Letter to My Son
Dear Son,
I last wrote to you at the beginning of your school year. We are now in the swing of the Christmas season. It's wonderful and magical, to see how much you love Christmas time. But I have to catch up.
At school, you had your first school drill. I heard about it from another parent on Facebook. It seems that some children had nightmares after the drill, thinking of bad people breaking into the school. I asked you about the drill. You said, "Some kids hid in their cubby. I hid in the closet. The teacher locked the door and turned off the lights. We had to be very quiet. Then the teacher had to find the kids and let them out." You said you weren't scared. It's so sad that our society needs this, but I'm grateful the school has the drill. They have it right to keep safety as a priority.
You love Mrs. Bonura. You said she has rules, but that she also helps the kids and you like that. You are good at following rules, but I know you will try to find a loop hole if possible! School started off with learning parts of a sentence to progressing to writing proper sentences. In the beginning of the school year you had homework on similar and different pictures. Now your homework is about less than and more, counting, reading and writing. Your class learned about Egypt and is now studying the Maya culture.
The school gives out eagle tickets for a job well done on school assignments or helping a friend. You received one for getting ice from the office when you saw a friend was hurt, another one for following instructions in the cafeteria, one for finishing a Spanish project early and another one for a tricky question where the kids had to count the "elephants on the tree" but the tree had apples and you said the answer was zero.
APAAS also has cool stem projects! Each group had to come up with a house that could withstand wind and rain. You used popsicle sticks, tape, boards, whatever was available. You were SO excited to talk about the project. The teachers used a hair dryer to test the wind and a spray bottle for the rain. You said that the rain went through, so your house didn't make it. But it's the process and awesome type of learning that I love!
Mommy and Daddy were able to go on a school field trip with you to City Park put put. It was decorated for Halloween. This might have been your first time with put put. Afterwards, the kindergarten class played on the City Park playground. One mommy took a picture of the three of us that is in a picture frame at home now. I love that memory. You had lunch with your friends at the Pavilion. It was a fun adventure.
On the 60th day of school, the kindergarten class celebrated in 1960's style. You and your schoolmates dressed up like 60's children, "Cool Dude!" 60's music was played. There was a photo op in the shape of a car, a table set up for candy that was prevalent in the 60's, toys from the 60's and root beer floats. I enjoyed it, as much as you did!
We are still going to Home Depot kid's classes. You are very comfortable with a hammer, only hurting one finger, one time. It was a painful but learning experience. Thankfully it wasn't a hard hit, just enough to make you more aware of where you put your fingers. We went to all of the Home Depot classes, except for the second class in November. Mommy registered for you to attend it, but we weren't able to go. However, when we went to the class in December, the Home Depot lady that we see for the classes, saved the second November project for you! How sweet is that! They know you by name and give you hugs. You see friends there too. Mommy met Hussain and Eve, your classmates, for the first time at a Home Depot kids' class.
At your school, parents are invited to go to lunch with the students. When Mommy's schedule allows for it, I go. It's not often, but in the beginning of the school year, it helped to meet your classmates. You loved Mommy being there. As I can't go to your school every week, Mommy started writing notes to you. Sometimes it's just to wish you a good day, to say how proud of you I am, to remind you of things going on for the weekend, but mostly... just so you know how much I love you. Daddy started writing notes as well. You love reading the letters. One time, you wrote a note to me and to Daddy and put them under our pillows. Just to say you love us. You are such a wonderful son!
Mommy enrolled you in Science Club, Art Club and Drama Club. Those after school classes really helped you to solidify friendships outside of the classroom. It was also good, because Mommy and Oma sometimes help with the art class. The school invites parents and grandparents to participate. Oma and Opa have helped with the Grandparents' bake sales. On Grandparents' day, Oma, Granny and Grandfather were there! (Opa had to bring TJ to a doctor appointment that day, so sadly he missed it.) I love how the school involves families.
In the Drama class, Oma and Mommy were there to participate in a class and see what it involved. Mommy stood next to you and did some of the exercises, from over pronunciation, speech and fun stuff like being monsters and seaweed. Your personality matches the classes well and you are eager to participate. You work with a group, but also do improv with just one person and you stand in front of a class of people to do so. It's a confidence builder in public speaking at such a young age!
You are fortunate to have new friends at school and still keep in touch with friends from St. Augustine's. We had a playdate with Nathan. Nathan's Mommy told me, "The first day in Prek3, in Mrs. Becky's class, Nathan was playing with a toy. Gregory walked up to him and took the toy. Nathan said, "Hey, he took my toy!" Then Nathan walked over to Gregory and took the toy back. Gregory then said, "Hey, he took my toy!" and I thought "Oh boy, they won't be friends." but look at them now!" You are too cute together. You both love nature and love to run and laugh and be silly.
Even though we are adapting to the new school schedule, we still find time to do a lot of activities, from Home Depot classes to St Matthew's events. They had a car event, which you and TJ loved. You made cookie stop signs, stop signs with faith messages, painting by using paint on the car wheels, making a really cool box and turning it into a car. There was even a relay race! You were a little upset that not everyone got a door prize. It's a good learning experience. You now know the best thing about participating is having fun.
In the beginning of the school year, there were a lot of birthday parties to attend! One of the first ones in the beginning of the school year was Brody's party. He had a huge turnout of children. The kids had fun with the bounce house, playing baseball in the indoor facility and having a race.
You love going to birthday parties. Daddy took you to Kaylie's birthday party, while Mommy went to a "Mother's Night Out" group event. Aunt Kim taught the group how to make a turkey burlap door hanger. Mommy gave her turkey door hanger to Oma. The group was really nice. I was able to meet other mothers with children at various ages going to APAAS and Nathan's mommy was invited as well. The moms shared advise on teachers and the school. It was a fun experience. Mommies need this too.
