number sense

At the stoplight/robots the other day:

Look Mama, there's a school bus!

Yes, I see it Tim. And here comes another one.

Now there's two school buses, Mama.

That's right Tim.

Look Mama! Another school bus. Three school buses!

stink

As we were driving up into the foothills for a picnic today, I told Tim to look out for animals.

What animals.

Oh, maybe deer or rabbits...

Or dinosaurs?

No, we won't see any dinosaurs. They are extinct. That means that they don't exist anymore.

Stinct?

That's right.

Stinky dinosaurs. That's bad. I don't like stinky things.

(After swallowing my laughter.) The word is EXtinct, not stink. It's totally different.

Oh.

Good.

reading by himself

Timothy spends more time 'reading' his books alone these days. He still likes to have them read to him, but after the third or fourth go, when I have to deal with Luke or I just can't take another round of Green Eggs and Ham, he'll sit alone with the book and look at the pictures and sometimes tell himself stories. I love it.

This morning's conversation:

I'm going to make breakfast for you and me now.

Ok. May the force be with you.

houston, we have a problem

Just back from Tim's first Dancin' Dumplin' class. It was an absolute failure. There were a lot of things working against him today. The classroom windows have all been covered with paper so that the kids are isolated from their parents, who aren't allowed in the room with them. The teacher does no transition time before class: she unlocks her door, lets the kids inside and shuts the parents out in a matter of seconds. She didn't even introduce herself. The other students were all a year older and had taken at least one class with this teacher in this classroom before. It was just a little too much for him. When she brought him out, less than three minutes after shutting the door in my face, she told me about some holes that were cut in the paper on the windows around the corner where Tim could watch until he was ready to join them. He watched, but every time I asked if he wanted to join them, he started to cry. I'm disappointed but ready to jump back on that horse and try again, only it'll be a different horse this time.

We already planned to put him in an additional class called Amazing Athletes. It teaches the basics of 9 different sports: basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, football, lacrosse, hockey, tennis, and golf. Just like Dancin' Dumplins, the parents are not included in the class, so that's a hurdle and a concern. However, the classes are broken into two age groups: 2.5-3 and 3.5-5. That will work to Tim's benefit, making him amongst the oldest instead of the youngest. Classes don't start until May, so he'll be a little older and maybe a little braver. And there will probably be some boys in the class, not just girls in tutus. Fingers crossed that we don't have a replay of today. We have some time before we need to register, so that's good too. And, I can raise enough money with my blog to pay for it. As Great Aunt Cath says: "Ca Ching."

The catalog of classes put out by the city's Parks and Recreation Department is impressive. Proceeds from the Colorado Lottery help fund our Parks and Rec Department. The offerings vary from dance lessons to sign language classes for ages 6 months old to senior citizens. The Farm that Tim did with Gran and Grand-da last summer is part of the Department. I hope Tim will be able to take advantage of this resource.

When our morning of dancing and tumbling dissolved into tears, we came home and had great fun playing trains with Legos. Sometimes the simple things are the best.

move over woody, obi-wan is back in town

I want my Star Wars shirt! I want my Star Wars shirt!

I think it's in the hamper.

Will you get it for me Mommy?

Okay. (It's not THAT dirty; it's 18:00; and I can wash it in the morning.) Here you go (giving him the t-shirt that Johannes picked out for him and that he wears to bed almost every night because it's too big to wear during the day.)

No, not that Star Wars shirt. The black one.

You don't have a black one.

Yes I do; the black one that Melissa gave me.

Oh you want the Jedi cloak.

Yes, yes, yes!


wielding his lightsaber


getting instructions from master yoda