Soccer...

went pretty well, I think. Gemma had fun and obeyed the teacher, which was my number 1 concern. The park was mental busy; I don't think there is any way to explain to a Canadian just how busy a Taipei park can be on a good weather Sunday. Well, first imagine the sidewalk leading up to your local park. Now put people on it shoulder to shoulder, lined up in a steady stream. That is the traffic in and out of the park. Think Future Shop on Boxing Day, says Chris. Now imagine a play structure 5 or 6 times bigger than the ones in Saskatoon. The average play structure we saw at home had a few slides, a bridge or two, fire pole and two or three monkey bar systems coming up to it, and maybe a kitchen or fort or whatever underneath it. So we'll say 10 points of interest. Well, the new play structure at this park (Daan Park) has at least 30 ups and downs and ins and outs, and the line of children on it is steady. Every bridge and slide has a line, every staircase has children on it. So anyway, all to say the place was a zoo, so a bit hard to concentrate. (No we didn't have soccer on the play structure, but the whole park was busy; the grassy areas were busy, everywhere.) Also, it was the first class and the kids had no idea what to expect. But the drills were good and interesting and I think it was ok. Major problem was that they planned it to be 2 hours long. Well, my 3 year old is not going to do anything for 2 hours, so I don't that will work for us. And the time goes over when church starts so double no. I may check out different days and times, and see.

Going to check out a gymnastics place tomorrow at 4:30; The Perky Tiger its called. We'll see how that goes.

Songs and Soccer

Gemma is very into making up songs. They are usually about God or Jesus, and usually go something like this:

"God, we love you, you are so good and we love you in our hearts. And our hearts love you because you are nice, you are nice and good and big."

Today she did one I'll call "God is the biggest". It went a little like;

"God is so big, He is the biggest, the biggest, and the most... (thoughtful pause) power-est, He is bigger than the daddies, than the daddies, than the daddies."

Also in Gemma news; she will be attending her first soccer practice tomorrow. Some friends have found a preschool team and so we're checking it out tomorrow; we'll see how it goes. We talked a bit about it today, and I guess our sports education has not been so good.

"Gemma, are you excited to try soccer tomorrow?"

"Yes. But I don't have a ball."

"Well, that's ok. If you like it, maybe we can get one."

"Ok. But I'll need to practice before my game."

"Well, we can use another ball to practice."

"I will pick it up and throw it in the net"

"Uh, well, you see Gemma, what's interesting about soccer is that you can't use your hands. You just use your feet and kick the ball around."

"But how do I pick it up?"

"Well, you don't. You use your feet and kick it."

and then I started to get worried about tomorrow...

She asked what the net would look like and I explained it was rectangle and on the ground, and someone will stand there and block her shot, to which she said she would kick it over their head. This is part of her inability to grasp reality thing; she really thinks that she will be able to score goals very easily, and kick the ball where she wants it, etc. It is so hard to watch her try these things because she is truly so disappointed that she can't do it. She doesn't understand it at all. Then she gets frustrated and mad.

Tear Jerker Moment

FINALLY made it out to the water park today, my first time although the kids have gone already. It was sunny and hot; perfect for building water park anticipation! As the sprayers and fountains came into view, I said excitedly, "I'm so EXCITED to be here!" And Gemma replied, "I'm so excited to be here with YOU!!"

Aww!

Reality?

"Mommy, what would happen if a monster came in my room?"

"Well, Gemma, then I would think you were on a TV show or a movie because monsters aren't real."

"No, but Mommy, what if?"

"Hmm, well, I guess I would hope you had some of your super spy gadgets to help you."

"I don't. What would I do?" (her look is totally serious still)

"I think you should try and trick him. Like tell him 'Hey monster look over there,' and then run away."

(a moment of silence as she processes this... then she laughs.) "Yah!! Good idea."

So we start on a trail of 'good ideas'.

Mommy: "Or you could hide, Gemma."

Gemma: "Yah. Or I could turn invisible."

Mommy: "Um, yah, I guess. Or you could poke him in the eyes."

Gemma: "Or I could poke him with a porcupine. In the tummy! Or poke him in the tummy with a long sword"

Because even though 'gadgets' aren't real or possible, she may have a sword or a porcupine ready. :)

There was an old woman who tried to teach a three year old about jokes

So we've been saying some nursery rhymes because I got a bunch with some old flannelgraph at school. And one of my favorites, of course, is There was an old woman. In case you forget, it goes like this:

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do
She gave them some broth without any bread
And spanked them all soundly and sent them to bed!


So Gemma gave her rendition the other day:

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
He house was so STINKY she didn't know what to do!"

(because its a shoe, get it?)

We may have also entered the 'joke' era. On the bus to Green Bay yesterday, a kindergarten student was sitting with me and my Gemma at the front and she says,"Want to tell jokes?" Well, Gemma was totally into that idea, and she said "YAH!!!" and went forth with a monologue that went something like this:

"Banana pants! Banana pants on your head. Bananas pants head! Got some bananas on your head? Funny pants head banana man." etc... for about a minute or so, laughing the whole time like she was making the best jokes in the world. The 5 year old just stared at her. After a minute or so she either ran out of material or noticed the stunned silence on her playmate's and Gemma said, "Ok, you can talk now!"