Letter to my son
Dear Son,
June? June?! The last time I wrote a letter to you was in June? Oh heavens! You know it was a crazy, busy summer if Mommy is that delayed in writing.
Let's see, rounding up summer in a flash (okay, not a flash, this is going to be long):
You loved cooking camp, making scrambled eggs to jambalaya to baking a king cake and all sorts of fun things in-between. Did you enjoy eating all of the things you made? Of course not. But it taught you skills and had you trying new foods. Every little step counts! You are clearly more confident in the kitchen and offering to help. In fact, when we went to Granny and Grandfather's house for Daddy to make crepes, you were happy to stir the eggs, spinach and tomatoes over the stove.
Soccer camp was fun. You felt at ease with kicking the ball. Often times, the group divided into two teams. No problems there.
During Basketball camp, your coach said, "Gregory has excellent control of the ball!" Yeah! If it's possible, I'm hoping to sign you up for Basketball at Williams Blvd. again. This was a wonderful program. Needless to say, you had a lot of fun, because of your prior involvement with basketball. Confidence is key to your interest.
Science camp - you said, "This is the one I'm looking forward to going to the most, because I want to be a scientist, like Daddy." So sweet. The camp instructor was actually a professor for one of our local colleges, he teaches Science, Geology and... he is a bee keeper! You really enjoyed this camp. You used paper that turns blue from the heat of the sun and left an imprint of the items you found during a hunt. Another day, there was an experiment with dry ice. You loved the "atom game" on the staircase. Each child was given a number and can go up, representing the energy of the atom and the changing of elements from solid to liquid.... and at the top of the stairs, becoming gas. You said, "I won the game, Mommy! I was gas." You thought that was hilarious (so did I).
Another time, there was a root beer can with water on the inside on a hot plate. You could see the steam. You put on a pair of gloves and quickly turned the root beer can upside down and into an ice cold dish. The can crushed. Some of the kids weren't quick enough or didn't turn it all the way upside down, but you did and it worked. Your professor said, "You just used atmospheric pressure." I sure hope he teaches the Science camp again. I will definitely sign you up for it. Oh and the reason Mommy knows your camp professor is a bee keeper? Because he brought his bee keeper equipment and gave the class a great demonstration. Heck, even I was fascinated!
Football camp. This started off a little on the slow side. You camp instructor said, "Gregory isn't as into football as he was soccer and basketball." Well, you haven't had any exposure to it. Then Oma came up with an idea. "For every point that you make, you get an MM." (The reason the MM worked for you is that TJ was being potty trained and every time he went to the potty, he got an MM. You asked for one, but we told you that you are already a big boy. However, getting points during flag football was a new way for you to get the MM. Side note - so the "and" sign goes weird on my blog, hence leaving it out between the two M's). Go, Oma! It was the perfect inspiration for you. The next day, you had 7 touchdowns/points (verified by your coach)!
Art camp. You said this was one of your favorites too. They taught you how to draw Mickey Mouse and how to look at a face and figure out the space for the eyes, etc. You came home with projects every day. One time Oma was picking you up from camp and she heard the instructor fussing at a group of children, "Do you want to go in time out?" You were near the table, so Oma didn't know if you were part of the problem. The instructor said, "Oh, no. Gregory is one of the good ones." Whew. Not that you can't have attitude or be ill behaved, believe me, I know. But usually you want to be a good kid and I appreciate that. We have also raised you to respect adults, especially teachers.
Music Camp at Louisiana Academy of Performing Arts. I was worried about this. At all of the Lutheran Atonement camps (listed above), you had friends from St. Augustine that attended as well: Carsen, Preston, Eli and Elijah. Whereas at music camp, you didn't know anyone. By the middle of the week, you were happy to share that you had points for answering questions correctly during music theory. This told me that you were participating, which meant you were comfortable. Sigh of relief! You liked playing the piano, but even more so, the drums! You looked so cute playing too.
One of your music instructors sent Mommy an evaluation on you:
"Gregory was so much fun and such a sweetheart! He danced and sang his heart out every day and was also great at following directions! I'd love to have him in voice lessons where he can sing tons of new songs and build a solid foundation of understanding musical concepts! He was really good with the music facts we learned."
The piano/percussion/theory instructor wrote:
"Awesome! Great at piano. He should continue playing. He also did a wonderful job at percussion."
You also did swimming, Rouse's cooking classes, Home Depot kid classes, singing lessons... whew.. I'm tired! AND... plenty of schoolwork to keep you up on studies and prepare for the new school, from reading to sight words to math. Oma and Mommy worked hard with you and you worked hard too. We didn't know what to expect, what you might be behind in with a new school, so we taught you as much as you were willing to handle. Believe me, you had an exceptionally fun, active, busy summer, but we also managed to work in school time too. As Oma said, "If nothing else, we know that Gregory can be home schooled. He is willing to learn."
