School Work

Here is some of the school work from the kids.

Jonathan's - Heart, Flag and House

Jonathan Wrote - "Mom is 34 Dad is 35"  (Not sure I like that he knows my real age)

Diana's Classmates, she painted the fish

Weeks Family

Attempt at some Weeks family pictures.

Kitty Cat

There is a cat that is always hanging out by Jonathan's school. Apparently people consider him the school mascot and call him cougar. He is a very nice cat and loves the kids. Diana is obsessed with this kitty cat. I found out it lives in the house by where we always park, so we see it often. Diana is terrified of all animals, especially dogs but she actually likes this cat and will pet it. Maybe this will help overcome her fear of animals.

Little Cougars

Jonathan played Little Cougar soccer for St. Mary again this Fall. I finally remembered to bring my camera and I have a friend who is going to help me learn how to use my camera. Yea! Jonathan did really well at soccer again this session. He was very much into playing defense. His classmate and friend, Sean, helped him play defense but together they were unstoppable when they actually decided to run after the ball and try to score. Sean's dad told me after the first game, "I kind of felt like it was the Jonathan and Sean show out there." He was right. Sean also made his dad start buying both Jonathan and Sean gatorades before every game. Too cute! Jonathan had a wonderful cheering section. Thank you GB and Grandpa Weeks for coming to the games. We enjoyed having you there and our special time with you afterwards.

My School

As we were passing by Diana's school today, unprompted she said "my school! My school!" I love that she gets so excited about school. She is also starting to know directions a little bit. She will tell me where to turn when we get close to home. Today, after I turned, she said "good job mommy!" So cute!

Oh Dear

So Brad has been gone since Sunday and all in all it's been a good week. Having the kids in school is a huge help. Although, yesterday I picked Jonathan up from school and Mrs. Reker-Murphy comes over to tell me that Jonathan took a huge fall off the playground and hit his head. She said he seems fine, he said he was fine and didn't want any attention from it but that I should keep an eye on him (make sure he doesn't puke...she was worried about a concussion). He ended up being fine. Today, I get a phone call from her about 3 pm. He fell again on the playground. This time his feet came out from underneath him and he scraped his chin, back and elbow. This time he told her it hurt and she said he had some tears. When I picked him up he was fine. She said he is just being a boy on the playground, not playing too crazily and that they truly are just accidents. The playground scares me and two kids in his class have already had serious injuries. I am praying that Jonathan doesn't get really hurt. He is accident prone and likes to show off, not a good combo. Diana also apparently had a meltdown at school today. The teacher said, "Second week, second day...very normal." Every kid had a meltdown in her class today. Once one kid starts it, I guess it's bound to happen. I guess Diana cried a little and asked for me but quickly got over it. On a positive note, she did go #2 today in school for the first time. The teacher gave Diana a high five when she told me. When I was putting Diana to bed tonight she said, "Miss Daddy!" I hope he's had fun at the Homestead but we are all ready for him to come home.

Who-Dey

I may have just become a Bengal fan. One of the tenants who lives next door, locked himself out and asked if he could use my phone. Him and I got to talking and I asked him if he had to be anywhere important. He said he had a meeting to go to at 6:30, it was 4:30 at the time. I said a meeting on Sunday night, what do you do? Very humbly he said he played football...long story short, he is Rex Burkhead the Bengals rookie running back #33. Unfortunately for him, his landlord was out-of-town, the master key she had hidden didn't work, etc. so he was stuck until a teammate came to get him. Needless to say, we chatted a lot throughout the next couple hours with him borrowing my phone. Jonathan of course talked his ear off. I asked him to sign our Bengals football that we got at the Dalton event and after he did it, Jonathan goes, that [his autograph] just looks like scribbling. Rex busted out laughing. I love how kids can just say whatever they are thinking. I also found out that TJ Johnson, a center on the practice team for the Bengals, also lives in an apartment next door. Apparently TJ is a country boy and a big hunter. Rex mentioned something about TJ asking Rex if he thought the neighbors (us) would mind if he set up his bow/arrow target in our front lawn that connects. So I jokingly (but we will see) have it arranged that Rex is going put Jonathan through some drills/workouts and TJ is going to show Jonathan how to shoot his bow and arrow. Rex is a super super nice guy, very humble, I was very impressed. I might actually watch the Bengals game tomorrow night. Who-dey!

