Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
He Rides!
Bike riding started off much like swimming and soccer did for Will: tears, tears, and more tears. Will never wanted to ride, and when I WAS able to convince him to pull out his bike he would only ride in slow circles on the back patio.
Will overcame his aversions to swimming and soccer very, very S..L..O..W..L..Y. I required him to continue participating, and with each new day I pushed him just a little further than I'd pushed him the day before. (For example: swimming day #1 = sit on side of pool; swimming day #2 = put feet in water; swimming day #3 = walk in water up to knees.) As I'm sure you imagine, it took a very long time for Will to get to where he is now with both swimming and soccer.
Will wasn't making any bike-riding progress, even with training wheels, so one day I decided it was time to say goodbye to the training wheel safety net. I knew Will could and would eventually learn how to ride a bike if I opted for the slow-and-steady forward progress method we'd used in the past. But to be honest, I can't stand that method and wanted to see if just jumping in feet first would work.
Both Tom and I doubted it would, but I stuck to my guns, and that weekend we went to the park (the sidewalks in our neighborhood would be terrible for learning to ride a bike) to give bike riding - without training wheels - a try.
Yes, there were tears. I knew there would be. At one point both Tom and Will wanted to pack it in for the day, but drill sargeant mom made them keep trying, and you what? He did it. Just for a moment or two, but in that moment I saw him realize that bike riding was something at which he could succeed.
The next day we went back to the park, and he did this:
And this:
If you listen carefully to the end of the first video you can hear me start to cry as Tom lets go of the bike and Will takes off.
There are times when slow and steady wins the race, but there are also times when it pays off to just take a deep breath, say a little prayer, and jump.
Will overcame his aversions to swimming and soccer very, very S..L..O..W..L..Y. I required him to continue participating, and with each new day I pushed him just a little further than I'd pushed him the day before. (For example: swimming day #1 = sit on side of pool; swimming day #2 = put feet in water; swimming day #3 = walk in water up to knees.) As I'm sure you imagine, it took a very long time for Will to get to where he is now with both swimming and soccer.
Will wasn't making any bike-riding progress, even with training wheels, so one day I decided it was time to say goodbye to the training wheel safety net. I knew Will could and would eventually learn how to ride a bike if I opted for the slow-and-steady forward progress method we'd used in the past. But to be honest, I can't stand that method and wanted to see if just jumping in feet first would work.
Both Tom and I doubted it would, but I stuck to my guns, and that weekend we went to the park (the sidewalks in our neighborhood would be terrible for learning to ride a bike) to give bike riding - without training wheels - a try.
Yes, there were tears. I knew there would be. At one point both Tom and Will wanted to pack it in for the day, but drill sargeant mom made them keep trying, and you what? He did it. Just for a moment or two, but in that moment I saw him realize that bike riding was something at which he could succeed.
The next day we went back to the park, and he did this:
And this:
If you listen carefully to the end of the first video you can hear me start to cry as Tom lets go of the bike and Will takes off.
There are times when slow and steady wins the race, but there are also times when it pays off to just take a deep breath, say a little prayer, and jump.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Birthday Recap
Will woke up early, put on his Batman shirt and Birthday Boy ribbon, and ate Fruit Loops - his choice - for breakfast.
At school his friends sang Happy Birthday to him and he shared Batman cookies with all of them. (A special thank you to Brittany of Sugar: Cookies, Cakes, and More in Utah for the Batman Cookies!)
Later in the day Will shared pirate cupcakes with his teammates at soccer practice, the four of us went to McDonald's for dinner, and Will opened his presents.
Hallie opened a half-birthday present and then slowly broke down when she realized that on half-birthdays you only get one present.
Will wrapped up his special day by blowing out a candle on one of his pirate cupcakes, which interestingly enough he didn't actually eat - I guess he was too full of sweets by that point in the day. (Lest you think me a terrible mom for not making Will a birthday cake for his birthday, Will decided he wanted cupcakes on his actual birthday and a Batman cake for his birthday party.)
Will's birthday party was held on the Sunday following his birthday. After hemming and hawing about what kind and how big of a birthday party he wanted to have (all the kids in his class, some kids in his class, all the boys in his class, his best boy friends and his best girl friends), he finally decided on inviting just his two best boy friends, Logan and Michael. Tom and I took the three boys (and Hallie) miniature golfing and out to lunch at an indoor golf/bowling/arcade in town, and then we all came back to our house for Batman cake, presents, and Batman cape favors for all three boys.
He's five.
At school his friends sang Happy Birthday to him and he shared Batman cookies with all of them. (A special thank you to Brittany of Sugar: Cookies, Cakes, and More in Utah for the Batman Cookies!)
