Party Animal!

He has his own passport now! It came in the mail recently.

Sunday he wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with pepper-jack cheese on it.  He said you couldn't really taste the spicy in the cheese.

He loves trying on our shoes, especially  my boots. He likes that my tall boots make him stand higher. He tried on my flat boots and said, "mommy, these boots fit me. Can I keep them in my room?" I told him they didn't fit him, they fit me. He said they couldn't fit me and stuck his foot next to mine and tried to convince me that the boots were not the same size as the shoes I was wearing.

We've been discussing ideas to improve his playhouse. We'd love to build more onto it to keep him interested. Right now, he loves hanging upside down on the trapeze, and also using a bungee cord to pull toys up the slide behind him.  I asked him if he could add anything he wanted to a playhouse - what would it be. "A cave!" What would be in the cave?  "Nothing but a lot of flashlights."  He also wants a fire pole. He loves sliding down the fire pole at the park. I suggested some monkey bars and a bridge too. He has enjoyed drawing some ideas of his castle but asks every day if we're building it today! I told him we don't have money right now, but when we do, we'll start adding some new features as we can.

Sunday afternoon, we had professional portraits taken at a farm in Franklin. Daddy told him if he is cooperative the entire time, then there would be something good for him later. (probably a new toy)  Andrew was an angel!  Very cooperative and pleasant for the first hour and a half. The last half hour he was having a harder time staying focused and was constantly talking, moving, or making tooting noises (that was how she made him laugh, but after an hour and a half it wasn't really making anyone laugh anymore, but Andrew was still trying.) And he was getting more goofy in an exaggerated way. Once he decided to kiss me on the cheek and then kept trying to kiss me on the mouth. I kept trying to tell him no, he only gets the cheek - but he finally snuck it in one time and was so proud of himself. We took along a wagon to carry our extra clothing and drinks. Andrew enjoyed getting a ride in it, and loved pulling it around as we moved around the farm.When we were done, he told the photographer, "it was sweet meeting you."
We hit up Mellow Mushroom pizza on the way home because it was close by. That took forever so we didn't have time to go to Target for a new toy yet. Andrew looked so tired we were certain he'd fall asleep in the car. Nope. He talked nonstop.  At one point I spoke to daddy and Andrew said, "hey! You interrupted. You didn't wait for me to finish."  I told him, "If I wait for you to be finished, I'll never get to say anything to daddy! You don't stop."  I apologized to him and explained that he did finish a sentence when I started talking, but he started talking again once I started - I didn't know he wasn't finished. But seriously - he doesn't stop talking sometimes so you don't get a chance to say something to someone else!

After brushing his teeth, he was finishing drinking some water. Daddy said no more water. "Okay Daddy. You won't have to tell me twice to do something ever again. I will listen and obey the first time. (pause) Except for meetings. You might have to remind me at meetings because it's hard to remember."

We hung out at the park for a bit after school Monday. He was great, kind, and obedient! When we first got there, Alli and Jamie were there. Then there were kids hollering out their car windows as they went by, "Hi Andrew!!"   At violin, not once did he complain about his legs or make a fuss trying to sit down. He played all the songs very well; he stayed focused and cooperative, never getting silly. He has been amazing all day!  After dinner we went to Target and let him pick out his reward toy for being so good for pictures. He picked a spiderman airplane that launches two plastic webs.
On the way home he asked, "Do you know who I am going to marry when I grow up? Natalie V. because she's always pretty and she's kind to me."  It's a girl in his class.

Andrew comes in holding two dark blue shirts that look identical.  "What shirt should I wear today, light blue, or dark blue?"  I suggest dark blue.
"Which dark blue? This one or this one? (alternating holding one higher than the other.) I point to one.  "Okay."  Then as he walks away, "I'm really sorry - I'm all out of light blue anyway. Sorry about that."

