How to Make a Million

Greg and Noel were playing in the office when Noel decided to take some pictures of Greg in order to test his high ISO settings. Recently his high ISOs have been rather grainy and as such Noel has been debating getting a new camera (to which I say..."NO!"...Piano first!). Anywho, Noel thought it would be fun to put his earphones on Greg so that the test pictures weren't quite so boring. Although the pictures weren't that great (and yes...he continues to plead for a new camera), we did find out that Greg is quite the rapper.



Most people can't understand what rappers say anyways, so what is the difference when Greg makes babbling sounds and we record it for millions? Just think, 1Million Dollars never sounded so easy.



Two proud parents now worth millions...We love you, Greg (whoops...Master G-reg!)!

7 Months

Greg will be 7 months on Thursday. What a sweet boy! One of his favorite activities is playing on the couch. His other favorite activity is eating. I know that you never would have guessed that. :) He has two teeth on the bottom and has only bitten me a few times. He continues to be an excellent sleeper (knock on wood). We sure do love this little boy!

Aren't those chubby cheeks the coolest?!?!
A view of the teeth.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Kid Entry

St. Patrick's Day is a good day to remember the beginning of spring and the joy of green. Above is my post for the I Heart Faces green photo contest (iheartfaces.blogspot.com). The picture is a child at the Zamani Educare Centre's fundraiser. Isn't it great to be green.

Also, in memory of one of the best holidays of the year I thought I would recite my favorite Edward Lear limerick.

There was a Young Lady of Norway,
Who casually sat on a doorway;
When the door squeezed her flat,
She exclaimed, 'What of that?'
This courageous Young Lady of Norway.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

6 Months and Tons of Fun

When I was 8 my parents began to give me an allowance. Mostly it was dependent on practicing the piano daily for at least 30 minutes (preferably 60). At the end of each week my father would distribute allowances and when the money touched my hands I would often think, "Wow! At this rate I will have enough money saved up in 6 months to maybe buy a really cool toy!" (probably Legos). Yet as the weeks turned into months, 6 months began to seem like a long time.

Now that Amber and I have our own child, 6 months feels like 6 hours. Before we knew it, Greg has grown into a personable little tot with a spunky personality and perceptive eyes (at least when he senses you are too busy to play). Below are several of his 6 months pictures. We love you, Greg!

Mamma Says Preddy! Preddy as a Budderfly!

As much as Noel and I think Greg is SOOOOOOO cute...in reality he has his "I'm not America's Next Top Model" moments. Just to illustrate our point we have attached Greg's constipation and nun poses.

Bath Time

Greg loves taking a bath. He's gotten better at sitting up by himself, so he has liked baths even more since he can splash and play with the water. Here is a shot that Noel took today of bath time. Don't worry...everything's covered by chub rolls. :) So sweet!

Teaching

I love teaching.  It has been my favorite paying job that I've ever had.  Although it is wonderful to teach, there are three days each school year that I do not like teaching.  Those days are...drum roll please...1.  Halloween, 2.  the day before Christmas break, and 3.  Valentine's Day.  Yes, that's right.  Why don't I like these days you ask.  It basically boils down to the fact that these are days that we have parties.  I know that sounds very "Scrooge-ish."  I like parties under normal circumstances, but a first grade class does not count as a normal circumstance.  Anything outside of the normal routine, ie. parties, visitors, or treats, makes for an interesting day to say the least.  Well, I did survive the day of anticipation and the hour of sugar overload, and the kids had an enjoyable time.  That's what's really matters.

 

I have had some little school/kid funnies the past few weeks.  First grade is really fun because of the kids' enthusiasm.  They love learning to read.  They love learning how to add and subtract, and they love the fact that they have loose teeth!  This week one of my students had a very loose tooth.  He came and showed me, and I told him how exciting that was and that he would lose it anytime now.  Then he told me that he really wanted to lose it today, "Mrs. Dickens, I'm going to get an apple for lunch and just chomp right into it.  That'll get that tooth out."  Well, he did get an apple for lunch, he did just chomp right into it, but his tooth did not come out.  It just bled.  Poor kid.  But he did lose it that night.  So adorable!

 

I have another student who just doesn't like doing his work, but this week he has been on fire!  He's been soooo good and stayed on task.  When this happens, we just compliment him a ton about it.  Well, we were doing a math pre-test, and he was just working away.  I told the class that they had about 2 more minutes before I needed to collect the tests.  He proceeded to get up and bring me his test.  "Buddy, you have a couple more minutes.  Try to get a few more problems done."  "But Mrs. Dickens, I can't.  I just ran out of energy."  Just the way he said it was too cute!  I just love first graders!

I'm Working Dad!

One of Greg's favorite rooms is the office. In the afternoon the room receives a lot of sun and Greg loves playing in his exersaucer by the window. However, recently Greg has become quite restless and demands to be up with Noel at the desk working. Although we have tried with great intent that Greg learns the value of being lazy while a baby, our teaching techniques are not working. Amber has even used her teacher voice and Greg still has not gotten the message. 

 Today while working, Greg once again demanded to be up on Noel's chair. After a some grunting and crying Noel relented and placed Greg on his seat. 

 

Without even turning around Greg began to grab every little item in sight. In particular, Greg found Noel's grading pens quite enjoyable and even offered him one.

Poor Greg...he is like the little kid who loves homework until he realizes that homework never ceases to exist.

 

Tales of a Stay-at-Home Dad

This scholastic year has provided me with a unique opportunity to be a working, studying, stay-at-home dad. In many ways my life has been blessed, with perhaps the greatest blessing being the development of a deep bond with my son. Additionally, I know what many mothers go through as they learn to cope with the life changes associated with being a parent and lacking the time to continually foster work friendships. 

Being a parent is far from easy and as much as I have enjoyed being at home, in many ways this experience has been a test of efficiency and endurance. But sometimes, when the dishes are actually done and the laundry has been somewhat conquered, I get to do what I like most...capture happy moments. 

These pictures are from this afternoon and I put them to my favorite artist. So enjoy...especially you grandparents. 

Noel and I were cleaning out the closet in the office and came across this picture of Lynne, Hayley, and Maren.  They were skiing at Alta, and it doesn't look like Hayley was having that much fun.  Sorry, Hayley.  I had to; it made us laugh just too much!