Hot Stuff

I couldn't resist this picture. This girl had a look today...flowered pants (which you couldn't see), flower in her hair, heart sunglasses and a rosary as her necklace, taking her baby for a walk. Church had rosary kits for the kids, so now they each have one. Diana really likes hers and Jonathan is showing interest in learning how to say the rosary.

B-17 Video

Here is the video of the B-17 taxing. So very cool that we could be that close.

More Lunken Pictures

Lunken Airport Days

What a fun day at the Lunken Airport Days!  Thankfully a mom in my mom's group posted about this event, otherwise I would have had no idea about it.  The kids had a blast!  And it was a perfect thing to do today with Brad leaving us again for work.  The kids got to sit inside airplanes, go up in the control tower, ask all sorts of questions and even see the Color Guard and sing the National Anthem.  It was quite the experience.  The blimp was there, it even took off but we didn't see it land.  The WWII veteran B-17 bomber, the "Aluminum Overcast" was very impressive.  We got to see that take off and land twice.  Jonathan also noticed this radio looking thing from a far distance and asked to go over there.  He then asked me if he could ask the military men holding it questions and I said sure.  So he asked what it was.  The guy very thoroughly explained that each plane has  a "black box" and this device was used to track and find it.  The Captain overheard Jonathan and turned to me and said, "Very good question."  By the end of the explanation, Jonathan had a crowd listening.  I love this kid!  He has no fear of asking questions or talking to adults. Jonathan was very into the event and has already said he wants to go with Auntie Heidi next year to her airshow.  

Busy Saturday

What a busy Saturday we had. First we went to Lowe's to the build-and-grow event to build our fire trucks. The kids have been really into the Lowe's and Home Depot workshops and play with their projects a lot. Brad normally works out Saturday morning so it is a fun thing for the kids and I to do. Although this week I screwed up and thought it started at 9 when it didn't actually start until 10. Oops! Luckily I was smart enough to ask if we could take our kits home instead of going back at 10. Then we were off to a free Lego building kit at King Arthur's court. Jonathan saw the flier on my counter and had to go! He of course saw the Ninjago lego and opted for that one, while Diana chose the treehouse with a little squirel. Diana lost interest in the building so we didn't last long but that was ok because Diana had a date with Daddy to go to the zoo. She had been talking all week about Daddy taking her to the zoo, going on a train ride and seeing the polar bear swimming on his back. Jonathan and I tagged along too. It was a gorgeous day for the zoo. Diana was as happy as could be at the zoo and especially on the train! Jonathan wanted to sit at the very front of the train and Diana wanted to sit more in the middle, so I went with Jonathan and Brad took Diana. We divided after that as each kid had their own places (Jonathan - playground and Diana - penguins and bears) they wanted to go. It was kind of a nice way to do it and I always love it when Diana and Brad can have special time together.

Kitty Cat

Diana has a hard time with drop off/pick up at Jonathan's school because of all of the animals...a lot of people bring their dogs and there is always this one cat walking by school. Today after school, the cat was by our car and Jonathan asked if he could pet it. I said sure since I had seen other kids pet it and heard that it is a very nice cat that lives in a house on the street we usually park on. I asked Diana if she wanted to pet it, I was holding her at the time, and she said no. Soon Diana was at least standing somewhat close to the cat while Jonathan was petting it. Eventually she did pet it a couple of times but would get all skittish when the cat would move. I was very happy that she at least would touch it. Baby steps! This poor child dislikes animals more than me.

