Golfing...for Trevor

Well, we have him signed up for golfing lessons starting in two weeks. Russ took him out a few times last summer to have a little fun, and since this is our first weekend in a long time where we have some free time, I figured we should at least try to get him out at some point....and it was my turn.

So I asked him about it on Thursday and he said he would be happy to. His idea of playing involves a game of playing against other people. And of course if we are playing together, we have to play on the same team. The only thing he worried about was always being last. I saw that this year they actually put in junior tees at each hole. Some were much closer to the hole some were with the green tees. Of course I couldn't find two of them, but the others were easy to find. And Trevor enjoyed trying to find them on his own.

The kid can really hit the ball....There was more than one occasion that he hit it about 75 yards or so. Although his "form" is a little incorrect, and he needs a little reminder to wait behind the person who is hitting the ball. I was pretty proud of myself so that I got the push cart and was carrying Trevor's clubs as well. We took about 2 hours which is usual for me, but I think Russ was surprised that we took so long.

It was a fun round, and Trevor got a lot of birdies....but no eagles. He had his running commentary.....we were playing against all his friends but we were always in first. It was a very fun first round with Trevor. Hope to do it again soon, and I hope he enjoys his lessons.

Another...er...half year older?

So although it wasn't marked on the calender, Trevor has asked enough times so that he knows his "half birthday" was yesterday. He tried to make it so that I would believe he needed a half birthday party and therefore would invite all his friends over. While I guess I could see myself going along with it, I didn't feel like explaining to the parents not to bring presents, or explaining to Trevor not to expect them.

I think with his half birthday seems to come a little development and physical growth as well. He's been napping and being very testing. Although we went to Gwen's gym class where Trevor had to watch in the waiting room and according to the other parents, he is a "sweet kid". I tried to have him play with his Leapster, but I think the DVD player might work better next time. Thankfully, the weather is getting nicer again so we can go outside. We have been working on riding the two-wheeler, and Russ got him going a few times. And then he'd put on the breaks. So that's probably just a few weeks away, if that.

I've also been trying to schedule a few errands that the kids can come with....next week the cat is going to get shaved and we need to get an oil change on the car. I am worried about going places where all the schools decide to have their last day of school parties. So we'll see where things take us. I'm happy to say that we are nearing the end of May...busy busy May....It was a fun month. But looking forward to a little down time.

Crazy busy weekend

Well, we survived. I came to pick Trevor up from preschool and he was hugging all of his classmates saying he would miss every one of them. I did have to explain that when he said he would miss Sam, he would be seeing him every week for a while at T-ball. But he didn't want to leave. He was pretty close to crying, but I think the fact that we were going to the lake was something that was fun enough to get him to go.

He got a bag full of stuff that he used or made at preschool ranging from a memory book to art projects. We did get a CD or DVD...I'm not sure which..... that we have to watch. So we left from preschool to go to the lake. We spent Friday and Saturday there before leaving on Sunday to get back for Dylan and Sarah's wedding. The kids slept for about an hour and a half of the trip which made for an easy trip back. Then the kids got to go to the zoo while I drove out for the wedding. It was a very nice wedding....and seemed like everyone was having a great time.

So yesterday we went to our local parade and got a lot of candy. It is so easy to run out for 15 minutes and watch the parade. Then we came back and our neighborhood had a small parade for the kids in their bikes. Trevor rode his scooter since he only has a two wheeler. After the second parade, we made it over to the post-wedding BBQ and said hi to the newly married couple before they went on their honeymoon.

After the BBQ, the kids were almost ready for their naps. Of course convincing Trevor to have an early nap was not easy. But he did it and took a nice snooze. As did Russ and I. I then ran to the grocery store. We did our own little BBQ and then went out to practice bike riding. Trevor had a few stretches where he was balancing on his bike by himself. No wipe-outs to date, but when he starts to get going, he starts giggling and puts on the brakes.

So starts the weeks off until Trevor's programs start. We definitely need some days where we don't have to run anywhere. So starts our summer vacation!

Not really prepared

So today is the last day of preschool. Since about a month ago, Trevor has been understanding all that is going on in May. He's been very happy about most of it. And since we visited Kindergarten, he's been excited about that too. And now that we've been counting down until the last day of preschool, he's been asking questions and really getting to the understanding that he's not going to go back to preschool ever again.

