"That Momma Did Good..."

So, we have closed one chapter and begun a new one with TJ's last day at Bonnie's Kids (daycare) and today, his first day at Springwood for K-4.


This is a picture from Friday, TJ's last day at daycare. Notice...he is the only one NOT looking at the camera. Anyway, he HAD to have a party for his last day. So, I suggested we take cupcakes for snack time. He went to the grocery store with me and picked out the mix...pink strawberry cake mix, and pink strawberry icing. Of course he was the only one not to eat his cupcake either! Overall our daycare experience was a positive one. We will miss the friends that we made there over the last 3 years and hope to keep in touch and see each other often. I am glad however to have escaped the teachers who cannot even speak correct English while teaching my child to say words like "ain't" (which I dispise). I will not miss my son saying "Well, Miss Rebekka says (fill in the blank with whatever is the opposite of what I am saying)" But, for nostaligic purposes, I will think only the positive and say thank you for all of the things you did teach our son.



This is a picture taken this morning, Tuesday, August 11, 2009, TJ's first day of K-4 at Springwood School!!! He looks so BIG! He, of course, has been super excited and counting down the days until he gets to go to "big school" with Daddy. I guess I should feel a little better that I have 2 family members working at the same school, one being his Dad and the other his KK (and she will even be in the same building). I decided I would put my happy face on today and not let TJ see me upset. Once we arrived at the school we all walked in and there he went, not scared or apprehensive at all! He looked up at his new teacher, Mrs. Dewberry, and just as matter of factly said "I go to school here now." The child could have cared less that Thomas and I were still there waiting for him to hug us and tell us good bye! When Thomas and I walked out, we walked passsed the headmaster and principle outside and I over heard one of them say, "That Momma did good!" With my back to them, all I thought was "only if she could see the tears streaming down my face at this very minute..." My little boy is growing up so fast!

Kids should come with a BLEEP button...

After coming home from the lake around 5:00 yesterday afternoon, I decided I would cook chicken alfredo (even though I didn't want to cook at all). I started the water on the stove and started pulling out my ingredients only to realize, guess what, I don't have any chicken!!! That is the second time this week I have started to cook dinner, then realize I am missing ONE ingredient! Thomas sweetly asked if I would like him to run to the store (during which time it is monsooning outside). I say no and ask if it would be okay to just have noodles and sauce...no chicken. He then says, "Let's just go out to eat." Which is secretly what I wanted to hear all along ;)

Fast forward to the restaurant...while finishing the last of our dinner, TJ stands up in the booth and says, "Ok, I'm ready to go now." Thomas then informs him, "we can't just leave...we have to pay a lot of money before we can get out of here." TJ responds, "Oh..." So, our waiter comes over and asks if we are all finished and need anything else. Then hands us our bill. During this process, I see TJ getting ready to say something..."My Daddy says that we have to pay a lot of money before we can get out of here!" We are giggling at this point and the ladies in the table behind us are laughing loudly. Our waiter takes it in stride and hands TJ the bill and asks him if he has any money to pay. When he says no, the waiter asks him if he knows how to wash dishes. He says, "No, I'm just a kid." We all chuckle...on to the next BLEEP moment...

Well, while waiting for our waiter to return with our card and receipt, I notice a smell and remember that in Chambers County (what century are they in) they still allow smoking in restaurants!!! So, I blurt out "We need to get outta here...those people are smoking...we'll all have to take showers again when we get home!" Waiter then returns with our receipt and TJ practically yells loud enough for everyone within a mile to hear, "We need to get outta here..." SLAM, my hand practically knocks his front teeth out as I cup my hand over his mouth and apologetically look at the waiter. This is where the BLEEP button would have come in handy. The waiter snickers and just says, "I understand" and walks away from the table with a huge grin on his face. Once he reaches the kitchen, we hear a thunderous laugh. About that time, as our faces are red-hot we escape to the car where we try to explain that not all things we say to him need to be told to other people!

Is this just a phase?

