Birthday Party

Saturday was Brantley's birthday party at Pump It Up. I decided to go there so we could invite everyone he knows and I wouldn't have to do anything. It's great. The kids love it and all you do is bring a cake. I also had goody backs to give to the kids. We only had half of the kids that were invited come to the party, but I still managed to give away all of the goody bags. Which, by the way, were a huge hit. We got camo bags filled with all kinds of camo stuff for the boys and pink poodle boxes filled with girly things for the girls. Brantley had a blast. I think this is the picture of him saying "Yeah BAABA!' And doesn't he just look so proud in the other picture. Oh, and he lost his second tooth yesterday. Believe it or not, I pulled it. I tied the string on and it popped out into my face!

Let them eat cake!

This year, I let Brantley make his birthday cake. Hope everyone enjoys it!

Chicago

Brantley had a great time in Chicago. My sister-in-law has a great blog entry about the weekend here. I wish I could have gone. I stayed home since I have a new job and PTO is a bit limited right now. (I've been there a month and a half now!!) It was nice to have a weekend without the boys, though. Brantley ran to me at the airport and gave me the biggest hug and told me he missed me. And, they brought me pie!!! Yum. I can't believe they let them bring that on the plane. Then he told me about the guy at the game who was holding nachos and caught a foul ball. That's about all he told me about the trip. Typical Brantley.

Swimming Update

As you have noticed, I have not posted in a while. Not only is summer just plain busy, I have a new job, and we have decided to move. Whew. Too much going on. But, it's all exciting.

At camp, they gave Brantley a red necklace. The necklace was to remind him which slide he could go on in the pool since he can't swim. Today, I noticed a green necklace as I was signing him out and I asked him why the change in color. He said because he passed his swim test!!! YAY! I'm so proud of him. Since he passed the swim test, he gets to go on the other slide. He did say he was a little afraid to go on it though. I told him he could wait since he still has more swim lessons to go through, then maybe he'll be more comfortable going down that slide. Way to go Brantley!!

Fishin'

We have spent the last 2 weekends visiting with my parents and other family. This time, we got to go visit my Aunt Artie. She is my great aunt, which makes her Brantley's great-great aunt. (Actually, I'm not positive of the lineage...I've always known her as aunt Artie.) They live on a 23-acre homestead with a log cabin and a large pond for fishing. So, we went fishing. Me and Taylor caught a couple fish each. I lost track of how many Nathan caught. Brantley didn't catch any fish, he only caught himself. Yes, you read that correctly. He caught himself just below his lip. The barb of the hook didn't go in...thank goodness. Brantley was pretty freaked out. I carried him inside telling him to calm down. It bled quite a bit but stopped pretty quickly. We cleaned it up with some peroxide and he was fine after he calmed down. We'll have to keep an eye on it until it heals. He was just upset that he didn't catch any fish. He did ride in the paddle boat with dad after the accident. I think he enjoyed that. Here's a picture before the accident and a picture with aunt Artie.

Swimming...WOW!

Well, another fun filled day at camp. Today, Brantley said he got to ride the horses, go kayaking, and play hockey. He also had a swim lesson today. I took him to the pool after dinner so he could show me what he learned. He went down in the water! I thought, "Oh my god, he's going to drown right here." He kicked and paddled and came back up. He was fine! He can swim under water without holding his nose!!! He's not as good above water, but Wow! He is swimming. And, he's jumping in the pool without his ring. We are talking air time here when he jumps in now. I guess swimming is just like everything else, they do it when they are ready.

Summer Camp Update

Well, week 2 has begun. Man, the days of summer really are long. Brantley must be napping on the bus because I still can't get him in bed at a decent time. This week he is taking swim lessons at camp. He said that he was almost swimming today. He thinks he'll be able to swim by the end of the week. We'll see how that goes. He also got to play tennis today. He said he hit one out of the court to which daddy told him that's not the object in tennis. He needs to stick to baseball. On another note, I had bought 3 different backpacks to try out for camp. We ended up with a pull behind because the pack was just too heavy with all the stuff in it. I don't know if that thing is going to make it though the week. It already has holes in it!!! The bad thing is that we are not putting anything extra in there. It's a towel, his lunch, a water bottle and a change of clothes.

Summer Camp

Well, today was the first day of summer camp. Brantley has never been one to tell me much about his day, but I think he had a good time. He said he didn't get to ride the horses, he did get in the pool, and they will be doing different activities each day. He saw 2 kids from his kindergarten class and a girl from preschool. None of them are in his group though. According to the schedule, he went to the ranch, the games pavilion and had beach time. Tomorrow's schedule includes the splash park, pontoon boat and archery. I wish I could go. :) Oh, I just realized that is a sample schedule. Still, sounds like fun activities.

Sleepover Birthday Party

Brantley went to a camping birthday party last night. There were 10 boys there. I told the mom I thought she was nuts! We didn't get any phone calls and he had a great time. He was ready to go this morning, although it looked like he was still having a great time playing. We came home and he wanted to wash my car, so we did. Before we finished though, he took off inside. After a few minutes, I poked my head in the door and asked what he was doing. He was crying and upset and asked me to come see something. I took off my wet flip flops and came in. He had come down the stairs and was naked. He pointed at his groin area and was crying and asked what that was. He had a tiny tick that had bitten him (lower abdomen area so not on his privates). This was the first tick that had bitten him and he didn't know what it was and was afraid it would stay there. I tried to calm him down. We went upstairs and got the tweezers. I completely blanked on how to get a tick out. We put some alcohol on it. It was hanging on pretty good but I was able to get the head out without it breaking off or anything. We did a head-to-toe tick check after that. I told him it was a good thing we just cut his hair -otherwise it would have been tough to check his scalp in all his thick hair. He did ask me though, "Mom, how did it get there if I wasn't naked?" I was surprised that it had crawled all the way up under his underwear but I explained that it was tiny and had no problem crawling under his clothes. It must have been a long night, because he is passed out on the couch right now.

