Jeffrey Lost a Tooth!

Jeffrey lost his first tooth on Wednesday (12.19.12).  It was loose for about a month, but I don't think he was wiggling it much.  I would check on it every once in  a while, then he popped it out Wednesday before dinner.  He was so excited to leave it for the tooth fairy - he said that the tooth fairy would bring him money!  He put it in his little tooth pocket that hangs on his bedroom door nob and in the morning there was a gold dollar coin in there! Jeffrey was so excited he woke Mike up at 6am when it was still very dark to show him the coin. 

 

  Couldn't get a picture of Jeffrey smiling with his missing tooth, its the front bottom left one, (the dentist said that you loose teeth in the order that they come in when you are a baby.)

Here's a picture of Jeffrey biking to school on the first day of winter (12.21.12) it was the last day before winter break and it was pajama day at school.  Jeffrey told me that they had a fire in the fireplace of the 'All Purpose Room' at school and that they had a sing-a-long of holiday songs! 

Big Reward!

Last week Jeffrey finally earned his 'Big Reward'!!  He has been working on his behavior this summer and fall and earning points for good behavior.  We tallied all the points up (102 total) and when he filled up his cumulative chart he earned a new Maxi Kick Scooter! He was so proud of himself and excited about the scooter:

 Meredith got the mini scooter, she started going right away, both kids are scootin' now!  She takes after her brother with her biking and wheeling skills.  I was happy that we all enjoyed ourselves outside in the cold December weather - you can still have a good time outside in PA!

So Happy!

Now that Jeffrey has been rewarded for his good behavior, I am sure that he will be good from now on!  (Tee hee).

Reading and Writing

Jeffrey is really enjoying Kindergarten.  He is now reading some books, and his handwriting and 'kid writing' journal at school show so much development from the beginning of this school year, its amazing!   He is really enjoying drawing and crafting lately.  We have done a lot of projects together now that we have a better workspace in our reorganized playroom.  He is such a 'big kid' now its hard to believe that earlier this year he was still in preschool!  We are thankful that he is enjoying school so much and is happy to go every day. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and Family! 

Pumpkin Festival

This year Jeffrey and I entered the Pumpkin Festival at the Penn State Arboretum.  We went on Sunday to pick it up it was hard to decide which one to choose!  Jeffrey tried to pick some really big ones up, but they were heavy!  Jeffrey drew the design for his pumpkin and I carved it for him.  It was hard work this year, the pumpkin was very thick.

When we brought our pumpkin to the Arboretum we got a  certificate for free ice cream from the creamery!  On Friday evening we went to see all the pumpkins lit up.  We really enjoyed looking at the intricate carving and seeing hundreds of carved pumpkins glowing.  There was a spooky fog near the marshy area, and the moon was out too, perfect night for pumpkin viewing!  

Jeffrey with his pumpkin and the class mascot 'Little Tig'

Jeffrey's pumpkin on display with the other '5-7 year' contestants.

Soccer Sundays

Sunday was a beautiful day here is State College,  the sun was shining, and it was warm for late October.  I remember last year it rained so much in October, but this year it has been beautiful.

Jeffrey gets to the ball first!

 Jeffrey's soccer team the 'Grey Sharks'  played the red team who are called the 'Fire Sharks'.  Some of Jeffrey's friends were on the opposing team, and it was fun to play against them.  Our team did really great this week, and everyone scored a goal!  Jeffrey almost scored two!   It was wonderful to see the kids remembering the skills they have been working so hard on.  Even though we 'don't keep score'  Jeffrey's team did great and we won!  He was so excited.

Goal!

Cougar Cat Run

Jeffrey's school fundraiser this year was the 'Cougar Cat Run' - the kids asked for donations to the school that would fund field trips and classroom suplies, all the good stuff, and in return they would run for 15 minutes. 

The event was a huge success - virtually every kid participated, and the kids were so excited about the event, I heard them cheering inside the school when they found out the fundraising totals and that they had all earned an 'extra recess'.

