Letter to my son
Dear Son,
We went to Eli's birthday party at Surge. You love going to the trampoline places; you don't stop. It was sweet to see you with your schoolmates from St. Augustine's. I was sad to hear that Eli and his family are moving to California. They have family there and are happy to be returning soon. You will have more time with Eli when you go to the first week of camp at Lutheran Atonement, because Eli will be there too!
Mommy also shared Lutheran Atonement's camp schedule with Connie, Carsen's grandmother. He originally was with Kids Camp, but he wasn't pleased when they changed schedules around. Good news though, he is enrollment in camps at Atonement too. If summer is when you get to see your schoolmates again, then that's great (hopefully during the year too).
You had plenty of schoolmates from St. Augustine's at the St. Augustine's Vacation Bible School! Every day at VBS, you brought home a bunch of projects. You especially loved making the slime (never to be brought into our home, Daddy's orders) and the sand. You learned from the bible studies, played in the playground and sang new songs in the chapel.
Oma volunteered to work at the VBS Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Both you and TJ were thrilled to see her. TJ did well, especially after Oma told the teachers, "Don't let him talk in one word sentences. He knows how to speak. Don't let him get away with that." It was good for Oma to be there. Oma also told me, after watching you, "Gregory isn't a follower. He is more likely to lead. When I mentioned going to his room, he said, "Let's go!" and marched on over. He isn't shy in the least." But St. Augustine's is a huge comfort zone for you, which makes me happy.
All of the children were invited to sing at the Sunday mass following the end of the VBS week... sadly, you couldn't go.
Saturday morning we went with Oma and TJ to the Library Craft Class. It was a simple project, but perfect for both of you. You were meticulous about putting the round stickers in the exact spot of the matching colored round spots for the bird house. It took time, but you wanted to complete it. For TJ, it was great hand dexterity and eye co-ordination. He knows his colors, so matching it was easy for him, but getting it centered took skill. Great project all the way around.
In the middle of the day, you and Daddy took the scooter to the church parking lot and had some fun! There are spots of gravel in the lot, so ya'll had to be careful. Daddy said that you were able to get on the scooter by yourself and operate it for a little while, with only mild assistance from him.
That afternoon we brought Granny and Grandfather with us to see Alivia's dance recital. You were so happy that you had flowers to give to Alivia after the performance and kept the flowers by you almost all throughout the time. Alivia's group was adorable. They looked so cute in their outfits. I heard Madelyn (proud grandmother to Alivia) say, "Alivia was the best!" You gave Alivia her flowers (she received so many) and afterwards the group of 15 went out for supper. On the drive back, we all said how sweet the recital was. I wasn't expecting it to be such a large gathering. It was at the Harbor Center and it ranged in dancing groups from young to much older.
At home, you took your bath and that's when we saw it... you broke out in hives, all over from your arms down to your legs, with your stomach and top of your legs getting the worst of it. We gave you Benadryl and then replayed the day over again in our minds to see if it was something you ate. The best we could figure was the heat combined with you playing on the rug in the library (allergic to dust) and the flowers (allergies)....
Sunday, the rash was still there so we decided it would be a stay-at-home and get better day. Unfortunately this meant you missed the Sunday school program and Jack's birthday party. You were NOT a happy camper about missing either of those, but I felt you needed to be home. Besides, if I brought you to social events with the rash standing out, parents wouldn't be happy and understandably so. Another Bendrayl that night and the rash was cleared up for Monday.
This past Monday began your week of St. Matthew's Methodist VBS. Oma didn't volunteer at St. Matthew's, but thankfully Shasta (Anthony's mommy and Oma's neighbor) was in charge of the games for VBS. She saw you every day and even shared some pictures. It helped Mommy feel like I saw a glimpse of your day there.
I knew you had friends at the VBS, but didn't know if they would be in your group. As it turned out, Harper was in your group. Daniel and his cousins were in another group, but you were able to see them during chapel/singing time.
