"I Just Love You So Much"

Those were the words that greeted me when I got home from work yesterday. Parker is generally a sweet and cuddly boy, but I think these words stem from the rough morning we had. It started with Avery waking up crying and refusing my attempts to comfort her and crying/shrieking for 10 minutes. Parker was grumpy and was a bit difficult to dress, but his real meltdown happened when I gave him the 2 little cups of medicine to take. He has developed a sudden aversion to taking medicine. Granted one of them tastes "yucky" according to him. He prefers the other one. Too bad for him, he has to take both and twice a day!

Anyway, on Wednesdays I like to drop Avery off first even though I have to double back so I can walk Parker into his pre-school (it's the only day he doesn't have speech class). After I talked to Parker's teacher, I turned to Parker to say goodbye and ask him to give me a kiss and I was flabbergasted when his bottom lip started to quiver and he ran to me, climbed into my lap and grabbed onto my neck. He was full out crying! He has NEVER done this before...except maybe that 1 week he and Avery stayed at that awful home day care after I went back to work after my maternity leave. So I was def surprised when he started crying. He kept telling me "I want to go home. I just love you so much." I know I made it worse, but I stayed about 5 minutes hugging him and trying to calm him down. I left him with his teacher who was trying to calm him down and distract him, but I heard him crying for me as I walked down the long hallway and out the door. My heart just keeps breaking!!!

So it was really wonderful to hear his words when he came home. He said it with a smile too. Then he proceeded to tell me: "I cry at school b/c I just love you so much. I nap and cry b/c I just love you so much. I miss you!". He apparently also cried when he woke up from his nap. But he also told me he was happy and played at school, saw his cousin at chapel, and proudly showed off the Dr. Seuss mask that he made. He cuddled really close to me as we read "Goodnight Moon" and we snuggled for a long time as I made up stories about black trains and Mack (from the Cars movies). Oh, my sweet boy!

preschool fights

...and my heart keeps breaking. I got home from work the other night and found Kevin and the kids in Parker's room playing. I got my hugs and kisses (Avery ignored me until I asked her to give me a hug and kiss, which she did) and played for a bit. Then Kevin prompted Parker to tell me what happened at school. So I geared myself up: either Parker did something he wasn't supposed to or he did something cool/fun. What I learned next broke my heart. Here's how the conversation went:

Kevin: "Tell Mommy why your teacher took your glasses off." 

Parker: "Blue shorts punch my nose. I cry. He go timeout."

Me: "What?!?"

Kevin: "Apparently a kid wearing blue shorts punched him in the nose, he cried, the teacher took his glasses off (assuming to take care of Parker), and sent the other kid to timeout."

Now I know to take things that Parker says with a grain of salt. His speech isn't all that great and he has learned how to lie fib a little, but he usually trips himself up by laughing or telling the truth 5 seconds later. And his fibs are usually pretty transparent and aren't complex. For example if I ask him why his sister is crying (she's got a specific cry that's reserved for Bubba  aggrieving her in some sort of way) and his reply is: "I no hit Sissy." or "Sissy hit me!"...well duh of course he hit her! Or if I ask him if he has put his toys away and he hasn't, he'll say "yes" while smiling. This time Parker kept saying the same thing over and over again. I also asked him a few additional questions to try and get a better understanding of what happened, but he wasn't able to clarify much.

Me: "Why did 'blue shorts' punch your nose?"

Parker: "Umm, 'blue shorts' punch my nose and go timeout."

Me: "Did you hit 'blue shorts'?"

Parker: "Yes I hit."

Me: "Did you hit 'blue shorts' first?"

Parker: "I hit blue shorts."

Me: "Did you go to timeout?"

Parker: "No. Blue shorts go timeout."

