Birthday Week Postponed

We've caught a nasty flu bug so I've decided to officially postpone Kyle's birthday week. I know, I know, the suspense is killing us all. Once we are able to resemble human form, we shall begin!

Happy Heart Day!

Here's Savannah festively dressed for the holiday and Cade sitting proudly (and a little overwhelmed apparently) next to all his Valentine's from preschool.

Valentine's Day in the Woodbury household was a hearty affair. Pink Oatmeal and Pink milk was served up for breakfast (I knew that strawberry milk drink mix would come in handy eventually. I almost tossed it last week!) I continued Mom's tradition of having little Valentine gifts at each place setting. Cade got new underpants (really, the kid gets thrilled about anything if it's wrapped), Kyle got this book (my Dad got it for Christmas and it was all Kyle could do to not sneak it in his suitcase and read it on the plane), Savannah got some freeze-dried bananas and I was surprised with some lovely perfume from the two men in my life. The tulips on the table were from me to me. Sweet, aren't I? I'm really good at buying presents for myself. To add even more fun to the day, I signed Cade up to bring the treat to Preschool. What did I make you ask? None other than homemade Oreo Cookies. Would you really expect me to serve up anything else? I should have added the drink mix to the frosting, too, so I could at least make it look like I was going for festive rather than selfish indulgent desires...

At last! (just some venting over online purchasing)

Remember how I painted my bathroom? Well, with a new wall color also comes a new shower curtain. I won't tell you how many I've purchased over the last 5 years...(considering we've lived in 7 different homes since we've been married, I actually have a pretty modest average)I think this is one of the many things Kyle chooses to smile, shake his head and look the other way on.

Anyhow, late one night I sat down at the computer to search for a shower curtain. I knew I wanted red and I knew it had to be toile as it's my latest fabric obsession. If I could have it for everything in my house from the crib bedding to couch pillows, I would... After perusing several sites I chose the online store. Keep in my I went with it with the understanding it would be "shipped in 2-3 days." After 10 days of waiting I checked online to see what the status was. It still said, "will ship in 2-3 days" HA! 2 days later it was updated to "will ship in 4-7 days." I finally contacted the company and asked them (politely, of course) where the heck my shower curtain was. I received no response. A few days later, however, I got an e-mail letting me know my curtain had been shipped and it would arrive on Valentine's Day. How thoughtful. Except that it didn't. I got it today, instead.

I just think it was so wrong of this online store to weasel me into buying a product of theirs because of their false advertising. There were tons of other sites that sold what I was looking for. The only difference was how fast each site could get me the shower curtain. I went with this one with the understanding I would have the product in my hands in under a week. I would understand a hold up because of weather, or they mistakenly "thought" they had a product in stock but didn't, etc etc. But they didn't tell me why and totally ignored me! Grrrrrr. Better late than never I guess???

Anyhow, I hung it up as fast as I could. I even had a new shower liner waiting, too. The hardest part is deciding which of the 4 red rugs I bought go best with the bathroom. Obsessive? No. It's overwhelming how many different shades of red there are and how they can either make or break a bathroom. Good thing I am up for a the challenge. (just don't tell me if you don't like the rug!) Here's a swatch of the curtain. I love toile!!
funny how such things as shower curtains can create so much stress, and also so much happiness.

It's 10pm and this is what Cade is up to...

I sometimes think peace and quiet in my home, even well after bedtime, is too good to be true. Tonight I was right.

"I'm too busy to smile," he says, annoyed that I am flashing pictures overhead. Little does he know this reaction is far better than the alternative-- a stern face and turning off the light before he can finish his picture.

"Okay, okay, I'll flash you a smile...."

Cade's Big Weekend

Going to preschool with Cade was a blast. What I loved most about my time with him was being able to just sit and play without any other distractions. At home I can hardly focus on one thing at a time with the phone ringing, laundry going in or coming out, dishes going in or coming out, and needing to referee the toys between Savvy and Cade. I completely enjoyed myself getting lost in the world of trains and cars (do you really think he would pick anything else to play with?)
I also had the opportunity to interact with each of the children, two at a time. We played a matching game with shapes and colors. It was fun watching the strengths of each of the children come out in different ways. One girl was really social and good at helping her classmates feel included. Another girl took special care in paying attention and putting her game piece perfectly in its spot. A little boy was great at keeping the game "intense" and exciting with his dramatic expressions. Another little boy was a great observer. Interestingly enough, they were all pretty much on the same level. A few times they got their colors mixed up. Many times the kids called the "rhombus" a "diamond" or they got the oval mixed up with the circle. But they all "got it." It was pretty interesting. No one was leaps and bounds ahead of the crowd. (though a simple matching game probably isn't the most tell-tale indicator of intelligence.)

Above all, I was most impressed with his teachers. They are amazing. These two women defied ALL odds by maintaining the same soft, sweet (sometimes stern depending on the situation) tone no matter what was happening, and how many times it happened. The class has a lot of boys, so it doesn't take much imagination to dream up scenarios that would leave any teacher wanting to pull out her hair. But they were incredible. And I know it wasn't just because I was there. These women are the greatest teachers-- not because the kids are learning their shapes and how to sit down in a circle quietly. Because they taught me it really is humanly possible to discipline a child without getting emotional.

My favorite part of the morning (aside from snack time because it was Lily's birthday and her mom brought heart-shaped cookies!) occurred when all of the kids sat in a circle and listened to the teacher read from a notebook about one of the kids' adventures with Clifford. Each Thursday a child is randomly selected to bring home Clifford, a little stuffed dog, for the weekend. The parents record the child's experiences in the child's own words and then send him back to school on Tuesday. Well, after we read about Lily's weekend with Clifford guess who's name was drawn? None other than Cade!!!! I was bursting with excitement for my little boy, I have to admit I quietly shed a tear as I watched him walk to the head of the circle to pick up his weekend pal.

