Tooth fairy comes to the Denham house for the first time....

Cole was a late teether so we haven't been surprised that he hadn't lost any teeth yet. He kept asking when he would since many of his friends had lost multiple teeth already. Then one day, he noticed his bottom front tooth slightly wiggling. He was afraid to play with it too much and was all concerned that it would fall out and he would lose it. I could see him checking often with his tongue to see if it was still connected.

One evening while at karate, they were grappling (controlled wrestling) and I suddenly saw Cole's face freeze. He put his hand up to his mouth and sure enough the tooth had come out. He ran over with a huge smile on his face. Luckily, the blood was minimal and I wrapped the tooth in a wet wipe and off he went back to his lesson with a gap in his grin.

He beamed the entire drive home and couldn't wait to write his note to the tooth fairy.

Rockstar in the making...

Cole has taken quite an interest in this season's THE VOICE. We began watching the show towards the end of the fall season and Cole got into it and became an instant fan. He also took a shine to Adam Levine (he liked Cee Lo Greene too but more because of his outlandish outfits and quirky expressions). Anyway, when the ads began after Christmas talking up the winter season with the two new judges, Cole couldn't wait for it to begin. He was even "playing" it with our babysitter. He likes to set up some of his stuffed animals as contestants and he and Kathy take turns as judges offering their criticism.

Well, the evening THE VOICE began, Cole was so excited. He was jumping up and down as the individuals sung with hopes that Adam would turn around. Adam is very particular so he didn't turn around much that night (nor did he very often for those first few episodes). Soon after Cole had me downloading Maroon 5 songs onto his playlist and was singing the lyrics out loud from the back seat of the car on the way to just about anywhere.

He also began "tattooing" his forearms with the ink pad and stamp that his swim lesson place leaves out for the kiddos post-swim. I didn't put two and two together initially and it wasn't until we got home one night and he pulled up his sleeves to show Dave and says "just like Adam" that I realized he was actually emulating his favorite rockstar.

Then one weekend afternoon, he comes upstairs with an astounding replica of Maroon 5's album cover, from memory only! He had seen the cover as he scrolled through his playlist on my IPHONE in past weeks and he went and created his own copy. I was dumb struck.




Then the Grammy Awards were on one Sunday evening and Cole heard that Adam would be singing with Alicia Keys. It was already past his bedtime but he begged us to stay up so he could watch them. It was obvious that he truly really really wanted to see them sing so we let him stay up and he stood fascinated as the duo sang.

Cole knows that THE VOICE is on Monday and Tuesdays and constantly asks on the way home from karate or whatever activity if we will make it home in time. :-) When I update my IPHONE, it shows about 146 "plays" of Maroon 5's song Daylight. You will see the outcome of so many listens below. I have to say as much as I groan that the song stays in my head for days, I love to see him grooving and taking such an interest in music. Enjoy the clip, we certainly have!

Cole with Adam Levine singing Daylight from David Denham on Vimeo.

It has been like a light switch turned on...

We have been so fortunate that Cole was given an amazing kindergarten teacher this year, Ms. Kollodge. After his time spent at Montessori with the best staff, we feel very lucky to have made the transition to our public school system with continuing excellence. Cole LOVES school and everything about it, even his homework (yes, he has homework but it is only 5-10 minutes and is vital to reinforcing what he studied that day). I have had the privilege to volunteer for two hours each week in his classroom and I can say having worked with those students who are struggling that I support homework (even in kindergartner) 100%!

Cole is eager to share with me (most days) each afternoon what he learned or what they did. Since the fall, he mastered his kindergartner sight words and moved on to 1st grade ones; he was folded into an advanced math class in November and he now flies through concepts meant to be learned a year from now.

