Cole's Possible Careers

Written on the back of a Brixx menu when we went out to eat:

1. Judge

2. Author

3. Planetary geologist

4. Police department

5. Detective

6. Lawyer

7. Jury

8. Scientist

9. Artist

10. Explorer

11. Inventor

12. Astronomer

Cole's 8th Birthday!

Cole wanted a party with just family for his 8th birthday. He picked Moe's for dinner, than cupcakes and ice cream at home. We all had fun spending the evening with just us. The best presents were the Lego Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter. (The gift certificate and money from the grandparents were used to buy...more legos!)

First Day of School 2012

This year, school started on my birthday! It was so chaotic that I didn't even remember it was my birthday until I saw the greetings online. The quiet house was a treat; nonetheless, I really wasn't ready for the school schedules and activities to begin again.

Jay was very excited to start first grade. (The puppies were excited too!)  He became even more thrilled when he learned his teacher's name is Heather (imagine his huge grin!). She is very sweet and young with a strong Georgia accent, so it will be interesting to hear if his crazy accent changes over the year.

He loves that he has homework this year (what a difference it makes to have an older sibling). Each Monday, the students bring home 3 or 4 worksheets that they need to finish by Friday. Within minutes of walking in the door Monday afternoon, he has them all finished.

I'm going to be one of the room moms in his class, so I'm looking forward to getting to know all the kids and the teacher better.

I can't believe that Cole is in third grade! He looks so grown up! Thank goodness for my new camera or I wouldn't have been able to get this picture in the split second that he paused on his way to the car to say, "Don't take my picture."

The year got off to a great start when he found out that he came in 3rd place (out of the whole school) for the most pages read over the summer. The prize was a gift certificate to his favorite store, Barnes & Noble. (As he says, it has his 3 favorite things: books, legos, and cupcakes!)

He also tested into a gifted class that meets once a week to work on special projects. Later in the year, they'll learn about bridges and study the beautiful one that brings us from Mt P to Charleston. I'd like to go to that class!

People had warned us that third grade is challenging and we've seen that from the beginning. A month into the year, however, we've finally settled into a good homework routine and he's doing well with the higher expectations.

Cole's in Second Grade!

Somehow, Cole keeps getting older and older. I wish I could keep him at seven year old, because he is such a fun, wonderful boy. (Although I seem to say that every year.)

He is now in second grade, which, with two full grades below him in school, is officially a BIG KID! Second graders have a little homework every night, get to check out two library books at a time, and go on two field trips. In Cub Scouts, he is now a Wolf Cub and has a lot of patches and belt loops on his uniform.

Cole was a great big brother on Jay's first day of kindergarten and helped him find his cubby and seat. We are excited to see what this year brings!

Our Cub Scout

One of the best parts of first grade, Cole will tell you, is Cub Scouts.

At the beginning of the school year, the pack leader spoke to the first-grade classes about becoming a scout. He must have been a talented recruiter because Cole begged to join. "We get to make race cars, and go camping, and shoot bb guns!"

It's a big time committment: weekly den or pack meetings, some weekend activities, plus things to do at home. We wanted to be certain he was serious before signing up. We quickly discovered he was very serious.

A campaign similar to the one for Geotrax ensued. Cole pestered us until Rob agreed to take him to the informational meeting. When they returned, Cole was signed up and Rob was the den leader! (The disorganization of the meeting drove Rob crazy and he decided if he had to attend the meetings, he needed to run them.)

The experience has been wonderful. There hasn't been any shooting so far, but the Pinewood Derby and camping trips lived up to the expectations. The boys like camping so much we even went once as a family.

I had no idea that the Pinewood Derby was such a big deal. There are very specific requirements for the size and weight of the cars; otherwise, anything goes. We googled and found pictures of some amazing models. Ours was a typical first-year attempt (in Lane 5 with the red smudge [stripes] on top). Even though the paint hadn't dried, Cole's still came in first in one of the heats!