That reminds me of something.... I asked you what you liked about school. You answered, "Learning." We were filling out a "what I did this summer" page and we were talking about the school work you did. When you said that you liked to learn, I replied, "Oh, that's nice of you to say."
You looked at me, put your hand on arm and said earnestly, "Mommy, I mean it. I really like to learn." You amaze me. You knew that I thought you were giving me a fluff answer... you corrected me. I'm proud of you for enjoying learning. I pray you will always keep the passion for learning. It will bring you a lot of joy in life!
We went to plenty of birthday parties from family birthday parties (Opa's, TJ's, Daddy's) to friends that you've known for years to new friends at your new school. You had play dates, library crafts, books store readings, Kiwi Crafts, Lego clubs... my head is still spinning. And for the last month of summer, mommy had to work long hours, doing her desk and her boss's desk, because her boss was out from painful foot surgery. I don't know how we kept going at the rate that we did, but we managed it, with a lot of help from Oma and Opa.
We also went to a wedding. You asked who the wedding was for. I told you, "Mommy's cousin, Andy and his partner, Robert." You said, "What? No. It's a boy and girl that get married." We had a conversation about acknowledging lifestyles and differences and it's okay to be true to who you are. The important thing is that a person is in a loving, committed relationship. Andy and Robert have been together since Mommy's first marriage. Their love deserves the celebration; I'm so glad we were there to give hugs, kisses and well wishes.
Thinking of differences... while you were in camp, there was a boy that kept pushing you. He was a problem in the group. Actually there were two boys in the sports camps that were issues. Oma and Mommy were trying to figure out which one was giving you the problem. Then, one day, you said, "The boy who kept pushing me isn't there any more." We found out the camp called the parents and he was removed for the rest of the week. Kudos to Lutheran Atonement for addressing the issue.
The next week he was back again, but much better behaved. We asked you to describe him, in case problems started up again, "Is he younger, older? taller, shorter? dark hair, light hair? black or white?" You could answer all of the questions, except for the last one. Black or white. You didn't see him or any child as being black or white. We didn't further the conversation.
You know how to draw yourself and color for blond hair. But... one of the first drawings that you did was a boy on a swing. You said, "This is me!" Then you colored yourself black. I loved it. We are all human. Your innocence should teach us, God willing that we have open hearts.
Now, to something funny. One day in the car, you were rude to Oma. NO, that's not funny. When TJ realized Oma was upset with you, TJ turned to you and said, "Bad boy! Spank your butt!" I'm laughing, just thinking of TJ saying that.
Here's a funny post that I put on Facebook:
Gregory said, “I have to go do number 3.” What? “I have to pee and poo. One plus two is three. So I have to go do number three!” Well, at least he is doing math when talking potty. Lol
This summer we also worked a lot of drawing faces. You have the eyes down pat. We still talk a lot about ears, eyebrows, the space for the forehead, mouths, chins... but you are understanding the details. Could you draw a self portrait without Mommy saying, "What about the the eyebrows? How far down are you going to draw the eyebrows if you have a forehead?" No... you need guidance, but I'm happy to help and I see progress and I think you do too.
Here's something cute I posted on Facebook: Greg asked our son, “Do you want to come with me to go to Rouses?” Usually Gregory loves going to the grocery store. But this time Gregory replied, “No, I’m going to stay here and take care of mommy.” Aw, now that’s a sweet son! You know Mommy has been sick with a sinus infection.
You are so thoughtful. You told me, "Daddy said the doctor said I can't give you a hug, so I'm pretending to hug you, okay Mommy?" Granny said that we are raising you right. You are amazing us in leaps and bounds.
You have grown so much, but did you really need to lose your first baby tooth?! Oh my gosh. That was the first time I really wanted to cry over seeing you growing up. Your first baby tooth came out! I remember when your Daddy and I watched your first tooth come in and how excited we were for you. Our baby had a tooth... and now... our baby lost his first tooth. It still makes me want to cry. Your first tooth came out on July 29th. Did it just fall out? No. You told me later that you pulled it out, because "it was irritating you." The day before, when it was loose, I felt it and cringed. Tita Roda tried to pull it, but she said it wasn't ready. The next day, you were determined to take it out and the tooth had no chance. Your tooth was sooooooo tiny. Awww...
From the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, we went to Stride Right to get you a new pair of shoes and to have you properly fitted. One lady measured your feet. Then you stood in line for a man who sat on the floor and pushed on the sides and front of the feet. He said to get you a 13 Wide. You were then ready with new shoes for your new school.
This is your first year at Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies. The children are advanced by a year in what they are learning. This is why Mommy and Oma worked with you so much during the summer and will continue to do so throughout the year. Every child at that school is advanced, is smart, is well behaved. It's pressure, but I think you can handle it. You like challenges, as you have often told me of late.
