2012 Mini-Hops Preschool Celebration

These days, it seems schools have a graduation for everything. You make it to Winter Break and there's a ceremony to "graduate" to the next term. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but sometimes it seems that way. Which is why I like that our preschool calls today a "celebration". It's the culmination of many of the things the kids have learned since September all rolled into a 30 minute exhibition by the kids. I remember when they did this last year and just being amazed by the display they all put on. This year was no exception.

The ceremony opened with the Camden, Ethan, and the rest of their class sprinting as fast as they can around a circle of shapes. Camden and his friend Ty have a friendly rivalry and challenge each other to be the leader. I think Ty is actually faster than Camden, but they both can scoot. Side note...We served the boys spinach for dinner the other night. We were having trouble convincing them to eat it until Kim said, "If you eat your spinach, you'll be able to run REALLY really fast!"

Camden responded, "Faster than Ty?!" And he proceeded to scarf down his entire serving of spinach. Also inspired by the potential to catch Ty, Ethan followed suit.

During the track meet around the circle, the kids are instructed to FREEZE, find a certain shape with a certain color, and perform a maneuver (ie. lunge, tree pose, toe touches, safety rolls, etc.).  The running is interspersed with skipping and hopping. It's enough to get them sufficiently warmed up for the their next routine...the floor exercise(s).

This is the part of the program where they show off their abilities to jump, crawl, and somersault.. Camden is quite proficient at many of the moves. Ethan has the somersaults down, but still working on some of the other moves like the handstand and backwards somersault. They both try very hard and seem to really enjoy the gymnasium.

The final act ends with the talent portion of the program. This is fun to see come together because we get to hear bits and pieces from the boys at home like this. The kids had a set of four songs: "Two Little Blackbirds", "Little Peanut", "Tiny Tim", and "I Can Sing a Rainbow". Nothing's more adorable than watching them sing songs they've learned and acting them out. I applaud Miss Kris and Miss Cyndi for their patience and persistence in working with all the kids.

All in all, it was a very entertaining ceremony which ended with each of the kids receiving their diploma for the year. Yes, I realize that a diploma generally signifies a graduation, but in this case it represents the end of the ceremony. We all came away thoroughly impressed and thankful for such a quality preschool program.

Miss Kris, Camden, Ethan, Miss Cyndy

It's been a great year and we have really enjoyed having Camden and Ethan at Mini-Hops Preschool the past two years. Miss Kris and Miss Cyndi are fantastic teachers and we have seen a tremendous amount of growth in our two young men.  Camden and Ethan will be moving on to new preschools next year (more on that later), but we'll definitely miss the teachers and friends at Mini-Hops.

Other notes...Each student received a booklet documenting something about each of their classmates. For example, when Ethan grows up, he wants to be a "superhero robot". While Camden strives to be a "scuba diver who jumps out of a pool." One of the girls in the class, Rayna, proclaimed that she would be a "teacher for big kids." Ethan states that pineapple and strawberries are his favorite food. Camden indicated that macaroni and cheese is his favorite, which is interesting since he has turned down mac and cheese every single time we've ever tried to offer it.

Top: Ty, Ethan, Evan - Bottom: Camden, Tallulah, Rayna

Ty, Camden, Ethan

Growing Into Their Own

Today, I went solo to Camden and Ethan's Parent/Teacher conference at their preschool. It was a beautiful day and Kim took the opportunity to be outside with the boys. I continue to be impressed with the teachers at our preschool and the patience they have, not only with our kids, but the others as well. Miss Kris and Miss Cindy are great with the boys. Here's a recap of how they're doing.

Overall, Camden is doing really well. He's right where he should be with his numbers and letters. He's good with shapes, patterns, and colors. Miss Kris noted that he is very high energy, has an infinite imagination, and he's quite the conversationalist. She also recounted many of the details of Camden's (imaginary) kids, Bekay and Bekay Bob ages 5 and 6, respectively. He's generally one of the first kids to answer a question when asked in a group setting. Miss Kris also told me about how he recently sat quietly and put together a 48 piece puzzle. That's amazing because Camden rarely sits still for much of anything. The stunning piece of art you see to the right is Camden's self portrait. I really don't know why he pictures himself with a black eye. Some additional comments from Miss Kris on Camden's report included:

Camden continues to show great improvement and growth in his cognitive abilities. His comfort at times gets in his way of listening and controlling himself. I have really enjoyed watching Camden grow the last 2 years.

