Gabe's first week of Kindergarten

Gabe's first day of kindergarten...so anticipated...so planned for...such a cryin' shame! We got up early that morning (OK, so we ALWAYS get up early around here), and I made name pancakes (gluten-free) for breakfast as a treat for the first day of school. Gabe was thrilled, as pancakes are not a frequent occurrence around here, gluten free or not.  Gabe was dressed, scrubbed, back-packed, and ready to leave right on time. Everything seemed like it was going fine...until John herded Ben and Max out the front door.

Gabe stopped short and refused to go to school. I sent John on ahead with the slow coaches as it doesn't take very long to walk to school and we didn't want to get there too early, so now we apparently hadn't left enough time to deal with the melt down. Eventually after a few minutes of coaxing, I got him out the front door and he posed for this LOVELY first day of Kindergarten picture that we'll cherish forever. Yea.

Then he proceeded to walk to school a few feet in front of me because he was too mad to hold my hand and walk with me. Plus it was ticking him off that Ben and Max were "winning". As we got closer to school though, he got less and less willing to walk, until at the front door of the school I had to pick him up and carry him inside. Luckily there are lovely big kids (5th graders) who open the doors for you every morning. Must have heard us coming...

At least someone is glad to be at school!

By the time we got to his classroom he was hitting and scratching at me to get me to put him down so he could run away and not go to school. I carried the screaming banshee into the classroom, and tried to put him down. Now he's changed his mind and is clinging to me like a baby monkey. I am no longer holding him, I can't shake him off me. So I walk to his cubby and get his papers, then to his backpack hook with my clingy baby monkey hanging from me, then over to the carpet where Ben is sitting reading a book with the rest of Gabe's classmates. I try to push him gently off me to sit with the class, but it's no go. Mrs. Miller has to pry him off me and I drop a quick kiss on his head and jam out of there.

I hang in the hallway for a few minutes in case he decides to make a break for it. About 5 minutes after I left the room, Mrs. Miller sticks her head out the door looking left and right. She says to me, "Did he come out here?" I assure her he has not...then enlist another parent to peek in the room and spy for me, as I don't want him to see me in the hallway even if I'm not actually leaving yet. Gabe is hiding under a table clutching his "lonely book" I'd made him....where he remained for most of the morning...until snack time when Mrs. Miller brought out Goldfish crackers. Since Gabe's been on this Gluten free thing since March, he hasn't seen a Goldfish cracker in FOREVER, so he came right out and joined the class for snack and recess and stayed out until parent pick up. Guess Kindergarten wasn't looking so bad anymore...

When I picked him up he was all excited about the fish and recess, where he'd played a game that had "a ball tied to a string, tied to a pole!" amazing what an impact a tether ball can have! He said Kindergarten was very fun! I passed Mrs. Miller, who told me about the morning spent hiding under the table. Her version of his morning wasn't quite as "fun". However, Gabe said he liked kindergarten and was willing to come back the next day...

Until we actually got to the next day. Once again it was all good until it was time to leave. John did not take a second morning off to take Gabe to school, so I was on my own. Once again he refused to come out the front door. I could just see myself, Max in the red stroller, Ben holding the handle on the side, Gabe flung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes...not happening! So I totally bribed him instead.

I told him if he could go to school (which he liked yesterday, remember the tether ball?) every day that week without fighting, I'd take him to the Lego store to get a new Nijago Ninja. On went the backpack and off we went. No more troubles at drop-off, no more arguing about whether or not he should be allowed to take just one day off. Magic!

Of course, when I picked him up, he wanted to know where his prize was. I reminded him that it was a prize for going to school nicely all week, so he couldn't have it until Friday. He was a little miffed about that, so since we needed to grocery shop anyhow, I took them to Freddy's and he picked out a ninja to share with Ben. I put it on the Fridge so he could see it all week, and he seemed fine with that. On Friday after school he got to build it, and I don't think going to school is an issue any more!

His behavior at home in the afternoons has not been fabulous this week. I've been all over him, and I'm hoping it's just due to stress and not the handful of goldfish crackers he's been downing at snack time every day. If it continues past next week, I did tell him I'd cut him off from school snack. The mention of goldfish snack going away does seem to cut off most temper tantrums - but boy is he tired at the end of the day now. I'm hoping that with the new routine, it'll get better soon.

