Today was Franny’s 100th day of kindergarten.  I am not amazed that it has been that long, but I am amazed at how much she has learned and how hard she has worked.  A majority of the classroom activities are centered around reading and writing, and she has met the challenge of that quite impressively.  While she initially struggled in what was an exceptionally advanced class (many kids came into the class already reading and writing), she worked tremendously hard and her skills are progressing by leaps and bounds.  I love to see the enthusiasm she has for learning and I love that she is excited to go to school every day.  It has been an incredible 100 days, and I am so happy with the experience she is having.  Her teacher is wonderful and her learning environment is very positive and supportive.  I am really looking forward to the rest of the year and seeing what she makes of it.   She is such a special little girl and we are so proud of her!

Cole usually goes 100 miles a minute, is all over the place, and laughs and jokes continuously.  Today, however, we saw none of those things from Cole.  He spent the entire day on the couch, saying only a handful of words, and even took a three hour nap.  I can’t blame him—poor Cole had a fever most of the day, ranging from 100 to 104.  This is the first time any of the kids have ‘acted’ sick for this long, as they typically will rally and crash, never wanting to succumb to their illness.  Given this history, I know he must really be struggling.  Fortunately, a little Tylenol gave him some relief right before bedtime and he seemed to least end the day better than he started.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for him, and we’ll see that twinkle in his eyes return. 

This morning, the kids awoke to find the yard blanketed in snow.  Not a lot of snow, but probably around two inches.  It was enough for Franny’s school to be cancelled, which was nice so that all the kids could play together in the snow.  They quickly met up with their neighbor friend, and they all built snowmen together and then went sledding in a steep grassy area up the street.  It was definitely a fun morning.  Sadly, the snow melted as quickly as it came, but it was wonderful to enjoy it for the short time it was here.

This week Delaney hasn’t been able to get her fill of fruit—apples, bananas, strawberries.  And, my inadvertent discover today—Delaney loves lemons, too!

I am thrilled that Delaney loves her fruit and vegetables, and has a very long list of those that she likes, including leafy greens!  A relatively recent addition is apples.  I have been slicing them up for her, but today she decided she wanted to eat one her way.  And, as long as she’s eating it, I am definitely not going to argue with her!

When Cole was very young, I read a book about the developmental differences between boys and girls.  It was an interesting read, but Cole was just too little for it have any relevancy, so I shelved it and unintentionally forgot about it.  Now, several years later, I have just finished reading it again; this time, with a very different perspective.  Turns out, a lot of what I viewed as Cole’s ‘craziness’ is really just classic ‘boy’.  This was never more apparent than when I took Franny and Cole to get haircuts last week. While Cole was waiting for Franny to finish, he quickly befriended another little boy who seemed to be about the same age.  They immediately synced and the way they played together seemed almost orchestrated.  Their motion, the way they approached the cars, took turns, and went from one car to another was just so similar that it was almost eerie.  They were definitely playing together, but they didn’t talk much.  They were almost one fluid motion.  I was quite fascinated watching them play, and it became very obvious to me that boys need to be around other boys.  They inherently have their own language and their own way of doing things.  According to my book, boys mellow out around age five.  I find that extremely difficult to imagine, but we’ll see…

We have had some challenging nights in hotels this past year.  For Franny and Cole, the excitement is just too much, and sleep doesn’t come until hours after it should.  We also usually have to separate them and it can be an enormous struggle to get them to wind down.  This weekend, however, they both did a great job and actually fell asleep in their bed without the battles we have experienced in the past.  Hopefully, this will carry forward and set the tone for any trips in the future!

This weekend, we took another short trip to the Seattle area to visit the kids’ Great Grandma.  They have been talking about this trip non-stop for a week, and they really enjoyed the visit.  I’m so happy they like visiting this very special lady!  The next day, we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. For Franny and Cole, this was very exciting!  We originally planned to drive home from Bainbridge Island, but they loved it so much, we took the ferry back to Seattle and drove home that way.  It was a cold day, but with the warm sunshine, we were able to enjoy the sundeck, as well as some spectacular views!  On the island, we spent the day taking in the local sights, spending some time at the Kids Discovery Museum, having a yummy snack at the historic Pegasus Coffee House (once the Andersen Hardware Store), and just enjoying exploring this beautiful island.  It was a wonderful weekend, from beginning to end!

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Mo Phillips is a local musician who creates wonderful and silly songs that kids love. He spent three weeks with Franny’s class, as well as the other two kindergarten classes, writing lyrics and songs. According to Mo, the kids made up the majority of all the songs, with minimal help from him, which was the goal. Franny’s class was the Panda Band (they spent a week studying pandas in their literacy centers) and wrote five songs-- I Never Get Out of the Water, Dragon’s Lair, Panda Song, Dog Running, What Do You Want to Do When It’s Sunny?. The kids loved working him, and Franny was very proud of the lyrics that she made up. Friday, we enjoyed a concert where they performed all their songs. It was nothing less than wonderful! They were funny and creative and I am so glad that Franny had this experience.

Panda Band--I Never Get Out of the Water from T on Vimeo.

Panda Band--Dragons Lair from TR W on Vimeo.

Today, we met up with friends at the Ladybug Theater.  The puppet show was Bunny’s Garage Sale, starring a few puppets—Bunny, Baby Bear, Ladybug, and Duck.  It’s not a fancy production—there are minimal props and the puppets have a “much-loved” appearance that indicate they may have been used when the Ladybug Theater began in 1965.  But, the kids loved it!  Michelle and the puppets have a special, silly kind of humor that resonates so well with young kids.  I think Cole giggled and laughed the entire show through!  Delaney didn’t understand exactly what was going on, but she was definitely engaged and happy to be a part of it.  It was a very fun way to spend a cold and snowy morning, and Cole has already asked when we go back again. 