With Shasta sending texts messages and pictures, it made me feel for at ease that you were having a good time. One text she said: "He was super adorable. He has the sweetest little smile." Shasta sent pictures of the ring toss to "rescue" friends like Jesus rescues us. I thought that was a neat idea for a game and to relate it to VBS.
You came home with some cute crafts too, such as a message in a bottle and a morse code SOS bracelet.
I met your teachers today after the singing program. Just as your teacher was saying how great you were in VBS, Harper ran up and gave her a quick hug. I smiled and said, "Gregory has a crush on Harper." Your teacher said, "I can definitely tell that. There's another girl, Lily, who has a crush on Gregory. Every time Lily came up to Gregory for the dance part of the program, Gregory said, "Umm, I'm with Harper." and he would go by Harper's side." Aw, someone has a crush on you. I felt a little sad that you didn't dance with Lily too. But you and Harper were adorable. You did say that you made three new friends at VBS (each group consist of 5 kids). It's great to spend time with friends you've made and to make new ones. VBS is another good place to learn social skills and confidence.
Your teacher said, "Please tell me that Gregory is going to join us next year! I am going to be teaching again next year, but one year older and I really want Gregory in my group again. He was always so quick to volunteer and participate." That made me pleased and yes, absolutely, I'd be happy to bring him again to their VBS. As another parent said, "I don't attend this church, but it's about God and that's a good thing." Amen!
Actually, I enjoyed hearing you come home and saying, "Remember that story we had in Bible School..." and you'd share how it was mentioned in VBS. It's positive and loving, all in good environments.
The funny thing is the music... As Mommy explained to Oma, Mommy bought the CD from Lutheran Atonement, "Because Gregory will be in an environment where he might not know anyone... but if Gregory knows the songs, it will give him a sense of comfort, in a place he might not be comfortable in." That's why I played the music in my car, which you request every time Mommy drives. Oma said, "You are a good Mommy." I have a very good role model!
But... funny thing about the music from Atonement.... it was the SAME as the songs for St. Matthew's! So, double the benefit. As you learned the hand motions to the songs during the week, you would ask for this or that song from the CD. I'm a little concerned that Atonement might have the exact some program.. but hey, it's all good and positive. I'll have to give you a heads up, so that you don't think of it as boring, but as a way to really learn the songs and do well in the games.
Only one snag about St. Matthew's... and it wasn't the church, but a child. Oma picked you up on Thursday and one side of your face was bright red. Oma asked you about this and that's when you shared how a boy pushed you so hard that your nose hit the back of the boy in front of you and then the boy pinched and twisted your cheek.. he did this twice.
When I got off of work and Oma told me the story, I asked you to repeat it. You said the same thing, as well as the fact that it was a boy that you knew from when we played basketball in December. Mommy searched through the basketball pictures until I found a lineup of the kids. You pointed to the red-headed child. I had a feeling it might be him, because he was rather aggressive during basketball too.
I sent Oma the picture. Oma spoke with the teacher at St. Matthews. You refused to talk about it (more on this in a minute). The teacher at St. Matthews saw the picture and said, "We have had problems with him pushing and hitting other children." When Shasta asked us about it today, she knew exactly who we were talking about. She said, "That boy elbowed a girl in the face! I thought it was an accident, until I watched him do it again on purpose. I had to take him out of the games."
Now.... Oma and Mommy weren't happy with you not sharing the story with your teacher. We asked you why. You said, "Mrs. Kim said I can't tattle. She almost moved my owl down and she said she would if I ever tattled again." Mrs. Kim was your pre-k teacher from St. Augustine's. I know that you are quick to tell/tattle on other children, but this was an example of a good meaning gone wrong.
Yes, you shouldn't tattle, but we asked if you understood what tattling included. We gave you examples: "If a teacher says to use the red crayon and you see a child using a purple crayon. If you tell the teacher, that is tattling. Tattling is telling on someone about an action that won't hurt someone." However.. if that same child has a crayon and is trying to hit or poke an eye with it to another child, then, yes, you tell the teacher. It's not tattling if someone is hurting you or another child. I'm not sure if you understood, so we might have to revisit this. You want to be a good child, so I know you took it to heart when Mrs. Kim corrected you.
