Aw... Young Love

Jaden and I were driving to his Hap Ki Do practice and listening to Christmas music when he started this conversation:

Mommy I have to tell you something.
What's that?
I think... (in a shy voice)... I'm falling in love.
You are?
Yes.
With who?
With Kyla.
How do you know?
Because whenever I see her (big smile) ... or talk to her... my heart just goes Boom Boom Boom! And it beats really big and I can feel it. She makes me feel so happy.
Oh.
But I don't know if I am going to marry her. I can't choose.
Is there someone else?
Yes. 2 more. Kaitlyn... I like her, but she has another boyfriend. I think his name is Brighton, or something like that. And the other one is Avery.
Who's Avery?
A girl in my class. I really like her too. She's so nice.
Oh, do you play with her now?
Yeah, and today she slipped and fell down on the ice, so I helped her up.
Well that was a very sweet thing to do, good job!
Yeah, so I don't know which one I am going to marry.
That's okay, you still have PLENTY of time.
But I think I'm gonna choose Kyla.

I love that he feels open enough to tell me these kinds of things. And I know it's only a matter of time before he starts to keep his feelings to himself. He's such a sweet and emotional boy. It's going to be hard for me when he becomes more private, so I will cherish these moments now. Jaden, please don't grow up!

Sleepy Kaleb & Jessie Jaden

Kaleb has a habit of always coming back downstairs a few times after I put him in bed. After about the 3rd time I ignored him. It got quiet, so I thought maybe he had gone back to bed. Guess not...

I went upstairs to put Bradley down for a nap. When I came back down, Jaden had gotten into the Halloween box. Remember Mullet Daddy? This is what I saw when I came back down.


I knew we had a Sheriff Woody costume...


I had no idea we had a Jessie too!

Pathetic Journaling Attempt

I say it over and over and over again, "I have GOT to write that one down!" I think I will never forget those moments, but I do! I've never been big on keeping a journal... in fact, I have a few journals from when I grew up where I did really good for like a week or a month, but the rest of the book is blank. I even have a small notebook where I started writing a few things about each of my kids. But same scenario... did well for about a week, then blank. So because blogging has become so much more do-able for me, I am just going to record what little bit of info that I have already written for my kids, just so everything is all in one place.

JADEN

*******
Everyone always talks about what an easy baby Jaden was. Like when he cried, he used to always do it with his mouth closed!... so considerate!




*******
When Jaden was a Sunbeam, we started to try and hold Family Home Evening each week. We started to teach him about Joseph Smith and then decided to show him the animated story on DVD. Well that just opened up a million questions for him.


"Why is he sick? What's wrong with his leg? Why does he want to die? Why is that man yelling? What is that he is drinking? What is alcohol? Why did the forest get dark?Who is Satan? Where is Satan? Does Satan kill you? What's a Spirit? Does Satan have blood and bones? Why is Satan mean? Does he live here?


On and on and on... So that led to a later FHE lesson on what a spirit is, and who Satan is etc... Well after many many questions and discussions with him on this subject, Jaden's preschool teacher, Miss Alyssa, came to me one day to tell me what had happened in class. She said that they were learning about bones and how bones help keep the body together. They made little bodies out of playdough to show how flimsy our bodies would be if they had no bones. She was about to show them (using toothpicks) how bones help give the body structure, when Jaden raised his hand and said,
"I think that is Satan. Satan has no blood and no bones, so I think that is Satan."
Miss Alyssa said she LOVED hearing that comment. She said that she too is LDS and loves hearing these kinds of innocent comments from children.



*******
Another thing we have been teaching Jaden about Satan is that Satan wants you to make bad choices. So while Jaden was a Sunbeam, if he did something wrong like, get up super early in the morning and find a package of Starburst and use scissors to cut them open, eat them all up and then hide the wrapper in in the couch cushions... his response would be,
"Satan was here and he told me to do it. He just came in through the door and made me do it!"
Hmmm... I'd love to blame Satan too, but the truth is probably that he's been watching his mommy's bad example!