All three kids had dentist appointments today.  This was Delaney’s first time at the dentist, but she really did great!  When it was her turn, she climbed right into the chair and let the dentist count and clean her teeth.  There were no surprises—her teeth look great, but her two bottom canine teeth are coming in.  Maybe that’s why she’s been a little grouch the last couple of days!

Franny and Cole were definitely excited to visit the University of Oregon, or ‘the Duck School’ as they like to call it.  I initially was concerned there wouldn’t be enough to keep the kids interested for the full day, but we had no problem.  I was thrilled with their enthusiasm and their interest.  When we walked around the languages building, including the classroom I had my first Russian class in, Franny wanted to know all about my classes and my teachers.  Every building we went in or passed they either had questions about or found something fun to do.  The loved the duck prints painted all over the campus—a new addition since I graduated.  It was a very special day and I wish we could do it all over again! 

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These cute little guys are the valentines Franny chose for her kindergarten class.  Although she didn’t assemble all of them, she did a lot of them; and, she very diligently wrote out the tags with each child’s name and her name—21 in all.  I thought they were very cute, and I was glad she opted for something different and creative this year.  Franny was so excited for her Valentines Day party today, and to give her valentines to her friends.  I just wish I could have been there to see the exchange—she was still all lit up inside when she came home, so I can only imagine what the party must have been like!

I initially had just wanted to walk through Hayward Field and show everyone where I used to run when I was living in the dorms.  But, we ended up spending a lot of time, here.  Franny amazed us all by running three laps around the entire track!  And, after just a couple minutes rest she ready to go again! Cole didn’t match Franny’s speed, but he did have just as much fun!

The University of Oregon has undergone tremendous changes since I last walked on the campus.    Buildings have been renovated, new ones erected, with still more in process.  Saturday, this construction site for a new integrated science building was in full gear.  We were able to watch this T-crane at work—moving a full 180 degrees and back while moving a load of supplies.  Amazingly, the crane operator saw us and gave us a hello honk!  It was just one of many fun and unexpected things we saw on this trip!

                    Historic Mac Court                                       The new Matthew Knight Arena

Today, Cole had his Sweethearts Party at school.  Although most of his school parties are pretty much the same, it’s always fun to go because he really loves that we come to celebrate with him. Today, he had a great time showing Delaney around his classroom, giving his friends Valentines, and having a fun lunch.  Although we always came to Franny’s preschool parties, it’s a very different experience with Cole; we really get to see him play with his friends like he would on any other school day, which is fun to see.  It’s very obvious that he’s very proud of his class and that we come to be with him.  I really love that openness Cole has—it gives me great confidence that he enjoys where he is and that he’s having a really great experience.  Also in true Cole style, when he went home and opened all his Valentines, he shared them with Delaney. 

Showing Delaney around

Some of his good friends

Sharing with Delaney

Today, Delaney and Cole’s playgroup attended a drop-in kids class at Stumptown Yoga.  Both kids enjoyed the class, but Delaney really took to it like a natural.  During the interactive positions, I would do them first with Cole and then with Delaney.  When Delaney didn’t want to wait, she would just go right over to the instructor and did them with her. This behavior is very un-Delaney-like, so I know she really liked it.  And, she needed very little instruction, if any at all.  She had a really amazing ability to do a lot of the positions that I never would have thought she could do.  In one position, she sat in a straddle with her feet against the instructors; then, while holding hands, they both raised their feet up and balanced on their tailbones.  That’s quite amazing for a 19 month old!  We all had a really great time—I hope we do this again really soon!

The last few days have been challenging, as a nasty stomach virus got the better of Franny, Cole, Delaney, and Rick.  Although the worst past around 3 a.m. on Friday morning, everyone was left a shell of their former selves.  Today, however, we definitely started to see more smiles and more energy for everyone.  I don’t think anyone is quite 100% as of yet, but thankfully, they seem to be on their way!

Today, when Rick started replacing a bathroom light fixture, Cole was right on top of it.  He quickly changed into his work overalls and found all his tools, ready to be the big helper.  I had to notice that he didn’t choose any of his Handy Manny tools.  I guess when the real work starts, he pulls out the ‘real’ stuff!

Delaney adores her big brother, so naturally she is drawn to all his prized possessions, like his fire ski helmet.   She thought she was very cool, wearing this today.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her she had it on backwards…

Today, Franny’s class had a day long celebration for the Chinese New Year.  They did some fun activities like making dragon puppets with their Big Buddies.  Also, two of her Chinese classmates’ dads came to demonstrate the art of Chinese calligraphy.  Then, they had a small writing project, where they could practice writing Happy Chinese New Year in Chinese.  When they were done they were to say xīn nián kuài lè  (Happy Chinese New Year) to one of the Chinese student’s grandma; once they said it correctly, she gave them a red envelope, a symbol of good luck, with a chocolate coin inside.  Needless to say, they were all thrilled!  They also had a sang a Chinese song before having the treat of a Chinese lunch, complete with chopsticks, tea, another red envelope, and a fortune cookie!  I was very happy to be able to sit with her during her lunch.  It was fun to be able to see her do so many fun things first hand. Her teacher really planned a great day for the kids, and I am sure Franny will be talking about it for many days to come.