Claire's birthday party was at Lafreniere's spray park. You have gone there before. The first time, you were a little shy about getting sprayed on by the water, then within minutes, you loved it. This time, you had no hesitation, you went straight into the water, played with the water guns, tried to stop the water shooting out from the ground, etc. Claire's parents were kind to invite TJ as well. This was TJ's first experience at the spray park. Just as you were shy at first, so was TJ. But he warmed up to it quickly. Before long, the two of you were running around playing.
Then, TJ calls out, "WET WET!" And he started to take off his swim trunks! He was full Monty! I ran over to him and asked if he needed to go to the potty. He said, "NO. It's wet!" He held out the swim suit to me. I was baffled for a moment, then said, "You're running through water. It's supposed to get wet." Oma and I helped him get his swim suit back on. I'm laughing as I'm writing this. I don't think many parents saw what happened, but oh, it's in the memory banks for sure!
We went to Linney/Ellie's birthday party. You mentioned her name to me prior to her celebration. You said, "I have something embarrassing to tell you. A girl said something to me over and over and over again." I asked what she said to you. Your head tucked down to your chest, "She said I was cute." I smiled and asked her name. Then I asked if she was your girlfriend. You said, "You know the answer to that!" I think it's funny that 5 year olds use the terminology of girlfriend and boyfriend. It's sweet. At Linney's birthday party, you danced to kids songs in the front room and played in the bounce house outside.
We also had a play date with Daniel and Jack. They brought over their pretty gecko. Tigger was very interested, but lifted his paw at the gecko. I think that's the most interest Tigger has shown in another animal in a very long time. He is, well gosh, next year, Tigger will be 20 years old! You love him so much. Tigger still annoys Daddy in the morning, by meowing so much, but it's getting better.
While you played with Daniel and Jack, we talked with Cassy about cub scouts. She was torn between enrolling Daniel with the cub scouts at his school versus enrolling with APAAS. She decided on APAAS, as a way to keep ya'll connected as friends. That's an awesome Mommy! Daniel was a little shy at first, so were you with the group. But this last lion den meeting, all the boys played musical chairs, but with exercise balls. You and Daniel were the last ones left in the game. I thought, "Oh, no, this isn't going to end well!' Daniel won and you sulked, for a few minutes. Then Daniel walked up to you, held out his hand and said, "Good game!" You smiled and all was well. Good sportsmanship! At each of the den meetings, you and your fellow scouts are earning belt loops. You get excited to receive them at the pack meeting.
It was adorable to see you selling popcorn for the cub scouts. We met up with other cub scouts at various locations. All the boys were shy, but got into it quickly and with such enthusiasm! "Do you want to buy some popcorn!" rang out loud and clear from sweet voices and smiling faces. Who could say no to such cuteness! There was one lady, Mrs. Lisa, who wanted the can of popcorn that you were holding. She made you feel very special. You ended up realizing that it's not a competition. It's a team effort. Already learning important life lessons. I love that you are involved with cub scouts. December is so crazy hectic with so much to do that Mommy, as one of the den leaders, is finding it difficult to attend the meetings this month. I'll make up for it in January. Right now, I want you to have as many wonderful Christmas moments as you can.
You and Daddy went camping, ummm sort of. Okay, so the first camping over night was with all packs, not just your pack number 252. Mommy stayed to help you and Daddy set up the tent and bring all the things inside the tent. But it got super crowded and it was a hot night. Mommy's blood pressure was too much for the heat outside and Mommy ended up leaving. You and Daddy did some of the activities. Your Daddy sent Mommy a text message that he was grateful our son (YOU) are so well behaved. He said totally strange boys from other packs ran into their tent, started going through their things, ate their food... Daddy ended up taking you to get something to eat at a nearby restaurant. You fell asleep no problem. Son, I think you can sleep through anything (except for nightmares about monsters under your bed). Daddy, on the other hand tried to sleep, but it was loud and the street lights flickered on and off. When Daddy put the CPAP mask on, other kids gathered around the tent and yelled out, "It's Darth Vader! Come see Darth Vader! Look, that boy's dad is Darth Vader!" Ya'll were back home by 11pm, which is exactly what I predicted would happen and why I was still awake when you came into the house.
Now, the day trip to Five Lakes Camp grounds was awesome! It was only for Pack 252. We didn't stay the night, because Mommy had to teach Sunday school the next morning. I'd like to do a night camp at Five Lakes. It's beautiful. There are five lakes, lots of open land, fishing, canoeing, beach area and a covered shelter for food prep and tables. You were brave enough to put your feet into the lake and walk around some of the marshy parts. Kids shared their frisbees and toys that fly. It was a lovely place. We would have stayed longer, but with teaching Sunday school, mommy needed a good night's sleep.
You and TJ are active with the Sunday school group. Sharing and God's love and we are all part of God's family have been the focus of a lot of the Sunday school lessons. We made pumpkin patch crafts, decorated a cross to look like stained-glass work and just recently made ornaments and talked about the Jesse tree. You don't know this just yet, but Father AJ mentioned you are close to the age of being a torch carrier during service. This is something I hope you want to do. I'm also hoping you can participate in the Christmas pageant again this year.
We went to St. Augustine's as a family to help unload pumpkins for the pumpkin patch. Daniel and his family were there as well. With a filled 18-wheeler, plenty of people in the community pitched in. It felt great to be part of the community. We mentioned it to the cub scouts and another cub scout was there to help out as well!
On to Rouses's Kids' Cooking Classes. You love the once a month class. At one cooking class, two ladies were sitting at a table. They had wine, mind you this was not part of the class! Daddy tried some of the wine and let you smell it. You said, "Yum! That smells like church!" We all laughed. I never would have put those two things together, but I understand.
