Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Novelist
I love this new stage that Todd has entered. I refer to the writing stage. These misspelled, hard-to-read notes are so full of personality. Todd wrote his first "story" on a quiet Sunday afternoon, about three weeks ago. Three pages is pretty good for his first effort at writing stories. It was such a nice surprise. I love that writing this story kept Todd entertained for over an hour. I love that Todd illustrated his work. I loved seeing how proud Todd was of his accomplishment. And I love the punchline at the end. It had me laughing. It still makes me laugh every time I read it.
I hope you, too, can feel the love as you read his story.
[The orange highlighter marks are from Kellie. Todd asked her to check his mistakes, but I stopped her before she got too far.] I'll write the translation under each picture.
Once upon a time I went to school and made a lot of art. I made pictures, a lot of things. And I kept all the art. I love my art. I love my art so much. I want to keep all the art. I like all of the art. I will keep all of the art. I like all of the art. I like the art so, so bad. I want to make more. Some of them will be books.
I went on the bus, and my art was in the back. I was so happy because my stop was the first stop. I had a lot of art. We stopped. I went off the bus.
When I got home I looked at my art. My art was so cool. Mom hugged me. My art was so cool. It was very cool. Mom loved it so so much and loved the art so much that Mom forgot to make dinner. The end.
The funny thing is, I broke out laughing after reading the last sentence. Todd laughed with me for a minute, then turned serious. "But Mom, that's really happened before, hasn't it?" More laughter on my part.
[In my defense, I may have lost track of time and had to throw together a quick dinner before. But I've never "forgotten" dinner. It's still interesting to see things for a child's point of view.]
Before writing stories Todd would often make lists--mostly lists of things to do or activities for the day. Now Todd has moved on to writing notices. The following notice was placed by a plastic container which held a baby frog the boys brought back from Oma's house. We were getting ready to leave the house for a little while and Todd left this message.
[On the back side of the paper it read, "Dad, Mom, Todd, Ryan"]
Please do not take our pet. You can look at the pet. It is a frog.
I don't know why this is so funny to me, but it is.
Update on the pet frog: The boys tried feeding the frog a little spider and a "red-bellied bug". The next morning I was able to convince the boys that the baby frog was probably better off living outside on its own than in the little container in our house. They agreed and released the frog. But they can't wait to get a bigger frog that they are able to keep.
Since Todd has shown a greater interest in writing I had him make a list of things he liked about his teacher and his first year of school on a card for his teacher. The class put together a nice group gift, which we contributed to, but I also wanted a little something extra from us. This is what I came up with.
Here, Mrs. B looks at the scrapbook one of the moms put together as part of the group gift.
Mrs. B put on a little closing ceremony for her class. She gave each child a special award ribbon, as well as a certificate predicting what they might be when they grow up.
Todd's ribbon award was for Best Boy Reader. However, I was surprised by her career prediction, "Novelist". Although I just got done singing Todd's praises as a writer, I recognize that a certain amount of creativity is required for successful writing. Perhaps that will come with age. Mrs. B said that Todd has a love for words. He tries very hard to use words appropriately-to use just the right word for something. And she said that he had a large vocabulary. Way to go, Todd!
After his teacher gave each child their ribbon and certificate, she also gave them a bright pink lipstick kiss on their cheek. Most of the kids thought this funny, but Todd was a little embarrassed. He was okay with receiving his kiss along with the rest of the class, but he wouldn't let me take a photo of it and tried to wipe it off right away.
It's hard to believe that the year is over already. Todd had a great time this year, and Ryan and I enjoyed being able to participate in so many activities with his class this year, especially when it involved yummy treats like ice cream sundaes.
I hope you, too, can feel the love as you read his story.
[The orange highlighter marks are from Kellie. Todd asked her to check his mistakes, but I stopped her before she got too far.] I'll write the translation under each picture.
Once upon a time I went to school and made a lot of art. I made pictures, a lot of things. And I kept all the art. I love my art. I love my art so much. I want to keep all the art. I like all of the art. I will keep all of the art. I like all of the art. I like the art so, so bad. I want to make more. Some of them will be books.
I went on the bus, and my art was in the back. I was so happy because my stop was the first stop. I had a lot of art. We stopped. I went off the bus.
When I got home I looked at my art. My art was so cool. Mom hugged me. My art was so cool. It was very cool. Mom loved it so so much and loved the art so much that Mom forgot to make dinner. The end.