Baseball is over...

Well, we had our final game for the season. We ended it with a pot luck dinner and trophy presentation. After that, we had a pick-up game of whiffle (sp?) ball between the kids and the dads (and at least one of the moms!). The kids had a great time trying to get their dads out. Brantley got elbowed by one of the kid's older brother when trying to get the ball that Lawson hit. His lip was bleeding but but I think he was more upset that he wasn't able to get his dad out because of that inconsiderate big kid.

School's Out for Summer (music needed)

I need to figure out how to make music play when you open my page. Oh well. Brantley learned a new song. He said he learned it from the kids on the bus. He was pretending to play his guitar as he sang it to me. Very cute. I'll have to get him to do it again so I can get a clip. Here it is:



When I think about rain
I think about singing
when I think about singing
it's a heavenly tune
When I think about heaven
I think about angels
When I think about angels
I think about you.


It's hard to believe that kindergarten is over. Brantley has grown up so much over the school year. He is a totally different child today from that first day of kindergarten. He's adding and subtracting numbers, writing sentences and reading. Not that I am that old, but I don't remember anything by playing in centers and naptime in kindergarten. What are your kindergarten memories?

Sounds

Brantley and his dad went to the Sounds game today and Brantley got a foul ball that went to the bleachers. He said he raced and adult to get it. While they were at the game, I spent 3 hours in the yard pulling weeds and trimming plants.

Game Highlights: Mariners v. Red Sox

Brantley played first base and got an out.

Game Highlights: Mariners v. Cubs

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but another great game with the Mariners today. Brantley got on the tee for his first at bat. I think he was a little nervous because his aunt and uncle were watching him and he really wanted to show them his stuff. But, he made up for it later in the game with an awesome hit that went out of the fence. Well, it rolled on the ground and went under the fence. But still, it was out of the field!! He also got an out on second base during the game. It was hot out there today and we had to keep telling him to drink water. I don't think he drank enough water today because he isn't feeling well tonight. I'm forcing him to drink water and I gave him some tylenol in case it's a virus or something. If he ends up with strep again, I think I will scream, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Kindergarten Program

Here is a clip from Brantley's Kindergarten Program.

Game Highlights: Mariners v. Tigers

Man, it's a busy week. We had baseball Saturday. Baseball tonight. Baseball Thursday. Baseball Saturday. And again on Monday. Wow! Another great game. Brantley had some awesome hits. Still not much in the fielding department though. Here is a picture of the team. Brantley is the one in the red cleats if you didn't spot him.

It's Pool Time!

We are getting so spoiled. Brantley went to a birthday pool party on Sunday. He had some much fun and hated to leave. Then, Monday evening we went to Roger's house. He has a heated pool and said it was open and warm!! We swam for over an hour. It was really nice. I don't think I have ever gone swimming this early in May. Brantley is already asking when we can go back to Roger's house. Get ready Roger...Brantley is going to become a permanent fixture at your house!

Game Highlights: Mariners v. Yankees

Today's game was against Brantley's old coaches' team. They take the game so seriously. I was being ugly because of course the coach's son got to play in the pitcher's spot and bat first. I see nothing has changed there. Other parents noticed how serious they were too. One of the comments was "I bet they are practicing during the week in addition to the games." Brantley had an awesome game. We got there a little early so I was pitching to him and he was hitting them to the grass. I was so glad to see him play so well in front of his old coaches. He played so well that he got the game ball. He went over to show it to his old coach. He was so proud of himself.

Priceless

Brantley came in the house today after playing outside with his friends.

"HELLO," he yelled.
"Hello," I said back. He plopped down on the floor and starting taking off his shoes.
"Guess what?" he said.
"What?"
"I got my first girlfriend today."
"You did? Who's that?"
"Hannah."
"Hannah huh. Is she in your class?"
"No, she lives up the street. She's four."
"Oh, okay."

All I could do was smile. I was just too dumbfounded to do anything else.

Other Game Highlights

Brantley let his friend across the street play with his bat, and quess what....his bat was in their garage. He had to play his game tonight with his other bat which is heavier. Those hits tonight would have been in the grass if he had his good bat. Lighter bat = more level swing...at least that's what I'm told. We had to have the talk about making sure things are put back after they get them out. When we got home, we stopped by to get the bat and his friend got the exact same lecture.

Brantley also had a case of unsportsmanlike conduct tonight. He was trying to get his friend to say "Bad Game" when the lined up. Lawson said the coach pulled him aside. I didn't know he started it. I heard another kid say it, but Brantley said he started it. At least he will learn now how to act like a good sportsman.

Game Highlights: Mariners v. Cardinals

Brantley hit the first pitch every inning tonight. I say he's batting a thousand. Lawson corrected me to say he's batting .333. Apparently, he has to get on base for it to count. The coaches are calling outs now and Brantley got out twice. Once for a fly ball that, believe it or not, a kid on the other team caught and once for a grounder that was fielded at first base. So, he had 3 awesome hits, no strikes, but only got on base once. Now, if my terminology is off, blame it on Lawson. He's the baseball expert but he won't do any blogs. I just call it like I see it.

What is Brantley doing?