And Trevor is not too happy about that. He keeps asking why he can't go back to preschool in the fall. I think it is a bunch of things....the fact that he isn't going to have his preschool friends with him in Kindergarten except maybe one...depending on which class they get into. The fact that he loves his preschool teachers and is familiar with the whole routine. The fact that he might not remember all the things he learned about on his trip to Kindergarten.

So yes, he knows today is the last day of preschool but I wouldn't suggest asking about it a lot. I'm not sure what I'm going to have to deal with when I go to pick him up today. If Trevor can't hold it together, there is going to be no way that I can. I deal with it much better if everyone else is calm around me.

He has learned SO much the past two years. It has been so wonderful to watch him grow and socialize. It'll be another two years, but I'll be happy to send Gwen to preschool there.

97

No, not the year that Russ graduated....yes, that was when it was. But we reached 97 degrees yesterday. After being 55 on Saturday, 65 on Sunday, and 70 on Monday. Also, the high in Duluth, 3 hours away was 45. We broke the high record of 89 set in 1987. We haven't been that hot since July 2007. GIVE ME MORE is all I can say. After being so cold for so long, I welcome it. They only predicted we would hit 85 yesterday and today, but now they think we will hit 90 again today. YAY!

Just wanted to record this wonderful day.

So much to be thankful for....

This post is to show my appreciation to all the people that helped out this weekend. There were SO many. I can't even begin to explain the amount of gratitude that I have for everyone.

In no particular order:


Of course Kevin and Kelsey, for inviting us to be such a close part of the wedding ceremony. It was so much fun and filled our family with many memories because of this day. THANK YOU!

My mom and dad - Bubba and Papa - for taking care of the kids during the ceremony, between the ceremony and reception, and during the dinner. And for allowing us to crash at your house after the wedding. It saved us money and time to have to get all the way back home. THANKS TO YOU!

To Vicky, for taking the kids at their bedtime back to my parents house to sleep. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to stay out and see the rest of the dancing! THANKS!

To Jerry, Tracy, Amy, Derek, and Kyrsten because they were willing to run around and follow the kids when they wanted to not sit still. THANK YOU!

To Marisa, for running out and getting Trevor a drink of water during the ceremony. I guess the kid was thirsty! THANK YOU!!

To the Maloney-Morrow family for being the kids audience at my parents house. They LOVE the attention. THANKS!!

To Megan for having kids that my kids can play with and for *wink wink*. THANK YOU!

To Brian for having connections with the DJ. Gotta love the inside track when requesting songs! THANK YOU!

To my husband for making such cute kids, being a great husband, dad, friend, and really anything I ask for. It was wonderful to share this experience so closely with you. THANK YOU!

Without all these people, I know I wouldn't have gotten all the compliments on my kids. It really was overwhelming how many people said how wonderful my kids were and are. But also, much appreciated.

One last time.....THANK YOU!!!! And much love!

The day of the wedding

It has been many years since I have been in a wedding. I wasn't sure if I could remember how to do it ;-) I will say that compared to my own wedding day, I don't feel like it went by as fast and I got to talk to a lot more people than last time. Maybe because I didn't know more than half of the people there.

We had to get going right away since we stayed back at our place on Friday night. We drove over to Kevin and Kelsey's house to be with the other bridesmaids and get our hair done. The kids went over to my parents house with Russ to wait until we had to be there for the wedding party photos. We made it over to the church, and the kids were there shortly after. I changed into my dress and took Gwen over to the nursery that they had there. It is very similar to our own church's nursery, so there were plenty of toys and things to do. Trevor also was playing around in it beforehand.

We had family pictures after the kids had some lunch from McD's. Gwen is not very happy about having to stay in one spot. She wants to explore and walk around everywhere. So she was the one that was the least happy about the pictures. I must say though...we do make a spiffy dressed up family.

