Catching up, again

We've been so busy that posting blog articles has fallen to the long list. A quick review of the first half of the school year - in a paragraph or two...

Brock is thriving in kindergarten. He has made new friends, loves learning, and actually gets sad that the weekend arrives. I can only hope this enthusiasm continues through high school. High hopes, I know. He started the school year identifying letters and sounds and is now an up and coming reader!  In the classroom, he has a reading specialist that works with students in small groups to help them get to the next level and Brock enjoys working with the specialist very much. His confidence is building. BOB Books are a real help at home to reinforce his reading. They are short books with repetitive wording that are perfect for learners. Brock feels very proud of himself when he finishes a book. Wouldn't it be dandy if he could read books to Cade this summer? That's my goal, at least. As much as Brock enjoys reading, he has a joy of learning in all subjects. Math might be his favorite subject if you asked him. That could be because Dad volunteers in the classroom on Math Lab day.

Outside of learning in the classroom, Brock and his classmates performed in three assemblies. Stone Soup was the final assembly presentation. Brock played the part of Soldier #1. He has a natural presence on the stage. He definitely got into character - he says to me, "Mom, I need to act tired and hungry". Personally, I didn't think he needed to dig too deep to find that character within. :-)

Soldier #1 in Stone Soup

Every Turkey Can Tango - cha, cha, cha (school assembly)

Quite fashionable, yes?

6th birthday

6th Birthday

First sleepover with his best buddy, Raheem

Dr. Seuss Week - read across America

Date night - Mom and Brock went to the high school's play of Midsummer Night's Dream 

Cade is in love with his preschools. He especially enjoys the day I work in his classroom. The ever happy-go-lucky Cade captures the hearts of everyone. One of his preschool teachers said that Cade is a friend shopper, meaning, he doesn't have one or two friends he's grown quite fond of, but rather, has a large group of friends whom he loves the company of equally.  He is budding in his skills - developmentally and socially. It is difficult to say which subject is his favorite because he bounces from activity to activity with the same level of enthusiasm. If I were to guess, I would say playing in the sand and snack time are his favorites.

Outside of the classrooms, Cade is quite the fan of dogs. Real and stuffed. His collection of stuffed dogs is growing at a steady pace.  If we can get Brian and Brock on board, perhaps a new family member in the furry category will join us.

Cade and I have some convincing to do...

Christmas cutie

Listening to Teacher Karla during circle time

Riding the dolphin in Ventura

 Aside from school, we have had some memorable times over the past months. Holidays came and went, visits from family, visits to family, Spring Break, birthdays, to name a few. Life is blessed, that is for sure!

Cousin time!

Brock's uncanny portrait of me.

Stealthy Ninja Halloween costume

Christmas 2015 was no doubt a blast! Having the whole family under one roof for several days filled with movie outings, wine drinking (had to have some adult fun, too!), scooter riding, and visiting local friends was a perfect way to wrap up the year.

Thanksgiving 2015

And now we are in 2016 and time hasn't slowed down. We have already finished basketball season, are in the thick of baseball season, and look forward to summer camps in a few more weeks.

We took a day trip to Calaveras Big Trees in early March to let the boys experience snow for the first time. Brian grew up in Calaveras County so it was fun for him to drive us through his memory lane. We saw his former elementary school and the old neighborhood.

Green Dragons Y Ball - go team!

I'm out of time and will write more soon. We have many more tales to tell. So stay tuned!

Fall at the McCormick's

August, what  used to be summer when I was a kid, is now back to school time. (whaaat?).

And this was a big year for us. Brock started Kindergarten!

Brock loves his class and his teacher (Teacher Jill). We live close enough where he can walk or ride his bike to school. We tried riding his bike a few times (with me running behind pushing Cade in the stroller) but the street we need to ride on gets congested with school drop off and it frightens Brock. So, walking has become the preferred choice of transportation. In all honesty, running in my flip flops wasn't ideal so I'm perfectly okay with walking. We walk with our neighbor who started first grade this year but had Teacher Jill last year. 

