tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27451674474825333722024-03-12T21:25:17.953-07:00Charlie-ismsfunny things happen when Charlie is aroundSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-61038198243929815832010-08-12T08:00:00.001-07:002010-08-12T10:29:01.615-07:00Summertime?? What the heck happened to Summer??This summer has flown by! What an eventful summer it has been though! The biggest news??? Our little family is growing by four! No, I am not going to be the quadro-mom; Jason asked me to marry him while we were on vacation in beautiful Colorado and of course I said yes!! So I am gaining a husband and 3 bonus kids, and Charlie's gaining a bonus dad & bonus brothers, we are so blessed! Sidenote: I like the word <br />'bonus' instead of 'step', it loses the whole "wicked stepmother" connotation - thanks Disney.<br /><br />Charlie spent all of July hanging with his dad and all the Kofahl's in Albuquerque and even got to visit his aunt & uncle and fun cousins in Colorado for a few days! He had a great time with the Kofahl family. But I sure did miss the little fella!! I was so happy to see him when I walked off the plane in Albuquerque, what a sight for sore eyes he was. I have been reminded all summer of his new found independence. A month-long trip even last year would have been next to impossible, but this summer he handled it like a Champ! I'm so proud of my big boy, though I do wish I could shrink him down, at least for a little while so I could squeeze those awesome chubby thighs again. His thighs are distinctively thinner now. <br /><br />A few Charlie-isms that I have neglected to post lately:<br /><br /> * discussing the accessory store called "Charming Charlies": I say Charlie did you know there is an accessory store in Lee's Summit called Charming Charlie's, isn't that cool??" Him "what's an accessory" Me "you know like jewelry and purses and stuff" Him "hmmm well I do like things named after me, but not girl stuff" ... I think we should be getting some sort of royalties from all things named after Charlie or something...<br /><br /> *discussing my recent speeding ticket and the fact that the HiPo was looking my info up in his in-car computer, he wonders why he has a computer and I tell him it's to look up my information, and info on the car, to make sure I don't have any outstanding tickets or warrants for my arrest. He says "that's crazy, you're a lady! ... Ladies aren't bad guys" then goes on and says "also married guys aren't bad guys either" ... look out single guys, we know you are bad...<br /><br /> *advice on our upcoming marriage "you need a van with a digital dvd system, and we all need to talk quietly and not yell" ...sound wisdom, at least the no yelling part ... <br /><br />First grade starts next week. wow.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-27160538265310304252010-06-04T09:48:00.000-07:002010-06-04T10:06:59.258-07:00see ya Kindergarten<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvNqagEstM0d7B-5uYEz9m5Ks3Rp9zdXB9Xj-Jx3j4Wf2OMHtRIoOZJpMum2f5l2tARwLGbLdMvm22sVB6UV_SvfQguqbFLCImXajAgwJe9z0bHYryDPweMF8ZW2XcFXH3D5g45oAjLM/s1600/last+day.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478961703533873794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 98px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvNqagEstM0d7B-5uYEz9m5Ks3Rp9zdXB9Xj-Jx3j4Wf2OMHtRIoOZJpMum2f5l2tARwLGbLdMvm22sVB6UV_SvfQguqbFLCImXajAgwJe9z0bHYryDPweMF8ZW2XcFXH3D5g45oAjLM/s400/last+day.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Charlie's last day of Kindergarten was May 28<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span>! </div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Fun year, he learned a lot! He's a reader now, at least simple words, and has about 30 or so sight words. He easily met all the requirements of a Kindergartner. Charlie has also become much better at writing and expressing himself in words as well as numbers and drawing! If you ask him what his favorite part of school is, he'll tell you "recess, PE, and lunch". My favorite part of kindergarten has been to watch how independent he's gotten. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div><br />In January after Christmas break, the kids all had to write a New Years Resolution for Kindergarten - something that they wanted to accomplish in the remaining months of Kindergarten. Most kids answered things like, learning to tie their shoes or learning to spell. My little outside the box thinker's goal was to learn to "hang upside down on the monkey bars" to which his teacher, Mrs. Roberts said was an original. It was a lofty goal, and I'm quite proud to say he accomplished it! He's a big fan of the monkey bars. He's also learned to climb trees, even really high ones... He uses his massive arm strength (attained from all his monkey bar training) to pull himself up. I loved climbing trees as a kid! It's good to see some things don't change. He's asked for a huge rope, so that he can "climb up the tree and tie it to a really high branch" so he can swing... Only thing is, I don't think he knows how to tie knots yet... </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Here's to a fun & happy summer... and learning how to tie knots in ropes...maybe by the end of 1st grade??