Busy Days

Mommy has been sick a lot and we have been just so busy so I haven't blogged much. But we did take a trip to Uncle John & Aunt Amy's in February for Foster's birthday. We had a fun time with the family. We had Uncle John, Aunt Amy, & Foster visit a few weeks later too! Daddy has been traveling for work a lot but I'm kind of getting used to that.

I fell against a white board at school & knocked one of my front teeth lose. The dentist had to pull it but I don't think it will be too long before I was going to lose it anyway. Not long after that I lost another tooth the normal way! I was very brave!

I started really reading a couple of weeks ago. I'm really enjoying reading books. I usually read a couple of books a night at least. I am so excited!

Oh - I almost forgot...I saved up all my money, worked extra chores, & waited for a long time until there was a sale but I bought myself a Nintendo DS Lite. So far I only have two games but I have really been enjoying it. I am doing a great job of managing my time on it so I'm not constantly playing video games.

We are heading out tomorrow for a camping trip to celebrate Easter & Trinity's 2nd birthday. It should be lots of fun!

My Weekend With Wilbur, the class pet

(pictures to come later when mommy gets around to it)

This visit with Wilbur was a little less exciting than the last one, but we still had a lot of fun. Mommy picked Wilbur and me up from school on Thursday and we went to Supercuts where Ms. Jin cut my hair. Wilbur just watched and made sure the cut was even. Well, my little sister Trinity did play with Wilbur some too. We had milkshakes that evening and Wilbur even got a brain freeze!

Wilbur spent Friday morning in the van while I was at school. But when I came home, we lied down to watch a movie. We were supposed to have a play date at Chick-Fil-A that night but the other kids were ill. So instead my dad brought a Kid’s Meal home to enjoy. We spent the night just hanging out with the family.

On Saturday it was raining and cold. We stayed inside all day playing games and Legos. My best friend Ethan came over for a play date that night. We had pizza, played Legos and Bakugan on the Wii, and watched a Bugs Bunny movie way too late!

Sunday morning we went to church. I went to two different classes since my parents had to volunteer and got my special sprinkle doughnut that Ms. Laurel who saves me one every week. I let Wilbur have a nibble but I don’t like anyone messing with my doughnut so I didn’t let him have much.

After church we went to Shane’s Rib Shack to hang out with my friend Parker. We came home and I played more Bakugan on the Wii. I taught Wilbur how to tell which 3 digit number is greatest during the game.

My dad and mom had a date night Sunday. While they were gone out for dinner, I went to my friends’ house.

 My family is part of a babysitting co-op so when my parents go out, I get to have a play date. Wilbur had fun at Stephen and Bethany’s house. We ate dinner, played Legos, and Wii.  I was tired and went to bed as soon as we got home. This weekend was low key, but I was so glad Wilbur got to share it with me! Thank you Wilbur for all the fun times we shared.

I Lost My First Tooth!

I lost my first tooth last Thursday, December 3rd. I was wiggling it and pulled it out myself. The tooth fairy came that night and left me lots of coins and a dollar. I'm getting used to the new tooth growing in.

We went to Cooper's Tree Farm yesterday and got our Christmas tree. I was bailed up like a Christmas tree and had a great time!

Loose Tooth!

This morning mommy discovered that I have a loose tooth! I can't wait to see what all this loosing a tooth is about.

In other news, I was a race car driver for Halloween and braved the bad weather to trick or treat. We got a pop-up camper & went camping at Amicalola Falls. I was the only person ever in the Tracking class given by park rangers to correctly identify the track of a turtle. They were so impressed with me that I got to hold a corn snake. Pappaw came to visit for a while too since daddy was out of town for 12 days with work.

And also in big news, baseball season is over and mommy found me an art class. I'm really enjoying art! We study an artist each class & do an art project related to the artist!

Ring Bearer Cooper

I was the ring bearer at my Aunt Jamie's wedding this past Saturday. She married a cool guy that I like a lot and he is now my Uncle AJ. My cousin Foster was also a ring bearer but I had to help him down the aisle. He tripped and made us both fall but I picked us up and we did a fine job after that. Mommy said I was the cutest ever in a tuxedo and I absolutely loved wearing it.

