Just an Update

So, Saturday, Emma had her first 'practice' recital of the year. It amazes me every time. She fools around in her dance class and seems to have trouble paying attention and following along. But, when it comes time to get on stage and perform, she's brilliant. Her rhythm and timing and her execution of all of the steps are great! My hypothesis is that she knows all of the steps and songs that they dance to in class and doing them over and over again is boring. When it comes time to get all dolled up in her costume and hop on stage for 'the real thing' she turns it on full blast. What an awesome little girl. I just need to figure out how to get her to focus and pay attention in class. Does this sound like someone you know?

We got a postcard in the mail from the school she'll be attending in the fall. Kindergarten. Wow. Do you remember when Kinder was just a stepping stone to help kids prepare for First Grade? Well the postcard was sent to inform us that Emma has a Kindergarten entry assessment. An entry assessment?!? Fortunately, Emma is a pretty smart kid so I don't think she'll have any problems. My friend, Cindy, is a teacher and is always giving me advice on what to teach her to get her ready for Kinder. She's been reading for a few months now and knows some very basic math. I downloaded a Dolch Sight words list and decided to see how much she knew. The list is broken up into five segments. Pre-K, Kinder, First, Second and Third. She knew them all. She corrected herself on a few of them but for the most part blew through the whole list. She never ceases to amaze me.

As for Tommy, he has recently started beating me up. I guess he hasn't learned his boundaries yet. I'm sure that he and Daddy rough-house at least once per day for fun, but I do not find this amusing. He like to punch me and say 'YA!' as if he were performing some complex Karate move. He pulls my hair, pinches me, I could go on. Maybe he just wants my attention and after a day of horsing around with Daddy, doesn't quite know how to switch gears. He'll get it eventually. He's a tough kid.