Bananas....

Have you ever wondered where a banana comes from? From a tree right.  Well that is a pretty good answer, but have you taken the time to really think about the question... where do bananas come from.  I'm talking about the deeper question of how bananas are made.  Personally, beyond knowing they come from a tree, I had never thought about it. 

However, I recently learned that if you are 4 years old, you do think of such things.  And since 4 year olds (or at least our 4 year old) knows almost everything, he explained it to me the other day.

In case you'd like to know, here's a brief explanation from Michael about how bananas are made....

So, there you go... bananas form from the tree blood, in the wood part and have a case to keep it from getting old.  And now, the next time you eat a banana you can relax because you've been informed of the real answer to the question, "Where do bananas come from?"

Until next time,

Angie

Captain(s) America

This past week my sister and her husband came out to visit us.  It was a wonderful week and although we really didn't have much on the agenda other than swimming and playing, we had a blast with them.

Adam and the boys played swords and shields...Michael's really tough as you can see...

See, he really is...
 Then there was swimming...

The boys trying to show their muscles.

 Oh and Adam claims to make the worlds best sandwich... Michael decided to try it and it must have been pretty tasty because pretty soon the two kids (oops, I mean boys) were fighting over it.

Megan and Adam use to live in Phoenix so we enjoyed going here and there, around the city as they reminisced about the good old days.  Meanwhile, we tried to convince them that they should move back and that it really only got unbearably hot the day they flew in and that once they left our 110 heat day streak ended.  Okay maybe I wasn't too convincing on that but, hey, I tried.

We spent lots of time in the pool and they spent a lot of time playing with the boys.  In fact they helped the boys become Captain America.  Actually they helped them become Captains America.  One day while I was at work, Meg and Adam volunteered to watch Michael.  They said they had some errands but otherwise were free and could watch him.  When Michael found out he would get to spend the day with them instead of going to his structured and routine school, he immediately made up his mind... "I want to stay with Megan and Adam" 

When I returned from work, I learned they had ventured into Target with Michael.  I guess I should have given them the warning that he'd probably ask for everything in the store and it is okay to just repeat "NO" over and over.  I do it all the time and I think the boys come to expect it.  I guess Megan and Adam being the wonderful aunt and uncle they are, were only able to turn him down so many times, before agreeing to by the Captain America mask for him and Gabriel.  Then, desperate to just get through their shopping experience before buying a ton of more toys, Adam had to distract Michael by pretending to be a space commander and that Michael riding in the cart (aka Space Shuttle) was trying to "fly" through "space" (aka the store) without hitting any space debris (aka merchandise).  Although I wasn't there, I'm sure it was quite a scene.

Once home Megan and Adam completed the boy's Captain America get up by creating from scratch a Captain America shield from some cardboard they found in our garage which hadn't yet been recycled.  Take a look for yourself... pretty impressive I'd say.

And then once Gabriel returned home from kindergarten, it was decided that one shield wouldn't be enough and that they'd have to make a second.  And so the process started again...

It required lots of cutting...

 A lot of coloring...

 and I mean a lot of coloring...

 And some watching from the boys...

But when it was all done, man did it look great!

Thanks Megan and Adam for coming to visit and for having so much fun with us.  We hope you'll come back again soon.

Until next time,
Angie

I showed him...

The last time I blogged I talked about how heavy my heart felt in that I wasn't able to experience the boy's first few years of their life.  After Gabriel's kindergarten teacher had given him the assignment to bring baby pictures and items from when he was an infant to share with his class, I felt this may be an event that would spark several questions from Gabriel about how he ended up with us and why the other kids have so much more to share.

Originally he didn't seem to mind at all, and didn't think twice about it.  Originally I postponed the action of digging out the few photos we do have of him as an infant.  However, I decided, after getting the 4th reminder note from the teacher, that she wasn't going to stand for us opting out of this assignment.  So a few days ago, while the boys were resting I dug into my closet and pulled out the special box of stuff we've saved for the boys about their lives before us.

