6 Days and Counting

Remember how excited you got as a kid when Christmas was close? That’s how our kids are feeling right now. They are counting down and wishing for the big day to come. Lucky for us, the older two are still in school. They haven’t had a lot of homework, but it has been enough to occupy them. We’ve been practicing spelling words—Tori’s is a bit harder this week. Tomorrow and Friday, however, they have some fun activities at school—winter party, conduct celebration and the singalong. So, attention will soon be waning. Wish us luck on keeping them focused.

Learning Time

Christian knows who Santa really is, and now he is learning how all of that works. He found the Lego motor he wanted this weekend, and of course, there was only one. So, I snatched it up. He knew it was for Christmas, but he seemed surprised when we got home and I tucked it out of sight. He might as well know that even if I buy it for him for Christmas, he has to wait until the actual holiday to open it!

Christian surprised us all this weekend, chatting with everyone. He never has anything to say, but when Frank came up, he had all kinds of comments and things to tell him. He also played with Keaton and CJ, the boys that came up. He had a real blast with them, shooting Nerf guns and fighting with Nerf swords. I thought he would be quiet, but he jumped right in on the fun. Way to go, Christian. Too bad the tears came late last night as he contemplated having to go back to school. I am sure he is fine now and ready to get his homework done.

Flying Solo

Christian stayed home yesterday, hoping the kid next door would come over.  Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t. If Matthew did come over, Christian will probably turn in a little early tonight too. He and Matthew know how to have a good time with every toy in sight at our house and his.

Christian is also looking forward to Christmas. He has even added to his Christmas list. He now wants a Batman Lego set and another motor Lego set. We shy a few gifts for him, so this comes at just the right time!

Big Brother

Christian and Tori has yesterday off from school for Veterans Day, and Christian took the lead. He helped Tori get cereal for breakfast and a lunchable for lunch. He also made sure she was all ready for her playdate with Brianna. He was a good big brother and a good grandson, going out to check the mail for his grandma, who was under the weather.

He usually chooses to stay at home with his grandma when there is no school, and according to her, he takes care of himself. The only thing he has her do is cook him food in the oven or on the stovetop. He is not ready for that. He knows how to use the microwave and makes full use of that.

Candy Sales

First, a big thanks to all who ordered candy from Christian and Tori. They each sold 35 boxes. For their efforts, they will receive a candy box, four boxes of candy, three envelopes with $1, $5 or $10, a grab at the cash cube and a chance to win $1000. They will not be the top winners. That prize went to kids who sold 50+ boxes. Christian and Tori were surprised someone sold that much until they added their totals together and realized they sold 70 boxes together! Next year it’s Eli’s turn as Christian heads off to middle school. We’ll see if he wants to go door to door.

Scouting

Christian has had a busy couple of weeks. He went to the police station a few weeks ago for a tour with the scouts and got into the line-up.

Last weekend he went to a camp out in the cold.  The next door neighbor (Matthew) asked our den to join his pack and his brother's troop for a camp out.  Christian had a good time during last spring's camp out so he wanted to go.  We headed out to Jubilee State Park on Saturday at 9 am.  Immediately he regretted his decision.  They were playing kickball and he hates sports.  He participated anyway.  Then he begrudgingly participated.  Very Begrudgingly!  He wouldn't move to try and catch a ball.  He would walk in between bases.  Towards the end of the game he started picking up his paces, but not by much.

We had only been outside for about 30 minutes and he started complaining about freezing.  I told him to run around during kickball, but he refused.  The troop switched activities to work on badges so while they were setting up for that I got Christian another pair of socks for his frozen feet.  I explained that his feet would still be cold, but he'd get used to it.  Matthew's older brother Aaron partnered up with Christian for the other games.  He helped Christian through them all and gave him more confidence.  Lunch time and they needed cooks.  Christian eagerly participated in making both meals.  He stirred the soups to make sure they were heated through and he buttered bread for grilled cheese sandwiches.  He also helped butter bread for dinner and helped make spaghetti and sauce for dinner.  He ate it all and now loves grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken noodle soup and tomato soup.  He surprised himself.

After lunch some kids left for a basketball game and Christian had warmed up, he told me I was right and he had warmed up and wanted to stay.  So he played on the playground with another scout and helped get firewood when it was time.  All willingly!  He kept extending the amount of time he wanted to stay.  The kids returned from the basketball game and the troop went on a hike.  3 miles long!  Amazingly, not many kids complained and they discovered a lot of things about nature and got a quick tour of the old Jubilee college.

