Since I was still asleep at 8:10a, Mimz had to wake me up since school starts at 9am.  I enjoy school.  All of my adults are very pleased that I like going to school and that I don't cause trouble for my teachers.  I always listen to my teachers and do what I am supposed to do.  There are some kids that don't listen and that cry and in general give the teachers a hard time... not me..... I am a really good boy.

We only had one recess and it was an organized play time.  We played Follow The Leader, doing whatever the "leader" asked us to do.  They we got in line and did something like an obstacle course, running, climbing, sliding, hopping, etc.  That was fun.  

On the way home, we stopped at Panda Express for GGF.  Normally Barbara and my great grandparents split all costs, but GGF likes to pay for Panda Express as a treat for himself and Barbara.  At home, I sure enjoyed eating orange chicken and rice.

Anna Kate just happened to wake up as soon as I entered the room.  Of course, I didn't do anything to make her wake up.  It was a coincident.  We sat on GGM's bed and played tornado, all huddled in the basement as the tornado went by several times.   I do like to reenact our little pretend sessions several times.

We put Anna Kate in her stroller and played soccer outside, then we took a couple of buckets into the yard and picked up sweet gum balls that had fallen after a big wind came through.  Everyone except AK did this.  We filled one entire bucket with them.

I like to climb on the waterfall.  We are still waiting for our new water pump.  Being a part of the "ProLawn family" we have to wait a little longer than a regular full price customer.

When Kristan arrived, AK was drinking a bottle, so I showed her how to play One Potato, Two Potato.  She had heard of the game, but didn't know how to play.  Guess who won?   Kristan did... first time she had played that game.

I tried some pineapple sherbet.  I didn't like it.  Barbara will ask me to try it a few more times and she thinks that I will develop a taste for it soon.  Sometimes that does happen for me.

Mommy wanted to run an errand and I wanted to play with Carson, so Barbara came over to watch me.  Carson and I played football in my neighbor's front yard.  We were tackling each other and having a great time.  When Barbara said it was time for me to come inside and start my bedtime routine, I did so happily.  I was sort of itchy from rolling in the grass.

So after a fun bubble bath and a good scrubbing, I had a snack, brushed my teeth, put in my eye drops, and read a book.  We finished reading just as Mommy got home.  Barbara left and it was time for Mommy and me to fill 12 Easter eggs with candy.  I will take them to school for our Easter egg hunt at school tomorrow.
   

I woke up this morning with my cough and saying I felt like throwing up and I didn't want to go to school.   Mommy took me over to Mimz thinking that I would not go to school, but by the time I got to Mimz' home I felt better and wanted to go to school.  Since I didn't have a fever, I got to go.

While I was at school Mimz went to Target to get me some shorts and tops.  I have outgrown the size fours I wore last summer. 
After school, Mimz and I played Connect Four, a game we bought using gift cards I got at Christmas.  We bought a bug catcher kit and Red Power Ranger and his motorcycle.

It was a quiet day at Barbara's home... since I was not there to liven things up a bit.

 The only new thing Anna Kate did was discover that she could be entertained playing with her toy box/shoe box.  She doesn't need expensive toys to keep her happy.

 They took her for a walk.  That is something that happens every day while the weather is not unbearable hot.  Like all children, Anna Kate loves being outside.  You can see in her face that she likes to feel the wind on her face.

We found this football themed Easter Basket in our holiday closet.  We don't remember where it came from...so maybe Grandma bought it at a garage sale.  I will use it for all of my Easter events this year.

 These two pictures were taken by professional photographers.  They will be put on March 10's blog but we just got them today, so they are here for a few days.

 This is the wagon all the Mutton Busters rode in the Grand Parade.  I am the boy wearing the black hat on the far right.  The glare is not on the original picture.  We will put a better copy on the March 10th blog.

I loved playing Connect Four, a new game Mimz bought me.  I did well even when I lost.  I am growing up and learning that I won't always win.

