House and Home...

Garrett has called a trues to his hunger striking ways and is now trying to eat us out of house and home.

For lunch he just ate the following:

1 PB&J (2 full slices of bread, not one folded in half)
2 oranges
1 whole banana
5 baby carrots
1 cheese stick
1 full cup of milk
4 Hershey's kisses (from the Valentine playgroup activity this morning)
1 chocolate cupcake (from the Valentine playgroup activity this morning)

Crazy.

He and Gabriel are eating this much, or more, for just about every meal these days. I'm a little nervous about when they become teenage, bottomless pit, eating machines.

Kindergarten Musical

Last night was Gabriel's Kindergarten Musical. They titled it "Dreams Really Do Come True" then the kids learned dances to several Disney songs. SO CUTE! The teacher that did so much of the work on this thing is battling cancer right now. As she stood there in the hat covering her now bare head, she talked about her only dream was to see this show happen. It was touching. She talked about celebrating the magic of childhood, and fostering that magic. She's a wise woman that has been teaching Kindergarten for over 30 years. She knows the magic of childhood is fleeting.

I remember at the beginning of the year the teachers explained the kinds of things the kids would do during the year. When they talked about the musical I thought, "Good luck getting Gabriel to cooperate with that one." Well, all I have to say about that is SHAME ON ME for selling my kid short on expectations. Gabriel is NOT an easy kid, and took so many years of work to get him on an equal playing field with his peers. I have to remind myself often that he's not that multiply delayed kid anymore. Some areas he still struggles with, but is willing (most of the time) to work to overcome those areas. At church he LOVES Sister Golding and the fun singing times she comes up with, but rarely do I see him sing a note. So I really didn't know how'd he respond to a musical type activity.

He was assigned the character Timone. (The little Meerkat from Lion King.) When he told me that I thought it was a perfect, skinny fit for him. He took his dancing and practicing so seriously. He would come home and watch Lion King, when the part with Timone, and Pumba came on he'd hush the room so he could pay attention. He'd watch it so intently to make sure he didn't miss anything. He was a regular little understudy. I've been so happy with the growth this program has fostered in him. Now, I have to be clear, he was in a very short segment that you could tell was reserved for the kids with the short attention spans. Did he know that his part was shorter? Nope and didn't care either; and I am glad that they recognized they couldn't overwhelm him with a long dance. His part was just as important as any other. He was SO cute! For several weeks now he'd tell me all about his practices and the black lights. I kept thinking how do they work black lights into something like this? Well, now I know and how cool it was! His eyes beamed with delight, as he danced his little heart out. I can't even begin to express the feeling I have when I see pure, unadulterated joy radiating from my Gabriel. It was the joy of success. Kids need to feel triumphantly successful. I love that little Timone!

The kids did a performance for the school during the day that was professionally filmed. You may be thinking, "professionally filmed, come on it's Kindergarten." Yeah, I bought the DVD. It was that level of great.

After we got home Gabriel told me that the kids waiting to go on stage were watching Sponge Bob. I don't let them watch that show. It's not a really bad show, I just don't like it and I'm in charge. Anyway, he told me that he went and told the teacher that he can't watch Sponge Bob. I asked him what he did instead. He answered so matter of factly, "I just watched a different show on her phone." "Oh, what show was that?" "Scooby Doo!" I wonder when he got into that show? I don't think we've ever watched it at home... I was proud. This is the beginning of him standing up for what he knows he needs to do. It was a little thing, but practice with the little things is what preps these kids for the big things. Unfortunately, the big things start coming while still in elementary school. Working in the schools has been good for me to keep in touch with when these kiddos need to be ready for standing up for what's right.

I've said it before, and I still believe it....THIS is the school Gabriel needed. The entire district's focus is on fostering positive learning environments for these kids to succeed in. The actual superintendent was in attendance last night. All the seats were taken by families there to support their kids, so the head of the whole district stood for the entire show. He didn't leave till he'd seen the whole program and chatted with many of the families. I've seen this man attend NUMEROUS activities throughout the district. I've seen him walking around different campuses talking with the students. He recognizes staff, frequent visitors (like interpreters), and students. The students also know who he is, how many of us had any clue who our superintendent was? I don't even know the name of the superintendent from my district, much less what he looked like. These are the differences that reinforce my decision. So many times in life we're faced with a decision that we know will have long lasting ramifications. I'm so relieved we made the decision that was right for Gabriel. So much of child rearing is a stab in the dark, it feels good every now and then to know you did good.

