1 year ago
My Triplets
School Bus!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Brady rode the school bus for the first time today and he loved it! Because I will be working on Tuesdays and Thursdays as a nanny for our friends down the street and as an occasional substitute teacher at Little Lambs, Brady will have to ride the bus to school on those mornings. His good friends from the neighborhood, Carson and Noah, were nice enough to try out the bus with Brady for the first time this morning so he wasn't alone.
Brady rode the school bus for the first time today and he loved it! Because I will be working on Tuesdays and Thursdays as a nanny for our friends down the street and as an occasional substitute teacher at Little Lambs, Brady will have to ride the bus to school on those mornings. His good friends from the neighborhood, Carson and Noah, were nice enough to try out the bus with Brady for the first time this morning so he wasn't alone.
Even though Brady enjoyed the bus, his favorite thing was looking out the windows, we will just ride only on those select mornings and I will still pick him up in the afternoons. This was a big step for us and all I can handle at this time. Ha ha!
Hop, Hop, Hop
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Our little friend, Aidan, celebrated his birthday with fun carnival games including sack races.
Watch out, Brady's taking the lead!
Here comes Cash, right on his trail!
Mr. Zack passed out prizes because every one's a winner!
Our little friend, Aidan, celebrated his birthday with fun carnival games including sack races.
Football!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Ever since football camp this summer, all Brady can talk about is FOOTBALL! He tries to wear a white arm band that he received from football camp every day because he thinks he's hot stuff and a real football player. I had to say "tries" because the white is no longer white and is instead a dirty dark grey so I try to persuade him not to wear it everywhere. Just look at the smile on his face, you can tell that he is in heaven at his first practice and so excited to play.
Brady was pretty dramatic when he was "tackled" and rolled over with his feet in the air laughing the whole way.
Game Time!
Brady has the ball! Go #6!
Run!
Brady was so proud of himself when he pulled off his first flag. He gloriously waved it in the air with his head held high. I can just hear him saying, "Take that!"
The Hand-off.
An action shot of Brady yanking off another flag! He pulled off three total!!! Superstar!
Brady made the crowd laugh when he did a hilarious victory dance after he removed off the last flag of the game. We have no idea where he learned this, he was just so darn happy!
Nice game, Titans! Greg and I are so excited that Brady finally found his spark and discovered a sport that he truly enjoys!
Ever since football camp this summer, all Brady can talk about is FOOTBALL! He tries to wear a white arm band that he received from football camp every day because he thinks he's hot stuff and a real football player. I had to say "tries" because the white is no longer white and is instead a dirty dark grey so I try to persuade him not to wear it everywhere. Just look at the smile on his face, you can tell that he is in heaven at his first practice and so excited to play.
Soccer!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Team Huddle. As you can see from Cash's clinched fists, he's quite nervous and unhappy about playing soccer. He firmly said all summer that he did not want to play but we assumed that once he put on his real uniform that he would love playing in a soccer league. Well, that was not the case. He pouted the whole way to his first practice and kept repeating that he told us that he didn't want to play soccer. Greg and I felt horrible that Cash was sad and both decided that if he didn't like it after the first day, we would not force him to play.
He's smiling! Once practice started, Cash began to enjoy himself and had fun running after the ball.
The Chase.
Look close. Cash is about to score his first goal!!!
SCORE!!! Cash kicked the ball in the net!!!
Coach Mike cheered on Cash and gave him a big hug. When any other player scores a goal, they run to their mommy to give them a big hug. I kept waiting for mine but Cash just stood their as cool as a cucumber! Ha!
Go Cash!!!
Yay, Lasers! Needless to say, Cash wants to play soccer again next week! He's hooked!
Team Huddle. As you can see from Cash's clinched fists, he's quite nervous and unhappy about playing soccer. He firmly said all summer that he did not want to play but we assumed that once he put on his real uniform that he would love playing in a soccer league. Well, that was not the case. He pouted the whole way to his first practice and kept repeating that he told us that he didn't want to play soccer. Greg and I felt horrible that Cash was sad and both decided that if he didn't like it after the first day, we would not force him to play.
