Today I took donuts into Lucian's school. He requested donuts to celebrate his birthday this year. Tomorrow they are having a celebration for Halloween (typical party), so he wanted donuts the day before. I went to Dunkin' Donuts and picked out Halloweenish yeast donuts in a few colors. I ended up with purple, pink, and brown. They had lovely sprinkles on top. His teacher requested I bring them at lunch time. Probably because they go out for recess right after and that is a great time to run off sugar. I decided to take him some lunch at the same time. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but was happy in the end. I ended up bringing him mac and cheese. He was probably glad to have a warm meal. I passed out the donuts to all his classmates in the cafeteria. I did feel bad for the other classes who had lunch at the same time. They had major donut envy. I think that gave Lucian a couple bonus points with his friends (and some day friends). I'm glad he was able to feel special and cool.
Tomorrow, at lunch, he is receiving an award for being a good citizen. I'm not sure if he knows about it. One of us will be going in to lunch to watch him get announced. He makes me so proud.
10.26.2017
10.09.2017
The Start of October, Smells Like Fall
It's no surprise that October is my favorite time of year. Fall, pumpkins, and the birthday season; what's not to love? We started our October by going to a pumpkin patch and festival. We bought eight pumpkins to start our fall pumpkin collection. By the time Halloween rolls around, we should have a vast collection. Some painted. Some carved. The ultimate image of Fall.
So far this fall we have already gone apple picking, pumpkin picking, festival going, cider drinking, and went to pumpkin town at the zoo. I'd say it's been pretty successful so far! I'm excited to do more apple picking so we can get a good storage of home-juiced apple juice. Maybe we can even mull some into cider this year. I'd also like to make dumplings this year. I've been too busy the last few years to make more apple dumplings. Now that we have an extra freezer, I'll have a place to store them as well.
The boys.
Man they are growing too fast. Lucian is in first grade. They are currently on fall break, so I get to see him more during the day. I like that. As much as I love having time with Apollo, I like spending time with both my boys. He has been doing well at school. He says he doesn't care for it, but never complains about going. I just hope he is able to make some new friends this year. That's the hardest thing about school these days, being able to socialize. Seems odd, I know. They are so strict these days about when kids can and cannot communicate with each other. Anyways, he has a good teacher who he seems to like and he is willing to go. That's enough for us.
Apollo is turning into a toddler. He is cranky, opinionated, and wants what he wants right now. All that being said, he has a lot of interests and a pretty long attention span. He loves to build train tracks, play cars, and interact with stuffed toys. He most favorite thing is being outside. Everyday we go outside and ride feet powered "bikes". We ride up and down our road until we need to get a drink. Mama's legs sure get a work out. It's fun and we get to enjoy the outdoors. I've also been taking him on solo trips to the museum, zoo, and playgrounds. We need to find him some friends to go with. He's okay with other kids, but he isn't much of a socializer. Lucian is more interactive that way. Apollo is more of a watcher. Then he goes off and does his own thing. Unless Lucian is there. Then he is loves to play with his brother.
I'm always surprised with time. The days seem long but the years are short. That's what people are always saying. I think the days go pretty fast. Too fast sometimes. I've been trying to enjoy the moments. Let the kids pick the movie, buy the dippin' dots, and stay at home at least once. Because in the long scheme of things... I'd rather see smiles.
So far this fall we have already gone apple picking, pumpkin picking, festival going, cider drinking, and went to pumpkin town at the zoo. I'd say it's been pretty successful so far! I'm excited to do more apple picking so we can get a good storage of home-juiced apple juice. Maybe we can even mull some into cider this year. I'd also like to make dumplings this year. I've been too busy the last few years to make more apple dumplings. Now that we have an extra freezer, I'll have a place to store them as well.
The boys.
Man they are growing too fast. Lucian is in first grade. They are currently on fall break, so I get to see him more during the day. I like that. As much as I love having time with Apollo, I like spending time with both my boys. He has been doing well at school. He says he doesn't care for it, but never complains about going. I just hope he is able to make some new friends this year. That's the hardest thing about school these days, being able to socialize. Seems odd, I know. They are so strict these days about when kids can and cannot communicate with each other. Anyways, he has a good teacher who he seems to like and he is willing to go. That's enough for us.