No more bribing now though - next up is Lose a Ninja consequence week if it comes to that. I don't think that it will though. Today he asked me (not until Bedtime, mind you) why he didn't get to go to school today.  Now to find a preschool for Ben, or a way to fold space/time so we can send him to Young Learners across town....

Gabe's School Open House Ice Cream Social

Time to catch up! John came home early the Thursday before school started so we could all walk over to Alberta Rider's Ice Cream Social Open House. Ben and Max were very excited! Gabe was at least willing to eat the ice cream before leaving...no sense leaving good ice cream to go to waste, you know... Plus he had his new red Ninjago shirt to wear, and what good is a new shirt if only Ben and Mommy get to see it?

We walked over to the school and timed the walk - should take us about 5 to 10 minutes in the morning, even allowing for the slow coaches (Ban and Max). When we got there at 4, it wasn't too busy yet. We found Gabe's Room and met his teacher, Mrs. Miller. She seems very nice. Gabe said a grouchily mumbled, "hi!" under his breath, but wouldn't make eye contact. Luckily she had prepared a scavenger hunt. So we happily tooled around the room, checking things off his list. Cubby? Check! Pencils? Check! Bathroom for boys only? Check! Awesome activity room with a play kitchen and a puppet theater? Check!

Finally Gabe settled in the back of the room, playing with Math manipulatives that stack together like legos. Another boy came to stand next to him and play with the bead box. I pointed out to Gabe that the boy, whose nametag identified him as Aiden, was also going to be in Gabe's class! Gabe gave Aiden the flat faced stinkeye. Aiden returned the favor. Aiden's dad tried, pointing out Gabe's Ninjago shirt to Aiden, who is reportedly also a big fan. Aiden said...nothing. Gabe responded in kind. Aiden was wearing an Oregon Beavers t-shirt. They played silently side by side for another 5 minutes, while Aiden's dad and I exchanged rolled eyes over shy kindergarten boys. Then Aiden's dad told him it was time to go. Aiden turns to Gabe and shouts, "Beavers!!" at the top of his lungs. Gabe cracks up like it's the best jokes he's ever heard. I guess that makes them friends?
When we got to the final item on the check list - say goodbye to the teacher. The list said Gabe had to either hug, high five, or give Mrs' Miller a handshake goodbye. I guess I should start making lists for Gabe, because, since it was on the list, he voluntarily went back up to her and gave her a high five. I was a little surprised, since he'd been pulling the shy and silent routine the whole time.

Finally, it was time for ice cream out in the covered area of the playground. That was the easy part. Each boy chose a fudge bar. and ate them with varying degrees of neatness. Ben could not be bothered to stop eating long enough for a picture to be taken, and Max was disgustingly messy by the time it was all over. We took a quick peek into the gym, where Gabe and Ben made the video shared below. Then we left school for a spontaneous celebratory dinner out, since as parents John and I were both so relieved to have made it through the gauntlet of Open House with out a single major meltdown or embarrassingly messy incident. When you go out with three little boys, that's always cause for celebration!

Gabe's Back to School book

Can you believe tomorrow is September? I mean, seriously where did the summer go? Gabe starts school on September 6th, so just about a week away. Tomorrow we get to go to his classroom and meet his teacher for an ice cream social. In typical Gabe fashion, even though he occasionally bemoans the fact that he misses his old preschool, he's determined to dig in his heels and refuse to go to Kindergarten. Upon hearing about the invite to the ice cream social, he paused for a second, then noted, "I'll go, but I'm leaving as soon as I eat my ice cream." I know he'll adjust eventually, but I figure we may be looking at a bit of a problem for the first week...or two...hmmm...

Anyhow, I went ahead and whipped up a little tag book for Gabe to take to school for comfort/helping the teacher know something about him when he clams up and refuses to talk.

If you want more pics of the booklet, check out my stamping blog here. I put laminated pics of things and places Gabe loves in the little front pocket, and a tag page for each family member for him to flip through. On the back of each tag is a list (made by Gabe) of things he loves to do with each person, and on his page a list of his favorite things and places to go. I even added a strand of perler beads to the ribbons at the top so Gabe could slide them back and forth to help self sooth.

