Ladies Man

Last week, we went over to Ella's house to have dinner and so the kids could play. It had been WAY too long since we all had seen each other even though we are less than a 10 minute drive apart. 

When we arrived, it was raining so Ella's daddy told us to park in the driveway.  Ella was waiting in the garage for Collin to get out of the car.  I had him get out of the car and carry her surprise to her.  She said, "Did you get my flowers Collin?" He did not respond.  Typical boy!  She was ecstatic about the flowers and gave him lots of hugs.  Here is just one of the many hugs he got:

Her mommy cut the stems and put the flowers in water while the kids played.  Collin's Daddy arrived and we all sat down to eat and catch up from the last time we got together.  The kids played great together.  Scarlett wanted to get in on the action a few times in between running through the kitchen a few times.  I remember when Collin used to do that.  We called it his "drive by" to check in on us to see what we were doing. 

Before leaving, we made plans for Collin to spend the night soon.  Ella has apparently asked about Collin and spending the night ever since.  She might even have used the term "boyfriend" in there a few times.  That's my man!  Sorry Saige and Linden....gotta share and keep his options open.  He sure does have a great group of friends.

Continuing Dog Saga

Every Monday at school, Collin goes to computer lab to draw and learn the computer keyboard.  The teacher prints what he did during the lab and we talk about it that night.  Last night, this is what I pulled out of his backpack:

Trying not to laugh thinking this looked like a big turd, I asked Collin to describe what he drew "Read what it says, Mommy.  This is me walking my dog".  The picture does say "ihav a dog" which he typed by himself on the computer.  I guess he is still thinking about a dog and wants one really bad.  At this point, we have at least 6 more weeks until we are able to move back into our house.  Do you think he will forget when we move back in?  I hope so but doubt it.  One of the many things I have learned about Collin is that he does NOT forget...unless it's convenient for him to do so. 

Surfing Dude

Friday was a make up swim day because of the rain Monday.  Collin ended up having a private lesson because the other little boy did not make it for some reason.  They started out warming up with breast stroke (three and then turning over on his back) and then he floated on his back.  He was better about keeping his chin up this time. 

They did a few more drills before he became.....surfer dude!  The point of this exercise was for him to stay standing and practice his balance while the instructor moved the float around.  He would have done better than he did but Goofy Collin showed up for this one and thought this was when we was supposed to perform and dance.  He fell and acted .... well, like a 5-year old little boy.  At least he had a good time and wants to continue to come back to swim "practice" every week.

Sleepover Weekend

Collin had lots of fun this weekend because he got to spend a lot of time with friends and cousins.  It started Friday night when we met the Harrises for dinner.  We had just finished a make-up swim lesson for him and Daddy called to say he was going to be working late.  What to do now?  I called Aunt Lisa and we met for dinner at Fuddrucker's.  Collin wanted to eat there because he knew there were video games and he could win a prize.  He won a red ball the last time we went there on a game that is notorious for never letting a kid win anything.  How was I going to explain that to him that he might not win another ball?  We met at Fuddrucker's anyway.

The kids did have fun playing games.  Collin thought it was so cool that Uncle Paul bought $5 of quarters.  "There are so many monies Mommy!"  Yes, there were a lot of quarters....but they did not last that long even though most of the games were a quarter.  Our food came and the kids shared a hamburger and some fries before wanting to play some more.  That was fine with the parents so we could continue to talk and catch up.  When we were about to leave, I asked quietly if Timmy could spend the night.  He did not have a change of clothes but I bet we could figure it out.  He could spend the night and the boys were ecstatic! 

On the way home, Collin let Timmy pick out a movie.  That was HUGE for Collin to share something like that.  They watched Toy Story 3 and laughed or quoted the movie most of the way home.  I let the boys play a little while before changing into PJs to watch a movie and settle down for the night.  At least that was the idea.  The movie was over around 9:15pm and they both still had a ton of energy.  I thought play board games or something else that did not allow them to run around would be OK and might wear them out.  NOPE!  They were going strong until 11pm when I decided that they needed to go to bed.  I had forgotten until this point that Timmy is used to staying up late.  It still took another 20 minutes before both of them fell asleep.  Oh please, oh please, sleep in a little tomorrow!