Apollo is turning into a toddler. He is cranky, opinionated, and wants what he wants right now. All that being said, he has a lot of interests and a pretty long attention span. He loves to build train tracks, play cars, and interact with stuffed toys. He most favorite thing is being outside. Everyday we go outside and ride feet powered "bikes". We ride up and down our road until we need to get a drink. Mama's legs sure get a work out. It's fun and we get to enjoy the outdoors. I've also been taking him on solo trips to the museum, zoo, and playgrounds. We need to find him some friends to go with. He's okay with other kids, but he isn't much of a socializer. Lucian is more interactive that way. Apollo is more of a watcher. Then he goes off and does his own thing. Unless Lucian is there. Then he is loves to play with his brother.
I'm always surprised with time. The days seem long but the years are short. That's what people are always saying. I think the days go pretty fast. Too fast sometimes. I've been trying to enjoy the moments. Let the kids pick the movie, buy the dippin' dots, and stay at home at least once. Because in the long scheme of things... I'd rather see smiles.
7.21.2017
Summer 2017
I guess I need to get off my butt and write a few more blog posts. I'm sure a lot has happened. I'm sure I have forgotten so much already. It was a tough spring/beginning of summer. We had a month of the chicken pox. The isolation is enough to bring the weary drearies, but otherwise we faired well. We weren't completely isolated. We did take quite a few walks around the neighborhood to get some fresh air, and played outside in the yard. There just wasn't a lot of interaction with other people. All has healed since then, and the boys have gained a lifetime of immunity. A small inconvenience really.
Lucian missed the opportunity to do an outdoor summer camp due to being contagious, but I managed to get him into a soccer camp. It was a few hours during the day for 3 days. He seemed to really like it. He is looking forward to his next soccer experience. I think he does better with intense programs where coaches push you more rather than in laid back programs. I might have to find a more intense program for fall soccer.
We've been trying to get out and do things. We have been trying to go to the Children's museum and Zoo; at least one of them weekly. We started a garden plot this year, but the boys don't seem to enjoy that experience very much. It's a big plot, buggy, and directly in the sun. At least they get to play with the hoses, right? We have hit some local playgrounds and splash pads. There are a lot of parks around the city, it's nice to try different ones. Summer is going way too fast.
Lucian starts first grade next week. He seems to be dreading it, but we will see how it goes. I'm excited to get him back into speech therapy. I'm also excited for him to have the opportunity to make new friends. It's not the easiest thing for him to do, but he does try.
Yesterday, we went to Daddy's kickball game. There were a few other kids there, and he played with them a little bit. He was on the younger side, so the older kids weren't all that nice to him. Apollo didn't seem to care though. He had a grand old time running around the basketball court disrupting their playing. He also was throwing Kirby around like a ball. He loves Kirby, and refused to leave him in the car. Naturally, Kirby was dragged around the field and along the tiny play area.
I gave Lucian a workbook to do for the summer. It was a fairly easy one. It was meant to be between kindergarten and first grade. We told him he could get a prize if he finished it. He did it. I wasn't sure if he would want to do it. He surprised me though. He wasn't always motivated, but if he didn't work on it for awhile I would have him do a page or two. Five pages later he would decide he was done. He made it through the book and picked out a prize. We are now proud owners of two plasma cars (ride on cars). They are pretty fun. When you move the steering wheel back and forth it moves forward. If the steering wheel is flipped and then moved back and forth it moves backward. It can also be moved by foot power. Naturally, we couldn't get one. They both HAD to have one. So, we bought two cars and some rainbow cones. Looks like we will be racing in the near future.
Apollo has been into books and drawing. It's a nice break from eating cat food with Burnie. Everyday, we read a couple books. He mostly points at things and says "what's that?" I'm ecstatic. Since Lucian didn't talk at this age he would point to find objects we'd mention, or point to things he wanted me to say. I don't think most parents understand how nice it is to just have simple things said to you. Truly taken for granted. It's such a different pace. Lucian wasn't usually interested in books. Apollo seems to enjoy it. We also draw together a lot. No piece of paper is safe in this house. We have to move important documents to high places. We utilize all types of material. We use dry erase markers on our mini white boards, we use legal pads with pens, we use coloring books, and rolls of easel paper. He likes markers, crayons, pencils, and pens. He has no problem hiding and stealing them from you too.