I carefully sorted through the pictures and decided which ones to pull out for him.  Ones that show how precious and beautiful of a baby he was.  Those that show him with his infant brother and ones that are from when we was 2 and 3.  All precious, all pictures I cherish and as I looked at them, I decided it was time to share them with him.

This afternoon Gabriel and Michael were playing when I could tell Gabriel was ready to move onto a different activity.  It was then that I called him to come into the living room.  Gabriel I said, "Do you remember what your homework assignment is for tomorrow?"  "No Mom, what?"  " I continued, "Remember you are learning all about you and you are suppose to take some pictures to school of..."  He interrupted me and said, "But Mom, we don't have any baby pictures."  He paused and that is when I said, "Gabriel, Dad and Mom weren't able to take any pictures of you when you were a baby because we didn't know you then, but honey, we do have some pictures of you when you were a baby." Instantly his face lit up and his confused expression immediately turned into one of excitement.  "Really Mom?!?!?!  Can I see them?"

And at that point I pulled out the 6 pictures I had selected for him and showed him.  One of the pictures is from when he was hours old and I had put them in order from his first moments to his first 3 years.  He carefully picked up each picture and held them gently in his hand.  All smiles he scanned each picture and studied each aspect of himself as an infant.  When he got to the third picture he looked at me and said, "Mom, I was a cute baby.  Do you think so?"  I replied, "I think you were a beautiful baby and look at all of your hair!" 

Together we sat on the couch and talked about each picture about the clothes he was wearing and about how we could see some of his features from even when he was a few days old.  To me, it is his eyes that stand out the most and boy are they beautiful.  After reviewing each picture several times he yelled for Michael to come and look and they sat on the couch together looking at the pictures and taking in each photo.  Then Gabriel carefully took the pictures into our bedroom where Jarrett was and he said, "Dad, I have a surprise, close your eyes."  Then Gabriel excitedly revealed his pictures.  It was obvious he was proud and so happy to have them.

I feel truly thankful that we have some photos to share with him and even though he didn't make it seem like a big deal, it was obvious it was very special to him that we do have pictures of his life as a baby. 

As he goes to school tomorrow with his homework assignment his teacher has been asking for for several days, I'm thankful that this assignment was given.  Although I was nervous how they'd feel about not having very much from the infant years, I've realized they are very thankful for what ever they have.

And now it is time for me to look for Michael's photos because as soon as we packed up Gabriel's baby pictures, Michael said, "Mom, where are my pictures of me as a baby?"

Until next time,
Angie

My heart aches...

Today as I write this my heart feels heavy.  In a strange way, I kind of feel guilty for saying that but the truth is, I feel that way and so I'll say it... My heart aches when I think about them.

Last week, we learned that Gabriel will begin a new unit at school this coming week, a unit called "All about Me"   The purpose of the unit is to teach the kids to like themselves, to have confidence and to be proud of who they are and where they come from.  On Friday, Gabriel came home with a note from his teacher stating that in the next couple of days, the kids should work together with their parents to find some baby pictures that he can bring into the classroom to share with this class.

As you can imagine, this brings up a lot of emotion for all of us in the family.  It is a subject we discussed in length at our adoption classes and we brainstormed many different ways to handle the situation.  I think as adults we can sometimes over think and stress about things and I guess I'll admit, I'm probably guilty of this in this situation also. 

When we talk with Gabriel about this, it doesn't seem to phase him one bit and although he remembers his life with his foster family, it almost seems to him that his life started when he came to be with us.  I, on the other hand, am fully aware of the fact that for the first 4 years of his life, he was not with us and for that, my heart aches that I did not know him, that I was not there with him and didn't get to help him when he may have needed it. 

We knew going into the adoption process that it was a strong reality we probably wouldn't have pictures, mementos or really anything to show the boys from their life before us.  To our surprise, when we learned about Gabriel and Michael we also found out that we would have a few small things to show them.  Thankfully and luckily we feel blessed that their birth mother had taken several pictures and posted them online.  We were given access to some of those photos which I had copied right away and have been saving for the right time to show them (when that day will come, I have no idea). 

