Before I get into the subject behind the title, I want to take this opportunity to point out that while at the cottage, Nina threw away her last zooey/pacifier. Thus, the Chapman household is zooey-free as of September 3rd. Extremely proud of my little girl, you’re brave and awesome!
Another important note – While up at the cottage, without internet, I ended up checking out a page I had stored on my laptop via a special feature in a browser I have. It was there that I recognized my friend Steve from about 15 years ago. We had ripped tickets together at a movie theater. I recognized him on a “kickstarter” page for a video game. I’ll mention this a couple more times, as a wave turned into conversation, and conversation into a nice job opportunity! (Never burn bridges, kids!)
You’ve seen Ian’s last day at daycare, and his Kindergarten Orientation. September 4th was his first real day at Valley View.
And so it begins, Ian’s next chapter. He looks like such a big boy. See this image larger.
This is one of the two boys from next door. His name is Brendan. He gets dropped off at our house because his parents can’t stick around until the bus gets there. About once a month they watch our kids in return so Melissa and I can have a night out. It works out great! See this image larger.
Here we are at the bus stop. That’s Brendan’s dad Aaron in the red. The little girl in blue is Gracie. Her parents are in the pic as well. Brendan is looking for worms… trust me. See this image larger.
A quick pose in the lobby. The principal is out of frame to the left. He was handing candy to kids, winning Melissa’s disapproval immediately. See this image larger.
A celebratory ice cream after school is worn in this lovely ensemble by Nina Chapman. See this image larger.
I don’t know if I shared this before… I thought maybe it was time to start worrying about Ian’s Lego play, but he assured me that the head-on-a-stick was a puppet. See this image larger.
https://outoftheirminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ootmd-logo-dark-wings-3Asset-15.svg00vrbfwhttps://outoftheirminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ootmd-logo-dark-wings-3Asset-15.svgvrbfw2012-12-04 09:20:492012-12-04 09:20:49Ian’s First Day of Kindergarten
We jumped at another chance to go to the cottage this year, given that the previous visit had had an understandably somber tone.
Grampa Dave and Grandma Marcia were not around for one of the days when we arrived at the cottage on September 1st. It was interesting because I don’t think I’ve ever tried to tackle the cottage without them. At one point I looked up, and my crew was taking care of some items on the deck, I was grilling dinner — and I realized we were doing just fine. See this image larger.
Grampa Dave puts together a much more microphone-like shape with some foam bumpers and a golfball, and immediately the ham/drama-factor is out the window. *THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIIIIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUUUUUSIIIIIIIIQUE*See this image larger.
*Who knows the theme from Star Trek? OOOOOH Uhhhhh Ohhh OOO Ohh Oooo Uhhhhhhhhhh… uhhh oooo UUUHHHHHH Ooh uh ooh uh uh uhhhhh* See this image larger.
Out on the river, we spy a loon hanging out (sort of) around a very special place in the water. See this image larger.
Daddy’s girl again! Happens once in a while, and makes me very happy! See this image larger.
The best kind of ride home starts like this. Thanks for a great weekend, Grampa Dave and Grandma Marcia! See this image larger.
https://outoftheirminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ootmd-logo-dark-wings-3Asset-15.svg00vrbfwhttps://outoftheirminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ootmd-logo-dark-wings-3Asset-15.svgvrbfw2012-12-03 09:14:252012-12-03 09:14:25September Begins and the Cottage
Dialogue, August 2nd Nina, after peeing in the potty: “You proud of me?”
Dialogue, August 2nd I have no idea what happened here. Ian: “Where are we going?” Nina, I think…: “The monkey house?” Ian: “The monkey dentist!”
Dialogue, August 2nd Nina, pretty much explaining all of existence: “It’s complicated, because it’s a problem, and that’s not ok!”
Dialogue, August 3rd Nina, woke up in her crib, called only for Ian.
Dialogue, August 3rd Nina: “Daddy, we gotta go back to my room and pick up my zooey. I dropped it on the floor. I need to put it on my dresser.”
Dialogue, August 3rd Nina: “Monkey having a picnic. And the picnic is on the grass.”
Dialogue, August 3rd Ian asks what history means, I explain that it is a study of the past so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes; he focuses on those last few words, but mishears: “Pizzeria steaks?!?”
Dialogue, August 3rd Nina: “I have short cuts in my hair.”