Overheard...

Garrett: "Hey! Wait a minute dinosaurs don't eat people food, aanndd, I'm a dinosaur. I can't eat this!"

Garrett and Gabriel are attempting to be picky eaters. It WON'T happen, and I'm more stubborn than they are. It's just flat out an important life skill to appreciatively eat what is presented to you; especially for boys that will go on missions someday and be fed who knows what. I'm very frustrated right now because they aren't even consistent with what they like and don't like. There are days I'm feeling feisty and will serve something I figure they won't like because I'm up for the battle, they'll gobble it down and ask for more. Other days I'll be feeling tired and weak so I'll serve something they've liked in the past so we can have a quiet easy dinner, they'll freak out and refuse to eat it. F R U S T R A T I N G ! ! Several months ago I made a decision-- They Will Eat What They Are Served Or Get It Again The Next Meal. I refuse to fight anymore. If I, or anyone for that matter, take the time to prepare food for these ungrateful critters they can eat it. Although, as long as Mom doesn't make it, they seem to like it...poor Mommy. I DO NOT like to cook, when they start complaining it makes me crazy. We all sit down, they can eat or not, but at the end of the meal if their plates aren't empty I put them in my "Mommy's Refusal to Eat Mitigation System" ziploc bag and put it in the fridge. The next meal I pull the plate out of the fridge and present it back to them. :+) They LOVE (wink, wink) my new system. We still have plenty of screeching dinners, with lots of "tummy aches", "I'm gonna throw up" threats, "it's no good, I think it's rotten" complaints and my favorite from Gabriel, (take a little taste) "I think this has soy in it I better not eat it". Yeah nice try, this is a soy free house. I will win.

This morning Stephen made chocolate chip pancakes. I have a good husband, he does this pretty much every Sunday he doesn't have meetings. The boys were so excited...till I pulled the dinners they didn't finish out and served those to them while we ate yummy pancakes. We already finished our dinners. Garrett only had a few bites left and was debating having a full stand off or just a token protest. He came up with his dinosaur theory.

Nice try bud. That was about all the fight he put up. He got pancakes before church. Gabriel didn't get his till tonight after an all day standoff. We knew he was hungry, but also very stubborn. We will win.

On our way to church we heard this from the backseat....

Gabriel: "Hey! My nose whistles!" He thought it was so cool. Now that is a talented child. We all have our February allergies kicking in.

Garrett: "No, No, No, I eat that at Nanny's house. She picks me up from school!"

Garrett: (crawling on all fours) I walk like this because I'm a Tregosarus-Rex! ROAR!
Me: Do you mean a Stegosaurus?
Garrett: Yeah! Stegosaurus Rex! ROAR!

He's so into dinosaurs, and if you can mix a carnivorous T-Rex and an herbivore Stegosaurus, then they're tons better!

Anytime we eat after dark the big boys "see" and talk about the Omninore out in the backyard. This happened last night.

Garrett: Gabriel, does the Omninore have eyebrows?
Gabriel: (looks out the window into the blackness) No those are just hands coming out of right here (puts his hands at his eyebrows)
Garrett: Ohhhh, it looks like eyebrows.
Mommy: Garrett come get your last bite.
Garrett: Did you see the Omninore?
Mommy: Yep, you better eat this last bite before it gets you.
Garrett: Ok! (down the hatch it went)

I thought they'd been mispronouncing Omnivore, but they're pretty consistently referring to a specific kind of dinosaur they've imagined up. I'm going to have them draw it in separate rooms and see what each of them comes up with.

Whooo Me??

