Out of this World

Just a real quick post to show off the Halloween costumes of 2013.

But before I proceed, I'd like to ask, Who's Your Daddy?

Probably Darth Vader. Turns out he's not only Luke Skywalker's dad, but also Princess Leia's. Who knew? I still thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend, not brother and sister.

Apparently I continue to hold my reign as the only person alive that hasn't watched Star Wars.

Speaking of Leia, check this out:

That right there yielded the most likes on Facebook I've ever had.  And she was a huge sensation at Daddy's work. I texted it to him, he showed his boss who then said he needed to show his wife; someone else overheard and by the end of the day people were showing up in D's office asking to see her. Today her teacher told me that just between us, she had the best costume! She said she couldn't keep her eyes off of her. I noticed when I dropped her off that Ms. Rachel was in awe of her and that she backtracked a little when she was about to compliment her -- ugh all of them :)

I'm going to agree: She was out of this world cute!

And one last look at both of them....another successful Halloween.

Not Cool

I'm chiming in tonight for a quick post because I need to get some things off my chest.

M had a play date today with a little buddy from preschool. It just so happens that this little girl has an older sister that has been in J's class for the last couple of years. She is a year younger, but because of their mixed classroom, they have been together for a bit. Both of these girls are the daughters of Jacob's upcoming 4th and 5th grade teacher.

We like this family. My words in no way reflect ill-will towards them or their values and teachings.

After picking M up from their house this afternoon, and while we were in the car, she told J that Older Sister had said that she didn't like him. After a little bit of prodding, M told us how the conversation went down:

Apparently Younger Sister mentioned that she wished J was there. Then M stopped, and it was here that J asked her, "Did Older Sister say she hated me?" M proceeded to say that, "No, she just said that she didn't like you after Younger Sister said she wished you were there."

When I looked in the rear view mirror, J had what appeared to be a look that said, "REALLY???" He uttered a half-hearted laugh in what I perceived to be an attempt to hide his disappointment.

I would be lying if my blood didn't boil at this point. J, like any other kid, has his share of quirks. J can be loud. J can be disruptive in class. But I am positive that he never did anything to her personally that would cause her to have those feelings towards him. Not because he's a saint, but because for the most part he doesn't pay that much attention to girls.

Once I pulled myself together I told him that Older Sister was probably just being silly; maybe just playing around with the younger girls. I told him that sometimes people do things to try to be cool.

His response: "Well, it's not cool."

This was the time, I knew, to say something meaningful. Instead, everything coming out of my mouth sounded like Generic-ese: I told him that as long as he knew in his heart that he didn't do anything to her to bring about those feelings, then it's her problem and not his; I told him that everybody isn't going to always like him. Blah. Blah. Blah.

And then, finally, out came what I know to be true: "If she (or anybody else for that matter) makes the bad choice of not liking you, she is denying herself of your friendship....and that's her bad because you are AWESOME!"

It's not original or patent-worthy, but definitely true.

I don't have the time, desire, or credentials to delve into the mind of a seven year old. I realize that after 40 years I may have forgotten a few things about being that young and that her words could have come from a place that I no longer know exists. This isn't so much about Older Sister as it is about this guy:

At nine, J is still somewhat encased within the wall of innocence. The fact that it crumbled a little today is just life being played out and merely the start of the destruction. Life will continue to happen and the wall will be shaken over and over, its foundation determining whether it will eventually break and come tumbling down or stand strong against the elements.

As his parents, D and I hold the responsibility to build a foundation for him; one that will hold him up against life's elements no matter how shaky they become. I hope this is a place that empowers him to be strong when he feels weak and brave when he is scared; a peaceful retreat for the times when he is wronged; a fortress that keeps negativity and self-doubt otuside; and a constant reminder that he can do more than he is capable of.

But just like any structure, it isn't built in one day. It's a work in progress. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes life lessons.

Today's incident could be classified as a life lesson. And it stung. As they sometimes do, it stung. It stung him and it stung me -- maybe more than it did him, because I'm not sure one can be immune when it comes to seeing their children hurt.

NOT COOL, Older Sister...NOT COOL!

Little Piano Man

The venue, the songs, and except for a little change-up, the company was the same.

Heck, even the suit didn't change.

But unlike January's recital, J performed his first solo

And his second.

Which, for some reason is not uploading.

A few days later, at the State Capital, he got the chance to play a few notes on the grand old piano that sits in the reception room.

Congratulations, Little Piano Man!

Who's Those Kids' Mother?