The boys woke up after 8am (yes!!!) and were hungry.  After breakfast, they painted a little.  I had been saving a bunch of toilet paper holders to make crafts from.  This morning, they wanted to make butterflies and bunnies.  Well, that was the idea....they only painted the tubes and decided that was enough and moved on to something else.  Collin might have hung out a little longer but Timmy was ready to move again. 

After playing in the apartment a little longer, it was time to go outside and enjoy the beautiful day.  We went to one park a played a little while until Timmy had to potty.  I forgot this park did not have a potty nearby so we got in the car and went to the other park that did.  Good thing too because both boys had to potty again a little later.  They had a blast at the second park. I brought balls to play with too in case they wanted them. Collin did and had fun kicking the ball to Timmy...who got bored with that quickly but I played with Collin.  Here are some pictures of the little Nuts insisting that they swing in the baby swings.  They lasted at least 20 minutes in these swings.  I was worn out from pushing them and encouraged them to play somewhere else. 

We went home after that to play a little, rest and then meet Aunt Lisa.  I knew that Collin was supposed to spend the night with Oliver that night so I wanted him to get some rest before I dumped a tired, grouchy boy off at Oliver's house. As soon as I pulled up to drop Timmy off, Collin fell asleep.  At least he will get some rest on the way back to Oliver's house.  I did stop by our house to check on the remodeling progress.  Dry wall was up and they were finishing the molding and building the shelves.  Making lots of progress in the last few days.  Yeah!

We arrived at Oliver's and Collin immediately ran to Oliver's room without even giving me a hug or to tell me "bye".  Hmmmm....guess he will be fine here overnight.  hahaha  I did stay for about 20 minutes to catch up with Oliver's mommy and daddy before meeting Daddy at the apartment. 

That night, Daddy and I met Bridgette and her husband, Craig, for dinner at Carraba's because they were in town from Austin.  We had a great time catching up...and we sure did have a lot to catch up on. After dinner, instead of going to a movie, we watched one at the apartment that Daddy had ordered through Netflix.  Glad we stayed home instead of going out. 

The next morning after going to the monthly Time Trial for the bike shop Tri club, we picked up Collin, came back to the apartment and....wait for it.....took over a 3 hour nap!  We were all exhausted from the weekend so far.  We got up and ran some errands before staying home the rest of the evening.

"151...."

Not sure how or why he picked the number, but Collin's response to any question that requires him to respond with an amount is 151.

Mommy:  "How many chicken nuggets do you want?"
Collin: "151 nuggets!"

Mommy:  "Time to pick out some books"
Collin:  "I want to read 151 books"

Collin "Mommy, can we have 151 dogs?"  Ummmm....no way!!!

As Collin was brushing Mimi's hair tonight, "Mimi, you have 151 tangles in your hair"

"Mommy, I want a brother...and a dog!!"

Collin has recently gotten over his fear of dogs.  He does not run away or hide behind one of our legs when he sees one approach.  He is still cautious at first but does eventually go up and pet the dog. 

He recently told me on the way to Jake's house (who has 4 dogs) that "dogs are nice and gentle and I am not scared of them anymore".  Well, that was a good thing since the plan was for him to spend the night there.  When we entered the house, Collin did not run from the dogs and even bent down to pet one of them....and laughed.  I loved this sight.  When Daddy and I picked him up the next day, he asked about getting a dog.  I just looked at Daddy and rolled my eyes.  Daddy has been talking about getting a dog for a few months now.  Does he not remember that the house is being remodeled and we live in a tiny apartment right now?  He says he does...and I have pushed off the dog subject for now.  One thing at a time these days.

After picking Collin up from Jake's, we went to our house.  It was a beautiful day outside so we spent time in the front and backyard enjoying the weather.  Collin loves to throw a ball on the roof of the house and watch it roll down.  Daddy joined in and they did this for about 30 min while I laid in the front yard to watch them.  The breezy felt great and I was really enjoying it.  One of the neighbors stopped by with her three kids while out on a bike ride.  The kids wanted a break and to play.  The little boy, Oleg, was 4 and Collin enjoyed showing him around the backyard and playing with him.  After the kids had to leave, Collin asked both of us, "When am I going to get a brother AND a dog?"  Our response was soon and that we are working on it.  He does regularly ask for a brother and when is he coming to live with us.  We would love to add a little boy to our family and this will happen when it happens. 

