Dancing

Nyla had her dance recital this week and while we were waiting Bohdin and Cora wanted me to take silly pictures of them.



The dance recital was mostly little kids.  Little kids can't dance well but they are very cute.  Nyla's class was the only one with a tap routine for the younger kids.  There were some high school kids who tapped as well. The teachers were on stage but well off to the side doing the routine also.  This seemed to distract most of the kids because they looked at the teacher.  Maybe it would have been even worse without that. 









Buddy recorded it on the cell phone.  http://youtu.be/d5V5sOySoFc

Friday was the last day of school and since the kids got out early we visited an iris farm in Missouri.  There weren't as may irises as we expected.  Only one area had a lot of irises blooming together.  It was still a nice trip. 
















Report cards came home on Friday along with the results of the STAR test.  Bohdin had been tested in January and again in May.  I already knew Bohdin's reading results because his teacher told another parent who then told me.  Her daughter was upset that Bohdin was a better reader and the teacher reassured her that they were at the same level.  The reason Bohdin is at the same level is his scores went down between January and May.  The test had him reading at a 7th grade level instead of 8th.  His math scores did go up a bit but we worked on math at home so I expected that.  He moved up into a greater than fifth grade level for math.  The funny thing about that is he does third grade math at home.  I wonder if the test is too easy.  He aced the reading section the first time and missed one question the second time.

I was really mad on Friday that the school knew that he needed harder work.  Part of the test results showed what would be a suitable level of instruction and neither was second grade work.  I've come to terms with it.  Challenging smarter kids is outside of the scope of their ability.  On top of that most parents don't want their child to be challenged.  I talked to a lot of parents about that this week and all told me they didn't want their child to be challenged.  I don't agree with that approach for Bohdin.  He needs to be challenged.  I'm reminded of his swim coach in Kentucky who allowed him to keep his head above water because he didn't like getting his face wet.  His first swim coach here in Kansas physically forced his head under water and also dunked him in a sense to show him that he could do it.  She was right.  He could do it but he needed somebody to challenge him.  That's not something a school can provide.  He needs to be homeschooled. 

Nyla's test results were different.  They do a different sort of test for kindergarteners.  She is progressing and school was working out okay for her.  She's the type of student that the school handles pretty well.  She wants to be homeschooled though.  She doesn't like how the other kids behave. 

Graduation

Kindergarten graduation was on Friday.  I didn't look through all of Nyla's papers the day before and didn't see the time change for the program so I missed some of it.  I did make it in time for the two songs and everybody's name being called.  The ceremony wasn't too long and it was followed by a little reception in the cafeteria afterward. 





Nyla with a girl that is not in her class.  I don't know who she is. 


Nyla and our neighbor C-.


Nyla with G-.  This is the girl we spent the day with at the zoo.  I don't know why she is looking so blank in this picture.  She's a really fun girl. 


Nyla's friend I- is on the left.  I- was Nyla's best friend in her class. 

School let out really early on Friday so I just brought Bohdin home with Nyla.  After lunch and running an errand we went to the toy store in town.  Bohdin spent money to buy a new Playmobil toy.  He's been complaining a lot recently about not having enough time.  It's a good thing there is only five days of school left.  Almost as soon as we came home Buddy called asking if we were ready to go.  The barbecue that I thought was scheduled for Sunday was actually on Friday.  We went to the home of Buddy's Austrian classmate for a barbecue.  It was a fun evening.  Bohdin played ball a lot with the other kids.  They played several different games including soccer, keep away, and football.  Bohdin was hit in the face with the ball at one point which nearly ruined the evening for him but he recovered. 

