CKZCJ

It’s official, I’m am the world’s worst cook. Not that there is anyone out there debating it. It’s so easy – pull pizza out of box, unwrap, turn on oven, put pizza in oven, cook for time designated on box and viola – a nice tasty pizza. Well the DiGiornio pizza is mocking me, I followed the directions – really I did. I consider myself fairly intelligent, I trust the time on the box will have the pizza nice and cooked. Somehow today the center of the pizza is sorta floppy, er wait, make that NOT COOKED! I mean it is but not completely. I ate a piece and made sure it wasn’t bad and God love my boys neither one complained about the taste of the pizza. CaseyJ did not like the messiness but we fixed that by cutting it and letting him eat it with a fork. Z Man had two pieces, I had one and the trash monster got the rest. My poor kids, stuck with a talentless cook for a mom….

Updates on various other items -

• On the way home yesterday I noticed Z Man talking to himself, I asked him what he said or if he needed something and he said no. I asked him what he was saying and he said he was talking to God. I inquired what he was talking to God about and he said “my sister”. “Oh really, has he given you an answer yet buddy?” (Yes, I call them both buddy) “Not yet mom, He said He’s thinking about it.” Lord help me.
• They both got rave reviews from M today (I’m giving their teacher a James Bond name – picture Mrs. Judi Dench here) about the progress they’re making in school.
• Z Man is way above his grade level in reading, at least at the end of 1st grade into 2nd grade reading, his math skills too. His hand writing is on par and coming along nicely (this is the part about his homework he dislikes the most). He has begun creative writing and we read one or two of them today and as soon as he brings them home I’ll scan them and get them up here, they are priceless I guarantee.
• CaseyJ’s social skills are sky rocketing and his confidence is really starting to grow. The gears are turning and he is doing really well in math. He will start his sight reading and letter sounds really soon. He’s looking forward to their sand and water days coming soon with the warmer weather.
• They are both really excited about our upcoming trip, we watched the mountain ski cam earlier this morning when it was snowing on the mountain.

And finally, you may want to test the pizza at our house unless it came from a store.

That’s what we used to call bench warmers. The boys first soccer game was well, interesting and tiring. They only had one practice before the game and really didn’t go over the rules of the game just that the point of the game was to kick the ball into the goal. While they looked totally cool in their uniforms (both were huge on them, one strong gust of wind and away they would go), as the game began we learned they played on two fields simultaneously. They split CaseyJ and Z Man up onto separate sides. They kept saying they needed to tuck their shirts in, problem was they were so big on them that they came un-tucked really easily. As I finished tucking in CaseyJ’s shirt he got confused and ran onto the wrong field, got upset and then decided he was done playing soccer. He sat in a chair next to me on the sideline the entire game. Our team had two no shows and two boys who didn’t want to play (one being CaseyJ) so the six kids who did play, played the entire game.

Z man played with Ralph and Jersey and they began to work quite well as a team. He scored a goal after a kick-in by the other team bounced off his shin guards into the goal. He did well except he might have mouthed off to the other teams coach (who happened to be the dad of one of his schoolmates) and he got in trouble from his coach and from his mom and dad when we found out what he said. He got caught up in the game and said something to the effect of the other team was the losers. My thing is, I don’t care if my boys completely stink at sports but they are absolutely not allowed to be bad sports. I am pretty sure Z Man won’t do it again, it was a traumatic enough experience for him.

We bought some cones and another soccer ball to help them practice at home. Z Man had good coordination, so does CaseyJ so we’ll work with them on some of the major points of the game and maybe they’ll understand it better and have some more fun out there. Hopefully CaseyJ will just actually agree to play!!!

We have practices every Thursday and games are on Saturday. If you have a wild hair and ever want to come watch the boys (read semi-controlled chaos) you can see their schedule on the We’re Here page. A few more edited photos on my flickr account.

Z Man is wise beyond his years. Sometimes so much so I worry he’s growing up way too fast and I want him to slow down and be a little boy. The other night on the way home he began to ask why he didn’t have two brothers. Big C and I explained that we loved him and his brother very much and the two of them were perfect. He seems to have gotten it in his head that he is in dire need of another sibling, specifically a sister. “Mommy, when are you going to have a sister?” and so on. Both his daddy and I have tried to explain why two is all we need but it’s doesn’t seem to matter to him, he has his mind quite set. So the other night he comes to me at the dinner table and whispers in my ear that he has “talked to God about having a sister, but God hasn’t told him if the answer is no or yes yet.”