As we get ready this weekend for Gabriel to go back to school tomorrow, I decided to browse through those photos to see which baby pictures I could send with him.  I am thankful, very thankful to have several pictures of the boys when they were babies and I have pictures of them with their birth mom who obviously loves them very much.  In looking through the pictures, I am saddened by the fact that I didn't get to hold them in my arms when they were just days old, that I didn't get to see them take their first step or hear their first word.  I am sad that I can't identify how many months they were in certain pictures, because I wasn't there when it was taken.  I feel like I/we've missed a large part of their life and someday when they have questions about what their first word was, or when they started walking, I'll only be able to stare back at them with a blank look on my face... I'm sorry honey but I do not know. 

Maybe this won't be a big deal to them, Jarrett kindly reassures me and says it probably won't be to them.  "They are boys and boys don't really think about all of those things."  I can't decide if he is telling me the truth or if he's just trying to calm my fears.  What ever the case, I guess it still doesn't change the fact for how my heart hurts today.  It is almost like a grieving process we have to go through and maybe it is better I get over this now so someday I can help them, when they start to understand all the emotions that go along with with the simple question, "Who are you?"

I feel like the assignment of taking baby photos to class, for most families is not that big of a deal.  For us, I feel it opens up a chapter in our lives (both theirs and ours) that bring emotions and questionsto the surface  that can be hard to think of answers to.  I want the boys to be proud of the fact that they were adopted, and to understand they have two sets of parents that love them very much. 

As I sift through the poor quality baby photos we do have, I stare into Gabriel and Michael's innocent faces and wonder what it would have been like, if it was me who had given birth to them, had experienced all of their firsts with them.  But then I stop and remember the whole purpose of this new unit at school.  It isn't a unit about me, it is a unit for Gabriel to learn about and to love all that makes him who he is.  His past is a part of that and that is just one of the many reasons why we love who he is.  I try to push aside my selfish emotions and give thanks that his birth mother cared enough to give him life and to bring this kind, gentle and mature little person into the world.  For if she hadn't, he would have never come to be with us and for that my heart would truly ache.

Until next time,
angie

Do I look handsome?

Michael sees Gabriel pick out his outfit for school each night and every morning Michael tries with all his might to try to find just as "handsome" of an outfit as what Gabriel had picked out the evening before.

The other morning I heard the boys up and moving around in their room.  Since I was getting ready for work, I didn't go right in but gave them a few minutes to attempt getting ready on their own.

After finishing up in my room, I went out to see exactly what the boys were doing.  As I opened the door, the boys immediately said, "good morning Mom!" and then Michael said, "Mom, do I look handsome?"

I looked him in the eye and scanned him up and down at the outfit he had picked out. I had no other response than "Oh my Michael, yes you do and I bet you picked out your outfit all by yourself didn't you!"

To which he replied, "Yes, Mommy Gabriel didn't help me at all, I did it all by myself."

Doesn't he look super cute and pretty darn handsome too?

Until next time,
Angie

His first brief...

The boys really aren't sure what Daddy does.  They know he works alot to earn money so we can live, but when you ask him what he does or where he works, they simply say "Downtown"    We've tried to explain that Daddy helps people and goes to court sometimes. 

After explaining that Daddy doesn't go to court becuase he's in trouble, we tried to keep it simple and just says, Daddy writes a lot of things on the computer and works really hard to earn money so we can live.  That seems to work.

Since the boys love their daddy so much and often see him working on the computer, the boys have been begging for quite a while to get to "work" on the computer like him. So just recently we started letting the boys play or "work" on a computer.

Just last week, Michael was hard at it, putting in as many "billable hours as he could" (okay bad lawyer joke), when he was all done, I joked with Jarrett and said he completed his first brief.

Here's a few photos of him hard at work pretending to be a lawyer...



After almost 30 minutes, this is what he typed!  Pretty good I think!  Pay special attention to the last sentence he wrote... I think he was working on a case against Waste Management...



