tick tock baby...TICK. TOCK.

It isn't just the sound of summer coming to an end, it's the sound of Patrick's baby-hood closing out. School is starting on Monday, first day of kindergarten. WOO HOO! I said WOO HOO! Who's with me (in this freaky alternate universe where your baby is a boy and he's going off on his own to be influenced by others..), Patrick? Patrick? Alright, where's Patrick. There he is, hiding behind my skirt.

We had our trial run on Friday.... Not so hot. The kindergarten classroom is bright, clean and shiny. One might even describe it as, inviting. Patrick's description is that it is a little bit frightening. He did start warming up when he saw the Legos and his teacher got (almost) as excited as him about his birthday on Wednesday.

The whole Kindergarten Orientation was mega-frustrating for me. I should be more patient, since I understand him all too well. Instead it makes me prickly because I feel like I am watching myself. I even talked to Patrick about my first day of kindergarten and making my first friend, Mandi (still count her as my friend, thank you very much). Because really, is there anything about school that is more intimidating than meeting new people and making friends? School is one part learning and two parts social matrix. Right? heh.

So there were tears, there were also declarations. He declared that he didn't want to start kindergarten (this after listening to him talk about kindergarten for a year and a half), I declared that he wasn't going to be allowed to ride in the back of the Expedition (a treat reserved for big boys). It kind of went back and forth from there, use your imagination.

If he was a clingy, crying, shy child that would be one thing, but he isn't. And I know he isn't, and he knows he isn't because two hours later he was a completely different kid. Watch now as he performs his "goodest baddest bad guy" on his Sensei.



This was after he was coaching and leading the class. "Come on Braden, you have to step up and do this thing!" Hi! Leadership Qualities, meet Patrick... Oh you already know each other!

Where are we today? Patrick is less focused on his birthday (I get to choose because I am the birthday boy!) and more focused on his kindergarteness (I get out of the bath first because I am a big kindergartener. wootywoo.).

His brother's response?
Keith: I go kindergarten.
Me: You are going to kindergarten? Do you know how to spell your name?
Keith: P-A-T
Me: Yep. You're ready.

Little Hercules

Please don't think of this blog post as a "Lindsay bragging about her son's abilities-post", instead think of it as a "Lindsay laughing at her son's freakish abilities-post".

The other day Sugar and I were sitting at karate talking/watching the kids kei-i. Okay, we were mostly talking and trying to distract the toddlers (in tow) from distracting the class, big job. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw all four karate kids laying flat on their bellies (not unusual). Then all of the sudden Patrick starts pumping out push-ups. Perfect form and everything, just hammering those push-ups out. The other three kids....still flat on their bellies.

We're both cracking up at this point (Tasks: talk, distract little kids, laugh at big kids, watch karate). I thought Patrick misunderstood the direction but their Sensei actually wanted them to do push-ups. Imagine, Patrick listening... I heart karate.

"Do you have him practice at home?"
No, I think he is just a freak.

Doesn't every kid have a "gift" that is usually realized between the ages of 4 and 6? Singing, throwing a football, catching a baseball, programming the remote, dancing, running, whatever. My child happens to be exceptionally gifted at push-ups. That's marketable right?

I love EVERYTHING about karate

KICKS!

Abby, Patrick, Ian and Chase... All listening to Sensei Adam

At first we thought soccer sounded like a good idea, then we remembered our boys (Patrick, Chase and Ian that is). The non-joiner, has to be my own idea, I won't do anything that you are paying for especially the things that cost $300 Boys. Our alternative idea for the boys was karate. I was nervous, we tried karate last year and I feared a repeat performance. Last year, Patrick sat there with the jaded mask of a preschooler, going through the motions but remaining aloof.

I am not sure what exactly made the difference but as either Kristina or Sugar said: night and day. Patrick loved it! They all loved it. And they were all really well-behaved (for preschoolers). Of course I am sure that having a class of four kids he knows really well went a long way to ease Patrick's nerves. Abby is in the class with the boys too. Today the boys each got a gi (uniform) so look forward to more pictures next week. I will come prepared with my zoom lens for more close up pics. Until then....