5 Year Old Check Up

The end of November Andrew turned 5 and had his physical.  He is growing really well.  He hit the 95% for weight and the 94% for height.  He however failed the eye exam.  We were told he needed to get an eye exam.  So I scheduled one for him.  Things were going well during the exam and the doctor didn't think he would need glasses.  However after they dilated his eyes it was determined that he did need them.  He was so excited to get glasses.  He chose a pair that he thought looked like daddy's glasses.  Yesterday we were able to go pick them up. We had some shopping to do and as we went through the store he kept declaring how good he could see now.   It is taking some getting used to for him and he keeps putting his fingers on the lens and then complaining that they are blurry.  It is hard to see through the fingerprints.

He looks so much different with them on.  So grown up!

Christmas Time

We set up our tree about a week ago.  Usually we set it up the day after Thanksgiving but since we were out of town it didn't happen this year.  I wanted to wait as long as possible to do it this year but I lost that vote.  This has been the first year that I haven't had to chase the kids out of the tree so that has been nice.

At the beginning of the month we went to the Gladbrook Tree lighting.  They light a big tree in the middle of the busiest intersection in town.  There are drawing for everyone and free hot dogs, kettle korn and cider.  There is a festival of trees where local businesses and residents put up decorated trees.  It is free and open to the public all month long.  It was a really cold night but we braved it and had a good time.

First Grade Play

Just before Thanksgiving break I had the opportunity to see Jonathan do his first grade play about Thanksgiving.  It was patterned after the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?"  It was called "Pilgrim Pilgrim what do you see?"  Jonathan did a wonderful job speaking clearly and loudly.

They each made pilgrim hats and colored the pictures that went with their parts.  He only has a class of 10 kids so this cute little play worked well with the numbers.  Here is a video of their performance.
                              
They did the play in Reinbeck at the elementary and I was up there doing my field experience for the week and since I work in that building now I was able to see him.  They also ate lunch there that day so I was able to eat lunch with him before I went to work.  He was so excited that I ate lunch with him.

This is the picture his teacher took of us eating together that day.

Parent Preview Day

On the 18th we had the first parent preview day for Madison's dance class.  It was so much fun to go see what she has been learning.

This is what Andrew though about Preview Day

Taking a break

Dad enough already!!!!

She has a kindergartner, a first grader, two second graders and two third graders in her class and she is the smallest of them all.  She really loves dance.  She has informed me that she will do it again next year.

Basketball

Jonathan has been doing a basketball clinic on Saturday mornings.  He is having so much fun learning the fundamentals of basketball.  He gets to play with some of his friends and is getting good structured physical activity which for him is so important.

We are getting the hang of it!!

Halloween

Madison as a sugar plum fairy

Jonathan as a cheetah

Andrew as a cat

This year I got lucky and was able to reuse last years costumes.  The kids had all gotten sick last year and didn't use their costumes so I put them away and they used them this year. 

New Job

I was reading the local paper the other day and saw and ad for an early childhood special education associate position at the Reinbeck Elementary.  After Greg and I talked we decided that I should apply for it.  It is only three hours a day from 12-3.  I had scheduling to figure out before I felt I could apply since Andrew gets out of school at 3 and it is a 45 minute drive from the Reinbeck Elementary to the GMG preschool.  I also had Jonathan to get picked up at 3:30 and Madison at 4.  I couldn't be everywhere at once.  Greg and I go it worked out so I applied for the job.  I interviewed on Monday and it was indicated to me that I would be called either Monday night or Tuesday.  Well I never got a call and I saw the superintendent several times on Tuesday while I was doing my field experience in Reinbeck and he never said anything to me so I figured I didn't get the job.  Well on my way into Marshalltown on Wednesday my cell phone rang and it was Tim Kuehl, the superintendent.  He was calling to offer me the job.  After running some numbers and more discussion with Greg and mapping out what our schedule would really look like we decided to accept the job.  I will start on Monday November 1st.  I have mixed feelings about the job right now, but that will change I am sure as I work in the room.  Special education isn't really my field of interest, but with classrooms being inclusive I will most likely have children in a classroom with special needs once I become a certified teacher.  The experience I will gain from this job will be helpful in the future and makes the job well worth it.   Now our biggest challenge will be balancing work, family and school.

The Pumpkin Patch

I went with Andrew last week on his class trip to the pumpkin patch.  The kids had a lot of fun.  They got to ride on a tractor pulled wagon out to the field to pick a pumpkin to take home.

Getting ready to go pick a pumpkin

 

They also got to ride bikes in a barn around a maze of hay bales.  In the barn they also got to play with the goats.  One goat tried to eat my shirt and then jumped up on me and didn't want to get off.  The kids all thought it was funny to watch this goat refuse to get off.  Also there was a hay pile in the upstairs of the barn they could climb on.

They also had a room in another barn that was filled with corn.  They had all sorts of things for the kids to dig with.  They had fun covering their friends with corn.

They also had a playground for the kids to play on.  It had a duck race game that Andrew really had fun with.

They have a petting zoo as well.  One of Andrew's teachers actually got him to feed a cow- twice.  I couldn't believe it.

Bike Riding

The kids were our front of our house riding their bikes while Greg was finishing up mowing the lawn.  Andrew kept having trouble with his bike.  We realized it was because one of his training wheels was falling off.  Greg tightened it and it just wouldn't stay so he took it off.  He then helped him work at riding his bike without the training wheel.  One is still on but hardly touches the ground at times.

Daddy helping with balance

There he goes

I'm OK

Now he leans to the side with the training wheel still on

Fall Fun

One of the things the kids love to do is to carve pumpkins in the fall.  The Hoffa's brought us three very nice pumpkins this year.  Once the kids realized they were on the porch they started begging to carve them.  Well Greg and I really didn't want to deal with it so we convinced them to paint them instead.  So we now have a light bulb, a monster and a ghost on our porch.

Andrew painting his light bulb

Jonathan working on his monster

Madison working on her ghost

The finished monster

The finished light bulb

The ghost

A Day at the Zoo

This summer the kids participated in the summer reading program at the Marshalltown Library.  They were able to earn points for reading books and going to the library.  One of the things they received was a free pass to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines.  They got this for going to the library five times during the summer.  We decided to use them over Labor Day weekend.  The kids were really well behaved and we all enjoyed the day.

Madison feeding the goats

Jonathan was hesitant but he fed the goats

Andrew petting a huge bull

Don't you wish you could drink out of a hippos mouth?

Madison in the prairie dog tunnels

Andrew and Jonathan in the tunnels

My little prairie dogs

Of course we had to ride the train