Until next time,
Angie

Translation Pt 2

It seems the list of words in the Dictionary known as Gabriel and Michael continues to grow.  Most of the time I figure out what they intended to say and move on without a second thought.  I try though when I can to jot down the word they say and the word they intended to say.

Here's a few more words and phrases to throw at you.   Can you and figure out what they mean?  Good luck!

Globes.....

Charge the pool.....

Freeze forward...

Family Ever After (one of my favorites by the way)...


So, did you guess?  Did you get any of them right?  Here's the translation.

Globes.......  Gloves

Charge the pool..............  Shock the pool (as in when I put chlorine in the pool to make sure it is clean)

Freeze forward..........  Fast forward (as in fast forward through the previews in a movie)

Family Ever After....... Happily Ever After  (I love the fact that they associate Family with Happily and ever after).  Maybe they are just as happy about having a forever family, as we are about having them.

Until next time,
Angie

On the playground....

When I was growing up, family dinners were always a special time to exchange stories and listen to everyone recap what their day was like.  When Jarrett and I would talk about having a family, it was always important to us to have as many family meals around the dinner table as possible.  It is amazing the different conversations that we've had with the boys around the table in just the past year and a half.

Since Kindergarten has started, we've had many a conversations about what Gabriel's first days have school have been like. 

Although we ask about all the things he's learning about, his favorite thing to talk about is what he's been doing on the playground. 

Turns out his favorite thing to do is play with the Hoop-a-hoop, also known as hula-hoop.
After we cleared up that it is actually called a hula-hoop, I took a short video.
Here he is talking about how he does it...

Until next time,

Angie

They swim like the fishes...

I know I've commented on this before, but I just have to do it one more time. I'm so proud of how strong of swimmers the boys have become this year. They've been taking lessons since the spring and then one session this summer. I think it helps greatly, their their cousins, who watched them this summer, helped them practice by taking them swimming almost daily.


That being said, I think it'd be fair to say, they swim like the fish...
Here are just a few more photos of them enjoying the last few days of summer (I wish that would mean the heat too), in the pool.

until next time,
angie

Captain Hook... with a light saber that Darth Vader gave him

Michael has a great imagination and he's constantly playing pretend.  Just the other night he was playing in the front room when he came into see dad dressed like this...

 In case you are wondering what this is a picture of, according to Michael he is Captain Hook, Red Ranger with a light saber that Darth Vader gave him.

But don't worry, this Captain Hook, Red Ranger with a light Saber should not be feared...

 he reassured us that he does only good things. He promises and you know how you can tell?
He said, "Mom, Captain Hook, Red Ranger only does good tings "things" because it is just Michael underneath, see my eye mom?"

Until next time, we'll be playing pretend and coming up with new names for super heros.

...Angie

Swimming in our PJ's...

This weekend, I asked the boys to help me take on the task of cleaning our backyard.  We've been hit by a few monsoon storms that have left a great dirt and dust pile in our backyard and although the boys don't mind the dirt, mom does. 

Therefore after a few weeks, I finally decided I was tired of the mess and it was time to clean it.  So, yesterday morning we dug out the shop vac, the hose, the scrub brush and started to it.  Given that we wanted to start early, since it seems it is blazing hot by 9:00 a.m. these days, we just went to work right after breakfast.  In fact, we didn't even change out of our PJ's before attacking the backyard.

The boys worked very hard with me, taking turns wiping down the patio furniture, scrubbing the pool deck, the walls, and everything else in the backyard.  As one would scrub, the other would suck up the dirty water from the hose and brush.  As the minutes went by, the sweat continued to roll down our faces, neck and arms but the boys didn't complain and continued to work.  I cautiously waiting for the whining and complaining to start but they seemed just fine to help. 

Given, that I know I can be kind of a "drill Sargent"  (Jarrett's endearing nickname for me), I decided that after we were done, I'd stop with the other list of chores and surprise the boys with something fun. As we cleaned up and hosed off our legs that were covered with splattered dirt, we wrapped up the hose, picked up the vacuum and then I called the boys over to the edge of the pool and asked them to look down at the bottom. 

