The school year is winding down...Buggy has his last day of preschool tomorrow with a class picnic on Thursday, and Peanut has just under three weeks of school left now in her kindergarten year. Spring session for swim team ends at the end of this week, and soccer has only one practice/game left a week from Saturday (they took off this Saturday due to Memorial Day).
Right after soccer ends, Buggy will try his hand at t-ball. I think his Daddy is pretty excited - and it's looking like he might end up coaching. Hopefully that will be a lot of fun for them. Then after school gets out for Peanut she's going to try her hand at basketball. There's a two week camp offered at her school so we'll see if it really is 'her thing' like she thinks it's going to be.
Speaking of 'her thing', our little rockstar had another swim meet last weekend - Spring Tune-Up. She did a great job and managed to get best times in all events from diving off the edge of the pool (instead of off the block). 25 backstroke and 25 butterfly were her best times ever - 25 freestyle and 25 breaststroke she's gone a little faster before but only from the blocks. She ended up with two 4th place finishes (back and fly) and two 6th place finishes (free and breast). She had an absolute blast and I am loving watching her swim her heart out and improve tremendously!
Peanut had her dance recital a couple of weekends ago and I continue to be ridiculously impressed by her presence and grace onstage. She carries herself so well and really shines in the spotlight. You can tell she loves it up there. She had considered being done with dance after this year....but then the recital came around and she got a taste of the stage again and now she is reconsidering. We will see - it's a mighty big commitment to make for a mere two minutes in the spotlight once per year. Both from a time and financial standpoint. We'll revisit the possibility of dance class again at the end of the summer.
This was a short update, but it's late and I'm pretty exhausted. Hopefully I can write more next time.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
April 2017
It's been just a few months shy of a year since I last updated, and there have been oh so many changes in our active household!
At the end of last summer, Peanut decided she was officially done with gymnastics so we gave notice and stopped before the school year started. By her last day in the gym, she had climbed up the rope with ease and was starting to climb without using her feet to help her (but only making it about a third of the way up before she needed to start using feet again). She had also been able to perform a pullover on the bars, which is where she would put her chin up to the bar and kick her feet over the other side until her body was over the bar. It was definitely a good decision to stop gymnastics when she did, she was starting to stress out and not enjoy her time in the gym (4 hours per week with the starfires) - that's a good indication that it's time to move on!
The first day of school rolled around and Peanut started Kindergarten in Mrs. Lewis' class. What an amazing fit! She adores school, and is really the top in her class across the board. Her teacher is very sweet and encouraging, and the kids have lots of time to dance, move, and sing between lessons. We are actually really sad to see the school year wrapping up already and are very hopeful she will get another amazing teacher for first grade!
A couple weeks after Peanut started school, buggy started preschool. He is also doing well, but is adjusting to staying in line and following directions. He is awesome with the alphabet - both uppercase and lowercase letters, and is doing pretty well with numbers (he can count to 20 if he takes his time, but routinely makes it to 13 without mistakes). He knows his colors and shapes and knows many of the letter sounds, but is starting to get frustrated when I try to work with him on them.
Throughout the fall, we really just tried to get the kids transitioned into the school year and kept activities to a minimum. Peanut did dance class Monday nights, and Buggy did tennis lessons Monday nights, just down the road from each other. Buggy also took swim lessons on Wednesday mornings while Peanut was in school (he is only in preschool Tuesday and Thursday mornings). Other than that, we stayed home and let them play and get used to the long days at school. Peanut occasionally had private swim lessons when her instructor was visiting from college.
In January, her private swim teacher talked us into starting swim team, and Peanut LOVES that. We typically go 2 to 3 times a week depending on our schedule and she has really enjoyed the swim meets. She even took third place at the 8 and under championship meet for the 6 and under girls division! She's pretty talented and a hard worker. We kept her in level 1 for the winter term due to the timing of practices, but allowed her to move to level 2 for spring term (it ends a half hour earlier than winter term). Level 1's practiced 45 minutes and level 2's practice 1 hour and 15 minutes. Level 2's swim a whole lot more than the level 1's did though.
We are coming up on the last tennis lesson for buggy tomorrow, and a few weeks later will wrap up dance for Peanut. She has decided to be done dancing after the recital. I'm okay with that; she wants to try soccer (both her and buggy just started that yesterday) and basketball (we're signing her up for camp the first few weeks of summer).
Soccer, as I said earlier, began yesterday and it was hilariously adorable. The coach did a great job in handling Buggy, who is the youngest one on the team and wasn't really getting it at first (when they told him to dribble the ball, he tried to dribble like they do in basketball!). By the end of the first scrimmage, he was trying to run after and kick the ball (even if he wasn't staying in his zone all of the time). Peanut did awesome! She scored a goal, and had an awesome assist for her teammate on offense (instead of going for another goal for herself right after the first one). Then she almost had another goal again, but a kid from the other team was standing in the goal (there isn't supposed to be a goalie), and managed to stop the ball with his face (ouch!). It was honestly a great kick, that she was really excited about, but she felt really bad that she hurt the other kid. He sat out for a minute, but came back into the game and played the rest of the time so he ended up being okay.
