First days of school

It's official Cole is now a first grader. He is so excited. On Sunday night he was nervous, but come Monday morning he was awake at 6am and ready to start school. The first day I took him because he wasn't sure he'd remember where his class is. He is in the "big" building this year. While we waited in the hallway for the first bell to ring he was hugging and talking to all of his "old" friends. He led the way to the class and ran in after a quick wave goodbye. He had a great day. Today he was just as excited and was eager to wait for the bus. He said he had another great day! He is doing a different after-school program. Last year I did not like the program he was in. The kids were very rowdy and the staff had no control. When I told one of Cole's teachers that we had switched after-school programs this year she said, "Good. I'm so glad. When I would see those kids, I would look at Cole and he just didn't fit in with that type of behavior." This year he is in an arts based program. So far it seems great. The staff isn't 12 yrs. old (okay...maybe last year they were 19) and the group of kids is a much better mix. Because of my crazy schedule for the next few weeks (until I start student teaching on the 8th) he won't be there too much, but I'm letting him go for an hour or so every afternoon.

The best news is his 1st grade class itself, I need to go hug his Kindergarten teacher! At his school they generally move the majority of the class to the next grade level. I was worried because there were 3 kids in particular that caused a lot of issues last year and one that was a bully and tattle-tell. This one kid in particular would do something to someone and if they retaliated he would tell and get them in trouble instead. Because I spent a fair amount of time with Cole's class I wasn't too thrilled with them or their behavior. So I wasn't looking forward to another year of this. The previous teacher will send groups of kids together and separate those that she thinks shouldn't be together. Cole doesn't have ANY of those kids in his class this year. There is a group of 5 other kids with Cole and they were all the "good" kids from last year. I'm so excited. I found out from the mom of one of those other kids that all the problem kids are in her daughter's class. She was complaining that all of the "bad" kids from last year are in her daughter's class. Then she wondered out loud, "Wait....does that mean my daughter is bad, too?" I'm never gonna tell ;-)

In the news

While we were at the park yesterday a photographer from our local paper took pics of Cole and Colin. She said they may or may not make the paper. This morning there was Cole in black and white (they didn't use any of Colin - maybe because his mom wasn't there to give consent?). Cole was thrilled this morning.

In other news, I found out what school and grade I'll be student teaching. I'm in a very nice school district and supposedly the school is outside one of the more exclusive neighborhoods in town, should be interesting. The good (or bad) thing is that there means there will be a lot of parent involvement, too. I got 3rd grade. I'm a little nervous, because I haven't worked with this age before, but I'm excited and I can do ANYTHING for a semester! I have a few meetings and such and then will be in the classroom full-time on the 8th. Wish me luck!

Babies for sale?

I think Cole had too much fun on his playdate w/ Colin today, because on the way home he said again that he wants a brother and sister, maybe both. He told me that we need to look in the ads and check for signs that say "Baby for sale!". When I laughingly told him that it's against the law to sell babies, he decided that I need to get married again. He said, "You need to marry someone you love and who is handsome, but DON'T look at me, cause you can't marry kids." At dinner he said to save him the paper tomorrow, so he can start looking for my husband. Quick turnaround from the kid who just yesterday wanted me all to himself. Hmmm....wonder what kind of man he can find for me in the newspaper?

Lovin' this week

My last day of work was last Friday. I don't have to report to school until Thursday, so Cole and I have been off together. It's been wonderful! No getting up @ 5:30 to the alarm clock. We've slept in, went to the movies, ran errands, and the best part is going to the gym daily during non-peak hours. I could get use to this!

Sweet words

I'm feeling really good right now. I'm energized and excited about the direction my life is going. I have received wonderful words of encouragement from friends both new and old. Today at work (4 more days to go!) I received a letter from a co-worker. He is VERY eccentric and has very interesting views on the world (especially conspiracy theories), but I really enjoy him. So after work I opened my letter. It has probably been years since I've been given a written letter and this one was 4 pages! Some of what he wrote was funny "I've worked with a lot of people...and most of the time I wish I could choke them until their eyes popped out. I've never wanted to choke you!" Some of what he wrote was very sweet and moving " Every time that I come in and know you are here it has lifted my spirit. " "It's rare to meet someone as gifted and special person as yourself and you've set a high standard for what it is to be a great boss." Some was pure him, " I'll take you and Cole to my compound in the mountains and we can teach him to shoot Zombies". Mostly I was impressed that he took the time to write me a letter. Plus he called my kid cool and what could be greater than that?

I'm not going to miss being a manager (of adults) but I will miss the people as individuals. It's nice to feel missed too!

Friends

Cole has a friend that is the same age that lives across the street from us. We invited him to the pool today. As they chatted away in the car, I was amused but sad. Sad because he's grown up enough to have friends that we can take places and sad because of what might of been if Cole had a sibling (of course without the sibling bickering). They had a great time at the pool and I just floated within arms reach. After the pool he spent the day at our house and it was great to hear boy's laughter coming from his room.

Numbers

0 - car payments left

7 - days I have left @ work

4 - books Dana gave me to read today, I hope they are as good as the last three you gave me

15 - days until I find out what school and grade I'll be student teaching

17 - days until the party Alissa is throwing for me...thanks so much... AGAIN!

19 - days until Cole is in 1st grade....YIKES!

33 - days until I officially start student teaching and have to dress in nice clothes for a living (I'm going to miss scrubs)

4 - months until graduation

16 - months since Cole's dad has called him

Cromagnum Cole

Cole has had a tough go of it this week. On Tuesday he started complaining of stomach cramps and Wednesday he woke up with a sore throat to accompany the stomach ache. They called me to come get him during lunch time on Wednesday because he wasn't eating and felt nauseated. I took him back to work with me and he seemed okay. During karate he seemed tired and mimed several times that he was feeling sick. Once home he was running a fever and vomited. Thursday morning with his fever elevating we headed into the doctor's office. She suspected either strep or a viral GI issue. By Thursday evening the frequent vomiting and diarrhea started. On Friday he was the sickest that I've seen him in a long time. He barely moved and I spent the day washing him, clothes, and sheets because he was so sick. I would offer sips of water that he would usually vomit back up. On Friday they said that if he didn't urinate within 12 hours he had to go in for IV fluids and finally at about the 11 hour mark we had success. He barely spoke all day and took a four hour nap. Luckily by Saturday he was feeling better. We still took it easy. Saturday night he had a fever blister starting but seemed on the mend. This morning he woke up crying saying that his forehead hurt. Once I got a good look I saw why. His forehead, eyes, and eyebrow area were swollen. He looked like a Cromagnum man. So into the after hours clinic we went. The doctor thought that it was most likely a symptom of whatever GI bug he had. Weird. The swelling slowly went down during the day, but before bed one eye was swollen again and he had hives on his forehead. He needed to take Benadryl but hates the taste of the liquid. I let him try to take a capsule and he was successful! Hopefully the swelling will be gone by the morning and his appetite will slowly come back, because he's lost 4 lbs. in 1 week.

Sweetest words

Tonight we were talking about planning a weekend trip to a local water park and when I told Cole that my brother and his girlfriend might be going, he rolled his eyes. When I asked why he rolled his eyes, he said "I don't like that word 'girlfriend'". I started to laugh. Lately he has been really embarrassed by this sort of stuff (he even looked away when the robots kissed on WallE). My mom said that she never liked the word "fiancee" and then Cole asked me what that word was and I had to explain that. He was embarrassed again and then said then said he didn't like that word either. I reminded him that someday he would like that word and girls for that matter. He said he was going to get married when he was 10. I said, "Dude you better start looking then, you only have 4 years left." He looked straight at me and in a very serious tone said, "I'm looking at who I'm going to marry". So sweet that boy.