Rainbow Loom

It was a big day for Jonathan today.  He got to bring home his first book from his school library.  He is very excited about the book.  Mom is having a hard time pronouncing some of the words in it.  I am fearing that Jonathan will quickly realize that mom is not as smart as he thinks she is.  He has really gotten into reading lately and is recognizing a lot of words.  The Magic Tree House books are still his favorite.  We are reading them in order and are already on #14.  Jonathan's other exciting thing today was finally getting to buy the rainbow loom to make bracelets.  His buddy, Sean, from class made him the blue/red bracelet last week and apparently these bracelets are all the craze.  I went to buy the kit at Michael's today and they are so popular that they are on display at the front of the store and they will NOT allow you to use coupons to purchase them.  Crazy if you ask me.  They are a little hard for Jonathan to make, it does say 8+ on the box, but I must say he has more patience than I thought he would with them.  He made one for Diana and the black/green one for himself already.

Kiddo Update

I am still so far behind on the blog and it's been on my list to do for so long...sorry! I will go back and backdate a bunch of stuff as soon as I find the time. In the mean time, I thought I would update everyone on the kiddos. Jonathan is loving school and is branching out meeting new friends. Every day he talks about someone new and is asking if he can have play dates with everyone. I have noticed that he is playing with more boys this year than last year at school. He does still play with girls and talks about them, just not as much. The school year started off with me waking him up at 7:15 am, him requesting bacon & eggs for breakfast, me feeling like a drill sergeant (get dressed, eat your breakfast, fix your hair, put your shoes on, grab your backpack, time to go...), and leaving the house at 8:10 which gets us to school at 8:20 to line up in the parking lot with his class to walk into school at 8:30, with school actually starting at 8:40. This week, I have been letting Jonathan sleep until he wakes up, usually around 7:30/7:40 (7:45 and I would probably need to wake him), we have a simpler breakfast (bagel/cream cheese, yogurt or waffles), he has a few minutes to watch TV or play with Diana and then we are leaving the house at 8:20. I would like to be out of the house at 8:15 but it never seems to happen. We usually get to school when his class is walking in or already in but he says he prefers this other than "waiting" in line. After school, he usually needs to burn off some energy so we have been staying to play at the playground or having playdates. Then about 5 pm he usually crashes and wants some TV time. I have noticed since he started school that he has more of an appetite. He has been eating all of his dinner most nights and asking for seconds. Asking him about his school day is like pulling teeth. It doesn't matter when or how you ask about his day, he usually doesn't have much to offer. Thank goodness there is a school hotline that you can call and get details. He is in bed by 8:30 but think we need to move this up to 8. Jonathan does normally ask in the morning, what are you and Diana doing today? I think he thinks he is missing out on fun stuff. Lately, we have been running errands and cleaning so he hasn't missed much but we did go to a playground and music class today but shhh!

Diana is growing up before my eyes! I swear I woke up and she is a full fledged toddler. She has always been independent but it has been taken to another level. There are a lot of "I do it" and "No mommy's" being said these days. She likes to pick out her own clothes, get dressed and put her shoes on herself. Yes, we are in that phase so if you wonder why in her pictures she has such "pretty" outfits on, now you know. On the other hand, her independence has served us well with the potty training. Ever since we got back from MN it seemed like it just clicked with her. She just goes to the potty on her own most of the time or will yell "potty" if we aren't close to her little potty to help her. We need to work on the wiping and the hand washing but I will take the potty success! We no longer wear diapers/pullups anywhere unless she is sleeping. She just started school this week but loves it and has done very well with it so far. I have noticed now that Jonathan is in school she talks a lot more. I don't know if it is a coincidence or if I just hear her now. Either way, her vocabulary is exploding at the moment, saying sentences, having conversations with you and asking why? a lot! She plays by herself very well and prefers it at times. Today she was playing with her baby dolls, talking with them and saying "hi." I said "hi" back and she just stared at me like I rudely interrupted their conversation and was quite for awhile. She loves her dolls, kitchen set and stacking blocks that our babysitter Megan got her. I will hear her counting the blocks as she is stacking them, "One, two, three, one..." I have been trying to teach her how to count but she really doesn't have much interest in "learning" but apparently she is listening more than I think she is. She has also discovered time out and has started the temper tantrum phase. She will sometimes hit her brother too which puts her in timeout. Today she was playing mean with Jonathan and when I asked her to say sorry, she said no. I told her that she had to go to timeout until she was ready to say sorry. She walked herself over to the corner and sat there until she said sorry (with a potty break in between). Her sleep schedule is 7:30 pm to 6:30 am and then a 2 hour nap usually around 12:30. She can't sit still to eat so we usually eat a little bit and then run off to play and come back. This is next on my agenda to work on with her.

