Random Cute Moment With Cody...

Cody, being well known for his little cheeky streak, likes to ease his way onto the chair at the computer desk and start tapping frenetically at the keyboard or clicking away with the mouse like a little maniac. I caught him at it a couple of days ago and I said, "Cody!! What are you doing?!", to which he replied..."I'm just doin' my email for tids (kids)".

I can't really say anything against that...I mean, how many times has he asked me what I'm doing only to hear me say, "Im just checking my email"...

Saturday Night's Alright For Crafting...

This layout is in response to last week's Inspired Scrapper challenge, which was to use a 'love themed' quote. The quote that I used here is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and though she intended it in a romantic context, I thought it was also fitting when it comes to my feelings for my son!

The Inspired Scrapper team has knocked it out of the park again this week! The three most recent posts by DT members are based on February's 'Love Is In The Air' theme and use a sketch by Becky Fleck at Pagemaps. I love the way Susan used rolled up patterned paper as an accent - such a great touch! Virginia used a great mix of patterned papers with red being the dominant colour, which lends so much energy and jump to her photos. Erica printed three different photos from three different moments in black and white and then used very pretty colours in her papers for an overall beautiful layout. Love her mixed button accent as well!

As always, I encourage you to check out The Inspired Scrapper - play along with the challenges and share your creation with us using the Mr. Linky feature. There is no such thing as too much inspiration!

Christmas Is For Caring...

This morning, Casey was telling me about a creative writing assignment that he had to do at school where he was to use the letters in 'Christmas' to write a word for each to describe Christmas. Casey told me in his earnest, almost solemn, way that he chose 'Care' for 'C' because "Christmas isn't just about the presents, it's about the care".

It is satisfying to me as a mother to know that my child understands the deeper, more important messages of the Christmas season. It is no surprise to me that not only does Casey know it, but he takes it very seriously as well. Casey is such a light in my life!

Whole Lotta Love...

So we're nearing the end of the first week of December already - wow! I still feel like Halloween was last weekend. The Halloween candy has finally run out...I'm always happy to be done with it. No more candy battles.

The first day of December proved to be a sunny, clear, and cold one - my favorite kind of wintery day, and it started off in the sweetest way. Early in the morning, while it was still dark out and I was still in bed, I heard Cody start calling from his room, "I tode! I tode! I tode!". Cody has the cutest voice - he's sounds like a hoarse little toad. *Note to self: Must capture that voice on video/audio again soon!*. Then, pitter patter, pitter patter, (actually, more like - stompity stomp, stompity stomp), Cody makes his way into my room, still lamenting, "I tode! I tode!".

"Cody, are you cold?!"
"Yes!"
"Well, come on up here in bed with Mommy so that I can snuggle you up and get you warm!" (He half climbs/I half haul him up into bed with me).

After a couple of minutes, I hear Cody's little sleepy, froggy voice say, "We best friends!".

"Yes, Cody, that's right. We ARE best friends!".

"You da best mommma!"

(He's too sweet. I can't stand it!!)

"Aw, thanks, Cody!! And you're my very best little blue-eyed boy! I love you soooo much!!"

"And I yuv you so much too!".

Oh my word. Be still my beating heart!! Not even three yet. He is the sweetest combination of rough, tough, gruff, strong-willed and intense little guy, and sweet, loving, affectionate little charmer. Both my boys are very much this way. I couldn't be any luckier or any more thankful - such a beautiful way to start the day.

Another 'Comedy Moment', brought to you by Casey...

I'm telling you...the kid cracks me up.

Early this morning, I was sitting on the couch in our living room, putting on my makeup with a little hand held mirror. It's how I 'get ready' every morning that I have to go to work. Whenever Casey wakes up, he comes downstairs and sits right up against me and snuggles to keep warm. It's one of my favorite 'everyday' routines. I hadn't had my tea or breakfast yet and my stomach started to growl, so I said, "Mommy's getting hungry! Did you hear my stomach rumbling?" Casey looks up at me with his beautiful big brown eyes and says, "Are you sure that wasn't your bum flute?" Sigh...another beautiful mother/son moment. By the time this boy gets married, I'm going to have SO much material to provide the MC with!