He's already been pawing the booklet today. He is so excited about looking at the pictures, and Ben was "not my friend" because I didn't make one for him too. I promised to make him a book when it's his turn to go off to school, so I guess we've got a new tradition, lol.

I'll try to post pics of the Ice Cream social tomorrow evening. Wish us luck!

Come on down to the State Fair!

Today we loaded the boys up into the van and scooted on down to the happiest place on Earth (Salem, according to Gabe) and took in the wonders of the Oregon State Fair. Ok, so first we stopped in Sherwood to get a new accessory for Max at Target - a Monkey backpack leash. Don't we already have both a monkey and a dog backpack you ask? Well, true, true, but we searched the garage about as much as we could without actually unpacking anything else, and they were nowhere to be found. Perhaps the thieves who stole John's old computer tower and our tent also took the backpacks...hey man, you never know when a leash shaped like a monkey might come in handy!

In any case, we got to the fair (eventually), and took the bold step of going somewhere BIG with all three boys and NO stroller for the very first time. Great place to train up Max on how to walk with the MonkeyPack... sink or swim, baby! Max actually did pretty well on the MonkeyPack, so long as we could keep Ben from grabbing the "tail" and shaking/pulling,twirling him about. The key with Max is to make him think he has more independence than he actually does - so he wears the pack but holds your hands, giving him the illusion that he's actually free to run off at any moment, so he stays with you our of the goodness of his little chubby baby heart...mostly. Whenever he would try to run off he'd discover that he was firmly attached to Mommy via the tail, and MAN was he every unhappy about that! But a few minutes of tickles to distract and forget, then it's back to our previously scheduled program of hand holding and walking while forgetting about the tail. And he LOVES his MonkeyPack, cuddles him in the carseat and coos to it...

After a good round of climbing on the tractor toys, we went off in search of the Powerland train display. We met a nice man who reminded us that the SteamUp is coming on September 24th so mark your calendars for free tractor/train/engine fun! The engineer dude in stripey overalls blew the steam whistle on an old timey tractor for us, which promptly ended out time at the Powerland display as both Gabe and Ben were (shockingly) in agreement that the whistle was too loud. When we turned to go, though, Gabe slid and fell, scraping his knee very badly (read, it was a little red and maybe a LIIIIIITLE bit of blood) so much drama ensued (insert crying, tears, screeching, threats-that-we'd-have-to-leave-because-we'd-have-to-go-to-Target-to-get-Bandaids). Finally, Gabe reluctantly agreed to move on, but insisted on holding up his shorts leg on that side so much you could practically see his underpants with every step. Pick your battles, right?

Gabe's name is on his right.
Ben wrote BEM over in the bottom left corner.



See the horrifying knee injury?



We graffiti'd a wall (allowed), then Gabe tried to graffiti Ben for pushing in on Gab'es wall photo (not so much allowed), then we all were a little overwhelmed so refreshment was sought. It came int eh form of gelato, which is a big deal around here as "Olivia goes to Venice" is just about the #2 book the boys love this summer, right after "Olivia and the Missing Toy". The plot involves a visit by piggy Olivia and her family to Venice, where they consume gelato every five minutes because Olivia is overcome by the beauty of Venice. Tourists! Always too much gelato!". So to say that Gabe and Ben were excited to find out that the ice cream stand in the artisian's village was actually gelato...understatement. Gabe wanted vanilla, and Ben wanted green, because there was a picture of green gelato on the front of the cart. They did not have green gelato. Ben decided that vanilla gelato was better than no gelato. But as the gal handed him his cup of gelato he said in an accusing voice, "Your picture has green gelato though!".  Point well taken, buddy, and at least the gal laughed about it. Ben didn't seem to mind once he was scarfing down his vanilla gelato however.

We decided to go to the Lego display they usually have in the 4-H building but they didn't have it this year. Someone said there was once two buildings over...but there wasn't. There was a display of already built legos int he arts hall, but this was also not satisfying to the boys. They refreshed themselves with free watermelon smoothies (watermelon and ice blended - how easy is that?), then we saw a sign for the Lego Ninjago tour! Awesome - count us in! After a bit of lunch and a pow-wow with Smokey the Bear where Ben held hands with Smokey like the bear was one of his friendly mannequins, off we went to check out Ninjago!

