"Take your shoes off Mommy"

Yesterday morning, Collin woke up earlier than usual. I was not too surprised because he went to bed early. I was in the kitchen making breakfast and about to leave for work. He walked in the kitchen and the first thing he said to me was "Take your shoes off Mommy". Assuming he meant for me to take my shoes off to stay home, I asked him why he wanted my shoes off. He replied with "Do you have to go to work today?". I thought this morning would be rough since I just spent four solid, wonderful days with him. I told him that I was going to work and that he gets to go to school to see his friends and started listing them off. I could tell that he was paying attention and was OK with this. I quickly changed the subject to breakfast....which is what he usually asks for when he wakes up. I asked what he wanted and started to make it. He was fine when I had to leave and gave me a HUGE hug and a kiss. I headed to the front door to leave and he was fine because he went back to his chair to continue to eat.

Family Day

We had a GREAT morning decorating the front yard. We could not have asked for better weather. The sun was out and it was not too hot.

The entire family pitched in to hang lights and give opinions about the placement of the decorations both indoors and out. Collin did get bored and wanted me to throw the ball to him. He eventually helped me out lining the flower beads with lights. He was too cute running across the street to get a better view of the lights....but then would tell us they were not working. We had to explain that it was too bright out so he could not see the lights. We all could not wait until it got dark so we could see what the lights looked like.

Later, Daddy pitched in and helped the neighbor put up his lights while Collin played with the boys. JP and Collin ended up in our house playing with cars and then coloring after a quick snack. When it was time for JP to go home, Collin told him "bye JP" and gave him a hug and a kiss. He must have had a great day because he was tired during dinner and fell asleep before 8:30 tonight. I cannot remember the last time he was in bed that early.....at least for me.

Here is how the lights turned out. Daddy is going add a row of lights across the top of the house. Looking good!!! Collin really liked seeing all of the lights if you cannot tell from the pictures.

Thanksgiving weekend

Friday, we actually were out shopping on Black Friday. I cannot remember when I did this last or if I ever did. The crowds were not that bad because it was really cold and raining. We went out with Daddy first to Sears but did not get anything. Daddy earlier went out and brought back a pre-lit Christmas tree. The one we have been using is about 16 years old, not pre-lit and it a one-branch-at-a-time tree. It's VERY time consuming but looks great when I am finished. I just don't have that time anymore, so I broke down and had Daddy get a new one.


We pulled down the decorations from the attic and Collin had so much fun digging in the boxes and pulling stuff out. I would hear every 5 minutes "Look what I found Mommy!" or "Mommy, this is my favorite" (he is using the word "favorite" a lot these days...I don't mind when he includes me as his favorite". Before we had all of the boxes down, Collin had already found my snowmen (I LOVE snowmen decorations) and had them all lined up on his book shelf. He then found the nutcracker collection and lined these up in the kitchen on the island. He did not know that this was not practical for Mommy to work around while cooking. I moved them but he did not mind......yeah! Here he is admiring the decorated tree.











For a break, we went to Hobby Lobby to see what decorations they had for sale. Everything was 50% off so we both had fun picking out new tree decorations (these needed some updating) and other decorations for the house. Again, the crowd was not bad at all. All of the shopping wore Collin out. He ended up taking a nap on the couch.


Saturday, we spent most of the day at Matthew's house. At first, the boys played next to each other or at least in the same room but not together. We know that like playing with each other so thought it would take time for them to warm up to each other. Jacob, Matthew's 7-month old brother, was scooting around and wanted to play. Collin was not interested in Jacob playing with him and would pick up what he was playing with when Jacob would get near. One time, Jacob slobbered on Collin's sleeve. The look on Collin's face was hilarious when he saw what Jacob did. He then wiped of the snot with his other hand and told me that "I need to wash my hands now" while shaking his head up and down as to say "yes".


