September 17: Noodle Necklace

Today's plan was simple:  a noodle necklace.  I think it's a rite of passage for a child to make a noodle necklace, isn't it?

I purchased a box of Ronzoni Garden Delight Penne Rigate, which means it had colorful noodles.  It actually worked out well because Ty created a pattern in his necklace so we talked about patterns a little.  Someday, in a real pinch, we can use these noodles to practice sorting (colors) or we can use them to make pictures and designs by gluing them on paper. 

To begin our noodle necklace, I cut the yarn long enough to fit over Ty's neck and then tied a bunch of knots on top of each other on one end.  Then I taped the other end of the yarn onto a toothpick (these have rounded ends so they're not very sharp).  That made the perfect tool for Ty to thread the noodles himself.  When he finished, I simply tied the two ends together, snipped the excess yarn and toothpick "needle" and let him put it on.  The project didn't take long, and he actually won't even wear it because the yarn is too tickly on his neck, but it was time well-spent. 

 

P.S.  Koen liked the look of Ty's noodle necklace, so he made one the next morning.  He also refuses to wear it because it's too tickly on his neck.  I guess we'll have to get different yarn/string if we're going to wear some of these projects.

September 16: Grandpa & Grandma Time

We didn't need to go anywhere for today to be a special day...Grandpa and Grandma Davies were here visiting and available to play for most of the day.  Of course the favorite activity was to play trains with them, but there were also towers and train sheds built with blocks, chases around the house, books read, and tickles swapped.  For supper, we did venture out to Monterrey Grill in Caledonia (which was possibly more special for Mommy and Daddy since we don't go out much).  The boys enjoyed the tub of toys they keep there for the younger restaurant patrons.  All in all, a special day!

September 13, 14, and 15

So since school has begun for Koen, I've had a little trouble sticking to the planned schedule.  My plan was to make applesauce with Tysen on Monday...but the only thing I did was pull out some apples.  We did make it to the library on Tuesday, but couldn't stay long since Brielle needed to eat.  But I guess Ty did get to play a game today since Grandma Davies took him out in the backyard and played soccer with him!  We're learning as we go here, and one of these days we'll get it figured out!

September 10: Revised Schedule & Crayon Rubbings

With Koen starting school and knowing his interests, I figured we needed to switch around this flexible schedule a bit.  Starting today the new line-up is...

• Monday - Baking Day
• Tuesday - Bible Study and Library Day
• Wednesday - Game Day
• Thursday - Special Day
• Friday - Project Day
• Saturday - ???
• Sunday - Church Day

When I talked to Koen about the change I was SHOCKED at his response:  "When will I get to do projects and crafts?"  (Project Day is now Friday -- a school day for him)  The reason I started calling it project day in the first place was that he didn't like anything resembling a craft, but if I called it a project he seemed  somewhat interested in it.  I explained that he would have plenty of projects and crafts during school, but he still made me promise that we could do some projects on Saturday for him.  Wow.

Look how fast his hand is moving!  A blur!

So today was project day!  I found a bunch of random things around the house (penny, paperclip, placemat, wallet case, nail file, bottom of a sandal, etc.) and then unwrapped a crayon.  Yep!  Good ol' crayon rubbings!  Ty LOVED it!  I took the advice from one of the idea books I have and put some tape rolled up on the table and then stuck things to the tape for Ty to color over.  The penny was his favorite, but it also had one of the most distinct rubbings.  We spent probably 20 minutes or so working on this, but then a few hours later Ty came to me with the tape roll and asked for more tape.  When I asked him to show me why he needed it, he was setting up to do more crayon rubbings with the same materials I had used with him.  Too cute!  So round two began...

And just a highlight in Brielle's life, she's starting to sit up by herself now!  Today she sat up for 20+ minutes!  I can't believe how she's growing up!

Something exciting!

September 9: Going to Grandma's

We started our day visiting the consignment shop, LOLLiPOSH, on the north side of town.  Basically, a friend of a friend had just gained ownership, and it was the grand opening!  Mary DeBoer had told me about this place a while back because they have such cute hair headbands, etc. for little girls, in fact, Brielle has worn them in a few of her pictures.  So off we went to meet Mary and her kids.

After that, we trucked out to Holland to spend the day with Mom (and Dad when he was finished with school).  For the past four (?) summers, we've frozen corn together and today was the day.  Dad had kindly husked most of the ears before I arrived.  Mom and I spent a few hours working together and froze about 5 gallons of corn (bagged).  It's always wonderful to have "fresh" corn in the middle of winter!

