Miniature Golf

I took Jacob and our friend, P, miniature golfing last night. I was bummed when I realized I forgot my camera and my cell phone so there are no picutres. Neither of the kids had ever been miniature golfing or had a clue what to do. I think that actually made it more fun. No one was a lot more skilled even though the Jacob is 5 and P is 9.

We got our balls and clubs and I spent a moment teaching the kids the rules of the game. I then showed them each how to stand and hold the golf club so that they could putt the ball. Of course Jacob immediately lifted his club up like he was hitting a long drive and sent the ball sailing through the air (not bad for never hitting a ball before but bad for miniature golf). Jacob went off chasing his ball that was now bouncing all over the course and I got P started. The kids forgot the whole taking turns thing and just started hitting the ball until they finally got it in the hole.

I moved us to hole 2 and reminded the kids that we were taking turns and to putt the ball not hit it as hard as they could. I showed Jacob (again) how to hit the ball as a putt and the importance of not hitting it too hard. He nodded his head and the kids were off again. Not taking turns but having fun putting and not hitting drives.

We moved on to the third whole and I again tried to teach the kids about waiting for your turn and scoring. Again they just got too excited. I realized that I was the only one counting putts or even caring what the score was so I put the score card away and decided it was time to just have fun. I still tried to get the kids to take turns somewhat so that they wouldn't run into each other but I wasn't really strict. As long as they weren't right on top of each other, I let them just have fun.

We played about half the course and then got to the remote controlled boats. This was the end of golfing for us. It was a lot of fun to try to steer the big boats around the water. P and I kept getting our boats stuck but Jacob was a pro. He was able to get his boat to go where ever he wanted and even backed it into the "piers."

We finished the night with muffins, cookies and slushies. I am so grateful Jacob's friend, Lela, gave him the gift certificate for his birthday. We probably wouldn't have gone otherwise and the kids had a great time.

5 things about Jacob

In honor of Jacob's 5th birthday today, I am posting five things about him. I will admit that I got this idea from other blogs I have read, mostly Erin Henderson and her blog at fullhousehandshearts.com/my_weblog.html.

1)In Jacob's words, "I really like to make people happy." Jacob will do almost anything to cheer someone on, give encouragement and make them happy. It is a trait his nannies commented on when he was still living in Ethiopia and one that he still has today.

2) He can read and do math! Well, he is beginning to read and can do simple addition and subtraction if he uses his fingers.

3) Jacob is sure God is "holding" two jobs for him. One as a fire fighter and one as a police officer.

4) Jacob's favorite sport is baseball but he is beginning to learn to love soccer also.

5) Jacob's favorite food is macaroni and cheese.

Birthday and Soccer

I only have a few moments before I have to run off to the daycare. It was a hectic morning. The boys and I actually slept until 7 which is 2 hours later than normal. We needed it but since they had to be at school by 8:15 and I had to be on the opposite side of town it meant a hurried and mad dash to get out the door. In that mad dash, Jacob forgot his blanket for naptime so I am now hurrying to get some work done before trying to get the blanket to daycare before naptime.

Due to family circumstances, the kids are allowed 2 parties. One party is with their friends and the other is family only and much more subdued. The friends party was Saturday at our local YMCA. If you have never explored a Y and have one in your area, I strongly recommend it. For only $55 we were allowed to invite 12 children for an hour of swimming and then an hour in a party room. I chose the child watch area so that the kids would have toys to play with during any down time (there really wasn't much).

We ended up having 13 children and 7 adults attend the party. The children ranged in age from 3 years old to 9 years old and everyone had a great time. Jacob, M and I found a dalmation pinata dressed like a fire dog. It had pull strings so the kids each took turns pulling ribbons. The pinata didn't work quite like it should have and the trap door didn't open when the ribbons were pulled. It was actually more fun that way since everyone got to pull at least one ribbon before I manually opened the trap door and the candy fell out. I had half a bag of candy hidden that I allowed the parents of the younger children to pick from and exchange any candy they did not want their children to have. I then placed the candy on the table and had the parents determine if their child received enough candy from the pinanta and to take what they felt their child should have. It worked really well and the kids had a great time.

M and Jacob played soccer on Sunday. It was the first game of a 6 game season. I chose a shortened season for a couple of reasons. This is the first time M has ever played on a team and he is really young (he turned 3 last May). Jacob played soccer just over a year ago and didn't like it so I wasn't convinced when he told me he likes it now.

M had the first game and it started off a little rocky. With only a half an hour nap and two very big days, M was very tired and cranky. He wasn't really sure what he was doing and didn't know the other kids on his team. He became shy and then began to cry when his coach and I told him to go out on the field. Once we convinced him to go out, he did great. He quickly began running and trying to kick the ball. He really enjoyed it when I taped him and showed him the video. He also liked looking at the pictures I took.

Jacob had a great time too. He got to start in the second game and kicked off (or whatever it's called in soccer). He managed to steal the ball away from the other team and stopped them from scoring a goal later. I was really proud of the way he was able to keep up with the other children since some of them are almost 2 years older than him (his team is 5 and 6 years old and he turns 5 tomorrow). Jacob had a great time and proved to me that he really does enjoy soccer.

The boys are back at daycare/preschool/4K today. I am hoping after going to bed a little early and sleeping in 2 hours late, they will be rested and have good days. Next weekend will be calmer and we will hopefully begin to get use to our school year routine soon.

