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Site Last Updated: Mar 04, 2005 10:16 PM
Total entries in this category:
Site Last Updated: Mar 04, 2005 10:16 PM
A Wet January
January has been pretty wet around the
BatesCentral Compound. Rain is typical this time of year, but as of today, we
are 147% of normal for this time of year. San Jose did not break any records,
but it sure is wet!!! In relation, LA is currently at 348% of normal (no that
was not a typo)! In other known weather news, the east coast just got hit with a
blizzard. My parents have around 3 feet of snow. I think that Old Man Winter may
give us a rough second half here in the
US.
It Sure is Quiet
Since my parents left, it has gotten pretty quiet around here. Jenn's parent's have also taken off for the rest of the winter. They have gone down to Palm Desert (near Palm springs) until April. As an FYI, Palm Desert is around a seven hour drive south of us (between LA and San Diego). We did have the rest of the gang over this past weekend for the Pats game and dinner, but otherwise it has been quiet around here.
Casey's Parent/Teacher Conference
We had a parent/teacher conference at Casey's preschool today. It went very well! Let me give you a few excerpts from his report. I have merged the highlights together below...
"Casey is a happy, sociable child who is developing the needed control to progress to "real" school. He is capable of initiating and joining in play in positive and appropriate ways. He has mastered the control it takes to understand the perspective of others. Casey's communication skills and understanding, dependable temperament make him a favorite amongst the other preschoolers. His well developed hand-eye coordination is apparent as he hits home run after home run when playing baseball!
"Casey can be found enjoying many of the daily activities that our school has to offer. Some favorites of his include: sharing at circle time, teacher work, solving the mystery object, using manipulatives, sensory activities and working in the sand. I love the way Casey is embracing the academic activities offered in class and the caring way he treats his friends." -- Casey's Preschool Teacher
Casey does have some areas to work on like holding his pencil/crayons correctly and asking for help when he needs it, but nothing major. As his teacher said, he is VERY popular. The kids actually fight over him, which can be difficult for Casey to deal with.
An example, at the end of the day the kids all gather together for closing circle time. Everyone grabs a carpet square and sits in a semi-circle around their teacher. There is usually a lesson or song or activity. Very frequently Casey's classmates would fight over who got to sit next to Casey. Apparently Casey would say things like, "I have four sides," trying to let as many people sit next to him as possibe. He always tries to make his friends happy. This can be quite stressful on such a little guy.
His teacher first though about creating a sign up list to rotate who would sit next to Casey. She eventually decided to randomly assign seats at every circle time in order to solve the problem. Being popular is what most of us dreamed of, but I never though abut the pressure it can put on you. The funny thing is that Casey does not actively try to be popular or win the affection of his peers. He just draws people in by being himself. If there ever was an "it" then Casey sure has it!
Quinn Update
Quinn is also doing very well. He has been going to Gymboree since November and really loves it! I believe that his 2-year molars are coming in, so he hasn't been sleeping the best. As you may expect, he adores Casey. He watches everything that Casey says and does and wants to do whatever Casey is doing. Casey and Quinn play very well together, but they do have their arguments (some days more than others).
Quinn is still in a crib. We plan on keeping him there as long as possible. We made the mistake with Casey to move him to a big boy bed much too early. We won't make that mistake with Quinn. Jenn thinks we can make it until Quinn's next birthday, but I think she is crazy! Quinn could climb out of the crib now, if he wanted too. He climbs into the crib all of the time. He either has not realized that he can climb out, is too scared or is too lazy. Soon enough, he will get over all three of those roadblocks. My prediction, by March/April. I'll keep you all posted!
Final Thoughts for the Week
January started with a flurry, but has crawled to a close. Birthday week and the Pats 3rd Superbowl appearance in four years should spice up the beginning of February. My buddy Fred is going to the game! Can you believe it?!?!? That is a story, however, for a different day.
-- Bill
It Sure is Quiet
Since my parents left, it has gotten pretty quiet around here. Jenn's parent's have also taken off for the rest of the winter. They have gone down to Palm Desert (near Palm springs) until April. As an FYI, Palm Desert is around a seven hour drive south of us (between LA and San Diego). We did have the rest of the gang over this past weekend for the Pats game and dinner, but otherwise it has been quiet around here.
Casey's Parent/Teacher Conference
We had a parent/teacher conference at Casey's preschool today. It went very well! Let me give you a few excerpts from his report. I have merged the highlights together below...
"Casey is a happy, sociable child who is developing the needed control to progress to "real" school. He is capable of initiating and joining in play in positive and appropriate ways. He has mastered the control it takes to understand the perspective of others. Casey's communication skills and understanding, dependable temperament make him a favorite amongst the other preschoolers. His well developed hand-eye coordination is apparent as he hits home run after home run when playing baseball!
"Casey can be found enjoying many of the daily activities that our school has to offer. Some favorites of his include: sharing at circle time, teacher work, solving the mystery object, using manipulatives, sensory activities and working in the sand. I love the way Casey is embracing the academic activities offered in class and the caring way he treats his friends." -- Casey's Preschool Teacher
Casey does have some areas to work on like holding his pencil/crayons correctly and asking for help when he needs it, but nothing major. As his teacher said, he is VERY popular. The kids actually fight over him, which can be difficult for Casey to deal with.
An example, at the end of the day the kids all gather together for closing circle time. Everyone grabs a carpet square and sits in a semi-circle around their teacher. There is usually a lesson or song or activity. Very frequently Casey's classmates would fight over who got to sit next to Casey. Apparently Casey would say things like, "I have four sides," trying to let as many people sit next to him as possibe. He always tries to make his friends happy. This can be quite stressful on such a little guy.
His teacher first though about creating a sign up list to rotate who would sit next to Casey. She eventually decided to randomly assign seats at every circle time in order to solve the problem. Being popular is what most of us dreamed of, but I never though abut the pressure it can put on you. The funny thing is that Casey does not actively try to be popular or win the affection of his peers. He just draws people in by being himself. If there ever was an "it" then Casey sure has it!
Quinn Update
Quinn is also doing very well. He has been going to Gymboree since November and really loves it! I believe that his 2-year molars are coming in, so he hasn't been sleeping the best. As you may expect, he adores Casey. He watches everything that Casey says and does and wants to do whatever Casey is doing. Casey and Quinn play very well together, but they do have their arguments (some days more than others).
Quinn is still in a crib. We plan on keeping him there as long as possible. We made the mistake with Casey to move him to a big boy bed much too early. We won't make that mistake with Quinn. Jenn thinks we can make it until Quinn's next birthday, but I think she is crazy! Quinn could climb out of the crib now, if he wanted too. He climbs into the crib all of the time. He either has not realized that he can climb out, is too scared or is too lazy. Soon enough, he will get over all three of those roadblocks. My prediction, by March/April. I'll keep you all posted!
Final Thoughts for the Week
January started with a flurry, but has crawled to a close. Birthday week and the Pats 3rd Superbowl appearance in four years should spice up the beginning of February. My buddy Fred is going to the game! Can you believe it?!?!? That is a story, however, for a different day.
-- Bill
Posted: Wed - January 26, 2005 at 09:15 PM
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