*******
When we lived in Cascade Springs Apartments in 2008, and Jaden had just turned 4, Charles took Jaden to go play at the playground. Jaden was learning to be brave and talk to other kids. He ran right over to them and started talking. Charles couldn't hear what was being said, but the other kid appeared to be about 11 or 12 in age. Well, Jaden turned away from them and walked back to Charles with his shoulders hanging and said to him a sad voice,
"Those kids don't want to play with me."
"Why not?" asked Charles.
"They called me a...a... a-Dorable."



*******
1/23/09
"Mommy guess what? Corduroy's daddy drinks a cup of coffee EVERYDAY!"
"He does? How come?"
"Because it helps him everyday."
"Who else drinks coffee?"
"Only grown-ups."
"Not kids?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"It's too strong for kids."
"Do we drink coffee?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't know."
"Because Heavenly Father wants us to keep the Word of Wisdom and not do anything that will harm our bodies. He wants us to stay healthy, so he doesn't want us to smoke or drink alcohol or even coffee."
"Corduroy's daddy drinks 2 cups of coffee each day."
"That's okay, he's still a good... bear. He can make his own choices and we still love him just the same."
"Well Corduroy's daddy follows his OWN Lord."
"Well that is okay too!"


And by the way... Jaden also gave Corduroy a middle name. His full name is Corduroy Rorducoy Socci.


*******
3/14/09
So we have been trying to enroll Jaden in different activities/sports to see what he might be interested in. When he was 3 we tried a gymnastics class at a rec center... kind of a Parent/Toddler thing. He wouldn't even go inside. He refused. So we tried something else. When he was 4 we tried a Beginners Introduction to to sports class. This was where he could learn a little bit about different sports (soccer, baseball, basketball and football.) He participated about half of the time, and then slowly lost interest all together. So we pulled him out. A few months later, his preschool class went on a field trip to a Martial Arts class. They learned about "Stranger Danger" and what to do if a stranger grabs hold of them. Jaden loved it. He couldn't stop talking a bout it. Charles did Judo when he was a kid and really liked it. Se we searched for a class with a reasonable price. We finally decided on a Hap Ki Do class at the community center in Daybreak. It works out nice because it is affordable and we have my mom (who lives in Daybreak) for a babysitter. I started the class with Jaden because I was under the impression that it was a Parent/Child class. But it is really just an "all ages" class. So I figured I would just drop out when Jaden became comfortable enough. But Charles thought I should keep taking the class. So I did and it has really grown on me. It's challenging and fun, but the best part is being able to watch Jaden and know what he is doing and what he is learning. The first few weeks he stayed very close to me and didn't join in ALL the time. But here we are, 2 months into it and he just LOVES it. He earned the money to pay for his uniform by doing 70 jobs, each worth 50 cents.


It took him and I a whole month to earn the uniforms, but it is amazing the confidence that wearing it has given him. He goes straight to my mom and dad's house afterwards (when we pick up Kaleb and Bradley) and shows everyone what he has learned and then sometimes he like to pretend to be the instructor and teach everyone. He has learned how to count in Korean and for a while, started to count WITH our instructor during class. This was, of course, not what he was supposed to do, but being the youngest and newest member of the class, no one wanted to stop him. All the adults were very impressed with him. But after a while, he realized that no one else was counting along and so he stopped. But at home he counts all the time and has even taught Kaleb. We are both White belts, but Jaden keeps telling me he wants to be on the "green team."


*******
One night when Jaden and I were walking to Hap Ki Do class, I asked him if he wanted to hold my hand. He said, "Sure!" I told him it made me so happy that he wanted to hold my hand in public. :) I asked him if he would still hold my hand when he turned 5.
"Sure!"
"When you're 10?"
"Sure!"
"When you're 12?"
"Sure!"
"When you're 16?"
"Sure!"
"18?"
"Sure!"
"21?"
"Sure."