I said, "Boys, look, do you see that?" And before they could ask, "What mom?"  I playfully, pushed them into the pool, PJ's and all.  It was hilarious as their heads came back up out of the water, afraid that they were going to get in trouble for being in the pool without their swimming suits and I just smiled.  Then I  screamed, "YEA!!!!" and took a running leap and jumped right in too.  It was then that they realized it was for fun and started laughing their heads off. 

"Mom, you are so silly, did you know you pushed us in?  Gabriel said.

"Mommy, it is silly that we are swimming in our pajamas." Michael yelled.

Minutes later as we were swimming around, one by one they'd come up to me, give me a hug and say, "Mommy, I love you!  Thank you for letting me swim in my pajamas"   "Mom, I love you so much.  Thanks for letting us go swimming in our nighties." 

As we tried to cool off and swim in our PJ's, I realized how much fun it was not just for the boys, but for mom too.  It seems the list of chores is never ending and I guess I need to get better at just letting it be.  The boys are growing up in front of our eyes and soon enough, they'll want to spend more time with friends than we us.  I need to remember the lesson of quality time now.  I hope the boys will remember the day we swam in our pajamas... I know I'll remember it for a very very long time.

Until next time
angie

Gabriel and Jack...

Jack continues to do better and we are all thankful.  It seems that we are all much more protective and watchful of Jack than we had been before the attack. 

In fact Gabriel is so protective of Jack, that he's often the one telling Jarrett or I, "Mom, watch out for Jack. "  "Dad, can you move off the couch so Jack can lay on it?"  "Mom, can you give Jack a treat so he feels better."

In fact, the other afternoon, Gabriel went and sat down at his table and was drawing quietly on a his book.  When I walked over to see what he was doing, I see he had drawn a very adorable picture.  Here's what he drew...

That a picture of Jack in the middle with the words "I love Jack... Michael and Gabriel" around him. 

 I guess the saying is, "A man and his best friend."  In this case, I think it would be fair to say, "A boy and his best buddy." 

until next time,
Angie

It was a success!

So Gabriel's day was a big success!  The morning started at 4:40 a.m. as I awoke to his face right in front of mine as he leaned into our bed and whispered, "Mom, today's the day I go to Kindergarten!!!!!!"   Looking at the clock, I sent him back to his bed to go back to sleep and when I finally crawled out of bed at 5:15 a.m. I walked toward their room to find all the lights on.  As I walked in Michael was fast asleep with the lights on and Gabriel was sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for the moment when I'd give him the okay to start getting ready.

I laughed, turned the light out and told him to rest while I showered.  When I was finished, I came back, and gave him the go ahead.  He insisted on doing everything himself... getting his cereal, changing his clothes behind closed doors so he could give us the big reveal, combing his own hair so it would look handsome, carrying his bag, lunch pack, and water bottle.  He wanted to do it all and I tried to restrain myself to let him do as he wished.

We arrived at school and he was ready to jump out of the car, wave goodbye and never look back.  I guess it was just mom and dad who weren't ready yet to say goodbye.  We walked into the school where we took a few pictures with him and his teacher and then he decided to take some pictures on his own. 

Gabriel's teacher is wonderful and I think will be a great year! With the ring of the bell, the school day had started and Mrs. Smarik read the children a book while the parents watched and soaked up every last second.  The book was called "The Kissing Hand" and it is the story of a raccoon mom and her child.  The child raccoon had to go off to school and was a little worried going to a new strange place.  The momma raccoon kissed her son's hand and put it up to his cheek.  She then told him that if he missed his momma to just put his hand to his cheek and know that his momma was thinking of him.  Although the story is told much more eloquently, it basically caused all of the parents in the room to have tears in their eyes while the children attentively listened to the ending.   And as Mrs. Smarik said, "The end" we knew that was our signal to leave.  Gabriel came up to us and we kissed his hand and then hugged him, wishing him a great day.  And with that he was off to go back to his table and begin his first day at school.  Not a tear, a hesitation or even a look back.  Our little boy was ready and although we felt a heaviness in our hearts, we beamed with pride that he's growing into a great boy. 

