Wreath, Pine Cones, Snow!

Last Friday Guy had the day off from work, but he was unfortunately sick with a cold and wasn't able to really enjoy the day. He was bed-bound for almost 5 days total, taking him through Sunday, and he was back to work on Monday. Thankfully he also has THIS Friday off and ALL of next week off! So hopefully he'll get to make up for it.

On Saturday Nico and I made a Christmas wreath from stuff we bought from the Dollar Store and Joann Fabrics. I made the wreath part and then let him choose where to put all the decorative stuff. He put "Jesus" (a bundle of pine-looking things with a present and red decorative stuff on it) on the bottom of the wreath surrounded by jingle bells, and the candy canes were all the disciples bowing down to Jesus.

The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back.

On Monday after school, Allicia invited us all for a Christmas craft - making pine cone bird feeders. You cover pine cones with peanut butter and then roll them in bird seed. You tie them up and hang them somewhere outside so that birds have something to munch on during the winter. Grandma Salisbury had a large box of pine cones that she gave to Allicia for the occasion. They worked perfectly!

We had our first SNOW on.. Tuesday? And then today it poured snow all day, the kids played outside in it after school and we are wondering if school will be closed tomorrow. We celebrated the snow tonight by making snow ice cream out in the main house. We mixed milk and maple syrup and vanilla in with the snow.

Cabin and Doctor

On Saturday we had the sensory friendly movie, they played Kung Fu Panda 3. It was a good movie with a good message. I loved it! We met some friends from the church there.

Saturday afternoon, Papa picked Nico up, they met up with Lexie and Grandma Salisbury and all drove up to the cabin for an overnight visit! When we were at the cabin on Easter, Jonny and Alanna had brought a game called PieFace:

Nico kept asking to play it and we kept saying "later, after the egg hunt..." But when the egg hunt was over, it was time to head home! So this sealed the deal for him coming over on Saturday, because the game would be there. And here he is on Saturday...

Papa and Grandma also took Nico and Lexie to Elk Pond where Grandma had heard a bunch of frogs croaking earlier. The frogs were still in full force when they arrived (see video below for the volume of frog sounds they heard!), and they even found some pollywogs to bring home. The pollywogs were in the egg sack and are still currently there, growing tails, in a jar on our windowsill. 

Here they are today. When Nico brought them home, they were just dots. Now they have some tails growing.

Apparently Grandma returned to the pond yesterday and there was no sign of any frogs or pollywogs! Did a raccoon get them??

Nico also got to eat coconut milk ice cream, and chocolate chips! He returned to us Sunday morning right before church. Thank you so much Papa and Grandma for the fun time Nico had!!!

While Nico was gone on Saturday, Guy and I attempted a hike. But, it was 2 in the afternoon in full sun and we wilted very quickly. Hehe. We need to build up some endurance! We then decided to go see Star Wars: The Force Awakens! We have been wanting to see this movie for a very long time, and we wanted to see it together. And, we finally did! We used some movie tickets that Allicia had given to us a few months ago.

And did you know... that this movie is the very first movie Guy and I have seen together by ourselves in a theater? There was one time where we went to a movie with a group of people. But this was the first time we have been by ourselves. Pretty exciting! So we had to take a picture, though there is no indication that this is a movie theater we are standing in front of. We couldn't fit everything into the picture :)

On Tuesday Nico had a nutritionist appointment, to help us figure out what Nico could eat based on his allergy testing. She said we should take him off dairy completely for 6 months, though an occasional cheese is ok. So, no cream cheese or sour cream. She gave me ideas for how to replace those, and I diligently went and bought some cashew cheese to spread on his sandwiches, and then dutifully attempted to make vegan mayonnaise. The cashew cheese made Nico feel really sick, so that's a no go. He went to school on Wednesday with a tummy ache. And the mayonnaise didn't emulsify so it's just a cup of liquid. But, we're learning :)

A few more random pictures...

That's it! Enjoy the sound of frogs in the video! :)

Ice Skating

Saturday was Nico's first ice skating lesson. Alexis also had a skating class that morning and we ran into them in the parking lot as we were making our way inside. Lexie and Nico were in different classes since Lexie had already gone through SnowPlow 1. She was in SnowPlow 2 now. Nico was in a class with other 4 year olds, and 5 year olds and maybe a 6 year old. He was very excited about it at first. The place was packed with kids and parents, and we tried to keep up as his class made their way to the ice through throngs of people. He got a little behind, and spent a few minutes on the ice waiting for someone to notice him to take him to the spot where his class was, since he lost track of them and couldn't skate on his own. Me not having skates was very hard for me! I couldn't go get him when he was wandering, and couldn't let him know that I could see him. Then one of the volunteers found him and took him to his class. Yay!

