Heaven Bound November 16, 2011
Posted by Tim Brixius in Can You Believe?, Offspring.1 comment so far
An e-mail from Delton’s teacher:
Hi! Wanted to let you know that Delton’s art teacher told me at the end of the day that Delton was telling some girls in our class that getting your head chopped off with the paper cutter is a real good way to get to heaven. Mrs. Gainer said that he wasn’t saying it in a threatening way, more as informative.
Kim
Did You Know I Have an Imaginary Pickle? September 1, 2011
Posted by Tim Brixius in Can You Believe?, Offspring.1 comment so far
As I was walking with Julia down the hallway of her preschool after picking her up today, she casually mentions, “Daddy, did you know I have an imaginary pickle?”
“An imaginary pickle?” I said, thinking this is an interesting choice for her first imaginary friend.
“No, daddy, I said (insert eye roll here) ‘imaginary pit bull,’” she replied.
OK, still an interesting choice, even if we are the proud owners of a flesh-and-blood pit bull. Turns out she suddenly has a whole litter of puppies that she “clutched” in her arms all the way to the car. They are all girls, except for the pug. One of them is named Princess. I think there’s a chocolate lab in the mix too. She said they could stay in the car while she accompanied me inside the barber shop on the way home.
I just realized that pickle is another word that Julia can fold under the umbrella of Actual Words Which I Will Pronounce Pipple (or At Least That’s How Daddy Always Hears Them). The others include the aforementioned pit bull, pimple and nipple. This is just her attempt to streamline the English language.
Our soon 1st grader! August 19, 2011
Posted by leish77 in Offspring.2 comments
Well we have 1 more week before we send Delton off to 1st grade. His supplies are bought and packed (and labeled, Tim!)
This week we met with a team to discuss Delton and what to expect with some of his behaviors they might see. During that meeting we signed paper work to make him an official gifted student (GIEP) and discussed situtuations that might cause anxiety. 
I’m a very proud mommy!
During this meeting we met his teacher, Mrs. Garner. She seems like a great match for Delton. I feel we have been blessed. We also met the gifted teacher that will be working with him, Mrs. Wheeler. I think this is going to be a great match too.
We then asked the principal if Delton would be able to come before orientation, to help ease his anxiety. So, I took him in the next day. We got into the office area and there was no secretary, so I rang the buzzer. The principal came out and Delton got the biggest grin on his face, he was practically giggling. He was so excited to meet the principal. He went right up to her and shook her hand and said hi. I had a hard time not laughing. So we went on our tour of the school and the first place he wanted to visit was the library (who would have guessed?). So, we went upstairs to the library and the librarian was there, Mrs. Moyer. She introduced herself and took Delton on a tour of the library. We then went to his classroom and looked around and then the specialist rooms. When we got to the music room, his response was, “I so, don’t want to take music. When I get the list to pick my classes, I’m putting a big X on music because I so don’t want to take music. I ‘ll pick a science class instead.” I then had to explain that in elementary school you don’t pick classes (he is currently reading Harry Potter, where they pick classes).
We will meet his teacher on Wednesday night, when we head to orientation.
Alpha and Omega June 10, 2011
Posted by Tim Brixius in Celebrations, Offspring.4 comments
This was a week of new beginnings and bittersweet endings…and I’m not just referring to the $750 we shelled out for a new water heater or the deck umbrella we lost in the violent storms that tore through our neighborhood while we were out.
Delton had his kindergarten graduation on Thursday night. For a preschool like College Hill—where kindergarten is the highest grade level—I think this ceremony has a little more meaning. In the more than five years that he’s been there, this school moved out of the basement of a college dorm and significantly expanded its space and program. Delton and Julia have both been there longer than most of the teachers…and many of the students too. Given that he is moving from an urban, non-traditional classroom of nine kids to a rural public elementary school with traditional classes of more than 20, this graduation means saying goodbye to much that Delton knows about it means to go to school.
Of course, none of that was on his mind during this big event. His only concern was finding a way to not have to wear his cap and gown. After many tears, he consented just in time to join his friends for the processional in Adams Auditorium at F&M. The cap came off as soon as he reached his seat. The rest of the night was a lot of fun: his grandparents and we witnessed Delton singing (and almost dancing!) in public for the first time, watched a slideshow, teared up as he handed his mom—the parent who’s truly earned his respect—a flower, enjoyed some vibrant artwork that he made and watched the kids play in the rain on the patio.
Hats off to Miss Janelle, Miss Linzi and all the other teachers at College Hill who’ve enriched our son’s formative years in ways beyond measure. I’m sure the transition that lies ahead will be bumpy, but Delton is well-prepared for continuing his education.
Of course, the alpha to this omega is the arrival of our niece, Cadence Reilly Herring (20 in., 7.8 lbs), after a few days of anxious waiting by Erin and Jeremy. We went to bed Thursday night knowing that Erin had been given an epidural and had her water ruptured—apparently the formula for a restful night followed by a very busy morning. We got the call around 6:30 that she had arrived and were out the door by 7:15 (kids and all!) so that we could squeeze in a quick visit before Aleisha needed to be at work (she made it by the skin of her teeth) and a weekend at the beach with her friends.
Delton’s reaction on hearing it was a girl: “That’s not cool.” His reaction upon seeing his new cousin: “She’s so cute.”
As Told By Julia April 28, 2011
Posted by Tim Brixius in Can You Believe?, Offspring.add a comment
Last week, I captured some footage of Julia going through one of her favorite books—The Little Mermaid—telling her version as if she was reading it. She’s been doing this more often over the past few weeks as part of her own personal bedtime routine. In fact, she scolded me for giving away a set of tiny alphabet board books that I figured she had outgrown. She wanted to “read” them to her stuffed animals.
Before I had a chance to post this, however, Julia has since moved on to actual reading. I just introduced her to a box of beginning readers that Aleisha picked up for Delton last year. She just finished Book 2 tonight, about Mat and Sam and Cat!