He kept extending his time so much that he considered staying the night.  I knew from the morning that it was going to get cold again and he wouldn't be happy soon.  We stayed until about 8:30 along the time he began mentioning he was getting cold again.  A few other scouts weren't staying the night, so it was a good time to leave for us too.  The next day he said he had a good time and was glad he didn't stay the night.  So after a bumpy start, he enjoyed his time and may want to go again!

Smart Alec

While his sister was throwing fits, Christian decided to be a smart alec. He snapped at Tori several times before turning his attention to me. I don’t even remember what the topic was now, but he, too, got into trouble. He had a great day yesterday at the neighbor’s, and I guess that made him extra confident with his comments. He will be going to bed earlier too for his antics.

Mr. Smarty Pants

Christian is very sharp but very literal. He listens closely, and the first time you make a verbal mistake or throw out a phrase or saying, he is on it like a dog. He also thinks he knows more than you do and has no issues letting you know that. He was very much a wise guy this weekend, especially after his grandparents left. He had a lot to say and spent a lot of time teasing his brother and sister. His mouth got him into trouble more than once. It is sure to happen again too.

Homework is heavy now that Christian is in 4th grade and Tori is in 2nd grade. Christian has about 45 minutes every night, but he is getting smarter about it, doing his handwriting at After Care and bringing home the harder stuff. Tori has yet to catch on to that. Sometimes she stays focused long enough to do a bit at after care, but not often. She had her first spelling test today, and while we practiced the words, I have no idea how many she really knows. She was too busy playing around to really demonstrate what she did and did not know. I hope she surprises me and does well.

Good Boy

Christian has a very good teacher this year, and she has been communicating with us regularly, letting us know what a good boy Christian is. We have received two postcards and two emails regarding some questions about an email. We also see her drive to school early every day. I was told this teacher was very strict, and that may be, but she is also a very good communicator.

On another note, Christian is learning cursive and doing it very well. He claims he has poor handwriting, but he is taking his time and it shows. He has better penmanship than me and Huts, and probably will have for some time to come. My father had remarkable penmanship, so maybe Christian will too.

No Thanks

Christian is not one for change, so when I painted his room green a few years ago, he was in it for the long haul. We’ve bought him new furniture and changed things around, but that’s about it. He says he loves his bedroom color, a mossy green, and is sticking with it. I bet that room doesn’t see new paint until he is a teenager or out of the house.

And They're Off

Yesterday was the first day of school, and it was not without drama. The drama started Sunday night when I noticed Christian getting misty eyed. He was nervous about the first day of school and worried he would not get there on time. We assured him everything would be ok, and for him, it was.

We arrived at school around 8:15 on Monday morning. One of Christian’s friends immediately came up to him and asked who his teacher was. They found they were in the same class—first time since kindergarten, and that was all it took. Christian went off with Owen and Huts followed to meet the teacher.

Christian’s teacher called last night to let us know he was good, just tired at the end of the day. Apparently, there are some kids that like to talk. So, the class is getting rearranged today.

Almost School Time

In a week and a half the kids will be back in school. Christian has Mrs. Gallion and Tori has Christian’s old teacher, Mrs. Evans. Christian’s teacher is supposed to be strict but fair—right up his alley. He has no problems following rules. Tori is looking forward to having a female teacher again, and she adores Mrs. Evans. Mrs. Evans has witnessed Tori’s little fits and says that if that is all they are she can handle them. Tori is excited about being in Mrs. Evans’ classroom and back at school with her friends. Christian, not so much. If that boy could, he would stay at home forever and view the world from the Internet!

Growing Up Fast

Christian has spent much of the summer at home, watching TV and playing video games. From time to time, he also wrestles around with Eli. In fact, he may have played with Eli a bit too much, as Eli has become a real pest to Christian. Eli loves his big brother and loves to follow him around all night. Christian puts up with it for an hour or so and then he heads off to his room for some time alone. Eli tries to get into Christian’s room, which starts the fighting. They are only five years apart, but that’s worlds apart at that age.

Prankster

Christian participated in his sister's party too.  He, however, had devious plans in mind.  He and his friend Matthew were going to prank the girls.  Of course it was 9-year-old pranks, but they were pranks.  He'd knock on the door and run while the girls screamed to quit it.  He begrudgingly sang and had cake and ice cream without much complaint.  He also slept in the living room with the girls.  A decision he'd later regret because the girls kept him up!  Maybe next year he'll be able to have more than a couple of kids come to his party.  By then we might all have recovered.

