Day 140 (5/20/11) - Teacher Appreciation

Ryan and his classmates created a scrapbook to thank their preschool teachers for all they had done for them during the school year.  Each student was given two pages to complete for the scrapbook.  The first page was for photos and the second was for the student to express his or her appreciation.  Ryan chose to display his pictures using blue and yellow construction paper (his two favorite colors) and then decorated the page with hand-drawn hearts, flowers, and swirls.  Then, using the letters in the word "teacher," Ryan wrote adjectives that described the traits a good teacher should exemplify and then thanked them for being such great teachers. 

Day 139 (5/19/11) - Soccer Trophy

Today was Ryan's last soccer class for the Spring session.  He has been enrolled in a weekly soccer class in Hunt Valley (which is about 40 minutes away) since last September.  So, we've decided to take the next couple of months off and enjoy a somewhat less hectic schedule.  When he returns to playing soccer in the late Summer/early Fall, he'll be playing in a local league, similar to the tee ball league he's in now.  The most exciting part is that Daddy will be one of his assistant coaches!

When handing out the trophies, the coach described Ryan as the best defensive player, the player with the best ball handling skills, and the most improved overall.

Day 138 (5/18/11) - Running on Dunkin'

What better way to start the day than with chocolate sprinkle donuts from Dunkin' Donuts?!  Our donut dates have become a bi-weekly (sometimes weekly) tradition for us.  The staff at Dunkin' Donuts is starting to recognize us now.  It's only a matter of time before they put a commemorative plaque engraved with our names on the high table where we always sit!

Day 137 (5/17/11) - Swim Lessons

I enrolled the boys in swim classes to get them ready for what I hope will be a summer filled with a lot of beach and pool time!  Gavin and I took a Mommy and Me class, while Ryan participated in his first solo swim lessons. 

The water apparently has a claming effect on Gavin because he would float peacefully and let Mommy do all the work, earning himself the nickname "laidback lazybones!"  He also loved to float on his back and feel his hair swooshing back and forth in the water.  He even dozed off a couple of times when we sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Since both classes were scheduled at the same time, I was able to glance over occassionally and watch Ryan out of the corner of my eye.  I was amazed at how brave he was and how much he learned in just a few short weeks.  By the second class he was paddling to the deep end and back by himself (with the aid of a floatation device and a pool noodle, but no adult holding on to him).  He even practiced jumping in without a floatation device.  The instructor predicted it's only a matter of time before he's swimming on his own.  She suggested having him re-take the class one more time to perfect his "reach and pull" stroke technique and increase his comfort putting his head underwater.

Day 136 (5/16/11) - Tree Huggers

I'm not sure if they're trying to climb the tree or rip it out like they've watched me do over the past few days.  Regardless of their intentions, not much progress was made on either front since the branches are too high to reach and the tree is anchored firmly to the ground.  Perhaps I should re-direct their efforts to mulching under the tree! 

Day 135 (5/15/11) - Crafty Kids

Nana and Pop Pop had lots of activities planned to entertain the boys while Mommy and Daddy drove to the nursery to pick out flowers.  They made caterpillars, birds, and bugs out of Play Doh, a vase of flowers made from a painted egg carton and colored straws, and ladybugs made out of strawberries, grapes, and mini chocolate chips.  The boys especially enjoyed the strawberry ladybugs because they got to eat them after they finished assembling them.  Gavin stuffed them into his mouth until strawberry juice ran down his cheeks and dripped off his chin! 

Since Daddy had been working a string of late shifts and then coming home to work in the yard, Mommy decided to give him a break and let him rest!  While he and Ryan napped, Mommy and Pop Pop started planting the shrubs and flowers while Nana and Gavin played ball, looked for treasures to pull in his wagon, and went for a ride in the mini police car.  When Ryan woke up, he joined in all the outdoor fun.

Later they made dirt cake with gummy worms as an edible celebration of our nearly completed landscaping project and a not-so-subtle reminder of the freakishly large worms I unearthed in the process!

