Growth Spurt

It seems like Lex has had a growth explosion recently.  He is SO CLEVER...sitting at the table with me and with Tyler, completing preschool assignments.  Lex reads letters everywhere and identifies short words...especially his name.

"L...E...X..."  He announces!

I have been teaching preschool curriculum since 2003 .  Lex and Tyler are the best kids I have ever had. 

Lex is the LOVEBUG of everyone's world.  He is so sweet...yet so mouthy!  I will say something and he will say, "No Mommy, YOU are!" and he seems to understand full well that he is being defiant.  He giggles endlessly and whines until he gets his way.  This is so typical of a second child/youngest child.

The Gas company recently tore up our street.  On that day we had quite an adventure.  It was a Full Moon that night.  It was a day to remember.

I love both of my children equally.  But there is a wonderful age in a child's life...3 years, 4 years...when they are emerging.  I love this age.  It is demanding on parents, but it is magical too.  By the time the children reach kindergarten, they know who they are and what they want.  These years mean everything.

I Love my BUG

~mama

FIRE SAFETY DAY

Warwick (RI) Fire Safety Day has been an ANNUAL TRADITION since the beginning of YGA (your guardian angel, my home daycare)

Because I chose to leave my work at AAA when Lex was still under two years old....I REOPENED my YGA and began with a new young group. 

On Saturday, our FIRE SAFETY TRIP was just Lex and ANNIKA and me...but we did meet LEX's best BUDDY...TYLER MANCO and his family there!  We enjoyed the festivities.

Lex and ANNIKA met Mayor Scott Avedisian and he commended ANNIKA's Principal, Mrs. Dambruch at Robertson Elementary.

I was most proud because the children got to learn about BIKE SAFETY .  Both of them had BIKE Breakthroughs this year.  Annika learned to ride a bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS.  Lex learned to ride one WITH training wheels!  Success for both!

It was cold...and overcast, but BEING A PART OF Their COMMUNITY is a vital part of child development.  I want MY LEX and Annika to be well-rounded and to participate!

I am so proud of them!

RING BEARER

My Lex was a special part of his BIG sister, DALY's wedding!  Now that she is married, LEX has a new Brother(in law) named JUSTIN.  Lex LOVES Justin and they are good pals!  Here they are before the wedding!

Lex was only three years old but conducted himself like a real BIG BOY!  He looked handsome in his black suit and white vest and tie!  He carried the pillow down the aisle.  He spent a lot of special time with Daddy during the wedding!

Lex fit in with the other GUYS in the Groom's party.  They all looked great!

He was even a good boy, letting ANNIKA get in the pictures with him a few times...he is not always so nice to her.  I hope he GROWS out of that!

Lex is a FUNNY KID!  His sense of humor is so intoxicating...he can be crying one minute and making you laugh the next!..."I'm gonna take a little NAP on my PILLOW"   LOL!

He really did GREAT mostly due to the encouragement and guidance of the BIG SIS DIDI!  She is our "Lex-whisperer" LOL

He really enjoyed the weekend!

He supported his SIS THE BRIDE, DALY. 

And THANKS BE TO THE CREATOR...the boy LOVES HIS MOMMY and always comes back to me.  I love him SO MUCH...I love him, love him love him!  What would I do without MY LEX?????

Mama loves you baby!

Autumn

Ah, to be three years old and experiencing autumn in New England! It is a wondeful thing!  Last year, the kids were less apt to recognize the signs of spring or to partake in any in-depth nature studies.  But this year, they are full of wonder and questions.  Lex has a best friend named Tyler.  Together they are discovering many things and exploring the world through the eyes of young scientists.  Outside we observe plants and animals and interact socially with neighbors of all kinds.

On a crisp autumn day like today, there are leaves all around.  Lex asked, "why did the leaves fall?"  Exactly the question I was hoping to hear!  We raked and played and snacked and fed our Squirrel, Sally.  We saw Ms. Diana and then headed inside to wash for lunch.  Inside the kitchen we saw our painted caterpillar project from that morning....silly fun.  Then chicken nuggets and corn and beans with orange juice for lunch.  Lex and Tyler especially love Circle time where we discuss the weather and make predictions...and then our reading time.

Favorite books right now are:

The 3 Billy Goats Gruff
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
I am a Tow Truck
How Does  a Dinosaur Clean his Room?
Little Einsteins
Pop-up Books

 Tyler and Lex put together a new puzzle!  This is a typical day in the life of my three-year old and his preschool (of which I am the teacher). 

My boy is a pleasure...and He has the Greatest friends!

Potty Trained

My Lex has learned to use a toilet!  This is the week...it's not perfect of course, but he is doing it!  Also, Lex has a best friend named Tyler Manco and he also uses the potty now.


This week Lex made new friends in our home daycare.  Their names are Madeline and Tyler.  We have a lot of fun with Lex's big sister Annika who is 9.  She makes campsites and tents and games and plays Hide and Seek with all the kids. 

