Kindergarten

My Baby. Can you believe it? I feel like telling you to hang on to your britches, here comes the life long learning train. One would think there would be time to collect your thoughts and reflect on such a milestone. There wasn't. It was a hurry and get ready morning, eat your breakfast and go. Find a parking spot, hurry though the gate someone is holding open for you... then you take off to the playground.

That was it - welcome to your first day of kindergarten. I guess it's a good thing. You like the school, are comfortable with the teachers, and already spotted your friends. It makes it easier to not be sad. It's a private school so in a way I still feel like I'm protecting you. AND you have to do it again next year because of your late birthday. No need to get all sad and weepy today, it's just dress rehearsal. Not that the heart-of-stone would ever get sad and weepy over such a big day in her baby's life. But I do wonder what you're doing right now, and if your happy or nervous or scared. Are you listening to your teachers, confused by the directions? Do you know where the bathroom is? SIGH - You do.

Thank you to Mrs. Owen, Mrs. Cool, Ms. Meagan, and Mrs. McCaw for the easy transition from preschool to here. What is there to be sad about? Now... whatever will I do with my time? Oh ya, I think your brother is into the markers! Have a good year baby. I love you forever - As long as I'm living my Colby you'll be.

FOUND!!!

Whew - My earrings have been found. YIPPIE!!! I want to jump up and down. There they were just sitting on my dresser. How did they ever get there? Seriously, I meticulously went through the vacuum bag (vomica) and was even tempted to go through the dog and cat poop thinking they swallowed them. Man, what timing on that one!!! Thank you God ;-)

Honey, I found my wedding day earrings. All is well and I think I can now make it a few more weeks (it sounds better than months)

Not Gonna Do It

Brad, my baby, sweet little guy, just born yesterday thinks he is ready to be potty trained. I find this highly impossible and am happy to overlook the HUGE signs pointing to his excitement over this. I am lazy, and I don't believe in infant training.

The past few nights he's been telling me "pee pee potty mommy". He takes his own diaper off and goes into the bathroom. I lift him on the toilet and he pees. Great. He will get out of the bathtub to pee (good news for Cole!), and thinks flushing is the best part! He's even tried #2.

So today I bought him a ring to sit on top of the lid so I don't have to hold him in place. Do you know that little bugger went without a diaper all evening after dinner, peed 3 times and didn't have any accidents? Well, that's fine and dandy, but I'm not ready to train him.

He's got another thing coming if he's trying to grow up on me. I should write a potty training book on reverse psychology. I could be on Oprah and get to meet George Strait....... Maybe I'll start training tomorrow.

Heartbroken

I'm over this deployment. When we were in Texas, Cole stubbed his toe and hysterically kept crying for his daddy. That was his trigger. Stubbing his toe and all his feelings of missing his dad came rushing over him. I couldn't console him. Today was my trigger.

I've lost my diamond earrings. Keith bought a pair of diamond earrings for me on our wedding day. As I was getting ready, he went to the small jeweler across the street from the Embassy Suites. He bought these earrings he probably couldn't afford. I loved them and now they're gone. There were my "something new" - my only traditional thing in my nontraditional wedding. Wearing them reminded me of Lake Tahoe and saying "I do" to my love. They're gone. Keith's gone. It sucks.

I want them back, and I need Keith back.

Granted, they are earrings - a material possession. Somewhat replaceable. ;-) My kids are healthy and Keith is safe. Life will go on, but tonight I am sad. And I'll forever be sad when I think of my groom handing me the small package before we left to get married. The boys gave me a group hug tonight in an effort to cheer me up. As they are squeezing my neck, their heads nestled on my shoulders, it reminded me of the pair I have now. The pair that isn't missing. If that is my trade up, I'll keep em'

Playdough Fun

Thank You Mrs. Owen. Cole's first preschool teacher at Protestant Preschool shared her recipe with us, and we have used it several times. The boys love it. Cole has gotten into making it with me. So on a beautiful day instead of playing outside or learning to ride a bike, the boys wanted to make playdough. Here's the recipe:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tbsp oil
4 tsp cream of tarter
2 cups water
food coloring

Cole carefully measures off the flour

Measures the salt

Where are the rest of my pictures? Dang the electronic world. Well, mix all together and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly until all liquid gone. If you want a solid color add food coloring to the mix. You can also wait and separate into baggies and mix colors while kneading.

Midnight Madness

I really thought I would be in bed before midnight tonight. I've gotten into a bad habit of staying up late. Maybe it's the Chamness in me or that I don't like to face the reality of going to bed alone. Anyway, I've made it to bed before midnight only a handful of times since Keith's left. Ironically, he's been going to bed before 9pm. Yea, he misses me too.

So tonight as I'm turning the lights off, stepping over toys, and making two trips up the stairs carrying dogs (they are spoiled little farm dogs) I realize the cat is still outside. Back down I go. I open the door and call her and what do you know.... she just sits there! Acting like a total cat! I have to step outside and pick her up. Then I get a glimpse of what she's so unwilling to leave:

A FROG!

Now, a mother of girls would step right over this thing and head up to bed. Not me. This is way to important in the life of my sons. At midnight, I make a MAD DASH up the stairs calling for Cole. I can't wake him up fast enough. I scoop him out of bed and we run downstairs. After he realized what I was trying to tell him, he lights up! It's like we've seen the GREAT PUMPKIN.

