Where has the time gone?

December of 2004, Carter was a Tiger Scout.

I remember we had the Christmas den meeting at our house. I think the boys decorated cookies. I snapped that picture.

And tonight, Carter earned the Arrow of Light award. Now, I am not going to tell you I really know what that means. I have probably been to a handful of meetings between the Christmas den meeting in 2004 and tonight's Pack meeting.

I will tell you it is a BIG DEAL.

They got a cool arrow. A fancy new pin. A Badge for the Boy Scout uniform they will wear when they cross-over from Cub Scouts next month.

Carter has been in Cub Scouts for 5 years and plans to make it to Eagle Scout one day.

We are very proud of you Carter.



Carter and two of his buddies that will be joining him in Boy Scouts.

You need to wear a coat

It is snowing outside.

Me: Carter, you need to wear a coat.

Carter: No, I'll be fine.

Me: I can not let you wear a sweatshirt only when it is snowing out. Put on a coat.

Carter: I don't want to wear a coat, I'll look like a nerd.

Me: If you don't wear a coat, you'll get sick.

Carter: I don't want to wear a coat.

Me: Ok, fine. Get a piece of paper and write a note to your teacher that says: I did not wear a coat. I understand I will not be able to go out for recess today. Please send me home with next week's homework as I will probably be home sick.

Carter: Fine, I'll bring a coat, but I won't wear it.

Me: IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE!!

Carter left for school wearing his sweatshirt...and his coat. Hopefully he leaves it on until he gets to school. I can't wait until he is a teenager, GEEZ!

I've heard rumors it still exists

Remember the commercial for Caribbean Cruise lines with the family and the preteen daughter? It went something like this:

"We've come to the Caribbean in search of something this family rarely sees. I've heard rumors it still exists, but I don't know. We've tried everything to coax it out into the open."

At this point, the camera focuses on the daughter, who's cracking a smile. "Wait, there it is. She's actually smiling." But as soon as the daughter sees she's being watched, she frowns and rides off on a jet ski. "And then it's gone in a flash."



Last week the boys had two days off from school. I know what you are thinking, What, they just started on the 14th! Yes, two days off for reading testing. Our tests were on Friday. We had Thursday free, hmm what to do with a summer day and no school and no pool....Oh yeah the boat!

We drove to the lake and had a fun day on Grandpa's boat. His friends joined us with their jet skis. The boys had a blast.

I immediately thought of that commercial when I saw Carter doing this


And Griffin doing this


There must be a picture from my Dad's camera of Carter and I on a jet ski too. But here is one with Hayden. He was very nervous about trying it at first, he sat on it, then they went around the boat twice, then they took off and had fun.


We all did this




It was a great day off. Big smiles were seen all day.

Griffin said he was saving for a jet ski. Then, two days later, when faced with the opportunity to take his two dollars to the mall, he changed his plan.

"When I'm the next Phelps, I'll just get endorsements and they will give me a jet ski for free."

Really mom, you embarrass me

I had a great plan. Since all the boys are three years apart in school it worked perfectly. It kept everything fair and equal.
I am all about being fair and equal.

I will room parent for 9 years. In our school the room parents plan the three class parties, and act as a liaison for the PTO. I love a good party and really enjoy telling people what to do (just kidding) so this is the job for me.

It started out great. I was room parent for Carter's kindergarten and first grade classes. Now I could have done second grade also while waiting for Griffin to start school, but then that wouldn't have been fair, so I took a year off.

Then I was room parent for Griffin's kindergarten and first grade.

This was Carter's year again. 5th grade, the last year of elementary school.


I guess I forgot to mention my plan to him, or maybe he liked it better when I explained it to him in second grade, "I can't be your room parent this year, it wouldn't be fair. But when you are in 5th grade honey bunny, I will, I promise, it's the plan. Kindergarten, First and Fifth for each of my boys. Then I also have three years off when Hayden is in 2-4th if I want to be PTO President." I am sure his initial responses was, "Yes Mommy, that sounds like a great plan, I am sure I will still want you in my classroom when I am in 5th grade, who wouldn't? Can you come everyday to my class and sit right next to me?"