TJ has recently been exaggerating his "greatness." He is always, and I mean always, telling everyone he comes in contact with just how strong he is and how he can "patect" (protect) everything. We were thinking this was just a phase and just kinda going along with it, but I am beginning to get a little worried. The other day he told a police officer..."you can't get me!" Thomas said the officer just looked at him and kinda smiled, but he had to be thinking..."what have those parents done for their child to be saying that to a cop!" Honestly, we have not said those words...believe me! And at home one night, he and Thomas were wrestling around and he informed us that he can break down our walls. Thomas snickered and gave me a "watch this" look and said, "show me" and pointed to the wall behind the couch. So, by all means, TJ swung his arm back and slammed his fist into the wall. Needless to say, the wall didn't budge. TJ kinda winced and shook it off and said, "well, not that wall." Then during one of our ususal morning coversations, TJ says "Mommy, I can stop a train!" To which I immediately responded..."NO, you can't!!!" "Well, I can stop a small one..." My response, "NO, you can't!!!" I mean, this is getting a little ridiculous! I am seriously worried that he thinks he is invincible...what if he decides to "patect" me and run in front of a car?! He's 4 and I know is aware that he can get hurt, but I guess he doesn't really get it...any suggestions?

Those Fighting White Blood Cells

A few weeks back TJ had a fever and felt pretty bad for several days, so we took him to the Doctor. Of course, $30 later, he just has a virus that "will have to run it's course." But, while at the Dr.'s office, he had to have his finger pricked for them to check his white blood cell count. Apparently afterwards, the nurse explained that she was sorry she had to do it, but needed to make sure the WBC's were doing their job to fight the virus.

Fast forward about a month to last night, and let me remind you my child has the memory of an elephant and constantly surprises us with the things he remembers. Thomas is in full summer football swing and only has Wednesdays and Friday nights off, so he usually gets cooking duty at least one of those nights. Last night he decided to grill hamburgers. And, since I was feeling lazy, I decided the sides would be chips (that we already had) and strawberries (that we already had). So, during dinner, TJ first goes straight for the chips. A few chips later, I inform him that he is to eat no more chips until he has finished at least 1/2 of his hamburger. Which surprisingly, he does without a fight! After he finished 1/2 he says he's full. I tell him that he must eat several strawberries before he can be finished. He eats a few, then starts eating chips again to which I comment "I thought you were full?" He then informs me "chips help his white blood cells fight bad things." Who would've known that? Apparently, he does. He also decides to try the strawberries again for their fighting power and comes over to me and says "Mommy, feel my white blood cells...they're really fighting hard!"

TJ's 1st Brave's Game

For Father's Day, we got Thomas Brave's Tickets. TJ has never been to a game and we thought we would test out his attention span and buy him a cheap $6 ticket to come along! Thomas wanted to get to the stadium early, so we walked up just as the gates were opening (2 1/2 hours prior to game time)! So, we walked around for a while then TJ saw the Cartoon Network kids area...in there we went! He played and played with the stupidest games! Finally we got him outta there and went up to let him run the bases on top of the stadium. Come game time he was worn out, and in the 3rd inning said "Mommy, I'm ready to go home!" But, he was a good little sport and stuck it out! He was really intrigued by the vendors that walked up and down the aisles, yelling about whatever item they were trying to sell. One time the cotton candy man passed us as TJ was trying to get his attention. TJ got upset and said "I want some of that and he didn't stop!" We then had to explain that you can't just get the food, that you have to pay for it. So, the next time the cotton candy man was coming up our aisle, he yelled "Hey, I want some of that...we have money!" I guess at least he didn't say that to the beer guy, but he did tell him "I don't need any of those redult (adult) drinks." After the game, they had Friday Night Fireworks...which were GREAT! The Brave's game is another first in the books along with the first time he stayed up until 1:00 a.m.!!!

Little Fishy

We have been determined to have TJ learn to swim. He has taken group swimming lessons since last spring and had individual lessons this spring. I am not sure what it was, but he just didn't care to learn...wasn't scared, but wouldn't try. So, we decided that was all of the money we were wasting and didn't sign him up for summer lessons. Well, guess what...he's stubborn like his Daddy (and me, I guess)! On our Hill Family beach trip, the very first day he got into the pool and swam by himself! He is now able to swim across the pool, jump off the diving board and swim to the ladder...so proud of our little fish!

Breakfast with Jesus

Last week TJ took his "vacation week" from school and stayed home with Dadddy. On Wednesday mornings our church holds "Breakfast with Jesus" for the kids (and parents) for 2 hours. So, TJ was super excited to go to church on Wednesday morning.

When Thomas picked him up he asked, "How was breakfast with Jesus?" TJ looked a little disappointed and said, "Well, we ate breakfast but Jesus didn't come down!"

Then Thomas asked "What did you learn about at church this morning?" TJ responds, "We learned about Peter or Simon...they ate fish and drank water, but all we got was donuts and orange juice!"