Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Mommy, Ask Me a Question
Here's a conversation w/Benjamin this evening.
Sigh...my baby’s growing up!
B: "Mommy, you know how you used to ask me last year if I had a girlfriend?"
Me: "Yes."
B: "Well, you should ask me that again."
Me: "OK, so do you have a girlfriend?"
B: (eyes twinkling) "Yes."
Me: "What's her name?"
B: "Emily. I hope she's in my class in school this year AND in my B&A room after school." {pause} "Last year I loved someone, but then she moved."
Me: "Was that Lena?"
B: "Yes. Now it's Emily."
Sigh...my baby’s growing up!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Saturday, February 27, 2010
What’s Been Going on with Us Lately
Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for the length of this post as well as the lack of photos to help break it up. It is what it is, so here it is.
These items don’t really qualify for individual blog posts of their own merit, but, when combined, help paint a picture of the hecticness and craziness that has been pervading our lives lately. This post isn’t meant as a list of gripes or complaints, but rather merely a summary of some of the concerns and issues that have found their way into the Cook household (which also prevent me from otherwise updating this blog with our travel posts, which I’m WOEFULLY behind in doing). So, in no particular order, here’s what’s been keeping us busy (other than Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, school and work).
Benjamin has two cavities, but freaked when the pediatric dentist numbed him up and was getting ready to begin filling the first one. We go back this week to try again -- this time with the help of laughing gas. The dentist stressed not letting Benjamin drink too much sugary juice (he doesn’t), especially until the cavities are filled.
MacKenzie made Gold Honor Roll with a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99. This achievement earned her an invitation to the national Junior Honor Society -- her application is due in early March. She also earned a silver medal for reading four books last quarter and doing written book reports on each one.
I had a cyst removed from my back a few weeks ago because it was a relatively new “bump” and had turned black. I’m still waiting on the biopsy results. While it was difficult for me to get my coat on with the stitches almost square between my shoulder blades, it was a wonderful opportunity to teach Zachary how to help a lady with her coat. He was also very helpful in changing my Band-Aid. I, on the other hand, nearly passed out on at least two different occasions when I contorted my neck enough to catch a glimpse of the stitches in the bathroom mirror (and was once again reminded why I didn’t pursue a career in medicine!).
Benjamin had his well-child doctor appointment recently. Despite my supposition that he’s on the short side, he actually is in the 64th percentile for height and 59th percentile for weight. I’d say that’s a good combination. The doctor finally confirmed my suspicion that he’s flat-footed (instead of simply pronating his feet like his previous pediatrician kept telling me), although he didn’t recommend doing anything other than making sure he has good support in his shoes (which I have to replace every two to three months because he wears out the inside of the soles so quickly). Downside is that he gets constipated easily, and the doctor recommended adding more 100% fruit juice to his diet. That’s not his drink of preference (he likes flavored water better), and it’s in direct opposition to what the dentist said. Oy voy!
Zachary surprised me twice last week by calling me at work (he rode the bus home both afternoon so he could work on homework without distraction) to ask if he needed to pull anything out of the freezer to thaw for supper. What 14-year-old boy thinks of things like that!?!!
The kids’ passports expire in June (the last week of school, to be exact), but I can’t send off for the new ones until Matt gets here since he also has to sign their application paperwork in front of a passport official. This is a requirement so that neither parent can apply for passports to take children out of the country without the other parent at least being aware of the existence of the passports. This was a hassle five years ago since we had to mail the applications certified mail from Maxwell to Randolph, and then ask the Randolph office to submit them to the State Department. This will be priority #1 when Matt arrives back in Germany since it’s difficult to make summer plans not knowing when I’ll have their new passports in hand.
Benjamin has had moments of deep philosophical thought lately. One such question that really stuck out was when he asked, “I don’t get it...” (most of his philosophical questions begin with this phrase), “Why did God make us here?” I asked him what he meant by “here,” and he replied “Why did God make us here on Earth instead of in Heaven?” (since God wants us to go to Heaven) I didn’t really have an answer for him on that one. Any thoughts?
MacKenzie needs to have a tooth extracted soon to make room for her permanent tooth that’s below it. This particular molar isn’t loose at all, despite the fact that its corresponding molar on the other side came out before Christmas. She’s also going to need an expander in her upper jaw, probably in about six months or so.
I finally broke down and bought my first iPod (an iTouch). The kids seem to use it more than I do, to play their favorite music (Toby Keith and Dolly Parton for Benjamin, and Taylor Swift and Toby Keith for MacKenzie) and download/play free apps/games.
I tried to sign up Benjamin for t-ball since he seems to have a natural ability (he bats left-handed with his tee at home, and slides all over the place as if base bags were strategically placed in our house), but the slots were full. So, he’s on a wait-list. He didn’t seem excited about playing, but I think he’d enjoy it if he gave it a shot. Crossing my fingers that a slot opens up before the season starts in April.
Zachary is beginning to narrow down possibilities for his Eagle project. I think the forerunner is to build a booth around the sound system at the chapel to help protect the equipment. Another option is to work with the USO and the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility to do something to support wounded troops who travel through Ramstein regularly.
I’m still in physical therapy for my hip. I maintain that when the therapist pulled my hip back into alignment last May this new set of issues surfaced (shooting pain down my leg and behind my knee, while sitting, standing or no particular reason at all). No amount of core strengthening seems to make the pain stay away. And, it’s still not comfortable to sleep on that side. I sure hope bursitis isn’t an inherited condition!
Benjamin is having problems in school with inattentiveness. I think a big part of it is that he’s bored in class, but there seems to be more going on. The school counselor and psychiatrist are involved, and he’s even begun seeing a psychiatrist at LRMC. The doctor is concerned because of his family history of depression...yes, he’s showing signs of depression. We’ve also considered ADHD/ADD, but don’t think that’s a significant problem/issue.
MacKenzie is taking her science project to heart and really getting into collecting data and doing research to determine whether smokers or non-smokers have better lung capacity. Many folks in my office have been good sports about helping her, and became subjects for her data collection. So far, on average, the non-smokers have slightly better lung capacity.
I was in a fender bender a few weeks ago -- I backed into a car and dented up my bumper and broke my taillight. I ordered new parts three weeks ago, and am still waiting for the repair shop to call to let me know they’re in. I expect it’ll be another week after they call before I can actually schedule the repairs.
Of the four computers in our house, three either don’t work or are very unreliable. One PC is older than Benjamin and is on its second hard drive. The “newer” PC is the one Zachary built in 2006, and it hard broke a few weeks ago. One laptop is from 2005, and it hard crashed in December, worked for a few weeks after we reinstalled everything, and now gets stuck in a circular start-up mode. I suspect the only way to make use of it again is to reinstall everything (again) and hope the reinstall lasts more than a month this time. So, after I shared the beginning of my computer woes with my wonderful brother (who works for Dell), he ordered a new laptop for me, which I received just before Christmas. Yeah! When the 2006 PC died, I called on him again, and he once again came through. We received our second laptop this weekend! It’ll be nice to have two working computers in the house again, especially since Zachary and MacKenzie both often need computer time to do homework. Now I’m just waiting on replacement ink cartridges for the printer so they can print their homework instead of emailing it to their teachers (the BX doesn’t carry our brand!).
