This blog has taken quite a hit since Jake joined our zoo. I want so badly to write down all the funny things that all three kids do because otherwise I just won’t remember. We do take lots of video and try to take enough pictures. But I want to remember the funny sayings and silly stories and what they loved during this time in their lives.
Reed is ALL boy. And all 4 year old boy at that. He loves trucks. And trailers. And anything with a trailer hitch. And super heroes. And cowboys. And fixing things. And knowing how things work. And rough housing. And potty words. And pirates. And dress up.
Reed is in a kinder prep class this year and it has been an adjustment. I am a typical first time mom because I had no idea that this class would be structured this way. I had no idea that the “Learning Center” part of our day care is actually supposed to be a structured kinder prep class. Sometimes I really just miss the point. Anyway, back to the important part. Reed has homework Monday – Thursday Every.Single.Week. For real. I totally understand that this is just about getting both Reed, and us, ready for next year. I get it. But it was a tough transition. We had many, many tears shed in the beginning. Now we are in a good routine and homework isn’t a fight…most nights. Reed is learning so much so fast that it takes me by surprise on a regular basis. Just a few months into the school year and I can already see how much he’s learning. Each week they learn more letters and the sounds that go with those letters. He is almost sounding out words. Who is this big kid and what has he done with my baby?
Reed still struggles with his temper. I don’t think this struggle is something he will grow out of. I think it’s part of who he is and our job is to help him learn how to channel his anger into more productive ways. I honestly have no idea what I’m doing. He is such a handful one minute and then the sweetest kid the next. I watch him get so frustrated and mad that he throws something and gets put in time out, but then he tells Ali that he will ‘keep her safe’. He is such a tenderhearted boy and I pray that we can help him develop that side of his personality.
Reed completely adores his brother and sister. He and Alison have started fighting some, and mostly it’s because she has her own opinions about what she wants to play. She no longer follows everything Reed says and he has a hard time with that. He wants to have ‘baby Jake’ with him at.all.times. Seriously. It’s crazy.
Reed is definitely a challenging child. There is not one bit of calm and easy going about him. I hope this means he will be a world changer when he grows up. I can dream right?
First of all. Veto. I veto all of this ‘getting bigger’ nonsense. I used to hate it when mom’s were always griping about how sad they were about kids growing up. I seriously used to roll my eyes so hard at all that silly talk. I.Take.It.All.Back.
Alison and Reed both moved up classes today. Ali jumped ahead a room and she is now on the preschool side and not the day care side. I can’t believe my tiny little 2 year old is in preschool. I wasn’t prepared for that one.
Reed also moved up and he is now in the kinder prep class. I had no idea, but this is a legit kinder prep class. They have workbooks. They do math. And science. And reading. And homework!!! They even get to go on field trips!!! I am so, so thankful for all the kinder prep Reed will get this year. He is so stubborn and resistant to change. I think this will make all the difference for him. I think he will have a much easier transition into kinder after being in the class he’s in this year. I hate that I was so clueless about the changes that were coming, but I am so thankful for the kids school. When I’m sad about working, I remind myself of the fantastic instruction they are getting each day. Makes it a whole lot easier to run the rat race everyday.
There isn’t just one picture from this morning. You have to see all of them to understand their sweet little personalities. Gosh I love them all so stinking much. Thank you Lord for entrusting these little souls in our care. I couldn’t ask for anything more!!!
(Jake doesn’t start day care until Sept. 3. I still get 3 more days at home with him!!!)
“Rodeo talk” in our family starts in January. When we are prepping for Alison’s birthday, Reed inevitably will start talking about when HIS birthday is. We tell him: Ali’s birthday, then rodeo, then your birthday. He will go on-and-on about that series of events until they all come to pass.
Rodeo certainly was not as big of a deal in my family growing up. But that was not the case for Julie and hers. That event has certainly been talked up more to Reed than I ever was a part of, and because of it, Reed looks forward to rodeo. And it’s not all talk, either. When we sit down in the arena and the tractors, horses, calves and bulls are out, Reed is in a trance. His eyes are totally glued on what is happening in front of him. He really does love it, even more than we love going.
After finding out how much Reed loved the rodeo, my boss offered us seats in his box at the Wimberley Open Pro Rodeo this past weekend. We were leery of the event coming to fruition after having torrential downpours on Friday night and into Saturday morning, but it held off for the afternoon and evening, so we made the trip out there.