Game Highlights: Mariners Vs. White Sox

Another great game with the Mariners. Brantley got to play catcher on the first inning. I didn't realize it because we were late to the game and I saw him go out to the outfield. And, of course I was chatting with grandma and missed that they sent him back and put the catcher gear on him. Sorry, no picture of that. Brantley ended up on the T on his first a bat. Not sure what was up with him. He was holding the bat out in front of him instead of back behind his head. Second at bat, he hit it straight to the coach who had to catch it to keep it from hitting him. I think he was a bit surprised. Third at bat, Brantley hit it to the grass. He also got a couple of grounders in the outfield. And, since the game went so quickly, the coaches decided to play an extra inning. It was a beautiful day for baseball!

Play Ball!

This year the league was bound and determined to have the opening ceremony. The last 2 years it was cancelled due to weather. This year, they postponed it twice. It was nuts! There is something like 1400 kids in the league. Here is a picture of Brantley in true baseball form and another with his friend.

Discipline

I admit it. I'm extremely over-protective when it comes to Brantley. I'm trying to do better. Brantley has made friends with the 8 year old from across the street. He's a nice kid, but neither one of them seeme to have any sense of what it means to play safe outside. I had to keep reminding Brantley not to play in the street and to look both ways when crossing. Then, Brantley wanted his friend to stay for dinner. I said I hadn't been to the store and we didn't have much but I could make them some mac'n cheese. They both wanted it so I started making it. Then they took off. The mac was ready and I called several times for Brantley and he did not come. I knew he was probably in another friends yard but he didn't tell me he was going anywhere. So, I went to retrieve him. I brought him home and told him that I called several times and he didn't hear me. If he can't hear me, he has gone to far and he had better be telling me where he's going if he does that. He was very upset, but I felt the need to be stern. If I'm not, the next thing I know he'll be in the next neighborhood without telling me. He went to see if his friend still wanted to have mac'n cheese and it sounded like his friend didn't talk to him which made him more upset. I hope his friend wasn't upset. At any rate, I have set the rules and Brantley knows if he can't follow them, then he can't play outside with his friends.

Birthday Party

Brantley went to a birthday party this weekend at a really cool place. He had a blast. The pictures didn't turn out very well, but here is a video clip of him playing Glow Golf. Listen close to what he calls himself... (You may need to click twice on the video to make it play.)

Field Trip

Friday was the field trip to the zoo. Earlier in the week, the weather man was saying Friday was supposed to be nice. Well, surprise, surprise. He was WRONG!!! It was cold and windy and threatening to rain the whole time. The kids at least had a good time. I did not. I had Brantley and 2 other boys from his class to keep track of. I've never said, "Boys, we have to stay together!" more in my live. Brantley didn't want to go home with me afterward so he went back on the bus with his friends. I went back to my car to find that someone had dinged my car door. A HUGE ding with white paint. I was so mad. My car is only a year old. I think I will be able to get the white paint off, but there will still be a noticeable ding. Oh well. I guess it had to happen sooner or later.

Strep Throat

I am so irritated right now. We took Brantley to the doctor Thursday and he was negative for strep and the flu. His fever broke Thursday night and he was doing better Friday. He went to his baseball game on Saturday and then spent Easter with his cousins and went to school today. After lunch today I received a phone call from the doctor's office saying Brantley's throat culture came back positive for strep. They couldn't give a straight answer as to whether or not Brantley was still contagious over the weekend. Too late anyway because he had already been around everyone. He has to take a round of antibiotics to make sure the strep is gone. We kept him home from baseball tonight because we just were not sure if he was contagious or not Brantley was extremely upset that he didn't get to go to baseball. Now, I get an email from the coach saying they are going to drop the jerseys off tomorrow to have their names put on them and I can either meet up with his wife or drop it off myself. This was supposed to have been done prior to the season starting. The place that does it is only open from 9 to 4 and would take me at least 30 minutes to get there from work so it's not like I can do it on my lunch break. It's not my fault they didn't do it before the season started. But, now it's my problem because my son has strep. I am just so irritated!!!

Game Highlights: Mariners v. Astros

It was a cold day for baseball. It wouldn't have been bad if it hadn't been for the wind. At Brantley's first at bat, he hit on one pitch. Second inning, Brantley got to play in the pitcher circle. He grounded the ball and threw it to first. Carson wasn't looking though and missed it. All in all it was a good game. The boys were there to play despite the cold.

Poor Brantley!

Brantley isn't feeling well. Isn't he just pitiful...

Check out the gap!

Bullsikes!

Anyone heard that word before? I don't have a clue where Brantley picked that one up. He'll tell you a story then say, "Bullsikes, tricked you!" I had to ask him to repeat it so I could figure it out. You assignment: figure out how to work the word Bullsikes! into your day.

The Loose Tooth

Okay, those of you who knew me growing up know I have issues with pulling teeth. I'm not sure what is holding Brantley's tooth in. It's so loose and it is sticking forward. I flossed around it some thinking it might pop out if I got it just right. I just can't stand the thought of pulling it out. I read an article (on parent center I think) that said you should let you child pull it out and encourage them to keep wiggling it because only they know if it hurts or not. Now, if it were left to me as a child, I'd still have all my baby teeth. Brantley has really been wiggling the tooth and seems to be getting looser. Maybe it will come out soon.

