No TV At Dinner

A few weeks ago I decided to make it a rule that we would not watch TV at dinner. I hated that we watched TV, but what brought me over the edge was that AJ just didn't eat. He was so involved in the show that he took an hour to eat. And I kept threatening to turn off the TV, and never did. Finally, one day I had enough. I was done. I think it was one of the best decisions I've made in a while!

The first few days he wasn't thrilled by it. He'd ask if we could watch TV and I said no. He didn't freak out, but still asked. However, lately, he doesn't even ask. Nor does he care. He gets to watch a short show (25 mins or so) while I make dinner after we get home. I am ok with this because I assume he's been on the go all day long with other kids and needs to wind down. And let's face it, I need some time to get unpacked from the day, put in a load of laundry, get out of work clothes and get dinner started.

Then, I get dinner on the table and shut off the TV. There is no discussion about this, it just happens. We sit together and we just talk. About all kinds of things. Usually it starts with his day. Today, being a Monday, I asked if he has a job at school. These get assigned on Mondays and he doesn't always have one. But today he did. He is the "book reader". That means he sits on a chair in the middle of his classroom in front of his friends and holds the book while they listen to it being read to them on tape. I loved it! I never knew they had this job. Sometimes he is the line leader, the snack helper (for some reason this is his favorite), the bell ringer or the door holder. I started asking him who had the other jobs and he forgot. No big deal. Then he asks me if I found the picture he drew today in this folder. I remember getting it, but had no idea what it was. He said it was a volcano. I brought it to the table and had him tell me about it. I asked him which one was it? Was it Mount St. Helen's or Mt. Vesuvius, I said. He told me with great certainty, that it was Mount St. Helen's. I told him how cool it was and did he remember that it is in the state of Washington? He said he did remember and reminded me that Washington is where Grandma's friends live. It too me a second to remember who he was talking about and then it occurred to me that Grandmas friends are actually Grandma's Aunts, Connie and Skip! How did he remember this, I asked?! He said, "I don't know, I just did".

This lead us to a discussion about our family and how we all fit together. He then brought up our cousin Michael - who happens to be in jail, which AJ is very interested in hearing about. He wants to go visit him ("I've never been to a jail mom!")  Then he asked about our cousin John who died in a motorcycle accident. He wanted to know all the details of that accident. I don't think he got the seriousness of this until I explained to him that Johns daughter Emily didn't have a daddy anymore. I explained to him about Pop's sisters. Sharon who had died in her late 70's ("That's the oldest number ever!") and our crazy Aunt Joan who he has met. I made him promise never to tell her we call her that, but he can tell Matt, Pop and Grandma! (haha! I don't think she reads this blog). We talked about Sharon's other kids, Richard and Tom and how Tom works at Walmart (which he thinks is so cool!) and how Richard and Matt used to play guitar together (also very cool).

We looked at pictures of every family member we could find on Facebook (Tom, Kathleen, Nicole, Megan, Christina, Frances, Michael, Sharon, Joan, Emily) and I kept telling him who belongs to who. Then, after dinner I'm not sure how this conversation started but we talked about when he gets married and has babies and what he would name his babies. He couldn't think of a boy name, but his daughter will be called Sarah. He giggled big time when I said I would have been named Steven as a boy and that he was going to be Julia had he been a girl :) He wants to know more, but I think we have to ask Grandma some questions when we see her in a few weeks.  It was such a neat 30 minute conversation. I am thrilled that he is so interested and remembers so much. He is the one who started this whole conversation...All because we weren't watching TV :)

Much more of this conversation to be had. Lots more family to talk about!

Another Amazing Ski Day!

AJ and I had an AMAZING ski day yesterday! I know I say this every time, but he just keeps getting better each time we go! This time we decided to bypass the small mountain and head to the big one. The lines are too long over on the smaller side (it's more of a beginner mountain) and he gets down the mountain so fast, we end up waiting in long lines most the day. The ONLY problem with this is now we park in the bigger parking lot which means I get to carry 2 pairs of skis and boots, 2 bags and also make sure that AJ gets through the parking lot safely.

I'm so happy to say that AJ officially does not need his Racer Chaser (harness) anymore! He can ski ALL BY HIMSELF! The only thing I use it for is to help him off the lift safely and also to pick him up when he falls. Otherwise, he's skiing! We had such a great time yesterday. He fell a lot more, but that's to be expected since we were on much bigger runs.

We stayed on Chair 2 a bunch, then cut over to Chair 6 which took us up REALLY high to this beautiful area that was so quiet and full of fresh powder. It was amazing!

Us on the lift.. SUCH a beautiful day!

Here are a few videos of him skiing :)






This one is awesome. Before this, he and I both went off this little whoop de do. And he landed it perfectly and loved it! Of course, I didn't have my camera out... But I found another and he wanted to try it. This is what happened...

 

Cali Trip March 2012

AJ and I were lucky enough to get out to California this past weekend to see Pop and Grammy! We had such a wonderful, relaxing time. We headed out Friday afternoon and flew into Santa Barbara. AJ was beyond excited to see Pop and Grammy!

