Vikings Fan in the making...

Dave is not a football fanatic. He isn't even really a football fan nor could give a hoot about fantasy football unlike many of his friends and colleagues. Sure he'll watch highlights and the occasional ASU game but in the decade I have known him, I'd have to say that the Super Bowl is the only time I've seen him engaged for four quarters (and truly it is more about anticipating the advertisements).

That said, Cole has not been exposed much to professional football and yet, he has been fascinated with all the pre-season trailers that are playing on the TV inquiring about our hometown team, the VIKINGS and asking all kinds of questions about football teams and how the game is played.

Thanks to our next door neighbors who have season tickets, Cole and Dave got to attend a pre-season VIKINGS game last Friday. He was soooo excited to wear a VIKINGS t-shirt and sit in the stands at the Metrodome. It was loud and chaotic but he had a blast.

I have a feeling that his interest in the gridiron is just beginning...

Checked off the list...

Each summer for the past two years, Cole and I have crafted a to-do list of new places to go and see, things to do or try and of course some seasonal favorites such as "get ice cream" and "go to the beach". We did pretty well with crossing things off our sheet and had a ton of fun along the way. Each summer seems to pass faster and faster. I think we have a whole three months and wham, I'm stunned to realize it is mid-August already.

One of the last remaining items was "learn how to ride his bike without training wheels". Our neighbors had a bike the next size up in their garage and donated it to us for the cause. However, the bike was purple which Cole was not happy about. We explained that it was a perfectly great bike to learn from and once he could show us he could do it that a new bike was his! He made a few solid attempts with one awful crash and burn escapade where he lost control and veered off the trail and ended up careening DOWN HILL and literally catapulted over his handlebars into a bush. He shied away from the bike for weeks after that, luckily nothing broken or terribly bruised other than his ego.

We knew we would have to coax him to get back on it and try again knowing he was strong and coordinated enough to master it. Sure enough, with just a wee bit of hesitancy and Dave running along side, in a matter of 15 minutes, he was off to the races, his confidence returning and a huge smile beaming from his face. He will have to continue to practice but Santa will be bringing him a new bike this Christmas (blue and green as requested).

003 from David Denham on Vimeo.

A change of pace...

Cole finished up with Montessori at the very beginning of the month. I had signed him up for day camp for the month of August at LifeTime Fitness and the YMCA, four days a week. This was intentional as I wanted to shake things up a bit to help him transition from three days of preschool to five days of kindergarten which starts in a few weeks. Cole is not a fan of change or of new experiences. He still harbors a reluctance when entering unfamiliar territory. Once he has some time to acclimate, you can find him right in the thick of it but he just simply likes to ease into things.

Knowing my kiddo, I felt that having him participate in our gym's day camp first made a lot of sense. He already knew the facility and many of the childcare staff. He played shy at drop off the first several days but once he made friends and learned the routine, he was running off to meet his buddies and actually cried one afternoon when I picked up because he wasn't ready to leave.

When he switches to YMCA camp next week, it will be another few mornings of elongated goodbyes I'm sure though he'll be attending with three of his playdate pals with whom he'll be in kindergarten with!

It has been hard on me to lose my Mondays with him after all these years. When he begins school next month, we will lose our Fridays together too. I have been oh so lucky to have had that special time with him, working part-time allowing us that. He is growing up and we will inevitably spend less and less dedicated time with one another. That is just how life works, more independent, less dependent on his mom. I hope he has special memories of our "mommy days", I know I'll carry them in my heart always.

Cole the web-slinger...

As I have posted previously, Cole's interests change like the wind. I think we have gone through four or five "phases" this year where he immerses himself for weeks in all things X and then all of a sudden, something different becomes his focus. He still loves Wild Kratts, Ninjago and Super Heroes but he has graduated onto a more complex solo character, Spiderman.

Cole wanted EVERY book we could find at the library on Spiderman and his infamous enemies. We have read and re-read them. I finally found a book that is a compilation of them all (20 tales) and we have gone through reading one a night and now are in repeat mode. Eventually, the book will need to be returned (I can renew every 3 weeks three times). So doing the math, that gives him 84 days with said book and as such approximately 4 re-reads of each story within the book. He knows when you skip a line and will call you out on it. :-)

He loves flinging his wrists in spidey-fashion as he zips around the house. Every few weeks, he is able to make a purchase based on good behavior for something under $20 with the understanding that one of his current toys needs to be donated. He had been eyeing a Spiderman mask that talked and was more $$. I told him that if he wanted that that it would be equal to two items so that he would have to wait nearly six weeks for another "thing" even if he was well-behaved (as we are trying to teach him about cost and value). Initially he held off saying he wanted to think about it. Eventually he made his choice and went with it. He has only asked once since about how long it would be until he was able to receive something new.