Dinosaurs and Caves

Today we went to Dinosaur World. It was okay, but there wasn't much to it. I think Brantley enjoyed it though. Since Dinosaur World didn't take as long as I thought it would, we decided to go to a Cave. We went to Diamond Caverns. There are no diamonds in the cave, but when they caves were first discovered, they saw shiny stones that they thought were diamonds and the name stuck. I was really glad we decided to go to the cave. We were really lucky and ended up getting a private tour. Not that it was really private, just that Brantley and I were the only ones there for the tour. The tour after us was full though. It was really nice having the tour guide just for us. He was really nice and knowledgeable. He had a history degree (used to be a middle school teacher) so he was really into the stories behind the discovery of the cave and the explorations. He kept asking us if we had any questions and we didn't until we got to the part when he turned off the lights. When he turned them back on, Brantley said, "I have a question. How is there a light switch in that rock?" It was really cute and I wish I had gotten a video clip of it. Check out the pics here.

Funny Story

I had to go to the doctor for some bloodwork so I took Brantley with me. As we were walking to the area where they were going to take my blood, Brantley said, "I don't think I can look." He sat in the chair across from me and started to cover his eyes. Then, he decided to watch. Afterward, I said, "Piece of cake, huh?" To which Brantley replied, "Cake? Where's the cake? I want some cake."

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This is from 2005, but I think it's so darn cute!

Annual Fun Run Update

Brantley did 16 laps in the fun run and raised $67 for his school. Thanks to all who donated!!

Funny Story

Have you ever gotten that email about things you learn as a parent, like how PB&J sandwiches don't really eject from a VCR like in the commercial. Well, we learned something today. We learned that Brantley's underwear can be flushed down the toilet and it doesn't clog. Yes folks, underwear can be flushed. I just wish it had at least been dirty underwear.

Teeth

Brantley is growing up so fast. He has his first loose tooth. I almost cried this morning. And, I talked to Ben's mom, and he has a loose tooth too. Brantley said that he hoped the Tooth Fairy brings him a dollar for his tooth. Ben, on the other hand, has higher aspirations. He thinks the Tooth Fairy is going to bring him one hundred dollars for his tooth. Well, the teeth have to come out first - wonder how long that will take?

Play Ball!

Baseball practice has started. I switched Brantley to a different coach for several reasons, but I didn't know the coach was new - and the team was new too. Apparently, last fall was the first time any of them played ball. This is Brantley's third season, so needless to say I was surprised to see them put him on the Tee. Of course they were surprised at how he hit that ball. He didn't miss a bit. Perfect swings. I guess I need to talk to the coach and be sure they are going to try pitching to him.

Pledges needed

Brantley is asking for pledges for the annual Fun Run at his school. This is a fundraiser for the school. You can pledge a specific amount or an amount per completed lap. Each lap is 1/10 of a mile and they have 30 minutes to complete as many as they can. Please let me know if you would like to make pledge. Brantley appreciates it!

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess

Tomorrow is Dr. Suess' birthday. All week the kids have been reading his books. Tomorrow they are supposed to dress like their favorite Dr. Suess character. I was able to borrow a hat from a friend at work, although I don't know if he will wear it or not. He's not much on participating in those types of things. He won't even wear his pajamas to school on pajama day.

Go Mariners!

It's baseball season my friends! Brantley is on the Mariners this year. He's been out practicing and according to Lawson, he's batting about 350. ;) In all seriousness though, he really is good. Lawson is amazed that he can hit an overhand pitch. (I think I said that right - apparently it's good for being so young.) He's throwing really well too. He says he's going to be a pitcher. I'm glad he enjoys it so much. It gets tougher this season. He has 2 practices per week until the season starts and then 2 games a week (possibly a practice in there each week too!).

Brantley Absent from School?

Today I got an automated phone call about 11:00 saying that my son was not in school and to be sure to send a note explaining his absence to school tomorrow. I was extremely upset by the call considering it was 11:00 and I put him on the bus at 7:40 this morning. I frantically called the school and it turns out there was a mix up because they had an early assembly for K-2 and Brantley's bus was late. First problem, even if his bus was late, shouldn't his teacher have corrected the attendance once she knew he was there? Second problem, the call did not happen until 11:00. If he truly were missing, a lot could happen in 2 1/2 hours. Errors like this should not happen. The principal said this morning was unusual and that the calls usually go out earlier. But, shouldn't someone verify the absences. There can't be that may kids absent each day they the list can't be verify so that parents like me are worried unnecessarily. She also said they just started using the system in January and that this was the first problem. All I have to say is it better not happen again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wasn't able to go to Brantley's party at school today. That's OK though because now when I do go to a party like that he just wants to leave and go home. Today's homework was to make a card and give it to someone you care about. Brantley decided to make a card for Carson. I told him I'd mail it tomorrow. He also made cards for me and daddy. He's doing really well with writing and spelling. Eventually, I will hook the scanner up so you can see some of his work. It's quite impressive.

Play Date

Brantley doesn't get to see his best friends from preschool very much so it's nice when they get to have a play date. By the way, that is the remnants of cheetos on their faces.

Breaking News!

Brantley finished the last 2 books in his stack so he gets to pick out a surprise. Congratulate him on a great job!

Reading Update

Brantley has read 21 books. He has 2 more to go before he is through the stack and gets a surprise. I'm pretty impressed with these books. Most of them are 12 pages long and have 1 or 2 lines of text on each page. He is having a hard time with words that don't sound out right, like what, this, that, with. I'm trying to tell him that letters such as TH and CK make a different sound than the individual letters together. You don't really think about how bad the English language is until you try to teach someone to read and have to teach all the exceptions to the rules.

SNOW!!!

Believe it or not, we actually had some snow!

Chuck E. Cheese

It took over 2 years of collecting tickets to get this!