Later in the day Will shared pirate cupcakes with his teammates at soccer practice, the four of us went to McDonald's for dinner, and Will opened his presents.
Batman shirt
Spongebob Squarepants golf balls
LIGHT SABER!!!
GOLF CLUBS!!!
Mario & Luigi mustaches
Epic sword fight - last one ever this close to the new TV
Hallie opened a half-birthday present and then slowly broke down when she realized that on half-birthdays you only get one present.
Will wrapped up his special day by blowing out a candle on one of his pirate cupcakes, which interestingly enough he didn't actually eat - I guess he was too full of sweets by that point in the day. (Lest you think me a terrible mom for not making Will a birthday cake for his birthday, Will decided he wanted cupcakes on his actual birthday and a Batman cake for his birthday party.)
Will's birthday party was held on the Sunday following his birthday. After hemming and hawing about what kind and how big of a birthday party he wanted to have (all the kids in his class, some kids in his class, all the boys in his class, his best boy friends and his best girl friends), he finally decided on inviting just his two best boy friends, Logan and Michael. Tom and I took the three boys (and Hallie) miniature golfing and out to lunch at an indoor golf/bowling/arcade in town, and then we all came back to our house for Batman cake, presents, and Batman cape favors for all three boys.
Will's frighteningly out of control putt
Michael's much more controlled putt
Jail time
Will, Michael, & Logan
Waiting patiently for their lunch
Hallie's one ride/game was the "Merry Round"
The boys ran wildly from game to game until the $$ ran out
He's five.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tea Party
Hallie's had a little, glass tea set for more than a year, though she didn't know about it until a couple of weeks ago. I finally felt like Hallie's destructive tendencies had waned enough to allow her to touch something made of glass, so I pulled it out and introduced her to tea parties.
Now we have tea parties every day, usually wearing pink ballerina tutus and leotards and pink ballet slippers.
We invite Pink Octopus, Herky the Hawkeye, and various other stuffed animals, dolls, and action figures.
Now we have tea parties every day, usually wearing pink ballerina tutus and leotards and pink ballet slippers.
We invite Pink Octopus, Herky the Hawkeye, and various other stuffed animals, dolls, and action figures.
Mrs. Potts, anyone?
Cheers!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Dancing Queen
While at a wedding a couple of weeks ago, I channeled Hallie on the dance floor.
Someday she's going to be SO embarrassed of me.
Someday she's going to be SO embarrassed of me.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
One Whole Hand
When Will was a baby, and I was trapped beneath the crippling weight of postpartum depression, I dreamed of the day he would turn five and head off to kindergarten. In my altered mental state I believed that school would heal my broken mind and heart; I’d finally have my life – and the sanity I’d enjoyed before Will was born – back when he was out of the house for a few hours each day.
After many months, the cloud of depression that hung threateningly over my head lifted. And now, today, the moment I dreamed about so long ago has finally arrived and I’m overjoyed. Not because Will now spends four mornings a week at preschool and will soon head off to kindergarten. But because we survived, and then thrived, and because he’s become such a wonderful little person.
Will is sensitive. At times he has trouble controlling his emotions, and his feelings get hurt easily, but he can sense when someone else is hurting and needs a hug, a kind word, or a even just a smile. Will is driven. He can’t stand losing, but his competitive spirit will serve him well if he chooses to play sports beyond the under-5 level. (It drives him – and me, quite frankly – crazy that they don’t keep score in his soccer league.) Will is inquisitive. Though the topics that interest him are often arbitrary and unrelated (this week we’ve covered abdominal muscles, evolution, trolls, electricity, and “the force”), he throws himself wholeheartedly into learning as much about them as he possibly can. And Will is smart. He’s entirely uninterested in writing and art projects, but he loves and is very good at reading, math, and science. I fear he will surpass me academically in three or four years, at least when it comes to chemistry and physics.
Today Will is a whole hand old – it hardly seems possible. Happy birthday, my sweet boy.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Slight Change of Plans
Once again, I'm changing things up a little here at Will and Hallie's blog. Because of a new writing opportunity (I'm now blogging regularly for the National American Red Cross blog) I'm going to transition from writing here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to writing here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In case you want to keep up with my other projects, I'll be writing at Midwestern Girl on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and at the Red Cross blog early in the week. (I can't give you an exact day of the week for that one, because regardless of when I submit my posts for review it's up to the social media team at National when they're actually posted.) So Mom, Dad, Michael, Susan, Sara, and Jenna (I believe you're my regular readers here at Wiggles :)), I'll see you here on Tuesdays and Thursdays!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)