Valentine Party at School

Because I was working from home today, I was lucky enough to attend Collin's Valentine Day party at school and help out. When I arrived, I caught him not listening to his teacher.  As soon as he saw me....oh boy did he start listening and got back in line. 

Each child sat at one of four stations.  Collin did great and sat where he needed to instead of the station I was helping out.  The stations were:  cupcake decorating, making a Valentine heart, Valentine bingo, and snack.  The kids also got to distribute the Valentine Day cards they brought from home.  That's the area I helped out with the most.  Collin moved around to each station and could not wait to distribute his Valentine cards.  He patiently waited until it was his turn. 

Cupcake decorating.  I was not surprised that he did not want his cupcake.

At the end of the party, the kids sat on a square quietly while we cleaned up.  Some kids were going home after this.  Collin really wanted to but I told him it was Mimi's turn to pick him up from the bus stop.  He said, "Marshmallow Mimi?  Yeah!!!" and then ran back to his square.  He did not look back at my as I walked out the classroom door.  That's my big boy!

Swim Practice - Backstroke and Diving

Collin continues to focus and do great with his swim practice.  Unlike last year, he races to the front door when we arrive at the gym.  No more crying and negotiations to not go inside.  Phew!

Instead of playing around in the water, he pays attention to what Matt has to say.  I can tell this has really helped him advance in just a few weeks.  He is so like me in many ways.  I see it when he is swimming and doing something new.  I wants to follow everything that Matt says and do it as perfectly as he can or he quits and wants to start over.

First, he started with practicing floating and kicking without a splash.  He splashed at first but, after being reminded about the splash, he was able to tighten up his kick.

Next, he practiced his back stroke.  He struggled with this one a little more than Monday because his nose was a little clogged (might be the start of a cold) so it was difficult for him to breathe on his back.  He did do really good despite this.  I was happy to see that he did try and not quit.

He then dove from the side of the pool through a large hoop.  He did jump but ended up landing on his belly. 

I have great videos but they won't load right now.  Poo....

Swim Lessons, I Mean "Practice"

Collin has started swim lessons again so he can build on what he learned this summer.  Instead of crying about the lessons when Grandma H or Daddy pull into the parking lot, he is fine with going inside to swim.  That's because he is practicing and not having lessons.  We think it's because his teacher, Matt, is fantastic and very patient with him. 

I took him to practice today.  When we arrived, he wanted to run to the front door.  We checked in and he excitedly ran to where the pool is.  Where is my child?  This is NOT the same kid I took last year to lessons.  He was actually happy about it and could not wait to get into the water.  He first had to swim from a distance to the side of the pool...and did great.  Next, he practiced three breast strokes and then turned over onto his back.  He was great with the strokes and had trouble turning to his back and then keeping his back straight.  He did do a great job with the kick board.  He held the kick board on top of him as he was on his back kicking.  At one point, Matt let go of him and he continued to kick and lie straight.  He made it to the edge of the pool, looked over at me and smiled.

After practice, he wanted to know when he was going to come back.  He would only have to wait two days.  I know that will be forever to him though.

Valentine Cards

I know I am behind these days but there is so much to keep up with.  However, I was ahead of the game tonight when Collin and I started to work on his Valentine's Day cards for school.  This past weekend, we bought the supplies together and were ready to get started.  We had to make a card for each of his 23 classmates.  I separated out the hearts into the different colors: white, hot pink, pink, purple and red.  He informed me that only the red or white was for the boys and the rest were girl colors.  I called the students name out from the list and he told me what color heart to select and write the message on front and then the To and From on the back.  For the boys, he wanted to say "You're Cool" and for the girls he said "My Friend".  After writing the messages, I peeled and he stuck little colored heart stickers on the big hearts.  We also made heart cards for Linden, Saige, Foard and Hawkins that said "You're my best friend". 

He signed and put stickers in the cards for Mimi and Grandma H.  Last was the card for Ms Hansen.  He thought about what he wanted to write and, then with a smile, had me write the following:

Awww...good to know that he does really like his teacher.  I was happy that we did finish making all of the cards tonight and did not have to rush finishing all of these tomorrow night.  I love it when a plan comes together!