Countdown

I have only three weeks left of being employed! I'm excited and nervous. I'm such a planner and facing the uncertain leaves me really freaked out. I do better the less that I think about it. I'm excited to start student teaching and hope my savings hold out so that I don't have to work nights and weekends. I'm just ready to get on with the rest of my life. They have now officially hired two managers to replace me and I hope they do well. I already feel like a ghost walking through the hallway and it was really tough to listen to the latest manager go on about "finally" having a manager to take care of things and etc. I expected to be blamed for everything after I left but it was tough to listen to it while I'm still there and in front of the entire staff to boot. I'm just keeping my head held high. This place has seen me through lots of life changes (getting married, having Cole, getting divorced) and nine years is a long time to spend somewhere. There was a period of over a year that I was the only manager and now there will be six. I'm ready to walk through the doors, being a manager is great training for working with kids and I'll have some great perspective to take with me. Cole is sad that I'm leaving because in a way this was his second home and he grew up there along with me. I'm definitely a different person than I was nine years ago! So here's to my last three weeks and on to the first time in my life that I won't be receiving a paycheck since I was 16!
Cole and I will have to start volunteering at the local animal shelter or something to still play with animals. In the meantime we adopted a kitten last month and she's been fun and bratty. Cole named her Jupiter. My other cat HATES her even though she tries to be as cute as can be. He alternates between ignoring and hissing when she's around. In fact he hissed at her the other night in the dark when I was carrying her and I got the worst cat bite I've ever had when she freaked out. My thumb is still numb from that one! Here are some cute pictures of her and Cole playing on his bed.

Total Space Cadet

Cole has been taking karate classes at our gym since Octoberish and for the most part has done fairly well. Due to my crazy work and school schedule he has had to take classes on Saturdays. This group has a wide variety in age range. His instructor had continuously recommended that he join the older group of kids for more stimulation, the only problem was that they meet twice weekly at times that were impossible for me. Since school is over, I finally signed him up.

Tonight was his first night of the new class and tonight I wanted to disown him...okay not disown, but I did wish that he had a shock collar on that I could zap (just a mild shock) every time he acted like a fool. This new class is held in a Yoga studio that is surrounded by mirrored walls. He spent the entire class making faces at him self in the mirror and once scooted on the floor on his back like a worm. They did endurance tests to see how many push ups, sit ups, etc. they could do and he never kept count and would holler out numbers like "97, 78, 69" when his instructor asked for his count. He is the highest ranked student in the class and I bet the other parents were thinking how in the heck did "that kid" earn that belt?

So, Cole got a stern lecture from mean ol' mom on the way home. I hope class goes better on Wednesday or I might just sign him up for those acting classes after all!

Mini Vacation

Since I'm trying to save for my rapidly approaching unemployment during student teaching, I couldn't afford much of a vacation this year. My mom and I decided to take Cole to San Antonio for a few days. It was great to get away and have some fun.

Our first stop was the Alamo. Cole was eager to see the Alamo. We decided to rent headphones and take an audio tour to maximize our experience. The cashier didn't charge us for Cole because she thought that he might not be that interested. I laughed because I knew he would be enthralled with learning about the battle. He paid rapt attention to his tour. At the very beginning of the tour the automated voice was talking about the history of some doors and Cole looked at me in awe and said, "is that the door that the Japanese soldiers came rushing in?"...I guess between his trip to Pearl Harbor and the WWII movies, he thinks all "enemy" soldiers are the Japanese!

After the Alamo we went to the riverwalk. We rode a tour boat and then ate some lunch at one of the many restaurants along the river. After lunch we rode the trolley to El Mercado. After visiting the market we went to the Texas Ranger Museum. We then concluded our walking tour (we must have walked miles in the blazing Texas heat) by heading to the Imax theatre. We watched a 3D movie about Dinosaurs that we all loved and then watched a movie about the Alamo. Finally, we headed to our hotel. Cole and I capped off the evening with a swim in the hotel pool.

The next morning we went to Sea World. Our original plan was to spend the morning at the park, take a break mid-day and then to return in the evening. We ended up spending the entire day (from the moment the park opened until after closing) at the park. We enjoyed feeding the seals and seeing all the exhibits. The first show we saw was at 11:30am. Cole wanted to sit in the "splash zone". It was hot and we sat in the direct sun for about an hour. I remember being a kid and wanting to sit in the "splash zone" so badly. So Cole and I sat on the very front row while we braved the heat. It was a relief when we finally got soaked. We had a great time riding roller coasters. Cole and I rode one water roller coaster twice. The lines weren't long and the ride was so much fun. On the second trip, Cole "dared me" to ride with my hands in the air. I did and he was so impressed! We spent the most of the afternoon in the water park. We all loved the wave pool. During the summer the park is open later in the evenings. We watched a 4D haunted lighthouse movie and another seal/walrus/otter show. Cole and I want an otter and a walrus as a pet. We headed over to watch Shamu to finish off our evening. We were sitting in the "Splash zone" once again and I looked down and there was a kid from his Kindergarten class two rows in front of us..what a small world. They enjoyed seeing each other so far from home. Sunburned and tired we ate a quick dinner on the way back to the hotel before collapsing in bed.

This morning on our way back to town we visited some local caverns. I think this was one of Cole's favorite parts of the trip. He especially enjoyed the 5,000 year old pile of bat poop! We then "mined" for fossils and after securing his shark teeth, shells, amber, etc into a Ziploc baggie we headed home.

It may not have been a European vacation (since Vetmommy wouldn't adopt us), but we still had a great time.

Pool time

During the summer we spend the majority of our weekends at the pool. Cole is a good swimmer but I stay by his side the entire time. Sadly a little boy drowned at the pool we go to several weeks ago. We still don't know all the facts about what happened, but every weekend I see so many moms that are more interested in getting tans than playing with their own kids. Lifeguards are not baby sitters. So many parents put their kids in the water and then go lounge on their chairs reading or talking to friends. "Stay in the shallow end", they say and then seem oblivious to their children. The kids rarely stay in the shallow end and even if they did, they can still drown. You would think that a child's death would be a wake up call to all parents, but so far every weekend we have seen the lifeguards have to jump and and get someone and the parents are never in the pool. Saw one yesterday and today! Enough of my soap box.

Cole and I always have a great time swimming. It is like being a kid again, as he makes up new games for us to play. Today we were scuba divers on a "secret mission". A "tortedo" boat fired "tortedos" and our job was to dive and find them before they exploded. Cole had a plastic torpedo that when thrown really glided far underwater. We would swim to find it and then he worked out hand signals underwater for the rest of the "recovery mission". In no time two hours had passed and we had saved countless lives from torpedo blasts.

On a side note, Cole and I both really want to learn how to scuba dive...wonder how old he'd have to be to learn?

Poop Sticks

Yesterday morning I had my lunch made and on the kitchen counter. Cole wanted to help me get our stuff together so I told him he could put my lunch in my tote bag. He grabbed my bag and loaded it up. He said, "Mom, I packed your lunch on top of your poop sticks." I said, "My what...what are poop sticks?". He plucks out a tampon from the bottom of the bag and looks at me like I'm so dense and sighs, "Mom, theeese (waving it in the air). You know the things you put in your butt after your poop. Poop sticks!" I looked at my mom and we laughed. At 6:15 in the morning it was much too early for an explanation and anatomy lesson. Glad we don't really have to use poop sticks!

Butt Papa

Can you see what the imprint in the stone is? If you guessed a butt, you are right! This is what Cole made my dad for Father's Day.

For Mother's Day, Cole made my mom a stepping stone with his feet imprints. My dad kept giving Cole a hard time, asking him how come only she was getting one, where was his, etc. etc. The thing about my dad is that he can ask over and over and not get tired of messing with him. Cole usually ends up annoyed. Later that night, he said, "I should give Papa one with my butt cheeks". We laughed and I said that could be his Father's Day gift. I love how boy's minds work.