There's a mom that belongs to one of J's baseball teammates that any time her son does something spectacular on the field, will get up off her bottom, stand up in the bleachers, put her hands up in the air, and ask, "Who's that boy's mother?" I love it. Makes me laugh every time. She is one proud momma!

It's been a while since I've posted, but it's not for lack of having anything to say. On the contrary...we've been swamped. These last couple of months have been kept us on our toes. It seems like every night there is something. It's hectic, but it's been fun.

In mid-March J made his acting debut in Mr. Halvorson's class play, Doonots on the Amazon. I hope to write more about it in a later post. for now, here are some of the deets:

J was cast as the Prime Minister of England...as shown here with the Prime Minister of India:

And as an anteater..as shown here with his homemade costume:

They've been working on this production since January. It was a fun show and J did a great job learning his lines. 

Right around the same time, J made another debut...this time on the baseball field. No tee this time! It started out kind of shaky, but he's worked hard and has come a long way.

They made the playoffs, beat an undefeated team on the first day, another team last night; but unfortunately, they lost today. By one. Just two games away from playing in the championship. It was a good season for the Wildcats.

M continues to do ballet. She could be the cutest ballerina ever:

Her recital is coming up in a couple of weeks, but her dress is here now. And at the end of the day, that's all that really matters anyway, right?

She's also picked up a new hobby: Soccer.

It turns out little Ms. M has some futbol skills. We don't keep score or anything, or for that matter tabs, but if we did, the stats would show that the Ninjas are 4-1, and that M has contributed five goals thus far ☺. And, not to brag, but I have heard the words M and good used in the same sentence several times. 

I wonder who that girl's mother could be?

To add to an already-chaotic Saturday, J had a musicianship exam one morning. And this is what a perfect score on the whole darn thing looks like:

THE. WHOLE. DARN. THING. 

Out of 115 students that took it, only 15 had the honor.

While we're on the subject of music, his teacher mentioned in passing to him the other day when she was being hard on him that he is one of the best elementary-aged kids she has.

Does anybody know who that boy's mother is?

Yes, that happened. 

Somewhere in between all the madness, M figured out how to ride a bike. 

This was over a month ago. Just the other day she rode about two miles. She's amazing!

It's been a busy few months around here, but M played her last soccer game of the season this morning, and in the next two weeks we'll go to two recitals...one for each of them. After that things slow down for summer.

But before signing off, I must ask:

WHO'S THOSE KIDS' MOTHER?

Grinin' from Ear to Ear

About a month ago, J was the G.R.I.N Critter in his class.

It's something that I equate to being the student of the week or month or however long goes in between G.R.I.N. assemblies.

His previous two teachers didn't participate, so this was his first time in his almost-four years at Hansen.

The class compiled a list about ways in which they noticed J was special.

 And then Mr. Halvorson condensed it into the official document to be read by his two buddies, Alec and Reese, at the school-wide assembly.

"Jacob has a wonderful positive attitude. His cheerful smile and thoughtful friendliness are like a rainbow of goodness in our classroom. Jacob is a marvelous mathematician. Jacob, you rock!"

A JK(ind) of Weekend

Last weekend was all about J.

Friday he was awarded a bronze medal at Kumon for working six months or more above grade level. He barely missed getting it the last time around, but not anymore.....

The next day, he had his first piano recital, which I wrote about in my previous post. Four months after starting lessons, he was ready for the world to hear him, and he did a great job. Just like a pro.

By Sunday he'd hung up the suit and the medal and he was ready to party.We gathered seven of his best buddies and off to laser tag they went.

It was one of the easiest parties I've thrown and it was obvious that all the boys had a great time.

It was a good weekend for J. And a well-deserved one too.

Music to My Ears

Even as a little boy, J had a knack for music. I remember one time while at a friends house, he sat on their piano and started playing with the keys. He looked like a pro. This was back before the days of iPhones, so I wasn't able to take a picture, but I did think to myself that I wish I had a camera to one day, when he was a famous concert pianist, show him his very first time "playing."

Over the years we've discussed piano lessons. He was really excited at a younger age, and then when he was old enough to take them, the interest waned. 

M has a little Fisher Price piano that plays music by itself if prompted. One day last summer, I heard the familiar sound of one of the lullabies. And then I heard another. D came in and said, "How sad is it that he's playing the plastic piano? We gotta get that kid some lessons." My response: "I thought it was the piano playing itself." He sounded that good. I'm well aware that doesn't make him a music prodigy, but it really was flawless.