I asked him if he would sign a contract stating his very words. He told me he would always hold my hand in public if I wanted. I told him I would write this in his Journal and hold him to it! Okay, Jaden?! :)

KALEB

*******When Kaleb was learning to be mobile, he never learned to crawl. Instead he would sit on his bum with his legs straight out in front of him, and scoot forward. He could actually get around pretty fast that way. He would chase Jaden, go after a ball, come to someone with his his arms outstretched ready to be picked up... all by scooting on his bum!




*******
Kaleb is too funny. Most of the time when he means to say "I" he says, "my."
"My want cereal."
"My hungry."
"No... my too scared."



*******
When Kaleb was learning how to say people's names, he would say anyone's name... except his own.
Say Mama.
Mama.
Say Dada
Dada.
Say Jaden
Day-na
Say Kaleb
*silence*
Say Grandma
Gamma
Say Grandpa
Ah-Pa
Say Kaleb
*silence*


Months later, he learned how to say his name. And you were not allowed to call him anything but his name.
Hi Pumpkin.
My not pungkin. My KAYBUB!
Hi sweetie.
No, my not sweetie, my KAYBUB!
or just straight up... in a frustrated tone...
It's KAYBUB!!!!


*******
The Christmas after Kaleb turned 2, Grandma and Grandpa Socci, and Auntie Amber came to visit. Kaleb had just learned how to pray and loved to say the blessing at dinner. So of course, he volunteered while they were here. During this visit, Kaleb would never call Amber by her name. Just wouldn't do it. Instead he called her "Stinky." And so during the prayer he thanked Heavenly Father for each person sitting at the table, and when he got to Amber he said, "and thank you for... Stinky!" And then he just laughed and laughed. Later Amber was laughing about it, and she said, "I can't believe he called me "Stinky" during Grace!" There's a 2 year old for you!


This isn't that actual prayer, but it's one of his first prayers.




*******
2/3/09
Kaleb has been so sweet with Baby Bradley, or "Beebee Blabley." He pets his little head and talks softly, which is kind of hard this 2-year old in particular! He also gives him his special blanket and bear (which is very generous!) When Bradley gets upset, Kaleb does what Jaden used to do for him. He says, "It's okay Beebee. Kaybub here. Kaybub here." And if that doesn't help he sings him Twinkle Twinkle Little Star... just like Jaden used to do for him. It's so cute that he knows what to do for Bradley, just by knowing what Jaden would do for him.



*******
3/14/09
Kaleb is so... intense. He is either extremely happy... or extremely mad. Sometimes when he is in his extremely angry moods...


I have found that in order to get him back to extreme happiness, I just need to make him laugh. And right now, the only surefire way of producing such an outcome is by using his favorite "yucky" word... Stinky. After months of fighting the use of this word, I have given up. Timeouts just don't phase him. So... if you can't beat 'em... join 'em. Kaleb will crack up every time.



*******
Charles, Jaden and Kaleb have a nightly ritual. They rough house. They either play Loins, or Tougher, Karate or Stinky Ball. It is the cutest thing.


Lions
They all have pretty amazing lion roars, and they really act the part. They use claws, and swat at one another, they play on all fours, and pretend to fall down and die, while Kaleb says, in his best Scar voice, "Long... live... the king!" It's pretty intense!


Tougher
When they play Tougher, Charles will say, "Who's tougher?!" and the boys will respond with, "I'M TOUGHER!" as they rip off their shirts and charge towards Charles. Most of the time, when they boys run at him, Charles will just flip or toss them over his head and onto the couch. Every once in a while he lets them take him down.

Karate
Jaden likes to practice his Kap Ki Do moves on a target. When Charles isn't the target, he will hold a pillow for Jaden to kick and punch. Kaleb likes to watch and learn from Jaden. He's not too shabby!

Stinky Ball
Another nightly game the boys like to play with Daddy, was created by Kaleb. He calls it "Stinky Ball." This is where they get my big yoga ball and have Charles throw it at them. Sometime they play on the stairs, and sometimes up on the landing. But they are laughing uncontrollably the entire time. Good ol' Stinky ball.