It was a gorgeous day so we did some of the work outside.  Sage was outside the entire time we were there...astounding!  Tysen followed us out and spent most of the afternoon entertaining himself out there.  I also laid Brielle on a blanket when we were out there and she LOVED it!  She cried each time we brought her inside and stopped crying when she got back outside!  Koen was content to stay inside and play trains, though we did get him outside a few times.

Once the corn was cooling, Koen and I went on a mission to find gym shoes that would work for him.  I've tried a few pairs but none were OK with him.  I thought if he had a say in picking them out, it might make a difference.  Wouldn't you know, the first pair he saw he tried on and liked.  Of course, they were Toy Story shoes which are WAY cooler than the clearance shoes I'd found.  He was not happy about putting them on to show Grandma and Grandpa, so we'll see how it goes at school next week. 

Seth had a golf tournament in Ludington, MI, early Friday morning, so he and the team went up north after school Thursday.  Since he wasn't going to be home, the kids and I stayed for supper.  The kids had baths -- the boys thought it was hilarious that Brielle's bath was in the kitchen sink, got jammies on, played for a bit more, and then home again.  A great day! 

September 8: First Day of School & Creative Play

It was Koen's first official day of Kindergarten!  It took him 30 minutes to roll out of bed this morning, moaning and groaning about how tired he was.  He finally got up and we were out the door on time!  (A relief on my part!)  Once we got to school we went to the playground area where he's supposed to go in the morning, he put his backpack down and almost ran off without saying goodbye!  I had to ask for my kiss, but I imagine it won't be the last time that'll happen. 

It was odd to not have Koen home.  Tysen asked, "Where's mine brother Koen?" three or four times throughout the day...I think he really missed Koen, too! 

Koen was still smiling at the end of the day when we went to pick him up from school.  He told me about his first day (prompted by my many, many questions):  story time, snacks, lunch, other kids, Mrs. VanSledright's pet owl, playing outside FOUR times, and so on.  Part of me really wants to be there to get the full scoop of what's going on.  When he was in preschool and I had to take him into school and walk in to pick him up from school it was easy to stay in-the-know, but already I'm feeling more out of the loop.  We're supposed to bring them to the playground in the morning and pick them up in front of school in the afternoon.  Of course, his teacher invited us to stop by the room either time, but often there won't be a reason to do so (besides sheer curiosity).  I'm sure many of you are laughing to yourself about that...I'm aware that as he gets older I'll know less and less about his school day.  It'll all work itself out. 

While Koen was at school, Ty, Brielle, and I hung out at home.  Tysen and I pulled out his sticker book (mentioned in a previous blog entry), and I was surprised at how good he was at knowing where the stickers were supposed to go.  He thought he was so funny pretending to put the stickers in the wrong spots, and he cracked up when I made a buzzer sound when he was wrong.  He also spent some time hanging out in the garage playing and riding the scooter and his bike.  Dirty, but fun!  It was great to keep him in the garage, first of all because I could easily keep tabs on him, but also because it was incredibly windy today!

September 7: Kindergarten Drop-In Day

After dropping off Tysen and Brielle at a friend's house, Koen and I went to kindergarten for the morning!  We had a checklist of things to do, like find his mailbox, find his locker, find the classroom library and read a book, etc.  He met a few more classmates, and I got to meet some of the other parents.  While he's been resisting the beginning of kindergarten, he asked me if we'd be coming back tomorrow as we were leaving today...a good sign!  And we were one of the last ones to leave.  I know he'll do great, especially once he's comfortable with the people, the place, and the routines.  Now I just hope I do great letting him go for a full day. :)  Here's Koen with his teacher, Mrs. VanSledright:

September 6: Games Galore!

Our Monday-Game-Day tradition continued!  We started with a few puzzles and then played Thomas the Tank Engine Tic-Tac-Toe.  Gone are the days of pencil and paper tic-tac-toe now that we own the game board with cards of Thomas, James, Percy, and Mavis that fit into slots.  Koen was so focused on blocking my Thomas cards that he forgot the whole point of the game...to get three in a row!  He was getting so frustrated that I kept winning, so he finally let me help him by talking through where it would make sense to put his card.  When Ty got to play, he just yelled, "I blocked you!" after every card he placed regardless of where the other cards were.  He may have learned that from his older brother... :)

The boys were excited to have time to play a Thomas game on the computer, too.  Now, "playing games" on the website mostly means watching video clips and songs, but they do play some of the games on the site.  I'd rather they play web games like "Word World" or even "Curious George" from PBS kids because they have some educational ties, but I suppose it's good to play just for the fun of playing, too. 

