Tustamena 200–year 3

For the third year in a row, we went to the Tustamena 200 dog sled race.  This year the start seemed much shorter than in the past.  We always start out a little ways down the trail and watch the dogs run past and then make our way to the starting line.  I kept telling Nolan to wait a little longer and we would go to the starting line.  Finally, I said, “After this one goes past, we’ll go.”  It was the last team.  By the time we made it to the race start line, it was almost deserted.  I felt really bad, but he seemed okay with it.

I felt terrible for this poor guy.  One of his dog stopped to poop and then the other dogs got tangled and then they tried to take off with the sled without him.

Ethan didn’t want to take pictures, he just wanted to watch the snow machines.

Then we drove around town and checked out some of the ice carvings.  We didn’t make it to see all of them, so we’ll have to head back soon.

Dairy QueenDentist’s OfficeSurf’s Up penquinLeprechaun

By this time, the kids were too hungry to see anything else, so we went in search of food.

When we got home, the kids just wanted to snow machine.

Friday night we went to Nolan’s school Family Night. 

Nolan’s Family Night VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Sometime during the evening, we discovered that Cameron had a fever.  We gave him some medicine and Doug brought him home.  He slept great that night, so we still took him out for the day on Saturday.  When we arrived at the T200, I fed him and he promptly puked all over me and our car.  You can tell from most of the pictures that he didn’t feel well.  He didn’t eat much all day.  We are home from church today and hoping he feels better soon.

For the record:

Nolan has been well behaved at school for the last three days straight.  I doubted him on Tuesday.  He got off the bus without the good-behavior indicating sticker.  This happens a lot.  At one point I discovered that he sometimes lies about "losing it on the bus."  Tuesday though, he said, "We don't get stickers anymore." 
"Really, I'll call the school right now and ask."  (I tried, no one answered)
"I mean, I lost it on the bus." 
"It sounds like you're lying." 
"No, I'm not, check my backpack, there is no note from Ms. Pala." (the one that tells me what exactly he did wrong that day - he has been known the throw them away on his way out of the school or in the bathroom trash when he gets home)

That night, he stayed in his bed and NEVER ONCE left his room until morning.

The next day when I dropped him off, I asked his teacher and she said that he had, in fact, gotten a sticker the previous day and she had seen it fall off on his way to the bus and he had put it in his pocket.  The next day he got two stickers because he was especially good.  Today, a sticker again!  I asked him what he did good today. 
"Everything." 
"Did you stop coloring when you were supposed to?"
"Yes"
"Were you quiet and listening when Ms. Pala was teaching?"
"Yes, mom, everything you are going to ask, yes."

After thoughtful consideration, and my mom will back this up, I have decided that Nolan was given to me because of all of those times when my mom would tell me, "I can't wait until you have children of your own."  I certainly wasn't known for my honesty or ability to clean my room.  Nolan also has difficulty in both of these areas.  As for the rest of my lacking traits, I am scared to re-live my childhood through my own child, but be the one who has to figure out how to make this little person grow into a reasonable adult.

Nolan's reminders

Everyday before Nolan heads off to school we have the same talk.

Make good choices about who you sit by so you can be good.

Only be silly when it is appropriate.

Don't talk when Ms. Pala is talking.

When it is time to stop coloring, stop coloring.

When it is time to go in from recess, go in.

Walk in the halls.

Only laugh at the things that are actually funny.

You get the drift...

Yesterday as Doug was taking Nolan to school, he started in on "the talk."  Nolan said, "Dad, I already know what you're going to say.  Everything you're going to say, mom already said."

So, he remembers, but he doesn't remember.

Fun on the lake

Storytime with Ethan

Difficult

Lately I am convinced Nolan is mine only to test my patience.  Don't get me wrong, he's cute, lovable, and a fairly good big brother, but darn that kid can be frustrating.  He hasn't been listening to his teacher at school - like when she tells him to stop coloring, he totally ignores her, or at recess when she says it's time to go in, he hides.  He is loud and goofy, laughing ridiculously at anything the teacher says - funny or not.  He is the same way at church and every Sunday his teacher looks like she is going to cry.  If she asks to be released from her calling, it's because of my kid - and that's my problem because as the First Counselor, I am over all of the CTR classes.  I stopped in yesterday and asked him if he was being good.  "Yes," he replied.  The look on his teacher's face told me otherwise.  The Sunday before, he was being goofy during the prayer.  I don't know where to go from here.  Brenden has almost always been well behaved at school and church. 

