First Day of Kindergarten!

Today, we finally got to go to Connor's first day of Kindergarten. We walked to school, Connor got his name tag, put his lunch in the basket, and went right out to play until the bell rang. His teacher was so sweet and welcoming to him.
Here are Connor and Sean walking out the door of our house.

Connor on the K playground.

Lining up for class!

Happenings...

Just a couple random things...
Sean has a new line, he has used it three times in the past two days:
"I NEED SOME ALONE TIME!"
Sean is also quite a storyteller (for lack of a better word)...
The other day he and Connor went to the "Kids' Club" at the gym. When I came to get them, I heard Sean saying to some 5 year old boy, "You're bad, you nut!" I asked him about it later and he said, "Those big guys were trying to make a game out of us!"
I asked, "What kind of game? What do you mean?"
Sean said, "Like Candyland or Boggle Jr. or Don't Break the Ice"
Those are all games we have in our house, but I have no clue what that has to do with the big boys at the gym. He sounds like a little thug/gangster when he tells the story, too. I can just hear the phone calls from his future teachers and principals if this sort of stuff continues.

Since the beginning of June, Connor has read the first 20 Magic Tree House Books and 6 of the Research Guides associated with them. He is also becoming quite proficient on his scooter and loves to wear his new crocs.

Sean has mentioned that he dislikes "marshmallows and going underwater" several times lately. I have no idea where the marshmallow thing came from, but I know the underwater comment comes from Parent/Child swim lessons.

Connor is an "Otter" in his swim classes and is doing well, despite the fact that he is one of those kids who spends the entire lesson UNDERWATER, which makes it impossible for him to hear his teacher. He loves it though, and is learning in spite of this.

The Understandment of Games

Yesterday evening the boys decided to take several games out of the closet to "play." "Play" meant different things to different people, however, and some parental involvement was required in order to restore peace in the land. I was trying to fix dinner, so when Chris came home I named him "Secretary of Fairness in Gaming" and sent him to the playroom. Before he had a chance to get there, Connor came to the kitchen and told us, "Sean and I are having a problem with the understandment of games...especially "Monkey Math." I have no idea how that all ended.

In a related story, Sean has become oddly attached to the letter cubes (similar to large dice) in the Boggle Jr. game. He calls them "ice cubes" and has trouble existing whenever they are out of his hands.

On a positive note, Connor has pretty good "understandment" of "Go Fish," so that has been pretty fun.

Ancient Greece

This afternoon the boys were playing in the backyard and I was near an open window in the laundry room. They could not see me, but I could see, and more importantly, I could hear them. Connor was standing on top of the play structure and Sean was on the ground looking up at him. In a very authentic announcer's voice, Connor said, "Ladies and Seanelmen, I would like to present Connor Henry! Thank you for coming to this brief play about Ancient Greece!" As Connor's speech appeared to pause, Sean began saying, "Hi, I am Sean Henry and I like garbage trucks..." Connor politely cut him off by saying, "Um, ok everyone, just say your name." To which Sean replied, "I am Sean."
I am pretty sure there was no mention of Ancient Greece after the initial intro, and I think that was the extent of the performance.

In a totally unrelated story, Connor had his second of 8 swimming lessons this afternoon at the brand new pool near our house. He is LOVING the whole experience and doing quite well. I am thrilled with his teacher, and her technique is not bad!

In yet another unrelated story, Sean went strawberry picking this morning with his preschool class. He has seen the pictures of Connor doing this when he was two, and he has always wanted to do it himself. Well today he got his chance and he loved it. Like Connor, Sean ate as many strawberries as he put into his basket. I could tell he was really taking in the moment and enjoying his special strawberry picking. The other good news is that I was able to take some pictures with a disposable camera, so once I finish the camera, get it developed and put on a CD, I will post pictures of our little strawberry boy.

More From The Land of Connor

This evening in the bathtub Connor told me, "In Maryland language, Halloween costumes are called Jumpsuits."

More From The World According to Connor and Sean...

Yesterday...
Motma: Connor, today is the first day of fall. You can tell your teachers.
Connor: No, Motma. Fall started nine years ago!

Yesterday, after hearing Chris cough...
Sean: Daddy had a "bless you" on his nose.

Yesterday during a play date...
Mommy: Sean, did you hit Tyler?
Sean: No, SMACK!
(Semantics are important to this two year old).

Moon Facts

The other day we received the first issue of a new magazine from the Cricket group called "Click." It came with a chart to follow the phases of the moon. We finally started a couple of nights ago, and Connor has been drawing the moon each evening

As we were discussing the moon, Connor said, "That is a crescent moon. The crescent moon is the world's most popular moon because it is the real moon."

Not wanting to be left out of the conversation, Sean chimed in with, "The moon went away to Starbucks."

And here is the world's most popular moon!

The Well Informed Greatgrandson&Grandson of Farmers

Yesterday while I was making scrambled eggs, Connor said, "Mom, did you know that sheep don't lay eggs for their babies like chickens do. They lay corn." Seeing the strange look on my face he added, "Fresh corn." As if that would add credence and help me overcome my obvious confusion.

