Oh, what they say

If you read the post about Daddy-Daughter Date Night, you got to read the sweet quote from Everly about her feeling as though she was full of flowers.  This is a small continuation of that story, which happened later that night:

Me (to the kids): Time to brush your teeth!
Everly:  And get a shower!
Me:  No, you had a bath this morning.  You don't need a shower right now.
Everly: Yes I do! My hair is dinky!
Me:  Your hair is not stinky!
Cortlan (deciding to chime in, sarcastically):  Yeah - I thought you were full of flowers!

And another unrelated gem:

As we gathered our stuff to go swimming at my parent's house, I told the kids to grab their underwear, as they had their bathing suits on under their clothes.

Everly: You need to get your underwear, too!
Me (showing her what was in my hand): I have my underwear right here.
Everly (seeing only part of what was in my hand):  That isn't your underwear!  Those are for your bombs!
Me (laughing): My "bombs"?
Everly (pointing): Yeah!
Me: It is called a bra, Everly, which is considered part of my underwear.  And those are not bombs.
John: Yeah, they are boobs!
Cortlan: Hahahahahaha!!!

Gotta love it.

Off to a great start...

It is hard to believe that we have been on summer vacation for two full weeks already.  We are off to a great start, having done many fun things and, for the most part, everyone is getting along and things are going well.  Last year, the transition from all of us being separated for most of the day at school to all of us being together for most of the day was a rough one.  Keeping that in mind, and dreading the thought, I wanted to do anything I could think of to make the transition go more smoothly.  Thus, I borrowed and combined the ideas of several of my friends and Everly's classroom and catered them to our home and our needs. 

On the very first day of summer vacation, we sat down and created a list of house rules for us all to follow.  I took the idea from a friend and let the kids come up with ideas for the rules so that they would have more ownership.  Their ideas mostly had to do with not hitting, biting, poking, or otherwise maiming each other, but we came around to things like "Be respectful to each other" and "Tell the truth" and "Be a first time listener."  In Ev's classroom, they had used Popsicle sticks in envelopes that were the colors of stoplight to indicate behavior: red, yellow, green, and also blue if someone was behaving exceptionally well.  I didn't have the right colors, so we used a series of smiley faces to indicate the behavior levels; the kids decorated their own sticks, which start on green each morning and move up or down depending on how well they are following the rules.  Being that Everly deals with things in very concrete ways, this has been extremely motivating to her.  She absolutely hates the thought of being moved down a level.  If they manage to end the day on green or above, they get to put a sticker on their charts.

But perhaps the most ingenious thing about this whole thing is the reward system.  When the kids fill a row of his or her chart, the next day is his or her "Choice Day."  This has been amazing, and I am finding myself looking so forward to them filling the chart.  When it is Cortlan's Choice Day, for example, Cortlan gets to pick what color cup or plate he wants.  He gets to go first.  He gets to choose which shower he gets to shower in.  He gets to help with any other choices there are to make on that particular day, from whether we ride bikes or play in the sand to what is for snack.  And Everly cannot argue, because it is Cortlan's Choice Day and when she fills up her chart, she will have her Choice Day.  I am telling you, with zero calories, zero cost, and zero arguing, there is no better reward...for them OR me!  The novelty hasn't worn off yet, and I am hoping it lasts a while!

Happy Father's Day from the kids

What is the best thing about Daddy?
Cortlan: That Daddy is here.
Everly: Father's Day

If you could give Daddy anything in the world, what would it be?
Everly: A hug.
Cortlan:  A kiss.

What do you like to do with Daddy?
Cortlan: Go places.
Everly: Go eat.

What is the funnest thing that you have ever done with Daddy?
Cortlan: Go bike riding at Graham Park.
Everly: Ride bikes.

What do you think that Daddy likes to do with you?
Cortlan: Play soccer.
Ev: Ride bikes.

If there is one message you would like me to type for Daddy, what would it be?
Cortlan: I love Dad!
Ev: A cow one.

How much do you love Daddy?
Cortlan: For one million days!
Everly: 40 pounds!

Father's Day

We drove a mile down the road last Wednesday with the kids in the backseat, their bikes in the trunk.  Donning thier helmets, they pedaled down the path as John and I tried to keep up with them.  The air was warm but crisp; the sky was blue with white fluffy clouds here and there; the sun was shining; and when you looked up you saw the green leaves of mature trees that left dotted shadows on the path. 

Everly pedaled as fast as her little legs could circle.  Cortlan worked to stay just ahead of her.  At one point, we pulled off the side of the path to look at the creek that cut through the woods beside us.  We watched and listened to the water, spotted some fish, talked about what they may have been thinking about.

What I was thinking about was how blessed I am to have days like these...perfect summer days like these.  Days that I want to forever etch in my memory as full of simple happiness with my family.  I was thinking about what a great dad John is and how lucky the kids and I are to have him.  It was definitely a Kairos moment.

