Still The Lego King

Christian still loves Lego's.  After a brief waning of interest, it picked up again around Christmas time.  They had some of the new sets out right before Christmas and now any time he looks at Lego's it becomes a conundrum of which set he would like.  He currently likes the Ninja Turtle sets, Legends of Chima (mostly the bad guys) and some of the new Super Hero sets.  

He's also gotten picky about certain sets.  He recently found a penguin minifigure on ebay that he wanted.  It had to be the old version of penguin, not the new one.  He'll scour ebay for Lego sets all the time.  Sometimes to just look and sometimes he finds something.  We are in trouble!

He's also gotten into the Lego Academy builder sets.  They all come with a book explaining things about lego's and designs.  I'm not sure if he reads them, but he definitely likes them.  They are different from anything Lego offers in their store.  This summer we plan to go to Chicago and go to the Lego Discovery Center, which I'm sure will be the highlight of Christian's trip.  Maybe he'll find something to work with his lego motors, switches and lights he got for Christmas.

No Fun

Christmas was pretty subdued at the Erickson house because we were ALL sick. We had coughs, colds, chills and all of that fun stuff. We were so miserable, in fact, we told almost everyone to stay away. Annie and Dale braved it and got sick. They passed it to Darin. Marie and Steve braved it and got sick. They went to bed early on New Year’s Eve. Travis and Diane were willing but got snowed in. So did Frank. Mom managed to escape it but ended up with something else in the hospital. She just got home today. This is one Christmas none of us cares to repeat.

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.