We babysat C- and her brother M- Saturday while both of their parents were occupied.  Bohdin and M- have had some interaction but I would never call them friends.  The first couple of hours were a little awkward but they soon bonded.  After lunch all of the kids were eating popsicles outside and M- said it was the best day ever.  He thought the only thing better would be if he were eating the popsicle on a beach in Spain while collecting sea glass.  They were lucky enough to have stationed in Europe prior to here.  M- and C- were supposed to go to another neighbor's house after lunch but M- wanted to stay with us.  Nyla and C- went over instead and did art.  Ma- came over later asking to play with Bohdin and the three played together for a while before heading back to Ma-'s house to play Wii. As a thank you M- and Ca-'s dad made dinner for all of us and we ate outside.  M- and C- played inside while Cora stayed outside with us. 








Cora with M- and C-'s dog Charlie.  He's an old dog with a bum leg right now so he just stands or lays quietly while Cora pets him.  She adores Charlie.  He is the reason she likes to go out to the bus stop in the morning and afternoon. 









M- was at our door late Sunday morning asking to play with Bohdin.  They spent hours together trolling the neighborhood looking for things to do.  They were in and out of our house and his house doing various things.  Nyla and C- went back over to the other neighbor's house where they played and had lunch.  Cora just had to stay home and nap.  In the late afternoon I took Nyla and Bohdin to the indoor pool for about an hour.  It was a lot easier to not have Cora.  Bohdin doesn't require much attention but Nyla does.  She's forgotten how to swim so I had to watch her.  She'll take swim lessons again starting mid June.  In the meantime we'll try to get to the pool more often so she can practice.  Both kids could use more practice.




Nyla likes to write and wrote this earlier.  It erased a little before I took the picture.  She writes the word love so much she has it memorized.  She needed help spelling brother and sister. 

Nyla told me that in art class Is- washed her hands in the toilet and that everyone copied her but Nyla.  I've met Is- and she is the type of kid that others would follow.  She has a lot of charisma.  I was proud of Nyla for not doing it.  That night Bohdin reported that Nyla washed her toothbrush in the toilet.  Nyla denied it but I believe Bohdin.  It makes me wonder how truthful she was about the school incident.   Even if she didn't really wash her hands in the toilet at school, dunking your own toothbrush in the toilet seems worse.  We had just talked about how gross the former would be. 

Mother's Day

Nyla's science fair project


Bohdin's science fair project











Bohdin made it off the wait list for swim lessons so he started last week on Monday and Wednesday which are the same two days that Nyla has things.  Nyla likes that she has Tuesdays and Thursdays free and spent it playing at the playground with C- while her brother had a baseball game nearby.  On Thursday Nyla, Cora, C-, and some other girl were playing fairies with Cora being the bad fairy chasing them all over the playground.  They seemed to have a lot of fun.  Nyla has been playing with C- pretty frequently.  I'm sure we'll see her again tonight. They play together for hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Once the game is over the dad grills in the backyard and the kids play back there until it is time to get ready for bed.

Bohdin's new swim teacher is the standard sort of swim teacher who has one kid swim while the rest wait around.  I miss his old teacher because every kid was swimming or practicing diving all at the same time.  I hope we're lucky enough to get her this summer.  Bohdin progressed a lot last month and is nowhere near the worst kid in his new class.  He is actually among the best.  He spends a lot of time goofing off in class along with the rest of the kids.  One kid showed him how to sit underwater and now Bohdin likes to sit underwater as well.  It's hard to believe that at the beginning of April he wouldn't put his head in the water. 

One of Bohdin's classmates was involved in the local theater production so Bohdin wanted to go.  The theater is a very short walk so I took him while Nyla and Cora stayed home to play in the backyard with C-.  The kids did Suessical the Musical which was a very ambitious project.  They worked really hard.  Unfortunately most of them can't sing well so it dragged a bit towards the middle.  The kid who played Horton was pretty good but he is still little and his voice doesn't project well.  The kid who played Gertrude was really good and saved the show.  She was probably around 11.  I think there was only one child who may have been a high schooler.  The rest appeared to be about sixth grade and under.  Bohdin said he loved it even though he was very restless throughout a lot of it. 