Things are still busy around her but I feel like I am finally able to come up for breathes of air. At the same time, it saddens me to know that Jonathan is in school now all day every day for the rest of his childhood and that it won't be long before Diana will be in Kindergarten.

I am stealing my dad's favorite phrase at the moment, "Living the Dream." I truly am living the dream. I am very blessed to have such wonderful children and an amazing husband that has allowed me to live my dream!

Playdates

Let the playdates begin for Jonathan! Last week Jonathan told me that everyone was having playdates except him. I told him to tell me who he wanted play dates with and I would arrange some. On Sunday, we were getting donuts after church and a little boy, Victor, from his class asked Jonathan if he would like to come to his house after school on Monday. They have a big trampoline in their backyard and Jonathan got a huge smile on his face. Victor's mom was actually Jonathan's preschool teacher for the first half of the year back in 2011. On Tuesday, I was at school helping count money for the magazine drive and I saw Jonathan as he was coming into lunch. He told he asked if he could go to Rocco's house after school. I knew this was just their plan since the Pusateri's are still living in their apartment but I told them I would talk to Ariel. Rocco ended up coming home with us Tuesday to play. The boys dug in the sand for over an hour, despite it being 90+ degrees. I love that Jonathan is getting to play with his friends after school now. Finally feel like we are getting into a routine.

Line Leader

Diana had her second day of preschool today. I thought maybe today would be harder for her since she would realize that I leave her there but there was no hesitation at all. She went in, hung up her backpack, waited in line to wash her hands, I gave her a kiss and off she went. I think she might prefer Mrs. Wall as she walked straight over to her where she was reading books to a bunch of other little girls. When I picked up Diana the teachers said that she is doing really well. She tells them when she has to go potty, which they are really impressed by. Another day with no accidents and just in big girl undies! The teachers asked me if she had any older siblings. When I said "Yes, why can you tell?" They smiled but said no. I guess she is a rule follower and that isn't always typical in a second born. Who knew?!? :-) They were working on jobs today, and Diana's job was to be line leader. She was standing up against the wall with her class and when Mrs. Aherns asked Diana to step out of line and be the leader, she was very hesitant. We have since practiced at home and thanks to Jonathan, I think she now understands the line leader role. I asked Diana if she liked school and she always smiles and shakes her head yes.

Diana's First Day of Preschool

Diana had her first day of preschool today!  She is attending Redeemer preschool in Hyde Park in their early 2 1/2 year old program with Mrs. Aherns and Mrs. Wall.  She was very excited to go to school today.  She is obsessed with her owl backpack and has brought it almost every day when we take Jonathan to school but today it was actually packed for her school.  She was the first one in her classroom, she washed her hands, hung up her backpack and off she went to play.  I asked the teacher if I should stay or leave and she said, tell her goodbye and give her a kiss.  So I did and it didn't even phase Diana.  I was also worried about potty accidents as I only sent her in her big girl undies but we didn't have any accidents!  When I picked her up from school she stood in line very nicely with her classmates and waited for me to come get her, just like she was told.  From talking with Diana, I got out of her  that they played on the playground, played with toys, she went potty and they had snack.  She said she didn't like the snack, I am curious now to know what it was. 

Love School

We were driving past another school we had looked at for Jonathan today and I pointed it out to Jonathan. He of course had all sorts of questions but then said, "Mommy, I am glad you sent me to St. Mary. I just love it there!" Melted my heart!