The last event was a sibling car race, which Jay enthusiastically participated in.



Cole has earned a number of belt loops and beads, and he and Rob often study the handbook for the next project. Of course, astronomy was the first loop he earned on his own. He's made new friends and some of the boys even live in our neighborhood. Rob enjoys seeing other kids since he usually misses the playgroups and school functions and, since parents have to attend the meetings, he's also met some other dads.

Poor Jay is quite sad that he has to wait until first grade before he can join. However, he's become an honorary den member. Rob lets him attend some meetings and the weekend events. He's so enthusiastic about it that he could help the pack leader recruit next year!

Cole's First Day of First Grade

August brought another milestone for Cole: The first day of first grade! As you can tell by the picture, he was very excited. (I love the missing tooth gap in his smile!)

I know he likes school because of the daily "hour report," how long the 7-hour day actually felt. The best days feel like only half an hour, the longest day so far was four hours. He is quite serious about his evaulation and often spends half the ride home decided exactly how long the day felt.

He felt right at home in the first grade section because outer space murals cover the walls. In January, the class studied space and he brought in some of his vast collection. The model of the planets Aunt Robyn gave him has a quiz component and the teacher told the kids not to try it because it would be too hard. He was so proud that he knew all the answers!

Reading is by far his favorite subject and we are thrilled that he has become a book worm. When he had to write an essay about his favorite day of the week, he chose Friday because it is the day his class visits the library. He likes mysteries the best (I wonder who he gets that from?). He finished the A to Z Mysteries (a series like Sue Grafton's with The Absent Author, The Bald Bandit, etc.) and is now devouring the Encyclopedia Brown series. I discovered that Encyclopedia Brown is available on the Nook, so I may have some competition in using it!

He reads everywhere, even on the way home from school. I used to get impatient waiting for him to get out of the car, but now I just leave him out there. It's not uncommon for him to sit in th car for 20 or 30 minutes. I don't know if he even realizes we're home!

He also likes math and seems to intuitively know the best way to solve problems. He'll often throw out 3-digit addition problems and ask me if his answer is right. While I'm still trying to carry the 2 from the ones column to the tens, he tells me the answer and how he figured it out. I'm hoping I can learn better math skills from him!

While he loves school, homework is a different story. On Monday each week, he gets a few worksheets, spelling words, and sometimes a writing project, like a short essay or book report, that is all due on Friday. It is a struggle to get him to sit down and do it. Inevitably, he saves it until Thursday afternoon. Then after all the whining and pouting, what would have taken 15 minutes drags out to an hour and a half. The funny thing is that he will independently work on his math and phonics workbooks and really enjoy it. Most likely because he choses to do it instead of has to do it.

It's a struggle for me too because I feel the worksheets are just busy work (the spelling words and essays have real value). He does multiple worksheets at school and always does well on them, so I can't blame him for not wanting to do the same thing at home. I understand the goal of discipline, but he's in 1st grade. I don't recall homework until 3rd or 4th grade. I worry it's setting up a resistance to homework that will last.

Anyway, we are so happy that he is happy in school and doing well. I hope he maintains his enthusiasm for learning!

Is your job complicated?

Editors note: Rob placed this post. Heather does not want to be associated with my substandard communication skills.

Rob: "So after elementary school, you'll go to middle school, then high school, then college. And if you really want to learn about more complicated things, then you'll go to graduate school."

Cole: "Did you go to graduate school?"

Rob: "Yes"

Cole: "I don't think that helping people sell boats is so complicated that you needed to go to graduate school"

Our Cole-O-Lantern

The middle top tooth is also loose! Cole's big problem now is that he can't eat corn on the cob. Cutting it off the cob just isn't the same.

It seems like he just got those precious baby teeth! We'll have to carve another Cole-O Lantern this Halloween.

That's My Boy!

I am so proud of Cole! He had an issue with a boy at the Pirate Park and handled it beautifully.

