Dabbling in sports ... hockey still wins.

We gave some different sports a go. Mixed martial arts. Soccer. He didn't like either one. In the end I guess this kid just bleeds hockey. Its all he wants to do. I asked him the other day if he would like to sign up for karate through school and his first response was "I still get to do hockey though, right?" Pretty much every Saturday afternoon and a evening or two during the week you can find us at the rink. Everyone keeps telling us how much natural talent he has. He's been bumped up another class and currently skates with kids in the 8-10ish range. He's skating backwards and learning to hockey stop now! Its pretty amazing to watch. I told Shaun the other day I'm certain the universe is spacing out our kids more than I ever had planned for because it knows what we're in for with this hockey stuff ... and its buying me time between the two so neither of us have to get a second job to pay for this fricken kid or sport!

Fall

• Like every year since Sully was born, we spent the day at the Harvest Festival at Underwood Farms and had a blast, even though it was hotter than the sun that day. Rode some tractors, shot some corn out of a cannon, ate crap that was really bad for us ... you know, the usual. 
• Sully had a Halloween parade that my sister, my mom and I all attended. Like every other 3 year old boy we know, he was Spiderman. No, seriously, his two other little besties were also Spiderman. 
• Halloween night we had a little bonfire at my moms house with a few friends, a few drinks and passed out candy. Funny story, my sister's best friend HATES Taylor Swift with a passion. I mean, she really has it out for that southern belle. So I thought it be hilarious to be waiting for her in a long blonde wig, dress and denim jacket with a guitar singing Taylor Swift songs. Pretty much, it was totally worth the $20 spent on that mermaid wig we chopped the hell out of. 
• Sully's school had a pumpkin contest. His was the only one painted that was actually done by the child. And of course I think it turned out fabulous and was totally the best even though a pumpkin, that clearly could not have been carved by a preschooler's skill level won.*coughcheaterscough*

Yaya & Uncle B tied the knot!

Drink.

Dance.

Laugh.

Repeat.

Yaya is my sister and the name Sully gave her as soon as he could talk! Cool huh? The wedding was at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Sully and his best buddy were the ring bearers. There were giraffes to feed, cute children break dancing, cake being thrown around and  a late night In and Out run in a party bus. There were dance offs, "swerving in the 'burbs", and great times with family & friends. Congrats you two!

Faking

You tried to get out of going to school today by faking sick.
You gave a pretty good show.
It made me laugh, because you're just like me, only ....
Like 5 years ahead of my game.
Shit.
I'm in trouble aren't I?
(Shhh .... secretly it makes me love you that much more.)
Nice try Buster. You can't con a con.
But nice try none-the-less.

He may be a vegetarian yet ...

Playing trains he unloads fruit, vegetables, milk and cows off the freights ...

"Mommy eat, you're hungry! Here's some apples and milk and broccoli and cows, so you need to eat. BUT NOT THE COWS!! You don't eat the cows! You just pet them."

Ah, a child after my own heart.

First kiss from a girl other than his Mommy

Sitting at the kitchen table after school eating a snack ....

"Oh! I forgot to tell you! Somebody tried to kiss me today!" ...
Hiding my laughter & surprise "Oh my goodness, who?!"
"Kristen. She tried to kiss me on my cheek."
"And then what did you do?"
"I went like this" ... (insert surprised open mouth frozen body look reenactment here)
"Did you run away?"
"Yes, I "run-ded" away because she's not a boy she's a guuuurl" ...
"And girls have cooties!"

I never thought I would be perpetuating the Cootie Legend to my own son, but you have to do what you have to do. All girl have cooties until you've graduated college, do you hear me?! A few days later when I told my sister the story she asked Sully if Kristen was pretty, and he blushed and smiled from ear to ear and sheepishly replied "Yes" then hid his face in a fit of giggles when we started laughing. Oh boy.

... Scratch that college thing, he's so not dating until he's 40.

On a funny side note Shaun just told me that this morning when I sent Sully upstairs to wake him up, the kiddo did so by punching his Daddy in the manhood (from a sound sleep mind you) and screaming "Its time to wake up PENIS!" .... 'Atta boy Sully!

Five Nights

Five nights.
Its been five nights now since you announced to us after seeing your friends big boy bed that you were sleeping in your "own room", in the "big bed", because you were in fact, a "big boy" now. We laughed. We nodded. We gave each other glances and smirks and said, "Aw, that is totally cute. Okay, we'll see you in an hour big guy!"

Only, we didn't.
And you did.

See, I've never forced you to do anything. I didn't force you to walk, to talk, to give up the bottle, or the pacifier, or potty train or sleep in your own bed. Hell, I don't even force you to apologize. (Do I want you to apologize? Of course! Do I make you? No. Does something worse usually happen when you won't? Almost always.) But I've always let you lead the way. I've never concerned myself with keeping up with where other kids are in regards to where you are. You are so unbelievably smart and kind and gifted and talented ... I guess I just always knew all these things would fall into place for you, when you were ready for them to, not for when I was.

Which is funny ... because for the past 3 years you've slept by my side or within my arms reach - and I ended up being the one not ready. In fact, I was totally shocked to be honest. The first night I didn't sleep at all figuring you would come back into our room at any minute. The second night I cried and blubbered to your Daddy when I realized you weren't coming back that night either. I incoherently rambled about you graduating in a mere fourteen years (Hi, My name is Steph and I'm a total whackjob) and strangers sneaking into our house at night and snatching you up - you know ... past the dead bolted metal door, dog, squeaky stair gate and your light sleeping father. It wasn't my finest hour. It was kind of downright embarrassing now that I think about it. The third night I laughed at how stupid crying & being upset seemed, especially when so many parents would beg to be in our position. Last night I peeked in on you before bed and smiled - you looked so small crumpled up in your big 'ol bed and a part of me wanted to curl up right beside you, but I didn't - and you know, I finally slept well that night. And tonight? Well I've finally abandoned all hope of you coming back and your toddler bed has now become a laundry holder until we take it apart.

I've realized something these past five nights ... it hasn't been so much about you sleeping in your own room as it has been about how suddenly independent you have become. Its a fierce and bold take no prisoners kind of confidence. Little boy, you declare something and you mean it. You set out to do something and you do it 110%. I know you never want to fail, but I think you're too damn stubborn to know how to fail. Its scary and amazing to me all at the same time. Its everything I've feared and hoped for in you. And its not just the confidence. You look different lately. You sound different. You feel different in my arms.

I want to pause time.
I waited so, so long for you and it seems down right unfair at how fast these years go by.
But I know there is no slowing you or time down at this point.
There is no going back.
You've shed the baby years. You've shed the toddler years.
We're knee high in little boy territory now.

And all it took was five nights.

(Excuse my non made-up face! Me & my big boy the morning after sleeping in his own bed)