For Halloween at the cooking class, you made a hot dog dressed as a mummy. You called it a Halloweenie! Chef Sally laughed. For Thanksgiving you made quiche, which was delicious by the way. For December, you had a blast decorating a ginger bread house, seeing Santa at the grocery store and decorating cookies. It's because of these classes that you are asking to help us in the kitchen. You and Daddy love to make scrambled eggs together! You often say, "Can I do that?" I love how eager you are to try things. You told us, "Maybe I'll be a Chef."
As for toys, you never outgrow play dough. You and TJ love to play with the various colors. One day Mommy made a rose for you, TJ and Oma. You watched as I made the rose. Then you made one for me! How cool to see you learn so quickly.
You love the circuit board that Uncle Rob and Tita Roda gave to you when you were 3. When you put it together, you don't want any help. It was cute to see Uncle Rob explaining the various parts to you. I learned some things as well.
I might have mentioned this in a previous post, I'm not sure. But you and TJ went ice skating at an indoor rink. It's not real ice though. It's synthetic ice. You both used assistance to help you skate. We couldn't get you to leave until you realized other young kids needed the assistance too.
Ice skating seemed to come naturally to you. Roller skating, not so much. We went to APAAS roller night to raise money to support the school. It was the first time for you on the roller rink. You fell so many times. Even with using the assistance you fell, because it had wheels too. You practiced in the smaller rink. You cried at first and said, "IF I Fall Down ONE More Time...." You got back up, fell again, got back up, fell again. It's hard to balance on wheels. You were determined and made friends with the assistance. I don't remember the name of the little girl in your class, but she came up to you and said, "Gregory, I can show you how to skate." You listened to her, watched and learned. When we said it was time to go, you didn't want to. I'm proud of you for not giving up. Daddy said the same thing.
Now, on to our Halloween scare. The night before Halloween, our evening was typical. We had supper, everyone had a bath, little bit of TV and everyone was in bed. Then I heard a weird gaging coughing sound coming from your bedroom. I raced over. You said that your throat hurt. I asked when it started. You said just now, because of something you ate. I knew it wasn't from supper, nothing was out of the norm, food wise, and it was hours ago. I asked if you put a toy in your mouth. No. I asked if it was candy or something from your room. No. You said, "You're going to be mad at me." You also said your throat and stomach hurt really bad. At this point, Daddy woke up and came in to find out what was going on.
We walked into the kitchen to see what you ate. You said, "Don't get mad" and pointed to the Tide pods. I was terrified at this point, "YOU ATE THAT!" You started to cry. There was no way you would talk from that point forward. Daddy tried to get you to vomit. I read the back of the Tide pod container and it said not to vomit, so he stopped making you drink water with mustard. I called the Poison Control. They said to bring you to the ER.
At the ER, I was frantic, "My Son ate a Tide Pod!" They took your vitals, which showed normal. They called the same number I did for poison control. At this point, I was calmer and you were calmer. And you explained better what happened. You snuck a pod into your bed before bath time and covered it with a toy. We had talked about the pods in the past and you knew not to play with them.
But you liked how squishy they felt. You played with the Tide pods until it started to leak out onto your fingers. Just as a child typically does when candy melts on the fingers, you licked your fingers.... While the ER nurse was on the phone with the Poison Control, they relayed your story and said to keep you under observation until 11pm. We stayed there. You eventually fell asleep. As long as your didn't throw up or have diarrhea, they would release you, which thankfully we were able to take you home.
It was a horrible, scary night, sweet boy. I know you didn't mean to bring us such fear, but you scared the life out of us. We have had many conversations about the Tide Pod before this and after this. But it wasn't until you spilled something in Daddy's car and we used liquid Tide in the bathtub to clean the material that you said, "Oh, now I see what's in the Tide pod. It's really soap. Yuck." We explained this many times, but you needed to see it.
Fortunately, we have good memories of Halloween too. Mommy and Oma brought you and TJ to MANY Halloween Trunk or Treats this year. We also went to St. Augustine's Pumpkin Patch movie night and watched the Charlie Brown show. And we did the mall, Trick or Treating. It was fun to go to the various shops and see their decorations and costumes. You and TJ were invited to Nathan's Halloween party! After Fall Festival at your school, which you said was great, you stayed to help clean up as a service project for the Scouts. We went to the Harvest event at St. Matthew's where you and TJ could touch the farm animals. You both had fun making fall crafts. Heather's Pumpkin Patch was another great event. You and TJ went there TWICE this year - once for the strawberry fields and now for the pumpkin patch. I'm sure there is more that I'm not mentioning here. You loved the atmosphere of doing things and I love creating the memories for you.
You and TJ went to a number of birthday parties, where you schoolmates and friends extended their invitation to include TJ. This happened early in the summer, during the school year and another invitation was given to TJ by a neighbor on our street. Virginia turned 4; she is so sweet and friendly. We are sad her family is moving, but they promise to send us an invitation to their water front home when they are settled in!
Louisiana is a fickle state. For the majority of the fall events you and TJ are in shorts. (Even Halloween night was a touch on the warm side.) Louisiana has mostly evergreen trees. This year, though, we were able to see Fall Colors! You, sweet boy, are a leafer, just like Mommy and Daddy! You love to see the pretty fall colors and collect the leaves. We were able to see the pretty changing hues of golden yellow to bright red by driving to Georgia. As we drove in, we sang Christmas songs in the car. Daddy asked you, "Gregory, if there were two rooms and you had to choose only one room, one was filled with toys and one was filled with love, which room would you choose?" I held my breath. You said, without a second thought, "The room with love." We were so incredibly happy. It's not an easy question for a 5 year old to answer, but you sure picked the best response! We love you!
