Happy Halloween

Nick and one of his Pre-K teachers! Living in a small town you kind of end up trick or treating at everyone's house.

We had one of the nicest Halloween's. I thought Jay's costume was awesome. He used his Grandpa Siebert's old army hat and his Grandpa Brad's old Air Force jacket. He made a great Army guy. And I was crazy about Nick's giraffe costume. I decided not to sport my giraffe costume during trick or treating tonight. We trick or treated with two other families and quite frankly, it would have been a little embarassing to walk around my small town in my big giraffe head. Plus, Jay would have been mortified. Nick was a little disappointed but he quickly got over it. Mike and I were keeping count as to how many Reeses Peanut Butter Cups the boys scored. We just love those things!

Football ended for Jay yesterday. The boys won, 19-0! It was a great way to end the season. Football was a really positive outlet for Jay and I'm already looking forward to next year's season.

My failing grade

Ta-da my friends, I have found I do have about 10 minutes to devote to my blog and it's only Tuesday. This week we had parent-teacher conferences. I've been well aware of Jay's struggles in school since first grade but third grade is a whole new ball-game as letter grades are given out. I think I've finally moved past my "poor Jay" attitude. You know what, he is learning disabled and so was I and so was his dad - We made it through and so will Jay. That is the attitude we've tried to convey to Jay over and over but it's easier said than done. I am so aware that he's a boy and I know it bothers him way more than it ever bothered me growing up. Personally, I remember liking the extra help, Jay, on the other hand, not so much. Jay recently told me he was upset that he scored a "C" on a math test because everyone else had scored an "A," which I highly doubt . It's a such a balance because I try to acknowledge how Jay feels but I don't want him to be disappointed over a "C" either. My mom likes to remind me of the time I scored a "C" on a test in high school. I was upset over it and my mom pointed out to me that a "C" was an average grade and there was nothing wrong with that. I shot back at her that I didn't want to be average! I shared a story with Jay tonight from my college years. I can never tell how much he is processing the information but I hope the point of the story got through to him. When I was in college I had to take one math course in order to get my degree. That math course hung over my head like a dark cloud. But I knew if I didn't pass that class, there would be no college diploma. I faithfully went to that math class and studied HARD but I struggled. I remember thinking how in the world is this stuff coming to easy to others and so hard for me? It was tough. On the day the professor posted the grades I was first in line to see if I had passed the class and there in black and white was my big letter "D." I was thrilled. I had passed the course. I ran into my professor immediately after I learned I had passed the class. She told me that in fact I had failed the course but because I had showed up everyday for class, worked hard and came to her with questions, she took mercy on me and gave me a passing grade. Most people would think this is a terrible story to share with a third grader and maybe it is but I felt it was a story Jay needed to hear. I'm not proud I got a "D" in my only math course I was required to take in college but it was a story with a good lesson learned, a lesson Mike and I are constantly trying to drill into Jay - work hard, make good decisions and it will all pay off in the end.

Columbus day adventures

I'm way behind in my blogging. It was a crazy week last week and I'm going into another crazy week so this may be my only blog for this week. A couple of weeks ago the boys were off school for Columbus day so I took the day off too. Because my mom and sister are teacher's, they didn't have to work. We had a really fun day and it was an added bonus that the weather was so nice. We started the morning off at the park - if you look really close at the first picture, you'll see Lauren hidden behind Jay. I then took the boys to Funks Grove. I LOVE Funks Grove because it's free (ha) and it's a little boy's heaven! The boys and I walked a trail, they played in the dirt (hence the last picture of Jay's pants) and we just enjoyed ourselves. I love those kind of days and with our busy schedule they seem to have less frequently.

Have a great week everyone...........

One of those moments

I blog because it's my way of documenting what is going on with my family. Living this life each and every day I think I'll never forget but I will and I have. Mike likes to make fun of my blogging but I tease him that one day when we're old and gray, he'll be glad I did this. I've tried to reflect the good, the bad and the ugly in my blog. My life is far from perfect and I am raising two challenging boys. But something happened the other day that really made me smile. Jay had a sleep over with a friend recently. This friend is a kid he's had some challenges with in the past but they seem to have turned a corner in their relationship. When I dropped Jay off for the sleep over I was nervous - the group of boys weren't Jay's usual crowd. When I picked him up the next morning Jay's friend told me that they had a good time and he thought Jay had gotten to know these other boys better - always a good thing. The boy's mother asked me into the kitchen for some coffee. I joined her and she told me her son was insistent on inviting Jay to his sleep over because there had been kids who had been mean to him at school and Jay had stuck up for him. I was so proud of both of those boys. I was proud of the other boy for overlooking the challenges they had faced in the past - by inviting him to his sleep over he not only deepened the friendship between the two of them but introduced my son to another group of friends - friends that Jay always liked but hadn't gotten to know very well. I don't think there are any words to describe the pride I felt when I heard my son had stuck up for another. Keep it up, Jay, you are turning into one outstanding young man.