When I arrived to watch the run there was fun music and all the teachers, students and parents cheered for the kids who were running.  We gave high-5s to the kids running past and they were so excited when they saw their friends and family cheering. 

The principal sent us an email that summed it up wonderfully:

'This event is Corl Street at its best.  Parents, teachers, school staff and our children working together toward our values:  fitness; nothing going to the landfill; and 90% of dollars raised going directly back to our children's education.

Nobody does this alone.  EVERYBODY participated and as a result, we share a deeper sense of connection, community pride, and gratitude.'

So thank you to our friends and family for your support!  

Meredith Starts Stay and Play

Meredith started in the two year old classroom (Terrific Two's!) at Stay and Play this month.  She met the teachers and saw her new classroom, which has been rearranged this year.  She has one new teacher -Miss Katie, and Miss Beth who taught Jeffrey when he was 2!  All her friends from Tiny Tots are back this year, and they have been having a wonderful time together. 

 

'Hey Mom!  I found the My Little Pony toys!!'

She likes to use her backpack this year, she puts some favorite toys in when we are riding to school and asks me to zip them in when we arrive.  Ducky often goes in her backpack, so did brown owl and some books and one day some dinosaurs.  She also likes to walk up and down the stairs to and from her classroom this year - last year I carried her.  Her teachers tell me she is riding the bikes in the big room and is the only kid who can pedal!  Just like her brother - he still misses those bikes!  Meredith always has a great time at school and then she runs and gives me a big hug when I pick her up.  

 

 First Day of Preschool - Terrific Twos!

Jeffrey starts Kindergarten!

This fall Jeffrey started Kindergarten!  He was so excited the first day of school he was all ready to go about an hour early! 

 

Jeffrey's first day of Kindergarten at Corl Street Elementary

 

 Jeffrey is ready to ride!  We biked to school as a family and it was so much fun!

 

Family picture outside the Corl Street School.  (Seconds later Jeffrey ran into school with his friends, he just couldn't wait!)

Jeffrey is having a great time at school, he likes eating lunch at school and recess!  He has made a lot of friends there and has been excited to go every day.   He is always ready early for school and really enjoys riding his bike to and from school.  Mike rides with him in the morning and Meredith and I pick him up with my bike and trailer in the afternoon.  Meredith loves riding in the bike trailer, and likes going to pick Jeffrey up.  Jeffrey has a weekly art class and has also brought home a bunch of paintings that he has done in his classroom.  He has Library day on Thursdays, and brings home a book to read every week.  On Friday Jeffrey has his sharing day, he has a hard time deciding what to bring to show his classmates.  I have been packing his lunch every day and on Fridays we have 'Friday Funday' and I pack a treat in his lunch.  I am so happy our 'big kid' is having such a great time in school!  

 

Late Summer Fun

We had a big garage sale in late August, right after the biannual kids toy/clothing sale.  It was very exciting to clear so much clutter out of the house!  Jeffrey wanted to have a lemonade stand ever since he saw it on 'Max and Ruby' - and this was our big opportunity!  I had him help me to squeeze all the lemons for our first batch of lemonade, and we also decided to sell popcorn (to make everyone thirsty for more lemonade!)  Our stand was a big success and we sold out and had to drive to the market for more lemons, and pop more popcorn too.  We had a great time.

 

Jeffrey ninja, and Meredith Bumblebee on the afternoon shift.  Meredith is yelling lemonade into a microphone, it really drew in the customers! 

ADK August

We had a fantastic vacation in the Adirondaks this year.  The weather was as perfect as it could be, both kids really loved swimming in the lake this year - it was sunny every day! 

We also ate a lot of delicious food, including our favorite summer meal to date - smoked ribs with corn on the cob, it was so delicious I couldn't stop eating!  (Thanks John and Char!)  And everything tastes great on vacation!  Lots of soft serve icecream too, this years flavor was black raspberry, vanilla with sprinkles for kids of course. 