So last night, we were mixing concrete in the privacy of our backyard and Cole quickly made his everlasting impression. We were cracking up the entire time.

I can't wait for Sunday!

Sharing a love of science

Cole has been lucky. Last year I took one of my science classes during the summer. During summer school, he really gets to help. He had so much fun, helping me with my science project that he did his own during Kindergarten! This summer, I'm taking my last class and it is another science class. I love science and Cole does too. The first week of this course has been about the stars (among other things). On Thursday night after class, I drove all the way home to pick up Cole. We headed back to campus around 9pm to go to the observatory that is on the roof of the science building. We met some of my classmates and my teacher from last year (who was thrilled to meet him after seeing his photos in my science project presentation last year - she even remembered how old his was!). We had a great time looking at the planets and mapping the stars and constellations. Cole was thrilled. It was a great way to spend an evening. My teacher was impressed with how much Cole already knew about the stars.

I get to go back outside in a few minutes to do some more mapping tonight. Ignore the crazy lady in the driveway mapping altitude and azimuth!

At a loss for words

Sometimes you have got to wonder what goes on in their six-year-old brains!

Tonight we were feeding Cole's fish before bed. One of his water frogs that wasn't looking so good this morning was floating belly up. As I grabbed the net, I told Cole to find something to put the frog in. He grabbed a half-empty (or half-full depending on your view on life) bottle of Gatorade. I netted the frog and dropped him into the bottle. I told Cole to go poor the contents into the toilet while I fed the fish. I heard the pouring and the flush. As he rounded the corner of the bathroom, I saw him taking a swig of the remaining Gatorade in the bottle!!!!!!! I almost flipped out. What goes through their heads? I truly was at a loss for words. I started to ask him what could he be thinking about drinking from a bottle that seconds before had a floating dead frog..but the look of shock and confusion and then sheepishness on his face, just made me crack up. Boys!

Don't blink because you'll miss it

I can't believe that in a few short weeks that Cole will be done with Kindergarten. Six years has been a whirlwind. He has his funny sayings, facial expressions, mannerisms, and 'tude. He is still mine but also his own.

It seems like everyone I know is pregnant, planning on getting pregnant, or a new mother. It makes me so nostalgic. If I'd known then that Cole was going to be the only child I'd have, would I have done anything different? No, I don't think so. I tell everyone to treasure every minute... I have. It seems like you can't wait for them to smile their first smile, then see their first tooth grow in, and start talking and walking. You study every tiny detail them of them at night as you read them a bedtime story and they drift off to sleep. Before you know it, getting them to be quite for a minute is the trick, then the first baby teeth are falling out and they are reading to you before bed. It's like your life is stuck in fast forward, you are afraid to blink because you might miss something.

My mom is special- by Cole

My mom's favorite thing to do is...kiss me on the eyeballs.

My mom doesn't like to...iron or do her homework.

She always says..."You're so cute."

My mom loves to eat...cheese pizza and red hots.

She is very happy when...I get no x's.

She gets angry when...I wake up my grandma.

She is very sad when...I don't clean up my room.

My mom gets tired because...she runs so fast.

I like it when my Mom...kisses me.

My mom's favorite place to go is...Chuck E. Cheese.

My mom's favorite show is...What Not To Wear.

When we are at home, my mom likes to....dance on my couch.

If my mom could go anywhere in the world, she would go to...California to bring my cousins to Texas.

If I had a million dollars, I would buy my mom...hearts and a fake squirrel.

My favorite thing about my mom is...that she gets me all the food I want. Even pizza.



Happy Mother's Day!

Freedom

I'm officially done and baring some unforeseen bombing of a last test or project, I've wrapped up another 4.0 semester. The best part? I don't have to work Saturdays for a month. When I'm in school, I have to work every Saturday to make my hours and keep my benefits. Working every Saturday since January SUCKS! I'm so excited to spend the time with Cole and just relax, I almost don't know what to do with myself.

The only sad part is that I already miss my friends at school. It's amazing how much you get to know and care about each other. When I first started at Texas State I hated it. I felt old, out of place, and alone (now I'm just old and lonely :-). Slowly but surely, semester after semester you start to recognize some familiar faces. As your classes toward your degree plan narrows, you really begin to make connections. These friends are what get me through a semester. So I've joined MySpace to help stay in touch and there is always summer school!

What’s the first thing on my agenda for my first Saturday off? Not setting my alarm clock!

I'm done!!!!.....almost

Today is a good day. This was my last day of classes this semester. I only have 1 final left that I'll take in a few weeks. What a whirlwind!

These last few weeks have been a blur. I've felt like such a bad mom, because I had to tell Cole so many times that I couldn't do something with him, because I was so busy. He's so sweet though. At one point, I was apologizing to him for this and he said, "Don't worry, you're doing just right for me!" I did carve out some time each night and we did something fun for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, at least.

Today when I picked him up from school and reminded him this was my last day he said, "Yeah, that means more time for Colebug!" We are going to a play on campus Saturday night for "date night".

As much as I hated deadlines and late nights of homework, I'll probably be bored until summer school starts, because I'm so used to being busy.

Life advice from Cole

Cole: Mom, when I grow up and get tall you need to get a new husband.

Me: Why would I need a husband?

Cole: Because you'd be lonely.

Me: I don't think I'll ever be married again, besides who'd want to marry me?

Cole: Just kiss them on the lips and they'll marry you...but that's gross

Me: Cole, someday you'll have a girlfriend and you'll kiss her on the lips

Cole: Ewwwww.....And then I'll marry her and have kids

Me: Can I babysit for you when you have kids?

Cole: Yeah, but I'm going to have like 15, can you babysit 15 kids?

Me: That's a lot of kids, like a whole T-ball team

Cole: Yeah, I'm going to make her change the diapers

Me (laughing): No, I bet you'll be a good dad. What do you want your wife to be like?

Cole: One who will be pretty and look good naked!

Me: HAAAAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHAHHHA

Birthday Recap

Cole has officially been "6" for two whole days now. He had a great birthday, plus my grandma flew in for his big day.

The morning of his birthday, I took him to breakfast before school. I had to make a quick stop at HEB to pick up a veggie tray for work and he showed me all the things he can do better now that he is "6". He could walk "faster" and he was "stronger" because the veggie tray was much "heavier" when he was "5". I dropped him and his cupcakes off at school and his friends were so excited to see him. After school, we headed to my brother's work for dinner. Finally it was time for presents. He got everything he wanted and more. He was very happy to get the fish tank that he'd been wanting.

Saturday afternoon he had his birthday part at Chuck E. Cheese. He had a wonderful time! This is the best turn-out he'd ever had. He couldn't stop talking about all his "best friends" that came to his party. Thanks to everyone who made his day so special!

In case you were wondering, no call from his dad. It's officially been over a year now. No gift either, although I wasn't expecting one since he hasn't given him a birthday gift on his own ever. The year we were separated he came to the party empty handed and once he moved to NY, nada and nada. Again I'm humbled and grateful to everyone who shares in my love of Cole so that he doesn't feel the absence of his dad.

Hell week is almost over

This morning around 1:30am, I was asking myself why the hell I was taking 18 hours this semester. These last few weeks have been major crunch time and this week was the worst. I had projects and research papers due in mass.

Today we had a group project presentation that was really stressing me out. We had to teach an entire 1 1/2 hr college class, complete with 4 workshops. I hate group work. Because I'm me, I also end up being the one coordinating everything and everyone, this was no exception. I was so stressed out last night, I felt like I was going to self-destruct. After wrapping all my other assignments up and rehearsing my speech, I turned off the light around 2am. Then of course I couldn't sleep. URGGHH! 5:30 came way to early this morning. Of course it was pouring this morning and I had to make the long drive to campus in the rain and then slog across campus loaded down like a pack-mule.