They both start soccer next week – first practice on Thursday and first game Saturday. We have to provide their cleats and shin guards (the uniform is part of the fee we paid). Z Man is thrilled and CaseyJ got upset just talking about going to get cleats and shin guards. We are forcing him a bit knowing he’ll probably end up having fun. They are on the same team too. Z Man also moved up to Black Belt Training at karate. He’s been going for six months already. He got his new uniform today and he’ll get his equipment soon. They teach sparring so he’ll get protective gear for it. It actually reminds me of the kid from A Christmas Story – you know where his jacket is so big he can’t put his arms down or walk…

Except it’s padding protective gear, he’s excited about it though. I’ll get pictures of him in his new uniform soon. Not much else going on, not a lot of new photos but I did make this one the other day. It’s a line from my favorite Robert Frost poem.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Ever want to hear the truth without any shades of gray? Ask a child or don’t they’ll give their gut wrenching, honest opinion anyway. Nothing goes unnoticed or un-noted, they say it like they see it, and they have an unbelievable power to hurt feelings of even adults (all without intention of harm). Say for example a five year old says “Hanna Montana is prettier than my mommy.” Well to a five year old I’m sure that’s true, but I would know what was meant and wouldn’t take it personally. However sometimes the truth hurts.

Although I love him like the little brother I begged my mom not to have the guy we lovingly refer to as “Uncle Jeff” made a grown up, adult decision to mark his arm with PERMANENT ink, and Zach didn’t like it, not one single bit and wasn’t afraid to let him know his disappointment. So much so that our once in a blue moon date night ended up not happening because Zach had gotten into such a big funk that he begged us not to go out. Literally in a panic crying and not letting go until his daddy promised we wouldn’t go.

Although the next day when Jeff came back to the house with a shirt covering his new tattoo Zach was quick to forgive and move on. Not without expressing how he felt about tattoos though, imagine that – only five and taking a stand. He later told me he still loves his Uncle Jeff but doesn’t really want to see that thing on his arm. What interesting, in depth conversations I’ve had with my little man. Casey John could really care less, just being his laid back, quiet self watching the drama unfold around him. Maybe he is so chill because he figures Zach takes care of all the drama for him.

That’s pretty much what the weekend consisted of, a blown night out, finally getting outside Christmas decorations put away only to find that the Destroyer of Plastic chewed all but one extension cord and two sets of lights. I guess she got bored while at home, beats me. Today was busy, it’s late, and I have a space next to Mr. Snores a lot when I have sinus issues…. I guess I’ll see who’s snoring louder, big C or the dog.

PS. Uncle Jeffy, we all still love you.

Zach is sick (sorta) again. He was sick while I was in Las Vegas too. Mild fever and a sore throat, enough to keep him out of school and moping on the couch in the back of the shop. (Shout out to Grammy and Popa for the couch from the pool room) After being awaken by him violently flipping on OUR bathroom light to go pee, then flipping on and off, on and off, (you get the picture) he plopped himself in bed with us. It was then we discovered he had a mild fever and a “sore neck”. Casey John said he felt fine so Zach went with Casey and I got Casey John fed, dressed, teeth brushed etc and took him to school. It was funny because he actually wanted to go school (he equates being sick with going to the doctor which is a huge no-no in his book) he asked for a meat only sandwich for lunch with goldfish crackers and went happily on his way to school.

I have spent the day like this so far – “Mommy”, walk to back to see what Zach needs, take care of juice or other needs, walk back to desk and sit down. Get back on track with what I was working on and hear “Mommy”, walk to back, repeat entire process. He fell asleep about 4pm on the couch so when it was time to go home we laid him in the back seat on the way home (yes I was extra careful, not that I’m not a defensive driver anyway) and I thought he was asleep until a song came on the radio and all of a sudden I hear him blurt out part of the song (the only part he really knows). Which made me giggle and Casey John realize he was awake. He’d been waiting all day to share a song with his brother, “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything“, so he turned on his little MP3 player and shared it – 6 bloody times in a row with Zach. Thank goodness the batteries finally pooped out on his player.

Zach was feeling much better after we go home, I even heard him say “Hello, Nurse” when he saw the Hanna Montana girl on a TV commercial…. Yep almost back to normal.

Warning: content maybe considered slightly gross (sorry I have boys)

Yesterday Zach and Casey John’s buddy from school rode home with us (he also takes karate with Zach) to play for a bit and then we met his dad just down the road at about 6:45pm. The conversation between those three boys in the back seat mostly went like this – “someone tooted” giggle, giggle. Something about burping, more giggling. Then Zach rehashing his bout with a stomach bug and “puking” in the van, then Chelsea licking that up (which he told me by the way I wasn’t supposed to know because dad said not to tell). More giggling. Followed by the boy part talk, followed by roaring laughter which had me wishing that I had ear phones and loud rock and roll music so I didn’t have to hear. So after the long hour 25 minute drive the boys played the Wii for about 40 minutes before their friend had to go. For the two minute ride to the store where we met his dad although they were still being silly and giggling Zach and his friend settled on the fact that they loved each other. You know like good friends do Zach said…. It was an “awwww” moment quickly followed by a “ewwww” moment as Zach proudly announced his “toots”. Sometimes I really wonder if girls are different.