Halloween Party

Here we are in all our glory - Baby and Momma Giraffe! Nick loved it and I as much as I hate to admit, I was a hit at the party. Ha.

Nick with two of his favorite people, Garrett & Holly!

I wasn't able to get a lot of pictures of Jay because it's impossible to get him off his four wheeler! But I thought this picture of Lauren and Jay was too cute!

Momma Bunny and baby bunny! I love this picture of Lauren and Kim.

My friend, Laura and I. We host the party! We had a lot of fun and the kids LOVE it.

The mummy wrap with Nick!

Priceless

If I could make my own visa/mastercard commercial tonight it would go like this: Four-wheeler for 8 year old boy, couple hundred dollars, Momma giraffe costume, $80.....two over the top happy boys. PRICELESS! To follow up from my last blog, I wrongly accused my niece. Either that or Jay really has her back. Ha. We presented him with his four wheeler tonight and he said he had no idea. Honestly, it was the most enthusiast reaction I've ever seen from Jay. He jumped up and down screaming, "AWESOME!" He drove it around the yard for 15 minutes and then it died. But never fear......Mike fixed it and he zipped around the yard another 30 minutes or so. It felt good to give Jay something that he really wanted (and we could afford) and tell him we were giving it to him because he's shown us time and time again recently what good choices he's making and how hard he's working in school. Even when his four wheeler broke down tonight he never once complained, he was only concerned with helping Mike getting it fixed. You know that song by George Strait, "The Best Day." It's about a little boy who sings about the best days of his life. It starts with spending the day with his dad, to driving, to getting married. In Jay's "Best Day" song, this could very well be the start of his song.

The $80 I spent on my large and obnoxious giraffe costume was worth every penny for so many reasons. There is nothing like hearing my entire family in gales of laughter and that is exactly what kind of entertainment this giraffe costume has provided. It has made my 4 year old smile and giggle in a way I can only hope I remember when I'm old and gray - thank goodness for my blog, huh? As soon as the package arrived, the two of us put our costumes on and Nick cuddled right up to his momma giraffe. He was quick to point out what a glorous tail I have too. But what also made it so great was Jay and Mike's reaction. They were in stitches over it. Jay couldn't believe I was actually going to wear it. I told him if he made fun of me too much then I would put the costume on and drive him to school tomorrow. I made a mental note that that will be a great way to threaten him from here on out......"Watch it, Jay, or I'll show up at school in my giraffe costume."

The evening ended with Nick and I sitting at the breakfast bar discussing our costumes and he told me, "Mom, we are going to be the cutest giraffe's ever!" I couldn't agree more, Nick.

Who let the cat out of the bag?

Anyone who knows Jay knows he's been dreaming of having his own 4 wheeler for about a year now. He draws pictures of them, he researching them on the internet, he loves viewing YouTube footage of 4 wheelers. Bottom line, that boy has 4 wheelers on the brain! Jay is also a pretty good kid. He's made some good choices and is working hard in school. Mike and I finally found a used 4 wheeler (for a kid) for a price we were comfortable with. We just got it yesterday but Jay won't find out about it until later this week - because Mike is on a business trip. Last night, Lauren (my niece) spent the night with us. Jay was with my mom and Nick was with Aunt MiMi so it was just Lauren. When we got home, Lauren and I took a spin on Jay's new 4 wheeler. I never thought anything about it - She is 2 but almost 3. She is also exceptionally bright. Me, my mom and sister and the 3 kids met up for breakfast this morning and the kids played together at the park - in other words there was a lot of time when the kids were out of ear shot. In passing today Jay mentioned we had a 4 wheeler and it was in the shed. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights! I didn't question Jay too much b/c I didn't want to give anything away but I was stunned. Could Lauren have told him? I basically let the subject drop and so did Jay and it's not like he's asking to go out to the shed - probably b/c he's relying on the word of a 2 year old and thinks, what does my 2 year old cousin know anyway? I immediately called my sister and according to Lauren she did tell Jay but again, we're taking the word of a 2 year old! So, all I can do now is wait until Jay gets his 4 wheeler and at that time I'll ask him about his comment today and if indeed his 2 year old cousin let the cat out of the bag? Stay tuned...........