Tuesday I watched as Kindergarteners walked to their area to wait for cars to pick them up. Andrew is number 65, usually near the end of the line. Today... no Andrew. I was starting to panic when I finally see him and two other boys with a different teacher. The other teacher brought him to his spot and I saw his K teacher lean over him and check his head and face before having him sit down.  Apparently, Andrew wasn't watching where he was going and walked right into a pole and fell over. He said he was fine, didn't cry or anything. On the way home, though, he couldn't get his seat to buckle properly and burst into tears. I reached back and snapped it closed but he kept sobbing. I asked him if he was hurt and he said no. I told him he must need to cry so to just let it out. (I think it had to do with hitting his head.) He cried all the way home. I unbuckled him and kissed his leg. He gave a soft smile. I kissed his cheek and he smiled bigger and then told me to stop kissing him. He hopped out and was fine after that.  He told me ice cream would make him feel better, but I said not until after dinner.
I did show him that daddy set him up with his very own computer! He was excited when I showed him he could email, and there were bookmarks for pbskids and learningeggs on his desktop, as well as a notepad.  He read an email he already got from Nana. I asked him if he'd like to reply and he shook his head no and asked if there are any games to play on it. lol

Tuesday evening, cousins Charles and Marion came to visit. Andrew was very eager to show them his new computer. He enjoyed trying to engage in the conversations at dinner. Afterward he wanted to show them his trick outside. Marion told him he had to wait thirty minutes, and showed the hands on her watch. He came in to check after 15 minutes.  Once outside, he ran to his trapeze and held himself upside down with hands dangling below his head. Then he did it again with the trapeze swinging. He did a flip off of it. One of the times he flipped he landed on his bottom and hit his head on the ground.  Then he got in his swing and jumped out of it mid-swing. Then he lay his chest in the swing and spun around in circles until his toes couldn't touch anymore and then let it spin.  Then it was time to have a little ice cream and be off to bed.

Wednesday at meeting he was drawing sweet little pictures of us as a family. But he kept shoving it in my face to take a look. It was very distracting. And he kept talking to me during daddy's talk. I finally took him outside for a chat. Asking him why we come to the meeting? How can we learn if we don't listen? Do you think the brothers have worked hard on their talks? How do we show them respect? Although he is answering those questions - he's also fiddling with the bricks on the walls and watching other people coming and going, and trying to listen to their conversations instead of me. I finally gave up trying to keep his attention. We were all tired and he wasn't being bad at all - just distracting to me. I told him he can color all he wants - just stop talking and putting it in my face.

