So Much to Say

But this is all for now:

Jaden had a wonderful week at Tennis Camp last week.
(and I, too)
It was M-F, 9-12--the perfect way to start the day.
He loved it and he's got skills.
So anyway, everyday at the end, they got two pieces of candy and an otter pop but on the last day they got TWO otter pops.
Beckam and I arrived just as J was standing in line for his otter pops and he was so excited that he was able to get TWO--one for himself and one for his brother. As he was telling me all the different color combinations he could get, another little boy maybe a year older, came up behind him and overheard him saying he could get, "o-gin and o-gin or o-gin and purple...."

He's just always called orange "o-gin" (pronounced O and gin like the drink) and I've always thought it was so cute and although we do correct him and he can say "orange" he usually still says "o-gin."

So this kid, who happened to be the coaches son, says, "O-gin! O-gin! What kind of colors is O-gin?! It's ORR-ANGE, ORR-ANGE."

While my heart is breaking for my little boy, Jaden is just standing there looking at the kid. This boy then proceeds to push his way in front of Jaden and tells him to get behind him.
THE LITTLE BULLY.
I couldn't take it. I calmly (so I thought) walk over to the little punk and tell him that Jaden's been waiting in line and that he needed to get behind him. I then quickly added that it was also OK if people talked differently than he did to which he sarcastically replied, "yeah, yeah--yeah it is."
And that was the end. That was last Friday.

Now fast forward to today as we're driving along in the car when out of the clear blue the following conversation ensues:
Mom remember when that boy was saying orange to me and you said something to him. I don't want you to say things to kids like that. It was really annoying. Why was it annoying Jaden? I don't know. I didn't like it. It just really freaks me out. Really? Okay, well I just thought he was being kind of rude by talking to you that way and then trying to get in front of you. Mom, you were being rude. I mean, he was being more rude, but you were being rude, too. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Thank You for telling me. So you don't want me to say things to other kids and you'll just deal with it yourself?
Yes. Okay.

And then later, while recapping this story to Micah, Jaden asks how would I have known if he had told the little boy that he could always get in front of him in line?

Okay son, point taken--you can take care of yourself and you don't need your mommy to defend you. That was my goal anyway, I just didn't know it would happen at 5!
Another lesson learned.

Happy Father's Day

Why We Love OUR Daddy:
He's so nice to me, he let's me do things that you (his mother) don't, he gives me lots of HUGS and LOVE and he talks to me.
Since Beckam isn't as good at expressing his feelings, although he did contribute #4, I'd just like to add that Beckam adores his dad. Everyday on our way back home from being out, Beckam says, "Let's go see if Daddy's home," and often, he'll go to his bedroom window and yell, "Daaaaaaadyyyyyyy." Or if we're out at the playground he'll come ask me when his daddy will be back. When his dad returns home (from anywhere), he never forgets to ask, "How was school today?"

Why We LOVE our Grandpa's:
"They are FUN to play with. They come to every single thing--they really never miss anything, even my birthday party.

Papa John always let's us play with his train and I like to ride scooters with him.

I really liked when Papa Dave gave us a helicopter and we've been flying it ever since.

I ever wonder if Papa Hack caught 4 fish or if he ever caught a fish that weighs 100 lbs. I ever wonder if he caught a rainbow trout fish. I ever wonder if you made a mistake of catching a scuba diver. I wonder if I can go fishing with Papa Hack, maybe tomorrow and I'll come to Bakersfield."

And Poppy, well Jaden says he liked it when he cut his hair but I don't actually think he ever has. But I like Poppy because he's always made me feel special--just like his very own!!

We are so LUCKY to have so many men to celebrate this Father's Day!!

Today, they each enjoyed goodies from Harry and David, including Moose Munch and Strawberry Scones--
delicious!!

At church today in one of the talks that was being given, it was said that
Fathers set the example that we are supposed to follow--even though they are imperfect beings. I liked that.
And it can be applied to mother's as well.
Perfection is not necessary just trying our very best!

I am grateful for my dad and the GREAT Father he has always been to me!

Who's Up For A CHALLENGE?

Then visit my sister's (in law) blog:
Hey Maughans

It's her latest 100 Day Challenge--
(you know, after fulfilling her commitment to work on that book she's been wanting to write.
My husband's family are disgustingly motivated people.
I'm better at delegating.)
To get 100 people to do a
100 Day Challenge of their choice.
Are you in?
I'm still deciding.
There's so many things to choose from!