He has always enjoyed being read too, Dave and I each night got into a routine of reading upwards of three books to him for as long as we can remember and he actually gets upset should it be a late night or for some other reason, books are missed for an evening. We attempted to get him to read to us around the holidays this past year but he would push back and say he was tired or the like. He would pick out familiar words but putting sentences together was still a work in progress for him. Similar to his mom, until he feels confident doing something, he'd rather keep it under wraps. :-)

I'm not sure when but some switch was turned on for him in the past several weeks. Cole literally overnight went from reading his daily "Book in a Bag" hesitantly and with frequent pauses (as he sounded out words silently) to fluid and flowing with inflection and tone. I was wowed and watched his smile grow as he realized he was reading effortlessly. Every since that "switch" turned on, he has been a reading machine. Even unfamiliar words that I think he will need assistance with, he breezes through. Signs, TV banners/ads, newspaper headlines, cereal boxes...you name it, he reads it.

I have always loved books, I have stacks of them bedside and I've grappled with the thought that hard copy editions might be a rarity when his generation raises their own children. With digital technology replacing textbooks and a large percentage of the mediums that the reading public are utilizing now that certainly seems the trend. Hopefully Cole's bookshelves will always hold actual books but as long as he embraces reading and its life long importance to learning and growing no matter what his age, this mom will happy.

Reading His Daily Book in a Bag Homework Assignment from David Denham on Vimeo.

Our little fish (a swim update)...

Cole continues to take swim lessons each session and he thoroughly enjoys them (more the splashing, jumping and underwater antics). However, it is the one activity that he struggles at a bit, it always has been. Typically we have repeated levels several times until he is able to graduate which is totally the way it should be. Swimming is not a skill that should be rushed to learn nor should be one that has exacting parameters based on age or the like. I'd much rather him have a respectful hesitancy in/around the water until he feels confident than an absolutely fearless one. Here are some video updates of his back and front stroke. He is much more comfortable on his back than with coordinating his breathing and strokes while moving along on his front/belly.

Cole Swim Lessons-Winter 2013 from David Denham on Vimeo.

Cole Swim Lessons-Winter 2013-Front Crawl from David Denham on Vimeo.

Start Your Engines...

Dave and Cole have gone to the Monster Truck Jam for the past two years at the Metrodome. This year I tagged along. It had to be one of the coldest nights of the winter and we had to park a significant ways from the stadium. Everyone was bracing against the cold and wishing for the crosswalk lights to hurry up and turn green. Once inside (I had never been to "The Dome") it was quite good people watching as we made our way to our seats. The scent of fuel and dirt filled the air. The various Monster Trucks were lined up on either side of the arena with the jumps and obstacles set up throughout the middle. It was loud already and things hadn't even started. :-) After introductions, the opening "act" were old cars pulling funny trailers or towing odd set-ups (such as toilets). They circle as quick as they can attempting to knock one another off course. The last trailer standing was the winner. It was actually really funny to watch them plow into each other and see things fly. Then the main attraction began. The vibrations from their engines got bebe moving and kicking.

Cole had his ear protectors on and his eyes lit up when his favorite monster trucks did their first round of time trials. Those who make loops or get around the arena super fast or have fancy tricks score more points. Through judging the trucks are slowly eliminated. Some got flat tires, some began leaking fluids, some were just too slow. Amazingly, one of the fastest and most daring of the drivers (Monster Mutt's) was a woman!! Everyone roared when she finished in first place and took off her helmet. Then the freestyle phase started where the drivers went crazy showing their stunts and jumping really high. A lot of the trucks got damaged when landing. Some limped off the course, others continued on trying mightily to hang in there until their time was up. The crowd favorite Grave Digger lost an entire wheel and yet managed to jump and make some impressive moves. Spiderman ended up the winner!

Leaving the stadium was quite the feat as the winds outside had whipped up so strongly that it was causing a vacuum with the doors. It took us nearly 25 minutes to actually make our way to the exit and then force our way against the bone chilling windchill back to Dave's truck. We were exhausted but Cole was happy and the proud owner of a new Monster Truck T-shirt! The Metrodome is slated to be torn down in 2014 for the new Vikings stadium so the boys may have one more year of attending the Monster Jam before it moves to its new digs.

Artist in residence...

Cole has always been quite the artist. When he was a toddler, he loved to paint. As a preschooler, he was more into coloring. This past year, he has been coming home with fantastic drawings in his daily classroom journal. On weekends or after school, he will disappear downstairs to his "art center" and create/cut/glue/shape awesome artwork, bringing them upstairs upon completion to hang on the refrigerator. He is quite prolific and he is very good (I say that not just as his mom but truly because he draws well beyond the level of a typical six year old).