He and Jay were playing pirates with a boy they met there. At one point, they climbed up a tall structure with a long tube slide. Suddenly, Cole flew out the bottom of the slide on his belly and landed face first in the sand. Poor guy was gagging from all the sand in his nose and mouth and could barely see with sand in his eyes. While I was comforting him, the new friend came over and admitted he had pushed Cole down the slide. When I asked him why, he replied, "A zombie was coming." After mildly scolding the boy (his father was close by, but didn't seem like he was going to do much), we went to the car to get water and wipes.

After a while, Cole asked if we could go back to the park. I was surprised that he still wanted to play. As we walked back across the street, I heard him whispering under his breath. When we got there, he walked right up to the boy.

"Are you still gonna play?" the boy asked.

"Yes," Cole replied. "But I don't want you to push me down the slide unless I say it's ok."

The boy agreed and they continued to run around like crazy pirate boys.

It turns out the muttering I heard was Cole rehearsing what he was going to say to the boy. I'm so proud of the mature way he handled it. Times like this make all the hard work of parenting worthwhile.

(We left when the kid found a discarded plastic golf club and began swinging it at the boys.)

Shark Teeth

In continuation of his amazing teething abilities (his first baby tooth arrived at four months old and he quickly had the full set by 11 months), Cole got his first two grown-up teeth so quickly they came in behind his bottom front baby teeth.

I rushed him to the dentist because I had never heard of such a thing. The dentist took a look and nonchalantly said, "Oh, he's got shark teeth."

Cole thought that was incredibly cool. I would too, except it means that orthodontia is definitely in our future.

Cole's First Days of School

It was hard for me to have Cole go to kindergarten. The school day seemed like such a long time away from home. The first few months were a big transition. I think he was a little homesick and I definitely missed him. Poor Jay really missed him. His constant companion and playmate was gone for seven hours each day and I was a poor substitute.

Now, several months into the school year, we have all adjusted. Cole seems to be loving it. He's so proud of the work he does. I'm glad we didn't push reading on him in preschool because he is at the perfect level to learn quickly and not be bored.

He's also making some good friends, some of whom we were excited to learn live in our neighborhood. A couple of the boys are only children, so Cole gets invited to their houses quite often. It makes me glad to have had two boys close in age who love to play together.

Gravity's a Bummer!

Me: Cole, get out from under the table! That is not restaurant behavior.

Cole: But Mom, I can't help it! A giant piece of gravity's holding me down.

My Sweet Southern Boy

Cole is definitely becoming a southern boy.

Today after school, he took something from another boy and made him cry. On the car ride home, he ignored my scolding, so I stopped the car, made him look at me, and told him how his behavior was wrong. When I finished, I asked if he understood and knew how he should act instead.

He hung his head and quietly replied, "Yes, ma'am."

What?! I almost laughed. I have never heard him say that before.

It makes me wonder...What did he do at school to be taught to respond that way since he has only said it when being disciplined? Hmmmm.....

I probably should teach the boys to respond to adults that way, because many southerners think it is rude for children not to say ma'am or sir. But all I can think about is the boy who moved to my elementary school from Georgia. When he called a teacher "Ma'am," she thought he was being fresh and punished him. Poor kid was so confused.

After five years here, I'm still startled by being called "Ma'am," so I doubt I'm up for teaching southern etiquette. Perhaps there are enough northern transplants in the area that the teachers are used to Yankee rudeness.

I think I'll be okay if he starts saying "Ma'am" to me since it's meant respectfully. Now I need to adjust to his southern drawl.

First a Brother, Now a Friend

Cole and Jay are becoming great buddies. Each boy now calls the other his best friend and when they are apart, they really miss each other.

Last week, I went with Cole's class to the aquarium, while Rob took Jay to Gymboree. The entire ride home, Cole wondered what Jay was doing and whether he was home already. I asked if he missed Jay, and without hesitation, he replied, "Yes!"

