Happy Easter!!

I think this is the only 5 minutes of the entire weekend when it wasn't down pouring! Daniel needs a few more chocolate eggs, Peeps and Reese Cups don't you think....

Excitement

Daniel is so excited about Spring Break next week, I just don't know how he is going to survive this week at school. Also, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus is in town and we are going to that tonight. How much excitement can one kid take? (Of course, I don't know who is more excited about the circus - him or me!) Here is the verse from last week:

Notice the sweater! We did this on Sunday afternoon (the day we had snow). He was not a happy camper about having to wear a sweater to church. He said, 'Mom, it's too light. I'll be cold!' (he meant the exact opposite - I will be hot!) Sometimes I feel like I am in backwards-land. I always know what he means, and he knows what he means, it just doesn't pop out of his mouth right. Is this a learning English thing or a 6 year old thing?

Spring Fever!!

WOW - the high here was 85 today! Woo hoo!! I am so ready for Spring to come. We had a nice weekend too, so Daniel got out a bit and enjoyed his scooter...

Recently, Daniel asked me to do his hair in a mohawk. I did my best and he loved it:

Things are plugging along as usual. Daniel has some good days and then some days he makes a bad choice, general silliness at school, talking out during class - nothing too horrible, but just kid stuff. He is still learning about personal space, and how to be a friend to the kids without running them off. Social cues are subtle and tricky to interpret but we're working on it. I was so pleased when one of the moms of a boy in his class called and setup a play date. Awww - he has an actual friend. I was so happy for him.

I have to tell you about a great thing that happened - our church does a big Easter pageant. This is the last year they are doing it, so we decided to take Daniel. I was a little worried that it would be too graphic, but we talked a lot about how it's not real. The story is true, but what we see on stage is not real. We thought it would be good opportunity to open the discussion about Jesus' life. Daniel was really engaged, leaning forward in his seat and taking it all in, asking questions (not necessarily in a whisper - sorry to the audience!). There is a scene where John the Baptist baptizes Jesus. When he brought him back up, Daniel looks at me right away and says, 'Mom, where's the dove?' I was so surprised. While we have shared many Bible stories with him, the story of Jesus' baptism is not one of them. Wow - that means he heard it at church or at school and it stuck with him. Can I just say - that Christian school education is worth every penny. You really don't realize how much is sticking in there - mulling around in that little head of his. What a blessing!

Things I love this week:

- Daniel's fresh hair cut

- out at a restaurant, Daniel reminding the table that we forgot to P - A - R - Y (OK, well he meant Pray and he spelled it wrong, but still pretty great)

- hearing Daniel read me a book

- being able to have the windows open

- finally starting to feel better

- the green buds out in the yard - it's almost here!!

Frustration

Well, I totally jinxed us with that last post. The very next day, I got a call from the school that Daniel was having a melt down and I needed to come over. I haven't had that kind of phone call in months!! It turns out that Daniel was taking a test, didn't know the right answer to a fill in the blank question and the frustration over that just built and built and built until he just let it take over. He started hitting himself in the head with his fists, when the teacher went to call the office he freaked out ran off to towards the bathroom and when she ran after and caught him he had a screaming melt down and had to be carried out. Whoa! Of course, by the time I got to school he had calmed down. We talked (again!) about what we can do when we get frustrated - take a deep breath, ask for help, skip this one and go to the next problem, pray. He knows all of the right answers but in the heat of the moment, he just lets the anger and emotion carry him away.

I have noticed his frustration really cranking up lately. When he can't do something (tie his shoe, button the top button, cut something out, whatever) he really gets frustrated and has an overreaction. He will start crying and kicking his feet, just falls apart. If I am right there, I can usually say something in a teasing way to make him laugh and that will break the tension and then he can ask for help before it goes too far. But I am realizing that in doing that, I am not really helping him. Because I am not always going to be there and he needs to learn how to work through that emotion and make a good choice when I am not around to make him laugh. WOW - this is tough one to learn. Especially when there is so much emotion tied to it! I am thinking I need to back off a little, let him get frustrated and try to work it out and then coach him through it a little. Just so he can experience that feeling and learn how to react appropriately. We all get angry and frustrated but it's a matter of making a good choice when that happens.

