Learning to code for Day of Code.
Ivan and his friend making Gingerbread Man art.
Ivan loves the tablets being used for math education.
I visited for VIP Day at school and made a craft and played bingo with Ivan. I got to take a tour of the classroom with my favorite tour guide.
It is 27 minutes until Ivan’s first playdate.
He keeps checking his watch and telling me an updated count of how many minutes it is until the playdate.
He is so excited.
We invited J from his Kindergarten class to play at our house.
Ivan proudly announces,
“I have a schedule for my playdate
FIRST Balloony Bounce
THEN Snowball Fight
THEN Hot Chocolate
THEN Play Inside”
All agenda items WERE accomplished.
J declared it “the best play date”
Ivan agreed but did feel the need mention it was his first play date, so it had to be the best.
This photo looks like Ivan watching the year’s first snow, but he has checked his watch and it is noon and he is watching for J to come. Luckily, dad arrived with J on time.
Here is the game of Balloony Bounce in the living room.
And the Snowball Fight. I was the villain for the latter half and this involved three children pelting me with snow. Snow boy, Icicle and Super Ivan definitely defeated me with their winter powers.
Hot chocolate happened too.
J is a great kid and it’s been great to watch Ivan making his own friends instead of just tagging along after his big sister.
Ivan was interested in meeting Santa after he noted that kids leaving Santa’s shack had candy canes. We were out in downtown Downers battling at Pokegyms, not planning to meet the jolly elf but then there he was.
Ivan told Santa he wanted candy for Christmas and liked tablets.
Santa’s helper gave him the candy cane which he clutched smiling.
He ate the whole thing except a small section that broke off in the unwrapping. I’m flattered to say he gave that to me. I love you too, kid.
Then we went to the library and celebrated by playing some Mario on the WiiU console there with friends. Ivan is very intensely focused in the photo below.
Here are some recent independently read titles – all very simple picture books that Ivan can read ALL BY HIMSELF! “This is NOT a Cat!” is probably his favorite though “Rhyming Dust Bunnies” is also repeatedly loved and sometimes recited without the book in sight.
Smick! by Doreen Cronin
Toto’s Apple by Mathieu Lavoie
Plants vs. Zombies: Save Your Brain by Catherine Hapka
This is NOT a Cat by David Larochelle
Pug Meets Pig by Sue Lowell Gallion
Pants for Chuck by Pat Schories
Pie for Chuck by Pat Schories
Pete Likes Bunny by Emily Arnold McCully
Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
This photo captures how Ivan feels about posing for school photos perfectly. Look at that grimace and slouch! I love it.
Ivan loves reading the “Go Cubs” that is scrolls on the marquis of our local Pace Buses.
He rediscovered that his dad had bought him a cubs hat this weekend and wore it proudly.
Pika Pika
With his trainer
Pikachu used THUNDER
On a candy mission
Puffer school parading Pikachu
Strong enough to lift the candy bag after it is fulled with over 100 pieces of candy! PIKA!
Hungry Pikachu decorates and eats a monster face pizza for Halloween dinner
There’s a steep set of stairs to their front door, so they ran a PVC tube out the window.
Ring the bell and a butterfinger candy bar will come sliding down through the tube into your bag.
SO MUCH JOY!
I also learned Ivan loves butterfingers. This Halloween he was all smiles telling me he was going to eat his second butterfinger.
You already had one? I asked looking at his bag of candy.
Yeah, Ezri gave me one when I was a chomper plant.
That was his costume last Halloween. He remembered that first butterfinger candy for a year. He was so excited to get several trick or treating. He’s eaten two so far this Halloween season and finds they live up to the memory.