</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-69091862477749450992010-05-21T09:53:00.000-07:002010-05-21T10:12:43.289-07:00boys boys everywhere boys<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S4UN0MZgR1drorc9PknrphN93jKWGQ9oQhtZY9bvrspk5YOvYcWojxYCW_W-c9pEfR6y3Qr1ZZ-NT5EJztFMGgISNQ2EmI1GlopFsf3crsqhnNbSaSwA5Von-vj8kfQT1c8l0qN-XPQ/s1600/fishies.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473771211884638594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 98px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S4UN0MZgR1drorc9PknrphN93jKWGQ9oQhtZY9bvrspk5YOvYcWojxYCW_W-c9pEfR6y3Qr1ZZ-NT5EJztFMGgISNQ2EmI1GlopFsf3crsqhnNbSaSwA5Von-vj8kfQT1c8l0qN-XPQ/s400/fishies.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGdpFQiWyKdfYgNbpS4uQb0BoooxljyFVPm1MxZoV3cDqyEcyyh97cCjV4tcJJcXIKS5Thfu8YahQOyVAyx_t8yn4zSoytnyRbBPVrmzWeL08GaxY5iP4cKHsJX-en9nflLlYg6RrTqA/s1600/fishies.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div>I told you 2010 was going to be a great year! </div><br /><div></div><div>I have been lucky enough to meet an amazing man this year, who just so happens to have 3 amazing little boys! Wow, what a change (mostly as far as noise level) for Charlie & I! We love having Jason, Cole, Elijah & Luke in our lives! Charlie is in hog heaven having buddies to play with, and I'm pretty happy myself! Adding 4 men to our lives (well 1 man and 3 men-to-be) is a pretty fun adventure. I've always been pretty girlie - but I have to admit boys are pretty darn fun - fishing, mud, dirt, sweat that turns dirt to mud, bike rides, sword fights, NOISE, constant action...never a dull moment!</div><div></div><br /><div>Last night was no exception. We had "dinnerables" (like lunchables - meat, cheese, crackers -but at dinnertime), listen we aren't fancy, but it's a crowd pleaser... Anyway while Jason and I were preparing our gourmet dinner, Charlie and Luke were sword fighting...<em>not with real swords</em>... anyway Charlie got Luke - "right where it counts" ... conversation as follows:</div><div> </div><div>Luke said "Charlie you got me in the nuts" </div><div><em>pause pause</em> </div><div>Charlie "touche!" </div><div> </div><div>funny kid... Loving life!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-58610694421922006822010-03-25T07:19:00.000-07:002010-03-25T07:37:26.314-07:00the very best medicineI believe in laughing! It's my favorite thing to do. I love to be around people who make me laugh, there's nothing better than it. I don't have a lot of "skillz" but I can pretty much find humor everyday even on the worst days. It's important. So with that in mind, I've raised Charlie to be able to laugh at himself as well as to find humor in most situations. Life is too short to be serious all the time. SOOOO this morning we had one of those, uncomfortable, could have been serious but turned humorous moments...<br /><br />(WARNING if you aren't a parent, this may gross you out)<br /><br />Charlie was taking a shower this morning and yelled for me "MOMMY!! My butt hurts realllllly baaaad" so I said "OK, use SOAP, and wash yourself really good, then when you are done I'll take a look". gross. So he got out of the shower, and had one of his pathetic "poor-me" looks, kind of pouty with the eyebrows furrowed faces... I asked him if it still hurt and yes in fact, washing it with soap had made it worse!! WHINE (whatever) So I got the miracle cure, Aquaphor, and said OK bend over.... so he did... so picture this (and no I did NOT capture this moment on film, digital or otherwise, it's more of a mental picture) he's bending over, grabbing his ankles, butt full in my face, and so I begin to do my mommy magic, and Charlie goes " I WANT TO LIVE, MOM, I WANT TO LIVE!" Well after that we busted out laughing, both of us... I said why did you say that, he goes "well I don't know I just thought it was funny" and it was! I may use that line at my next gyno visit... <br /><br />Being a mom is the BEST.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-91434460564294046152010-03-09T07:01:00.000-08:002010-03-09T07:35:51.257-08:00A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School today...For those who know, love, and have cared for my little boy, it's no secret that Charlie has a way of charming/negotiating a better deal for himself. He'll work any situation to his advantage, whether by being cute, or bringing up his excellent behavior, or really any angle he can get. For example, when he was 4, he'd ask for a cookie, and I'd say "sure honey you can have a cookie" the automatic response would be "can I have 4? Because I'm 4 years old"... I'd lay bets that he would be a successful contract negotiator.