The funny thing is, I broke out laughing after reading the last sentence. Todd laughed with me for a minute, then turned serious. "But Mom, that's really happened before, hasn't it?" More laughter on my part.
[In my defense, I may have lost track of time and had to throw together a quick dinner before. But I've never "forgotten" dinner. It's still interesting to see things for a child's point of view.]
Before writing stories Todd would often make lists--mostly lists of things to do or activities for the day. Now Todd has moved on to writing notices. The following notice was placed by a plastic container which held a baby frog the boys brought back from Oma's house. We were getting ready to leave the house for a little while and Todd left this message.
[On the back side of the paper it read, "Dad, Mom, Todd, Ryan"]
Please do not take our pet. You can look at the pet. It is a frog.
I don't know why this is so funny to me, but it is.
Update on the pet frog: The boys tried feeding the frog a little spider and a "red-bellied bug". The next morning I was able to convince the boys that the baby frog was probably better off living outside on its own than in the little container in our house. They agreed and released the frog. But they can't wait to get a bigger frog that they are able to keep.
Since Todd has shown a greater interest in writing I had him make a list of things he liked about his teacher and his first year of school on a card for his teacher. The class put together a nice group gift, which we contributed to, but I also wanted a little something extra from us. This is what I came up with.
Here, Mrs. B looks at the scrapbook one of the moms put together as part of the group gift.
Mrs. B put on a little closing ceremony for her class. She gave each child a special award ribbon, as well as a certificate predicting what they might be when they grow up.
Todd's ribbon award was for Best Boy Reader. However, I was surprised by her career prediction, "Novelist". Although I just got done singing Todd's praises as a writer, I recognize that a certain amount of creativity is required for successful writing. Perhaps that will come with age. Mrs. B said that Todd has a love for words. He tries very hard to use words appropriately-to use just the right word for something. And she said that he had a large vocabulary. Way to go, Todd!
After his teacher gave each child their ribbon and certificate, she also gave them a bright pink lipstick kiss on their cheek. Most of the kids thought this funny, but Todd was a little embarrassed. He was okay with receiving his kiss along with the rest of the class, but he wouldn't let me take a photo of it and tried to wipe it off right away.
It's hard to believe that the year is over already. Todd had a great time this year, and Ryan and I enjoyed being able to participate in so many activities with his class this year, especially when it involved yummy treats like ice cream sundaes.
It was nice being able to get to know the other kids in the class. I liked hearing the kids greeting me as "Todd's Mom" or "Todd and Ryan's Mom." I'm looking forward to meeting Todd's first grade teacher and the kids in his class.
But I think I will enjoy the time I have with my two boys this summer first.
But I think I will enjoy the time I have with my two boys this summer first.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Toothless Big Boy
A little over a week ago Todd told me that he had a tooth loose. I figured this day would be coming soon. A number of kids in Todd's class have lost some of their baby teeth already.
Last fall Todd saw a Tooth Fairy pillow at a craft fair I had dragged him to. He wanted to buy one very badly. I told him that I would make him one instead. He was excited about that idea, and I soon took both boys to pick out their own fabrics. The project sat in my closet for a number of months. When Todd told me about his tooth this month, I quickly had to get to work and finish the pillows. Fortunately, they were easy to make, and I was able to finish them over one weekend. The boys loved them. Can you guess whose is whose?
When Todd came home from school this afternoon he told me that he thought his tooth would fall out today. I had him show me, and sure enough, it was pretty loose. I reminded him that Aunt Donna, who was a kindergarten teacher's aid for a number of years, was a pro at pulling teeth out. I told Todd that if his tooth started to bother him by wobbling too much or if he wanted to have Donna pull it out before he ate dinner, we could call her and she could help get it out no problem. Todd said he would rather let it come out on its own.
It did that. After eating a slice of homemade pizza and some pineapple tidbits Todd told me that his tooth was out. Where was it? Nowhere to be found. My child swallowed his first baby tooth! [If you know Brett at all, you know he had to step outside by this time!] I looked around his plate and chair just to make sure. Yup. It's gone. Todd then suggested the unthinkable--I assured him that even if he saw the tooth later that we would not be retrieving it. I don't care if he thinks it could be washed.