First we stopped at Brewster’s Pizza, just south on RR12, to meet our group and grab a bite. We got to the arena and saw how DEEP the mud in the arena was and how interesting this was going to make it for the animals and cowboys. Some competitors even dropped out for safety precautions (mostly team ropers and steer wrestlers). We saw plenty of wild rides and falls because of the severe condition of the arena, but for us spectators, it was a beautiful night for a rodeo. And Reed is STILL talking about it.
Reed is completely into trucks and trailers, and any combination of the two. Every day at school he is coloring a different variation of a truck and a trailer. For example, he showed me his “Rapunzel” version the other day… a typical truck with a popup camper in the back, and the figure inside each had VERY long blonde hair (he was very clear that it was NOT Mommy, either).
So, Reed loves trucks.
He is very fortunate to have a Grandpa that actually DRIVES a big tool truck. Reed talks about the tool truck and the RV pretty frequently. So, Duke came to pick Reed up in the morning and spent the day out on his route in the big truck… but first, a stop to see Pete and get a haircut.
I’m not sure who had the bigger smile on his face, Duke or Reed, but one thing is for sure… our kids have a good life and family that love them.
In preparation for Baby #3, we have moved Alison into the same room with Reed. We pulled Reed’s brown crib out of the garage and set it up in his room. We have been building this idea for several months with each of them, and there has been no sign of conflict, especially with Reed. The two of them have been playing together so much better these days as their friendship is growing. We no longer have to watch that Ali will get beat up, in fact, she can fend for herself against her big brother rather well.
So, last Sunday afternoon, I pulled the crib out to setup in time for afternoon naps. Both kids got super excited as I was putting it together, and we tried our best to field the barrage of questions from Reed. Afterwards, they played a little, but wound down for naps in each of their beds.
The challenge here will be either getting both kids on the same schedule, or adjusting our routine with Reed to allow Ali to go down first, and then get Reed into bed without disturbing her. We will update this post as it develops. For now, they are both excited and this will no doubt grow their relationship (and probably form a sibling alliance against the powers that be).
If you have known Reed at all, you know he has an aversion to new things, especially when it comes to vehicles. His PowerWheels Jeep for Christmas a few years ago was our first example of this. To this day, he has never driven it by himself. However, the kid loves cars and “fixing” them. If he would just get past his frustrations he would love it so much.
Unbeknownst to us, my parents bought Reed a bike for his 4th birthday. We had actually considered this ourselves, but his aversions made us think twice. Regardless, they bought this one for him to use out at their house where there is plenty of space to ride (and not just in the street).
We had an upcoming trip to College Station for Aggie Baseball, and we were going to be in a big parking lot for the entire weekend. This would be a perfect time to focus on the bike and see if it was going to be something he chose to learn or not.
We got it out Friday and he had no problem sitting on it, but didn’t quite understand how to push with his legs to make the pedals go around. I mostly just held the outer part of the handles and pushed him around. He did find out that pedaling backwards is the brake. When the frustration set-in, we sat down on the ground at the bike and I showed him how the pedals go around while I lifted the back tire off the ground. That seemed to help him make sense of the concept.
On Saturday we had our big tailgate and a lot of distractions, so he mostly just showed off his bike to everyone, but didn’t want to spend time riding it. I watched him sit on it for long periods, but never went anywhere.
On Sunday morning, after all the chaos from the weekend was gone, we got back on the bike. This time, I did not hold the handles, but instead would push him to get his momentum going. This made it easier to pedal, so he got his feet moving as well. This seemed to be the key. I literally watched it click in his head as he started to move his legs independently. As one foot got to the top of the rotation, he would push with that leg. Then he was off… I would get him started every time he stopped, but it was only if the pedals were in a position that he couldn’t do it himself.
The video below is shortly after it clicked for him, and fortunately Julie was on the spot with the video camera.
There is a hilarious new fad in our household right now.
“Shake-a-booty” is just what it sounds like… bend your knees a bit, stick your rear-end out a little, tuck your elbows in… and wiggle your behind while you pump your arms a bit. This little move started during one of the many “dance party” events in our living room where the kids showcase their latest dance moves to random music selections. It was Reed that coined the move first and even gave it the name. We died laughing, and when you give that strong of a reaction to something, the kids are going to do it over and over and over.
Now that little move has transpired to bath time.
When either kid is getting ready for bath (ie: stripping naked in the bathroom while I am getting the bath water ready), they proceed to go streaking through the house and “Shake-a-booty” in front of Mommy, who is usually in the living room. It is absolutely hilarious to see Alison get so excited after I get her diaper off to look up at me and say (in a mischievous tone), “Shake-a-booty” before she darts out of the bathroom. The next thing I hear is Julie busting out laughing and giggling as they run back to the bathroom.