Today we asked if the red-headed boy tried to hurt you. You said, "No, but he told me that I wasn't similar to anyone." I asked what you did. You said, "I went to the corner and sat there by myself."
I looked at you and said, "Gregory, do you know what similar means?" You didn't.
I said, "It means to be the same. Look at me. I have brown hair and brown eyes. You have blonde hair and blue eyes. We are not similar. Is that a bad thing?" You said it wasn't. We shared how being the same, similar could make for a boring world and it's okay to be different.
When I told your Daddy about what happened with the boy pinching/twisting your cheek and pushing you hard.... Daddy said, "I'm going to teach Gregory how to put a kid in a head lock. Something that won't hurt a child, but it will stop them from hurting Gregory" Ummmm.... probably not the best thing for Daddy to teach you, but I understand where he's coming from. Self defense for his son.
Next week you have VBS at Lutheran Atonement. You have never attended VBS or camp there, so this will be a first. Thankfully, you do have friends from St. Augustine going, so there should be some friendly faces and hopefully you'll make some new friends too.
After VBS each week, Oma and Mommy continue to do school work with you, including reading. Sometimes you'll say, "Mommy, video this!" And I'll post it on Facebook. Your cousin, Juliet saw one of the videos and said, "Gregory is reading. He is really reading! I want to learn to read too!" You inspired your cousin to appreciate the art of reading, how beautiful is that?
Oma asked you, "Gregory, how would you teach someone to read?"
You said, "I'd read to them."
Oma continued, "But what if the person wants to read it."
You replied, "Then, I'd let them read it."
Oma prompted, "What if they didn't know how to read, but wanted to read it."
You answered, "Then I'd help them with the words... Oma... I have a secret to tell you... it's like when you sing a new song. You don't know all the words, but you keep singing it. You sing it over and over again. You keep singing the words until you know the song. It's like that."
Yes, it's like that. Life is kind of like that too. You just have to keep trying and keep having faith. Your words and your understand bring beauty to this world.
Love Always,
Mommy
We went to Eli's birthday party at Surge. You love going to the trampoline places; you don't stop. It was sweet to see you with your schoolmates from St. Augustine's. I was sad to hear that Eli and his family are moving to California. They have family there and are happy to be returning soon. You will have more time with Eli when you go to the first week of camp at Lutheran Atonement, because Eli will be there too!
Mommy also shared Lutheran Atonement's camp schedule with Connie, Carsen's grandmother. He originally was with Kids Camp, but he wasn't pleased when they changed schedules around. Good news though, he is enrollment in camps at Atonement too. If summer is when you get to see your schoolmates again, then that's great (hopefully during the year too).
You had plenty of schoolmates from St. Augustine's at the St. Augustine's Vacation Bible School! Every day at VBS, you brought home a bunch of projects. You especially loved making the slime (never to be brought into our home, Daddy's orders) and the sand. You learned from the bible studies, played in the playground and sang new songs in the chapel.
Oma volunteered to work at the VBS Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Both you and TJ were thrilled to see her. TJ did well, especially after Oma told the teachers, "Don't let him talk in one word sentences. He knows how to speak. Don't let him get away with that." It was good for Oma to be there. Oma also told me, after watching you, "Gregory isn't a follower. He is more likely to lead. When I mentioned going to his room, he said, "Let's go!" and marched on over. He isn't shy in the least." But St. Augustine's is a huge comfort zone for you, which makes me happy.
All of the children were invited to sing at the Sunday mass following the end of the VBS week... sadly, you couldn't go.
Saturday morning we went with Oma and TJ to the Library Craft Class. It was a simple project, but perfect for both of you. You were meticulous about putting the round stickers in the exact spot of the matching colored round spots for the bird house. It took time, but you wanted to complete it. For TJ, it was great hand dexterity and eye co-ordination. He knows his colors, so matching it was easy for him, but getting it centered took skill. Great project all the way around.
