ARCHIVES OCT 6-SEPTEMBER

Thursday October 05, 2006
Soccer Star Nathan's Updates
I was reading the last Blog I did in September and thought I'd update it. Nathan didn't end up playing soccer at his first game. He just stood on the starting line. He never moved a muscle. He just stood. I have great pictures.
Nathan missed his second game because we were at the State Fair.
For Nathan's third game, I psyched him out. I made him a special meal with lots of Soccer Star Food. I gave him a special 'firework' (Christmas stencil) that would help him run fast and make goals, and then we were off to the fields. Nathan and his best friend were the only two there so they ran drills and wrestled on the field until the rest of Nathan's friends trickled in. At the whistle, they were off. Nathan got in there and kicked some good kicks and I was so happy that I almost cired......then Daddy showed up. After Steve's appearence, Nathan the Soccer Star turned back into Nathan the Lump. After the first quarter whistle, Nathan was taken out of the game (they rotate) and then put back in during the third quarter. Nathan started off ok, but not with the zeal he had at his pre-daddy game. After a teammate pushed him, Nathan had had enough and sat on the sideline until his coach pulled him out. Nathan was put back in for the fourth quarter after he randomly ran out durning the game. He assisted in our only goal with made his daddy very proud. Perhaps, Nathan will like soccer afterall.... :o)
Posted by at 16:52 Permanent Link Comments (1)
Nothing, Zilch, Banana
This week Nathan's teacher started handing out a calendar that we receive every day in Nathan's backpack. It monitors his behavior each day with a green smiley face, blue grumpy face, yellow frowny face and a red angry face. Now that we know how Nathan did at school each day, he has decided that he wants to be a Kindergarten dropout. Every morning we have the same conversation:
Nathan: Mom, I don't wanna go to school today. I want to quit.
Me: Why, Nathan? I thought you liked school.
Nathan: No, I hate it. I want to stay home all day and play video games.
Me: NO, if you don't get an education you won't be able to be a _______(whatever career he decided to be the day before).
Nathan: I don't want to be that anymore, I want to be a ball thrower.
Me: A ball thrower? What do they do?
Nathan: They throw balls.
Me: (Duh?!) Who do they throw balls to?
Nathan: Dogs.
Me: Ohhhh how will you feed the dogs?
Nathan: With my birthday money, of course!

Of course.... couldn't we all live off of our birthday money?!