Things are looking up now, though. We made it through our presentation and got rave reviews from our Professor. The sun came up. There are only two weeks of school left. Most importantly tomorrow is the birthday of the most important person in my life. Happy Birthday Cole!

More good news, I got the grades back from the dreaded practice exam and I passed both sections! The one section that they say most people don't pass the first time, I did exceptionally well. I feel much better about taking the final tests this summer! Off to go wrap b-day gifts.

Distractions

The weather is too nice and there is too much to do...I don't want to do homework :-(

It is major crunch time at school and I have a lot of projects to start, work on, and wrap up. I needed to dedicate my weekend to homework, but I didn't.

Last night we went to a co-workers b-day party. I had RSVP'd "no", but she convinced me to go at the last minute, by saying I could bring Cole and that Vetmommy's kids would be there too! We had a great time. She had balloons, a pinata, silly string, etc. It was a kid's dream come true. It was nice to have a little fun. I'm glad we went.

Today was beautiful. We ran some errands and then Cole had t-ball practice, then we came home and did some spring planting. We had way more fun that sitting in front of a computer writing a research paper and lesson plans would allow. So now, I need to get busy...I'm in for a long night!

We need to get out more

I think that Cole and I need to get out more...without each other. Last night my dad said that he could get two tickets to Saturday night's Longhorn baseball game for him and Cole. My first thought wasn't "YIPEEE...a kid free night!" It was, "Oh, no...what am I going to do without Cole?" When Cole found out tonight that two tickets mean't I wasn't going he was very sad. He finally said that he will go on a "man date" with his Papa. Now I need to decide what I'm going to do, maybe I'll shop for his birthday...lame I know....but that's how I roll. (Did I just say "that's how I roll?...yup...taking a walk on the wild side).

That has gotta hurt!

Don't worry....the darts shoved UP Cole's nose are magnetic tipped. Don't try this at home!

We had a nice Easter. Cole woke up and hunted for his Easter eggs and enjoyed his basket. We then took the kite the "Easter Bunny" brought him to the park for a picnic. It was a beautiful day to be out enjoying nature.

I've got a lot of homework done and Cole's b-day invitations finished. Now it's time for some relaxing!

Good News

Cole has lost another tooth! His tooth has been hanging on by a thread for days. On Sunday after every bite of lunch (with his mouth still full) he made me check to see if his tooth was still there. Last night before bed it was still there. This morning, I forgot to check until we were waiting outside for the bus and it was gone! Cole was so excited...until he realized he probably swallowed it AGAIN! He wanted to go back in and check his bed, but I promised him we'd do it when we got home. No tooth...he must have swallowed it eating breakfast this morning. Only my child could swallow two teeth! The "tooth fairy" still left him some money. Isn't she sweet.

We had some other good news today. My mom called me at work because she had looked at my bank account (she works at my Credit Union) and I had received a $1500 child support payment. Since I hadn't received any notification that he was employed I was surprised. I called the AG and they said they had received an "Involuntary payment" that was a "garnishment" (most likely his tax return). You can run, but you can't hide. They still have no record of an employer. I bet that was an unpleasant surprise for him. I don't really think he hasn't been working since September, he's probably working for cash. In a few weeks (on Cole's b-day) it will make exactly a year since he has called Cole, wonder if he'll call now?

Batter bat

So T-ball season has started again. Cole is really starting to get a better grasp of what is going on, he's still a total goof ball of course. I'd expect nothing less of a five (almost six...yikes) year-old. He has a really great coach this time. Very upbeat, enthusiastic, and ORGANIZED. The best part is that he really looks out for the boys. Last fall, Cole got whacked in the head by a kid swinging the bat and that kinda of stuff continued all year. Between that and the CRAZY team mom, we were happy when fall ball ended. This coach has clear rules and is very observant. He's perfect for the boys. This is also the most involved the parents have been. It's great to see all the dads (and a few moms) working with the boys.

They had their first game last night. I think the boys were more excited about their new uniforms and hats than anything else! I cracked up when a dad that I know from Cole's Extend-A-Care whose son is on an opposing team was there with another dad "scouting" out the other T-ball teams. It's T-ball, not the majors. I had fun ribbing these dads. At least they had enough sense of humor to be a little sheepish.

***I had already posted this blog and then read my e-mail. Cole's coach has created a team BLOG! What a great idea, don't you think? I love technology.

The Party's Over

What a whirlwind of a week. Cole and I were both on spring break. I still worked my normal "work" days, but took Tuesday and Thursday off to be with Cole. On Tuesday we made our annual trip to the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo. We had a great time seeing the animals and riding the rides. I love to watch Cole riding the roller coasters, he is truly my son. We just both laugh hysterically the entire time. It had rained the entire day before the rodeo, so we wore our rain boots since I knew we'd be walked through mud (and who knows what else). I think that was Cole's favorite part. Actually being allowed to stomp through water and mud...a boy's dream! We played some games and came home with armfuls of stuffed animals!

On Thursday we cleaned and reorganized his room, which was surprisingly fun and rewarding. Then we headed of to the bowling alley. We played four games and I could barely use my hand later that day.

It was great spending some quality time with him, I'm going to miss spring break.

Saturday we had an open house at my work. We have been planning every detail for months! It was so much fun. The employees were so good at talking about what they do and showing people around. We had food, live music, face painting, free stuff, and (stuffed) Animal ER. Cole had lent some of his stuffed animals for demo. His giant Scooby was having an exploratory surgery, one of his dogs had teeth inserted for a day and was having a dental, a tiger was getting x-rays, and some dogs and cats were in the kennels for a day-stay. Fun was had by everyone!

Now it's back to the normal life. Luckily there are only six more weeks of school left for me...until summer school.

Kids stilts

What kind of hormones are they putting in the milk these days? Cole has aged overnight. HA!

Cole put on this fake mustache tonight that he got from a vending machine. He looked in my rear view mirror and said, "Now do I look like a Time Warner Cable guy?" I started laughing, I don't even know what he was referencing. He proceeded to wear it into HEB. He was holding my hand and enjoying the smiles he was getting. He looked at me and said," You know, they probably think that I'm your husband on kid stilts or I'm walking on my knees." God, I love kids!

I wear my sunglasses at night.

Just because I need a homework break...here is a photo from Cole the other night. I went in to check on him and here is how I found him sound asleep in bed.

From 60 to zero in 1 weekend

I hit a brick wall this weekend. It was a bad weekend to crash, full of homework and work obligations. I started feeling sick on Friday and by Saturday was running 102 degree fever. After working on Saturday I slept, and slept, and slept. I got up Sunday to attempt my work obligations but could barely swallow and was sent home after and hour or so. After starting on antibiotics, I've slept and slept. Guess I needed some rest! I already had a vacation day planned for Monday to catch up on homework that I wouldn't finish since I was working all weekend. I slept most of Monday too! I had to go to Cole's parent-teacher conference. It's hard to be present and make relatively normal conversation when you are sick and foggy-headed.

Today, I feel better. No more fever, just a chesty cough and runny nose. I went to school and will have to work double-time to catch up on homework. No more rest for me!

Different worlds

I'm interning at a Pre-K this semester. The children all are either from low income families or have special needs. Most of these kid's stories break my heart. Most of them come from good homes, just homes without a lot of resources. Some come from homes, where sadly they aren't a priority. The school actually takes parents to court to make them take their kids to school. It's hard as a mother for me to look at these kids with their sparklingly personalities and dirty clothes and not want to take them all home with me.

Even though I'm a single-parent, I've had the benefits of an education and family and support system to help me through lean times. One of the differences between my world and theirs came out today.