One of the most treasured parts of the morning drop off is a program called DEAR, Drop Everything and Read. When we enter the classroom, the first 15 minutes is spent reading to our children. Not only does it help wind down the energy in the room, but creates a healthy transition for both the parent and the child. I personally love it because I get an extra 15 minutes to hold him in my arms while we read a book or two. One day, and it will happen sooner than I want it to, my kids won't want to snuggle, so I take every opportunity to snuggle up!  

After school, Brock attends Kid's Club a few days a week for a couple of hours. Given the alternative, grocery shopping and running errands with me and Cade, why wouldn't Kid's Club be the obvious choice, right? He loves it! Being at Kid's Club, he gets to run around, socialize with the classmates from both Kinder classes, play games, make art projects, and read books. Every morning he asks if today is a Kid's Club day. I may be biased since I am on the board of directors for PACCC, who runs Kids Club, but I think it's a pretty special place, too. The staff is fully engaged, well qualified in their professions, and you can tell they genuinely love their jobs. It makes me feel incredibly satisfied picking up a happy, smiling boy from Kid's Club. 

There is lots of learning taking place in school and our home these days. Brock is starting to identify upper and lower case letters and simple math skills. He's very interested in learning so we do what we can to support him at home. He is still a lover of books. We read at least 10 books a day. He also loves building lego creations and drawing. He's even getting pretty good at staying in the lines.

Outside of learning, Brock lost his FOURTH tooth on the first day of school. He was very excited to receive Teenage Ninja Turtle stickers and a crisp $1 bill from the Tooth Fairy. And, he couldn't wait to tell Teacher Jill the next morning. 

But let's not forget about the late summer adventures of Cade. The day before elementary school started Cade turned THREE! And like most three-year olds who have very opinionated thoughts and feelings, Cade was very specific about what type of party he wanted. He wanted a pajama party at the park with cupcakes and macaroni and cheese. So the day before his actual party, which happened to be one of the hottest days this calendar year, we had a party in our pajamas at the park. We were soooo hot and uncomfortable, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. And his friends were troopers! They all showed  up wearing their favorite PJ's and enjoyed eating melted cupcakes.

And here is Cade at his three-year check up. His report was outstanding. He's in great health, happy, and well. That's all a parent could ever ask for.

Both Brock and Cade's preschool (ran by PACCC) is year-round so during the summer months, the boys attended twice a week for some good old fashioned play-based learning. I loved the break in the week; not gonna lie...Tuesday and Thursday mornings were my most favorite time of the week. Since this preschool is year-round, Cade continues to go there. He really misses going to school with Brock but he's slowly building friendships with other kids in the program. Last year Cade was a Koloa and this year he has moved up to a Safari! He feels pretty bossman telling everyone he's a Safari now. 

Cade also started back at Preschool Family in the Three's class. This means I get to work one day in the classroom and drop off two days, whoot whoot! Preschool Family is a very special place for Cade. He is genuinely happy there. He looks foward to class days and is never in a rush to leave. The flip side to this is the parent involvement. It is technically an adult ed class run through the school district so I am actually the student and for lack of better explanation (and because y'all really don't care, do you?) Cade's class is the "lab". My "lecture" is held 2-3 evenings per month and we have a ton of projects due througout the year. I will say, it is a pain in the rump to finish all of the projects, attend the evening classes, and work in the classroom but it is SO worth it! I have learned a great deal not only about parenting and child development, but about myself. And I have formed a community of like-minded parents. So the best way I can describe Preschool Family is magical. 

And I would be remiss to not give a little shout out to Brian for celebrating his birthday just days before Cade's. The boys, on their own, dressed themselves (I could even hear Cade asking Brock to help him put on his shirt). They chose their "fancy" shirts, as they call them. Too much adorable to even describe in this blog post so you just gotta trust me. Like, super, ridiculous adorableness going on.  We made an early reservation at one of our favorite restaurants and took our birthday boy out for a family dinner. The boys were so well behaved (I think it was the power of the fancy shirt) that our dining neighbors complimented us on our children. It took every ounce of willpower to not high five and happy dance with Brian as they said that because anyone who really knows us knows that my kids are WILD! I guess this birthday dining experience is the equivalent to all of our Facebook lives - perfect, simply perfect.

