Kindergarten homework

Thomas has daily homework that is given out in a monthly packet. The students receive it at the beginning of the month and turn in all the assignments at the end of the month. Tomorrow is the last day of the month and we haven't been on top of the homework. Oops! would be an understatement. They ask the students to do a little every day and we've failed miserably at that. Fortunately for me, Thomas is a great student, intelligent and works very hard. When I told him this afternoon that we were going to spend the rest of the day doing homework (!!!) he was totally fine with the plan. In total, I'm embarrassed to say we spent more than 3 hours today doing homework. But Thomas? He didn't complain once and was excited to work on the sheets and tell me about the sheets he had already completed. He's such a trooper for this procrastinating mama! However, next month I will be diligent about spending time each and every day going over things with him. I want to instill this sort of work ethic in him early because I know that when he's older he won't be so agreeable to spending the whole afternoon doing homework just because his mom waited until the last minute!

bull riding

Thomas spotted this bull ride at an Oktoberfest celebration this afternoon and wanted to give it a try. He got to do it twice and did a great job both times. When he was done, Meredith wanted to ride it, but she just wasn't quite big enough.

first (lost) tooth!

Welcome Fall!

Meredith and I hosted a fun playdate this morning to welcome Fall. I made a pumpkin-banana bread and hot tea to go along with the other yummy snacks and drinks we shared. Our little friends joined us in making these awesome caramel apples with assorted toppings and some tree collages using tissue paper. The special caramel apple shown above I made especially for Thomas. He was at school during the playdate and I didn't want him to feel left out. I also know that his (first) tooth will be lost sometime today!

artwork by Meredith

"daddy and mommy holding hands"

day out with Meredith

M & Brian are excited to go in ~ Legoland is ready for Halloween!

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We've been to Legoland a gazillion times but today was the first time that it was just Meredith and myself. And what a great day it was! The tourists have all gone home, the weather is still a beautiful 75* and there was no wait for any of the rides. Meredith went on some old favorites and also went on some new-to-her rides that I didn't even know she was tall enough for. Sky Cruiser, Coastersaurus, Safari Trek... We got to ride a dozen rides and didn't have to wait for a single one. Love Legoland in September!

our girls

chick magnet

Thomas has a special little friend at school. I first noticed her earlier this week when she and another girl waved excitedly at Thomas when he arrived in the classroom. When he sat next to one of them, she immediately hugged him. Later when I picked him up from school I asked him about the girl. "Her name is Aniya. Yes, she gives me a hug almost every day. She says she loves me best in the whole world." When I dropped him off this morning, again she was happy to see him and gave him a big hug. He said today they sat together during snack and he showed her how he likes to eat his crackers. It's all very, very sweet.

busy week

It has been a busy week at our house. I decided to paint the kitchen and family room early last week. It's become a big project since the rooms in our house flow from one to the next but it has been well worth it, I think. The kids, esp. Meredith, have been very patient in allowing me to get this project done. The kids' extra-curricular activites also started this week. Thomas has karate at school so he's only doing one extra activity (tennis) with a couple of friends. Meredith is playing soccer again and her ballet classes started this afternoon. She and her friend, Rebecca, are the youngest in this class of 3-5 year olds but she did great today! New class, new teacher, new studio and students... and she doesn't skip a beat. This little girl jumps right in, introduced herself to the teacher before class and tried extra hard to do every move correctly. Meredith sure loves to dance!

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the kitty drawing

Both Thomas and Meredith love to draw and write. Lately, their favorite subject has been Mike and this is especially true for Meredith. Every drawing and painting she does is of daddy. So you can probably imagine my surprise when she whipped out this little drawing (below) a few days ago. She said it's a kitty going pee and poop. Don't ask. I don't know where this came from, but we're equally proud anyway and have this drawing hung on the fridge. Seems like a pretty detailed drawing for a three-year-old, esp. since I've seen what other three-year-olds produce...

flying

Dog in the mud.

Yesterday Thomas typed his first sentence on the computer: Dog in the mud. This was followed by...
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Cat in the mud.

Thomas in the mud.

Pig in the mud.

Bird in the mud.

Bee in the mud.

Dad in the mud.

mom in the mud.

dragon in the mud.

golf

Meredith practices "golfing" in the backyard almost every day with her putter. She knows we've all golfed and/or taken lessons in the past but her only experience so far has been in the backyard. She was very excited this evening when we told her the whole family was going to go hit balls at the driving range (her first!). Mike plans to make the driving range and putting green practice a weekly outing with Thomas -- but I have a feeling the whole family will be going out every week given how excited both kids are!

2nd day of Preschool

ready to go! ~ walking to preschool

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putting her backpack away ~ proud family
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Today was Meredith's second day of preschool, but because I didn't stay and school lasted the full 3 hours, it was really like her first day of preschool. She loved it. She's been singing songs all afternoon and giving me bits and pieces of information regarding what she did, what she played with, who got hurt on the playground, what they ate for snack, etc. For the longest time, I couldn't get Thomas to tell me about his day. It's nice that Meredith is able to remember and verbalize so much of her day.

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And what about Thomas? He's loving Kindergarten. Every day is something a little different and special and fun. He's doing karate for p.e., earning rewards, singing new songs, playing new games, enjoying being a Little Brother to his 4th grader Big Brother, and is looking forward to an ice cream party tomorrow that the class earned. I couldn't be happier with how both kids have easily jumped right into these new routines and experiences!

Meredith is a Preschooler!

Meredith has been asking at least once a day since Thomas started Kindergarten when she gets to go to school. She's been anxiously waiting and yesterday was finally the day! The first day of preschool is a "meet and greet" kind of thing. The session is just over an hour long -- enough time for the kids to find their cubbies, meet some new friends, get acquainted with their classroom, use the bathroom if needed, etc. Meredith was excited to go, didn't want to leave when the session ended and is eager to return tomorrow. Little Miss Independent has been ready to go for quite some time and we're thrilled that she's now started!