I was playing on the playground today with some of the kids and one of the kids said, "Let's pretend there are cops coming!" "Quick, hide your stuff!" "RUN!" "RUN!" I looked up in shock and started to laugh. One of the boys turned to me and said, "Mees QUITE! or the cops will hear you!" It was funny but heartbreakingly sad at the same time. Cole plays games where cops are the good guys and these kids already see them as the enemy.

I grabbed a football and we quickly changed games. I see a lesson plan on "heros" in our community in the very near future.

Some people!

Today was a beautiful day. We headed out to run some errands before I came home to work on homework. At the last store, we parked and were walking through the parking lot. My mom was walking in front of us and I was behind her with Cole on my back. A car started to whip into the parking spot we were walking in, my mom stepped back bumping into the truck next to her. The lady driving the car sees us and still keeps pulling into the space, now causing us to squeeze flat against the truck. My mom shoots the lady a look as we try to scoot by without getting run over. The woman has the audacity to roll down her window and shout, "IS THERE A PROBLEM?" I turned my head and said, "Yes, you almost just ran us over." She shouted "BITCH!" I couldn't believe it. Here we almost just got hit and now she is yelling obscenities at us, in front of a child. Because of who I am and because of Cole, we just walked into the store. We couldn't believe that on top of everything else, she would talk that way in front of a child.

I have certainly not seen someone while driving a time or two and when I've noticed my error, I have given the "I'm so sorry" wave. I've definitely never been so rushed that I would continue on my way irregardless of people and be angry at them to boot.

On the way back to our car, her car was still in the same place. I wrote her a note to put on her windshield that said "Nice language in front of a five-year-old. Classy!" It was the nicest thing I could think of saying to this rude, thoughtless and impatient woman.

Children are sponges

Children are amazing creatures. They soak up everything around them. Even when they seem oblivious to the world and the people around them, they are watching and learning....especially the language they hear. They pick up new words, bad words, silly phrases and expressions that they usually don't get quite right.

The school system has "helped" Cole unleash a torrent of funny words and phrases. This week, Cole's new word is "nuts"....as in testicles. Since he was an infant Cole has always peed in the tub as soon as he gets in (gross I know). Last night he looked down as he was peeing and said, "You know, I think my nuts are allergic to water! When the water hits them, it makes my pee come out." The thought process alone was funny. I asked him where he heard that word he said, "Xavier". He also said, Xavier taught him "Wedgie". Isn't our social education priceless?

And the reality sets in...

Both Tuesday and Thursday I was on campus for around 13 hours. I'm already stressed out and tired. Thursday night we had mandatory student teacher round-up. We learned everything we needed to know about student teaching, the application process, and our state board exams. It was great information, but I felt even more anxious after the meeting. I have so many decisions and deadlines to meet!

The way that student teaching works is that you get to select your top two areas that you want your name sent to. There is no priority for grades, etc. There are around 500 student teachers EVERY semester, it is truly a lottery. You do not have to choose the district that you want to teach in, but it's always helpful. I was 100% certain of the district I wanted to teach in, so I was going to make this my priority one selection. The only problem is that there are "areas" not districts and the areas may or may not include more than 1 district. The district that I want is included with a district that I REALLY don't want. I could roll the dice and hope that I get the district I want, but there are no guarantees. I'm not a gambler, plus things rarely go my way. So now I have a big decision to make, one that could help or hinder my future...no pressure really. I've knocked around my choices with some friends and feel a little better. I have by next Friday to submit my application, so I better decide fast. Once you are selected you have to accept your district and grade level assigned (we have no choice) or start the entire process over next semester.

I'm becoming more nervous about not having a paycheck for the first time since I was 16, finding a teaching job mid-year. I'm both scared and nervous about quitting my job. I've been there almost 9 years. I've gotten married, had a kid, been divorced and had many highs and lows...it's my security blanket. I'm ready to detach myself but equally afraid of what's to come. I'm a planner, I hate the unknown. I really feel like I'm taking such a huge step. Keep your fingers crossed.

Punxsutawney Phil

Cole's class has been learning about "Groundhog Day". He has been very excited (not as excited as seeing Jupiter and Venus in the morning sky, but close). Saturday morning he couldn't wait to see if the groundhog saw his shadow. When he learned that he had, he sighed and said, "Man, six more weeks of winter!" Someone, forgot to tell ol' Punxsutawney Phil about central Texas though, because it was warm this weekend. So warm that Cole wore shorts and the AC is on tonight.

We had a good weekend in spite of the warm temps. We shopped for my mom's birthday, made her a cake, and spent time just hanging out. I have done a lot of homework, but I've mostly worked in the evenings after Cole has gone to bed. I have a lot of stuff due, but I'm taking one assignment at a time and completing projects early, so I don't get too overwhelmed.

Tonight after Cole's bedtime story we worked on his karate "creed" that he has to memorize. It's pretty long. Part I states, "I must develop myself in a positive manner and avoid anything that would reduce my mental growth or my physical health." Or as Cole says it, "I must develop myself in a positive manner and avoid anything that would reduce my mental growf or my physical healf."

Child labor laws

Cole loves to "help" when I clean the house. With his help it only takes me twice as long :-) He actually does a pretty good job. Tonight he helped me empty all the trash. He cleaned both bath tubs, sinks, and scrubbed the toliets. He looks very cute scrubbing with his oversized rubber gloves and his face wrinkled in concentration. I'm pretty sure that he has already cleaned more toliets than my 30 year-old brother! Cole even did some of the vacuuming tonight. Boy, I wish I still thought cleaning was fun.

By the way I found our missing SS cards tonight! I dropped my cell phone between my car seats and reached my fingers down to grab it and came up with our cards! I knew they would turn up when I didn't need them. It always kills me that you can look somewhere a million times and not find something and then the next time it suddendly appears. Arrrghh! At least I have Cole's again and this time I will put them in a very safe place.

Purgatory

If there is hell on Earth, I think maybe I have found it. For one of my classes I need my social security card, no problem right? I keep my card and Cole's together, the only problem is that when I went to get them out, they are both missing. I've torn my things apart but can't find them. I'm sure they will turn up eventually, but I need mine by next Tuesday. With my crazy school/work schedule the only free time I had to get new cards was two hours this morning.

Last night I printed out the forms I needed and gathered the required paperwork that was listed online. This morning in the freezing, foggy weather I headed to the local social security office to get replacement cards. Of course, it was rush-hour traffic that moved at a snail's pace. Once there, I stepped through the gates of hell. I checked in and got the number A66, they were on 21 when I arrived. The lobby was full and there was almost no where to sit to begin the long wait. They had plenty of windows to serve people, but most where closed and the remaining ones that were open weren't moving very fast. Plus, the office had only been open and hour, but the kept closing remaining windows so people could take a breaks. I watched one unfriendly clerk after another provide "service" to the waiting public. Over an hour later and they still were on A41....grrrr. Another hour later when they finally called my name, I hurried to the window and gave a smile and said "hello".... the unfriendly zombie never looked my way. She literally snatched the paperwork from my hand. She never once looked at me or said a word. She typed my information into her computer. I kept looking at her, waiting for horns to sprout from her head, fire to come out of her mouth, or her head to spin around and spew green bile. Letting out a big sigh, she got up from her desk to retrieve a form from the printer and tossed it on the desk for me to sign. When I told her that I still needed to get a card for my son, she pushed his birth certificate back to me and told me they can't use those. What? I said on-line it said to bring it, but she said that isn't true anymore. She really needed a picture ID....for a five-year-old? Now I have to call his doctor's office to have them write a letter with his date of birth and etc. to give the the SS office. No more trips to the SS office for me, I will be mailing Cole's request in... As I stood up to leave, she said my card would be in the mail in 7-10 days and to make sure I "don't lose this one". Gee thanks for the advice, friendly SS clerk. Have a great day.

