Ivan Speaks

Posted on September 4, 2015 by amanda

Pictured above is Ivan’s mouse art from his new art class started this week.

Some conversations with Ivan.

i: Do you know what it means when the clouds are connected?
A: No, what?
i: It means it is going to rain.

i: What would happen if you popped a storm cloud?

A: What does your Superman ice cream taste like?
i: Frozen Jalapenos.
A: Really??
i: What do Jalapenos taste like?

I tell Ivan a Greenberg story. (Greenberg is a bear who lives on the 27th floor of an apt. building because he really loves to ride the elevator).
Ivan asks, “Is Greenberg real?”
I say, “No, there isn’t a real Greenberg. He is a story that I make up. You can make up stories too.”
Ivan asks, “Do you want to hear a story?”
I say, “Yes.”
“This is the story of Poopy-face. He lives in a house that is all poop. He is all poop. Even HIS FACE. He eats poop for lunch. That is all for now. I will tell you more stories of Poopy-face another time.”

Ivan is pictured spreading out Star Wars toys and knocking them down.

Ezri labels things around the house. Here is Ivan puppy up for sale.

Preschool begins

Posted on August 27, 2015 by amanda

We had bacon for breakfast, put on the backpacks, and headed out! Ivan is afternoon preschool, but he helped take his sister to the first day of first grade in the morning.

Ivan had no trouble running right into his school and heading for class. No tearful good-byes.

He was excited to see me after school.
Here I told him to be a panther next to the panthers sign. He said, “No, I’m a BEAR!”

Here’s where I asked, “Ivan, do you need to use the potty?” Enthusiastic YES! We have now talked about how your teacher will take you to the bathroom if you tell her you need to go. Ivan had been waiting for me to pick him up and holding it.

I asked Ivan if he made friends at preschool.
“No, not yet. But, I did tell some kids my name and play with them.”
He is not willing to call these new kids his friends yet, but seems open to the idea that they will become friends.
His sister believes anyone she’s ever played with for a minute is A FRIEND! So, this is a different child worldview for me to experience.

Here’s the celebratory Superman flavored ice cream cone. He ate the whole thing. THE WHOLE THING.

Here’s the PTA photo booth from a few days earlier. Ezri got the posing. Ivan was too distracted by waving the flag around.

This is the crown Ivan made in preschool. Note his dedication to green. He almost always colors only with green.

Spongebob Squaretreat

Posted on August 25, 2015 by amanda

Here Spongebob is early in the eating.

And much later.

Also, it was windy and the wind styled Ivan’s hair for a tousled look.

A burrowing owl eating dead moths

Posted on August 21, 2015 by amanda

I know it looks like a kid eating blueberries, but I’ve been assured otherwise.

Splash Park

Posted on August 19, 2015 by amanda

Centennial Beach

Posted on August 13, 2015 by amanda

This fountain was great for stomping on and practicing some karate moves.

He enjoyed being buried in sand and building a sand robot turtle named Metalhead.

He’s definitely developed a smile for the camera face.

Ivan speaks

Posted on August 7, 2015 by amanda

Guess I’ve been collecting Ivan quotes for a few months now. Here they are.

Singing loud and proud, “I don’t want a pickle. I just wanna ride on my taco-cycle.” He takes a pause to explain, “A taco-cycle is a little taco with wheels.”

“This pencil doesn’t have any spike.”
Explaining the problem of a dull pencil.

“I’m a bottom spit. I need more popcorn.”
He was trying to say the phrase “bottomless pit.”

A: Tomorrow is your last day of tot school.
i: YEAH! We are going to have a show and sing our favorite songs sitting in chairs.
A: What will you sing?
i: The clean up song.
A: How does that go?
i: ‘Clean up! Clean up!’ . . .and then some other words.
A: It will be your last day with your teachers Mrs. Rumsey and Mrs. Topic. Will you miss them?
i: No, I will not miss them. But, I miss you. Like when you’re Denver.

“You made a rhyme. Pan and pants RHYME!”

When Ivan gets a bump or scrape sometimes he will refuse Eric and say, “No kiss it! Amanda, you kiss it.”
That’s kind of sweet. But then sometimes when Eric is trying to help him after using the potty he will say, “No, NO Wipe. Amanda wipe.” Less sweet.

A: Look, those kids are playing soccer.
i: I LOVE soccer!
A: You do?
i: Yeah! You get to yell “Fire! Fire!” really loud and there’s cotton candy.
His love here is spectating at Chicago Fire soccer games, not playing soccer.

“I will always share my ice cream with you. . .because you tickle me.”

Jumping through the house making the video game sounds
A: Are you Mario?
i: No, I am Luigi.

“There! There! the-trash-picking-up Zamboni!” Ivan, you mean garbage truck, but I like your description better.

After having a BB gun described to him. “If I had a baby gun, I would do this and shoot metal pellets in my face.” He will never get a BB gun. He is describing what he does with a squirt gun, but then you just get water in the face.

“When it was night time I dreamed we goed to Target and got a NEW SOCCER BALL! Do you like my dream?”

Ivan putting a tomato in our shopping cart
A: Why are you putting a tomato in the cart? You don’t like tomatoes.
i: It’s for Ezri.

“I am going to save some of my lemonade for you because you hug me that’s why I’m gonna give you lemonade.”

“Remember” – Ivan uses this word like it means to know. This results in him asking if you remember things you would have no way of remembering because you were not present for them. “Do you remember what I’m playing?” “Do you remember what Linny made for the baby?” (episode of Wonder Pets I was not watching)

“This day” Ivan doesn’t say today and tonight. He talks about “this day” and “this night” and “the day after this day” and “the night after this night.”

Ivan: Are penguins real?
Me: yes.
Ivan: YAY! We can play with the penguins when it’s winter! . . . Do penguins come out in the winter?
Me: Not in this part of the world.
Ivan: Why?

Ivan (brandishing a stick like a sword): “I am BOOBY BUNNY!”
Me: Is that . . .your fighting name?
Ivan: Yeah! Booby means I can repair myself.
Me: What does bunny mean?
Ivan: ATTACK!
Me: So, you are an attacker who can repair any damage done to you.
Ivan (swirling around with stick): Yeah! I am BOOBY BUNNY! hee-yah!

Singing gently to a rock he has colored green with sidewalk chalk and has cupped in his swaying hands, “Rock-a-bye, Rocky, in the treetop when the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks the cradle will fall and down will come cradle, Rocky, and all.”

Our vacation to visit my parents in the Rocky Mountain West lands us on the beach

Posted on August 5, 2015 by amanda

Giant water squirting syringes = grand fun

Eric makes Ezri a mermaid tail.

Mermaid upstaged by brother stealing the photo.

Sand dinosaur feet.

Tam cannot build towers and “whole words” fast enough for Ivan who likes to destroy them with stomping feet and splatting sand spoon.

He’s happy in short sleeves and short swim trunks and in cool water. If you’d said he’d have done this at the beginning of summer, I’d have doubted you.