5.28.2010

Tagged

(Two days ago) Owen at bedtime: "Mom, I made a bad choice and used the permanent marker. Some ink got on the counter, but I didn't do it." At the time, he and I chatted about permanent markers, needing permission, etc. I went downstairs and found nothing on the counter, but I put the marker away just to be on the safe side. Since then, he's asked to use the marker twice, and I supervised, again to be on the safe side. I felt like I'd escaped a catastrophe of sorts.

Then today I saw it. Owen had tagged his name in permanent marker on each of the cabinet doors of our kitchen island. About two inches tall, 6 inches wide on each door. "O - w- e- n"

Stinker!!!

Luckily, a little elbow grease, lots of patience, and even a few laughs later, it came off. *I can't believe I didn't take a picture before I scrubbed it all off. And thank goodness for Great Grandma Goldie's scrub pad. It worked a miracle!

O-WEN!!!!!

5.21.2010

Soccer Certificates

Check out our team! These boys were so awesome, and we had a great season!
I included the certificates from Fall 2009 - just 6 months ago - so you could get an idea of how much they've grown! We had 6 (of 12) returning players this spring.

5.08.2010

Potty Time!

Yes, I'm THAT mom! ; )

Kate surprised me by asking to go potty last night while we were out for Family Ice Cream at Mallards downtown! She was SOOO excited (as was I) when she made it to the restroom and went pee!
Then today, she started the morning off with a morning poo in our potty, a poo at the soccer field, and a poo during a playdate! I am even more amazed! It's so great that she's realizing the need to go despite the hubbub around her!

Then this afternoon I told her she could take a nap or play in her room. She chose to play in her room, played for 10 minutes, then snuggled in her bed with her blankies for a nap - by herself!

My little girl is growing up before my eyes! It's so bitter-sweet. Oh, I love her!!!

A Lovely Afternoon - Just Collin and Me

Collin and I spent a beautiful day together Friday! After a morning at home (where he read and played, and I attended to telephone appointments and my email), he went to work with me (to interview an officer about a DUI) and got a badge that he proudly wore all day: Everson Junior Police Officer! Then we had lunch downtown, read books at Village Books, and combed the beach at Maritime Park. It was a lovely day!

Collin took this pic of me: 27 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #4

5.06.2010

Singing in the Shower

Victor Vito by Collin Tepker
-- Age 5 1/2 --

Tee Hee! : )

Temper Temper

Oh my goodNESS! Kate is recently finding her self apart from the rest of us. And what we're discovering is that when she's on a rampage (you know, upset because you said she could go outside once her shoes were on or that she could color on paper instead of her hand), you better WATCH OUT!! She's a little destructo machine! Literally, Collin could flop and wail for an hour straight, but he never threw anything besides his own body. And Owen always opted to move on after a few moments, so he was never been much of a tantrumer. But KATE. She's a whole other story, and I had to take her straight to her room to finish this tantrum ...
By the time she was done, nearly an hour had passed, the bed had been stood on end, all the books strewn across the floor, socks and toys dumps out of their baskets, clothes pulled from their shelf in the closet, dirty clothes littered throughout the room, the chair and ottoman toppled, and she was sooooo spent. She (and I) cleaned it all up before she was welcome to come out of her room. Thank goodness, she hasn't done it again ... (that was about three weeks ago).
Since the whole scenario blew me away (I admit it was somewhat amusing, too - is that weird of me??), I went straight to some research. One article in particular caught my attention. "There's a silver lining to every temperament, and it's your job (parents) to nurture her special character."

The Good News: "Dramatic kids live their life big, and their passion means they'll go out into the world with determination and enthusiasm." Also: "Kids who wear their emotions on their sleeve are usually up-front about their feelings in other areas of life."

*Quotes from Parents magazine January 2010.

5.02.2010

Frog & Toad Visit Collin for the Weekend

Frog and Toad came home from Collin's school Friday and joined our family for a weekend of fun! Collin's task was to keep a log of their activities in Frog and Toad's Journal and then share their adventures with his class Monday morning at Circle Time! What fun!
Collin woke up Saturday morning, ready to tackle his task and begin the adventure! First, he wrote: "5.1.10 - We went downstairs to wake Frog and Toad. Then we had flies and watched cartoons. What adventures will we have today?"
Collin was the only kid to actually log in the journal; all the other entries had been done by kids' parents. I was so proud of his independent "I can do it!" attitude! The whole weekend seemed to be fueled with his pride and efforts to show Frog and Toad a GREAT time! (*I did have to translate his entries on the bottom of the page as many of the words were misspelled, but it was clear and well thought out! He did amazing!)

"Grandma and Grandpa came up from Seattle. I read them some of the Frog and Toad stories."
"Then we go to soccer!"
"After that, we played hockey in the street with my friends."
High Five, Toad!
Collin's reading skills have skyrocketed over the past month or two. He went from books with 10 short sentences with short, simple words to books with short chapters and increasingly more difficult words! By Saturday night, Collin had already completed one whole Frog and Toad Book. When he went to bed, he asked if he could start another. He was in bed with his book at 8:30 pm. At 10:00 pm when I walked by, he was still awake reading, having read almost the entire second book! I told him lights out (and he did); he was up again at 6:15 am and reading before the rest of us even stirred (obviously I was up, but that was only because I am pregnant and get leg cramps every hour or so and need to stretch my legs out).
"5.2.10 - I woke Frog and Toad up early. We read for a bit, and then we had watched a show and did some chores. I went bowling with Frog and Toad! I bowled my first strike ever without the bumpers!"
"It was really fun."
"We ate flies for dinner. It was a good day."

By the end of the weekend, Collin had read Frog and Toad adventures well over four hours and was so proud of his journaling accomplishment! He asked me to add in pictures (above), and he happily shared it with his class Monday morning! Way to go, Collin!!

May 1 Game - Southside Strikers!


The boys started off the game with a quick score that set the tone for the hour! They immediately clicked on the field, and we were in for an awesome set of four games!

Taking it up field:
Let's get it started!
Not on my field!
That's what I'm talking about! (Owen's Goal #4 at that point, I think!)
And let's run that play again (#5):
That one was for you!
Dominating:

Making it happen:
Owen fell on the ball:
Then got up - the whistle had not been blown - and put his hands in the air as if to say "I didn't touch it!" and we all shouted "Then keep going!" And so he did:
What an awesome game! Owen scored at least 6 goals again, and Collin had so many assists and focused on the defense (seeing as Owen had the offense covered). Every player on our team scored, and they were all passing - really passing! - for the first time ever! It was awesome!