So now, he wears his mask and jumps around web-slinging and talking in a low voice. The topic of Halloween came up and he immediately shared that he wanted Spiderman to be his costume and inquired if could he wear his mask. So unless he switches gears in September when I typically make a costume purchase, Spiderman it will be.

A bittersweet goodbye...

Cole began attending Orono Montessori school when he was 17 months old (May 2008). After months and months of him exhibiting severe separation anxiety, Dave and I made the decision that it was necessary for him to be socialized around others consistently. I knew it was going to be initially a very difficult change (for both of us). However, my best friend's kids had attended OMS and though it was a 15 minute one-way commute, I knew with her recommendation, the obvious and overwhelming happy energy I felt when we interviewed there, the awesome outdoor play areas, the Montessori method of learning and the smiles on the kid's faces, I knew that was the place for Cole to be.

I'll never forget the first morning I dropped him off in the toddler room into the capable and caring hands of Ms. Sara. Cole writhed and sobbed and looked at me with such confusion as I walked away. It had to be done but I sat in the parking lot, sobbing myself, knowing he would be fine but wondering how I would cope. It was a rough few weeks, Cole was not happy about the new arrangement. They told me he would settle down after I left each morning and I just had to trust them.

It was so odd coming home to a quiet house, I was off-balance and didn't quite know what to do with myself so I tackled numerous household projects to fill the time (3 days a week). Of course, eventually we fell into our new normal. Cole spent a year and half in Ms. Sara's room before moving to Ms. Leena's preschool classroom just shy of his 3rd birthday. Cole was not about to transition quietly. Thus began a new wave of tearful drop-offs as he adjusted to new teachers, friends and daily events. He remained hesitant to engage for months, choosing to observe from the sidelines much of the time. Cole readily took to the Montessori lessons but preferred not to take part in some of the more social aspects such as singing, face painting or any activity that was not his choice. Ms. Leena, Ms. Holly and Ms. Jenifer took him under their wings and gently coaxed him when he put on the brakes.

As he approached his 4th birthday, Cole began to come out of his shell. He knew what he liked and didn't like but was now able to communicate it instead of just welling up with tears. Cole still clung to Dave and I in the morning, reluctant to join in the chaos of 24 little voices clamoring to be heard. Who could blame him? LOL. He was becoming quite the chatterbox though and would talk your ear off about such random things!

Cole had several buddies at school with whom he would gravitate to at drop off and be with out on the playground at pick-up, running, chasing, pushing trucks, and building towers. Every afternoon I was greeted with a huge tackling hug. The kid's knew everyone's parents and made the announcements as we entered the building. I came in to help with art and science projects, reading, field trips and the photo shoot. I got to see how dedicated the OMS staff was in caring for 60 some children that weren't their own! Spending time on-site allowed me in an insider's view of how OMS handled discipline, respect, learning and growing. I was awed by what I saw!

It was a big year between his 4th and 5th birthdays. Cole had already shown us what a charming, funny, curious, goofy and bright kid he was but those traits had remained buttoned-up when he was in the company of others. He finally turned a corner somewhere in his 4th year and then Bam, all of a sudden he was making everyone laugh, he was expressing his silly side, he was more inclined to participate in group/team activity, he was randomly hugging his teachers. It was a huge and pivotal growth period. As he became more at ease, he was more apt to get involved on many levels which had a positive domino effect.

As he entered the 2011-2012 school year, he was one of the older students at OMS which meant he was asked to help out with the littler ones. He liked the responsibility. Cole continued to excel academically, amazing us with his aptitude with numbers and his overall ability with phonics. He was doing first grade work and he wasn't even in kindergarten.

We knew in the spring that he would be attending full-day kindergarten in St. Louis Park so his final months at OMS were drawing near. His most formative years have been under the guidance and loving care of the staff at OMS. Cole has thrived in this environment and it has been a joy to watch him grow into such a smart young lad. Much of that is his own doing, some of it ours as parents and much of it is attributable to the individuals at OMS which will forever be a part of Cole's history and we will forever hold the memories that were made here in our hearts.

The last morning I dropped him off yesterday, August 2, 2012, I had a huge lump in my throat and I held back tears as signed him in once last time. We gave gifts to his teachers and dished out lots of hugs. Dave and I had a mini-party for the kids at pick-up with popsicles and lollipops. Dave read "Oh the Places You Will Go" by Dr. Seuss. Soon it was time to pack up, take some pictures and say good-bye. We will visit often. Some things in life though necessary are so bittersweet.