Today, Father's Day, as the kids sleep peacefully and the sun shines and I sip my coffee in a comforting silence, I think again about lucky we are.  I have a husband- my kids have a dad- who is kind-hearted, open-minded, hard-working, and thoughtful.  He looks forward to Daddy-Daughter date night.  He builds Lego creations on the floor with Cortlan.  He lets my kids be who they are.  He tries to understand them and thinks about their needs and wants.  He helps them grow.  He enjoys spending time with them.  He gives them so much love.  And I hope on this Father's Day he knows how much we love him. 

Daddy-Daughter Date Night

I painted her nails in the morning, got her in her dress late in the afternoon, brushed her hair, put in a headband, and slipped on her silver sandals.  Everly was ready for her Daddy-Daughter Date Night, which she had been looking forward to all day.  Chick-fil-a hosts the event and this was the third year that John and Everly had gone.  A very well-organized event, they took RSVPs and even had a personalized flower for Everly.  According to John, she was quite the slow eater but was a perfect little lady through the whole dinner.

Everly was so excited about this flower that she had John text me about it before they got home.

I know that Everly loved her special time with Daddy.  On the way home, she said, "I feel like my whole body is full of flowers."  What a great feeling.  What a great dad.

Soccer 2012

Last year, we asked Cortlan if he would be interested in playing t-ball in the summer or soccer in the fall.  He responded with a convincing "no" and we didn't push.  Afterall, he was only four and there were no signs that he was ready for organized sports.  Over the winter, I noticed that Spring soccer registration began in January, and towards the end of December, I mentioned in passing that we would sign him up if he was interested.  In early January, he let us know that he wanted to try.  I was surprised, in a way, but also hopeful and a little bit excited that he was asking to play soccer instead of us trying to convince him to give it a shot.  I waited a week and asked him multiple times, just to be sure, before shelling out the nice chunk of money and suggesting soccer gear to relatives for his birthday.  He got a new ball, water bottle, gear bag and shin guards/socks for his birthday, and we registered him for his first experience at a team sport.

That was January.  His first soccer practice/game wasn't until the second week of April.  That is a lot of time to lose interest, and as the day approached, it was hard to tell if Cortlan was excited at the prospect or nervous and dreading it.  Knowing him, I knew that we could expect anything from standing on the sidelines frozen in place and not participating in the least to going out there and giving it his best try, laughing and joking with his teammates. 

A completely clueless newbie soccer mom, I googled exactly what we were supposed to do with the shin guards and socks on that first day, and got him dressed in his uniform.  I was expecting the worst and hoping for the best (and admiring how cute he looked in his gear) as the whole family drove to the field.

Cort meeting his coach.  He did switch and shake hands with the correct hand; unfortunately, that isn't what I got a picture of, however.

To our surprise, Cortlan showed a surge of confidence as he met his coach and shook his hand.  John went out of the field to kick around with him a bit, but it wasn't long before he was kicking the ball around with his teammates.  The team warmed up, practiced for about 20 minutes, and then met the team that they were going to play.  Cortlan ran up and down the field and even got his foot on the ball a few times.

John and I juggled and multitasked throughout the season, with only one of us attending the event at a time.  The cold and wet days went to John, while Ev and I grocery shopped; the sunny days went to me, while John mowed the lawn.  On those cold and wet days at the beginning of the season, John would come home and tell me how impressed he was with Cortlan...not once did he complain or refuse to do anything and he always got out there and did his best to do what the coach told him to, despite the cold weather or rain.  It was rare that the entire team was in attendance, but Cort never missed a game, and sometimes (on the coldest and wettest days) he was on the field practically the entire time, as there was no one to rotate in to replace him.

There were clearly kids on the team who had played on the fall team and/or had older siblings from whom they had learned.  Cortlan may have been the only one who really never played soccer before.  His personality is not a competitive or aggressive one, so going after the ball was not really a strength of his.  Especially when there was someone else on the field who was a soccer superstar, Cortlan would tend to back off.  But he ran up and down the field in the group of kids, laughed, listened to his coach, gained some confidence, and had some good fun (while occasionally watching the butterflies).  Despite my frustration at times (like when the ball hit him in the foot and he didn't kick it), thinking back, Cortlan did exceed my expectations and I am proud of him for trying.  Who knows if he will do it again, but at least he gained some valuable experience and learned a lot this season.  I did, too.

Summer is here

Today is Cortlan's last day of Pre-K...amazing.  He has learned a ton and I am proud of how much he has grown.  Hard to believe that he will begin Kindergarten next year.  Everly will be moving on up to the next room at school, too, to the room that Cortlan started in at this daycare/school.  Time is just clipping by.

Summer is here...my to-do list is huge.  It includes cleaning our windows, doing some painting, washing my curtains and organizing. 

But it also includes going to Idlewild, the library, the museums, McConnell's Mills, the parks and playgrounds, the pool, the back yard and Living Treasures. 

It includes visiting friends, catching fireflies, drawing on the sidewalk, playing in the rain, eating on the deck, and making s'mores.  Maybe we will sleep in a tent, too. 

I love summer...I wish it was a bit longer, but I am going to enjoy every second.