Dialogue, August 3rd Nina: “Daddy I need to pack the light in mommy’s bag so we can pack it in the car. We have to zip it up. Mommy I want to zip it up for you.”
Dialogue, August 6th Ian watching Olympics horse agility: “Why they making the horse jump over that? He could just go around.”
Dialogue, August 6th Ian, in his sleep, in the middle of the night: “We can share. Here, ride my bike.”
Dialogue, August 10th Nina, in response to Gramma Sue telling Nina that everybody needed to get up for school: “It’s not time for school; is time for shopping!”
Dialogue, August 17th Nina, frantically after iPad makes noise in the morning: “We gotta turn it not loud! My Ian tryin’ to sleep!”
Dialogue, August 17th Nina sits next to me in the living room face covered in oatmeal and berries, I ask if she’s finished eating her oatmeal; her reply: “I kinda needta watch this movie.”
Journal, August 27th Ian’s orientation at Kindergarten is today. He woke up via an alarm, and I was already up to see him scrambling to figure out how to turn it off. He looked like he grew overnight, but he does that a lot, as I imagine most kids will.
Dialogue, August 27th Ian at Kindergarten orientation: “His name is Tanner. Tanner, this is my dad… his name is Daran.”
Dialogue, August 31st Ian said this… people smiled at the Children’s Museum… then he hid: “Pizza is served!”
Dialogue, August 31st Nina looks at ultrasound area of Children’s museum: “Scary.”
Dialogue, August 31st Ian, in a tone I’m not sure I’ve heard before from him: “But Nina, there’s so many kids in the universe that want my world famous ice cream.”
Dialogue, August 31st Ian, as if this is a deal I should be made aware of: “You want 100% money?”
NINA DAYCARE NOTES:
Daycare Notes, Thursday, August 2, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina had a great day she loves playing with Playdough. This morning she was so cute with her legos. When she was playing with beanie babies she made a fish and a turtle kiss.”
Daycare Notes, Friday, August 3, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina enjoyed reading books to herself today. She loved practicing colors with scat the cat at circle time and thought it was so silly!”
Daycare Notes, Tuesday, August 7, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina had a great morning. She really enjoyed playing with all the new dollhouse furniture. She was such a chatter bug today! I could sit and listen to all day. She enjoyed building with Legos.”
Daycare Notes, Wednesday, August 8, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina really enjoyed painting the wall with water. She also enjoyed running around and counting the cows we had on the walls.”
Daycare Notes, Thursday, August 9, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina had a great day. She had a lot of fun playing with the new dollhouse toys. She also enjoy painting a cactus. You got to play with yen on the playground and she was so excited about it!”
Daycare Notes, Friday, August 10, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina loved dancing to “we are the dinosaurs” at circle time she also loved Ring around the Rosie with her friends.”
Daycare Notes, Tuesday August 14th, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina pretended a shark was chasing her around the playground and she ran around screaming at the top of her lungs. She loved painting a hippo with a sponge.”
Daycare Notes, Wednesday, August 15, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina kept calling the Playdough “taydo.” It was so cute! Nina had fun running with her friends at the Belmont playground. She rode on the train and said ‘all aboard!'”
Daycare Notes, Thursday, August 16, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina loved coloring with yellow markers, crayons, and twisters. her lion turned out beautiful! Nina enjoy playing dramatic play and with the dollhouse today. Nina really been trying to work with Nina putting her socks and shoes on all by herself!”
Daycare Notes, Friday, August 17, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina built a train in dramatic play with Ava and Jake. She kept saying “chugga chugga choo-choo!” She did have some trouble sharing toys with her friends this morning. She loved swinging on the playground today. Nina did a great job putting her shoes on by herself this afternoon! So proud of her!”
Daycare Notes, Monday, August 20, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina was very talkative today. She had a lot of fun playing with the sorting bears and stacking cups. Nina did a great job putting her shoes on today! She told me she’s been working on it!”
Daycare Notes, Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina loves to sing! Every time we go to the playground she lives she leads her friends in a song time! She pretended the climber was a house. She said she was the mommy and her friends were the sisters. Then she kept asking “do you hear my words?” She helped pick up at the end of the day she’s an excellent helper!”
Daycare Notes, Wednesday, August 22, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina was happy today — she loved playing in the water table. Her favorite toys were the stacking cups that dripped water. She also enjoyed digging in the sandbox.”
Daycare Notes, Thursday, August 23 Nina’s caregiver: “She was so excited to see her ABC’s in the echo tunnel this morning!”