I think that's about all for now, hopefully I will remember to update this again sooner rather than later!
At the end of last summer, Peanut decided she was officially done with gymnastics so we gave notice and stopped before the school year started. By her last day in the gym, she had climbed up the rope with ease and was starting to climb without using her feet to help her (but only making it about a third of the way up before she needed to start using feet again). She had also been able to perform a pullover on the bars, which is where she would put her chin up to the bar and kick her feet over the other side until her body was over the bar. It was definitely a good decision to stop gymnastics when she did, she was starting to stress out and not enjoy her time in the gym (4 hours per week with the starfires) - that's a good indication that it's time to move on!
The first day of school rolled around and Peanut started Kindergarten in Mrs. Lewis' class. What an amazing fit! She adores school, and is really the top in her class across the board. Her teacher is very sweet and encouraging, and the kids have lots of time to dance, move, and sing between lessons. We are actually really sad to see the school year wrapping up already and are very hopeful she will get another amazing teacher for first grade!
A couple weeks after Peanut started school, buggy started preschool. He is also doing well, but is adjusting to staying in line and following directions. He is awesome with the alphabet - both uppercase and lowercase letters, and is doing pretty well with numbers (he can count to 20 if he takes his time, but routinely makes it to 13 without mistakes). He knows his colors and shapes and knows many of the letter sounds, but is starting to get frustrated when I try to work with him on them.
Throughout the fall, we really just tried to get the kids transitioned into the school year and kept activities to a minimum. Peanut did dance class Monday nights, and Buggy did tennis lessons Monday nights, just down the road from each other. Buggy also took swim lessons on Wednesday mornings while Peanut was in school (he is only in preschool Tuesday and Thursday mornings). Other than that, we stayed home and let them play and get used to the long days at school. Peanut occasionally had private swim lessons when her instructor was visiting from college.
In January, her private swim teacher talked us into starting swim team, and Peanut LOVES that. We typically go 2 to 3 times a week depending on our schedule and she has really enjoyed the swim meets. She even took third place at the 8 and under championship meet for the 6 and under girls division! She's pretty talented and a hard worker. We kept her in level 1 for the winter term due to the timing of practices, but allowed her to move to level 2 for spring term (it ends a half hour earlier than winter term). Level 1's practiced 45 minutes and level 2's practice 1 hour and 15 minutes. Level 2's swim a whole lot more than the level 1's did though.
We are coming up on the last tennis lesson for buggy tomorrow, and a few weeks later will wrap up dance for Peanut. She has decided to be done dancing after the recital. I'm okay with that; she wants to try soccer (both her and buggy just started that yesterday) and basketball (we're signing her up for camp the first few weeks of summer).
Soccer, as I said earlier, began yesterday and it was hilariously adorable. The coach did a great job in handling Buggy, who is the youngest one on the team and wasn't really getting it at first (when they told him to dribble the ball, he tried to dribble like they do in basketball!). By the end of the first scrimmage, he was trying to run after and kick the ball (even if he wasn't staying in his zone all of the time). Peanut did awesome! She scored a goal, and had an awesome assist for her teammate on offense (instead of going for another goal for herself right after the first one). Then she almost had another goal again, but a kid from the other team was standing in the goal (there isn't supposed to be a goalie), and managed to stop the ball with his face (ouch!). It was honestly a great kick, that she was really excited about, but she felt really bad that she hurt the other kid. He sat out for a minute, but came back into the game and played the rest of the time so he ended up being okay.
I think that's about all for now, hopefully I will remember to update this again sooner rather than later!
Sunday, June 5, 2016
June 2016
Clearly this blog has not been a priority...but here's a look at what the kids have been up to over the past few months!
Peanut:
Just finished up our second year of preschool -- this is so bittersweet. We are remarkably proud of the great work she's done, but it's so sad to say goodbye to a few hours of preschool each week and prepare for full day kindergarten in the fall. My baby! She is reading pretty well now, and can conquer the Biscuit, Silly Milly, Pete the Cat books by herself with ease. She reads Amelia Bedelia and Princess Posey type books with us watching to help with a difficult word here and there. I just started reading Magic Treehouse books to her and she can't seem to get enough. She keeps asking for another chapter! Her writing has really improved, and she is a pro at writing her first and last name now. She can count to 100 by 1's, 2's, and 10's. We are still working on the 5's. She can do basic addition and subtraction problems as long as she has a manipulative to hold and count out to help her. She loves word problems so we tend to do those in the car as we drive places. She has learned the months of the year (September still trips her up every once in a while) and has known the days of the week for quite a while. She still loves science, and is pretty into space/the solar system. She knows what street we live on, what city, and what state, and most of the time can recite the number of our house. She is pretty excited for kindergarten, but she knows I'm having a tough time thinking about it!