Kevin said that he really didn't get a chance to talk to the teacher when he picked Parker up b/c Parker ran straight to him. Kevin's a little different than me...I LOVE information. I NEED information. Especially when I'm not with the kids. It's not even just because they are in daycare. I ask Kevin, my mom, whoever is watching the kids what they ate, how much they ate, how long did they nap for, how were they overall...lots of questions. Call me crazy, but I've been that way since Parker was a newborn. I just like to know...I suppose it's my way trying to be in control when I'm not with the kids. I feel like Kevin can take the info or leave it. It drives me nuts when I ask him the details and he tells me he forgot. Bless him, he knows how OCD I get so he has gotten so much better about giving me details.

I don't know why I was so surprised and taken aback by this. Parker wears glasses and I know how mean kids can be so I've already thought about Parker getting teased. My imagination ran wild and I started to think about whether this little boy was bullying Parker b/c of his glasses. Truthfully I wasn't prepared for dealing with bullying or teasing. I didn't think it would happen this early on. And I know hitting goes on at pre-school. You've got a bunch of 3 year olds who can't always verbalize their needs and wants and frustration runs high and kids can lash out to vent some of their feelings. But when I heard the word "punch", it just triggered something deeper, it's bigger than just a little whack on the arm. That and he was punched in his face...on his nose...as if this little boy really knew how to punch.

After a few minutes of talking to Parker, I dropped the topic, but I was mad, confused, and hurting inside for my little boy. My question was, why didn't the teacher, even if she was busy, say: "Can you wait a sec, I need to discuss something with you." Or even send a note home to tell me that Parker was involved in an altercation. I don't need to know what "blue shorts" name is. I understand that they need to protect the other child's privacy. But I also have a right to know that my kid was punched in the face and was hurt badly enough that he cried (he's not a crier like that either) and the teacher had to take his glasses off to assess the damage (there's none that I could see that night, but he could have been gushing blood for all I know...ok so Parker probably would have told me that). No, I don't need to know each and every time Parker gets hit or pushed b/c that's part of going to preschool and being around lots of other kids that are the same age. But this seemed a little more serious and I was a little ticked off...not because it happened. Ok so a little bit because of that, but mostly because I was not informed by the school. 

Well I talked to the preschool director, which I should mention was absolutely fantastic in helping me out with an issue prior to Parker starting preschool and she was wonderful while discussing the issue. I just wanted to know exactly what happened and what their normal procedure is when something like this happens. She advised she wasn't aware anything had happened, but would talk to his teachers. Here's what she was able to tell me (again she couldn't be specific, which I was ok with, for privacy reasons): Parker pushed a little boy whose first reaction is to hit or punch. The teacher saw all this happen and took Parker aside to check him out and the other little boy was talked to and removed from the situation. Parker didn't cry and his glasses weren't taken off (Not sure I believe this part b/c I don't think Parker would just make it up...his fibbing level is just not there and he said it so matter of fact and on more than one occasion). A notice of incident was written and sent home with the little boy. I told Ms. Allen that I was worried that Parker provoked the other kid or instigated the whole thing. She said that according to the teacher, Parker didn't push in a mean way and it happened while playing and it wasn't hard. Apparently "blue shorts" has a history of hitting and punching and it is something the school and his parents are working on. Ms. Allen apologized that a letter wasn't sent home with Parker and it wasn't discussed at pickup and that she talked to the teacher about the importance of filling out the forms to send home for both parents. I made it clear I don't expect them to tell me about every little hit or shove, but on more serious things then I def need to know, which she understood and agreed with. 