This morning Stephen went to the side of the house to get a satellite dish he listed on craigslist for someone to look at. When he got over there he found a dismembered rabbit leg on the ground.
GROSS!
He's lucky I didn't find it, I wouldn't have handled it well. When we lived in Holbrook I went out one pitch black, inky night to collect my rabbits for a 4-H show and only found pieces of them. I was traumatized and have been terrified of the dark for years now.
Tonight as I was loading up to go to YW Volleyball I looked up and saw our little friend here. This darn thing is huge! I told Stephen, guess we know what ate the rabbit. Just as we were talking about that we realized he was eating another rabbit tonight. Now that the critter has had multiple meals in our backyard I'm a little worried about our "rat" dogs. Chihuahuas are not much bigger than a rabbit.
A few years ago we got the bright idea to breed our little female Chihuahua, sell a litter to recoup what we paid for her, then fix her. We paid a hefty deposit on a Chihuahua "stud" and brought him home. He disappeared over night. He'd been grabbed from the backyard by a large bird of prey and dropped in the desert about a mile from our house. Fortunately, he survived and someone took him to the pound where we found him and returned him to his owners. They offered to give the deposit back, but after all the trouble we just let them keep it. It didn't even work...no puppies. After all that drama we had her fixed anyway. We are the proud owners of an AKC papered, spayed Chihuahua. :) Knowing that her "stud" friend was carried from the yard makes me nervous for our little dogs now.
The boys thought it was way too cool. Stephen was glad they couldn't tell he actually eating something. They just thought it was cool to see a big bird.

Yard Sales

I like to go to yard sales as much as the next girl, buuuut if my car ever looks like this will someone please tell me to get a grip. Every Saturday I have to just shake my head as the yard salers from south of the border come up to go shopping. Can you imagine getting into a wreck with this?

I've been informed....

that my swim suit has a tutu on it!

The other morning we'd all just loaded up to leave for the day; the big boys were talking about something in the back seat as I got in. Just as I buckled my seat belt I hear Garrett reply to Gabriel, "Well, Mommy's swim suit has a TUTU on it!" I had to laugh, what a lovely thought to send me off to work with. A funny thing happens in my brain as I'm getting ready to head to an interpreting job, everything I hear starts creating pictures in my head. Sooo, the second I heard Garrett I had a mental image of myself standing next to a pool wearing a tutu. Yeah...nice image I know. Just so we're all clear my swimsuit has a skirt on it, not a tutu. I wish the skirt was longer, however, that would probably make swimming a little difficult. This post child body is something I'm still trying to come to terms with. I wish I'd appreciated what I had while I had it.

Michelangelo Watch Out You've Got Competition...

I was cleaning out Gabriel's school folder the other night when I found this drawing. I looked and wondered if I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. I asked him who all the people in the drawing were. He said the big person was Mrs. ____ (His teacher). Hmmm, so then I asked what are these here?? "Her boobs!" Yikes!! How the heck am I supposed to address that one?!? I braced myself as I asked where he was when he drew the picture, and was VERY relieved when he answered Nanny's house. I could've used a warning on that one Nanny. :+) I'd never be able to show my face at school again if he'd been there. I told him he did a great picture, but shouldn't draw boobs anymore. Stephen and I had a good giggle that night after all the kids were asleep. He keeps us on our toes.

This morning during breakfast he held it up and asked, "Mom do you like my picture?" "Yes" I answered, "but you probably shouldn't draw boobs." "But, I wanted it to look like a reeaall person, Mom." Deep breath, respond carefully, don't crush him for life, don't discourage observation of the world around him, don't make our bodies seems like a shameful thing, don't make him feel embarrassed, how to respond, how to respond....

"That was a good job adding details to make it look more like a real person, but you'll have to be careful how you make people look real because sometimes others won't understand it." He answered, "Oh, Ok." I watched his eyes because they are so expressive I would've know if his feelings were hurt. All was well with his eyes....I don't know if my response did damage or not, but it was the best I could do at the moment.

To an outside observer he looks like a semi out of control (or sometimes a fully out of control), ill behaved, wild child, but this boy doesn't miss much. I don't know how he picks up on so much through all the wild, but he does. We have to be very careful around here. Before all the early intervention started working this kid was totally checked out of the world around him and we could do or say whatever we wanted with no worries. Those days are definitely over... and that's a good thing. If we can get his wild channeled in a productive way and he can learn to tap into that wild for his own benefit he'll be very successful at whatever he wants. If not...well... there just can't be an if not.