Lately...

...Miles has been interested in beat making and singing songs (especially Aloe Blacc songs & raps by Mo Illa Pillaz). Hearing his dad make beats daily, the ASR-10 and MPC have become part of this kidʻs vocab. Even Darrien has been interested in the creative beat-making process, watching Justin sample records whenever he can. Before Jus left to Hawaii, Miles asked, "Can you make me my beats dad?" And every now and then, I will hear conversations between Dengs & Miles where one is saying, "Letʻs go buy some beats."

He probably knows how to use the MPC more than I do (shame on me). 

Miles has also learned about Wrestle Mania via his dad & You Tube clips (RIP Macho Man Randy Savage). He has his wrestling dolls (aka "action figures") and a Royal Rumble ring which he plays with every day. Once in awhile, Miles & Darrien will take off their t-shirts and wrestle each other. He also wrestles Jus! When his dad was in Hawaii, I could tell he was missing his wrestling buddy so I asked him, "Do you wanna wrestle me?!" But I was totally rejected, "Umm, no thank you mommy. I just do that with daddy."

Besides making beats and wrestling, Miles has become interested in rocks again, adding to his collection this past weekend. We plan on taking a trip to the library to get a rock guide book to learn about the ones he has. His next home project is designing his own rock box. His favorite rock is Foolʻs Gold. Rocks that I used for energy and grounding during my labor and delivery have become apart of his collection. Miles always likes to ask about his birth story and the use of rocks with healing powers.

Miles has also been practicing his reading. His most favorite book at the moment is "Go Dog Go," reading this one every night before bed.

 I know I should not rush through reading (even though I want to! lol) so I just sit back and help him read words he has trouble with. But for the most part, he reads the entire book on his own. Itʻs been amazing to see him go from identifying letters, to learning letter sounds, then to reading words and now sentences. He is pretty excited about reading!

His most favorite time though, I think, is when his buddies are over and they can stay up late to play during a sleep over. Miles & Darrien love their big cousin, Paulskee Jr. and have so much fun when he comes over!

Uno Tournaments

Fantastico!

We are always discovering new places to explore in Napa.

We finally visited Playground Fantastico!

Yeah, it was pretty fantastico!

The wooden castle had all kinds of nooks.

Imaginations ran wild!

Miles calls the playground a "kidʻs gym."

They do get their workout on.

It makes me wish I were still a kid!

So much fun to try new things...

...including sitting on top of cool things.

Miles felt like he was on top of the world!

All I have to do is sit back and watch these two boys play.

We now know why this place is called, Playground Fantastico!

Hope

We've been waiting for a call back from the charter school since April (calling practically every day with no word back since they were waiting on the district who does the lottery)--they have had their machine on and no one has returned our calls since last week. So, today i went to the office at our neighborhood school (Miles goes to preschool there) and asked if any papers were forwarded from the charter, since that is the protocol that the school takes in case Miles didn't get picked for the lottery.

The office lady said "I think I do recall reading his name on a fax on Thursday." My heart sank when I heard that. Knowing that this was a possibility (not getting picked) I really have been hoping for the best. The office lady found Miles' paper work and then told me he was automatically enrolled there. "I'm sorry he didn't make the lottery," she said.

I had to take a moment to just accept hearing that, feeling so emotional because naturally, we want the best for Miles. We believe that this school will give him a better shot at life period! Seeing how overcrowded the classes are at our local school is disheartening, making me feel worried about the kind of learning experience he will get there. Will it be enough? Will he learn enough? Will he get the one-on-one that he needs in the classroom? 

I had to just cry it out in the car for a second before I could even collect myself to drive home. 

When I got home, before even getting out of the car, I felt the urge to call the charter to ask about the wait list. Was Miles on the wait list? And if so, what number was he on the wait list? I just needed to hear for myself if there was any other options we had for him to get into that school. The lady who answered was pretty patient with me (I'm sure she could hear the concern and urgency in my voice), asking, "So you would like him to be on the list?" "Yes, of course I would! We will wait if we have too." Wait listing wasn't automatic at this school? After all, so far, our lives as a family has been all about lotteries & wait lists. We got on a lottery to get this new apartment upon leaving SF to AC. And I have currently been on a two year wait list to enter the RN program. We don't have anything to lose but everything to gain.

The lady got on the phone and said, "While we are unable to tell you the wait list number because it is confidential, I can tell you that Miles definitely has a good chance of getting in. Oh yes! As soon as there is an opening, you will be receiving a phone call."

Oh my gosh. I felt a rush of joy, feeling so thankful to this woman on the other line, telling me something I had hoped to hear! Lately, Justin and I have been feeling like someone is on our side, call it God, call it spirit guides, along with our ancestors--they have been looking out.

So while Miles may start kinder at our neighborhood school, he may end up transferring to the school at anytime. And that is, in itself, reassurance for us. As long as Miles has an opportunity and step ahead in the education we feel will help nourish him as a whole person--is what matters.

I will continue visualizing dropping Miles off at the charter in the morning, seeing him in the kinder classroom, learning the violin, learning Spanish, volunteering in his classroom, and picking him up after school. Visualize and be as patient as possible. 

I feel like the grandmother in Waiting for Superman, waiting for her grandson to be picked for the boarding school, only to hear that he wasn't picked but eventually picked when his wait list number was called! Every kid definitely deserves quality education. Every kid definitely deserves the same great opportunities in life. As a parent, I will do what I can to make sure Miles is afforded these opportunities. 

Jump for Joy!

It was a beautiful day spent outdoors at Miles' classmate's house for a play date.

They bounced in circles.

What a fun play date!

The Hunt

The AC hosted an annual Easter egg hunt so we decided to try something new, partaking in the madness.

We were rolling deep.

Ayana was ready to fill up her basket.

Zayden was probably thinking, "Heylp. Too many people!"

This boy was ready for some action.

They had to find ways to entertain themselves as they waited for their age group's turn.

The Easter Bunny had an escort, kids were getting hyphy.

See, madness I tell ya!

First, they had everyone line up. Miles was anxious at first. I told him he didn't have to go if he didn't feel up to it.

But he was determined to find the golden egg. 

It was really a race for eggs.

Every kid for him/herself!

And finally, after a 5 minute frenzy, it was over. Whew!

Then it was time to check out the goods...

...and hang with the bunny!

Zayden was exchanging hugs for chocolates.

He kept asking, "Chocolates?"

What a morning! 

Was it fun? Yes. Will we do this again next year? Probably not.

Celebrating Spring at School

In honor of spring, Miles and his classmates planted flowers together.

"Cool flowers Miles!" I told him. "They're Pansies and Marigolds. The Marigolds stink so that bugs won't eat them," he informed me.

They also decorated their names on wooden sticks, digging them into the dirt of their flower baskets.

Parents & grandparents came in to help. One of his friend's dad is a baker, always bringing in delicious cookies for these gatherings. It was a fun way to get us involved with the class. On a side note, Miles has been on a roll, waking up (and in a good mood!) extra early to arrive at school on time. We're going on our third week! This has been a big deal for him :)

Academy of Science

Miles can't get enough of this place. 

He thought this dinosaur was pretty cool after reading about different dinosaurs at home. 

And just in time for spring, he also got to see a larger than life egg, as well as chicks that were a few days old.

"How did it get so big mommy?'

"This tree probably has a million rings. It must be a million years old!"

Miles spent a lot of time observing the chameleons, waiting to see if they would change colors before his eyes...

He loved the thought of chameleons having "weapons"!

This one in particular was our favorite. I also got scolded by Miles, "You're not suppose to take a picture mommy!" My bad.

Parts of the exhibits reminded Justin and Miles of Hawaii.

The rainforest felt more like the Philippines to me because of the humidity. 

The aquarium was Miles' favorite part of the Academy of Sciences. He'd go to each tank and window, saying, "It's like Hawaii!"

"The jellies are so beautiful but they're so dangerous," Miles noted.

He was also pretty amazed to learn that these corals came from the reefs in the Philippines. "That's where Papo is!"

We went on to each exhibit, spending a few minutes taking it in. He had many favorites...

"This eel has a nook," Miles observed, finding it amusing.

After we were finished in the aquarium, we searched for the albino crocodile.

And then we were off to the living roof!

Miles enjoyed reading about the "old school" living roofs, making comparisons to the more modern version which houses the Academy of Science, which he called "the new school living roof."

We were the only ones kicking it on the rooftop.

And after the living roof, we saw the feature presentation inside the gigantic planetarium. It was such a relaxing visual and audio experience, putting me to sleep! Miles on the other hand, retained enough new information to share with us. From plant cells to other earths in space, Miles was pretty juiced about the planetarium. 

Before we left, Miles picked out something to help him with bird watching at home by the wetlands.

But first, he tested it out by people watching!