How Is My Baby FIVE?

In honor of Chief's Friday, here's my happy lil Chief's fan!

And the big FIVE year old!

Bodey, I'm not quite sure how you did it, but you woke up five years old this morning.  I told you I wasn't going to let you, but you did it anyways.  Secretly, I'm really happy.  So happy to have such a healthy boy that is growing overnight.  

When I woke up to sing happy birthday to you, in true Bodey fashion, this is how it went.

          Me (singing):  Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you....

          You interrupt:  Um, mom?  I had a wet fart!

And that was how your fifth birthday started!

You are the most fun-loving, crazy, redneck, tough, lovable, ornery, sweet, funny, and smiley 5-year old I know!  We love you!

Not All It's Cracked Up to Be

Conversation tonight while tucking in Bodey:

Me:  This is my last night hugging you as a 4-year old.  Did you know when you wake up in the morning you'll be five??

Bodey, extremely excited:  Yeah, and I probably won't fit into any of my clothes!!!

Me:  Do you think you'll be a lot bigger in the morning, too?

Bodey:  Well, ya, I'll be five.  Booker's six and he's a lot bigger!!!

Poor kid, what a let down!!

Thunder and Major

We said good-bye to Thunder and Major tonight.  I went to feed the frogs their crickets, which is normally really entertaining to watch because Booker's frog, Thunder, attacks the crickets, and Bodey's frog, Major, is sooooo lazy you have to move the crickets right to it's mouth.  Major was lucky enough to have a cricket basically jump in his mouth tonight, but I noticed Booker's wasn't attacking.  I knew right away that he was dead.  And I was scared.  I've been dreading a pet passing away for a while now because the kids get so attached... even to frogs.  I have to admit I was a tad attached to them too.  My heart just dropped.  I told Booker and he immediately burst into tears.  I just went and loved on him, telling him sorry, and gave him the speech that pets are only here for a short period of time and we are so lucky to get to enjoy them for that short time.  While Booker was crying Bodey said he could share his frog with him.  Then we gave in to Booker's request to bury him in the front yard (not the back yard because he didn't want Avery to dig him up).  While I was outside digging a hole in our landscaping, Dusty somehow talked Bodey into letting his frog free, so he wouldn't die too.  Bodey thought that was a good idea.  What a strong little boy.  So we buried one, let the other go, and then celebrated with ice cream that Thunder was partying it up in Heaven!

Booker's a 1st Grader!

Day one of 1st grade - success!!  I was relieved that Booker wasn't nervous, anxious, scared or sad to march right in to school this morning.  Makes it a little easier on mom, who is nervous, anxious, scared and sad.  After school he had a great report, with a few details, which is different from last year.  Almost every day last year his response on how his day went was "good."  Today he told me about recess, jitter juice (they got to drink to help them get rid of any first day jitters), what he found outside, who he played with, who got to move their card to purple, etc.  He loves his teacher and is ready for day two!

The End of Summer

This was my first full summer off with my kids; something I've always looked forward to.  I had a lot of big, fun things on our agenda... but really didn't accomplish much.  We played in true summer fashion.  We have the other 9 months of the year to have our agenda packed, so we just did whatever came up.  We played with friends, went to the movies, went to Montana, had swimming lessons, attended a wrestling camp, rode 4-wheelers, tended to our garden, played t-ball, and went to the pool.  We swam about 3 days a week.  This proved to not only be fun and a good time killer, but very educational.  I cannot believe how far my boys came in 8 weeks of free time in the pool.  The first day at the pool I was very much on guard, debating whether or not they should have their floaties on.  I strictly laid the law on where they could and couldn't go.  By the end of the summer they were doing just about anything and everything they wanted.  They learned how to do front and back flips in the water, mastered floating, worked on swimming on their fronts and backs, dove for all sorts of toys at the bottom of the pool, went on the slide, and jumped off the diving boards.  Bodey really excelled in his swimming skills.  He is more of a natural swimmer than Booker.  Booker is very tight and tense in the water, causing him to sink easily.  Bodey is so much more relaxed and easier to teach.  It really hit home how far they have come on Sunday, when we went to a birthday party at the Y.  They changed their rules that if you haven't passed the swim test, you have to wear a life jacket.  The test?  Swimming 25 meters without touching the ground, rope or wall.  Booker jumped in and swam the ugliest 25 meters I have ever seen.  He took a breath about every foot, he looked like he was struggling the entire way, and I think the lifeguard thought he was going to have to go in after him several times.  But he made it and was so proud of himself!  Bodey jumped in and started swimming a very strong freestyle.  He made it to about 10 feet from the end, and said he was scared and grabbed the wall... so he had to wear a life jacket.  But not for long.  He couldn't do flips with his life jacket on, so we asked if he could test again, and he passed with flying colors.  I was so proud of them both.  Next summer, we are going to do swim team with Jen's girls.  I see my anxiety about my kids being in water slowly disappearing.  And that is such a good feeling!

Booker starts 1st grade tomorrow.  I can't believe he's that old already.  The entire summer I was dreading school starting.  Until last week.  Now it is time.  These boys need time away from each other - and their mother!  And I need some time without kids in my house so I can attempt to clean it without them dirtying it right behind me.

Bodey will start his second (and last) year of preschool on Monday.  He technically could have gone to kindergarten this year, but the thought of having my babies graduate high school back to back kills me!  And,  truthfully, he's just not ready.  He needs another year to mature.  Hopefully one year will do the trick!  His 5th birthday is quickly approaching.  FIVE?  My baby is almost FIVE?  That's not a baby, and that makes me sad.  We plan on celebrating his birthday at Screamin' Oaks Farm with some of his closest friends and family.  Should be a good time!

The boys riding their 4-wheelers at Nana & Papa's.

The Wild Things

He has an eye for bugs!

Whittling wood with their pocket knives.

4th of July at the T-Bones!

Struggling

I am struggling because Bodey is struggling.  We've had two days in a row now where he has been on his worst behavior at the Y.  He is hurting his friends, whose parents are my friends.  I fear for Bodey.  I fear that we are never going to be able to dig to the bottom of this behavior, and I fear he won't have any friends. It's extremely frustrating.  I don't think people understand how difficult it is to parent a resistant child.  I feel like I'm being judged by everyone.  I feel like I'm completely failing as a parent.  My only proof that I'm not a completely horrible parent is Booker.  I'm looking forward to school starting so we have a set schedule again.  But I'm also dreading it, because school is a prime location for Bodey to act up.  And then I get to deal with his poor teachers, and their newest, latest and greatest plan for managing my disruptive kid.  I gotta hand it to them though, they are really good!  On a good note, Bodey used to act like this every single day.  Now it just goes in spurts.  Really bad spurts.  But, now I am going back to square one of reading books and praying for help.  Positive pep talks and all forms of discipline aren't really getting the job done.  Hopefully he outgrows this.