Math In His Head

Xander insists he can eat four more than six fish sticks. When I did not add the two numbers for him, he said, "Let me try if I can do it." In his head, not using his fingers, he counted and came up with ten.

"Ten. I can eat ten fish sticks next time we get them at Target, Mom."

Learning

This is Xander before his second day of school, wearing a new outfit and his Parent Pick-Up badge. I swear it's just the way I took the picture; his body and feet really are not quite that tiny.

 

Here is Nick learning shapes, colors, and numbers with Cars:

Fourthday

Thursday is going to be our challenging day, I think.

I slept a little bit late.

Xander slept a little bit late.

I didn't even get coffee or breakfast together for anyone except the kids until much later.

Lunches were packed this morning instead of last night, meaning other morning things didn't get done. I was pretty tired of packing them by today.

Erik and I both (I think I can speak for both of us here) were a bit draggy and hazy.

However...Xander got to school in regular time, which is actually a bit early because Erik takes him on the way to work, and he even had on clean clothes, had brushed his teeth, had his hair combed, and didn't forget his backpack or lunchbox; I remembered at the last minute to put in his little lunchbox note which I think he is beginning to really like; I was able to clean up the kitchen later in the morning; Nick had a pretty regular morning and good nap; and Erik took PTO to come home early today! Nick and I don't even have to sweat in the pick-up lane to get Xander this afternoon!

We made it through Fourthday (my new term for the hardest day of the schoolweek to face)!

Oh, and last night I met with the PTA president because I had put my name down as interested on the Parent Education program sheet. Education? Parent? That's all about me!

So now I am the PTA Parent Education Chair. Erik says he is totally there for me. Um, didn't I make this same mistake last fall? Didn't I say I was never volunteering to be in charge of something again? Nick is speaking in new more complicated sentences every day, Xander is flourishing in kindergarten, Erik is searching for and finding new ways to network in his job, and I am.dumb.as.a.rock.

First Day of Kindergarten

I'm afraid our oldest child is not our "baby" anymore.

Remember this guy?

 The more Xander grows and learns, the more fun it is for us as parents, but as a mother I can't help but feel that baby receding further and further into the past. I don't want to forget that precious baby!

Okay, he was a handful. But precious.

Still, our big boy is so special. I am sure he is having lots of fun right now. I can't wait to hear about it. Up until now I have had too much to do to think about him being officially off to kindergarten, but writing this, I am getting choked up. Go ahead and laugh at me, Erik, I'm keeping it real.

Here are his not-entirely-perfect first day of school photos:

Yes, that is a tiny Kindergarten sign in one hand and a tiny Lego Atlantis brochure in his other hand. He wanted to pose with both.

Here is Nick looking cute on his older brother's first day of school:

 

Thanks for the outfit, Great-Grandma and Grandma Lucy! Xander will be wearing his matching one tomorrow.

Do you want to see the flowers Erik got me for our 7th anniversary?

I made him a movie gift basket including a horror movie (which I HATE watching!) because our first unofficial date was watching horror movies together. That was 11 years ago.

We plan to go out together for a nice dinner when Mom and Grandma are in town. Free babysitting. :)

Dinner Request

Their dad's out of town and this is the request for dinner:

1. bacon
2. fish sticks
3. mashed potatoes
4. milk

Children do love their  white-ish yellow-ish dinners, don't they? (Me, too.)

Early in the Morning

It's 6:45 a.m. I am sitting at the computer and Nick is at the table eating mandarin oranges.

I just sneezed a couple of times and said, "Excuse me!"

Nick said, "Besh you."

I had no idea he knew to say that after a sneeze. In the last week, he has become a sophisticated sentence user, too. I don't mean that he is particularly sophisticated; the sentences he uses have become more sophisticated. :)

Sleeping Knight

A knight is always prepared.

The Feasts of Hogwarts

I think I mentioned before that Erik has begun reading the Harry Potter books to Xander. They are still reading the first book, in which Harry has entered school at Hogwarts and learned the game of quidditch. Xander likes it.

Last night Erik took him to another getting-ready-for-kindergarten tour at the school. Today we gave him a going-to-kindergarten gift of a nice yubo lunchbox (with the pirates theme, the one he picked out).

Xander said, "I need help getting to the school, Mom. I can't get there by myself."

I told him we would be dropping him off and picking him up. He asked when we would be picking him up. Then he asked if he would ever be staying overnight and sleeping at the school. I said no, he would be coming home every afternoon.

"Then how will they give us the feasts?" he asked.

It came to me, suddenly. He thought kindergarten was going to be like Hogwarts, with students living there and having occasional feasts in their grand hall. After thinking how cool that would indeed be if Hogwarts were real (except for the danger), I explained to him the difference between boarding schools and the school he would be going to, and reminded him that Hogwarts was part of a made-up story.

He is reluctant to give up the idea of feasts. Who can blame him? But he cheered up a bit when I mentioned they might sometimes have parties during the day with lots of food. On special occasions.

Bunk Beds Are Completed!