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU
for all the THOUGHTFUL and KIND
things you said.

It was such a nice way to celebrate my birthday--
to know what AMAZING people I have in my life!
You are so SPECIAL to me.

(now if I can just live up to it all)
These are the beautiful flowers I woke up to,
along with my favorite veggie delight bagel sandwich from Posh Bagel.
The next thing I discovered was the Birthday Blog.
My day was made within the first hour of the morning!
Than Jaden made me birthday soup--
but warned against eating it because of the air freshener it contained.

Next I got a phone call from a friend inviting me to lunch.
So I enjoyed a very lovely afternoon with two GREAT girlfriends!!
(and was the proud recipient of one their beautiful handmade necklaces
AND another's personally crafted handmade earrings
--see picture below--
How LUCKY am I to have such nice and talented friends?!)

When the mail came, there were even more birthday wishes with LOTS of LOVE!
I can't forget ALL the phone calls throughout the day,
though a lot were missed due to a temporarily misplaced cell phone.

The mystery man showed up just in time to take me out for a delicious Tai dinner.
Of course my birthday wouldn't be complete without an
ice cream cake from BR--
And so it was!
complete. and perfect.

This was a belated birthday cake made by the hands of my two sweet little boys.
Prepared in the sandbox, at the little tykes bakery and around the tree.
Photo courtesy of Jaden.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLLY (Cheryl)

Why I love Cheryl . . .

I love how serious she takes parenting. She is such a consistent and attentive parent. She takes time every day to play with the kids on a truly meaningful level. She is concerned for their development, health and good manners. She makes sure they have healthy, positive activities to do everyday (all day). She is a great parent and I can't imagine how the boys' energy would manifest if it weren't so deftly channeled.

I love how much she enjoys being outside. She is not a homebody; true to the namesake of her blog she is always in PERPETUAL MOTION. Really always on the go - and yet our house is always in tip-top shape. I don't know how she does it. When I am with the kids it takes all of my energy just to make sure we are getting to the right places at the right times and all remaining relatively safe from harm. Forget about having time to be cleaning things up as I go! And yet somehow, without fail, she gets it all done and more.

I love that she is my wife! I couldn't ask for better . . . in every way.

I love that she enjoys eating good food. Her only regret (as far as I know) from this birthday is that she couldn't go to Country Rose Tea Room with her Mom and Sisters for lunch. As you probably know, Cheryl loves eating at her favorite places. Her trips back to B-Town often include scheduling her days around getting her favorite fills in. This goes with trips back to SLO, Reno, Provo and pretty much anywhere else that she has a favorite place to eat.

I love how passionate she is. If Cheryl likes something, you know it. She is a natural born salesperson - but not in a pushy way. Well, not if you realize that she has a strong opinion and when she finds a good thing "everyone has to try it."

I love that she doesn't gossip about others. She is very accepting and truly a great friend.

I love how authentic she is. Don't waste your time trying to look for hidden meanings or underlying interests. If Cheryl sits down with you and visits until 1 am, asking you question after question - it is because she is just interested in you. But here's the thing, she is interested in everybody. She loves finding out about people and as she learns about them, she invariably learns things from them. I wish I had her social savvyness.

I love how Cheryl . . . (see comments)

Lesson #2

I love the experience that goes along with having a 2nd child.
with the 1st, he started showing interest in potty-training early. like around 18 mo.
being the eager first time mom that I was, I got excited about the prospects of having a child potty-trained so early. well, that process was finally completed when he was oh, 2 1/2.

what I learned was that what they say is true.
they do it when they're ready no matter how anxious you are.

so this time around, I decided to do things differently.
when this one started to show interest in the potty, great!
I let him explore when we were at home.
use that potty if you want, figure out what it's all about and when you're done, we'll just put that diaper right back on.
I wasn't going to start encouraging it until he was approaching the magic age of 2 1/2.
so last month that's exactly what I did.
we began "talking" about it, spending a little more time naked, and then a few weeks ago, as he started being more pro-active so did I.

and guess what?

without jinxing myself, I'd like to report that he's got it!!
we've had very few accidents. like maybe one in the last 5 days. it's been such a smooth experience this time around. not that last time was bad but it was just long and a bit frustrating as time drug on.

I also know that we might not be out of the woods just yet but so far so good.
and I'm happy that my plan seems to be working.