Short Week and Lazy Parents

Even though this has been a short week due to Labor Day, it has been crazy hectic with me working more cases and starting the next semester of school. I’ve not had much of a chance to ask him how his days have been going. I feel like I’m running ragged and as a good friend always says, “Busier than a cat covering up crap!”
Anyway, this blog isn’t about me. It’s about the adventures of Xavier and so here they are for this week.

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They’ve picked cloudy or rainy all week. X was scared at one point because Miss Holt said something about a Tornado and he thought it would suck them up. But there wasn’t and it didn’t.
Tuesday, Xavier told me that Mr. S is the Alphabet speaker of the week added “Daddy, did you know that T comes after S? That’s crazy!”

Mr. S’s song is slow and goes sort of like this:
I’m Mr. ESSSS, I go to bed and I’m kind of scared
I’m Mr. ESSS, I get out of bed and get into my super box to get my super socks.
I’m Mr. ESSS, I turn into my Mr. S Super Socks.
I’m not really sure that’s how it goes but that’s how he relayed it to me.

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Wednesday, was all about a “special” girly friend. Xavier told his mommy that him and ________ were at every center together, “I went to this center and she did too and I went to this one and she did too.”

Mommy said,”It sounds like she is following you around.”
X: “No, she picked first and then I went there.”
Mommy: “So you are following her around.”
X: “Why you say that?”

The conversation paused there and then picked up with Shannon telling me Later they were sitting in class, he is sitting behind her, she says, “I’m in love!”

Mommy “With who?”
X in his sarcastic DUUUUHHHHHH!, tone: “Well, she turned around and I was the one sitting behind her."
Mommy: “What does that mean?”
X: “Well, you don’t want to hear this mommy.”
Mommy. “Of course, I want to hear about whatever you want to tell you about your day.”
X: “Wet me tell you in your ear… I fink she whispered ‘I wove you.’”
Mommy: “She must really like you.”
“Yeah” and his cheeks turned red.. Our child blushed for the first time!
Mommy: “Flirting with some trollop better not interfere with his education”

AND WHO EVER READS THIS IS NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE FUN OF HIM OR EVEN ASK HIM ABOUT IT!

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To continue this crazy hectic week. It’s Thursday night and I once again not been able to really sit down with Xavier and find out about his day. When I tried he seemed whiney and didn’t want to talk to Daddy. So, Daddy left the room.

When I came back into the room, I catch the tale end of him telling a sad story. Apparently, today during his center work he picked the reading center. Well he had asked other kids if they knew how to read and they said yes. So Xavier tells his mommy that EVERYONE in the class can read. Well everyone except him and two other boys. And that because he can’t read he has “Lazy parents that never taught him to read.” I also over heard that he sat alone during centers work because he felt bad for not being able to read.

hmmmmm…

We’ve read to the child since Shannon was eight weeks pregnant (They are supposed to develop ear buds that soon… or so I’m told).

Shannon relayed a story to me. On the way home he had asked her what music they listened to in music class. She had guessed Little Einstein's and he replied, “uh, nooooo mommy, that’s for toddlers!” He then asked her to guess what movie they watched, he said he’d give her hints. a hint about a monkey he had said “Don’t guess Curious George, cuz that’s what Mamaw already guessed” and another hint “he’s trying to get a lamp” gave it away to be Aladdin. When she questioned why the music teacher made them watch Aladdin he replied “I don’t know, cuz she just wanted us to watch Aladdin.”

Well that’s about it. I feel kind of crappy not being able to talk to him much about school this week and to find out that we are lazy parents.

Supplemental Log

Since there is no school today and I wanted to post something here is what Shannon wrote about 8/22, the day I was out of town and didn’t get to talk to X about his day.

Mommy’s perspective b/c daddy had to be out of town for a family emergency (guest blogger)!

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This was the first day to officially not walk Kindergartners in, and he asked, “Don’t you want to walk me in?” Mommy: “Of course I do, but the teachers want you to start walking in by yourself. I would walk you in every day until you go to college, but you will grow tired of that. I will walk you to the door.”