It is the same with Jay. When we pick Cole up from school, Jay pushes his way through the sea of parents and rushes to him. They give each other a big hug that often winds up as a tackle. It's clear they are happy to see each other again. Poor Jay is going to be a bit lost when Cole starts full-day kindergarten in the fall.

Of course, the flip side is that they also annoy, tease, torment, and compete with each other. Their fights can be vicious brawls with punches, bloodshed, and hurt feelings. But we always make them apologize and hug, and before long, they are back to playing again. I found a quote from Dylan Thomas that describes this exact relationship: "I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea."

Rob and I long ago agreed that our first child would be followed by a second. We believe kids need siblings, and we are thrilled with the way it is turning out. Every day, I see them teaching each other fairness, cooperation, graciousness, and the golden rule of do unto others what you would have them do unto you. We couldn't ask for more.

Cole and Jay will always be brothers. I hope they will also always be friends.

Let the Fun Erupt!

Happy 5th Birthday, Cole!This picture is from Cole's party at school. I wasn't going to have a party there because the whole class was invited to our house, but as his birthday grew closer, he told everyone that at school he's going to get cupcakes and a balloon tied to his chair. He had no idea that the parents arrange and pay for it. I didn't have the heart to deny him his balloon. He had just said, "I'm the king!" when I snapped the picture.

For the party at home, Cole knew he wanted a science party, but we couldn't decide on a theme. Then, one day, he said very seriously, "I've been thinking a lot about volcanoes lately." So there it was: a volcano party.

Since true volcanologists wear protective eye gear, I handed out safety goggles when the kids arrived. They were a huge hit. I later heard stories of kids refusing to take them off for bed, baths, and church.

Of course, there must be eruptions at a volcano party! We buried bottles half-filled with baking soda in mounds of dirt. When we poured in vinegar and the mixture bubbled over, the kids practically erupted themselves. I couldn't have choreographed a better response! I'm glad we made multiple volcanoes because their reactions didn't dimish. After the third or fourth eruption, a girl got up the courage to touch the bubbly mixture and everyone gasped. When we said they could touch it, the braves ones tentatively stuck their fingers in the foam. I love the excitement and wonder children have!

Later, we tried the Mentos experiment. Apparently if you drop a pack of Mentos into soda, the chemical reaction makes a tremendous eruption. It looked great online and several sites warned to do it in a wide open area, so I expected an impressive blast. Instead we got some fizz, but no more than the vinegar-baking soda combination caused. We tried it twice with the same result. I'm still not sure why it didn't work. We have a few packs of Mentos left over so we'll have to try again.

The volcano cake was a disaster that actually turned out great. I wish I had pictures to chonicle the whole experience. The finished cake pictures are on Mom's camera. I'll post a few when I get them--they're definitely good for a laugh!

My idea was to bake the circles for a layer cake, then cut the edges off to make the yellow cake into a pyramid/mountain shape. It looked great until I tried to frost it with cholcolate frosting. I never knew that you can't frost cut cake. It crumbles and shreds and cake pieces mix into the frosting and look entirely unappetizing. The whole thing was a wreck.

I quickly dashed to Publix for more frosting and a back-up cake that I fully expected to use. At home I tried to glop more frosting on top of crumbled pieces of cake to cover up the mess, but it actually looked worse. In desperation, I scraped off the bits and pieces and was able to salvage two complete circles. After I frosted them, I had a puny, little, lopsided layer cake that I would have been embarrassed to serve.

In frustration, I started glopping the shredded cake on top and around the layer cake. To my amazement, it actually started to look like a dirt and rock covered volcano. I made rivers of lava flowing down the sides with a tube of red frosting then stuck a little glass candle holder (minus the candle) into the top for the volcanoes opening. Before singing Happy Birthday we wet dry ice in the candle holder and carried out a smoking, fiery five-candle volcano.