Our little E continues to grow and gain his own independence. In our last conference, we talked about how attached Ethan was to Camden. He always wanted to do what Camden was doing or be near him. Kinda cute, yes, but at the same time we would like for E to start getting comfortable with being on his own a bit. The good news, E is starting to do so. Miss Kris described several times when E would choose to do a different activity than Camden. And a funny thing happened...Camden started following Ethan around! Well, not really following him around, but it seems that Camden misses having his little tag-a-long buddy. So Camden will seek him out and kind of poke at E a bit. In a playful way, but we continue to be amazed at their brotherly dynamic.

E is still developing his ability to recount his numbers and letters, but has excelled in his ability to find patterns and recount things from memory. He doesn't really have a great interest in art projects, unlike his brother, but is more inclined to activities where he can build things like blocks or the railroad tracks. He also gravitates towards anything related to trucks. Dump trucks, tow trucks, semi trucks, garbage trucks. Very much a boy trait. Here are some other comments from Miss Kris:

Ethan's comfort has really grown. He is much more comfortable and enjoys other kids. His cognitive skills continue to improve and show growth.

Overall, we couldn't be happier with how Camden and E are developing. It's so rewarding to be watching these two grow into their own. They're wrapping up their final two months at their current preschool before they each move to their own respective schools. More on that later...

A Decision For Our Future

I'm happy to announce that I've made the decision to join the team at Yammer. I'll be joining them as a Customer Success Manager (CSM). Essentially, I'll help Yammer customers most effectively leverage their investment in Yammer to achieve their business goals. I'll still be based in Minneapolis, but more on that later.

For those of you that don't know about Yammer, they are a software company based in San Francisco that is helping to deliver enterprise social networking to the organizations you work. Yammer has been around since 2008 and since that time has already amassed over 4 million corporate users. In 2008, Yammer was the winner of TechCrunch50. Since that time, the company has skyrocketed and more than 80% of the Fortune 500 are already using Yammer. Among their leadership is CEO David Sacks who played a large role in starting PayPal. In addition, on the Board of Directors is Sean Parker. You might know Parker as Shawn Fanning's partner in crime at Napster. Parker, who was portrayed by Justin Timberlake in "The Social Network", also partnered with Mark Zuckerberg to launch Facebook. Aside from the company profile, there were many other reasons I chose Yammer.

So why did I choose Yammer?

First of all, I have a passion for social media, social technology, enterprise 2.0, social business, or whatever you want to call it. It's clear to me that the way we communicate, both in our personal and professional lives, is changing. Yammer is at the forefront of transforming digital communications in the companies in which you work. The prospect of joining one of the industry leaders in this segment and helping to revolutionize this change in the way people work was a natural fit. In talking with the people at Yammer, I felt comfortable with the direction that Yammer was moving and confident in their ability to execute their strategy. This past September, they received a round of funding to the tune of $17M and there are rumors of more funding on the way. Clearly this shows financial backing and stability for a young company. For those of you who are fans of the TV series "The Wire", then you know to "follow the money".

As I mentioned earlier, I'll still be based in Minneapolis where I'll be one of the CSMs covering the midwest region. I'll be able to work from my home which affords some other hidden benefits. Of course, there are some drawbacks like not having daily coworkers to see face-to-face or simply having a reason to get out of the house. But the flexibility of being able to work from home had more benefits than anything else.

Working at home means I can work virtually from anywhere, whether that's a coffee shop, the library, a customer location, or thousands of miles away from my home office. Working from home means everyday is jeans day, or sweat pants day, or pajama day if I choose. This change in the way I work, is core to understanding how Yammer believes the environment in which we all work is changing. Let me explain further.

I should point out that Yammer's has an UNLIMITED vacation policy. That's right. Take vacation when you need it and don't worry about tracking it. Aside from the clear benefit of having "unlimited" vacation, this says a lot about Yammer itself. It tells me that they are much more focused on the results and outputs of their employees rather than focusing on minutia like whether I took a half day from work to spend time with my kids. Being able to work from home combined with the vacation policy means that Yammer shows trust in me to accomplish my work how and when I need to get it done. So, no longer am I working in an environment where "face time" is the measure for success, but instead I'm measured on real performance and real results.

Another reason I chose Yammer was because of the small company, startup feel. Everyone I've spoken to at Yammer is hungry to succeed. It's almost an underdog mentality. It's almost a cliche to say it, but they work hard and play hard too. I mean, c'mon. What other company would inspire one of their customers to organize a 3-city flash mob to launch their product?