Blackberry Peach Crisp - Aunt Paula and I picked berries, and she baked up this delicious dessert.

 

 

 

 

  

 Jeffrey loves S'mores!  This year we tried some with Coconut toasted marshmallows too, they were yummy!
 

Meredith enjoyed playing in the sand of the beach and loved seeing the water birds, chipmunks, hummingbirds, snakes and butterflies.  We took many stroller walks together in the afternoons before we went swimming. 

Jeffrey Rides his Bike!

I finally convinced Jeffrey to try to ride without training wheels yesterday -  and he could do it on the first try!  We spent the whole day riding bikes.  He loves it and wants to ride all the time.  Here's a video:

Summer Vacation

July has been busy, we went to North Carolina, and then enjoyed Arts Fest, Jeffrey took swimming lessons, and we spent time with friends.  Now we are preparing to leave for our annual Adirondack Vacation.  Looking forward to seeing family and enjoying a relaxing time at the lake.

Cooling off in Spring Creek.

Meredith's cute visor at Arts Fest.

 

 

At the Arboretum - flowers are fantastic right now!

Jeffrey is getting confident in the Pool.

Vacation

 We had a great time in early July on our trip to Emerald Isle, NC.  Take a look at all the photographs on Gwen's Picasa Album.  Some highlights were, exploring Fort Macon, riding on a boat with pirates to the Shackleford Banks where we saw wild ponies, Jeffrey's first time mini golfing, and the Aquarium.  Jeffrey and I were lucky enough to spot dolphins one day, they were swimming very close to the shore.  We enjoyed the beautiful beach which was practically right across the street from our rental house. 

I'm not sure what this fish told the kids, but they liked him and his sharkey friends.

Last Day of School!

After a fun Memorial Day visit to the Axtells where we enjoyed beautiful weather, a campfire, delicious smores for dessert, and spending time with family, the kids finished up their last few days of school.   They both really enjoyed preschool this year and had lots of fun playing with friends (and learning too!).

Last Day 

 

 

 

 

 

First Day

Meredith has grown up so much over the school year!  She had just started walking right before school started in late August!  Now she is running, climbing all over the playgrounds, and starting to jump and dance too.  She learned a lot in her music classes at school and with Miss Kathy in music together (the same class I did with Jeffrey when he was 2).  I am surprised to hear her starting to 'count' and say numbers, letters and colors. 

First Day

Last Day

Jeffrey went to preschool 5 mornings a week this year.  His teachers always describe him as 'enthusiastic' and said he loves school.  He was especially excited for his 'special helper' days - when he brought snack, a toy for 'show and share' and got to help the teacher and be the line leader.  On those morning he was just bouncing with excitement.  He also enjoyed staying for Adventure Afternoons this year.  He would stay and eat lunch and do different activities including going to the park, making cookies or snacks, taking walks and they also had a pizza party!  Jeffrey was so excited when he would stay for lunch.  This year in school Jeffrey learned to write his name and all the letters, his drawing and coloring skills also improved dramatically.  He is really looking forward to starting kindergarten in the Fall. 

Kids on the last day.

Jeffrey's Moving on Ceremony

This was Jeffrey's last year at Stay and Play Preschool and we were invited to a special 'Moving on Ceremony' to celebrate.  The kids practiced during the week and Jeffrey tried to keep the details secret.  When the big night arrived, we dressed in our best and took Jeffrey to his classroom.  Jeffrey couldn't keep everything a secret and told us that 'he would be in the back row because he is tall' and that 'we would all get to eat CAKE!'

So many friends and family came to see both of the 4 year old classes that the 'big room' was all full of people!  I wondered if the kids would be nervous with so many people watching them, but almost everyone did well.  The kids came in and pretended to be caterpillar eggs that would hatch, grow and turn into butterflies - (the school mascot is a butterfly).  Then they sat on stage with their friends, performed a few songs, and the teachers told the audience something special about each child.  For Jeffrey they mentioned his enthusiasm for school and his great love of riding the 'big bikes'.  (Seriously, he mentioned this everyday when I asked him what he did at school!) 