At the airport, ready to go!

On Friday night when we arrived at their house we unloaded our stuff and headed outside to their beautiful yard to enjoy the sunshine. It has been VERY cold in Colorado so it was great to spend some time in flip flops and shorts. Dad and Cory have great next door neighbors, Heather and Jeremy and their two kids Mackenzie and Hudson. These kids are always so kind and so polite and love to bring AJ toys to play. We sat outside on the bench for a while letting the kids play in the wheelbarrow while the adults talked and laughed and sipped some wine in the sun :)

Mackenzie, Hudson and AJ

 



The kids next door have 7 or 8 turtles in their yard. AJ got to go feed them! It was so cool!

Saturday we headed up north to San Simeon to check out the beautiful beach and tidepools. We stopped at this amazing little general store for wonderful sandwiches. Pop waited in line for 30 minutes to place our order while Cory and I enjoyed some wine tasting. The sandwiches were WELL worth it! (Thanks Pop!)

Love this guy

 

Love this guy too!

Pop and Grammy watching the waves

Wine tasting :)

 

 

That night we spent some time at home relaxing and the guys played blocks :)

 

 

On Sunday, we took our time getting up and then went for a nice walk in the orchard. This used to be a strawberry field, but now they are growing peas. Such a beautiful place!



 

On the way to our next adventure, we found this guy! AJ got to feed it!

 

 

 

Then we went to Avila beach where they have this amazing park! We have been there once before and AJ loved it. They have a pirate ship in the park, and tons of fun things for him to play on. And it doesn't hurt that the beach is right there too. So pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

After the beach we went to the Avila Farm. We go there every time we visit because it's so fun! AJ got to pick carrots from Dad and Cory's garden and bring them to feed all the animals. Later that night we had the neighbors over for a BBQ and the kids got to play some more. It was fun!



 

 

 

We really had a blast with Pop and Grammy. It was such a realxing and fun time. AJ got to read bird books with Grammy, play blocks with Pop and he and Pop even made a wooden airplane! It was so cool to see them have so much fun together :) We also played some family baseball! What a blast! We busted out an old bat and ball and all took turns hitting. AJ got a turn too and he rocked it! (Video at the end of the entry)

Concentrating...

Helping Pop drill

The finished product!

He also loved the kittys! This is Dragster.. 

 

Here is AJ hitting the ball! He hit at least 50% of the balls Pop threw him! It was amazing!

LIGHT BULB!!!

What a day! I had originally thought to take AJ skiing on Monday since he's out of school for the holiday, but realized it would be really cold and snowing. So, we changed our plans around and went today. IT WAS AWESOME!

First of all, we woke up super early and were able to get out the door by 6:15. This has NEVER happened. The lifts open at 8:30 and because we got going so early we missed most of the traffic. We got to the lift around 8:45 after getting my skis. This was a huge help!

We realized that some friends would also be on the mountain so we made plans to see Tobin (who was working there), his kids (who were in lessons) and AJ's old babysitter/my friend Jamie and her kids. We even got to ski with Jamie and Sophie on 2 runs!

The best part of the day was that the LIGHT BULB finally went off in AJ's head and he figured out how to stop and turn by himself! I went there today with the intention of trying to teach him to ski, rather than me just holding onto his harness most of the way down as I have done in the past. I read some articles last night on how to teach kids; it seemed to help a bit. I really just had the thought that we would stay on the easy lift and do it a lot so he could get used to it.

We did that lift 4 times really quickly when we got there (getting there early = no lines!) and he did awesome! The first time he scared the heck out of me because he didn't know how to turn and just booked it straight down the mountain. Even though it's not a big mountain, he can gain some serious speed and one bad move and he'll hurt himself and hate skiing. Luckily I was able to catch him!

Then, we took the shuttle to the other side of the mountain where the bigger lifts are and we ran into our friends. Tobin was working at Subaru tent with hot chocolate, give aways and hand warmers, so we hung there for a bit. Then, we found Jamie and Sophie and decided to head up Chair 2. This is a LONG chair ride. Easily 15 mins. It gets cold because of course we go up so high and it's windy at the top! We did that 2 times and then headed back over to the other side for 2 more runs on Chair 7. This time I told AJ he was skiing alone. The whole day I tried to talk to him about how to turn and stop. We always talk "pizza" (slow) and "french fry" (fast) but he hasn't gotten it. So, today I told him to imagine the back of his skis were an alligators mouth and to keep it WIDE open. This totally helped him and that's how he learned to stop. I'm blown away by how much better he was today. I can see that soon he and I will be skiing together, rather than me behind him trying to help.

I am beyond proud. Once again!

About to take our first lift!

AJ and Sophie

Top of Chair 2. It was SOOO cold! (see the blowing snow?)

love him!

"Mommy, I Love Loveland"

AJ and I have been LOVING ski season. I think we have been up together 5 or 6 times this year and it's only February! I hope we can get up a lot more. We went once with Matt and Jason, then we went last weekend with AJ's good friend, Riley and yesterday we went up with our good friends, The Murrells to celebrate Dax's 5th birthday. Each time we go AJ gets better and better.