Mimz and I drove downtown because tonight was Morgan's family birthday party to celebrate her 15th birthday.  I slept the entire drive so I was all charged up and in one of my talkative moods.  Mimz thinks I am so cute.  Daddy had to work late and couldn't make it.   Morgan had a tennis lesson and didn't get home until 6:30p and them we went to a Mexican restaurant to eat dinner.  We had a nice dinner and visit before heading back to Mimz' home.  Mimz and I talked all the way home and I was in my bed by 9:30p.  I didn't even ask Mimz to lay down with me.  I just crawled in with Monk Monk and I was out for the night. I spend the night with Mimz because it would have been very late by the time I could get home.

I spend the day at home with Mommy.
Barbara came over to help work on the garage sale for a little while.
I have a cough but no fever.  We wonder if it is caused by allergies.

I spent the night at Daddy's house because I wanted to.
He took me to my soccer game, where Mommy, Grandma, and Mimz came to watch me play.  Barbara stayed at Mommy's home to watch over the garage sale stuff we have outside getting ready to have a sale in two weeks.  She wanted to come to my game, but she figured Mommy and Grandma should get to go before her.

 I had a great defensive day.  Maybe three times I kept the other team from scoring.

My team had five players, the other team had ten.  We lost, but had fun anyway.

I watched Daddy mow his yard.

Spend the evening and night with Mommy.

Happy 15th Birthday, Morgan! She had a party with several of her friends.  We will have a family party on anther day, and I will go to that one.

Let's see, what did I do today?  I went to school happily, enjoyed being in my classroom and playing with my friends.  Barbara had apple juice ready for me to drink as soon as I got into the car after school.

I generally talk about what time it is on our trip home and I did so today.  I also want to know how long before we get home.  Barbara makes a guess and sometimes I set a timer to see if we make it.   Most times her guesses are very very close to being right.  I guess having driving the 25 minutes to school and back over the last 4 years, Barbara has a good idea how long it will take us to get home.

I know I have lots of homes.  Sometimes it is Mommy home, or Mimz, Daddy, or Barbara's homes.

Anna Kate is learning new things all the time.  She sees me with a toy and that is the one she wants.  She reaches for it, but unless I give it to her, she won't be able to get it.  I sometimes share, because I know she will lose interest and move on to another toy in a short amount of time.

Today, we gave Anna Kate a bath in a green plastic tub, first time we have done that.  GGM stuck her elbow into the water to make sure it was not too cold and not too hot, but was just right for Baby Girl.  I tried to get AK to splash, but she mostly moved and kicked her legs.  It was a quick bath, just to freshen her up a bit before we put her into a short sleeved onesie.

After Anna Kate was dry and diapered, we played on the bed.  She likes to feel my face.  I like it too.  See video above.

When my mom arrives, normally Anna Kate has already left with her mom, but today Mommy was here before Kristan.  Mommy held AK for a minute and everything was fine, then AK looked at her more closely and started sticking out her bottom lip before she started crying.  We think she realized she was not being held by one of her regular caretakers and she was a little scared.  

Grandma came over and Mommy and I went with her to borrow some tables from Martie Hanson.  The tables will be used during the garage sale we are going to have in a couple of weeks.

reserved Thursday

Another routine start to Wednesdays: Mommy took me to Mimz, Mimz took me to school and picked me up.  After school, Mimz and I went to the park where there were children that I could run and play with.

Back at Mimz home, we played until the neighbor girls got home from school, then they came over and Mimz watched us play outside until 4:45p when it was time for us to head to my soccer practice.  Practice is at a soccer park near Barbara's home, so it is a long drive to get there.  We arrived on time.  In a bit Barbara got there and Mommy arrived soon after that.

There were seven of the eight members of my team at practice.  I think I am the strongest, oldest, and best player.  Daddy couldn't make it because he had to work late, but he did meet Mommy, Mimz, and me to eat dinner.

Happy 35th birthday, Mommy!

Mommy's co-workers shared this big cookie.