Naked Brothers Band

Well, Brantley has been dying to watch the new Nick show - Naked Brothers Band. Last night was the premier and he was counting down. Well, the first 10 minutes we had already seen because all of it had been shown in the previews. Fifteen minutes into it, Brantley wanted to quit watching. So, I guess the show was a bust. We did end up sitting through most of it but we didn't watch then end. Oh well.

Da' Bears

Go Bears! It's been 20 years (21 to be exact) since the Bears have gone to the Superbowl. I actually watched that Superbowl because Jim McMahan was the quarterback. Brantley's bears hoodie is really small on him. We got it in October of 2005. I remember that because we got in while we were in Chicago. After we got it, we visited a pumpkin patch and Brantley ripped the sleeve. But, not to worry. A new sweatshirt in a bigger size is on it's way. Thanks Uncle Matt and Aunt Rosemarie!

Brantley Singing

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!

Can you guess what that headline is for? I was going to have everyone guess, but I'm so excited I couldn't stand the suspense myself. Brantley is reading!!! I decided to get the leap pad and phonics out again tonight. Before, he's never really gotten into it and I never pushed him. So, tonight he got bored with the leap pad and we moved on to the phonics. Then, he was bored with practicing the letter sounds so I got out the stack of books, we put the tapes away and we started going through them together. The first book was a success and I got excited. The fact that I was excited got Brantley excited. He was so happy to have read it by himself. We ended up going through 6 books. There weren't very many words that I had to help with and he did a great job sounding them out. I'm so proud of him. I told him if we can get through the whole first stack, I will get him a surprise. Any suggestions?

Injury Alert

I'm not very happy with my new phone. When the battery is low, it warns you once and then it's dead. Friday afternoon, I realized my phone was dead. I was able to turn it on and find out I had a voice mail. It was from the school nurse. I can only hope that had it been an emergency they would have tried my work number when they didn't get me the first time. The message said the Brantley was fine. He had fallen on the playground and had a big scrape on his forehead, but he was a alert and had gone back to class. She just wanted to let me know what had happened. Lawson said he saw it right away when Brantley got home. Brantley said he fell on the basketball court. Here's what it looks like...

Leaps and Bounds

Christmas break is over and it's back to the grind. Brantley seems to have grown so much over the last couple weeks. He got to spend over a week with his cousins and he had such a good time. He must of grown a couple inches because we no longer need the booster seat at home. That's right, Brantley is sitting right up to the table without his booster seat. He got up all by himself this morning and we have 30 minutes extra time.

For those football fans out there, Brantley was waiting the game Saturday when Tony Romo fumbled the snap and lost the game. Lawson was giving Romo a hard time and making fun of him and Brantley told him to stop. He said, "How would you feel if you were Romo and you made a mistake and lost this game?" Wise beyond his years.

Christmas

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. Santa brought Brantley just what he asked for, a guitar, and a few other things. Here are some pictures from Christmas morning and from Christmas with my family. Enjoy!

Christmas with Grandma and Pop (cont'd)

I took a few pictures of the present opening. Brantley got a builder sheet set from Uncle Matt and Aunt Rosemarie (with a much needed extra pillow case because Brantley gets those things stinky quickly!), a pinball machine and Titans pullover from Grandma and Pop. He didn't get to open anything from mom and dad yet. Mom got some lavender hand lotion and bath salts for relaxing in the tub. Lawson got some cool Nashville coffee. We also got a cool print with the Loveless Cafe on it. Pop got an Agatha Christie computer game for the book And Then There Were None. Grandma got a new dustbuster - which I found out that Brantley told her last weekend what it was. We have to work on the keeping secrets part of Christmas! Anyway, here are the pictures...

Christmas with Grandma and Pop

Since Grandma and Pop will be spending Christmas in Chicagoland, we celebrated with them today. We had a great dinner with filet, baked potatoes, salad, and rolls. Mmmm! Brantley of course just had carrots, turkey, and rolls. Lots of rolls. He's not much of a meat eater. I'm not sure I've ever gotten him to taste a piece of steak. More for the rest of us. For dessert, it was chess pie. Grandma made an excellent pie. Of course, we got to open presents too. Grandma and Pop's present was a 5 A rating by Brantley (A being the word awesome!) We got home and were going to put the batteries in it but something happened to the batteries. It looked like something had leaked out of them. I looked around and we only had 2 D batteries and we needed 4. Brantley just couldn't understand that we didn't have enough of the right batteries. But, not to fear, mommy had to go grocery shopping anyway so I picked up some batteries. He'll be playing tomorrow!

Holiday Party

Today was also the holiday party at school. They had a sing-a-long in the cafeteria. The whole school was in there. In Brantley's room, they had a waffle party. A couple of dads cooked waffles and the kids got to add all the toppings you could think of. The waffles were really good. They smelled so good, I couldn't resist. Then they had a book exchange. Here Brantley is with the reindeer he drew.

Dentist

Brantley had his 6 month check up today. He went back all by himself. They took xrays and cleaned his teeth. He didn't look like he enjoyed it all that much, but the dentist gave him an A+. He said we still need to keep an eye on the cross bite situation which led to the thumbsucking at night discussion. Brantley doesn't want to suck his thumb, but he does it in his sleep. We have to get him to stop before his permanent teeth start coming in. The dentist said he should start losing teeth in the next year. He recomended Mavala Stop. I told him the stuff we tried didn't work - Brantley just woke up with a bad taste in his mouth. The dentist said this stuff tastes really bad. I hate to do this, but Brantley has to stop and he can't do it on his own because he doesn't know he does it. The other problem is knowing if he has stopped or not.

