School Days

Did you go to preschool?  I don't think that I did, unless you count Snookies, my daycare.  Woody didn't either.  In fact, he didn't even go to kindergarten and yet he's still one of the brightest people I know.  Still, preschool is now all the rage.  Some kids go for a couple of years even!  Now, our little Hope LOVES the idea of school.  It all started when we used to sit outside and watch the school bus drop off our neighborhood children when she was little.  It was solidified when she got to visit Audubon Elementary to deliver donuts to the teachers with Papaw Woody and was shown a real live classroom.  That was just before she turned 2.  The wait for her turn to go to school has seemed endless.  Her October birthday further complicates things.  Hope will be one of those gals who starts kindergarten when she is almost 6.  We've still got 2 whole school years to watch longingly at yellow school buses and children with Dora backpacks.  Well, I decided "enough already!" We are doing school and we are doing it right in our home and we are doing it however we want!  It. is. so. fun!  Welcome to Delaware School.  I'm the teacher, Hope is the student and Will is the mascot.

I'll let you in on a little lesson we did.  I really like to read a storybook or even a nonfiction children's book and then do an activity.  Meet Leo Lionni.  He's an author whose books are tailor made for this method.  This book is Little Blue and Little Yellow.  It's about a blue paint spot and a yellow paint spot who are friends and hug and make a green paint spot.  It teaches how to mix colors.

So, we mixed colors.  We used a little blue and a little yellow and sent them out to play with a few little balls.  It makes green just as you would expect.

We also did a little yellow and a little red to make orange.  And let's not forget purple, our favorite color.  We made that one, too.  Here's what I learned about Hope in this experience: She learns by hearing better than doing.  If you quiz her on how to make colors, she remembers best the blue and yellow making green one.  That was what the book was about.  The others that she also got to mix she can remember also, but not as quickly.  Hmm... we'll further test our hypothesis about Hope as school goes on.  Stay tuned for adventures in Delaware School!

Soccer Mom

It is official.  I am a soccer mom.  I still do not have those little window figures of my family in the back window of my minivan, but it's coming.  Before I show you Hope's soccer debut, here's Will's official 10 month update.  I'm so late on this one!

As handsome as ever, his hair is coming in perfectly even.  He constantly looks like he has had a fresh haircut.  As I type, I have just gotten him up from his nap and I realize that he has bed head for the first time.  This kid literally wakes up looking fresh and combed.  He crawls everywhere and uses his walker like a pro.  He stands up by himself without support and is SO close to walking.  I have to work a lot in the coming month so I am sure he will choose to do that when I am away.  He is showing all the classic signs of separation anxiety but gets over it fairly quickly.  

Will loves to be outside.  He has no fears at all except Se Ya Ya from East Asia.  He loves wheels and really anything that spins.  He turns over all of Hope's baby dolls strollers to spin their wheels.  He also is starting to love books.  In the past few months, he has started to sit still for me to read to him, but now he is exploring them on his own.  He also loves balls and likes to roll them back and forth.  He claps and plays patty cake "roll em up" as well.  As you know Hope and I love to do art projects.  Will loves to eat art supplies.  This is a problem.  Right now he is crawling around with a bottle of glue.  It is closed, don't worry :).  As for eating real food... I've still never seen him full.  I just stop feeding him after a while and hope for the best.  I remember Hope was never hungry.  She would eat when it was offered, but never cried from hunger.  Will certainly cries for hunger.  Okay, that does it for the update.  He's a keeper, that Will!

Ta Da!  It's Hope Solo Maglinger!  She picked out the whole outfit minus the safety green uniform shirt.  Safety green is NOT the same as lime green.  There is a lime green team as well.  We are the Safety Green Monsters.  See the blue shirt under her uniform? This is because when Dad gets his softball uniform on, he wears a cut off UK t-shirt under it and she wanted to be like Dad.  This being like Dad playing softball  will come in very handy later. 

Love those socks don't ya? 

Meeting the team and our coach, Eric.  After one game, my assessment of Eric is that he is wonderful.  We couldn't have asked for a more patient coach.  Woody is his assistant coach.  Together, they are a winning pair! 

We did not know how Hope would do, but she did terrifically.  Here she is learning to receive the ball.  Like a champ on her first try! 

Coach Woody teaches about kicking with the side of your foot.  Coach Woody actually has no idea what the rules of soccer are, but he's a fast learner!

Now time to learn to "dribble."  Again, I'm so impressed.  I must have shown it by my constant picture snapping and wiping away tears.  One of the moms (who obviously must have older children and is not so emotional by the first day of soccer) asked me "You aren't a little excited for your kid are ya?"  I promise I kept quiet and, I felt, totally behaved.

Ker Pow!  I'd like to tell you this was in a game, but it's still practice.

Now the game starts!  Our first opponent was the chocolate team.  This sums the game up well.  Some kids off and doing their own thing, most running in the pack, but always this one kid out front with the ball.  He's Coach Eric's kid.  I'm glad Coach Eric's kid is on our team.  (side note, Coach Eric really is great and he moved his kid to "full back" to let the other kids get some action as well.)  See that number 5 between the two coaches?  That's our Hope.  She got right in there and played.  That is what I am most impressed with.  She tried so hard!  She even kicked a few times.  One time she kicked she also got tripped.  I thought "oh no, here come the tears", but she just got right up.  Is this my Hope?  After the game she asked me if I saw her slide?  Remember I told you that being like Dad in softball would come in handy?  She thinks you are supposed to fall down in sports.

Giving 5 after the game with the other team.  Look at those girls' faces.  What did my little Hope ever do to them?  Sure we beat the socks off their team, but there is no official score so they don't know that!  Kids are funny.

Speaking of funny kids.  This is a teammate.  He and Hope have just met.  He tells Hope that he wants to be in her pictures.  Okay...

And in them he was.