Back to School!

Age: 6 years old

School: Redland Oaks Elementary School  

Teacher: Mrs. Snyder (Mrs. Foerster was his teacher for the first few weeks until the school added another 1st grade teacher and Finn was one of the students to move classes)
 

Favorite Foods: spaghetti, "China noodles", salad, carrots with ketchup, popcorn, root beer 

Favorite Toys: Ninjago legos

Favorite Things to Do: swim, ride his bike, draw/paint/craft, cook (he says he wants to open a "chef house", swing, trampoline, watching movies, playing with his friends in the neighborhood (Cole, Wade, Brock and Anthony), helping dad with campfires and fireworks.

Favorite Color: Blue and orange

Favorite Places: Great Wolf Lodge, Chuck E Cheese, House of Air Trampoline Park 

Talents: Finn is continually improving at his ninja classes and can swing across the bars forward and backward super fast.  He is a climber and has climbed onto our tree and then onto our roof several times.  He is an artist and has had his art chosen to be featured at a special school event. He continues to improve in school and is especially great at math and telling time. He is really good at following instructions to build his lego creations. He is good about cleaning up after himself and asking to be "excused" from the dinner table.

Loves: cuddling with mommy before bed, his stuffed dog "Huckleberry" from when he was a baby, saying the prayer

 They were both excited about their new school shoes. T-Rex Converse for Fox and furry monsters for Sweden.

Age: 4 years old

School: Thousand Oaks Bible Church (two days a week)

Teacher: Ms. Jennifer

Favorite Foods: banana with pb, "china noodles," avocado, root beer 

Favorite Toys: Ninjago legos, dinosaurs, How to Train Your Dragon figurines

Favorite Things to Do:  coloring Ninjago pictures (he asks to print a picture almost daily and has cut them out and taped them to his bedroom walls), watching movies, wrestling with Finn, sandbox, building forts, playing with Sweden and riding his bike with his friends in the neighborhood (Elodie, Wade, Brock, Anthony and Cole)

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Places: Great Wolf Lodge, Chuck E Cheese, Orange Leaf

Talents: Fox has improved significantly at his hand eye coordination and is coloring better in the lines and writing his name, he can name all the dinosaurs, he creates magnificent lego creations, he is really good at making messes and not wanting to clean them up! He has a BIG heart and is good at sharing and making others happy.

Loves: cuddling with mommy and having her tell him stories, his dinosaur night light since he is scared of the dark, saying the prayer

 

Age: 2 years old

School: Thousand Oaks Bible Church (two days a week)

Teacher: Ms. April and Ms. Armeca

Favorite Foods: pickles, avocado, apples, popsicles, fruit snacks

Favorite Toys: baby dolls, stuffed animals, Peppa Pig figurines, farm animals

Favorite Things to Do:  play with Fox, play with mommy's makeup, have mommy paint her nails (and then she bites them off almost immediately after!), read books (one after the other, she begs to read), puzzles

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Places: Chuck E Cheese, Church (she loves getting dressed up and going to nursery), school (last year she only went as a drop-in and so when she wouldn't go, she would beg to go)

Talents: Sweden is very helpful and is the best at cleaning up the toys and helping mommy cook in the kitchen, she is so cuddly and loves to sit on your lap and give hugs and kisses, she is good at sharing and playing with others,

Loves: Sweden loves to sing as she plays and especially loves "Wheels on the bus," "Old MacDonald," "Twinkle Twinkle," and "I am a Child of God." She loves her back or arm scratched when she is going to sleep.

