I'm thankful for...

We have been talking to Cole about being thankful for all the things he has in his life and attempting to get him to grasp that many kids his age don't have food and a house let alone a playroom full of toys. It is a lot to ask of a 5 year old to comprehend anything other than what is "normal" to him but it is important that we try. He is learning about gratitude at Montessori school as well.

So each night before bed, I've been asking him about the things he is grateful for. At first he was like "I don't know..." but with just a little prompting, he picked five things the first night. We repeated those things the next night and then I told him that we would choose ten things the following evening. We then repeated those ten things after reading books the next night and moved onto fifteen working our way up to 20 things.

He was excited about his list and yet I didn't want it to become a game so I reminded him why he was being asked to grow his list every other evening. Two days before Thanksgiving Cole came down with the stomach flu and as I laid with him the first night between bouts of vomiting, he turned to me in his weakened state and said "mom, I'm not very thankful that my tummy is sick." I hugged him close and agreed.

Here are the things that made Cole's "20 Things I'm Grateful/Thankful For" List:

Daddy
Mommy
Tucker
My toys
My friends
Max (his new sea lion stuffed animal)
Target Field (where the Twins play)
Airplanes
Our trip to Oregon and San Francisco
My books
Chocolate milk
Mac N Cheese
Hugs
Tickles
Daddy's big phone
Bubble Baths
Talking to Daddy on the phone when he is away
Snow
My boots
Smiles

Inaugural sled ride of winter 2011-2012

This will be our FIFTH winter season here in Minnesota. We have acclimated pretty well and have a closet full of down jackets and a wardrobe of boots to prove it. I've learned to purchase snowpants, hats, gloves, heavy socks and long underwear in late summer since winter tends to arrive quickly and without much notice. I was prepared this year when the flurries began to fly. We had our first decent snow mid-month and Cole couldn't wait to hit the sledding hill near our house. The ground is barely covered in the video below but for a few scant inches but in two months it will be covered with feet of snow. Another long winter looms but we certainly will make the most it, that is what Minnesotans do!

Cole quotations...

Cole continues to charm us with his "collectible quotes" as I call them. Here are some that I have written down from the past several weeks!

As Dave and Cole are goofing around "wrestling" on the couch, Dave goes in for the sneak tickle attack; between bursts of laughter, Cole blurts out breathless "Daddy stop tickling me, I don't want to run out of giggles".

Cole often uses the word "actually" especially when pointing out something I've been incorrect about (which is subjective of course :-)) such as stating "actually mom, you said that I only had to eat some of my cheese" which is a literal interpretation when I said exasperated as I glanced as his plate after 30 minutes and saw 75% of his food remaining "Cole, please eat some of your cheese". I guess I "actually" should have told him "Cole, please eat your entire cheese stick".

When I realized that Cole was somehow wearing more chocolate pudding than I think went into his tummy, I laughed and said "what happened here, did the pudding explode?". With comedic delivery and a wry smile he looks at me and then at his shirt and the back of his hands and goes "huh, how did the pudding walk all over me!?"

Lately, Cole has taken to saying the following when he is very excited about something "I can't even hold my breath anymore".

Oregon...

The three of us got to head out to the left coast earlier this month for a short visit with G'ma Tootie, G'pa Fox, Great G'ma Coleson and of course the menagerie at the Fox Farm. It is rainy season but we were lucky to see the sun peek its head out several times. The Pacific Ocean and its rocky coastline never disappoints no matter the weather.

I thought for this post, I would just write in a fashion similar to a stream, where I just let the memories of this trip dribble out and flow along.

Pretzels and cookies for an excited Cole at Delta Sky Club; seeing the snow over the Bitteroot Mountains from high above; meeting the Hood family on the concourse at Portland Int'l as they headed east; G'ma Tootie's snack bag for our road trip; lunch at the air museum on the long ride down to Seal Rock; the hundreds of logging trucks; a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean then BAM there it is, memorized again by its rugged beauty; Violet and Cole becoming fast friends; Lily petrified of her new young guest; G'ma Tootie's treasure chest of goodies for Cole; visit #1 with G'ma Margie; lunch at Rogue Brewery; Cole feeding Coach the rabbit; walk on the beach exploring tide pools and having the rising tide get Cole wet; driving over the bridge in Newport and seeing the HUGE NOAA ships; the barking seals on the docks; the fishing boats in the harbour; lunch down in Waldport at the dive bar; the burn pile at the farm started just as it began to pour; making a tractor cake; happy dances; first sleepover for Cole, first night alone for Dave and I in five years; fancy dinner then breakfast along the harbour front; a walk through the Oregon Coast Aquarium (watched MAX the sea lion get fed); visit #2 and lunch with Great G'ma Coleson; good-bye to the coast and our loved ones; back on the plane heading home.