Christmas Eve

Cute Picture

CHRISTMAS 2007

You finally realized what Christmas is all about this year. You understood that Santa brings you the gifts christmas morning and that if you wernt good you wouldnt be getting any gifts. I used this theory towards you quite a bit these last couple of weeks. It worked like a charm everytime!
I never did get you to sit on santas lap and the letter that you wrote him didnt get published in the paper either which makes me kinda mad. You had a great time driving around looking at all of the christmas lights and walking thru locomotive park a couple of times.
Christmas eve Grandma Sheila Grandma Smith Papa Keith Uncles RJ Chase and Cameron all came over to dinner. You didnt eat your dinner of course and then when it came time to open presents you were very excited. You loved all of the stuff you got. After Papa and Uncles left we took grandma smith and drove around looking at all of the christmas lights and you fell asleep after the first house, you sure were tired. Because you were asleep I didnt get to read you The Night Before Christmas, this is the first time that you havent got to hear it before going to bed on Christmas eve.
Christmas morning you were up from one until almost five and then fell back asleep and got up at ten to finally open your presents. You were so excited about santa coming, after you opened them you had no time to play with them because we had to get ready to go to weippe. On the way up there you got car sick twice, it was awful. After we got there and you had a little chance to recover you were glad to be able and run around with your cousins and play. After dinner we got to open presents again so you had fun doing that. On the way home you fell asleep so when you woke up the next morning it was like christmas all over again because you had forgotten about all of your gifts. I am glad that you liked Christmas so much this year, hopefully they get better and better for you as the years go on.

Santa Baby......Errr...........Big Boy

First Gingerbread house

Its starting to look alot like Christmas!!!!

We are all ready for Christmas around here, just counting down the days until santa arrives! You finally understand that Santa is going to bring the gifts and put them under the tree Christmas eve. We have went to see Santa three times now and you refuse to sit on his lap every single time. You are scared to death of him!!! You have wrote your letter to him and sent it off to the northpole, So hopefully he brings you everything you are asking for!!! We took a trip down to Locomotive park, you loved running around there looking at the lights, acting like the bear that is skiing and wrecks down the hill, you drove the train, danced on the dance floor, sat by the fireplace and played behind the igloo. The lights are so beautiful there, you love it there so much!! You got a cowboy stocking that is hanging by the fireplace that you love. You actually have two hanging up there this year your cowboy boot one and your Eagles one. Your such a spoiled kid!!! We have 14 blowups in the yard this year three huge ones that are taller than our windows in the living room! You love going out there and punching them! We got some snow the other day so of course we ran out and played in it, we went sledding down the driveway, made some snow angels and had a snowball fight. We tried to make a snowman but the snow wouldnt pack. We stayed out there until you were froze and couldnt handle it anymore. That is the first time that we have had snow at our own house long enough for us to go out and play in it! We have a huge tree this year, its fake but a really pretty one. You wont leave the ornaments alone on it, everytime I turn around you are taking one off!! Between you and the cats I will be suprised if it makes it to christmas!!! This year I sent out christmas cards with your picture on them and then I decided that instead of having the christmas letter from me I decided that I would make it written from you. Here is the copy of it.


