Update on Rebecca

Following my sister's lead...here is an update on each of the kids, starting with Rebecca.

• Rebecca is all girl. She often skips or dances/ twirls from room to room. Often singing at the same time. Usually both the songs and dance moves she has made up herself. She plays with her baby dolls, stuffed animals and (still) toy animals the most.
• She is doing well in Kindergarten. Her teacher told us at the first parent teacher conference that she is right on track, and she has experienced no behavior problems. (Yea!) Rebecca is learning a lot, and more and more often she seems to be able to report back to us what she's learning in school.
• Every day, she asks, "Where are we going?" If it were up to her, we would go somewhere every day all day. Last weekend, we had lots of fun events we attended, a festival, a fair, a birthday party, the circus, and more. After our third event of the day (around 5:30) she asked as soon as we got in the car, "Can we go somewhere else?" When we have friends over to play (an acceptable second choice to going somewhere) as her friend is packing up to leave, she always ask, "Can another friend come over?" Exhausting.
• She is just starting to learn to read in Kindergarten this year. However, as I predicted she much prefers to be read to, or to read stories "her own way." She is often disappointed when she read the actual words of the story. They are hardly ever as imaginative as the stories she has created.
• Speaking of imagination. She has a wonderful one. The other day she told me that she can speak to cows, and that she understands cats meows. She often creates a whole fantasy world and lives in it for a whole afternoon. She'll be happily playing by herself, and I can hear her acting out the parts of a princess, a fairy, and a mean witch all at once.
• Her newest obsession is coloring. Every day when she comes home from school, she immediately gets out her crayons or markers and stats drawing. She makes at least 20 pictures a day. We go through paper like crazy. She often draws pictures of things that happened during her day, or of characters in books she's read, or sometimes just make believe stories.
• She has a temper too. When she gets really mad at one of us, she writes our name on a piece of paper, draws a circle around it and then draws a slash or a x through the circle and brings it to us to show us how mad she is. She calls this, "X-ing you out!" Ryan dissolves in tears when she X's him out.
• She's in a phase right now that I hope passes soon. She wants everything. More of everything. Nothing is good enough. If you offer to give her one thing, she wants 2, or she wants the most expensive of the one thing, or a different version than you had intended, and is completely put out that you won't get her exactly what she wants. Sigh.
• Things she is excited about: She is 6! She lost a tooth, and has 3 more wiggly ones!

Ryan update

Here is an update on Ryan.

• He is a 3 1/2 year old bundle of energy. Many mornings he's up before dawn- 5:30 or so and when I say, "up," I mean "UP." If he is the first to wake up (most days) he yells from his bed, "Mommy! You forgot a wake me up!!!!!! I AWAKE NOW!!!!!" He only runs form room to room. Never walks. Sometimes somersaults from place to place, and loves to be upside down.
• Although he is perfectly delightful most of the time, he does have a temper. He reminds me of the Incredible Hulk because when he gets mad he squeezes his hands in fists, tucks his body in a ball, clenches his teeth and growls "rrrrrrrrr" so hard and so loud I half expect him to turn green.
• He LOVES books and stories and songs and dancing. If they can all be combined, all the better. He loves going to the library for the storytime programs they have there. He participates fully in each story, hand motion, dance move and craft activity. His teachers report that they always have his rapt attention during circle time, and that he loves that part of the day the best.
• He is FUNNY. He makes funny faces, he makes funny sounds, he does funny things JUST to make other people laugh. He does this so often when we are out in public that Rebecca will often tell the grownups that he's entertaining, "Um, my brother's just a little bit crazy."
• As much as he delights other people, he is constantly delighted with other people. Everywhere he goes, he looks to be delighted, and he is rarely disappointed. He makes eye contact with everyone, and if they make eye contact back, (and even if they don't) he starts a conversation with them by sharing something he has just learned or seen or thought about. Many many times, these complete strangers stop what they're doing so that they can continue talking to him, or so that they can make him laugh. He often has this look on his face like he's just getting ready to laugh, like he's just waiting for the punchline, and any little thing can make him laugh.
• When he is asked what his name is, he always responds, "Wyan Wiyam Stewat." This is humorous to watch because most people do a double take, expecting a shorter answer. The other day he was wearing a t-shirt that read "Hello, my name is Trouble." People kept saying, "Well hello, Trouble." Every time he responded, "I not Twouble! I Wyan Wiyam Stewat."
• As long as he is being entertained, he can pay attention and sit still for long periods of time. This summer we attended a series of free childrens programs at the library featuring a local magician and juggler, Magic Mike. Ryan was front and center for each program. He paid close attention, and tried very hard to figure out how Magic Mike could do all the tricks. This fall, I took the kids to a community production of Into the Woods. The first act was an hour and half long, and Ryan watched the whole thing sitting on my lap. I was going to call it a day at intermission figuring I had pressed my luck with a 3 year old sitting still that long. The people behind us stopped us when we got up to let us know that there was another act. (Thanks folks.) So, we stayed, and Ryan sat still for another hour and a half. Not only did he basically sit still on my lap for 3 hours, but he really enjoyed the performance. The director and star of the show approached me afterwards to let me know how impressed she was, and to let me know she thought I had the best children she had ever seen attend live theater!!!

