Poem In Your Pocket

This past weekend the Ocean township schools had poem in your pocket weekend. Each kid was given a poem to read and there were approximately 10 merchants in town that they could go to and read their poem. They were then given a treat for reading the poem. The purpose was to celebrate Poem appreciation month which is in April and also to work on public speaking. Brandon had a great time reading his poem at the different places that we went. Wesley accompanied him and was right there next to or behind Brandon when he read his poem. One of the places gave Wesley a treat too which made him so excited. We went to an ice cream store that gave Brandon a lollipop, Kelly's hallmark which gave each boy a bag of jelly belly's and a little stuffed super hero, the library which gave Brandon a coupon for an ice cream sundae at Applebee's, the Caramel shop which gave him a piece of fudge, and Dough Co. which let him pick what kind of donut he wanted.

Learn to Play Hockey

Brandon went to learn to play ice hockey today. One of the rinks that is not too far from where we live has a learn to play hockey weekend in between skating sessions. You can sign up to go on Saturday or Sunday and it is free. They provide all of the gear for the kids to wear. It is a great way for the kids to see if they like hockey before investing all of the money on equipment and then them not liking it. Brandon had a good time at it. He definitely worked very hard and it didn't come easy to him but he did not give up at all and lasted the entire hour. I am very proud of him for giving it his all.

Saturday Soccer Games

Brandon and Wesley both had soccer games yesterday. Wesley's game was at 9:00 so we all went to the beginning of his game. He was fine during warm up but then his team put their hands in the middle and said go team and Wesley was hysterical. He claims he got scared. He started the game but was crying so much that he had to come out for a little while. I finally got him to calm down but then as soon as he went back in he started to cry hysterically again. He was upset that he wasn't kicking the ball and also he said he wasn't fast. He played for awhile and then it was his turn to sit down again. Once he went back in his coach had him do a goal kick which helped him a little with his confidence. He was on the verge of crying the rest of the game but made it through without crying. Hopefully each week will get better.

Stu left Wesley's soccer game early to bring Brandon to his game. When Wesley's game was over, Wesley and I went straight to Brandon's game. We really only missed about 15 minutes of it at the most. Brandon played great! He has improved so much. He had some great kicks and did a great throw in.

Best Friends

Bring Your Kid to Work Day

Brandon came to work with me on Thursday for bring your kid to work day. I didn't bring Wesley since I thought he is still too young. He would have spent most of his time wanting me to hold him which would have been hard when trying to teach. Brandon had fun. The day started with a breakfast for all of the kids who came with their parents. Then Brandon came with me to my classroom. He spent the rest of the day with me and my kids. He went outside with them for recess and chose to eat lunch with them. He also went to computers with them.

Dinner With Leonardo

Last Sunday we went to the Blue Swan Diner since Leonardo, the blue Ninja turtle, was going to be there. We walked into the diner and Leonardo was standing there. Wesley and Brandon ran right over to him to give him a hug and get their picture taken with him. We then went to sit at a table. Leonardo came over to our table several times while we were eating. One of the times he drew a picture of himself on the back of a placemat and signed his name which Wesley loved.

Soccer Games and the Beach

Wesley and Brandon both had their first soccer games of the season yesterday. Wesley's was the first game of the day at 9:00. He was really excited for it but once the game started he seemed a bit overwhelmed. He was also disappointed that he didn't get to kick the ball a lot and that he didn't score a goal. It also didn't help that his coaches were a bit disorganized and didn't pay attention to which kids played and which were sitting out. He only played for about a total of 3-4 minutes and that was with being put in 3 times. Each time he would be in about a minute later at the most he was switched out and another kid was put in. Some kids played the whole game. Hopefully that will change. Regardless he looked really cute in his soccer uniform. He is number 7.

Brandon's soccer game was at 12:00. He is playing in a new league this season, through Ocean United. When I signed him up I was under the assumption that he would be playing outdoors. A week ago we found out that kindergarten-2nd grade is playing indoors. At first I was upset about it but I think it will be really good for him. They only play 4 kids on the field and one in goal so he will really get a lot of playing time which will help him once he goes back to outdoors in the fall. Every Friday night the kids have soccer clinics and then every Saturday they have a game. Brandon played really well yesterday and even almost had a goal! He is number 9.

After the games we went to the beach since it was so beautiful outside yesterday. The temperature was 75 degrees. It was windy at the beach and definitely cooler there but Brandon and Wesley had fun playing in the sand and Hershey liked running to get the ball.

Wesley's First Soccer Practice

Wesley is playing soccer for the first time this season. His first practice was last night. He was so excited to go to it. His friend Dominic from school is on his team and his friend Ava who he has known his whole life is also on his team. Wesley had a good first practice. He kicked the ball a few times. He is ready for his first game which is tomorrow morning.

Great Adventure

Last Sunday we went to Great Adventure for the first time this season. We have season passes so we will be going a lot throughout the summer. Brandon and Wesley both had a lot of fun. Wesley went on a lot of rides in the kid areas. Brandon was a good sport and went on the rides with Wesley. He also went on two big roller coasters. Both boys loved seeing the characters.