Cash's First Day of School
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Cash was not very happy the morning of his first day of school. He was sad and mad at the same time. I thought I would retake his big photo shoot after school but I decided not to because this is what it was...he was not a happy camper. It was very sad for the both of us.
Poor baby.
By the time we arrived at Little Lambs, Cash accepted his fate was in wee better spirits.
He happily put his backpack and lunch box away in his bin getting back into his old routine.
He proudly found his name in the basket and placed it on the welcome board.
This is when I was about to ask sweet Ms. Marsha to take a picture with Cash on his first day of school. As you can see, I do not have this picture. When Cash turned away from the board. his eyes started to swell up, he pouted his lip, and his face was turning red. He knew it was time for me to leave. It was so, so sad. As he began crying, I hugged him and gave him a few comforting words as Ms. Marsha sweetly took his hand and guided him to the table. She sat with him a few minutes until he was calm and then Cash began coloring with his classmates. This is my stalker mom picture of him from the hallway as I watched to make sure he was ok.
Cash was not very happy the morning of his first day of school. He was sad and mad at the same time. I thought I would retake his big photo shoot after school but I decided not to because this is what it was...he was not a happy camper. It was very sad for the both of us.
Poor baby.
By the time we arrived at Little Lambs, Cash accepted his fate was in wee better spirits.
He happily put his backpack and lunch box away in his bin getting back into his old routine.
He proudly found his name in the basket and placed it on the welcome board.
This is when I was about to ask sweet Ms. Marsha to take a picture with Cash on his first day of school. As you can see, I do not have this picture. When Cash turned away from the board. his eyes started to swell up, he pouted his lip, and his face was turning red. He knew it was time for me to leave. It was so, so sad. As he began crying, I hugged him and gave him a few comforting words as Ms. Marsha sweetly took his hand and guided him to the table. She sat with him a few minutes until he was calm and then Cash began coloring with his classmates. This is my stalker mom picture of him from the hallway as I watched to make sure he was ok.
***Update***
When I picked Cash up from school, he teacher looked at me with a big smile and said, "HE TALKED TO ME!!!" Needless to say, it was chaotic in there with all of the parents picking up the kids so she said she would email me later. I looked forward to getting this email all day because this is big news in the Bartels' house. I never mentioned this in the blog before because it is a hard topic. Last year, Cash was diagnosed with selective mutism. It's a condition where a child chooses not to talk in social situations. One of the main outcomes of selective mutism is that your child basically does not have a voice and other students may take advantage or bully him which as a result may lead to social isolation. Talk about one of your worst fears as a parent.
We went to our pediatrician at the request of his teachers, who then referred Cash for testing, a psychologist, and a teaching specialist. My goal was that if things didn't change this year, I would look further into counseling because I didn't want Cash to be labeled in Kindergarten or placed in a special classroom.
Well today, things have changed!!!!!!
HALLALUEA, HALLALUEA, HALLALUEA!!!!!