Thankfully, parents from APAAS opened their arms and invited us to quite a few birthday parties during the summer. You were able to meet some of your classmates before school even started. This helped a lot. The first day of school, you were greeted by Brody and Preston. You talk about these two boys a lot now.
The first day of school, Mommy was in knots. Not you. You were eager to go to school. You had your school uniform, new shoes, book bag and bright smile. Mommy was going crazy on the inside. Thankfully Oma and Cassy (Daniel's mommy, who was also in knots about new schools) helped keep things real. Your teacher helped a great deal too.
Mrs. Bonura is your Kindergarten teacher. She seemed very sweet and kind. I like how she handled the parents being there.... she turned to the kids and said, "I have some really fun things to do, but only after the parents leave. I have to talk with your parents for a few minutes, but is it okay for me to let them leave so we can do fun stuff today?" Of course ya'll said YES! This was a great way to set the tone, both for the kids and parents.
The first day of school, you had a treasure hunt. I love how it was team work, looking at the list, then gathering the items together. It created a bond of introduction and helping one another. Awesome idea!
I am also grateful that Mrs. Bonura took your dust allergy into consideration. We tried the mat for you for the first week for nap time, but after a few days I noticed your coughing. I gave you medicine, but asked Mrs. Bonura if you could stay at your desk. She agreed. As long as you're quiet, which you are. You recently told me that during nap time, sometimes your teacher will ask you to bring paperwork to the front office. You were very happy to assist your teacher.
One of your first homework assignments was to complete an "Overall Me" poster. It was so cute! You were eager to work on it and finished it the very next day. Then, your teacher took pictures of the students talking about their posters. I SO LOVE that we get to see pictures of you during the school day. I can't say enough how much this means. To get a glimpse into your school day means the world to me, to make me feel a part of it, to give me the opportunity to talk to you about the day (when so often you say, "I don't know" when I ask about your day).
Another thing APAAS has done is introduce you to a cafeteria. You didn't have this at St. Augustine. They had Byrd Hall, but not a cafeteria for the kids to pick out their food. You have tried so many new things, which I'm tickled about. But... there are days when you say, "I just ate fruit and drank milk." Oh boy... Oma and Opa have food ready for you, just in case.
Are you adjusting to APAAS? I'd say so, especially since you won't allow Oma to give you a hug and kiss right outside of school. How did you learn not to do this? Oma walks you to school and before you get to the curve of the school driveway, Oma can hug and kiss you, but not after. No, just no. You are too young for such independence. Yet, I'm proud of you too.
Soooo, you have a girlfriend at APAAS! This weekend, out of the blue, you announced, "Claire says she's my girlfriend and nobody else can be my girlfriend." Daddy kept poking me in the arm. He was grinning from ear to ear, as you talked with us about Claire. In the beginning of school year, we received a birthday invitation from Claire. She's in Mrs. Bonura's class too.
I sent a message to Claire's mommy to let know we would be going to Claire's birthday party. She wrote the following message on Facebook:
Oh my gosh! All I hear about is Gregory! My sweet CB said “he’s new; I didn’t want him to not have any friends- so I asked him if he wanted to be my friend!”
I thought that was so sweet of Claire! And now, you have a girlfriend. How cute is that!
I sent a message to Claire's mom, about your new found relationship. I just thought it was so adorable. Claire's mommy, wrote back:
Lol! She insist that Gregory is her boyfriend. Like a boy who is a friend but different from her other “boy” friends. Haha. I asked her what she liked about Gregory so much; she said he’s just so handsome; I like his hair
and then she asked ME why else do I like him momma. I said well from what you have been telling me, he’s silly like you; makes you laugh. And she says yes! That too momma
I can absolutely see you wanting to make someone laugh. You have a great sense of humor and you love for people to laugh, just like your Daddy. I'm tickled that Claire understands your humor and likes to be silly too. She sounds like a super sweet girl!
Every day when you get home from school, we ask you questions about your day. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth... oh, maybe I don't like that expression so much any more....
We asked you about your teacher and how the poster presentation went. You explained, "Mrs. Bonura said that if the kids are talking while someone is giving a presentation, then we have to give her our recess time." I asked if you talked during someone's presentation. "No Way!" You love recess too much. It was a good way to encourage proper behavior.
When asked if you participate in class, if the teacher calls on you and if you answer, you said, "Yes, she asked how many letters are in the word "drop" and I was able to say four!" You also shared how you are learning to "blend and cement" words. It seems like these are the building blocks before spelling tests (which will happen this year).
While you are going to a new school, TJ is attending your old school, St. Augustine's Episcopal Preschool. He is in Prek-3 and his teacher is Mrs. Becky. She is very loving and encouraging. He is going to blossom in her class. I'm so excited for him. The first day of school, he didn't want to go, but by the end of the hour when Mrs. Becky asked if he would come back tomorrow, he said with joy, "Yes!"