2007 HOLIDAY GREETINGS TO EVERYONE!
I hope this finds all of you enjoying the holiday season as much as I am. I love everything to do with Christmas, except for seeing Santa in person. I have saw him twice now and have been to scared to sit on his lap and tell him my wish list. I wrote him a letter and sent it to the North Pole though, so hopefully he gets it and brings me everything I am hoping for.
I have had a very busy and eventful year. I have spent most of it playing with my toys, watching cartoons and doing other fun things. One of the highlights on my year was getting my new pets a Dalmatian dog named Perla and two turtles named Michelangelo and Leonardo. They get along well with my other pets Marty the dog and Lucifer, Missy and CJ the cats. I celebrated my third birthday this October with a cowboy themed party. I still love bull riding, cowboys, rodeo clowns and everything else to do with rodeo. Mom decorated my room in a bull riding theme this year and I love it. Mom, Uncle Cameron and I went to the Jackson Sundown Extreme Bulls in September. I had the time of my life. We got to sit really close to the shoots, my eyes were glued to the bucking bull action the whole time. I also got to go to the Lewiston Roundup and the Weippe rodeo. Uncle RJ and I entered the Weippe rodeo parade as a rodeo clown and bull rider. We won first place in the children’s category.
In March Mom, Dad, Uncles RJ and Chase and I went to Spokane where I got to attend my first concert. We saw Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts. I enjoyed it a lot but fell asleep before Rascal Flatts sang my favorite song. We also got to swim in the motel pool which sure was fun.
I had a great summer, Mom and I spent the days at the beach, playing in the yard and going to the park.
In June Mom, Dad, Grandma Bonnie Uncles RJ and Chase and I went to Poulsbo, Washington for my Cousin Jennifer’s wedding. I got to do a few fun things for the first time while I was there. I got to go to the zoo, take a limo ride and take a ride on a ferry. I loved going down to the beach looking for starfish and seashells. Later that month Mom and I went and camped for a weekend with Papa Keith and Uncles RJ and Chase, we stayed in a tent for my first time and I loved it. I also got to go fishing for the first time, I didn’t catch anything though because mom wouldn’t put a hook on my line. I am too wild of a caster she says. I still had fun dreaming I was going to catch a whopper though.
In July Grandma Bonnie, Uncles RJ and Chase, Mom and I went to Joseph, Oregon and spent almost two weeks in a cabin. Everyday we went out to Wallowa Lake and spent our time swimming and playing. I got to ride on a bucking bull for the first time. I didn’t realize it was plastic and didn’t move, I had the ride of a lifetime. Later that month I got to go on my first boat ride. My mom and I spent the day with Aunt Chelsey and Uncle Joe on there boat. I was really scared of Joes driving at first but as the day went on I started to enjoy it. Joe and I got to do some fishing but I still didn’t catch anything, Mom still wouldn’t let me have a hook on my line. In August Mom Uncle RJ and I spent a weekend camped in Orofino. This time we stayed in the camper, it was really hot out and the water was freezing cold but we still had a lot of fun.
In September Mom and I went to Pasco and spent a few days with Aunt Chelsey and Uncle Joe. While I was there I got to go to Chuck-E-Cheeses for the first time. Later that month we went to the Orofino and Nez Perce County fairs. I rode the carnival rides for the first time and had a blast. The airplanes and Carousel were my favorites. I wasn’t to thrilled with the roller coaster or the spinning bears.
In November Mom and I went to Houston, Alaska and stayed with Aunt Candi and her family for three weeks. It was really cold and snowy there. I loved to play in the snow and I got to go sledding and build a snowman for the first time. While we were there my new cousin Sabree James Waite was born. I loved to hold her and sing to her. I spent a great deal of time arguing and fighting with Tatiana but still had fun with her. I was glad to get home but I now miss my cousins a lot.
I am now sitting here waiting for Christmas and Santa to come. The days don’t seem to go by fast enough. I hope you all have a great holiday season. I miss you all ,come and visit me soon.
Merry Christmas!
Love, Braden Jared

Few silly pictures!

37 months and a couple days!

This month you have been running around here wild. You are doing all kinds of weird things, you will be sitting watching tv or playing with a toy and all of the sudden you will jump up and run a lap around the fireplace, sit back down and go back to what you were doing. YOu have been talking really well and you pretty much dont shut up. YOu are doing really good on going to the potty except for when we are gone out and about. For the life or me I cannot get you to go on your own in a store. YOu were sad to see the Halloween decorations go but the first thing you said when they were away was "can we put up the christmas ones mom?"

You have been really into reading books again, which I am very greatful for. You pretty much have the teletubbies book memorized. You are still into wearing your dang halloween costumes. Ninja Turtle one day, The Thing the next. You havent been wearing your rodeo clown costume as much and the last few times I put in on you, you didnt want any makeup on. YOu are still playing in the barrel though all of the time. You are still playing your computer games quite a bit and are getting really good at them.