I talked to a friend who told me that when she picked her son up from preschool the other day, she found him in timeout with 6 other boys for ganging up on another child...well as much ganging up an almost 4 year old can do. The teacher said: "Don't worry, he was a follower and not the leader." Hmm...so my friend should have been glad that her son didn't lead the other kids into bullying and instead followed others...the end result is the same...another kid was ganged up on. Ugh! She talked to her son about it and I think that's the important part. Whenever Parker's speech therapist tells me about Parker hitting, acting aggressive, upsetting a friend for repeatedly calling him a chipmunk (you laugh, but this really happened) I made sure to talk to him during the drive home from school. He was also prompted to tell Daddy when he got home and at night time while we are snuggling we talk about what happened that day and what he could have done/said to prevent him from hurting/upsetting his friends or to prevent him from going to time out. I give him gentle reminders again as we drive to school and right before he gets out of the car he recites (without any prompting from me): "I no hit. I no say chipmunk in my school." Repetition is key with Parker and lots of reminders so this definitely helps him.

So my first line of defense is to talk to Parker, but then what??? If he gets hit, punched, or shoved what should he do? I'm not trying to throw anyone under the bus, but my husband was told by his fiery Italian momma that if someone hit him first then she was ok with him hitting back as long as he didn't get caught. Sounds crazy? Yeah I thought so too and laughed when my husband first told me this ages ago. Don't think badly of my mother in law. She raised 4 wonderful kids, but she wasn't about to let her kids get beat up on and she would be the first one to beat them with a spatula if they ever started a fight. lol Anyway, this got me thinking and my momma bear instinct tells me to teach Parker how to punch. Yeah yeah, he's 3.5 (almost), but next time "blue shorts" punches Parker and Parker hits back then maybe "blue shorts" will think twice about hitting Parker next time (ok I know Parker started this incident with pushing, but I'm just saying if it was unprovoked next time!). 

So what is it: teach your kid that fighting/hitting is not a solution and have him get beat up? Teach him to tell the teacher so that he gets branded as a tattle tell? Do you teach him to fight back and defend himself so that other kids doesn't see him as an easy target? For now, I told Parker to tell the little boy firmly to not hit him, walk away and tell the teacher. If "blue shorts" hits him again then we will have issues and I'll be marching my butt up to the school and then I'll teach Parker how to really punch. What would you do or say to your child? I may be blowing this out of proportion, but it's my momma bear coming out and I just want to protect my little cub. How would you have reacted? 

ssssnack!

Parker just finished his second week of speech therapy - he has had 6 classes so far (he goes 4x/week, but last Friday was a teacher in-service day and this past Monday was MLK Jr day so no classes) and I've already seen a difference! Every Most nights I help Parker with his homework. I say most nights b/c there was a couple of nights where I forgot to run through his homework with him so we go through it in the morning...in the car...during the 5 minute drive to school. SLACKER mom!!! lol But to make up for it, we do do little bits of his homework through out the day.

all smiles means we just started homework

He's had 2 work sheets he has been working on since last week: words that start with "sn" and "sm". Parker's problem is that he adds the "s" to the end of words instead of the beginning and sometimes he will put it in the middle. Homework lasts about 10 minutes and consists of doing the "snake sound" (sssss) in the beginning then adding the rest of the word. For example: "small" would be "sssss-mall". Parker's doing pretty good adding the snake sound in the beginning. If he forgets I just either remind him about the snake sound or ask him what he forgot. BUT, he still adds that "s" at the end on a lot of words. Grrr!!! He is def making progress though. The other day, when he woke up from his nap he cuddled up to me and asked sweetly: "I have sssnack, please? Ssssnack!". I laughed, gave him a high five, and praised him like crazy. It was close to dinner time, but I would have given him a box of chocolates if I had any for pronouncing snack correctly all by himself!