Finally the teachers presented each kid with a pair of butterfly wings, and they 'flew' down the main aisle of the room to join their families.  Of course our boy chose the RED butterfly wings and then ran as fast as he could through the room!  And then we all had cake - yum!

 

 Jeffrey gets his wings!  (Thank you Jen Black for the picture on the left)

I really enjoyed seeing all the kids dressed up and grown up.  I will be sad that Jeffrey isn't going to Stay and Play anymore he really enjoyed it, but I am happy that I still get to take Meredith to school there next year!

First Day - August 2009

Last Day - May 2012

  

 

Spring Music Show

Jeffrey and Meredith had their Spring Music show at school, it was great to see how much they learned this year in music class.  And it was really fun to see Jeffrey and his friends dancing the YMCA!  Here's some highlights from the dance, the kids worked really hard on learning it:

 

Meredith and her class did a great job too!  

Meredith's class was great to watch, they played a variety of musical instruments, made farm animal noises while waving matching puppets, and for a grand finale, they hopped like frogs - adorable!  Meredith's teacher Miss Candi told us that she is the first one to start doing the movements for each song, she really enjoys her school music class!

Meredith Turns 2!

Sunday little Meredith turned 2 years old!  We started the day off with a delicious French Toast Breakfast.  Even though Jeffrey really wanted pancakes he ate two pieces of french toast, and Meredith almost matched him by eating up 1.5 pieces!  We sang a little birthday song at breakfast with a candle on her breakfast plate. 

We invited some friends to join us at Orchard Park which is just around the corner from our house.  There is a great playground that all the kids enjoyed.  We were so happy that we had a beautiful morning for Meredith to party with her friends!  The weather on the day before was gloomy, cold and grey, but the sunshine came out for Meredith!  She really enjoyed swinging and sliding down the twisty slide.  We all snacked on bagels, peanut butter sandwiches and had owl shortbread cookies for dessert.

Jeffrey's first day of T-Ball

Jeffrey has just started T-Ball through the State College Little League. Tonight was his team's first practice. He had a great time. Hit the ball too!

From April_2012

From April_2012

From April_2012

From April_2012

Getting ready for Easter!

The kids are excited for Easter this year. I started to get out some of our decorations yesterday, I also got out their Easter 'buckets' and some stuffed animals that go in them. The kids have been having a great time with them!

Family Hike

Jeffrey really likes to go on hikes lately - its a great way to convince him to go outside! This time we brought Meredith with us too when we went to 'Slab Cabin'. The woods were really pretty with the sunshine this morning, and it will be beautiful when the rhododendrons flower later this spring.

Some parts of the trail were challenging for Meredith, but she liked it.

Our crocus bloomed on March 13th this year!

And Jeffrey is still growing too - he is in the 90th percentile of height for 5 year olds! He weighs 46.6 lbs and is 45.5 inches high at his 5 year check up. Interesting statistics!

Spring Break - Pittsburgh!

We had our first family vacation for spring break this year. We decided that since the kids had off school Monday through Wednesday we should think of something fun to do this year. We decided to go to Pittsburgh because it wasn't too far to drive and had a lot of fun things for everyone to enjoy.

We had great weather and enjoyed the Phipps Conservatory, the National Aviary, the Dusquesne Incline Funicular with fantastic views of the city, Primanti Brothers sandwiches with fries and coleslaw tucked inside, and the Pittsburgh Zoo.

We had all wonderful time, the kids love to see new places and new things and we tried to go to places that were kid friendly (and not too kid-crowded). Both kids did a great job walking and seeing all the sights. We didn't even need a stroller for Meredith most places, she was ready to walk hand in hand or running ahead with Jeffrey and looking back to make sure Mommy and Daddy follow.

Pittsburgh was a great city to visit and we are looking forward to another trip! Check out our picasa album for all the pictures.

Desert room at the conservatory with Chihuly sculpture.

Kids and bald eagle at the National Aviary.