TJ used to say, "I'm going to Gregory's school" but that has transitioned to, "I'm going to TJ's school." He says it with such pride! Oma and Opa have potty trained him, taught him and now they are bringing him to your preschool. We did learn recently that Tita Roda had one job offer and three interviews already set up. That's fantastic news and no surprise as she is a hard working, excellent nurse! They will be house hunting soon in Georgia. In the meantime, TJ is attending preschool at your school so he doesn't miss out on his education while his parents make their transition of jobs and house hunting.
You are signed up for two after school programs: Science Club and Art Club. They are once a week, right after school. I wanted to sign you up for Brick 4 Kids, as it's a Stem club, but I think that might be too much for now. I'm hoping it's offered throughout the year and then we can switch you to different clubs, but I don't know if that's possible just yet. The after school clubs are important for social reasons too. Kids make friendships during the club events, whereas that's more difficult to do in a classroom setting where you need to focus on your teacher and learning.
There's also a chess club! And yes, if you knew anything about chess, you could join. But this is something we haven't taught you. Opa and Uncle Rob love that game, so did your great-grandfather, Paps (Oma's daddy). I'll share a quick story... Uncle Rob taught Mommy how to play chess when Mommy was a little girl. Uncle Rob was a great player and he never let "someone just win to feel better." We played forever, it seemed. Every day. And every day, Mommy lost... Then, one night... It was Halloween night. I remember it like it was yesterday. I WON - in THREE MOVES. I jumped up and ran around the house screaming in absolute delight! Uncle Rob said, "Of course it happens on Halloween night!" (Mommy's birthday is right before Halloween.) I never played Uncle Rob again. I just needed that ONE time to win. I cherished the win then as I do to this day!
It's an excellent game to learn. I recently ordered a chess set and a kids book about chess for you. Maybe you can play with Opa. He would love that.
You signed up for Cub Scouts. Daddy was a Cub/Boy Scout and he is so happy that you are doing this too. It now starts at 5 years old. You will be a Lion. I don't pretend to understand a thing bout Cub Scouts. It will be a learning process for Mommy too. But it does bring back happy childhood memories of being a Y-Indian Princess, especially making a necklace with Opa (which I still have).
Mommy missed the cub scout meetings. The first two meetings, Mommy was too sick to go. Daddy went with you. You learned how to make "armpit brownies".... I'm afraid to ask about that, but you said it was a lot of fun. The second meeting, Daddy came home with the popcorn forms. I hope family and friends will order some to help support your start into the cub scouts!
But.... the third meeting.. Mommy was prepared to go with you and Daddy. We got into the car. Daddy was driving. The light turned yellow and Daddy didn't slow down... at all. Within seconds, Daddy saw the police officer turn on his lights and he pulled us over for running a red light.
The officer was nice, explained the situation. He did the right thing. Mommy and Daddy explained to you what was happening. The police officer returned to his vehicle with Daddy's proof of insurance, registration and driver's license. A few minutes later he gave all the paperwork back, along with a warning and an explanation that Mommy would have to drive because Daddy's license was expired by just a few days. (The only problem was Mommy didn't have her purse with her... so Oma and Opa had to go to our home to get Mommy's purse to bring to us... and the only problem with that is that Daddy had a bunch of pillows and equipment in front of the door that they had access to, so Opa had to get Oma to squeeze through the door and go through a maze of stuff in the Man's Cave to get to Mommy's purse. Thank God for family. Thank you Oma and Opa. Thank you Officer, for just the warning.)
As the police officer drove away, right before Oma and Opa arrived with Mommy's purse, we heard you ask in a small voice, "Are we a family of villains now?" Mommy and Daddy busted out laughing. No, sweetheart. People make mistakes. The police officer did his job and then he showed kindness.
Daddy also took this time to teach you how to treat a police officer. You show respect. You answer their questions. You don't get upset with a police office doing his job. Most likely you will get a ticket, but today we were fortunate. Follow the rules and you won't have to get pulled over in the first place. You know that red means stop, it's something you learned at a very young age with colors and words. Daddy even posted on Facebook about the experience.
And actually, sometimes there's a reason things happen. Daddy will be driving to Florida soon. Can you imagine if his driver's license expired while on a long drive? It's good that the police officer pulled us over and we found this out. How often do we actually look at our driver's licenses these days? (And to add more funny to the story.... Opa realized HIS license is expired too. Two guys will be going to the DMV!)
You have grown so much. It's heart warming to see your kindness, compassion, humor and thoughtfulness grow with you. As busy as the summer was, as crazy as the school year might get, as much fun and education we can give to you.... your heart remains beautiful. That's your blessing to this world, to us. Thank you for your smiles, your many hugs, your request for "group hugs" and your prayers each night. We love you.