I have been busy trying to get you ready to get on the plane and leave everything you know behind for three weeks. I really think it is going to be hard on you but then again you could suprise me and not mind being gone a bit. I have been telling you that you are only going to have girl toys to play with and that Tatiana wants you to have a tea party with her. Everytime I tell you that you say that you are going to have a rodeo party with her not a tea party. We will take a few of your rodeo guys if I can find room in our suitcases.

I am worried about what we are going to do about you a cowboy hat. I know that we cant take one of yours or it will get all squished and I will be damned if I let you wear one on the plane we are going to have to much to carry on as it is. I guess if you decide when we get there that you want one then we will have to go buy you one. You sure do love your cowboy hats so I am sure that we are going to end up buying one.

I am sure that we are going to have a great trip and that I am just worrying to much. Thanks for being such a good kid this month! I love you lots Mom

Fall Leaves

Oktoberfest

We had another very busy weekend. Saturday we went to the Oktoberfest thing up at the fair grounds. The first thing we did was go through the haunted house, you didnt even hardly flinch I was really suprised because you get scared just walking down the halloween isles in walmart. I just knew you were going to be scared to death of it. Then you and uncles went down the huge blow up slide, then we went and watched uncles climb the rock wall then we went through the maze a couple of times and then you guys jumped in the jumping castle and went through the blow up obstacle course thing. Then we went outside and watched the pumpkin chuckin thing uncles launched some pieces of pumpkin a few times, you kept saying you wanted to do it to and then when it became your turn you would run back to me and not do it. After we did that we went and bought pizza for our pumpkin carving party and we came home ate pizza and had some goodies and then started in on the pumpkins. You hated the feeling of the pumpkin guck you didnt want anything to do with it. So you just sat and watched us carve for a few hours. Sunday morning we had to take uncles to lenore to meet grandpa so that they could help him track his buck. You wanted to go track with them you even took your gun. You were sad when they left. You got to have some cake because it was the birthday AA meeting, and it was grandpas birthday, he has been sober for eleven years now. On the way home we stopped out at the motel and visited with grandma sheila awhile. You were more interested in watching charlottes web than talking to her.

Outside

Today it was so nice out so we went outside and played for a couple of hours. I wanted to try out the new camera so I decided to have a photo shoot with you. As showed in a couple of posts before. You loved running in the leaves and sitting in the tree and making all kinds of funny faces at me. Hopefully it is just as nice tomorrow so we can go back out and play some more.

Pic's

Slide Show

Today

The start of the day, breakfast! Forget the spoon my tounge works better! Middle of the day, being a cutie! Notice the devil eyes!!!!!!!
And the end of the day, all tuckered out!! You fall asleep in the weirdest ways!

Rainy days go away!

Its raining again, been raining for a few days now which means we havent made it outside to do anything fun. I have been hoping that we can go out and stomp in the puddles like we did last week but it is either really windy or when the wind is not going it is pouring rain. So here we are stuck inside. We have played your new game HiHo Cherry-O a dozen times, we have played Arthurs birthday on the computer at least that many times and we have played rodeo a million times. I am bored out of my mind and you dont really seem to mind being stuck indoors but I am really itching to get outside. I think we might go up to Petco today to look at the animals and then maybe run over to Ross to find you some new socks. It seems like you never have enough socks and since we are getting ready to head to freezing Alaska I better stock up. I wonder how your going to adjust being away from home for three weeks. I know that when we went to Oregon for two weeks after the first few days you kept saying you wanted to come home and play with your toys. I am hoping that you and Tatiana get along and you enjoy your time there. At least she will have toys for you to play with there. It will kinda be like here though we are probably going to be stuck inside most of the time. At least they have tv there too because you really love your tv time. I am sure you will be fine there, I just need to quit my worrying.

Anyways heres a couple of pictures I took of you yesterday in your "Flint" hat as you call it. Your such a silly kid.

My favorite subject to photograph

Braden,

I sure do love you. Thanks for letting me take tons of pictures of you day after day! You are such a ham!!!