At school a few months back, his teacher contacted me to let me know that a picture he had drawn of his school had been chosen to be included in a permanent banner in the main hallway. He was only one of seven students amidst a few hundred that were selected. Then, this past month, we received word that his self-portrait (an art project that his kindergarten teacher did with them and hung outside their classroom) had been chosen by his principal and a school board member to be showcased at a statewide teacher/educational conference. Not only had his been chosen but the school board wanted to recognize him and the others at its monthly meeting. So, 10 or so of his peers and their teachers met at 6:30 one evening in front of the school board members. They were given certificates and their names were read out loud by Mr. Pollock (Aquila's principal). As parents, we were proud as peacocks. I don't believe Cole had any true grasp of what all the hoopla was about but I hope it reinforced his obvious love of art/creative work. In today's age where the arts are rarely taught as a separate subject anymore, I applaud his teacher and his school for incorporating art appreciation into the kid's everyday lessons. I hope Cole continues to enjoy bringing his imagination to life on paper. With all the tech gadgets that invade their worlds these days, ensuring they have other outlets to feed their development is a must!

My ski bum...

Cole started ski lessons before the holidays. The day of his first lesson, 10 inches of snow had just fallen which was grand! It wasn't too cold and he was raring to go, except he had never been on skis and you can't run on skis despite him very much wanting too. :-) All geared up and locked in, he quickly got frustrated when he realized he couldn't move fast without slipping backwards. He likes to be "first" in line which just wasn't happening. After numerous spills where he tried in vain to stand up, he finally began to figure things out. Slowly over the past several lessons, he has gained more confidence (and balance). He has just enough "fear" to keep him from going straight down like some of his classmates but he certainly keeps his zig-zagging tight. It has been a cold few weeks and his cheeks are rosy as cherries when he finishes up. He likes to enjoy lunch in the lodge afterwards and has fallen asleep on the way home every Sunday. :-) It is quite the commitment (for all of us) to get him up to Elm Creek, into rental equipment and up to the slope but it has been fun watching him learn something new. Hopefully each year moving forward he will want to go back, it would be fun to ski as a family (preferably in the Rocky Mountains) someday!

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Another Vikings post...

I have posted several times now about Cole's continued and growing LOVE of everything Vikings! He was more thrilled with his Vikings calendar and drinking cup than with most of the other gifts he got for Christmas, lol! Over the past month, he memorized the Vikings fight song and I have heard him singing it or humming the tune morning, noon and night! Cole had high hopes that the Vikings would go all the way to the Super Bowl and when they lost in the playoffs, he was disappointed. He has chosen his team pick for next week though so he wasn't crushed by our home team's loss too much. He has taken to "reading" the Sunday sports page and recently cut out the full page picture of Adrian Peterson, who was named MVP for the regular season and hung it on his wall. His other favorite player is Christian Ponder, #7. He drew a picture of them both which Dave and I were quite impressed by. We love the attitude Cole has taken, "they tried hard, maybe they'll get to the Super Bowl next year!" Maybe indeed!

Christmas 2012 Road Trip...

We decided to make the 1300 mile road trip to PA to spend the holidays with my family knowing that long trips would be put on hiatus until further notice with Bebe D on his/her way. So the week before our departure, Cole got to open one gift each evening from us or from Dave's family since we weren't about to lug everything in the truck with us. Relatively early (it was still dark) on December 22 we began our trek east. A huge snowstorm had just swung south of the Twin Cities and dumped on Madison, WI but the highways were clear as we passed through (the side roads we took to lunch were another story). It was a long day but we hit our destination outside Cleveland, OH about 13 hours after we left home. Tired and a wee crabby we all slept well before getting up and finishing the drive on Sunday. We got to my parents house around 3pm, ahead of schedule. :-)