Todd had seemed a little nervous, and had admitted a few days ago to being a little worried about losing his tooth. Brett and I have remained positive, letting him know that it wouldn't hurt and that he was growing up to be such a big boy. When it came down to it tonight, he was cool and calm. He wasn't even that bothered about swallowing it. And, to top things off, I managed to get a great smile for the camera.
Last fall Todd saw a Tooth Fairy pillow at a craft fair I had dragged him to. He wanted to buy one very badly. I told him that I would make him one instead. He was excited about that idea, and I soon took both boys to pick out their own fabrics. The project sat in my closet for a number of months. When Todd told me about his tooth this month, I quickly had to get to work and finish the pillows. Fortunately, they were easy to make, and I was able to finish them over one weekend. The boys loved them. Can you guess whose is whose?
When Todd came home from school this afternoon he told me that he thought his tooth would fall out today. I had him show me, and sure enough, it was pretty loose. I reminded him that Aunt Donna, who was a kindergarten teacher's aid for a number of years, was a pro at pulling teeth out. I told Todd that if his tooth started to bother him by wobbling too much or if he wanted to have Donna pull it out before he ate dinner, we could call her and she could help get it out no problem. Todd said he would rather let it come out on its own.
It did that. After eating a slice of homemade pizza and some pineapple tidbits Todd told me that his tooth was out. Where was it? Nowhere to be found. My child swallowed his first baby tooth! [If you know Brett at all, you know he had to step outside by this time!] I looked around his plate and chair just to make sure. Yup. It's gone. Todd then suggested the unthinkable--I assured him that even if he saw the tooth later that we would not be retrieving it. I don't care if he thinks it could be washed.
Todd had seemed a little nervous, and had admitted a few days ago to being a little worried about losing his tooth. Brett and I have remained positive, letting him know that it wouldn't hurt and that he was growing up to be such a big boy. When it came down to it tonight, he was cool and calm. He wasn't even that bothered about swallowing it. And, to top things off, I managed to get a great smile for the camera.
When I came home from choir practice tonight, I saw that Todd had made sure to leave his tooth pillow on his bed. He was rewarded with a $1 bill.
Congratulations, Todd. You are growing up so fast!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
Ryan's preschool class exchanged Valentine's Day cards on Monday. I had not gotten around to thinking about it until Sunday evening. Thank you, Family Fun! I checked out their web site and found this easy and very cute heart-fish valentine. If I had been more on-the-ball, I could have cut the hearts and had Ryan help me assemble them. Instead, I put them all together, wrote the messages, and had Ryan address and sign them the next morning. Todd and Ryan both really liked them, especially when I explained the significance of the message. Fish swim in schools, and children go to schools--get it? Ha ha ha! So, Ryan's classmates are little fishies! Ha ha ha. These were definitely the most colorful (and in my opinion, the cutest) valentine from Ryan's class.
While I was on Family Fun looking for Ryan's card, I found an idea I thought Todd would like to do for his class: a candy airplane. Since I was feeling so proud of myself for how Ryan's cards turned out, I wanted to get started right away on Todd's. Todd loved the idea so I purchased the necessary candy while the boys were at school. I printed gum wrappers that said "Happy Valentine's Day", and printed little banners that said, "To ____ From (Todd). Hope this day is miles above the rest!" When Todd came home from school we started putting them all together. I had done one example before Todd came home, and it was much easier having Todd's help. I threaded the rubber band through the Life Savers; Todd placed the Smarties between them; then (this was the biggest help) he helped stick the gum through one side of the rubber band; and I wrapped the rubber band around the other side. We finished it off by tying the (addressed and signed) banner to the back of the airplane. I sent them to school with Todd on Tuesday for him to distribute. (Todd's class is collecting the valentine's all week and opening them on Friday at his class party.) I was so proud of myself for being ahead of the ball game. That doesn't happen very often.
I didn't realize how popular this candy airplane idea was. When I was buying the candy, the cashier asked if I was making airplanes. She said there was another lady in the store that morning who was doing the same thing and had told the cashier about how she was making them. When Todd came home from the bus on Tuesday, he said that a boy on the bus had an airplane that he had made in his class. So, the idea isn't that original here, but I think the kindergartners will all love them anyway. (Let's just hope no one else in Todd's class is making them.)