As I mentioned earlier, Apollo has been attached to Kirby. We have a lot of mario themed stuffed plushies. Apollo personally loves Kirby and Yoshi. We play plushies almost daily. It used to be a Lucian game, now it seems everyone enjoys it. It's not my favorite, but I love my babies. It's been really great for my imagination. Plus, it's a nice break from playdough (I'm pretty sure it's all dried up) and marble run. I really enjoy marble run. It's fun building him little marble masterpieces. Not fun when he immediately destroys it out of anger. Glad he gained our stubbornness. Insert giant eyeroll here.
Summer is coming to a close and I am sad. We didn't really have one with all the illness and travels. Now my big guy will be going into first grade. My little guy might need to participate in a Mommy and me class. It will make him feel better. Ok, it will make me feel better. I have to snuggle on someone.
Things to look forward to:
October, Visit grandpa, Joe not travelling for work
I know this was long but it's been awhile. Lots of Love.
Lucian missed the opportunity to do an outdoor summer camp due to being contagious, but I managed to get him into a soccer camp. It was a few hours during the day for 3 days. He seemed to really like it. He is looking forward to his next soccer experience. I think he does better with intense programs where coaches push you more rather than in laid back programs. I might have to find a more intense program for fall soccer.
We've been trying to get out and do things. We have been trying to go to the Children's museum and Zoo; at least one of them weekly. We started a garden plot this year, but the boys don't seem to enjoy that experience very much. It's a big plot, buggy, and directly in the sun. At least they get to play with the hoses, right? We have hit some local playgrounds and splash pads. There are a lot of parks around the city, it's nice to try different ones. Summer is going way too fast.
Lucian starts first grade next week. He seems to be dreading it, but we will see how it goes. I'm excited to get him back into speech therapy. I'm also excited for him to have the opportunity to make new friends. It's not the easiest thing for him to do, but he does try.
Yesterday, we went to Daddy's kickball game. There were a few other kids there, and he played with them a little bit. He was on the younger side, so the older kids weren't all that nice to him. Apollo didn't seem to care though. He had a grand old time running around the basketball court disrupting their playing. He also was throwing Kirby around like a ball. He loves Kirby, and refused to leave him in the car. Naturally, Kirby was dragged around the field and along the tiny play area.
I gave Lucian a workbook to do for the summer. It was a fairly easy one. It was meant to be between kindergarten and first grade. We told him he could get a prize if he finished it. He did it. I wasn't sure if he would want to do it. He surprised me though. He wasn't always motivated, but if he didn't work on it for awhile I would have him do a page or two. Five pages later he would decide he was done. He made it through the book and picked out a prize. We are now proud owners of two plasma cars (ride on cars). They are pretty fun. When you move the steering wheel back and forth it moves forward. If the steering wheel is flipped and then moved back and forth it moves backward. It can also be moved by foot power. Naturally, we couldn't get one. They both HAD to have one. So, we bought two cars and some rainbow cones. Looks like we will be racing in the near future.
Apollo has been into books and drawing. It's a nice break from eating cat food with Burnie. Everyday, we read a couple books. He mostly points at things and says "what's that?" I'm ecstatic. Since Lucian didn't talk at this age he would point to find objects we'd mention, or point to things he wanted me to say. I don't think most parents understand how nice it is to just have simple things said to you. Truly taken for granted. It's such a different pace. Lucian wasn't usually interested in books. Apollo seems to enjoy it. We also draw together a lot. No piece of paper is safe in this house. We have to move important documents to high places. We utilize all types of material. We use dry erase markers on our mini white boards, we use legal pads with pens, we use coloring books, and rolls of easel paper. He likes markers, crayons, pencils, and pens. He has no problem hiding and stealing them from you too.
