Low Tide ~ Alki 4.21.07

"Bird!"

Biker Boys

Collin loves to ride bikes! If he were to list the activities in his "perfect day", no doubt "ride bikes at Great Grandma's house" (Alki) would be one of the top on the list! 3.18.07

In April during their visit Grandma and Grandpa T gave Collin an early 3rd birthday gift off his wishlist (remember his poster?): A Big Bike! So, of course, we headed down to Alki that weekend to really test out the new wheels! 4.21.07

"It's humongous!" says Collin proudly. He rides his bike daily - whether on Alki, our cul-de-sac, or around the loop of our downstairs floor - and for at least the first two weeks told everyone that he passed, "I got a big bike! I'm a big boy now!!"

Collin passed his tricycle down, and Owen gets strapped in for our rides now too! Poor guy wants so badly to be as big and able as his brother. When Collin hops on the big bike, Owen pushes the tricycle into the family room , climbs onto the seat, helmet in hand or haphazard on his melon, and begs Kevin and I to push him. Lucky for him, he's growing like a weed and should be able to reach soon!!

4.15.07

Sign Class 4.13.07

The boys' school is just a wonderful facility, and the staff inside is absolutely fanstastic! I am so glad that our boys get to go spend their days laughing, playing, and learning there. And learn they do! And they love doing it! One of Collin's favorite half hours of the week happens each Friday at 9:30 a.m. when an instructor comes on-site and teaches Sing & Sign to each classroom. He looks forward to it every week and sits in the very front row!
His teachers report that Collin always sits in the front row for sign, for center time (reading, signing), for show & share, etc., and that he loves to be up front and in the action, an active participate in learning and discovery.

I was lucky enough to attend Owen and Collin's sign classes two Fridays in a row last month, and I was so impressed by the excitment ~ the energy in the room heightens ten-fold as the kids sing the songs and use movement to practically "act out" the songs!

Owen got to do a double-header one Friday and attended Collin's class after his own. He was so excited to be there ~ and so excited that I was there with my camera ~ that he kept turning around to see me. It was the first time I ever heard him literally pose and say "cheese!" ~ and I got the snapshot to capture it!!

I had no idea how many signs the boys knew until I sat in on their class. I mean, I knew they knew the basics: milk, up, all done, more, apple, a few animals. But what I witnessed in that classroom blew my socks off! I suddenly realized that they knew colors, foods, clothing items, actions! Collin can sign "I'm flying to the market to buy some bread for my mother, and I have to hurry!" for goodness sake!

Here, (pretend the music is playing!) Collin is a robin about to hatch:

Here, Collin is signing "cat" and singing a song about a dog, cat, and mouse, hurrying around, chasing each other:

In this picture, Collin is signing "Jump/Hop." Notice that he is the only one of the students signing and that some of the students are even watching him to see how it's done!

Collin's teachers report that he loves to apply what he's learned and "teach" the others. They also are always excited to tell me how often he practices and applies what he's learning. Now that I'm inspired, I'm learning more signs (often from Collin!) and realizing that Collin is very often signing his words in daily communications! For example, he often signs "shoe" when he talking about his shoes or boots ~ that's how I learned the sign for "shoe" coincidently. : ) So watch carefully when he talks about animals (dog, cat, mouse, elephant, giraffe, monkey, for sure), colors (green and blue for sure), actions (run, walk, fly, bike, hurry, jump), foods, drinks, or concepts ~ he may be signing to you!!

With all the practice and excitment, Owen's signs are quickly catching on too! His most-used signs right now: milk, i love you, up, please (he signs "cheese" just like Collin used to), all done (he often signs "all day long" instead, but I know what he means!), thank you, more, and bird (his favorite after milk!).

Look! I did it!

Collin learned to button his own shirts in April! He wore a button-up shirt every day (and night) following for the next week and a half! : )

Winds Beneath my Wings

My aunts hosted a truly memorable and lovely tea party 4.7.07 ~ complete with dainty dishes, perfect pearls, and delicious morsels! Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, Ladies!

