Summer Recap 2014 and first day of kindergarten!

Alex has had a big, fun summer!  We've been camping, lots of birthdays (including his fifth!), to a Twins game, State Fair, Nickelodeon Universe, and lots of parks.  We got a season pass to the local swimming pool and Alex went from being hesitant last summer to a full blown swimmer this summer.  He puts on his goggles and just dives under the water.  He loves to go after water toys that sink to the bottom of the pool.  He's pretty bummed that swimming season is over already!

Alex has also gotten a ton better at riding his bike.  He still has training wheels, but he is no longer afraid of going down hills and keeps up with Mom and Dad for the most part.  He's even playing around on the ramps at the Skate Park.  I promised him we'd get him some elbow pads and knee pads so he could really try some stunts.

He's become a big fan of American Ninja Warrior - we all have truth be told!!  I fear this may lead to some bumps and bruises down the road but I don't mind anything that will keep him active.  Alex has tons of energy and just doesn't sleep if he hasn't played hard enough that day.

Alex really loved K Power over the summer at the YMCA.  They went on 2 field trips a week to local parks, museums, pools, zoos - you name it!  The part he always talked about was "We got to eat LUNCH there!"  They ran the kids hard with lots of time outside on the playground, Kid's Gym, and Splash Deck.  It's safe to say the kid had a fabulous summer.

Alex started kindergarten today at The School of Engineering and Arts in Golden Valley.  His teacher is Mrs. Pitkin.  Her favorite book is Owl Moon.  Brent read the book to Alex tonight since we happen to own and love it... and he was more captivated than ever so my guess is that he really likes Mrs. Pitkin!!  She is 54 years old and has a very gentle, loving way about her.  I was immediately impressed with her patience and way of talking to the kids.  She doesn't baby talk them.  She just talks to them in a way that grabs their attention - a gift of good teachers.  Like Emo!!  A natural way with children.  

Alex wasn't nervous about starting school, he's been itching to go for months now!  He seemed to really enjoy the day.  We are looking forward to being part of the SEA family for both our kids.  

Hope you like the pictures of our handsome boy!

Alex at his birthday party at Chuck E Cheese!

Park time

  

Twins game with dad!

Alex with his baby sister at the Twins Game.

Alex with a huge corn dog at the State Fair.

First day of kindergarten!

Alex in front of his school sign.

Alex getting off the bus this afternoon.

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!

Easter Sunday

Finger paint!!

Backyard Fun

Visit to see Great Grandma Drinkwine

"Now in Spanish Mommy!" says Alex as we count

Looks like we are going to have a bilingual kid on our hands in a few years!  We applied to two magnet schools in the area- one that focuses on science/engineering/arts (SEA) and Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion (RSI).  There is a lottery system and we got a seat in the Spanish Immersion school.  We attended both Open House nights for these magnet schools and were pretty disappointed that we didn’t get into SEA.  We were taken back by the idea of immersion and how kids could succeed if only spoken to in Spanish right off the bat when they didn’t know the language.  Initially we thought we would decline the invitation.  Luckily, we sat on it.  We stewed it over.  We talked to friends whose kids have gone through immersion.  We talked to our daycare providers.  We went online.  We did lots of research and the bottom line is that Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion is a fantastic school.  The student test scores are higher in all subjects than the public school he would be attending (and tests are given in English – same tests for state).  The public school is actually getting federal funding because it is failing and over populated.

 

Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion ranks 8 out of 10

Forest Elementary ranks 4 out of 10

 

We have some reservations about this decision – is Spanish practical to learn; is it marketable?  Will he retain the information?  Will he have an interest/aptitude for Spanish?  Will we be able to help him with homework?  All of that being said, why would we send him willingly to a school that is failing when he has the opportunity to attend a school that is excelling? 

 

Alex will be starting kindergarten in Fall 2014.  He is growing up.  It’s our job as parents to make the best possible decisions for him.  Anna will be going to RSI as well thanks to a sibling clause.  This was a tough decision, but a no brainer based on the statistics alone.  Alex is a bright, fun, kind boy who deserves the very best life can offer.  So… time for mom and dad to brush up on Spanish!     

Pictures!

So far in 2014....