going over his work sheets...slouching means he's getting tired of homework

I've been put in charge of homework and Kevin has always said I'll be in charge of our kids' homework b/c I have more "book smarts" than him (but he's quick to say he has a lot more street smarts. lol). We are only on week 2 of speech therapy and this should be "easy" stuff, but I'm already getting frustrated. I know I shouldn't - it's not Parker's fault that he can't say things properly. He's in therapy for a reason...so I find myself taking a couple deep breaths when he keeps adding that "s" at the end of words. I know the issue of adding the "s" at the end is b/c there's an "s" at the beginning of the word. Parker for example can say "mall" correctly, but once you tell him to say "small" he will say "sssmalls" or "malls". When I get super frustrated and annoyed (I know, I know! Don't make me feel bad, I already do!) I just tell him we're all done and we'll work on it later. Better to cut homework time short than get annoyed with him. I can't even imagine once we start getting to into fractions and algebra! But I've got time to brush up on my math skills, right? If not, that's what tutors are for! lol

laying down and goofing off means he's done with homework

I had a meeting with Ms. Phyllis after school today. I brought up Parker adding "s" to the end of words. She said she's not concerned about it as long as he is correctly pronouncing it with the "s" at the beginning of the word. As if on cue, Parker tells me: "Mommy, I want a ssssnack, please." lol Ms. Phyllis said with time and more practice he will correct it himself. Parker was such a chatter box and kept asking questions and describing things. At one point he told me that he got a boo boo on his hand (just a tiny little prick) from the playground. Ms. Phyllis said he fell on the mulch and had been running around so much. She said at one point he had 8 kids chasing him in a big circle and that it looked like he was having so much fun! I told her that he loves running and being chased. I really need to look into some sort of sport for him to do that involves a lot of running - I couldn't find any track and field time sport for his age though. I'm glad he is having a great time at his new school. I was a bit scared about him going to an actual ELEMENTARY school, but he seems to be thriving and loving it.

Mommy, are we done yet??? PLEEEEASE???

Now I'm off to give these crazy kiddos a ssssnack!!!

Sometimes we just need a little therapy...

No I'm not talking about me or the kind where you get to lay down on a couch. I've mentioned before that Parker has some "speech issues". Namely: he doesn't enunciate a lot of words very well, he flips syllables around, and often adds an "s" to the end of words. This will be redundant for many and it will be a long post, but for "journaling" purposes I want it on here while I still remember most of it.

I first talked to Parker's pediatrician about my concerns with his speech delay (at the time) when he turned 2. She wasn't concerned since boys tend to be a bit delayed, Parker understood simple instructions, and could communicate a few words by signing (more, milk, hungry). She told us if he still wasn't talking in a few months to let her know. Well Avery's 6 month appointment was a couple of months later and I brought it up. Again she wasn't overly concerned b/c he had developed a few words by this point, but since I really seemed concerned by it that she would give me a referral. I had talked to a few friends whose sons were in therapy. My friends said it was free so imagine my surprise when I got a HUGE bill for the evaluation Parker had in December of 2012 that basically told us that he was in the lower end of average, but didn't require therapy. Did I mention I had just started staying home with the kids and we only had 1 income? Okaaay, thanks for nothing and now I have this ginormous bill to pay. What gives?!? Why did I have to pay and my friends didn't? Well come to find out they went through the county. Well, geez, why did my doctor give me a referral for an expensive evaluation?!? Anyway, the therapist said to bring him back in if he doesn't improve within the next 4-6 months. My thoughts: I'm not bringing him back here to pay another huge bill for you to say he's fine and bring him back in a few months. So I worked with Parker and within a few weeks of me just staying home and just talking about anything and everything (I'm walking to the kitchen. I'm opening the drawer to get a cup. I'm pouring some milk in the cup.). I felt kinda silly, but when I started to notice the changes I was excited!

Parker's speech continued to progress and he was even talking in 3-5 word sentences, but I noticed he wasn't able to pronounce things very well. I worked with him and over time certain words would get fixed, but others wouldn't. For example, Parker still can't say "Lola" (my mom). He says "Wowa". Usually if we say words slowly and try it a few times he can repeat it, but he will revert back to his old way of saying things.

He also started to switch syllables around. Most notably saying "nask" for "snack". About 6 months ago he used to say "nack" but then switched to saying "nask" no matter what I try. I also found it weird that he could say "Sissy", but couldn't say "Missy" (his aunt) - he'd say "Mee-hee". Probably within the last few months he started adding the "s" sound to the end of words. For example: "Mommy you go (to) works?" "I (have a) coughs."