I have made Nolan verbally apologize and trace long apology letters.  We have tried time out after school (lasting until dinner at times), taking things away, and the promise of a reward if he is good.  I have tried to turn it positive and offer things if he can control himself.  Nothing seems to work and then he is totally shocked when I follow through.

The kid won't even stay in his bed at night and we fight and fight and fight until I lock him in his room (literally) and completely ignore him.

This morning he wanted to watch monster trucks before school.  I told him that if he was good at school, I would turn it on for him the second he walked in the door - even before his chores.  Nope.

Tonight we read Transformers books before bed.  He said he wanted to watch the Transformers movie in the morning before school.  I told him that if he could stay in his room tonight, I would put it on for him first thing in the morning.  He managed a whole 30 minutes at most.  He opened the door and I said, "This better be pretty important to be losing your movie over."  He said it was.  "Mom, I just wanted to tell you that I am going to stay in bed tonight."  Too late for that.  A little while later he came out to tell me that I had to wait in the morning to turn the movie on because he might have to poop.  Too late again - he already lost the privilege of a movie.  We might have had two or three other times he came out before I locked his door - the lock is on the outside.

We put a CD player in his room thinking that maybe listening to some music at bedtime would help.  If he comes out, his CD is taken away.  Then we just fight some more.  He also likes to turn it up as loud as it goes.  I am deafened from the living room.

Pardon my venting.  He just fell asleep, which redeems him in some ways.  I have to remind myself that really, he could be so much worse.  He is a class clown, but he is the same way at home.  Maybe he just needs more attention.

I think he is just totally disconnected sometimes.  I can say something to him over and over and it isn't until I scream that he finally returns to Earth and out of his own little world.  I usually try to start by saying his name when I talk to him to try to grab his attention.  I have tried to make sure we have eye contact before I talk to him, but by the time I finish what I had to say, he is back in his own world.  Usually he can't even tell me what I just said.  Sometimes he looks completely shocked and has no idea why he's in trouble.  I am fairly certain he'll grow out of it.  The deaf ones are easier, but I think they have to consciously LISTEN to hear.

I didn't actually start to write a blog with the intention of complaining about Nolan.  I had to share the note Brenden sent home in his lunch box today.  Friday Brenden didn't eat his lunch because he wanted to work on a project.  I saved his lunch and sent it with him AGAIN today (peanut butter lasts forever, right?)  His lunch came home again with a handwritten note:

Sorry! I managed to eat a orange and I didn't eat my sandwich because my water bottle squished my sandwich. But I ate one bite but the stuff in my sandwich squished out. 

 I am impressed he spelled everything right, but the sandwich was squished by the time it was put in his backpack this morning and a fairly dry 3 day old peanut butter sandwich isn't squishing anything anywhere.  I got a whole lecture on how the water bottle should be under the sandwich, not on top.

I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids.  The good news is that Ethan hasn't been playing the role of "devil" lately.  Cameron can pretty much always bring a smile to my face, but he can't talk back.  I like that.

Storytime with Nolan

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

(it's really long, and possibly only appreciated by a loving grandparent)

Big and Tall

This one is for Emily and Jared

Cameron went in for his four month check-up yesterday.  He is:

16.4 pounds (+3 pounds in 2 months)  78th percentile

26.5 inches (+2.5 inches in 2 months)  94th percentile

That explains so much - like the fact that he almost completely skipped the whole 3-6 month clothing stage - he is the height of an average 6 month old.  He has chubby cheeks, so he looks chubby, but he isn't really all that big.

This morning:
Me: (while taking an orange out of a bag) Nolan, do you know what I love?
Nolan: ME!
Me: Yep, you and oranges.
Nolan: More than me?
Before we had kids, I used to leave Doug notes around the house that said, "I love you more than oranges."  That means I love him a.lot.

1/14 Ethan making cookies

Toothless (aka. Brenden)

Cameron thought his frog was HILARIOUS until I tried to take a video.

 I LOVE blue eyes!

Cameron supervising the playing of the Wii.

 

4 months

Nolan

Cameron

Gray Hair

Brenden was telling Nolan what a "hint" of something was.

