Finally.. An Update. Catching up from December 2015

Wow- has it really been 6 months since my last post? I really suck at blogging lately. I’ve thought about it, but again, if I wait too long I get overwhelmed!

Anyway- here’s what’s been happening.  For Christmas, Santa brought AJ a new dog! He is a Boston Terrier and he used to be an elf at the North Pole. He was 4 ½ years old when he came; he had finished his elf duties and needed a new home. Santa thought our home was perfect! Burt has been a WONDERFUL addition to our family. He and AJ have this amazing bond. They sleep together, cuddle together all the time and just are best friends. Burt has been to Camp Bow Wow (Doggie daycare) a number of times and has done great there too! We really love our Burt-Burt! 

Sweet Burt is such a snuggler!

In January, Grandma had both knees replaced so I went out to California for a week to help her. I was happy to help her but also dreading being gone for an entire week. It wasn’t so bad- thank you FaceTime and she did AMAZINGLY well. It was good to be out there and I was able to see Matt, Kristin, Dad and Cory too!

We continued our tradition of skiing a lot. Our pass this year allowed us to go to Breckenridge, Keystone and A-Basin. We went to Breck the most and really loved the mountain, but it’s just not an easy mountain to get to.  There’s a lot of walking involved and it seemed like each time we’d go, we would leave the house and 6 and not be on the actual runs until almost 10! Too much.. So, this year we’ve decided to go back to Copper Mountain. We love it there. And we will also be able to go to Winter Park and Eldora. We haven’t skiing Eldora before, but it’s A LOT closer to us and there’s very little traffic. It’s also a smaller mountain, but we’ll give it a try. Also, this was AJ’s first year using poles! He rocked it! He’s such a great skier. He was out looking for jumps every time we skied this year. 

Uncle Matt and AJ at Breck

AJ, Dax and Skylar

LOVING the crepes we got for breakfast. So worth the hour long wait!

In March, Jason went with a bunch of guys to Spring Training in Arizona. He had a lot of fun, watching baseball and hanging with his buddies. He never goes on guy trips, so I was happy he was able to. Lord only knows what else they did there… haha!

AJ did some fun after school activities this spring. He signed up for Spotlight Theatre at school and rehearsed for 12 weeks for the play Annie, Jr. He played the Ward and President Roosevelt along with an orphan. I was really surprised he was happy to do it and also a little worried about how he would be on stage. In the end, he was great! He said he was so nervous his hands were sweating and his stomach hurt, but he still pushed through! 

AJ at the end of the play

The cast of Annie Jr.

AJ's class put together a "living wax museum". He decided to be Nicola Tesla. He got to read his biography (below) to all the students and parents.

AJ also did a fun thing at the library called Reading Buddies. He did it for 2 sessions and really enjoyed it. Each week, he would meet with a teenager (Hannah) and they would read to each other and play games. She was great with him and always gave him candy and treats. I think it helped him enjoy reading a little more which is a good thing. 

Football was also happening. AJ joined the Dolphins team through our local rec center with his buddy Dax. The great thing about this was it was only once a week on Sundays! They would practice for an hour, and then have a game after. Somehow Jason got recruited to be a coach, which I think he really enjoyed.  Jason and AJ practiced football all the time in the backyard and we found out AJ really has an arm on him! The boy can throw!

The Dophins

Also in March (I think), Jason got a new job with Microsoft. After a few jobs that just weren’t the right fit, Microsoft has been wonderful. It’s a lot of work and a lot of stress, but he has a fantastic boss and is really doing well in sales. I’m VERY happy that he’s happy. 

Speaking of jobs, I spent 5 weeks in Oklahoma, thanks to Verizon. Our Union workers went on strike and the company sent 1000’s of non-union workers to do their jobs for an undetermined amount of time. I was given 2 days’ notice that I was going to Oklahoma and was told they didn’t know when I’d come back. This made going to California for a week seem pretty easy. I was devastated. It was incredibly hard to leave. We all said, if we just knew when we’d be back, it wouldn’t be so hard. But of course, we didn’t know when the Union and Verizon would come to an agreement. 

Shout out to Colorado from Oklahoma!

