Books - We finished the Enormous Egg. We have been reading The Year of Billy Miller. It is kind of slow going, but the boys like it okay. We switched the boys rooms so now Logan and Seth have the bunk beds so I am reading the book to them. Andrew already read it himself, so I go and read to Andrew separately now. We are reading the Lemonade War together. We are still in the solar system for science. We are doing the Renaissance and Gutenburg in history. We didn't get very far in any of them this month because we have had so many baseball games and practices. In the car, we had a few trips, so we listened to some books on tape - How to Train Your Dragon (which everyone really enjoyed) and Alvin Ho - the first two books. The boys crack up all the time to Alvin Ho and I love listening to an audio book narrated by a child. Even Noah will laugh if everyone else is. Boys also listened to a couple books on tape - a new bunnicula book and some of how to train your dragon 2.
Movies - We watched The Water Horse, last night, which everyone liked. Finally finished up Amazing Race after doing a marathon of the last few episodes on Sunday. We watched How to Train Your Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon 2 since we listened to the books. Very different from the books, but the boys loved them.
Garden - the spring veggies are all done and mostly pulled out - we are still getting a few random peas. We are getting lots of strawberries right now. Noah loves to run over and check for new ones all the time - so does Logan for that matter. We are starting to get a lot of summer squash. The gardenias are in bloom like crazy and it smells heavenly from the porch. The lilies have started to bloom. The hydrangea are blooming very nicely too, nice and blue. We stuck a whole bunch of pineapple plants in the new plot to see if they grow. That one is an experiment.
Fun Things This Month:
- Logan had his last soccer game. We all went and got donuts afterwards. Our first time to Duck's Donuts. Katsu got the bacon ... it was interesting, but we had fun.
- Katsu drove to Raleigh to get fingerprints done for a new green card. Who knows how long that will take.
- Logan's class went to a puppet show at the library - the 3 Billy Goats Gruff.
- Baseball ... baseball ... baseball ... Thankfully, we are done to 2 games and 1 practice per week. Seth has played in the nice ball field and that was fun. He has made a couple hits and he has been playing in the outfield. I wish they would switch around their positions more, but it's okay. I think he is mostly enjoying it. He broke his bat on one of his hits, so we had to wait for a new bat (thankfully, they have warranties ... who knew) for awhile, but he got it finally.
- Logan went on a walking field trip to the fire station. I was able to go with him, which was fun. He liked watching them go down the pole and seeing all the trucks.
- Logan started Tball - I still don't see the point of it, but Logan seems to really enjoy it and it's every Saturday and just low key.
- Mother's Day - the boys and Katsu treated me to a great breakfast and dinner. It was really fun! I felt spoiled for once.
- Andrew turned 9!!! We decorated his room and a chair and got him a little cake to blow out and eat for breakfast. I went to school and had lunch with him. I brought him some food from Chick-fil-a and we talked and had fun with friends. That evening, we had some of his favorite foods for dinner. We went to cub scouts as a new bear, but his leaders were gone, so we went to Barnes & Noble for a birthday cupcake and to buy a few books.
- Pajama Night at the book fair. Books all got books and some free books - too many books! We love books.
- Friday the 13th - we all went to the State Math Fair in Durham for Seth to compete. We listened to the book How to Train Your Dragon and it made the drive a lot more enjoyable. We had to get there by 9 so we left really early in the morning. It was a long morning. We checked in and then Seth went to a room to do fun activities (they had crafts, but Seth seemed to just sit and do math problems!) with the other little kids while we waited ... and waited ... and waited ... and waited. Then, we went on a tour of the school of science and mathematics. And it took an hour! Noah and Logan and Andrew were going crazy. But, we loved the school. Something to think about. Then, we had some snacks in the car because we didn't have time for lunch. So, we waited for the awards ceremony and then they kept postponing and then, finally we went in and Noah was finally exhausted and falling apart, so we had to take turns taking him out. But Seth won an honorable mention!!! We were so proud of him!
