Kissing Hand

If you read the post below, then you know that Evan has been less than enthusiastic about school. He tells me he doesn't want to go to school because he would rather spend the day with me. However, I know better. I know the real reason is because he is nervous about doing something different. He doesn't handle transitions or new situations well (I guess this Army life thing is not the best for a boy like Evan!).

Because I will be greeting my own students on Tuesday morning and Wes will be in a foreign country, The daycare provider will be taking him to his first day of school. Ms. Desi, his best friend's mother, will be walking him to the door. In order to insure that Evan knows I will be thinking of him, I have created a "kissing hand." If you know the book, then you know the beautiful story of a raccoon heading out to school for the first time. His mother kisses his palm and tells him to hold his palm to his cheek anytime he is scared or lonely, and the kiss of his mother will travel through his cheek to warm his heart.

After reading this book several times with Evan, I had a similar idea. I had planned to draw a heart on the palm of his hand so that he would be reminded that I would be with him, in spirit at least, as he completes the first day. Evan reluctantly agreed to this. In fact, he later said, "I can't believe I am going to do this."

Today, while watching TV, we saw a commercial where the mom does something similar for her daughter's first day of school. Evan saw it and said, "You mean other people know about the kissing hand. I thought we were the only ones." Now that others might know, I am afraid the idea of drawing hearts on the hand is a no-go.

Kinder Orientation

For weeks we have tried to persuade Evan that kindergarten will be fun. We have ordered and read books about "big" school. We have had a playdate with another boy that will be attending Henderson. We have highlighted the parts that we know he will enjoy: the library, gym class, recess, reading books, science experiments, etc. We have prayed about it with him. But it has been all to no avail.

We learned last weekend that Evan's teacher is Ms. H. Interestingly enough she is someone that we already knew because she lives three houses down from us. Tonight we went to Henderson for the kindergarten orientation. As we were inundated with information about the school, my anxiety levels rose. I began to realize that the first week will be overwhelming for Evan, and he has every right to not want to go.

The kids were required to leave the parents for the duration of adult talk, but Evan didn't balk at the idea of going to the classroom with the teacher. He met his classmates, a fairly diverse group, and decided that he wants to make friends with the boy named Ben because he has the name of his favorite cartoon character. He learned that he has been assigned to the orange team with another boy with an E name, and best of all, he learned that he can buy ice cream after lunch. While getting ready for bed tonight, Evan decided that he might like kindergarten after all. He said, "First I was scared, but I think kindergarten might be cool after all." And so with visions of ice cream, outside recess on the big playground, and a possible new friendship with Ben, Evan is finally excited about school! We are now counting down until the big day...only five more days.

Money Tree

Keagan has accrued quite a bit of money from his birthday from his great-grandmothers. It is more than any four year old needs. Since he spent $7.00 at Dutch Wonderland buying a sword, we suggested last night that he put the rest in the bank. I tried to explain that if he put the money in a savings account, then in a few years it would grow and would be even more money. Evan asked, "You mean that if he puts money in the bank, then a tree will grow with money on it." Well, not exactly, but he was close!

Jungle Adventure

Keagan celebrated his fourth birthday on Sunday at Gymboree with a few of his friends from school. He had a wonderful time catching up with his friends that he hasn't seen in two months, and he loved being the center of attention for the duration of the party. 

Of all the birthday parties we have planned in the last six years, this, by far, was the easiest and the most fun. I ordered a cake and picked up a few balloons; the crew at Gymboree did everything else. (They even offered to write and mail the invites!) The kids had a great time singing, dancing, and playing on the gym equipment. We blew bubbles, went on an animal adventure with our Diego telescopes, and made tents with parachutes. 

Wes summed it up best when he looked at me at the end of the party and said, "That was the best party ever, Baby. We didn't have to clean up a thing. Let's do it again in November." Unfortunately, Evan will be too old. There is an age limit at Gymboree, and so we will again be on the look-out for another birthday location in November!

Dutch Wonderland

On Friday we left Texas and flew into Baltimore. Because we were as close as we were to the Pennsylvania border, we decided to spend the weekend in Lancaster, the home of Dutch Wonderland. If you haven't been there and your kids are under the age of eight, then you have to go! All of the rides are catered to young ones and with the rides, water park, diving shows, miniature golf, and specialty events, there is more than enough to do in a day. 

Lancaster is in the middle of Amish country. The rolling hills of corn, the red barns, and the Amish farms are picturesque to say the least. 

Although we didn't tour an Amish farm, we did eat at a restaurant sitting on a farm. While we were waiting to be seated, the boys toured the barn, hiked through the peach trees, and petted the animals. We had whoopie pies for dessert, a must have while in an Amish restaurant.

