First homework

Believe it or not-David had his first homework! A report on his favorite animal, the penguin!

Shoes Tied and Tractors

Last Tuesday, David tied his shoes by himself for the first time. Since then, he has added the "double knot" to the skill.

Wednesday was David Day at preschool. He took a Spiderman toy, a Frozen book to read, a picture of David and Mommy at Epcot, and a couple of hot bead projects that he made to share and tell about David.

On Saturday, we went to the tractor and engine show in Portland. He wanted to sit on a tractor, so we found the Jennings family at the fair and they picked a few out for him to try out. (For the record, they were not all green!) We also watched the steam engine and saw mill operation, which was pretty neat, because it uses coal and wood to make energy.

The new fence is up and looks great. I'm trying to get the shed primed and painted and am very slowly making progress. Hopefully it will get done before the snow flies!

First Day of Preschool

Goodbye Deferred Maintenance and Summer

Being a single parent and working full time, it's often hard to get everything done. Many of you know that I've wanted a new kitchen for several years, but just haven't found the right designer and contractor for the project. So this spring, I decided we needed to work on a few projects outside, so we can enjoy our outdoor space. The good news is the "calico," "multi tone,"  or "staining in process" fence as some have called it is getting ready to be replaced with a new tan vinyl fence -- as you can see in the photo, the fence is literally falling over.

Bless my neighbor Mike who built the support system on the north side. He came home one day after a Muncie monsoon and found the fence leaning severely - to the point the nails had actually pulled out of the posts.

I found a great contractor crew and they've already replaced several rotted boards on two sides of the house.

And I was able to add a new shed to free up some space in the garage. It's actually constructed nicer than the house we live in -- it has "real" soffits, a ridge vent for ventilation, and the contractor wrapped the tall parts so I just need to paint real trim and boards to look like the house. I've still got caulking and painting to do, but I think it already is an improvement!

Somewhere in all of it, David had a great summer. We did not take a summer vacation this year, as all of the vacation time was used for surgeries. But we did go to the Children's Museum a few times.

David started preschool full time in late July. The curriculum begins August 17, and it's packed with days of talking about letters and numbers. Lately he has been asking about the meaning of words...it's all about strategy when you give him an answer too. If you define the word, but include a new word that he doesn't know, look out!

I sewed a preschool tote bag for him out of fabric that's his favorite color. His name is embroidered on the pocket on the inside with lime green thread, and I lined it with leftover Sesame Street fabric from his room valences. Goodbye summer!

Tricks Class

The Three Ms just finished another dog training class -- now Holly is a "novice" tricks dog! David had fun this time getting Holly to do lots of fun and funny things, although I suspect it was more about giving her treats. My favorite trick is tossing a treat up and Holly can catch it in her mouth mid-air.

The second surgery is done -- we're still going to check in appointments at the plastic surgeons office in Indy. I think both of us are still tired from everything. We ended up staying an extra night at Riley North, as someone refused to drink or eat while an IV was in his arm. This week we're working on getting everyone back in their own beds all night.

David has started four-year-old preschool two days a week until August and then he'll go five days a week. They have a "curriculum" that I never imagined was possible for someone young, but he's still learning new things. He counted to 100 a few weeks ago, and is asking how to spell words. He's been learning how to tie -- it's good to have a Mom who has lots of fabric and ribbons in the stash. We've cut up a few lengths so he can practice -- it's easier and cheaper than finding a little boys pair of shoes with laces...that he probably will wear once or twice.

Funny conversations

On Monday, David was playing with Silly Putty that comes in little egg shaped holders. He thought it was funny to "sit" on the eggs and then find that they "hatch." Then we started talking about types of animals that make eggs, like chickens and ducks. Next he asked if a rooster could make an egg, and I said no, roosters are boys, and boys don't make eggs. I could see the wheels turning in his mind. Hopefully he hasn't shared his new knowledge with his friends at school. :-)

Last night, David counted to 99! Then he asked is the next number ten-zero?

Yep, he's growing up too fast!

Back to normal, kinda...

It's been a busy week - on Tuesday, we all went back to work and daycare. David is beginning to feel better and can stretch his pain meds to 6-8 hours, which is better. He still complains about a sore throat, so mornings start with ice cream or a popsicle. He's allowed to eat whatever he wants, except for chips and pretzels as they can have sharp edges. We're not sleeping through the nights, and I'm pretty convinced he is having night terrors. So we're up about every three hours at our house every night. I feel like I have a newborn and am starting to drag a little, but each day is a little better.