I have to include a cute Benjamin quote from last week when we were watching “Star Trek” (the most recent movie, with a young James T. Kirk and crew on an alternate timeline). When Uhura kissed Captain Spock, Benjamin asked, “Why do all the girls always want to kiss the captain.” I busted out laughing, and Benjamin innocently asked if I was laughing at what he had said. I answered yes, but didn’t answer his question. The next night, we were watching the rest of the movie (since we rarely get to watch an entire movie in a single sitting), and he asked me again. This time I had enough composure to answer that maybe the girls like to kiss people who are in charge. What a kid!
Zachary also made the Gold Honor roll with a quarterly GPA between 3.5 and 3.99, and will be resubmitting his application to the National Junior Honor Society.
My van has been driving me batty while I try to figure out why I’m not getting nearly as good of gas mileage as I used to. At first, I thought it was the tires since the front ones were wearing differently. I had them replaced in October and the alignment checked (which was good), but it didn’t improve the gas mileage much. I thought the van needed a tune-up, which I had done last month (new spark plugs were the supposed culprit this time), but that didn’t help either. I need to take it back in to have another assessment -- perhaps this time I’ll go to a mechanic off-base instead of the on-base folks. I know she has more than 102,000 miles (only 14,000 on this transmission), but I still don’t think that in and of itself should warrant the drop in gas mileage that I’ve seen.
Benjamin keeps asking me for a baby sister. I’ve told him that I prayed to God for him, so he now thinks that’s all I have to do in order to give him a baby sister: “Mommy, can you pleeeease pray for a baby girl?” Ah, such innocence!
MacKenzie asked me a few weeks ago if it was okay if she were to cut her eyebrows. I should have known better than to have emphatically said “NO” before turning around to glance at her eyebrows. As the word left my lips, I noticed a semi-bare patch in each eyebrow. She’s self-conscious that her eyebrows are too bushy (they’re anything but -- in fact, they’re very well-proportioned and beautiful), and she took matters into her own hands...with the help of scissors in them. Fortunately, she didn’t trim much, and I don’t think it’s noticeable to anyone who didn’t know what she attempted. Other recent questions from her lately included whether she could begin wearing makeup (which I allowed her to do, and which she only wears sporadically now) and whether she should begin shaving her legs (which we discussed, and she agreed to wait).
We’ve still been having problems with internet at home. T-Mobile claims there’s nothing wrong with my Web-n-Walk stick, even though it quits uploading/downloading for no apparent reason -- even when there’s still a strong signal (it runs off a cell phone sim card). I’ve gone back and forth with them -- online, over the phone and in the store -- with no real resolution. This is getting OLD!!!
Zachary has been getting headaches after reading and studying, so I’ve made an appointment for him with an optometrist. Hopefully there’s nothing significant going on, but I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry (especially considering how horrible my pre-surgery vision was). He thinks he needs reading glasses.
Benjamin is reading up a storm lately -- when he wants to. He can read an entire chapter book (his favorites are the “Jack and Annie” Magic Tree House series) in an afternoon, and I’m very proud of him for finally wanting to read them over simpler books like Little Critter or the Bernstein Bears.
After much consternation, my property manager and landlord were finally able to get someone out last month to “fix” the pipes leading to the water heater in our attic so they don’t freeze when the temps fall below freezing and cause water to leak into the garage. However, during his visit, the landlord also decided he wants to cut a hole in the laundry room wall leading outside so I don’t have to keep the laundry room window open for the dryer vent hose whenever I do laundry. It’s been more than a month since he proposed doing this, and I haven’t heard anything more about it. I figure by the time they get around to actually doing so, I will have survived my third winter of doing laundry in a room that matches the outdoor temperature. Yes, we keep the laundry room door closed, but we receive a rude blast of cold air when we do laundry in the winter. Oh, and they didn’t put the gutter joint back together when they fixed the water heater issue...not that I want them to since I’ve still seen ice form where the joint should be, which leads me to believe that it’ll still freeze and leak into the garage if it were sealed off.
I’m on the verge of signing up for Air War College by correspondence. IF I decide to stay in the Air Force more than 20 years, I need this block checked to be competitive for squadron command and for promotion to colonel. I don’t need to close doors that I may need opened in the future, but I’m not looking forward to a year-and-a-half of correspondence courses. Ugh.
I’m sure I’m leaving some things out, like our recent ER visit to diagnose Benjamin with Scarlet Fever, assorted Boy Scout merit badges and campouts, and various Girl Scout extracurricular activities such as Thinking Day and the upcoming Powderpuff Derby. Oh, and I didn’t even TOUCH on what’s been going on at work -- I could probably do another entire post of comparable length just on that alone! And, yes, regular Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts meetings, as well as school and work, still occupy a good bit of our time too. Someone once told me I needed “a wife” to help manage everything. Some days I believe it! Maybe just a personal assistant...or an Alice (think back to the Brady Bunch -- a live-in cook, laundress and babysitter all in one)! Any takers?
These items don’t really qualify for individual blog posts of their own merit, but, when combined, help paint a picture of the hecticness and craziness that has been pervading our lives lately. This post isn’t meant as a list of gripes or complaints, but rather merely a summary of some of the concerns and issues that have found their way into the Cook household (which also prevent me from otherwise updating this blog with our travel posts, which I’m WOEFULLY behind in doing). So, in no particular order, here’s what’s been keeping us busy (other than Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, school and work).
Benjamin has two cavities, but freaked when the pediatric dentist numbed him up and was getting ready to begin filling the first one. We go back this week to try again -- this time with the help of laughing gas. The dentist stressed not letting Benjamin drink too much sugary juice (he doesn’t), especially until the cavities are filled.
MacKenzie made Gold Honor Roll with a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99. This achievement earned her an invitation to the national Junior Honor Society -- her application is due in early March. She also earned a silver medal for reading four books last quarter and doing written book reports on each one.
I had a cyst removed from my back a few weeks ago because it was a relatively new “bump” and had turned black. I’m still waiting on the biopsy results. While it was difficult for me to get my coat on with the stitches almost square between my shoulder blades, it was a wonderful opportunity to teach Zachary how to help a lady with her coat. He was also very helpful in changing my Band-Aid. I, on the other hand, nearly passed out on at least two different occasions when I contorted my neck enough to catch a glimpse of the stitches in the bathroom mirror (and was once again reminded why I didn’t pursue a career in medicine!).
Benjamin had his well-child doctor appointment recently. Despite my supposition that he’s on the short side, he actually is in the 64th percentile for height and 59th percentile for weight. I’d say that’s a good combination. The doctor finally confirmed my suspicion that he’s flat-footed (instead of simply pronating his feet like his previous pediatrician kept telling me), although he didn’t recommend doing anything other than making sure he has good support in his shoes (which I have to replace every two to three months because he wears out the inside of the soles so quickly). Downside is that he gets constipated easily, and the doctor recommended adding more 100% fruit juice to his diet. That’s not his drink of preference (he likes flavored water better), and it’s in direct opposition to what the dentist said. Oy voy!
Zachary surprised me twice last week by calling me at work (he rode the bus home both afternoon so he could work on homework without distraction) to ask if he needed to pull anything out of the freezer to thaw for supper. What 14-year-old boy thinks of things like that!?!!
