Cauliflower Ear- Maybe Not!

The boys both started wrestling practice last night. All they do at home is wrestle each other, so why not get them where they are trained correctly, and possibly be a little more safe. Wishful thinking, I know. Bodey has always had a natural wrestling build. Pretty stout. He also has a way of nestling someone down on the ground and holding them there, so why not?!? Booker seems to get bored with team sports, so we wanted to try an individual sport this winter. Wrestling won, again.

Now, I do have the fear of my two precious babies running around with cauliflower ear at a very young age... but, alas! The Tonganoxie Club is forcing all kids to wear headgear this year! Dusty couldn't understand it. He said it was optional when he was growing up, and hardly anyone wore it. Uh huh. Just like car seats and bike helmets. Our kids DON'T KNOW HOW STUPID WE WERE! It is what they will always know. And I love it!

We have struggled in the past with the coaches we have gotten stuck with in sports. They seem to lack any fire under their butt, and, sorry, but when you are coaching 4 and 5 year olds, you gotta be in charge. And you have to let them know that right away. Like with a loud whistle. That's what Coach Wrestler (don't know his name) did last night. Forty 4 and 5 year olds - eyes on him. He yelled orders at them loudly so they could all hear. Another A+ in my book. He threatened them with mountain climbers. My boys don't even know what they are, but they know there is a consequence if they talk and don't listen. I was also very pleased with the material he taught them on day 1. No messing around with this guy. You are gonna practice, and you are gonna learn. There wasn't an attitude of, "Well, they might be too young to learn that." Nope... that was my job. The coach taught them, and I doubted their ability to do the hard things he was teaching them. But how could I forget that I live with two little sponges eager to learn new things... especially cool WWE/Power Ranger/Transformer moves!

Bodey really surprised me. He was so focused. The entire 45 minutes. That is rare for this little man of energy. But this was right up his alley and he was totally digging it. Bodey is also the kid that wants to do something, watches someone else do it, and then masters it himself. A monkey see, monkey do dude.

Booker did really well, too. Although, he still has a ho-hum attitude about all sports in general. He wasn't as overly aggressive or as enthused as Bodey, but basically did everything he was asked. I was really proud of him.

My camera flash wouldn't reach Booker way over on the other side of the mat, but here are a few shots of Bodey in action. He looked so big out there. Maybe it's because he didn't have his glasses on? I don't know, but all of a sudden he looked like a teenager. He's the one in the big purple headgear that is going to save those precious little ears!

"Fall"ing Behind

Wow, this fall has been insanely busy. We just finished Booker's football season. Some days he liked football, others he had absolutely no interest, but it was cute to watch either way. Booker seems to be getting a little more interested in sports. He brought home the below picture from school the other day. He drew all of those sports teams except the Wildcat, which Dusty drew. I thought they were great!

Halloween, once again, proved itself crazy busy, but tons of fun! We began the festivities with Bodey's school Trunk or Treat. I wasn't sure what to expect, but some of those moms (names not to be mentioned for fear of being de-friended on Facebook! :) ) really go all out! They dress up in costume and their trunks look fabulous! Here was mine, just plain jane, but got the job done.

And here comes the little parade of preschoolers! Bodey was a Nascar driver for his school event, but a rodeo clown for trick-or-treating. They must have practiced their wave before coming outside. And at each car they politely asked, "May I have a treat, please?" instead of TRICK-OR-TREAT! It was music to my ears!

We also ventured out to Lee's Summit to Paradise Park for a little fun. Booker drove his own go-cart, and did very well. He never hit a wall. Then Dusty took Bodey for a spin. They hit a few walls.

Then, at the last minute, on Halloween Eve, we carved our pumpkins and roasted our seeds.

On Halloween, Booker's school had a costume parade and their classroom parties. Booker was Optimus Prime, but wouldn't wear his mask.

Booker making marshmallow goblins.

And, finally, candy. Candy. Candy. If you didn't notice, Booker is not Optimus Prime in this picture. That is because 15 minutes before we left the house, he changed his mind and wanted to be the same dinosaur he was last year. Whatever. I have learned to pick my battles. So, here is my little dinosaur and rodeo cowboy, ready to devour Nana & Papa's neighborhood.

And they each came home with two overly stuffed, heavy pillow cases of candy. And we still have way too much of it. And my waistline is expanding. And that's what our fall has been all about!

Oh yeah, and last night we went to see the wolves at the high school. Not sure I bought the whole spiel of the man's speech, but it was really neat to see live wolves. Booker even got to touch one!