You made the ride a happy one and made the leaves all the prettier. Honestly, I thought the leaves would all be gone by late November, for Thanksgiving. What a delightful surprise to enjoy the colors as we drove in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with Uncle Rob and Tita Roda, TJ, Oma and Opa and Uncle Rene. Uncle Rob and Tita Roda bought their new house on October 5th. TJ was seeing his house for the first time, the night before Thanksgiving when Oma and Opa brought him home. The two of you had a great time playing with his toys and seeing his house and running in his backyard. Though Daddy did tell you both to come inside when he saw a snake hole in a stack of leaves!
Rob and Roda's house is lovely with rooms that have walls of windows, a huge back yard, plenty of space to play inside and a very welcoming atmosphere. Their house was decorated for Thanksgiving and they had a delicious spread of food. Oma and Opa stayed with Rob, Roda and TJ, while we stayed the night at Uncle Rene's house. It was cute to see the guys watching cartoons with you, especially when you snuggled against Uncle Rene. You even helped Uncle Rene with his Charlie Brown Christmas tree. As he said, "It might be a small tree, but it has a lot of spirit!" God bless us, everyone!
As we drove home you said, "I'm going to miss TJ. He has been at Oma and Opa's house since July." I corrected you, "No, TJ lived with Oma and Opa since April until now." But surprise! TJ came home with Oma and Opa after Thanksgiving. You have seen his house, so you know that he has a room and bed for when he goes back home right before Christmas. In the meantime, you enjoy visiting, playing games, going to the library for crafts and so much more. TJ is still attending your old school, St. Augustine's. I'm sure he will sing Christmas songs, like you did, for his Christmas party at school. That should be adorable! In January, TJ will be attending a school in Georgia.
You and TJ took pictures with Santa. I was proud of TJ for not crying, not even looking scared. I asked you what you asked Santa for. You said, "I told him to surprise me. He said he is good at surprises!" Oh boy, let's hope you like Santa's surprise.
Our house is decked out in Christmas. You helped Daddy hang the poinsettia garland over door frames. Then you and I made a peppermint colored garland out of construction paper. When the tree was ready, you jumped up and down when you saw the ornaments from previous years you made. Your excitement was contagious. I handed the ornaments to you and you decorated the tree. We only had one ornament casualty. When the ornament broke, you started to cry. You thought I would get upset. I hugged you and said it was okay. I figured there would be more than one that broken, but you were super careful.
Typically there are many ornaments kept in boxes instead of going on the tree. I usually alternate the ornaments. But you would have none of that! Everyone of them must adorn the tree. And so it was..... I'm amazed the tree is still standing and not falling from the weight of the decorations. It's pretty cool though!
You mentioned to Daddy, "Our house looks sad without lights outside." Daddy went up into the attic and found three outside spiral Christmas trees and up they went... "To make my family happy" Daddy explained. How sweet is that! It makes me happy to see the lights. You too. It helped that Daddy picked a cool day to put up the outside lights. It felt like Christmas.
This month we were invited to Carsen's birthday party. The last time you saw Carsen was at summer camp. You were thrilled to visit with him again. Carsen's birthday party was at a bowling center. Fortunately, a few months earlier, you were invited to Gavin's birthday party, which was your first time at a bowling center. We learned about the assist at the bowling lanes and saw that the kids don't get gutter balls (like Mommy is famous for, hopefully you learn to bowl like Daddy - he's good at it!). With the experience at Gavin's party, you were comfortable at Carsen's party and got it into, including watching the score board. I'm thankful Carsen's family invited you and I sure hope you get to see Carsen again soon.
Will you make a Christmas card for Maw Maw this year? I hope so. Your great-grandmother is going through a lot right now. She is 93 years old and was in the hospital for a while. I was first told that she had a stroke, but now it seems the doctors can't be sure. Surgery is definitely not an option. The good news is that your great-grandmother has 75 percent mobility, which is incredible for someone her age. She's beautifully stubborn and strong in spirit. She has lived all this time alone in her home.
The only way the hospital released her to go home, is with in-care nursing assistance. Maw Maw is very independent, but if she wants to keep that independence, she'll need to accept some help. Opa has told her this and she is agreeable to it. I understand family members think it easier to put her in a home.... Opa saw how a nursing home was for Nana (Oma's mommy). Opa insisted that his mother-in-law live with them, that's love. Maw Maw wants to live in her house and I totally understand that. With help, she might be able to continue doing that for years. Oma told Opa, "If there comes a time, the toy room could be changed into a bedroom for your mom." That's love.
Changes aren't always easy, sweet boy. Decisions are difficult to make, but I learned something from Maw Maw a long time ago. She told me that every morning she woke up and said a pray, thanking God for this new day. Then she prayed for each of her children, their spouses, their children and grandchildren, great grandchildren and now, great-great grandchildren. Pray through things in life is powerful, for both the ups and down.
In the meantime, love your childhood! We are creating fun, cool, happy memories for you as we can and filling up a heart filled with love. No room could contain the love we have for you!
I don't know if I'll post another message before Christmas. So I'll say it now, Merry Christmas! You told me last week something bad happened in your classroom. A little girl said the elf was a fake. You said you believed in Christmas. We talked about having faith and no matter what anyone else said, you believe in your heart. Others can think and say what they want, but the spirit of love, giving, the gift of Jesus, the message of Christmas - it's all very real. Believe in smiles that the elf brings you and the magic of reindeers and Santa. We read a book called "God Gave Us Christmas." It was a perfect message to help you understand how much love God has for us and all He created.
Merry Christmas!