As I mentioned earlier, Apollo has been attached to Kirby. We have a lot of mario themed stuffed plushies. Apollo personally loves Kirby and Yoshi. We play plushies almost daily. It used to be a Lucian game, now it seems everyone enjoys it. It's not my favorite, but I love my babies. It's been really great for my imagination. Plus, it's a nice break from playdough (I'm pretty sure it's all dried up) and marble run. I really enjoy marble run. It's fun building him little marble masterpieces. Not fun when he immediately destroys it out of anger. Glad he gained our stubbornness. Insert giant eyeroll here.
Summer is coming to a close and I am sad. We didn't really have one with all the illness and travels. Now my big guy will be going into first grade. My little guy might need to participate in a Mommy and me class. It will make him feel better. Ok, it will make me feel better. I have to snuggle on someone.
Things to look forward to:
October, Visit grandpa, Joe not travelling for work
I know this was long but it's been awhile. Lots of Love.
4.16.2017
Hoppy Easter
We had a very busy week. We went out of town earlier in the week and stayed at a hotel. The hotel had a pool and a hot tub. Though we were only there for two days, we took advantage of the pool and hot tub each time. Apollo loved going back and forth from the pool to the heat of the hot tub. Lucian had fun too. He even found two other kids playing in the pool on the last night. They all played together. Lucian was amazed that they didn't need a float in the pool. The girl was even doing flips into the pool. It was fun to watch. While we were down there we also checked out some local food places, played in the kids area of the mall, and checked out a local mini golf. All of those things made a fun trip. It was really for Joe's work, but we were able to use the time for fun. The most exciting thing about the whole trip was Lucian losing his first baby tooth! It has been loose for a little while now and his big tooth was starting to pop through. So we knew it would be falling out any day now. We figured he would be eating something and off it would go. That's not what happened, of course. He went to drink a cup of apple juice and his tooth popped right out. He took a sip, turned to me and said "look!" It's official. He's no longer a little baby. (Okay, maybe to me he is.)
After the trip we came home just in time for speech and soccer. He has really been enjoying soccer and even asked me to teach him some more skills. I'm excited to start doing that with him. He had his first game Saturday (yesterday) and pictures for the team. I will hear more about pictures in the next few weeks. I wasn't sure how the games were going to go because they haven't gone over too many things. Luckily, they teach during the games to help the kids understand the positions and stuff. Lucian was awesome. He didn't score any goals, but he definitely killed it. He is a very persistent player and has a lot of spunk. The assistant coach even talked to me after the game about how different he was in the game than practice. I giggled to myself. He apparently has the competitive gene. The team won. I think the score was 7-0. He had fun and was very excited that his team won.
Then we followed that up with an Easter egg hunt with his friends. He had an entire basket full of eggs. Usually we go to hunts and he only gets a few eggs (like the weekend beforehand). He usually gets sad about it because nobody follows the rules and they all push in front of him before the hunt starts. This time he was ecstatic. He had a huge smile. Even his grumpy little brother had fun. The other egg hunt we went to that day was a little crazy. There were tons of people. The boys got a decent amount of eggs. Enough to make them happy at least. We left right away because it was so busy and hot out.
Today we went to the zoo. This was the first time we were able to go to the dolphin show. I'm glad we did. The boys enjoyed it and so did we. Plus it was slightly rainy and the show was inside. Apollo had a hard time sitting through the whole thing. I think he wanted to go swim with the dolphins. He is such a water baby. Next, we ate and played at the zoo playground. Then, I convinced the boys to search for the egg pictures scattered around the zoo. If you find ten of the locations you get a prize. We found a few, played some more, and Joe took Apollo into the aviary. Apollo loved being in with the birds and having birds land on them. Lucian rode his first roller coaster with Daddy while we were there. It was a small one that did two laps. There was one other first timer on as well. Lucian thought it was great and wanted to ride again. The other kid wasn't into it. We collected the last few egg locations from the gardens and turned it in for a prize. Lucian picked out a blue zebra printed egg that had a small cheetah figure in it. We all drove home with smiles. Well, Apollo was sleeping.
After nap time, the boys dyed some eggs. Then I spread out some eggs in the field for them to collect. They got all the eggs and looked through their goodies. This year they had: fruit snacks, some smarties, little stampers, quarters, a pass for 30 minutes on the game pad, bunny crackers, and one fruit pouch. Apollo enjoyed getting stamps all over himself. Lucian was excited to have a 30 minute game pad pass.