The ceremony started, and Trevor did his usual great job, he even bowed with Chloe at the altar. Gwen was asleep by the first reading. At which time she was passed back to my aunt Barb....such a savior. I cannot quite remember if we clearly told Trevor that the rings on his pillow were not really Kevin and Kelsey's rings or not, but after they exchanged rings, he wanted to remind the priest that he still had the rings and wanted to give them to him. And once that kid has an idea in his mind, it's hard to get rid of it. I have no idea what got him to stay back because he REALLY wanted to get up there.

The rest of the ceremony went very well too. Gwen began to wake up after the ceremony. My parents took the kids back to their house so Russ and I could ride the limo-bus to Pioneer Park for pictures. We actually had to deal with traffic both times going downtown. So the cooler of drinks was gone before we got to the park. It was a chilly day, but Kelsey was kind enough to get us beautiful pink shawls for the outdoor stuff. I actually had mine on most of the day.

We got to the reception and back to the big room full of guests. Trevor and Gwen ran around the big room and even up and down the streets when people were watching them. The couple had a nice slide show, and a photo booth to have a little fun with. The dance was a lot of fun as is the case when you are part of the wedding party, or know the wedding people well.

The kids went home maybe at 9:30? I wasn't completely sure of the time. But I hear they passed out at my parent's house pretty soon after they got there. We all were up at 7 to have brunch there before leaving. It was a fun fun fun day. Can't wait to see all the pictures!

Whew....first the rehersal

Wonderful wonderful weekend we all had. I think this is going to be 3 posts. I don't have the time to sit and write a full post about the entire weekend, and I'd like to mark my spots easier....anyway...that's other stuff. On to the FUN!

Friday was Trevor's trip to Underwater Adventures for his preschool. Russ and I went out to Tartan Park to play golf with the boys. Yes, I was the only girl that was out there golfing, but that's almost always how it is. The day was a little chilly, and very windy but I was happy that it didn't rain. In fact it was still very sunny. I had put on sun block before we headed over to the course, but I think I was the only one. There were a few guys that came back very pink. Unfortunately, I played very poorly but it was a wonderful day. I love the saying that a day on the course is better than a day at work. BY FAR!

Vicky and the kids came over to pick Trevor up from school and watch the kids while we were gone for most of the day. After we returned, we had to clean ourselves up, pick up Trevor's tux and head over to the rehearsal at the church. The kids both took their naps in the car, but I think they were pretty well rested after the week being pretty normal.

The rehearsal went well, usually there isn't any big surprises. Then we went to the dinner. That's when family started appearing. It was so nice to see my grandparents that came from Florida. As is always the case, my kids do not like to stay in one place. They did enjoy to explore the church as well as the clubhouse of the golf course.

Oh, interesting tidbit....When Trevor had tried on his tux for size, he had it all on and we were asking him to walk around in it. So he did and then we asked him to move around and dance in it. I tried to dance a little bit and say that we needed to practice for the reception dancing. He said that he "didn't dance". Meanwhile, when we were at the rehearsal dinner, Trevor was breakdancing most of the evening on their dance floor. Just goes to show you that whenever he gets the idea in his head the first time, he says no way. But give him some time and he'll run with the idea as if it was his own.

Trevor was able to get the floor for a little while. I can't remember exactly what he said, but I know he was doing his tour guide routine for part of it. I had been making Kelsey a Care Bear that went along with our family of Care Bears that our mom made for us way back when. I'll have to come back and post a picture when I download the pictures.

We returned back home by 10:00. The kids were very tired, but Gwen actually made it through the entire ride home. So we gave her a bath before bed. And then we started packing for the big day..........

And just as I talk about Trevor's behavior

It takes a complete 180. He was as angelic as could be yesterday. Granted I had two different people helping out which was two more people than I had the day previously, but oh my....it was SUCH a change from the day before. So here's thinking THAT'S the new trend.

Today is golf for the parents and field trip for Trevor. Lots of pictures and fun times in the next few days! HERE WE GO!

Thank goodness being bad isn't all that bad

The day started out better than I expected from Trevor. Gwen was actually the one that had the difficult morning. Trevor got out a game that had a lot of pieces that Gwen shouldn't put in her mouth, which is what she wants to do. So when I asked Trevor to put it away, he didn't have time, and as soon as I turned my back, Gwen had climbed up to the table and started putting the pieces into her mouth. So as soon as I took her down she threw a fit.