Needless to say, in August the horse trailer pulled up with a special delivery.

This time I did have a camera, and, yes, as I took this picture I said, "One day, when he's a famous concert pianist, we can show the world the picture of when he got his first piano." (And somewhere, the poor guy that delivers these things for a living, rolls his eyes as he hears another starry-eyed mother brag about what the future holds for her genius kid.)

The lessons started on his first day of school back in September. His teacher is very impressed by his hard work and, as I suspected, his musical talent :). And while I won't make too much out of it, the S word has been thrown around. One day, many years from now, we'll see how that actually pans out. 

Yesterday was his first recital...he woke up not feeling too well, but when the time came, he brought it:

He's come a long way in four months.

Those first couple of days I was sure we made a mistake. Our home sounded like a haunted house.

No more. That right there was music to my ears.

Accolades

Last week was conference week. 

The first one of the year for J is always a small party; with his teacher, speech therapist, case manager, the special-ed head honcho, D, me, and M sit around a table and talk all things J.

Expectations are discussed, and so are goals; both academic and social.

This is also where any concerns are addressed. 

For now, J is working in his internal dialog. Basically, keeping his commentary to himself.

I'll never forget that first conference in first-grade when his teacher told us in a hushed voice that he didn't have many friends and that he played by himself most of the time. My heart sank to my stomach and it was all I could do to hold back the tears. I don't even remember what the follow-up question was that D asked, but her answer was that the other kids "tolerate" him. Tolerate him??? 

I could hardly tolerate the overwhelming feeling of nausea that I felt.

Eventually he made a buddy and hooked up with another from the previous year. Today he has one really good friend and a couple others he plays with on the playground. His social advancement is a work in progress that he works on daily. 

So imagine my surprise when at the conclusion of last week's conference his general-ed teacher had a few parting words for us that went something like this:

"J is very charismatic. I would say that if I asked the class who they enjoy being around, J would be one of the top three names on the list."

I believe the word "fun" was also thrown in there somewhere. I could not believe my ears. I was so proud! Charismatic! He called J charismatic. And all over again, I found myself doing all I could to contain my tears at one of these meetings.

We know he's charismatic. We know he's fun. We know he's funny. Could it be that everyone else is starting to see it too?

Next, special-ed head honcho commented on how handsome he is. She said that he is probably the "Most Handsome Boy in the School." 

I'm going to concur.

And then, as icing on the cake, the next day at Kumon, Andrew commented to him what a great job he's doing on focusing. You have to know Andrew to know that praise doesn't come easily from him.

It was a good week!

A couple of days later we went to the pumpkin patch.

Hey, nobody said he followed directions.

Bribes

That right there was my Facebook status update tonight. It proved to be popular with many likes and a few I love yous.

I felt a little guilty at first, which is probably why I posted it. But as it turns out, Momma knows best. He had some homework to finish up that I knew would become a fight after running three miles. Not to mention the time. Sure enough...it took him a little over an hour to get his thoughts in place and onto paper.

He was adamant about going to practice. I love his work ethic, especially since he's been going nonstop since 7:45 this morning, but something had to give today.The deal was that if he skipped cross country and finished his homework by 7:30, I'd take him out for ice cream. We shook on it and he finished with about 20 minutes to spare.

Okay. Okay...I wasn't really in the mood to drag us out to one of the coldest parks in Olympia and wait for an hour while he ran. But those are just semantics.

Dennis has been gone all week and I'm tired! As we speak, the kids are fast asleep, the homework is done, and their tummies are full -- of the yumminess that is an Oreo McFlurry.

Like I said, Semantics!

Perfect

Back in September, J declared that THIS would be the year he had perfect attendance. Without even trying, he almost got it in Kindergarten. It was a couple of weeks before the end of the year when I realized that he hadn't missed a day. As luck would have it, the week before school got out he came down with a bug of some sort and had to stay home. Even before first  grade started we planned a Thanksgiving trip to Sacramento, so it wasn't gonna happen then. But come second grade it was on.

They may have traveled to outer space, visited planets, black holes, and nebulae, but he was always back in time for the 9am bell.

At noon on June 21, after years of trying, he was triumphant!

 With the coveted Perfect Attendance award in hand, we can now tend to the business of Summer.

Perfect!

Science and Ribbons

The school science fair was last Thursday. J wanted to participate. I was kind of at a loss. Neither D nor I remember doing this at his age. We wanted to make sure that he did something age appropriate; that he understood the concept of, and that he could do himself without much assistance from us.