Also I started school last week. I am in transistional kindergarten (basically pre-K for those who turn 5 before Dec 31) and have two super nice teachers, Ms. Kim and Ms. Cyndy. I'm having a blast and am so excited to go to school every day.

I'm 5!

I turned 5 yesterday. I thought I was going to grow really tall yesterday but I'm pretty much the same size. My aunt Jamie came up for my birthday. I went to school, had a birthday celebration there, and immediately was stung by a bee when we went to the playground afterwards. It was my first bee sting ever, but Ms Anna at school said I was brave about it. Then daddy, mommy, Aunt Jamie, and Trinity picked me up and we went to Toys R Us and Target to spend some of my birthday money. I purchased several Bakugan, a Lego Racers set, and some Blendy Pens. A lady in Toys R Us came up and gave me $5 too! She was so nice because we didn't even know her. I did give her a hug. Then I had my first tee ball game of the fall season. We're the Yankees this season and daddy is my coach again. We had about a 45 minute rain delay but it was a lot of fun to get those new white pants dirty! We had Subway for dinner. I had such a great day. My Speed Racer birthday party is this Saturday and I can't wait! Mommy has interviewed me again this year and the results are below.

Favorite Food: noodles with nothing on it
Favorite Drink: milk
Favorite Song: the Speed Racer theme song
Favorite Book: My Bug Book (big book with all kinds of bug info in it)
Favorite TV Show: Phineas & Ferb and Fetch with Ruff Rufman
Favorite Movie: Speed Racer
Favorite Animal: Elephants
Favorite Bug: Ant cause they clean up stuff that falls on the groud, they eat it for you
Food You Don’t Like: hamburgers
TV Show You Don’t Like: Sports that you like but that I don't like
Favorite Place to Eat: Hibachi table
Favorite Store: Publix (third year in a row)
Favorite Shoes: Flip flops
Favorite thing to do with Mommy: Go on play dates with Ethan
Favorite thing to do with Daddy: Wrestle (same as last year)
Favorite thing to do at home: Having play dates with Ethan when it is a surprise
Favorite “fun” thing to do: I like Uncle Mike taking me out for ice cream
What do you want to do when you grow up?: Astronaut to go to the moon
Are you going to have kids when you grow up?: Yes (third year in a row) - Brennan and I are going to live together
How many?: 2, actually 3 - I will have one baby and the baby will be a boy and his name, I don't exactly know that answer
What kinds of things to do you think about a lot?: You know what I'm always thinking about? I'm thinking of watching Speed Racer.
How does it feel to be five?: Good!
Is there anything else you want to say?: I love this house!

Chad Is My Friend

My imaginary friend is Chad. He is a mouse and is always doing something silly. Blossom is a cat that adds into the mix sometimes. If you are wondering who is up on the ceiling or throwing something or the reason why I get into trouble - the answer is Chad. Chad just cracks me up. He makes movies and is always getting into mischief.

Washington DC

Pappaw & Granna treated us to a wonderful trip to Washington DC. We did so many fun things like ride the Metro and go to many museums. I really liked the Natural History Museum. I wanted to see every single exhibit in this museum including dinosaur bones, bugs, and butterflies. We were able to go to a butterfly house too. I held a grasshopper, walking stick, caterpillar, and cockroach. We also visited the Air & Space Museum and saw lots of airplanes and space craft. I got to see money being printed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. I walked the trail of the first postal service in our country at the Postal Museum. I saw lots of American Indian artifacts at the Native American Museum. We also saw a good bit of art at the National Art gallery including some modern art using keyboard keys, trophies, and $32,000 worth of used losing lottery tickets. We saw the Capitol, White House, War World II Memorial, Koren War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial. We spent a day at the National Zoo and another day at Mount Vernon (George Washington's home). We also went up the tower at the Old Post Office to look over the city. Oh and we walked across the Key Bridge which was a lot of fun as well. We had dinner one night with one of mommy's college roommates. On the way home we stopped at our cousin's new house and I had lots of fun playing with Bethany and Jackson. Probably the best part of the whole part of the trip was spending time with my family.