Surprisingly, Trevor I guess must have decided that Gwen was enough for me to handle this morning, because he decided to get ready to go without any problems. So I was very happy about how the day was going. Gwen had her gym class so I knew she would have fun doing that.

We went to pick Trevor up at preschool and because of Trevor's bad behavior, I have told him that we won't be staying after preschool to play on their playground. So when I went into his classroom to pick him up he asked me if we were playing outside. I told him that we were not. I had even parked the car as close to the door as possible. So when we got outside, he asked me again if we were playing outside. I said no again and opened his door. At which time, he ran for the playground. So I walked over to the playground, and brought him back to the car. By this time he had lost all of his nascars. I started counting as to how many cars he would lose, but he lost all the way up to 12 and I knew he didn't have that many.

We got in the car, and he didn't seem phased by any of it. We came home and I went to get the Nascars, and he tried to block my path, but wasn't really upset by it. After dinner, we went upstairs to put clothes away, and Trevor and Gwen were playing in Trevor's room. I asked him to be gentle with her. After about 10 minutes, he had knocked her down with his pillow so I took that away and asked him to choose between playing nicely upstairs or going downstairs without us. He didn't like his choices so at that point he threw his fit. I put him downstairs, and while he did stay where he was asked to, if he knew how to swear, I'm pretty sure that was what he was trying to do at this point. He even resorted to trying to get Gwen to misbehave. He gave her a toy Twins' bat and told her to go hit me with it. I guess he didn't want to be in trouble by himself or something.

Then finally, when Gwen was in bed, it was Trevor's turn to head upstairs. Of course he had other things he wanted to do. I first told him to choose between me reading stories or him staying downstairs. He chose staying downstairs. Then because all of his Nascars were gone, I had to start counting the days he could not play Nintendo. We got up to 10 days. After he got dressed and ready for bed, then he started trying to negotiate stories back into the mix. Saying he couldn't go to sleep without them.

When I shut the door after saying that he needed to go to sleep, it was at that point that he said, "I LOST NINTENDO FOR 10 DAYS". And started to cry. And throw books against the door. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is feeling a little crazy based on everything that is going on. And I know I've probably not done my best to give him as much attention as I usually do, so he's acting out based on that.

And really, at least he doesn't even know the "bad words" to use to completely disrespect me yet, and I am very proud of myself to not once did I ever yell at him. He never got the best of me. And I explained very clearly that I still loved him, but that he was not making the best decisions that day. And I know that being consistent will help him make the decision for himself because he will clearly understand what happens when he makes poor decisions. But MAN....I didn't see the attitude coming already. And I am glad that what a 5 1/2 year old thinks is bad, isn't all that horrible compared to a teenager, and hopefully I can be prepared and set the standard for those years coming up. I guess we'll see.

Mother's Day

I treated myself to a pedicure on Saturday since the salon wasn't open on Sundays. Then on Sunday I got to sleep in, we went to Target, and I ate at my favorite place for dinner. It was a very nice day for me.

Unfortunately, the kids are in the middle of battling little colds. I say little because they do not even compare to what they usually get during the winter months. However, getting colds do contribute to a change in attitude. I know that Gwen doesn't sleep as well, and gets tired during the day.

But Trevor, in addition to a little cold is really getting into his pre-K development. I'm thinking the little cold adds to it...or at least that is what I'm hoping. The biggest change that I see is that he simply does not care about discipline tactics. Or even rewards for good behavior. I am very aware that this is something that I cannot control. No matter how much I want to. It is his choice in what he decides to obey and not. But WOW is it frustrating at this point. Because you know he knows better, and you would think that based on what kind of a person he is, he would choose the "good" path. And then I realize that he is 5 years old, not 18 and that he's still testing his limits, and learning what it's like to be a kid.

So in the mean time, we're still being as consistent as we can to show him that we aren't going to waver on his not-so-nice behaviors. And, as Trevor goes to Kindergarten, it'll be Gwen's turn to go through a major development. Such is life with a few kids.

A few things going on in the past few days

I'm going to have to start catching up again because this week is going to fly by. On Friday, Trevor had his wonderful preschool spring program. Afterwards, they "graduated" and are now on the count-down until the end of school. Only 6 more days! He's really understanding that there will be no more traditional preschool after these last 6 days.