After lunch, the boys went outside to play on Matthew's new swing set. Collin did great at distracting Matthew from the wet sandpit and showed Matthew new games to play with the ball. Yes, Collin taught him how to throw the ball on the roof and let it roll down. It did get stuck once but Matthew's Daddy was able to get it down without a ladder (He's about 6 ft 7 in). Collin swung in the big boy swing which Matthew had not done before so Matthew wanted to try. He did great for his first time.











It was time for a snack and to go inside. After a snack, it was time for some entertainment. Matthew had a drum set. He started to play and Collin was in awe. He wanted to join in and got his own set of sticks to help out. This is what that sounded and looked like.



Collin was not ready to go when I was ready to. Daddy was home early so I wanted to spend some time with him. Plus, I knew that we were going to see some new friends that night and I wanted Collin to get some rest before that happened.


Because Collin was asleep in the car from the trip back from Matthew's house, I stayed with him while Daddy got ready for us to go to see some new friends. Collin ended up getting over an hour nap that way and was ready to play with the boys there. He met Korbin, a 3 1/2 year old that lived there and had a great playroom. Collin liked that there were balls and cars. He had dinner with Korbin and then played upstairs most of the time. I was proud that he eventually played upstairs without having me be there the entire time to watch him. I did like that he would occasionally "check in" by coming down to show me a new toy he was playing with and say "hi". I even got a kiss a few times.....what a sweet little boy. We stayed until 8:30pm. Collin was asleep by 10pm after reading his Christmas books that we found in the boxes earlier that day. He loves for me to read him the Night Before Christmas because Santa is in the pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We have so much to be thankful for. We are so lucky to have our son, Collin. What a joy he is in our lives. We are also thankful for the many friends and family we have and were able to spend time with during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving morning, we went to Beard Ranch and had Thanksgiving lunch there. Mimi, Pappy, Melanie, Dawn, Mary, David and Grandma Filla were there. Collin enjoyed being outside looking at the animals and even walked around the area were the dogs were (he was scared of them when we arrived). He had a blast throwing the ball to me. Dawn and Mary did most of the cooking. I brought pasta and gingerbread squares for dessert. Mimi brought a relish tray and her yummy deviled eggs. Collin did not eat much and almost fell asleep at the table because he had been running around before he finally sat down to eat.

We left after we ate so that Collin could sleep on the way to Galveston which is where the Jureks were staying for Thanksgiving through the weekend. It was 80 degrees that day so the kids were hot. They had a blast running through the water from the hose that Daddy held. Not something you would think we would do on Thanksgiving....but we were spending time with our really good friends. Once it got dark, we went inside for more play and visiting. We left around 6:30pm so Collin would not stay up too late. It was only the start of a long weekend.

Cheering for Ethan.....and then cookies!

Yesterday afternoon, we went to watch Ethan play in the football playoffs. Collin at first said he did not want to go. I know it's because he was really tired and could use a nap. I would have stayed home but knew he would enjoy watching the game.....which he did.

When we first got there, he was not sure why Ms. Kristen was yelling at Ethan. Then, I explained she was happy for him and was yelling so he could hear her because he was on the field. This explanation did not matter....he still stared at her when she yelled or chanted. Then, I started to do it so he would understand that's just what you did hat sporting events. I could hear him join in when we started to say "Vikings, Vikings, Vikings". After about 20 minutes, Collin was cheering for Ethan saying "Go Ethan". He was not loud, but I could hear him. Later, he said "Go Daddy, Go Mommy". I laughed and knew this was the reaction he wanted. He then started calling out friends from school....and then laughed. I knew he was having fun.

He did watch the game most of the time asking me what was happening. Then, some older boys sat below us and Collin started to watch their every move....and would try to copy them. He sat like they did (with their feet on the bench below) and wanted his snack because they were eating.

We came home and I thought he would be so tired that he would want to take a nap. Silly me!! He got out of the car and walked over to the neighbor's house (Max and JP) to see if they were outside. I was proud of him for doing this on his own and not asking me to go with him. They were not outside so he wanted to throw the balls on the roof of our house (refer to post a week or so ago). He did that for about 20 minutes until the neighbor across the street came out to play basketball. Collin walked over and watched him play. When he went inside, Collin started to play with the ball. We were outside for over an hour and then Daddy came home.