Peanut just had gymnastics tryouts for next year. She did the very best job she could have and I was so proud. The tryout process takes around four hours so it was a long day for our little lady. She sat patiently for the tryout to start, while a lot of the other kids were messing around and getting in trouble. Although she isn't the most flexible kid out there by any means, she tried her hardest. She rocked the push up station and looked amazing with her form and how many she could do. She managed to get 2.5 pull ups on the bars and 5 leg lifts, which was pretty impressive. On the rope, she did three full pulls without her legs helping her, and then scurried her way to the top of the rope easily using her feet after that. She was one of the top performers in the handstand bridge kick over station and had a nice cartwheel and round off. She attempted a forward handspring even though she had never tried one before and actually did a decent try - although she didn't land on her feet. She did her best job to run fast at the first vault station and got full points for her handstand fall flat at the second vault station. She tried her best for her handstand and cartwheel on beam - her handstand didn't get real straight, but she started and finished on the beam. Her cartwheel didn't finish on the beam but she gave her best effort. She tried hard for the pullover on bars, but didn't quite make it. At the end, all of the gymnasts did as many sit ups as they could in 90 seconds - Peanut managed to get 46! Way to go, kiddo - we are so proud of you!!
Buggy:
He is such a smartie. He knows his colors and shapes for the most part, and can count to over 10. The biggest success is that he has learned most of the capital letters by recognition!! He's getting better at singing the ABC's - he still gets a little confused sometimes by the L-M-N-O-P section and occasionally waits at one of the other letters for me to help him out. He is not interested in starting preschool at all (which he will be in the fall) and keeps telling me he is little. Love that boy.
He has the sweetest heart ever. He constantly wants to help out and get you things and take care of stuff for you. He is very independent and wants to do it all by himself. His favorite thing ever is playing outside. He has only been on his bike a few times but is starting to get the hang of it a little bit. He loves to play in the water
Buggy is taking the summer off of gymnastics, but starting in the fall he will officially be out of the mommy and me class and on his own in the beginner 3-4 year old class.
Next week begins tennis lessons for both kiddos and then the week after we start swim lessons too! Busy but fun summer, coming up :) Can't wait for the sunshine and laughter!
Peanut:
Just finished up our second year of preschool -- this is so bittersweet. We are remarkably proud of the great work she's done, but it's so sad to say goodbye to a few hours of preschool each week and prepare for full day kindergarten in the fall. My baby! She is reading pretty well now, and can conquer the Biscuit, Silly Milly, Pete the Cat books by herself with ease. She reads Amelia Bedelia and Princess Posey type books with us watching to help with a difficult word here and there. I just started reading Magic Treehouse books to her and she can't seem to get enough. She keeps asking for another chapter! Her writing has really improved, and she is a pro at writing her first and last name now. She can count to 100 by 1's, 2's, and 10's. We are still working on the 5's. She can do basic addition and subtraction problems as long as she has a manipulative to hold and count out to help her. She loves word problems so we tend to do those in the car as we drive places. She has learned the months of the year (September still trips her up every once in a while) and has known the days of the week for quite a while. She still loves science, and is pretty into space/the solar system. She knows what street we live on, what city, and what state, and most of the time can recite the number of our house. She is pretty excited for kindergarten, but she knows I'm having a tough time thinking about it!
Peanut just had gymnastics tryouts for next year. She did the very best job she could have and I was so proud. The tryout process takes around four hours so it was a long day for our little lady. She sat patiently for the tryout to start, while a lot of the other kids were messing around and getting in trouble. Although she isn't the most flexible kid out there by any means, she tried her hardest. She rocked the push up station and looked amazing with her form and how many she could do. She managed to get 2.5 pull ups on the bars and 5 leg lifts, which was pretty impressive. On the rope, she did three full pulls without her legs helping her, and then scurried her way to the top of the rope easily using her feet after that. She was one of the top performers in the handstand bridge kick over station and had a nice cartwheel and round off. She attempted a forward handspring even though she had never tried one before and actually did a decent try - although she didn't land on her feet. She did her best job to run fast at the first vault station and got full points for her handstand fall flat at the second vault station. She tried her best for her handstand and cartwheel on beam - her handstand didn't get real straight, but she started and finished on the beam. Her cartwheel didn't finish on the beam but she gave her best effort. She tried hard for the pullover on bars, but didn't quite make it. At the end, all of the gymnasts did as many sit ups as they could in 90 seconds - Peanut managed to get 46! Way to go, kiddo - we are so proud of you!!
Buggy:
He is such a smartie. He knows his colors and shapes for the most part, and can count to over 10. The biggest success is that he has learned most of the capital letters by recognition!! He's getting better at singing the ABC's - he still gets a little confused sometimes by the L-M-N-O-P section and occasionally waits at one of the other letters for me to help him out. He is not interested in starting preschool at all (which he will be in the fall) and keeps telling me he is little. Love that boy.
