original little hellraisers

why do i feel like i’m deciding owen’s entire future right now!  next month we’ll start touring kindergarten schools, public and private.  i’ve been reading up on all the different options and my head is spinning, i can’t sleep and i’ve got a crook in my neck so bad i can’t look over my left shoulder.

my inner dialog goes something like this:

are private schools that much better?  sf public elementary schools actually get very good ratings.  it’s middle and high school you have to worry about.  public kindergarten age cut-off date is 5 by december, where private schools are 5 by may.  which means if i start owen in public kindergarten at age 5 and then later transfer to private school he’ll be one of the youngest and likely one of the smallest boys.  will his self-esteem suffer?  does low self esteem then lead to poor grades and achievement?  i think it probably would.  there’s a major trend towards sending kids to kindergarten at age 6, especially boys because they are not as “mature” as girls are at that age.  owen is the most “mature” 4 year old i’ve ever met, he’s practically an old man.  i know he’d be ready to start kindergarten at 5, but how will he handle 7th through 12th grades.  john and i were both late bloomers so i don’t expect owen to be any different.   should we move and double our property taxes in exchange for great public schools and a somewhat larger home?  it’s a toss up.  the increased property tax is about equal to a years tuition.  should we live in the now and not worry about what’s to come?  someone help me!

got back a few days ago from our 2 week trip to washington to see nana and gram-pa.  the boys had so much fun exploring around the house and being on the boat.  highlights from the trip:

big fat banana slugs!

two county fairs: pony rides, bounce houses, lots of ice cream, big cows and a train ride.

and playing in the fountain in seattle.  the water was freezing, i couldn’t believe it when they got all the way in the water.  especially owen, who i can’t get near a really warm pool.  maybe it’s time to try swim lessons again.

thanks nana and gram-pa.  it’s always a good time!

i got them Leapster Explorer’s for our plane trip tomorrow to seattle. hopefully it doesn’t lose it’s excitement before then.  but i see them like this and it just reminds me so much of john.  don’t even bother talking to them, they won’t hear you.

owen just turned to our house cleaners and said “como estas?”

we all started cracking up.  i guess he’s picking up spanish from there weekly visits and i guess dora and diego gets some credit too.

just got back from dylan’s two year check up and he’s lost weight since his last appointment! yikes!

at 34 1/2″ tall he’s in the 50% for height but he only weighs 22lbs  13oz.  he was 23lbs 6oz.  he’s back in the 5th percentile for weight.  the doctor isn’t that concerned because all his other weight’s have been in the 3rd to 5th percentile, the last one is the anomaly and that if you look at his chart he’s actually back on track to where he’s always been.

dylan’s second birthday party was a hit!  dylan LOVED his train cake that took me ALL DAY saturday to make, but it was all worth it when he saw it for the first time after his bath, before it was even completely done.  he gasped.  he grinned ear to ear.  he exclaimed “choo choo cake!”  totally made it worth it.

dylan has more trains than he can count.  he just walks around the house now saying “choo choo” under his breath.  the kid has a serious addiction to trains.

more photo’s here from the birthday party.

owen has been going stir crazy (me too) with summer break from preschool.  i finally found some classes that the boys could do together but independently (you wouldn’t think this would be a hard thing to find, but it was) GYMNASTICS at the american gymnastics club!  they love it and so do i.  owen is in a teacher led class (no parent participation) and dylan is also in a teacher led class with some parent participation, but they really structure the little ones class to be a primarily teacher led class.  it’s amazing how well they get these young two year olds to follow direction and pay attention.  they do obstacle courses which are changed every week, trampoline, balance beam, bars and rings.  only draw back is, i now have to watch them very closely at the playground because they are so much more confident of there  new skills.

we took dylan to sonoma train town for his actual birthday. their fantastic babysitter, michelle (in pink behind them) came with us.  with dylan’s new diaper free independence i was a little scared to do the trip by myself.  i wasn’t sure if we’d have to dash off and leave owen standing there, but dylan has proven that he has got it under control and is good for a few hours.  dylan LOVED train town.

by black joe lewis & the honey bears

i can’t believe that you are two years old already.  you have changed so much in the past year.  i didn’t even realize it until i was looking at photo’s from your last birthday.  you’ve got curly hair and crooked teeth.  you are running, jumping, talking and potty trained!!!  you refuse to say the word “milk”, instead you say “hon” and when we try and get you to sound it out you impishly grin and say “mmmmmhon”.  we all know you can say it, you just don’t want to.  you are obsessed with trains and flap your arms when you see them.  you love music and can’t help but groove along with it.  you love your brother, the cats and your blaaaanket.  we love you too.  happy day.