Also this weekend Cade gave his very first talk in Primary. I have to give complete props to Dad on this one, because I had absolutely no involvement besides mentioning to Cade throughout the week, "Aren't you excited you get to give a Talk in Primary?!" Dad did what men do best, which is a lesson in and of itself (for me anyway). He simplified. No cutesy colored and laminated pictures. No props. He chose a scripture and practiced it with Cade, and then a little blurb explaining it's importance. He even presented Cade with his very own mini set of scriptures, complete with a carrying case. Cade was beyond thrilled and sat the most reverently he has ever sat in sacrament meeting that Sunday. He kept zipping and unzipping his case and "reading" from his little scriptures. He was so proud. He kept asking his friend behind us if he brought his scriptures. Finally sacrament was over and it was time to go to Primary. After the opening prayer, Cade ran up to the podium, only to be turned away because the scripture was next. At last was his turn and he marched to the podium and looked up at his audience with a big grin. Dad whispered in his ears about two words at a time and Cade did a great job, speaking loud and clear into the microphone (yelling just about). I was pleasantly surprised because I was half-expecting him to clam up and refuse to speak. The stars were aligned and he spoke on command.

When we sat down together as a family later for family scripture reading, Cade kept wanting to give his scripture that he shared (Alma 34:32--scripture mastery) and he wanted the rest of us to recite it, too, along with the rest of his talk. So that's what we've been "reading" the last two nights with him. It's endearing watching him express an interest in memorizing scriptures. We've decided to go with it. We don't know how long we have before he decides he doesn't want to do it anymore!

Soap Box Issue of the Week: The True Test of Mediocrity

My sister posted this on her blog yesterday --- thoughts that I have actually been mulling over myself the last while and tomorrow I get to answer for myself the seemingly ultimate question:
is everyone else's kid really that much smarter than
mine?
Cade is your average 3.75 year-old boy. He loves to run, he loves to talk loud (yell), and he loves to vroom his cars around. He does not like to listen, pay attention, follow directions, etc. In fact, he has just recently started up a little basketball class. While the other kids dribble, pivot, and shoot on request by the coach, Cade is leading a revolution and running away from wherever they are supposed to be, waving to me hollering, "Hi, Mom! Can you see me?!" His first word well beyond the age of 1 was "ball" (or was it dog??). No profound questions at the age of 15 months. No profound statements at the age of 2. Just a very energetic boy. But should I use "just" ????--- that certainly does not do him justice because I love the kid, and he is full of individualism. I know, I'm his mama, and I would love him no matter what. I love him for the average boy that he is. He cannot write his name. He does not know how to spell his name. He does know the letter "A" fits in somewhere. He does not know his phone number, much less how to write numbers. We had a brief moment of instruction today when he showed an interest in trying to organize his cars by what letter they start with. "L" for Lightning McQueen! Hooray for letters, Mom, but it's time to go back to the race track.

He's almost four. Is this okay? There are parents in my midst who assume if kids don't know this stuff, express an interest in this stuff, enjoy LEARNING this stuff, they are banned to a life of mediocrity. Oh my. Maybe I am justifying my lack of good parenting (because you're only a good parent if your kids know all this stuff) with this post. Really I am prefacing an upcoming entry: I get to be a fly on the wall at Cade's pre-school tomorrow. No one else's parents will be there. Just me. I'm going to be hanging around the room, acting like I belong there, hoping not to disrupt the structure and I'm going to see for myself if all those "smart" kids are really so smart that it is visible in leaps and bounds in a social and educational setting. I'm not saying my child is not intelligent. I'm not throwing in the towel and saying he's doomed to struggle in school. I'm simply letting him be 3, while trying not to stress over the academic accomplishments of his peers that the parents are constantly throwing my direction.

While on that note I must say, those people who do have obviously intelligent children--what do they call them-- emergent learners? (shows you how familiar I am with the concept!)-- that's really fantastic. What a blessing! I am in no way trying to play down the greatness of super-intelligence or the importance of scholastic achievement and fostering bright minds and allowing them all the tools they need to succeed. I think it's absolutely adorable when big words come out of little mouths and when the youngest of toddlers can rattle off the ABCs and sound out words. Just please don't look down on my child (or me!) for being average.

I suspect I'll observe, and a teensy weensy part of me wish Cade was a little more like Ally at listening, a little more like Sarah at taking turns, a little more like Marcus at drawing, and a little more like Ryan at giving intelligent answers (as opposed to repeating the question back to the teacher); I'm also likely to find triumphs in his forgiving nature with Anthony (he whacked Cade in the head Tuesday with the coveted Thomas train), enthusiasm for story time, appetite for snack time . . . and think he's the greatest 3-year-old a mom could ask for.

In Memory of President Hinckley

On January 27, 2008 President Hinckley passed away at the age of 97. He was the prophet I grew up with and I enjoyed watching the Church come out of obscurity during that time. We had an FHE lesson about him the night after we learned of his passing, and Cade really liked the coloring activity:

I recently got an e-mail about the Hinckley challenge-- to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. It's a great site that tracks and charts your progress. I've decided to join the 28,000 + people to honor him. There is also a great slide show of Hinckley over the years compiled by BYU students that is also touching. I am inspired by his years of selfless service and endless optimism. He left behind a great legacy. I am also in awe of the smooth transition of our new First Presidency and look forward to the great work in which those great men will lead our church.

Happy Birthday, Austin!

These greetings come belated (typical of me, sorry to say!)My big brother turned the big 3-0!

Congratulations. They say the thirties are the new twenties. Considering your teenage-like inhibitions, you could probably make 30 feel like 13. Love you!!