We spent Saturday tending the garden.  We put up a 7 foot thin plastic fence around it in hopes of keeping out the deer.  Deer can jump that but we are the only ones with such a tall fence so we hope they go for easier pickings.  It's looking pretty good so far except for the summer crops which haven't sprouted yet.  It's been a cold spring so the ground may not be warm enough yet for tomatoes and squash.  We ran into Mo- and her family at the garden.  Ma- came home with us to play with Bohdin but it wasn't long before Mo- and her little brother came also.  I wish Mo- behaved better.  I like having her brothers over but not her. 

One thing the kids learned in public school was Mother's Day.  They seemed to really push the holiday on the kids so the kids really wanted to celebrate.  They talked about it for days prior.  They each made a present in school and on Sunday Nyla wanted to throw me a party.  The kids helped make mashed potatoes and cake.  It was the best Mother's Day I've had because of their efforts and  their push to make Buddy do something.  I didn't clean the kitchen once that day nor prepare a meal.  I spent a lot of time working on Nyla's Easter dress so she can wear it for her kindergarten graduation.  I also made Nyla a nightgown and finished Cora's orange dress. 



Nyla playing and singing my Mother's Day song.








I forgot to take pictures of my cards and clay bird that Bohdin made.  The clay bird has to go back to school to be fixed because its tail fell off on the way home.  Nyla forgot her card at school on Friday and gave it to me yesterday. 

Spring

The pictures won't upload right now but I'll go ahead and post the words.

Today was a beautiful spring day finally. Last week there was a bitter cold spell and it even snowed. Nyla wanted to take advantage of the weather with a picnic so we headed to the pond after dinner with a basket of strawberries. It was very pleasant until Cora decided she was tired and wanted to go home by herself. She can be pretty fast and it took a while to catch up to her. That ended our nice picnic because we were over halfway home by that point.

Last weekend was the post yard sale. Apparently it's a really big deal and people come the night before to camp out. It starts at 6am and goes all day. We didn't get out there until 8am. Buddy put a few things out and Nyla decided to sell Pretty. Pretty joined us last year from the neighborhood yard sale. She has seen plenty of action and looks a lot worse than when she joined us. Cora even drew on her back. Nyla wanted to sell her for $5 which is more than she paid. I thought it would never happen but it did. Neither Buddy or I were there because we had both stepped inside for a moment. When we came back out Nyla had $5. I don't know how she did it. She spent a little of her money on one of the three new things. I know she got a new doll for free. She also has a toy computer and a bunny backpack. She paid for one of those two items and the other was free. We should have had her sell all of our stuff.

After the yard sale Nyla attended a birthday party. She wasn't feeling well so we left early. She came home with a cough on Friday and she was feeling poorly on and off all weekend. Buddy and I caught it almost immediately. Bohdin started feeling bad Sunday night but he was better by mid morning on Monday. I kept Bohdin and Nyla home on Monday. It was nice to have a few hours of rest while the kids played with each other. Days are a lot less hectic when they don't go to school.

On Tuesday Nyla had her class field trip to the zoo. I didn't volunteer but thought I would go if nothing interfered. I was feeling a little sick but Nyla really wanted me to go. I was late showing up due to construction and was incredibly lucky to spot Nyla immediately. If I had come just a few minutes later I never would have found her. There were enough parent volunteers that everybody split up into groups of two. I spent the day with a lovely girl from Nyla's class and her mother. They are from Korea and I was lucky enough to be offered some yummy homemade sushi. It made me want to make sushi more often. It wasn't fancy but it was tasty. That day was actually the last hot day before the cold front came through and it was pretty hot. Cora did well up until we were waiting for the tram to take us back near the entrance. She became tired and was mad that she couldn't sleep. Tired and mad Cora screams a lot. She was really loud and I was getting a lot of looks. It was minutes before she calmed down. There was nothing I could do. By the time we got off the tram she wasn't as mad anymore and stopped crying and screaming. We headed back home and she fell asleep right away.