Ok, so it may not have gone like that, but I am pretty sure he was on board with the plan.

And then he entered fifth grade.

And now he is hesitant (and by hesitant I mean he may need therapy later) about having me be room parent.

Carter: "Fine Mom, you can plan the parties, but don't come to the parties."

Me: "Why not?"

Carter: "Really mom, you embarrass me."

Me: "How?"

Carter: "When you say, where's my little Carter."

Me: "I promise I won't do that anymore." I don't think I really do this, do I?

Carter: "Ok, fine. You can come to my class. I'll just pretend I don't know you."

This wasn't part of the plan.

Wordless Wednesday ~ First Day of School

They dressed themselves, do they realize they match? Probably not.

Missing CHILD!!

Missing:

10 year old boy that hates whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta, whole grain cereal. Anything with the words "wheat," "grain," or "healthy" in the name.

The missing child has been replaced with a boy, remarkably similar in appearance, who just shouted, "Oh yeah, are you making cookies with whole wheat flour? I love whole wheat cookies, they are so good."

If you find our missing child, please keep him. We are so glad to get this one in his place.

And you can break the news that the pasta he has loved for years "sun dried tomato" is really WHOLE WHEAT PASTA! Our new son is sure to love the irony of that now.

Speechless

How to silence a precocious 10 year old.

1. Take him to the campground pool in Moab.

2. Watch him play and have fun.

3. Notice the foreign beauty arrive at the pool.

4. The 10 year old notices the foreign beauty.

5. The 10 year old sees the foreign beauty remove her cover-up to sunbathe.

6. The 10 year old gets his first glimpse of a THONG. And by glimpse, I mean long staring drool-fest.


Dear Foreign Beauty,

We don't dress like that in AMERICA. Really, really, do you think that is appropriate swimwear for a family campground? You must be so insecure with your almost dangerously thin physique that you crave the attention such a swimsuit (and I use that term loosely) can get you. Your boyfriend seemed to enjoy your outfit. Just wait until you get pregnant, deliver a baby, breastfeed and do it all over again and again. Then will you be so ready to bare it all in your thong?

The few husbands at the pool were smart enough to avert their eyes. The women glared at you from under their sunglasses. And the preteen boys at the pool, well I am sure they are still dreaming of their first sight of butt cheeks during their best vacation ever in Moab.

Sincerely,
The curvy mom in the tankini

It's almost over

Is the school year over already? For my kids the answer is yes. Wednesday is the last day for Carter and Griffin. The School in the Woods (SITW) had the end of the year celebration last Tuesday. I am sure you know by now that SITW is a special 4th grade school for our school district. A handful of students get chosen to attend for the year (lottery based) and they learn everything other 4th graders learn but with an emphasis on nature. Pond sample studies, animal tracking, weather observations, hiking, etc, it is truly an amazing experience for these kids. All of the pictures are from the school, our district has access to over 640 wooded acres for these kids to explore.
All 52 kids came hiking in to where the parents waited singing songs of naturalists.



The students took turns telling everyone what they would take away from SITW, Carter said "a new love of the natural world."



Then we enjoyed some cake and fellowship with the other families. And Hayden enjoyed the hula hoops.



"Really mom, I don't want any pictures."


"Fine just a couple of my tile for the tile wall." Each year the students make a tile, that is proudly displayed on a large frame with all the other student tiles on the side of the school.




This was a fantastic year for Carter. If your children have the opportunity to experience anything like this, do it! I know other schools are trying to use SITW as a model for their own nature school, I hope one pops up by you.

Rocker

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Carter's Arch Nemesis

We purchased our house when Carter turned one. The tree was big then. Carter has always wanted to climb that tree. This may be the summer he figures out how to get up there. Here are some photos of his recent attempt.

