5 years 5 months old

At 5 years and 5 months old, here's what Rocco is up to...

1)For the first time in his life, he has real homework.  In the past he's enjoyed pretending to do homework in a pre-K workbook we had at home.  Now, it's the real stuff.  Each Monday Mrs. Bond sends home an assignment for each night.  It's all due on Friday.  His homework has been to write his letters & numbers on worksheets and to read 15 minutes at night. 

2)  He already knows almost every sight word for the coming nine weeks of school.  I hope he doesn't get too bored.

3)  One day at school, they were asked to finish the sentence, "I love....."  I'm sure many kids said ice cream, recess, or a favorite toy.  Rocco's response?  "I love my mom."  This absolutely melted my heart.  Mrs. Debby, the parapro, told me about it.  He said he loved his mom because she played games with him and gave him love.  That just did something to me.  I love that kid of mine!

4)  He loves being carried on top of daddy's shoulders each morning on his way to school.  Jason takes him every morning and even sits with him while he eats his breakfast.  They have the morning thing going on!

5)  He still sleeps between us at night. It took us a long time to have this boy, so I don't really care what anyone thinks about this.  He's a great snuggler - he still gets upset if I turn over.  He thinks I need to be facing him with  my arms wrapped around him.  And he still asks, "Be in my dreams, mommy."

6)  I thought it was rather funny that he told his nana she could not come visit him at school on Monday's.  According to him, he is really busy on that day.  Monday is his day to go to music, PE, and science.  Nana can visit any day...just not Monday.

7)  One sweet picture I'm sure I'll treasure for years to come is the one he came home with the other day.  He had to draw a picture of him doing something with a friend.  He drew a picture of him and his friend "mommy" camping out.  They were eating snacks.  I'm so thankful he sees me as a fun mom and one that wants to spend time with him.

8)  One game he loves to play is baby cheetah.  He pretends to be a cheetah and I'm his mama.  He eats gazelles and then comes cuddle up to me.  I meow and roar at him.  For some reason he's really into these wild cats.

First Week of School. . .

and this is what he brought home on Friday. One big smiley face for a great week of excellent behavior. He stayed on the green light all week.  According to Rocco, the green means, "You are good to go!" 

First Week of Kindergarten

School started back this week, and Rocco began kindergarten.  He is at the same school as last year, and his former preK teacher is his kindergarten teacher.  We really love Mrs. Bond and know that she is an incredible teacher.  How happy and thankful we are that she looped up to the next grade.  It's amazing how God worked it all out.  Because of funding and the failing economy, our school was downsized to just one preK class this year.  Last year we had two.  Thankfully all preK teachers in our school still have a job - just had to move around a little bit.  Turns out Mrs. Bond moved to kindergarten.  With the exception of 3 new students and a few not returning (Cade, Jaly, Landon, Will S. and Angel), she has the same kids as last year.  Knowing the kids in his class made for an easy transition.  Not once did he seem nervous or scared.  In fact, he was ready to be back at school.

Even though I teach at this same school, Jason took him to school every day this week.  Some mornings Jason would still put Rocco on his shoulders as he walked him in (just like he did in preK).  That's why he wanted his daddy to carry him to school.  He feels like he's on top of the world on his daddy's shoulders.  He knows that mommy can't carry him like that. 

Each morning Jason would take him to the cafeteria and sit with him while he ate breakfast.  Rocco felt more comfortable this way.  On most mornings I would join them and eat with Rocco.  Then, I'd make sure he made it to his class.

Being in kindergarten means that he gets to come to the science lab this year, my classroom.  About a week before school started, I started talking to him about this.  "What will you call me?"  I asked him.  "I guess Mrs. Willis," he said.  Well, in fact on the first day of school his class came to science.  Monday is their science day.  And....he still called me mommy. 