Easter Festivities

Collin's teacher Miss Lori V. had the class make bunny ears one day in early April ~ Collin wore them around the house for days!

EGG DECORATING

EGG HUNT

We hosted a first annual (?) "Hop Over for Potluck Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt" the Saturday morning before Easter, and the boys and their friends had a great time! After making bunny ears and filling up on breakfast, the kids hit the backyard with so much hype and energy!

EASTER BASKETS - Uh, BUCKETS! 4.8.07

All About Collin at 2 1/2 4.07

Collin's transition preschool class homework was to complete a poster "All About Collin." Collin had a great time filling in the blanks and picking out the pictures.
I am 2 1/2 years old. My favorite color is green. My favorite animal is kitties and lots of elephants! My favorite food today is grilled cheese. This is what I look like: (Picture of Collin). My family: (Picture below). The bathtub is one of my favorite places. When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad. My favorite thing to do is draw pictures, use glue, and send them in the mail. If I had one wish, I would wish for a big bike and a lawnmower.
Above is Collin's first family picture. He drew circles for each head and a line down from each circle for the body. Then things got a little crazy. But he told me who each person was ... I love that Taylor, Marley and Aunt Chrissy made it into his family!

Miles for Memories 4.14.07

We ran a 5K Fun Run on the beautiful shores of Bellingham Bay Saturday in honor of my grandfather and to support the Alzheimer Society of Washington. It was a gorgeous morning for a run!! After the run, the boys especially enjoyed the live band and bowls of orange slices, bananas and oatmeal raisin breakfast cookies! While Owen and Daddy danced, Collin did his fair share of people watching. Watching them, I was reminded again ~ I couldn't ask for anything more. : )

Full Moon = No Sleep for Mom/Dad

Sunday night Collin went to bed around 8:30 p.m. I stayed up late (11:30 p.m.) reading the current selection for book club (which I have yet to attend despite reading several of the books!). Then, much to my dismay, Collin woke up - WIDE AWAKE - at 1:00 a.m. "Ready to go downstairs???" "NO!!!"

Three hours later - after several times to the bathroom, glasses of milk, periods of silence and stirring, and much "talk about our day" - at 4:11 a.m., Collin finally closed his eyes and went back to sleep. He was up at dawn.

Last night, Monday night, he fell asleep on the drive home from Blossom (around 5:00 p.m.) and never woke back up ... skipped dinner, play, bath, missed the final basketball game. He was out for the count, and trust me, we TRIED to wake him! BUT, of course, he awoke at midnight ready to go.

Thankfully when it looked like we were in for another long night, at 12:54 a.m. Kevin took over, and the two rolled into Collin's room. I'm not sure how the night went because Kevin managed to keep Collin in his room until ... I heard a small voice next to be bed at 5:10 a.m. "Ready to
go downstairs?" Augh!

Collin laid on the floor waiting for me to get up for an hour, then crawled into bed with me until finally, at 6:30 a.m., I said, "Yes, I'm ready to go downstairs."

Teachers everywhere tell me that they observe the effects of the full moon on kids everytime it occurs. I've noticed it certainly more than once. But I have never seen Collin SOOO awake in the middle of the night as he was the past two nights or SOOO asleep as he was at 5:00 p.m. last night!!

Dear Lord, may we all get a bit of sleep tonight??

Best Friends

Owen was (finally, fitfully) asleep in bed with us yesterday morning suffering a fever and double ear infection when Collin came strolling in to wake us all up ~ bright and early. Too early. With a "shhh, Owen's sick," a hug, and an "alley-up," the four of us squeezed into the bed. Collin gently covered Owen with one of Collin's two must-have blankets, put O's hand in his own, looked at me and said, "Owen's my best friend. I love him. Share my blankie with him and Mommy take care of him." Then he nodded, smiled, and, satisfied that I'd gotten the message, snuggled into me, and fell back asleep. I spent the last moments of "sleep" in a state of absolute rest and bliss. We are truly blessed!