Friday September 22, 2006
Firsts
Things have been very busy in the Saenz household! We've had Open House, Soccer Practice, and Sparks just to name a few. Steve and I have a show tonight and EARLY the next morning is Nathan's soccer game.
This morning Kalea and I had our formal Friday breakfast with real food instead of whatever fits in ziplocks for the car ride to church. After we ate, Kalea found the bubbles. At first she was thrilled to watch them. After a while, she enjoyed popping them with her pudgy fingers. This was briefly exciting until this got old and she decided that it was her turn to blow the bubbles. Kalea wasn't content just to blow into the wand I held in front of her lips, she wanted to do all of the holding, dipping, and blowing all by herself. The first few times she held, dipped and blew no bubbles appeared. To her dismay, the actions weren't enough. She thought a little bit and then held, dipped and blew one more time, and to Kalea's and my surprise, a small bubble formed and few out into the air. She was estatic!
Nathan's first is kind of a funny first. It got chilly this week, so he's being wearing his uniform pants and jeans. Day three of jeans Nathan looks down and says, "Hey mom, I wore these yesterday!" It only took him four weeks of school to realize that all of his uniforms look exactly alike.
I've had a first bad mommy moment in a long time. The worst part is that it has carried through to today as well. Nathan had a soccer practice last night and after one ball bunder, he decided that he hated soccer and didn't want to play.....ever again. I reminded him that he loved soccer and begged us to sign him up. I reminded him how cool his uniform was and how much he liked his teammates. After all of my reminding, Nathan's desire to sit out and never play soccer again was unrelenting. I told him that it was ok if he didn't want to play soccer any more, but he had to come to every practice and game to support his teammates regardless if he played. Nathan got up and walked over to the goal cones and gradully, one by one kicked them over and away from the goal area. After the first two, I shouted over to Nathan to stop. He looked at me and then took down the whole goal area. I walked over to him and he took one look at my "you're going to get a spanking face" and started crying. He threw himself down on the ground and in one swift motion, I picked him up, flipped him over and spaked his little behind. I spanked him in front of his friends. I spanked him in front of their parents. I spanked him in front of the entire Pee Wee Cheerleading Squad and their parents and sibblings. I spanked him in front of the entire Pee Wee football team and their parents. I spanked him in front of God and His green earth. I gave Nathan two big swats in front of everyone! Then this morning, I didn't notice that Nathan's second sheet of completed homework didn't make it to school with him and we were out of fresh fruit for 'bring fruit to PE' day so I had to sent a package if oranges floating in sugar water. I am so discouraged as a mommy. Hopefully Nathan will play at his game tomorrow and all will be well.
Posted by at 11:07 Permanent Link Comments (1)
Friday September 15, 2006
Nathan's Biggest Complaints
Nathan LOVES school, but he does have a few complaints. Here are a few in no paticular order.
1. The girls won't stop kissing me!
2. My teacher is too bossy!
3. The cafeteria is lousey.
4. I don't like going to English, I just want to stay in Spanish ALL DAY.
5. All of the kids in class can't hear because the teacher has to yell at them.
Posted by at 11:53 Permanent Link Comments (0)
Monday September 11, 2006
Kalea go round
I took the kiddos out on the playground after church on Sunday to play while we waited for Steve to get out of his meeting. After playing for a while they both gravitated to the little push merry-go-round. Kalea sat in the middle while I slowly pushed it around to see what Kalea would do. She has never ridden a merry-go-round so I was a bit nervous about what she would do. She sat for a while watching the scenery slowly spin around her. After drinking in all of the colors, she tenitively grabbed the rail and stood up. Here it comes, I thought, Kalea is going to do a wild woman jump off of the merry-go-round while it is still spinning. I braced myself to jump up and grab her. Kalea stood up slowly and after regaining her balance, she let go of the rail, raised her arms above her head and joyfully twirled her body around like a ballerina while still on the spinning merry-go-round. This child is definitely ready for roller coasters!
Posted by at 16:36 Permanent Link Comments (0)
Wednesday September 06, 2006
Kalea's First Day of School
Today was Kalea's first day of MDO (Mother's Day Out) and my very first day of having her in institutional care and not having to work. It was pretty nice. Her new class is located in her old Sunday school room, so she knew the ropes by heart. Mom drops me off and then mom picks me up later. I put her on the floor, introduced myself to her teacher and then tried to leave. There was another family blocking the door so I stood awkardly while they chatted annoyingly not budging from the door. Kalea went over to pick out a toy and her teacher trying to be friendly, tried to strike up a conversation with Kalea. Kalea threw her a dirty look and walked way around her teacher not even trying to be polite. This very thing is why I love kids. They don't even try to be fake or nice. They just do their thing.
When I came to pick Kalea up, her teachers said that she did great. They said that she was the only one who didn't cry and told me, to my relief, that she didn't take a nap. (YESSSS!!!) After I nabbed Kalea, I went around to my hallway friends to find out how Kalea's day really went. Pretty much everyone said they heard her teacher saying things like, "boy, Kalea is fast" and "ooooo you gotta watch that one (while pointing to Kalea)." Yep.....when her teacher gets comfortable with me, I will hear all about the Kalea climbing what what stories. Apparently, she is also a crayon eater. :o)
Nathan got his soccer jersey, socks and shorts last night. We are all very excited about Nathan the soccer star! Pictures will be in two weeks!!!
Posted by at 16:17 Permanent Link Comments (1)
Friday September 01, 2006
Something Old, Something New
Now that Nathan is settled in school, Kalea and I are working to develop a routine of our own. On days I don't work, Kalea and I take the short drive home while Kalea picks old food out of her seat to eat. (I provide good food, but she likes the old food better.) We get home to our big, empty house and Kalea leads the kittys through our front door with a chubby hand on each of their necks. The trio of kiddie and kitties walk straight through the house to the back door where I let them all go back outside. In the backyard a slight breeze always travels through the russling tree branches, through the windchimes and then down to us gently lifting Kalea's hair. Kalea smiles at the feel of it and then proceeds to feed the kitties, making the grown up clicking noise that I usually make giving the kitties notice of the arrival of their food; the self made dinner bell. After that, it is our breakfast. Kalea eats, feeds Elmo and then watches Elmo on TV while changing his diaper in the living room. It's the same every day. School. Kitty breakfast. Our breakfast. Elmo's breakfast. It sounds borning, but there is comfort in the familiar.
Yesterday we introduced Kalea to her 'new big girl bed.' She is neither big, nor sleeping in a new bed. The bed belonged to another kid, then to Nathan and now to Kalea. It is a large plastic yellow car that will be girl-ized when I have time to paint flowers on the back corner. I was unsure about the move, but our first attempt at sleep went better than I could expect. I put Kalea in the big bed for her nap, and after fussing for a second or two, she fell silent. I went in to check on her and she was lying in her big bed grasping the rails of her crib for protection. Mommy doubt always kicks in after a move towards big kiddedness, but safety-wise Steve and I have decided that it was time for the move. I had to work late last night so Steve was in charge of bedtime. Steve said that at 8:00, Kalea grabbed her Mimi and her kitty kitty blanket and laid down in bed and just went to sleep. Unlike Nathan, she slept through the night without any problems!