We had popcorn Friday at Cole's school and poor Brad has to sit for 2 hours in the cafeteria waiting for me to finish. As a reward, I took Brad to the pool. It's a nice indoor pool with a kid area that's perfect.
I even remembered to bring some pool toys. I forget all the fun things like that so I'm pretty proud of myself for thinking ahead and actually doing it! It's a rare deed these days. Back to the kids - Inside the bag is a pair of goggles. Now, Brad doesn't like to get his hair or face wet while swimming. You might ask how that's possible, but he has it down to a science. It's a Chamness trait. He's related to a long line of above-head swimmers. I could out them all right now, but I won't ;-)
Today Brad decides he's going to put the goggles on and go underwater. I help him get the mask on and he jumps right into the pool. I'm sitting there stunned he went under the water! Yea Brad!!! He comes up coughing. It seems he forgot to close his mouth. It happens. He rips the mask off and it's several minutes before he tries again. He walks over and hands me the mask. I help him put it on and while he's standing there I tell him he has to fill his cheeks with air and hold his breath. He jumps in again, comes up coughing ripping his mask off. When he's built up more confidence he brings the mask back over. As I am putting it on I notice he's holding his breath with big puffy cheeks. "YES, Brad - hold your breath just like that." He jumps in, comes up coughing. I can't figure it out.
Yet again, I assist him with the mask and he's holding his breath while standing there. Then it dawns on me, "Brad, honey, you have to hold your breath when you go under the water, not when you're standing here getting your mask on" He replies "OOOOOOOOHH" Sweet Brad. He jumps in and holds his breath. Success!
We picked Cole up from school and Brad was so excited to tell Cole what he did. He says "Co-by I went underwa-ther with the mask" Cole, dead serious, looks at me and says "Did he close his mouth?"
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
1.5 down, 1.5 to go!
I told Cole there were three things he needed to learn how to do before we left Korea so he will be ready for first grade. Do you like how I impose lists and goals upon my young children. Not that I have any goals, but I like a good list from time to time.
I told him:
1. He needed to be able to tie his shoes
2. He had to be able to wipe his hiney - we're still working on it.
3. He had to be able to read
Solid yet important goals. It just so happened that the velcro wore out of his tennis shoes and we had to go to the BX to find a replacement. Warning, small rant ahead. I really do not like the selection at the BX. They have the $10 generic shoes or the $40 name brand. Nothing in between. I've purchased the $10 shoes before and they fell apart in two weeks. So you're pushed into buying the $40 CHILDREN'S SHOES. I can't get over it. I can't remember the last time I bought myself a pair of $40 shoes.
Of course Cole falls in love with the $40 pair because it came with a key chain. Genius marketing ploy. I was slightly irritated that I was about to spend that much money, so I told him that if I bought this pair he had to learn to tie them on his own. The next morning it was time to get ready for school and guess who takes his new shoes out of the box and immediately ties them on his own?! Cole. Little stinker, holding out on me all these months. He learned to tie his shoes and never said a word. He now has new shoes and he's tying them like a pro. $40 well spent.
We also bought some new books and Cole's been reading them on his own each night!! We're still working, but I think he'll be more than ready for first grade!!
Ahh... the toughest parenting trick yet. The wiping of the hiney. Let's just say that the bidet hasn't been used in a while. I'm still having to do a "final inspection", but he's at least doing something on his own. Mucho progress.
I told him:
1. He needed to be able to tie his shoes
2. He had to be able to wipe his hiney - we're still working on it.
3. He had to be able to read
Solid yet important goals. It just so happened that the velcro wore out of his tennis shoes and we had to go to the BX to find a replacement. Warning, small rant ahead. I really do not like the selection at the BX. They have the $10 generic shoes or the $40 name brand. Nothing in between. I've purchased the $10 shoes before and they fell apart in two weeks. So you're pushed into buying the $40 CHILDREN'S SHOES. I can't get over it. I can't remember the last time I bought myself a pair of $40 shoes.
Of course Cole falls in love with the $40 pair because it came with a key chain. Genius marketing ploy. I was slightly irritated that I was about to spend that much money, so I told him that if I bought this pair he had to learn to tie them on his own. The next morning it was time to get ready for school and guess who takes his new shoes out of the box and immediately ties them on his own?! Cole. Little stinker, holding out on me all these months. He learned to tie his shoes and never said a word. He now has new shoes and he's tying them like a pro. $40 well spent.
We also bought some new books and Cole's been reading them on his own each night!! We're still working, but I think he'll be more than ready for first grade!!
Ahh... the toughest parenting trick yet. The wiping of the hiney. Let's just say that the bidet hasn't been used in a while. I'm still having to do a "final inspection", but he's at least doing something on his own. Mucho progress.
