Alex L Johnson: Spring Fever 2014

First things first, Alex will no longer be attending Spanish Immersion school in the fall. We were lucky enough to be extended an invitation for SEA (School of Engineering and Arts). This was our first choice all along and after attending a Kindergarten welcome night and Spring Fling celebration… we are more than thrilled for this chapter in his life to start! Alex woke up the next morning after taking a tour of his new school and said, “Mom, you can drop me off at my new school today. I want to go there today!” He is very excited and keeps talking about “big boy” school. We will be attending his pre-school graduation ceremony next Friday night. They took pictures in a cap and gown and he is just so stinking handsome. It’s all a little silly until it’s YOUR kid who is so proud to be graduating pre-school. Then it’s just pure fun.

When I sat down with his teacher Ms. Lori a few weeks back she told me he is definitely ready to start Kindergarten. We were worried because several boys we know with July birthdays are not starting this Fall. We felt confident in our decision but it helped to hear it from her as well! Ms. Lori said he’s interested in learning and his writing has improved dramatically in the past few months. He used to be the class clown and distract the other kids during learning time and now he is more focused, more willing to try and figure things out if he is confused instead of just giving up as he had previously done. Ms. Lori said he is also quite popular. He has a pack of friends and a best friend named Grady. Or Shawn. Or Henry. They are all interchangeable at this age! She said he is also popular with the girls. They think he is cute and sweet. Brent saw a little girl just yesterday asking Alex is pick something up for her. He pointed to a ball and she said, “No, not that. THAT!” So he picked the flower she was pointing at and handed it to her. She swayed, smelled it, and said, “Thanks Alex…” I have seen this kind of behavior from little girls as well. It is adorable and scary all at the same time!

Alex is completely obsessed with his dad. “Daddy, will you play with me?” is heard very frequently. He loves to watch shows. The kid will watch just about anything but his favorites are Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Spiderman. He likes Sesame Street which is something we push so Anna will watch as well. He can sit and just turns into a little Zombie. Annie watches for about 5 minutes and then is off to play again! They are so fundamentally different. He is all about getting snuggled in to “watch a show.” He also loves to journal (practice writing), color, and play Superheroes! Alex has lots of figurines to play with and Anna has Little People to play with. Alex often steals a Disney Princess and turns her into Poison Ivy or Harley Quinn. It is hilarious.

We have been going to libraries lately and Alex has really enjoyed the steady stream of new books to read. He sits with a book open on his lap just studying the pictures. He has such a bright mind. I love to see his interests broaden.

Playtime is becoming more and more rough for Alex. He is getting bruised, scraped, chipped, or dented daily at this point. He is a tall, thin, and a bit clumsy. We might have to start calling him “Bump” like his dad was called in his childhood. We all have a bit of Spring Fever and Alex is constantly wanting to go to parks and be outside. He really enjoyed a recent trip to the park on Memorial Day. There was a older group of kids playing an advanced version of tag. The dad of the group asked Alex if he wanted to play with them. His eyes just lit up and he nodded his head yes. Alex listened very intently while the dad told him the directions and their names. Then Alex said, “My name is Alex.” My eyes are filling up with tears just remembering how confident he sounded and how excited he was to be included. He ran and played with the big kids and slept easily that night.

That’s enough for now… enjoy the pictures!