BRADLEY

*******
12/27/08
Bradley is 4 months old and is THE smiliest baby ever. He will smile every time you look at him. He can win over anyone. Like at the Ashton Family Christmas party... he was passed around to like everyone. And he would just smile and everyone would say, "Awwww, he's so precious!" "Can I take him home with me?" "He's such a good baby!" "He is just so adorable!" I tried to get him back a few times, but no one ever wanted to give him up! This is typical Baby Bradley. I love it!



*******
2/7/09
Bradley is amazing. I joke around that he is my Jonathon Collins. I have all sisters in my family. We grew up with the Collins Family. (a family of 4 boys followed by a girl) It has been interesting to me, to compare the similarities of my 1st boy with their first boy, my 2nd with their second, and now my 3rd with their third boy.


Jaden is my Andrew... inquisitive, a little shy, and very tender-hearted. Kaleb is my Keith... energetic, intense, scrawny, a little rebellious and seems to be a natural when it comes to sports. Bradley is my Jonathon. My Mose. He is laid back, easy going, has a little more meat on his bones, and is just happy. He is VERY low-maintenace... which, for the 3rd child under the age a of 5, a mom can really appreciate that kind of temperament!


He is so huggable and cuddly, and patient, and quiet, and angelic... I could go on forever!


*******
3/14/09
Lately I have begun to realize how much Bradley loves me. He's very sweet and makes me feel awesome! It's so nice to feel wanted and loved. Especially by one who can't talk. I'm hardly ever away from him, but when I am he has been so sad. He cries (real tears!) But it's so not like him. I know him as a happy-go-lucky and easy going baby. But when I am gone he just cries and whines... a lot. It makes me pity whoever is watching him, but I'm not gonna lie... I love it! I feel so happy to feel loved and missed! When I walk in the door he is so happy to see me. It is so sweet! As much as I prefer to be a stay at home mom, I do envy the reactions that Charles gets from the boys each day when he walks through the door. He is always missed. :)


*******
10/18/09
Closet Walker
I'm pretty sure Bradley is a closet-walker. He's 14 months old, and I can't actually state that he is an official walker. The most I have seen him do is 3 or 4 steps in a row. However, other people say that they have seen him just take off. So when I try and get him to walk in front of me, he either just lifts up his legs, or will take a couple steps before resuming his crawl position. Sometimes I spy on him when he is playing by himself. He is standing. In the middle of the room. He starts to walk. The second he sees me, he is back on all fours. Why won't he show me? I went to get him from his nap and he was at one end of his crib. He saw me and ran to the other end and dove down and hid. 4 or 5 steps, but running! I try to get him to show me again... Nothing. Crazy. So really, who knows when he started walking? Cuz I sure don't!

His First Word

No, I'm not talking about Bradley. I'm talking about Kaleb. My extremely shy 3 year old who as of this morning has never spoken a word in school, or in Nursery.


Well today that changed. When I went to pick up Kaleb from school, his teacher stopped me and said, "He did it. He spoke!" I was like, "No way!" She said that they were all sitting together on the rug and she asked the class if anyone knew the name of the big ship that carried the pilgrims across the ocean. Kaleb timidly raised his hand. She was so shocked she almost stopped breathing. She said, "Yes, Kaleb?" She wasn't sure if he would actually say anything, but she listened really hard as he almost inaudibly said, "Mayflower." She said she just got up and jumped for joy, not because he got it right, but because he finally said a word! She thinks she may have scared him to death by her high-pitched praises, and that it is possible he may never say anything again for fear of her reaction. When I asked Kaleb if he spoke in class today, he said, "A little." I asked him what he said, and he said, "Mayflower." Way to go, Buddy!