He has the sweetest heart ever. He constantly wants to help out and get you things and take care of stuff for you. He is very independent and wants to do it all by himself. His favorite thing ever is playing outside. He has only been on his bike a few times but is starting to get the hang of it a little bit. He loves to play in the water
Buggy is taking the summer off of gymnastics, but starting in the fall he will officially be out of the mommy and me class and on his own in the beginner 3-4 year old class.
Next week begins tennis lessons for both kiddos and then the week after we start swim lessons too! Busy but fun summer, coming up :) Can't wait for the sunshine and laughter!
Saturday, January 16, 2016
We've been busy
I just randomly thought of this blog today, it's been a while since the idea of posting has crossed my mind. So much has happened in the months since my last post! There's a lot to document and catch up on....
Where to start? By the end of summer 2015, Peanut had been moved up to level 4 in swim lessons (the youngest one her teacher had ever had!) and was doing fairly well but is still working on improving her endurance/stamina and not stopping to chat with the teacher every few strokes. She is still in level 4 but really is kind of in between a level 4 and a level 5. She passes everything but the breaststroke fairly easily for level 4 (and she could pass the breaststroke if she would just swim 25 yards without chatting in the middle - she's a talker). Honestly I don't really care what level they put her in, and I told her teacher that, as long as they keep working to improve her strokes. She would be in level 5 for a while anyway, so I'm not in a hurry to get her there. In level 5 she needs to do 50 yards of each stroke except butterfly - I think that's just 25 yards in level 5. Her dive has gotten remarkably better, except that she often forgets to put her arms up in the streamline position. When reminded, though, it looks great.
At the beginning of the fall, Peanut started her second year of preschool. She really is a smart cookie. She knows all of her letters and letter sounds, although needs reminders about a few of the letter sounds occasionally. She is pretty good at single digit addition and subtraction problems, can write fairly well and has made it through reading all of the beginner BOB books. We just moved into the advancing beginner BOB series and she has made it through two stories, but I really need to order the next few sets because we will be there in no time. We usually tackle one new book a night. She is very interested in science - we built a "volcano" over Christmas break and talked about volcanoes before making it erupt. She also is fascinated by space, so we've been discussing the planets and the sun/moon. On the geography front, we've been trying to learn about the United States a little bit and distinguish the difference between road, city, state, etc. Thanks to a song from her school, she's learned the days of the week. I'd like to tackle the months and start teaching her about currency soon, too.
In gymnastics, Peanut has really come a long way. At the beginning of the fall term her teacher switched, and we are now back with Miss Lina. We love Miss Lina. She knows how to challenge the kids and push them while making things fun. Peanut is working on her back handspring (with help) on the trampoline, her beginner vault, climbing the rope (She made it 1/3 of the way up! And earned a prize - a new lego set), handstands, cartwheels, etc. She just learned how to do a bridge with one leg extended in the air - it is beautiful! She has been working very hard and the hard work is paying off - she is getting a lot stronger.
For dance class, Peanut is having a blast. They do creative movement and it really has helped her gain confidence and encourages her imagination. She has so much fun in class and always asks if it is time to return to dance.
Buggy is doing some awesome things too! In swimming, he is working on jumping in by himself and floating. He really does a good job with his scoops and his kicks, and he thinks he is swimming as he does them while moving across the bottom of the pool at the very shallow end of the zero entry (it is really cute!).
In gymnastics, Bug is doing a great job with listening and following directions - he is very independent and wants to do everything 'by myself'. He loves bars and the trampoline and pit.
For school prep, Bug has been working hard on his colors, shapes, counting, and we are now working on the alphabet and letter recognition. He still has zero interest in potty training and needs to work on his speech, so we will see if he ends up going to two years of preschool or just one.
At the end of October, we took a family trip to Disney with my parents and brother and soon to be sister-in-law and had a wonderful time. The kids had so much fun and we left completely exhausted. I will write a full post on that later, hopefully. I just need to remember!
Where to start? By the end of summer 2015, Peanut had been moved up to level 4 in swim lessons (the youngest one her teacher had ever had!) and was doing fairly well but is still working on improving her endurance/stamina and not stopping to chat with the teacher every few strokes. She is still in level 4 but really is kind of in between a level 4 and a level 5. She passes everything but the breaststroke fairly easily for level 4 (and she could pass the breaststroke if she would just swim 25 yards without chatting in the middle - she's a talker). Honestly I don't really care what level they put her in, and I told her teacher that, as long as they keep working to improve her strokes. She would be in level 5 for a while anyway, so I'm not in a hurry to get her there. In level 5 she needs to do 50 yards of each stroke except butterfly - I think that's just 25 yards in level 5. Her dive has gotten remarkably better, except that she often forgets to put her arms up in the streamline position. When reminded, though, it looks great.