When he got there, he was so afraid of falling that he was pretty immobile. I could see his mouth moving "Please help me", he was saying it over and over and over again. It was so loud in there I'm not surprised no one heard him. His lip was quivering. I was in full blown Momma anxiety wanting to run out there and grab him to tell him he wasn't alone and that I heard him and that of course I would help him. The class was fast paced and Nico spent about five minutes making his way slowly to the exit. I wanted to run out there and scoop him up. When he got to the exit, I was waiting, and he finally saw me, lamented the fact that he wanted to skate with Lexie, and then told me he wanted to go back to his class. Yay! He was on his way. And he knew now that he could see me through the glass. A volunteer helped him back over there, he engaged in the play for a few minutes and then the rest of the class he spent making his way again back to the exit. While he was on his way over, class ended. When he made it to me his eyes were red and welling with tears and told me he wanted to leave. I said OK and we put his name badge away and then he said "No I want to skate with Lexie." After the classes they let the kids play on the ice in a section that has been coned off. This is what Nico had been looking forward to the whole time, to re-enact what him and Lexie and Bruce did that day a few weeks ago when we went ice skating for the first time. He wanted to get himself one of those ice skating walkers and let Lexie push him around in it. So that's exactly what he did. He smiled so big the whole time! They played for about 10 minutes. When we got in the car, Nico kept telling me he didn't want to come back.

I don't want to force Nico to do anything that he doesn't want to do, but I know also how much he wants to learn to skate. So I gave it a day or two and then sat down with him and we talked about it. I told him that it will take a lot of hard work to learn how to skate, and that it was going to take time. I gave him 3 steps to do whenever he needs help on the ice. 1 - Ask God for help, 2 - Ask someone else for help as loud as he can and 3 - Keep trying until help comes. Then I asked him how he would like going skating with just me so we could practice his skills before his next lesson. He said OK and we planned it for Thursday. Today! So this morning we showed up 5 minutes after they opened and when we got on the ice there was just one other person besides us. They hadn't even started up the music yet so it was very quiet.

The very first thing we practiced was falling. Once Nico learned how fun and OK it was to FALL and then get back up, it was a lot easier on him. We got some good tips from an elderly gentleman to look straight ahead and to keep your feet together. We were there for about an hour, but only on the rink for about 30 minutes.  Potty break, tying/untying shoes, and then we stopped to play an arcade game and get a prize from one of the machines.

Getting tickled by Daddy

Nico asked "Take a picture of me with my ice cream cone!" He said "Cheeeeese" without any prompting.

Normal things happened this week, too. Church, then we saw Papa and Lexie on Sunday when they came to drop off eggs. Then school, and legos. 

I got a video of Nico reading the Pigeon Takes a Bath book all by himself, but didn't have time today to edit it and upload it, so look for it next week. He has most of the book memorized. 

Last Day of School!

Friday I went to Nico's school to see what they've been doing in the music program. All the parents were invited. They had chairs set up so we could sit and watch. There was singing, keeping the beat, hand motions, and "draw a lowercase 't' in the air" along with a rap video (see video at bottom of entry).

They served cookies to the kids afterwards, but I was prepared with homemade snickerdoodles. Nico got a plate with his own cookies and he was very excited. Boy those cookies tasted good. Guy even said that it would take a very skilled baker to discern that the cookies were gluten free. YES! Snickerdoodles are Guy's favorite cookies. All 27 cookies were gone that day.

On Friday we also received Nico's complete "About Me" book. It included a page with the pictures from the Easter Egg Hunt.

And speaking of Easter, I forgot to post a picture from the Easter BBQ we had at the cabin.

Nico and his cousins Alexis and Rory

On Saturday Nico got to jump on a trampoline and played really well with new friends Olivia and Megan. They are the daughters of an old high school friend of mine. My friend gave all the kids their own orange with the top cut off and a straw stuck into it. It was a novel idea and kept them occupied for a little while.

On Sunday after church, Nico got to go home with Papa and Grandma, as I had an essential oils appointment that afternoon. Nico was so excited to help Papa chop some wood.