I spent Mothers Day in OK, so Jason and AJ sent me some gifts and a very sweet card.

I was out there for 3 weeks in a row, before I came home for my 40^th birthday weekend. It seemed like an eternity to be without AJ and Jason. I was working 12 hour days, 6 days week and living in a hotel. It was VERY tough.  It was incredibly hard to miss AJ’s Annie Jr. Play and his football games, but I was so thankful that my mom flew out for a quick trip to see his play. That made me feel so much better. 

When I came home that weekend, Jason had planned a birthday party for me with a ton of friends and had flown Matt & Kristin out as a surprise. It was really such a nice weekend and so good to be home! But, I had to go back that Monday. While I was there, there were so many rumors about how long the strike would last. First we heard, end of June.. then possibly OCTOBER! Thank God, they came to an agreement just before Memorial Day. I had been home that weekend because of a pre-planned camping trip (after 10 days in OK) and didn’t have to go back. I was THRILLED to be released. 

Some friends in OK, decorated my desk for my bday.. so nice.. and MESSY!

The trip wasn’t all bad though. I made a lot of friends and new work connections. I made a ton of money working all that overtime. And I found myself becoming more confident in myself with regards to work. I was mad at Verizon for making me do this and that anger made me realize it was time to find something else to do for work. So, now I’m working on that.. 

In May, AJ ended 2^nd grade (HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!) and I was lucky enough to be there for his last day of school. He had a great year and got excellent grades! The only thing he didn’t do that well with was listening which wasn’t too big of a surprise. He also started a swim team called Cruisers. I begged him to do this last year, but he put his foot down. He was too scared. This year, I didn’t give him a choice, and he has LOVED IT! He has been swimming 4-5 times week with his buddies. This has been AJ’s summer to really learn new things and take chances. His bravery has completely shocked me! Within a week of swim team, he was swimming across the pool without stopping. Two weeks in, he was diving off the block and now he’s doing flip turns and practicing the butterfly stroke! I am incredibly impressed. 

HEAT WINNER!!!

In early June, Dad and Cory came to visit for a long weekend. We had THE BEST time! They are so easy going and we just do what we want to do. No over planning. We spent a bunch of time working in the yard- like we always do. They were so generous and bought us all these flowers and baskets and Cory planted it all. My dad took out these ugly, dead bushes from our backyard which was so great! They’ve been dead in our yard for too many years. We also went to this super fun wool festival in Estes Park. I had no idea it would be as fun as it was. We watched people spin yarn and walked around all these cute little booths. Then we also saw tons of livestock. Fun day! We also celebrated AJ's and my Dad's birthdays while they were here (a little early). 

8 and 73! Looking good!

Dad and Cory also got to go to one of AJ’s swim meets! Oh my gosh, these are so fun! They remind me so much of when I was a kid and we’d go to soccer weekends with friends. He gets to play and run around and has a ton of freedom, and then he swims a few heats. He has improved so much each week; he continues to beat his time and he even won his heat last week! It’s been amazing for his confidence. 

Just this past weekend we celebrated AJ turning EIGHT! Really? I have an 8 year old?! How did this happen?? We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with about 7 of his buddies and had a blast. They put on a great party with pizza, cake and ice cream and they all got to hold an armadillo and get a little lesson on the red river hog. We decided it was the perfect amount of kids and almost no work for me. In the past I always try to go above and beyond; this year, I didn’t have the energy. So, it all worked out great. We got AJ and new bike with gears and our hope is we can do some fun family bike rides this summer. 

He is 8!!

Speaking of summer, AJ has had the summer of a lifetime this year! We hired his babysitter to be his nanny 3 days a week and some of those days, he is being watched with his good friends Caleigh and Cooper. They all swim together for Cruisers and then they spend the day either at the Rec Center or at the Grange pool swimming. He’s exhausted every night but having a blast!

Boys Trip to Oregon

This past weekend, AJ and Jason took off on a boy’s trip to Oregon. I was so excited for them! Jason’s mom and step-dad live there and they had not seen each other in 5+ years.  First they spent some time with Jason’s mom and Ron. They went to dinner, hung out and caught up. Then, Friday, Donna made this elaborate breakfast for them all. AJ said they got him a new stuffed bear – he named it Indiana Jones- and The Grinch that Stole Christmas book. I know AJ had a good time seeing them.