Happy Halloween

The kids were so pooped after Boo at the Zoo and all the fun activities at school, that they only made it to about 6 houses before they were all done trick or treating. They both helped pass out candy for a little while, but were in bed and asleep by 7:30.

I carved this one myself from a template. Rebecca colored it with a green crayon, which was helpful and decorative.

Costume Changes

So, each year we have several Halloween dress up events to attend. The kids opted for a different costume at each event. The first was the MOMS Club Halloween party. It was very chilly the morning of the party, and we were expecting to be outside for part of the party, so thye opted for winter outfits. Rebecca chose a "Snow Princess" dress she got as a hand0me0down from my friend Alicia. Ryan chose the infamous Hermey oufit Santa brought Rebecca two years ago.

As you'll see below, Ryan chose the pumpkin outfit for his school parade, and Rebecca chose Little Red Riding Hood. Both of those days it was in the 30's and 40's for much of the day.

Then, for Boo at the Zoo, since the weather was warmer, both kids decided to change into different costumes. Rebecca chose the one costume I di buy this year- it's a Disney fairy costume, without the wings because they were bothering her...And Ryan chose the Little Caesar costume I bought for Rebecca two years ago at Caesar's Palace.

Then, after dinner, while preparing to trick or treat, we noticed that the temperature was dropping fast, and we recommended changing into a warmer costume, or at least putting on a long sleeve shirt. Ryan chose to back to the pumpkin costume, and Rebecca changed into an Ariel princess dress she received as a present from Alicia two years ago...this dress looks very much like the fairy dress she was wearing earlier, and not a bit warmer.

The kids love dressing up, so I don't really mind all the costume changes. Especially since I only paid for one of them this year. This is Ryan's 3rd year in a row wearing the pumpkin costume to one event or another. We've gotten great use out of it.

Boo at the Zoo

This year, the kids friends Kaitlyn and Jeffrey joined at our annual outing to Boo at the Zoo. The weather was beautiful- mid seventies!

Ryan was a riot, as usual. He chatted up each of the characters we passed. He asked them who they were, what they were doing, why they were doing it, and often asked for further clarification, or added his own commentary/ thoughts to the responses he received. I don't think the students were used to so much conversation from a little kid. This particular encounter was really amusing, because the characters were sirens- you know like from The Odyssey. As the kids walked by, they beckoned to them, saying, "Come closer, so we can take your soul!" All the time they had beautiful smiles and seemed very friendly. Ryan asked them, "What souls are?" He got no answer from the sirens, who were kinda stumped as to how to give an answer that a 3 year old would understand. Then he asked, "What you want em for?" Also, the sirens hadn't prepared an answer to this question. "Finally, he figured it out. "Oh- You tricking??" Yes. Yes. that's it. He pronounced them very silly.

Storybook Character Parade

Rebecca's school holds a Storybook Chacter Parade every year for the Kindergarten and 1st grades on Halloween. All the kids dress up and then parade through most of the 2nd-5th grade classrooms. Rebecca was SOOO excited for this day to come. She opted for Little Red Riding Hood. Nancy found this hooded red tshirt at a dollar store, which worked perfectly as the cape. (That is a black cat tattoo on her cheek.)

This is Rebecca's friend, Isabella with whom we carpool now. She lives in our same neighborhood, although a little more than a mile away. Her mom painted her face. Amazing!

Can you believe it?? Rebecca's teacher dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood too!!!!