Love Mom

Sleep problems

Your sound asleep right now and have been for several hours. When you sleep you give it your all, sometimes I have to go over to you and watch to see if your breathing. You have always been that way from the day I brought you home. The first couple of days after I brough you home was so hard on me, I drove myself crazy everynight. I just knew that I would wake up and find you not breathing anymore. People put so many crazy thoughts and ideas in my head that I was seriously making myself crazy worrying about you. I was so scared that CJ the cat was going to sufficate you or that you would somehow roll over and suficate yourself. I refused to let you sleep with blankets or toys. After three days of waking up every 10 minutes to check on you and then waking up when you were awake I had drove myself ragged and I honestly thought I was nuts. I ended up going to the doctor and they told me that we should go and stay with grandma that way when she got up early in the morning she could take over with you and then I had to take a pill so that I could sleep. This went on for almost a month when i finally decided that we better try to sleep at home again. On top of not being home very much we were packing all of our crap back and forth everyday and the house was becoming a disaster and I really couldnt take much more of it. So home we came the first night I was back to my old behavior and wide awake every 10 minutes again. I didnt get hardly any sleep so then we tryed sleeping on the couch where you were snuggled right up to me and it worked a little better. That went on until you had gotten to big for both of us to sleep on there comfortably. So back to the bed and crib we went. But then I was still constantly up looking at you so finally I decided to just let you sleep in bed with me after awhile I started to get over my phobia and only woke every hour or so to check on you. You now have your own big boy bed that you really dont mind sleeping in but if I put you in there not only in a different bed from me but also a different room I am in there four or five times a night to check on you just to make sure you are still breathing. My worrying is even worse now that you sleep with pillows and blankets and the occasional toy. I dont know what my problem is, I know that the chances of you being sufficated is very slim but in the back of my head I still have all of those nagging voices telling me to watch the cats, watch the stuff your sleeping with and on and on. Your sound sleeping really does worry me, I think if something really is blocking your breathing are you going to wake up and move it or are you going to sleep so sound that you are not going to notice? This really does drive me crazy and I hope to someday overcome this fear. Dont be suprised though if when you are sixteen, you find me in your room one night starring at you making sure you are breathing. I really am a worry wart I swear!

Please return my child, I sure do miss him.

I wish somebody would of told me that when you turn three that everything changes. I know you just turned three five days ago but you are a whole different kid. You have been going to bed around eight and sleeping through the night until about eight in the morning. This is a good thing except that you have gave up on naps which means from about 5 to 8 you are a nightmare child. You get up in the mornings and refuse breakfast of any sorts. You insist on watching alot of tv and playing on the computer more than you did a week ago. You do not want to take a bath anymore. When I finally get you in there you splash water all over the place, fight to get the washcloth when I am trying to wash you, wont let me get shampoo in your hair and then when I get it in your hair its a fight to get it rinsed out. I finally give in to your whining and get you out. I dont know if you are even getting clean enough. Every time I ask you to do something you tell me that you are to tired, I ask you if you would like me to make you a bed and you tell me NO! You constantly ask me to get your hat or get your cup even if the item is a foot away. You have decided that if you dont get sometime your way that you are going to throw yourself down and yell that mom is a "Stupid Freak" at the top of your lungs or you run towards me and try to hit or kick me. Lunchtime rolls around and you would rather not have lunch unless its a cookie. I make you lunch and set it on the table and you go up to it and tell me that you dont like each and every item on your plate. I ask you if you would prefer anytime else and you tell me cookies or icecream. I try to get you to go outside and do something I even offer to take you to the park but you say that you would rather watch tv or play with your rodeo toys. The only clothes you want to wear is your rodeo clown outfit if I wont let you wear the outfit you insit on going without clothes. Ever single toy that comes across a commercial you must have and ask me ten times on each one if you can have it. Snack time rolls around and I make you a plate even though you havent had breakfast or lunch, I of course put a couple of cookies along with crackers, cheese and other stuff and whats the only thing you eat...........the cookies. You run around here acting like Flint Rasmussen your favorite rodeo clown, dancing like micheal jackson, jumping from couch to endtable to chair, you insist on climbing up on your clown barrel and dancing, you run around in circles doing your clown tricks about giving me a heart attack because I just know that you are going to slip and hit your head on the hearth or fall off of the keg crack your head open or worse yet that heavy thing is going to fall on you and break your leg. Dinner time rolls around, I fix your plate tell you to get up to the table, you climb up there look at your plate roll your eyes and tell me that you are not hungry and you want to watch tv. I tell you that if you eat some of your dinner you can have some icecream, you take one bite of whatever is for dinner and tell me that you are now ready for icecream. I honestly do not know how you have any energy to run around like you do when you do not eat anytime.From dinner time on you go back to your wild antics running around here like some crazed lunatic. You pull out every toy I have picked up, you drag a million toys out of the play room, you throw them everywhere and then do not pick them up when asked. If you would actually keep the play room clean and picked up after I clean it up you would have a place to play where I wouldnt be upset that your dragging toys out everywhere. I try to sit you down and read you some books or get you to color but that lasts about 5 seconds and then its back to being wild again. You have gone from a fairly normal child to a wild child all within a week. I dont know what to do with you. I honestly do not know where my sweet child that listened has gone, but if you see him could you please tell him to come back? I really miss him and fear that I am going to go nuts if you keep up acting the way you are!