I turned 5 1/2 years old on March 21st.  We just got around to measuring me.  I am 46.5 inches tall.  I weighed 45.5 pounds with clothes on.  That is about a pound an inch.  Naked I weighed 44.3 pounds.  

I wanted to wear flip flops to school but I guess that is not the best idea.  Instead I took them in the car and after school I put them on to wear the rest of the day.

GGF, Barbara, and I went to Wal-Mart.  We had seven items on our list.  We bought nine items.  The two extra items were a small bag of Cheetos and a Hot Wheels Avalanche rescue truck.  I'm a lucky boy.  I know not to ask Barbara to buy me a toy that costs more than a dollar.  Unless it is some kind of ball, the answer is always the same.

 At home, I played Hot Wheels racing with GGM on the pool table until Anna Kate woke up.

   Then she wanted to be up there with me. 

She kept pushing until she knocked me over.  GGM held on to her so she couldn't fall.

For Valentines Day Barbara filled this little dog with Hershey's kisses.  I ate no more than three pieces each day.  I have six pieces left so they have lasted more than a month.  Barbara was trying to show me that if I relish just a little bit of the candy each day, it will last a long time.

Andy picked Anna Kate up around 3pm.  He had taken the day off work to take care of some business.

After Andy and Anna Kate left we worked on an Easter project.  We blew up a small water balloon.  We put two entire package of embroidery floss in a plate of liquid starch.  Then we wrapped the floss around the balloon.   We hung it up to dry.  The next time I come over to Barbara's, we will burst the balloon, remove it, and be left with an egg shaped embroidery floss egg.  If this project is successful, we may make a few more for my adults.

At 5:30p we met Mommy at Payless Shoes.  GGF wants a pair of house shoes.  They had one pair that would do but we drove to Palais Royal to see if they had a better shoe.  They had none, so Mommy and I went back to buy GGF the house shoes.   I got a new pair of black dress shoes, and a pair of neon green tie sneakers. 

I woke up at 8am so ready for this fun day at the HOUSTON ZOO with Mimz, Elijah, his mother, grandmother, little brother and little sister.  Ethan and I are not going to school.  We are considering this a Field Trip and a learning experience.  Mimz and I left home at 9am and met Elijah's family at the zoo.

 The zoo has several statues of animals that we can touch and climb on.  This gives us a chance to be up close to them. 

 This really adds to the zoo experience.

This picture shows the real giraffes.
We saw a real working ant farm.  We could see hundreds of ants at work.  Now that was a neat thing to watch.

Mimz brought us snacks to eat, including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and water bottles.  We bought pieces of pizza for lunch.

A bald eagle, our national bird.

We did a lot of running around and we fell down a lot.  Mimz is glad I had on long pants that protected my knees.

To get a drink from this water fountain, I had to stick my head in his mouth!

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This seal lion statue is very similar to one that was at this zoo....

23 years ago  when this picture was taken of Andy, Bridget, and my mom.

Here is Papa, Grandma, and the kids at the zoo 23 years ago.

I had a super great day at the zoo.  Mimz says we walked five miles, so no wonder I fell asleep on the ride home.  I told Barbara my favorite animal to watch was the alligator but I didn't know why, it just was.

I spent the morning with Daddy.

 Mommy took me to Elijah's birthday party

  at Pump It Up in The Woodlands from 11:40 - 1:40p. 

It was a Super Hero's Training Camp.

I enjoyed all the activities they had planned for us, like Tug of War.

Daddy and I went over to Mimz' home around 4pm.  Daddy was going to do a lot of grilling so we will have enough for the week.  He will grill some fresh salmon on the grill for the first time.

I didn't talk much about the birthday party because soon after I arrived I heard the neighbor girls outside.  I went out to join them and had a lot of fun.  I was sad when Daddy left.

I wanted to dance, so Mimz and I danced and danced and danced.   I had fun all day today.  I was ready for bed at 8:30p but it was 9 before I could fall asleep.  I was just so excited about the trip to the zoo in the morning. 

