Stupid Cold… sports...birthdays…. cellos….

Argh. It did turn out to be a cold.  Jonathan has it too and seems to be on the same timeline, so I guess we picked it up at preschool or the grocery store. LOL. Ah well… could be worse. Still, annoying and time sucking. I haven't gotten anything done this weekend.

Ben's basketball team lost their last game of the season to a tough team yesterday morning. Close score though, so super frustrating. Even more frustrating is that we are scheduled to play the first round of playoffs Wednesday night against the ONE team that beat us really badly during the season. Ugliest game of the season. Kind of discouraging since, once you lose in the playoffs, you're out. On the other hand, it immediately frees up all upcoming Wednesdays and Saturdays until swim season. ;) So, positives and negatives there. ;)

He says he wants to play basketball for his school team next year, which I think is AWESOME. It will provide a built-in frequent and regular social outlet, which he desperately craves and I can't always give him enough of because…frankly, two little brothers sometimes make that challenging.  He likely won't make the "A" team as a sixth grader (and a tiny sixth grader at that), but they have a "B" team. There are barely enough kids to make an "A" team, so he'll be able to play in some capacity no matter what. (Hooray for small schools! LOL!)

Trying to decide what to do for his 11th birthday. We were talking about a cool home-party glowing backlight bash, but a few days ago, it occurred to me that he has only been invited to ONE birthday party this year, which makes me think maybe 11-year-old boys don't really have "birthday parties" per say…  and that this is some unspoken rule i'm not aware of since he is my oldest?  Anyone have any intel on this?

Tom and I were talking and we're thinking maybe we'll offer him a cool day out/trip somewhere (Philly? Great Wolf?) and then let just let him invite two friends over for a sleepover one day soon.

Yesterday, I took Simon to cello and met the teacher for the first time. (Tom took him last week) He's very nice. He does GREAT with Simon.  I was particularly impressed when the lesson was over and he said goodbye. Simon sort of mumbled goodbye in reply and looked the other direction (as he tends to do)  The teacher actually stopped him and said, (very nicely) "Simon, can you look at me when you say goodbye?"  OMG! This is something I always encourage teachers to do with him because we are REALLY working on this.

Anyway, Simon is doing much better with the individual instruction. He has taken him back to the very beginning and is working on perfecting his bow hold and tone, which the large group teacher didn't really have much time to focus on with the kids.  He says he is doing very well! When he practices, he takes it very seriously now and is doing a great job. I think this is definitely going to continue be a good activity for him in many ways. :)

Not much else to report. I have been going combing through my archives, starting at the very beginning, replacing pictures whose links long ago went dead. Also adding labels. Those weren't an option way back "in the day!" LOL. It's a long project, but I've just been doing a few pages a day. It's amazing to look back at the very beginning…. when I first found out I was pregnant with Ben, his ultrasound, all the crazy things I cared about as a first-time mom… I even have an entry about his first cold with a photo of a pile of "supplies". I'm sure these elementary school years posts will seem just as funny a decade from now when I have a 21, 18, and 14-year-old. (OMG) I love having it all to look back on and laugh and revisit though. :)

On a sadder note, in light of current events in our little town, I also find myself being incredibly thankful for three healthy pregnancies and deliveries…. and, even more importantly, three healthy kids. You see, one of Simon's preschool classmates who also goes to our elementary school, is losing her battle with leukemia after a third relapse. It's heartbreaking and, to my mom-brain, completely unfathomable and unfair. As I revisit old posts about stitches, colds, ear infections and just regular childhood stuff,  I can't help thinking how Ava's mom has not lived without constant worry for her daughter's life since she was two years old. :(  Praying for them often…. I can not even imagine.

Bubbles for Jonathan!

I took Jonathan to his first Gymboree class this afternoon! He was so cute... when we walked in, he clung to me like a tiny monkey. I could have let go and would have just hung there around my neck. He was taking it all in though and about ten minutes into it, he was grinning ear to ear at Miss Sue's singing. Then he took off and helped himself to balls out of the ball bucket and didn't look back.

He loved the bubbles! BOY did he love the bubbles. I picked up a set on the way out so we can do them at home too. :) Gotta love those awesome bubbles!

We didn't sign up today because I really can't take him regularly until school starts for the older two. It will be a fun thing to look forward to on Thursdays in the fall though! Can't wait to do Gymbo the third time around! (and this time, with no older brothers to worry about keeping entertained while we play!)

Miss Sue couldn't get over how much he looks like Ben. (which is getting more and more true the older Jonathan gets, honestly) She just kept saying how it was liked Ben had been cloned. LOL.

Tried to only INTERNALLY roll my eyes at all the moms there who are determined to spend the entire 45 minutes proving that their baby is some kind of [insert developmental milestone here] prodigy. GAHthat'ssoannoying. We're just there to play and play HARD, ensuring a fantastic nap afterward.

And a fantastic nap we got!!! J CRASHED... he even tranferred from the car to the crib, which NEVER happens.

So yay for Gymboree! Can't wait to go back in the fall! :)

Erin Barometer...

Coffee of the Day: Whatever my wonderful husband ground and brewed this morning. I care very little, as long as there is caffeine in it.

Listening to: The soundtrack to Ben's DS game.

Today's Mental Jukebox Selection: Owl City - Fireflies

Reading: I bought that book about the little boy who had the near death experience and described heaven to his parents. Haven't had the chance to open it yet though... bought it a month ago.

Thinking About: All the things that need to be done around the house.

Enjoying: Quiet, at the moent.

Wondering: If it's worth it to try to go to the pool when Jonathan wakes up from his nap?