His speech improved quite a bit when he started preschool in August, but I still felt he was delayed and I was having to do a lot of translating for family and friends. I again talked to his pediatrician at his 3 year appointment and asked for the free option. She advised that since it is through the county, the waiting period might be a while and those who are going to kindergarten may have higher priority than Parker. I understood, but wanted to get the ball rolling. I advised his teacher, Mrs. B., of my plans and also asked her questions such as: "Do you understand him when he talks?", "Do his friends at school understand him?", etc. She advised that she would work a little more closely with him and email me back with her responses. A little over a week later, she advised she understands some of the things he says and when she can't he repeats what he wants and will occasionally get frustrated if she doesn't understand. There weren't any issues regarding his friends. She also advised that it might take a while to start therapy, but she would support me in a whatever decision I made. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Mrs. B?!? I went ahead and filled out the paperwork to have Parker evaluated. After a lot of back and forth paperwork and calls, Parker was finally evaluated on 11/9/12. They said he did exceptionally well in many areas, but they do see that he may need speech therapy. They advised that they would have "the teacher" review everything and they will get back with me.

Side note: in the evaluation, one of the "tests" Parker did, the teacher had a picture of a spoon, a knife, and a fork laid out. Then she put a picture of ice cream down and ask Parker what she would use to eat the ice cream. Parker said "poon" and pointed to the spoon. She also did something with a fork and a knife, which Parker got right. Then came a picture of a slice of bread...she said, if I wanted to put some jelly on the bread, what would I use? Without hesitation, Parker says: "poon" and points the spoon. The therapist looked at me questioningly and I about died laughing. I wasn't given the chance to explain that I use the back of a spoon to spread peanut butter on his sandwiches b/c our dinner knives are sharp and will tear holes into the bread. So he thinks spoons are used to spread things. lol She did explain that you use a knife and she went back to the bread again and used butter instead of jelly and he said knife the second time around.

I finally heard back from them around Thanksgiving and they mailed me the "results" and advised that I would meet with another set of people to review the results and find out whether he qualifies for therapy or not. Grr! Just tell me already! Anyway, his appointment wasn't until 1/9/13!!! Kevin, Mrs. B, and a bunch of other specialists were "invited" to the meeting. I had waved "my right" for all these other people to be there. Mrs. B had other kids she was teaching that day and told her not to worry about going even though she said she would be happy to go. Besides, she had already given her opinion to the assessment team so she didn't really need to go.

Anyway, last Wednesday, my neighbors watched the kids bright and early while I met with the assessment team. I was afraid Parker wouldn't qualify. Kevin reminded me that it is a good thing b/c that means his speech isn't that bad. But I didn't feel the same way. I felt like Parker already wears glasses and an eye patch and could potentially get made fun of for wearing glasses. I don't want kids to make fun of him b/c he has speech problems. I worried myself sick driving there and thinking about how I would get on my hands and knees and beg if they said he didn't qualify. Well after going over the reports with me, they finally told me: "Parker QUALIFIES!!!!". It took all I had in me not to jump up and do a happy dance!

It was a sad morning for me! I was not ready for this day to come so soon!

Here are things I learned in that 30 minute morning:
1. Parker will be going 4 days a week, 3 hours a day (mornings). He is doing the more extensive therapy b/c I had advised that I do have to translate for most people. Apparently he was borderline needing extensive therapy. We are going to start with extensive and scale back if needed.

2. Since his therapy will be in the mornings, I had to pull him out of his current pre-school. I had already told Mrs. B that I was having this meeting, but neither of us was prepared for Parker's last day with her to be the next day! Parker has grown so close to her and it completely melted my heart when he climbed up into her lap at his Christmas program and she cuddled him for a bit (no favorites here, a few other students also climbed up onto her lap after Parker got off).