Love Always,
Mommy
I last wrote to you at the beginning of your school year. We are now in the swing of the Christmas season. It's wonderful and magical, to see how much you love Christmas time. But I have to catch up.
At school, you had your first school drill. I heard about it from another parent on Facebook. It seems that some children had nightmares after the drill, thinking of bad people breaking into the school. I asked you about the drill. You said, "Some kids hid in their cubby. I hid in the closet. The teacher locked the door and turned off the lights. We had to be very quiet. Then the teacher had to find the kids and let them out." You said you weren't scared. It's so sad that our society needs this, but I'm grateful the school has the drill. They have it right to keep safety as a priority.
You love Mrs. Bonura. You said she has rules, but that she also helps the kids and you like that. You are good at following rules, but I know you will try to find a loop hole if possible! School started off with learning parts of a sentence to progressing to writing proper sentences. In the beginning of the school year you had homework on similar and different pictures. Now your homework is about less than and more, counting, reading and writing. Your class learned about Egypt and is now studying the Maya culture.
The school gives out eagle tickets for a job well done on school assignments or helping a friend. You received one for getting ice from the office when you saw a friend was hurt, another one for following instructions in the cafeteria, one for finishing a Spanish project early and another one for a tricky question where the kids had to count the "elephants on the tree" but the tree had apples and you said the answer was zero.
APAAS also has cool stem projects! Each group had to come up with a house that could withstand wind and rain. You used popsicle sticks, tape, boards, whatever was available. You were SO excited to talk about the project. The teachers used a hair dryer to test the wind and a spray bottle for the rain. You said that the rain went through, so your house didn't make it. But it's the process and awesome type of learning that I love!
Mommy and Daddy were able to go on a school field trip with you to City Park put put. It was decorated for Halloween. This might have been your first time with put put. Afterwards, the kindergarten class played on the City Park playground. One mommy took a picture of the three of us that is in a picture frame at home now. I love that memory. You had lunch with your friends at the Pavilion. It was a fun adventure.
On the 60th day of school, the kindergarten class celebrated in 1960's style. You and your schoolmates dressed up like 60's children, "Cool Dude!" 60's music was played. There was a photo op in the shape of a car, a table set up for candy that was prevalent in the 60's, toys from the 60's and root beer floats. I enjoyed it, as much as you did!
We are still going to Home Depot kid's classes. You are very comfortable with a hammer, only hurting one finger, one time. It was a painful but learning experience. Thankfully it wasn't a hard hit, just enough to make you more aware of where you put your fingers. We went to all of the Home Depot classes, except for the second class in November. Mommy registered for you to attend it, but we weren't able to go. However, when we went to the class in December, the Home Depot lady that we see for the classes, saved the second November project for you! How sweet is that! They know you by name and give you hugs. You see friends there too. Mommy met Hussain and Eve, your classmates, for the first time at a Home Depot kids' class.
At your school, parents are invited to go to lunch with the students. When Mommy's schedule allows for it, I go. It's not often, but in the beginning of the school year, it helped to meet your classmates. You loved Mommy being there. As I can't go to your school every week, Mommy started writing notes to you. Sometimes it's just to wish you a good day, to say how proud of you I am, to remind you of things going on for the weekend, but mostly... just so you know how much I love you. Daddy started writing notes as well. You love reading the letters. One time, you wrote a note to me and to Daddy and put them under our pillows. Just to say you love us. You are such a wonderful son!
Mommy enrolled you in Science Club, Art Club and Drama Club. Those after school classes really helped you to solidify friendships outside of the classroom. It was also good, because Mommy and Oma sometimes help with the art class. The school invites parents and grandparents to participate. Oma and Opa have helped with the Grandparents' bake sales. On Grandparents' day, Oma, Granny and Grandfather were there! (Opa had to bring TJ to a doctor appointment that day, so sadly he missed it.) I love how the school involves families.
In the Drama class, Oma and Mommy were there to participate in a class and see what it involved. Mommy stood next to you and did some of the exercises, from over pronunciation, speech and fun stuff like being monsters and seaweed. Your personality matches the classes well and you are eager to participate. You work with a group, but also do improv with just one person and you stand in front of a class of people to do so. It's a confidence builder in public speaking at such a young age!
You are fortunate to have new friends at school and still keep in touch with friends from St. Augustine's. We had a playdate with Nathan. Nathan's Mommy told me, "The first day in Prek3, in Mrs. Becky's class, Nathan was playing with a toy. Gregory walked up to him and took the toy. Nathan said, "Hey, he took my toy!" Then Nathan walked over to Gregory and took the toy back. Gregory then said, "Hey, he took my toy!" and I thought "Oh boy, they won't be friends." but look at them now!" You are too cute together. You both love nature and love to run and laugh and be silly.
Even though we are adapting to the new school schedule, we still find time to do a lot of activities, from Home Depot classes to St Matthew's events. They had a car event, which you and TJ loved. You made cookie stop signs, stop signs with faith messages, painting by using paint on the car wheels, making a really cool box and turning it into a car. There was even a relay race! You were a little upset that not everyone got a door prize. It's a good learning experience. You now know the best thing about participating is having fun.
In the beginning of the school year, there were a lot of birthday parties to attend! One of the first ones in the beginning of the school year was Brody's party. He had a huge turnout of children. The kids had fun with the bounce house, playing baseball in the indoor facility and having a race.
You love going to birthday parties. Daddy took you to Kaylie's birthday party, while Mommy went to a "Mother's Night Out" group event. Aunt Kim taught the group how to make a turkey burlap door hanger. Mommy gave her turkey door hanger to Oma. The group was really nice. I was able to meet other mothers with children at various ages going to APAAS and Nathan's mommy was invited as well. The moms shared advise on teachers and the school. It was a fun experience. Mommies need this too.