Gabriel requested that his first day of school picture be with Jack.

Gabriel and his teacher

Gabriel then decided he wanted to take the camera and here are a few shots of of his classroom.

He LOVES the nametag!

Can you see who wasn't paying attention to the story?

Dad giving Gabriel a kiss on his hand and wishing him well for the day!


Although it was a great day for Gabriel, we also celebrated with Michael and the fact that he would now also have his own school.  We didn't want him to feel bad that we weren't celebrating with him so we tried to make it a big deal also that today was the first day he got to go to HIS own school also. 

Here's a short video of him talking about his excitement about what the day meant for him...

The day was a success for both boys and we look forward to tomorrow to see what new adventures it will bring.

Until next time,
Angie

The next chapter of his life...

This past week, we've been getting ready for Gabriel to move into the next chapter of life.  Although he graduated from pre-school back in May, this last week he attended he final day at pre-school and was thrilled with the idea that he'd soon be starting kindergarden. 

He's been counting down the days for over a week (well actually more than a few months) but now that we were down under the 10 day mark, each morning he'd wake up and say, "Mom, in 5 days I'll be going to Kindergarten", and so on.

Early last week, I make a special effort to take Gabriel school supply shopping all on his own and he was so proud to come home and show Daddy, Michael and even Jack all his necessary supplies.  It was wonderful to watch him celebrate each school supply as he took it from the plastic store sack and shoved them into his over sized, bigger-than-him, backpack (the one he insists on using even though it would better fit a 5th grader). 

Also last week, Gabriel came into my room one morning and said, "look mom!" as he proceeded to open up his mouth, point to one of his molars and wiggle it with his finger.  "Its loose!"  Immediately I decided, we'd better visit the dentist to check into it.  As we arrived to his appointment, I had prepared Gabriel by telling him there was a chance that they might pull it.  Being that this wasn't the first tooth he would have lost, he seemed thrilled with the idea.   In fact, on the way to the dentist office, he and Michael had a conference and decided it would be best to have the dentist pull all of Gabriel's teeth, then they'd get a lot of money from the tooth fairy and then they could buy a "whole bunch of new toys!"  I guess they don't realize how much new toys cost, because their tooth fairy doesn't pay all that well.

Sitting in the dentist chair, the dentist decided the tooth would indeed have to come out and at that point Gabriel decided he didn't want to give up all his teeth.  Pulling one would be okay but not the rest.   (On a side note, Mom decided that after getting the bill of how much it costs just to pull an already loose tooth, that we'll be pulling the rest of the teeth from home.)  Meanwhile Michael sat on my lap and insisted the dentist pull all of Gabriel's teeth.  When I asked if he wanted to have his tooth pulled, he said, "No, Mom, Gabriel's teeth are better, I need mine to eat."  So much for brotherly love huh?

Gabriel putting his daily snack into his backpack and his outfit for the first day sitting on the bed.  But he's not excited or anything!

Practicing for the first day...

See what I mean about the bag being big enough for a 5th grader.

Also last week, Gabriel came into my room one morning and said, "look mom!" as he proceeded to open up his mouth, point to one of his molars and wiggle it with his finger. "Its loose!" Immediately I decided, we'd better visit the dentist to check into it. As we arrived to his appointment, I had prepared Gabriel by telling him there was a chance that they might pull it. Being that this wasn't the first tooth he would have lost, he seemed thrilled with the idea. In fact, on the way to the dentist office, he and Michael had a conference and decided it would be best to have the dentist pull all of Gabriel's teeth, then they'd get a lot of money from the tooth fairy and then they could buy a "whole bunch of new toys!" I guess they don't realize how much new toys cost, because their tooth fairy doesn't pay all that well.
Sitting in the dentist chair, the dentist decided the tooth would indeed have to come out and at that point Gabriel decided he didn't want to give up all his teeth. Pulling one would be okay but not the rest. (On a side note, Mom decided that after getting the bill of how much it costs just to pull an already loose tooth, that we'll be pulling the rest of the teeth from home.) Meanwhile Michael sat on my lap and insisted the dentist pull all of Gabriel's teeth. When I asked if he wanted to have his tooth pulled, he said, "No, Mom, Gabriel's teeth are better, I need mine to eat." So much for brotherly love huh?
Less than 20 minutes later, Gabriel sat with his prized possession, a plastic treasure chest with a tooth inside.  We also learned that his 6 yr molars are starting to come in and the dentist informed me that those teeth are the first of his adult teeth.  Beaming from ear to ear with a bloody gauze in his mouth, he puffed up his chest and walked a little taller as we left the office.  Yet another milestone Gabriel was excited about in his quest to become an "adult" overnight. 