3. Parker will be going to an ELEMENTARY school that has a Pre-K class. It will be considered an ESE (Exceptional Student Education), but his class is solely for kids who need speech therapy. The school is not the elementary school that we are zoned for (this school is 95% the reason why we bought our house - it's one of the few "A" schools in our county) and he will be going to a Title 1 school. However, a friend who teaches at a Title 1 school told me that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. She said Title 1 schools get a bad rap, but they get a lot of funding b/c of that title and it may actually benefit Parker. I actually called our zoned school b/c I found out they have a Pre-K program and offer speech therapy as well. But the kind that Parker needs isn't what they offer and the lady I spoke with spoke very highly of Ms. Phyllis. I was surprised she knew her by name since I didn't mention her name so that immediately put me at ease.

4. Parker will be getting 1 hour of speech therapy and 2 hours of "preschool" where they will do arts and crafts, play on the playground, etc. But many/most things relate in some way to speech therapy.

5. Parker's "contract" is for 1 year, but he can "graduate" before the year is up if he progresses well. He will continue to have therapy for as long as he needs it - we would just need to "renew" the contract.

new backpack all packed...it only had a gallon zip lock bag with a change of clothes and socks

That same day, we went to Parker's new school to pick up his school registration. I told Parker that he was going to a new school. Mrs. B and Ms. Julie and all his buddies from school wouldn't be there, but he would have a fun new teacher and make new friends. He was excited, but I was in a bit of a fog. I couldn't believe I was filling this kind of paperwork out! I wasn't supposed to be doing it for another 1.5 yrs! Ms. P was at the school and they tracked her down and said she wanted to meet us (she didn't have class that morning). She was so nice and talked to Parker for a minute and said he talked pretty well. She advised that she only has 2 other kids in her class - 2 boys: Paxton and Brodie. She said goodbye to the kids (Avery was being her usual self and was saying hi and bye to every stranger that walked by) and told Parker she'd see him on Monday. Throughout the weekend, I asked Parker what his new teacher's name is and he'd laugh and say: "Madagascar" (one of his favorite movies). He did this every time I asked, but he knows and says her name: "Ms. Phee-wis".

Fast forward to today: I got both kids out of the car since I was told that I had to go to the office first and not go through the car line. The "office lady" walked me to where Ms. P was...by the car line. Ms. P had Parker sit on the bench with the other pre-schoolers. He met Brodie and Paxton and a few of the other kids. Paxton was checking Parker out and Brodie seemed pretty quiet. Ms. P asked if I wanted stay and see the classroom or I could come pick him up early. I said I'd do it then since Avery seemed to be in a good mood and she's usually cranky when we pick Parker up from school b/c she's hungry/tired. We waited for about 10 min for all the pre-k kids to get there and walked together. There was another teacher/aide there helping gather the other kids.

it doesn't look it, but he was excited...just may have taken one too many pics. lol

While we walked, Paxton must have asked why Parker was there. Ms. P reminded him that she explained last week that Parker would be joining them and now he has a new friend. Ms. P advised that Paxton had only been there for 2 weeks. Paxton doesn't seem so sure of Parker - he kind of watches him a bit wearily. Brodie and Paxton showed Parker how to "check in" (move his velcroed name tag from the chart w/ a pic of a house to the chart with a pic of a school), he put his backpack (had to buy him a big one since he needs it to put a big binder in) got his cubby (his "symbol" is a tractor...would have been perfect if it was a black train, but no luck), then they wash their hands and pick out a toy from only one side of the shelf and sit at the table...too bad all the "good" stuff was on the other side of the shelf and P kept inching  over to the other side.

When we pulled into the school parking lot, Parker asked where Mrs. B and Miss Julie were. I reminded him they were at his old school and he is going to his new school. I was really afraid he would have major anxiety about going to a new school and not having Mrs. B or his friends there. But he did really well, I was saying hi and waving to a bunch of older kids when I pulled him out of his car seat. He even told me: "They said hi to me!". Not sure if they did or not - I didn't hear anything, but maybe they waved. 