Then, Friday night, they headed to Astoria where Paul and Janis live. I haven’t ever been there, but I hear they live in an amazing log cabin home. They saw deer on the front law and AJ said he even fed one apples! They went to a Maritime museum, did a project in the workshop and just hung out.

The last time Donna and Ron or Paul and Janis saw AJ, he was probably 2 or younger, so AJ did not remember them, but before the trip, we showed him a lot of pictures and he knew of them.  I was so happy for them all. Now, I’m happy to have them back J

He Calls Me "Mama"

Jason and AJ are in Oregon on a boys trip visiting Jason's family- more on that in another post. Last night, AJ and I were texting before he went to bed (after we talked on the phone for a while)... This text makes my heart just explode with love and happiness. I've probably read it 100 times so far. I love him so very much.

 

Fall 2015 Update

As usual, we’ve had a very busy, but fun Fall. We already had our first snow day, which was exciting!  AJ was studying the Oregon Trail in class and we’ve really been focusing a lot of our time on math too.  His teacher told me he needed to work more on subtraction so that is what we’re doing flash cards almost daily- and its working! I am so proud of him J

For Thanksgiving this year, we had a HUGE dinner with friends and family. Jason cooked 2 turkeys and we also had Honey Baked Ham (Yum!) We had a total of 20 people including my mom. I was happy she decided to fly out and join us.

Since my mom was here, we took advantage of her spending time with AJ and Jason and I went to the Bronco /Patriots game. It was WONDERFUL to spend time just the two of us; talking, laughing and cheering for the Broncos. (They WON!)

Here are some pictures:

Snow Angels!

Such a beautiful snow day

That's a lot of snow!

Pioneer Day!

His "Family"- the Smiths

AJ teaching Grandma Pokemon

Frying the turkey 

The "kids" table

AJ with his best buddy, Riley

Joy and I

Sledding- it was COLD!

AJ and Grandma

At the Bronco Game!

It snowed the ENTIRE game- BURRR

Washington, D.C!

To celebrate Jason’s 40^th birthday, the 3 of us took a really fun trip to DC! Honestly, when I asked Jason where he wanted me to take him for his birthday, I was thinking it would be more like a couples trip to Chicago, NY, San Francisco or something, so when he said he wanted us all to go to DC, I was surprised. It didn’t really seem like a 40^th birthday destination. But, I knew it would be a good time. And it turns out, it was better than I expected!

We flew out on Tuesday morning and with the time change, didn’t get there till late afternoon. We checked into our hotel room, walked a few blocks to the White House to get a quick look, and then found a place for dinner. We were tired, but excited. For some reason, we all didn’t wake up until about 9:30 every single morning! Maybe it was the time change, or just being relaxed, but it was weird. Great, but weird! Wednesday, when we finally got up and moving, we walked to Washington Monument (or Momument like AJ calls it as a joke) and then to the Air and Space Museum. This place was so cool! We were there all day checking things out. AJ decided he was going to make a journal so he took a ton of pictures of things and we’ll put them in his journal.

First Stop.. White House!

Washington Memorial

Air and Space Museum

A friend of mine recommended this amazing restaurant, Old Ebbit Grill, so we went there for dinner that night. We had oysters to start and as you can see from the picture, AJ wasn’t a huge fan.  But the place was super cool and fun. Then we went home and passed out. We were exhausted from all the walking. (6 miles on day 1).

Old Ebbitt Grill

Not a fan of oysters...

Day 2, we once again didn’t get up and out of bed till after 9am. That day, we walked to the Washington Memorial, Korean Memorial, World War II Memorial, then to the Capitol building for a tour. That was a ton of fun, but SO MUCH WALKING. (10 miles on day 2) We went to dinner at our hotel and everyone passed out early.  