The Ultimate Insult

When the boys argue, it can get a little ugly. They say words like "Go away!" "I don't like you!" "I don't love you anymore!" They hit, kick, push, punch and tackle. Jaden likes to use his "water will strike" Hap Ki Do move on Kaleb (for defensive purposes only!... yeah right). Every once in a while there is the occasional "I hate you" thrown in there. But the most recent insult... the one that causes the most emotional damage... is "I'm not gonna be your brother." Sometimes when these words are used, it brings Jaden to tears. There have been a few nights where Jaden has come out of his room at night just torn apart because Kaleb has used those very words. Jaden will say, "Kaleb said some very hurtful things to me." He's such a softie.

Well the other day, Kaleb, Bradley and I were at the gym, watching my dad play volleyball, and Jaden practice Hap Ki Do. Kaleb began to lick the window. I told him how gross that was and that he needed to stop. He just looked at me with anger in his eyes, and said, "Fine. I'm not gonna be your brother, Mommy."

I couldn't help but smile.

My Hero

Saturday night.
I probably ate an entire bag of fun size Snickers bars. I can't help it. The after-Halloween sales are WAY too good to pass up. And with 4 bags of those goodies just staring me in the face, I lose all control. So at about 10:30 that night I was feeling pretty crappy. I looked at Charles and told him he needed to hide the remaining candy. He told me he would.

Sunday afternoon.
After 3 hours of church, we came home and it was lunchtime. The boys walked in and sat right up at the counter awaiting their food. I was STARVING! I needed something. Anything! Fast! I looked around the kitchen to see what I could scarf. What do you think I found? Those evil but heavenly little Snickers bars. I was no longer feeling as though I would upchuck the second I laid eyes on a piece of candy. Quite the opposite. I was so happy to see them sitting there on the counter, my mouth already watering. I started to reach for one. Just as I had it in my grasp, Charles swooped in and tried to snatch the entire bag from me. I death-gripped that bag and... there was a struggle. But Charles, of course, overpowered me and came out victorious with bag in hand. I was crushed. You don't take candy from a starving woman! I knew he was trying to help, so instead of getting mad, I just gave him my most pathetic and sad looking puppy dog face and began to whimper.

I looked at the kids who had witnessed this whole thing and they were just staring at us. Jaden's eyes became angry. Without saying a word, he hopped down off his bar stool, marched over to Charles and gave him 2 swift triple punches. gut-side-gut, side-gut-side. After disarming his opponent, he yanked the bag of candy out of Charles' grasp and brought it over to me. Then he calmly walked back to his seat at the counter, and sat down.


I was so touched. I couldn't believe my little 5 year old would beat up his own dad to defend me. Charles waited for me to explain to Jaden that I had wanted him to take the candy from me... but I couldn't. He had done such a sweet and noble thing for his mom, and I wanted to cherish the moment, and let him know how happy he had made me. So after letting Charles feel like a monster for a few minutes, I let him off the hook and told Jaden the situation. Jaden just responded with, "Well you should have taken it away last night! Not today." True-dat!

I smiled so much the rest of that day. I felt so loved. Charles made fun of me, telling me that I looked as if I just had a child graduate with a PhD. I might as well have, I was so proud of him. We also joked that he finally got to put his martial arts skills to use... against the person paying for the classes!

The Real Halloween

Happy Halloween all! I know we already posted for the Halloween party, but there are a few pictures that NEEDED to be here. So! Here we are trick-or-treating at my Grandma's home. She was so tired but such a trooper. The place was packed! We visited her for a little while and also got to meet a few of Charles' patients who are also in the home.


If you haven't already noticed, Jaden has switched his costume. He is no longer a knight in shining armor. After watching the vampire movie that Ethan recommended, he wanted to be a vampire. I told him I wasn't going to buy him another costume, so he created his own. He wore black clothes, his magician's cape, some green teeth he got from his friend Caleb's Halloween bag, and some devil ears from his dress-up box. Way to use your resources, Jade!


On Halloween night, we decided to go trick-or-treating in my Mom and Dad's neighborhood. Alli was dressed up... so cute.