After dinner, Collin decorated cookies that I baked the night before (thinking ahead). He did great with spreading the icing on the cookie but DUMPED the sugar sprinkles on the icing. He kept wanting to take the lid with the sprinkle holes on it off so pour out the sugar. He was having fun and being creative so I did not stop him. He only ended up eating one and was finished. I was fine with this because I did not want the kid to be on a sugar high before bed.

He must have enjoyed his day because he was in bed asleep by 9pm.

Turkey Trot and Friends

This morning, Collin and I were joined with several friends in the neighborhood Turkey Trot. We did this last year and had a great time with Matthew and Melia. This year, Matthew, his brother, Jacob, Melia and her friend McKenzie and Matilda (notice all of the Ms) joined us for the 1-mile walk. Matthew and Collin had a great time running, then stopping to pick up leaves or acorns and then start running again. They boys had a blast. The girls hung in the back and walked slowly.....clear difference between the boys and the girls. After the walk, the kids had fun playing on the improved park. Collin started with the swings and pretended to kick me in the bottom. He laughed so hard at this. Then, he climbed on the jungle gym all by himself. He needed help getting down though. Collin was the last one on the playground about an hour later.

It was time to go and rest at the house a little before we joined Daddy for lunch at a local Mexican food place. Collin continued to climb around as he did on the playground. He then discovered the fountain nearby and wanted coins to through in it.

We went home to rest before Saige and Linden came over to play. When we pulled up to the house, JP came around the corner from his house. So much for resting. Collin and JP played with the basketball, ate marshmallows for a snack (because the older kids were playing with the marshmallow guns) and then threw the tennis ball back and forth. JP had to go in and take a nap. Collin and I continued to play in our backyard. He threw the ball on the roof so it would roll back to him. He did this for about 30 minutes while I read a book. What a great way to spend the on a beautiful afternoon.

I knew Collin needed a nap, so we went inside to rest. I put in the movie Toy Story and Collin sat on the couch and rested. He never took a nap. Saige and Linden came over later. The kids played outside or in the playroom until the pizza arrived. Collin and Saige sat on the same bench and talked to each other as if they were asking how their days were already. Really cute.... The kids played in the playroom after dinner until it was time for the girls to go home. A few times, I did hear Collin to tell Linden to leave the room. Is he already not wanting to play with the younger kids? Linden did not care what he said and continued to do what she was doing.

Collin must have had a blast today because he went to bed by 8:45pm tonight. Happy Mommy!!! Pictures to follow later. Must get to scrapbooking while the house is quiet.

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Here are the pictures. First, the monkey.....he is not the timid little boy he was a year ago when he plays on the playground equipment now. I could not believe the way he "attacked" these....

Here he is with Saige being Cat in the Hat. Daddy bought him this shirt when he was in Vegas.

Monkey is a Baby

Tonight before we started reading some books before bed, Collin stood up and put Monkey under his shirt. I asked him what Monkey was doing under there and this is what was said:

Collin: "He is in my tummy"
Mommy: "What is he doing in there?"
Collin: "He is resting in there. He is a baby"

He then put his hand under his shirt and said that he gave Monkey a toy to play with. He did it again and said that he gave Monkey some cranberries (remember, these are gummy fruits to Collin) because he was hungry. After a few minutes, he stuck his hand back under his shirt to get the bag the cranberries came in to throw it away in the make-believe trash can sitting next to him. He then stood up to get another book and made sure Monkey stayed in his shirt. He was proud that Monkey did not fall out because he said, "See, he did not fall out. He is sleeping now so let's get in bed". Yep, it was that easy. Collin and Monkey crawled into bed.....but took another hour to fall asleep. What an imagination!

Homework......Already????