The kids’ passports expire in June (the last week of school, to be exact), but I can’t send off for the new ones until Matt gets here since he also has to sign their application paperwork in front of a passport official. This is a requirement so that neither parent can apply for passports to take children out of the country without the other parent at least being aware of the existence of the passports. This was a hassle five years ago since we had to mail the applications certified mail from Maxwell to Randolph, and then ask the Randolph office to submit them to the State Department. This will be priority #1 when Matt arrives back in Germany since it’s difficult to make summer plans not knowing when I’ll have their new passports in hand.
Benjamin has had moments of deep philosophical thought lately. One such question that really stuck out was when he asked, “I don’t get it...” (most of his philosophical questions begin with this phrase), “Why did God make us here?” I asked him what he meant by “here,” and he replied “Why did God make us here on Earth instead of in Heaven?” (since God wants us to go to Heaven) I didn’t really have an answer for him on that one. Any thoughts?
MacKenzie needs to have a tooth extracted soon to make room for her permanent tooth that’s below it. This particular molar isn’t loose at all, despite the fact that its corresponding molar on the other side came out before Christmas. She’s also going to need an expander in her upper jaw, probably in about six months or so.
I finally broke down and bought my first iPod (an iTouch). The kids seem to use it more than I do, to play their favorite music (Toby Keith and Dolly Parton for Benjamin, and Taylor Swift and Toby Keith for MacKenzie) and download/play free apps/games.
I tried to sign up Benjamin for t-ball since he seems to have a natural ability (he bats left-handed with his tee at home, and slides all over the place as if base bags were strategically placed in our house), but the slots were full. So, he’s on a wait-list. He didn’t seem excited about playing, but I think he’d enjoy it if he gave it a shot. Crossing my fingers that a slot opens up before the season starts in April.
Zachary is beginning to narrow down possibilities for his Eagle project. I think the forerunner is to build a booth around the sound system at the chapel to help protect the equipment. Another option is to work with the USO and the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility to do something to support wounded troops who travel through Ramstein regularly.
I’m still in physical therapy for my hip. I maintain that when the therapist pulled my hip back into alignment last May this new set of issues surfaced (shooting pain down my leg and behind my knee, while sitting, standing or no particular reason at all). No amount of core strengthening seems to make the pain stay away. And, it’s still not comfortable to sleep on that side. I sure hope bursitis isn’t an inherited condition!
Benjamin is having problems in school with inattentiveness. I think a big part of it is that he’s bored in class, but there seems to be more going on. The school counselor and psychiatrist are involved, and he’s even begun seeing a psychiatrist at LRMC. The doctor is concerned because of his family history of depression...yes, he’s showing signs of depression. We’ve also considered ADHD/ADD, but don’t think that’s a significant problem/issue.
MacKenzie is taking her science project to heart and really getting into collecting data and doing research to determine whether smokers or non-smokers have better lung capacity. Many folks in my office have been good sports about helping her, and became subjects for her data collection. So far, on average, the non-smokers have slightly better lung capacity.
I was in a fender bender a few weeks ago -- I backed into a car and dented up my bumper and broke my taillight. I ordered new parts three weeks ago, and am still waiting for the repair shop to call to let me know they’re in. I expect it’ll be another week after they call before I can actually schedule the repairs.
Of the four computers in our house, three either don’t work or are very unreliable. One PC is older than Benjamin and is on its second hard drive. The “newer” PC is the one Zachary built in 2006, and it hard broke a few weeks ago. One laptop is from 2005, and it hard crashed in December, worked for a few weeks after we reinstalled everything, and now gets stuck in a circular start-up mode. I suspect the only way to make use of it again is to reinstall everything (again) and hope the reinstall lasts more than a month this time. So, after I shared the beginning of my computer woes with my wonderful brother (who works for Dell), he ordered a new laptop for me, which I received just before Christmas. Yeah! When the 2006 PC died, I called on him again, and he once again came through. We received our second laptop this weekend! It’ll be nice to have two working computers in the house again, especially since Zachary and MacKenzie both often need computer time to do homework. Now I’m just waiting on replacement ink cartridges for the printer so they can print their homework instead of emailing it to their teachers (the BX doesn’t carry our brand!).
I have to include a cute Benjamin quote from last week when we were watching “Star Trek” (the most recent movie, with a young James T. Kirk and crew on an alternate timeline). When Uhura kissed Captain Spock, Benjamin asked, “Why do all the girls always want to kiss the captain.” I busted out laughing, and Benjamin innocently asked if I was laughing at what he had said. I answered yes, but didn’t answer his question. The next night, we were watching the rest of the movie (since we rarely get to watch an entire movie in a single sitting), and he asked me again. This time I had enough composure to answer that maybe the girls like to kiss people who are in charge. What a kid!
Zachary also made the Gold Honor roll with a quarterly GPA between 3.5 and 3.99, and will be resubmitting his application to the National Junior Honor Society.
My van has been driving me batty while I try to figure out why I’m not getting nearly as good of gas mileage as I used to. At first, I thought it was the tires since the front ones were wearing differently. I had them replaced in October and the alignment checked (which was good), but it didn’t improve the gas mileage much. I thought the van needed a tune-up, which I had done last month (new spark plugs were the supposed culprit this time), but that didn’t help either. I need to take it back in to have another assessment -- perhaps this time I’ll go to a mechanic off-base instead of the on-base folks. I know she has more than 102,000 miles (only 14,000 on this transmission), but I still don’t think that in and of itself should warrant the drop in gas mileage that I’ve seen.
Benjamin keeps asking me for a baby sister. I’ve told him that I prayed to God for him, so he now thinks that’s all I have to do in order to give him a baby sister: “Mommy, can you pleeeease pray for a baby girl?” Ah, such innocence!
MacKenzie asked me a few weeks ago if it was okay if she were to cut her eyebrows. I should have known better than to have emphatically said “NO” before turning around to glance at her eyebrows. As the word left my lips, I noticed a semi-bare patch in each eyebrow. She’s self-conscious that her eyebrows are too bushy (they’re anything but -- in fact, they’re very well-proportioned and beautiful), and she took matters into her own hands...with the help of scissors in them. Fortunately, she didn’t trim much, and I don’t think it’s noticeable to anyone who didn’t know what she attempted. Other recent questions from her lately included whether she could begin wearing makeup (which I allowed her to do, and which she only wears sporadically now) and whether she should begin shaving her legs (which we discussed, and she agreed to wait).
We’ve still been having problems with internet at home. T-Mobile claims there’s nothing wrong with my Web-n-Walk stick, even though it quits uploading/downloading for no apparent reason -- even when there’s still a strong signal (it runs off a cell phone sim card). I’ve gone back and forth with them -- online, over the phone and in the store -- with no real resolution. This is getting OLD!!!
Zachary has been getting headaches after reading and studying, so I’ve made an appointment for him with an optometrist. Hopefully there’s nothing significant going on, but I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry (especially considering how horrible my pre-surgery vision was). He thinks he needs reading glasses.
Benjamin is reading up a storm lately -- when he wants to. He can read an entire chapter book (his favorites are the “Jack and Annie” Magic Tree House series) in an afternoon, and I’m very proud of him for finally wanting to read them over simpler books like Little Critter or the Bernstein Bears.