I Can Read

Mommy knows that I can read lots of words but I just don't like to sit down and read. She tries every once in a while to get me to read some of the words in books, but I just don't like to. So she has learned not to push me much. But I gave in last week and read a 15 page book. I knew most of the words and she helped me on a few. I quickly remembered them when they were used again throughout the book. The book is called, Go, Go, Go. I picked it up the other day and read a few pages again and let mommy record a video. Check it out here - http://picasaweb.google.com/melee2416/June2009#5342814036208532530

Since I have over a year until kindergarten, I am going to take my time and not rush reading. I am enjoying being read to. Lately we've been reading a lot of chapter books. Going to those simple first readers will be torture when I'm used to intricate plots.

Papa and His Eye

My Papa (daddy's dad) has had a particularly rough year with his eye. Last March and again in December he had a detatched retina. He has trouble now seeing out of one of his eyes. I began to ask nearly every night with absolutely no prompting for healing for Papa when we pray as a family. My prayer requests for Papa I think were answered because I think Papa's eye situation could have been much worse if I hadn't been asking for healing for him. I also came up with the idea to send Papa one of my eye patches. I also wrote a letter to him and sent it in the mail. When we went to Disney World, I bought a pirates chest with all kinds of stuff that I was able to pick out. I picked out a few things for others like a ring for my bud Ethan and a coin for Pappaw. I got matching pirate eye patches for me and Papa. I think Papa knows how much I love and care for him.

Also, yesterday in Kingdom Safari at church I made a chain with things that I am thankful for and one of my chain links says "Nanny & Papa". The other links say "imaginary friends," "food," "God," and "my family".

Mother's Day, End of School & Baseball

For Mother's day, we went to Toxey again. We had a great time with mommy's side of the family. Daddy helped me locate a whole lot of bugs. I had all kinds of things in my bug house. One bug came out of its exoskeleton while in my bug container! Daddy almost stepped on a rattlesnake so he killed it with Pappaw's shepherd's hook and mommy said she was glad she wasn't with us then.

School is over and I'm looking forward to summer fun. Mommy and Ms Stephanie took Ethan, Erin, and me to Stevi B's for pizza (Daddy even came for that) and Monkey Joe's jumpy place after school on Thursday to celebrate the last day of school. I was super tired but had a great time.

Baseball season is over. I had a great season and really learned a lot, especially with such a great coach. I had a couple of hits on pitches and fielded great. My last game was on Friday and Papa and Nanny came up to watch it. They were also here for our team party where I got a trophy, t-shirt, and goody bag. Papa and Nanny watched Trinity and me last night so daddy and mommy could go to a Coldplay concert (that was my gift to mommy for Mother's day). I had a great time with them.

Spring Break 2009

Wow! What a fun time we've been having lately. Pappaw, Granna, and Aunt Jamie came a few weeks ago for their Spring Break, then we had our Pryor cousins come too. We had a great time together.

Trinity turned 1 on April 5th. We had a great time celebrating her birthday and even went to Kado for a hibachi lunch with the Lowes. The man sprayed silly string in Trinity's face and gave us ice cream. The next morning we headed to Gainesville to see Austen, Aunt Mimi, and Uncle Billy. We had a blast. Daddy and mommy surprised us with a pizza dinner and a trip to see Monsters versus Aliens. It was so good. The next morning we had lunch with some of mommy's friends Ralph and Joan. Mommy and daddy talked a long time but I had some good eats. We headed to Orlando and checked into a hotel to get ready for Walt Disney World.

So we went to Magic Kingdom first. I got a 1st visit pin that I put on my hat and we rode the Ferry boat across. Around lunch time I told mommy that I had 3 wishes: 1. to have lunch, 2. to get a lollipop, 3. to see some friends. All three of my wishes came true because we had lunch at a restaurant where mommy's friend Will waited on us, I bought a 6 pack of cool lollipops, and Austen surprised me by meeting us there in the afternoon with Aunt Mimi and Nanny.

