he must be ready. Its like good cop/bad cop in the sense that I am extremely emotionally attached and possibly not as objective where she is. He loves her and she loves him; I can see it. She knows him and that makes me trust her. She really was a HUGE blessing for Antonio and us.

Anyways, last night was the meet n greet at his school we got to meet his teacher, Mrs. Rusher, who seems nice but did not seem very confident, which didn't calm my nerves. She seemed very nervous too. She will share the classroom with the PM kinder teacher, so she's part time; good for her. Maybe that will benefit Antonio's class later in the year in hopes she won't be as burnt out as other teachers.  I am hoping she will grow on me. She wasn't bad in any way, just not the "strong, yet gentle", confident teacher I was hoping for. We will see. The classroom didn't even seem "ready" either. Or maybe my expectations are to high; his pre-k room was much more "put together". My mom thought that maybe by tomorrow it will be better.

 Antonio and Mrs. Rusher

Today we went back to school for his Kindergarten assessment. From what Mrs. Rusher said it went good. I sat outside and filled out a survey so I have no idea what was asked or done. School had started for grades 1-5 so we got to see other kids walking in lines quietly and kids at recess.

Tomorrow, Antonio said he wanted to ride the bus to and from school. So we will walk to the corner and wait for the bus. I am beyond nervous about this. The whole no seatbelt thing, new faces and nobody he knows makes me nervous. If you know my kid at all, you know he does not thrive in situations where he doesn't know anyone. So thankfully, the bus ride is very short. I'm worried he'll be scared once he's on the bus, not knowing anyone or where to sit. Heck, part of me is worried in the moment he will decide he doesn't want to get on.

The parents are invited to meet our kids at school then all go into their classroom, help them get settled in. I guess Mrs. Rusher will read a story and then ask us parents to leave. I'm sure Antonio will be fine with that but I can only imagine how disruptive it could be. We'll see.

I found this tear-jerking, heartstring pulling article on Facebook from The Huffington Post and found it perfect. I will re-read this tonight and possible tomorrow after I come him from his school. In the off chance the link doesn't work I will post in in the following "post" to read.

Stay tuned for a follow up to his first day of school! :)

Camping

We went camping, just the 3 of us, for the first time last weekend. Other times had always been with others (our friends the Eberlein's). I checked my lists more times than I can count, we had no one to "lean on" so I wanted to make sure we had it all.  Happily we did!

We went to Kayak Point County park in Stanwood, about 30 min from our house. It was great, we felt like we got away for the weekend yet barely left Marysville. :) Antonio had a blast. We had a great campsite, the campground was very family friendly and there was a short hike down to the beach. It was a pretty step hike down, maybe a quarter mile but as you know, if we go down we have to come back up! Antonio did great. He did the trip at least twice each day we were there. There were lots of families with kids. In fact, next to us was a group with a baby (ugh), maybe a year old, across from us was a family with a couple kids and down from us was another family with kids, all about early elementary age or younger. The ice cream man even made rounds both nights we were there!

Our campsite.

We had a lot of good family time. Albert and Antonio took a trip down to the beach Monday afternoon to playing in the water while I chose to stay back at the campsite where it was much cooler. The tree's kept the campground mostly shaded, which kept it cooler.  It was still pretty warm but I was glad to be camping, outside, and not at home stuck in a hot house. We played Alphabet Bingo, a game similar to Memory and Antonio learned to play Go Fish; which he loved. Albert made a great fires in the fire pit both nights, which was a feat since Albert was a first time campfire builder. The forest night took a couple tries but once he got it, he got it! :) We were luck to be able to have one since as were leaving we heard the the DNR was extending the burn ban to campfires as well!

Proud fire starter! 

The first night we were there we went down to the beach to try to take pics of the sunset, Super moon and stars. The moon was so big and so bright we could barely see the stars and in fact saw our shadows on the driftwood! When we got back to our site it was surprisingly quiet. We crawled into out tent and all fell asleep. Albert and I were awaken by our neighbor baby crying. I figured it was the middle of the night but it was only 11:30! Surprisingly the campground was silent, except for the baby crying. I was shocked. You would've thought it was more like 2 am it was so quiet. The next night not so much. We only heard some people for awhile but that wasn't the worry, it was more the thunder and lightning! It was so loud and seemed to stay right on top of us for forever. Antonio was so tired from the day he fell right to sleep as it was getting close. He slept through the whole thing, I was shocked. By the time the storm passed the campground was pretty quiet!

Eek!

We knew the storm was coming, so before we went to bed we put everything in our car in case it rained a lot. I was glad we did. It rained but you could barely tell the next morning since the trees protected us so much. The next morning, since it was on the chilly side, we got up, had breakfast and packed up. We were home before 11; it was great!

We seemed to have camped through the two (preferred) camping extreme's this year. When we went with The Eberlein's in June, it was cold and rainy the whole time. This time it was hot and had a thunder/lightning storm. Our tent held up really well for both. We are thinking about getting a bigger tent but I hate to get a different one since this one is so good. It would be so nice to have a bigger one so we could move around a little easier and weren't so cozy. We currently have a 4-person tent and would love a 5-6 person tent so not a lot bigger but bigger. If you have any suggestions on brands, I'd love to hear them.

Since our trip was so successful we plan on doing it again next year and probably to the same place.  We might even try out another one that is pretty close too. Antonio is such a great camper. He loves helping with the fire, having s'mores, sleeping outside and exploring the campground. He only "bit it" once, granted it was a good one. He scrapped the heck out of his elbow, knee, chest (yes, chest too) and ended up with a mouthful of dirt. Poor kid. After listening to so many kids around us, fussing/crying, and flat out talking very loudly, I counted my blessings that he is so well behaved, 90% of the time! ;)

Happy boy with a s'more!