Love Always,
Mommy
June? June?! The last time I wrote a letter to you was in June? Oh heavens! You know it was a crazy, busy summer if Mommy is that delayed in writing.
Let's see, rounding up summer in a flash (okay, not a flash, this is going to be long):
You loved cooking camp, making scrambled eggs to jambalaya to baking a king cake and all sorts of fun things in-between. Did you enjoy eating all of the things you made? Of course not. But it taught you skills and had you trying new foods. Every little step counts! You are clearly more confident in the kitchen and offering to help. In fact, when we went to Granny and Grandfather's house for Daddy to make crepes, you were happy to stir the eggs, spinach and tomatoes over the stove.
Soccer camp was fun. You felt at ease with kicking the ball. Often times, the group divided into two teams. No problems there.
During Basketball camp, your coach said, "Gregory has excellent control of the ball!" Yeah! If it's possible, I'm hoping to sign you up for Basketball at Williams Blvd. again. This was a wonderful program. Needless to say, you had a lot of fun, because of your prior involvement with basketball. Confidence is key to your interest.
Science camp - you said, "This is the one I'm looking forward to going to the most, because I want to be a scientist, like Daddy." So sweet. The camp instructor was actually a professor for one of our local colleges, he teaches Science, Geology and... he is a bee keeper! You really enjoyed this camp. You used paper that turns blue from the heat of the sun and left an imprint of the items you found during a hunt. Another day, there was an experiment with dry ice. You loved the "atom game" on the staircase. Each child was given a number and can go up, representing the energy of the atom and the changing of elements from solid to liquid.... and at the top of the stairs, becoming gas. You said, "I won the game, Mommy! I was gas." You thought that was hilarious (so did I).
Another time, there was a root beer can with water on the inside on a hot plate. You could see the steam. You put on a pair of gloves and quickly turned the root beer can upside down and into an ice cold dish. The can crushed. Some of the kids weren't quick enough or didn't turn it all the way upside down, but you did and it worked. Your professor said, "You just used atmospheric pressure." I sure hope he teaches the Science camp again. I will definitely sign you up for it. Oh and the reason Mommy knows your camp professor is a bee keeper? Because he brought his bee keeper equipment and gave the class a great demonstration. Heck, even I was fascinated!
Football camp. This started off a little on the slow side. You camp instructor said, "Gregory isn't as into football as he was soccer and basketball." Well, you haven't had any exposure to it. Then Oma came up with an idea. "For every point that you make, you get an MM." (The reason the MM worked for you is that TJ was being potty trained and every time he went to the potty, he got an MM. You asked for one, but we told you that you are already a big boy. However, getting points during flag football was a new way for you to get the MM. Side note - so the "and" sign goes weird on my blog, hence leaving it out between the two M's). Go, Oma! It was the perfect inspiration for you. The next day, you had 7 touchdowns/points (verified by your coach)!
Art camp. You said this was one of your favorites too. They taught you how to draw Mickey Mouse and how to look at a face and figure out the space for the eyes, etc. You came home with projects every day. One time Oma was picking you up from camp and she heard the instructor fussing at a group of children, "Do you want to go in time out?" You were near the table, so Oma didn't know if you were part of the problem. The instructor said, "Oh, no. Gregory is one of the good ones." Whew. Not that you can't have attitude or be ill behaved, believe me, I know. But usually you want to be a good kid and I appreciate that. We have also raised you to respect adults, especially teachers.
Music Camp at Louisiana Academy of Performing Arts. I was worried about this. At all of the Lutheran Atonement camps (listed above), you had friends from St. Augustine that attended as well: Carsen, Preston, Eli and Elijah. Whereas at music camp, you didn't know anyone. By the middle of the week, you were happy to share that you had points for answering questions correctly during music theory. This told me that you were participating, which meant you were comfortable. Sigh of relief! You liked playing the piano, but even more so, the drums! You looked so cute playing too.
One of your music instructors sent Mommy an evaluation on you:
"Gregory was so much fun and such a sweetheart! He danced and sang his heart out every day and was also great at following directions! I'd love to have him in voice lessons where he can sing tons of new songs and build a solid foundation of understanding musical concepts! He was really good with the music facts we learned."
The piano/percussion/theory instructor wrote:
"Awesome! Great at piano. He should continue playing. He also did a wonderful job at percussion."
You also did swimming, Rouse's cooking classes, Home Depot kid classes, singing lessons... whew.. I'm tired! AND... plenty of schoolwork to keep you up on studies and prepare for the new school, from reading to sight words to math. Oma and Mommy worked hard with you and you worked hard too. We didn't know what to expect, what you might be behind in with a new school, so we taught you as much as you were willing to handle. Believe me, you had an exceptionally fun, active, busy summer, but we also managed to work in school time too. As Oma said, "If nothing else, we know that Gregory can be home schooled. He is willing to learn."
