Kind Stranger

Cody was gone last week and of course it snowed here in Colorado. Not a light dusting but actual snow. In fact the weather was classified as blizzard weather which resulted in multiple inches of snow filling my driveway. Once the snow started falling I began dreading the shoveling process ahead of me. Case and Cole had both been sick with bronchitis. No one had slept which meant I had slept even less. Where was I going to get the energy and time during daylight hours to shovel 6-8” off the driveway when no one was napping, everyone was cranky and I had no one to watch the boys in the house? After a particularly hard night I decided I had to get out of the house. We had been sequestered inside due to illness and weather for almost 4 days and I was going bonkers. I needed to get to the gym which is the only place I can leave the kids and get an hour to myself. I didn’t know if I could even get my Corolla out of the driveway with all the snow, but gosh darn it, I was going to give it a good shot. I had the garage door open and was loading up the boys when a man came driving down the street on a 4 wheeler with a snow plow attachment. He saw that I was getting ready to leave and asked if he could shovel my driveway for me. Can you?! Oh please! It only took him about 4 minutes to completely clear the driveway but his generosity almost brought me to tears. Thank you kind stranger. Thank you. Thank you. Your 4 minutes of kindness will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Everyone (except me) was excited about the snow coming down.  Look it's snowing!

Several days later we ventured out and found some large drifts in the backyard.  Case decided to tackle the largest one by walking exactly in the center of the drift.  He was unsuccessful and needed rescuing.  Help!  I have fallen and I can't get up!

Although most of the yard had too much snow for Cole to walk around in we did manage to find a worn spot surrounding the playhouse he could shuffle around.  Cole loved the snow so much and he cried so hard after we went in that I ended up getting re-dressed and going back outside for for another 5-10 minutes.   

Pthhhhhh!

The other day Cole wanted a sucker right before bed.  He was already bathed and in clean pjs.  My answer was no.  Of course he disagreed with my decision and decided to vocalize it the only way he knew how.  But listen to the extensive lengths he went to vocalizes his displeasure.  His immediate first reaction was to reach for my ears to yank my ear rings out (little sh*^t).  I was not wearing ear rings so he reached for my hair to yank.  However my hair was pulled in a pony tail.  He painstakenly worked and worked and worked his little fingers into my pony tail until he had a satisfactory piece of hair and then yanked with all his might.  I reprimanded him and said, ‘We don’t pull hair.’  I sat him down on the ground and he spit at me.  Pthhhhh!  (have I mentioned the little sh*^t part)  Then he went into the bathroom and proceeded to pull toilet paper off the roll and throw it around in the bathroom.  I took the toilet paper off the roll and put it on the shelf.  He crawled over to the hat and glove basket and began throwing the contents over the bathroom. 

The pictures below are not of the actual incident but showcasing his love for the lollypop.  Double fisting and licking one then the other, back and forth until he is completly coated in sticky goodness. 

See why I said no?!  Suckers are not a clean candy to eat before bedtime. 

In order to survive the next 18 year, I am going to need all my therapist and parent friends coaching me all the way with this little stinker.      

Giddy Up

Recently Grandpa Bobby was in Denver for a team pining competition.  The family trekked up to see him and his horses.  Case immediately asked to ride his horse.  The boys had a great time checking out all the animals.  Cole, notoriously a mama’s boy, even let Grandpa Bobby hold him and walk all around the arena sans mom, while checking out horses.  I only snapped one or two photos before my camera battery puttered out on me.  Hopefully Grandpa Bobby will be back soon and we can get together again.   

  

Christmas 2011 Part II

What was supposed to be a small little Christmas somehow exploded!  Can anyone find the children amid all the presents?

Santa brought Case a huge box of airplanes which was exactly what he wanted.  Hooray for Santa!  Case also received a camera, more train pieces, board games, toy dinosaurs and books from Aunt C.C.

Cooking supplies were the perfect gift for Cole since he spends all of his free time cooking at Cases kitchen. Put something in a bowl, put the bowl in the oven, shut the oven, open the oven, take out the bowl, take out the food, put the food back in the bowl and repeat. He can play pretend cooking for hours.

Pape received a drill, bead rack, scrapbook, cologn and other goodies.

Santa brought Uncle Jason OU duds, a kindle fire, sheets, a crock pot and he even managed to find some books from Lele’s and Great Grandma Maxine’s childhood to pass on.

Cody scored some shoes, a jacket, jeans, signed OSU picture and a check for extras.

A sonic gift card, pots and pans, a necklas and a new camera were among Holly's favorites. 

Once Cole warmed up the paper was flying. He unwrapped Christmas ornaments, stuffed animals and a laugh and learn play center from Nana.

Lele took home a jogging suit, sheet set, food dehydrator, gravy boat, olive spoon and scarf to name a few.  

Christmas dinner was not a formal affair but delicious nonetheless. All the favorites were represented: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, noodles, corn casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry relish, olives, wine and cider. No one walked away hungry.  I forgot to take a picture of the before scene so all we have is a snapshot of the aftermath. 

The rest of the evening we spent playing with new gadgets and performing magic tricks. Uncle Jason ate at least 12 bottles of water and other various items. Cole was amazed each and every time.  Down the hatch and where did it go?!



The day was laid back, full of food, fun and laughter. I cherish these Christmas’s together. Merry Christmas 2011.

Making My Mark

I am an artist.  I love to create.  That means, if you leave your pen anywhere near me I will ‘create art’ on your chair, on your wall or on your floor. You can’t contain creativity!  But only hope to clean it up.    

Here Kitty Kitty

Cole loves the cat.  He loves the cat so much; cat is typically the first word he says after waking up.  Cole looks for the cat all day and says ‘cat’ at least 100 times from morning to night.  He loves the cat.  The cat on the other hand.…. tolerates him.  Elizabeth is very patient of Coles cat fascination for which I am grateful.  Here she is being patient as Cole pokes and prods her. 

Natural Science Museum

Two weeks ago we ventured up to Denver to visit the DINOSAUR museum.  This treat proved to be almost as effective as “Santa” when attempting to modify behavior.  All we had to say was, ‘you have to be good so we can go to the dino museum this weekend,’ and Case would straighten up immediately.  The boys were still holding their tickets when we spied our first dinosaur skeleton, the fin whale.

The Denver Natural Science Museum had a great display of animals.  They had big dinosaurs, small dinosaurs, old favorites like the T-Rex and obscure one we had never heard of before.  I was proud each and every time Case identified one of the animals by just viewing their bones.  The transition from picture to real life and real life to skeletons seems complex for a 3 year old, but he could identify like a pro.  

The trip to Denver still a bit long to work into the boys sleeping schedules.  This was confirmed about 20 minutes after arriving at the museum when Case announced he wanted to go home and take a nap.  I guess the excitement was a lot to take.  However we pushed on and I’m glad we did, because during our last run through the museum we found the kids interactional Discovery Zone.  Everyone enjoyed all the fun hands on activities and no one wanted to leave.  I mean really, how can you resist floating scarf’s, digging for dinosaurs and giant play pits?!  

We had a great morning together as a family and I can't wait until the boys are a bit older and we can spend the entire day in Denver exploring all the museum has to offer including: space, Egyptians, Colorado's history and geology.  This trip was just a taste of what we will be able to explore in the future.