We had dinner at a Pho restaurant. It went over pretty well. They were out of broth for udon though, boo. Lucian tried his first sushi tonight: eel cucumber roll. He ate half the roll, minus the cucumber. After that we went to a playground per Lucian's request. We decided to go to a new one we saw the day before. It was a cool older playground. It had metal slides, a merry-go-round, and even see-saws. We tried everything out. The boys favored the merry-go-round. Then we finished the evening with a friendly kickball game with another family that was there. They invited us to play, which was really nice. All the kids were really nice and were impressed by Lucian's ability to chase someone down to get them out. It was mostly the kids playing with Joe and I assisting here and there. Then we finished it off with their dad joining in. It was me and their dad vs the kids. We gave them a run for their money, but they were tough. All in all, it was a good day. We kept pretty busy but did fairly relaxing, enjoyable activities. I was very impressed with Lucian this weekend. He surprised me by trying new things and discovering the he actually enjoyed those things.
Now it's almost time for gardening season! We rented a garden plot this year. Our seeds are ready to be sowed. We pulled out the sidewalk chalk, water table and sprinkler. Lets do this Summer!
After the trip we came home just in time for speech and soccer. He has really been enjoying soccer and even asked me to teach him some more skills. I'm excited to start doing that with him. He had his first game Saturday (yesterday) and pictures for the team. I will hear more about pictures in the next few weeks. I wasn't sure how the games were going to go because they haven't gone over too many things. Luckily, they teach during the games to help the kids understand the positions and stuff. Lucian was awesome. He didn't score any goals, but he definitely killed it. He is a very persistent player and has a lot of spunk. The assistant coach even talked to me after the game about how different he was in the game than practice. I giggled to myself. He apparently has the competitive gene. The team won. I think the score was 7-0. He had fun and was very excited that his team won.
Then we followed that up with an Easter egg hunt with his friends. He had an entire basket full of eggs. Usually we go to hunts and he only gets a few eggs (like the weekend beforehand). He usually gets sad about it because nobody follows the rules and they all push in front of him before the hunt starts. This time he was ecstatic. He had a huge smile. Even his grumpy little brother had fun. The other egg hunt we went to that day was a little crazy. There were tons of people. The boys got a decent amount of eggs. Enough to make them happy at least. We left right away because it was so busy and hot out.
Today we went to the zoo. This was the first time we were able to go to the dolphin show. I'm glad we did. The boys enjoyed it and so did we. Plus it was slightly rainy and the show was inside. Apollo had a hard time sitting through the whole thing. I think he wanted to go swim with the dolphins. He is such a water baby. Next, we ate and played at the zoo playground. Then, I convinced the boys to search for the egg pictures scattered around the zoo. If you find ten of the locations you get a prize. We found a few, played some more, and Joe took Apollo into the aviary. Apollo loved being in with the birds and having birds land on them. Lucian rode his first roller coaster with Daddy while we were there. It was a small one that did two laps. There was one other first timer on as well. Lucian thought it was great and wanted to ride again. The other kid wasn't into it. We collected the last few egg locations from the gardens and turned it in for a prize. Lucian picked out a blue zebra printed egg that had a small cheetah figure in it. We all drove home with smiles. Well, Apollo was sleeping.
After nap time, the boys dyed some eggs. Then I spread out some eggs in the field for them to collect. They got all the eggs and looked through their goodies. This year they had: fruit snacks, some smarties, little stampers, quarters, a pass for 30 minutes on the game pad, bunny crackers, and one fruit pouch. Apollo enjoyed getting stamps all over himself. Lucian was excited to have a 30 minute game pad pass.
We had dinner at a Pho restaurant. It went over pretty well. They were out of broth for udon though, boo. Lucian tried his first sushi tonight: eel cucumber roll. He ate half the roll, minus the cucumber. After that we went to a playground per Lucian's request. We decided to go to a new one we saw the day before. It was a cool older playground. It had metal slides, a merry-go-round, and even see-saws. We tried everything out. The boys favored the merry-go-round. Then we finished the evening with a friendly kickball game with another family that was there. They invited us to play, which was really nice. All the kids were really nice and were impressed by Lucian's ability to chase someone down to get them out. It was mostly the kids playing with Joe and I assisting here and there. Then we finished it off with their dad joining in. It was me and their dad vs the kids. We gave them a run for their money, but they were tough. All in all, it was a good day. We kept pretty busy but did fairly relaxing, enjoyable activities. I was very impressed with Lucian this weekend. He surprised me by trying new things and discovering the he actually enjoyed those things.