Alex has had a fun 2014 so far.  His precious Georgia Emo was with us until mid-February, and he got to go see his Grandma Penny and Grandpa Walter who live "soooo far away."  If anyone reading is familiar with the book Guess How Much I love You, it's all about Little Nutbrown Hare trying to outdo Big Nutbrown Hare's love.  Now Alex says, "Daddy, I love you all the way to the North Pole!"  Or "Mommy, I love you all the way to Grandma Penny's house!"  It is just adorable.

Alex has been having a bit of trouble in school playing the class clown.  As a result, he is going to bed earlier and only 30 minutes of video games per week.  The child is his father's son.  He LOVEs video games.  It is a huge bargaining chip for us. 

We've also changed supper time.  For months it has been a struggle to get Alex to eat.  He eats breakfast and lunch with no trouble, but come supper time, it is a fight!  We read an article that explained the mentality of a 4 year old... budding independence and strong wills.  We started serving meals family style and letting him takes what he wants.  If he doesn't want what we are eating he has to sit at the table until everyone else is done.  If he is hungry later, he gets offered his cold supper.  Believe it or not, he is ready to eat it an hour later.  Something just clicks.  (Unless his little sister climbs up and starts stealing his food).  Now that we've adopted this, Alex generally eats what he takes while everyone else is eating.  It has worked so well.

Enjoy the video from Valentine's day.  Not sure where Alex got those moves but they sure are awesome!

)


I apologize for no pictures, the blog is not loading them.  I will try again some other day.

Preschool!

Goofball!

On Tuesday, September 3^rd, Alex started at the YMCA.  He is enrolled in their preschool program and is a Fabulous Fish!  His teachers are Mandee and Lori.  They have a Safety Swim Class every week on Tuesday and Show-N-Tell every week on Friday.  This is a vastly different environment that what he has known from 6 weeks old in an in-home daycare environment.   One thing we noticed right away was that he missed his sister during the day.

Alex loves other kids.  The idea of there being so many kids around for him to play with made the transition easier in my mind.  The reality is that just because there are more kids, doesn’t mean that they will make room for him in play.  I have noticed that Alex is starting to say his new best friend is Marty, a taller boy in his class.  On the first day Alex arrived, I overheard Marty’s mom say “It’s his first day of school here.  You should play with him!  Do you remember how scared you were on your first day?”  Apparently Marty took his mom’s advice and they became quick friends.  Then yesterday, Alex told his dad on the way home that Marty wasn’t his best friend anymore because he didn’t want to play with him.  He said his real best friend is his cousin Jack.  Then he asked if he could go over to Jack’s house to play with him.

(Sigh)

Alex is so sweet.  Some of that is changing within him because of his environment.  He has lost some of the protection a small setting affords.  More kids equal exposure to more adversity.  Conversely, he will be much more prepared for kindergarten next fall. 

He is already talking about the days of the week, singing more, and is in I-need-more-information mode.  Everything ends in “Why Mommy?”  He is learning more at school now and it is seeping into his little mind.  I just love it.

The thing I didn’t expect is how much I worry now about Alex fitting in.  How he is dressed, his back-pack that I bought for 25 cents then sewed back together… perhaps he shouldn’t bring that one!  J  If he needs to be enrolled in speech therapy for the trouble that he has with pronouncing ‘R’ and ‘L.’  If the other kids are being mean like kids often can.

I want more for him than I had.  Some of this anxiety is a direct reflection on my childhood insecurities and I get that.  I went to speech therapy for 5 years, starting at his age, and grew up with little money.  We also moved a lot so it was just difficult to be accepted.  I want so much more for him.  I don’t want him to feel anything like I did at his age. 

But looking at his shining smile when I get home for work, I know that is not Alex’s reality.  The reality is that he is adjusting to his new situation.  He is excited to go to his new school every morning, slightly overwhelmed when we arrive initially, and then worn out from playing when he gets home.  This is a new stage in his young life.  And he’s doing so well.  My Alex is growing up.  

Alex playing at a park

At Wings and Wheels enjoying the air show

The Johnson Kids in May 2013

Alex, age 3.  Will turn 4 on July 23rd

Anna, age 11 months.  Will turn 1 on June 11th

Ashley, age 6.  Just turned 6 in March.

Jack, age 2.  Will turn 3 on July 24th.

I didn't include Jessi with the "Johnson Kids" because she is no longer a kid, she is a full-fledged, thriving teenager that all the younger kids idolize!