In the middle of the day, you and Daddy took the scooter to the church parking lot and had some fun! There are spots of gravel in the lot, so ya'll had to be careful. Daddy said that you were able to get on the scooter by yourself and operate it for a little while, with only mild assistance from him.
That afternoon we brought Granny and Grandfather with us to see Alivia's dance recital. You were so happy that you had flowers to give to Alivia after the performance and kept the flowers by you almost all throughout the time. Alivia's group was adorable. They looked so cute in their outfits. I heard Madelyn (proud grandmother to Alivia) say, "Alivia was the best!" You gave Alivia her flowers (she received so many) and afterwards the group of 15 went out for supper. On the drive back, we all said how sweet the recital was. I wasn't expecting it to be such a large gathering. It was at the Harbor Center and it ranged in dancing groups from young to much older.
At home, you took your bath and that's when we saw it... you broke out in hives, all over from your arms down to your legs, with your stomach and top of your legs getting the worst of it. We gave you Benadryl and then replayed the day over again in our minds to see if it was something you ate. The best we could figure was the heat combined with you playing on the rug in the library (allergic to dust) and the flowers (allergies)....
Sunday, the rash was still there so we decided it would be a stay-at-home and get better day. Unfortunately this meant you missed the Sunday school program and Jack's birthday party. You were NOT a happy camper about missing either of those, but I felt you needed to be home. Besides, if I brought you to social events with the rash standing out, parents wouldn't be happy and understandably so. Another Bendrayl that night and the rash was cleared up for Monday.
This past Monday began your week of St. Matthew's Methodist VBS. Oma didn't volunteer at St. Matthew's, but thankfully Shasta (Anthony's mommy and Oma's neighbor) was in charge of the games for VBS. She saw you every day and even shared some pictures. It helped Mommy feel like I saw a glimpse of your day there.
I knew you had friends at the VBS, but didn't know if they would be in your group. As it turned out, Harper was in your group. Daniel and his cousins were in another group, but you were able to see them during chapel/singing time.
With Shasta sending texts messages and pictures, it made me feel for at ease that you were having a good time. One text she said: "He was super adorable. He has the sweetest little smile." Shasta sent pictures of the ring toss to "rescue" friends like Jesus rescues us. I thought that was a neat idea for a game and to relate it to VBS.
You came home with some cute crafts too, such as a message in a bottle and a morse code SOS bracelet.
I met your teachers today after the singing program. Just as your teacher was saying how great you were in VBS, Harper ran up and gave her a quick hug. I smiled and said, "Gregory has a crush on Harper." Your teacher said, "I can definitely tell that. There's another girl, Lily, who has a crush on Gregory. Every time Lily came up to Gregory for the dance part of the program, Gregory said, "Umm, I'm with Harper." and he would go by Harper's side." Aw, someone has a crush on you. I felt a little sad that you didn't dance with Lily too. But you and Harper were adorable. You did say that you made three new friends at VBS (each group consist of 5 kids). It's great to spend time with friends you've made and to make new ones. VBS is another good place to learn social skills and confidence.
Your teacher said, "Please tell me that Gregory is going to join us next year! I am going to be teaching again next year, but one year older and I really want Gregory in my group again. He was always so quick to volunteer and participate." That made me pleased and yes, absolutely, I'd be happy to bring him again to their VBS. As another parent said, "I don't attend this church, but it's about God and that's a good thing." Amen!
Actually, I enjoyed hearing you come home and saying, "Remember that story we had in Bible School..." and you'd share how it was mentioned in VBS. It's positive and loving, all in good environments.
The funny thing is the music... As Mommy explained to Oma, Mommy bought the CD from Lutheran Atonement, "Because Gregory will be in an environment where he might not know anyone... but if Gregory knows the songs, it will give him a sense of comfort, in a place he might not be comfortable in." That's why I played the music in my car, which you request every time Mommy drives. Oma said, "You are a good Mommy." I have a very good role model!
But... funny thing about the music from Atonement.... it was the SAME as the songs for St. Matthew's! So, double the benefit. As you learned the hand motions to the songs during the week, you would ask for this or that song from the CD. I'm a little concerned that Atonement might have the exact some program.. but hey, it's all good and positive. I'll have to give you a heads up, so that you don't think of it as boring, but as a way to really learn the songs and do well in the games.
