HI-HO, HI-HO, it's off to work I go

Well, today I have started back to work ~ Ben's face says it all. Yep, I know ~ didn't think I would go back, either :o/ I took a leave of absence from my job and today is the day I have to report back to work. I wasn't going to go back to work ~ quite honestly. But (heavy sigh) things didn't work out financially like I'd hoped. So, I am back to work but only part-time and only temporarily. We are going to put Ben back into daycare for two days a week. That's probably good for him ~ he's so social and loves to be around other kids (as long as they don't yell in his face :o) and loves to play outside and do art projects and circle time. Scott is going to start working in the bank on Saturdays so he can take a day off during the week and stay home with Ben. So, I will work three days a week. I have a great salary at this job so it was difficult to find a part-time job that would pay even close to the amount I make at this job. I am really bummed, but I think this is a good temporary solution. If Ben gets sick right away, then Scott and I have already said that we will pull him out and figure something else out. Also, there are some big changes at my work and there is a small chance that I could get laid off ~ which would get me a severance package... that would be nice for us and give us some more time with Ben out of daycare. It's been a great 6 months and I was really, really hoping to be a SAHM for at least another year. Well, we'll see how the next few months work out.

Sometimes it's hard to be a little boy

Ben and I had play-group today at the Parker Field House.  It's an indoor playground and Ben loves to play with all his new friends ~ once we get there.  However, getting there can be trying.  Normally, Ben is very good in the car.  But today he wanted to watch a movie (moo-vie!!!) in the car and I told him no.  He was very upset with me and learned to efficiently "pout" ~ even while I took his picture for the record.  Fortunately, he is such a sweet little guy and was easily distracted with singing silly songs in the car.  Once we got to the Parker Field House, Ben walked in like he owned the place and said "hi" to everyone we passed ~ as if to say, "I'm here now so the party can start!".  Today there were some older boys and Ben was a little scared of them.  One boy was being a dinosaur and it scared Ben when the little boy screamed in his face... ugh.  He also wants to be independent but isn't quite big enough to do everything by himself ~ like climbing up the little climbing wall at the playground.  Ben is also starting to protest wearing diapers but he has NO interest in going in the potty.  I have tried to introduce some of the "tricks" of potty training, but he is just adamant that he doesn't want to try the potty.  And so it begins... I hate potty training more than anything. 

On another note, Cailey is really enjoying second grade.  She was classroom helper yesterday and got to use the HUGE pencil that the student teacher brought back from her vacation in Italy!  It's takes so little to make a little girl happy!  They are studying life cycles at school and have watched a caterpillar turn to a butterfly, a tadpole turn to a frog, and they are getting to watch chicks hatch from an egg!!!  She comes home almost everyday with more "exciting news" and she looks forward to school each morning!  Her reading skills have exploded and she is reading chapter books!! She really, really likes her 2nd grade teacher.  We have parent-teacher conferences next week so we will get the low-down on her academic progress.  Last night she asked to put Ben's pajamas on ~ she desperately wants him to pretend to be a baby doll, but he isn't very cooperative.  She did a good job and she is a great big sister ~ sometimes we have to remind her that she is the sister and not the mommy :o)  Then, this morning, she woke up, put her clean clothes away (without being asked), took a shower, AND picked out her school clothes and got dressed ~ and it was all done in time to leave for school and without having to be asked!!!  It was a good morning :o) :o)  I think we will go for ice cream when Daddy gets home!

Are you ready for some football?

