Soccer

We decided to let Josh give soccer a try this fall and signed him up for the 3 years and younger Fireflies program through the Arkansas Soccer Club.  In this program, one parent is on the field with the child and they focus on playing fun games to teach skills.  Some of the games included running out and picking up as many jerseys as possible.  They would also run out and kick over cones and then have to put them back up.  In addition, there was learning how to "tick tock" the ball, kicking into the goal off the tee and running an obstacle course.  The program was six weeks long and the first two weeks, Josh got off to a slow start, playing his shy routine.  I missed the third week and by the fourth week, he was a whole new player.  It was amazing to see how far Josh came over the six weeks.  Josh has great coordination and is really good at running and kicking the ball at the same time.  He also loves to score a goal!  At the last lesson, Brad had two separate coaches ask how old he was and say that they would really like to see him in the Little Kickers (3-4 year old program) in the spring.  One coach told Brad what a great job he was doing.  Best of all, Josh really enjoyed playing and is looking forward to the spring.   

Bo Brooks Visit

On October 11th, Emma got to go on her first field trip at ECS to the pumpkin patch.  I am not sure if she was more excited about visiting the pumpkin patch or riding the school bus.  I made sure to get out the patch in time to see her get off the bus.  It was definitely a highlight for most of the kids.

There are three preK-4 classes and fortunately we were the only school group out there that morning.  They kept us divided by class so it wasn't too crazy.  Emma's class got to go on the hay ride first.  We saw scarecrows, ghost, witches, Santa Claus (yes, that's right, Santa Claus). 

After the hay ride, it was time to play in the hay maze and corn pit.

Next it was our turn to go out and find a pumpkin.  The owner tried to give us a lesson on making pumpkin pies using real pumpkin but despite his efforts, my pumpkin will continue to come out of a can.

Once the pumpkins had been picked and Mrs. Hill took them on a little tour of the patch explaining how the pumpkin grows, we got to go see the animals.

Mrs. Hill's PreK-4 Class 2012-2013
Row 1 (L to R): Noah, Kai, Emory; Row 2 (L to R): Mrs. Towe, Tate, Juliana, Blake, Gwen, Mrs. Hill; Row 3 (L to R): William, Lainey, Heidi, Cameron, Gwen, Anna; Row 4: Caanan, Emma

Finally, it was time for a snack and back on the bus.  We had a great morning and it was fun getting to see Emma with her new friends.

Spirit Week

It took maybe six weeks of school before Emma got bored with her uniform.  They are and I quote "boring."  I reminded her that everybody wears the same thing and she responded that they're all "boring."  Thankfully, Spirit Week gave her a little break at the beginning of October.  Monday was dress as a food day; Tuesday was dress in a holiday clothing day; Wednesday was wear pink day; Thursday was hula day and Friday was spirit day  We only got photos from Day 1 where Emma was a strawberry.  I think all the spots that I painstakingly cut out and applied front and back lasted about 30 minutes if that.  I tried!

Wordless Wednesday - Caravan

Progress Reports

In September, Josh received his first progress report in the junior class.  As it turns out, the boy has been holding out on us and his sophomore teachers all along.  The same day he received his progress report, Brad was talking to the daycare director when Josh's friend Barrett's Mom came in and made a big deal about how well Josh had written his name that morning.  She then turned to Brad and said something about how we probably already knew that.  Uh, actually we didn't know that; guess he knows when he needs to perform.  The best part of the progress report was the comment from Mrs. Shannon that Josh is "thoughtful, creative and assertive with something to say about everything." 

The same week was parent/teacher conferences at Episcopal.  Emma received a glowing report and it sounds like she has pretty well mastered preK-4.  They are going to work with her more on reading and she is very motivated about learning to read.  Her teacher, Mrs. Hill, told Brad that if she was out for a day that she had no doubt Emma could lead the class since if something is missed in the daily routine, Emma is always quick to point it out.  She also said that Emma plays with and gets along with everybody and is a great help to her friends if they need a little help with the work.

We are definitely proud of how both Emma and Josh are doing in their classes! 

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Last night I tried to ask Josh about his day at school, which usually goes something like this:

Mommy: What did you do today?
Josh: I don't know.
Mommy: What did you have for lunch today?
Josh: I don't know.

Usually if I ask if somebody got into trouble, that sparks some memories.  As expected, I heard about his little buddy Barret having sticks on the playground.  Then Josh told me how his friend Anna Beth pushed him.  He then proceeded to say that "we don't kiss people."  I at first thought he said "push" instead of "kiss" since that is what we were talking about.  Once it sunk in, the remaining conversation went like this:

Mommy: Who was kissing?
Josh: Ross
Mommy: Who was Ross kissing?
Josh: Ross was telling me to kiss somebody.
Mommy: Who did Ross want you to kiss?
Josh: Anna Beth
Mommy: Is that why she pushed you?
Josh: Yes!

I say good for Anna Beth for pushing Josh away and I think he learned a valuable lesson about not trying to kiss the girls.  Hopefully he also learned not to listen to Ross.  First he turned Josh into a Razorback fan and now he is trying to get Josh to kiss the girls.

Funland

We made what is becoming our annual pilgrimage to Funland even though it is maybe only 15 minutes from our house. Josh and I had actually been there the previous weekend for a birthday party and while he rode many of the rides, they were not nearly as enjoyable without Sissy there. Needless to say, the trip with Emma in tow was much more fun. Even though Josh didn't need Emma to go on every ride with him, it was somehow better just having her nearby. I just love how the two of them want to be together!
 

So Happy Together!