Monday, March 22, 2010
RockStar
I was telling Cole that it was time for a hair cut. Our conversation went like this:
C: I don't want my haircut. I want to grow it long like a girl
M: What? Why?
C: I want to be a Rock Star.
M: You can grow it long when you learn to play an instrument.
C: I already know how.
M: What can you play?
C: I can play the violin, but without using the chin thing.
I'm confused. Either that's not playing at all or else he's thinking of the mandolin, which I'm fairly certain he's never played before. End result: Hair chopped.
C: I don't want my haircut. I want to grow it long like a girl
M: What? Why?
C: I want to be a Rock Star.
M: You can grow it long when you learn to play an instrument.
C: I already know how.
M: What can you play?
C: I can play the violin, but without using the chin thing.
I'm confused. Either that's not playing at all or else he's thinking of the mandolin, which I'm fairly certain he's never played before. End result: Hair chopped.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
1st Crush
It seems as if Cole has his first crush. Now, unknown to me at the time, he's already had a "girlfriend" in Idaho. Little Miss. Cameron Cool. Her mom was his teacher. Her dad was the commander of the Tigers. I think she was running the show in that "relationship". Slightly older attractive woman, bossing him around - reminded me too much of me ;-)
This time it's a little different. There is a set of triplets in his class. Hands down, the girls are all beautiful. I would be pulling my hair out if I were their parents in 10 more years!! They are the sweetest of the sweetest and easily make you immediately want triplets. Here's the tricky part. He and his best friend Jake both like the same girl. If you even say her name around him, Cole's face gets red and you can't wipe the smile off. They fight to sit next to her at lunch, stand next to her in line, and play with her during the same quarter at the soccer games. Jake might be scoring more points with sweet little "K". He sits next to her in class. Cole told me the other day that I should talk to Dr. Stapleford about moving him to the red table so he can see the board better. Guess who sits up front at the red table? Little stinker. I'm onto him!
I would like to stir up the drama and tell him to open his eyes. Her sister "A" obviously likes him. She plays legos and war with him. And she's a really good goalie on their team. He did tell me that he likes "K" the best because she's the best jump-roper. Every man has his standards. However, all this is just too much too fast. Let's wait a few years.... or in this case 7 more weeks. We'll be back in Texas by then ;-)
Other funny's from Cole:
He told me he wanted to start "kwi con co" and boxing when we get to the States. When I asked him why he wanted to get punched in the face he said "no I want to punch someone in the face". Interesting.
This time it's a little different. There is a set of triplets in his class. Hands down, the girls are all beautiful. I would be pulling my hair out if I were their parents in 10 more years!! They are the sweetest of the sweetest and easily make you immediately want triplets. Here's the tricky part. He and his best friend Jake both like the same girl. If you even say her name around him, Cole's face gets red and you can't wipe the smile off. They fight to sit next to her at lunch, stand next to her in line, and play with her during the same quarter at the soccer games. Jake might be scoring more points with sweet little "K". He sits next to her in class. Cole told me the other day that I should talk to Dr. Stapleford about moving him to the red table so he can see the board better. Guess who sits up front at the red table? Little stinker. I'm onto him!
I would like to stir up the drama and tell him to open his eyes. Her sister "A" obviously likes him. She plays legos and war with him. And she's a really good goalie on their team. He did tell me that he likes "K" the best because she's the best jump-roper. Every man has his standards. However, all this is just too much too fast. Let's wait a few years.... or in this case 7 more weeks. We'll be back in Texas by then ;-)
Other funny's from Cole:
He told me he wanted to start "kwi con co" and boxing when we get to the States. When I asked him why he wanted to get punched in the face he said "no I want to punch someone in the face". Interesting.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Fired
Ever have one of those World's Worse Mom days? Today could have been one. I was having trouble going to bed last night so thought it would be a good idea to watch Desperate Housewives to ease my mind. Didn't work. It was so hard to get up this morning so I didn't. I turned off the alarm and Cole missed the bus. It just so turns out MOPS was today. I got us all dress and dropped Cole off at school before a nice 3 hour mommy break. You know, a break from all the sleeping in and tv watching. I walked into the school and noticed something was so strange. All these kids were wearing green - head to toe, except for mine. Opps. It seems I forgot it was St. Patrick's Day. To make matters worse I accidentally dressed in green so it appeared as if I was just looking after Team Me. Nice one.
I spent the better part of the morning listening to supermom's talking about how they all picked out their green clothes and had Lucky Charms for breakfast. Sorry boys. The topic at MOPS was "playing with your kids" and how much time you physically play with your children instead of cleaning, or cooking... (or searching the MLS listings for new houses in Wichita Falls). Reminders of how quickly time passes and the chores will always be there. I must admit there was another scoop on mommy guilt.