<br /><br />This morning, he was up early, I heard him up while I was in the shower. As usual, he was invading my presonal space and in the bathroom with me within a minute. He asked if we could go to Sonic for breakfast ths morning, because "Mom, I'm dying for a breakfast burrito, and I'm going to go to Albuquerque in a couple weeks, and I have had good days at school everyday". So I told him if he got ready for school with no whines and with complete cooperation, I'd take him there for breakfast this morning. So our morning progressed easily and as promised I took him to Sonic.<br /><br />After he'd been eating for a bit, he said, "Oh mom, my throat, it hurts, like in the back, reeeealll bad.."<br /><br />uh-oh we were both on antibiotics for strep the last 2 weeks, and I automatically thought it wasn't cleared up for him.<br /><br />So I said "well I guess I'll have to take you back to the doctor to have them make sure you are over the strep." <strong>PAUSE</strong>, <em>Pathetic face</em>, <strong>PAUSE</strong>, "well I'm sure a mint would help, oh look there's one in the Sonic bag" hahaha! He had to set up the mint request because he was sure it would be denied (no candy in the morning)...Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-40801611489274815782010-02-28T16:56:00.000-08:002010-02-28T17:07:18.308-08:00toothless wonder!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK5qUpiibGGT9GBJ_rN2SHXOwuqnPwsUW7Do683WT0JwGrt8gdA3MCneuOm126Hn0bSa8j7iSrUMBI6Educl87ZvJY3ozf7yC3SjjQtcioqxijkq2Yfjijwe7X3R7mXcMpdJ_m8oc9O0/s1600-h/Charlie's+first+lost+tooth+2.28.10+001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443463899442635378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK5qUpiibGGT9GBJ_rN2SHXOwuqnPwsUW7Do683WT0JwGrt8gdA3MCneuOm126Hn0bSa8j7iSrUMBI6Educl87ZvJY3ozf7yC3SjjQtcioqxijkq2Yfjijwe7X3R7mXcMpdJ_m8oc9O0/s320/Charlie's+first+lost+tooth+2.28.10+001.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Today is Sunday, 2/28/10, and Charlie is one tooth shy of a mouthful! </div><div>The loose tooth literally popped out in the bathtub, no pain, no blood, but A WHOLE LOTTA TEARS. Charlie has taken the loss very hard. I'm not sure why, but losing that first tooth is akin to losing something that he loves very much. </div><div>I'm hoping the next 19 losses are a bit easier on him. </div><div>We've been discussing the tooth fairy for a while now, we even saw the critically acclaimed movie "Tooth Fairy" starring the great thespian Duane "The Rock" Johnson. But it seems as though that didn't really do anything to appease the fear that some person/thing? is going to break into Charlie's room and take his tooth. I offered the option to just not put the tooth under his pillow and I could just pay him, but he didn't accept. I asked him what he thought that the tooth fairy would bring him for his very first lost tooth and he said in between sobs this morning "<strong>probably 5 dollars and 4 cents</strong>" ... typcial</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-13718186336458087992010-01-18T18:39:00.000-08:002010-01-18T18:53:55.925-08:00Happy Twenty-Ten<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymjEufJZXe6c_P-HAjfZ5V1VTSas5EM4zbrTMI2dtHX5KRj8qlm47UnXq8_rbtiEs3BOolsQhbfeSYTFtt4a0Ay0EyAlzYoJcUG5MQpQ0IrtC6XGa-50tUH0D706t-rr8X5VW-rIxawo/s1600-h/Charlie+is+6!+002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428278344272722434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymjEufJZXe6c_P-HAjfZ5V1VTSas5EM4zbrTMI2dtHX5KRj8qlm47UnXq8_rbtiEs3BOolsQhbfeSYTFtt4a0Ay0EyAlzYoJcUG5MQpQ0IrtC6XGa-50tUH0D706t-rr8X5VW-rIxawo/s320/Charlie+is+6!+002.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Happy New Year! Twenty-Ten/Two Thousand Ten/TwoO-OneO...whatever you want to call it, so far it's been a dousy, and by dousy I mean sick, and not in the irritating teenagery slang way to say cool, we've actually been sick (me first, and him now), sandwiched with a birthday in there...</div><br /><div></div><div>January 8th, the day my life forever changed, has once again rolled around...My baby is 6! I know it's not fair to call him a baby, but like he himself said on the morning of his birth in TwoO-OneO, "mom, don't be sad, no matter how old I am, I'll always be your baby, oh my gosh is my tooth still there?" </div><br /><div></div><div>Yah, he's got a really loose tooth, which he is determined NEVER to lose, EVER. He's been on a liquid diet almost since the day he realized it was super loose, anything to avoid the inevitable. Tales of the tooth fairy are of no comfort to him, afraid of the hurt that he perceives will come and the blood that may or may not come , the promise of a gift under his pillow means very little at this point. I've created a monster. </div><div></div><br /><div>Here's to a happy twenty-ten! Loose teeth, 6 years old, graduating kindergarten, learning to ride his new scooter, losing training wheels, and tying shoes! And probably about a million other awesome things, I think this is going to be a great year!