Brielle also got in on the game-day theme.  We replaced some batteries and cleaned up a toy for Brielle, one both the boys had played with, too.  It'll be great for her to practice her sitting and balance as well.  Today she sat by herself for 5+ minutes while pushing the buttons and watching her brothers "teach" her how to play with her new toy (but then she fell over twice within 30 seconds after that).  I can't believe how she's growing up!  She's at such a fun age..her smiles and giggles brighten my day!    

September 4: "Real" Lemonade

We enjoy drinking lemonade at our house, but I know that the low calorie powdered mixes we use are not particularly healthy with all the fake ingredients.  I decided that we should try making lemonade from scratch so we could enjoy this drink in a healthier fashion. 

Both boys tried to help make the "real lemomade" (that's what Koen calls it).  I don't think either Koen or Tysen had tasted a lemon before so I wanted them to experience that.  Koen tried it, winced and then continued to lick more throughout the process.  Ty smelled it, but would not lick it.  Maybe next time! :) 

It was difficult to squeeze the lemons, though, so they both gave up on that pretty quickly.  In fact, Ty got bored with the whole process and ran off to play, but Koen helped out til the end.  We had to squeeze them by hand since we don't own any kind of hand juicer.  We squeezed seven small lemons to get our one cup of juice...though we may not have needed that many if we had an efficient juicer!?!  Anyway, the boys were so excited about mixing it all together.  Koen loved the end result, and while Ty sipped his, I found his unfinished portion later so I don't think he enjoyed it as much.  We shared tastes of it with Daddy, Grandpa Smits, Grandma Smits, Aunt Lori, and my Aunt Linda who were over to celebrate my mom's birthday.  They all gave us the thumbs up so I would dare say we'll be making this again.  Unfortunately, it didn't make very much, so maybe we'll have to invest in a hand juicer and larger lemons.

Koen adds the sugar...his favorite ingredient!

For your enjoyment (courtesy of Food.com -- formerly Recipezaar.com)
4 cups cold water
ice cubes
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup lemon juice

Squeeze lemons into a bowl to measure one cup (we strained the seeds out).  Mix lemon juice with cold water and ice cubes in a pitcher.  Add in sugar and mix til dissolved.  Enjoy!

September 2: Bounce Party!

Another field trip with friends from church!  This outing was to Bounce Party which is conveniently five minutes from our house!  We've driven past it many, many times but this is the first time we stopped to play.  We went during an open-to-the-public session, but it wasn't very busy and the kids loved running around and playing in the inflatable toys.  It took Ty a while to get used to the feeling of walking on the blow-up runways, etc. but by the end he was extremely comfortable and having a blast!  This will be an excellent place to go during the winter months when we need to burn some energy!  Another perk is that adults can play, too!  I had fun jumping on the "trampoline" with Ty and some of the other kids.

Since we were a little late, we were only able to play about an hour even though the open play time was an 90 minutes.  Can you believe of the four moms who were able to meet at Bounce Party that not one of us remembered a camera???  It was disappointing, but it gives us a great reason to go back!

September 1: Visiting Kindergarten

The first opportunity to visit the brand new Grand Rapids Christian Elementary School was during a one hour window when students could meet their teachers!  The beautiful new building was packed with families (a bit overwhelming) on a hot and humid afternoon.  We honestly didn't look around much due to the large number of people; there will be other opportunities in the future to explore more.

We located Koen's kindergarten classroom and his teacher, Mrs. VanSledright.  He proudly handed her the cut out of himself he made (see a previous blog entry).  She asked Koen to find his name on the tables and told him he could keep the book setting on the table at his spot!  She knows the way to Koen's heart...he was thrilled!  She also took his picture.  I realized that Koen might be growing up a little bit as he stood there, smiled, and was happy to let his teacher take his picture.  We explored the classroom for a while before heading out.  It'll be an adjustment for Koen to stay in one room all day.  In preschool, they had five rooms for the two classes to share, each room with a different theme and set of toys.  It looked like his classroom was connected to the other kindergarten classrooms, so maybe they will share the rooms.  I'm sure we'll find out more at the parent meeting. 

On the way out to the car, we needed to stop by the media center.  I think this will be one of Koen's favorite places no matter which school building he's in.  He began wandering around the stacks looking at books, but then we ran into friends from church and he was eager to talk with them. 

As we get closer to the actual start date of school, I have mixed emotions.  I think school will be really good for Koen -- both academically and socially, but going all day, having to pack a lunch, etc. just makes him seem so grown up already.  I'll miss having him around all the time, though I am glad to have the time with Ty and Brielle.