Daycare Notes, Friday, August 24, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina made a “big big road” in the sandbox today! She tried really hard to blow bubbles through a straw and was really excited when she was successful.”
Daycare Notes, Monday, August 27, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “You had a great day she was very talkative she had an impromptu singing session with Miss Jillian and seeing a lot of fun songs. She also enjoy painting a snake with a bit of colors.”
Daycare Notes, Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Instead of singing “the farmer in the Dell” Nina saying the “the farmer in the cow” she also really enjoyed watching the turtle swim and singing the turtle song.”
Daycare Notes, Wednesday, August 29, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina enjoyed playing with the felt board story. She was constantly rearranging the numbers and frogs. She also had a lot of fun painting her frog and worked very hard to cover the whole thing.”
Daycare Notes, Thursday, August 30, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina really enjoyed making daughter dots this morning. She also enjoyed cutting our alligator puppet.”
Daycare Notes, Friday, August 31, 2012 Nina’s caregiver: “Nina looked at me and said “cups and turtles and swings and run” and then she ran away. It was cute! She liked also to play pretend games (like house and family and teacher) at the Belmont playground! She is full of imagination!”
IAN DAYCARE NOTES
I’ll spare you most of this… Not much exciting happened other than injuries. :\
Daycare Notes, Thursday, August 2, 2012 Ian’s caregiver: “He really enjoyed the school playground at Belmont. He ran from toy to toy.”
Daycare Notes, August 6, 2012 Ian’s caregiver: “Ian really liked doing track and field in Tumble Time.”
Daycare Notes, August 16, 2012 Ian’s caregiver: “Ian was playing with the balls he slipped and fell on his arm. It was pretty rough up. We got him an ice pack and held it on his arm for 20 minutes.”
Daycare Notes, August 17, 2012 Ian’s caregiver: “Ian was walking in block area when a friend brought a block up and accidentally hit Ian in the lip. This caused a fat upper lip. I offer him ice but he didn’t want it.”
Daycare Notes, August 23, 2012 Ian’s caregiver: “Ian enjoyed Kevin the entertainer and his puppet.”
Daycare Notes, August 27, 2012 Ian’s caregiver: “He was running and tripped and fell in his right knee.”
Daycare Notes, August 28, 2012 Ian’s caregiver: “Ian really enjoyed his ice cream sundae with sprinkles on top.”
Daycare Notes, a thank you, received weeks into September… Ian’s caregiver: “Ian, Daran and Melissa thank you for the beautiful plant and for going on all the field trips. You were a great help. (At Ian) Your mom says you love going to kindergarten. I am so glad you like it but I do miss you. Miss Rhonda”
And that was Ian’s last day at daycare. I think we’ll all miss these days. Thinking about the toddler that stumbled toward that door, and the young man that walked out. I’m so proud of him!
https://outoftheirminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ootmd-logo-dark-wings-3Asset-15.svg00vrbfwhttps://outoftheirminds.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ootmd-logo-dark-wings-3Asset-15.svgvrbfw2012-12-02 13:47:452012-12-02 13:47:45August Dialogue and Milestones
Ian’s First Day of Kindergarten
Before I get into the subject behind the title, I want to take this opportunity to point out that while at the cottage, Nina threw away her last zooey/pacifier. Thus, the Chapman household is zooey-free as of September 3rd. Extremely proud of my little girl, you’re brave and awesome!
Another important note – While up at the cottage, without internet, I ended up checking out a page I had stored on my laptop via a special feature in a browser I have. It was there that I recognized my friend Steve from about 15 years ago. We had ripped tickets together at a movie theater. I recognized him on a “kickstarter” page for a video game. I’ll mention this a couple more times, as a wave turned into conversation, and conversation into a nice job opportunity! (Never burn bridges, kids!)
You’ve seen Ian’s last day at daycare, and his Kindergarten Orientation. September 4th was his first real day at Valley View.
September Begins and the Cottage
We jumped at another chance to go to the cottage this year, given that the previous visit had had an understandably somber tone.
August Dialogue and Milestones
NINA DAYCARE NOTES:
IAN DAYCARE NOTES
I’ll spare you most of this… Not much exciting happened other than injuries. :\
And that was Ian’s last day at daycare. I think we’ll all miss these days. Thinking about the toddler that stumbled toward that door, and the young man that walked out. I’m so proud of him!