At the beginning of the fall, Peanut started her second year of preschool. She really is a smart cookie. She knows all of her letters and letter sounds, although needs reminders about a few of the letter sounds occasionally. She is pretty good at single digit addition and subtraction problems, can write fairly well and has made it through reading all of the beginner BOB books. We just moved into the advancing beginner BOB series and she has made it through two stories, but I really need to order the next few sets because we will be there in no time. We usually tackle one new book a night. She is very interested in science - we built a "volcano" over Christmas break and talked about volcanoes before making it erupt. She also is fascinated by space, so we've been discussing the planets and the sun/moon. On the geography front, we've been trying to learn about the United States a little bit and distinguish the difference between road, city, state, etc. Thanks to a song from her school, she's learned the days of the week. I'd like to tackle the months and start teaching her about currency soon, too.
In gymnastics, Peanut has really come a long way. At the beginning of the fall term her teacher switched, and we are now back with Miss Lina. We love Miss Lina. She knows how to challenge the kids and push them while making things fun. Peanut is working on her back handspring (with help) on the trampoline, her beginner vault, climbing the rope (She made it 1/3 of the way up! And earned a prize - a new lego set), handstands, cartwheels, etc. She just learned how to do a bridge with one leg extended in the air - it is beautiful! She has been working very hard and the hard work is paying off - she is getting a lot stronger.
For dance class, Peanut is having a blast. They do creative movement and it really has helped her gain confidence and encourages her imagination. She has so much fun in class and always asks if it is time to return to dance.
Buggy is doing some awesome things too! In swimming, he is working on jumping in by himself and floating. He really does a good job with his scoops and his kicks, and he thinks he is swimming as he does them while moving across the bottom of the pool at the very shallow end of the zero entry (it is really cute!).
In gymnastics, Bug is doing a great job with listening and following directions - he is very independent and wants to do everything 'by myself'. He loves bars and the trampoline and pit.
For school prep, Bug has been working hard on his colors, shapes, counting, and we are now working on the alphabet and letter recognition. He still has zero interest in potty training and needs to work on his speech, so we will see if he ends up going to two years of preschool or just one.
At the end of October, we took a family trip to Disney with my parents and brother and soon to be sister-in-law and had a wonderful time. The kids had so much fun and we left completely exhausted. I will write a full post on that later, hopefully. I just need to remember!
Monday, June 22, 2015
It's been a few months...again
Having a preschooler and a toddler who are very active has not left much time to update with all of the happenings around here, it seems like time has gotten away from me again!
Before diving into the wonderful achievements of my two little loves, I'm feeling especially sentimental tonight and just wanted to write some words on the wonderful character qualities each of the kids possess at this point in their lives. I wish I could make them stay little forever, but I know that is not the case :(.
Peanut is 4.5 right now and is one of the sweetest kids you'll meet, but she definitely has a sassy streak. She befriends everyone she meets and has the largest heart ever. She is continually optimistic and at this point, is not afraid of failure. She is so confident that even on her worst day she will say things like, "that's okay, I will try again tomorrow". Every time she gets something she's always thinking about getting similar things for the people she knows and cares about. Constantly talking, Peanut is like her Grandma O. in that she wants to fill the silence. She has taught me so much about being a mommy and although I know I've made mistakes, I am so incredibly proud of the young lady she is. My favorite thing to watch her do is play with her little mini dolls independently. She can play for hours all by herself in her own world she creates. Outside of the dolls, she loves to do arts and crafts (coloring, drawing, painting, etc). Peanut is my little mini-me in terms of behavior, which her Grandma M. loves to remind her of often. In fact, many many times does Grandma M. call out my name only to correct herself and say Peanut's name. Being so similar has some drawbacks, especially in that my patience tends to run shorter with her but I'm working on it and I love seeing the similarities between us.
- Current favorite colors: pink and purple and rainbow
- Swim lessons (summer): 4 days per week, 40 minutes per lesson, 5 to 7 age group. Currently at level 2, but very close to passing level 2 - in fact, so far this summer she has been the most advanced one in the pool for the 5 to 7 age category. Working on swimming freestyle with side breathing (has really gotten much better the past two weeks and can pass this now), backstroke for 5 yards with arms up by her ears (showing significant improvement already). Still working on the diving aspect.
- Gymnastics (summer): 2 days per week, 1.5 hours per lesson, COMETS. She is currently on break for a couple of weeks while her gym runs camps for the competitive kids, but after the 4th of July when it starts back up again, Peanut will be in a new group called Comets! That is the invitation only class for 5 to 7 year olds. Although I do think she is one of the weakest kids in the group, I hope that this will motivate her to work hard and make great improvements. I am so proud of her for the effort she's put in up to this point and that she has been recognized for how well she's doing. Just a couple of months ago she was bumped into this age category and now she's in the advanced group. My little athlete :) Still working on her splits and flexibility in general, but she has so much confidence on the high beam dancing around with her classmates.
- Dance: Off for the summer. We are trying a new studio in the fall called Happen dance. We will see how we like this compared to Spartan Dance Ctr. which we tried last year.
