Parent/teacher conference

In cleaning up the kitchen today (or rather the stack of papers there), I came across the paperwork from Thomas' parent/teacher conference a few weeks ago. I realized I never got around to sharing it (or documenting it, moreso) here. Basically she told me what we already knew: Thomas is a delightful, happy child, who loves to play and talk!



The teacher checked off all of his milestones, meaning that he is where he should be developmentally at this point. She also added some further words to many of the checkpoints. Here were some of my favorite comments:

* Thomas loves to ask questions

* Thomas is so advanced with his language skills. He comes up with some of the funniest things I have ever heard a child say. He has no problem using his words to explain his wants and needs.

* (Thomas) loves to hear exciting stories. He is very good at retelling stories.

* Thomas is such a smart young boy. All of these skills come very easy to him. He reminds me of someone who will get an A+ on a test without studying.

* I feel that Thomas is very happy at school. All of the children in the class enjoy playing with him. He seems to be very sweet and easy going.

* Thomas is also very good with his math concepts.

* (Thomas) doesn't like getting paint on his hands--he makes a funny face.

* I have really enjoyed having Thomas in my class; he is such an entertaining little boy. ... Thomas enjoys school, and that is one of my main goals of the threes.

All in all, it was a great report. He needs to work a little harder on his fine motor skills, particularly holding a pencil/pen properly. He also doesn't like to stop playing and will have to start understanding that school is for learning, not playing as he goes into the fours next year. It will be an adjustment for him, but I'm sure he will do fine. As it is now, his artwork is already improving. It used to be that I could always pick his out of the lineup displayed in the hall because it was the one with the least amount of effort expended to draw the picture. But these days, he's getting a little more involved.

Right now in the hallway they have self-portraits on display. Thomas' is very cute. And then there is a questionnaire that he answered and some of the answers are hilarious. One is he was asked to complete the sentence "________ is the boss of my house." He said "Nobody." Ha ha. I can't recall the other answers at the moment, except that he also answered "When I grow up I want to be:" with the answer of "babysitter." This is funny since he's never had a babysitter who is not a family member. But he said that it means he could play with Parker and other babies all day. When they send home his questionnaire, I'll have to remember to share more of it.

One more thing because it seems to be a good place to share it. Along the lines of funny things Thomas says... Recently we were all driving back from the Air Force Base or the airport and we were driving around the side of the airport past the construction site for the new Boeing presence that is coming to Charleston. Basically it was a massive field of dirt and cleared trees...some were in piles. I said, "Oh, I guess that's where the new Boeing buildings will be." And Trey said, "Yes, that's right. Thomas they are going to build large airplanes right there." Thomas looked at the site very pensively. I could tell he was really thinking about it. And then he looked at us and said, "How are they going to make planes out of dirt?" :-)

He's too cute and I was glad to hear that he not only does well at school, but he enjoys it too. Let's hope it all lasts!

They said to make 'em big!

I knew my arms ache for a reason. Parker went to the doctor yesterday because he started randomly limping. He's fine, but seems to have something called toxic synovitis. It's essentially a temporary arthritis of the hip and he should be walking normally again soon.

Anyway, he weighed in at 32 pounds, 6 ounces (granted, in clothes, diaper and shoes). I asked them to measure his height and he is (without shoes) 35 3/4 inches long.

For comparison's sake, Thomas at two years old was 27 pounds, 6 ounces and 36 inches long. Yes, Parker is a little more than two months from being two and is already FIVE pounds heavier than his big brother was at that age! (Though a slight aside is that when Thomas was weighed at age 2, he had just recovered from a stomach bug...two months earlier, he did weigh about 28 pounds. Still, though...a significant difference!).

It confirms what we already knew since the day he was born one inch shorter than Thomas (at birth), but 4 ounces heavier....our little Park-Park is a not-so-little, lovable chunk!

Favorite pics of the day

I'm too tired (or lazy?) at the moment to really blog, but I have two pictures from yesterday that I really like and I thought I'd share to give the boys' daddy a smile. The boys send their love! :)

This was yesterday when the boys played in the large patch of snow that remained at my parents' house. It was still good, fluffy snow so they had a ball playing in it. And we dragged the old rocking horse out of the garage, cleaned it up and Thomas brought it over to the snow, too.

Happy Monday!

Snow day

I'm trying to be good about blogging the boys' first snow since their Daddy has been, shall we say, "significantly delayed" in returning from Houston. I know he hates to miss the boys' first snow experience.