Because of show-n-tell Friday, Collin has homework almost every week. Sometimes, he has to bring something that is part of the theme for the week and show it on Friday. Other times, he has to be more involved and create a project. This week, he has to decorate a large "feather" and write on it what he is thankful for. Here is what he (we) did for this Friday's "homework":

• He cut out the feather design given by his teacher
• I asked him what he loved and what he was thankful for. Some of what he said I wrote on the feather and others there were stickers he put on the feather. The final list was: Mommy, Daddy, Friends, Family, Monkey (I knew that one would be on the list) and his teacher (ok, kissing up to the teacher already)
• He used stickers, markers and glitter to decorate the other side of the feather. He like picking out the stickers and peeling them off himself. He did get upset with himself when he ripped two of them. He picked out Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, lots of animals such as a pig, alligator, turtle, zebras (Mommy and baby) and a camel.

He did great with the glue. I let him decide if he wanted to make dots, outline the feather or scribble with it. He outlined the feather and did a great job using the glue. He did ask for help a few times for me to squeeze out more glue. The pictures below show the concentration he used while doing this. He was proud of the final product.....and so was I.

Visitor during Lunch

I met Collin for lunch today because I was working from home. For the last three weeks, I have been traveling and working a lot of hours. I thought he would like the attention and I also wanted to spend some more time with him. I brought a sandwich from Quizno's and he had Salisbury steak, carrots, mashed potatoes and cinnamon pudding. He liked the steak but was not interested in the potatoes or the carrots. Must have been an off day for the carrots since he has eaten these before. He is not a fan of potatoes though...no matter the form of them. I learned that he is not the fastest eater in the class. He is mainly focused on eating but he chews his food for a really long time. He did eventually finish all of the steak he wanted and tried the pudding after he took a TINY lick from the spoon. His face lit up and he said "I really like that Mommy" and ate several more bites but was full. He told me to take the pudding to his house.

While we were sitting there eating, one of his friends came over and asked him if he was going to cry when I left. He said "No, I am not because I am a big boy". I thought to myself "we will have to see". After he cleaned up the place where he was eating and then through his plate away, he got in line to go outside. I asked him for a kiss, he got out of line to give me a kiss and a hug and then told me "bye". He WAS a big boy.

I am so glad I took the time out of my day to have lunch with my son instead of clients.

Dinner Parties ..... Too Young?

The last two nights, we have had friends over for dinner on a "school night". Las night, Saige, Linden and their mommy came over while we were eating dinner. Fortunately, Collin was hungry enough that he finished eating his dinner before he went to play with them. They had a great time playing in his playroom. I think Collin liked having friends over to play with him once he got over the fact that they were playing with his toys. This took him about 5 minutes to start sharing. When it was time to go, they all ended up in his bed to hide from their mommy. Collin thought this was really funny. Here they are in his bed:

Tonight, Alex, Ellie and their parents came over for dinner and then to play. Alex and Ellie are in Collin's class at school and a year older than him. Trying to get three kids sitting on one side of the table focused enough to eat was a challenge but they all eventually did. The kids then went to play in his playroom while the parents sat in the living room to chat. Every 10 minutes, one of the kids would come out of the playroom to try to tell on one of the other kids. We told them to go back in the playroom and not tattle-tale. This worked until the next time someone came out of the room to tell on someone else. Fortunately, no one got hurt....just hurt feelings and the reason for the tattle-telling. This was mainly from the 4 year olds.....guess this is something we have to look forward to.

Collin was fine when both sets of friends had to leave. With all of the playing and burned energy, I would have thought he would have been tired. He was but was overtired so it took me an extra 30 minutes or so to get him to bed and it was more work because he was really grouchy. That's not easy to deal with as a tired parent...but it's pat of being a parent. I would not change a thing.

Buzz Lightyear and Chi Chi Wauwa

It's been awhile since I have posted because I was in Nashville for training most of the week. I was looking forward to Saturday and spending the entire day with Collin....which started at 6:50am. He walked over to my side of the bed, threw Jimmy on the bed and then told me, "Mommy, get up and let's go to the kitchen". I guess this was his way of telling me that he wanted breakfast. I had him crawl in bed with me and told him I needed two more minutes. He turned his face towards me and told me to quit snoring on him. I told him I wasn't and he said I was because I was breathing on me....which he demonstrated. I guess it was time to get up.