Too Much

The kids spent last week in KC, and they were tired. We got them on Sunday, and they spent much of that day in the car. We got home around 5 and the next morning they were off to camp at the Riverplex. We knew they were tired, and this morning, they gave out. Christian has got the beginnings of a cold and decided to stay home. Tori is also feeling puny and stayed at home—we knew she was tired because she didn’t even want to go to the sitter’s to play with the girls. Eli was the only one feeling like himself and off he went to the sitter’s.

Happy As A Clam

The kids are on day 4 at Grandma and Grandpa’s, and as far as we can tell, they are having a ball. Sunday, they went to an old homestead. Monday they went shopping for birthday presents—trains, an angry bird, some dolls. Tuesday, they went swimming with their uncle, ate lunch with him at Sonic and visited with their great-grandpa. Their cousins also came over to spend some time with them.

Christian gives us an update every night on the iPad. He talks to us for about 30 seconds before the others take over.

Last Day

School is now over, and tomorrow Christian is headed to Sharon’s to play with his buddy Ruben. Ruben is going to stay at Sharon’s a few days before heading off to his dad’s in Montana. Christian, meanwhile, is going to his grandma and grandpa’s house for a week starting on Saturday. He returns next Sunday and then heads off for a week of summer day camp at River City. Then, he finally gets to stay home and lounge around with his other grandma.

While they are in KC, Christian is going to the bounce house, aquarium and Legoland. Betcha I don’t even have to tell you which place he is looking forward to seeing the most. He has saved some money just in case he finds something wonderful in the Legoland store.

Christian did well in school and will be a fourth grader in August. This is his last year at Charter Oak. Next year, he will either go to Mark Bills, about a mile from our house, or Washington School (for the gifted). It’s a long road to getting into the latter, and Christian does not seem thrilled with the prospect, so he may just go to Mark Bills. Wherever he ends up, he will be fine.

Birthday Boy

Christian is now 9 years old. Lucky him, his birthday was on Mother’s Day this year. He got a present in the mail from us—Legos and was excited to learn that the rest of it comes every 2 months. He also bought some Monsters Legos—was super excited to see that those were out. His friend, Matthew, bought him a Ninjago Lego set, and he got a couple more of those. My child who detests shopping actually went shopping, and he was not shy about it.

Christian had a couple of kids sleep over. They stayed up until midnight, playing with the iPads, Nerf guns, etc. The kid next door hung around until 3 the next day and came back for a little while on Sunday. So, Christian had a really full weekend and was very tired come Sunday night. This week, he is looking forward to the Plants and Zombies stuffed toys we found online. Hopefully, he gets them soon.

The Big Push

Three and half weeks of school to go, and wouldn’t you know it, the work is increasing. Christian came home with an assignment to write a brief report on the state of Delaware. We spent days pulling research and checking it. Then we wrote a rough draft and revised it. Then Christian practiced reading it aloud. We also pulled tons of pictures and glued them onto a large poster board for his visual aide. Tonight, we are getting it all together and ready for next Tuesday. Whew.

As though the report were not enough, there is a spelling bee beginning on May 10. Christian came home with about 350 words to study. We’ve done a bit of work on that, but he is totally not into it. Wish us luck in getting through that list.

Out

This week is Spirit Week at Charter Oak and Christian refuses to participate. He has worn his school uniform everyday because Spirit Week is not for him. Of course, just because it is not for him does not mean he cannot critique his sister. This morning, he told Tori that she was not mismatched enough for Fashion Disaster Day. She did not want to hear it, and we told Christian to hush. If you don’t participate, then you cannot critique!

Christian has been having loads of fun with the kid next door. He spent most of the weekend with him and was bored when the kid had to go home. I think he is starting to forget how to entertain himself! I was shocked that he didn’t go outside last night when the kids next door were out and about. Something tells me Christian didn’t notice them, else he would have been out that door in a heartbeat!

Easter Greetings

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. We did. Christian spent Friday at home with us, colored eggs that night with his aunt and uncle, and played part of that night and all Saturday with his friend, Matthew, who lives next door. We took them to the park and then to Dairy Queen. He got up early on Sunday and was happy with his loot—he got everything he wanted and more, including a fuzzy, warm Angry Birds blanket that he wrapped up in all weekend. He hunted for eggs, got a little farther learning how to ride his bike, took a walk with me that afternoon and played on the iPad. This morning, he was snuggled up on the couch under his new blanket relishing his last day off from school.