After a ten minute wait in the hot, hot sun to get in, it turns out the Ninjago tour is a 4 minute commercial for Ninjago toys in a very hot and poorly ventilated tent. The boys loved it. They stared at the screen openmouthed and practically drooling. I turned to John and said,  "We are in so much trouble." Gabe even helped scream NINJAGO! with the MC dude at the end. Gabe does NOT do class participation.

Then you are let loose into the "backyard" where you build a Ninjago fighter, which is basically a top with a Lego miniman on top. Then you "fight" by spinning your ninja top on a circular tabletop "on stage", meaning with a Lego employeed screaming, "1! 2! 3! NIN-JA-GO!" on a microphone 2 inches from your ear so you can't hear anything but her voice. Then after they do this three times you get to drag your screaming, irritated preschoolers over to the clear bin and force his clenched fist open to relinquish the awesome Ninjago Lego man and get a poster of Ninjago toys he can whine about owning all day long. Your 20 month old baby can now scream NINJAGO! Both older boys can't stop talking about which Ninjago dude they are going to be. And the kicker is that we checked at Freddy's on the way home and the Ninjago guys are $10 a piece...yes, a $10 Lego miniman with a detachable top runs 10 bucks each. Oh my gosh - trouble indeed.

We let the boys finish off the day with a trip to the petting zoo for Gabe and Ben, and to the BiMart toddler area of Max. Gabe was ticked off about that - he could not believe that he was too big to go into the toddler play area. He went off to feed goats with a very grumpy face, and Max was thrilled to have the toddler play area all to himself with no brothers. He played cars, slid on the tiny slide and read an ELMO book while sitting in an adult sized lawn chair - sweet! Gabe was still mad when he came back. But the promise of redeeming his free ice cream coupon at the big red barn on the way out brought back his smile, even if I will pay through the nose tomorrow for his bad food consumption today...with much whining about NINJAGO I'm sure. Guess we know what'll be on the boys' Christmas lists this year...and heaven help me as they play Ninjago spinning tops with their bodies...

Of course, it was totally worth the trip. On the way out, we passed the baby piggies again, and the boys were cooing over how cute and sweet they were, reminding us how cute and sweet the boys are. The older boys fell asleep on the way home from Salem, and Max sang happy babbling baby songs all the way to Wilsonville. For favorite things tonight it was only 80% about how cool Ninjago is and how Gabe is the Cole Ninjago and Ben in the blue Ice one who's name we don't know. They also enjoyed the gelato, the ice cream, making wood necklaces in Smokey the Bear land, and the baby chicks hatching from eggs. NINJAGO to all!

Cookie Making with our new friend, KitchenAid

On the last visit from the grandparents, they very generously brought an early Christmas present - a new KitchenAid Stand mixer. Now, I've been dreaming of one of these babies for a LOOOONG time, but never thought we'd actually have one. And now that we have one - it is SO worth it! Thanks so much to Grandma and Papa Coffman - we are going to use this mixer so much!

We broke it in on a batch of gluten free cookies. Yum. I know what you're thinking. We've been doing the gluten free thing for months now, and I've yet to find a truly good substitute for cookies. Since we're also low carb, it's not been too big a problem, but Gabe loves him a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie, and the gluten free baked goods we've been making are definitely not that. I found this recipe from my new obsession, Pinterest, which led me to this blog post of awesome step by step pics on how to make these cookies. But you don't need step by step - it's so simple! The boys totally "helped" and we've made them twice since we found the recipe. Genius!







Ben right before he fell
off the step stool.



Awesome Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies1 cup butter (softened)

3/4 cup sugar (we're pretty much off the sugar, so we used sucanat)

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs



1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cup rice flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. salt

12 oz. choc. chips (or other variety)

 

Max crying, "Cookie! Cookie!" before
they were done baking.

 Cream the butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla. Add in all dry ingredients - it might be a little wet, but don't add more flour. Scoop out onto baking trays and bake at 350 for 11 minutes - will look underdone, but stiffen up as they cool. Let cool on pans for 10 minutes, then move to trays to finish cooling. Try not to eat them all at once. Makes 4 dozen!