I told him, he isn't going to know everything - that's why we send him to school. He is there to learn. So when he doesn't know, he doesn't have to get upset - that's when you ask the teacher. Of course, on a test - she can't tell him the answer. (so then the mom guilt kicks in - I should have helped him be better prepared) She is worried when they get into the standardized testing towards the end of the year - it's going to be an issue. She can't deviate from the script when giving the test and if he falls apart he won't be able to take the test. She is going to send me some practice test so we can start practicing what to do when we come to a question that we don't know the answer to. It's OK to skip it and go to the next one, but that's totally not his personality. He simply cannot leave a blank and move on. He gets totally paralyzed by not knowing the answer. I guess it's a learned skill so we are going to practice it. (it's just so hard because we have also been working on not being a quitter - you finish what you started - quitters never win. Now this message is totally opposite - skip the question and move on - isn't that quitting?)

So yes, we still are having challenges but he is still an unbelievable sweetie. Check this out....

Tonight he was telling me, 'Mom, I wish God made you smaller so you could be in First grade. You could be in my class and I could have you at school.' How sweet is that?

Still here!!

Sorry for the long pause between posting! I have been reeeeaally busy at work so my evenings when I usually post have been busy with work. That and Jason has been traveling a bit for work so I have been a single parent. Whew!! I don't know how you single parents out there do it. It is tough to be the only one. No one to tag team with when things get hectic. I am doing the drop off and the pick up, homework, baths, play time, stories, loving, prayers, instruction, taxi service, laundry, dinner, bike rides, cleaning house, games, ya, ya, ya.

Daniel is doing great though. 2011 has been such a turning point for him behavior-wise. Not that he's perfect (me neither!) but he is a new kid. Now, instead of getting in trouble for hitting, running away, or melt downs we are dealing with talking during class, disrespecting the teacher, and disrupting class. A BIG improvement in my book! I am the parent of the class clown! Most of the time when he gets in trouble, it's because he is trying to make the kids laugh. I definitely don't want to squash that awesome, out-going part of his personality but we're trying to learn when it's appropriate to be silly and when it's time to zip it and learn. Some days we do better than others, but for the most part - things have been great.

I just got a reminder today to slow down and enjoy those little moments because they're gone too quickly. Things I love this week:

- Daniel snuggling into my side while I read a story

- 'I love you mom!'

- those big brown eyes, hung on my every word while I explain March Madness

- Daniel's sweet prayers before bed (please keep Pop safe!)

- a perfect score on the spelling test

- Singing, 'This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made'

- That little hand tucked neatly into mine when we cross the parking lot. I love that I don't have to look down and grab his hand - it's just automatic. We get out of the car, I drop my hand down there and he inserts his into mine. It thrills me every time!

Memory Verses

Bike Ride

We decided to enjoy the rare nice weather this weekend and go out for a family bike ride, with a bit of geocaching thrown in....

So, I have a question for you....at what age should the training wheels come off? I am totally OK with the fact that he still has them. He has been through a ton of changes in the past year and a half so I don't care if he keeps them on. I am just curious - what's the right age? How will it go down - does he ask to take them off or do we bring it up?

Psalm 119:11

Sorry I haven't been posting lately - I have been sick and just can't seem to get my energy back. But, we're hanging in there. Daniel is doing well at school. We've been practicing his book talk (which is like an oral book report, with props!) so I should have some cute videos soon. In the mean time, he is still learning a new verse every week for school so here is last week's verse....

Memory verse and Go Cards!!

Bitty Basketball

We signed Daniel up for basketball at church. We decided we aren't going to be those parents that run their kids through a million different activities, but he needs to try a few things out to see what he likes, right? So, we tried baseball and soccer and now it's time for basketball. We were kind of worried about how it would go. He already knows how to run and kick, so he could fake his way through soccer but dribbling is hard!




So today was the first day. We thought they would just have a practice today, but they practiced first and then had an actual game. It was so hilarious - Jason and I laughed and laughed at how sweet the kids are. None of them know what they're doing. They shoot at the wrong basket, stare off into space, steal the ball from their own teammate, pick up the ball and take off running - it's hilarious! Daniel did really great and had fun. (I think it's all of that U of L basketball we watch!) He made 2 baskets, blocked a few shots and played great defense. He didn't get frustrated and fall on the floor crying and he didn't hit anyone - whew! We were so proud. Here are some shots for you - check out those chucks! (I got them at a yard sale - he's retro!)