Claire's birthday party was at Lafreniere's spray park. You have gone there before. The first time, you were a little shy about getting sprayed on by the water, then within minutes, you loved it. This time, you had no hesitation, you went straight into the water, played with the water guns, tried to stop the water shooting out from the ground, etc. Claire's parents were kind to invite TJ as well. This was TJ's first experience at the spray park. Just as you were shy at first, so was TJ. But he warmed up to it quickly. Before long, the two of you were running around playing.
Then, TJ calls out, "WET WET!" And he started to take off his swim trunks! He was full Monty! I ran over to him and asked if he needed to go to the potty. He said, "NO. It's wet!" He held out the swim suit to me. I was baffled for a moment, then said, "You're running through water. It's supposed to get wet." Oma and I helped him get his swim suit back on. I'm laughing as I'm writing this. I don't think many parents saw what happened, but oh, it's in the memory banks for sure!
We went to Linney/Ellie's birthday party. You mentioned her name to me prior to her celebration. You said, "I have something embarrassing to tell you. A girl said something to me over and over and over again." I asked what she said to you. Your head tucked down to your chest, "She said I was cute." I smiled and asked her name. Then I asked if she was your girlfriend. You said, "You know the answer to that!" I think it's funny that 5 year olds use the terminology of girlfriend and boyfriend. It's sweet. At Linney's birthday party, you danced to kids songs in the front room and played in the bounce house outside.
We also had a play date with Daniel and Jack. They brought over their pretty gecko. Tigger was very interested, but lifted his paw at the gecko. I think that's the most interest Tigger has shown in another animal in a very long time. He is, well gosh, next year, Tigger will be 20 years old! You love him so much. Tigger still annoys Daddy in the morning, by meowing so much, but it's getting better.
While you played with Daniel and Jack, we talked with Cassy about cub scouts. She was torn between enrolling Daniel with the cub scouts at his school versus enrolling with APAAS. She decided on APAAS, as a way to keep ya'll connected as friends. That's an awesome Mommy! Daniel was a little shy at first, so were you with the group. But this last lion den meeting, all the boys played musical chairs, but with exercise balls. You and Daniel were the last ones left in the game. I thought, "Oh, no, this isn't going to end well!' Daniel won and you sulked, for a few minutes. Then Daniel walked up to you, held out his hand and said, "Good game!" You smiled and all was well. Good sportsmanship! At each of the den meetings, you and your fellow scouts are earning belt loops. You get excited to receive them at the pack meeting.
It was adorable to see you selling popcorn for the cub scouts. We met up with other cub scouts at various locations. All the boys were shy, but got into it quickly and with such enthusiasm! "Do you want to buy some popcorn!" rang out loud and clear from sweet voices and smiling faces. Who could say no to such cuteness! There was one lady, Mrs. Lisa, who wanted the can of popcorn that you were holding. She made you feel very special. You ended up realizing that it's not a competition. It's a team effort. Already learning important life lessons. I love that you are involved with cub scouts. December is so crazy hectic with so much to do that Mommy, as one of the den leaders, is finding it difficult to attend the meetings this month. I'll make up for it in January. Right now, I want you to have as many wonderful Christmas moments as you can.
You and Daddy went camping, ummm sort of. Okay, so the first camping over night was with all packs, not just your pack number 252. Mommy stayed to help you and Daddy set up the tent and bring all the things inside the tent. But it got super crowded and it was a hot night. Mommy's blood pressure was too much for the heat outside and Mommy ended up leaving. You and Daddy did some of the activities. Your Daddy sent Mommy a text message that he was grateful our son (YOU) are so well behaved. He said totally strange boys from other packs ran into their tent, started going through their things, ate their food... Daddy ended up taking you to get something to eat at a nearby restaurant. You fell asleep no problem. Son, I think you can sleep through anything (except for nightmares about monsters under your bed). Daddy, on the other hand tried to sleep, but it was loud and the street lights flickered on and off. When Daddy put the CPAP mask on, other kids gathered around the tent and yelled out, "It's Darth Vader! Come see Darth Vader! Look, that boy's dad is Darth Vader!" Ya'll were back home by 11pm, which is exactly what I predicted would happen and why I was still awake when you came into the house.
Now, the day trip to Five Lakes Camp grounds was awesome! It was only for Pack 252. We didn't stay the night, because Mommy had to teach Sunday school the next morning. I'd like to do a night camp at Five Lakes. It's beautiful. There are five lakes, lots of open land, fishing, canoeing, beach area and a covered shelter for food prep and tables. You were brave enough to put your feet into the lake and walk around some of the marshy parts. Kids shared their frisbees and toys that fly. It was a lovely place. We would have stayed longer, but with teaching Sunday school, mommy needed a good night's sleep.
You and TJ are active with the Sunday school group. Sharing and God's love and we are all part of God's family have been the focus of a lot of the Sunday school lessons. We made pumpkin patch crafts, decorated a cross to look like stained-glass work and just recently made ornaments and talked about the Jesse tree. You don't know this just yet, but Father AJ mentioned you are close to the age of being a torch carrier during service. This is something I hope you want to do. I'm also hoping you can participate in the Christmas pageant again this year.
We went to St. Augustine's as a family to help unload pumpkins for the pumpkin patch. Daniel and his family were there as well. With a filled 18-wheeler, plenty of people in the community pitched in. It felt great to be part of the community. We mentioned it to the cub scouts and another cub scout was there to help out as well!
On to Rouses's Kids' Cooking Classes. You love the once a month class. At one cooking class, two ladies were sitting at a table. They had wine, mind you this was not part of the class! Daddy tried some of the wine and let you smell it. You said, "Yum! That smells like church!" We all laughed. I never would have put those two things together, but I understand.