Bronco football season is in full swing so Sundays at our house are a little tense these days.  If you know Scott and you have been following the last few Bronco games, well, you know there has been a lot of yelling at the television. Cailey has been around long enough to know to run for high ground when the Broncos are losing or doing poorly ~ you don't want to be caught in the cross-fire.  We love our Bronco-loving-daddy!!!  :o) 

All four of us have Bronco jerseys and we MUST wear them for the whole game because it's been our jerseys that keep the Broncos from losing ;o)  We are a little superstitious in this house :o)

Ben and Cailey are already full fledge Bronco fans ~ we teach them early here in Bronco country :o)  

When I brought Ben's jersey down this afternoon, he ran to lay down so I could change his clothes and he was yelling, "GO BRONCOS!"  He also insisted that the rest of us put our jerseys on ~ "Lolly Bronco shirt, too!"  "Mommy Bronco shirt"  "Daddy Bronco shirt"  The cutest thing of all was when Ben woke up from his nap.  When I walked in he stood up in bed and said, "Done, Mommy!  Bronco, go Broncos!"  Ah... only two years old and he knows what Sundays are all about!!!!  :o)  

It's the little things

Today I went to the Rec Center to workout.  I can pay $4/hour for Ben to stay in the nursery ~ Cailey is at school.  First, I wasn't sure Ben would be comfortable in the nursery once I left ~ but I had no reason to worry.  He went running into the nursery and never looked back.  They said he did great and played the whole time ~ ahhh, I love my little man!  Anyway, I was running on the treadmill (seven minutes into my 30 minute run I was feeling like crap because I HATE to run) when I looked up and saw an elderly women walking on the indoor track.  But the kicker wasn't that she was just walking ~ she was walking very, very slowly and using a walker and clearly in some pain.  I thought wow, that women is here against the odds. Nobody would blame her if she sat at home, but she's here.  I am healthy, able to run in fact, and here I am complaining that I hate to run so much ~ it was just another testament, at the right time, to realize how fortunate I am right now.  I was able to finish my run with a little more enthusiasm.  :o)

Ben had speech therapy on Tuesday.  I am trying to stay open minded about the whole thing.  Ms. Paula played with Ben for an hour by asking him to identify animals and other objects in the toy room.  Then, she gives me a report and assessment.  The problem is, she directs us to work on things I think we are already doing.  For example, she said we need to work on independent naming and phrases  "Moo says the..." and "Wash your ..." and ask Ben to supply the final word... I think we do this constantly.  She wants us to take turns with Ben naming pictures in books and magazines... which we/I do every single day.  I feel like she is making an assessment on our intelligence and ability to parent and help Ben develop language ~ that we are somehow inadequate and that Ben isn't talking because we have failed him.  I know Ben's problem isn't a cognitive issue ~ it's a hearing issue... he isn't hearing the sounds correctly.  So, to tell us that we need to work on things like using more prepositions when we talk to Ben ~ well, it irks me because how does she know what we do on a daily basis when she is only spending one hour with him?  Cailey talked really early and was very articulate at this same age, so I feel like we must have been doing something right.  Am I wrong?  I continue to educated myself about language development and parenting through books, online resources, and magazines and I am confident that I am utilizing nearly every available opportunity (the grocery store, the playground, the mall, etc.) to develop Ben's language skills.  I feel like she is assuming we don't already use the strategies she is suggesting.  I guess I was expecting Ms. Paula to spend more time developing the correct sounds with him.  Plus, after counting his words, we have calculated that Ben actually knows over 300 words and many two and three word phrases.  The problem is that he is very difficult to understand ~ much like a deaf child... but not that extreme.  Again, I am trying to stay open minded and I will ride this thing out.  Ms. Paula is the professional and Ben can only benefit from the speech therapy. Maybe these are just the first steps that have to be taken.  Heavy sigh.

Ben has started telling me "I done" when I go to get him out of his crib after nap.  It's super cute!!  He also mastered the word "movie" ~ it used to sound more like "avie" ~ with a short "a" sound.  But, now it is clearly moo-vie :o) :o)  

Tomorrow all four of us are attending a playgroup brunch with my new Mommy & Me playgroup.  Ben loves having so many new friends!  I am making banana bread to share!  YUM!!

