Bouncing Off the Walls and Bouncing At the Bouncy Ball Place with Carlton

Phew! This past week was one of those weeks! Lewis didn't nap a single day, Kevin worked late a couple of nights, and it all left me pretty short-fused and crazed by Friday. Thank goodness for the weekend (though today was a busy runaround day, too...).

First, Lewis at dinner one night while I was (quite obviously) not paying attention as I cooked and he ate yogurt:

 

 

I remember it being one of Kevin's late days, and I remember I, personally, was at the end of the road for the day. :) I'm pretty sure he mostly ate the yogurt using his hands and the handle of the spoon. He had it up to his shoulders, all over his chest, in his hair, all over his face. That was a night we went straight to the bathtub. My, oh my. (I guess if there was a positive out of the situation, I was unintentionally too lazy to put a shirt on him after 'nap.' One less thing to launder. Go me.) :)

We met Carlton and Tonya at open gym on Friday--we hadn't been all summer, so it was interesting to see the differences in Lewis' abilities compared to last spring. (Lewis calls it the Bouncy Ball Place.) 

 Trampoline with Carlton

 Flying Down the Slide

These next three make me laugh. He's doing his best real life Spiderman impression:

 

 

This was inside an inflatable, and he kept climbing to the peak of that yellow bridge behind him. He'd jump off and land not very gracefully, but he kept getting back up for more. Wild man!

The place we go is primarily a gymnastics facility, so for 45 minutes in the middle of the open gym time, they open it up for the preschool crowd to run around and try out the equipment: 

 Sliding Down into the Foam Pit

He used to hate landing in the foam (it scared him, not being able to stand up or get out easily), but this time he didn't seem to mind it as much.

Bouncing Along with his Buddy

It was way more crowded this time than in times past. I'm not sure if that was because it was a Friday or the sudden cooler weather or what, but I hope it isn't that crowded if/when we return. Lewis had a fun time, but he quickly melted down at the end (as was the case most days this week...). I'll hope for a day or two (or more!) of naps next week. :)

Goodies Picked Up at School

Besides germs, I've been thinking of other things Lewis has picked up at preschool:

• Saying NO!
• He doesn't really say it snarkily (yet), but he does say it a lot. So long, laidback and go-with-the-flow Lew. He now says no before we can even get a question or statement out. Most of the time he realizes he actually does want to do the thing we are talking about/asking about, but it still adds another level to the conversation.
• He 'parks' some of his toys.
• He'll do so with his bigger cars, Thomas ride-on toy, grocery cart, etc. (sometimes) when he is finished playing with them, like someone taught him to do so. I wish he would do so more often with all of his toys. :)
• He doesn't like the crust on his bread! 
• I've wondered when and how kids decide that they don't like to eat the crust, and apparently he's picked it up from someone at school. He will inspect pieces of toast, sandwiches, etc. and make sure that they don't have an 'edge' piece...I watched him at breakfast the other morning, rejecting pieces of toast with crust and happily eating 'inner' pieces. I will NOT cut the crusts off of the bread for him. If he doesn't like them, he can eat around them. :) What a nut!
• He loves to use his colors in sentences.
• Instead of just talking about his tractor or his train, he makes in a point to say his RED tractor and his GREEN train. He's very big on the adjectives. :) He likes to go through his colors at mealtimes, too--he'll go through all of our dishes and tell us who has what: ORANGE cup, GREEN plate, PINK fork, BLUE cup, etc.
• His speech (and singing!) have both come a long way, even in this short time.
• He's definitely speaking more frequently, using longer sentences, and repeating things a lot (until we acknowledge them). :) The weekly email from the teachers has told us that his whole class is a musical class, so they sing a lot. They have circle time, first thing, where they sing a song with each of the kids' names in it, plus some of the 'classics' like The ABC Song, Twinkle Twinkle, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, etc. The teachers have said that the kids have broken out into song on their own a few times, too, during non-circle time times, which I'm sure is adorable. :)
• During the two days he is there, he goes to Music, Art, Creative Movement, and Library time. And they have playtime each day, either inside or out. The director said he really likes Creative Movement. I giggled at it at first, but thinking about it now, I realize that they teach the kids developmental skills that maybe I'm not going to know to teach him to do on my own (like hopping into a hula hoop with two feet).