The program was very cute. The favorite song was by far the first "Shark Attack" song. They have been housing a shark egg that hatched last month into a coral cat shark and are going to Underwater Adventures for their field trip this week, so along with all that their program had the theme of under the sea.

We are all very proud of Trevor and his accomplishments at preschool and can't wait to see where it takes him in the years to come!

"Not my fault always being the biggest and the strongest"

I would have used this quote to make Trevor feel better about his situation at this point in his life, however, this is Fezzik's line (the giant) in "Princess Bride" and his favorite character is Inigo Montoya. But I had to have a similar conversation with him about his interaction with his friends. On Monday, we spent a few minutes on the playground outside of the preschool after school. Trevor was playing with his friends and knocked into a friend who knocked into a younger kid that almost completely fell off of the playground. Trevor's movement to his friend was intentional. He was getting frustrated and he acted out. So we left the playground and I had a talk with him about how he cannot lay a hand on someone else, especially not to push, punch, or knock over that person. He is always quick to say, "But so-and-so does it". And my response is that I don't care about what other kids are doing. I care about what he does. He needs to conduct himself in a kind manner.

Then on Tuesday, he had two of his preschool friends over to play, and they had a blast. Two other boys that really didn't stop running around for a good 2+ hours.

Then I told Trevor on Wednesday that he had one last chance to try to behave with the kids after preschool and if he couldn't we would go back after school again. I kept my eye on the kids for most of the time and saw that they loved to play games that made them run around. We tried tag for a while, but it usually reverted back to everyone ganging up on Trevor and trying to pull him around to "arrest" him or something. I could see on his face if he glanced at me that he wanted to say "SEE? I'm not trying to do anything to these people." I heard him say that he was trying to walk away a time or two that this happened. Thankfully, no one was ever hurt, and the kids that were chasing him and grabbed him knew what they were getting into.

I talked to him afterwards and said that I was very proud that he didn't try to hurt any of his friends. And that because he was the tallest and the strongest of his friends, he had to be very very careful that what he was doing wasn't going to throw them to the ground. He did seem to enjoy the fact that he must be so strong and have lots of muscles to be able to be the strongest.

I was very quick to say that when he goes to school in September there are going to be kids that are 11 years old and that he will not be the biggest in the school. He seemed to think that he still would be bigger than 11 year-olds, but that goes along with his development (from what I know anyway). Because they are so independent, he doesn't understand the concept of kids at school being bigger than him. He only knows that he'll be going to Kindergarten soon, and that he'll still be with kids his age.

Anyway....I'm just glad he understands that he needs to treat other kids nicely, regardless of what they are doing to him. It has been a work in process.

May Day! May Day!

And so the month starts. It's going to be fast, fun, and furious...that's my prediction anyway. So it started this weekend at the lake house for the annual Kentucky Derby. It was the start of a new summer season for me. Dad got a new boat, the lake is finally back up to it's "normal" level, the dock is in the water, and we had a good turn-out for the running of the horses.

Gwen had a wonderful time. She had a little bit of an issue adapting to the sleep patterns at the lake, but I'm guessing it's the thing where she is so excited to be there, she doesn't care much for sleep while we are there. The cutest thing she said has to be the names that she has for everyone. She names everyone, and loved to be introduced to the local restaurant owner Lana, that she pointed out every time she saw as "Banana". And of course, she was always asking to see "Ellie and Medicine" aka Ellie and Addison. Daddy has been quizzing her with pictures, so she knows Kevin, Kelsey, Kona, and Brian very quickly. She loves to say hi and bye-bye to everyone by name....often our departures are delayed because of the lengthy good-byes.

Then Mr. Trevor was biking and baseballing it all day as if that was an option. A fun game was played by a good portion of the group, from Ellie to Megan. I have to say, that overall it was a great kick-off to the summer season. It's going to be another month before we can go back, and hopefully it'll be hot hot hot! It's going to be hard to keep Gwen out of the water, but I'm guessing that a little pool of her own is all she will need to be occupied. At least I can hope that. Pictures to come soon via Facebook.