I made us eggs and toast. He had two eggs with ketchup (yuck, this is Daddy's influence) and some of his toast. He then wanted to watch a movie and picked out It's a Bug's Life. He watched less than half of it because he was getting bored and because the garbage man was going down our street. He likes to watch the garbage men do what they do and wave to them. He wanted to go outside but it was 55 degrees and he was not dressed for it. I did let him stand near the front door which was good enough for him.

We then went to Jacob's house to play for a few hours. We arrived to Jacob watching Toy Story 3. Collin got bored and wanted to play in the playroom. Jacob was not interested and he threw a little fit. Finally, he came in and played with Collin. They ended up bringing the soft blocks in the hall, built a wall and took turns crashing through it. Collin saw Jacob's Buzz Lightyear wings on the table and wanted to wear them to "help him crash through the blocks". The boys took turns wearing the wings or the Buzz Lightyear costume and crashing through the blocks. They were having a blast! Here is just a few minutes of what it looked like.

The boys then got hungry and stopped to have a snack of water and homemade banana bread. Collin finished his and said it was yummy. They then played with the trains for a little bit. Jacob was really tired because he was grouchy and crying a lot. It was time for us to leave.

We ran some errands. One was to Whole Earth Provision to pick out some Melissa and David toys for Collin for Christmas. He immediately picked out a large stuffed animal, a chihuahua. He had fun picking out some small alligators, farm animals and dinosaurs. I did put most of them back without him looking. He picked out a few other things and we checked out (I managed to put several of the toys back and ended up with a farm house that included farm animals, silly bands and the chihuahua. I did let him have the stuffed dog now and hide the rest of the toys in the car. He called the dog, "little dog" at first. I told him it was a chihuahua and did he want to call him Chuy. He said no and said "his name is Chi Chi Wauwa". I smiled and Collin knew that I liked that name.

Collin fell asleep on the way home. I knew he was tired when we left Jacob's house. It took him this long to fall asleep. I thought I would be able to transfer him to his bed when we got home. When I drove up and saw the neighbor's house had people working on the roof and using a leaf blower. There was no way that Collin would stay asleep. I tried to get him to nap on the couch but he wasn't having it.

After about an hour, he wanted to play outside. All of the neighborhood boys were playing. Collin and the youngest, John Paul, threw balls to each other. Collin showed John Paul how to throw the ball on the roof. John Paul wanted to play in Collin's playroom which we did after getting permission from his daddy. The boys had a good time and John Paul did not want to leave when it was time to go. Collin told him that he loved him as he was leaving and gave him a hug. That's my sweet boy.

After dinner, we went outside to play because it was such a nice night and was forcasted to rain tomorrow. We threw the ball to each other for over an hour. Collin had me throw the pool blow up ball to him so he could hit it in the air. He was really good about hitting it most of the time and sometimes, really high into the air.

Collin was really tired and his eyes were red. I was hoping he would go to bed early because he needed it. So many times before when he looked like this, he ended up going to bed at his usual time. I started his bath early and was able to get him out quick because Pappy was over. Collin wanted to see Pappy before he left. He then ate an apple (he did not eat much today because he was so busy so I thought this would be OK and not delay the bedtime process much). He then went to his room and picked out books to read. Chi Chi Wauwa was there with him listening to me read them. I then said I wanted to get in his bed. He said "you are Collin and I am the Mommy". I crawled in bed and he sat on his knees on the side of the bed and sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". He then said "I am Collin now" as he crawled into bed. We talked about his day and then other people in his life. This is what we have been doing for several nights now. Tonight, we talked about mine, his, Daddy's Chi Chi Wauwa's and Monkey's. I sang one song to him and could tell that he was going to fall asleep soon. He was out at 8pm...an entire hour or so earlier than usual. Phew! I hope he does not get up early because of this.

