The Fabulous Teddy

Today Teddy turns six and I decided to let everyone know some facts about him.

Let’s start with the basics. He is four foot, five and a half inches tall, weighs eighty pounds, and wears size ten clothes and a size three shoe.

Only two weeks old

He is very protective of his family, especially of his sisters. He even tries to protect them for me. When they get in trouble he will try to take the blame.

He loves school, he absolutely hates days off and has to be convinced to take a sick day.

Teddy is very empathetic, if someone is sad he feels terrible.

His first birthday party

He is very sensitive. He wears his heart on his sleeve.

Two years old

He loves to play hockey. Within fifteen hours of ice time, he was moved up and now uses a stick.

 

He is very determined. He won’t quit. He’ll keep going until he can do it right. He gets mad at himself, but keeps it up.

He could play Xbox all day long if I let him.

How many three year olds do you know that get drums for their birthday?

 Teddy does not have a very long attention span, in fact it’s just better if you don’t ask him to get you anything; you’ll be waiting a long time.

He rarely gets his shirt on the right way.

Fourth birthday

 

He’s very generous. If it’s just him and I out and I ask him if he wants something, he’ll ask me what we can get for the girls.

He can’t concentrate with his tongue IN his mouth.

We got his test scores from school and he is incredibly smart (I’m not going to lie; we were a tiny bit shocked at the score). We knew he was smart, but didn’t think he was going to get the score he did.

He is always willing to make a compromise with the girls.

Five years old

He’s very considerate. If I’m watching my show, he won’t ask to change the channel; he’ll watch it with me. He’ll even decline the offer for me to put on his show (I do change it to his anyway).

This morning, my six year old boy!

Irish Twins

Tomorrow, for one month and one day, I will have two six year olds. I have Irish twins. Teddy was born less than a year after Maizie.

For eleven months of the year Maizie and Teddy get along fairly well, the month of November is a tough one. You see, Maizie likes being the oldest, but during this time, she has to share an age with her brother (that really bugs her). It also doesn’t help when Teddy refers to her as “the other six year old”. How do I know he will do that? He does it every year.

Teddy is younger than Maizie, but he is bigger. This causes people to think he is the oldest. He once called her his “little big sister”; let’s just say he’s lucky he made it to see six.

Having Irish twins has pros and cons. They are close (really close) in age, they will always have someone to play with and the oldest will never have that “before you were born” attitude (because really all the first did was lay there and cry and poop). By having two babies so close together, you didn’t put away any baby stuff and you still remember how to take care of a baby.

Notice the two bottles in the background

Some of the cons are YOU HAVE TWO BABIES, even if only one is a newborn, the other still can’t walk, talk or feed himself (or herself). You need double everything, two cribs, double stroller, double the diapers, bottles, wipes and if they’re not the same sex more clothes.

Then come the looks and the quick counting in strangers’ heads. I wanted to have my kids close together, I didn’t think it would be that close but…whatever. I liked having my first two so close together so much that I did it a third time (you should have seen those looks).

Random Thoughts

They should sell boxes of Lucky Charms marshmallows to save Stella time and effort.

Telling Teddy to use his inside voice is like telling Alabama not to bark at every dog that walks by.

I think Stella might have hamper blindness. She will bring her clothes to the hamper, but they rarely make it into the hamper; on the floor, next to it, of course but in it…no!

Maizie will hem and haw, hoot and holler the whole time she’d getting ready for school. Once they open the door to the building, she’s out of there like a shot. I need to call her back to get a kiss.

If your child is causing such a disturbance that you threatened to throw out all his Halloween candy eight times, maybe you should stop looking at your phone and take him out of the library.

Stella went to the bathroom at the library. When the toilet flushed, she said, “I thought the library was supposed to be a quiet place.”

The two things that get destroyed the fastest after being cleaned (with the exception of the bathroom) is my table/desk and the coat rack in the front hall.

It doesn’t matter how many times I clean a room; if I leave it, it will immediately get dirty.

Alabama Worley can smell marshmallows from two rooms away and will sit and drool on the floor until everyone leaves the kitchen.

The Kraus ladies should not be left alone with scissors.

Teddy has been wearing his Captain American costume just about every day since Halloween. He walked in with it on and said, “If I’m Captain America, then you must be Miss America.”

Alabama either has super spectacular hearing or she’s going senile at four. She randomly lets out one bark for no apparent reason.

Sometimes I’m amazed at the amount of times I need to request clothes be put on.

Not Your Mama’s Candy Land

This isn’t Mommy’s Candy Land, this is Mrs. Kraus’ Candy Land. Here’s the story. I taught first grade ESL for several years and since Stella-Blue refused to go to preschool, I feel I needed to get her to learn somehow. (Teddy could use some reinforcement as well) This was used in the class room to help the students learn the sight words, so why not use it at home.

I originally made this to help Maizie, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Stella begs to play every day. Teddy could take it or leave it, but he doesn’t want to pass up an opportunity to play with us.

This is what you need: Candy Land, index cards or printable business cards, list of words, (Stella uses the alphabet)

Write or print the words you would like you child to practice on the cards.

Now you’re ready to play, it’s that easy.

The rules (in our house anyway):

• DO NOT throw the cards if you lose!!! (This has happened and caused the game to go on the shelf for months)
• Have mom control the cards (This way they can’t search through for the picture cards)
• Show the word or the letter card, if it is read correctly then a color card can be taken. (I let them get a color card anyway)
• Continue on until you have a winner.
• The winner gets a kiss and a hug. (in our house)

At first Stella only had to name the letter, now she has to name the letter and the letter sound.

As Teddy brings home more sight words, I add them to the pile of words. When they play together, Stella is actually starting to learn sight words from watching Teddy.