Gavin and school

I have been meaning to update this blog for weeks, but life has gotten so busy! Gavin started prekindergarten last week, which has been a bit of a roller coaster. It's been a huge adjustment for all of us as we learn our new routine. Gavin has been home with me full-time for the past two years, so going to school all day is huge. We've had some very emotional mornings, followed by some happy afternoons. The first day was the toughest for me. I had a very hard time keeping it together and not bawling my eyes out right in his classroom. But, now that we are almost done with week 2, I can see that it was the right decision to send him to school. He is making friends and staying active. We have been walking to and from school when it hasn't been raining. It's so nice to have that time before and after school to talk. He is a very funny kid. He wants to start bringing a garbage bag so we can pick up litter. In his words, "It is not nice to throw garbage on the ground." Al Gore better watch out; we have a little environmentalist in the making! 

Gavin's teacher's name is Miss Gerwin. It's so cute to hear him talk about what she tells him. Last week, he came home and said, "Eyes on me (points to his eyes), mouth closed (points to his mouth), body still (folds his arms across his chest)." I think it's great that he is learning to listen to other adults and how to navigate a social environment. His class has 15 kids in total, which seems to be a good number. All the kids seem really nice, though Gavin knows none of their names. I told him he should make a point of learning names next week!

Gavin really enjoys having a lunch box. The lunch box is quite a big deal! We talk about what we are going to pack in it and he comes up with ideas. I'm actually impressed because he asked for carrot sticks one day and apple slices another. I'm trying to come up with some new ideas outside of the pb&j. 

Olivia seems to miss him during the day, but enjoys having all the toys to herself. We have lots of time to snuggle and read books in the morning before her nap. I've been using her nap time to get some exercise and get things done around the house. When we pick Gavin up from school, Liv is always excited. She smiles and giggles at him. He always gives her a hug and tells her that he missed her. It is ridiculously cute.

So that is what life is like now that we have a little school kid. It's busy, but exciting. I miss him during the early part of the day, but it's so nice to have really quality time to just relax in the afternoons. I'm glad that I'm not working so I can pick him up at 2pm and know that I don't have anything else to do. It's great to see him become independent and hear all about the trials and tribulations of being 4! Here are a few of his school pictures.

He's got the essentials- a blanket and stuffed giraffe!

Trying to be brave and not cry on the first day.

Gavin Rocks Out His 4th Birthday!

Gavin turned 4 last week! He had such a great day and was spoiled with tons of fun gifts! We picked him up from school and took him to Toys R Us to pick out his first bike. He chose this bright orange one and then picked out a Lightening McQueen helmet & bell. He's doing great with pedaling and learning how to brake. It's incredible to see how big he's getting. His look of pride is priceless as he yells out, "Ohhh, I'm getting the hang of it now!"

Gavin has many interests at this age. He loves dinosaurs and superheroes. He likes to paint and color. But, what seems to be a growing passion is his love of music. My parents and sisters got him a drum set and a guitar for his birthday. He has been entertaining us with his "jams." Yes, he calls them jams! Here is a video I put together which shows him rocking out and riding his new bike.

Oh, and p.s. - I will try to remember to take video horizontally with my iphone from now on so I don't end up with these skinny, vertical clips. Sorry about that...

Catching up with Olivia

It's been a while since we chatted about Olivia. Liv is now 14 months old and becoming such a big girl! Over the last two months, she has started walking and talking! The walking was sort of a funny thing. She could do it right after she turned one year old, but was very hesitant. She would take a couple of steps and then immediately resume crawling. This went on for about a month. At 13 months, she started to go for it. Now, she's all over the place! We laugh because she has a drunken Charlie Chaplin style of walk- very much a toddler. I've included a video for your viewing pleasure.

Around the same time that she started walking, Livie started to talk! It completely took me by surprise one night when she handed me her plate after dinner and said, "all done!" It was so awesome! Then, about a week later, Adam was out playing basketball with Gavin and he was dribbling the ball with Liv. She bounced it a few times and said, "I did it!" Since then, she's said lots of other words, including keys, baby, hi, and bye bye. She loves to say, "I got it!" After I wipe her runny nose, she says, "That's better." It's just so crazy to me! Gavin didn't start talking until much, much later. I'm not sure if it's the girl thing or the sibling thing. Probably a bit of both. 

Anyhow, that's what's new with our little gal. She is such a sweet girl. She's feisty and a bit of a diva. But, her baseline is just pure happiness. She gives us hugs, high fives, and perfect smiles. Here are a few pictures of Liv from the last couple of months.