So Annoying

Eli was making a lot of noise this morning in the car, opening and shutting a case. At one point, Christian could not resist telling Eli how annoying he was being, to which Huts replied that Christian could never be annoying. Christian, of course, did not catch on to the sarcasm. I reminded him then how annoying he had been the weeks before when he bashed the punch ball around while reading the iPad. He would punch the ball for 15 minutes or more every time he got onto the iPad. It didn’t matter who else was in the room or if they were watching TV or trying to read. Punch, punch, punch, punch, punch! Ughhh! Christian thought this was funny and left for school happy.

Seven Weeks and Counting

Less than two months and the kids will be out of school. Boy, are they ready. The summer begins with a trip to Pittsburg for an anniversary party followed by a week at Grandma Marie’s. Then they come home, and we begin planning Tori’s birthday party. After that is the 4th of July. We are staying home this year—Hooray! Somewhere in there is a bonfire at Annie’s house, and loads of swimming over the summer there. No camp this year. Eli is not yet 5, and Christian and Tori opted out. I think they all just want to enjoy the 11 weeks they have off before school begins again. Poor kids. They get less than three months off. I remember getting a bit more than that.

Getting Better

Christian has not felt well for a while now. We thought it was because of the snacks he cut from his diet, and it might have been. Then he got a cold and strep throat. Then he had some allergy issues. Now, he appears to be on the mend. He hasn't coughed much, he is eating and drinking, and his skin is less dry and clearer. He also says that he is feeling better, so I hope this is a sign of better things to come. Now if he would just stop getting so bent out of shape over the smallest things, like spilling his water on the sofa this morning. He can be very high strung at times, resistant to the slightest change. Hopefully this will ease as he gets into his teen years.

On another note, Christian is doing very well in school, waiting to see whether he goes to advanced classes at Mark Bills or the gifted school. He just completed all of the math exercises online, so now he gets to do some easier stuff. That’s a relief for him and for me. He also remains dedicated to Legos. He bought several sets in Chicago with his birthday money, even one with over 1600 pieces. He had that done in less than four hours. He still has some space for future sets, but I can already tell we may have to look into other options. Crazy! Maybe he will become a Lego designer one day. He was digging the guy who was teaching the builder class at the Lego Discovery Center in Chicago.

Yep, I sat in on that class with him. The instructor was fabulous. The project was easy. Christian had a good time and we bought the pod racer he made. He had no problems following the steps and finished early. Good thing, too, because I had no idea what pieces the instructor was talking about.

Roller Coaster Ride

Christian is a very good boy, according to his teacher. This quality usually serves him well, but not with food. Every Monday at Latchkey, someone from 4-H presents a topic on nutrition. For instance, one week, the discussion was on body fat and they actually brought in examples of real fat. Christian, the good boy that he is, takes everything they say to heart and tries to follow it religiously. For months now, he has watched every calorie, cut out all snacks and sweets, and exercised often. He has lost some weight, which is not a good thing for him. Christian has very little body fat, and if he is like some of his family members, he will never have to really worry about weight gain. But, the feeling of not wanting to get fat and following what he has been told pervades. It has gotten so bad that we have had to make him eat snacks. Last night after he came home feeling tired and lousy, I made him eat a big dinner and later a decent sized snack. He wolfed all of it down. He was hungry, of course, but I don’t think he realized it. So, tonight, the snacks will continue—not too many, but enough to keep Christian healthy.

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.