That reminds me of something.... I asked you what you liked about school. You answered, "Learning." We were filling out a "what I did this summer" page and we were talking about the school work you did. When you said that you liked to learn, I replied, "Oh, that's nice of you to say."
You looked at me, put your hand on arm and said earnestly, "Mommy, I mean it. I really like to learn." You amaze me. You knew that I thought you were giving me a fluff answer... you corrected me. I'm proud of you for enjoying learning. I pray you will always keep the passion for learning. It will bring you a lot of joy in life!
We went to plenty of birthday parties from family birthday parties (Opa's, TJ's, Daddy's) to friends that you've known for years to new friends at your new school. You had play dates, library crafts, books store readings, Kiwi Crafts, Lego clubs... my head is still spinning. And for the last month of summer, mommy had to work long hours, doing her desk and her boss's desk, because her boss was out from painful foot surgery. I don't know how we kept going at the rate that we did, but we managed it, with a lot of help from Oma and Opa.
We also went to a wedding. You asked who the wedding was for. I told you, "Mommy's cousin, Andy and his partner, Robert." You said, "What? No. It's a boy and girl that get married." We had a conversation about acknowledging lifestyles and differences and it's okay to be true to who you are. The important thing is that a person is in a loving, committed relationship. Andy and Robert have been together since Mommy's first marriage. Their love deserves the celebration; I'm so glad we were there to give hugs, kisses and well wishes.
Thinking of differences... while you were in camp, there was a boy that kept pushing you. He was a problem in the group. Actually there were two boys in the sports camps that were issues. Oma and Mommy were trying to figure out which one was giving you the problem. Then, one day, you said, "The boy who kept pushing me isn't there any more." We found out the camp called the parents and he was removed for the rest of the week. Kudos to Lutheran Atonement for addressing the issue.
The next week he was back again, but much better behaved. We asked you to describe him, in case problems started up again, "Is he younger, older? taller, shorter? dark hair, light hair? black or white?" You could answer all of the questions, except for the last one. Black or white. You didn't see him or any child as being black or white. We didn't further the conversation.
You know how to draw yourself and color for blond hair. But... one of the first drawings that you did was a boy on a swing. You said, "This is me!" Then you colored yourself black. I loved it. We are all human. Your innocence should teach us, God willing that we have open hearts.
Now, to something funny. One day in the car, you were rude to Oma. NO, that's not funny. When TJ realized Oma was upset with you, TJ turned to you and said, "Bad boy! Spank your butt!" I'm laughing, just thinking of TJ saying that.
Here's a funny post that I put on Facebook:
Gregory said, “I have to go do number 3.” What? “I have to pee and poo. One plus two is three. So I have to go do number three!” Well, at least he is doing math when talking potty. Lol
This summer we also worked a lot of drawing faces. You have the eyes down pat. We still talk a lot about ears, eyebrows, the space for the forehead, mouths, chins... but you are understanding the details. Could you draw a self portrait without Mommy saying, "What about the the eyebrows? How far down are you going to draw the eyebrows if you have a forehead?" No... you need guidance, but I'm happy to help and I see progress and I think you do too.
Here's something cute I posted on Facebook: Greg asked our son, “Do you want to come with me to go to Rouses?” Usually Gregory loves going to the grocery store. But this time Gregory replied, “No, I’m going to stay here and take care of mommy.” Aw, now that’s a sweet son! You know Mommy has been sick with a sinus infection.
You are so thoughtful. You told me, "Daddy said the doctor said I can't give you a hug, so I'm pretending to hug you, okay Mommy?" Granny said that we are raising you right. You are amazing us in leaps and bounds.
You have grown so much, but did you really need to lose your first baby tooth?! Oh my gosh. That was the first time I really wanted to cry over seeing you growing up. Your first baby tooth came out! I remember when your Daddy and I watched your first tooth come in and how excited we were for you. Our baby had a tooth... and now... our baby lost his first tooth. It still makes me want to cry. Your first tooth came out on July 29th. Did it just fall out? No. You told me later that you pulled it out, because "it was irritating you." The day before, when it was loose, I felt it and cringed. Tita Roda tried to pull it, but she said it wasn't ready. The next day, you were determined to take it out and the tooth had no chance. Your tooth was sooooooo tiny. Awww...
From the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, we went to Stride Right to get you a new pair of shoes and to have you properly fitted. One lady measured your feet. Then you stood in line for a man who sat on the floor and pushed on the sides and front of the feet. He said to get you a 13 Wide. You were then ready with new shoes for your new school.
This is your first year at Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies. The children are advanced by a year in what they are learning. This is why Mommy and Oma worked with you so much during the summer and will continue to do so throughout the year. Every child at that school is advanced, is smart, is well behaved. It's pressure, but I think you can handle it. You like challenges, as you have often told me of late.