Day 134 (5/14/11) - Muddy Mess

Nana and Pop Pop came to visit and to watch the boys while Mommy and Daddy did some yard work.  Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you look at it - it rained all weekend.  On one hand, the cool, misty air was far more comfortable to work in than hot, humid air.  It also made the soil softer and easier to till, rake, and trench.  However, it also made for a muddy mess, both on the tee ball field and in the yard!

Pop Pop and Gavin cheer Ryan on during his tee ball game. 

When we warned Gavin that the muddy conditions outside may get his shoes dirty, he decided to wear Daddy's instead.

Being a mom to boys is forcing me to relax and not be so uptight.  When I first saw Ryan rolling in the dirt, my initial reaction was to redirect his attention to something less filthy.  Eventually (with some coaxing by Mike), I convinced myself that the joy of belly flopping in freshly tilled soil outweighs the possibility of permanent mud/clay stains.  I did still wince a little every time I saw him run and launch himself into the pile of dirt though!

Day 133 (5/13/11) - Our Pacifist Navy SEAL

Gavin is one tough, scrappy little boy.  Heck, he barely cried several months ago when he nearly severed his finger!  Now, since he still has that cute little clumsy toddler run, he'll often stumble and scrape his knees.  Or, he'll fall while trying to ride his (or Ryan's) bike and scrape an elbow or knee.  He's also gotten a few goose eggs from falling off a chair or while climbing on furniture or toys as he tries to reach something that's inaccessible.  On each of these occasions, if anything, he'll briefly whimper, then resume what he was doing.

Given how rugged he is, it always tickles us to see him doing something as gentle, peaceful, and tender as picking flowers.  To pass the time while Ryan plays tee ball, Gavin roams the grassy fields looking for dandelions.  In fact, I've documented several times over the past couple of weeks when he's gathered flowers.  He especially likes blowing dandelions and watching the seeds float away.  Regardless of whether he's a Navy SEAL, a pacifist, or anything in between, I hope the belief about blowing dandelion seeds is true (i.e., "when you wish upon a a dandelion and blow all the spores away, close your eyes, make a wish, and may they all come true some day") and that all of Gavin's dreams and wishes come true.  

Day 132 (5/12/11) - Good Clean Fun

I have found that any activity that includes Daddy, water, and being outside is a huge hit.  It's far more difficult to generate the same level of excitement or enlist cooperation for indoor household chores, even those that require water such as washing dishes, doing laundry, scrubbing toilets, and washing windows (not that I've ever done the last one!).

The three of them offer a very comprehensive car washing service.  Gavin begins with an extensive hand wash of the vehicle and the surrounding sidewalk and grass (we eventually had to replace his sponge with a washcloth since he was washing the car with mulch and stones embedded in the sponge!).  Ryan performs the detail work like cleaning the wheels.  Daddy then rinses everything and washes the areas that are out of reach as well as any spots that were missed (basically the entire car!).

Day 131 (5/11/11) - Birthday Book

Given his late-summer birthday, Ryan was the last one in his preschool class to update the Birthday Book.  The Birthday Book is an album created by his teacher to document the interests and ambitions of her students as well as capture their handwriting and drawings from when they were preschoolers.  Each student is asked to complete 4 pages.  They were encouraged to decorate the pages any way they wanted - with stickers, photos, hand-drawn pictures, magazine clippings, etc.  On the day of their scheduled birthday celebration, each child was invited to share their Birthday Book pages with their classmates.  For the final page, which asks what they want to be when they grow up, the teacher has the other students try to guess the correct answer.  Apparently the kids love this part because Ryan would come home from school and inform me what each of his classmates wanted to be.  (It seems as though the girls want to be horse trainers or ballerinas while the boys want to be clone troopers or firemen.)

