School Rules

Kaylyn and Christian both love Powell elementary school. Homework, too. We haven’t told them that kids aren’t supposed to love homework, and so far they are none the wiser. Kaylyn had told us over the summer that she missed  school and wanted to go back. So getting into the groove was no problem for her. First grade is definitely a step up, with actual tests and more intense homework and reading assignments, but so far she is still loving it.

One might think Christian may have a more difficult time, since he’s a fresh kindergartner, but he’s been prepped by his sister and by pre-school, so he hit the ground running. (See photo for an eager first day Christian.)

Only problem we’ve had was him burning his finger the first day of school. Apparently a slice of pizza was calling his name but the cafeteria steamer didn’t want to give it to him. He got a steam burn on his left forefinger. Pretty bad burn, too – took a few weeks for the finger to completely heal. But he was a trooper. Always is when it comes to pain. He handled that situation and is now sailing along with his class.

Illegal Formation

Grabbed my chips and queso and my Dr. Pepper. Got the fan on, the window closed, and the remotes in hand. Just as I’m settling in for opening weekend kickoff, Christian joins me. As the kick sails in the air, the questions begin:

“Daddy, why do grownups like football?” – Because it’s fun. It’s a game.

“Daddy, what is the man with the U?”  - He’s the umpire.

“What does the umpire do?” – He makes sure the players don’t cheat.

“What’s the man with the R?” – He’s the referee, he’s like the umpire.

“Why are there two of them?” – There’s a lot of them. They all watch the game together.

“How long is the game?” – Three hours.

“Three hours! That takes forever!”

And on and on it goes.

Summer’s End

With school starting, we crammed a summer’s worth of fun into a few days with the kids. A no-brainer on the todo list was to get another round of Six Flags fun out of our season passes. Here’s a photo of Kaylyn posing in the gymnast deal:

After fun in the park, the kids noticed a gaggle of ducks. Or is a flock of geese? A congress of birds? Anyway, they wanted to feed them, so we found some crackers in the van:

More beginning of school year posts coming.

Nicknames

Christian had recently become aware that his eyes blink involuntarily. This happened at the optometrist during his first-ever eye appointment. The doc told us his eyes are fine but since, they are anything but. He has begun to try to control each blink. He will hold his eyes open really wide, move the pupils every which way, then blink hard. He will take great effort to focus on an object close to his face. The eye movement makes him look like he’s got serious eye issues. It’s disconcerting and hilarious at the same time.

We decided to name him Blinky. About the time we discovered this moniker, we also discovered a fresh poopy diaper on Austin. Naturally, he became Stinky. Joslyn, loving a certain hue the way she does, then became Pinky. And Kaylyn the artist became Inky.

Now all we need is Pac Man. Oh wait – go look in the van. That’s me.

Top 10 Patience Builders of Parenthood

1. Inability to whisper.

2. Just as the food arrives, somebody has to pee.

3. Waiting.

4. Interruptions.

5. Floating surprises in the toilet – without toilet paper.

6. Lack of personal space.

7. Selective hearing.

8. Inventory management.

9. Squirreliness.

10. Stepping in something wet.

 

UPDATE: A bonus entry.

11. Never. Finish. Anything.