I thought it would be great to get his verse and then have him shoot the ball. Unfortunately, my batteries ran out right at the end - sorry!! This is I Timothy 4:12...

Verse movies - catch up

Goose Egg!!

When I picked Daniel up at school on Thursday, he had a huge goose egg on his eye. Check out this bump! Apparently he was climbing down the playground equipment and his foot slipped off and he slammed his eye right into the metal. OUCH!!





And now today, he has a lovely rainbow on his eye....

Please don't think I am perverse for posting these pictures. The grandparents want to see what happened - so this is for you!!

Oh, and last week's verse:

Memory Verse for last week

A great week!

At school, if you've had a good week and didn't drop your apple all week - then at the end of the week you get to pick out a treasure from the treasure chest. Well...

After 8 weeks of school,



for the very first time,



Daniel Anatoly got to choose a toy from the treasure chest. (he picked out a calculator by the way)

Whoa!! We are so excited at our house. And here is the verse for the week:

Another week, another trip to the principal

And this week it's rock throwing on the playground. YAY. This was the view at our house....

We're still working on making good choices and following the rules. He knows what he should be doing, he just doesn't do it. We keep telling him, you need to STOP and THINK before you do something. Sometimes I wonder if he can stop himself. When he's in the moment, he doesn't have the self control to stop himself from doing the wrong thing. We're praying about it.

And he is also a rock star at soccer. Every parent thinks their kid is great, right? But we are so surprised! He is playing with kids that have played for years and he is right in there. He really hustles and goes after the ball. That aggressive personality is serving him well in sports and it is so cute to see.......

School Daze

Still here - sorry for the long pause between posts. I have been sick (again!) and we have lots going on. It seems to be just non-stop. Here is Daniel's verse from last week:

Daniel is still getting into a bit of trouble at school (and church). We are working through each thing as it comes up. (pushing, hitting, kicking and even spitting - wow, yelling out during class, dis-obeying) His teacher and the principal are very optimistic and have been great to work with. They keep reminding me that he has come a long way, we are seeing improvement. The Principal was just telling me on Friday how much she loves Daniel. He is such a special boy and that sweet spirit just wins everyone over.

We just keep talking about his choices. We keep telling him that bad choices will make him unhappy but good choices will make him happy. And that's true all through life. The sooner he learns that lesson, the better for him. I think part of it may still be a communication problem. When he speaks with adults, they are more patient with him and open to figuring out what he's trying to say. The other kids aren't quite as patient and understanding. I think at times he gets frustrated when he can't get his point across and resorts to what he knows gets attention. That's no excuse for his behavior but we're trying to figure out what gets into him. Check out some of his great karate moves:

We appreciate your continued prayers for Daniel. Change is hard. Adjustment is uncomfortable and it takes time to develop new habits. We're hoping we survive while he learns new habits!

Memory Verse - week 3

So week 3 was a little better. Daniel actually had a pretty good week. On Wednesday, he got NO Xs on his behavior sheet and Mrs. Peterson sent home a note that he had a GREAT day! We were so happy and even celebrated with dinner at Skyline Chili!! And then the very next day he got in trouble, yelled out 'No Fair, No Fair' and threw his apple on the floor, refused to pick it up and had to go to the office. The teacher said that he would be allowed to come back to the class when he is ready to follow her rules. (her note home said that she thought it was good that he didn't run away at this point!) After spending some quality time in the principal's office, he came back to class. UGH! We are happy with the improvement we're seeing (no running in about 2 weeks) and just don't know what possesses him on those rough days.

Check out this sweet thing all dressed up for Chapel....

Memory Verse - week 2

Memory Verse - wk 1

Friday behavior update - another good day! Woo hoo!! 3 good days in a row - now we're on a roll!

One of the things we love about having Daniel at a Christian school is that he gets Bible teaching every day and he will learn a new verse each week. I will try to post them so you can see his progress. Here is the first:




I don't know if you can tell, but he has his T shirt on from his favorite restaurant - Skyline Chili! This kid is a Kentuckian through and through. It is so hilarious to hear him learning English with a Ukranian accent (he still says some old words) AND a southern accent. You should hear him say, 'What is thay-at?' Too cute!

Ah just have no ah-dee-yuh where he gits it. :)