Of course the holiday fairy had descended on my parent's house and it was decorated to the nines. Cole and Gigi counted her vast collection of Santa figures of all shapes and sizes (98!!) Dad had set-up his traditional two Christmas trees (one was in their living room and in honor of my Nana), the other one which was the size of a small shed (10 feet easily and just as round) was set up taking over the entire south corner of their sunroom. Santa hadn't even come yet and the packages were piled and stacked high. Christmas has always been an event in the Scull family. :-)

Cole helped put candy canes on the tree and bring even more gifts downstairs that my mom had stashed in the guest room. My sister and two nieces came over for Christmas Eve dinner just as the snow began to fall. We took a walk around my parent's neighborhood afterwards as all the houses put out candle luminaries. With the snow coming down and the streets lined with candlelight, it was a big magical. Off to bed for Cole with a last check on the Santa app to see where he was delivering in the world. Cole had a hard time falling asleep with his mind and body electric with excitement. We thought he was finally out, only to have his feet pitter patter down the stairs as Mom stuffed stockings, eekkk. Luckily, Pop Pop intercepted the sleepy boy just as he turned into my parent's kitchen and back upstairs I went to lay with him until his breathing told me he was truly OUT! Whew, close call!

Christmas morning dawned early (did we think that Cole would sleep in??? LOL) and he eagerly raced downstairs as I chased him with the camera attempting to capture his face as he witnessed that Santa had come! Everyone else was moving more slowly especially poor Dave who stayed up to put together a LEGO Ninjago set that took almost three hours to complete. An emptying of stockings and then a move to the sunroom where Santa had left more loot. My sister and kids were due to come over later that morning after experiencing their Santa gifts at home. We all took turns opening gift after generous gift. The sun finally rose and slowly we made our way through the piles. :-)


Cole was a happy camper with all his new stuff (and insistent on pulling everything out all at once to fill with batteries or piece together). Dad and Mom made breakfast and I attempted to clean up the aftermath of boxes and wrapping paper. Trish and the girls came over mid-morning and more unwrapping ensued. The kids played all afternoon while the adults recovered. A delicious dinner of Dad's famous rolled rib-roast was had and we all went to bed early, exhausted but happy.

We kicked around the next day, went for a walk in Tyler Park and helped Mom get ready for friends that were coming for dinner. Another storm was pending, this one a rain/mix event, by afternoon, the skies were angry and the rain pelted the windows. It was warm and cozy inside though with great conversation and eats with our guests. Thursday was another awful rainy day and not everyone was feeling great so we laid low and enjoyed the downtime. Dave packed up the truck as we would be leaving early Friday for our ride back to MN.

We pulled out of the driveway around 7am and began the drive west. Pennsylvania is a big state and I agreed with Cole when he kept asking if we were out of PA yet and we said "NO" and he sighed. Finally crossing into Ohio, we got a second wind. We ended up in South Bend, IN for the evening where the snow was falling. We considered driving straight thru but decided against it, it was just too much driving at night on dicey roads with me almost 5 months pregnant. We got up and going on Saturday (my 41st birthday), sailed through Chicago and ticked off the miles until we began to see signs for St. Paul. It was wonderful to get home, despite the frigid cold and snow that greeted us. We unloaded (and I put everything away as I just cannot relax until I do). We would be celebrating my birthday on Sunday instead so we all crashed early, grateful for a wonderful trip, generous family and a fun Christmas!

There are no words..

I'm not sure I can adequately express the utter shock and grief I have felt this past week over the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary. I was out running errands the afternoon of December 14, 2012, only to hear on the radio as I pulled into the garage a preliminary news report. I ran into the house and to my computer as I just couldn't process what I had heard. What I read confirmed the worst and yet my brain didn't want to accept such a horrid and tragic event. I phoned Dave and could barely get out an audible message between my uncontrollable sobs. Here I knew no one that had been affected and yet, I found myself grappling with the physical urge to vomit as the numbers of those killed continued to climb.