</div><br /><div></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-65381006770922838522009-12-14T17:04:00.000-08:002009-12-14T17:25:52.543-08:00The Polar Express!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgaNcNiKBVN6dYON8ywN5u2RM6YVmWdUp-3HchrreIsvd1_f8lDBZbzZkBx14NNRX1PryvNDSYpo2kx4T_6A2WaGNrTQclRIHa9bZYVWU2L8XZkvx-aww9o-PCl4pxTvZDZwAgZk5bc8/s1600-h/Polar+Express+%26+December+2009+111.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415263946519577586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgaNcNiKBVN6dYON8ywN5u2RM6YVmWdUp-3HchrreIsvd1_f8lDBZbzZkBx14NNRX1PryvNDSYpo2kx4T_6A2WaGNrTQclRIHa9bZYVWU2L8XZkvx-aww9o-PCl4pxTvZDZwAgZk5bc8/s320/Polar+Express+%26+December+2009+111.JPG" /></a> What an amazing weekend we just had! I'm pretty sure that in 30 years when Charlie & Noah have their own families and are creating memories, they will most likely remember this weekend.<br /><br />We (my sister's family, my step-brother, and Charlie & I) spent last weekend in Branson, we planned the trip around Sam's birthday, though unfortunately we didn't get to spend much time with the birthday girl, AND the Polar Express!<br /><br />We boarded the Branson Scenic Railway (aka Polar Express) at the depot downtown near the Branson Landing, traffic was...well...Branson. In other words very, very, busy. Lucky for me, I was a passenger and Uncle Paul was driving! Branson is new to the Polar Express experience, and it showed - organization was severely lacking. HOWEVER!!! The kids had a magical time. It was a nice long and beautiful ride thanks to Branson's gorgeous scenery and light shows throughout. That all led to the culmination of the trip (according to Charlie) <strong><em>the "hot" chocolate, followed closely by the "hug from Santa" .</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />Loved Loved Loved it!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-22464413343028103702009-11-23T07:06:00.000-08:002009-11-23T07:18:10.113-08:00a few funny thingsI haven't blogged in a bit, so much going on. We are getting ready to hit the holiday season full-on this week. Charlie is out in Albuquerque visiting his dad and spending Thanksgiving with the Kofahl's. I've taken the opportunity to get Christmas shopping done, and get the house as clean as can be before the Griswold in me takes over and Christmas pukes all over my house!<br /><br />This year for Christmas Charlie has asked Santa for "a treasure box, filled with chocolate covered cherries and five bucks". So looks like Sants has a fun one on his hands! Santa will probably throw in a special jingle bell & snowglobe (like he usually does) and maybe a tassle or two. <br /><br />I also found out from my mom that I have an aspiring musician on my hands. I've always known Charlie loved & responded to music, and secretly hoped that I was raising the next virtuoso or American Idol. Last week, mom was taking Charlie to school and they were listening to the violin virtuoso, David Garrett's CD. My mom asked him if he liked that music, and Charlie said he LOVED it, mom then wanted to know if Charlie wanted to play an instrument and what would it be... Charlie replied "the triangle - because it has a beautiful sound" :) Love him so much... So looks like the keyboard my sister got for him will become an entire band with the addition of a triangle...Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-17409033395766394992009-11-11T09:02:00.000-08:002009-11-11T09:24:58.168-08:00my sweet boyYesterday was a trying day. Charlie was "acting out" that's PC for "he was being bratty". He had a rough day of bad behavior at school...Just randomly talking for no reason to no one except himself in class. <em>(He said, I was just thinking about what I wanted to play with at recess, and I said it out loud instead of in my mind).</em> He also had to move his "stick" from green (good)to yellow (warning) for distracting others while they were working. <em>(He said, he thought of something he wanted to tell Faith). </em><br /><br />Fast forward to the end of the day - we needed some groceries, so on the way home from school we ran to Hy-Vee. Charlie was starving so I decided to eat at the cafe there. Charlie got a piece of pizza and salad bar for me. For some odd reason, I let Charlie have a small kiddie-size cup of fruit punch, or more accurately high fructose corn syrup with red food coloring. WHY?? WHY?? WHY?? Why did I break my own rule of no sugar after 5:00? Oh yah - I lost my mind. The deadly combo of HFCS & food coloring turned him into a crazy, whiney, mess, who couldn't seem to control himself. <br /><br />As a result of my stupidity, my little boy, who was already trouble for his behavior at school, managed to spend most of the evening in his room "thinking". At about 8:15 he had done his time, and we were sitting on the couch talking about the day and watching TV, and he got up and ran to his room. He came back with a beaded necklace that he had made several months ago and put it in his backpack. I asked why he did that. He let me know that a little girl in his class had been playing on the monkey bars and had broken her necklace that day, and she cried and cried. He wanted to give her a new necklace so that she wouldn't feel so sad. <br /><br />OH my sweet boy...I've tried to hard to teach him empathy and kindness, and I think it worked. Sometimes I feel like I spend 95% of my time correcting bad behavior, but it's moments like that, that make me so proud! Thank you Lord that my baby cares about others!!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-31120694938258610172009-11-01T16:18:00.000-08:002009-11-01T16:52:53.368-08:00Howdy Partner<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUlw5vGxRtFMyzOh49BNSSXHVPLpUje95VZFP0bFXPE6pxdq71e_AQ7w_P_oVMX0YS-QnR1ZYlCJP5LAxC2o2X4NAA-_VMdd298d9B3v2R-PyYEO7nhqpYVKNa-Z0Jlq6TG-4-eex_DA/s1600-h/Halloween+09+012.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399300123069031698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUlw5vGxRtFMyzOh49BNSSXHVPLpUje95VZFP0bFXPE6pxdq71e_AQ7w_P_oVMX0YS-QnR1ZYlCJP5LAxC2o2X4NAA-_VMdd298d9B3v2R-PyYEO7nhqpYVKNa-Z0Jlq6TG-4-eex_DA/s320/Halloween+09+012.JPG" /></a> Halloween 2009!!! Fun Fun Fun - talk about a haul of candy! Charlie's bag is filled to the top overflowing with tummy-ache producing goodies. In the grand tradition of me being "fun mom" on the night of Halloween, I let Charlie eat all he can handle, then he turns the rest into me for a prize....ala Toys R Us! I'll bring the rest of the candy to work to let my co-workers get tummy-aches instead...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHWD6fDU27Hf9aTRpj7AiYvUZTUsh9nonoIOoqscW6moEVdZEsX2vMJMrXwoHXLT4s8GKGgfseQdbiKoLuAZDeDE2ce_Rzlkp5if3AK8mJnRtw5N-C2uMHQer2gjMj8KI7PHHSP54aZo/s1600-h/Halloween+09+003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399299660204199890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHWD6fDU27Hf9aTRpj7AiYvUZTUsh9nonoIOoqscW6moEVdZEsX2vMJMrXwoHXLT4s8GKGgfseQdbiKoLuAZDeDE2ce_Rzlkp5if3AK8mJnRtw5N-C2uMHQer2gjMj8KI7PHHSP54aZo/s320/Halloween+09+003.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div>Charlie was a very serious cowboy/sheriff. He had such a cute costume this year. He looked adorable, and it made me thankful that he's past the freaking out about dressing up stage. </div><br /><div></div><div>I couldn't help but notice how many people in my neighborhood needed a refresher on Halloween Etiquette. So many people had their lights on, even the front door open and didn't answer the door?!? WTH? My favorite quote of the night when we came to one such house <strong><em>"well that Jack-O-Lantern didn't light itself, somebody must be home"</em></strong> LOL - true dat!</div><div></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-61650899110007636932009-10-29T09:58:00.000-07:002009-10-29T10:16:44.764-07:00Parent-Teacher Conference (1 down, many more to come)Last night was my first Parent/Teacher Conference. All in all, a good experience. It's not surprising that Charlie is doing well on his "work". He understands numbers/letters/shapes/sorting, etc all the basics of Kindergarten. All areas (except cutting) are above level for the big K.<br /><br />I'm a believer in school being as much about learning the basics of education as it is about learning to become social & how to act in a new environment. I admire my home-schooling mommy friends, it's a hard job, one that I'm not up for. But I think Charlie has as much to learn from the other kiddos as he does from the teacher. Like how to deal with a bully (by the way little Jazzmine has been leaving him alone), and how to make friends, and get along with those who aren't necessarily buddies. And how respond to time crunches and schedules and doing things you may not want to do...you know, LIFE.<br /><br />Total Shocker - prepare yourself - Charlie is a social animal. Not unlike his mother, he has some trouble staying "on-task". Well, as you can imagine sometimes things interupt those mundane tasks that are much more interesting... He also has trouble not talking...well...he's been talking non-stop since pretty much birth. But he is a leader... in fact, he tends lead other kids to getting into trouble by taking them with him as he goes "off-task" or as he roles around on the carpet or sits under his desk at circle time.<br /><br />BUT he can also LEAD through active participation in group time, and story time, which he does even better now that he (and he alone) has an assigned spot next to the teacher at carpet time, and now that his seat is right in front of the teachers desk...<br /><br />OK OK he's NOT perfect, but ultimately a pretty great kid. Albeit a bit talkative... Now if I can just encourage him to use his powers for good...Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-15342648413280089312009-10-27T06:48:00.000-07:002009-10-27T07:00:50.878-07:00I've never liked pigs...I especially hate pigs today. I'm afraid my little guy may be coming down with swine flu.... He woke up with aches & a fever then followed it up with some vomiting, just to prove the point... He's asleep now... poor baby<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdjkxtPns_6RG4-_m3Xv0lpYMFj0N-rT4aS64hrVpqRgvXnaO7Jkiq8zx7J6Pk_vZto-D3boBBpyuFthawdFWgOSE-JYXMV2La_Jy47uToyuwY0kmlQlZzlnTGObclGcoeYtWx8-z86U/s1600-h/swine+pic+001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397277744138739250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdjkxtPns_6RG4-_m3Xv0lpYMFj0N-rT4aS64hrVpqRgvXnaO7Jkiq8zx7J6Pk_vZto-D3boBBpyuFthawdFWgOSE-JYXMV2La_Jy47uToyuwY0kmlQlZzlnTGObclGcoeYtWx8-z86U/s320/swine+pic+001.JPG" /></a><br /><div> </div><div>Swine Flu, Mad Cow Disease, Bird Flu. I think all of these animals should keep their diseases and flus to themselves. </div><div> </div><div>In the meantime, I'll keep a watch out for a curly tail or a snout, right now all I hear is the sweet sound of snoring. Pray for my little guy!</div><div> </div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-64919382640197589582009-10-19T06:58:00.000-07:002009-10-19T07:02:23.575-07:00word of the dayWe had a lazy weekend. No agendas, no have-to's, just a calm relaxing weekend. Gotta love it. Last night when I was putting Charlie to bed, I said, "wasn't this a great day? You had great behavior, we just had a lazy fun day" he said, "Yah mom, it was a great day, it was fly-testicle!"<br /><br />I just hugged him and said yah, good night sweetheart... come to think of it, maybe I should have told him not to use that phrase at school... oh well... <br /><br />Hope everyone has a flytestical week!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-21281678014611956802009-10-11T17:59:00.001-07:002009-10-11T19:02:14.105-07:00the most wonderful time of the year<div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fah6LPf9Jxe3ZAZLSmDlV8NoC3mXZ7G3OnDMLecXyILTndZZcO2k-Sb3Vo7n8IMZVvpo_lbAGn-wsivugSNVzI-wSTYs3fv-E-_zaOzri1k8xtRt9DDiV6cmpcxbAL2JR2FMRWlEdUk/s1600-h/Pumpkin+train+2009+026.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391521073081238050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fah6LPf9Jxe3ZAZLSmDlV8NoC3mXZ7G3OnDMLecXyILTndZZcO2k-Sb3Vo7n8IMZVvpo_lbAGn-wsivugSNVzI-wSTYs3fv-E-_zaOzri1k8xtRt9DDiV6cmpcxbAL2JR2FMRWlEdUk/s320/Pumpkin+train+2009+026.JPG" /></a> </div><div align="center">2009 - 5 years 9 mos old<br /></div><div align="left">~"I think Fall is tiring" Charlie~</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">HUMPH~ Well, I think Fall is the most wonderful time of the year. I've always been a fan of the cooler, crisper temps and the changing colors. I love cider and pumpkins and crunchy leaves. This time of year always makes me nostalgic for some reason. I've been teary thinking about how time passes so quickly! I just hope I can cherish each day, and not wish time away, there are so many little moments that turn into memories that last forever, and so many of them happen in October for me!</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Yesterday my sister & I took the boys on the Pumpkin Train in Belton for our annual trip to pick out pumpkins, and take in the majesty of the 5 miles or so between downtown Belton and just past Peculiar, MO. It is a little corny, but the boys love it, and so do I... If I had to describe it one word: COLD. Last year we were in shorts & t-shirts, this year it was fleece & hats. To quote the phrase "if you don't like the weather in Kansas City, stick around, it'll change"... well anyway, in the vein of nostalgia, I'm posting some memories of the last six years of Fall outings. My oh my, how my big boy has changed!</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nb0bRGLqBUE512Ue9ZVZiXZbv-hsKugsZ1U9K_RMyHTm9frNUbcC8n9bqla5MiFHZhYwYDt7JmMkRyrPQmuI3oQQ1kOX4IMG4DtwjWIT0ozOWx04atskmYgTrBbp7-BtpZevXjZbyqE/s1600-h/08+1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391520772751921650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4nb0bRGLqBUE512Ue9ZVZiXZbv-hsKugsZ1U9K_RMyHTm9frNUbcC8n9bqla5MiFHZhYwYDt7JmMkRyrPQmuI3oQQ1kOX4IMG4DtwjWIT0ozOWx04atskmYgTrBbp7-BtpZevXjZbyqE/s320/08+1.jpg" /></a></p><div align="center">2008 4 years 9 mos old last year on the Pumpkin Train<br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgveNtrPUAKE00tWXIW_NXVyOh9bc5u0ywa2akwxn2QmNH8Z3T5CnoUxs7sRoIcXAOopC4eTPhBeASZgHLuTv7mciDDpjZnVw0YZg7HdlfAR-oRvE96f5c4WzctaedsLWQ4YRdGaOKQn7E/s1600-h/07+1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391520766803725170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgveNtrPUAKE00tWXIW_NXVyOh9bc5u0ywa2akwxn2QmNH8Z3T5CnoUxs7sRoIcXAOopC4eTPhBeASZgHLuTv7mciDDpjZnVw0YZg7HdlfAR-oRvE96f5c4WzctaedsLWQ4YRdGaOKQn7E/s320/07+1.jpg" /></a></p><div