When we arrived, Xavier and his friends had their normal conversation about E seeing “him walk from his car,” as she bounced down the steps. Well his good friend, T, that he talks w/ each morning caught us sitting in the car. She was upset that he had beat her to school, but delighted that she saw him in the car.

So the kids are talking and playing in the breezeway and T sees the Principal and says, “That’s the Principal!” The Principal says, “And that is a good little boy.” T says, “But I was the one that said it, and I am not a boy.” X gets very tickled about this and the Principals amends with, “Two good children”.

When it is finally time to go in; X lingers back from the group with me and his little brother. He is staring at the doors so I offer to walk him to the bottom of the stairs. He smiles and enters. At the bottom, he slows again, and I tell him to catch up to his friends. He looks sad and shuffles on w/ a pouty lip. I start off, but then look around the corner and he was looking back for me (oh my aching heart) and I receive the best, biggest, most beautiful smile. Then the smile falls and he blows out a puff of air and shuffles on down to the cafeteria alone.
 

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When I get to his grandmother’s house he greets me with, “Well, all I remember about the day was…” and I don’t remember what he said after this b/c I was too busy laughing at the fact that he sounded like an adult and his mannerisms were priceless. He wrinkled his face up as if he were thinking REALLY hard.

I asked if his “share with the group bag had been chosen, and with great commotion he said that his bag did not get picked and he rolled his eyes and said that the teacher ONLY picked three of them, and some kids had to take theirs’ back and some didn’t, and he left his, and he guessed the ones that presented took theirs’ back. He said this in one big exasperated breath.

So then he begins to talk about how he gets to push the lunch box cart, and was proud of it until later in the day when he realized that he is not the door holder or the leader of the line to lunch. “I put the lunch stuff on it and push it over to the wall with a bunch of other lunch carts.”
Then he begins to tell me that he “Got to go to the upstairs.” To someone “maybe called guidance.” The teacher is REALLY nice and he gets to go there each day to color and read. And he repeats, the teacher is REALLY, REALLY nice. She just really must have made a good impression.

And then with the most excitement I have seen from him he shouts, “And guess what section they opened today mommy!!! They have an iPod section, and there are little tiny iPods like the one daddy has and on the second page they have games for KIDS.” So I asked if this was the section he played in, and he said, “No”. So then I tried to figure out HOW they decide sections, and I have no clue!


And then we arrived home and all he was focused on was eating supper and playing basketball.

Mother McMuffin

This morning, before school, I tried to talk to Xavier again about how his artwork doesn't have to be perfect. I talk to him because according to Shannon he thinks that it's OK to miss recess to work on his coloring work. I tried to explain to him that all aspects of kindergarten are about learning. Even recess is about learning. His body is learning with muscle development. He is learning social skills. He asks me what that is and I tell him that social skills are about communicating with other kids, getting along with them, taking turns, working out problems and things like that. He replies, "I already know all that daddy, I learned that a long time ago. When I was four or maybe even when I was one."

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On Thursdays it's kind of hard getting any info out of him because he's spent so much time with Mamaw that he's forgotten his whole day. One cute thing he said at Mamaw's was that, "We had to go to recess early this morning because Miss Holt said it was going to be hot... Like half way between 1000 and 90 degrees. That's hot!"

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When we got home we tried to pry some memories about the day and here's what we got.

"In reading groups we had this little TV thing and right here (he points at an imagined top of the page) it said, This was written by blank and we had to write our name in it. We had to draw our favorite show. I kind of drew Thomas. I drew wheels, little piston thingies, I tried to draw the one but I couldn't. I drew the tank where the one goes and then I drew the red line. I drew the bottom of the one, and then the two sides of the one, and then I couldn't draw the curvy part. and then I made a funnel." The whole time he's drawing the shapes in the air, mimicking what he drew on the paper.

The second thing he had to draw was a turtle. "The turtle was carrying something on his back. I fink his shell. And we had to make something that started with the letter T

Mommy asked, "What you make?'

"A Tire."