As if that wasn't enough - something happened today that threw me into a panic. The fear of my baby growing up. It started out innocent enough, Cole went to Robbie's house to play after school. After an hour his mom calls me and asks if Cole can stay for dinner and then go to AWANA's with them. I can hear him begging in the background. She would return him home close to 8pm. I didn't want to say yes, but had to. My baby would be gone all day long and he wanted it that way. I would get to see him for 20 minutes before bed. That wasn't enough time! How did that happen? I wanted to call back and say I changed my mind, but knew Cole would be so upset. I guess God was easing me into this transition because it started snowing and AWANA's was canceled. Whew. Cole came home earlier than expected. I was able to ask him a million questions he refused to answer and put him to bed. Brad missed him more than I did.
I don't know how Keith does it. He leaves for days/weeks/months at a time without seeing his boys. I guess because of the military lifestyle I've been the only option for so long. Just me and the boys. It's been nice and I swear I wouldn't change a thing. Other then forgetting to dress them in green and spending a little less time on this crazy internet.
Today was my warning. I'm about to be fired from my job. He's needing me less and less. Overall it is my goal right? To raise them so I'm out of work - so he doesn't need me to clean up after him, cook, or wash his clothes. I'm suppose to make sure he can work and think for himself. I've got to teach him life lessons hoping he applies them to his everyday living. Cole is well on his way. Brad might learn everything but I'm fairly certain he'll keep me employed longer. Just cause he likes it.
I spent the better part of the morning listening to supermom's talking about how they all picked out their green clothes and had Lucky Charms for breakfast. Sorry boys. The topic at MOPS was "playing with your kids" and how much time you physically play with your children instead of cleaning, or cooking... (or searching the MLS listings for new houses in Wichita Falls). Reminders of how quickly time passes and the chores will always be there. I must admit there was another scoop on mommy guilt.
As if that wasn't enough - something happened today that threw me into a panic. The fear of my baby growing up. It started out innocent enough, Cole went to Robbie's house to play after school. After an hour his mom calls me and asks if Cole can stay for dinner and then go to AWANA's with them. I can hear him begging in the background. She would return him home close to 8pm. I didn't want to say yes, but had to. My baby would be gone all day long and he wanted it that way. I would get to see him for 20 minutes before bed. That wasn't enough time! How did that happen? I wanted to call back and say I changed my mind, but knew Cole would be so upset. I guess God was easing me into this transition because it started snowing and AWANA's was canceled. Whew. Cole came home earlier than expected. I was able to ask him a million questions he refused to answer and put him to bed. Brad missed him more than I did.
I don't know how Keith does it. He leaves for days/weeks/months at a time without seeing his boys. I guess because of the military lifestyle I've been the only option for so long. Just me and the boys. It's been nice and I swear I wouldn't change a thing. Other then forgetting to dress them in green and spending a little less time on this crazy internet.
Today was my warning. I'm about to be fired from my job. He's needing me less and less. Overall it is my goal right? To raise them so I'm out of work - so he doesn't need me to clean up after him, cook, or wash his clothes. I'm suppose to make sure he can work and think for himself. I've got to teach him life lessons hoping he applies them to his everyday living. Cole is well on his way. Brad might learn everything but I'm fairly certain he'll keep me employed longer. Just cause he likes it.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Finished and Lost
I wrapped up reading Gone With The Wind tonight. Oh my lands!! Now that's a story. I can't believe she contained it in only 1400 pages. The history, the characters, the heartache..... excellent. I will have to post a picture of my pathetic paperpack book. It did not hold up well. My book literally broke into two. The binding split, pages ripped, and it might have been half submerged in the Indian Ocean then dried out with a hotel hairdryer.
I can not get over this story and not believe these characters are fictional. They were honestly so real to me, the interpretation of the lifestyle was astounding. Why wasn't this required reading in high school? Not that I would have read it back then, but oh... I think the year we were suppose to read it I had Ms. Sinclair for English 10th or 11th grade. It was her first year of teaching and she cried every class. She quit after her first year. Marcus High School ate her alive. If you could imagine a class of complete chaos - that was hers. We basically watch movies all year round. That's all I remember... and her crying everyday. Wait, was that even her name? Back to the report she probably tried to have us do:
The characters are so deeply developed. Rhett. Dear Rhett, loving Scarlett all those years. Helping her when she didn't even know it, honoring her for her mind, and then letting her self destruct. Seriously, any man who buys that big of a ring just to make a point is a keeper in my book ;-) A father so against the grain during that era. Loving and doting, even to Wade. Scarlett, what were you thinking? Ashley? Please, you've wasted a life. This lady is a fighter, determined, and tough. A 17 inch waist after all those kids. Doubtful. Can you get over the way of life when it came to pregnancy and how they stayed hidden and in bed after delivery? That's CRAZY to me. Melanie, the truest of friends. A lady with grace and tact. I so wish Scarlett was a better girlfriend to her, and told her as much at the end... Communication, the most important aspect in a relationship. I wish she would have told Rhett sooner.