All Geared Up and Ready To Go!

Today was opening day for Vancouver Minor Baseball. This will be Casey's third year playing. He spent two years in 'Blastball' and has now moved up to 'Mini Tad'. While Blastball has the kids hitting the ball off of a T-stand, the Mini Tads have graduated to a pitching machine, which means new equipment is required. At this level, the team supplies the batting helmet, but it was time for a new glove as Casey had grown out of his old one from last season (Cody happily inherited it), and the other new piece of equipment required at this stage is a jock. Sounds like a Daddy job to me! So, a few days ago, Steve took Casey out to look at getting a new mitt and his first jock. Casey wasn't quite sure what a jock is, so Steve gave him an explanation, involving what I don't know. Casey processed the information and then asked, "You mean like armor for your penis?" I can always count on Casey for a chuckle!

Cute Casey...

After Casey's bath tonight, he had the shivers so I took out my hair dryer to blow dry his hair and warm him up. He was sitting on the counter in the bathroom watching me in the mirror, and he asked me, "Mom, do you want to be a hairdresser when you grow up?". So sweet. So innocent. So Casey! Love that kid!!

God Grant Me The Serenity...

A quick quote, from my daughter this time - the little smart mouth that she is! She was in a bit of a goofy/giddy mood tonight at bedtime, and so she says to me, "I love you! However many pills you need to take, I love you!". So silly, and yet somehow, so poignant...! She's aging me rapidly, this one - but every now and again, she can still give me a good laugh!

Casey - His Wit and Wisdom...

Me: "Casey, can you run upstairs and make sure all the doors are closed except your brother's?"

Casey: "Sure!" (runs off to do it, then comes back)

Me: "Casey - can you take down the gate to the stairs?"

Casey: "I'm only five years old! You can't make me do all the work around here!"

Another 'Out of the mouths of babes' Casey anecdote...(Warning - the topic this time is 'penises')

Kids say the darndest things! Especially 5 year-old boy kids! A conversation with Casey from a few mornings ago...

Casey: "Mommy! Girls don't have penises!"

Me: "That's right, Casey. That's one of the ways that girls and boys are different."

Casey: "But Mommy, do you know what that means?"

Me: "What?"

Casey: "That means that girls have one less bone than boys do!"

I started to fumble my way through an explanation and then I stopped and said, "You go ask Daddy to talk with you about this". I mean, really. I've given up my Super Mom ways. I DON'T have to do it all! :)

A joke, by Casey...(WARNING! Flatulence is key theme...)

Yes, that's right. This entry is about flatulence. Well, actually - it's not directly about flatulence, but like a lot of things in my household it seems, flatulence plays a key role...

Anyway, today was a 'work' morning for me and so I was up extra early, doing my thing - trying to get ready and out of the house on time. A MAJOR challenge and accomplishment, I might add!! So just Casey was up - he seems to listen for me on the mornings I have to work and, as he at one time announced to Grandma Margaret, he is an early riser, so he was up with me (which I love, although the boy needs more sleep than he gets!! But, it's nice having some one-on-one time with him to start the day while the house is quiet!) I digress! (So unusual, I know! ;) ) So Casey asks me for some cereal. I had bought one of those Kelloggs assorted packs of mini boxes of cereal (NOT something I do very often at all! SUGAR cereals! Yuck! Big no no!) so I offered him a choice. He picked 'Corn Pops' (the 'assortment' had quickly been reduced to either that, or Rice Krispies! I mean, come on, we all know that the Fruit Loops go first!!) and of course, he wanted to eat it out of the box like you're meant to when you're camping, so I mutter under my breath about Steve ever showing Casey that option - I'd have never started that, grump, grump, grump...I then spend too many precious minutes finding a (dull like all the others) but clean (unlike all the others) knife to slice the box open because of course, there are no 'kitchen' scissors to be found (they are off galavanting with the better halves of all the kids socks in the land of 'Lost & Never Never Found' apparently...), and serve him his little cavity-causing, diabetes-inducing treat of Corn Pops for breakfast. He's munching away, happy as a sugary little clam, while I am slapping on my makeup, when - in the hushed quiet of our 'just Mommy and me' morning moment, he let's out a huge, long, reverberating, classic Casey toot. (Yes, that's right - in my house we still call them 'toots' - 'farts' just sounds too harsh and raunchy for my delicate sensibilities...). I glance over at him, one eyebrow raised, with an 'are you kidding me?! And where are your manners?!' look. Casey looks back at me, not sheepish or remorseful at all, and says,"Now I know why they call them 'Corn POPS'!". And just like that, our 'nice' morning together has been transformed into a 'magical' morning - my precious, brown-eyed baby boy has just made his first 'official' sophisticated joke! A 'mark it on the calendar' moment! And all because of a...toot!