I will add SS office worker to my list of jobs I would NEVER do....like bill collecting. What job would you never do?

I love technology

I can count on one hand how many non-kid movies I've seen since Cole was born. When a movie comes out that I want to see, I usually have to wait until it comes out on video. Not anymore! I wanted to go see a movie this weekend, but not a kid one. I decided to download a kid movie on my iPod for Cole. My mom and I got see '27 dresses' while Cole watched 'Underdog' and we all shared popcorn. Thank you iPod.

Where has the time gone?

It seems like time is just passing us by. As I spent the day with Cole today, I felt like I was watching him through new eyes. "Did he get this big overnight?", I thought to myself more than once today. We went shopping for new baseball cleats and tennis shoes that he's outgrown since the fall. As I watched him walk down the aisle picking out his own shoes to try on, in his slightly too short jeans that I just bought at the start of the school year, I couldn't stop staring at him. He just seemed like such a grown up kid browsing the shoes and looking for his size in the styles he liked. It seems like just yesterday I was picking out cute toddler shoes for him while he chubby toddler fingers grasped mine.

After shopping and lunch we headed out to get him a haircut. On the drive there he said, "I'm going to get a number 2 today." I had no idea what he was talking about. When I asked him what he meant, he said in his gee you're so silly mom voice, "the haircutting number, mom." The blade size, he knows the blade size? I can't even remember what size he usually gets, I usually ask the stylist what she recommends. I spent the entire time staring at him in the mirror while he got his haircut. I felt like I should permanently record every thing about him, if I looked away and turned around again, he might be 12 or something.

Time is a crazy thing. On one hand, I want time to fly. I want to be done with school, out of my parent's house and into a house of my own, and hopefully moved on with my life. But on the other hand, I want to hit the pause button. I want to be able to really enjoy this time with Cole, to make him grow up a little slower. Since he's my only child, I only get to go through these stages once and I want them to last just a little longer.

Let the games begin

A guy that I dated in high school came from a large Catholic family. On Friday they had mandatory game night. Family and friends would come over and play games. Of course, he hated being stuck at his house on Friday nights it but I LOVED it. Laughter, light-hearted competition, and snacks...what's not to love? When we broke up that's the thing I missed most.

Growing up, we occasionally played games and anytime my grandparents visited we always played card games or dominoes. Cole loves games too. Some of my favorite times with him are spent bent over a puzzle, playing "Go Fish", or board games. We picked up a new game this weekend "Flippin' Frogs". You place a tree in the center of the table and use launchers to try to "flip" your frog onto a spinning tree. At the end of the time, the branches pop up and the one with the most frogs on the tree wins. We played for quite awhile the other night with my mom. Tonight, even my dad got in on the action. As, I looked around the table at everyone's radiant face launching frogs onto a spinning plastic tree, I got that warm "game night" glow all over again.

Literal

Cole went to work with me on Monday. One of my co-workers came in and asked me to teach her to draw blood. Cole looked up at her and said, "I know how to draw blood." "You do?" she asked, clearly impressed. "Yes, it's easy", he replied. He sat down, picked up a red marker and "drew" red lines all over the paper. "See, I told you it was easy." God, I love that kid!

Worth the pain

Here is a picture I took of Cole and "Franklin" from Mt. Bonnell the day I sprained my ankle. I think the view was worth the pain :-) My ankle is much better. As Cole would say it is still "swallen" but on the mend. I did a full work-out at the gym and it held up pretty well. Working out with my new I-Pod that I bought myself, was an added bonus.

First "Toof"

Cole had his dental cleaning today. He has had one very loose tooth and the dentist agreed it would fall out any day. After his appointment we went to lunch. He was talking and eating and suddenly I realized his tooth was gone. He was so excited and then we both started laughing because we realized he had swallowed his tooth. The waitress came over to see what we were laughing about and Cole excitedly told her "I losed my first toof." He showed everyone we encountered today. I've reassured him that the 'tooth fairy' will still know he lost his tooth, even though he won't be able to leave it under the pillow. We set up a special cup next to the bed for the tooth fairy to leave his tooth money.

Christmas Recap

Cole had a good Christmas. On Christmas Eve Cole made cookies for Santa and sprinkled Reindeer dust in the yard to guide Santa's sleigh. While he slept the night away, "Santa" was using wire cutters to remove an ungodly amount of wire twist ties, putting in batteries, and putting the final touches on Christmas. Cole was sound asleep on Christmas morning. I finally whispered into his ear that Santa had arrived and he literally jumped out of bed. He was so excited to get his "band" that he wanted (guitar, drums, microphone). He named his band "26". To my dad's dismay "Santa" also brought a pogo stick and a skateboard. Sadly, Santa didn't bring the protective bubble that he should grow up in to protect him from injury. JK

A Christmas miracle did occur. On Christmas Eve, the postman delivered a package from Cole's dad. I'm disappointed that he still didn't bother to call, but at least he thought of him. Cole was excited to get the package. I let him open the gifts from his dad that night.

It was nice to hear from family and friends. I hope everyone else had a nice Christmas!

Tradition

I love traditions. At Christmastime each year we take Cole to the Trail of Lights. Since I sprained my ankle last Sunday, I thought we weren't going to be able to go this year. I'm able to get around, but with a limp. Since tonight was the last night, I decided we were going to go. It's quite a walk through the trails so I told Cole that this year he would have to walk the entire way and that I wouldn't be able to carry him. He was still eager to go. My mom came with us (thinking I've totally lost my mind). The easiest thing to do is park several miles away and ride the city bus to the trail, so that's what we did. The lines were so long. Once we got on the crowded bus and on our way, Cole looked at us and said, "I think someone is passing out gas. Not the kind that goes in your car, but the toot kind." Laughing my mom said, "That might happen on a crowded bus." He emphatically replied, "It did happen!" He makes me laugh.

The trail was so crowded. I ended up limping with Cole on my shoulders, because that was the only way he was going to be able to see anything there were so many people. Despite the limp and the crowds, I'm still glad we went.

Franklin

In Cole's class each student is "star of the week". They create an "all about me" poster and most importantly they get to bring home "Franklin" for the week. Franklin is a stuffed turtle. He comes in his own traveling suitcase and books. Each child is supposed to have pictures taken of them and Franklin doing things together to add to a class book. This was Cole's week. We took Franklin to karate, to the grocery store, etc. Cole really wanted to take him to the trail of lights. We had planned on going last night but it was very cold and way too windy. He was disappointed.

Today was a beautiful day. We decided to take "Franklin" to a local spot that you can climb and have a vantage point to see the lake. We headed out with my grandma and mom. We got some great pictures and we were having a great time. I was being so careful with Cole on the slippery rocks the entire time. On the way down the stone steps, I was still holding onto Cole's hand watching out for him, when...you guessed it I fell! I'm not even sure what exactly I did, I heard a pop as my ankle twisted under me. I knew immediately, it wasn't just a twist. Some guy a few feet in front of me turned around to help, but I tried to laugh and say it was okay. My mom and grandma were pretty far behind us and saw me sitting on the steps. It started to swell immediately. I didn't want to go to the doctor but went about an hour later when the swelling continued to get worse and I could barely put any weight on it. So three x-rays later there is no obvious fracture. The doctor said there was so much swelling he could have missed a small fracture, so if I'm not feeling better by Friday I will need more x-rays. For now I have to wear a splint for several days, no weight-bearing which means crutches! Oh, yeah and it's my driving foot. I'm not sure how I'm going to get to work and around work tomorrow. Plus, my armpits already hurt from the crutches. I'm such a klutz! At least it's not broken.