Gingerbread House

Today at school, Brantley's class worked on gingerbread houses. Actually, milk carton and graham cracker houses. The best part was the Grandma and Pop came to help Brantley with his. I heard that Pop got to help a little with Brantley's house and Grandma did her part by helping the other kids and giving praise for their wonderful houses. Here he is showing off the finished product.

Cassanova

Last night was the annual firm Christmas party at the Country Club. So, I was all dressed up, hair done, and even makeup. Brantley was in the bathroom and I walked by. He says, "Mom, you look pretty." He said something about my hair and even said, "Your eyes are pretty." He already knows just what to say. I guess it helped that I was wearing his favorite color (now that I want to be flashy!) He'll have some girl wrapped around his finger when he gets older.

It's been a while

Well, as you have noticed, I have not blogged very much lately. The past few weeks at work were rough on me, and for those that don't know, I had surgery last week. Unfortunately, I've also been working at home while recovering from surgery. My mom came to take care of Brantley for a couple of days. He didn't know I was having surgery until after I had it. He understands doctors and hospitals now and I didn't want him to worry the whole day about me. He's been very concerned with me since. The surgery went fine and I came home that afternoon. I'm proud to report that my lower back which has tortured me for some time has not hurt a bit since the surgery! (The surgery was not on my back, but very much related.) I can lean over the sink to brush my teeth with no pain now. Just try brushing your teeth without being able to lean over the sink! My back pain had overcome my life and now it's gone. It's gone!! It's gone!! I can not tell you how happy I am! Now, I won't be telling Brantley mommy can't do something because her back hurts. I probably still won't be picking him up anymore, though, since he weighs about 45 pounds now. He's getting so big. He's trying to write sentences now, even though he still doesn't seem to have an interest in learning to read. The other new thing is that he loves taking showers now. I guess he saw Nathan take one and decided it was a big boy thing. It's easier for us, so what the heck. Oh, one more thing. Brantley was sitting on the couch next to me a couple days ago and said, "Have you lost weight?" Wonder who told him to say that?

The LOOT!!!

Halloween

I'm sitting here listening to The Monster Swim (by the same guy who did the Monster Mash) waiting for kids to come by so I can give them candy. Lawson took Brantley out this year. I did it the past couple years so I guess I can give out candy this year. I think it's even more fun for Brantley this year because he's running into his friends and I actually know a few of the kids coming by. I think he's going around with Xander right now. One of the things I have come to love about Halloween is carving pumpkins - now that I actually know how to carve them. Brantley helped me with this one the other day. At least he did for about 5 minutes, then he asked if he could go watch his show. Normally, I carve several but I've been working my tail off this month and just haven't had the time to carve them. I hadn't really planned on carving any but I gave into the urge. This next one I carved in about 5 minutes after I got home today. I meant to leave work at 4:00 and that turned into 5:00. Then it took me 45 minutes to get home., as opposed to under 20 minutes normally. Luckily, Lawson had already gutted the pumpkin so it was ready for carving. Not bad for a quickie!

Happy Halloween !!!

Weekend Events

Man has it been a busy weekend. First we had soccer yesterday morning, then we went to a Halloween party at the house of one of Brantley's classmates and today we went to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. We learned that the Halloween party was hosted by the parents of triplets, one of which is in Brantley's class. Brantley didn't want to wear his costume so he was the only one not wearing a costume. That was okay though, because some of the kids ruined their costumes. We had a great time. I picked this picture so you can see Brantley without a costume. But, I also want to draw your attention to the mom dressed in pink. Don't you think that costume is a little inappropriate for a family Halloween party? She wasn't leaving much to the imagination. Then today was Chuck E. Cheese. Let me tell you what I hate about Chuckys. Parents let their kids run amuck and Brantley gets run over. Brantley dropped his tokens and his classmate and another kid helped him pick them up while helping themselves to some of his tokens. Brantley can be playing a game and another kid will come up and start playing it and not letting Brantley play. It's quite annoying. At any rate, Brantley actually hugged Chucky this time and danced with everyone. Check out Brantley's moves.

GOAL!!!

Today was the next to last soccer game. And, despite missing practice this week due to weather, the team played great! Brantley scored his first and second goals. We were so proud of him. I didn't get the first one on camera because Grandma and I were chatting and not paying attention. But, daddy did get our attention just in time to see the goal. He took it all the way down the field. Awesome control! So, I had the camera ready every time he got near the ball after missing the first goal and I got his second goal on camera. I threw the camera down to cheer so you don't get to see him throw his arms up for the goal. Great game!!! Here is Brantley's recap of the game.

New Song

Brantley started singing a new song. At first he said he made it up, then he said he learned it from Ben (the new Ben from kindergarten). Here he is singing his new song.

How to get ink off of leather....

Brantley decided to take a ball point pen and scribble on my leather couch. Now, if the couch were new, I might have freaked out. But hey, the couch is 8 years old and is showing it's age a bit. So, I wasn't too mad. But, how do you get ink off of leather. Well, I tried several thing that didn't even touch it. Then, I decided to try Mr. Clean's magic eraser. It worked! Amazing. I can not believe it worked. I talked to Ben's mom about it and she said that Chase had taken a Sharpie to her hardwood floor and she used an eraser on it and it worked there too. Highly recommended. I don't know how that thing works, but I'm going to stock up!

