Just Dance

We got the "Just Dance" game for the Wii, where you boogie just like the person on the TV.  Here's Jude's version of the song that was playing (with a cute little bootie shaking):

More Soccer and better video

Today was Jude's first real soccer game, his team is the Green Sharks and they played the Wolverines.  It was really super cute and I got a great video of Jude in action.  That is, until he fell in the mud and got his booty all wet and that pretty much ended his day of playing soccer.  But, I got it on camera, so you can see for yourself:

Here's some more cute pics:

 Action shot.  Green Sharks in the green shirts, Wolverines in the purple.  

 Jude and Ry, posing for the team photo (you'll all get a copy when it comes!)

What's a soccer game without a moment of blowing some "wishies" after the game?  

Last weekend was also the Procession of the Species, the big Earth Day parade in town.  30,000 people attended!!  Included in those, was Brolin and Jude, watching the parade from the sidelines.  We were in it last year, but I have to say that watching it is just as fun, if not more fun :)  Here's the two BFF's, playing in the street with sidewalk chalk before the parade started.  

You'll notice Jude is wearing his soccer shirt.  That's because he wore it to soccer practice on Friday, then slept in it, then refused to take if off on Saturday.  He really really loves soccer....

First Soccer Practice

We cannot think of a funnier one-hour that we've had in a long time than Jude's first soccer practice.   3, 4 and 5 year olds running on a soccer field is just about the best thing we've seen ever!!  And Jude LOVED it!!  They learned to dribble, they learned the places on the soccer field (like corners, end-lines, goals, etc), but most of all they learned to have fun and the beginning of teamwork.  You can't really describe the hilarity, so here's a little video (and yes, it poured rain most of the time, but the kids didn't care one bit):

Jude and his good buddy from Chickadees, Ry, who also happens to live 4 doors down.  They really get along great.  

 Jude sitting on his ball during a game called "Flush the Toilet."  Yup, pretty hysterical as you can imagine. 

 Action shot.  

Jude, Clover (from Chickadees, too), and some other kid, being goalies, or as Jude calls them "Blockers."  

He has practices on Fridays and games on Saturdays, except this Saturday, so I expect we'll have lots more pictures to share in the next 10 weeks.  

Proud Parents

Today was a good day. We had our first "conference" with Leigha at Chickadees. She does assessments this time of the year to see where her kids are on the learning spectrum. She mostly does it for the kids getting ready to go to Kindergarden, to see what they need to work on over the next few months, but she does it for the younger kids as well.

So, her assessment of Jude is that he's EXCEPTIONAL!! In some things, he's actually at a HIGHER LEVEL than some of the kids that are going to Kindergarden! She was shocked that he could count to 29, that he recognizes all of the letters, both capital and lowercase (Except lowercase "l" which he thought was the number one) and that he knows most of the letter sounds, except Q and U!! She also said that he is a very sweet boy, an amazing sharer and fits in to any group setting, but also is fine playing independently. He is very sensitive, which we knew, but as he matures, she is finding his feelings are getting hurt less easily and he doesn't cry as much and is using his words way more often. She reminded us to name his emotions when he is expressing himself, like "I can understand you feel sad about that," that way he can start to identify his emotions better with his words.

Man, we are so proud of him. On the flip side, she would like us to work with him on sitting still and focusing during circle time, although she admits it's almost impossible for a 3 1/2 year old to sit still for too long. She says he gets distracted by the other boys around him and joins in the poking, "lalalala"-ing, and giggling. So, we'll talk with him about that and hopefully he can show improvement. But, if that's the only concern, then we're pretty happy!!

We are both so thankful for Chickadee's. It feel so good to know that when you drop your child off, he's not only in a safe environment, but one that is loving, nurturing and supportive. It also feels good that Leigha admitted that Jude is one of her "favorites" (I hope she doesn't say that to all the parents, hee hee) They are amazing there and Jude is thriving!!

Happy Easter!

Easter #4 in Jude's life and it just keeps getting better! It also seems like it's turning into Christmas, so in the future I just might have to tone it down a bit (remind me I said that next year, please). We started off with a fun morning of searching for eggs in the living room and pouring through Easter Baskets. Jude also ate ALL of his candy before William or I even noticed! That includes all of his jelly beans, gummy worms and fruit gummy bunnies. I will point out, though, that he did NOT eat his yogurt covered raisins - apparently he's picking up on this candy think quicker than we realized and we can't pretend that yogurt covered raisins are candy anymore. Drat, the end of an era.

We then headed to the park with Melissa and Silas for Jude's first big Easter egg hunt. The boys were really cute together and we so happy to see each other. It's been a while since they have seen each other, as evidenced by Jude holding his Valentine card from Silas, which he just got!!

Then - they were off! Tons of kids, tons of eggs, tons of running and laughing, and in the end Jude had a basketful of eggs filled with candy!

ANNDDD... a ticket for the GRAND PRIZE!! Yup, Jude got the golden egg which was good for a $25 gift card to Target. Guess what he wants to buy? You got it - LEGOS!

All in all, it was one of the best days ever. And you know it's a good one when you get a smile like this:

Happy Easter everyone!! We miss all of our family sooo much and wish we could have shared such a great day with each and every one of you. Hugs and kisses from the Witheys!

Scooter Time!!

Jude recently "got" how to ride his scooter. This morning, we headed out for a ride around the block. I think he enjoys falling off his scooter as much as he likes riding it!

When we headed out, he didn't have his helmet or knee pads on, but we got to the end of the block when he realized he didn't have them. He actually insisted that we come back home and find all of his gear before we headed back out again. The funny part is that once he had his knee pads and helmet on, he fell about 10 times between the house and the stop sign! He certainly knows how to make you giggle!

We've had a rainy and cold spring, even snow recently (not the sticking kind, thank goodness), but we're ready for some sun and warmth! Once we get out and about more, we'll post more pictures and videos!!

Writing, Chopsticks and 8 years of Love

Jude can write his name! Well, kind of...with a little help from the "dotted line" theory of letter writing. He is very, VERY proud of himself and we're working with him to add more letters to his repertoire! You can see, he is even writing "I love you" in his own style!! It is amazing to me to see him grow and learn each and every day.

And Happy 8th Anniversary to us - what a great 8 years! We went out to one of those Japanese restaurants that cooks the meal right in front of you (thank you, Grandma and Grandpa John!!). Jude had a great time and, after thinking chopsticks are ninja swords, actually was able to navigate food into his mouth using them!! Everyone at our table, including us, were very impressed with his skills.

Our chef was quite impressive, making flames, volcanoes and tossing eggs all over the place, Jude was extremely entertained! Plus we had Legos to keep him busy once the "show" was over, so the dinner was very pleasant for all 3 of us! We'll definitely have to make that a family tradition. And maybe we'll sneak away on an actual date this weekend to have some adult dinner and celebration :)