Picked out your own pumpkin

Its my party...........

Its my party and I will dress like a clown, pout and be afraid of the candles if I want to!!

Three years allready.

Well last weekend was an eventfull one again!!
Lets start with Saturday, if I wasnt busy enough getting everything ready for your birthday party I decided that it would be a great day to take you and Uncles RJ and Chase to the pumpkin patch. We got there and you picked out your pumpkin all by yourself, it is all scarred up and doesnt sit quite right but its the one you wanted, I tryed switching it with a better one a couple of times and you kept catching me and I gave up and decided that you must really like that one. After picking out pumpkins we decided to pay the 25.00 to see what was on the other side of the bridge. What we found was a strawbale maze which you went through about 20 times, a petting zoo which consisted of the peoples two pet dogs, pet chickens, pet goat, pet horse and a couple of wild goats that fought each other the whole time, a couple of baby pigs and a rooster that you wernt allowed to touch. You did get to hold a small chicken which you really enjoyed, you also got to sit on the horses back for a minute or two. There was also two horsedrawn carriages giving out rides that we took advantage of. They were both alot of fun. You and uncles really enjoyed all of the stuff that they had to offer.
Sunday the day of your party we started off the morning with a house full. Aunt weez, miah and Katie had shown up the night before, as well as Chelsey and your uncles were here as well. Papa keith called at seven in the morning and woke the whole house up. We finished decorating for your party and getting everything ready. You had fun running around with all of the kids. Of course you had to dress up like a rodeo clown for the party. It was a cowboy themed party. Everyone that was expected finally showed up and I started the slideshow that I had made for you of all of my favorite pictures of you over your second year of life. After that you opened your gifts, you were really embarresed to be in front of everyone. Everytime someone oohed or awwed you would hide your head and get all bashfull. Your favorite gifts you recieved was your rodeo figurine set from grandma bonnie and you beer keg clown barrel that you got from your grandma sheila. After gifts I got you all ready to blow out the candle on your cake and as soon as everyone started singing happy birthday you were all embarrased again. You wouldnt even blow out your candle. While everyone was enjoying there cake you played with your toys. After that we played pin the tail on the donkey and then we all went outside to hit your cowboy boot pinata that me and uncle rj made for you. Finally after most of the people left you decided that you would have a piece of your birthday cake. Alana, Austin and Cody spent a few hours with you after everyone left, so you really enjoyed playing with them. All in all I would have to say that you had a great birthday even if you were tired and cranky and embarassed most of the time!!!

I really cannot believe that you are three years old. Where does the time go?