Just the Beginning

We got the kids new bikes, and this was the first of many weekends to come teaching them how to ride their bikes without training wheels. Christian had no interest in it whatsoever, but we know he is going to want to go biking with the kid next door, so off we went. He walked to the school with me and let me give him a few rounds around the parking lot. He did pretty well, but when his dad started teaching him, he got ticked off. He called me Bad Clown #1 and his dad Bad Clown #2, then when he decided he liked my teaching better, he decided to call me Mom and his dad Bad Clown. Whatever. He is in for another lesson this weekend on the sidewalk—now if I could just get to practice tying those shoe laces.

Off On His Own

Christian showed his independence at his scout banquet by helping out the leaders and sitting with his pals during dinner. We told him he didn’t have to sit with us, and he chose not to. He only moved back to our table when it was time for the badges to be handed out. He seemed to have a good time up until the end when everything started to drag. I thought he was going to fall over from boredom, but he managed to keep his composure.

Next week is the ISAT tests. Wish Christian luck!

Fun In The Sun

Christian has been working hard preparing for the ISAT tests, and we gave him a break this past weekend with a trip to a resort with an indoor water park and amusement park. We got there on Friday night, and within half an hour, we were inside the water park. It was not as big as the one we went to in Wisconsin, but it was a lot of fun. Christian took off on his own and went down the big slides himself. He checked in with us often and had his brother and sister chasing him—Huts and I were their legs in the deep.

After a couple of hours in the water park, we headed back to our room. The kids zonked out, and the next day, we checked out the nearby towns and the amusement park. There were about eight rides. Christian’s favorite was the tilt-a-whirl. He rode that again and again, even on his own a few times.

Christian also spent a wad of cash on the arcade games. He loves the claw games. He is pretty good at them and managed to get Tori a teddy bear. He dropped everything else, much to his dismay. Huts called the games quit after he spend his wad, and Christian had to find other games to play.

Interestingly enough, Christian had a great time! There were no complaints or fits from him.

GlobeTrotters

Upon hearing that we were going to see the Harlem GlobeTrotters, Christian did his usual hemming and hawing about not wanting to go.  A few days later he started telling me about Amelia Earhart and how she died on her trip around the world.  I obviously didn't make the connection, she was a globetrotter!  Christian thought we were going to see someone who had gone around the world!  I assumed they had seen the commercials and new we were going to a basketball game.  Luckily, before we went I realized what he was saying and explained who the Globetrotters were that we were going to see.  He was more interested in this idea, but still didn't want to go.  He went anyway.


We had the best seats we've ever had.  We got the 2nd row off the court, so the kids could see everything up close.  Once the game started Christian was still reserved, but he laughed at most of the jokes and the globetrotter's antics.  They got to see how tall Tiny (7'8") was compared to them and how small Too Tall (5'2") was and laughed at how the names didn't apply.  During the game, they got to interact with Flight Time a bit.  Special K and Flight Time were fighting over the water right in front of us (between the first row and ours).  They fought a bit over the water and bumped some out of the cup right onto us.  Christian got the worst of it, but wasn't mad about it at all.  He laughed the hardest though when Flight Time sat down next to Tori (as you can see here - If you look at it as an image download, you can see it best.).  He thought that was the funniest thing of all.  I'm sure he was wondering why a player was sitting next to them in the stands.  


While he sometimes lost track of the game and asked why I was laughing (it was hard to see some of the antics being down so low).  It was difficult to understand some of Special K's jokes because of the sound system being poor.  He had a great time overall.  He's been telling stories about the Globetrotters for 2 days now.  Even though he had a great time when asked if he wanted to see them again, his reply was his usual "NO!".  He's nothing if not consistent with his answer to those kinds of questions.  But, he was intrigued by going again because he asked me later if they did the same tricks at other games.  He'll have to go to another game to find out.

Back In the Groove

The kids returned to school yesterday, and surprisingly, it was a smooth transition. Neither was looking forward to it, but they went without fuss. I thought for sure that Tori would shed some tears at before-care, but she didn’t. Miss Lynn at the program got married and is working the mornings only now. Miss Stephanie is now there in the afternoons and she introduced herself to me yesterday. She seems nice, and I am sure the kids are going to like her. Whether she does as many crafts as Miss Lynn remains to be seen, however!

Christmas Recovery

The kids had three Christmases, their rooms are full and they are settling in for the last few days off from school. Christian is having a great time at home with Grandma—the whole house to himself. Tori and Eli have been going to Sharon’s so they can play with the kids there. Yesterday, Tori came home in makeup. Apparently, the girls got some makeup for Christmas and made each other up. Tori was pretty in pink but washed it off as soon as we got home. She and Eli must have had a really good time because they sacked out early.

Many thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy lives to see us over the holidays and/or put us up. Sorry for the mess we left behind and thanks again for all of the gifts!