Thursday we hung out at the park again. He seemed overly sensitive today (not uncommon when he's hit his head, and that was two days ago)  He was bouncing on a one-person step when a much bigger kid got on it and bounced too hard for andrew to stay on. Andrew got off and yelled, "hey! Why did you step on there? I was already there!"  The kid just stared at him and Andrew turned his back and sat in the grass upset. I sat in the grass with him and told him, "some kids are just mean for no good reason. But it really means that they're not happy people. Something isn't right in their life. So you just keep being a kind, good person and don't worry about them."  He got up and continued to play with two girls his age.
He was back on the bouncing step and a girl called out to him, "Hurry! The ship is sinking!"  Andrew jumped down and said, "Don't worry! I'll save it!" and ran up the steps to the wheel. "There, I saved it!"  When she came up to the wheel he guarded it and shortly told her no she couldn't touch the wheel. I reminded him to share. He got upset and went to sit under a dome. I asked him if he was sad and he said, "you got me in trouble."  I told him, "You're not in trouble - I was just reminding you to share."  He was content with that and went back to playing with the girls.
Later one of the girls decided to play dead. Andrew and the second girl came running to her side. Andrew swiped his hand across hers and she got up saying he hurt her fingers. She was sad. Andrew defensively said, "I didn't mean to hurt you! I wasn't trying to hurt you! I wasn't trying to hurt you!" She got up and walked away.  I told Andrew he needs to say he is sorry and he again told me he didn't mean to hurt her. I said the kind and polite thing to do is still say 'i'm sorry' and ask if there is something he can do to make her feel better. Like a hug. He starts walking up the steps toward her and says, "no one hugs me!"  I reminded him that I do all the time!  He apologized and asked if there was anything he could do to make her feel better. She said she just wanted to be alone for a while.
He loves hanging on the bars, and going down the fire pole. He is working on trying to climb up the firepole. He likes sitting in the tire swing with his arms and legs hanging over the sides and being spun around. He has the biggest smile on his face as he is screaming with delight.  He also likes digging in the dried up creek.
When we got home, he screamed when the dogs came near him so he climbed to the top of the back of the couch by the window and opened some mail from Publix. He tried playing with playdough but got mad that it was hardened and Charlie kept sniffing him. So he went to his computer. He was delighted to open an animated punchbowl card from Nana (he gasped with delight when the card automatically opened to reveal the inside). I just happened to be walking past the office when that happened. Then later he came to ask me for help to spell "send".  He wrote this back to her all by himself: "Andrew I love nana you r so nise I wil send card"   He has apparently been emailing Nana and Aunt Sandi all on his own - no help from me! One message he got from Aunt Sandi had a smiley face emoticon in it. He figured out how to get the emoticons into an email and sent a heart, a lobster, and a broken heart in a message. Then he was worried that she wouldn't like the broken heart. lol 
I'm just dumbfounded that he JUST turned 5 and is already comprehending how to send messages by email!
After he was done on the computer he helped me make some pizza dough and "decorate the pizza" with minced veggies. Then I rolled it up to make pizza pinwheels. The boys watched Iron Giant with dinner, and I bribed Andrew to drink raw milk straight (without almond milk in it too) with dinner by offering ice cream later. The movie scared him from the beginning but he watched the whole thing. After he'd gone to bed, he came back out, "I hate what I'm thinking about... the Iron Giant. I hated that movie." I suggested he think about things that make him happy - like playing with Samantha or Allison. He cheered up and went back to bed.

Friday he was very emotional after school, so I had him take a nap when we got home. Then we went to a golf course to help set up for a wedding. We were there for a few hours. Andrew really wanted to roller blade with the other kids but we didn't have a helmet for him and I am most certain his emotions have been rampant because of hitting his head this week.  We had dinner with Ann and Fred at Cracker Barrel before getting to bed late.

All day Saturday he looked forward to "the party."  In the morning we walked over to a yard sale and they let him pick out a beanie baby. He picked a Moose and named him Moosie. He came home and made a thank you note and rode his bike to deliver it. We did practice his bible reading and violin, and he got to go swimming while I was over at the Arnold's taking pre-wedding photos.

At the wedding reception, they had glow sticks and smarties candy and little poppers on the kids table that were a huge hit. Andrew didn't want to stop to eat dinner. He did ask if he could have some chocolate covered strawberries - I told him to help himself and have all he wants. Their chocolate fountain wasn't cooperating so he got chocolate all over his hands but loved it. When another parent asked if he'd asked his parents first, he said, "They said I could have whatever I want!"
When the dancing got going, he asked if he could join, but then was nervous trying to break through the back line of people standing dancing in place for the band. I finally went through and encouraged him to follow.... he didn't stop dancing the rest of the night!  Late in the night he asked, "where did all my friends go?"  - the only two kids left there were passed out on chairs!  At the end, he helped break down Devon's music gear and load it into his truck. We got home at 11:48pm!  (and yet he was still up at 7am Sunday!)

Sunday he said we were going back to the party. We explained it was over. He said, "but there are presents they need to open!"  Later he asked, "Did you watch when Devon kissed her brain?"  (He meant kiss her head. At school the teacher says kiss your brain and they kiss their hand and touch the top of their heads.) 

He hung out at the neighbors house much of the afternoon. Amber had a friend there. I went over and played catch, "bolleyball", and dodge ball (they didn't explain to him how to play first so he was out right away) before bringing him in for dinner.