Wildnights

This weekend Cailey and I participated in her Girl Scout overnight at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo ~ called Wildnights! We got to the zoo at about 5:45p on Saturday. At 6:00p our guide, Morgan, greeted us at the gate and showed us to our "cabin" ~ it was a big room with two bathrooms and a kitchenette. The zoo closes at 6:00p so we had the whole place to ourselves. We got to eat dinner (pizza!) and then explore the zoo with our guide. It was very interesting to see some of the animals at night when they are most active ~ particularly the hippos. Who knew that hippos could be interesting and exciting!!! Apparently, hippos are most active after dark and we got a first-hand look at their activity. The hippos were trying to splash us and were playing in the water (chasing each other, etc.). I have never seen a hippo behave this way and it was a lot of fun! I have a new appreciation for the hippos! We also got to feed the giraffes as much as we wanted and pet them as much as we wanted! Cailey was scared of the giraffes as they like to stick out their 18 inch tongue... she said that was freaky and didn't want to feed them :o) We also got to spend some time watching the apes and watching them get ready for bed ~ a lot like human behavior. The girls went to bed around 10pm and then were up at 6am!  We didn't get a lot of sleep but it was fun, fun, fun. My only disappointment was that we didn't get much behind the scenes action. I was hoping to see the zoo keepers at work ~ feeding the animals, caring for the animals (babies!), and getting a look at the inner workings of the zoo. But, alas, it was really just a chance to have the zoo to ourselves ~ still a great experience! More pictures ~ I had about 250 pictures... so this is just a small sample:

The Troop:

One of the "wild" animals that wanders onto the zoo property.  Because it's a mountain zoo, we were told to watch out for bears and mountain lions, too... no joke!  Walking in the dark that evening was a little scary knowing that wild bears and mountain lions could be lurking in the trees... eek!:

Cailey and her BFF, Jacqueline:

Getting to touch the reptiles... unfortunately this was in the building that smelled really, really bad:

Feeding the giraffes:

Bonding ~ this gorilla really liked Cailey and was playing with her through the glass:

Learning how important our thumbs are ~ the girls had their thumbs taped down and then had to open a Tootsie Roll.  They also took the opportunity to get into character and act like monkeys:

One story before lights out:

Early the next morning ~ ugh:

Our weekend in Beaver Creek

Scott and I headed to the mountains this weekend for the FirstBank retreat ~ we really had a great time... so much fun! We headed up on Friday at about 1:00p. I called twice to get an early check-in ~ I wanted to get a shower and get ready before we had to catch the shuttle at 5:00p for dinner. We stopped at the Silverthorn Outlets and did a little quick shopping and then arrived at the hotel at 3:30p...only to find out our room wasn't ready (grrrr... why bother calling ahead???). While waiting for our room I was more than a little embarrassed because I had not showered and I did not have any makeup on and there were a bunch of Scott's co-workers arriving each second (ugh!). Oh well, we got into our room and proceeded to get ready for dinner. Our dinner was a nice 30 minute (or so) shuttle ride to a restaurant that greeted us with wine and hors d’œuvre ~ LOVE the special treatment!!! Dinner was great and Scott surprised me with a HUGE plate of dessert while I chatted with our friends, The Heldts... Scott definitely knows how to sweep me off my feet :o) :o) This girl loves her dessert!

Saturday started early as Scott was supposed to catch the golf shuttle at 6:45a. After arriving in the lobby, Scott decided that he wanted to spend the day with me (aaahhhh) because we don't get to spend that much kid-free time together... why waste the time playing golf!! So, he took his chance and tried to get a spa treatment at the last minute. Luckily, there was an opening! We ate breakfast oh so early and then headed to Starbucks for a pick-me-up! Later, Scott went to his spa appointment and I tagged along with The Heldts and their baby Ainsley. Then, when the Heldts went for their spa treatments, I went shopping with Ainsley. Even at 4 1/2 months, Ainsley is a perfect shopper and just smiled and cooed the whole time. She seemed to really enjoy herself... careful Heldts, I think you have a born shopper on your hands :o) :o) My spa treatment was at 4:00p and it was WONDERFUL! I had a great massage by Rodney (apparently I lucked out because Rodney came highly recommended). The only drawback is that my massage left me very drowsy and sleepy for dinner. Dinner included a Mexican fiesta feast (YUM ~ I LOVE MY MEXICAN FOOD!) and the entertainment was great. We went to the hotel bar for more drinks and socializing and ended up watching the CU game... too bad CU football stunk up the place!!!