For Halloween at the cooking class, you made a hot dog dressed as a mummy. You called it a Halloweenie! Chef Sally laughed. For Thanksgiving you made quiche, which was delicious by the way. For December, you had a blast decorating a ginger bread house, seeing Santa at the grocery store and decorating cookies. It's because of these classes that you are asking to help us in the kitchen. You and Daddy love to make scrambled eggs together! You often say, "Can I do that?" I love how eager you are to try things. You told us, "Maybe I'll be a Chef."
As for toys, you never outgrow play dough. You and TJ love to play with the various colors. One day Mommy made a rose for you, TJ and Oma. You watched as I made the rose. Then you made one for me! How cool to see you learn so quickly.
You love the circuit board that Uncle Rob and Tita Roda gave to you when you were 3. When you put it together, you don't want any help. It was cute to see Uncle Rob explaining the various parts to you. I learned some things as well.
I might have mentioned this in a previous post, I'm not sure. But you and TJ went ice skating at an indoor rink. It's not real ice though. It's synthetic ice. You both used assistance to help you skate. We couldn't get you to leave until you realized other young kids needed the assistance too.
Ice skating seemed to come naturally to you. Roller skating, not so much. We went to APAAS roller night to raise money to support the school. It was the first time for you on the roller rink. You fell so many times. Even with using the assistance you fell, because it had wheels too. You practiced in the smaller rink. You cried at first and said, "IF I Fall Down ONE More Time...." You got back up, fell again, got back up, fell again. It's hard to balance on wheels. You were determined and made friends with the assistance. I don't remember the name of the little girl in your class, but she came up to you and said, "Gregory, I can show you how to skate." You listened to her, watched and learned. When we said it was time to go, you didn't want to. I'm proud of you for not giving up. Daddy said the same thing.
Now, on to our Halloween scare. The night before Halloween, our evening was typical. We had supper, everyone had a bath, little bit of TV and everyone was in bed. Then I heard a weird gaging coughing sound coming from your bedroom. I raced over. You said that your throat hurt. I asked when it started. You said just now, because of something you ate. I knew it wasn't from supper, nothing was out of the norm, food wise, and it was hours ago. I asked if you put a toy in your mouth. No. I asked if it was candy or something from your room. No. You said, "You're going to be mad at me." You also said your throat and stomach hurt really bad. At this point, Daddy woke up and came in to find out what was going on.
We walked into the kitchen to see what you ate. You said, "Don't get mad" and pointed to the Tide pods. I was terrified at this point, "YOU ATE THAT!" You started to cry. There was no way you would talk from that point forward. Daddy tried to get you to vomit. I read the back of the Tide pod container and it said not to vomit, so he stopped making you drink water with mustard. I called the Poison Control. They said to bring you to the ER.
At the ER, I was frantic, "My Son ate a Tide Pod!" They took your vitals, which showed normal. They called the same number I did for poison control. At this point, I was calmer and you were calmer. And you explained better what happened. You snuck a pod into your bed before bath time and covered it with a toy. We had talked about the pods in the past and you knew not to play with them.
But you liked how squishy they felt. You played with the Tide pods until it started to leak out onto your fingers. Just as a child typically does when candy melts on the fingers, you licked your fingers.... While the ER nurse was on the phone with the Poison Control, they relayed your story and said to keep you under observation until 11pm. We stayed there. You eventually fell asleep. As long as your didn't throw up or have diarrhea, they would release you, which thankfully we were able to take you home.
It was a horrible, scary night, sweet boy. I know you didn't mean to bring us such fear, but you scared the life out of us. We have had many conversations about the Tide Pod before this and after this. But it wasn't until you spilled something in Daddy's car and we used liquid Tide in the bathtub to clean the material that you said, "Oh, now I see what's in the Tide pod. It's really soap. Yuck." We explained this many times, but you needed to see it.
Fortunately, we have good memories of Halloween too. Mommy and Oma brought you and TJ to MANY Halloween Trunk or Treats this year. We also went to St. Augustine's Pumpkin Patch movie night and watched the Charlie Brown show. And we did the mall, Trick or Treating. It was fun to go to the various shops and see their decorations and costumes. You and TJ were invited to Nathan's Halloween party! After Fall Festival at your school, which you said was great, you stayed to help clean up as a service project for the Scouts. We went to the Harvest event at St. Matthew's where you and TJ could touch the farm animals. You both had fun making fall crafts. Heather's Pumpkin Patch was another great event. You and TJ went there TWICE this year - once for the strawberry fields and now for the pumpkin patch. I'm sure there is more that I'm not mentioning here. You loved the atmosphere of doing things and I love creating the memories for you.
You and TJ went to a number of birthday parties, where you schoolmates and friends extended their invitation to include TJ. This happened early in the summer, during the school year and another invitation was given to TJ by a neighbor on our street. Virginia turned 4; she is so sweet and friendly. We are sad her family is moving, but they promise to send us an invitation to their water front home when they are settled in!
Louisiana is a fickle state. For the majority of the fall events you and TJ are in shorts. (Even Halloween night was a touch on the warm side.) Louisiana has mostly evergreen trees. This year, though, we were able to see Fall Colors! You, sweet boy, are a leafer, just like Mommy and Daddy! You love to see the pretty fall colors and collect the leaves. We were able to see the pretty changing hues of golden yellow to bright red by driving to Georgia. As we drove in, we sang Christmas songs in the car. Daddy asked you, "Gregory, if there were two rooms and you had to choose only one room, one was filled with toys and one was filled with love, which room would you choose?" I held my breath. You said, without a second thought, "The room with love." We were so incredibly happy. It's not an easy question for a 5 year old to answer, but you sure picked the best response! We love you!
