Monday, September 20, 2010

My Words...And Cash

I've heard many phrases similar to: "Your words will come back to haunt you" over the years and I am seeing proof of it more and more often. The most recent:

Cash always gets excited for pre-school and usually starts toting his back pack around at least a half hour before it's actually time to get in the car. One morning last week I was finishing up with Vanna's hair as Cash repeated his plea to go to school. He kept telling me "it's time to go", that "we're going to be late Mom", "we got to get going". I finally replied with, "Cash, for the last time, we are not going to be late. After I get done with Vanna's hair we can get in the car and go to pre-school - just not right now." To which he responded by stomping his foot to the ground, throwing fisted hands down his sides and exclaiming, "Ugggh, I'm tired of this. If you keep acting like this, I'll just ride my bike all by myself to my school." I just looked at him and laughed.

Too often I make comments such as: "I'm tired of the way you two are fighting...., my ears are tired of all that whining....etc. He often throws the same phrase back at me. But the new phrase in this situation was, "if you keep acting like this". Again, apparently too often words such as: "if you keep that act up then...." come out of my mouth and brilliant Cash has found a way to use them against me. :)

I just find it comical when these kind of things come up. It truly brings the realization home that you really have to be careful in the things you say and the way you say them around your children.

If the above isn't proof enough, it must be said that Cash is growing up way too fast. He's constantly saying, "You want to see how big I are?" And then he'll lay down on our large ottoman for us to measure him. It's been a while so I thought I'd better write down a few things things about our little man for my own records.


If you've ever read the Color Code book (if not, I highly recommend it), then you'll understand when I say that Cash is a definite YELLOW - through and through. A yellow is primarily motivated by fun - that's Cash. He will completely wear you out inviting you and demanding that you play with him all day long. Cash's favorite things to do include: fishing, playing Go Fish, Duck Duck Goose, Hide & Seek, and Tag; working out with dad; riding his bike; going to pre-school; swinging (which he can do all by himself now by pumping - yeah!); saying the prayer over the food; pestering the cat; the list goes on and on.


Other characteristics of a yellow are:
-that they are people oriented - Cash is not shy and makes friends very easily. Usually within five minutes of arriving at a park he is leading all the other children that were already there in games and laughter. Sometimes this doesn't always turn out to be a good thing, for example:
After we've done Sharing/Singing Time with the Jr. Primary, they go to their class rooms while the Sr. Primary comes into Primary for their Sharing/Singing Time. We eventually had to ask the Sr. Primary to wait at the other end of the hallway until the Jr. Primary (namely Cash) could get to their classes because they kept encouraging high fives and knuckle bumps from Cash as the little sunbeams would walk by them. And I find it a struggle to keep the kid reverent at the conclusion of Church because the Young Men of our ward are fighting over him and parading him around the halls. Ahhh. While there are things I definitely have to be cautious about in regard to this characteristic - it's somewhat comforting as well to see his natural ability to make friends quickly/easily shine through.

-they are pretty open and share their feelings - Cash is not embarrassed to always give his mom a hug and kiss - at any place or time of day. And in fact he demands it as part of his nightly routine to give both Mom and Dad hugs and kisses with an "I love you" each night. Love it Love it Love it !!

-they're pack rats and don't need to be neat - Someday this will start eating at me I'm sure because I like to be organized, neat and clean. Cash could care less. We are making progress though with Cash's ability to keep things picked up. I generally let him get whatever he wants out but before it gets too out of control (and before naps and bedtime) he is good to help me get it all picked back up. Although he places much of it on his bed and explains just how important it is that he sleeps with each item - along with his two favorite blankets. He is such a little pack rat.

-they are optimistic - In general Cash is a very happy-go-lucky kid. In fact, when he can see that I'm getting frustrated or if I'm upset about something, he'll grab my face and look into my eyes and say, "Mommy just be happy". Of course this melts my heart and I'm immediately in a much better place. Arent' kids great at putting things in perspective for us and bringing us perfect joy/love?!


-they can have trouble staying focused - This is yet another characteristic of yellows that hits the nail right on the head with Cash. I tried to keep him entertained with "school" at home but he usually lasted maybe two minutes before declaring he was bored and suggested we go play baseball or something else - more FUN right? I was hoping that pre-school away from home - where he knew that's just what they did there - would work and so far it has worked marvelously. I'm sure it helps that the teacher was simply much more creative than I was and could make learning much more FUN than I could. :)

Cash's favorite things to eat:

mac & cheese, popsicles, spaghetti, pizza, steak (and most any meat actually - both my kids are little carnivors), licorious & swedish fish (most anything sweet really, just like his dad) and most any fruit. He's especially loving cantaloupe and peaches right now.

Other funny things Cash says to me:

"Thank you breakfast Mommy. You the best cooker in the whode world."

"I got-for it". - for some reason he's switching the word forgot around and saying got-for instead as of late.

"Mommy, Jesus make cars? Mommy, Jesus make trees? Mommy, Jesus make.... - Everyday he asks me about the things that Jesus made. You can just see the wheels turning in his mind I swear.

"I go to Primary, and school and I'm super busy playing with my toys." - The other night when talking to Grandma and Grandpa on the phone they must have asked something like what he's been doing lately and this was his response. I love that he's so SUPER busy PLAYING.

I absolutley love to hear Cash sing and luckily he likes to do it. His favorites are Ba Ba Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Row Row Row Your Boat, Popcorn Popping, Follow The Prophet and the ABC's.

Cash is a good little dancer and one of his favorite things to do is boogy to the songs that accompany the credits at the end of any given movie he's watched with us. He is so consistent with doing it and it's completely comical to watch him.

Boy, do we love the character that Cash is. He keeps us on our toes and running constantly but he is truly such a joy in our lives. We couldn't be happier in our family than we are with our little ones. What a blessing it is to have such sweet spirits in our home.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Pre-School

Cash just keeps growing up without our permission and I don't know what to do about it. This week he started Pre-School! This is another first for us and we are left in awe at how fast time flies - it seems we just had the little man yesterday.

Cash age 4 - sporting his new "pack-pack" and ready to start school.

To say he's been excited for this day would be an understatement!

He seems to be loving it and I think it will work out so nicely for our little family. He will be going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30-12:30. Our local library does story-time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at pretty much the same time so we'll do school on Tues., story-time on Wed., and school again on Thurs. It will be nice to have a little consistency there and be on a nice schedule.
I think Cash will love having a little time to himself to play and learn away from his little tag-along sister. And I'm really looking forward to having some one on one time with Miss Vanna. It seems the three of us are ALWAYS together (even the kids' nap times are the same so I rarely have one on one time with either of them) and as a result the kids can get on eachother's nerves a touch (and when they're not getting along well, it wears on my nerves a touch too). It will be so nice to break their time together up a bit. I'm hoping the kids will enjoy one another's company a little more this way.

Although the two of them bicker sometimes, they truly are inseperable. Vanna wanted to be in each picture I took of Cash when we dropped him off at Pre-School. And when it came time to actually leave my baby boy there - Vanna cried her little heart out (all the way home - which is saying something because it's a good 15 minute drive to Fruitland where he goes to school - it ws a cheaper Pre-School there and taught by a friend I already knew and felt good about). She missed Cash immediately but I was able to entertain her with a trip to the park while he was at school and that seemed to pacify her.

Cash's class consists of two other little boys and two little girls. A class of 5 total including him and I love that it's a small, good group. In fact, two of the kids are some of our friends' kids so it will all work out real nice I think.

It's hard to believe we're at this stage with him but I'm thrilled for Cash. And he's extatic about this new experience. Go Cash!!!