The science lesson was on the five senses.  They looked at mystery pictures, matched up Jello-O flavors based on smells, pulled out matching textures in a feeling box, and listened to their heartbeats with a stethoscope.  They were the cutest bunch of kids - and of course I had my camera ready to take pics of them!

Each day he carried his Mario book bag to school.  He also had a Sheriff (police man) lunch box.  Most days he ate lunchroom food, but one day Jason packed his lunch.  On Friday's kids can buy ice cream in the lunchroom for $1.  Thursday afternoon when we got home from school, he made sure we put the dollar in his pirate coin pouch.  

5 years 4 months old

This month Rocco went for his five year old check up. He was 41 inches tall and 31 pounds. The doctor said we need to encourage him to eat more, like fattening milk shakes before bed.  He is growing taller, he just needs to gain some weight. 

But let me tell you, there is a lot of personality and life inside that little body.  There's a big sense of humor, too.  The other day I turned around to see him in his car seat.  To my surprise, he had lifted his sleeve and was smelling his arm pit.  We both laughed and laughed.  He's too little to have any odor there, but he'll do this just to make us laugh. 

Another time, he made me laugh because he had turned on the TV by himself.  He informed me that he loved to watch FOX news. That's what he was watching.   (What?  This must come from his granddaddy!)

Speaking of laughter, he still loves to crack up while I'm reading to him.  I use all the funny voices (and even make up things for them to say based on their expressions in the illustrations).  One of our new favorites is Baa Choo.  This poor lamb named Sam can only say, "Baa -aaa."  His choo won't do.  This one really cracks him up when I change my voice to be all the animals that are trying to help Sam find the ending of his sneeze. 

We are so blessed to have such a smart boy.  Not only does he love books, he also enjoys learning.  I counted how many sight words he knows.  Before kindergarten starts, he is already up to 58 words!  This summer we participated in the summer reading program at the library.  Rocco read 14 hours with us, earning him lots of certificates to various restaurants and businesses in town. 

At night, sometimes I'll give him "homework".  I have him trace his letters in a book we have.  He'll work so hard and when he finishes he'll step back and ask me, "Which one was my best one?  Why?  What is your favorite part about it?"

Monster trucks are still a big part of his play time.  He told me the other day when he was playing, "I'm gonna raise the gauntlet and take this town down to the ground."  I think he's heard those drivers talk a little too much smack. 

After watching the new movie Cars II at the theaters (not once but twice), Rocco is also into Finn McMissile.  He will bring in that car along with Lightning McQueen.  He's the voice of Finn, and I'm Lightning.  We have conversations this way.  "Hey, what's going on Lightning?"  Very cute...

Rocco also likes to pretend box.  He takes his shirt off and just wears his shorts.  He'll do some Tae Kwon Do moves (that's what we call it at least).  Of  course he has to take a break after each round and dry off with a hand towel. 

This month his cousin Drew taught him how to catch a ball in his hand.  They did this in the pool this summer. 

I must tell you that Rocco has a little fan club.  They two of his first cousins (both girls).  Daelyn, my brother's daughter, lives over an hour from us but she begs to talk to Rocco on the phone.  She calls him Geico.  Whatever he does, she feels she has to do as well.  Look at them being silly at mimi and papaw's house. 

And Sydney, Jason's sister's girl, well when she finds out Rocco is in the house, she takes off running like a speeding bullet to greet him.  She is so full of happiness and joy.  She just loves on him and thinks he's the grandest.  

There are so many things about  Rocco that I just love.  One of my favorites is just how loving he is.  He'll still grab my face, turn my cheek around, and kiss on me.  He'll ask me to love on him, and at night it is required that I cuddle and snuggle him.  He still sleeps with us.

I've told him so many times before, "Rocco, I love you so much you just don't know how much it is.  It's so high you can't even count it."  Well, the other morning he told me, "Mommy, I just love you.  I love you so much it is not even a number.  It's all the way to the moon and back."  Now that is a kiss from God right there.  Thank you Jesus for the sweet child you have given us.