As the afternoon unfolded, I wanted to run to Cole's school and scoop him up, it was an almost primitive pull and yet the logical side of my brain was finally kicking in and overriding my every instinct telling me Cole was fine and safe and blissfully unaware of the evil that had presided over his peers in Connecticut that morning. The knot in my throat and the tightness in my chest as the past week's news has been dosing us 24/7 about what occurred has not lessened. The faces of those children, their teachers, their principal and their loved ones haunt me. I cannot wrap my head around anymore senseless of an act than taking the lives of so many innocent 1st graders and those in charge of taking care of them during their school day. The fact that Cole is so close in age to them has kept me up at night pondering that we send him off for a day of school, and may never see him alive again. It is just inconceivable and yet it has happened to 20 sets of parents. I am unable to even consider what life would be like without Cole, his smile, his goofy antics, his quirky eating habits, his lilting voice, his hugs...................................................................it is too much so I embrace and recognize that there may not be a tomorrow. It troubles me that it takes tragedy to uproot our stakes in the ground to adopt a more "live in the present" mindset and yet, I find myself doing just that with the hopes that those little angels with their new-found wings have all taught us a lesson about the importance of living/loving EVERY DAY.

My rascal turns six...

As I planned for Cole's sixth birthday this year, it really struck me, how quickly the years are passing. It sounds so cliche but the fact of the matter is that time has literally been on a faster pace than I ever remember. I find myself watching Cole as he continues to digest the world around him and figure out his place in it. He loves to learn, ask questions, and constantly inquires about things he hears or sees. I love that he shares with me what he does during his school day. I treasure our late afternoons as I know soon enough, he will be dropping off his backpack and running out the door to ice skate or sled with his buddies or with the spring thaw, out throwing a football/baseball with his friends rather than with his mom.

Cole wanted to have his birthday party at the SEALIFE aquarium this year. We had visited several times since they renovated and re-opened. I have to be honest that I was skeptical that an aquarium located in Minneapolis far from salt water would be anything to impress. I was wrong. It isn't huge and doesn't have seals, otters or whales but what they have done with the space they have is pretty darn cool. They have the touch-me and the seahorse/jelly fish exhibits but it is the glass surround walk-way that ups the wow factor. It is shaped like a tunnel with glass overhead and on the sides. The sharks, rays, sea turtles and massive and tiny fish swim and glide inches from you. To see their underbellies as they cruise over your head makes you go "look at that" every few seconds..

SEALIFE's birthday package included a private party room (deep down in the bowels of the aquarium, you felt like you were on a ship), make-your-own shark tooth necklace, a behind-the-scenes tour and full access to the aquarium itself. So Cole and 8 of his friends got to see (and smell) the off-exhibit area where new or sick sea animals were brought and treated. They got to see what they eat (yuck!) and got to walk above the tanks where the animals swum about as the public walked through the tunnels below. It was a fun afternoon for this birthday boy!

New status pending...

So the news is out...after several years of hoping and wishing, we will be adding to our family! The losses we have experienced have kept this joyful secret under wraps since late September until we were sure that Bebe D was growing and progressing. Our 12 week ultrasound was proof that we had gotten through our first trimester without issues (just a lot of monitoring) and we could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

I had been walking on eggshells these past weeks, wanting to be excited and yet attempting to keep my emotional state in check just in case. It is still hard to quite accept that another lil one will be joining our household come spring but I'm slowly coming around to it and thus, we thought it was time to share the news with Cole plus my "morning" sickness had increased and it was getting more difficult to hide that and my fatigue.

So with ultrasound pictures in hand, we told Cole we had something to tell him. His cautious nature had him glancing at us in concern. We told him that I had a baby growing in my tummy and that he was going to become a big brother. His eyes got big and he jumped up and down and said "there is a baby in your tummy right now?". I answered yes and showed him the photos, pointing to what was what as he wondered aloud "where are its eyes?". He then began to ask a whole bunch of questions, "when would it get here?", "was it a boy or a girl?", "would I have to go to the hospital to have it? to name just a few. We replied as honestly as we could. He wasn't happy to hear it would take until late spring to arrive "I'll be in first grade by then!", we laughed as we told him that no, he would still be in kindergarten. He reached out and put his hand on my belly, gave me a hug and said "I am so excited!". Tears welled up in my eyes at his gesture. With that, he jumped off the couch and went back to racing around like he had been before we stopped him to share the news. Dave and I know that he will be an involved and terrific big brother!