Only one snag about St. Matthew's... and it wasn't the church, but a child. Oma picked you up on Thursday and one side of your face was bright red. Oma asked you about this and that's when you shared how a boy pushed you so hard that your nose hit the back of the boy in front of you and then the boy pinched and twisted your cheek.. he did this twice.
When I got off of work and Oma told me the story, I asked you to repeat it. You said the same thing, as well as the fact that it was a boy that you knew from when we played basketball in December. Mommy searched through the basketball pictures until I found a lineup of the kids. You pointed to the red-headed child. I had a feeling it might be him, because he was rather aggressive during basketball too.
I sent Oma the picture. Oma spoke with the teacher at St. Matthews. You refused to talk about it (more on this in a minute). The teacher at St. Matthews saw the picture and said, "We have had problems with him pushing and hitting other children." When Shasta asked us about it today, she knew exactly who we were talking about. She said, "That boy elbowed a girl in the face! I thought it was an accident, until I watched him do it again on purpose. I had to take him out of the games."
Now.... Oma and Mommy weren't happy with you not sharing the story with your teacher. We asked you why. You said, "Mrs. Kim said I can't tattle. She almost moved my owl down and she said she would if I ever tattled again." Mrs. Kim was your pre-k teacher from St. Augustine's. I know that you are quick to tell/tattle on other children, but this was an example of a good meaning gone wrong.
Yes, you shouldn't tattle, but we asked if you understood what tattling included. We gave you examples: "If a teacher says to use the red crayon and you see a child using a purple crayon. If you tell the teacher, that is tattling. Tattling is telling on someone about an action that won't hurt someone." However.. if that same child has a crayon and is trying to hit or poke an eye with it to another child, then, yes, you tell the teacher. It's not tattling if someone is hurting you or another child. I'm not sure if you understood, so we might have to revisit this. You want to be a good child, so I know you took it to heart when Mrs. Kim corrected you.
Today we asked if the red-headed boy tried to hurt you. You said, "No, but he told me that I wasn't similar to anyone." I asked what you did. You said, "I went to the corner and sat there by myself."
I looked at you and said, "Gregory, do you know what similar means?" You didn't.
I said, "It means to be the same. Look at me. I have brown hair and brown eyes. You have blonde hair and blue eyes. We are not similar. Is that a bad thing?" You said it wasn't. We shared how being the same, similar could make for a boring world and it's okay to be different.
When I told your Daddy about what happened with the boy pinching/twisting your cheek and pushing you hard.... Daddy said, "I'm going to teach Gregory how to put a kid in a head lock. Something that won't hurt a child, but it will stop them from hurting Gregory" Ummmm.... probably not the best thing for Daddy to teach you, but I understand where he's coming from. Self defense for his son.
Next week you have VBS at Lutheran Atonement. You have never attended VBS or camp there, so this will be a first. Thankfully, you do have friends from St. Augustine going, so there should be some friendly faces and hopefully you'll make some new friends too.
After VBS each week, Oma and Mommy continue to do school work with you, including reading. Sometimes you'll say, "Mommy, video this!" And I'll post it on Facebook. Your cousin, Juliet saw one of the videos and said, "Gregory is reading. He is really reading! I want to learn to read too!" You inspired your cousin to appreciate the art of reading, how beautiful is that?
Oma asked you, "Gregory, how would you teach someone to read?"
You said, "I'd read to them."
Oma continued, "But what if the person wants to read it."
You replied, "Then, I'd let them read it."
Oma prompted, "What if they didn't know how to read, but wanted to read it."
You answered, "Then I'd help them with the words... Oma... I have a secret to tell you... it's like when you sing a new song. You don't know all the words, but you keep singing it. You sing it over and over again. You keep singing the words until you know the song. It's like that."
Yes, it's like that. Life is kind of like that too. You just have to keep trying and keep having faith. Your words and your understand bring beauty to this world.
Love Always,
Mommy
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