Cade - firsts, skateboarding

Cade, firsts - reading

Let the record show it's happening. I can see the wheels turning in his head. It's really amazing to see. 

"This bug is big. That bug is small."

Way to go, Cade! 

for the record

January 10, 2015 the first ever time Cade won Uno vs. Jackson and Jon.

firsts - day of school, 2014.

Jackson starting 2nd Grade, Cade starting Kindergarten!

And some past first days here, here, here (love Cade in the background of that one) and last year.

Cade,firsts - team sports

Cade's first organized team sport  - T-ball in Park Slope. Here he is with his fellow Spiders.

firsts, Cade - bike-riding

We had a great Christmas and a great New Year's, and I, as always, have a hard time keeping up with all the photos.

In the meantime, I wanted to note for the record: Cade, riding a pedal bike. Within 10 minutes he was keeping up with his older brother and cousin, no problem, on his little pink clown bike.

Jackson, firsts - tied his own shoe

I used to do 'firsts' all the time. As they get older, the 'firsts' get farther apart....and less impressive....but today Jackson really figured out how to tie his own shoe laces. A milestone, in my opinion. Way to go, buddy.

firsts - days of school, Jackson and Cade

Today Jackson started 1st grade.

aaannnnnd Cade started pre-K.

Jackson - previous years.

Cade - 2011:

Jackson, firsts - reading

A milestone - Jackson read Hop on Pop to me at bedtime.

So proud.

firsts, Jackson - animated short film

For the archives - Jackson's first stop-motion animated movie. It's called "Hulk vs. Green Arrow." I love that he thinks the green plastic Native American figure with a bow and arrow is this guy.  Actually, he might know it's not literally that guy, but he thinks a green Indian with a bow and arrow is an appropriate stand-in. And why not?

Jackson, firsts - reading

Last night, Jackson read Trucks to me, pretty much all by himself. It is really amazing to see this process - sometimes painfully frustrating - but definitely one of the best things about being a parent. My heart is swollen with pride, and happy to think of his future and the joy reading will bring him.

firsts, drawing of a face - Cade

Since I blogged about Jackson's first face drawing here, I thought in all fairness I should put up Cade's first face drawing.

I like the one eye. Very alien-esque. Picasso-esque. Chakra-esque.

And the hair seems appropriate.

Good job, Cade.

firsts, Jackson & Sammy - ride a bike!

When we were in Florida, Jackson surprised the heck out of me by pretty much getting on a two-wheel bike and riding it. It was that simple. I guess it was 2 years of riding the Skuut bike that really helped. The same day, Sammy started riding his bike with no training wheels too! It was pretty cool to watch them riding around the neighborhood.

This video kills me - Jackson is wearing his Optimus Prime pajamas, riding his too-small pink princess bike. Sammy speeds by, and......there's Cade, bringing up the rear on HIS pink princess bike (and matching Dora helmet). (Both pink bikes from the local Salvation Army for $5.99 and $9.99, if I remember right).

firsts, Jackson - lost a tooth

Last week, Jackson lost his first tooth in school. He came running out to show me, he had his little tooth in a treasure chest the school nurse had given him. That night, he wrote a note for the Tooth Fairy (drew a picture and labeled it 'mouth with empty tooth') and she left him 3 dollars and 8 quarters, which I'm proud to say, he put into straight into his Spider-man piggy-bank.

firsts, dentist, Cade

Cade's first ever dentist visit. Like Jackson, he was a champ. Loved the elevator chair, chose the strawberry toothpaste, sat still for x-rays. Total champ.

cade, firsts - writes his name

Cade, age 3 years 4 months old, writes his name. The C is backward and he mixed up the D and the E, but overall, I'm pretty impressed. #proudmama.

firsts - Jackson, kindergarten

Well, he did it - all smiles, no tears, came out grinning and ran to tell me he had made not one, but two, friends. Me, on the other hand, sad to see my little baby going to school, sad to think he's five years old already, sad to think of time passing.....and would you believe, I went into a store after I dropped him off and what was playing? You know, the one with the lyrics:

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older and I'm getting older too

Good job, Jackson - I'm so proud of you!

Jackson's, Cade's and Mama's first - camping

Last weekend, we went upstate to Uncle David and Kim's in Millerton and spent our first night (except Jon) ever under the stars.

Also: bocce playing, swimming, Kayaking (Jackson by himself!), rainbow-cake-eating, blueberry-picking, fire-pit lounging, s'more-making, and tire-swinging.

It's really beautiful there, and we had a fantastic time. And surprisingly few mosquito bites!

firsts - field trip, Cade

so cool

Last night Jackson was playing with a die we had around the house. He would roll it (throw it, really) then count the dots, roll it again, and add the numbers together. It was a first, and so cool to see his proud smile each time as he figured it out.