Sunday, December 11, 2005

Now that Aidan is 6 he is all about BALLS. He has turned into quite the boy and can not resist chasing a ball or kicking or throwing it. Or scooting or biking or swimming or whatever. It actually gets really annoying - he kicks balls all over our house. We have had quite a few ballooons around from the birthday parties - if he sees one the speed picks up and he dribbles and kicks. I remember maybe 3 years ago when he did his first soccer with Coach Jamie - I had to run around with him holding his hand (and carrying Quincy). And after season was over he informed me he didn't like soccer. "Why?" "Because I don't like running". Now he would play soccer every day if he could. He will be trying out basketball after the holidays. The other kindergarten class formed a team and he and another girl from his class will be joining in. I sort of suspect he and Emma to be 2 of the tallest - they are amongst the oldest and tallest in their class anyway - and the other class seems positively tiny to me - and a whole bunch of the kids also wear glasses. You would think the classes would look more similar but to me they don't. Aidan is very concerned however that he do well (as in all things) and especially that he WIN. When playing soccer this season - the first year he was really playing true games - he would suss out the other team when we walked up and if he thought they looked too good or bigger than him he wouldn't be sure he wanted to play! He has good skills and native ability. Quincy went from complete uninterest at the beginning of the fall (to kicking the ball etc) to being quite interested (altho he hated going to Aidan's practices or games and wanted no part of watching) and he can get in a good kick now. I have him signed up (with his permission/interest) in classes with Coach Jamie with his friend Cy. Should be a good match for him I think. It will be interesting to see if Aidan can restrain himself on the sideline. I suspect he will find another kid to kick with or dribble up and down the field off-side. Quincy is also signed up for Acrosports in the 4 & 5 yr old class with his cousin Ellie in January. And speech will still happen twice a week altho it is being moved so Aidan no longer has to go - it will be at 1.00. So Quincy will be a busy little kid but the kids will have 3 more afternoons a week than they do now that are unstructured after we pick up Aidan. I am moving swimming back to only once a week on Saturday. Phew. It will also free me up to do a bit more with dinners - currently we get home at 5.30 or 6.00 4 days a week! Since my goal is usually 6 to 6.15 for dinner - well - it hasn't worked that well... The good about having Aidan attend speech with us is that it happened to be the days before his homework and book journal were due - so we had a chance to sit down and do that. It is much harder to carve out a time from play to do work at home.

Now that I have a 4 yr old and a 6 yr old I have noticed that they are suddenly quite able (and interested) in playing board games by themselves. Quincy played a version of shoots and ladders last Friday with 2 little girls on a playdate - parent free. He played Candyland with Cy at our house. They love playing with the new Cranium game Caribou from Cousin Audrey. Some games they ask for our involvement but often now they are happy to do it themselves too. Pretty cool. Pete and I enjoy card and board games and puzzles so it isn't a surprise that our kids enjoy them too but it is nice.

1 comment:

Pdxgator said...

Wow, am I falling behhind on updates. It's a good thing that these lasts 3 posts were split into 3.
I am looking forward to the day that Audrey is patient enoug to play games, right now chutes and ladders with her is a little chaotic.

Rob