Today I am exactly 5 and 1/2 years old!  My how time flies!
My soccer game was canceled due to wet fields.
I spent the day with my dad doing guy things.

Mommy and Grandma spent the evening scrap-booking.

I had a bad attitude this morning, not wanting Mommy to go to work, not wanting to go to school, get dressed, eat breakfast, and being disrespectful.  I got in trouble and the consequence was I lost use of my iPad for the weekend.  I didn't care.   Well, finally I was back to my normal self.  I ate, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and took my eye drops and went to school happily.

On the drive to school Barbara and I talked about my having choices and depending on what I do, determines how my day will go.  Good attitude and I will have a better day.  Bad attitude and I will suffer some consequence.  I said I just wanted to stay home with Mommy today and I couldn't help being unhappy about it.  I still said I didn't care that I lost the use of the iPad this weekend.

I went into school happy and came out happily.  We talked about reptiles and dinosaurs that were here before there were people.

I was sure glad Barbara brought me a bottle of apple juice.  I was hot and thirsty.  At home I was glad Anna Kate was not asleep just so I could say hi and she could be happy to see me.  GGM and I played with some Hot Wheels on the pool table while Barbara put away the extra food she bought at Panda Express for GGF and me.  She cuts up the big pieces of chicken and freezes it in snack bags for eating another day. 

Anna Kate, GGM, and GGF all went to sleep.  Barbara and I started watching a Christmas movie about a boy wanting a BB gun for Christmas.  We only watched a portion of it when my Dad arrived at 4pm to take me with him to start our weekend of guy time. 

I started the day with a bad attitude, but after I straightened up, I was very good the rest of the day.

Mimz had to wake me up this morning and I was out-of-sorts.  I was asleep by 8:40p so I should be rested.  I wanted gum for breakfast.  Mimz said, "NO."  So I cried.

We had a birthday party at school for Ethan.  I loved the chocolate brownies.  

I was hoping we would have soccer practice today, but I was told practice is just on Wednesday so we miss it this week.

Mimz and I went to the mall where, for the first time, I rode the merry-go-round by myself.

   I also played on the indoor playground.

Mimz bought me a new basketball because the one I have at her house won't hold air.  Thank you, Mimz.

We try to get Anna Kate outside this time of year.  She enjoyed watching GGM weed the flower beds.

Mimz took me over to Barbara's and we all looked at Anna Kate for several minutes.  She was sitting up and happy and then she spit up a couple of times, getting yuck on her blocks, her outfit, and GGM's quilt.  It all can be washed so no problem.  We had to change AK's outfit.

I got to practice closing the snaps which is not easy with a squirming baby.

I gave AK one of my water guns.  It is pink and I thought she might like that one.  She played with it for a long time.

I could have sat anywhere but I chose GGM's lap.  I am comfortably playing with the iPad.  GGM looks tired but happy that I like to be close to her.

Here I am eating a Popcicle while playing a game on Mimz' old cell phone.  It is not connected to the Internet. 

Kristan picked up Anna Kate, soon after we got her all cleaned up and right after that Mommy arrived to take me home.  

Today was Wacky Wednesday at school.

I wore a Batman cap, Superman cape, and Spider-Man wrist bands. We rolled up my jean legs so my mismatched socks would show.  I could have wore mismatched shoes but I didn't want to.  I don't have my Batman cap on in this picture because it was at Mimz home and I hadn't gotten it yet.
And we turned my shirt around backwards after this picture was taken.

I told my teachers I have the Wacky Wednesday book at my home.  I also have Go Dog, Go, another book we have at school.

Mommy took my soccer gear over to Mimz so she could take me to my practice but practice was called off.  We have more games than we have practices!  The fields were probably too wet.

After school, we had a great play date at the park with Elijah and his mother.  We made plans to go to the zoo this coming Monday.  We will miss school, but that is okay because field trips are a great learning experience for children.