Safety first: he wears a helmet and finds clothesline to repel down from his victorious climb.


He ties the clothesline around himself, including through the belt loops.


Now, to get the clothesline over the branch of the tree...Ahha, the trampoline.


Now make a "triple slip knot." A what?


Try swinging to the top..nope that doesn't work.


Maybe this would work better if I wore shoes. On no, wait, I tied myself to the tree and the rope isn't long enough to go inside.


It is very difficult to untie a "triple slip knot."


Especially when your little brothers are hanging from the rope.



Yes, shoes work better.




If Griffin thinks he can do better, just let him try.






I know what this tree is missing. Foot holds, also known as rusty nails. I see tetanus shots in our future.


And so the tree remains the arch nemesis. No one has climbed the old girl in years. Maybe this summer she is conquered. Or maybe this summer she falls over from too many nails in her trunk.

Mostly sunny with a chance of rain

I am sure you are tired of hearing about Carter's awesome school by now. Sorry but we have one more story.

The kids are currently working on their spring field projects, his group is weather. Carter loves weather! He is obsessed with our local NBC weather guy. The mom of one of the kids from his group set up a field trip to the local Fox news station. Carter was in heaven. The weather man told us all his tricks, showed them behind the scene action, the kids tried out the news desk, Carter gave a weather report in front of the green screen. It was a fun filled hour.

The price of fame? 20 bucks

We are lucky enough to have access to a sky box at the Colorado Springs Sky Sox baseball games about 4 times a year. The Sky Sox are the AAA team for the Colorado Rockies. Last night was our first time this season. We arrived early and were soon visited by a few young guys from the promotion crew.

We could have one of our boys be the Junior Announcer during the bottom of the fourth inning. He would sit behind home plate and announce all the Sky Sox players during the bottom of the fourth. We have never had anyone we know get to do this in the 19 years of the Sky Sox. What a fun time! Griffin hears this and is saying please, can I do it? over and over again. I look to Carter (the older, shyer one) and he seems fine with Griffin being the Jr. Announcer. Yes, sign us up, we say.

One catch, they say, it is $20. Ok, fine, 20 bucks isn't a lot to pay for this shot at fame. They pull out the sign up sheet and I notice several other promotional spots still open.

We find Carter something also, the Checker Auto Parts Pitch to Win, and shell out another 20 bucks. Yes, even though it already sponsored it is still $20 to participate. Hayden is too young to realize he was gypped.

The fourth inning comes along and Griffin's cute little face graces the jumbo tron four times while he calls out Seth Smith, Sean Barker, Joe Koshansky, and Edwin Bellorin. There is just something sweet about the little kid in speech pronouncing all those S's. He received huge applause from the crowd!

Carter and Ben were in the player's tunnel for most of the seventh inning. They went on the field after the seventh inning for the Checker Auto Parts Pitch to Win contest. Carter's adorable face was on the jumbo tron while he had 3 (then 4 and 5) turns to throw a ball though very small holes to win a Checker Auto Parts gift certificate, just what every ten year old needs. He did a great job, he came very close every time. More huge applause! He won a $20 gift card for Checker. Ben was thrilled.

And these boys will forever remember their once in a lifetime brush with fame in minds. They will have to, I forgot the camera.

We are famous

OK, maybe not really famous but the boys did get some local ink recently. Our Community News printed a picture of the boys playing marbles at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.

Bald is Beautiful

Today was St. Baldrick's Day. We found out Colorado Springs had the largest number of shavees (in a single day event) than any other St. Baldrick's event in the WORLD. We were so proud that one of the shavees was Carter. He raised $330 in pledges (thanks to all who contributed!) more than doubling his personal goal.

Without further adieu here are the pictures of our newly bald child.