The boys have seen Valentine's Day decorations around, and of course, Ryan has been interested in the funny man shooting arrows. A few days ago Ryan asked me about it, and I explained that Cupid was shooting "love arrows". These love arrows don't really hurt ("love hurts" is not a phrase I am ready to explain). They just make you love people. We (Todd, Ryan, and I) played a fun game where we pretended to shoot love arrows with our fingers. The person who was shot had to name someone that they loved.
Just a few minutes ago, Ryan and I had this conversation.
Ryan: Mom, why don't you wish that love arrows were real?
Mom: I don't know. Do you wish they were?
Ryan: Yeah. 'Cause I want to buy them.
Mom: Why? So that you can make people love you.
Ryan: Yeah.
I love you, Ryan! (And I think you just want love arrows because you like to shoot things--anything.)
While I was on Family Fun looking for Ryan's card, I found an idea I thought Todd would like to do for his class: a candy airplane. Since I was feeling so proud of myself for how Ryan's cards turned out, I wanted to get started right away on Todd's. Todd loved the idea so I purchased the necessary candy while the boys were at school. I printed gum wrappers that said "Happy Valentine's Day", and printed little banners that said, "To ____ From (Todd). Hope this day is miles above the rest!" When Todd came home from school we started putting them all together. I had done one example before Todd came home, and it was much easier having Todd's help. I threaded the rubber band through the Life Savers; Todd placed the Smarties between them; then (this was the biggest help) he helped stick the gum through one side of the rubber band; and I wrapped the rubber band around the other side. We finished it off by tying the (addressed and signed) banner to the back of the airplane. I sent them to school with Todd on Tuesday for him to distribute. (Todd's class is collecting the valentine's all week and opening them on Friday at his class party.) I was so proud of myself for being ahead of the ball game. That doesn't happen very often.
I didn't realize how popular this candy airplane idea was. When I was buying the candy, the cashier asked if I was making airplanes. She said there was another lady in the store that morning who was doing the same thing and had told the cashier about how she was making them. When Todd came home from the bus on Tuesday, he said that a boy on the bus had an airplane that he had made in his class. So, the idea isn't that original here, but I think the kindergartners will all love them anyway. (Let's just hope no one else in Todd's class is making them.)
The boys have seen Valentine's Day decorations around, and of course, Ryan has been interested in the funny man shooting arrows. A few days ago Ryan asked me about it, and I explained that Cupid was shooting "love arrows". These love arrows don't really hurt ("love hurts" is not a phrase I am ready to explain). They just make you love people. We (Todd, Ryan, and I) played a fun game where we pretended to shoot love arrows with our fingers. The person who was shot had to name someone that they loved.
Just a few minutes ago, Ryan and I had this conversation.
Ryan: Mom, why don't you wish that love arrows were real?
Mom: I don't know. Do you wish they were?
Ryan: Yeah. 'Cause I want to buy them.
Mom: Why? So that you can make people love you.
Ryan: Yeah.
I love you, Ryan! (And I think you just want love arrows because you like to shoot things--anything.)
Monday, October 27, 2008
More Dress-Up
I thought I was successful in creating Halloween costumes that the boys could enjoy all month long (and then some) this year when we put together our Indiana Jones costumes. Todd showed me another Halloween costume that has gotten its share of playtime.
This was my first attempt at sewing a Halloween costume (it's an alligator, in case you were wondering), and one of the few projects I had attempted to sew independent of any outside help. Todd wore it when he was three years old, and because I had made the hood so big, he can still wear it. Todd put it on (out of the blue) the night before last and wore it all night long (including sleeping in it).
This little boy just makes me laugh sometimes. Last night Ryan put on pajama shorts for bedtime. Then, he decided that shorts were too cold and he changed into warmer PJ's--the first time these have been worn this season. Rather than putting his shorts away in the dresser like I had asked, he decided that they would make the perfect "sleeping hat". He was so excited when he woke up this morning and found that his "sleeping hat" was still on!
Another thing that Ryan did that made me smile last night was the way he said his prayer. Ryan has a lot of "conversations" in his prayer. He likes to tell Heavenly Father about what he did, what he wants, what he thinks is funny, stuff like that. Last night he said something like, "...and I love Mom because...'cause...Hm. Hm. Hm...'cause she puts me to bed and leaves the door open like that" (surely pointing to the door at the same time--I had my eyes closed).
This was my first attempt at sewing a Halloween costume (it's an alligator, in case you were wondering), and one of the few projects I had attempted to sew independent of any outside help. Todd wore it when he was three years old, and because I had made the hood so big, he can still wear it. Todd put it on (out of the blue) the night before last and wore it all night long (including sleeping in it).