After much consternation, my property manager and landlord were finally able to get someone out last month to “fix” the pipes leading to the water heater in our attic so they don’t freeze when the temps fall below freezing and cause water to leak into the garage. However, during his visit, the landlord also decided he wants to cut a hole in the laundry room wall leading outside so I don’t have to keep the laundry room window open for the dryer vent hose whenever I do laundry. It’s been more than a month since he proposed doing this, and I haven’t heard anything more about it. I figure by the time they get around to actually doing so, I will have survived my third winter of doing laundry in a room that matches the outdoor temperature. Yes, we keep the laundry room door closed, but we receive a rude blast of cold air when we do laundry in the winter. Oh, and they didn’t put the gutter joint back together when they fixed the water heater issue...not that I want them to since I’ve still seen ice form where the joint should be, which leads me to believe that it’ll still freeze and leak into the garage if it were sealed off.
I’m on the verge of signing up for Air War College by correspondence. IF I decide to stay in the Air Force more than 20 years, I need this block checked to be competitive for squadron command and for promotion to colonel. I don’t need to close doors that I may need opened in the future, but I’m not looking forward to a year-and-a-half of correspondence courses. Ugh.
I’m sure I’m leaving some things out, like our recent ER visit to diagnose Benjamin with Scarlet Fever, assorted Boy Scout merit badges and campouts, and various Girl Scout extracurricular activities such as Thinking Day and the upcoming Powderpuff Derby. Oh, and I didn’t even TOUCH on what’s been going on at work -- I could probably do another entire post of comparable length just on that alone! And, yes, regular Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts meetings, as well as school and work, still occupy a good bit of our time too. Someone once told me I needed “a wife” to help manage everything. Some days I believe it! Maybe just a personal assistant...or an Alice (think back to the Brady Bunch -- a live-in cook, laundress and babysitter all in one)! Any takers?
Labels: Benjamin, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Kid Quotes, MacKenzie, Pam's thoughts, Zachary
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Hollywood Studios
As much as I wanted to visit Epcot again (the last time I went was in 1984, shortly after the park opened), I knew the kids would enjoy Hollywood Studios more. So, the third and final park of our Magic Kingdom experience was movie-themed.
Of course, since my kids love roller coasters, we had to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I’m so glad that Benjamin is tall enough to ride most of the rides. There were only one or two rides that he wanted to go on that he couldn’t, so we managed to avoid them -- out of sight, out of mind. This ride was partially in the dark, and had lots of quick up and down drops -- enough that we were airborne in our seats several times. I was concerend about how Benjamin would do, but he did great, and we all loved it!
I liked the landscaping here -- Fantasia!
After a short demonstration on the magic of Disney animation, we were allowed to create our own Disney characters. Zachary made a psychedelic Thumper!
Benjamin had fun creating Timon -- and did very well making him look like he did in the Lion King movie.
We stepped into another world and saw the rock slab where Aslan died in Narnia.
We even met Prince Caspian himself. Benjamin wasn’t too sure about being in Narnia, so didn’t want his photo taken.
We enjoyed watching the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. The kids were all intrigued with watching the stunts -- the fast-moving boulder, the sword fights, the airplane almost catching on fire. It was all very edge-of-your seat thrilling, and straight out of the movies. Unfortunately, a few weeks after our visit, one of the cast members in this show died while performing one of the stunts.
There’s no better way to rest than cuddled with Papa.
We were all excited about riding the Star Tours flight animator. We were even more excited when the line was virtually nonexistent. We breezed right through, and were able to see R5D4 and other droids at work.
We really enjoyed the ride, and spent a good bit of time drooling through the gift shop. Can you guess what Benjamin wanted to bring home with us?
Zachary enjoyed posing for a moment and being transformed into Darth Maul. Doesn’t he look evil?
Benjamin also enjoyed posing, and became young Anakin Skywalker -- he definitely looks older than 6! MacKenzie also posed (and became Padmé Amidala), but I was getting the evil eye for taking photos of them without purchasing the gift shop-created versions. Sigh, no photo of MacKenzie as Padmé.
The outside of the gift shop really looks like we stepped onto the planet Tatooine ... well, other than the silo behind the sand building.
The kids each enjoyed riding on the speeders, trying to escape the Stormtroopers through the Endor forest.
Benjamin loves water fountains, and this one outside the Muppet Vision 3D show was no exception.
We enjoyed traveling through the Great Movie Ride and being immersed into several movie scenes, including the Wizard of Oz.
When Benjamin saw the monkeys hanging across the walkway behind the Pixar sign, he commented that he needed to be up there with them since he was a monkey, but that we wouldn’t let him. How true!
We had fun riding the Toy Story Midway Mania! ride. It was very similar to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at the Magic Kingdom, just where we shot at old-fashioned saloon-type bandits while wearing 3D glasses.
At the end of the ride, Zachary and I compared scores. We each had scores well over 120,000, and within only 600 points of each other. Don’t try to tell me that neither of us is competitive! {smile} I’ll be kind and not boast about who had the ultimate high score though.
We wandered through several stage backdrops and came across two of the main characters from the movie Cars -- Lighting McQueen and Mater, who graciously agreed to pose with Nana and MacKenzie.
Benjamin wasn’t interested in smiling for a photo with Lightning McQueen, so this is the best shot we got with him.
However, he loved climbing on the back of Mater and holding onto his hook. Yup, let’s add him to that strand of monkeys!
Evidence of a delicious ice cream treat!
We slowed down in the afternoon and watched a performance of Beauty and the Beast -- Live on Stage. It was very well-done, and we all enjoyed it. Plus, it was a nice afternoon break from walking in the Florida heat.
We tried to get a photo in front of Mickey’s Fantasia hat, but Benjamin was being stubborn and flatly refusing to smile.
However, once he was appeased, he did a 180-degree turnaround and had the cheesiest smile for the camera.
We finally got one good shot, however Zachary and MacKenzie were tired of holding their smiles by this point.
Before we left the park, Zachary and MacKenzie went to work cleaning the windows of this tow truck with their fan water bottles.
Benjamin was content spraying the air with his. I think we could have spent an entire day outside on a patch of grass letting the kids play with their water bottles and they would have been content!Labels: Benjamin, Disney World, Kid Quotes, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits, Travel, Zachary
Monday, October 12, 2009
Hopping All the Way!
This summer, we had our first Cook family experience with Space-A. For my non-military friends, Space-A, or “Space-available,” flights are just that: military flights that have extra seats available for military members and their families to “hop” onto. Of course, there are rules to follow and a priority for who gets the seats, but it’s a really good way to fly if you’re flexible with your dates and travel destinations. And the price simply can’t be beat!We were hoping to catch a flight to Charleston, S.C., but there weren’t any scheduled flights in the timeframe we were looking at, so we readjusted and went north. Flying into Dover would have been ideal (since that’s where my parents live), but McGuire, N.J., was pretty close so when there were seats on a C-17 heading there, we took that opportunity.
Here we are in our seats shortly after take-off. The bonus for the C-17 is that there’s plenty of floor space for us to spread out. Once we were in the air, we laid out our blankets and slept a few hours (we had an EARLY morning show time, so needed to make up for lost sleep).