This was the first Halloween that Charles was actually OFF work for, so I decided to get him a costume... kind of. Allow me to introduce you to "Mullet Daddy."


Back off ladies... this dirty, white trash hunk is all mine.


I know you want him...


what with his perfectly kept sideburns under the glasses look...


but keep on dreaming!

We had a little bit of fun with the wigs.








The kids had been trick-or-treating 2 other times previous, so they went around one block and called it quits. They just wanted to pass out candy and pig out. Jaden has a "cool voice." He always uses it when speaking to kids older than him. I wish I could describe it. He almost sounds like... a hick. He used it while handing out candy. "Hey! It's a cowboy! Cool Dude! Take which ever candy you like. Happy Halloween and a Happy New Year!"


And just because I know you wanted one more look at my uberfine redneck husband...

A Major Breakthrough

This post represents a major "high-five" moment for Kaleb. As I have mentioned before, Kaleb is extremely shy when he is at church, or school or anywhere else "social." The boys have had LOTS of playdates recently, and I'd have to say that 9 times out 10, Kaleb doesn't say a word. Seriously. He'll run around with everyone, some of the time, but nothing comes out of his mouth. In fact, today, it was funny... I was reading to the boys about Alma the Younger, and how when the angel came to reprimand him, Alma couldn't speak. Kaleb, piped up just then and said,

That's like me. I can't speak when I'm in class.
Sure you can! You just have to try.
No. I can't.

When I went to his Halloween party at his preschool, I felt so bad for him. He was like a statue. He hardly even moved a muscle. He never breathed a word. I waved to him, but he just stared at me, and stared at the ground. No smile. No wave back. When the kids went to their table to eat a cupcake, he just sat there in his seat. He wouldn't even move his arms to pick up the cupcake. Finally I think the sugar called to him, and he slowly lowered his face down to the cupcake and licked it. It was the saddest thing. I felt so awful. I wondered if he was on the verge of heart attack everyday that he goes to school. He looked so terrified.

One of the girls that he's been having playdates with is Brooklyn. She is the same age as him, and is in his nursery class. Every Sunday I ask Kaleb if he saw Brooklyn today. He always says yes. Then I ask him if he said "hi" to her, and he always says, "No. I don't talk."

Well, today... HUGE breakthrough. My friend, Janica (Brooklyn's mom) came up to me after church and told me that her husband had peeked through the Nursery window during story time, and saw that Kaleb and Brooklyn were holding hands! I was SOOO excited! Kaleb was actually interacting! I asked Kaleb about it later, and this is how it went:

Kaleb, did you see Brooklyn at Nursery today?
Yes.
Did you say, "Hi" to her?
No. I didn't talk.
You didn't say anything to her?
Nope.
Did you play with her?
Nope.
Did you sit with her at storytime?
Yeah.
Did you... hold her hand?
Yeah. (little smile)
Did you ask her if you could hold her hand?
No.
Did she ask you if she could hold your hand?
No.
Did you just grab her hand?
Yeah. (little smile retuning)
And she let you?
Yeah.
Did you like it?
Yeah.
Why did you grab her hand?
Cuz I wanted to.
Do you like Brooklyn?
Yeah.

I realize this may have seemed a little pushy to such a sweet girl like Brooklyn, but I am SO happy that she let him hold her hand. This may have been the first attempt of interaction EVER for Kaleb in a classroom setting. It's funny because with Jaden, I know he is confident, and so when I first saw HIM holding a girl's hand I thought it was adorable, yet I had a bit of a motherly instinct to intervene. (Of course I didn't, I'm not that worried!) But with Kaleb, I am actually hoping that he will do it again. And maybe even build up enough courage to talk to her next time! I have been so worried about him and all the anxiety he feels in a classroom. I really hope this is a jumping point for him.

Here is a picture of Kaleb and Brooklyn at one of our playdates last week.


She is so cute and so sweet to him, even though I'm not sure that he had even spoken a word to her that whole day. But... as of today, all I have to say is... Way to go, Dude!