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"Oh and guess what? we did nursery rhymes. we didn't to Old Fuddle Mc Fuddle again. but we started Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater. had a wife and couldn't keep her. Put her in a pumpkin shell and there she kept very well.. or sumpting like that." After Peter Pumpkin Eater, we asked who was Old Fuddle Mc Fuddle. He pointed to me, and said, "You know that old lady Mcfuddle that we talked about westerday." I replied with "Old Mother Hubbard" He said, "Yes Mother McMuffin."

To scwibble or not to scwibble?

This morning I had to take X to school. As soon as we get out the door, he says, “WOW! What a beautiful day. The sky is bwue, the clouds are white. And dey wook wike cotton candy. It’s gonna be a great day!”

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So, I walk into the cafeteria, Gidzilla in hand, and as usual, they run toward each other and hug. Gideon looks up at me and asks “Can I go see his fends?” I said yeah, as this will give me a moment to talk to his teacher. When I get next to her she says “We’re having a bit of trouble with him getting his work done in time. He’s trying to get it perfect, which is good, but he needs to speed up a bit.” Really,” I ask. She says” yes, he worked through reading group and recess today.” I said ok and that I’ll talk to him.

When I get to the car, I have a little talk with him about getting his work done in time and his reply is “She told us not to scwibble and if I can’t scwibble, I can’t get it done.”

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After that conversation, He told me about their fire drill. He said, “Today, after recess while we were getting a drink, even though I didn’t get a drink, we had a fire drill.” Really?
Yes, they told us some stuff too, Code Brown is for earthquake, which we probably never have. Code Yellow is for a Tornado, and Code Red is for Fire. Did you get all them daddy, tell me what they are.”
So I repeat them back and he then repeats them back to me finishing with “There, that way you know what they are.”

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On way home, I hear from the back seat, Gideon asking, “ What center you do today?”
X reply, “Guess.”
Gideon, “ummmmm. wet me fink… pewtures?”
X, “Wow Giddy, you’re psychic. I did do computers today. Awesome!”

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When we got home he got really excited and said, “GUESS WHAT I GOT TO DO TODAY?!? PICK FROM THE TREASURE BOOOOOXXXXX!” His voice went up three octaves as the word box becomes the final note in a song.

He got to pick a silly straw from the treasure box. and was just too excited to live.

Flailing Chains

Today is the "firtieff" (30th) and I had to guess how many sunny days they have had in the week. I said 3, and could have been wrong  because he said, "I fink 2 or three I'm not sure."

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As to how the first part of his day went : "After dat, I don't know but then I remember. We were gonna do centers but we did this first. the triangles had to be circled then we looked inside the little thing. and then we and at the first page. It had a ball, a ball, and a square. We had to circle all of the balls. The second page had a square, a square, a rectangle, and a square. We had to the mark the ones that were the same. Page three had these hat fingies. There were these colored hats things. We had to circle the hat that was the same..." Then he just started rambling a bunch of other stuff that really didn't make much sense.

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So, he had me guess what center he went to today? I guessed computers and he said "Nooooo, bwocks... and we made trains.  Then _________ comes over. He's a mean wittle kid that pushes us around. I asked, "When you get pushed around what do you do?" He says, "Tell the teacher. Wait daddy you're not supposed to be writing this yet. HA! I forgot I forgot.. after centers is lunch break time. so you can go ahead and write that.

"I was eating my nennynems (M&M's), which you packed (and he wryly looked at mommy) that I didn't know that you even had. Thanks, Mommy. He (the mean wittle kid) tried to eat one."  

Me: "What did you do.?"

Xavier: "I tell him, No you can't have them!" But then he (the mean wittle kid) just said, 'heh heh heh, No, I will eat them. You won't tell me what to do. Cuz I'm the boss of everybody.'"

At this point Mommy is starting to giggle. Xavier looks at her and says "I'm not making this up"

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At some point today, I'm not sure when, they were making a family tree in class. The stem part (truck and branches) were done by Miss Holt. Yesterday they painted the leaves and today they added apples to the tree. Each apple represents someone in his immediate family. Xavier explains, " We had to tell her how many people were in our house and she put that many on there... I got my mom, dad, and me and my brother. I could only put four people and could not put any animal.