(This is what happens when you entrust a 5-year old to take your picture)

Then, just a few weeks later, we celebrated our 9th anniversary! It truly seems like time is soaring faster than we will ever be able to keep up, but there is no other person in this crazy world I would sit next to on this wild ride. I love this guy more than he will ever know. Unconditional, unwavering, pure love and friendship. Yep, he's the package and he's mine all mine. I'm one lucky gal.

The sweltering hot days of summer are finally coming to an end and there is a slight crisp in the morning and evening air. Dare I say fall is finally upon us? The boys are already starting to talk about Halloween and Christmas, I have to remind them there is a holiday in between called Thanksgiving and the importance of being thankful (see, my job is never done - always parenting!). Until my next post, pull out your favorite sweaters and enjoy the fall, y'all!

Catching up

I realized I haven't posted ANYTHING since March. Eeks!

Well, a lot has happened since then. Let's see, where do we start?

At the end of March, early April we went to Kauai with my sister and her family. What a fun time! We spent 10 days enjoying some much needed family time, celebrated Brock's 5th birthday, and caught up with my dear friend Kristy, who lives on the island.

Aloha from the Sheraton Kauai

Hiking 

Kristy and Kari (and Thomas snoozing away)

The first time Brock rode a bike with training wheels. He was a natural!

All he wanted for his birthday was a coconut. Sadly. he didn't like it. :-(

But - he did like the birthday pancakes!

In April our sick friends had to give up their coveted Laurie Berkner band ticket that were first row and included a meet and greet after the show. We didn’t know who she was but googled her and quickly realized she is a big deal. Like really big. What a fun night!  We met up with my brother after the show for an early dinner. The boys were over the moon excited about the whole experience. I hope we will be able to see her again next time she is in town. It was a very sweet and entertaining show.

Toward the end of April, Brock lost his FIRST tooth!  Since then, he has lost three (to date) and one more is loose. 

Toothless

His note to the Tooth Fairy

May was filled with more memories to be made, including Brock's last day of Preschool. It was a bittersweet day, indeed. Cade will still be attending Sojourner Truth but to see Brock transition after being there for three years was hard to process. He's about to start kindergarten. Wow, time is flying...

My kids will eat anythig if you give them chopsticks

May Fete parade

May Fete parade

What? Rain! It was hmmm, the only day it rained all month. 

Captivated

Mastering the training wheels

They love story time, especially when Uncle reads to them!

Brock's Pre-K class on a special field trip to Celia's restaurant

Our Pre-K Graduate!

Family picture (excluding brooding Cade)

In June, we got the original gang together (most were in attendance). The original gang are my bootcamp friends I met when I first moved to Palo Alto. Since our bootcamp days, we have all married and had children. It's been fun to watch not only our friendships grow but now see our kiddos become the best of friends.

Also in June, Cade wrapped up his second year at Preschool Family. Teacher Kylee made this school year magical. Cade has a very deep love for her and as a parent, we couldn't have been more thrilled to have her as our teacher. I hope she remains a lifelong friend!

And no summer is complete without a camping trip!  We ventured 10 minutes out of town to the Palo Alto Foothills park for a night of camping. It was our first time with the boys so we stayed close to home. And thankfully we did! We forgot a corkscrew for the wine and charcoal for the BBQ. Brian was out of the park, home and back to the campsite in 30 minutes. Phew, I was getting thirsty...

The rest of our summer included Brock ditching his training wheels on his bike, Cade growing like a weed, -both in size and vocabulary, and our family having fun in the sunshine. 

Cade also is now portty trained as of mid-July. Woohoo!!

Not many pictures were taken over the summer months, as we are living in the moment but, making memories nonetheless.

Here are a few that made the camera roll...

Me zipling. Yee-Hawwww!

Brock's dance recital

Bath time is still awesome!

Happy Hollow fun!

Swimming at Greenmeadow pool

Santa Barbara Natural History museum

CuriOdyssey, our new fave!