Bowling birthday party

We went to a birthday party at the bowling alley this weekend. We all remember what happened the last time we went to a birthday party at the bowling alley. Well, I was watching their hands like a hawk. And, the funny part is that Brantley was too. He even grabbed some boys hands and said "Keep your hands out of there!" He really did learn his lesson.

Report Card

Brantley got his report card. Now, I'm not quite sure why we got the progress report. I guess the one today is the official one. Overall, it's a good report card but he does need improvement in a couple areas. This is the most detailed report card I've ever seen. It has the alphabet and indicates which letters he recognizes and knows the sound of. It indicates what sight, color and number words he knows. Some of it isn't accurate, but I know why. Brantley is terrible about not answering questions or answering them incorrectly on purpose. For example, there are 9 letters that are not marked as him being able to name them. I know he knows all of his letter. I just have to get him to show his teacher that. The other thing that bothered me was that it wasn't checked that he knew his age. Everyone knows he knows his age. But most likely, he told her he was six. What am I going to do with him!

Fall Break

Brantley had an awesome weekend with his cousins. He got to go camping for the first time. I'm not really sure of everything he got to do, but I do know he got to pretend to be a firefighter and learn how to make rope. I have lots of pictures thanks to Aunt Tracy. He was so sad to leave them.

Soccer Update

Another great practice, although only half the team showed and it was freezing! Brantley's coach again said to me that Brantley is the best player. He asked "And this is the first time he's played? Does he have an older brother or something?" Nope. Don't know where he learned it. The coach said at this level they just want to kids to get the dribbling down and he said Brantley is the best one at it. I hope he keeps enjoying it, although I'd like him to keep playing baseball too. For, now I think he can do one in the fall and the other in the spring. In a few years though, he'll have to play both seasons in order to keep up so he'll probably have to choose what he likes better. I'm just glad he's enjoying himself and getting some exercise.

The Tooth Fairy

We've never really discussed how Brantley will lose his teeth or who the tooth fairy is. I'm assuming one of his new friends at school must have lost a tooth and been talking about the tooth fairy. The other morning Brantley said to me "Mommy, you know how we lose our teeth." Uh huh... "And, the tooth fairy comes to get them. The tooth fairy comes to get them so that babies can have teeth." I'm not sure where he came up with that, but it was such a cute thought.

Soccer Update

Saturday's game was great. Soccer is so much more fun to watch than baseball. The boys played great. At this level they split the field into two fields and then they play 3 on three. It's good that they do this because at practice the kids just get all jumbled up around the ball which is why they get hurt. The kids really showed improvement about knowing the ball needs to go to the goal and that only one goal is theirs. They don't keep track of who wins at this level, but we only scored one goal and the other team scored one for us, so technically they scored four I think. Brantley was close to a goal but he needs to work on the aggressiveness. He's doing great though. Just look at his form.....

Check out the rest of the pics here.

Soccer

Just when I thought that soccer wasn't going well...Brantley missed the last practice and the last game because he was sick. Today, we made it to practice and again Brantley got hurt. Probably 10 or 15 minutes into practice Brantley was out there crying. I didn't see what happened but I went out to get him and carried him off to the side. He just wanted to go home. Finally I coerced(threatened with everything I could think of) him to get back out and practice. The rest of practice went smoothly with only 1 other kid crying. After practice, the coach (assistant really) came up to me and said "He's really good. He has the best control and coordination of any of them." I told him that I didn't know where he learned it, he just came home from pre-school one day knowing how to dribble. He said "Some kids are just naturals." Now, uncle Matt isn't the only one who thinks he's a natural. After we left I really tried to play it up to Brantley and tell him not to be afraid to get the ball. Be aggressive. Get the ball. SCORE!!!

Progress Reports

I'm not really sure how you grade kindergarteners or even what standards should be imposed. But, I think this is a pretty good report. Brantley brings home a behavior calendar each day and each day it has been stamped "Terrific Job" until today. Today, he got in trouble. For......are you ready.....talking at rest time. Imagine that. Growing up my report cards would say "Talks to much." Guess we know where he got that from. I feel like he has finally gotten more comfortable with kindergarten. He's been acting more like himself and has made some friends. He's even invited to a birthday party in a couple of weeks. He was so excited the day he got the invitation. He still doesn't like the after-care program so I've dropped it. It actually has worked out pretty well as far as me getting home to meet the bus and it saves me even more money. It's actually really nice to be able to watch him get on the bus and be waiting for him when he gets home.

Family Trip

I'm taking suggestions for a location of a family trip. I want to plan something but I just can't decide on a destination. I really want to go somewhere that I haven't been before, possibly out of the country. I also want it to be somewhere that has some sites that Brantley would be interested in. Any ideas?

Thumbsucking

Brantley broke himself of sucking his thumb at least a year and a half ago. However, he still sucks him thumb in his sleep with out knowing about it. I've been trying to think of ways to get him to stop because he already has a bad cross bite because of the thumbsucking. We have to get him to stop before his permanent teeth come in so that, hopefully, his permanent teeth will come in properly. I tried the stuff that you paint on nails to stop biting. He woke up with a horrible taste in his mouth. A girl in my bunco group gave me the idea to put band aids on his thumbs. I thought this was a good idea until the next morning when we could not find one of them. I was so afraid that he had swallowed it. Wouldn't that be an interesting call to the pediatrician? We ended up finding it, but then I was afraid that he might choke on it if he were to actually suck on the band aid. So, I'm back to the stuff that you paint on the nails. He didn't wake up this morning with a bad taste in his mouth so that means he must not have sucked his thumb last night. Now, I just have to figure out how long I should keep putting that stuff on.