Tonight Lex is sleeping with us so Annika can have a sleepover with her friend Kayleigh.  The girls like playing with Lex and he really wants to stay with them, but we put on Tangled and that kept him down here with us!

Lex is my sweet little boy!

What is Alex wearing???

You do NOT want to know! My Lex says the funniest things.  In Mid-July, Lex potty-trained...or at least he pee-pee trained.  We are stil working on the rest...but he stands to pee now and it's so cute.

Summer time here in Warwick is fun...got a cool beach right on our street!  Lots of friends to play with in the home daycare.

Lex enjoying a peach on the beach.

Enjoying the shallow water

Everyday Alex

Alex Loves his name...but don't call him David!  He will tell you he is Alex...of course it will sound like "addex".  I just love him.  He says a lot of things...he is clever for three years old.  He argues sometimes with his sister Annika, but he really loves her.

These days, Lex has taken a very serious interest in reinacting scenes from favorite movies and tv shows, most especially from "Tangled"...the new Disney movie about Rapunzel.  Lex adores Flynn Ryder.

Annika is a wonderful role model for him...she teaches him lines from the movies and helps him act it out.  He is impatient with her put she never gives up on him.  I hope he knows how much she loves him.


I am glad my son loves me...he is such an awesome kid!

Best! DAY! Ever! Part 3 of 3

Memorial Day 2011...From Lex's perspective

It's FUN to go on rides!  But it's also fun to be IN CONTROL of the ride.  Lex really loved our trip to StoryLand in Glen NH.  He got to drive his own antigue car (purple) .  Then we all rode together in the tractor that Lex got to drive us around the farm!  It's cute how the ride has real and fake vegetation.

Before we went out to the farm ride, we started our day by taking a train ride around the entire park to see all the places we would be playing.

There were 3 trains we rode that day...the red, the green and the blue.    It picked us up at YumYum Junction...

Then we rode past the Oceans of Fun where I got to go back and get really wet and squirted!

It took us around a pond where we saw a Mommy duck and her ducklings swimming.

Here I am on the train like a big boy!  Mommy didn't pack my stroller.

My Daddy played with me in the Loopy Lab with balls that suctioned up in vaccuums and then we got to shoot them out like cannons!

See these Dutch Wooden Shoes?  And see that part of a Roller Coaster??  I went on both of those rides with my Mom! 

Driving up from Rhode Island to New Hampshire and back, we saw MOUNTAINS!  Lex Loves Mountains and squelaed with joy announcing them each time he saw them..and the RIVERS too!  He is definitely his Mama's boy!

We LOVED New Hampshire and Cannot wait to go again very soon!~

First Vacations!

I guess I like shorter Blogs...I want to journal Lex's Vacations since we are a family who loves to travel.  Even on a ridiculously tight budget we have managed to give our children opportunities to travel far and wide to experience things.  It is enriching for all of us.  I am proud of Lex for being not only a good little traveller but also for having some destinations under his belt before he even turned 3.

In December of 2009, for the occassion of his sister Annika's 9th Birthday, we visited Walt Disney World Florida.  It was our 2nd Family Visit but Lex's first.On our first Trip in December 2005, we flew to Florida but with Lex we drove.  It was 2 days to drive in each direction but it was a wonderful road trip.  We departed at 1am on the Friday of that week.  We putn the kids in the car figuring they would doze off but I guess they were so excited that they were awake for over 4 hours...they stayed awake as we drove from RI, through CT, NY and into NJ.  They feel asleep on the Turnpike.  I can't blame them for that because the NJ Turnpike is a dreadful 2 hour drive.  We lulled them to sleep with some CD's I brought of lullabies for kids.  They also had their DVD player for the ride which they used a lot...mostly Annika with her Barbie movies.

This trip was brought to us courtesy of a 1994 Dodge Caravan, Green in color.  We travelled with ease in the van, it was so comfortable.  Annika had a good setup there as you can see.  Lex had a great view!!!

Driving gave us plenty of Family-Bonding opportunities.  We stopped at South of The Border in SC.

Our Hotel at WDW, our favorite Hotel even if we have actually never stayed at any of the others, is the Pop Century Resort.  It is a Value Resort.  I got excellent rates for the week.  We visited the parks for 5 days on this trip, which is enough time.

CLASSIC LEX in this last picture.  Sadly we lost this hat while we were there.  I loved that hat.

In 2010, August, we went on another Road Trip Vacation as a family.  This time, we wanted to travel closer since 4 days on the road was a lot.  We chose to vacation in New Hampshire instead.  We stayed at Gilcrest Cottages while we visited Lincoln and Glen NH.  It was Great.  we visited StoryLand, Clarks Trading Post and Franconia Notch State Park.

We had a wonderful time.

In September we spent the day in Cape Cod walking Hyannis, eating in Yarmouth, visiting Museums.

It was September 11th 2010.  This was our last Road Trip before the Van's Timing Belt blew.  We are planning our next adventure but in a different vehicle of course.  Our car now is small and gas efficient...not exactly a luxury ride so we are looking at day trips or maybe a revival of New Hampshire.