Ms. P and I talked for a bit. She advised that the kids get a free breakfast...nice since it's such a battle to get P to eat at home...or at least eat it fast enough so that we aren't running late. I mentioned that Parker only gets half juice/half water and she advised these are pre-packaged juices so no luck for me and they get to make their own choices as far as what they want to eat: I think they have to pick a fruit (no problem there, he loves fruit) and what kind of milk (at my wide eyes, she smiled and said one of the other kids always chooses chocolate, I laughed and said Parker will likely choose chocolate if he sees another kid drinking it!). I sound controlling when it comes to food and I am a bit lot. I really prefer my kids to not drink juice - why drink it when it's better to eat fresh fruit. If they're thirsty, they drink milk during meal times and water any other time. I don't cook with a lot of salt (if at all), I don't put butter on steamed veggies, I don't offer ranch for dipping veggies, or ketchup for chicken nuggets - it's not necessary. I want my kids to learn to like the natural taste of food. They don't need chocolate or sweets. That's not to say I don't give my kids sweets or juice. I do, but just not frequently. Anyway, I went off on a tangent there!

I've never been called into the Principal's office, but I kinda felt like I was in trouble as we sat and waited for the "front office" lady to take us to Pre-K.

I was still there when the teacher/aide (I'm thinking aide b/c she can't just pop in/out if she is a teacher) who was helping out at the car line came in the class room. When she saw me, she commented something along the lines of: "Momma, you're still here? You need to learn to let go." I was a bit taken aback by this b/c 1. I wasn't still there b/c I chose it - Ms. P was talking to me and explaining stuff - I wasn't asking a bunch of questions. 2. How does she know that my kid didn't previously go to another school and I have issues with letting go? 3. WHO SAYS THAT?!? I think Ms. P was taken aback also b/c she looked at her and said: "She's fine, we're just talking.". Then the aide was all nice and saying how cute my kids are. Lady, you may be super nice, but right now the hair on the back of my neck is raised b/c I'm annoyed!

sitting on the bench outside of the Pre-K building

She left soon after that episode and I watched Ms. P and the kids do circle time. There are laminated pieces of paper on the floor and Parker found his "red tractor" and sat on it. They sang a cute little song where the kids stand, spin in a circle, wave and say "hi". Parker watched Paxton and Brodie before it was his turn to stand up, only he got a bit distracted by the toys that he had wanted to play with earlier - he was now on the same side as the previously (and still) forbidden toys. The kids each get to pick their jobs (Parker went last and picked the "stop and think" job - not sure what it entails, but I'm hoping it helps Parker "stop and think" before acting b/c he tends to act rashly and gets a bit crazy. Then they dressed this little figure according to the weather outside. One thing I noticed is that Ms. P speaks slower and enunciates when she talks to the kids. When she talked to Paxton, she told him what to do with his tongue/mouth when he wasn't able to say something correctly. Ok, I'm liking this teacher!

I picked Parker up from school and Brodie's Mom was ahead of me. It was only the 2 of us there so she talked to Ms. P for a bit about something before I grabbed Parker. I overheard little snippets and apparently her daughter goes to the school that we are zoned for so she lives somewhat near us. We said hello and asked how old P was b/c he's tall. Meanwhile, P was asking about "dee a bill" and kept asking for a few minutes. I couldn't understand him and asked if he wanted to go to Jacksonville. Ms. P overheard and said he has been asking about that for the last 30 min of class, but wouldn't take her to what it was he needed/wanted. He asked again and I figured out the last part after I asked him if he wanted a bear and he nodded. Ms. P said she had dolls, but no bears. I also found out that he wanted to "dress a bear". I was confused - we didn't have any bears or dolls that we dress up. I asked if he did this at Aunt Missy's yesterday and he said no. But while buckling him in it dawned on me what he was talking about and I told Ms. P that he was talking about the bear/figure they dressed this morning during weather time. Ding! Ding! Ding! Score for Mommy! Ms. P advised they would do that tomorrow too. Anyway, she said he had a great morning and did very well.

