First Grade Update

Oh my, it has been a REALLY long time since I've updated but,.....you already know that. This year is flying by. Things are going so well. Aidan is doing amazing in first grade.

First grade has been in session for 2 1/2 months now and I can't believe the difference. Aidan is REALLY enjoying school. His teacher is really engaged and truly has the kids best interest at heart. School doesn't come easy for Aidan, but he is trying really hard and is doing really well. His reading is coming along at an alarming pace. His class is involved in the "Book It" program at the local pizza joint. If the children read the amount of books that the teacher pre-determines for a given month, they get a certificate for a personal sized pizza. Aidan, despite having a week shorter than the rest of his classmates, due to a vacation, worked really hard and completed his 15 books last month and triumphantly presented his pizza certificate! We went for pizza earlier this week and had the best experience. The waiter made a huge deal about Aidans reading efforts and Aidan was beaming! He gave him a "Readers Rule" button for his backpack and he wears it proudly. He is well on his way to another certificate for November!

For the first quarter of the school year, the first graders operated on a pass/fail scale. The second quarter just began and this is the first time that he will be graded on the letter scale. So, we cleaned off our refridgerator to make room for all of his efforts. It has only been a week and we are already well on our way to covering every space on the door with A's and B's! We couldn't be more proud of our little man!

Hurry Up Days!

I can't believe that September is almost over - time just flies by! The days are busy and go by so quickly - but life has been good at our house. It has taken me a month, but I am finally learning to juggle the new school schedule. Aidan has settled into a good routine and I don't feel nearly as frazzled as I did those first couple of weeks. It was hard going from the "lazy days of summer camp" to the "wake-up-early, homework-filled days of the school year." Aidan is very happy with his teacher and so far is doing great!

Aidan really enjoys computer class and loves getting a new book out of the library on Thursdays. He is finally picking out chapter books, so as part of our routine at night, we read a couple of chapters from the book he picked out. He is on top of the world about picking out books himself.

He informed me the other day that Thursdays are "hurry up days." I asked him what that meant and he said, "we have to hurry and get to computers and then hurry and get to spanish and then hurry and get to the library.....first graders are busy, mom!" The way the first grade schedule worked out this year, they do seem to have alot of things scheduled for Thursdays, but luckily he likes everywhere he is hurrying to.

Today is the first school mass, dress up day and picture day. I thought Aidan would give me a hard time becuase I made him wear a tie to school. He was fine getting dressed, fine on the ride to school, fine walking into school. When we got to his classroom, he had a total melt down. He was going on and on about how ridiculous he looked in a tie. The teacher and I tried to console him, but he just wasn't having it. I thought I would get out of these conversations by having a boy.....ah, well. TGIF!!

First Grade Rockstar!

The first day of school has come and gone and school has kicked into high gear. It is going MUCH better than anticipated. Everything that the kindergarten teacher told us would happen, has. Aidan has grown up more than we realized.

Aidan seems to be enjoying school. He learned his first espanol song, in Spanish class, of course. He likes his new teacher and is thrilled to see his friends again. We worked really hard on his reading skills over the summer and it seems to have paid off.

We attended welcome back night where we got to meet his teacher for some one-on-one time. She is an older teacher and seems to truly love her job and the children and the children seem to respond to her well.

Aidan has his first test today, so I am anxious to pick him up and hear all about it. Overall, first grade is going GREAT for my little Rockstar!

The End of Summer

This is the final week of summer. I have been cleaning out closets and drawers, started my fall cleaning, and finished up the back to school shopping. This morning as I was driving Aidan to his final day of summer camp, I reminded him to have a great day, say goodbye to his friends and most of all, enjoy this final day at camp.

I spelled out for him that it was his final day of summer camp, he had four days off and then it was back to school....to which he replied, "Oh fiddlesticks!"

I couldn't have said it better myself!

I hope everyone enjoys these final days of summer bliss, the start of football season and all the BBQ one can stomach!!

Stay tuned for the First Grade Follies.....

Aidan Funny

Aidan had been on a field trip on this particular day that I picked him up from summer camp. They had been on a boat ride down the river and then had a picnic in the park. On the way home from summer camp we had the following dialogue:

Jenny: So, how was your field trip today!
Aidan: It was great mom! Did you know there are fish in that river?
Jenny: Really? Did you like seeing those fish?
Aidan: Yes!

after a few minutes....

Aidan: Mom, Connor and I were hungry on that boat.
Jenny: They probably have rules about eating on the boat. Did you get to eat in the park afterwards?
Aidan: Yes, but we were hungry on the boat. (his tone getting angrier) They wouldn't give us anything to eat. All they gave us was grief!

It must be rough being six!

Aidan Funny

I desperately need to update this blog and catch everyone up on kindergarten graduation, summer camp and everything in between, but I owe my cousin, Charles (probably my sole reader at this point), an update. Here are a couple of Aidan funnies from the past few days:

Tonight, we were driving home from dinner and Aidan was singing "put your hands in the air like you just don't care" in the backseat and......
Paul: Where did you learn that song, Aidan?
Aidan: A girl at school.
Paul: Which girl
Aidan: An older girl.
Paul: What is her name?
Aidan: I don't know her name.
Paul: Do you like her?
Aidan: Sure
Paul: Would you kiss her?
Aidan: Ewwwww...NO! I don't like kissing girls.
Paul: Why not? Moms a girl. Are you saying you don't like kissing mommy?
Aidan: Dad! We like kissing mommy. She's our wife!


Can you feel the love?


Earlier in the week, Aidan and I stopped at Meijer on the way home from summer camp/work. As we were loading our car with groceries, getting ready to leave, I could smell someone (not anywhere in sight) smoking a cigarette and....
Jenny: Shew! (not really conscious of what I was saying)
Aidan: Oh, that smell is that lady back there.
Jenny: (beamed back from the unconscious) Aidan!
Aidan: Mom, you said something stinks and it is that lady back there. She has one of those smoking sticks.
Jenny: Smoking sticks?
Aidan: Yeah, you know.....those smoking sticks that people are always sucking on?!


You gotta love the innocence!


My dad, Paul and Aidan went to the driving range this past weekend. My was told my dad that he (referring to himself) needed to practice and....
Aidan: I need to practice
My dad: Me too!
Aidan: But grandpa, your're good!
My dad: Well, if I practice, I can be even better
Aidan: Well, if I get better and you get better, together we can be really good!

I'd pick him for my team any day!

Well, there you go Charles (and anyone else who hung in there). I hope you enjoyed these. Just think, in a little over a month, you'll have your own funnies to tell about your own bundle of joy!! We can't wait to enjoy the ride with you!!

Aidan -- the next Yogi Berra?

The other day Aidan and Paul were playing Aidan's deer hunting video game. (It's basically a toy gun that plugs into the TV and your character walks around to hunt deer.) Well, Aidan shot a deer and the game asked if he wanted to save it. Because it was small, he decided not to save it. Then, he turned to Paul and said, matter-of-factly, "Even if we don't keep it, it will be dead for the rest of its life!"