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!