Tyler was obsessed with Switch and Go dinosaurs before this birthday (and still loves them), but this is definitely the year of Pokemon for him. He spent all of his birthday money on Pokemon cards, and reads his Pokemon books (one gifted to him by my sister and one purchased at the book fair) nightly. I am actually good with him having the books since I hope it encourages reading (my philosophy is that the topic doesn't matter as much as the inclination to read for fun), but the cards are crazy. He memorizes each card and all of the characteristics and loves to talk about his Pokemon cards and what he can trade them for and what they can do, and why he won't trade that particular one (beware)! Katie is reminding me daily what it was like to be a little girl. I feel like she is hitting these stages sooner than me, but it is all definitely familiar. She loves her password journal that writes in invisible ink, she struggles with deep down really enjoying outdoor, active toys more than dolls and "girl" things, and she is a big fan of bling, and sparkles and anything fashion oriented. She is the girliest tomboy ever and kind of stuck between the two right now. Only time will tell which way she will go - I hope she doesn't have to choose!
The kids are looking like such big kids to me these days! What's crazy is that they actually ARE big kids. First grade is no joke! We've realized that the kids are both doing really great learning to read and as importantly, to be good students in the classroom. Unfortunately, I have also recognized that Katie has picked up my complete ineptness with math (Lance is going to try to help her "get" it because I am not getting through) and that Tyler really has a very hard time sitting still and concentrating to do his work to the best of his ability. We both want to try to avoid the likely ADHD diagnosis and subsequent medication recommendations likely to come for him, though - so we are hoping that we can keep him active enough (even at the expense of doing homework perfectly) to offset the time he spends regimented in the classroom. I spoke with his teacher and she had a conversation with him, and since then things have seemed a lot better. Fingers crossed that he is back on track with liking school. He still definitely struggles with friends and fitting in (or rather has a harder time than Katie - my only comparison), but he doesn't seem to dread going to school each day anymore - great news!
Hard to believe but Fall Break is almost here! We are going to the beach for a couple of days instead of paying exorbitant daily childcare fees for the week, and I am really looking forward to a break, even if it does seem very close to the start of school! The weekend before we leave should be really fun, too. Tyler has a baseball game (he seems to really enjoy baseball - much more than soccer) and he does great at practice (he is more distracted at games but likes those the best for the icee he gets as snack afterwards), and then they will both go to Disney on Ice - Frozen. That is still their favorite movie, and I think they are the perfect age to really appreciate the show. We need to fit in Boy Scouts Jamboree that weekend, too - probably Sunday and then will leave mid-week for the break. Hopefully I can find more time to update in the weeks ahead. Especially since we are entering Fall in Nashville, my absolute favorite season here! I just love all of the Festivals, and the weather, and football, and most of all getting to spend some really fun time with the kids.
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