Our trip to Lancaster was so much fun we stayed an extra night and returned to Virginia in the early afternoon. And we didn't forget, Sandra. The Amish hot mustard was purchased. This time we bought you guys two jars because I don't know that we will be back any time soon.

Keagan is Four

Four years ago today Keagan was born. While awaiting his arrival, Wes and I watched the Olympics on German TV in the hospital, and today we awaited the arrival of guests for his birthday party while watching the Olympics.

This afternoon we celebrated in Texas with my extended family with a Speed Racer party, and on Sunday we will celebrate at home with his friends from school and church. Lots of celebrations...I know, but he will be four only once.

Flying Trip to Arkansas

Because we haven't driven enough in the last five days, we left Marshall on Monday morning to visit Wes's grandmothers. It is a 3.5 hour drive, and once you leave Shreveport, you see nothing but lumber trucks and paper mills. And if we hadn't had a satellite radio in my mom's car, the drive would have been worse.

Once we arrived at Nana's house, the boys were able to tour the old barn and observe deer feeding in one of the fields. 

Keagan drove Papa's old blue Ford tractor, and I am almost ashamed to admit, Evan shot a rifle. Did I really allow my little boy to shoot a gun? Evan was more than excited!

I think Nana was even more excited to have us come for the weekend, though!

Farm Life Top 5

After spending the weekend in Winona, Texas visiting Wes's sister and her husband, Kevin, the boys made a Top 5 List of their most enjoyable experiences on their farm.

5. Riding in Uncle Kevin's 1970 Tahoe with the wind in their hair

4. Playing with the labrador puppies

3. Feeding the cows and taking pictures of the cows

2. Shooting guns in the Hanley pasture

1. Celebrating Keagan's 4th birthday with a Transformers party 

And even if the boys weren't all that thrilled with their new baby cousin, Abbigail, Wes and I thought she was beautiful!

East Texas Road Trip

Let the East Texas Road Trip begin. Today we made the hour long drive to Marshall, Wes's home town. We toured the Marshall Train Station Museum, watched model trains, and blew an old train whistle...Great fun for Keagan who constantly asked, "Where's the train show?" He seemed to think that the Thomas Trains would be on display here. 

Wes took some great pictures of some of the more notable buildings in the downtown area,

and we returned to Nonnie's house for golf cart rides and play time with Deuce, the dog that Evan wishes were his own. 

Tomorrow we meet Abbigail.

The Promised Land

I have arrived in Texas with mixed emotions. On the one hand this trip marks the end to our summer vacation. When we return, I go back to work full time, Evan begins kindergarten, and Keagan attends JK. I have enjoyed my time with the boys, and I hate to see it end. On the flip side, we look forward to relaxing at "home", spending time with our family, and meeting our new niece or nieces. 

We begin our trip in Mt. Pleasant, my home town. The boys wasted no time jumping in the pool. I think we were in the door only five minutes before they went for their first swim. They have already been in the pool two times today, and they have spent countless minutes playing soccer, basketball, and t-ball. 

And the fun has just begun...We have nine more days to soak up the sun and enjoy our last week of vacation with the family!

"You'll Have to Pay a Fine for That!"

Evan is as smart as a tack, but he dislikes school work. I had a hard time persuading him to do any academic work this summer... until I started paying him. You might wonder why I would do such a thing. Quite simply, it is because it works. Evan realizes the value of money and really works to earn his quarter. He earns a quarter for completing a page of math facts, for writing a sentence and illustrating a picture in his journal, for practicing twenty site words, or for reading a book. He has a tin box that he uses to collect his quarters, and he is learning how quarters convert to dollars. But it gets better...

If Evan is disobedient, then he must pay a fine. He is obligated to pay me a quarter for every infraction. This has worked wonders with getting him to sleep at night. His dream of a new Ben10 Alien is persuading him to walk the line.

Now that Keagan is aware of the arrangement, he, too, wants to take part. Last night he earned two quarters; he completed a journal entry and work with site words. This morning he woke up and said, "Mom, let's learn some more words." I love it!

Batting Cages

We followed the lead of some friends and spent a few hours at the batting cages at the local park. Even though it was a scorcher today, it was great fun! We quickly ran through our stack of coins, and when the money ran out, Wes pitched the balls to the boys. They were hitting the balls left and right; it was amazing how quickly Evan learned the rhythm of the machine.

 I hit three rounds in the softball cage and I did better than I did many moons ago when I was in high school. At one point, Keagan said, "Gosh, Mom. You're good!" When the weather cools down, I would love to go back, and I will remember to bring my own helmet because I can still smell the sweaty stench of the one that I had to borrow from the Park Authority. Do they ever wash those things???? I probably don't want to know the answer to that.....