This little boy just makes me laugh sometimes. Last night Ryan put on pajama shorts for bedtime. Then, he decided that shorts were too cold and he changed into warmer PJ's--the first time these have been worn this season. Rather than putting his shorts away in the dresser like I had asked, he decided that they would make the perfect "sleeping hat". He was so excited when he woke up this morning and found that his "sleeping hat" was still on!
Another thing that Ryan did that made me smile last night was the way he said his prayer. Ryan has a lot of "conversations" in his prayer. He likes to tell Heavenly Father about what he did, what he wants, what he thinks is funny, stuff like that. Last night he said something like, "...and I love Mom because...'cause...Hm. Hm. Hm...'cause she puts me to bed and leaves the door open like that" (surely pointing to the door at the same time--I had my eyes closed).
Monday, September 29, 2008
D is For Dinosaur
Since Ryan was not old enough to attend Florida's Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) and I did not want to pay to enroll him in private preschool, I was happy to join with five other moms from church in what you could call a preschool co-op. The six of us take turns teaching preschool for a little over two hours every Monday.
My friend Angie (the same Angie who has done a fantastic job organizing our weekly playgroups) got our preschool organized. She set up a schedule for us to follow in terms of what the main subject would be each week and what letter we would be teaching. She also gave us an outline to follow for the day's activities. Yesterday was my turn to teach. I have been gathering ideas since our first meeting and was looking forward to introducing the Letter of the Day, "D", and the Word of the Day, "Dinosaurs".
The day moved along very quickly. We only spend about 15-20 minutes on each activity. I was glad that I was fairly organized before my teaching day, but I still wished that I had been more organized in some areas. Fortunately, I have another six weeks to prepare my next lesson.
I let the kids have some free play while everyone was showing up (and while I was gathering the last of my things together). When everyone was there, we started with circle time.
Circle time started out with the pledge of allegiance. This photo was taken after the pledge was over. Ryan was trying to straighten the flag out a little. I did make sure that all of the kids had their right hand over their heart, but it looks Charity switched hands when I wasn't looking.
We also reviewed our calendar. We talked about what month it was and counted, adding leaves for the last week, until we reached 29. [Mason looks on while Claire does some counting for us.]
To help introduce our word of the day, "dinosaurs", the kids searched for some little dinosaur skeleton pieces that Ryan had "hidden" for me. Then I had them split into two groups and try to fit the pieces together. The individuals in both groups examined their pieces, then asked me to finish putting them together correctly. [Ryan tries to offer advice to Charity and Amber who are examining their skeleton pieces.]
After circle time, we had a little craft activity. I had precut the letter "D" out of construction paper, as well as some triangles and a funny looking set of teeth for each kid. They glued on the triangular "scales" and the teeth to make their own dinosaur D. I thought that was a fairly successful activity. [Claire, Amber, and Makayla are hard at work creating their dinosaurs.]
My friend Angie (the same Angie who has done a fantastic job organizing our weekly playgroups) got our preschool organized. She set up a schedule for us to follow in terms of what the main subject would be each week and what letter we would be teaching. She also gave us an outline to follow for the day's activities. Yesterday was my turn to teach. I have been gathering ideas since our first meeting and was looking forward to introducing the Letter of the Day, "D", and the Word of the Day, "Dinosaurs".
The day moved along very quickly. We only spend about 15-20 minutes on each activity. I was glad that I was fairly organized before my teaching day, but I still wished that I had been more organized in some areas. Fortunately, I have another six weeks to prepare my next lesson.
I let the kids have some free play while everyone was showing up (and while I was gathering the last of my things together). When everyone was there, we started with circle time.
Circle time started out with the pledge of allegiance. This photo was taken after the pledge was over. Ryan was trying to straighten the flag out a little. I did make sure that all of the kids had their right hand over their heart, but it looks Charity switched hands when I wasn't looking.
We also reviewed our calendar. We talked about what month it was and counted, adding leaves for the last week, until we reached 29. [Mason looks on while Claire does some counting for us.]
To help introduce our word of the day, "dinosaurs", the kids searched for some little dinosaur skeleton pieces that Ryan had "hidden" for me. Then I had them split into two groups and try to fit the pieces together. The individuals in both groups examined their pieces, then asked me to finish putting them together correctly. [Ryan tries to offer advice to Charity and Amber who are examining their skeleton pieces.]