Things are going a little bit better this week with school, his first days back in almost 3 weeks. Kevin dropped him off yesterday morning to some tears, but he had a great first day. I took him today, and he was pretty okay on the drive there. At drop-off he welled up with tears and just started saying 'Mama' slowly, over and over. It was pretty sad, but I tried to keep it positive and told him I would see him in a little bit. :) At pick-up, he was happy as could be. 

He DID skip soccer again today (for the 2nd time...3rd time if you count the week he was sick). They said he went in the gym but preferred to stay on the sidelines with the teacher--she said he was focused on going outside to the playground, so they went out there instead. I guess that would be a new lesson we have learned: not to pay for sports lessons until we're sure he's ready and interested in them. We'll consider it a donation. :)

Fall Festival at Foxhollow Farm

Yesterday we headed out to a fall festival at Foxhollow Farm. It was great--they had a lot of kid activities, live music, food trucks, a hayride, pumpkins, etc. Kevin found it online and we didn't really know what to expect, but it ended up being a nice way to spend our morning!

 Riding the green tractor (of course)

 

 Going fishing

I so remember doing this as a kid at our school's fall festival. He dropped in his line and (magically) out came a toy clipped to the end. He caught a little green frog that he carried around the rest of the day. :)

 

 Inside the Hay Castle

 Waiting for the hayride

 Thankfully they had 3 hayrides running, so we really only had to wait a few minutes.

On the Hayride

After the ride, we walked towards a big contraption with children flying around all over the place. (I think it's called a reverse bungee?) Kevin asked Lewis if he wanted to do it, he said yes, so we got in line! Unfortunately the wait was close to 20 minutes, so we took turns walking around with Lewis while the other waited in line. Finally it was our turn, and it was soooo worth it:

 Starting out with some small bounces on the trampoline

 And then getting raised up for the big fun

Whee!

 

 Lew's flying!! 

I think those pictures are blurry because I was switching between pictures and video (and/or because my camera couldn't focus fast enough with him flying around), but you can still tell that he's grinning from ear to ear. :) It was awesome. 

Here are videos that Kevin and I took:

We made one last stop on the way out for a pony ride:

:)

It was a fun way to spend the morning. I love fall!

Feathered Friends Class at The Zoo

Our 2nd/final fall class at the zoo was yesterday morning. The theme was Feathered Friends, and they did a great job of talking about eggs, feathers, nests, colors, flight/wings, beaks, etc. Unfortunately, all Lewis was concerned with was riding the blue train! He was not interested in the class much at all--I was able to get him to sort of try some of the stations, but otherwise he was trying to make an exit from the building (which is always fun for Mama). :) They also had 3 or 4 birds for the kids to see, but Lewis wasn't swayed by them either. He had the train on the brain. :)

The first station he tried was making a bird's nest:

 Helping flatten the dough

 Adding strings and plant fibers to it

Next was an activity involving different beak sizes and shapes:

 He was supposed to try to pick up objects (bark, gummy worms, etc.) with different sizes and styles of tweezers to see how each worked.

Next, feather painting:

I thought he was going to give this one a go, but he quickly lost interest.

At the end of class we headed over to see some birds. Of course we ran across some other animals along the way:

 Checking out the armadillo :)

 The orangutan

I couldn't get a clear/non-reflective picture with or without the flash, so this was the best I got. He is just so cool.

 One of the birds we saw on our bird walk

As we finished the bird walk, a couple of zookeepers came by and told us they were getting ready to do a tiger training exercise nearby. Lewis and I headed on over to see it:

 Sit :)

 Stand? :)

 Good kitty cat :)

His name is Sparky and he weighs around 240 pounds. The treats they gave him for following the commands were fish and ground up (hamburger-like) horse meat. Yum! It was so, so neat to be that close to him!

