durrrr...

TV Reviews

Uh, apparently one does not need as much edumakashion to read this as they need to read Lynn's blog.

She Spells!!!!

This is Norah's version of Mommy! She handed it to me and told me it was my name!! Momee!

Spring! Spring! Spring!

(ok, i dont know how to rotate that, since its not sideways on my file. huh.)

Yeah, its officially spring, but its hard to believe it when there's still snow on the ground and its still pretty cold out. But look at this!!!!

My Little Hunter

While we were driving today, the kids saw a deer crossing sign and asked what it was. I explained and then Elliott asked, "daddy took those things off the deer. what were those things?"
Me: antlers
E: why?
Me: for decoration, I guess. that's something hunters do.
E: when I grow up, I am going to hunt.
Me: do you know what hunting is?
E: yes, I shoot the deer.
Me: with what?
E: with a cannon. yeah. I would use a cannon.
Me: what would you do with the deer after blasting it with the cannon? would you eat it?
E: NO! EW! Nuffin'. I do nuffin' with it.

D-d-d-d-d-Dora!

The kids got to meet Dora while at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America this past week. Norah hid behind a sign, while the boys ran up for the photo op.

Eggcellent!

Easter Eggs!!!
Someone asked me if I got a new camera yet. Yes, I did. I got the Nikon D40x. I love it, but I am also still very very much learning how to use it.

Let's see....to catch up:

All 3 kids are swimming, with Aidan being the best. N & E do it mostly underwater, but its still swimming. And its very cool. Too bad they (the dynamic duo) have a hard time listening to their swim teacher.

We had N & E's conferences in February.
They are doing great in preschool and the teachers are really happy with how far they've come since the start of the year. They're finally starting to separate themselves from each other (yay), but often times, Norah will still trail Elliott, whereas he's more independent at school. She's also the troublemaker of the two - the one who tackles him, the one who has her mama's wandering mind and the need to do something else while still listening to the teacher talk....

We had Aidan's 2nd conference in March.
He's doing GREAT!!! Not counting his specials, he got all 4's!! Last report card, he had 3 or 4 3's, so he made some improvement. (4's are the highest you can get). His teacher said that he's made so much improvement from the start of the year and she's so proud of him. He's reading, he's doing addition, and he's become much more social and is starting to be more sure of himself. We're still working on being assertive. Which is funny, because he so does not have that issue at home.
His Speech and Language Pathologist said that he's made so much improvement, as well. He met a lot of his goals with her, but still have some, and then she set some further goals for the next 12 months.

He's going to start a TaeKwando class at the Y in 2 weeks. I hope he likes it. I think it will help him with the assertiveness thing and with his confidence.
He's also said that he wants to do t-ball again this summer. I gave him the choice between that or soccer. I am kinda surprised, and wish he had chose the latter, but what are you going to do? It was his choice.

Norah is in dance - she has her recital on Wednesday. Then she'll continue with it for the next session. She's really enjoying it and its nice to see her interact with other girls. Although she doesn't know that I see her. Because she does not want me to watch her. She's made that very very clear. Every week. Weird kid.

Elliott's been taking a sports class - they go over the basics of soccer, kickball, and football. He has really enjoyed it. I think I'll have him take it again, so that he has a good grasp on them and can choose a sport in fall. But he's also taking a preschool movement class in 2 weeks. Gotta keep them busy, right?

What else?
Aidan is 6. Which just floors me. Not so much that he's 6, but that I've been a parent for 6 years. I don't feel old enough, and it still seems like just yesterday that he was a baby.

Norah's got mad drawing and coloring skillz. She colors completely in the lines. And she's drawing some cool pictures - people with hands and feet and hair and accessories - like popscicles or cat tails. Cats (natch). All of her faces - people or animals - have straight faces. Never a smile, never a frown, never anything but a stern, straight face. Its rather funny.

Both Norah and Elliott are starting to spell. Finally! We've got their names down, which was my goal before they started K4 this fall.