Working in a smaller company, I felt like I had a much greater opportunity to affect change than at a bigger company. Often times, I'd sit around with colleagues and discuss some of the deficiencies of various social platforms (riveting I know). Admittedly, there are areas for improvement in Yammer's product. The beauty is now I don't have to just sit around just talking about it. There are teams of talented engineers that are energized and excited to help me solve those problems.

Last, there was one moment during the interview process that had a particularly poignant affect on me. I was talking with my future manager and he gave me some insight into how the team communicates. He told me about when an employee wanted to take some time off and there was a new release coming. He agreed to give the person time away, but asked that person to keep their phone handy in case they were "@mentioned". For those of you that know what that means, you'll understand the impact that statement had on me. Again, this was further commentary of how Yammer recognizes the change in the way people communicate and are leading the charge. He didn't say, "Keep your phone handy in case someone emails you," or "Keep your phone handy in case someone calls you." He said, "Keep your phone handy in case someone @mentions you"! For those of you that have no idea what this paragraph means, one day it will all make sense to you.

I'm excited about my new adventure at Yammer. It's an opportunity for me to work in a fast paced, results oriented company. I look forward to being presented with my company issue Macbook Pro, joining my new team, working with some great customers, and being part of the social business revolution.

PS. In my new role, I plan to make blogging about social business a regular part of my job. Whether that's a space provided by Yammer or someplace else is still up in the air. I'll be sure to provide a link via the numerous channels there are to keep in touch with me. In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter @espnguyen.

Giggles and grins as one year ends and the next begins.....

Our 2011 was certainly as busy as ever. We fell behind in many areas (blog updates and housekeeping to name a few) and attempted to maintain status quo in all the others.

Kimberly remained a stay at home mom (year number 2 for me!) and felt so blessed to be able to enjoy everyday with the boys. There was never a dull moment! We stayed busy and stayed happy all year. Plagued by running injuries, I found a great alternative.... SPINNING! Perfect timing as the boys and I were able to bike many places all summer long together. I love my life and most days I wish I had my own little documentary to capture all the adorable moments having two little boys provides. However, other days I wish the door bell would ring and Mary Poppins would be ready to step in and save my sanity.

Steve spent the year as a Technology Research Analyst at Cargill. He celebrated his 12th anniversary there and was recently and rather unexpectedly laid off. We are focusing on enjoying the end of December as a family and realize that we are fortunate to have this time to be together every day. There are a lot of exciting opportunities out there and he is fortunate to have the support and the resources to take his time in finding his next great opportunity.

Camden turned 4 in September. He finished his second term at Mini Hops Academic Preschool. He loves his teachers and the coaches there. We love that they teach him to read and write.... and run him ragged! In April, he begged and begged for a "red bike with training wheels". We caved and got it for him. By mid summer he had worn a hole in the tire. Late summer he begged and begged for us to take the training wheels off. We caved and borrowed a small bike for him to try. Two days later he was able to ride on two wheels. Then he popped the wheel of that bike! No toy is safe at this house!

Ethan turned 3 in September. He started his first term at Mini Hops and was ready for his turn at Preschool. With two very active little ones, it wasn't much of a surprise that our first trip to the ER for stitches occurred this year. He shows us time and time again his resilience in keeping up with Camden and humor in the times he cannot. He mastered "Brother's Training Wheel Bike" this summer. Ethan has caught up to Camden in height and weight. Couple that with his love for all things hero related (Buzz Lightyear, Spiderman, Captain America, etc), it's so easy to forget that he's only 3.

Lastly, we had to say good bye to our family dog last March. Oliver would have been 10 in September and it certainly felt like it was much too soon for him to go. Oliver was a Christmas present from Steve to me 10 years ago and he was a big part of our first house, our engagement, our wedding, our second house, and welcoming home both boys. He is missed.

It's been an amazing year and we are so thankful for each and every one of you... whether you helped us become who we are or help us be who we are today. We know that we are truly blessed. In turn, we hope you are equally blessed this holiday season and the year to come.

Love,
Kimberly, Steve, Camden & Ethan.

Daily Routine

Today before I left for work, I went to give Camden and Ethan my daily hug and kiss. Kim was still in bed, so Camden said, "I want to give you a hug and kiss for mommy." 

"Oh, and then my 3 friends" and he proceeds to give me 3 sets of hugs and kisses. It was strange that he said he had 3 friends because he had previously been saying he only had 2 friends. When I probed him about this he responded, "My friends have company."

 

Camden's 4 year well-child exam

Weight: 33lbs (7%)
Height: 39 1/2 inches (25%)

Ethan's 3 year well-child exam

10-4-2011

Weight: 35lbs (80%)
Height: 39.5 inches (90%)