They did it!

Last week we had a first here at our house.  Our firstborn got in a little trouble at school.  I wasn’t really shocked by this as I had seen it coming for quite some time.  All the boys in the class are quite pushy.  It was just a matter of time before Bug got in trouble for it.  He got his name put on the board.  I know I am a little biased here, but he is normally a very good boy.

Some families believe that if the child gets punished at school they shouldn’t get punished at home.  We are not that family.  He has a great teacher, but when she gets mad, it is kind of laughable.  Don’t get me wrong, we love her, but she makes the Stay Puff Marshmallow man look tough!

So, I told him that if he got his name on the board again I was taking away TV for a week.  Yes, I did.  Sure it is harsh, but that boys loves his TV, a lot!  The last two days of the week he did fantastic.  All this week I got great reports.  We were so pleased when he was chosen as Student of the Week for his class!

Have I told you how much I adore their school?  I do!  He was recognized at their weekly assembly.

Maybe one day I can capture some pictures that aren’t blurry, but for now, this is what you get!

We also got 5 consecutive days of good behavior from the Butterbean too!   Their class doesn’t have a Student of the Week yet, but for us to get 5 good days in a row from him is pretty fantastic!  Did you know he still likes to bite?  Yep, at three and a half he’s still working on that.  It’s awfully cute when you pick him up and he is so excited to tell you, “I didn’t bit anybody today!”

We let Jackson pick a special treat.  He decided that he wanted to go see the movie The Lorax and go eat at Senor Frog’s.  We went to the movie yesterday, it’s really cute.  We had to wait for Senor Frog’s.  It’s Spring Break in these parts, and we like to keep it PG around here. So we will be heading over there when we think the rowdy Spring Breakers are sleeping it off!

Did you know that he chose Senor Frog’s for his birthday too?  5th birthday at Senor Frogs.  Don’t judge, please!

Here’s proof!

Awe!  He is so sweet!

We are so proud of our boys.  For them to both have a great week at the same time makes me {finally} feel like I’m doing something right!

God help me, it sounds like I am going to be brought a big lesson in humility real soon!

Rain Dance

I’m not opposed to letting the boys play in the rain.

Last week we got the first rain we have had in ages.  I’ve never lived in an area where there is a true “rainy season”, but we do now.  Apparently, we got an early start on rainy season already since it has rained twice since then.

About 15 minutes before it was time to pick up Jackson from school, the sky opened.  I wasn’t thrilled, but it does have to rain sometimes.

When we got home Miller asked if he could shower outside in the rain.  Sure, why not?!?

Miller went for broke, but I convinced him to keep something on since he was in the front of the house.  Jackson is just a bit more inhibited than Miller, thank God!

That stick was a light saber last week.  This week it is a fishing pole.

If you look at the edge of the flower bed {bottom right} you an see how much rain we got.  It is overflowing with water!

This week it is super windy.  Wonder what next week hold?  I’m hoping for more boating weather!

All of a Sudden

Last week I had 4 separate people remark that Miller was really growing.  Then Monday morning I went to put his shoes on and it was confirmed.  He grew.  He grew out of his shoes in the space of a week.

He talks in full sentences and asks “Why?” all the time.  He is obsessed with Star Wars, and especially light sabers.

Miller adores his big brother.  His big brother tolerates him at best.  Just recently they have been able to play well together.  Miller is finally mature enough to play with his brother.  For a few minutes.

He started doing this recently.

M-I-I-L-E-R

 

What’s next, college?

We Fished

There is nothing that unusual about us fishing.  We do it about every month or so.  When we fish off the dock we get little grunts.  Nothing that exciting.

Last Friday Allen took a few hours off of work and we went out on the boat to fish.  Nada.  Nothing.  Zip. Zilch.

Saturday was gorgeous too so we set out again.  This time in the opposite direction.  The first time Allen threw is hook in the water he Immediately started reeling it in.  I thought he was just playing, or had lost his bait.  This is what he  had

 

Gray Snapper, I think.

Then right after that (as in 2-3 minutes) he caught this huge Triggerfish.

It had the funniest teeth.

Jackson caught several of these.  Long and skinny, but not an eel.

Look at the little baby.

Another long skinny

A Strawberry Grouper!!!

Another Grouper

There are rows of teeth inside the gills of the grouper.

Here is someone else’s better photo of what they really look like…

And another Grouper!   Is this exciting or what!?!

There were more fish than this, but I don’t want to post more of the same, but let’s just say there were lots!!