Norah will start seeing a psychologist in 2 weeks. Oh yay. The GI person and I decided that enough was enough and it was time to end this ridiculous behavior. She's still withholding. And then there is the whole won't-go-on-the-potty thing. Good times.

And finally...the kids will take their first real road trip next week. Its spring break, and we're taking them to MN for a few days. Going somewhere where its warm. ha ha. They're quite excited, as am I.

the return of the slacker!

Norah has discovered the art of being girly.
She loves to apply scented hand lotion several times a day.
She loves all her lip balms - flavored princess, flavored hello kitty, glittery gloss - its all good.
And best of all, she loves putting makeup on her Barbies. Oh yeah. She found a little Barbie makeup compact among my old Barbie stuff (gross) and I gave her some q-tips and she goes to town, making her Barbies "pretty". Pretty scary is more like it.
I'd share a photo, but apparently, either my new camera or my mac or something doesn't want to cooperate with sharing photos on the internet.

Barbie Night Out

Apparently barbies like wine just as much as a mama does. Looks like they may have had some kind of wild night.

Again, amazed by the memory

The other day, Aidan was asking me who his uncles were. I gave him hints and he named all of them. Then he asked, "what about Rob?" I said, "sure, I guess you can call him an uncle." (because I have no clue how I'd explain 'that's mommy's cousin's husband' to a 5 year old). So then he said, "oooooooh! ooooh! Craig! Uncle Craig! I like him. This one time (at band camp. just kidding) we were at grandma jeanne and grandpa john's and we sat in our van and pretended to drive places. That was fun."
Shit. That was a long time ago!!!

That's right, girl.

Norah: "what's that, mommy?" (points to diamond above jewelery store sign)
Me: "a diamond."
N: "oooh. I like diamond."
Me: "and what else? what are diamonds?"
N: "they my best friend."

good girl.

Norah made up a new little ditty. I often sing her "I see london, I see france, I see Norah's underpants." because I am trying to teach her not to show the world her undies when wearing a dress. So anyway, when we drive downtown, we pass this area where we can see into the Miller (brewing co.) Valley and see Miller Park. They know that the Miller sign=beer. She decided to sing a song, set to 'i see london', and it goes:
I see beer
I see beer
I see beer
every where!
Let's hope she doesn't sing that at school or we may hear CPS knocking on our door.

four times two

Holy cow. I can't believe that it was 4 years ago that they were these 3lb 4oz babies. It really seems like it was just yesterday that I was this pregnant beached whale like person. And now...look at them. 4 years old. Going to preschool. Jumping up %ages in their growth chart. Identifying letters and numbers. Wearing undies.

Trick or Treat....smell our feet....

...give us something good to eat!

All About Aidan

Aidan still loves his phonics. And he loooooooves talking. Certainly didn't get that from his mama. Boy wakes up talking....literally. One night, I spent the night in the bottom bunk when there was a thunderstorm and each boy needed a parent. In the morning, I was woken up by the sound of Aidan's voice. He was doing his warmups, apparently. Practicing all of his phonetic sounds. Got to get that voice box in shape for all that chatting he'll do all. day. long.

We got his report card today. I was VERY pleased :) Our conference is on Friday, so I am excited to hear and talk more about it.

Aid started basketball today. I didn't take him --daddy did-- but he said that it was so much fun to watch him. That he's come so far since last year's soccer camp. I'd have to say the same about swimming. We've held off on swim lessons for him for about 2 years now, because it was such a struggle (despite him having been in them since he was 6 mos). He's finally confident in the pool and wants to and is excited to take swim lessons next session. My boy is growing up!!

Hooked on phonics....

Aidan loves him some phonics. He can be found walking around, reciting his sounds. Tonight, we were discussing trick-or-treat and he said, "halloween. h-h-h-h-h-h (making the 'huh' sound). halloween starts with 'H' !" Sometimes, we'll be trying to spell words, and he gets frustrated because he hasn't learned those sounds yet. Oops.

Phonics Rule!!