Now it's almost time for gardening season! We rented a garden plot this year. Our seeds are ready to be sowed. We pulled out the sidewalk chalk, water table and sprinkler. Lets do this Summer!
2.20.2017
Slacking 2017
Apparently, I have been slacking already in 2017. My posting has really dragged and I'm sorry! It's often hard to get on the computer to update. Nobody likes when I'm on here. Or I start and someone commandeers the computer. Either way, I'm on here now. At least for a little bit.
So, the weather has been pretty crazy around here. One day it will be 60 degrees out and the next it will be snowing. I love snow, but I admit, I have spring fever. I'm looking forward to warmer weather, gardening, and rain. Rain gets a bad rap, but I rather enjoy it. Plus, hoodie weather may be one of my favorite times.
Things to look forward to come spring:
Lucian playing soccer again.
Sewing hoodies and short sleeve shirts for the boys.
Starting our garden for the year.
Flying kites.
Traveling to the World Massage Festival in NC.
Opening the windows.
Playgrounds.
The nice thing is, we've been spending the last few days outside enjoying the weather. It's been really nice. Riding bikes, scooters, and kicking balls around. It's a nice break from pushing cars around and playing wii. We even went to a new playground the other day. There are lots of places I've been wanting to check out.
Yesterday, we went to the Indy zoo. It was super busy. The sun was shining. It was a lovely day. We even enjoyed some dippin' dots, which we never get. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. It was too busy for me to lug around my nice camera and my phone memory is full (I should deal with that next). To be honest, we spent most of the time in the playground areas. The boys didn't seem to keen on viewing animals that day. Apollo was enamored by the flamingos nearby. Otherwise, nada. It was fun though. We were outside, enjoying the sun, and around other people. Busy zoo = lots of kids to play with. Even Apollo had a little friend. Luckily, we have a membership, so there will be more visits in the future.
So, the weather has been pretty crazy around here. One day it will be 60 degrees out and the next it will be snowing. I love snow, but I admit, I have spring fever. I'm looking forward to warmer weather, gardening, and rain. Rain gets a bad rap, but I rather enjoy it. Plus, hoodie weather may be one of my favorite times.
Things to look forward to come spring:
Lucian playing soccer again.
Sewing hoodies and short sleeve shirts for the boys.
Starting our garden for the year.
Flying kites.
Traveling to the World Massage Festival in NC.
Opening the windows.
Playgrounds.
The nice thing is, we've been spending the last few days outside enjoying the weather. It's been really nice. Riding bikes, scooters, and kicking balls around. It's a nice break from pushing cars around and playing wii. We even went to a new playground the other day. There are lots of places I've been wanting to check out.
Yesterday, we went to the Indy zoo. It was super busy. The sun was shining. It was a lovely day. We even enjoyed some dippin' dots, which we never get. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. It was too busy for me to lug around my nice camera and my phone memory is full (I should deal with that next). To be honest, we spent most of the time in the playground areas. The boys didn't seem to keen on viewing animals that day. Apollo was enamored by the flamingos nearby. Otherwise, nada. It was fun though. We were outside, enjoying the sun, and around other people. Busy zoo = lots of kids to play with. Even Apollo had a little friend. Luckily, we have a membership, so there will be more visits in the future.
12.18.2016
2 More Weeks of 2016
This year flew by. I don't think I wrote about nearly enough memories this year. Nor did I take nearly enough photographs. I will try to make up for it in 2017. It will have to become a goal. My boys have grown so much. I'm trying not to miss a beat, but I feel like I always am.
Apollo is running, per usual, and developing his toddler body (and personality). We are officially in the lay on the floor upset stage. This is where life truly gets interesting and the personality of toddlers really start to shine. Though it isn't the most pleasant as a parent (insert dirty looks here), I kind of enjoy this stage when not in the moment. I know he is just learning and doesn't know how to handle all the stimulation around him and the emotions he is feeling. It is going to be a learning experience for everyone.