And, we wanted it to be fun.

He decided on a volcano. While D did lend a hand in the putting together of the structure, he was able to cause the eruption.

I have to admit that at first I thought it was a little too easy. I had a big display board and not enough info to cover it. (Disclosure: I did the whole board, but that was the one area where the school had asked for volunteers to come in and help other students.) Once we walked into his classroom and I saw how impressed his classmates were with his model, however, I knew this was perfect for him.

There were plenty of other projects to ooh and ahh about, mostly by the 5th graders who are required to turn one in. Even some of the underclassmen had amazing boards; whether or not they had "extra" help is not my business. I was happy with J's effort and so was he!

The weather put a crimp in the judgement of the K-4 kids. There was a two-hour frost delay which caused that part of it to be canceled. By the time I got there in the afternoon, J had already done his presentation and my neighbor said he did an amazing job. She said he had a huge crowd and explained the chemical reaction like "a teacher."

Though I wish I had been there to see him, maybe it's better that I wasn't. A lot of times, when we're around, he looks over and it's as if he's talking only to us. I'm proud just knowing that he did so well.

In my previous post, I talked about our special Lenten Prayers. On Thursday night J said,

"Dear God, thank you for Science. I had fun today. Thank you for ribbons. I got one. I don't know if you made science and ribbons, but I want to thank you anyway."

God had a hand in Science; probably one in ribbons too. And most certainly in one of his greatest creations: Our wonderful, wonderful J!

Prayers

I really wanted J to get into the Lenten season, but I wasn't quite sure what to do. My parents didn't make me give up anything when I was eight years old. I don't remember if they even made me adhere to the Fish Friday rules. And the Catholic Church doesn't require either until the age of ten, I think ~ maybe 14. However, with First Communion coming up in a couple of months, I wanted to do something to recognize the 40 days leading up to Easter.

Since he only plays Wii on the weekends, I didn't think giving up would have an impact. He loves his desserts, so I could have gone that route, but that's the kid's only indulgence on weekdays. There will be plenty of time later on to make him miserable, this year, I was going more for enrichment. That's when I decided that instead of taking something away, I would add something to his daily routine. Because the Thankful Turkey (here) that we did a couple of years ago was a big hit and something that made us think about our day and the blessings throughout, I added an extra prayer to our nightly ritual; a special prayer for someone/something that day.

J is very into saying his prayers, but they're usually the typical Our Father/Hail Mary type of prayers that are recited; doing an ad lib one was a new concept for him. After a couple of days of prompting him, here are some of my favorites:

"Dear God, Thank you for my family. I like them. Please take care of them. Amen."

"Dear God, Thank you for my Dad. He's nice. Keep him healthy and safe. Amen."

And tonight: Dear God, Thank you for M. I love her. Keep her safe. Amen."

Does anyone else see a pattern here? It's almost form-like:

Dear God,

Thank you for (Insert Noun Here). (Insert Compliment Here). (Insert Prayer Request Here). Amen!

M has been in the room a couple of times when he's said his prayers and has added some of her own:

"I like dresses. Thank you for dresses. I like dresses."

And this evening: "Thank you for my bruder. I'm sorry I be mean to him."

Amen, Sister!

By the Numbers

0 - Number of sleepovers J had attended before January 7, 2012

2 - number of little boys fooling around in the bathroom pretending that a little hair gel would magically turn into a weapon

4 - Number of stitches needed to close up the gash the countertop inflicted

3 - Number of days that passed before they could be removed

1 - Number of brave little guys that took the beating like a man, shed few tears, and emerged on the other side with some street cred and a story to tell

One Rockin' Party

A rock wall

a best friend

a neighbor friend




a cousin

another cousin

a new friend

a friend's sister

one more neighbor

and a little sister

throw in a bunch of cupcakes

and you have all the ingredients for a Rockin' Party!

J is GR8

One of Two

Two out-of-town visits

Two sets of cousins played with

Two week-long summer camps

Two camping trips

Two milestone-birthday celebrations

That's what summer vacation was all about!

Today, however, it was back to business.

It's the first day of second gradeI somehow get the feeling that these yearly photo sessions are getting old

That's unfortunate.

For him, since he has ten years until he's a senior.

But time flies.

It doesn't seem like two years have passed since the bus fiasco I wrote about here.



This morning he got on without incidence. When we got there I heard him say,

"Yay, it's the first day of school!"


Yes, it is, my man...have a great year!



Never one to be left out, M got in on the fun herself.