After two weeks in the states (traveling from McGuire to Dover for a few days, visiting family in south Georgia and spending three days at Disney World), we headed to Charleston to catch a flight back. Benjamin was very intrigued by the salesman refilling the vending machine at the passenger terminal there. The man was very gracious, and showed him where the money went (that’s what he’s holding), how he restocked the items, and how it opened and closed. Very cool for a 6-year-old to experience and see “how things work.”For our return flight, the kids wore shirts from the Air Mobility Command Museum to “show the love” to the crew. At first Zachary didn’t want to wear a “walking encyclopedia” for a C-5 with all the stats on the back of his shirt, but he hesitantly wore it. It paid off! As we were getting ready to climb the stairs to the passenger compartment of the C-5, one of the loadmasters approached him and told him the pilot liked his shirt -- and wanted to know if he’d like to sit in the cockpit during takeoff! How cool is that! Of course, he jumped at the opportunity, and he ended up staying up front for the entire 3-hour flight to Bangor. He had a blast talking with the crew. From what he told me, they seemed to enjoy having him up there too. He didn’t tell me everything that they talked about (I could tell he was hesitant to talk about some things -- girls, perhaps?), but he was able to hold a decent conversation with them about how the flight controls work based on his experience flying a Cessna a few years ago. He now considers that C-5 shirt his “lucky shirt!”
After our short layover in Bangor, Zachary rejoined us in the passenger area, which was good since we needed to sleep some on the overnight leg of the trip. One unique aspect of flying in a C-5 -- in the passenger area -- is that you’re seated facing backwards. I didn’t notice it at all during the flight, but takeoffs and landings were different because of it.Benjamin was very observant during the flight, and asked me about the yellow bag in the seat pockets.
Benjamin: Mommy what’s that?
Me: A life vest for in case we have to land in the water.
Benjamin: Oh, like a boobie?
-- pause --
Me: A what?
Benjamin: A boobie, like what floats in the water.
Me: Oooooh, a BOUIE.
Hopefully we’ll be able to take a few more hops across the Atlantic during our time in Germany. My parents have been able to hop back and forth to visit us twice since we moved to Ramstein, and we’re thankful that we’re all able to take advantage of these flights!Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes, MacKenzie, Stateside visits, Travel, Zachary
Monday, September 28, 2009
Pluto
Benjamin’s thought for the day:Benjamin: “Mommy, can Pluto stand on two feet?”
Me: “I suppose he can.”
Benjamin: “I know he can when he begs, but when else can he? He wasn’t begging when we saw him at Disney World. I don’t get it. I think there was a man inside him. That’s just freaky!”
At first I thought he was going to compare Pluto (a dog who acts like a dog) with Goofy (a dog who acts like a person), but it seems he was thinking along a different vein. We were at Disney World almost two months ago, so I wonder how long he’s been contemplating this dilemma. Sometimes he’s too smart for his own good!
More DW photos to come later ... when I find time to load them and the accompanying stories.
Labels: Benjamin, Disney World, Kid Quotes, Stateside visits
Sunday, August 23, 2009
A Month = A Year
Today’s Benjamin quote:
Benjamin: Mommy, it took me a whole month to turn 6 years old.
Me: I think it took you a year.
Benjamin: No, it took a month. Really.
{{Pause}}
Benjamin: It took Zachary and MacKenzie two months!
Hmmm, I think I still need to work on the concept of time with him.
Benjamin: Mommy, it took me a whole month to turn 6 years old.
Me: I think it took you a year.
Benjamin: No, it took a month. Really.
{{Pause}}
Benjamin: It took Zachary and MacKenzie two months!
Hmmm, I think I still need to work on the concept of time with him.
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Thinking
Benjamin regularly cracks me up with the things he comes up with. Tonight, he really had me laughing.He has a bug bite that was bothering him, so I told him not to think about it. His reply?
“I don’t think. My brain thinks, but I can’t control it.”
Guess he couldn’t tell his brain to not think about the bothersome bug bite! Too funny!
{Please excuse Zachary’s clean-but-not-folded laundry in this photo. Benjamin also cracks me up when he opts for a unique place to read.}
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Thursday, May 28, 2009
First Tooth -- GONE!
Benjamin has had a loose tooth for a while now. For several months, in fact. However, it’s taken a while for it to become loose enough to actually come out. When he woke up Wednesday morning, it had suddenly become loose enough to be ready. Seemingly overnight, his tooth could now wiggle forward at a 90-degree angle! It could also wiggle side-to-side. It was so loose that I was worried Benjamin might inadvertently swallow the tooth during lunch or snack, but he wouldn’t let me try to pull it. He told me that he wanted it to fall out during school because “there’s a nurse at school.” I chuckled at his logic ... and wrote a note to his teacher about the extreme looseness of his tooth.
When I picked him up at the end of the day, I asked him to smile at me so I could assess whether he still had the tooth in his mouth. Yup, it was still there. He had swim lessons, and I silently hoped that he wouldn’t get bumped and lose it while in the pool. My fears were unfounded, and after his lessons we went to the library to pick up Zachary and MacKenzie.
While I helped MacKenzie request an inter-library loan on the computer, Benjamin calmly walked around the circulation desk wiggling his tooth. He then walked up to me and calmly told me he’d pulled his tooth. I wasn’t quite sure whether I should believe him, so asked him to smile at me. Sure enough, he was gap-toothed and bleeding slightly where the tooth had been just moments before.
When we got home, Zachary and MacKenzie showed him the pewter hippo and tooth pillow for him to choose which he wanted to use to leave the tooth for the Tooth Fairy. He chose the pewter hippo. I told him that I needed a photo of him holding his tooth and showing off his new smile, to which he told me that he didn’t want to since his tooth would soon be gone (exactly my reasoning for wanting to take the photo!). Fortunately, he humored me and allowed me to take his photo WITH the tooth. Since he didn’t want to hold it, he opted to set it atop the hippo’s snout. I think that was a fair compromise.
And, yes, the Tooth Fairy brought him two new quarters in exchange for his tooth. He was excited!
As an interesting note, he cut his first tooth at an earlier age than Zachary and MacKenzie (7 months vs 9 months and 12 months + 2 days), and has now lost his first tooth at an earlier age as well (11 months before Zachary, and 4 months before MacKenzie). Hmmm, what does this say about when I should expect him to meet other maturation milestones!?!!
When I picked him up at the end of the day, I asked him to smile at me so I could assess whether he still had the tooth in his mouth. Yup, it was still there. He had swim lessons, and I silently hoped that he wouldn’t get bumped and lose it while in the pool. My fears were unfounded, and after his lessons we went to the library to pick up Zachary and MacKenzie.
While I helped MacKenzie request an inter-library loan on the computer, Benjamin calmly walked around the circulation desk wiggling his tooth. He then walked up to me and calmly told me he’d pulled his tooth. I wasn’t quite sure whether I should believe him, so asked him to smile at me. Sure enough, he was gap-toothed and bleeding slightly where the tooth had been just moments before.When we got home, Zachary and MacKenzie showed him the pewter hippo and tooth pillow for him to choose which he wanted to use to leave the tooth for the Tooth Fairy. He chose the pewter hippo. I told him that I needed a photo of him holding his tooth and showing off his new smile, to which he told me that he didn’t want to since his tooth would soon be gone (exactly my reasoning for wanting to take the photo!). Fortunately, he humored me and allowed me to take his photo WITH the tooth. Since he didn’t want to hold it, he opted to set it atop the hippo’s snout. I think that was a fair compromise.
And, yes, the Tooth Fairy brought him two new quarters in exchange for his tooth. He was excited!
As an interesting note, he cut his first tooth at an earlier age than Zachary and MacKenzie (7 months vs 9 months and 12 months + 2 days), and has now lost his first tooth at an earlier age as well (11 months before Zachary, and 4 months before MacKenzie). Hmmm, what does this say about when I should expect him to meet other maturation milestones!?!!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Monday, May 18, 2009
That’s a Lot of Words!