I'm equally impressed with the language. How Mammy and their other slaves would "speak", you could read it and "hear" the words off the pages. The dialects when a "white trash" would talk and the elders like Miss Pitty. Without even knowing it, I'm hearing them all page after page. Hundreds of characters in and out of the book, and you know them all.
I could go on! Please read this book. Erin, thank you for the New Year's Resolution. Please Tell Pat the Bunny to hide her ornament collection before I bribe her with salt and pepper shakers ;-)
As soon as I can find a free 233 minutes to enjoy the movie, my mission will be complete.
I can not get over this story and not believe these characters are fictional. They were honestly so real to me, the interpretation of the lifestyle was astounding. Why wasn't this required reading in high school? Not that I would have read it back then, but oh... I think the year we were suppose to read it I had Ms. Sinclair for English 10th or 11th grade. It was her first year of teaching and she cried every class. She quit after her first year. Marcus High School ate her alive. If you could imagine a class of complete chaos - that was hers. We basically watch movies all year round. That's all I remember... and her crying everyday. Wait, was that even her name? Back to the report she probably tried to have us do:
The characters are so deeply developed. Rhett. Dear Rhett, loving Scarlett all those years. Helping her when she didn't even know it, honoring her for her mind, and then letting her self destruct. Seriously, any man who buys that big of a ring just to make a point is a keeper in my book ;-) A father so against the grain during that era. Loving and doting, even to Wade. Scarlett, what were you thinking? Ashley? Please, you've wasted a life. This lady is a fighter, determined, and tough. A 17 inch waist after all those kids. Doubtful. Can you get over the way of life when it came to pregnancy and how they stayed hidden and in bed after delivery? That's CRAZY to me. Melanie, the truest of friends. A lady with grace and tact. I so wish Scarlett was a better girlfriend to her, and told her as much at the end... Communication, the most important aspect in a relationship. I wish she would have told Rhett sooner.
I'm equally impressed with the language. How Mammy and their other slaves would "speak", you could read it and "hear" the words off the pages. The dialects when a "white trash" would talk and the elders like Miss Pitty. Without even knowing it, I'm hearing them all page after page. Hundreds of characters in and out of the book, and you know them all.
I could go on! Please read this book. Erin, thank you for the New Year's Resolution. Please Tell Pat the Bunny to hide her ornament collection before I bribe her with salt and pepper shakers ;-)
As soon as I can find a free 233 minutes to enjoy the movie, my mission will be complete.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Unpredictable
Brad. That alone could wrap up this whole post. My sweet Brad. You never know what will come out of his mouth. Did I ever post that in gymnastic class they play a color game while they stretch? The kids shout out their favorite colors... red, green, orange. Not Brad. Every time - EVERY TIME - Brad wants to be hazel. Ask him the difference between black and white and you might not get a response, but he'll be hazel till the cows come home.
I figured since we'll be around lots of friends and family on his birthday, I should throw him his first ever birthday party!! It appears we're in the middle of a move on all of his birthdays. Well, for his second we went to the River with the Thomas family and had ice cream cone cupcakes. It was fun for the rest of us! This year he's excited, but I'm not sure he knows what for... that's my Brad.
I asked him where he wanted to have a birthday party and his first response was "school". I will remind him of that when I can't get him out of bed for school in 4 years. I'm leaning towards having one at Going Bonkers in Lewisville. We've been sheltered. I'm already nervous it will be crowded. Is it wrong for wanting the party to be a 9:00am as soon as they open?
My next question was what kind of party does he want. His response "sharks". Only Brad. I better get to planning a shark birthday party!! I can't wait - grey. blue, teeth, and a cake from Candy Haven!! Wait, what if Candy Haven isn't cool anymore?
I figured since we'll be around lots of friends and family on his birthday, I should throw him his first ever birthday party!! It appears we're in the middle of a move on all of his birthdays. Well, for his second we went to the River with the Thomas family and had ice cream cone cupcakes. It was fun for the rest of us! This year he's excited, but I'm not sure he knows what for... that's my Brad.
I asked him where he wanted to have a birthday party and his first response was "school". I will remind him of that when I can't get him out of bed for school in 4 years. I'm leaning towards having one at Going Bonkers in Lewisville. We've been sheltered. I'm already nervous it will be crowded. Is it wrong for wanting the party to be a 9:00am as soon as they open?
My next question was what kind of party does he want. His response "sharks". Only Brad. I better get to planning a shark birthday party!! I can't wait - grey. blue, teeth, and a cake from Candy Haven!! Wait, what if Candy Haven isn't cool anymore?
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