Saturday, February 20, 2010

pre-school...let down... melt down...

Is it spring yet?
Our standard two weeks of teaser sun is out.
I love these couple weeks in February when the trees start blooming and everything is thawing and drying out from our wet weather. I know it is just a teaser, but find myself wearing flip flops and heading out to the park, soaking up as much sun as I possibly can. Yesterday we were at the local park, and seriously there was about a dozen mamas and papas out with their kids. All soaking up the sun, it is like a mass exodus takes place in these two weeks.
It will end, the rain and cold will come back, I am not letting it trick me.

Ollie started pre-school on Wednesday. That was a hard day. I don't know what I expected exactly from pre-school, but the first day did not live up to my idea of Ollie's first school. Last year when we were toying with the idea of enrolling him, we visited a school in battleground. The teacher was awesome, she was a farmer and brought a pet pot bellied pig to school named petunia. The teacher was really Joyful, you could tell she loved her job, she was quiet with the kids, every kid that was around her, it was like she had a secret she was sharing with just them. The kids kind of glowed around her. There was a reason she had been a pre-school teacher for 20+ years, she truly loved it, and you could tell.
I know I can't expect every pre-school to be soooo awesome, but I guess when you start with that expectation, everything will be kind of a let down.


Ollie is attending the pre-school at the local community center. I like the teacher, and I think she will grow on me. She just doesn't have the same way with the kids that the other teacher had.

The first day I took him in, I stayed for about an hour and than took Max to play at the indoor playpark. I went back to check on Ollie, they were getting ready for snack, he got confused because he washed his hands, than decided he needed to potty, than was told to wash his hands again. He got confused, and got kind of upset, this is where I walked in. Than they had to line up for snack, my heart melted as I watched my little man being herded around, head dropped, and big tears started forming in his eyes when he saw me. I wanted to scoop him up, and take him away. I guess he had a meltdown before the bathroom incident because he was making a play dough T-rex and he wasn't finished when it was time to put the play dough away. He always gets to finish a project at home, and he didn't understand why they would put it away before he was done. I know these are things he has to learn. The teacher also had no assistant on Ollie's first day, so it was her against 14 wormy, squirmy 4 and 5 year olds, with most of the class being boys, that could explain some of it....

But it just broke my heart to watch the conformity! you know like they were all little robots, standing in line, being herded from one activity to the next. It just kind of broke me. I guess I was never really one to conform.

His second day on friday was much better. He is starting to get the swing of things, and so am I. I signed up to help in his class next week, and twice next month. Ollie has made friends, and gets really excited about going to school. So we will roll with it. I know this will be a great foundation so we don't have to go through this in kindergarten.... ohhh kindergarten.. We are looking into some charter schools here in Portland to start him in next year. They are based on Waldorf, or Emilia Reggio philosophies, but are funded by public funds, so they are free like regular public school, but a different style of learning. I am more drawn to these schools, but if we don't get in (they fill slots by a lottery system) than I am okay with that, and public school will be just fine.

No matter where the boys end up going, B and I know that parents play the biggest role in the shaping and education of their kids. I know we are going to be involved and supportive no matter what direction we end up going.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

made II... excel love.... Big News.. and a confession

I mentioned these paper elephants from howaboutorange on one of my last posts.

This morning Max and I made one. We did this one on 24lb paper, I think I might do the next one on cardstock so the little men can handle him a little more without me cringing. Seriously can you be in love with a 3-D paper object, I just might be.
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I took this pic last night as I was working again on burdy books. I have a love hate relationship with excel, in my previous professional life, I spent hours pouring over and creating spreadsheets. There is something comforting and disturbing about spreadsheets. Anyway I glanced at the kitchen that was clean before I made dinner, why do I have to spread all over the one counter we have, it isn't a huge mess, I just need to learn how to put things away as I go... I am so irritating...

And the BIG NEWS.

Like flipping a switch, Max decided yesterday he was potty trained. He took his diaper off in the morning, He climbed on the potty when he had to go, and He yelled for me when he was done pooping and needed help wiping. We have tried 3 times to do the potty training thing... THREE times... we tried rewards... fail... we tried bribing... fail... we tried forcing it every 20 minutes... fail....