Another Fair day

Thursday before this weekend we went to the fair as well, you loved the petting zoo then as well. Thought I would post a few pics from that day as well! You really liked the baby kangaroo Joeys in there pouches in a playpen. We spent alot of time looking at them popping in and out of the pouches. There was one goat there that had only one horn and you kept calling Mr. One horn. It was really funny. We got a couple of quarters to get them some food out of a vending machine thing in there and as soon as those animals heard you turning the dial thing they all came running and about knocked you down. I had to keep shooing them away so that we could get the food out of it. The goats kept jumping up at you trying to get you to feed them. You really liked feeding the cow and the donkey. There were these huge turtles there too that you spent alot of time watching, they moved super slow!! There were also a couple of llamas, a pony, a couple sheep too. You loved walking around petting them and feeding them and just watching them.

That day we walked through the livestock barns and you got to pet a bunny, you really liked looking at them and the roosters. You werent really into the horses or cows but you liked the pigs and the birds the best.

Funfilled Weekend

We had a busy weekend again! Saturday we had to get up really early so we could be to Weippe by nine so mommy could do hair for Uncle John and Aunt Tanyas wedding, we picked up Ryan on the way and you had a great time playing with him on the way up there even though it was the crack of dawn. There were lots of kids around for you to play with at Grandma and Grandpas house. We finally made it out to the wedding and there were even more kids for you to play with. Your favorite thing though was that there were a couple of saddles sat up on haybales. You loved sitting on them riding them, you would wave your hat up in the air like you were riding a bucking bronco or something. After the ceremony there was music and you had a great time dancing with your cousing Lanie and Alana, everyone thought you guys were pretty dang cute out there all dressed up, dancing like you didnt have a care in the world. Another highlight of your day was getting to see one of your favorite bullriders, your cousin Jake. You allways talk about him and like to look at pictures of him but when it comes time for you to see him in person you get all bashfull and shy and wont even look at him. Well saturday you finally buttered up to him a little and even let him hold you for a bit. You had a lot of fun that day and was out like a rock by the end of the day on the ride home.

On sunday we went to the fair again so that you could ride the rides, you wernt really into them, you were more interested in the petting zoo. I did get you on a pony for a pony ride, but I dont have any pictures on here of it because I had to take pictures with my normal camera instead of my digital one. You did have alot of fun on the pony and you kept wanting to put your arm and hat up in the air like you were riding it bucking bronc style but the lady kept telling you to hold on with both hands. There was this guy there on huge stilts and he dressed like a cowboy and then a clown and you were scarred to death of him, you saw him coming and jumped under the picnic table and hid your head. There was also a couple of other clowns there and everytime you saw them coming you would hide your face with your cowboy hat. But you liked to watch them as they were walking away.

Thats another thing you have now decided that anytime we leave the house you need to have your cowboy hat and laceup boots, it doesnt matter if its 90 degrees out you think you need to wear it. So yeah we get into it once in awhile when I dont think you need to be wearing that getup! I always think of that song about momma dont let your babies grow up to be cowboys!! haha thats what you remind me of!