It also didn’t hurt that this was our view on the way there and back!

I just don’t think we will have another day as magical as that for quite some time.

We only kept the snapper.  The rest went back into the water.

Now who wants to come fishing??

Winter

It’s Winter here.  We had chili last night.  I’m making soup now.

Look at that low.  It starts with a 5!

Apparently the Weather Service doesn’t feel it is necessary to compute wind chills at this level, but I’ll tell you that when you have 15-22 mph winds and it is 61 degrees outside, that’s cold!

The boys were made to wear long pants and long sleeves.  There was a lot of disagreement about that.

Since our house does not have any heat, I have to be tough and insist that they not wear shorts every day.

Poor us.

The boys are on Winter Break this week and I hope that the weather actually warms up a bit so we can enjoy the outside some more.

Tell me about your Winter Weather.

He did it again, and other ramblings about Miller

Last Thursday Miller did it again.  He has split open his chin.  The one that had 16 stitches about 6 weeks ago.  He wasn’t doing anything wrong.  I have to make that clear from the beginning, because really it is easier to conclude that he was being naughty.  He slid down off a chair to look for something and as he spun around, he slipped and hit his chin on the edge of the chair and split it open.

For some reason I am very calm in an emergency.  This time I was just totally dumbfounded as to what to do.  ER, doctor’s office or plastic surgeon?  Only the ER was open because it was about 7 a.m. but I just didn’t want to go there again!

I called Allen and asked him to come home and as soon as he saw it, he was able to make the decision that we really needed to go back to the hospital. 

On the way there, the plastic surgeon’s office opened and we were able to speak with him and have him meet us at the ER.  Clever trick if you can pull it off. 

Miller saw “his” bed in the ER and said, “I been to that one before.”, so back he went to “his” bed in the ER.  That is so wrong, but it is what it is.

The plastic surgeon determined that it was just too messy down there to stitch it up.  He did his best to use Derma-Bond and butterfly strips to close it up, but he has an opening( about the size of 2 pieces of rice side by side) that it open and is going to have to heal up.

UGH!

He has done really well with not messing with it and we just have to watch him like a hawk! 

That brings me to something that has been rolling around in my brain for a while.

Miller is hard to parent.  Part of it is that he is 3.  It’s not just that.  He is exceptionally busy.  He’s also really smart and athletic.  This gets him into situations he just shouldn’t be in.

Not too long ago he told me that he wanted a million dollars.  I told him that I was sure would have a million dollars one day {or a rap sheet}.  I feel like he will be a phenomenal success or not.  There won’t be much in between!

Over and over I find myself in tears because I just don’t feel like I am doing it “right” with him.  What does he need to make him into a good boy?  I have prayed many times a day for as long as I can remember, asking God to help me be the kind of mother that he needs.  I just don’t know what that is.  What would I need to be a better mother for him?  Patience, energy, more patience…

Then today while we were at the plastic surgeon’s office he tells me that Miller really needs to stay home for the rest of the week.  It’s not that having him home is a hardship.  It’s just that when he can’t get dirty or wet and can’t ride a bike, scooter or even run, I am completely at a loss as to how to handle this. 

We have done hour after hour of playing Legos, watching TV and movies and watching videos on You Tube.  We did this about 6 weeks ago, remember?  When he doesn’t get enough exercise he starts having behavior problems.

Which brings me to the next thing the plastic surgeon said.  “is he unusually hyper?”  Um no.  Um yes.  Um yes and no.  He is very active and at the same time he can play independently with Legos for 30 minutes or more.  However if you leave him alone during those 30 minutes you may come back to find something like this or this.

He said, “Maybe it is a good time to ask an expert.”  Um ok, but he is 3.  I know he means well, but I just don’t know.  I am the one with a degree in Early Childhood Education.  That degree has taught me that the age of 3 is too young to judge these things.  But still…

Then I came across this.  More for me to roll around in my brain.

Here’s to the moms whose children jump in fountains!  If you see one of us, be sure to give her a big smile and a pat on the back ( or bottle of wine).  She’s doing the best she can.

So Long 2011

To cap off a great year, we had a great boat ride and watched the sun go down on 2011.

Good thing they are slow!!

 

Yep! She did it. Nope, she didn’t stay in long.

 

I’ve been meaning to take a picture of this for ages.  Here is what my GPS shows while we are in the car.

Whew!  2011 was a fast year.  I bet 2012 will go even faster!