Out of the mouths of babes...

C: Mommy?

M: What?

C: I don’t want to be a daddy.

M: Why?!

C: Because I don’t want to get cut when we don’t want any more kids. I don’t like getting cut.

(Casey – Feb 17, 2008 – 3 days after Daddy’s vasectomy)

My sweetheart Casey

Casey is the sweetest boy. Ever. In the history of the world. There are a million reasons and examples I could give, but here is what touched me today...

Casey and I were reading a book we got out of the library called 'Bill In A China Shop'. It's about a bull who enters a china shop and spots the teacup of his dreams. He just can't leave the store without it, but sure enough - he IS a bull in a china shop and some unfortunate accidents occur. The clerk is snobby and rude and refuses to sell poor Bill the teacup he so fancies. Along with some writing about how upset Bill is, there is an illustration of Bill with tears brimming in his eyes. Well. I look down at Casey and the look on his face...he is big-eyed and sorrowful - he truly looks as if he's about to cry! He asked me, "Is da bull doing to get the teacup dat he loves?" and, "Why does the man teep saying dat?" because the store clerk kept saying, "A bull does not belong in a china shop". So I make some kind of chipper quip about how I was sure there was going to be a happy ending, I quickly flip the page and read on, hoping that something comes along to brighten my baby's blue skies!! Sure enough, a happy ending. Not only does Bill end up with his coveted and beloved teacup, but he comes away with three dear new friends to boot!
So I close the book and look down again at Casey. He is looking much relieved and appeased. I said, "You looked like you were getting a bit upset about Bill", and Casey said, "Yeah, I felt like I was doing to twy!". I asked him why he felt like he might cry, and he said because it was very sad. That boy has empathy. I mean, really!! And this is not the first time I've noticed it. It's always been there, and always been apparent. With me, with his sister, and now his brother - with other children anywhere - out on the playground, at preschool...whether he knows them or not, he has always been quick to run up to a child who's fallen down, or who's dropped her popsicle, and put his arm around them and say, 'it's otay!', or, 'are you awright?', or 'don't worry!'. Any time he's ever seen me cry or bothered by something, he comes over and hugs me and says, "I love you. You're a dood mommy". Whenever Cody starts to fuss, Casey goes to him and says in the sweetest, high, little sing-song way, "Tody!". And today, when Chanel was feeling upset and frustrated by her inability to get the hang of the high jump in P.E., Casey relayed an anecdote to her about something - I can't remember what (and oh how I wish I could!), and Chanel (in typical Chanel fashion) responded that what he said had nothing to do with anything, I pointed out to her that what Casey was doing was trying to make her feel better. And that's exactly what he was doing in his sweet, three year old way. He is deeply aware of others, and he amazes me with the depth and maturity with which he responds to other people's (or bulls!) feelings. I love that little guy. I get choked up just thinking about him and his sweetness. And you can be sure that were he to see me right now, he'd have his little hands on my leg and he'd look up into my face with his big, beautiful brown eyes and he'd say, "I love you. You're a dood mommy".