I'll never be a professional cake decorator, but I have to say, it looked pretty cool, especially to a bunch of 5-year-old scientists.

I still can't believe that Cole is 5 and will be in kindergarten next year. I actually tear up when I think of him in school all day. But then I console myself with the thought of spending more one-on-one time with Jay. Although he is going to be lost without Cole as well.

Christmas in Arizona (Part II)

We had a wonderful time in Scottsdale for Part Two of our Christmas. Grandma put up three trees--one for each grandkid. The big tree belonged to Cole; the medium tree belonged to Jay; and the little one to baby Sophia. A remote control turned on the lights and the boys loved pushing the button every evening. Unfortunately, they couldn't always remember where they put it, so we had to launch a few full-scale searches.

Of course, the best part of the trip for the boys was the presents! Jay's favorite was the jump castle from Grandma and Grandpa. It came in a nice, big box, which he liked as well. When someone asked him what he received, he answered, "A big box!!" We now have the jump castle in our family room until it warms up outside. Although such funishings have never been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, I think it adds a nice touch.Cole's favorite present was a rocket with detachable boosters and two astronauts. Once he opened it, he ceased to pay attention to anything anyone else did (it made a wonderful accessory to his space shirt).

The pool was another highlight. Last summer both boys were a bit tentative in our neighborhood pool. What a difference six months make! They were like little fish! Jay prefered to stay near the step. Cole hooked his arms over noodles and paddled all around, chasing the Creepy Crawler that cleans the bottom of the pool. I think they would have stayed in the pool all day. They also loved the waterfall that turned on at five o'clock. So did we because that was when the first bottle of wine was uncorked!

Taking a Bite out of the Big Apple

Because Cole loves buildings and Jay is always up for an adventure, we ventured into NYC during our Thanksgiving visit to Rob's hometown. The boys were ecstatic that the day began with their first real train ride, complete with tickets and a conductor. As we passed the 5- or 6-story buildings in the suburbs, Cole kept asking, "Is that a skyscraper? What about that one? Is that one?" His excitment was contagious. I couldn't wait to see his expression when he gazed at a true skyscraper. After arriving at Grand Central Station, we headed down 5th Avenue. (No, Cole, they didn't name the station after Geotrax.) Our first stop was the public library for a picture with the famed lions. We went inside to admire the beautiful building and to use the nicest public restrooms I knew about in the area.
Next stop was one of the ubiquitous street vendors for hotdogs and pretzels. No visit to New York would be complete without a tasty vendor treat!
And, finally, the pièce de résistance : The top of the Empire State Building! Jay seemed more interested in the pigeons, but Cole was excited to see some of the famous buildings shown in a skyscraper book we have. (I'm not sure why Jay decided to play dead for the photo.)

As we walked back up 5th Ave at dusk, I thought about visiting Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and ice skaters, then I decided it was already a full day for the boys' first trip to the Big Apple. (A wise decision, I just learned, because the tree wasn't lit until a couple days ago.) Instead, the boys got to experience rush hour at Grand Central Station from stroller height.

Yes, I caved.

Cole and Jay are now the proud and delighted owners of Geotrax Grand Central Station, otherwise known as preschool crack. The next day Cole declared, with a crazed look in his eyes, "I NEED MORE!"

The Quest for GeoTrax

Cole has discovered his Holy Grail of toys, his Red Ryder Model Air Rifle. It is called Geotrax, and he can no longer live without it. I swear, he has thought about that remote control train system every moment since he first laid eyes on it.

His relentless campaign begins each morning as soon as we wake ("Mommy, can we go to the store today and buy Geotrax?"); and continues far after his bedtime ("Mommy said that maybe I'll get Geotrax for Christmas and I can't sleep!") At first, his earnestness was enduring. He has never wanted anything this badly before. But now, it is wearing on me.