Big Helper

Carter, the big helper, mopped the hardwood floors yesterday while I was trying to get Hayden to take a nap. I thought they seemed a little slicker than usual. It wasn't until Hayden slipped and fell for a second time that I asked Carter to show me what he used to mop the floor.

He said he used the mop and orange glo wood cleaner and polish. This would be similar to cleaning the floors with Pledge. The orange glo claims to melt away grease, grim, polish and wax build up. It also leaves a slippery clean surface. I bought it for cleaning our kitchen cabinets and it worked great. I highly recommend it for cleaning wood, however unless you want to spend weeks in traction with a broken back, do not use it on your floors.

Thankfully he didn't mop the stairs too!

UPDATE: I put on my gym shoes and walked across the floor. They now make that squeaky noise that makes me want to pull the hair out of my head. You know the noise, wet rubber sole shoes walking through the grocery store.....AAHHHH!!!!!! This is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.

Spring Break

"Three boys, I wouldn't know what to do," the mother told me(she has one of each). She said they had the boy second and told her husband they were done, as if having a second or (God forbid) a third boy would be too much for anyone to handle. I am starting to take offense to this. Yes, boys are different and thank goodness they are! They are always in motion, have their occasional gassy outbursts, and things are just generally louder at our house but I have plenty of Tylenol and room spray.

I think you just have to embrace the difference and entertain them accordingly. This was our Spring Break:

Thursday and Friday: new sidewalk chalk, a newly paved cul-de-sac, scooters, basketball, bikes, bubbles, and law enforcement toys from the $1 store (yes, with guns and handcuffs...call me a rebel).

Monday: Carter opted for Cole's house over fun with mom. Griffin, Hayden and I went to Little Bigg Town for the morning. (I will post a side note about this later with my BBB report information.) Then home for a nap and a glass of wine. Griffin did a great job at swimming lessons. Noah, his instructor, is amazed at Griff's breaststroke, he is a natural! So we think we have a shot at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, we'll keep you posted.














Tuesday: We popped over to the swim and racquet club for a little tennis practice in the morning. We really can't wait for the pool to open. Carter was picked up and we headed to Salsa Brava for what would begin the "Nacho and Queso Tour." A fun show at the library, The Big Bad Wolf and a trip to Brushstrokes rounded out our day. Home for a glass of wine.











Wednesday: Our field trip to the Florissant Fossil Beds was great. It will be even better when we go back in the summer. There was still some snow up there and some of our footwear wasn't appropriate. The Hornbek homestead was interesting and it was a good place to run around and burn off some energy. We kept on Hwy 24 looking for food (nachos maybe?) but found Lake George Pizza. Yummy pizza, happy friendly staff..we highly recommend stopping by next time time you are heading west on 24.














Thursday: We hadn't been to the zoo in a while and took a trip out there on Thursday. The boys had a great time feeding the giraffes, visiting the penguins, and spending their Easter money (thanks Grandma Judy and Grandpa Jim) in the gift shop. The Nacho and Queso Tour continued on at the Loop in Manitou. Now I must say the service really stunk, they were understaffed and the waitress wasn't very friendly. We headed home for more bubbles for them and wine for mommy..











Friday: If it wasn't so chilly, meeting the burros would have been much more fun. We did have a good time at The Western Museum of Mining and Industry. There were pioneer games like marbles, pick up sticks, jacks. Plus the museum was very interesting, gold panning, a mine, miner clothes for dress up. We decided to join the museum now we can go visit anytime. The Nacho and Queso Tour continued at our house after a quick trip to Safeway. Carter said they were the best nachos all week.














My goal this week was to have the most fun for the least amount of money. The admission fees were only $13 (we are zoo members) until today when we bought a membership. The Nacho and Queso Tour was fun for the boys and less than 1 adult and 3 kids meals, yes we could have gone home or packed food but this was more FUN.

The moral of my "Three boys, I wouldn't know what to do" story is...FOOD and FUN, that's what you do with three boys.