Aidan recently started Jolly Phonics in school and since then, he's taken a great interest in learning how to write words. I am so excited. He's never really been very interested. Next stop...reading!!!
Anyway, on Saturday, he sat down with a pencil and paper and said he was going to do some writing. He asked for my assistance, but I said I would only help him break down the words into sounds, because its better for him to learn on his own.
Here's what he wrote:
I lv u.
I lv mom.
skol (school)
tres (trees)
dg (dog)
kt (cat)
kfe (coffee)
fsh (fish)
snak (snake)
zbra (zebra)

How awesome!!

Since then, he's been writing all weekend. I took advantage of it and dusted off a workbook I had and had him work on writing some numbers, as well.

Quest for a new toy...

Humor me.
I am on a mission to prove that I deserve and will utilize a good camera. I want a DSLR. Bad. So I've been playing with ours to try and prove myself to C.

.

And they're off...

Twice a week, for 2.5 hours, all 3 of my kids are in school. Wow. That's just so weird.
I can't believe that my babies are in preschool. It seems like just yesterday, they were these tiny little 3 pound babies that were smaller than my boobs!

1 year old!

and then they were 2!

One Down, Two To Go...

My baby went back to school today. What a long day for him. It surprises me that they have them go for only 2.5 hrs their first year, but then year two.....WHAM! 7 long hours. That's a big adjustment. He did really well, though.
We started our morning off with a very talkative Aidan. So excited, telling us how excited he was. He had his breakfast of choice: scrambled eggs and toast, and chose what he wanted for his first school lunch (turkey on a bagel, tomatoes, grapes, applesauce, water. I stuck some whole grain cheetos in there as a treat, but surprisingly, they came home. I guess the lunch was a wee bit big for a small boy.) He was excited and chatty his whole way to school and then we got on the playground and he clammed up. I don't blame him. We got to follow them into class and sit down on the rug and hear a story called The Kissing Hand.
He seemed AOK when it was time to leave. A little reserved, but good.
It was so weird to not have to race back at 11:10 to pick him up. And even more strange to have complete silence at naptime and no one to talk to or play with.
We went back at 3:20 to pick him up and he was so excited to see us and even offered up information about his day: they had PE and Art. They took a tour of the school to see the rooms where specials are and the cafeteria. They had a snack and he didn't eat it. There was a classmate who "made some bad choices and spent a lot of time in the office." Funny how that sticks out. And he also told me about all the rules and about how they have a counting rhyme to tell you how long you get at the water fountain when you get a drink.
We ended the day with a celebration dinner - outdoor dining at a local Mexican place. Yum.
He's excited for tomorrow, so it must have been as good as he's saying.

Ahh...the sweet sounds of school....

Tonight we had Aidan's meet-the-teacher/classroom orientation gig. His teacher is brand-spankin-new to the school, so I do have to say I was a tad apprehensive, but not anymore. She seems very nice (and young!), but she was so very uber organized. His classroom looks like a lot of fun. Its hard to imagine him in school all day - 8:30-3:20! That's a long day! He's so excited to use his new school bag and lunch bag and his special insulated thermos that we picked out --he was over the moon when I explained how it keeps milk & water cold, but will also keep spaghetti or soup hot.
I was happy to find out that we'll be able to come to his classroom on the 1st day and see him off. But after that, no dice. Which is ok.
And looking at his schedule, they have all these fun things: PE 3x/wk, art & music & library all 2x/wk.
Its all so exciting! It seems like he born just yesterday . How can this be?!?!

Diva

There is no word to describe her better. I love my girl to pieces and I suspect she gets a bit of her temprament from her mama and I hope that some of the things I see as negatives now, end up being positive things down the line. Her whining that never ever ends because she won't give in? Hopefully that just means that she will stick to something and has drive. Right?
I do worry about her and school, though. If the teacher tells her no, will she pull what she does at home and whine until I pick her up, being a little brat for the rest of the morning?