Soccer

This fall Brantley is playing soccer. He seems to like it. However, in 2 seasons of t-ball, I don't remember Brantley ever getting hurt and crying during practice. We've had 2 practices and each practice, something has happened. During the first practice, Brantley got kicked above his shin guard. He cried and got over it. Second practice, Brantley was going for the ball and got tripped up. He landed on the ball which apparently hurt. He cried and got over it. Is this going to happen every practice. I'm not too sure about this soccer thing. Baseball is looking better and better.

After-care

Well, today was Brantley's first time in after school care. He didn't like it. My idea was that he would get to play for 45 minutes or so instead of sitting on a bus. The problem is that they spend the first 10 or 15 minutes checking everyone in and getting organized. Then they give the kids a snack. When I got there, Brantley was just sitting there. He looked so sad, and relieved that I was there. I thought he was going to cry, and I was just about to myself. They had all kinds of cool centers and things. Brantley saw a box of pirate toys and another box of dinosaurs as we left. But, to get to play he'll have to be there longer than I wanted him to be there. He really wants to ride the bus home, but I just don't know. The bus really isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The driver seems really nice and Brantley seems to like it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what works for us.

The School Bus

Today, I put my baby on the school bus. Working full-time, there are some compromises that have to be made. Riding the bus in the mornings is one of them. I think it's important for kids to ride the bus. If everyone drove their child to school, traffic would be a nightmare and it would probably take 3 times as long to get all the children in the school. (Yes, I am trying to convince myself that riding the bus is the best situation.) That said, it was still hard for me to put Brantley on the bus. But, I was comfortable when I talked to the bus driver and a little girl sitting up front said she would make sure he went where he was supposed to go. I didn't get a picture of him getting on the bus because he was too quick, but I did get pictures of him waiting for the bus.

First day of kindergarten

Chicago

Brantley loves going to Chicago. We had a fun-filled long weekend in Chicago. Friday, we went to a children's museum which Brantley really enjoyed. I think Uncle Matt enjoyed it almost as much as Brant. We were going to go see a car show Friday night, but, as it does in Chicago, it rained. We did get to visit what must be the world's smallest candy and popcorn shop. Very cool. Saturday we went to the air and water show. We didn't see the water part - just the planes. Very cool and loud! And, Sunday we went to a Kane County Cougars game. It was just as hot there as it is here. Brantley had his customary soft pretzel as he does at all baseball games. Afterward, Rosemarie's parents had invited us for dinner. Brantley doesn't know what he missed by eating a hot dog instead of the meal Rosemarie's mom made. It was really good. I have to try to make those sweet potato fries. I bet Brantley would like them to if I could get him to try them. As always, I took lots of pictures which you can see by clicking here.

Right of Passage

I think it is correct to say that today was a right of passage. Today, he left behind his old friends to start a new adventure in Kindergarten next week. Meeting new friends will be new and exciting. A new school, a new teacher. Brantley will miss all of his friends and his favorite teacher - Ms. Jennifer. Here are some pictures from his last hurrah at pre-school.

Kindergarten Screening

Screening went very well. The teacher came out and called Brantley's name. He got up and went right to her and said hello. No issues. That was a relief. So, Brantley did his part. I had to fill out this questionnaire. There were questions on there about what his interests are, what my concerns about him are, etc. It also asked what I expected from the kindergarten program. I left it blank. I haven't a clue what I expect. He already knows more that I would expect him to know at this point, so what do I put down? It also asked what I would do to help them and help my child learn. I left that blank to. Jeez. I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to help my child. What is it that you want me to answer here. They'll probably think I'm an idiot but to me you can't answer questions like that on two lines. I'm probably giving them the misconception that I'm easy going, won't give them a hard time and don't expect much. Not good, because I will probably be one of the most over bearing mothers they have. :)

The Fair

We went to the county fair for the first time this year. Brantley had a great time riding the rides. I made the mistake of riding the black widow with him and I paid for it. Not only did I think I was going to throw up for quite some time after getting off the ride, I could barely move the next day. I was screaming(and about to start yelling some expletives) the whole time while Brantley was telling me to stop. He actually didn't like that ride either. Brantley also got to get in this huge tractor which he thought was cool. It was even bigger than papa's tractor! You can see some more pictures here. It was a nice fair but nothing compared to the Wisconsin State Fair. We've been a couple of times and we need to take Brantley some time.

Kindergarten Picture

Here is the picture from kindergarten camp.

Artwork

Do you remember Brantley's version of a stick figure? Well, his stick figures have changed. What do you think? I like the way the hands are shaped like Bs.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten hasn't actually started, but we had Kindergarten camp. Brantley had a blast. They got to go to the different areas of the school, like a sampling of what their days will be like. The first day he got to go on the playground and I think he was impressed. He can't wait to get back on the playground. He also told me something about a mouse that comes out in the library when they have story time. Not sure what that's about. They also got to get on the bus. When I picked him up, I didn't notice his buddy that had been there that morning so I asked about him. Brantley said "He got hurt." He said something about dancing and a table and that he was hurt. Alrighty then - kindergarten hasn't even started yet. We saw him the second day and he did have a pretty good gash on his forehead. No stitches because he wouldn't sit still for that. They used the glue. In the car on the way to pre-school he was telling me about the bus and he said "Mommy, the bus didn't have any seatbelts!!" His friends at pre-school were so funny when he got there at lunch time. One of his best friends came over and said "Where have you been?" just like a mom would when she's worried about her child. The second time another friend said "Brantley, did you go to kindergarten again?"

I tried to post a picture but it's not working. I will try again later.