At the Lincoln Memorial

Writing in his journal

At the Capitol

Day 3, we went to the American History Museum for a few hours- super cool place too! Then, we walked over to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We read that it’s better to go there than The Mint, however we got there too late to do a tour. Kind of a bummer. After that, we walked back to the White House (a lot of back and forth walking!) and took pictures from the other side. (6 miles on day 3)

American History Museum

This is what ALL that walking will get ya!

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

AJ's selfie.. pretty good I think!

At the White House!

We had to head home on Saturday, but we all felt like we got everything done and saw all we wanted to see in the 3 days we were there. It was really a super fun, family trip. AJ was excellent the entire time, didn’t complain (much) about all the walking and we had perfect fall weather. 

2nd Grade Homework! (Proud Mama)

AJ has homework 4 days a week and it can take us up to an hour to get it done. Yes, I said us. I typically do homework with AJ while Jason makes dinner- it's a good system. Because I do homework with AJ I feel very invested in it and I want him ace his tests SO BADLY. 

Each night, he has reading, spelling and math. And then we add a little more math these days because he needs to get a little quicker on his "100 math facts". (100 addition problems that he has to get done in 5 minutes). 

We got a bunch of tests back on Friday and I finally found out how he's done- to say I was THRILLED and PROUD of AJ would be a major understatement. He ROCKED these tests! Check it out:

Bad Words

AJ has always been fascinated with bad words. He doesn’t say them- but he will call you out every single time you say one. I’ll never forget when he was really young and my mom and I used to spell out S-T-U-P-I-D because we didn’t want him to hear the word. Well, not too long after, he started saying “P-I-D”. To this day, he says that only if he heard the word and wants to tell me about it. He never uses it negatively and never the real word. For years, if he hears any word (stupid, damn, crap or anything worse) he will just look at me like “did you hear that?!” He has trained me to look at him when someone says a bad word!

So now, he’s in 2^nd grade and we all know that means he will start hearing those words more often and likely say some of them when I’m not around. He watches videos online and I know they have bad words. He will tell me every time when he hears one. We have this exact conversation many times a week:

                AJ: “Mom, there was a bad word”

                Me: “what word?”

                AJ: “what beavers make”

                Me: “ok, thanks for telling me”

                AJ: “yep, I won’t say it”

The other day I was thinking about it and I realized that if he is going to hear the words, then I want him to know- from me- what they mean. I don’t want him learning from his friends what they think it means. Plus, I thought if we talked about it, maybe it would take the “excitement” out of saying the words?

One night a few weeks ago I was lying with AJ in his bed and I asked him if he would like to talk about bad words. That we were in a “circle of trust” and he could not get in trouble during this conversation. He could say anything, any word and not be in trouble. The only catch was, he could not go to school and talk to other friends about it or say the words to them. He agreed and we talked.

I asked him what words he hears and what he thinks the words mean. He asked me about the “B” word is. I explained to him what the “B” word actually is and how what it really means is a female dog (he laughed). I then made it VERY clear that he should never- even when he gets older- say that to or about a girl. He asked me about “crap” and “damn” and I explained what they meant and told him he could use other words that sounded better but meant the same thing. I also told him that one day he would be able to say those words- just not in 2^nd grade. He has friends who can say “stupid” or “oh my god” or “crap” and I think there are times he wants to be allowed to. And honestly- part of me thinks “why not?” But, then I think about how I feel about the kids who come to my house and say those words when playing with AJ. I don’t want some other mother thinking about AJ that way. It’s just not necessary and it is so ugly. There is a very popular song on the radio right now called “Shut up and Dance with me” and I told him recently he can say it when the song is on. But he really doesn’t! It doesn’t feel right to him. Finally, he did ask me about the “F” word. I didn’t explain the literal meaning of that word, but I told him that some people say that and it means many things. It could be like “darn” or “crap” and that it’s not a word kids need to use. I tried to be very clear that there are other words he can use that will mean the same thing. However, I know, as an adult sometimes saying crap isn’t quite as gratifying as saying “F!” (I didn’t tell him that!)

I hope this conversation made him realize he can talk to me. We can talk about things that aren’t comfortable and he won’t be in trouble. I’ve told him many times- if he just comes to me, he will not be punished. If he lies or I hear he’s saying these things when I’m not around, he will be.