Cole has been very sweet and has been taking care of me. Of course he's envious that he doesn't have crutches, too.

Holiday Spirit

Last night was our company holiday party. It was an unusual evening. I can't say too much, since so many of our co-workers read our blogs. Vetmommy has a few great photos posted on her blog. I did enjoy the evening of people watching. I got hit on for the first time in YEARS, sadly it was by my very inebriated boss. I love her.....just not in that way :) and I wasn't the only one, just had her eye on, just the only one whose face she licked!!!! JK It was all in good fun.

This morning, when we woke up we turned on some Christmas music and started putting up the tree. Cole was so excited. We let him put the star on the tree and he was so proud of himself. We had a great time going through our ornaments. There were some special ones that my grandpa had carved. Cole found a "special spot" for those. He enjoyed seeing an ornament that I made as a kid. The best part is when Cole was a baby, I started a tradition of getting an ornament made with either his or our names and the year. He loved finding each one and he can't wait to pick one out this year. When we asked him to climb under the tree to put the tree skirt under, he looked at us and said with wonder "I didn't know our Christmas tree was a girl!" We laughed so hard.

We will have a mini-Christmas this weekend. My grandma comes in this week. This will be the first time I've seen her since the whole funeral ordeal. Awkward to say the least. Christmas without my grandpa will be bittersweet.

At least a cold front blew in tonight...makes me a little more in the holiday mood.

My little elf and me

Click on the Red X to watch us dance!

Venom

It seems like every time I try to get over my anger at Cole's dad (a word that doesn't really describe him) it gets refreshed. Child support and insurance seem trivial to the pain it causes me when Cole wants or needs a dad, then I really hate him all over again.

He called Cole in April, yes April! Not a word since then. Cole almost literally never speaks about him. I never speak bad about him in front of Cole and when and if Cole asks questions I very carefully consider the answers that I give. He hasn't spoken or asked about him in many, many months.

On Sunday we were running errands and he asked me to help spell a sentence. I thought he said " I hate that." and I was helping him sound out the words, when we got to the last word I was sounding out that and he said that wasn't the right word, he wanted to spell "I hate dad." I almost fell out of my seat, I was truly speechless. No anger or sadness he just wanted to spell "I hate dad." The next day he was playing with some men on motorcycles (toys, just in case you think I let him hang around biker bars) and I was in the hallway half-listening as he was playing and he said " Hi my name is Cole. Are you Brad? Do you go to my school? Hey did you know my great-papa and my dad are dead?" Tears sprung to my eyes. That night without mentioning I had overheard him, I asked him if he remembered where his dad was and he did know.

I had just picked him up from school tonight and we were sitting in traffic on the way home and he said, "Mom, you know what? I only have one parent. I think I'm going to ask my Papa to be my dad. I'll tell him when I get home. Granny can be my step-mom." Finally laughing through my tears, I asked him how he even knows what a 'step-mom' is. He said, " I just know that word."

We talked some more tonight about his dad, but I'm kinda of at a loss of what to say. I think with all the holiday stuff at school they must be talking about families or something. I am going to speak to his teacher next week. I'm thinking he might need to visit the school counselor. He has had no behavior changes, but I just want to be safe.

Last Day :-(

Today was my last day with the Kindergarten class. I can't believe the semester went by so fast. The kids made a cute book for me, they colored pictures of me and them and wrote a few sentences of things we did in class together. I know I will always treasure that book. I ate lunch with them in the cafeteria and had made them each a gift bag. At the end of the day after some tears and hugs, I said my final goodbye.

During Christmas break I'm going to volunteer in Cole's class on Thursday so at least I'll still get my Kindergarten fix.

Respite

I'm loving my time off. It's wonderful to actually spend some quality time with Cole, no homework, no work, no school, no deadlines and rushing to and fro. True to my style though we have been busy. We've made pecan and pumpkin pies, gingerbread men, and pizza. We've been to the gym daily, ran errands and started Christmas shopping.

On Friday, we went to a wonderful museum, the Texas Memorial Museum on the UT campus. I had googled "dinosaurs" Austin, TX on Wednesday night and a link to this museum came up. It's free to visit. An added perk was that it was a student holiday so there was no traffic and plenty of free parking. We both loved the museum. They had 4 floors of exhibits. The bottom floor was fossils, dinosaurs, and meteorites a five-year-old's dream come true. The really cool part was they have a Paleo lab and a Paleontologist on site to answer questions. She was wonderful. Cole probably asked questions for 30 minutes. She answered all his questions and showed him some really cool fossils and photos of digs she had been on. We will absolutely go back and visit again! Cole now wants to be a "cooker and a bone finder" when he grows up.

After the museum and lunch we went to the park. We explored a dry creek bed and had a great time in the cold air (FINALLY!!!) looking for our own "dinosaur fossils". I took some great photos of Cole. After stopping by work for a quick meeting it was off to the gym to swim in the heated indoor pool.

Today Cole had karate and we went to see Enchanted (hope you got to see it Joey, because it was cute..of course it did have McDreamy) then I donated blood. This afternoon since it is cold and rainy we have been...wait, wait for it....relaxing! Movies, hot chocolate and some good old tickling matches, that's it! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend.

Wrap Up

I barely left the house this weekend. The only thing we had planned was "date night" on Saturday, but Cole came down with Strep. This really hasn't been his week.

I literally spent almost the entire weekend doing homework. The remainder of my projects are due on Tuesday, this semester flew by. I know that I'm going to cry when I have to say goodbye to the kids. The big project I have due is a powerpoint highlighting what I have learned and taught this semester. I spent countless hours downloading pictures and scanning documents. I wonder what the students did to showcase their work before we had such wonderful technology? It's nice to almost be done. The winter break will be the longest break that I have had since exactly this time last year. I can't wait!

The sweetest words

Last night after Cole's bedtime story, he looked at me reached over and gave me a hug and said, "Mom, you know what? You're my hero."

Can't catch a break!

Our drama filled life continues. I must have been horrible in my past life or something.

Today after school I had a message from Leah that Cole's school called and he had been poked in the eye. Of course, the school didn't call me and I got the message several hours after it happened. I called the school about 15 minutes after classes let out and the nurse said Cole was sitting on the floor and a student dropped her plastic folder onto his eye....WHAT??? Only my son. His eye was red but since they couldn't reach me, they sent him back to class (I did tell them next time to call my phone not my work, especially since I wasn't even there). I quickly sped to pick him up. His eye was swollen, squinty, and red. I called his doctor and they were unable/unwilling? to work him in. They offered the after hours clinic which could see him in a few hours. It is way up north and I would be sitting in rush hour traffic for at least 1 hour.

Remember how Cole's dad had e-mailed to say no more child support, no more insurance? I had signed Cole up for new insurance and the cards had just come in the mail. We rushed home to get them. At home I took a good look at his eye and there was some redness, but he said his eye didn't really hurt and it wasn't sensitive to light. I was most concerned about a possible scratch on his cornea. We stopped by my work and one of the doctors stained his eye to look for a scratch, there was nothing. So, and here is the part I feel like the worst mother of the year for I decided not to take him to after hours. We came home and he was feeling fine. We were applying warm compresses and relaxing. After his bath he was coughing while brushing his teeth because of his nasal congestion and he threw up. Immediately his eye started to swell and blood tinged tears came out. When I opened it you could see hemorrhaging on the white of his eye. The after hours clinic couldn't see him now so we rushed to the Urgent Care that is down the street. When we got in the receptionist kept telling me that they didn't take our insurance. I handed her my debit card and said "I don't care, I will pay whatever!". The nurse came out and took a look at Cole and brought him back. I didn't dare say that my son was seen by a vet earlier in the day! The doctor numbed his eye, took one look and said she didn't like what she was seeing and we needed to go straight to the ER for a possible emergency surgery. She called ahead and told the nurse they would need to page an ophthalmologist. We rushed over (I barely remember the tearful drive as I called Leah and my mom). Of course, once we got there they said they couldn't get an ophthalmologist in. By the time the doctor came in, Cole was sound asleep. She did several diagnostic tests and said the good news was the hemorrhaging hadn't gotten worse and he didn't need surgery tonight. She gave us some medicine for tonight and we have to see an ophthalmologist first thing tomorrow, but I hope everything will be all right.