What a great day with my son. I cannot wait until tomorrow.

"Mommy did it"

Collin is becoming a little storyteller. It's good that he has a great imagination but, when we want to know what really happened, we have to keep asking questions until we get the accurate answer. I have already posted about him coming up with reasons he needs something or cannot do what we ask him to do. Tonight, some examples were:

• "I need this pillow behind my back because my tummy hurts" - when we were reading books
• "Look Mommy, I have a zit like you that I got from taking a bath" - he was pointing to his mosquito bite on his cheek when he said this. From taking a bath....really?
• "I can't brush my teeth because I still have fish stuck in my teeth" - which is exactly why he needs to brush his teeth.
• "Mommy did it" - when I asked him why he kicked and broke the door to his armoire. I just sat there and saw him kick the door and break it off. I told him that I saw him to it and he insisted that he did not. Ugh...we are starting that already? he has said things like this and blaming others for the last few days.

Before taking a bath, he wanted me to stand behind him and put my arms over his shoulders. He then started to walk and told me I was his backpack and he was Dora the Explorer. I thought that was creative because Dora does talk about and wear a backpack in her cartoon.

The funniest, most exaggerated story was when I was giving him a bath. This might be a little detailed for some of you so consider yourselves warned. I was bathing him and noticed that he was red in the genital area. I asked him if he hurt or it burned with the soap on it. He said "No, it does not hurt. It did not hurt today either when I was playing on the playground and hit my penis in the dirt. I am better now Mommy". A "yes" or "no" would have been sufficient but I did ask him, didn't I?

Charity Walk and a New Friend

Collin and I attended the Juvenile Diabetes 5K walk this morning with my work colleagues. At first, he was shy and wanted to ride in the jogging stroller that I was really happy I brought. Then, he met a buddy named William. He is a 4 year old son of a colleague. They got along really well and talked to each other along the walk. Collin would show William something he could do and then William would do it and then show Collin something. They then wanted to get out of the strollers and walk which REALLY slowed us down. If William had to go potty, then Collin did and vice versa. Collin liked looking down the hole in the port-o-potty and asked me lots of questions about it when all I wanted to do was get out of there in a hurry. At the end of the walk, there were more than five bounce houses for the kids to play in. They boys played and jumped in these for over an hour. Collin had fun diving from the side and landing in the middle. Thankfully, the bounce house did not have too many kids in it at the time he was doing this.

Finally, Collin got tired and needed a drink which was my opportunity to move him away from the bounce houses. My company brought out boxed lunches which was perfect timing....Collin and I were getting hungry. He, of course, had to sit by William and wanted to eat the same type of sandwich. Collin did end up eating the entire turkey and cheese sandwich and the banana included with his lunch. This was after he polished off a box of raisins and Nilla wafers. The bounce house must have made him hungry.

We then went to my office for a little bit to pick up some papers and meet with a coworker to discuss tax returns (yes, that time of year....still). Collin did great while we were there. Here he is coloring with my highlighters on some paper. When we were cleaning up, he stacked these together and wanted me to bring them home. Maybe he was not finished with his art work yet?

After leaving my office, we went home thinking he would need a nap. He wanted to play outside which we did for about an hour. We threw the football to each other and then he started a game he likes to play often.....of throwing the tennis balls on top of the roof and wait for them to roll back down.

He then dug in the dirt a little bit while I put away the Halloween decorations/lights in the front yard. He told me that he was making me pancakes. I don't think that syrup will make dirt pancakes taste good. This at least occupied him long enough for me to finish the front yard.

I then made dinner so Mr. No Nap could eat. I underestimated how hungry he was. He ended up having nine chicken nuggets, some pasta and a drink. This was after a snack of six peanut butter crackers just an hour earlier. Maybe a growth spurt?

We have friends in town spending the night that came over just as Collin was about to fall asleep while he was finishing his last nugget. This woke him back up for another 2+ hours until he finally passed out a little after 10pm. I hope he sleeps in for his sake. What a long, but fun day he had.