Archive for October, 2007

today N was playing an earth game day on starfall.com, and i wasn’t paying a lot of attention – i was trying to get some last minute work done on a website to launch, but heard these kids on the computer singing a song…. i don’t recall the exact wording, but they were singing about helping to clean up our planet, and N listened to the song then mumbled.. “Um… not right this second!” – it was so matter of fact, and so “to himself” that I couldn’t help but fall out in laughter…

October 20th was the Fall Festival at N’s school. I volunteered at the Kindergarten booth, and we spent about an hour or hour and a half playing games and socializing.

N insisted we get a pumpkin so we let him pick it (somewhat, it was slim pickins) and it took him forEVER and a day to pick one… He quickly discovered that picking up every one he thinks he might want was exhausting… Still, you think that stopped him? Of course not. He’s funny. I laugh when I look at this picture because I can hear all of the drama involved – the grunting and groaning – the face is just the icing on the cake.

When it was almost time to leave, N announced that there were horse & pony rides on the other side of the parking lot, and that he would ride the pony. I almost fell out – N, ride a pony? Is he really my child? Surely, he can’t be. Not if he’s volunteering to risk his life on horseback! I checked, double checked, and re-checked – was he serious? He WAS!! Well, I wasn’t going to miss this – it was the LAST thing I expected from him. So we go get in line, and he informs his father and I that he will ONLY ride the pony, and not the big brown horse. Okay, no problem… I was still in shock that he was even considering riding anything that had 4 legs…

So, he gets on the pony. He’s terrified – I could see it in his eyes, and honestly, it took everything I had not to bust out laughing (because he’s SO dramatic – wonder where he gets that from?). He got on the pony, and he was done. The lady asked him to let the pony take one step, so he did, then he was done… but the pony kept going, to my delight, and off he was with his dad by his side for a pony ride!

After following him around, snapping pictures like a madwoman, and telling him how proud I was of him – that he looked just like a cowboy, toward the end I say “You look just like a real cowboy, N!” He says, matter of factly, “I know. That’s cuz I BEEN doin’ dis.” Well, duh. How could I have not known he’s been riding ponies his whole life? Then he gets off the pony, and we’re walking to the truck and I tell him that was so exciting, and ask him if it was scary. Of course, he says it wasn’t.

Then I say “I can’t wait for you to tell Gran, she’s going to be SO shocked that you rode a horse!”

He replies “Yep, she sure is going to be electrocuted…”

— WHAT?? Took a minute for me to figure that one out

It’s nice to know that my son, a Kindergartener, is learning something from the public school library about books. I have always had a love of books, and I have tried and hoped to pass that onto him, but as a parent, there are some things that you just don’t think about…

A few nights ago we were ready Ricky Ricotta’s Giant Robot vs. The Voodoo Vultures from Venus (don’t judge me, we also read Captain Underpants – and anything that puts a smile on his face has value in my eyes)…

Last week, X, N and I were at the cafe for dinner. N had chicken nuggets, fries and there was an Airhead for him as well. When it got down to only 2 nuggets left, he began trying to manipulate the situation in his favor so that he would not have to finish his dinner, and he could have the airhead. We reminded him of the rules several times, but he kept coming back with different approaches (which made us laugh). Finally, he decided to take his best shot at it and come around the table to ask mom, possibly out of dad’s  (X) ear shot. We’d already decided we would let him have the airhead (pick your battles, it’s my motto), but wanted to see what else he had up his sleeve.

Oh I know, the idea that we would make a little kid work so hard for something just to amuse ourselves. We’re so mean, but it was so worth it.

N says to me “Mom, please can I have the airhead? I just can’t finish my dinner, I’m SO stuffed.”

I reply: “Oh gosh, if you’re THAT stuffed then you can’t possibly have room for an airhead, can you?”

N – thinking fast, responds without missing a beat: “I don’t have room in my stomach mom, but in my throat there is a perfect rectangle that is the same size as that airhead, so I only have room for that.”

Needless to say, both X and I collapsed into a fit of laughter. N was about to be really angry until we told him sure, you can have it. I mean, if he has a perfect rectangle just the right size, why let it go to waste? How often can that possibly happen? lol

I love my cute kid.