Buggy is 2 now and a total spitfire. He is sweet as can be and is a total Mama's boy, offering plenty of snuggles and kisses and hugs, but he knows how to find trouble. He is not afraid of anything (climbing, going underwater, trying anything new), gets into anything and everything, and is fiercely independent. He wants to do it by himself and he often doesn't even want you in the room to watch. Of course, this also means that he is somewhat accident prone. He gets a ton of boo-boos but he is one tough cookie. He wants a quick cuddle and then he wants to get down again to find more mischief. He loves playing with cars and doing arts and crafts, and anything that his sister likes to do because he wants to be one of the big kids. He loves slides (he calls them WEEs, because that's the sound you make when you go down them). He is very much into routines. Once you do something once, that's the way he wants it. Always. He has a very short temper and gets frustrated often, yelling loudly and making a scene for 30 seconds, then he's completely over it. We are still working on the rules - no biting, no hitting, no throwing toys, no pinching. He's talking a lot more now, but a lot of what he says is not easily understood. He is a pretty picky eater - but he loves junk food, fruit, cheese and yogurt.
-Swim lessons (summer): 4 days per week, 30 minutes per lesson, 2 to 3 age group. They don't do report cards for the 2 and 3 year olds, but buggy is kicking, blowing bubbles, retrieving rings, jumping in. He loves the water and loves his lessons for the most part - he definitely has favorite teachers.
-Gymnastics (summer): 1 day per week, 45 minutes per lesson, 18 months to 3 year age group. Buggy loves Miss Lina and I bet he will be so excited when we get to go back to the gym! His favorite thing to do are forward rolls, but he also loves doing the bars and going in the pit.
On the home front, our house is framed, the electrical/plumbing/HVAC is complete, siding is almost completely done and insulation has been put in throughout the house. Exciting steps and we can't wait to move in...in a few months!
Before diving into the wonderful achievements of my two little loves, I'm feeling especially sentimental tonight and just wanted to write some words on the wonderful character qualities each of the kids possess at this point in their lives. I wish I could make them stay little forever, but I know that is not the case :(.
Peanut is 4.5 right now and is one of the sweetest kids you'll meet, but she definitely has a sassy streak. She befriends everyone she meets and has the largest heart ever. She is continually optimistic and at this point, is not afraid of failure. She is so confident that even on her worst day she will say things like, "that's okay, I will try again tomorrow". Every time she gets something she's always thinking about getting similar things for the people she knows and cares about. Constantly talking, Peanut is like her Grandma O. in that she wants to fill the silence. She has taught me so much about being a mommy and although I know I've made mistakes, I am so incredibly proud of the young lady she is. My favorite thing to watch her do is play with her little mini dolls independently. She can play for hours all by herself in her own world she creates. Outside of the dolls, she loves to do arts and crafts (coloring, drawing, painting, etc). Peanut is my little mini-me in terms of behavior, which her Grandma M. loves to remind her of often. In fact, many many times does Grandma M. call out my name only to correct herself and say Peanut's name. Being so similar has some drawbacks, especially in that my patience tends to run shorter with her but I'm working on it and I love seeing the similarities between us.
- Current favorite colors: pink and purple and rainbow
- Swim lessons (summer): 4 days per week, 40 minutes per lesson, 5 to 7 age group. Currently at level 2, but very close to passing level 2 - in fact, so far this summer she has been the most advanced one in the pool for the 5 to 7 age category. Working on swimming freestyle with side breathing (has really gotten much better the past two weeks and can pass this now), backstroke for 5 yards with arms up by her ears (showing significant improvement already). Still working on the diving aspect.
- Gymnastics (summer): 2 days per week, 1.5 hours per lesson, COMETS. She is currently on break for a couple of weeks while her gym runs camps for the competitive kids, but after the 4th of July when it starts back up again, Peanut will be in a new group called Comets! That is the invitation only class for 5 to 7 year olds. Although I do think she is one of the weakest kids in the group, I hope that this will motivate her to work hard and make great improvements. I am so proud of her for the effort she's put in up to this point and that she has been recognized for how well she's doing. Just a couple of months ago she was bumped into this age category and now she's in the advanced group. My little athlete :) Still working on her splits and flexibility in general, but she has so much confidence on the high beam dancing around with her classmates.
- Dance: Off for the summer. We are trying a new studio in the fall called Happen dance. We will see how we like this compared to Spartan Dance Ctr. which we tried last year.
Buggy is 2 now and a total spitfire. He is sweet as can be and is a total Mama's boy, offering plenty of snuggles and kisses and hugs, but he knows how to find trouble. He is not afraid of anything (climbing, going underwater, trying anything new), gets into anything and everything, and is fiercely independent. He wants to do it by himself and he often doesn't even want you in the room to watch. Of course, this also means that he is somewhat accident prone. He gets a ton of boo-boos but he is one tough cookie. He wants a quick cuddle and then he wants to get down again to find more mischief. He loves playing with cars and doing arts and crafts, and anything that his sister likes to do because he wants to be one of the big kids. He loves slides (he calls them WEEs, because that's the sound you make when you go down them). He is very much into routines. Once you do something once, that's the way he wants it. Always. He has a very short temper and gets frustrated often, yelling loudly and making a scene for 30 seconds, then he's completely over it. We are still working on the rules - no biting, no hitting, no throwing toys, no pinching. He's talking a lot more now, but a lot of what he says is not easily understood. He is a pretty picky eater - but he loves junk food, fruit, cheese and yogurt.
-Swim lessons (summer): 4 days per week, 30 minutes per lesson, 2 to 3 age group. They don't do report cards for the 2 and 3 year olds, but buggy is kicking, blowing bubbles, retrieving rings, jumping in. He loves the water and loves his lessons for the most part - he definitely has favorite teachers.
-Gymnastics (summer): 1 day per week, 45 minutes per lesson, 18 months to 3 year age group. Buggy loves Miss Lina and I bet he will be so excited when we get to go back to the gym! His favorite thing to do are forward rolls, but he also loves doing the bars and going in the pit.
On the home front, our house is framed, the electrical/plumbing/HVAC is complete, siding is almost completely done and insulation has been put in throughout the house. Exciting steps and we can't wait to move in...in a few months!
Friday, February 13, 2015
It's Been A While...
I think it has been about a month since I last updated this - so I thought it was time for a new post to go over what the kids are doing and have learned.
Peanut gymnastics - WOW what a difference one level up can make! Even though it is the beginner 5/6 year old class and she came from the advanced 3/4 year old class, Peanut is really being challenged and thriving under the pressure. She still has some work to do on focusing in class, since there is a lot of action going on during class time and she hasn't adjusted yet. Her old class was the only one in the gym, so the fact that there is over 100 athletes (estimate) working in various groups while she is in lesson has been a very difficult transition. Even still, she has gotten so much better with her cartwheels, handstands, bridges, etc. She is working on her splits, which she is not fond of, but other than that she loves all of the new things she is doing and is really getting quite good with the challenge of working with older and stronger kids than she is. It has been fantastic for her!
Buggy gymnastics - He is LOVING gymnastics still and having a great time. This week was a little rough because he isn't feeling 100 percent, so he was a little whiny and clingy, but in general he adores the kids in his class, loves doing the gymnastics elements, and always has a huge smile on his face the entire time we're there. His favorite things are going in the pit and doing the back walkover practice in the donut mat. He has gotten really good at hanging from the high bar and he loves the wobble beam that they attached to the bars for this term. He loves to smell the flowers the coaches sometimes put on the bars, too. Sweet boy :). He is working on his forward roll and saying TA-DA for everything!
Peanut swimming - She is holding her own in swim class with the 5/6/7 year olds, still working on big arms and side breathing for freestyle. She is pretty strong with the backstroke, but is working on endurance. She managed to tread water for 30 seconds a couple of weeks ago, which is a pretty big win for her! Last week her group also started practicing flip turns, and they are still practicing their dives - Peanut's are not going very well, but at least she's trying :). Her class is also practicing the breaststroke kick and the butterfly kick, which she does pretty well with. Overall, she is making baby steps of progress, and is doing a good job being with the big kids.
Peanut dance - hard to give an update on this one, because I don't get to see much of it. She seems to be doing okay, it isn't quite as structured and I think she struggles with paying attention and following directions some of the time. Moves wise I don't have any concerns, we just need to work on that turn out issue - poor girl and her pigeon-toes!
Peanut preschool - She is really loving school and thriving with knowing her uppercase and lowercase letters and the letter sounds. There are only a handful of lowercase letters and letter sounds she doesn't really know yet and the letter Q is the only uppercase letter she couldn't identify/write on the first try today. She loves the kids in her class, and is actually headed to her first friend birthday party tomorrow!
Buggy learning - Buggy still doesn't talk much, but he is getting some new words, so they are slowly coming to him. His mind is always working though, and he is sweet as can be. These are the words I can think of that he says:
Mama, Dada, Down, Hi, Please, Cheese, Baby, Wee, Uh Oh, Stuck, Cup, Up, Vroom, Snack, TaDa
...I feel like he says more words, but this is all I can think of right now.
On a different note, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and it has been all Valentine's here for about a month and a half. We made multiple valentine cards for people from gymnastics, swimming, school, neighbors, etc. and it took us quite a while. We also did heart banners, heart people crafts, and Peanut made a heart banner to celebrate. As she said, this is "her holiday". That girl is prepared. We also baked cookies and the kids and my mom made heart shaped brownies together today. Heart overload over here - I'm kind of glad that tomorrow is the actual holiday so we can move on to decor and goodies for St. Patrick's Day instead...ready for a change :).
I'm exhausted, time for bed!
Peanut gymnastics - WOW what a difference one level up can make! Even though it is the beginner 5/6 year old class and she came from the advanced 3/4 year old class, Peanut is really being challenged and thriving under the pressure. She still has some work to do on focusing in class, since there is a lot of action going on during class time and she hasn't adjusted yet. Her old class was the only one in the gym, so the fact that there is over 100 athletes (estimate) working in various groups while she is in lesson has been a very difficult transition. Even still, she has gotten so much better with her cartwheels, handstands, bridges, etc. She is working on her splits, which she is not fond of, but other than that she loves all of the new things she is doing and is really getting quite good with the challenge of working with older and stronger kids than she is. It has been fantastic for her!