The reasons he dreams up to go shopping are far too clever for a four-year old:

• "We should go to Target to get Jay new shoes and, while we're there, we could check if they have Geotrax."
• "I want to use all the pennies in my piggy bank for something new."
• "We don't have to wait for Christmas. We could get them now."
• "Jay wants them too. We should get them for him."

I have to admire his tenacity. He reminds me of the pigeon in Mo Willems books, especially The Pigeon Wants a Puppy: "I WANT A PUPPY! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!"

One benefit of this obseesion is that the boys are playing with our Thomas trains everyday (poor Thomas was getting quite dusty and lonely). The tracks are spread across our family room rug, and each new layout is bigger and more complicated than the last. I love the Thomas toys and their old-fashioned looks and ageless sensibilities. I'm not sure I want to replace them with a Fisher-Price, plastic, noisy, battery-eating train set.

After some reseach, however, I have to admit that there are advantages to Geotrax. For one thing, the Thomas tracks link together only one way, which inevitably leads to two open ends facing each other (my best solution so far has been to tape the pieces together--utterly unacceptable to a purist like Cole). Geotrax tracks, on the other hand, join together on either side, so no need for tape. They also seems to lock together tighter. The Thomas tracks break apart quite easily, which can be quite frustrating with a little brother who likes to sit on the tracks.

I even see advantages to the remote controls. Now that the layouts are becoming more elaborate, it's harder for Cole to reach the far tracks. We bought a train table last year for that reason, but he hardly uses it. Despite how much room the table takes up, it isn't big enough for the layouts he wants to create. With the remote control, he wouldn't knock over bridges or break the tracks trying to reach the other side.

***Update to the first draft (because he can't read yet)***

I convinced myself with the previous paragraphs and bought Geotrax Grand Central Station. Now that I have it in my possession, it's burning the proverbial hole in my closet. Can I hold out until Christmas? Waiting will be hard, especially since I know it would occupy him for hours and that means FREE TIME for me. However, I hear Super Nanny's voice in my head saying it would be a good lesson in patience and the futility of expecting instant gratification.

Perhaps we'll give it to him in New York so he can play with it the week we're there for Thanksgiving. Besides, I suspect Pop Pop will want to play with it too.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is one of the boys' favorite holidays. This year it was even more special with a visit from Grandma Carlene, aka Yingy (no, I don't have any idea how Jay came up with that moniker).

The festivities started with my friend Holly's costume party the week before Halloween (for the kids, not the grown-ups). She set up her sons' Geotrax trains in her living room, and Cole spent the entire time there. He skipped playing outside with the other boys, watching a Mickey Mouse video, and dinner. The only time he left his station was when the cake was served. I'm afraid he is going to ask for a set of Geotrax. It's a great system, but I don't want to get into it since we have baskets of Thomas tracks and trains that rarely get used.

On Halloween the kids weren't allowed to wear their costumes to preschool; instead they were asked to dress as their favorite character in a book (who does the administration think they are fooling?). Cole was an astronaut again this year (click here to see last year's pictures) and brought the book Quasers, Pulsars, and Black Holes from the Isaac Asimov Library of the Universe series (remember those, Dawn?). The book is for much older kids and I got a kick out of seeing it next to princess and Spiderman books. Jay was a fireman and wore his hat backwards all day, as he always does with hats (click here and here to see some of his other backward-hat styles).

That afternoon we went to a party at a classmate of Cole's. Apparently John informed his parents that he was having a Halloween party for all his friends. They assumed he would forget the idea, but the next day he invited all the boys in the class and talked about it nonstop. For a last-minute party hosted by a four-year-old, it was a lot of fun and thoroughly exhausted the boys. (This time Cole spent most of the time playing with motorcycles that loaded onto a truck, missing pumpkin painting, dinner, and the pinata.)

Trick or Treating went quickly this year. After five houses, they were done. I was worried about getting them to bed, but both fell asleep rather quickly as mom and I finished a bottle of wine (after that day, we needed a treat too).