Lewis, of course, didn't care to watch the cool tiger and just wanted to ride the train already. As is the case most every time we're there, it seems, the train had a delay. The girl said it wouldn't be running for an hour, so we headed to see some animals and play at the playground to fill some time. Along the way, we also decided to ride the carousel! I think Grandma Sharon and Uncle Scott took him once, but I'd never been on it.

Lew chose to ride a horse:

 I believe that is his thisissocool face. :)

 Trying to take a picture of us while going around in a circle and with Lewis going up/down on the horse was more challenging than I imagined. :) This was the best I could get.

 Petting a giraffe's hide

And cheesing it up with Elmo!

The whole zoo was decorated for the month-long Halloween party (which happens on weekend evenings). It was neat to get a view of what it's like without actually having to go and fight the crowds.

We finally made it to the playground and played for a little while until we heard the train's horn. We headed back to get our tickets and had a nice ride (though he didn't want to sit and wanted to lean his head out of the side). Still, he was happy so I was happy. Another (relatively) good zoo day.

Taking a Hike

Yesterday Lew and I talked about going for a hike. I told him we'd have to put our boots on to go since the grass would be too wet in the mornings (he's had a history with boots), and, much to my surprise, he actually went along with it! I gave them a trial run around the house yesterday, and he didn't want to take them off. He even wanted to nap, er 'not nap,' with them (though I didn't let him). I think I tried to put boots on him about a year ago and then again last winter, and he freaked out. I don't think he liked the way they felt, and he would throw a fit until I took them off. I'm so glad he's finally okay with them, although this particular pair won't be fitting him for much longer. For now, for today, they were fine.

I gave him the option of going to Creasey Mahan or Henry's Ark to hike. C.M.'s nature center was open this morning for a nature craft, plus trails to hike, playground, picnic area, etc. H.A. is where we can feed carrots to the animals and isn't really a 'hike' (more of a walk down a sometimes muddy gravel lane). He chose Henry's Ark (I tried to sway him, but that was his choice). :)

:)

Facing off with a turkey

Again, being pestered by the white one thisclose to us and the brown one on the other side of the fence. 

We walked on by together and they left us alone (until we had to walk by them again to get out of that area...). I'm not a fan of being approached by turkeys, roosters, ducks, etc. It gives me flashbacks to childhood when I got bitten on the fingers by a couple of aggressive ducks we were feeding. Oh well--we made it out alive.

Such a strange sight to see in Kentucky...

Finally, a goat to feed.

We had a hard time finding animals to eat our carrots at first. I think the animals were still resting when we arrived--when we passed back through on our way to the car, a lot were out and ready to see us.

:)

I think he ate that carrot, himself.

Glad to see our zebra friends again.

It was a very nice morning spent 'hiking' with my buddy. Before too long, we'll have to get out in the actual woods on an actual trail. I am absolutely loving this cooler weather and watching the color of leaves change on the trees. My favorite time of year. :)

Tots in Motion Class

Monday of this week, Lewis and I attended a class for 2-3 year olds at the Science Center. It was supposed to be 'Tots in Motion: Join us for a morning of music and movement, using children songs,' but it was more just about fall. They did have music going in the background, but the only songs we sang/danced to were The Wheels on the Bus and The Hokey Pokey. It was kind of disappointing. The teacher read a few fall-related books, we talked about why leaves fall and made leaf bracelets, the kids randomly played with (made a mess with) streamers, and there was a squirrel-related activity where the kids were to go around and gather cotton balls. Not the best class we've been to. It felt like we were winging it (coming from someone who used to wing it a lot as a teacher).

 Scooping oatmeal

 Lew lifting his foot like an animal in the book

 Light table

 Silly Lew

 Listening to another book about fall

This is Lew's version of 'You put your head in, you put your head out, you put your head in, and you shake it all about.'

After the class ended, we hit up KidZone and Science in Play for a little while:

 

Build Your Own Roller Coaster

Lew just liked taking the balls and throwing them through the holes.