Bulletproof backpacks and Kindergarten cirriculum

So this morning I am reading the Lewiston Tribune and guess what is advertised for sale in there............ Bullet proof backpacks here in little ole Lewiston Idaho. I thought to myself are they really necessary here? I really do wonder how many kids are packing them to and from school, feeling relieaved that if a bullet comes flying at out of nowhere they might be a little more protected then fred walking next to them wearing the spiderman backpack. So this really makes me wonder what in hell is this world coming to? I mean come on this is lewiston people, I might consider Braden having one in LA or some other big city but the LC valley, come on. I need to research it a little more about the crime rate around here. And see if there ever has been any drive bys or anything of that nature. But anyways I got to thinking if it is this bad now how bad are things going to be in two and a half years when Braden starts school. So I got to thinking well maybe I can just homeschool him, no this isnt the first time I have thought about this, I have thought of it many times before. And no I am not one of those freako parents who feels that they need to protect there children from the outside world. I am totally not like that. Its just that I am really a small town girl who never really had to go to school with 77947923984 people. I went to the smaller schools where you knew everybody and hell there families too. I do feel that kids need to be out running with other kids and getting a solid education but really how much one on one time do teachers have with children when there is a million kids in each class? How much are they really learning? But anyways back to this homeschool thing. I know that I am not smart enough to home school him for long but I thought well maybe at least kindergarten, so I looked up the Curriculum of Kindergarten, just to see what you have to learn in those short few months and just wait until you see what I found. I am really freaked out by it.
Kindergarten Curriculum Guide
Social Studies
* Meanings of holidays, traditions, and customs* Understanding and appreciating other cultures* Individual's role in family, home, school, and community* Relationship of the individual to the group* Work and jobs* Safety rules and symbols* Basic human needs* Self-respect and self-awareness* Awareness of others* Location of home and school* Diagram of home and school
Science
* Observation of everyday, familiar things* Common animals and plants* Interrelationships of animals and plants* Classification of living things* Farm animals* Care of pets* Like and unlike plants* Indoor plants* The sun: our principal source of energy* Weather and seasons* Temperature* Light* Colors* Senses* Earth, moon, stars, planets* Simple measurement* Beginning experimentation
Language Arts
* Phonics* Choral reading* Listening to literature, music, poetry* Nursery rhymes, fairy tales, fables* Social listening* Constructing visual images while listening* Oral communication skills* Role play* Following and giving directions* Paraphrasing and summarizing* Organizing ideas* Experience stories* Relating events and experiences using complete sentences* Listening for correct speech habits and word usage* Beginning writing process* Manuscript handwriting
Health and Safety
* Personal hygiene* Good eating habits* Good grooming* Care of teeth* Major body parts* Physical fitness* Safety to and from school
Mathematics
* Simple counting to 20* One-to-one relationship* Concepts of more, less than, same* Sequence of events* Correspondence of quantities* Ordinal-cardinal relationship* Number-numeral relationship* Recognition of basic sets* Meaning of addition and subtraction* Introduction to number line* Estimation* Elementary geometry (shapes)* Calendar and clock* Denominations of money* Basic problem-solving strategies* Basic chart and graph concepts

So yes they expect a little 5 year old to know all of this by the time they get out of Kindergarten. Five years old people, does anyone else feel this is a little extreme? Sheesh what about being a kid and playing with blocks and maybe learning a color or two? I honestly thought that kindergarten was to mostly make a friend or two, play all day and get a book read to ya and then have a nap. Wow was I wrong. Kindergarten is some serious business these days. Theres no time for messing around.
So there goes all my ideas of homeschooling Braden, lord knows there is no way in hell I can teach him all of that. Hell without looking it up I dont even know what some of it is. So heres my idea now. I am going to start working with him on the stuff that I do know so that when he gets into this huge ass school where you need to wear a bulletproof backpack and you have to share the one teacher with a million other kids maybe he will at least have a chance. Hell a little jumpstart never hurt anybody did it? And I honestly hope that I do not have to send Braden off to Kindergarten his first day wearing a bulletproof backpack.

Fair days

We had a very busy weekend. Thursday Me you and Uncle Cameron went and watched Uncles RJ and Chase play there first Jr. High Football game in Orofino. Sadly they lost 0-33 but they both got to play alot. You got to play Haili one of my friends daughters. You and her share the same birthday but you are one year older than her. You had alot of fun playing with her, its not often you get to play with someone your own age. After the game we took all of your uncles to walk around the Orofino fair for an hour or so. Friday night we had to go and get Uncles in Peck and bring them home with us because one of there uncles died and papa had to get ready to go hunting at midnight. Yes he takes his hunting very seriously. His plan was to walk three hours in the dark with flashlights so that he could be in the "sweet spot" at dawn. Saturday we went to the Orofino fair, we were there 11 hours. It was a very long day. You didnt want to ride the rides alone so I had to buy a bracelet too. You loved the Carousal we rode it so many times, you also loved to go through the mirror fun house. Other rides you went on were the airplanes, spining bears, whale cars, rollercoaster and the cars. Uncle RJ took you on some rides too throughout the day. You got tired and had to take a nap in the afternoon. After you woke up you were ready for more rides. You went through the animal barn and really enjoyed looking at all of the different animals. We went and watched the horse pull for awhile and you were amazed at how big the horses were. By the end of the day that rolled around at 11 at night you were tuckered out. You had a great time though and guess what we are going to do it all over again next weekend at the Lewiston Fair.

