Liam B. Jones, First Grader

Liam has been going to the first grade classroom for reading for the past few weeks. His teacher wants him to continue to be challenged since he is reading at such an advanced level. I'm happy to see that she recognizes his strengths and wants to help him continue to succeed.

Yesterday, his 4K teacher from last year came over to me after school and told me how impressed she is with Liam's math skills. She said she is amazed at what he understands and that we should have him tested for gifted and talented. And then TODAY, his kindergarten teacher took me aside and asked if it would be ok for Liam to spend all morning in the first grade classroom for the "literacy block" since he is doing so well. Holy crap, kid. I'm so proud of you!

Day at the Orchard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Drill

Liam came home from school today and told me they had a fire drill. He got very serious and then started to cry. I asked him if the drill scared him or if something else was making him sad. "We had a fire drill, and all I could think about was Ellie," he said. Then, he started sobbing on my shoulder and managed to tell me that the fire drill made him think about us having a fire at our house and Ellie not being able to get out of the house. "And I don't want Ellie to die!" he sobbed. I just snuggled him until he calmed down and then we talked about how fun it was having Ellie in our family and that she is going to be with us for a very long time. I reassured him that if we ever did have a fire at our house that we would do everything we could to make sure Ellie got out safely. Love my sweet sensitive boy.

Buddies

Max and I ran some errands this morning and then stopped off at a park to play. There was only one little kid there with his grandma, so Max immediately latched on to him and they were off to play together! They went up and down the slide, on the swings, and ran miles and miles around a soccer field! The little boy's grandma asked for our number to plan to meet up at the park again sometime. Max is very excited about his new friend, Darnell.

In the car on the way home, we talked about what a nice friend Darnell is. I thought Max might say something about his new friend being a different race, since he hasn't had the opportunity to play with many kids that look different than him.

Instead, he said, "Darnell and I have the same hair." Yep, I said, they both did have very short hair! I pointed out that Darnell had black hair and Max had brown hair.

"But we have the same eyes!" he said excitedly. Yep, I said, they both do have brown eyes!

"YEAH! We are 3 and just the same!" he squealed.

I was so proud of him in that moment. It would be nice if everyone could see they are "just the same" and be friends!

Smile!

Just some photos to make you laugh while you wait for me to take some new ones!!

I'm off for three days, so you just might get some!!

Click!

Liam is quite the photographer and is constantly asking to take pictures of things. He wears my camera around his neck and wanders around finding interesting things to capture. He documented this freshwater clam Grandpa Howie had in a bucket when we were up north. I love the reflections. So adorable. I think it's time to get this kid his own camera! A waterproof one, in case he drops it in clam water!

Best Buds

 

These boys sure do love eachother! They are so sad to have to be separated during the day now, and Max can't wait to go to school next year! I love how when one of them wakes up in the morning, he's immediately looking for his brother. And then they play together until the last possible second before we have to leave. Sure, it's not always sunshine and rainbows, but I hope they always have a bond like this.

Hiking La Salle Falls

 

This "hiking pack" was very necessary for our adventure, according to Liam. Equally important were the "spears" he and Max had fashioned out of croquet implements...



Spear-wielding hiking partners...

 

 

 

Made it to the waterfall!

Liam is so excited to be there he grabbed my boob...

It was a really beautiful day and we were so glad we made the trek!

 

 

 

Max walked the entire trail out to the falls, but he got a little help on the way back!

Choices

I like to talk to both boys about what they did during the day at school and daycare. I try to be really specific and get them to think about how they felt, what they ate, who they played with and what their favorite part of the day was. Tonight, Liam was telling me about playing "Red Light, Green Light" at recess. He said it was a different kind of game than we usually play at home and then his eyes got really sad and teary.

"I didn't get a turn," he said quietly.

I asked him why he didn't get a turn and he explained that this was a game where one person turns around and you have to run towards them. When they turn to face you, you have to stop. And the kids who were winning were sneaking further ahead when the teacher wasn't looking.

"So, you didn't get a turn because you were following the rules and not cheating?" I asked.

He said yes and then I got teary. Here is this sweet boy, following the rules because he knows it is the right thing to do, and learning the hard way that by doing so he might miss out on something that looks like fun. It was a great teachable moment that I couldn't have dreamed up myself. We talked about how sometimes doing the right thing is really hard because it seems like it's not very fun, but that it feels good to know that you made the right choice and can be happy with yourself. I told him I was so proud of him, and then he started to look proud of himself, too.

Outdoorsmen

 

Eyewear

Max is IN LOVE with these crab goggles! He wears them EVERYWHERE. If they are not on his actual eyes, they are up on his head like this!

And, just to switch it up, some shades for the bathtub!

I Never Win Anything!

We have a "Kudos Award" at work to recognize employees going above and beyond and doing good things. I won it for August! My supervisor thanked me for always coming in to work with a positive attitude. That was awesome because I really strive to always be positive and spread a little joy at work. We have a very stressful job, and it's easy to become negative and crabby quickly. It was nice to be recognized for something I work really hard at! And now Aaron and I can plan a date night at 1951 restaurant sometime with the gift certificate I received!

Boulder Boy

Auntie Kimmy took this adorable picture of Maxwell on our hike to LaSalle Falls.

He's quite the outdoorsman!

Sand Lake Hike

 

 

 

 

I went on a long walk early one morning on our trip up north.
It turned into a much loooooonger walk than I'd planned...
5 miles long! I got some great pictures that morning, though, and felt great
when I got back. Then the boys informed me we were going on a hike...
a two mile hike to a waterfall! My feet are still sore... :)

School Days

First day of school!
Max is in preschool at his daycare and Liam is in kindergarten!
(and Liam told me that he was "practicing crossing his eyes" in this picture!)

Liam was very teary and kept coming back to give me hugs and tell me he would miss me!
As we walked out of the school, Max kept wiping his eyes and saying "I miss Liam..."