He'll go back for the second procedure later in May. Now that the tonsils and adenoids are out of the way, the plastic surgeon can work his magic. They don't want to wait to do the second procedure, as to get better and improved pressure sounds (P, B, D, etc.), David can't get used to what he has now.

I think we'll all be glad when this is done...Dog included.

No more tonsils

On Tuesday David had his tonsils and adenoids removed, along with replacing an ear tube. Before the procedure, St. Vincent has a dog therapy program so he met Bailee, a 13-week old puppy that was rescued from a puppy mill.

David's doing okay -- today's been a rough day so we're praying for a speedy recovery.

More Easter Photos

Here's David's St. Patrick's Day look.

David had a great time at the Easter egg hunt at church on Saturday. He even won a book as a door prize that I donated!  We also had a mystery visit from the Easter Bunny on Friday night.  One of our trees in the front yard was decorated with Easter eggs when we came home! We don't know who blessed us, but we sure appreciate it!

Easter morning egg hunt at home before church.

David with his Easter basket and dressed up for church. We went to church and then out to Pizza King for lunch!

Hoppy Easter

David wanted to see the Easter Bunny at the mall last night! Isn't that a big grin! We're excited for the Easter Bunny to visit our house, and on Saturday our church is hosting an egg hunt.

David had a great time on St. Patrick's Day. I think he wished he was Irish, as much as he talked about it and was excited to wear his new Lucky Guy green t-shirt that was on clearance at the OshKosh store. He keeps asking about the next holiday and I tell him it's going to be Peace and Quiet Day!

For new things David can do, he can zip his coat by himself. This summer at daycare he will learn how to tie shoes, as that's something you need to do before Kindergarten. He's also starting to recognize words and trying to read. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that he knew how to spell the word Walk and also recognized the word You in a story book. I debated if this was the right thing to do and decided that if he knows more than is expected to start Kindergarten, then I'll figure out the alternative. Muncie does have two accelerated programs for children, so when the time comes, I'll do what's best for him.

Have a blessed Easter!

Win-Win

If you know David and I well, you may know that David and I debate his clothes...often more than I EVER imagined a parent could. I used to question my sister and niece on how a parent could have these discussions with a child so young. Then, I got my medicine - a boy who is very particular about what he will (and won't) wear. We debate sleeve length on a cold day, and shirt collars or not on Sunday mornings. (Thankfully Janelle, the daycare director, came to the rescue on wearing short sleeves on cold days -- Just bring a sweater or fleece to keep at the daycare, so if he has short sleeves and gets too cool, he can just put it on. GENIUS!) The latest challenge is that David picks out the clothes, but then won't wear them. On Saturday, we stopped at the OshKosh outlet and he picked out a shirt with a collar AND A BOW TIE! So I made a deal that he would wear it on Sunday to church and if he did, he could play with finger paints. We both won the deal and David claims he even wants another bow tie to wear, but I don't think I should push my luck. ;-)

"Long noodles mean long life"

David and I decided to eat at P.F. Chang's when we were in Indy on Saturday. He found a new favorite -- lo mein noodles. We just read a book from the library called Orange Peel's Pocket. It's the story of a little girl who was born in China and now lives in America, and her classmates in school want to know more about China. David asked to read the book at least once a day, and we ended up ordering our own copy for home last week. One of the lines in the book is "long noodles mean long life," so I think David was glad to have noodles for supper, just like the girl in the story.

David even figured out how to eat noodles with chopsticks. Several people were watching him eat -- he actually is pretty talented with chopsticks and I was impressed that he figured out how to wrap the noodles around the chopsticks to get them to his mouth. Do I think that David is good with chopsticks because he's Asian? No. David's always had great fine motor skills. I trust the people watching had the same thought. :-)

Spring Break

This year's spring break wasn't much of a break at all! We had the first of two medical procedures scheduled for the week, but that didn't pan out like we had expected. So Momma quickly re-grouped and found an alternate daycare/preschool at our church for four days of the work week, so we had a new routine. Unfortunately I have a limited number of vacation days and am trying to hold on to each one so I have the time to spend with David later when the surgeries are rescheduled. The first day was rough, but we all made it work!

Saturday, we finally had a chance to play! So we made the most of it with a trip to the Indy Children's Museum. David always has a great time there and actually asked to ride the carousel this time! (Normally he does not like to ride, and only does it because I make him!) He told me why he doesn't like it -- it's because he doesn't want to go up and down! (From a kid who acts like he has springs for feet, that's kind of ironic.) We carefully picked out a giraffe to ride, first because it doesn't go up and down, and second because we're big giraffe fans!