The only funny part of the evening was watching the doctor try to run tests on Cole while he snored loudly. That boy can sleep! He was propped up on the eye diagnostic machine just snoring away while I held his eye open. I imagine in the morning, he will think it was all a bad dream.

Thank you Leah for trying to make it to the hospital. You're the best!

Loose tooth

Cole has talked so much about getting his first loose tooth. They talk about losing baby teeth at school and have a lost tooth chart that he can't wait to get his name on. We check his teeth frequently, but none have budged until now.

Yesterday at his afterschool care, he was chasing his paper airplane and ran in front of the swings. He was kicked in the face (or the back, depending on the story) and spun around and landed face first in the rocks (that part was verified by the teachers). His lip was swollen, his nose is all scratched up, and he said his teeth hurt. I looked at his teeth last night and the gums were swollen. Tonight I looked at his teeth again and sure enough the left top front tooth is loose. When I told Cole it wiggled his eyes lit up and flew off my lap, shouting with excitement that his tooth was loose. We had to show Granny and Papa and my eyes quickly filled with tears at yet another sign that my little boy is growing up (with the aide of a face plant).

Science Project

At the start of the school year Cole was given a packet of information on science fair projects. At his school district it is mandatory for 4th and 5th grade but an option for all others. He loved helping me with my project this summer and was excited about doing his own. I signed him up. The deadline seemed so far away. Fast forward to this weekend and me saying "What the heck was I thinking??????" His deadline came smack in the middle of a myriad of my own assignments that were due. I put my stuff on hold and we got busy on his project. We stained some hard-boiled eggs and tested different types of toothpastes to see what cleaned better. My favorite part was his hypothesis that his Watermelon Kids toothpaste would work better because it tastes the best. We had a great time. We completed his display board tonight and I will drop him off in the morning, so he can turn it in. I love his handwriting and crooked cutting and pasting, it just makes me smile every time I see it. What do ya'll think?

The firstt picture is how he dressed himself on Sunday to go to the gym. I cracked up....and yes I did let him go that way. Brown shorts, jean shorts, red baseball socks, yellow crocs, and a stocking cap now that is what I call an outfit.

Happy Halloween

The pumpkin on the left is the one Cole and I did for work. I won 1st place. The picture in the middle is Cole and his pumpkin. Cole in full transformer mode.

Here are a few pics from tonight. Cole had a good time dressed as a transformer. We had a long walk between houses for trick-or-treating (my mom's neighborhood isn't much fun). A quick bath and a book, he was asleep in less than five minutes. We love Halloween.

Fall has fallen

It's fall and I couldn't be happier (other than the head congestion, sore throat, and runny nose it brought with it). I love the brisk breeze and the crunch of the leaves. I actually played tag with my Kindergarten class today on the playground, we all had a great time. I was also happy because moments before I had registered for my last semester of course work classes (18 hours! YIPES!). That will leave me only 1 class to take this summer and then it's student teaching in the fall. I can't believe it is so close. It seems so real now.

After school I took Cole to karate classes at our new gym. T-ball is over in a few weeks. He loves the karate and I try hard not to tear up when I watch him, I'm such a sap.

Last night since I was at school, my mom read Cole his nightly story. When they were finished, Cole said "Duh end. Do you know what that starts with Granny?" When she replied, "T" she was corrected. "No, Granny it's D. D says 'duh' ...Duh end" She tried to tell him it's 'The End' but as usual he couldn't be swayed.

DUH END

Here we go again

Email titled "BAD NEWS" from Cole's Dad. In a nutshell? He got fired. So once again no child support and no health insurance. It was a constant worry and struggle to get things taken care of the first time around. I can't believe I'm going to have to do all of this all over again. When does this end? How much fight do I have left?

They are going to take away my Texas card

Last night we took Cole to a high school football game. When we were children and lived in New Mexico my parents took us to the local high school football games which we loved. Then when I was in high school there was nothing I loved more than Friday night football games. The day would start off with morning pep-rallies, spirit competitions between the grade levels and then a fun night yelling and cheering at the football stadium. My brother played football in high school and many nights were spent at his games, as well. Texas and football just go together.

Cole loves going to the games. The band, the cheerleaders, the dancers and the action what could be more fun to a five-year-old? Football has changed for me now. I now see the game through mother's eyes. All I could think about as the big hits drew cheers and yells of excitement from the fans, was that was a mother's son out there getting the snot clobbered out of them. Here is my secret...I don't want my son to play football. See there is probably an angry mob starting to gather at my front door right now. They are going kick us right out of Texas. I think they still burn people at the stake for saying such blasphemous things down here.

Of course if he wants to play I will let him. Hopefully he will stick to baseball or karate (which he starts on Tuesday).

Teacher Conference

Today was Cole's first parent-teacher conference. I was both nervous and excited. I arrived at my scheduled time but the teacher was running about 20 minutes late. It seems the previous parent (who was over the top and pushy during back-to-school night) was very argumentative and didn't want to listen to much she had to say. She had been put through the ringer. Boy I don't look forward to being on the receiving end of those conversations in the near future. At least being a manager for the past 5 years has prepared me for those types of people. Anyway...

Cole's teacher said he is doing great. He is either right on target or surpassed where he needs to be at this point in the semester. She said he is great working either alone or in a group, makes friends very easily and is one of the most liked students in class, very helpful and friendly, and empathetic of others. The one thing they have been working on is staying on task. She said that he tends to talk to others instead of completing his assignments but understands what he is supposed to be doing. She has figured out what motivates him and now he is usually one of the first to be done with his work. She said over and over that he is just so sweet and cute and she feels very lucky to have him in her class (I tried not to tear up). She also said that several of the other teachers and special teachers (PE, music, art) have told her the same thing and have made comments to her about what a great kid he is! So yeah, Cole! I told her that I he loves her a lot and speaks about her often. He loves her homework assignments. I also let her know that I have already noticed a big improvement in his learning and understanding since the school year began. It was just a love-fest all around.

I hope rest of the year goes as smoothly.

Inappropriate behavior

Today Cole had a purple note in his folder from a cafeteria worker. It reads:

ATTENTION!

Cole's behavior was inappropriate and required adult intervention. He was using his empty lunch box for a hat in the cafeteria.

An empty lunch box as a hat??? I would have ripped that sucker off his head, tossed him on the floor in a headlock, and......tickled him like crazy for being funny. Come on people, if that is the worse thing he does this school year, I will personally wear a lunchbox for a hat for an entire day at work. Some say "inappropriate" others say "creative". Now before all you angry cafeteria supervisors comment on my blog, I know that you don't have a fun tasks supervising 5 year olds eating lunch, but good grief.

The funniest part was when I asked Cole about it he said, "Mom she yelled at me and then said in a mad voice that I was getting a 'red flag' for that. But all she gave me was a purple piece of paper." He was sad the "flag" was neither red nor a real flag! I have half a mind to send a note back that says:

ATTENTION!

The cafeteria volunteer's "red flag" was neither red nor a flag. It required adult intervention to explain that by "red flag" you actually meant a purple piece of cardboard stock paper. This was very confusing to my deviant five- year-old. In the future when my hooligan is misbehaving tell him "you are getting a purple piece of paper!" At least then he will understand that what he did was bad, very, very bad!