First Day of School 2018

 

After an incredibly busy Summer, we welcomed the new school year with open arms. I was ready for some quiet and time to get things done, while the the boys were ready for more structure and learning (according to me).
Finn started kindergarten. Wait, what? How did that happen so fast? When I visited the school for a parents meeting, I found myself teary eyed, not only because Finn would be going to school for a full day 5 days a week but because I felt love and safety there at Redland Oaks Elementary School and my overall impression was that he would be cared for here.  Finn loves socializing and likes to keep busy with arts, crafts and exploring, so I knew that kindergarten would be good for him.  However, when I saw that he only had one 15 minute recess in his 7 hour day, I had a panic attack. I thought, NO WAY, he won't survive! I wanted to call the school right then, at 11pm at night and tell them they are crazy and that little ones need free imaginative play time. Surely there was a mistake in the schedule!? Luckily they weren't open at the time and didn't end up getting an earful from me. While I still feel like a 15 minute recess is ridiculous, I realize there is gym, music time and possibly other free play in the day, so I decided to see how things go before complaining to the school. I'm happy to say, so far, so good! Finn behaved really well for the first week of school; at parent/teacher orientation we noticed that he could write his name, color in the lines and be a helper better than a majority of his class! However, he began to misbehave and was even sent to the principals office one day for running out of the cafeteria and hiding in his classroom. As the parent, I was devastated and Ben and I set up reward systems at home for good behavior. At first the reward didn't seem to be working because he kept getting into trouble, but after experiencing some consequences and giving him positive reinforcement (telling him he is a good kid and it's a new day) he has begun behaving well again. Hallelujah! Finn doesn't complain about going to school and likes his teacher, Mrs. Gallardo. I love hearing about his day and seeing how is learning so much and excited to learn more. We are only a few weeks into the school year but I have a feeling this will be a great year!

As for, Fox, he is attending the same mother's day out program as last year, two days a week. His teacher is Ms. Michelle. She taught Finn and would tell me all the crazy/bad things he did each day. So far, she has not commented about Fox. He seems to enjoy going and I think he behaves better for others than he does for me at home.

As for, Sweden, she is home with me and I get as much done as I can while she naps for a couple hours. I enjoy having some one on one time with her and will occasionally drop her off at mothers day out when she turns 18 months old.


 

  

 

Age: 5 years old

School: Redland Oaks Elementary School

Teacher: Mrs. Gallardo

Favorite Foods: spaghetti, chili, salad, carrots with ketchup, popcorn, root beer

Favorite Toys: legos, Nintendo, hatchimals, kinder eggs, bike

Favorite Things to Do: swim without his swimmies, ride his bike without training wheels, draw/paint/craft, swing

Favorite Color: Blue and orange
Favorite Places: Zoo, Chuck E Cheese, Thin Air Trampoline Park

Talents: Finn is a really good artist and he can can glue, cut, paint etc. really well. His drawings of people continue to get better.  Finn is so loving and giving- he enjoys crafting and making things to give to others.  Finn is helpful around the house so that he can make money and buy things that he likes. He is learning well how to earn, spend and save his money. Finn is friendly and can be really silly and goofy- we love it when he makes us laugh.

Loves: cuddling with mommy before bed, singing primary songs, saying the prayer, watching movies, playing games on his i-pad or Nintendo with his dad, arts and crafts, animals (especially frogs, lizards and bugs), and playing with friends.

 
Age: 3 years old

School: Thousand Oaks Bible Church (two days a week)

Teachers: Michelle

Favorite Foods: spaghetti, bananas with pb, popsicles, pretzels

Favorite Toys: legos, dinosaurs, farm 

Favorite Things to Do: swing, sand box, watch movies (especially Rock Dog)

Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Places: Library, Zoo, Chuck E Cheese

Talents: Fox builds really cool castles with his legos and is really creative and imaginative, he is sweet and affectionate, shares (giving in to his sister's squeals if she wants something).

Loves: dinosaurs, animals, bugs, movies, the song "Glorious" from the movie "Rock Dog" (he asks me to play it ALL the time), going to the library and playing in the house there, playing in the sand box, playing "i-spy".

 

 

First Day of School 2017

We gladly welcomed fall this year... it meant the weather would be a bit cooler, and the boys would be in mothers day out 2 days a week. School for the boys has been a nice break for me, and a great time for learning and growth for the boys. It is clear that their teachers and the director, Miss Kathy, love them, pray for them and are wonderful influences on them. Finn's class is preschool and his teacher, Ms. Jennifer is wonderful! She has the perfect commanding voice and patience for 4 year olds. She keeps her class structured and full of learning activities. Fox has two teachers, Gigi and Trinity, they both seem to love him a lot and he never cries when going to school. 