Cora's sleep troubles continued on Wednesday. She was tired but couldn't sleep. She tried multiple times that day. By 5:25 she was not happy. Nyla had dance class at 5:30 and I needed to walk her over. Cora screamed most of the way there. I didn't linger long in the building because the screaming was pretty uncomfortable for everybody. Cora fell asleep soon after we came home. I had a choice to make. Either send Bohdin across the street to get Nyla or leave a sleeping Cora with him for the three minutes it takes to get there and back. I sent Bohdin which was the right choice because Cora woke up very unhappy. She finally calmed down as Buddy walked in the door at 7. She stayed up until 10 that night.

It's been a rough week with her sleep and her behavior. She is acting like a three year old and not in the good way. Last week at breakfast she wanted three meatballs. She can count up to three so I did actually give her three meatballs. She looked at the plate and screamed at me "I wanted three not three.". She's at the point where everything in her life is wrong.

The science fair posters were due last week. We were able to check out some of the other ones. There were a lot so we couldn't possibly see them all. There were some really interesting ones and some not so great ones. The only projects that were really horrible came from the sixth graders. I don't know what happened. They were all identical in layout, were completely unimaginative, and poorly designed. Somebody taught them what to do and I can only assume it was a teacher who ought to be fired. The projects in every other grade varied widely. Some probably had a lot of help and had a better project to show for it. I was impressed with several of them. There were no prizes or judging. Everybody got a medal and a certificate. It was a good experience.

Cold Spring

Today was the last day of swim lessons so our days won't be nearly as busy anymore.  I guess I lucked into swimming lessons for April because there were not nearly enough spots in May.  I didn't register early enough.  Registration opens about midnight midmonth and by morning all of the spots were gone.  Bohdin is on a waitlist but I'm not holding my breath.  Nyla can't take a class because the next level is only during school hours.  We'll try again for June.  If Bohdin doesn't get into swimming next month I'll probably sign him up for crossfit again.  It became a lot harder and when I picked him up he was sweaty and had a red face.  It's a good class for him and he likes it. 

Summer camp registration opened Monday morning at 12:30am.  I stayed up to be sure they would get spots.  It wasn't necessary because spots were still available at 8am.  I didn't want to risk it and they were able to get everything they wanted.  Bohdin will be doing golf, hip-hop, fine arts, kite making, and piano.  They are spread out over the summer so he won't be overloaded.  Nyla has two dance camps, kite making, and science.  Nyla doesn't have as much for two reasons.  The first is that she is feeling overwhelmed with activities right now and the second is that there isn't as much for five year olds.  I never would have thought that Nyla would feel that way.  She's the one that likes to be busy all day and be around people.  Bohdin is handling all of his activities very well.  He surprised me too because I expected the opposite.

Bohdin' swimming teacher is incredible and Bohdin has learned so much.  She said he was ready to move up a level but I think he needs more practice.  He swims a lot better than he did at the beginning of the month but he can do better.  He's still one of the weaker swimmers in his class.  We may take him to the pool on weekends to practice if we can find the time.  

Nyla - I like ballerinas, dance, and princesses. Princesses are pretty like ballerinas.  Nyla loves to pick flowers and lay in them.  Nyla likes to play on the twisy slide.  I also like to read books and look at the pictures. 

I took the girls shopping on Saturday while Bohdin worked on his science project.  We had to buy two birthday presents in addition to some groceries.  I don't know how well it will turn out yet but hopefully he learns something from it.  We'll spend the weekend working on the poster.  Nyla is participating in the science fair as well so we have a good bit of work ahead of us this weekend helping them. 



It has been a very cold spring so we haven't spent much time outside recently.  It even snowed on Tuesday with very minor accumulations.  Today Bohdin wore shorts to school and we should be in the upper 70s by this weekend.  I think everybody is ready for spring. 