Benjamin’s reading ability has really blossomed the past few months, and he sometimes amazes me with what he can read. He’ll read notes Zachary leaves me on the table. He’ll read the dialogue on one of his Wii games. He’ll read notes home from his teacher. He absolutely loves to read.
Nothing seems to intimidate him. A few weekends ago, he sat down for breakfast with Dr. Seuss’ classic book, “Green Eggs and Ham.” I don’t think he actually ate anything while he concentrated on the book, although he did stop after every few pages to take a sip or two of strawberry milk.
He read every last word on every last page ... completely on his own. What a trooper. As he closed the book after reading the last sentence, he sighed and commented, “Whew, that’s a lot of words!” I’m so glad he seems to love reading!Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Thursday, May 07, 2009
The Beat Goes On
OK, so it’s been a few weeks since I last updated. We’ve been busy. Very busy. Mom and Dad came to visit for a while, which was great. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get to travel anywhere with them (although they took a day trip to Trier and another to Metz, France, and Dad played golf once). But, we knew this would likely be the case since I had to work 12- to 13-hour shifts overnight (5 p.m. to 5 or 6 a.m.) for 10 days straight during their visit (the exercise was scheduled for 12 days, so I was thankful that it ended early!).
So, what kept us so busy these past few weeks? We had Benjamin tested for seasonal allergies (he HATED having his blood drawn -- it took three of us to hold him down!). We went to Spangdahlem with Mom and Dad for the yearly bazaar there, and found some great deals. We met some friends from Stuttgart for dinner at the “Kid Zone” (think generic Chuck-e-Cheese). MacKenzie went on a Girl Scout Volksmarch. Zachary has his first official “job” -- cutting our neighbor’s grass each week (she’s allergic to grass). The kids started back to swim lessons after a two-week hiatus over Spring Break. Zachary was invited to join the National Junior Honor Society. Nana accompanied (chaperoned) MacKenzie’s class on a field trip to the Dynamilum hands-on science museum. Zachary went camping with his Boy Scout troop. We strolled through a flea market at an abandoned drive-in theater. MacKenzie participated in a Girl Scout Earth Day project. Zachary worked diligently on two major end-of-year school projects (he presented one today -- YEAH!). Benjamin is reading up a storm -- well above grade-level! MacKenzie started working on her Science Fair Project. We spent five hours in the ER with MacKenzie (fast-spreading cellulitis on her foot, now gone). MacKenzie went on a joint U.S. - German Scouting campout. Nana and Papa Space-A’ed back home. Benjamin decided he doesn’t want to eat “cold lunch” any more, and started eating “hot lunch” every day this week. MacKenzie won an iPod Shuffle during a drawing by the PTA (after turning in 200 “Boxtops for Education”). Zachary met his Boy Scout Board of Review and earned the rank of “Star Scout” (two shy of Eagle now!). Benjamin decided he’s now in charge of getting drinks ready for supper each night, and will climb onto the counter to get the cups, pour the drinks and carry them to the table. What great help! All three kids finished up the three-week swim lesson sessions, with all of them going into a higher level class than what they started in three weeks ago. I told Benjamin today was his last day in “Beginner One,” and he clapped then asked aloud, “I wonder if I’ll have to take a test.” His instructor had already recommended that he move up to “Beginner Two” but still had him do a “test” since I told her what he had said earlier. He passed! MacKenzie’s now in “Beginner Three,” and Zachary’s moving to “Advanced Beginner.” MacKenzie passed a “swim test” allowing her to be in the pool without me (she had to swim 25 meters without stopping, tread water for one minute and get out of the pool without using a ladder). She even did this AFTER her tiring 30-minute swim lesson! They’re all doing great in the water, and I’m so proud of them!
Whew! That’s a busy three weeks! “What’s next?” you ask. MacKenzie’s going to a ropes course with her Girl Scout Troop. I’m going to Hamburg for a few days with work. We’ll all join MacKenzie and her Girl Scout troop for a Volksmarch. MacKenzie’s going camping at the Girl Scout Chalet in Switzerland. Zachary’s going to Intercamp in the Netherlands. And that should bring us to the end of May and just a few days before the end of the school year ... and then summer is just around the corner (with more camping trips and family getaways planned). Is it that time already!?!!
Yes, we’re still busy. But the beat goes on!
So, what kept us so busy these past few weeks? We had Benjamin tested for seasonal allergies (he HATED having his blood drawn -- it took three of us to hold him down!). We went to Spangdahlem with Mom and Dad for the yearly bazaar there, and found some great deals. We met some friends from Stuttgart for dinner at the “Kid Zone” (think generic Chuck-e-Cheese). MacKenzie went on a Girl Scout Volksmarch. Zachary has his first official “job” -- cutting our neighbor’s grass each week (she’s allergic to grass). The kids started back to swim lessons after a two-week hiatus over Spring Break. Zachary was invited to join the National Junior Honor Society. Nana accompanied (chaperoned) MacKenzie’s class on a field trip to the Dynamilum hands-on science museum. Zachary went camping with his Boy Scout troop. We strolled through a flea market at an abandoned drive-in theater. MacKenzie participated in a Girl Scout Earth Day project. Zachary worked diligently on two major end-of-year school projects (he presented one today -- YEAH!). Benjamin is reading up a storm -- well above grade-level! MacKenzie started working on her Science Fair Project. We spent five hours in the ER with MacKenzie (fast-spreading cellulitis on her foot, now gone). MacKenzie went on a joint U.S. - German Scouting campout. Nana and Papa Space-A’ed back home. Benjamin decided he doesn’t want to eat “cold lunch” any more, and started eating “hot lunch” every day this week. MacKenzie won an iPod Shuffle during a drawing by the PTA (after turning in 200 “Boxtops for Education”). Zachary met his Boy Scout Board of Review and earned the rank of “Star Scout” (two shy of Eagle now!). Benjamin decided he’s now in charge of getting drinks ready for supper each night, and will climb onto the counter to get the cups, pour the drinks and carry them to the table. What great help! All three kids finished up the three-week swim lesson sessions, with all of them going into a higher level class than what they started in three weeks ago. I told Benjamin today was his last day in “Beginner One,” and he clapped then asked aloud, “I wonder if I’ll have to take a test.” His instructor had already recommended that he move up to “Beginner Two” but still had him do a “test” since I told her what he had said earlier. He passed! MacKenzie’s now in “Beginner Three,” and Zachary’s moving to “Advanced Beginner.” MacKenzie passed a “swim test” allowing her to be in the pool without me (she had to swim 25 meters without stopping, tread water for one minute and get out of the pool without using a ladder). She even did this AFTER her tiring 30-minute swim lesson! They’re all doing great in the water, and I’m so proud of them!
Whew! That’s a busy three weeks! “What’s next?” you ask. MacKenzie’s going to a ropes course with her Girl Scout Troop. I’m going to Hamburg for a few days with work. We’ll all join MacKenzie and her Girl Scout troop for a Volksmarch. MacKenzie’s going camping at the Girl Scout Chalet in Switzerland. Zachary’s going to Intercamp in the Netherlands. And that should bring us to the end of May and just a few days before the end of the school year ... and then summer is just around the corner (with more camping trips and family getaways planned). Is it that time already!?!!
Yes, we’re still busy. But the beat goes on!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Zachary
Friday, April 03, 2009
Oh, What Thoughts Go through His Mind!