I was awakened this morning at 5:30 by my neighbors outside enjoying their snow. Yes, 5:30 A.M.! Thomas didn't get up until 7:30 or so. And he wasn't in a huge rush to get outside. Sully, however, was quick to go outside and had a ball playing with the dog from across the street.


Meanwhile, the geese were hanging out in the pond wondering why this snow chased them down to where they went to get away from all this snow! :)


Finally the boys had breakfast and I got them dressed in as many layers as they could stand. The snow is pretty, but pretty wet, so I knew they needed as much waterproofing as I could manage. I couldn't get a smile on camera, unfortunately.

Thomas didn't want to stop for pictures and Parker didn't know what to make of the white stuff.


Thomas immediately started making snow angels. I don't know how he knew how, but he did (I think he learned from the book The Snowy Day):


We even made a little snowman, of sorts.




Parker was so confused. Poor fella. Just kept asking me to hold him. And he wandered off down the sidewalk for a moment. He just didn't know what to think.


We got about 3 1/2 inches of snow.


See?


The sun is already out and lots of dripping can be heard outside. I don't think our dear (edible) friend is long for this world, but he sure is cute. :)


Thomas enjoyed playing in the snow until his non-waterproof gloves got a little too wet. His hands got cold, he started crying and we couldn't get inside fast enough. He says he's done playing in the snow. We'll see if he changes his mind before it goes away. It was fun while it lasted. Hopefully we'll see some again before he's old enough to drive.

First snow!

Thomas has been SO EXCITED today about the prospect of snowfall. He has asked all day long if it's snowing yet and then asked when it would start. I was hoping against hope that the weathermen weren't going to let him down. Well, finally, just as the weathermen promised, as the sun set, the snow started falling (though it was an icy sleety mix at first).

(That's Thomas to the left of the pic)

So after we got Parker to sleep around 7:30, a thin layer had covered the ground. Thomas was elated. We quickly realized that we don't have proper snow attire (no waterproof coats or gloves), but whatever, we made it work. (I blurred our house number).


Actually, being the inexperienced snow girl that I am, I totally forgot about gloves initially, but quickly realized they might be a good idea after Thomas picked up a few fists of snow with his bare hands. I don't think he cared though.


He was so thrilled with the snow. I can't say that enough. He cracks me up because he has one trait that maybe he inherited from his great grandmother, my G.G. Whenever we showed her anything, particularly new toys/cars/clothes, she would say, "Oh, that's the BEST {insert name of thing} I've ever seen!" Thomas is much the same way. And tonight he kept saying, "This is the best snow day of my entire life!" And he said, "These are the best snow shoes I've ever had!" Basically, the snow is just the best...EVER!!!!




Yeah, gloves are a good idea. Waterproof gloves would be better, but something is better than nothing!


He ran, he played, he laughed, he sang, he loved that snow. He made tracks through much of the front yard. But the snow kept falling. And an hour later, this is how it looked out our front door:


All day today the weather forecasters have been saying that Charleston would see a "significant" snowfall. I wondered what exactly that means since if you said that in D.C., a "significant" amount would be at least a foot, I'm sure. Yet here, it's apparently about three inches, maybe less. But then again, for a city that sees snow once a decade or so, I guess it is pretty significant!

It was tricky to get Thomas to come inside, especially because he took a little nap today and he was ready to go! But I lured him inside with the promise of some freshly popped popcorn and thankfully that did the trick. It's awfully cold out there!

I can't wait to see what the boys think tomorrow. It's still snowing now, though it's a very light snow. We'll see what the morning brings! Oh, and our power has flickered off more than a few times. Let's hope that the morning brings beautiful snow and a very warm house.

No more monkeys jumping on the couch!

I don't let the boys stand on the couch... But boys will be boys.



And that always goes to this...


Do these faces look like trouble, or what?


"What? Who me?!?"


Oh, but I do love them so.

Be A Tourist: Restaurants

On the last day of January, we planned to go to The Buccaneer (a pirate-themed restaurant downtown) for Sunday brunch. It was one of the places on the Be a Tourist pass (buy one entree, get one free). So we drove downtown, searched hard for parking, found it and then walked two blocks in the freezing wind only to find a sign on the door of the restaurant saying it was closed that day for an employee appreciation party. Well, I certainly was not appreciating the employees at that moment.