Little Fisherman

Aidan loves to go fishing with his Papa and anyone else who will join them. Earlier this summer, they went and he actually caught 13 fish!* He's still talking about it with great pride in his voice.



*Take note that he will not touch bait or the fish. He's terrified of them.

So last weekend, he was obsessed with sitting in Papa's little fishing boat and "rowing" it. He's never been in it...they always fish in the pontoon boat. We decided to let grandpa take him for a little spin in it. He was all smiles when they left the pier, but you can see his death grip on the seat.

My Little Fishes

These 2 are going to start private swim lessons next week. The lessons go for 15 weeks, 1x/wk. I bet that by the end, they are swimming 2-3 feet on their own. They are fearless little fish!

adoration

Ain't love grand?

Daddy's Little Helper

Can he fix it?

Yes he can!

The end of t-ball season

It was amazing to see how far Aidan came over the course of the t-ball season. His running, however, still needs quite a bit of work. You'd think that, of all things, would come naturally. Apparently not.

Tiny Dancer

Summer is just about over. Aidan has finished t-ball. Summer playground is over. Elliott completed swim lessons. And Norah finished dance and had her "recital". I was so proud of her and she was so cute. She may not listen at home all that often, but she paid attention in class. My big girl.

She enjoyed it so much that we've decided to continue with dance this fall/winter. She's going to be taking a real ballet/tap class. She is so stinkin' excited about her "new dance class"!

Here are a few photos of my ballerina

stretching before dancingVideo. First one is the dance they learned. Second is some of the moves they practiced over the summer.
[url=http://www.dropshots.com/KarriT#date/2007-08-14/18:00:20][img]http://media2.dropshots.com/photos/9665/20070814/180020.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.dropshots.com/KarriT#date/2007-08-14/17:55:13][img]http://media1.dropshots.com/photos/9665/20070814/175513.jpg[/img][/url]

Summer Fun!

Well I've been quite the slacker.

We've had a busy few weeks, filled with fun things like camping at Devils Lake (ok, maybe that wasn't quite as fun as we had hoped, especially since daddy thought it was ok to let them play with the campfire. But we won't go there), a weekend trip "up north" (as we say in WI) with some friends, a day trip to Bay Beach Amusement Park, and another day trip to the Shedd Aquarium. Busy Busy Busy!! But lots of fun before the school year starts!

Here are a few photos....
What camping is all about - swimming
building sandcastles -


and eating s'mores-

My daughter is fearless when it comes to water.
















Enjoying some rides at the amusement park.

Ride On!

Oh. My. God.
He did it. On his first try when we got to the park. He didn't fall once at all! And he even knows how to brake slowly and stop without falling.

GO AIDAN!!!!!!!!!

Getting Girly!

Norah asked me to paint her toes and fingernails today! This is huge. I think I've asked her if I could do this every week for a year now and she's shrieked in horror. So for her to ask for it....wow!

Growing Up...

Aidan is growing up so fast and learning so much from school. Especially recently, it seems like he's really picking up on things. He's starting to spell some words on his own and be able to write them without asking how they are spelled, like zoo, mommy, daddy, flower, and some of the easier (to spell) months of the year. Granted, its pretty much rote memorization and its not like he's phonetically figuring out words, but still...its so much more than what he was doing two months ago, which was nothing.

His drawings are really impressive (to me, at least), as well. He's starting to add so much detail and they're becoming much more refined. So very cool.

Here are two recent ones....

A drawing of a sunflower, tulips, and daisies growing in soil.




















The May calendar


Norah and Elliott. What can I say about them. They will turn me grey, if that is even possible. When I take them to their little kids' club and pick them up later, I am always told that Norah is the one who bosses Elliott around, who takes his toys away, and who is quite mean to him. However, at home, its a whole different story. He provokes her, he teases her, and he does whatever he can to make her mad. And he knows what will make her mad. And when I tell him to stop, he flashes me this cute little smile. He is going to be trouble. I hate to peg him this early, but I can feel it. He's going to be a handful as he gets older.
As much as they fight, they love each other to death.