Buggy gymnastics - He is LOVING gymnastics still and having a great time. This week was a little rough because he isn't feeling 100 percent, so he was a little whiny and clingy, but in general he adores the kids in his class, loves doing the gymnastics elements, and always has a huge smile on his face the entire time we're there. His favorite things are going in the pit and doing the back walkover practice in the donut mat. He has gotten really good at hanging from the high bar and he loves the wobble beam that they attached to the bars for this term. He loves to smell the flowers the coaches sometimes put on the bars, too. Sweet boy :). He is working on his forward roll and saying TA-DA for everything!
Peanut swimming - She is holding her own in swim class with the 5/6/7 year olds, still working on big arms and side breathing for freestyle. She is pretty strong with the backstroke, but is working on endurance. She managed to tread water for 30 seconds a couple of weeks ago, which is a pretty big win for her! Last week her group also started practicing flip turns, and they are still practicing their dives - Peanut's are not going very well, but at least she's trying :). Her class is also practicing the breaststroke kick and the butterfly kick, which she does pretty well with. Overall, she is making baby steps of progress, and is doing a good job being with the big kids.
Peanut dance - hard to give an update on this one, because I don't get to see much of it. She seems to be doing okay, it isn't quite as structured and I think she struggles with paying attention and following directions some of the time. Moves wise I don't have any concerns, we just need to work on that turn out issue - poor girl and her pigeon-toes!
Peanut preschool - She is really loving school and thriving with knowing her uppercase and lowercase letters and the letter sounds. There are only a handful of lowercase letters and letter sounds she doesn't really know yet and the letter Q is the only uppercase letter she couldn't identify/write on the first try today. She loves the kids in her class, and is actually headed to her first friend birthday party tomorrow!
Buggy learning - Buggy still doesn't talk much, but he is getting some new words, so they are slowly coming to him. His mind is always working though, and he is sweet as can be. These are the words I can think of that he says:
Mama, Dada, Down, Hi, Please, Cheese, Baby, Wee, Uh Oh, Stuck, Cup, Up, Vroom, Snack, TaDa
...I feel like he says more words, but this is all I can think of right now.
On a different note, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and it has been all Valentine's here for about a month and a half. We made multiple valentine cards for people from gymnastics, swimming, school, neighbors, etc. and it took us quite a while. We also did heart banners, heart people crafts, and Peanut made a heart banner to celebrate. As she said, this is "her holiday". That girl is prepared. We also baked cookies and the kids and my mom made heart shaped brownies together today. Heart overload over here - I'm kind of glad that tomorrow is the actual holiday so we can move on to decor and goodies for St. Patrick's Day instead...ready for a change :).
I'm exhausted, time for bed!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Mommy Pride
I have to boast for a minute here. I'm so so proud of Peanut - she has been working incredibly hard and her hard work is paying off. At 4 years and 2 months, she is starting the 5 & 6 year old gymnastics class tomorrow and yesterday she got moved into the 5 to 7 year old swimming class which she held her own in.
Buggy is trying so hard to jump on his own and he has gotten so much closer. He occasionally does get both feet off of the ground at the same time, but it is pretty rare. It's cute watching him try, though!
In house news, things are progressing and hopefully we will close on our construction loan and break ground in the next week or two! Yippee! After closing on our first house on Jan. 5 of this year, we are ready to get construction on our new place. We are living with my parents while our house is being built, which is great and is going well, but we feel badly for taking over my parents house and bringing our chaos to their formerly quiet home.
So far the process has been:
Go through initial plans and figure out what plan we wanted to build off of
Sign a build agreement and work on changes we wanted to happen
List our house for sale
Finalize finish choices
Sell our house
Work on our initial change order - we just finished this step...moving on to the next couple
Finalize our initial change order
Give our final purchase price to the bank
Beyond that, I'm not sure how the process goes exactly...we have definitely been learning as we go through the process but it has been so much fun!
Buggy is trying so hard to jump on his own and he has gotten so much closer. He occasionally does get both feet off of the ground at the same time, but it is pretty rare. It's cute watching him try, though!
In house news, things are progressing and hopefully we will close on our construction loan and break ground in the next week or two! Yippee! After closing on our first house on Jan. 5 of this year, we are ready to get construction on our new place. We are living with my parents while our house is being built, which is great and is going well, but we feel badly for taking over my parents house and bringing our chaos to their formerly quiet home.
So far the process has been:
Go through initial plans and figure out what plan we wanted to build off of
Sign a build agreement and work on changes we wanted to happen
List our house for sale
Finalize finish choices
Sell our house
Work on our initial change order - we just finished this step...moving on to the next couple
Finalize our initial change order
Give our final purchase price to the bank
Beyond that, I'm not sure how the process goes exactly...we have definitely been learning as we go through the process but it has been so much fun!
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