- After the math fair, we went to the Museum of Life and Science. The kids had a lot of fun running around. And then, we went to Red Robin to celebrate the math fair and birthday. We had a lot of fun.
- Last day of preschool for Noah and Logan. Noah has done really great and we'll see how 3 days a week goes next year. Logan had a fun last day at Sonic! I ended up staying the whole time - they played at the play ground, played in the sand, played with the parachute, ate, and had lots of fun. Logan loves to look at the little book of pictures from the year that his teachers gave him. He genuinely enjoyed preschool, but isn't particularly attached to any of the kids or even his teachers. He really mostly just loves his family, though he enjoys going to preschool and having fun and playing. It was a fun last day.
- Pool opened ... we got free hot dogs and slushes. Boys have been enjoying the pool (except Noah who doesn't want to go in ... a bought a pool ball and he cries when it gets wet). Also, the boys have been enjoying getting slushes or ice cream from the ice cream truck that comes by each week.
- Andrew had his Star Wars birthday party. It went great. We had decorations (!), all kinds of games, pizza, Darth Vader made a visit, presents. We watched some of the Star Wars movie. It was a blast.
- Ward Picnic - inside because of the rain.
- Seth's field trip - I chaperoned the field trip. They were going to Wilson to the science center. I drove up with a friend and then we were to meet them at the science center. But they still hadn't left Greenville. So, we went and walked around Wilson for an hour until they got there. We had 5 kids in my group and went and saw a program about plants and then walked around the museum and had lunch and then back to Greenville. Logan and Noah did really well playing with friends all day.
- Memorial Day weekend we were going to go to the beach, but Logan was running a fever, so instead we went to the state park in Washington and the little beach area there. It was nice, not too crowded, and the boys still go to play in sand and run around in the water. Noah even enjoyed it and the water had not too high of waves and didn't go higher than 4 feet. We had a little picnic, too. It rained a lot that week and weekend, but it was nice to have the day off. We also had smores the night before since the rain was coming. On Memorial Day itself, we had hot dogs and brats and went to the pool for a bit between the rain. It was a nice and relaxing weekend.
- Blue & Gold for cub scouts.
- Andrew took his big 3rd grade standardized tests. He was nervous, but did really well. He said he finished both days in like 30 minutes and then had to just sit around for hours doing nothing while everyone else worked on it. He got a level 5 - the highest level - on both exams. It corresponds to about a 90%.
- Seth had a soccer birthday party. We had it a little early this year so that it was before vacations and school ending. Almost no one RSVPed and then I was worried no one would come, so I followed up with people and then we ended up with like 16 boys (including ours). And it rained off and on all the party. So, it was a little crazy. They played soccer outside - Katsu painted a soccer field on the grass again. They also had a competition with shooting targets with water balloons. We ate snacks (donuts, chips, soda, Bagel Bites) and cake. Seth wouldn't blow it out so we had to keep relighting it because everyone else kept blowing it out and then we just had the whole group blow it out and I don't think Katsu got any pictures of it. Seth wanted a strawberry cake shaped like a soccer ball - it turned out better than last year and was moist and not burned (yay for me!). Then, after presents, the kids ran around like crazy inside and out. I am still exhausted from that party! And the boys have been fighting over all the cool presents Seth got ever since - we have made bouncy balls, played with nerf guns, swords, outside games, spy glasses, etc. What a birthday and his birthday is still not for 2 weeks!
Amanda - still burnt out, but finally stopped nursing and while the hormones are kind of all over the place (I guess 9 years 9 months of continuous pregnancy and / or nursing puts things kind of out of whack), I am finally getting better sleep ... Noah still wakes up every night, but a lot less frequently. I haven't gotten any work done for ECU, but I've been resting (except the nagging in my head about getting to work).