Benjamin really keeps me in stitches at times. The other day, as we were driving home, Zachary and I were talking about the end of the third quarter (hard to believe the school year is three-fourths over already!). Benjamin was paying attention to the conversation, but didn’t quite understand how the school year is divided into quarters. He let out a long, deep sigh, then -- wanting to be a part of the conversation -- said, “I only have three quarters left.” He was thinking of quarters for the toy vending machine!
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At supper one night -- out of the blue -- he commented, “I am SO ready for Easter.” When did he become “SO ready” for anything!?!!
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After talking to Matt on the phone recently, he told me, while wiping his ear, “Whew! Daddy talked for a long time. Now my ear is swaithy. That’s sweaty. My ear is swaith!” Guess we need to talk to Webster’s about adding that word!
**************************************************
At supper one night -- out of the blue -- he commented, “I am SO ready for Easter.” When did he become “SO ready” for anything!?!!
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After talking to Matt on the phone recently, he told me, while wiping his ear, “Whew! Daddy talked for a long time. Now my ear is swaithy. That’s sweaty. My ear is swaith!” Guess we need to talk to Webster’s about adding that word!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Spring
Yesterday morning, Benjamin asked me if he had to wear a coat to school since it was the first day of Spring. Hmmm...it was 30-degrees outside -- that was a definite YES!
Today, he woke up and asked if it was the “next day of Spring.” When I told him yes, he thanked me. I explained that I didn’t make it Spring, that only God could do that. Zachary then chimed in and suggested that I could be Mother Earth. Hmmm...not sure where that thought came from -- or where it was going. Regardless, I love how Benjamin thinks I am talented enough that I can be responsible for Spring’s arrival!
Happy Spring!
Today, he woke up and asked if it was the “next day of Spring.” When I told him yes, he thanked me. I explained that I didn’t make it Spring, that only God could do that. Zachary then chimed in and suggested that I could be Mother Earth. Hmmm...not sure where that thought came from -- or where it was going. Regardless, I love how Benjamin thinks I am talented enough that I can be responsible for Spring’s arrival!
Happy Spring!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes, Zachary
Monday, March 09, 2009
A New Allergy
It’s turned cold and rainy once again here, and Benjamin’s voice is suffering from the weather change (either that or he’s entering puberty WAY early). When I picked him up today, he announced that he has an allergy. When I asked him what he was allergic to, he replied:
“I’m allergic to the cold because when I go outside I get sick.”
I guess we all could be allergic to the cold weather -- especially when the weather changes drastically and frequently!
“I’m allergic to the cold because when I go outside I get sick.”
I guess we all could be allergic to the cold weather -- especially when the weather changes drastically and frequently!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Friday, March 06, 2009
Benjamin's classwork
I had to share some of Benjamin’s recent classwork here. For Valentine’s Day, they had to draw a picture of someone they loved and write his/her name. The handout was designed for the kids to write mommy/daddy after the word “my” ... but Benjamin decided to write the name of one of his classmates. Fortunately, Marissa is a sweet little girl (yes, with strawberry blonde hair, like his drawing of her) whose mother volunteers regularly in the classroom. When I read aloud what his paper said “I will always love MY Marissa,” he grinned. I pretended to be sad that he didn’t choose me, and he grinned even more … then gave me a huge hug and kiss. I suppose that means he’ll always love me, regardless of what he wrote on the handout.The note below is a reminder he wrote about a parade (“pr-eeb”) they had today to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday and “Reading is COOL” week. They were supposed to wear clothes that showed how “cool” they are with reading, and he told me that he was supposed to wear pajamas (which wasn’t on the note his teacher sent home). He has two new (size 6!) shirts that I tried convincing him were “cool” (one with a polar bear, and the other with a snowboarder), but he was adamant that he wanted to wear pajamas. It’s turned cold and rainy again, so I couldn’t, in good conscious, send him to school wearing only pajamas (he doesn’t have the thick, warm ones) -- so we compromised, and he wore his pajama shirt over an undershirt with jeans. Apparently, Marissa commented that he wasn’t wearing pajamas, and he had to correct her that he WAS wearing a pajama shirt.
OK, since I’m talking about Benjamin, here are a few more recent “Benjamin-isms.” Since Monday was Dr Seuss’ 105th birthday, part of his homework this week was to count to 105. No problem -- he’s counted to 100 before, and understands how to continue. He’s also learned “skip-counting” in school -- counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. Weeeellllll, Zachary and MacKenzie have also taught him skip-counting to 100. When I asked him if he could count to 105, he promptly began counting (in the sing-songy voice that they all use up to 100), “One, two, skip-a-few, ninety-nine, a hundred … a hundred-one, a hundred-two, a hundred-three, a hundred-four, a hundred-five.” I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t make him count correctly and just signed off on his homework. He definitely gets an A+ for creativity in my book!We had Italian sausage for supper the other night, with potatoes and peppers. Benjamin doesn’t care for the veggies, so only ate the sausage and bun. Zachary and MacKenzie were trying to convince him that the potatoes tasted like french fries (they were really good this time), but to no avail. He commented that the only food that he likes that tastes like french fries is “macaroni and cheese that tastes like french fries.” I had to think about that one a moment, then realized he was talking about scalloped potatoes -- “cheesy potatoes!” Yup, I can see how that can taste like french fries since it’s made from potatoes as well. What a kid!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Monday, January 19, 2009
He’s Growing Up!
Benjamin has quite a range of thoughts as to what’s “healthy” for lunch. So today, he first asked for eggnog (we’re on our last carton). Then he asked for ice cream. Finally, he went into the kitchen and pulled two cans of fruit cocktail out of the pantry. “Great idea,” I thought. Then I noticed he was going after a can of boiled peanuts that was behind the fruit cocktail. A kid after my own heart! He actually opened a few peanuts himself, although he quickly allowed me to help. And to think this kid would only eat a handful of boiled peanuts just last summer on the farm. More proof that he’s really growing up.Second round of proof he’s growing up...
Last week, the night before his dental exam, I noticed a gap between his front two bottom teeth. Upon further examination, we discovered he has a loose tooth. Egads! Zachary lost his first tooth just before he turned 7 (the night before his first day of First Grade), and MacKenzie was also in First Grade when she lost her first tooth, so I was totally not expecting this from Benjamin yet!
Third round of proof he’s growing up...
We drove past a police car the other night with its lights on, so we began discussing the different color lights that emergency vehicles use. I explained that police cars are the only ones with blue lights, then Benjamin proclaimed that fire trucks also have blue lights because firemen were also policemen but they just couldn’t arrest people. No matter how I reworded my statement about the blue lights, he was adamant that fire engines had blue flashing lights. To emphasize his point, he proclaimed, “I said what I meant, and I meant what I said.” Wonder where he got that from? (Well, I know where he got it from, but I honestly don’t say it that often…he’s just very observant!)
Yup, my baby’s growing up!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Kid Quote -- Surgery
Last week we drove by a construction site on base and Benjamin took note of all the activity.
He occasionally makes a similar comment when we drive past an industrial complex being built near our house.
I suppose large construction projects are a lot like surgery and operations. {grin}
Benjamin: “There’s a lot of surgery going on there.”
Me: “Surgery?”
Benjamin: “Yes. There on the buildings. And on the playground.”
He occasionally makes a similar comment when we drive past an industrial complex being built near our house.
