Week in Rewind: September 26

This week was a fast one. The little guy had soccer on Wednesday, which was quickly followed by the Korean tutor.  Happy to report, no issues with soccer.  Last night, we had karate and Family Night at Daycare.

With Family Night, the idea is to give parents a glimpse into their everyday life. And let's just say, the little guy did not disappoint. He beamed as we drove to school. At one point exclaiming  "it's exciting to show you my day". When we arrived, he turned on the charms with the ladies (the boy has a lot of cute little chickaroos,  who all scream his name and hug him...interesting).   It also became very obvious that the little guy has confidence. As we worked our way through the night, I was amazed at how often he's the first to shout answers, jump up to do things, and well, generally dominate conversations.  There was also the little class clown trying hard to entertain his friends.  Say, who is that making the funny faces and silly noises.

I couldn't stop thinking how much more advance he is compared to when I was a kid. I mean it took me much longer to escape my shy stage and jump into life free of worrying about everything.  Not this kid. He seems to relish it.  That eye opener came as he proudly yelled last night, "A is for Astronaut"....long before the teacher asked the question. That's my boy.

Week in Rewind: Sept 19

I'm just going to come out and say it.  This week was a tough one from a mom's perspective....but a great one from the little guy's perspective.  During soccer practice, we had a little incident. A much smaller boy started throwing his ball against the little guy's head when they were circled around the coach. I started to get annoyed until finally the boy's mother made him stop. And I thought, that should be the end of that. But, the boy went right back after him and grabbed the little guy's shirt from behind and attempted to rip it. After the mom did nothing, that's when I had it.  I ran over and told the boy to stop, to which he pointed his finger at me...   I would never tell a parent how to parent. But never in a thousand years would I allow the little guy to act that way.

To his credit, the little guy did not react. He didn't say anything to him, didn't shove him.  I was so proud of him.  As I told the little guy it's a hard balance between standing your ground and not engaging in that behavior.  So we agreed, next time to tell the coach. (I didn't know it, but the kid did the same thing last week).  And I will be addressing that with the coach.  As I said to him after it happened, my grandmother taught me you treat others as you want to be treated.

The funny part is that we started karate again this week.  And one of their mantras is discipline, not starting fights, but knowing how to defend.   It's hard thing to teach a child to be strong but know when to defend, but we'll keep working on it.

So for sure this was a teachable moment.  But I smiled on the way home when he said, you treat people good mommy. Yep, buddy you do.  That goodness in the little guy's heart was bright as ever.

Week in Rewind: Sept 12

Ok, I admit, for a little while I was a tiny bit worried about the little guy's athletic prowess. I mean who could blame me with the Phebe run and random tripping over seemingly nothing.  To say I didn't have my worries, would not be honest.

 But by golly, the boy seems to be pulling it all together.  Last weekend, for the first time, we played catch and he actually caught it. And I don't mean, lucky catches that are trapped in his chest. No my friends, the little guy grasped that ball with his hands like a pro. Prayers Up!

And then there was putt putt while daddy was at the Eagles game. Mommy showed him how to start with his feet together and then move both feet, while over the ball. To say he got better by the end would be an understatement.

Someone also now sings the fight song and ran around like a maniac after we won. (Or was that mommy).  Either way, the boy knows what makes his mommy happy. And he knows how to pick out the Song Girls

But the big news....the little guy did awesome in soccer. I admit, I circled the start date with fear. Last year, we ended micro soccer on a less than stellar note...and by note, imagine a perfectly pitched high c with the word NO. The boy refused to do anything. At one point he screamed his extreme dislike for anything soccer to the English coaches (my guess is that a major no no). And he ran from the field like a mad man.

This year, we talked extensively about having fun and listening to the coaches.  And yes, mommy did a little prayer.  Whether it be the power of God, the harvest moon, or simply blind luck, the little guy did fabulous. By fabulous, I mean there were no high c notes. And I'm pretty sure we're invited back next week. Holler!

Week in Rewind: Sept 5

This week saw the return of the in laws. And someone was super happy with their arrival.

We celebrated Uncle Larry's Birthday, in the dark.  Yes, we know how to throw a party, in the middle of a crazy storm with no electricity.  Party like a rock star, mommy.  Thank goodness, we had plenty of family to keep the entertainment going.  And yes, we were celebrating the birthday of a very special uncle.  So, it was all good.

The next day, mommy was on a mission to get a tent gazebo for the back yard. And no, daddy wasn't happy with the idea. But guess who won out (men, when will they learn)....although it is still in its box. Daddy, on the other hand, was enamored with the swing. So, we walked out of Lowes with both items.  Note, only one item has been put together.

So, the little guy returned to preschool this week. Serious business, no?  So when we found him inside the dog's crate, on his iPad, well....we laughed.  And when prompted with "what you doing"...we got the response "concentrating"...although it came out more like "concatating".

I've also been lucky enough to hear many stories this week from the little guy. He (quiet seriously) asks would you like to hear a bad (cut to scary movie music) story.  And by bad, I mean they revolve around octopus, caves and spacemen.

And when I mentioned that we have to watch for Mattie when it's dark out because a wolf could get her.  Without skipping a beat, he asked whether I knew wolves can blow down houses. Reminded me of the farmer Geico commercial.

He also told me very emphatically that he was going Jupiter, Mars and Pluto.