After circle time, we had a little craft activity. I had precut the letter "D" out of construction paper, as well as some triangles and a funny looking set of teeth for each kid. They glued on the triangular "scales" and the teeth to make their own dinosaur D. I thought that was a fairly successful activity. [Claire, Amber, and Makayla are hard at work creating their dinosaurs.]
We left the D's on the tables to dry and went back inside for some storytime. We specifically read some books about dinosaurs to prepare us for our next activity: digging for fossils. I had caulked the shapes of a dinosaur and a bone on pieces of wood. I put the fossil-covered wood in a little tray and covered it with sand. (Green was the best color I could find at Walmart on Saturday night. They were out of white.) I gave each of the kids a sand toy and a brush for the them to uncover their dinosaur fossil. The kids seems to enjoy it and I was pleasantly surprised that it was not too messy (considering that these are preschoolers). I was happy that it was outside, and that we could just leave it as is when we were done and didn't have to worry about cleaning it all up right away.
The last 15 minutes were a little crazy. We had gone back inside, and I played some music that I had picked out for the day--some fun songs, and some "learning" ones. We listened and danced to the Sesame Street "D" song performed by Ernie. (This is a lesser-known song, but surely you have heard the "C is for Cookie" song performed by Cookie Monster.) I also played a LeapFrog song called "All the Colors of the Rainbow." I gave each of the kids a different colored Lego for them to hold up when their color was called. Basically, almost all of them just held their Lego and looked at me like I was crazy. I got interrupted from my music time by a bathroom break and from that point on, most of our structure was gone. Fortunately, it was only about 5 minutes before the moms were going to be showing up, so I just let the kids listen to our "Dino Train" book on CD (a favorite of Todd's and Ryan's), or look through some of the books I had out for them on the floor.
We went inside and I individually washed everyone's hands. (I knew we would be having snack soon and wanted to be sure that there wasn't any sand left anywhere.) We sat down again for a little more storytime, this time with some stories about the letter of the day. We had a successful storytime activity (no photos) with the book "Little d". I had scanned pictures in the book, had printed them on card stock, and cut them out. I passed out 2-3 pictures of items that started with the letter "d" around to each child. As I read the story they were supposed to identify their picture and tape it to a dry-erase board I was holding. After the story, we reviewed all of things we found that started with the letter "d".
After another story we were ready for snack. I served deviled "dinosaur" eggs, dinosaur-shaped peanut butter sandwiches (thanks to a nifty sandwich cutter I bought at the grocery store for $1.99--totally worth it; my boys love it.), and some chocolate graham crackers. (I ran out of time and wasn't able to make my dinosaur- and bone-shaped sugar cookies.)
We cleaned up snack and stayed at the tables for some writing practice. I had printed out some good worksheets online for the kids to trace the letter "d" and practice writing. Unfortunately, between cleaning up the food and tables, bringing out the crayons and pencils, and passing out the worksheets, I found it difficult to go around and show them one-by-one how to write the letters. So it ended up being more of a free-for-all coloring time. I'll try better next time.
The last 15 minutes were a little crazy. We had gone back inside, and I played some music that I had picked out for the day--some fun songs, and some "learning" ones. We listened and danced to the Sesame Street "D" song performed by Ernie. (This is a lesser-known song, but surely you have heard the "C is for Cookie" song performed by Cookie Monster.) I also played a LeapFrog song called "All the Colors of the Rainbow." I gave each of the kids a different colored Lego for them to hold up when their color was called. Basically, almost all of them just held their Lego and looked at me like I was crazy. I got interrupted from my music time by a bathroom break and from that point on, most of our structure was gone. Fortunately, it was only about 5 minutes before the moms were going to be showing up, so I just let the kids listen to our "Dino Train" book on CD (a favorite of Todd's and Ryan's), or look through some of the books I had out for them on the floor.
Despite the fact that it felt a little crazy, I still think it was a successful day. I am already started to think of ideas for my next lesson: the letter "J".
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Diary Of Our Sick Day
Todd started coming down with a fever last night a little before bedtime. He had been acting a little tired after school on Tuesday, but I figured that's all it was--a little worn out from a long day at school. Around midnight last night when I was on my way to bed, my suspicions were confirmed: Todd was sick. He had a fever and I ended up giving him some medicine to help bring it down so he could sleep. I knew that that we would be having our first sick day--Todd wouldn't be going to school in the morning. Unfortunately, Todd woke up quite early in the morning after the medicine wore off, and I was feeling like I was in need of a sick day myself.