Benjamin: “Mommy, why are they operating there?”
I suppose large construction projects are a lot like surgery and operations. {grin}
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Kid Quote -- Good Moods
As Zachary and I picked up Benjamin one evening last week, he asked me, “Did you know you forget almost everything that happened that day, when you go to sleep each night?”
Me: “Really?”
Zachary: “Yes, that’s why you wake up in such a good mood each morning.”
So, is he implying that I go to bed grumpy and in a bad mood each night?
He claims he was referring to the generic “you” and not me specifically, and went on to clarify when we all (generically speaking) wake up we feel refreshed and reenergized, and that’s what leads to our good moods.
Whew! I don’t think he’s trying to tell me something about my moods.
Me: “Really?”
Zachary: “Yes, that’s why you wake up in such a good mood each morning.”
So, is he implying that I go to bed grumpy and in a bad mood each night?
He claims he was referring to the generic “you” and not me specifically, and went on to clarify when we all (generically speaking) wake up we feel refreshed and reenergized, and that’s what leads to our good moods.
Whew! I don’t think he’s trying to tell me something about my moods.
Labels: Kid Quotes, Zachary
Friday, December 12, 2008
Kid Quote -- Quiet Game
Every now and then, we’ll play the “Quiet Game.” We usually play it when the kids are rambunctious and talkative and I need to get them to settle down a bit ... and usually when we’re driving.
Our rules are that if one of the kids wants to talk they have to raise their hand (or clap if they’re in the back seat or if it’s dark and I can’t see a raised hand). I will then acknowledge one of them at a time, and they’re allowed to make a single comment or ask a single question. A follow-up question requires a follow-up hand-raise or clap. The game often turns into a succession of raised hands and clapping, so they’re not truly “quiet,” but it does force them to wait their turn and not interrupt each other, or to not speak more loudly than each other in an attempt at being heard.
A few nights ago, Benjamin decided he wanted to play the game. MacKenzie was at play practice, so it was just him, Zachary and me. After about five minutes of hand-claps and acknowledgements -- 98% to Benjamin -- this exchange happened:
Zachary and I rolled our eyes. At least Benjamin’s honest!
Our rules are that if one of the kids wants to talk they have to raise their hand (or clap if they’re in the back seat or if it’s dark and I can’t see a raised hand). I will then acknowledge one of them at a time, and they’re allowed to make a single comment or ask a single question. A follow-up question requires a follow-up hand-raise or clap. The game often turns into a succession of raised hands and clapping, so they’re not truly “quiet,” but it does force them to wait their turn and not interrupt each other, or to not speak more loudly than each other in an attempt at being heard.
A few nights ago, Benjamin decided he wanted to play the game. MacKenzie was at play practice, so it was just him, Zachary and me. After about five minutes of hand-claps and acknowledgements -- 98% to Benjamin -- this exchange happened:
Clap-clap
Yes,
Benjamin
I like the Quiet
Game.
I know you do,
Benjamin.
Clap-clap
Yes,
Benjamin.
I just don’t like being
quiet.
Zachary and I rolled our eyes. At least Benjamin’s honest!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Kid Quote -- "A Seed?"
I apologize for my long lapse in updating the blog...things just seem to be crazier and crazier around here. On top of that, I’m going through a very busy period at work, and won’t have time to devote to much else for at least another week or two. But...I just had to share this quote from Benjamin last night.
It all started with Benjamin’s eye becoming horribly swollen around midday (side note: It’s from allergic conjunctivitis -- not pink eye, which is apparently going around. Yes, he has prescription meds to treat it now -- all is under control and looking much better). I gave him some Children’s Benadryl before bed to try to bring the swelling down until we could get him to the pediatrician today, and he took it like a pro. He’s used to taking vitamins, and sees Zachary, MacKenzie and me taking our vitamins as well -- including Vitamin C.
After he swallowed his dissolving tablet, he ran over to me, pulled me down by my arm so he could whisper in my ear and quietly asked,
“Did you give me a vitamin seed?”
He had a grin from ear-to-ear, thinking he had finally graduated to taking the {apparently, in his eyes} special “Vitamin C” and not simply his Nickelodeon character vitamins. Too cute! Oh the innocence of a four-year-old!
It all started with Benjamin’s eye becoming horribly swollen around midday (side note: It’s from allergic conjunctivitis -- not pink eye, which is apparently going around. Yes, he has prescription meds to treat it now -- all is under control and looking much better). I gave him some Children’s Benadryl before bed to try to bring the swelling down until we could get him to the pediatrician today, and he took it like a pro. He’s used to taking vitamins, and sees Zachary, MacKenzie and me taking our vitamins as well -- including Vitamin C.
After he swallowed his dissolving tablet, he ran over to me, pulled me down by my arm so he could whisper in my ear and quietly asked,
“Did you give me a vitamin seed?”
He had a grin from ear-to-ear, thinking he had finally graduated to taking the {apparently, in his eyes} special “Vitamin C” and not simply his Nickelodeon character vitamins. Too cute! Oh the innocence of a four-year-old!
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Kid Quote of the Day: “Alone Time”
One of the chores Zachary and MacKenzie are entirely responsible for is taking out the trash and recycles, and sometimes Benjamin assists. Tonight, he helped with a small bag of recycles, which meant all three of them headed to the dumpster for a few minutes leaving me alone in the house.
Just before they headed outside, MacKenzie called out, “Mommy, you’re going to have some ‘Alone Time.’” It took me a moment to realize what she said...then I chuckled since my “alone time” was hardly enough to tackle emptying the dishwasher of the clean dishes, loading the dirty dishes, running and folding two loads of laundry, making a strawberry pie that Zachary’s been craving lately and checking quite a bit of homework. She had good intentions, but I don’t think she realizes that the “alone time” I truly crave is time to sit and watch a non-animated or kid-themed movie, read a few chapters in a non-kid-bedtime book or craft a few words to catch up on updating the blog. As much as she thinks “Mommy rocks” lately, those four minutes of “alone time” weren’t enough even for a Super-Mom. Such innocence!
BTW, I managed to empty the dishwasher in those four minutes, and Zachary loaded the dirty dishes from supper tonight before we made the pie. Homework is done (and corrected), although the laundry is still waiting to be folded (at least it's all clean). And as a bonus, we’re all looking forward to a refreshing dessert tomorrow night!
Just before they headed outside, MacKenzie called out, “Mommy, you’re going to have some ‘Alone Time.’” It took me a moment to realize what she said...then I chuckled since my “alone time” was hardly enough to tackle emptying the dishwasher of the clean dishes, loading the dirty dishes, running and folding two loads of laundry, making a strawberry pie that Zachary’s been craving lately and checking quite a bit of homework. She had good intentions, but I don’t think she realizes that the “alone time” I truly crave is time to sit and watch a non-animated or kid-themed movie, read a few chapters in a non-kid-bedtime book or craft a few words to catch up on updating the blog. As much as she thinks “Mommy rocks” lately, those four minutes of “alone time” weren’t enough even for a Super-Mom. Such innocence!
BTW, I managed to empty the dishwasher in those four minutes, and Zachary loaded the dirty dishes from supper tonight before we made the pie. Homework is done (and corrected), although the laundry is still waiting to be folded (at least it's all clean). And as a bonus, we’re all looking forward to a refreshing dessert tomorrow night!
Labels: Kid Quotes, MacKenzie