Katsu - grumpy grant man ... ha ha ha. Katsu loves to go in "his" garden and harvest and take care of everything and then cook up the vegetables. I think it's his true joy.
Andrew - a busy month at school. He has been done with Math Masters and the pull-out programs, but he has been going to battle of the books practice each week. I think he just finished reading all of the battle of the books books (18 of them!) and he got a ridiculous number of AR points this month - like 1000% of his goal of something. I am pretty sure he will be on the team next year, but I bet he will be practicing and reviewing all summer, too. He also spent all month studying at school for his EOG's, so we are glad those are done. I knew he would do well, but it's a relief for him to know that. He has been spending a lot of time playing with his friend Robert this month. He also is really into this Bean Boozled game that his other friend has and tells me about it ... all. the. time. He is always a bit of a handful and that hasn't changed. Katsu has been trying to spend more time with him so he has been going in and playing board games with him at night after the other boys are asleep. I have been reading with him, too. I really think putting him in his own room was a great move - it helps a lot at night. Andrew had a talk at church this month and I refused to write it for him because I thought he was old enough to do it himself. I gave him the Gospel Principles manual and he wrote it himself and did a good job - it was on the restoration, which we have also been talking about in Family Home Evening. Andrew got a new bike for his birthday and has enjoyed riding it and practicing with the different gears. He also has enjoyed the swimming pool. it is hard to believe he is 9. On the other hand, he doesn't seem like a little boy anymore. He is getting big, eats constantly (we argue a lot about this because he wants to eat cans of soup and other things constantly!), and is just getting older.
Seth - this was the month of Seth. The math fair was a really big deal. It was really fun to go to the state math fair in Durham and Seth did a great job competing. I helped him redo his board - just adding some cardstock to the back of the papers and a couple pictures to make it look nicer. His teacher was so excited for him. She texted us a picture of the his class with signs saying they knew he could do it. And then, that day, everyone in his class wrote him a card wishing him luck. She got him special treats, too. He was really spoiled! We told him he was very likely not to win since all the best projects were competing, but he got an honorable mention and we were all surprised! He got a TI huge purple tshirt and a certificate and took pictures. He is even supposed to present at the state math conference in the fall, but we'll see about that. It was a really fun experience and the boys are excited for next year.
Besides that, Seth is super busy with baseball. I think he has a love / hate relationship with it, but I am pretty sure he will want to do it next year, too. Katsu has tried to spend some time playing ball with him and I think that is a nice thing to do together. He really wants to do well and wants to have a baseball party next year! I wish his coach would play him in different positions. I think Seth is really quick on figuring out where to be in the field and makes less errors. He just isn't as strong at hitting or fielding because he has had less practice than the other boys and is probably the youngest kid on the team.
Seth is a handful in an entirely different way than Andrew. He is just too smart and is constantly bored. Constantly. He probably says he is bored like 100x a day. Maybe more. It is kind of ridiculous. And I keep wishing he would read like Andrew does so he doesn't get so bored. But he does read quite a bit, too, he just kind of does it hidden so you don't really know how much or what he is reading. He loves graphic novels, but he'll read other things as well if it suits his interest. He also loves to learn - he is constantly doing memrise - languages or a history course I developed for him based on the timeline in the kids office. He is always learning new things in math and basically knows all his time tables. The work he completes at school is crazy - multiple digit multiplication, long division ... and he is still bored all the time. He rushes to complete everything - waking up early and doing his piano practice before school and his homework immediately. As long as he can run around outside and play with other kids, he is happy, but otherwise ... I am trying to each him to say "What fun thing should I do now" or instead of "I'm bored", but he answers that question with "Say I am bored" ... silly boy.
We were making lists of goals for the summer on Memorial Day. Of course, Andrew was oblivious and didn't make one (what? we were talking about what we wanted to do this summer), but Seth really followed through. I love his list: 1) Stop chewing on shirt. 2) Finish course timeline. 3) Read one book a day. 4) Find something other than screens. 5) Help around the house. 6) Pick watermelons. 7) Increase brain.