Do you know this kid has been wanting to find a frog since spring rolled around. We had a frog last summer in our backyard, but he didn't make it through Cole's training camp. (circle of life, circle of life...) He was very upset when we told him that the frog was gone and would not be coming back. As soon as we got back from Texas, do you know he would march in my room every morning MAD at me that I did not wake him up to go frog hunting with his new flashlights. Yea right. He and Brad spent no less than 6 hours outside today looking for bugs. I think the grand total was 4 rolly pollies. It's crushing. I've even considered "planting" some night crawlers in our dry, unrich dirt for the boys to stumble upon. So you can see the importance in tonight's discovery.

So there he is, so excited and totally worth waking him up. I bet they spend 10 hours outside trying to find him tomorrow (see.... mom's not that dumb after all!) Do you know that sweet kid wanted to make sure his brother got to see it too. That's why I brought out the camera. I'm not crazy enough to wake up the whole house! Besides, Brad's a little more cranky when it comes to his sleep. He gets if from his Dad.

He looks pretty small, so we let him go back to his mommy. That's what I tell the boys with every critter they find. It's nicer than catch and release... and it keeps them OUTSIDE. Hey Keith, do you think this one hopped all the way from the duck pond to our backyard again? I miss you funny daddy. Tonight just earned myself mommy of the year. I'm out - MOTY

Word Mishaps

Funny things the boys have said this week:

*Cole doesn't like to watch girl's "belly ball" on the Olympics (volleyball) Seriously, why are the girls wearing nothing, but the men are in full jersey's and long shorts? I think belly ball is more appropriate.
*He also had fun playing "kunga fu panda" with a new friend
*I need to get Brad on camera saying "oh dang", it's too funny.
*Brad also has been repeating "superman bunked head off....... funny" over and over again.
*I was changing Brad's super messy poopy diaper and Cole commented on how his "penis looks like it has a moustache"
*Brad seems to like "little balls" (peas) and "wormies" (sauteed onions) and could catch "powees" all day long (rolly polly)
*Brad dumped a full glass of water all over my kitchen floor and I hear Cole say "Good job making a mess Brad!" But he said it like he just wrote his name for the first time - very supportive and encouraging!

It Finally Happened

We went to dinner tonight. By "we", I of course mean myself, Cole, Brad, and Ashley. Later we were informed:

As we were walking into the club a daughter of Keith's co-worker said "Hey mom, there's that neat family with two mommies!"

If that's not edgy I don't know what is. Ashley, I'm sorry others assume you are a mommy to my out of control children and we're that kind of family.

And....... We're done.

Anyone know what that is? Yea, it's the inside of a full wet diaper. Congealed Pee.


This is what happens when your 4 year old takes it off and whirls it around in a funny naked dance.



I'm pretty thick skinned, but this was one of the nastiest things I've had to clean up in my parenting days. That stuff is like jelly. It doesn't sweep, just smears around. I do not suggest letting your children do this. Not that I "let" him do that. It was a very slow motioned "NNOOOOOOOOO!" as it was happening. So, in my shock and anger I told him he is d.o.n.e. with a nighttime diaper. NEVER AGAIN. I think I just created more clean ups for myself.


for the record: He can wear big boys through the night when HE chooses - and he makes it through with no accidents. He told me he would get rid of the diaper when he turns 5. Mama just bumped it up a few months. Whose the parent here? That's right - ME! Now I'm off to clean my broom, and dress my children.

Olympic History

Last night Cole came downstairs after bedtime and asked if he could watch the Olympics with me. I said sure and we spent the next hour cuddled on the couch talking about the Olympians and their cool tricks.

Tonight I put him to bed and soon after I hear him behind me.

Cole: Can I tell you something real quick?
Me: Yes
Cole: Mom, remember when we watched the Olympics together?
Me: I sure do.
Cole: Wanna do it again sometime?
Me: How about right now?

I love that kid.

Did ya know????

Cole's favorite colors are green and orange. I guess he likes them both equally.

Brad can count, although not in order. Boy genius if you ask me! (two five two, go!) He also can hum and make up his own songs to the ABC's. No luck on saying the actual letters.

Red chicken is their favorite meal. The other half of the world knows it as chicken nuggets. They usually come in a Red Tyson bag in these parts, hince the name "red chicken".

Brad doesn't like rinds, crust or skins on his foods. You don't have to cut it off, but he will eat his way around almost anything.

Cole tans like his mom, but has the skin of his dad. Brad burns all over.

Cole can hum all of his favorite songs. He doesn't like to sing out loud unless he's making up his own tune. I even caught him humming Coldplay's new song out. He thinks it's Daddy's song because Keith used it on his video blog.

Brad repeats everything Cole says and appears to understand everything we tell him.

I gave the boys a haircut today and it's painfully obvious why I'm not a barber. I love their hair shaggy. Whoda thought?

We were going to sleep the other night in the hotel room. Cole says "do you remember the baby monkeys that were wearing diapers?" Several months ago we visited a zoo with a baby monkey. I tell him that I do. Then he says "I'm dreaming of them right now"

Brad and his love of saying "oh dang" and candy. He's got my sweet-tooth. For instance, while in Cracker Barrel Brad runs for the candy, Cole runs for the toys. I'm still convinced he's missing teeth. Good thing he has molars so a bridge will fit in just nicely.

Whenever we pull into a Chick-fil-a, Brad yells "I eat Allie" The last time he saw little Allie, they were eating Chick-a-lay. Allie said "Brad no eat me, I not breakfast" I love 2 year olds.

Cole was ready to come back to Idaho so he could see his Daddy. I had to tell him that daddy was still gone. He kept forgetting and would say it over and over again.

Brad lost his big toenail in March. It's grown back, but man is it ugly! Good thing he won't have to think twice about open toed shoes and strapey heals.

Brad loves to dance to music on tv, but won't dance to music on the radio. Figure that one out.