Thankfully, parents from APAAS opened their arms and invited us to quite a few birthday parties during the summer. You were able to meet some of your classmates before school even started. This helped a lot. The first day of school, you were greeted by Brody and Preston. You talk about these two boys a lot now.
The first day of school, Mommy was in knots. Not you. You were eager to go to school. You had your school uniform, new shoes, book bag and bright smile. Mommy was going crazy on the inside. Thankfully Oma and Cassy (Daniel's mommy, who was also in knots about new schools) helped keep things real. Your teacher helped a great deal too.
Mrs. Bonura is your Kindergarten teacher. She seemed very sweet and kind. I like how she handled the parents being there.... she turned to the kids and said, "I have some really fun things to do, but only after the parents leave. I have to talk with your parents for a few minutes, but is it okay for me to let them leave so we can do fun stuff today?" Of course ya'll said YES! This was a great way to set the tone, both for the kids and parents.
The first day of school, you had a treasure hunt. I love how it was team work, looking at the list, then gathering the items together. It created a bond of introduction and helping one another. Awesome idea!
I am also grateful that Mrs. Bonura took your dust allergy into consideration. We tried the mat for you for the first week for nap time, but after a few days I noticed your coughing. I gave you medicine, but asked Mrs. Bonura if you could stay at your desk. She agreed. As long as you're quiet, which you are. You recently told me that during nap time, sometimes your teacher will ask you to bring paperwork to the front office. You were very happy to assist your teacher.
One of your first homework assignments was to complete an "Overall Me" poster. It was so cute! You were eager to work on it and finished it the very next day. Then, your teacher took pictures of the students talking about their posters. I SO LOVE that we get to see pictures of you during the school day. I can't say enough how much this means. To get a glimpse into your school day means the world to me, to make me feel a part of it, to give me the opportunity to talk to you about the day (when so often you say, "I don't know" when I ask about your day).
Another thing APAAS has done is introduce you to a cafeteria. You didn't have this at St. Augustine. They had Byrd Hall, but not a cafeteria for the kids to pick out their food. You have tried so many new things, which I'm tickled about. But... there are days when you say, "I just ate fruit and drank milk." Oh boy... Oma and Opa have food ready for you, just in case.
Are you adjusting to APAAS? I'd say so, especially since you won't allow Oma to give you a hug and kiss right outside of school. How did you learn not to do this? Oma walks you to school and before you get to the curve of the school driveway, Oma can hug and kiss you, but not after. No, just no. You are too young for such independence. Yet, I'm proud of you too.
Soooo, you have a girlfriend at APAAS! This weekend, out of the blue, you announced, "Claire says she's my girlfriend and nobody else can be my girlfriend." Daddy kept poking me in the arm. He was grinning from ear to ear, as you talked with us about Claire. In the beginning of school year, we received a birthday invitation from Claire. She's in Mrs. Bonura's class too.
I sent a message to Claire's mommy to let know we would be going to Claire's birthday party. She wrote the following message on Facebook:
Oh my gosh! All I hear about is Gregory! My sweet CB said “he’s new; I didn’t want him to not have any friends- so I asked him if he wanted to be my friend!”
I thought that was so sweet of Claire! And now, you have a girlfriend. How cute is that!
I sent a message to Claire's mom, about your new found relationship. I just thought it was so adorable. Claire's mommy, wrote back:
Lol! She insist that Gregory is her boyfriend. Like a boy who is a friend but different from her other “boy” friends. Haha. I asked her what she liked about Gregory so much; she said he’s just so handsome; I like his hair
and then she asked ME why else do I like him momma. I said well from what you have been telling me, he’s silly like you; makes you laugh. And she says yes! That too mommaI can absolutely see you wanting to make someone laugh. You have a great sense of humor and you love for people to laugh, just like your Daddy. I'm tickled that Claire understands your humor and likes to be silly too. She sounds like a super sweet girl!
Every day when you get home from school, we ask you questions about your day. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth... oh, maybe I don't like that expression so much any more....
We asked you about your teacher and how the poster presentation went. You explained, "Mrs. Bonura said that if the kids are talking while someone is giving a presentation, then we have to give her our recess time." I asked if you talked during someone's presentation. "No Way!" You love recess too much. It was a good way to encourage proper behavior.
When asked if you participate in class, if the teacher calls on you and if you answer, you said, "Yes, she asked how many letters are in the word "drop" and I was able to say four!" You also shared how you are learning to "blend and cement" words. It seems like these are the building blocks before spelling tests (which will happen this year).
While you are going to a new school, TJ is attending your old school, St. Augustine's Episcopal Preschool. He is in Prek-3 and his teacher is Mrs. Becky. She is very loving and encouraging. He is going to blossom in her class. I'm so excited for him. The first day of school, he didn't want to go, but by the end of the hour when Mrs. Becky asked if he would come back tomorrow, he said with joy, "Yes!"