Kelley,
I wanted to let you know how excited I am about Cash today! : ) He had a great day! I heard his voice several times. It was mostly one-word responses each time; however, I feel like that is a major accomplishment for us the first day. YEAH!!!I had some questions to ask him about a class book we were making. I asked him how many brothers he had - he said "one". I asked him how many sisters he had - he said "none". I asked him what his favorite food was - he said "soup". I asked him what he liked to play - he said "cars". I asked him if he would like for me to get the track we use for cars and put the cars out when he comes on Friday and he smiled and said "yes."At the end of the day, we played a game to help familiarize everyone with names. I had a song I would sing and when I rolled the ball to them, they caught it and would say their name. Before we started, I told everyone that over the year, we would do many games that would give them the chance to speak up. If they ever felt uncomfortable and didn't want to, it was ok and I didn't mind speaking up for them if I could. When I rolled the ball to him, he caught it, smiled his beautiful smile, and said "Cash." This is especially a big deal because there was another little girl before him, who chose not to speak up and I said her name for her.After the rolling ball game, I used my baton pointer like a microphone and asked the class to raise their hand if they wanted to share with us their favorite part of the day. Kelley, he didn't have to, not everyone did, but he raised his hand. When I aimed the microphone at him and asked him what his favorite part of the day was, he said "playing outside."I am happy to share this with you. I hope this continues and feel like he will eventually feel even more comfortable to speak up in our class if he did so well today. I did not push him in any way and will continue not to.Hope this makes your evening wonderful!Marsha :)
I know this is a long blog but this is a milestone for Cash. Today, he kicked selective mutism in the butt and to the curb! I am undeniably proud of him and can not write this without tearing up. Cash has never, ever, ever spoken in a group before. He has had countless opportunities over the last few years and has NEVER said his name. And him raising his hand to contribute when he didn't have to, let me just fall over now!!!! It's absolutely remarkable! Bye, bye selective mutism and hello, Cash! I'm so happy everyone can now get to know my sweet, lovable boy and his funny, little personality!
Brady's Favorite Things
Friday, September 7, 2012
Brady's first project at school this year was to help his teacher and new friends learn more about him. He had to fill out little clouds with his favorite things and then cut them out along with some pictures. Brady did all the work, I just had to print out the pictures. He did such a terrific job that he made a 100!
Favorite Book: All Dr. Seus
Favorite Food: Mexican
Favorite Sport: Football
Favorite Places to Go: Disneyworld, the beach, and football games
Favorite Book: All Dr. Seus
Favorite Food: Mexican
Favorite Sport: Football
Favorite Places to Go: Disneyworld, the beach, and football games
Labor Day at the Museum
Monday, September 3, 2012
Natural Science Museum of Houston, Sugar Land Branch
While Daddy played golf, we took the opportunity to hang out at the museum with the dinosaurs.
At the Animal Secrets exhibit, we learned about the habitat of several forest animals. They even had chipmunk vests for every child to wear as they explored the "forest." Their favorite thing to do was act like chipmunks scampering around collecting acorns and then hiding them in trees for the winter. While we were in this section, the boys also compared themselves to the height of a bear. Brady measured 47" and Cash reached 42"which helped us decide that we need to run as fast as we can if we ever see a bear because they are much bigger than us.
Brady was very accurate and serious as he balanced logs on a scale.
Cash closely inspected the wings of a monarch butterfly.
Brady diligently constructed an ant from wooden puzzle pieces.
While Brady took his time building his ant, Cash acted silly with raccoon fur.
We explored so long at the Animal Secrets exhibit, that we needed to rest in the mini-planetarium as we watched the "Invasion from Mars" movie. They got a kick out of pretending the planets were going to land on them while we laid on the floor.
We had an awesome Labor Day at the museum and enjoyed the break after a long, first week of school.
Natural Science Museum of Houston, Sugar Land Branch
While Daddy played golf, we took the opportunity to hang out at the museum with the dinosaurs.
At the Animal Secrets exhibit, we learned about the habitat of several forest animals. They even had chipmunk vests for every child to wear as they explored the "forest." Their favorite thing to do was act like chipmunks scampering around collecting acorns and then hiding them in trees for the winter. While we were in this section, the boys also compared themselves to the height of a bear. Brady measured 47" and Cash reached 42"which helped us decide that we need to run as fast as we can if we ever see a bear because they are much bigger than us.
Cash closely inspected the wings of a monarch butterfly.
Brady diligently constructed an ant from wooden puzzle pieces.
While Brady took his time building his ant, Cash acted silly with raccoon fur.
We explored so long at the Animal Secrets exhibit, that we needed to rest in the mini-planetarium as we watched the "Invasion from Mars" movie. They got a kick out of pretending the planets were going to land on them while we laid on the floor.
We had an awesome Labor Day at the museum and enjoyed the break after a long, first week of school.
You know it's hot when...
...you can't eat a candy bar in the car!