On Sunday we rushed through breakfast and quickly headed down the mountain so we could make it home in time for the Broncos kick-off. The kids were so happy to see us and Grandma Sunny was even happier :o) :o) I said Ben was a handful!!!!

Cailey is her father's daughter

In second grade Cailey has spelling pre-tests on Monday. The teacher uses "List A" to test the kids on Monday. If the kids score 80% (8 out of 10) or better on "List A", then they study "List B" for the final test on Friday. List B is usually significantly harder words than List A. So, the first week Cailey was very proud of herself for scoring 80% on her pre-test... until she realized that List B had harder words to study. Week 2 came and Cailey scored 80% again. While she studied List B for the week, Cailey commented that if she got more than two words wrong she would get to study the easier words on List A. I told Scott that I think Cailey has already figured out the system... get more than two wrong and you get to study the easier words... yet, I didn't think she realized that she could do it on purpose. So, now we are on week 3 and Cailey brought home a pre-test with more than 2 words wrong... in fact, she only got three correct. Clearly, she left nothing to chance. I say, "Okay, well we have to study List A this week" and Cailey says, "Oh good! Those words easier!". Our routine is to have her write each spelling word three times on Monday and then I quiz her on the words immediately following ~ which gives me an indication of which words we need to work on more through the week. This week, she didn't miss any of the words when I quizzed her Monday and she gave me a great big grin when she got them all correct. Hhhhmmm... I believe Cailey has figured out the system. So, at seven years old and within the first three weeks...Cailey figured out the spelling test system and I don't expect to have to study List B with her for the rest of the school year :o) :o) I have talked to her about the need to challenge ourselves so we keep our brain fresh and healthy... blah, blah, blah. But, I think I will have to talk to her teacher about changing the system... although this system has been used for several years now! Leave it to Scott's daughter to figure it ~ she has already learned how to manipulate the system... ah, common sense ~ it's brilliant :o) Scott says that even he has to commend her for figuring it out so quickly!!! Some of the other moms are concerned that their "gifted" kids might figure it out... we will have to ask Cailey not to tell them... or at least charge an adequate fee for the secret :o) Now, that would be like her daddy!!!

Thursday, at Back to School night, it became blatantly obvious as to where Cailey gets her... um ... lack of "focus" with regards to school... her "out of the box" thinking... her ideas regarding "normalcy". Clearly, Scott and I are more accountable than we ever thought imaginable :o) That night, parents were asked to use the first page of their child's writing journal to leave their child a note for them to see the next morning at school. Scott and I immediately pulled out the markers and proceeded to draw flowers and "I Love You" (me) and dogs and chinese symbols (Scott) in all different colors and sizes... filling the whole page with colorful pictures and funny drawings. Scott looks around and nudges me. As I scan the room I noticed that all the other parents are writing full pages of notes ~ in proper paragraph form ~ to their child. It never occurred to me that other parents wouldn't draw pictures and make the "note" to their child fun and interesting... what seven year old wants to read a whole page of words?? So, there you have it. She has the arts running through her blood from all sides of her family and her parents have, obviously and unknowingly, enforced a relatively artistic approach to school... and probably life. I now have a much different view of my daughter, as I realize she just can't help it, and I am changing my approach to parenting her ~ she is our daughter and I love everything about her. Frankly, I don't really want her to conform. She will, with our love and support, find her path in this world. I know that she may never be a straight A student... but she is sweet, honest, bright, loving, artistic, social, and a free, independent thinker. Who could ask for anything more!!!