TJ used to say, "I'm going to Gregory's school" but that has transitioned to, "I'm going to TJ's school." He says it with such pride! Oma and Opa have potty trained him, taught him and now they are bringing him to your preschool. We did learn recently that Tita Roda had one job offer and three interviews already set up. That's fantastic news and no surprise as she is a hard working, excellent nurse! They will be house hunting soon in Georgia. In the meantime, TJ is attending preschool at your school so he doesn't miss out on his education while his parents make their transition of jobs and house hunting.
You are signed up for two after school programs: Science Club and Art Club. They are once a week, right after school. I wanted to sign you up for Brick 4 Kids, as it's a Stem club, but I think that might be too much for now. I'm hoping it's offered throughout the year and then we can switch you to different clubs, but I don't know if that's possible just yet. The after school clubs are important for social reasons too. Kids make friendships during the club events, whereas that's more difficult to do in a classroom setting where you need to focus on your teacher and learning.
There's also a chess club! And yes, if you knew anything about chess, you could join. But this is something we haven't taught you. Opa and Uncle Rob love that game, so did your great-grandfather, Paps (Oma's daddy). I'll share a quick story... Uncle Rob taught Mommy how to play chess when Mommy was a little girl. Uncle Rob was a great player and he never let "someone just win to feel better." We played forever, it seemed. Every day. And every day, Mommy lost... Then, one night... It was Halloween night. I remember it like it was yesterday. I WON - in THREE MOVES. I jumped up and ran around the house screaming in absolute delight! Uncle Rob said, "Of course it happens on Halloween night!" (Mommy's birthday is right before Halloween.) I never played Uncle Rob again. I just needed that ONE time to win. I cherished the win then as I do to this day!
It's an excellent game to learn. I recently ordered a chess set and a kids book about chess for you. Maybe you can play with Opa. He would love that.
You signed up for Cub Scouts. Daddy was a Cub/Boy Scout and he is so happy that you are doing this too. It now starts at 5 years old. You will be a Lion. I don't pretend to understand a thing bout Cub Scouts. It will be a learning process for Mommy too. But it does bring back happy childhood memories of being a Y-Indian Princess, especially making a necklace with Opa (which I still have).
Mommy missed the cub scout meetings. The first two meetings, Mommy was too sick to go. Daddy went with you. You learned how to make "armpit brownies".... I'm afraid to ask about that, but you said it was a lot of fun. The second meeting, Daddy came home with the popcorn forms. I hope family and friends will order some to help support your start into the cub scouts!
But.... the third meeting.. Mommy was prepared to go with you and Daddy. We got into the car. Daddy was driving. The light turned yellow and Daddy didn't slow down... at all. Within seconds, Daddy saw the police officer turn on his lights and he pulled us over for running a red light.
The officer was nice, explained the situation. He did the right thing. Mommy and Daddy explained to you what was happening. The police officer returned to his vehicle with Daddy's proof of insurance, registration and driver's license. A few minutes later he gave all the paperwork back, along with a warning and an explanation that Mommy would have to drive because Daddy's license was expired by just a few days. (The only problem was Mommy didn't have her purse with her... so Oma and Opa had to go to our home to get Mommy's purse to bring to us... and the only problem with that is that Daddy had a bunch of pillows and equipment in front of the door that they had access to, so Opa had to get Oma to squeeze through the door and go through a maze of stuff in the Man's Cave to get to Mommy's purse. Thank God for family. Thank you Oma and Opa. Thank you Officer, for just the warning.)
As the police officer drove away, right before Oma and Opa arrived with Mommy's purse, we heard you ask in a small voice, "Are we a family of villains now?" Mommy and Daddy busted out laughing. No, sweetheart. People make mistakes. The police officer did his job and then he showed kindness.
Daddy also took this time to teach you how to treat a police officer. You show respect. You answer their questions. You don't get upset with a police office doing his job. Most likely you will get a ticket, but today we were fortunate. Follow the rules and you won't have to get pulled over in the first place. You know that red means stop, it's something you learned at a very young age with colors and words. Daddy even posted on Facebook about the experience.
And actually, sometimes there's a reason things happen. Daddy will be driving to Florida soon. Can you imagine if his driver's license expired while on a long drive? It's good that the police officer pulled us over and we found this out. How often do we actually look at our driver's licenses these days? (And to add more funny to the story.... Opa realized HIS license is expired too. Two guys will be going to the DMV!)
You have grown so much. It's heart warming to see your kindness, compassion, humor and thoughtfulness grow with you. As busy as the summer was, as crazy as the school year might get, as much fun and education we can give to you.... your heart remains beautiful. That's your blessing to this world, to us. Thank you for your smiles, your many hugs, your request for "group hugs" and your prayers each night. We love you.
Love Always,
Mommy
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