Logan - he finished up preschool this month. And now, he sits at home and basically is my shadow. Noah plays much more independently than Logan. On the plus side, Logan and Noah have become best buddies and are playing together all the time. They will go outside and play together in the sand box or chase each other around the house. Logan loves to play with our quasi-coach. He puts in on his side and he and Noah climb on the pillows and then push it down and they go flying. They love it. I tolerate it. Logan had ABC mouse for most of the month and LOVED playing with that, but I quit after the free trial - he just wasn't learning that much but wanted to do it all the time. He has been loving his Kumon books. He already finished his maze one, in just a couple sittings, and works diligently on his gluing one. He loves it. He loves to cut with his scissors and it actually quite good. And then, each craft, you do a little gluing and he loves having his own bottle of glue and is quite possessive of it. He works on the math ones, too and is getting pretty good at his numbers - knows all through 6 and is working on recognizing past that through 15. He likes doing workbooks and puzzles and crafts and coloring - actually, he is getting pretty good at drawing. Just leaving all the art supplies out makes such a difference and thankfully, Noah is good at just drawing on paper, more or less.
Logan has been dying to ride his bike. We took the training wheels off a while ago, but then haven't done much with it and his chain keeps falling off and we don't fix it. It's probably been off for like a month. So, Katsu finally put it on this week and then Logan just started riding his bike. He pretty much did it on his own and can start off and ride his bike all by himself. I am pretty proud of him. He generally is a big, strong, coordinated kid. He started Tball again and loves it. He is always asking when it is time. Not my favorite, but he enjoys it - I don't know if really enjoys it that much when he is there, but he talks about it all week - and I'm sure he'll want to do baseball again. He is pretty good at soccer and enjoys playing it, though he isn't as enthusiastic about it.
Logan has wanted to do piano, but hasn't been quite ready. We got a kid drum set, a nice one, and Logan loves to play with it. I will have to find some videos or something to teach him a little bit because he loves the drums. Maybe it'll be a good gateway instrument.
Logan loves to read stories with me. He loves just sitting with me. He just loves me.
Noah - biggest news - no more nursing! It was a pretty smooth adjustment and after a day or two, he didn't even ask about it. So, yay! He sleeps better at night - still wakes up and me or Katsu will sleep with him upstairs or he will sleep with us downstairs, but he wakes up a lot less. I think it is much better for everyone.
His vocabulary has finally started increasing again a lot this month. He mostly has nouns - he loves to say "hoop" and "bat" and "ball" and "goal" and even "racquet". He says "fish" really cutely. And lots of other words and sounds. He has a few sentences "there it is", "there he is", etc. He babbles quite a lot.
Noah is super obedient and helpful and will do what you ask. He is always trying to help. If I am yelling for one of the kids, he will yell, too. He is always putting our shoes away. If he wants to drink or eat something, he will go get his cup or bowl. If he spills, he will get a towel and clean it up himself. He loves being clean, but hates baths and is still not so sure about the pool.
Noah is OBSESSED with sports. It reminds me a lot of Seth. He loves to look through books and will spot any sports equipment anywhere. Still is super obsessed with Sports Illustrated and is super excited when it comes. He knows how to use equipment and will try to make a goal in soccer, or hit a tennis ball with a tennis racquet. He always swings one arm super fast when he runs or when he is trying to kick the ball. He kicks really well and throws pretty well, too.
He is playing a lot and independently. He likes to play with trains, cars, planes, marble runs, guns (he will make anything a gun and try to shoot me ... he makes a pretty good shooting sound :-( ). He likes to play with people (he especially loves his Spiderman toy) and animals, but especially dinosaurs that he makes roar. He loves anything with steps, stairs or ladders and will just say "up" repeatedly. He likes to dress up and run around the room.
Another fun month.