But like what i had read, but didn't really believe, when they are ready... they are ready. Max decided when he was ready, and like no big thing, He is now Potty trained... already pooped on the toilet today, all by himself, no marshmallow reward, no sticker, it's like he has been doing it every day his whole life... tear... my little man is so growin up.


and my little heart confession...

I am having urges for another baby. Maybe because the boys are growing so fast. Both boys were not planned, more of an oops. A couple of months ago I had my IUD out, and B and I decided we were not going to try to have a baby, but we weren't going to try not to either. Every time I feel bloated, or kind of sick I think I am pregnant. I am not. It is kind of sad looking at the prego tests, wanting it to say No, and say Yes at the same time. I am not to worried, but a little torn, do I really want to do the baby thing all over again? or are we really done. In the meantime people all around me seem to be popping out babies, so I guess I will just get my baby fix from them, and still get my full nights sleep.
This is little Mr. Emmet, only 7 lbs and 1 month old. So precious. Wendy Joy brought him over to share for the day yesterday. I got my baby cuddles in.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Nested...


This is what I was staring at while doing taxes and burdy books the other night... does'nt our living room look so warm and cozy! I love it...especially my asparagas green wall..

made...

I am notorious for starting projects, while I usually have a few projects already going on. Than I get irritated that I have a couple million half finished projects, and nothing complete to show for all my craziness.
all my own doing of course!

So the other night I was working on burdy books for 2009, (last year I vowed to keep great books, and total everything every month... Ya right, I spent the evening running over the last years bank and credit card statements... oops) I started our taxes, was working on burdy spring orders, and started cutting out some really cool paper elephant projects I saw over at howaboutorange.blogspot.com.
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As if that wasn't enough, earlier in the day instead of working on burdy stuff (like I should have been on B's day off), I made B and the boys help me start on the sock monkey kits aunt jo got the boys for Christmas.

It is a good thing I am craft inclined, cause these were actually kind of hard. B helped Ollie stuff his monkey, and I was helping Max. I think Ollie and B got a little over zealous. They ended up making a plus sized monkey, I had to perform some lipo and a cellulite treatment to get the poor thing to a more appropriate size... the poor striped sock was being stretched to it's limit.

The boys love them, even though on the monkeys first morning of play I had to perform two emergency surgeries to fix busted seams... poor little monkeys.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

my hearts all a flutter....


So... This year we have been going back and forth on whether to enroll Ollie in pre-school, or just work with him at home.


When we first moved to this neighborhood I put him on the waiting list at the community center for there pre-school program. At the time I figured we probably wouldn't get in for this year, and I was okay with that. Well a spot opened.


I just enrolled Oliver bean into pre-school. I feel really anxious about this. I know he will do awesome, I know it is mostly for socialization, but..... he will be away from me three mornings a week for 3 hours. I know it is not that big of a deal, but it feels weird. It is going to be awesome for him, and awesome that Max and I get some one on one time...


but I didn't think it would be this hard letting the little people out from under my wings....

Monday, February 8, 2010

Conversation with a three year old...


At a table next to us sat a man with a Prosthetic snazzy looking leg. Max was enthralled.
Later in the week...
Max... "Our skeletons are made out of robots."
Me... "Well not really, our skeletons are bones, covered in muscles and stuff... "
Max.. "No, our skeletons are robots, I saw them."
How do you explain that, we went through the doctor book, max is not convinced. I guess they are kind of robots, controlled by our brains... poor kid thinks he has really snazzy robotic looking bones, just like the mans prosthetic leg.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

...5... ...


..My Oliver turned 5..



please time slow down... my little heart can't take it.

YAY for soccer!!!



Check out Max's black eye... poor little guy, not that a black eye slowed him down at all, I am sure it is most likely the first of many!

I love the boys soccer class, the coach is awesome, his goal is to run the kids as much as possible. Sounds like a great plan to me.
Ughhhh... blogger is having some issues uploading photo's.... Soccer... to be continued....