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I also learned, later in the evening, that he started crying at recess today. When asked why he answered, because there were kids swinging and the chains are gonna break and they'll fly through the air, with the chains fwapping in the air (And his arms are flailing about representing the fwapping chains) and they'll land way over there (he points) to where mommy drops me off.

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Mommy also thinks that Gideon is being left out, so on the days he goes to Mothers Day Out I need to include his story as well. I will say that the first part of the day is not so good because the boy throws a fit not wanting me to leave him there. Of course, this pulls on my heart strings (which my wife says I don't have anyway). They all reassure me that he stops crying after about 2 minutes. But what kind of emotional scars is he going to have from his daddy abandoning him to the clutches of Miss Winda and Miss Kistee.

Anyway, when I ask him how his day went he doesn't really answer me. I ask if he learned a new song and he shyly begins singing something along the lines of

da roooles, da roooles

da roooles of da casswoom

keep you hands and feet, keep you hands and feet to youself

keep you hands and feet, keep you hands and feet to youself

and some other verse that I can't remember now. If I can't get him to sing it tomorrow I will post it.

Today he brings home a book that he, Miss Winda, and Miss Kistee made about him. Here it is:

 

Dat's Nice.

I was fussed at the other night because of my grammar and puncutation errors. So if anyone notices any errors, please let me know. Oh and don't forget to share (buttons at bottom) or like this post if you like it.

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I was a few minutes late this afternoon. Me and Gideon were watching Blue's Clues and let the time slip away from us. It's amazing how captivating a little blue cartoon dog can be. I parked a block or so away, as I've been doing lately, and walked to pick Xavier up. Upon entering the cafeteria Xavier was up and ready for us. He bounds over, says "Hi daddy," gives me a pat on my back, hugs Gideon, and asks Gideon (while patting his back), "Did you miss me today?" Gideon said "yes." They then held hands and proceeded out the cafeteria doors.

When we get outside Gideon asks "What center did you do today, Yayo?"

"House Keeping," Xavier answers.

In this sweet, soft, unassuming voice Gideon replies, "Oh, dat's nice." I just smiled.

Xavier held his hand all the way to the car, being the best big brother by making sure his little brother stayed on the side walk.

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Xavier told me that he had to miss recess today because had to draw to draw a shape man and Mr. T. Unfortunately, for me, it's not the same Mr. T that I remember and love from the The A-Team. This Mr. T is the same bear that was Mr. M and Mr. A but this time he sang a really sloooow song about teeth.

I'm Mr. TEEEE,  with my big Teeeeef. (yes, TeeF because Xavier is singing this to me after all!)

I need a big tooooof brush to brush my teeeeeef.

And that's all he remembers.

  

I asked about the shape man and he said "The shape man had a triangle, a square, a diamond, an oval, and every shape in the world! Except for a trapezoid and an octagon, I'm glad it didn't have those."

He wasn't in trouble, and thus had to miss recess, it's just that he was taking too long drawing those. Well, that's what I got from the story.

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I've been squished a gazillion times today. You know, sitting in the breakfast, and sitting at lunch and sitting at pick up time. When people are sitting too close and it squishes me.

And finally,
On the way to the park today after school Xavier pipes up and says "Daddy, _________ (a boy in his class) was saying nasty stuff today."

Me: "Really, like what?"
X: "He was saying things about how his brover peed on the couch. And the brover peed in his eyeballs and peed in his mouf, and peed on his bed"
Me: "and how old is this brother"
X, wide eyed: "Oh he's just a baby! and that's why he pees on everything."

Socks.

While today was not a school day and this post doesn't pertain to school I still think it's funny.

Last year, Xavier said that he wanted to celebrate Chanukah instead of Christmas. Because you get to celebrate for 8 days instead of just one. So, tonight we were walking through the Hobby Lobby Christmas stuff and X says that he can't wait until Christmas. I remind him that he wanted to celebrate Chanukah he said "Nope, cuz all you get are socks. So, Christmas it is." Somewhere, he had heard that you only get socks on those eight days of Chanukah.

 

We walked into Old Navy and as soon as you walk in, all the Old Navy mannequins are right in front of you. Xavier says, "Gideon, I've found your long lost family. Even your long lost dog."