align="center">2007 -3 years 9 mos old with Grandma, Aunties & cousin Noah at Johnson Farm<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxV5hINykgNohKRsceD6LIK4lfWArz7V3SN-gZ7tMz_95wN_pJLeZprs8xJj6JGlaK4pewSpjrL9rOzg0BeYhtjgNEJAnzD4M3Md0GnD44E-H1emCOGdoFcOBgZjq-Cz8EJIydAnAZTI/s1600-h/06+3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391520763664761810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxV5hINykgNohKRsceD6LIK4lfWArz7V3SN-gZ7tMz_95wN_pJLeZprs8xJj6JGlaK4pewSpjrL9rOzg0BeYhtjgNEJAnzD4M3Md0GnD44E-H1emCOGdoFcOBgZjq-Cz8EJIydAnAZTI/s320/06+3.jpg" /></a><br />2006 - 2 years 9 mos old at the Pumpkin Festival in Germantown Maryland<br /><br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XEuGlzeWpRxEoX94MDe1mDNDDgg4f_z1OgQQqTcxaZSkdhA02WyhpnApbTiIvrKOafPD_3chSATJdTYKOxoWkmGD2CX588AM9UprvECmap-jG88qqQiTSMQgyi_zohAkWv6S9Go_AwQ/s1600-h/05+3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391520755404650402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XEuGlzeWpRxEoX94MDe1mDNDDgg4f_z1OgQQqTcxaZSkdhA02WyhpnApbTiIvrKOafPD_3chSATJdTYKOxoWkmGD2CX588AM9UprvECmap-jG88qqQiTSMQgyi_zohAkWv6S9Go_AwQ/s320/05+3.jpg" /></a></p><div align="center">2005 1 year 9 mos old Pumkin Fest, Germantown MD<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSpNAfU5PJWp71pyakPSngTNeOdUv_PTGg9y615zCFOkW5pD9guqulWo7eJweor980oH7MyS-q4ntA8wHjA0VbG_Fc4ur6FbRl6JsykrRWPtLcCxt-Ef6iSwq4xyOIzNm6aDg7ozMCYc/s1600-h/04+2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391520744103177570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSpNAfU5PJWp71pyakPSngTNeOdUv_PTGg9y615zCFOkW5pD9guqulWo7eJweor980oH7MyS-q4ntA8wHjA0VbG_Fc4ur6FbRl6JsykrRWPtLcCxt-Ef6iSwq4xyOIzNm6aDg7ozMCYc/s320/04+2.jpg" /></a></p><div align="center">2004 - 9 mos old at the Pumpkin Festival on Halloween Day with Grandma </div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-56561413461330644362009-10-04T11:45:00.000-07:002009-10-05T11:43:42.925-07:00love notes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k2bXWnCnqZoVaUKn9M4jwO28QqTRM8-hc3s5pow2vvQSG6dj_xNy8PgJfAUElGuAarDOayqysb4pNmrhQTZfD1P4OPIHlSYDWRFgNxiFUvZlMW_luzsICEb_yAmw22e-F42x19KBJLo/s1600-h/asleep+sitting+up+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388820586683323298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k2bXWnCnqZoVaUKn9M4jwO28QqTRM8-hc3s5pow2vvQSG6dj_xNy8PgJfAUElGuAarDOayqysb4pNmrhQTZfD1P4OPIHlSYDWRFgNxiFUvZlMW_luzsICEb_yAmw22e-F42x19KBJLo/s320/asleep+sitting+up+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Charlie is learning to write/spell/read, and his teacher encourages him to sound the words out, and write them how he thinks they sound. This is exciting for me because: </div><br /><div>A) It's fun to see him learning. I love seeing how his brain comes up with ways to spell words, though looking over his schoolwork takes a little detective work these days -- for example, take the word "dog", he has a hard time distinguishing between the vowels, so when he spells "DOG" he writes it like "D-A-G" -- those A and O sounds are pretty similar, you have to admit... and </div><br /><div>B) This means I get little notes. This morning I found a note stuck in my book (very clever place to hide it I think). It had a picture of a cake (ish) and the letters "M-A-M". I asked him about it, and he told me it was an invitation to his birthday party... well at least I made the cut, for the birthday party that will happen in 3 1/2 months... </div><div></div><div>The note made me grin. As he grows, I find myself thinking each time of his life is my favorite, being able to express himself in writing is a new and fun experience, I'm so looking forward to my first "I love you, Mam" note and my first "I'm sorry, Mam" note too...</div><br /><div></div><div>Here's a pic of him from last night, he fell asleep watching T.V. (we had a fun filled day of long-long walks and playing, and he was worn out)</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-85979055965979888552009-10-01T18:16:00.000-07:002009-10-01T18:33:45.565-07:00a new phase<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrxxv0beu_gx6SO8Uu9zGSm_pjvns76DgnxGeIQmL68bgEde9nykN62m0M5UqVkDBMc2HRU9SHz-VXoHLv-jg1lcYl1EohxeB6wpTrIf0bOcdpGH31AbTe4AAVKVsh-ZlWJAFs08CacE/s1600-h/020.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387809753590478066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrxxv0beu_gx6SO8Uu9zGSm_pjvns76DgnxGeIQmL68bgEde9nykN62m0M5UqVkDBMc2HRU9SHz-VXoHLv-jg1lcYl1EohxeB6wpTrIf0bOcdpGH31AbTe4AAVKVsh-ZlWJAFs08CacE/s320/020.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Kindergarten started about a month & half ago. It's been an adventure! Charlie loves it for the most part, though he has had some behavior issues, mostly just mischievious boy things...like sitting under his desk when it's circle time ("it feels good on my head") to getting into an arguement with one of his classmates about who got to be the caboose on the way back from the lunchroom, even though it was the other boy's turn ("well I like being the caboose, so I pushed him")...those things aside, he has a sweet teacher, Mrs. Roberts, who though she recognizes his bad behavior has admitted to me that he's one of her favorite kids. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The past couple of weeks we've been dealing with his first "bully"... Trust me I want to beat this kid up...what a BRAT! However, being a responsible adult, who doesn't want to go to jail for roughing up some random kid, I'm trying to teach Charlie the appropriate response to these acts of bullying... See this girl (hey - she's older) Jazzmine has decided to call Charlie names... they really aren't bad names, and actually not even that mean, but he doesn't appreciate it...NONE... she calls him "Chili" and "Chocolate". My first reaction as a mom and I'll admit it, immature, was to tell him to call DJ Jazzy Jazz a name too like "Jam" or "Jelly" or "Jingle Jam" (or DJ Jazzy Jazz) -- OK not the best idea... then I said, well Charlie two of my favorite things in the world are delicious chili and chocolate - didn't make him feel better. So the best advice I could muster was to just ignore her. She, like all bullies is looking for a reaction, if you don't give that to her, she'll move on. I went on to explain that she'd probably always be a bully, maybe she gets bullied at home... there could be a number of things that are wrong in her life. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>That's when I began to feel bad for this girl - this mean child who makes my sweet boy feel sad... I guess it's a sign of maturity, but we talked about it, and realized that God wants us to pray for our "enemies". So we are praying for Jingle Jam - oh alright, Jazzmine. </div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2745167447482533372.post-4403483678978419372009-09-29T13:34:00.000-07:002009-10-01T18:11:20.153-07:00Be Careful What You Ask For!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0n2P6KPIF7-ct75gtt313Pkv1CUomEGqCkA7KeFyB38uejou3ZY5OoJbnllePcc6K41P3aCcz1w3_5cVeARLrasgjgTwdKARo_MiEekeCP36kZC2SOHsM63losZ0eC7fHOR41_54L0LA/s1600-h/ry=400%5B6%5D+(3).jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387803970641816338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0n2P6KPIF7-ct75gtt313Pkv1CUomEGqCkA7KeFyB38uejou3ZY5OoJbnllePcc6K41P3aCcz1w3_5cVeARLrasgjgTwdKARo_MiEekeCP36kZC2SOHsM63losZ0eC7fHOR41_54L0LA/s320/ry=400%5B6%5D+(3).jpg" /></a><br /><div>I've had several people suggest that I create a book of Charlie-isms...this is for you, and since my memory isn't quite as good as it once was, it's for me too!<br /><br />When I was pregnant, I prayed for a few things very specifically, one was a little boy with a big personality.... Thank God he answers prayers!<br /><br />I'm lucky enough to have a little boy who is hysterical and is full of funny little quotes, quips and just all around charm! I probably should have started a journal or something long ago, since I'm quite sure Charlie entered the world talking...well it seems that way anyway...and I know I will not be able to recall all the good ones over the years.<br /><br />Even before he had words, he had expressions and was so animated that it seemed we knew exactly what he was thinking. He started with the normal words: da-da, ma-ma, bye-bye, no, uh-oh, then it progressed.... when I'd leave him for the day he'd say "bye-bye mommy, have fun & be good" the first day he said that to me, I realized he was copying my daily phrase to him, he was probably around 15 months old then. Quickly after that my favorite ones that I can remember were:<br /><br />**I can't like** "I can't like sauce mommy, you like sauce, I can't like it" this was his favorite phrase around 18 months - 2 years old, he couldn't like anything... "I can't like the old man, mommy" "I can't like chicky nuggies, mommy" "I can't like costumes, mommy" around that time, he also figured out he couldn't like "turning leff" on the way to our apartment in Germantown, MD, it was hard to get home somedays... you get the idea, it was a negative time in his life... "I can't like it" subsequently became the catch phrase for me and my buddies, you can use it if you like, it works in many situations...<br /><br />**unnn nurtsy nurtsy**well he nursed for a long time... I don't know what to say, I guess it speaks for itself I suppose... and "unnnn" was short for "I want" "unnnn faaawatty" (that was his paci, don't know how paci became fawatty, but it did) "unnnn hold you" -- translation please hold me -- you get the idea...<br /><br />Recent faves include: "Boys saw wood, Girls don't because it might go up their skirts" he's macho & funny.<br /><br />OK my brain is racked... I'll post more later</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09504675596468482782noreply@blogger.com3