***Cash's new favorite thing is chocolate. I overheard Brady bribing Cash the other day that if he gave him the toy that he wanted then every birthday and Christmas, Brady would buy him chocolate. Cash easily caved and gave him the toy but first he confirmed that Brady meant every birthday and Christmas he would give him chocolate, not just one. Ha ha! I'll see if they remember this when December roles around!
Go Coogs!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
UH Opening Day
Watching the players get off of the bus while we were tailgating before the first game of the season. Brady's extra happy because his buddy Noah happens to be a proud Cougar too so he was at the game as well.
C-O-U-G-A-R-S!!!
UH Opening Day
Watching the players get off of the bus while we were tailgating before the first game of the season. Brady's extra happy because his buddy Noah happens to be a proud Cougar too so he was at the game as well.
C-O-U-G-A-R-S!!!
Cash's Meet the Teacher Night
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Cash is very nervous about going to back to school. His main concern is that he doesn't want to have new teachers, he wants his old teachers. Hopefully, seeing his fun, new classroom and his fabulous, new teacher, Ms. Marsha, changed his mind. His new teacher is well known at the school so I have high hopes that this is going to be a great year at Little Lambs. She welcomed the entire family by name, including Brady, and proceeded to give Cash a sheet of paper leading us on a scavenger hunt around his classroom. I've gone to several of these events and this was by far the best way I have seen to acclimate the students to their new classroom, and better yet, it was fun!
I'm not sure who had a better time, Brady or Cash? Brady loved leading Cash around the room to help him complete the scavenger hunt.
"Go to the Home Living Center and take a picture of your child."
"Go to the Reading Center and find a turtle book." We learned on an earlier mission that turtles are his class mascot.
"Go to the Writing Center and find your name."
"Go to the Science Center and guess how many feathers are in our estimation jar."
Cash had so much fun in the Science Center that he didn't want to move onto the next station. This color changing touch board cracked him up.
Daddy was even enjoying himself so much in the Block Center that he may want to go to the Little Lambs too!
Overall, we had a great time at Meet the Teacher night and we haven't heard Cash mention again that he wants his old teachers. Ms. Marsha apparently made a good impression on Casharoo. And me too! She even took me in the hallway as we were leaving to privately talk about strategies to hopefully help Cash feel more comfortable to talk in school this year. I only wish that Cash has grown more confident over the summer so he'll open up at Little Lambs and let them hear his cute, little voice. We shall see next week!
Cash is very nervous about going to back to school. His main concern is that he doesn't want to have new teachers, he wants his old teachers. Hopefully, seeing his fun, new classroom and his fabulous, new teacher, Ms. Marsha, changed his mind. His new teacher is well known at the school so I have high hopes that this is going to be a great year at Little Lambs. She welcomed the entire family by name, including Brady, and proceeded to give Cash a sheet of paper leading us on a scavenger hunt around his classroom. I've gone to several of these events and this was by far the best way I have seen to acclimate the students to their new classroom, and better yet, it was fun!
I'm not sure who had a better time, Brady or Cash? Brady loved leading Cash around the room to help him complete the scavenger hunt.
"Go to the Home Living Center and take a picture of your child."
"Go to the Reading Center and find a turtle book." We learned on an earlier mission that turtles are his class mascot.
"Go to the Writing Center and find your name."
"Go to the Science Center and guess how many feathers are in our estimation jar."
Cash had so much fun in the Science Center that he didn't want to move onto the next station. This color changing touch board cracked him up.
Daddy was even enjoying himself so much in the Block Center that he may want to go to the Little Lambs too!
Overall, we had a great time at Meet the Teacher night and we haven't heard Cash mention again that he wants his old teachers. Ms. Marsha apparently made a good impression on Casharoo. And me too! She even took me in the hallway as we were leaving to privately talk about strategies to hopefully help Cash feel more comfortable to talk in school this year. I only wish that Cash has grown more confident over the summer so he'll open up at Little Lambs and let them hear his cute, little voice. We shall see next week!
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