Valentine's Day

David was quite the crafter for Valentine's Day this year - he made this mug himself at the Artist Within in Muncie. I think he still likes abstract. :-)

He had a great party at Janelle's with his friends. There was a healthy sack of candy and valentines that he brought home. We also did a first on Saturday and went to the movie theater. I was impressed (but not surprised) that he stayed awake for all of Paddington. It is a cute family friendly movie, in case you're curious.

He also started swim lessons on Saturday. This is the level 2 group and he seems to be doing pretty well. Still a little more adventurous in the water for Mommy's liking, but I'm not getting wet this time. For now, we're not doing gymnastics. It was getting hard for me to do all the running with speech twice a week and then leaving town in the middle of Saturday. Swim lessons are here in Muncie in the morning, so it doesn't cut into the day as much.

Chinese New Year almost

On Sunday, we celebrated Chinese New Year at the Ball State Museum of Art. We had a fun time talking about the year of the goat, red envelopes and lucky money, and then David made a lot of noise with friends! David still holds promise as a drummer! David's friend, Maya, celebrated with us too.

The Orange Toothbrush

What happens when you drop your orange toothbrush in a sink drain? Just ask David! He learned that hard way this week that sometimes you should NOT try things to see what happens. I tried to fish it out with needle nose pliers, but it has a short handle and a suction cup on the end, so everything I tried just wouldn't work. So the friend who helped work on the bathroom came over and took apart the drain and the orange toothbrush was back!

Now we're going to the hardware store to get parts to put the stopper back in the sink.

Whew!

Agility Class

We started agility class with Holly last week, as a way to help her burn off some energy and get attention. She's had a tough winter, as with our busy days we don't always get to walk her -- I don't like to walk in the dark and the weather doesn't always cooperate.

This week, David wanted to lead her through the course, and they did a surprisingly good job! Our vet thinks David has promise as a junior handler, and it burns some energy off of him too!

Lego Time

We've been playing with Legos this weekend. David has always had really good fine motor skills, so those teeny tiny pieces aren't too hard for him to figure out how to put together.

This house has some really bored kids with not being able to go outside and burn off energy. As a result, David and I are going to take Holly to agility class on Tuesday nights, and I'm looking for swim lessons for David. Gymnastics was getting hard to do at noon on Saturday with other activities and Mommy is tired of driving to Anderson every week, so we're putting it on hold for awhile.

We started working on phonics and David really likes it. He's managed to memorize the songs about letter sounds. And we've been reading a lot of books from the library. He really likes the "No David" series and the "It's Christmas David" book was a big hit. I get a kick of hearing him say Naughty List, Naughty List, Naughty List on one of the pages. And the No David character has a Westie, and I think that our David kind of relates to the type of trouble that the character gets into!

He can still count to 29 and thinks 10 comes next. Some days we argue about it. He's trying to give up naps, but if you don't take a nap one

day, you will go to bed 30 minutes earlier. That's slowed down the nap renegade. He spells and writes his name, and has started spelling his name backwards.

Our latest debate between mother and son has been wearing a winter coat. He won't wear a fleece or sweatshirt and thinks that short sleeves are just fine any day of the week. I finally kind of won the battle on wearing a shirt with a color to church. It's the same one every week, but I don't complain. And he will wear a winter jacket as long as it's not "too big for me", gloves/mittens (he made me cut the string off) and an Olaf hat. I don't have any expectation that he will wear dress clothes for Easter, so I don't think I'll even buy any this year! Last year I let him pick them out but he wouldn't wear them.:-)

More Christmas

David had a great Christmas this year. He has so many kind and generous friends and family, and they really went above and beyond with gifts. David enjoyed it all!

He just stopped asking if Christmas is really over. I think with a birthday and Christmas so close on the calendar, it was a lot of fun to open gifts, then open more gifts! 

Our friends, Grandma Arla and Grandpa Kerry gave David his own desk. Kerry made it and it is pretty cool! David likes to use it to work on craft projects and anytime he needs to get work done (like Mommy sometimes does).

David and Grandpa Kerry - it was pajama day at Janelle's the day they brought over the desk and supper.

Santa found our house on Christmas and left David everything Olaf!

And now we have a giant box of Tinkertoys

Here's our first Tinkertoy project

Christmas at Janelle's

Each year, Janelle's (our daycare/preschool) has a Christmas show for the families. This year's theme was "Frozen" and it was really fun to see the kids sing the songs and get excited about Christmas. David practiced at home, but we had to make an X on the floor with masking tape and his name, exactly like how things were set up there.