On a happier side, he goes up and down the slide on his own. Yes, he was doing that before. Now he isn't scared to go down on his bum. Before, he would turn himself around so he could slide down on his tummy. He was too afraid of going down on his bum due to the lack of self balance. Now, he is perfectly fine going down on his bum without the fear of falling back and hitting his head. He is also into climbing the dining room chairs. He can climb right onto the seat. He likes to climb up and play with anything on the table or desk. I've caught him on the table a few times too. We try to discourage that.
Lucian has been pretty amazing. He has been reading signs here and there, drawing pictures, and making sound connections. I have changed up his learning a bit to get there. Before, we were always talking about letters and sounds of those letters. Now, I pick a few letters that sound similar or that is difficult for him and put them next to a vowel. We ignore any two letter words that sound differently and concentrate solely on the sounds they make. It has made an amazing difference. He figured out that he could make new words by adding letters to the end. He also used the idea of "sounding out" to figure out small words. We do this constantly and it has been great. Yesterday, we were in one of our old favorite stores (it's closing) and we were looking at a few things. He read two signs while we were in there. One said apple and had a picture of an apple on it. The other said go and was just green. He was carrying around a legal pad and pen that we were making notes on. The next thing we knew he was showing us a picture he drew of an apple and wrote apple next to. I was very impressed. And almost in tears. We have worked so hard, and it's showing. Then he looked at the sign that said go. He kind of spelled it out and looked at me. "Go?" he asked. I assured him he was correct, and gave him a big hug. Those are the moments I cherish. An hour or so of chaos with this one beautiful moment squeezed in between. He is learning, he is growing, and I am helping him achieve that.
I have some amazing kids. Even when they are angry, ungrateful, or annoying. They are truly amazing, and can achieve amazing things.
11.03.2016
Birthday Boys and Halloween
This year has flown by! I cannot believe Apollo is officially a one year old and Lucian is six years old. They have grown so much this last year. One is turning into a toddler and the other has turned into a small child. I'm afraid to blink at this point. I might miss them turning into adults.
Lucian is six, wow, six. He started school this year. He is learning to read, write, and speak. His language skills have improved. I've been working with him on making difficult sounds, writing letters, and increasing his vocabulary. He isn't enthusiastic about reading, but he will listen to a book if I make him. He likes to have fun and play games. I have been trying to make educational games for him to work on different concepts. He recently learned the game "horse". Now that we have a little basketball net inside (thanks Grammy), we've been getting creative. Lucian likes video games. He is a gamer to the heart. He likes to play minecraft, online computer games, kirby, mario bros games, plants vs zombies, and, most recently, smash brothers. I think he is more technological than I am. That's ok with me. I've accepted my fate! At least I will have someone to teach me gaming lingo.
Current favorites:
Food: Tacos
Drink: Apple Juice
Game: Video: Minecraft Board: Candyland
Color: All the colors of the rainbow except green, yellow, and black
Book: Five little pumpkins, Speedy little Racecars, Where's Waldo
Thing to do: Play video games
Apollo is quite the spunky one year old. He likes to crawl, climb, and is almost walking. He has done at least 10 consecutive steps by himself. He is very independent. Apollo loves to be outdoors. Now that he can communicate a little bit (he points, grunts and shakes his head), he often points to the door. He also crawls to the door whenever it is opened. The toddler ATV we've had since Lucian was little is one of his favorite things to do. Now he also enjoys playing in the ball pit (a nice step up from my makeshift cardboard one), climb up the slide and go backwards down on his belly, and push cars around. It is nice to have something to do other than going up and down the stairs all day. Plus, Lucian likes to play in the ball pit with him, and he likes playing with his big brother. He is also a huge foodie. If you have it he wants it. He likes to try things that aren't considered food as well. He was devouring his cupcake on their birthday before we were done singing "Happy Birthday". That's pretty good, though, because he was waiting to eat it all day. He ate the entire thing too. He may have even asked for a second.