Showing us where the tooth was pulled.

As so tonight, we are preparing for the big day tomorrow.  I'm convinced I'm more filled with nerves and anxiety of what his first day will be like,  I have a feeling I'll be the emotional one tomorrow too.  He's so excited and thrilled to begin his first day at school, I'm excited for all of the fun and learning he'll experience this next year. 

One of my colleagues at work whose daughter graduated from college just last year, warned me and said, "Angie if you can get through the first drop off at kindergarten, you'll be able to handle every other drop off, including the one when they go to college."  So we'll see how tomorrow goes.  I'm so excited and happy for him to be growing into the wonderful student and child he strives to be.

Until next time,
angie

Is that what happens...

The last time we were at church, Gabriel tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to bend down so he could tell me something. 

I bent over and he whispered the following...

"Mom, when boys get older and become dads, do all dads lose their hair?"

I looked up to see that of the people sitting hear us, the majority of men around us (not including their dad) were dads with kids who were follically challenged. I guess to a 5-year-old who wasn't too interested in listening to the sermon,it might seem like a good time to make observations.

I smilied at him, nodded yes, and looked back up to listen.

Moments later, he tapped me on the shoulder again, "Mom, does the same thing happen to moms? I hope not mom, cause you won't look very pretty without any hair."

I said, "Don't worry Gabriel, that only happens to Dads." (sorry dad, I just figured this was the best way to answer so he couldn't come back with any more questions)

Until next time,
angie

Kindergarten Prep...

In 9 days Gabriel will start kindergarten.  It seems he's been excited about going for months and now that it is quickly approaching, I don't think he can hardly contain his excitement. Last week, I took the afternoon off and spent time just with him by going school shopping.

He was very excited to look at the list of school supplies he needs and he "read" the list substituting all of the things he actually needed with things he thought he needed or wanted to get. 
"Mom, I really need to get this huge water bottle, she mom, it says it right here."
"Okay Gabriel, actually this says, a box of 24 colors."
and so on we went through the school supplies section.

After purchasing enough supplies that I think will last for the next 3 years of school, we loaded up the car and took off.  I really enjoyed taking Gabriel school shopping as I remember doing it with my mom and siblings.  I'm so excited for him to begin this next journey as I watch him grow into a kid instead of a little child. 

As I started the car and started to drive out of the parking lot, Gabriel began to tell me the following...

"Mom, when I'm in Kindergarten, I'm not going to play outside, or play with my friends."
"Oh?" I responded.
"And Mom, I'm not going to eat snack or talk to my friends."
"Really Gabriel, why?"
"Mom, I'm just going to work, I'm going to work work work work work, all day long.  Mom, I've got to work really hard so I can be ready for 1st grade." 
"Oh wow Gabriel, it is great that you are going to work so hard, I think that will make your teacher proud and your mom, but honey, are you sure you're not going to get too hungry or want to play with your friends."
"Okay Mom, I'll eat lunch and play with my friends just one day Mom okay. Will that make you happy?  Then the rest of the days, I'm just going to work."
"Gabriel, if that's what you want to do, that is okay.  We'll see, though you may change your mind."
"oh and Mom, I'm going to wear my backpack with just one strap like the big kids for one day.  Then the rest I'll wear with two Mom, I know you'll like that better."

I just smiled, laughed to myself and kept driving home.

Until next time,
angie