Ryan woke up quite chipper and excited that he had Todd home to play with all day. From my cozy bed it sounded like Ryan was bouncing off the walls, and he didn't quite understand that both Todd and Mommy could have used a little more sleep. Todd ended up crawling into bed with me and even asked to borrow my eye mask to help him sleep better. (I don't think it worked, but it's fun to wear anyway.)
Todd definitely did not have his usual energy, and spent most of the day doing quiet activities like taking care of his virtual pet. (For once, his little puppy got some attention! I'll try to post more about that later.) Ryan, on the other hand had plenty of energy. Here, Ryan acts like a frog. (Sorry for the bad photo. Remember, I'm still using that broken camera.)
Todd who took a little downhill turn (101.8), moves to the couch for a rest while Ryan works on an art project. Finally, Mommy let him do painting!
We still talk to Todd and include him in our conversation (or rather, Todd is the one who really keeps the conversation going--that boy can talk!) as Ryan and I make Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins for lunch. (I didn't get motivated to make them for breakfast this morning. The boys requested cold cereal, and I gladly complied.)
Poor Todd! He snuggles with the ice pack. Ryan makes an interesting bed in a cave.
This is, by far, my most favorite photo of the day. Despite feeling pretty bad and sticking to the couch for a while, Todd is still enthusiastic in his conversations with Ryan. And Ryan still finds ways to have fun and stick close to Todd.
Despite the fact that Todd was feeling bad (and I would never wish that on him), I enjoyed having a lazy at day at home with both my boys. I think they enjoyed the relaxed schedule as well. From the looks of it, we'll be able to repeat it again tomorrow! Todd just woke up a bit ago (11:00pm-ish) feeling bad again. Even if his fever is down in the morning, he doesn't need to be going to school yet. Let's hope he's able to go on Friday. It's school picture day.
Ryan woke up quite chipper and excited that he had Todd home to play with all day. From my cozy bed it sounded like Ryan was bouncing off the walls, and he didn't quite understand that both Todd and Mommy could have used a little more sleep. Todd ended up crawling into bed with me and even asked to borrow my eye mask to help him sleep better. (I don't think it worked, but it's fun to wear anyway.)
Todd definitely did not have his usual energy, and spent most of the day doing quiet activities like taking care of his virtual pet. (For once, his little puppy got some attention! I'll try to post more about that later.) Ryan, on the other hand had plenty of energy. Here, Ryan acts like a frog. (Sorry for the bad photo. Remember, I'm still using that broken camera.)
Todd who took a little downhill turn (101.8), moves to the couch for a rest while Ryan works on an art project. Finally, Mommy let him do painting!
We still talk to Todd and include him in our conversation (or rather, Todd is the one who really keeps the conversation going--that boy can talk!) as Ryan and I make Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins for lunch. (I didn't get motivated to make them for breakfast this morning. The boys requested cold cereal, and I gladly complied.)
I asked Ryan to clean up the ice cubes he spilled all over the floor. . . . but I was really thinking a towel might be the easiest way to pick them up. Ryan, however, thinks acting like a dog is more fun. Let's hope that floor isn't too nasty.
Poor Todd! He snuggles with the ice pack. Ryan makes an interesting bed in a cave.
This is, by far, my most favorite photo of the day. Despite feeling pretty bad and sticking to the couch for a while, Todd is still enthusiastic in his conversations with Ryan. And Ryan still finds ways to have fun and stick close to Todd.
I gave Todd some more medicine before lunch. He was able to get some nourishment in his body and take a decent nap. Even better, Ryan went down without any problems as well. He has not been taking many naps these days, and I was worried that he might not have expended enough energy staying home to nap today. Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity to take a nap with them.
Despite the fact that Todd was feeling bad (and I would never wish that on him), I enjoyed having a lazy at day at home with both my boys. I think they enjoyed the relaxed schedule as well. From the looks of it, we'll be able to repeat it again tomorrow! Todd just woke up a bit ago (11:00pm-ish) feeling bad again. Even if his fever is down in the morning, he doesn't need to be going to school yet. Let's hope he's able to go on Friday. It's school picture day.
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