Brenden: Like, when you're getting old, you'll have just a hint of gray hair.
Me: I had some gray hairs!
Brenden: (looks confused) I don't see them.
Me: I had FOUR - I pulled them out.  I think you (Brenden), and you (Nolan), and you (Ethan) gave them to me.
Brenden: (whispers) No, it's called being old.  (not whispering) But dad's not old, he doesn't have gray hair.
Me: Neither does Grandpa Boehme.
Brenden: Neither does Grandpa Kline.
Me: Oh yes he does!
Brenden: No he doesn't he's BALD.

So then Brenden and I discussed how he will most likely be bald when he gets old.  He doesn't think that's fair.

I noticed four gray hairs about 2 days after I discovered pieces of Ethan's implant missing, I am sure they have something to do with each other.  My mom has reminded me that gray is better than bald, so I better stop pulling them out.

Nolan and Ethan have their evil laughter going, so I am pretty sure they are being naughty.  Yep, now I hear things hitting the walls.  I am glad they are finally enjoying each other (although a LOT of fighting still occurs - more than their fair share), but they sure are noisy about it.  Everyday Nolan gets home from school and he and Ethan start in on their obnoxious, high pitch, evil laughter and wake Cameron up.  The poor kid almost never gets to wake up on his own - he's always woken because I have to haul him somewhere (which really mean I have to take someone else somewhere and he has to come) or the other boys wake him up.

By the way: It was a good thing I had Brenden proof reading over my shoulder.  I misspelled about 5 things. 

Report Cards

Brenden and Nolan got their report cards today.  Each has a summary at the end.

Nolan:
Nolan has an amazingly positive attitude at school.  He is continuing to work on his listening skills.  (The nice way of saying he doesn't listen.)  Please help him review his counting at home.  In the coming months we will be working daily on writing and weekly on scissor skills.  Nolan returned his folder 9 out of 9 weeks.  (Ha!  NOLAN returned it?  More like, "Mom put his homework folder in his backpack 9 out of 9 weeks.")  Nolan read 1160 out of 400 required minutes.  Keep up the great reading!

At least there was no mention of his classroom behavior - good or bad.  I found today's note from the teacher in the trash in the bathroom.  Evidently he hid when it was time to go in from recess.

Brenden:
Brenden is such an amazing boy.  You can always count on him to remember what happened in our read aloud or bring up an interesting point to discuss in small groups.  His creative side always shows through in his writing.  Even the most basic of assignments he adds his own personal touch and completes it with the greatest detail.  Brenden has really taken on the Accelerated Reader challenge this quarter and is leading the primary wing in points earned.  Keep up the good work, Brenden!

I'm so proud of my boys!

It's a new year...

... and I still haven't finished blogging about last year.

Well, after trying to figure out my new computer, I think I still prefer my Mac's iphoto software - even with its exporting issues.  I guess I should try a blog just to see how I feel about this one.

As I said, most of my pictures are still a little unavailable to me, so here's what I have.

12/31/10

My friend Tiffany's family always gets together for New Years. When the festivities were moved to Tiffany's house due to driving conditions, we decided to crash their party.

Most of the kids and a few adults sat on the shed to watch.

Ethan didn't like the fireworks - even without his implants.

 

1/1

Doug took the boys out snow machining.  I tried to take Cameron out for a while, but he was not a big fan of the outdoors.

Nolan was so excited to finally ride.

This is all Brenden wants to do anymore.
He is at least nice enough to give Ethan a ride now and then.

Nolan was keeping warm with hot chocolate.

1/3

Super baby's cape is made of footed pajamas, of course!

Super baby rolled over this far by himself.

1/8

Doug has been doing quite a bit more ice fishing lately with his new work schedule.  Today we all went.  We were there for 6 hours - and it was 7 degrees.  Do you know how scary it is to drive onto a lake for the first time?  A little terrifying, even knowing the ice is nearly two feet thick.

This is the second round of "I want to eat him!" The first one was cute, with less tears.

Spencer and Nolan danced around that flopping fish for a long time before I decided to try to capture the moment.  Nolan hauled that silly fish (which was frozen stiff at 7 degrees) everywhere with him - even when he rode in the sled behind the snow machine.

A terrible video of Brenden on his snow machine:

While we were fishing, Brenden and Ethan's speech therapist stopped to talk with us. He tested Nolan's speech on Friday and told us all about Nolan's demonstration of his use of synonyms.
Nolan: Do you know what another name for house is?  Home.
Mr. Hufford: Did you know that sometimes a car is also called an automobile?
Nolan: I know another name for poop!
Mr. Hufford: What?
Nolan: Turd.  Brenden calls me that all the time.