Age: 4years old

School: Thousand Oaks Bible Church Pre-School (two days a week)

Teacher: Jennifer

Favorite Foods: spaghetti, salad, carrots with ketchup, icees

Favorite Toys: legos, puzzles, car track

Favorite Things to Do: ride his bike or skateboard, draw/paint/craft, swing

Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Places: Zoo, Chuck E Cheese, Jumpy Place

Talents: drawing/coloring (he likes to draw people, rainbows and his name; he stays in the lines really well when coloring), gymnastics (he is agile and unafraid; he does flips all around the house and does acrobatics on his swing outside), friendly (he likes to make friends and play with other kids), outgoing (he is not shy and likes to stand up in primary to give talks or the prayer).

Loves: exploring and learning new things (he asks lots of questions!), bugs and animals (he is always asking to keep them as his pet), cooking in the kitchen, mommy singing him to sleep,  watching movies

Age: 2 years old

School: Thousand Oaks Bible Church Pre-School (two days a week)

Teachers: Gigi & Trinity

Favorite Foods: spaghetti, candy, graham crackers, jerky

Favorite Toys: legos, remote control doggie, farm 

Favorite Things to Do: ride his bike, swing, sand box

Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Places: Library, Zoo, Chuck E Cheese

Talents: building with his legos or in the sandbox, or building forts, zipping around on his red trike, imaginative--he loves to play pretend and be silly, being affectionate and sweet--he gives kisses and hugs to us all even if some of us (Finn) doesn't want it and wipes it off.

Loves: animals, playing pretend (he pretends to be a robot monster or pretends there are animals all around us), he loves rhinos and hippos, the library (there, he sits in the little house and reads books with mommy, while pretending to cook for her and pretending there are animals outside of the house that we need to hide from or keep out), mommy singing him to sleep, watching movies, boss baby (he went through a phase where he wanted to watch it everyday).

 

Finn's First Day of School 2016

 

Age: 3 years old

School: Thousand Oaks Bible Church Pre-School (two days a week)

Teachers: Kathy & Michelle

Favorite Foods: beef jerky, apples, pistachios, spinach w/ranch & icee's 

Favorite Toys: hex bugs, paw patrol

Favorite Things to Do: jumpy place, gymnastics, ride his balance bike or skateboard, swimming

Favorite Color: Blue (he decided that Fox's color is green and will give Fox the green candy and keep the blue for himself, or give Fox the green sippy while he uses the blue)

Pretends: to be Spiderman

Talents: energetic, friendly, silly (he loves to stick his tongue out and make funny faces in the mirror), gymnastics (his teacher said "he is athletic, he can flip on the bar by himself, he is flexible--he can sit in a pike and touch his nose to his knees and the floor without bending his knees), balancing on his balance bike-going fast and slowing down.

Loves: mommy singing him to sleep,  riding in daddy's red car, dancing in the car (if the music isn't fast enough, he complains), kids, babies (he'll talk to them in the sweetest voice and hold their cheek softly), the Cardon Family and house (he practically lives next door)

Finn is more than ready for socializing and structure, and let's just admit, so am I. Leading up to his first day he would practice carrying his backpack, filling up his lunch box, and laying on his napmat (with his super soft spider-man blanket). 

Finn loves to make friends and says hi to every kid he see's (literally!)  He will be friendly and fun but I had no doubt that he would be naughty as well.  His nursery teachers have said he is a leader in class and that whether it be climbing on the table or folding his arms, the other kids tend to follow along. After Finn's first day of school his teacher let me know of the following offenses: hanging on the coat hooks, climbing on the table, taking off his shoes on the playground and trying to pee outside. EEEk. I knew I'd have an earful. However, since the first day he has become so much better and his teacher says he listens well. 

I am proud of Finn and how he is growing up to be a smart, sweet, and fun little guy who everyone loves to be around.