We had a birthday party on Sunday at the bounce place again.  All of the kids were invited this time and they all had a great time.  Nyla's best friend from school, I-, was there for a different birthday party.  Nyla used to play with I- during Bohdin' swim lesson because I-'s sister had taekwondo at the same time and in the same building.  Cora is fearless in that place and prefers the big kid area.  She does everything the big kids do.

School Troubles

We were given a zoo membership that came with free tram, train, and carousel rides.  With the improved weather we made our first trip on Friday after school.  The kids loved the train and carousel.  Since they close at four we had limited time and saw only a handful of animals.  We made plans to be back soon. 










On Saturday we went to our garden plot.  The base here has a few garden plots for rent.  I called twice on the phone and was denied a plot because they were too full but a neighbor had put my name down and somehow one became available.  It was an incredibly windy day.  The kids mostly played at the nearby soccer field while Buddy made rows and I planted.  The ground was already tilled.  I don't remember the dimensions of the plot but it was a generous size.  We haven't planted it all yet.



The week was busy with meetings at the school.  I had a meeting with the principal and the upcoming principal on Tuesday.  On Friday we had a meeting with the four second grade teachers, the principal, and the upcoming principal.  It was an hour long meeting.  Bohdin's teacher made outrageous claims about Bohdin including the fact that he couldn't write a complete sentence when he entered school.  We ignored pretty much everything she said because our focus (Buddy was there as well) was to improve his current situation instead of fighting about where he was when he started.  After an hour the only thing they would agree to was to let him do extra work if he finished his work early.  They were very confident in their curriculum and thought it would benefit him to sit through it no matter how bored he was.  The principal was concerned he might have a hole in his education somewhere and thought it best that he sit through 99 lessons he does know just in case there might be one thing he doesn't.  I understand their position.  They have to teach to the test.  It's how they get their funding and accolades.  It's extremely important for a school that he know absolutely every item on the test.  There are no extra points for students who know history, science, or geography.  The test doesn't show if a student can work above grade level.  It's not really their fault.  It's the system.  They have to play the game and get the lowest performers as high as possible.  If I don't like it I can homeschool. 

I did consider pulling him out immediately but Buddy thought he should stay until the end of the year.  Bohdin wants to do the science fair next month and he can only do that as a student so he will stay in school. We did discover that his thinking ability has decreased so we'll have to do work at home again to keep him from backsliding too much.  I like the school okay for Nyla.  She is having fun and learning.  When I was looking back at some of Bohdin's writing I noticed that Nyla can't compose her thoughts as well as she used to either.  Back in September I wrote down what she said about Disney World.  It's a lot better than what I wrote a few weeks ago about school.  I think that may just be a product of being around little kids all day.  Instead of listening to audio books with advanced language she is listening to five and six year olds.  She can't follow a story the way she used to either.  Now when she hears that kind of language she is confused and doesn't understand. 

One of the things the school does well is their specials - art, music, and gym.  The second grade concert was on Thursday.  I think the music teacher did an incredible job.  There are four second grade classes.  One at a time a class would come up and play music while the rest sang.  It far exceeded my expectations.  I can't believe the music teacher was able to accomplish that.  There were several different instruments so it wasn't her teaching 18 kids to do the same thing.  She was teaching 18 kids to do at least 8 different things at the same time. 



We went to the zoo again today.  The first thing we did was ride the train which is a favorite.  Bohdin really wanted to see the hyrax after reading a book about them so we made our way by tram to the Africa section.  They leave a decent amount of space for the animals which I like.  It took a lot of walking but we finally made it to the hyrax. It was interesting going to the zoo with Bohdin because he knows a lot.  I felt like I had a little tour guide with me spouting off interesting facts.   After walking back to the tram stop, Cora threw up.  She then threw up maybe eight more times in the next few hours.  She couldn't keep anything down.  I'm hoping it's not contagious.  I couldn't help but get it on me and there is no sink in the minivan.  She threw up around four times in the minivan.  She was feeling better by 9pm and now she's sleeping.