So we thought quickly about what was on the pass and decided to go to Southend Brewery. Not quite as fun, but whatever, it worked.

As we walked back to the car, I noticed all the tourists around us and figured we looked a lot like them. "When in Rome..." So I pulled out my camera and took a quick couple of pictures (though my memory card was full and it was FREEZING, so that didn't last long). My little tourists...


The boys do love their Daddy so...


Next time I'll have to work on some closeups!

The sweetest thing

I've been saving this to put together an update on Thomas and include his school review, but I can't seem to find the time to get it all together. So, I'm going to share this video now because I think it's just the sweetest thing.

Trey taught this to Thomas some time ago (he says it with him nightly with his prayers, but when Trey's not here, I usually don't say it), but I kept forgetting to record him saying it until now. Here's Thomas saying "The Lord's Prayer."


I try to remember to record some of these things (even though I rarely share them on here) because I want to remember how they said things when they were this little. So cute.

Be A Tourist: Charles Towne Landing

As it neared the end of the month, we weren't doing all that great on visiting all the wonderful sites on our Be A Tourist in Your Own Town pass.  Rainy weekends and out-of-town trips were to blame, but we still got our money's worth (especially when you factor in the discounts at restaurants).  Anyway, the last week of the month, we invited some of Thomas' class friends to join us at two different locations, starting with Charles Towne Landing.  A few of his friends (and each of their siblings) came along for the fun and it was a great day.  Here are the kiddos, minus the siblings.


And here's Parker saying, "I was there too!"


First we headed into the animal forest.  Most of the animals were hiding from the chilly, windy weather, but we still managed to see a few of them.  Parker was quite interested in the bison.


He didn't want to leave that spot.


Every time I pick Thomas up from school, I ask him about his day.  When I get to the question of "Who did you play with today?" the answer is always the same.  It's ALWAYS these two little boys (one of which is also a Thomas). 


And he's quite fond of this little girl too, who is also in his gymnastics class.  W keeps up with the boys quite well!


Thomas' friend, Thomas, brought along some Toy Story toys to share with Thomas.


The two Thomases...


When it was time to eat lunch, we sat down at a picnic table out in the sun, but the wind was blowing pretty hard and making it a bit chilly.  We polled the kids and asked them if they wanted to eat inside our outside and our little adventurers were not so much.  They all voted for inside. 

Unfortunately after lunch it was too close to naptime for all the siblings to venture down to see the boat and other sites there, so I guess we'll have to go back soon!

Almost caught up!!!

I've spent nearly two hours this morning finishing up more posts (I had posted some awhile ago, but hadn't pointed them out yet). So here are many of the posts I've been due to share for quite some time!

A long goodbye to gingham

Edgefield family reunion

Thanksgiving fun

Gymnastics class

Christmas class party

An old-fashioned Christmas parade

Christmas Part II

Happy new year!

I think that should be just about everything. Now I need to catch up on what we've been doing the past two weeks or so. I'm getting there... I guess I can be pretty productive when I wake up at 5:30. :)

21 months old!

I'm only a day late this time! Parker is 21 months old and milking it for everything it is worth. :) He keeps me on my toes and on the run. He is always on the move. Photos are nearly impossible.


He seems to think he is quite funny though, as he is driving me batty. :)


He's lucky he is cute.


I must remind myself of that again. :-) (I kid, truly, I kid.)


In starting out his update, I looked back at him a year ago...


I thought I remembered him being so easy going and laid back then. I found it funny to read that I wrote this: "He loves to be cuddled and held, but is not quite motivated enough to crawl to things he wants. He would rather fuss at us and whine until he gets his way." Nowadays, he can be quite a cuddler and wants to be held when he wants to be held, but if he does not, you better hold on tightly. I have really been building my biceps, I know that much. :) And the part about fussing and whining until he gets his way? I'd say that's still pretty true too.

He is fiercely, fiercely independent. One of the funnier things he says is "Do dat!" -- which is what he says when he wants to try to do something himself.

Speaking of things he says, I wish I had captured this on video because he doesn't seem to do this much anymore, but he went through a spell where if he couldn't get my attention, he'd just keep yelling "MOMMY!" (this was said quickly) followed by "MOMMMMMMMMMMYYYY!" (said in a more drawn-out manner). Rinse and repeat... he'd say it over and over and over again, just like that. Hilarious.

