Funny, Funny Boy

Christian is a good kid, but occasionally, he falls apart and has a meltdown. This was the case on Saturday morning before a friend arrived for the weekend. Christian has seen a lot of this friend this summer and he wasn’t in the mood to see more of him, or so he thought. Eli heard his complaints and was all ready to let the friend know to play with him. I tried to distract Eli, but it was tough. The friend arrived, Eli started yammering, Christian broke down in tears and chaos ensued. Eventually, Christian got it together and had a great time with his friend. They played all weekend long up until the friend’s mother arrived late on Sunday night. There were very few fights, other than with Eli—he wants so badly to be a big kid. Christian went to bed happy and stayed home this morning to rest up. He promised Eli he would play with him tonight. That made Eli happy and he went off to the sitter’s without complaint.

Brownie Boy

The kids love brownies. It doesn't take them long to realize when they are baking. “I smell brownies,” Eli always says. The other day, I pulled a box out of the cabinet and sat it on the counter top. I was going to make them later. Christian saw the box and wanted to know if he could make them. And, make them he did. By the time Huts got down to the kitchen, Christian had most of the work done. He loves to cook and bake, and he is getting to the point where he can do many tasks on his own, including following the directions on the back of the box. He even put the pan in the oven himself this time. He took his time and was very careful, but he got the pan in. I don't think he is ready to deal with hot pans quite yet, but he will get there. He has a genuine interest in the culinary world, and sometimes I wonder if he will consider becoming a chef one day.

Habitual

Christian is very habitual. He has a routine and he does not like to deviate from it. Travis discovered this in St. Louis this weekend when he got Christian a sandwich from Subway. Christian likes the kids’ turkey and cheese, and we generally order it for him. He had no idea that he could get other types of bread or cheese and freaked when Travis started asking him about that. He kept telling Travis he had to go ask his dad. Amused, Travis told him they could figure this all out, and they did. But, apparently, the change in routine and the multiple questions threw him for a loop. His eyes were big as saucers, and the panic was setting in. Funny boy! We have told this story twice now, and Christian sees how silly he was acting.

They're Back!

We picked up the kids on Saturday, and they all said they had a great time. They came back with some nice stuff and some nice memories. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Lucy, Uncle Tony and everyone else. Christian came back a lot more relaxed. He is now wearing shorts again and asked for Pop-Tarts this morning instead of his usual cereal. He said he tried lots of different things at Grandma’s, and that’s good.

Of course, I got a lesson on what Legos go with what Legos in his room. I got quite a few wrong when I moved them around and added more shelves. He fixed them and he is very happy that he has more room for future Legos.

Too Quiet

The kids have been gone for about a week now. It was tough for me to leave them, and it has been tough for me to be without them this week. While I have enjoyed having less to pick up, I have missed their voices terribly. Our house has been super quiet, and it is very odd. We are so used to three voices ringing out and little feet running up and down the stairs that we don’t how to act when it is all gone. I suppose we’ll learn one day when the nest is empty. Until then, I am going to enjoy all of the action.

Rolling Right Along

June has begun, and we’re rolling along. Huts and I have nearly completed our to-do list for the house, and we’re getting ready to turn our focus to the kids, helping them learn to ride their bikes and identify letters (Eli). Tori can basically ride her bike. She just needs to conquer her fear of falling. Christian needs to conquer his need to do it right then and there. He gets frustrated when things do not come easily to him. Tori has always been more athletic than Christian, so it is no surprise that she almost has it down. She is also starting ballet this week. Hopefully she has a good time doing that and does not expect too much at first. Eli appears to be the most athletic of the three so we will see what happens next year with his bike, He may be ready for the training wheels to come off before we are.

Last Day

The kids had their last day of school today—a half day. There were all kinds of things scheduled for the morning. Movies, crafts and board games. Plus, after-care was taking place afterwards, but the kids skipped out on that and went to lunch with their dad. I am certain they are super happy to be done for a few months,

Yesterday was the 4th grade party. Christian said there were games, a bounce house that stunk and more. He seemed to have a good time, and he came home with a bag of freebie coupons from various restaurants.

He also came home with a backpack jammed with supplies he hardly touched and some that were so used they went right into the trash. He received a couple of awards and a free ticket to Six Flags, which is great since we are going there in a couple of weeks.

A Lot Going On

The Erickson household has been very busy with the end of school. We finally learned that Christian made it into the gifted school. Kudos for him. He is very happy and looking forward to a whole new school and breed of kids. He is hoping to join the Lego League—right up his alley. Maybe he will do a few other things as he gets more used to the school and the routine. It is going to be hard, but good for him. He is ready for a challenge.

Christian had a campout this weekend with the Scouts. It rained, of course, but Christian and his dad were troopers and stuck it out. Huts got the worst of it, I think, sleeping in a wet sleeping bag, but they made it. Christian said he sort of had a good time, which is pretty awesome for him.

Christian’s friend, Ruben, may be staying at our house some weekends this summer, maybe even this weekend. His mom works long weekend hours sometimes and asked us if we would watch him. Ruben and Christian usually have fun together, so we said yes. Hopefully, two long days won’t be too much for them.

Just Maybe

Christian has been struggling with calories for months now, trying to keep his in check so he doesn’t get fat or have health problems later. He has learned a lot about nutrition this year, more bad than good, and that has altered his eating habits big time. He lost some weight and everyone started to get really concerned, including his teacher. We tried several things to get him back on track, and finally, I think we have found a good solution. We are counting his calories with a goal of 1800 or more each day to help him maintain and gain some weight. So far, it is working, and there has been tremendous changes in Christian’s attitude and his outlook. He says he feels better and he seems happier. It’s nice to have the old Christian back. Hopefully, he can maintain this pattern.

Christian is looking forward to this weekend. The toy store is having a Lego demo and the comic book store is handing out free comic books. Huts and Christian are going to check them out and have some father-son time. Not sure what Tori, Eli and I are going to do, but I am sure we will figure out something.

Waiting Waiting Waiting

We got Christian’s scores for the gifted school. He scored above average on all areas but one. He was happy, we’re happy—now, if they would just tell us where he is going to school this fall. We really don’t want to put him through Mark Bills orientation, and then find out he is going elsewhere, and have to put him through another orientation. Ugh. I really need to know so I buy the right color of shirts for him as well. Mark Bills is navy and white, similar to Charter Oak. Washington has yellow as an option, too, I believe. I don’t know how keen Christian is on yellow, so maybe I should just stick to navy.

Christian turns 10 very soon. He has his eye on some new Lego sets coming out here soon. The Man of Steele, Space something or another, etc. He is creating quite the collection as you all know.