Living With Camels and Sand Crabs

This morning as I was sitting in the family room I heard laughing and giggling from Sean, Connor, and Chris down the hall. Then I heard Chris say, "Oh, there is sand on the floor." (Not surprising considering the amount of time the boys spend at the park, in our sandbox, and at the beach). Without missing a beat, Connor said, "Good thing we're crabs!" As if that were not hilarious enough, I then saw Chris emerge from the hallway doing the crab walk with both boys sitting on his tummy.

In a related story, yesterday I was having lunch with Connor when he said, "I am chewing like a camel." He was chewing in a strange way, I suppose it could be construed as camel-like mastication. So I asked him when he learned how to chew like a camel. He has known since he was born, of course.

This Just In...

From the World According to Connor...
"Mom, I just figured out what kind of helicopters those were."
"Oh, really? What kind were they?" I asked.
"They were VOTE helicopters."
"VOTE helicopters?" I asked.
"Yes, Democrats were in them. That's why they didn't have any landing gear."

In a related story...
"Saliditte," proclaimed Connor the linguist. "That's how you say salad in French. I know all the words in French AND all the words in Chinese."

Connor the Linguist

A few days ago I asked Connor if he could write his name. He scribbled a C with a couple non-descript squiggles after it and said,"That's my name in Latin."
In a related story, Motma asked Connor what he had eaten for breakfast. He mumbled some random sounds.
Motma said, "Say that again? I didn't understand."
Connor said, "I decided to tell you in Chinese."
Motma said, "Oh, ok."

The Misinformed Geologist

Today in the backyard, while collecting rocks Connor said, "Mom, these are selimentary rocks because they're pointy and small. Then there's elementary, which means school, but in this case it means a rock that is pointy like a thorn ("forn").
Later when I asked if a particular rock was sedimentary, Connor politely corrected me, "No, mom it's SEL-A-MENT-ARY". Got it.
Here is a picture Connor took of his selimentary rocks...


.

Conversations with Connor

Yesterday in the car:
ME: Connor, you may not color on the carpet.
C: But it didn't make a mark.
ME: You were lucky that time, but carpets are expensive and you should help me keep them nice.
C: Well I still want to color on the carpet!
ME: Well if I have to keep replacing the carpet I will not be able to pay for you to go to college.
C: (astonished, gasping) College costs money?!?!?!?!?
ME: Yes, college costs money.

The other day while watching the fire news:
C: Mom, The "copter" part of the helicopter is the blades, and the "heli" part is the body of it.
ME: Oh, really.

Fireworks--Up Close

Last night we went to the local fireworks display and we had awesome seats! Connor was so excited before it started! He said, "I will keep my eyes, my mouth, and my nose open so I can see the fireworks!"
When the fireworks display was about half over, he said, "I have lots of bedtime stuffed animals at home." He was asleep in the car about 2 seconds after we drove away.
Happy 4th of July!

Notable Connor Conversation

As Chris, Motma, and I were sitting down for lunch...
Connor: Do any of you want to be a "Cart Member?"
Motma: Sure, I would like to. What do I have to do?
Connor: Well, you just have to wear a membership dress!
The only inspiration I can think of for "Cart Member" is that the US Open Golf has been on TV this morning and the commentators have been talking about "the members" and golf carts.

Fridays Taste Like Chocolate

This morning, Thursday, as Connor was dancing around outside he announced with glee, "Fridays taste like chocolate." Hopefully tomorrow will taste like chocolate for everyone reading this. However, in an unrelated story, it has been a pretty fun week! Here are some highlights from our week.
This week Connor and Sean had their first bath together. They loved it. Sean is happy in the bath as long as he has one of these rings to play with. Connor has always loved baths.

Connor tried out his trike again. Notice the handle bars are turned backwards. He refuses to ride it any other way. Needless to say, he will probably not be the next Lance Armstrong.

Connor and Abby played "Diego" and rescued all the animals in our backyard! Abby is looking through the "spotting scope" so she can be sure to spot the "animals in trouble." I think they were busy rescuing for over an hour!

Sean jumped and played in the saucer and watched Connor and Abby at play.

Connor and his friend Abby chose to eat their yogurts in the wagon. They buckled themselves in, put their yogurts in the cup holders and told me they were having a "yogurt party."

Have a great weekend everybody!

An Orange-Minded Poet

Yesterday Connor excitedly called me into the living room. He was sitting on the edge of the coffee table with his eyes shut tight. The bright afternoon sun was shining on his face. He said, "Quick, mom, look at what color my mind is!" I said, "I can't see it, what color is it?" With his eyes still shut, he said, "It's orange!"
I think we may have a poet on our hands!

Random Connor Quotes

"Mom, I want to watch the Pyramid episode. I watched it yesterday tomorrow, so we can put it on now."

(Apparently this is a Little Einsteins show that we do not have on DVD. Since we no longer have the Disney channel, this request was impossible to honor).

"Mom, it's not time for me to use the potty now-- it's past 8."
"Yes, it is past 8," I said.
"Yes, it is 7."
(3 year-old logic is fascinating)!

"I can't use the potty without my shoes!"

All of the above quotations are from this morning. I think I better take off his Thomas underpants and put the diaper back on. Oh, well he'll be ready someday. (Today is not that day).