I think what it is about Parker is that he has a great sense of humor. He knows how to push buttons, but he doesn't seem to do it to be difficult or mean, he just thinks he is funny. When I ask him to come to me and he runs the other way laughing, he just thinks he is hilarious.
I'm frequently reminded of the nursery rhyme that includes, "...when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad she was horrid." I don't think he's "bad," per se, it's just that he is a bit of a troublemaker. :) And when he is sweet, he is oh so sweet. He never likes to make you sad or hurt you. He stepped on the top of my bare foot in his shoes once and it hit in just he spot that really hurt me. I doubled over in pain and he looked at me and just started bawling. I had to reassure him that I was okay, but he was so sad. He also can be very, very loving. Today at his Gymboree class, he'd start playing with a few other mothers and then just walk up and give them great big hugs. They all just thought he was the sweetest little thing ever.

In terms of learning new things, he is coming along. He's getting better and better with his ABCs (though I can't seem to capture a good one on camera). He will frequently just start singing them without being prompted (like while riding in the car or something). His colors come and go and he tends to call everything "red." He calls almost all letters "M," but he can usually properly pick an "M" out of a bunch of other letters. Here he is singing his ABCs, but he got distracted rather quickly (notice how he screams "Now I know!" -- that always cracks me up):


He loves to read books and have them read to him. His favorites right now are the Gossie & Gertie goslings series. Sometimes I read them until I hide them from him, but he always seems to find them. :)

He still sucks his thumb, and despite his recent haircut, he still manages to twirl his hair while he sucks his thumb. Though I can tell he misses his longer locks!


Here's the back of his head these days... Some days it is curlier than others.


He is still a great sleeper, but he's been crying out randomly throughout the night more lately. And usually around 5 am-ish, I have to go in there and change his diaper (there is not a diaper out there capable of handling his overnight wet diapers!). He goes right back to bed after that and usually stops crying out at all. Though frequently I don't get in there soon enough and I probably change his sheets about five times a week. That is fun. Thank goodness for the "Ultimate Crib Sheet" that I put under his sheet to make changes much, much easier or I might be going insane.

I don't know how big he is, but he is a big boy. He really seems to have grown a good bit lately (he does drink a lot of milk!). He's starting to outgrow his 24 months longalls/overalls. And he is very heavy! Though I must say, he's much more of a "snacker" than a meal eater. He frequently doesn't eat much at meal times, but I take those same cheerios and put them in a snack cup and give them to him while he's running around or in the carseat, he'll eat them. He is picky about the kind of meat he likes to eat, and he's hit or miss with that. I guess he just has to be in the right mood. :) He still won't really touch vegetables (except for the occasional pea or piece of corn).

Despite my gripes about his trouble-making side, he is a love and I adore him.


And he adores me too. :) But who he really loves is his big brother, "Poppy." Every once in awhile he will refer to him as something that sounds more like "Thomas," but for the most part he is still "Poppy." That is the first name he says when I go in his room in the morning on most days, and when Thomas is at school, Parker is constantly asking for him. It's so sweet. They love to run around chasing each other and seem to have boundless energy in doing so. Even though you might not be able to tell from this picture, Parker adores his big brother (and Thomas loves him right back!).


Speaking of his brother, here's a comparison shot (with an equally non-smiling face!) at 21 months:


I constantly find myself telling people that Parker is T-R-O-U-B-L-E, but I must say that I say that with love and affection. I adore him. He makes me laugh. And even though he wears me out and drives me crazy sometimes. he has such a personality and I love him for it. When he runs up and gives me a great big hug, I just forget about the times he is disobedient. I love his love and I love seeing him love and play with his big brother. It brings me such joy.

Homebound realizations

We had a small amount of work done at the house today that involved repainting almost all of the ceilings downstairs. This meant that the boys, the dog and I were stuck upstairs for the hours while the crew was here. Luckily they worked very fast. When they arrived though, I made a startling realization. I guess it's nothing I didn't already know, but we have TOO MANY TOYS.


These were all the toys from downstairs all put in one room to get out of the way of the workers (in the one room they didn't have to paint). There are many more upstairs. So either we don't need any more toys, or we need to win the lottery and get a bigger house with a designated playroom. Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket. :)

Speaking of toys, we pulled out an oldie but a goody while trying to make the most of being holed up in the house. The boys didn't fit all that great, but they had fun trying.



Next time we need work done at the house, I hope it's not a rainy day!