It's A LOT of work to go skiing with a 4.5 year old, but it's totally worth it. Here's our routine: The night before I get us all packed. I pack food and drinks, and all our clothes (socks, gloves, helmet, ski clothes, jackets, hats, extra shirt, scarf, snow boots, Ipad, AJ's skis and ski boots and candy. We always bring candy.) AJ loves that the night before we ski he gets to sleep in his long underwear. I don't know why this so exciting, but I go with it :) That night I also go online and reserve my ski rental. I have learned that if I rent skis at a place just outside Loveland it's cheaper and quicker. (Yesterday when we picked up our skis the people recognized us- I loved it!)

I try to get AJ to bed early with the hope that he'll wake up at 6 so we can be out by 6:30, but that never seems to happen. He gets up around 6:30 and by the time I have breakfast for him, teeth brushed and the car packed it's 7. It really is too late to get out the door because traffic is awful! We're working on that...

So, we get on the road and the first hour or so is always easy. AJ plays his Ipad and we talk and I listen to music and we both try to wake up. Then we get to the I-70 and we pray that traffic isn't too bad. Last weekend with Riley it took us THREE HOURS to get there. There was some insane accident and we were going 5mph for over an hour.. Other times, like yesterday, we get there in less than 2 hours. You just never know. I will say that AJ has NEVER complained about the drive. He's happy hanging out with me and his Ipad. Usually the 2nd hour I turn up the music really loud and we rock out so it's fun. We're getting pumped to ski!

Then we get my skis and take a potty break if needed and we're off to the mountain. When we get there I drop the skis near the mountain and then park (less to carry!). Then I get AJ dressed in the car and we grab our stuff and go. We head to the locker room to get our boots on and get all warmed up. We go get our tickets (thankfully he is still free) and we grab our skis and head out! It is so much fun.

We have little jokes that we like tell. We say we will always laugh when we fall (which isn't always the case). We eat candy on the chairlift. He watches other people fall when we're on the lift and tells me about it. He likes to see what # chair we're on each time. I let him decide if we're going right or left off the lift.

We do 6-8 run typically, depending on the weather and what time we got there and then we head home by 2. I'm always worried that traffic will be bad coming home so I like to get an early start home. Also, by then we are exhausted.

Yesterday we were headed out the door and I asked him, "Are you excited to ski?" and he said, "Ya! Mommy, I love Loveland!" Makes me so incredibly happy that we get to do this together. I'm unbelievably proud of him!

Riley & AJ

Getting our skis

On the lift

Walking in to the resort

Ready to shred!

Love this guy!

I Love Loveland!

With Daxie and Skylar

Rodeo!

Last weekend the three of us headed to the National Western Stock Show in Denver. They have it every year and it's a 2 week thing- we have gone at least 3 years now and it's always a fun, expensive, exhausting day :)This year, Daddy came with us. We got there very early, thinking we could make the 11am rodeo, but it was sold out, so we waited for the 3:30 rodeo. We looked around at all the booths, ate lunch, checked out all the animals and walked around. It was really a fun day!

Waiting in line to get our tickets



The tractors are always a huge hit! SOOO many boys line up to sit on these and "drive" them.

He is so cool ;)

The petting zoo :)

Not something you see everyday?

Waiting for the rodeo to start!

Us 3

Super Fun Weekend!

Last weekend was so much fun! Uncle Matt came to visit us! Friday night we went to dinner and hung out with some friends. Then, Saturday, Matt was nice enough to spend the ENTIRE day with AJ. Jason and I went to the Broncos game and Matt & AJ went to Chuck E Cheese, wrestled, watched the game and played for hours. We left early AND the game went into overtime. They had a great time though and were warm while Jason and I froze our butts off (think negative temps) and watched the Bronco's blow the game! Regardless, it was a fantastic day for all.

Just got to the stadium.... not frozen yet.
 

A few drinks in..preparing to go to our seats

Our seats were insanely good- this picture doesnt' even do it justice...

 

Cheering on the Broncos from Chuck E Cheese!

Then, on Sunday we all went up to Loveland to ski! Matt and I had planned to ski together, but decided last minute to take AJ up with us. I knew that AJ would LOVE to ski with Matt. And he was excited that Daddy wanted to join us too! It was another FREEZING cold day- it was negative 3 on the way up and I think it may have gotten to 7 degrees while we were there? AJ was a total trooper though. At first, he was just way too cold to want to go out, so he and Jason went in for hot chocolate while Matt and I did a few runs. Once AJ was warm, he got his gear back on and we all headed up for a few runs together. He did EVEN BETTER this time. I know I am his mom, but I truly can see a signifcant improvement each time we go. I said it before, and I mean it- I don't care if he is good or bad, I am just so happy he enjoys it and has fun! That is what matters to me. He was happy to watch Matt and I do a few runs before we headed home too. It was really such a fun weekend! We were so happy that Matt came to spend time with us!

Ready to hit the moutain!

Warming up with Dad

Holy moly it was COLD!!!

All the guys!

Here are a few videos Jason took: