Kindergarten

 Rocky should have started Kindergarten last year, but I held him back because he was going to be the youngest in his grade. Plus COVID was not going to be a fun time to start school.

Rocky started Kindergarten earlier this month, and surprisingly it's been a hard transition. I thought he would love the system and process of school, having a backpack and a desk...but he dreads going and has a hard time letting me go in the mornings. It is sweet and Chelsea says I'm going to miss it when he is over this stage, but it is challenging to rip him off and hear his complain every school night and morning. Currently, he whines all morning, somewhat cries on the walk to school, hugs for a long time at the top of the hill, goes a couple steps, runs back to hug me, walks a little further, runs back for another hug, etc. Then we wave when it he makes it to the classroom until he teacher opens the door and he yells, "YOU CAN LEAVE NOW!" with a couple more waves. I don't think he has a hard time once he's at school, but it's hard to know for sure because I don't get any feedback from the teacher and Rocky doesn't tell me much.

Rocky looooves his mom and loves to cuddle. He would cuddle me all night if I let him. He hates to go to sleep without me laying with him. He hates when anyone leaves, but especially me. He will run with the car and wave and yell love statements all the way until I'm going fast enough to leave him. 

Rock is still my little collector and always has an armful of "treasures" with him where ever he goes. I recently gave him a fanny pack and he packs that thing to the top full of gum, his wallet, a toy phone, a journal, etc. He loves to play with string and tie it onto things. This morning we found pieces of string strung from the cul de sac's island tree to the neighbor's tree. The poor neighbors who had to drive around that this morning on their way to work....Rocky collects shells and all kinds of garbage at the beach, always finding hair ties, jewelry, broken plastic, etc. His cousins gave him a rainbow dash toy and he has loved that lately. He got a free 2021 calendar from the PCC and loves to look at what phase of the moon is coming up. 

We are working on obedience and attitude and working hard with Rocky. He still loves potty language, likes to try and be funny, often at the expense of others. He always wants to tell me one thing, or do one thing before doing the thing I asked of him so we have to constantly remind him "obey first." Rocky is often laughing during situations where I or someone else is upset, and this makes situations worse. Rocky has a lot of energy and sometimes can't sit still long enough, or can't be serious long enough to take correction. 

Rocky is a great lego builder and has a wonderful imagination. He gets along well with Izzy. He is a good artist and is always inventing or explaining to me an idea he has about a machine or maneuver. He is very physical and wrestles, hugs, bounces constantly. And still has a knack for music, beatboxing, ukulele, etc. 

Always get comments about what good hikers I have

Treasure

He's so handsome

I think we look alike in this pic

Preschool graduation

He loved his preschool, Tiny Tots Christian Preschool with Ms. Rosario. I felt like Ms Rosario truly loved Rocky and he loved her back.

Built a temple while spending time in time-out

Homemade paper mask - so creative

On a date

He is obsessed and motivated by money, but loses it constantly. 

Just one day at breakfast I noticed his scalp

Some recent creations

More than anyone else I know, this kid wants/needs snacks! 

Love you SO much Rocky Mountain

Beatboxing Preschooler

 Rocky is such a little spitfire. He knows just how to push people's buttons. He is a good manipulator. He is smart as a whip. He takes any love he can get, and can never get enough.

I held Rocky back this year, with a July birthday he would be the youngest in his grade. I enrolled him in preschool, which he likes. I hear kids yelling to him, "Bye Rocky!" when he leaves for the day. He also loves his teacher and recently told me all about her birthday the next day. 

The other day he told me, "Mom! I'm the only one in my whole preschool who can beatbox! Can you believe it?" The preschool teacher told me that she was getting lessons from Rocky and that he will be a famous musician someday. She also says he is a master cutter. Rocky wants to learn to read, but to be honest, I am holding him back because I'm worried if he knows how to read and he's six, they will be tempted to put him into first grade and I don't want that. When he does learn to read, he will take off.

Rocky loves to play, loves to get into mischief. Is constantly running and laughing so hard that he can't hear me. He makes funny faces and potty jokes. He is the most artistic of the three and likes to color and appreciates pretty things, like picking me flowers or appreciating colors. 

Rocky has a knack for finding treasures. He is always finding hairbands and trinkets in the sand or at the park. He has collected a lego michael chain at the preschool treasure box three weeks in a row now. He likes shiny things and wants to save them for St. Patricks Day. A few weeks ago we went on a date and rented a metal detector and took it to Waikiki.

He is learning to swim and is a brave little kid. He was the most reluctant when we first moved here, but has grown not to be scared of the water. He loves to be out there on his buggy board. He is the most likely kid to run down the street barefoot after a ball. He was the first kid to ride his bike, which he earned money for. 

Last week Rocky and Tyler had an appointment for an echo, and Rocky was so sweet to go first then help Tyler to do it.  

I love to sleep with Rocky, his body is so snuggly and still when he sleeps. He always wants Troy to sleep with him. 

Dad:

Rocky:

Graduating from Joy School:

His class:

Wayne Sorensen, Walker White, Lucy Branson, Rocky Rampton, Emma Allred, Logan Willardson

Sleeping on the way to HI

Rocky wanted a window seat, but the car seat had to be in the window seat. So he bravely sat by himself!

Guarding her from something scary

Living in a house, waiting for our house offer

He wanted to be a robot, and he wanted to make it himself. He wants to do the same thing this year.

Loves to build

Always dirty

Chalk at 8:00 am

This was after a pretty strenuous hike. Good thing he carried that microscope all the way to the top. I had no idea until he pulled it out at the peak.

It was full, then available, opened, then closed for covid, switched teachers...But through it all we feel lucky to go! If I could put Troy in his class, I would gladly.

Finding treasures. I was only slightly embarrassed, because it was so loud.

Delete several dozen selfies of him off my phone a day

Cover of my home life magazine

Love him so much.