Favorite Things

On Back-To-School night, when Lorelei first met her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Lien, she gave her the year's first assignment. Lorelei handed Mrs. Lien a list of her favorite things, along with a duplicate page for Mrs. Lien to fill out and a stamped envelope with our home address. Lorelei loves getting mail. Here she is, tearing it open when it arrived the next week.

 Lorelei learned a lot about her new teacher: she likes golfing, running and being outdoors; her favorite color is blue; her favorite tradition is her family's Christmas Eve spaghetti dinner; she's a fan of Dr. Seuss; and her favorite season is the same as Lorelei's (fall), among other things.

  Lorelei loves Mrs. Lien. At dinner, she pretends that she's Mrs. Lien and makes us, Mark, Mommy and Gryffin, pretend we're her students. First she went over the name (M-O-M) of the day: "Mix it, mix it, who will it be? Mix it, Mix it, I hope it is me!"  Then we played "Poison Frog."  Then we did the ABC rhyme she learned in school. She adores being in kindergarten.

 Gryffin's a lone cowboy for a couple more weeks until he begins preschool with Mrs. Bergdall and Mrs. McNally, two teachers we are crazy about that Lorelei had at Christ Lutheran.  He's in class with a bunch of his friends--Dylan, Nolan, Rohan, Kevin, Georgia--and has already been invited to his first preschool playdate next week with Elijah.

 Here are Gryffy's FAVORITE THINGS:
COLOR: red
BOOKS: Toy Story
FOODS: pasta with broccoli with shrimp
RESTAURANT: Red Robin
SWEET TREATS: Lollipops & orange slices
SONGS: Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle
MOVIES: Toy Story 3, Smurfs
GAMES: Monster and Hide-and-Seek
HOBBIES: Playing (pounding) the piano, playing with big sister (usually imaginative play with little toy figures), swimming
HOLIDAYS: Halloween and Christmas and Easter
TRADITION: He enjoys roasting s'mores (each week during family nights)
SEASON: ?
I AM REALLY GOOD AT: (Mommy's input): helping Mommy cook, making the bed and taking his food to the sink (unprompted), making up "mix-up" stories before bed, being kind and helpful to others, sharing, doing thoughtful things (he brings Mommy the neglected baby from Toy Story 3 everyday for a kiss, etc.)
I LOVE: friends, Daddy, Jack & Charlie (neighbors), Lorelei, Mommy, Mr. Tubbins, Grammy & BPop, Grammy Great

This boy is so thoughtful. This morning Mommy and Lorelei were laying in bed, so Gryffy went to our library cubbies and picked out Charlotte's Web so that I would have something to read (he knows Mommy loves books), then said, "I get one for you too, Lorelei," and brought her the Smurfs book. He sat beside her and read it to her as she woke up.
Lorelei, too, made the bed all by herself this morning without being asked at all.  She even pushed the trundle bed underneath, and pulled all the covers up and fluffed the pillows. She was so proud of herself, she begged me to come and see.
I am so in love with my sweet kids!

Star Student (and Star Brother, too)

This week at preschool, Lorelei was the star student. She got to create a poster about her favorite things, which I should be keeping track of every so often. So, here it is... Lorelei and Gryffin's favorite things Fall 2009:

LORELEI'S FAVORITES (at 3 1/2):

Hobbies: homework Mommy gives her, reading, playing in puddles, being a big sister, dancing

Toys: baby dolls, Mrs. Potato Head, Legos, art supplies, mud and shovels

Games: Candy Land, Hide and Seek

Books: Berenstain Bears, The Grublin, The Three Little Pigs

Movies: Harry Potter, Ice Age, Leap Frog, Bolt, Incredibles, Horton Hears a Who

Foods: Peanut Butter & Jelly, carrots, lots of fruits and veggies, chicken nuggets

Animals: Zebras and lions

Something Special: I love how you sneak into our bed and want to snuggle at night, even if Daddy doesn't get a great night's rest. I love snuggling with my girl! And I love the sweet things you say to me and the way you say them--you make me laugh all through the day, Lorelei! Oh yeah, and I love how you're a spitting image of me--I'm so proud of my girl!

What I can do: Right now Lorelei is beginning to read with Hooked on Phonics. She's already finished the first two stickers on her chart, mastering -at words and -an words. She likes cutting with scissors and is beginning work in handwriting and connect the dots. In dance lessons, she is learning to follow along with the teacher in a sequence of moves. She loves jungle gyms, parks with big slides, inflatable bouncers, "scary" movies, and anything to do with art projects. She is still a fashion queen, always sporting her signature feathers in her hair. She attends preschool three half-days per week!

GRYFFIN'S FAVORITES (at 1 1/2):

Hobbies: Music class with Miss Beth, dancing, reading, throwing food, manipulating objects, playing in dirt or sand

Toys: toothbrush, blocks, balls, magnetic balls and rods, sidewalk chalk

Games: Peek-a-Boo with Lorelei, tickle

Books: I Love You Stinky Face, Goodnight Moon, The Lost Treasure of Skull Island

Movies: Barney Sing-Along, Leap Frog

Foods: Mommy, spinach lasagna, oatmeal, bananas

Animals: Dogs (always points at them on walks and says "Dog!")

Something Special: I love the way you squint your eyes and flash your goofy gummy grin at me with a squeak--it always makes me giggle. I love the way you pronounce all your "s" letters "sh" and how you speak with such sincerity and determination. And I love the faces you make when you poop (too stinking cute)!

What I can do: Gryffin can run like a devil, do somersaults on his own, trot, knows how to work the TV and DVD players, and puts his Barney Sing-Along DVD on for himself in the playroom each morning. He has a varied list of words, including "Lorelei" and "ridiculous," and often speaks simple sentences (i.e. "Look at that!" and "I did that!"). He loves to show off dancing, and has his own signature moves in his high chair (dubbed baseball and churn the butter). His fine and gross motor skills are advanced for his age, especially manipulating objects and fitting things together. He is still nursing at least 3-4 times a day.