My dad has been working in Dallas this week and he came home tonight.  He came over to Mimz to see me.  That made me very happy.

I asked Mimz to read a book to me tonight.  We read for awhile and then watched one PAW Patrol episode before I went to my bed.  I went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I have been a super good boy.  I think it has been a couple of weeks since I have been in Time Out or in any kind of trouble. 

 Happy St. Patrick's Day.

 I wore a green shirt and so did all the teachers and most off of my classmates.  Nobody pinched me, of course.  I also wore green socks and green underwear, so I was super protected from pinches.

Anna Kate was asleep when I got home from school, so I had to be quiet.  I laid on Barbara's bed playing a motorcycle game on the iPad. When AK woke up, we put her on the bed with us.  We pretended Barbara was the mother and we were her children.  I was trying to take a nap, but the baby kept climbing on me and waking me up.  The mother kept telling the baby she was supposed to leave her brother alone and she was supposed to be quiet.  AK loves patting me and hollering.  She has been blowing raspberries the last couple of days.  And she slobbers on me and I squeal.  That was fun.

I sure like eating GGM's sticky buns and cantaloupe.  I like raisins and dates also.  I gobbled down GGM's potato salad too.  And her pork chops and mashed potatoes.  I won't try her catfish, which Barbara says is her favorite.  Maybe one day I will just try it.

Barbara wants to limit my iPad usage.  She plans to talk to Mommy, Daddy, and Mimz and see if they think we need to have a plan.  I think I should be able to play anytime I want to.  We shall see.

GGF talks to all of our neighbors as they walk by our yard.  These boys did a little raking for GGF has they talked to him.

GGF and Anna Kate watched Barbara do a little raking while GGF enjoyed a drink of water.

Barbara and I went for a bike ride.  We only rode around one block.  She wanted to get back to help GGM with Anna Kate. 

We put Anna Kate in her stroller and I rode my bike when we took her for a stroll down to the circle and back.  Anna Kate loves being outside and watching GGF rake.  We must have been outside for an hour and a half before Kristan arrive to get her baby.  Mommy arrived a few minutes later to get me.  Barbara and I played with my little basketball.  I think we need to get me a basketball goal like George, our neighbor teenager, has.

We use the sofa in the garage all the time.  It is a great place to be comfortable and protected from the sun and rain while being outside.  GGM fed AK while I played with the iPad.

We were supposed to read a book today, but we forgot.  It's hard to fit everything in, especially when we have a baby who needs constant attention.  It's funny, as she is about to fall asleep, everyone is trying to decide what they will do for the next hour: take a nap or a shower, cook, clean, write on my blog, work on pictures, eat, run to the grocery store, etc.  I always say it's easy: play with me!

I was so ready to go back to school.  I do enjoy seeing my friends and the things we learn at school.

I came home with an invitation to Elijah's birthday party.

 Luckily it is next Sunday, not Saturday because I have a soccer game on Saturday.
Mimz and I met Sophia and her mother at the park.  We played really well for a couple of hours.  Mimz and I stopped at Dairy Queen and enjoyed a cherry shake before going over to Barbara's.  I gave Mimz a bottle full of water balloons and she said we can invite the neighborhood kids over and we can have a blast playing with them when it gets just a little bit warmer.

We showed Mimz the video Barbara took of me Mutton Busting.  It makes us smile to remember what fun I had riding that sheep.  Mimz took home a thumb drive that had all the videos on, so she can have a copy on her computer.

Barbara and I went for a bike ride.  We got sweaty and it was not even 80 degrees outside but it sure is fun being able to ride around the neighborhood even when Brad is not available.

Soon after we came inside, Anna Kate woke up.  She now puts her arms out, which means "I want to get up, help me get up."

We sat on the sofa and I tried playing with my iPad.  Anna Kate wanted it.  I can see now that we are going to have a problem, with her wanting to play everything I play with.  I will try to be understanding.

It was a very good first day back at school.