Jacob's Birthday Photos

Here are the photos from Jacob's much anticipated birthday party at the YMCA earlier this month. The kids started in the swimming pool. After about an hour, we moved to the party room for cake and jucie. We finished the party in the inflatable in the gym. We didn't take time to open presents at the party so we met Grandpa and Uncle Chuck at their house and opened them there.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Jacob is 4 years old! I cannot believe that the baby I brought home two and a half years ago is now a preschooler. I am proud but also a little sad about how fast he is growing up. Here is a little about who he is becoming.

- He is now 40 inches tall. This is 12 inches taller than when he came home.
- He weighs about 33 lbs. Yes he is skinny but he definitelly has a healthy appetite also.
- He can ride a 16 inch bike.
- He knows the entire alphabet.
- He can spell and write his first name. He can spell part of his last name.
- He can read a handful of letters including his name.
- He can count to 16.
- He still loves trucks and cars.
- His favorite toys are Little People Toys.
- He still loves swimming.
- He really wants to play baseball.
- He still adores his grandpa.

I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for us. Jacob is growing so fast and amazes me more every day.

We celebrated his birthday a little bit last night since I have class tonight. Jacob loved getting a cake and having everyone sing to him. He giggled the entire time. He is having a small party tonight with family while I am at school. His big party isn't for a couple weeks due to my school and work schedule. I didn't have my camera last night so I don't have any pictures. I will post some after his party though.

Exhausting

All of the pictures from M's party on Friday have pictures of him. It makes sense since it was his birthday party. Unfortunately, it also means that I cannot post them.

The party was a lot of fun. M, our friend P, Brooke, Jacob, Grandma, Grandpa and my friend Cindy were all there. We had pizza for dinner with soda for the adults and juice boxes for the kids. The kids had fun breaking open a pinata and gathering the candy. Jacob and M were careful to only take their favorite kinds. P had obviously used pinatas before and gathered as much candy as she possibly could. M then opened his gifts. He received more cars and trucks and a new shopping cart. All of the gifts have been a big hit.

At the end of the day, all of the kids were exhausted. The above picture was actually taken earlier this month but was the only one I could find for this entry. I received some good news from M's social worker and hope to be able to post M's pictures in a few months.

Birthday Pictures

Now that M is feeling better, I have time to post some pictures of Jacob's birthday. He had a great time. The Sponge Bob cake is from his family birthday party and the Thomas cake is from his birthday party with friends. He had a great time and says he doesn't want to wait until next year for another birthday. I hear him. If only there was a way to have more birthdays but not getting any older.

Look Who's 3!!!!!

Happy Birthday Jacob! I can't believe my little baby is now a talking, story telling, funny three year old who is learning gymnastics! Today is going to be a full day and I plan to post lots of pictures soon. For now, enjoy this picutre of Jacob blowing out the candles on his Sponge Bob birthday cake. Today he gets another cake. This one will be of Thomas the Train. Spoiled? Maybe but that's ok. You only turn 3 once.

It's A Party!

I had no intention of having a large birthday party when Jacob turns 3. After all, he is still very little and wouldn't know the difference if we just had cake, presents and dinner with grandparents, uncle and us. That all changed last week though.

The YMCA by us was having a silent auction for their Strong Kids Campaign. The Strong Kids Campaign gives financial assistance to families so that more children can participate in activities at the Y. I love the program. I grew up spending a lot of time at the YMCA and now love all of the programing for preschoolers. I hope that we are able to continue to benefit from them for years to come and that other children also find it a safe place to spend time.

I thought the silent auction would be a good way to donate some money and have fun in the process. I was pleased (but not surprised since we bid an hour before closing) to win two baskets. The first basket was full of lotions and moisturizers for me. The second was a birthday party at the YMCA and pizza gift certificates. So now, Jacob will be having a birthday party at the YMCA. Of course, all children under age 7 will need to have a parent with them. Jacob won't turn 3 until next fall but it should be fun.

I have seen a lot of research that programs like the YMCA have are great at preventing children from making poor choices as they grow up. It gives the children a safe place to play after school and provides positive role models. All of these are very important to children especially those whose only other option is hanging out on the streets.

I am a very strong advocate for prevention programs. I am very pleased to be able to help these programs whenever I can.

A Very Good Birthday

I turned 30 years old today! I remember when I thought that was so old. I now realize it isn't (and if you think it is don't tell me!). I was expecting today to be a somber day. It isn't the age so much as that my parents are out of the country and I was scheduled to work. I didn't think anyone would remember and that I would slowly get phone calls over the next few weeks as people remembered. I was (and am) looking forward to my family's celebration dinner sometime in the next couple of weeks when everyone is in town.

The day was definitelly not what I was anticipating. Jacob and I woke up a few minutes before 8 this morning. The phone rang about 5 minutes later and it was my parents! They were on a military base in Antartica and were calling to wish me a happy birthday. I knew that they wouldn't forget me but I really didn't expect them to call in the middle of their trip. It really made my day to hear that they are doing well!

A couple hours later, my cell phone rang again. My friend in California was on her way to work but wanted to call to wish me a happy birthday. I couldn't believe it! I am always happy to hear from her so it was another great treat.

Jacob have me 4 1/2 hours off work tonight. He came down with some kind of stomach bug that lasted about 2 hours. By the time the babysitter decided to call me and I got there from work, Jacob was over it. We came home and had a nice couple of hours together at home before he went to bed. I hate to have him sick but am very grateful it was only a couple hours and nothing serious. The time off work with him (not sick) was nice.

I'm not happy about turning 30 but I know that life is good and I have a lot of happy years ahead of me. I have family and friends who love me and that is what is important.