Action shot

Monday we saw Allicia and Co. Nico got to pick one of their strawberries and eat it. This inspired us to plan a trip to the Strawberry fields, so that is on the calendar this summer. And speaking of calendar… on Tuesday while Nico was at school, I spent the whole morning building our summer calendar. Schedules will be important for both me and Nico, to make sure we get out of the house and accomplish all the things we want to do this summer. Regular Zoo visits, regular Garden visits, then the only-once things like the Discovery Center, Paddle boats, go-carts, etc.

On Tuesday the ice cream truck came to Nico's school and they were each given a dollar to spend on a soft serve ice cream cone. I found a recipe to make for Nico's ice cream and I bought gluten free cones to send with him. His teachers wrote a note back saying that Nico loved the ice cream I made. He's been eating up the rest of the ice cream over the last few days.

On Tuesday night, Guy took Nico to the library. They came home with 3 new books to read. Guy always puts Nico to bed on the nights he has off, and they always read books.

Lately I have been telling him stories before bed. Stories with Sammy the muskrat, which is a character from the stories that my Mom used to tell us. In the stories, Sammy always comes over to Nico's house to go on an adventure. Having Nico as a character seems to make it more fun. I certainly remember all the Sammy stories where I was a character. In fact, all of them I ever heard had me in them along with whoever else was listening. 

I am not a very good story teller, Guy and I joked that perhaps by the time Nico was old enough to recognize story quality, I would be better at it.

Wednesday was the last day of school for Nico. We gave treats to all his bus drivers and took a picture of him with his favorites.

Nico handing them their treat.

Oh memories!

Today was a successful first day of summer vacation. 

We have recently been starting to go on bike rides on my bike, with the toddler seat hooked up. Nico sits between me and the handlebars.

The only downside to this arrangement is that Nico doesn't get any exercise. But I do really like being able to have conversations with him while riding.

Looks like I remembered to add all the pictures. Does that mean we're all done? I think so!

Oh, we did find out that Nico will be in the afternoon session next year, and will be with a different teacher. I am sad that he won't have the teacher he had this year again, but I'm sure Nico will thrive with his new one!

And, we were told we would hear something about Guy's job by this Friday. So, tomorrow.

Family Visit

The Grandparents Russell came into town on Saturday morning. Nico was so excited to see them that he spent the first hour or so pulling out the stuff from the top drawer of our desk in the living room, because he wanted to show them everything. We took a trip to Camel's Back park that afternoon.

Saturday evening Guy made everyone Pad Thai, which was excellent! Grandparents brought Nico some new books and a new sticker book, too! And a really cool Curious George activity book.

Sunday to church. G.G. joined us on this day, and surprised Nico with a new watch for an early Easter gift. Nico loves it! It is color coded to help in learning how to tell time.  For dessert on Sunday, Guy made strawberry ice cream made with coconut milk. Nico's first time trying ice cream, and he really liked it. He also really liked going on adventures with Grandma Russell outside. Using his magnifying glass to look at moss on rocks, exploring tiny rock caves, and throwing rocks into a "river" (puddle).

Relaxing after dinner.

G.G. and Nico playing.

The wind up...

The grab!

Monday was a short trip to Allicia's house so the Grandparents could meet Allicia and crew. In the afternoon we went to the Fish Park. It was a beautiful day! We walked over to Municipal Park afterward.

We will see them again soon!

Other things this week:

Nico's class picture. He can name all of his teachers, and most of the kids! (sorry for picture quality!)

Fun with Youtube. Pirate Nico!

On Tuesday his school was celebrating " The Week of the Young Child", emphasis on healthy living. They invited parents to participate in a little event in the gym, so I went to Nico's school that morning. There were stations set up, each one with a different theme. Teeth brushing, reading, exercise (yoga), gardening, art, building. Then outside was an obstacle course. I got to go to all of these stations with Nico. It is always great to be there at the school with him because Miss Candace his teacher always tells me little tidbits about what/how Nico is doing at school. I love those little tidbits. She asked if Guy was an engineer, because Nico is very precise, loves to build and work on things and has excellent fine motor skills. She said she is having a hard time coming up with academic goals for him for next year because he is doing so well! Most of the goals for Nico next year will likely be social and speech related. But academically he appears to be doing great. We will find out more about all of this at the IEP meeting next Tuesday.