Ryan was very excited to finally have his chance to do his Birthday Book pages.  For three nights, we worked on it after Gavin had gone to bed.  He insisted on doing all the handwriting himself, which was pretty impressive and ambitious given the amount of writing required and the fact that many of his peers' parents had written or typed the answers for their child.  I would read him the question, he'd come up with his answer, then I'd spell it for him while he wrote it in the appropriate space.  Thankfully, I was able to persuade him to use a pencil instead of a marker because there was a lot of erasing and re-writing that took place as he learned about letter spacing and size.  After all of the writing was finished and the photos were glued, he decorated the pages with crayon drawings and stickers.  We were both pleased with the finished product.  He was proud of what he had created and I was amazed at how his fine motor skills have improved since the beginning of the school year as his handwriting and drawings have improved tremendously!          

Day 130 (5/10/11) - Yardwork

After spending the Gross National Product of Peru in landscaping plans for the front, back, and side yards and watching many of our neighbors trim, mulch, and plant, we finally decided to tackle our front landscaping.  Mike wearily agreed to the project but warned that I'd have to do much of the work because his upcoming work schedule would be so demanding.  Since Mike was completely exhausted and sleep deprived when he gave his blessing, I figured I should make as much progress as possible before he came to his senses and changed his mind!  So, this afternoon while the boys were napping, I started digging up the shrubs that weren't included in the plan the landscaper had created for the front of our house.  They were stunned when they woke up and discovered what I had done while they were sleeping!  While I was proud of what I had accomplished, I was also overwhelmed by the project that I had committed to on a whim!  There was no turning back and no time to waste since I had reduced much of our existing front landscaping to bare soil.  Imagine my relief when I realized that I had two little helpers who were eager to help dig in the dirt!

Day 129 (5/9/11) - Hockey Game

The boys like to play indoor hockey using plastic golf clubs as hockey sticks and a wooden piece of pepperoni from a Melissa and Doug pizza set as the hockey "pick."  We keep correcting Ryan that it's called a puck, but he seems to prefer his term instead.  I'm not sure how they score because no clear boundary or goal lines are ever drawn.  And, unlike traditional hockey games, there are not two opposing teams, but rather three separate players.  Although I try to keep the body checking and other rough defensive techniques to a minimum, there is the usual trash talking between the players!

Day 128 (5/8/11) - Just Hangin' Out

It probably sounds a bit strange considering I'm a full-time stay-at-home mom, but for Mother's Day, all I wanted was to spend time with my boys.  The day couldn't have been more perfect!  It began with a delicious breakfast, complete with scrapple and ketchup.  Breakfast was particularly special since I knew it was made with love (Mike had rushed home to prepare it after working the overnight shift and getting little to no sleep)  Then we went to City Park to play for a couple of hours.  We chased each other around the playground, played hide-and-seek, raced down slides, and climbed to the top of the jungle gym. When we grew tired of the playground, we relocated to the adjacent grassy area to play soccer, which somehow morphed into a game of tee ball at the nearby baseball diamond.  Since we only had a soccer ball and three players, we had to improvise.  (Gavin was more interested in drawing in the sand in the outfield using a stick he had found.)  Of course, the mechanics of the game were immaterial since we let Ryan win.  Tired, sweaty, dirty, and hungry we picked up Olive Garden on the way home for an early dinner.  Unfortunately, Mike had to go back to work that night, but the boys and I enjoyed another hour or two playing outside before a much-needed bath and early bedtime (which meant some quiet "me" time for Mommy!)  

Day 127 (5/7/11) - My Little Hero

"It's time to knock one out of the park

You're my T-ball Hero you see

But if all you can do is swing till you're blue

You're still a hero to me

And I'll never forget the first ball you hit

It seemed like a home run to me

I shouted and hollered and got all excited

As I watched you do your best for me

That makes you a hero - a - T-Ball 'Hall of Fame'er'

Regardless what others might see
Because that's how I see you - You're My Little Hero

And forever that you'll always be"

-- Robert Yborra