Current Favorites:
Food: bread and noodles
Drink: coconut water
Game: Peek a boo
Color: seems to be green
Book: Anything with pages
Thing to do: Throw things down the stairs, climb things
The boys had a great birthday. We celebrated at home on their actual birth date. We had cupcakes, chocolate coins, balloons with toys in them (requested yearly by Lucian), and all our mario brother plushies. I took a few videos but the pictures weren't coming out with the lighting and fast movements. They loved their cards and gifts and having Grammy visit. The day after, we had a little trampoline jumping party with some of Lucian's friends. Their Nana and Papa came to visit too! It was certainly a busy weekend. We attempted to trunk or treat but it didn't work out (wrong times). But we were able to go out on Halloween and get a decent pile of candy.
This year the boys dressed up as Mario (Lucian) and Luigi (Apollo). I made their outfits as per tradition. We were going to dress up too, but I didn't get to our costumes. Oh well! Next year hopefully. I'm already conjuring ideas.
Thanks for stopping by for an update. And a big thank you to everyone that called, sent a card or gift, or wished the boys a happy birthday. It's unusual for siblings to share a birthday, and we are trying to figure the whole thing out. So far so good. Now to update the pictures and events!
Lucian is six, wow, six. He started school this year. He is learning to read, write, and speak. His language skills have improved. I've been working with him on making difficult sounds, writing letters, and increasing his vocabulary. He isn't enthusiastic about reading, but he will listen to a book if I make him. He likes to have fun and play games. I have been trying to make educational games for him to work on different concepts. He recently learned the game "horse". Now that we have a little basketball net inside (thanks Grammy), we've been getting creative. Lucian likes video games. He is a gamer to the heart. He likes to play minecraft, online computer games, kirby, mario bros games, plants vs zombies, and, most recently, smash brothers. I think he is more technological than I am. That's ok with me. I've accepted my fate! At least I will have someone to teach me gaming lingo.
Current favorites:
Food: Tacos
Drink: Apple Juice
Game: Video: Minecraft Board: Candyland
Color: All the colors of the rainbow except green, yellow, and black
Book: Five little pumpkins, Speedy little Racecars, Where's Waldo
Thing to do: Play video games
Apollo is quite the spunky one year old. He likes to crawl, climb, and is almost walking. He has done at least 10 consecutive steps by himself. He is very independent. Apollo loves to be outdoors. Now that he can communicate a little bit (he points, grunts and shakes his head), he often points to the door. He also crawls to the door whenever it is opened. The toddler ATV we've had since Lucian was little is one of his favorite things to do. Now he also enjoys playing in the ball pit (a nice step up from my makeshift cardboard one), climb up the slide and go backwards down on his belly, and push cars around. It is nice to have something to do other than going up and down the stairs all day. Plus, Lucian likes to play in the ball pit with him, and he likes playing with his big brother. He is also a huge foodie. If you have it he wants it. He likes to try things that aren't considered food as well. He was devouring his cupcake on their birthday before we were done singing "Happy Birthday". That's pretty good, though, because he was waiting to eat it all day. He ate the entire thing too. He may have even asked for a second.
Current Favorites:
Food: bread and noodles
Drink: coconut water
Game: Peek a boo
Color: seems to be green
Book: Anything with pages
Thing to do: Throw things down the stairs, climb things
The boys had a great birthday. We celebrated at home on their actual birth date. We had cupcakes, chocolate coins, balloons with toys in them (requested yearly by Lucian), and all our mario brother plushies. I took a few videos but the pictures weren't coming out with the lighting and fast movements. They loved their cards and gifts and having Grammy visit. The day after, we had a little trampoline jumping party with some of Lucian's friends. Their Nana and Papa came to visit too! It was certainly a busy weekend. We attempted to trunk or treat but it didn't work out (wrong times). But we were able to go out on Halloween and get a decent pile of candy.
This year the boys dressed up as Mario (Lucian) and Luigi (Apollo). I made their outfits as per tradition. We were going to dress up too, but I didn't get to our costumes. Oh well! Next year hopefully. I'm already conjuring ideas.
Thanks for stopping by for an update. And a big thank you to everyone that called, sent a card or gift, or wished the boys a happy birthday. It's unusual for siblings to share a birthday, and we are trying to figure the whole thing out. So far so good. Now to update the pictures and events!
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