You made the ride a happy one and made the leaves all the prettier. Honestly, I thought the leaves would all be gone by late November, for Thanksgiving. What a delightful surprise to enjoy the colors as we drove in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with Uncle Rob and Tita Roda, TJ, Oma and Opa and Uncle Rene. Uncle Rob and Tita Roda bought their new house on October 5th. TJ was seeing his house for the first time, the night before Thanksgiving when Oma and Opa brought him home. The two of you had a great time playing with his toys and seeing his house and running in his backyard. Though Daddy did tell you both to come inside when he saw a snake hole in a stack of leaves!
Rob and Roda's house is lovely with rooms that have walls of windows, a huge back yard, plenty of space to play inside and a very welcoming atmosphere. Their house was decorated for Thanksgiving and they had a delicious spread of food. Oma and Opa stayed with Rob, Roda and TJ, while we stayed the night at Uncle Rene's house. It was cute to see the guys watching cartoons with you, especially when you snuggled against Uncle Rene. You even helped Uncle Rene with his Charlie Brown Christmas tree. As he said, "It might be a small tree, but it has a lot of spirit!" God bless us, everyone!
As we drove home you said, "I'm going to miss TJ. He has been at Oma and Opa's house since July." I corrected you, "No, TJ lived with Oma and Opa since April until now." But surprise! TJ came home with Oma and Opa after Thanksgiving. You have seen his house, so you know that he has a room and bed for when he goes back home right before Christmas. In the meantime, you enjoy visiting, playing games, going to the library for crafts and so much more. TJ is still attending your old school, St. Augustine's. I'm sure he will sing Christmas songs, like you did, for his Christmas party at school. That should be adorable! In January, TJ will be attending a school in Georgia.
You and TJ took pictures with Santa. I was proud of TJ for not crying, not even looking scared. I asked you what you asked Santa for. You said, "I told him to surprise me. He said he is good at surprises!" Oh boy, let's hope you like Santa's surprise.
Our house is decked out in Christmas. You helped Daddy hang the poinsettia garland over door frames. Then you and I made a peppermint colored garland out of construction paper. When the tree was ready, you jumped up and down when you saw the ornaments from previous years you made. Your excitement was contagious. I handed the ornaments to you and you decorated the tree. We only had one ornament casualty. When the ornament broke, you started to cry. You thought I would get upset. I hugged you and said it was okay. I figured there would be more than one that broken, but you were super careful.
Typically there are many ornaments kept in boxes instead of going on the tree. I usually alternate the ornaments. But you would have none of that! Everyone of them must adorn the tree. And so it was..... I'm amazed the tree is still standing and not falling from the weight of the decorations. It's pretty cool though!
You mentioned to Daddy, "Our house looks sad without lights outside." Daddy went up into the attic and found three outside spiral Christmas trees and up they went... "To make my family happy" Daddy explained. How sweet is that! It makes me happy to see the lights. You too. It helped that Daddy picked a cool day to put up the outside lights. It felt like Christmas.
This month we were invited to Carsen's birthday party. The last time you saw Carsen was at summer camp. You were thrilled to visit with him again. Carsen's birthday party was at a bowling center. Fortunately, a few months earlier, you were invited to Gavin's birthday party, which was your first time at a bowling center. We learned about the assist at the bowling lanes and saw that the kids don't get gutter balls (like Mommy is famous for, hopefully you learn to bowl like Daddy - he's good at it!). With the experience at Gavin's party, you were comfortable at Carsen's party and got it into, including watching the score board. I'm thankful Carsen's family invited you and I sure hope you get to see Carsen again soon.
Will you make a Christmas card for Maw Maw this year? I hope so. Your great-grandmother is going through a lot right now. She is 93 years old and was in the hospital for a while. I was first told that she had a stroke, but now it seems the doctors can't be sure. Surgery is definitely not an option. The good news is that your great-grandmother has 75 percent mobility, which is incredible for someone her age. She's beautifully stubborn and strong in spirit. She has lived all this time alone in her home.
The only way the hospital released her to go home, is with in-care nursing assistance. Maw Maw is very independent, but if she wants to keep that independence, she'll need to accept some help. Opa has told her this and she is agreeable to it. I understand family members think it easier to put her in a home.... Opa saw how a nursing home was for Nana (Oma's mommy). Opa insisted that his mother-in-law live with them, that's love. Maw Maw wants to live in her house and I totally understand that. With help, she might be able to continue doing that for years. Oma told Opa, "If there comes a time, the toy room could be changed into a bedroom for your mom." That's love.
Changes aren't always easy, sweet boy. Decisions are difficult to make, but I learned something from Maw Maw a long time ago. She told me that every morning she woke up and said a pray, thanking God for this new day. Then she prayed for each of her children, their spouses, their children and grandchildren, great grandchildren and now, great-great grandchildren. Pray through things in life is powerful, for both the ups and down.
In the meantime, love your childhood! We are creating fun, cool, happy memories for you as we can and filling up a heart filled with love. No room could contain the love we have for you!
I don't know if I'll post another message before Christmas. So I'll say it now, Merry Christmas! You told me last week something bad happened in your classroom. A little girl said the elf was a fake. You said you believed in Christmas. We talked about having faith and no matter what anyone else said, you believe in your heart. Others can think and say what they want, but the spirit of love, giving, the gift of Jesus, the message of Christmas - it's all very real. Believe in smiles that the elf brings you and the magic of reindeers and Santa. We read a book called "God Gave Us Christmas." It was a perfect message to help you understand how much love God has for us and all He created.
Merry Christmas!
Love Always,
Mommy
Comments