Side note: Parker keeps asking to "dress the bear". He popped up from his nap (I woke him up) and said he wanted to dress the bear.

report on his first day...had a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving

Not our best pic, but it's the only one we got of the 4 of us. Yes our tree is already up. Kevin put the actual tree and lights up last Sunday and we decorated on Monday. We normally put it up the day after Thanksgiving, but I knew I would have such a crazy schedule at work and may not have time to. I like to put it up right after Thanksgiving so I can enjoy it for a long time. If I could get away with it, I'd keep it up all year - I love all the lights and it's so festive and cheery!

Anyway, today was a rough day for me. I got home last night not feeling well. I was sneezing like crazy at work, but I wasn't sure if it was from the dust or getting sick. By the end of the night my throat felt all scratchy. I went to bed feeling like somebody had beaten me with a bat. Parker woke up around 2:30 am to pee and he came to my side of the bed to tell me he had to go potty. I could NOT get out of bed. I asked him if Daddy could take him (he typically prefers I take him - good thing for him b/c Daddy could probably sleep through a hurricane!) and thankfully he said yes, so I may or may not have smacked Kevin awake after he didn't respond to me asking him to take Parker to the bathroom. I passed out after I felt Kevin get up.

Kevin and Parker woke up early and did the turkey trot with my sister in law and her family. I would have gone (maybe...possibly) if I wasn't feeling so crummy and if I didn't have to WORK!!! Yep, Old Navy was open on Thanksgiving day! Apparently last year they were busy. Well...not today. I spent the 5 hours I was there eating (we had our own mini Thanksgiving dinner), playing Mario on the Wii, getting to know some of my co-workers, following guests around and folding stuff they just discarded and helped a handful of them out.

When I got home I made my desserts and loaded mashed potatoes, cuddled my little who just wanted her "mah-may", and trying nto to keel over and die. Then we (including my mom who came down to visit) loaded up in the truck and headed over to my sister in law's house for dinner. Let's say that we had PLENTY of food including a big table full of dessert. Everything was delicious and I ate A LOT!!!

Although, I'm sick (Parker has an occasional runny nose and cough too), I have a lot to be thankful for. My family is generally in good health, I have a husband whom I adore, 2 precious kids, and family and friends that are just amazing. Life is good!

Oh and here's some pics from Parker's Thanksgiving program at school last Thursday...he is of course sitting right next to Mrs. B. He adores her! Or he could be sitting next to her b/c he's a big troublemaker! lol We talked to Mrs. B after the program for a bit. Parker ran right up to her and gave her a hug and she picked him up and gave him a cuddle - I love that! She told me that Parker was so sweet and his first words when he got to school was to ask her if she was feeling better and if she threw up. I explained to her that the first thing he told me when I picked him up through the car line on Tuesday was to tell me that you weren't at school (which I already knew b/c she wasn't in the car line). I told him that you may not be feeling good and he interprets being sick with throwing up. Poor kiddo was so concerned about Mrs. B. that he kept asking about her on Wednesday (no school) and on the way to school on Thursday.

singing...glad he participated!

and then he was done...no more hat...and yawning...

waving hi to me...the boy in the green shirt kept saying "Hi Mommy" so anytime he said that Parker felt like he had to one up him and also say hi to me. Of course the other 3 year olds also felt like they had to say hi to their mom's so there was quite a few choruses of "Hi Mommy" throughout the program. lol

"Hi Mommy, I see you!"

the kids didn't get a snack at school and apparently all Parker could talk about that morning was having popcorn for snack. lol