A little fall..........

Yesterday afternoon we were at the park and you were doing really good playing and you even went down the big huge slide all by yourself and then I told you that you had about five more minutes to play and I decided that since you were doing so good on your own that I would go and sit on the bench not maybe one minute after I sat down I looked up and there you were falling off of the stairs. I ran over as fast as I could and grabbed you up and your eye was bleeding and you were covered in bark and you were bawling and you said that your arm hurt and I just knew that youy broke it. I sat down and let you finish crying and you said that your arm felt better, thank god! Anyways this is how you looked this morning, poor baby. I sure hope that it doesnt scar.

35 months a few days late

So 35 months already, almost three, so hard to believe! This month has been good for the most part, we have been crazy busy, as you can read in the previous posts! You have got quiet an attitude this month, everything is "dumb" so you say. You are starting to be more and more argumentative and think that you are always right. It is so frustrating at times, its hard for me to hold my grounds at times because you think that you are the parent. I think that you are to big for your britches! You have grown alot this month, you can no longer wear 3T jeans, you are wearing 4T's they are big in the waist but fit in the length. I dont know how you can possibly be growing so much when you never eat anything. It is an ongoing fight trying to get you to eat. When you were a baby eating baby food in the jars you would eat so much. Right before you quit eating jar food right after your first birthday you were eating up to four jars at one meal, it was crazy. Now you hardly even eat two bites of anything per meal and that is the honest to god truth. You drink tons of chocolate milk so maybe thats why you are growing. I only give you sugar free chocolate in your milk though, so your not getting to much sugar. Your birthday is coming up and I am so excited for it. We are doing a cowboy theme party. You are so excited for it. I sent out your invites today and am expecting about thirty people. Last year you were so sick with hand foot and mouth disease that you spent the whole day in your pjs and spent a good part of the day sleeping so I am hoping that this one is alot better for you. I really cannot believe that you are going to be three, like really I sit here and think about it and I just cant believe it. Where has the time gone? You have grown and learned so much in three years. I am really excited to see what the next year brings! I love you very much! Love Mom

A busy first week of September

Well braden boy we have had a very busy week!

On Monday we went to Pasco to Chelsey and Joes, we took there dogs back to them Dreyfuss and Lilly. It was a long ride there, mom really hates driving. We got to pasco and mom took the wrong exit and we got lost for an hour, Chelsey finally came and found us. Thank god for cell phones if not for them I dont know what we would of done.

On Tuesday we went shopping and then went to Chucky Cheeses, you loved it! There were tons of fun rides and game for you to play. I am so glad that I got to take you there while you were young enough to still enjoy it (me and chelsey loved it too!) You got to talk to chucky on the phone there which you thought was really neat! There were also all dancing on the stage, they were like these huge puppet things, you really liked them!

Wednesday we went shopping some more and then me and you made the long trek home! You slept most of the way, which was good for my nerves! I am so thankful for our DVD player as well, it does a good job of entertaining you so your not distracting me with the usual hundred questions you like to ask me! When we got back we went out to the motel where grandma sheila works and you got to see your uncle cameron for the second time, almost two years after the first time you saw him. You were very bashful and kinda scared but it didnt take long for you to butter up to him!

Thursday we went up town messing around with uncle cameron awhile and then we went to our first Xtreme bulls event out at the Lewiston Roundup grounds. It was so awesome you loved it. You of course had to wear your laceup cowboy boots, your cowboy hat and your bullrider shirt. You loved Keith the clown you spent alot of time watching him and yelling at him to dance on his barrel! You also spent alot of time clapping and dancing to the music. We sat in the first row near the chutes so you got to see the bulls up close a few times! It was very exciting and very worthwhile! You had a good time with Uncle cameron sitting next to you!