Off to Egypt

While talking on the phone today, the boys slipped out the front door on their way to "Egypt to find lost treasure". Armed with a CARS sleeping bag, froggie slippers, and little else, I found them four houses down. When I persuaded them to return to the yard, they decided to set up camp in the back. 

With Keagan gathering five yogurt cups, a glass of Tang, and a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, he seemed to think this would be enough to sustain them both in the hot sun. And of course no camping trip would be complete without toys. They picked up a handful of Hot Wheels cars, Ben10 figurines, and a truck. All of the prep work proved too much for both boys; because of the heat, Evan was back inside within the half hour, and Keagan decided a nap was in order.

Young Einsteins

Evan did several experiments while in his science camp in July, and he has asked for days if he can do the same experiments with Keagan. On Sunday I finally agreed. Despite the strong odor, we put an egg in a bowl of vinegar, looked for evidence of a chemical reaction, and decided we would make more observations in an hour. So we went about our way, reading, playing, and watching TV. When it came time to make our observations, we found Wes in the kitchen cleaning up with the bowl of vinegar emptied and the egg in the garbage disposal. Luckily, neither boy seemed too upset about the mishap; both had more fun with the magnets than the egg.

We Need a Doctor...Fast!

It was bound to happen. Especially since Evan had three trips to the ER before the age of three. Today, while I was at work and Wes was watching the boys (I had to add that piece!), Keagan fell off the bed and hit his mouth on the foot board. He bit the inside corner of his lip/mouth, and according to Evan, "blood was everywhere!" Wes was able to get the bleeding to stop right about the time I pulled into the driveway. However, he still had a gaping hole in his mouth from where his teeth bit into the skin. We debated our plan of action...Go to urgent care. Go to the clinic. Go to the ER. Do nothing and hope for the best. 

And so Wes did the first three and some places twice because our insurance company gave us the run around. As it turns out, Keagan is too young to have stitches in his mouth. He was given an antibiotic to keep away any infection. He is not allowed to eat any crumbly food and I am to swab the wound with hydrogen peroxide after every meal. I told Wes I got the raw end of the deal. What three year old is going to allow you to rub that on an open wound?

A Great Start to a New Week

This morning the boys attended Bubble Camp. I scheduled it weeks ago so that I would have a few hours to work in my classroom. As luck would have it, we had a fire at the school. The secretarial staff and I were evacuated. And so I found myself with an hour to spare, no kids...What would I do? I got a pedicure, drank a diet coke, and browsed the aisles of Borders. What could be better than that? 

The theme at Bubble Camp was "messy day" and it was truly messy. The boys' clothes are covered in claydough, their legs are stained with green food coloring, and they smell of shaving cream. They had pizza for lunch, read a book, and played on the gym equipment. They were upset to see that I was the first parent to arrive for pick-up.

And so we all had a great day that might not have gone as entirely planned, but we all return home with smiles on our faces.

The Pool

Equipped with bags of popcorn, granola bars, and Spiderman divers, we have all we need for an afternoon of fun at the pool. The boys have learned so much in swim class  that they have been motivated to practice their swimming, floating, and kicks. Keagan is bold enough to go into the deep end as long as he has a life jacket. And I can sit back in a lounge chair and watch it all or I can join them. The freedom I have this year at the pool is welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed!

Watching the Pros

Tonight we attended our first professional soccer game at RFK stadium, and we had so much fun! The boys, especially Evan, loved the action and really got into the game. Evan was hooked when the announcer began announcing DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD, CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC, UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNITed! With huge flags flying in the stadium, the beat of a drum, chants, and horns, there was no way you couldn't stay focused on soccer. It was exciting to say the least. I think Keagan was most impressed with his encounter with the DC United mascot, Talon. 

Soccer Camp

This week Evan has spent the mornings at a soccer camp sponsored by the soccer league UK Elite. It has been a valuable experience for several reasons.
1. Evan and I learned that he is not the best. The camp was competitive and this was an eye opening experience to play with older and more competitive players.
2. Evan learned to play in the heat. He doesn't take well to hot weather (unless he is swimming) and so he learned to cope with the heat and even developed a strategy or two about keeping cool. It seems silly but is is valuable information.
3. Evan's technique has improved; he is an aggressive player and really learned to tackle the ball.
4. At the end of three sessions, the coach awarded players with tattoos for plays that exceeded expectations. Not every player got a tattoo, and when Evan didn't get one on the first day, he learned that he had to work for the incentive. On Thursday he was one of two players to be awarded the coveted tattoo, and on Friday, he was one of four.
5. The three hours each morning gave Keagan and me some time together. We didn't do anything exciting but I enjoyed the time with just the two of us.

Friday was family day. The parents arrived an hour early to watch the players demonstrate their new skills. Evan's team did not win, but Evan had a hat trick (three goals in a quarter).