My boy of fall

Jay played flag football last year but now that's he's 8, he can play tackle football! Jay loves the contact that football provides. I thought he would be best at carrying the ball but he's really an excellent tackler - even though most of the games he plays a lot of offense. I've watched Jay's team work as a team and as a result they have really improved. The boys have lost 3 games and won 2 and today's game.....they won 21-0! But honestly, to Jay, it's not about winning and losing, he's really gained a lot from the sport. He's established some good/solid friends and has excellent coaches that he's looks to for leadership. Football has given Jay something to really feel good about. It's been an all around positive experience. Way to go Olympia Spartans!!

All smiles after today's 21-0 win! Jay carried the ball and made some yardage! Yeah!

Bath time "joys"

Just the other night I had about 20 minutes before I had to get the boys to bed so I decided I would take my People magazine and soak in a hot bubble bath. About 5 minutes into my "calgon take me away" moment Nick comes knocking at the door and from that point on the conversation goes like this:
Nick: "Mom, let me in, I have to poop."
Me: "Nick, we have two other bathrooms, go use another one."
Nick: "But Mom, I have to go."
Me: "Nick, too bad, go to another bathroom, I'm taking a bath and I'm naked."
Nick: "Dad, I have to use another bathroom, Mom is naked and she has her boobs out in the tub."

Lovestruck

Recently, there has been some chatter around our house about which girl likes which boy and who is passing notes or who is calling who. Jay got a very urgent phone call from one of his friend's this week. I picked up the phone and his friend immediately said, "Amy, I must talk to Jay, I have shocking news for him." I was thinking, Oh my, did he just discover they have a test tomorrow that we didn't know about? Jay proceeded to get on the phone and you must know Jay, talking to him is like talking to a mute - He doesn't say much. There were some smirks and giggles on Jay's end but that was about it. The conversation lasted an entire one minute. Jay got off the phone and said his friend liked this one particular girl but then he found out that this girl liked Jay instead! He could have cared less. He says girls are sissy - Hello Jay that's why we're girls! I'm so glad I'm blogging all this so I can remind Jay of his silly comments when he comes home lovestruck with his first girlfriend or better yet, his future wife. Poor Jay, with all these blogs, he doesn't have a prayer. Then tonight he tells us the best revelation yet. A girl he sat with at lunch today whispered in his ear that she liked him. As he is telling us this he has no expression on his face. He doesn't gush, smile or even roll his eyes. He just said it so matter of factly. Mike and I asked him if he liked her, we got a big "N-O." I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling that someday he won't be saying that. I was warned that the "who likes who" starts early and clearly it does but ready or not, here we go.

Nick and his giraffes

As I've written in my other blogs, Nick is crazy about giraffes & penguins. The great thing about giraffes is they have hair and Nick is often delighted to brush their hair. He has told me that when he grows up he wants to be a giraffe zoo keeper and get up on a ladder to brush their real hair and take care of them. I suppose he'll have to divide his time between brushing the giraffes hair and swimming with the penguins. Whenever Nick sits down to brush his giraffe's hair I'm reminded of the differences between Jay & Nick. The differences between them is what often times keeps me so entertained in this household. Ha! Jay wouldn't have been caught dead (even at age 4) brushing his stuffed giraffe's hair. I wouldn't go so far as to say Nick has a feminine side but he's more sensitive and more focused than Jay. He'll take a little more time to "smell the roses," or brush his giraffe's hair. Nick is a giraffe for Halloween this year and he's asked me to be his momma giraffe. I hesitated because the adult sized giraffe costume is expensive but my mom said I wouldn't have another opportunity like this. Nick is my baby and I'm sure neither of my children will ever ask me to dress up with them after this year - So I ordered the insanely over priced costume. We asked Jay if he wanted to be our zoo-keeper. There was a lot of eye-rolling and he turned us down cold!
Stay tuned for pictures.

Purple eyes & hair loss

Mike has taken a lot of insults lately and he's not even aware of it. Just this week Jay and I got in the car to go to football. Once we were alone in the confines of the car Jay asked me, "Mom, why does dad have those big purple things under his eyes and what are they?" I had to chuckle to myself. I told Jay those were called BAGS and daddy has them because he's exhausted - he just won't admit it. Then last night Jay decided he wanted to take a walk down "memory lane" and pull out his scrapbooks I've made him - which I was very touched by. As we were looking at the pictures of Mike holding Jay when he was a baby, Jay again said, "Wow, mom, look at all the hair dad had when I was a baby." In the past when Jay has commented to Mike on his hair loss, Mike is quick to blame the boys! Ha. He says he's losing hair from all the years of parenting he's already put in so he figures by the time Nick is 18, he will be bald.
Mike may have big bags under his eyes and the top of his head may be shinier than it was when I married him but he's still that sweet 21 year old boy who showed up at my door step on a rainy night in April 1994.