Now for the list of rides we went on - Magic Carpet Ride, Haunted Mansion (I thought the ghosts were scary and I wouldn't go on this again), Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear ride (Trinity's favorite), Jungle Cruise (we did it @ night which was cool), It's a Small World, Peter Pan, and Mickey's Philhar Magic. I loved the Pirates of the Caribbean ride a whole lot. I was able to buy a treasure box with my souvenir money that I had saved from Christmas. I filled the treasure box up with all sorts of things and even got some things to share with others. I love it so much! The characters we saw were Stitch, Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Smead, and Donald Duck. I was asleep by the time we left and didn't realize that we rode the monorail.

The next day I decided to go to Hollywood Studios. We began the day with a character breakfast featuring Leo and June (Little Einsteins) and JoJo and Goliath (JoJo's Circus) from Playhouse Disney. We had super yummy food and filled our bellies up (they had Mickey Mouse shaped waffles!) until dinner time and I had a blast meeting the characters, getting them to sign my book, and dancing with them. We even got cupcakes to celebrate Trinity's birthday.

The rides/show we went on/saw were Star Tours (I got to ride twice because Trinity couldn't go), Muppets 3D, Sounds Dangerous, Toy Story 3D, Little Mermaid show, Stunt Cars show (my favorite), A Walk Through of Walt Disney's Life, Movie Ride, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground, Prince Caspian show (terrible!!!), Playhouse Disney show featuring Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. I saw a lot of characters at Hollywood Studios: JoJo, Goliath, Leo, June, Annie, Goofy, Pluto, Mickey Mouse, Bolt, Frozone, Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater. We also went through an animation class and mommy and I drew Pluto. My drawing was selected to be shown on the screen for the whole class to see. I bought a drawing book and I also made my own Light Saber. That night daddy bought me a Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream sandwich and we watched the Fantasmic show where Mickey Mouse defeats the bad guys. I told daddy that the bad guys were no match for Mickey! Oh and we ate dinner at Pizza Planet from Toy Story. We watched birds eat our pizza crumbs there.

We had lunch the next day with Ms Katherine and headed to Papa and Nanny's. I played with Austen even more. We had Trinity's birthday party on Saturday and it was a lot of fun. I had a bunch of family from both sides there. 3 of 4 great grandmothers, 1 great grandfather, and both sets of grandparents were there. Trinity got a lot of cool toys that I'm enjoying as well. I had lots of cake and went swimming several times.

The next morning was Easter and the Easter Bunny treated me right with lots of stuff including a few Legos, Madagascar 2 DVD, Super Smash Brothers Melee, chocolate bunnies, Fun Dip, a catch game, and more. We headed home and had 2 surprises - lunch with Pappaw, Granna, and Grandma Speed and dinner with the Lowes.

I couldn't imagine a better Spring Break!

Good Behavior, Week Long Sleepover, Astronaut Costume, and Snow!

In a previous post, I described what it means to "pull a bug". I'm proud to say that for the whole month of February I only pulled one bug! My parents have been motivating me with great rewards. I had a camp out with Daddy, Mommy and I had a movie night with popcorn and Star Wars, and they bought me two packs of Pirates of the Frozen North.

We had our "Texas family" here for a week. I love those guys so much. I was able to sleep in the basement with Jacob and Megan nearly every night. Mommy made a bed for each of us. We played Legos, Wii, went to the zoo, and just had all kinds of fun.

We have been studying different career choices at preschool. On Thursday, we had dress up as what you want to be day. Mommy asked me earlier in the month what I wanted to be. Of course I want to be an astronaut, so mommy set out making me a costume. I was so excited to wear my costume to school. All the teachers smiled when they saw my fancy costume.

Yesterday we had a lot of snow! We were able to go out and play during some of the heavier snowfall. I threw lots of snowballs. Daddy helped Gavin and me slide down the hill on a cardboard box. I was freezing and my lips were purple by the time I came inside. Mommy had run a warm bath and I slipped into my cozy pjs. Today most of the snow has melted but Daddy took a few minutes after lunch to go out and play with what was left. It was much warmer as the sun is shining brightly. I accidentally hit Trinity in the face with a snowball but she didn't seem to notice.

My Camp Out With Daddy

Daddy and Mommy had a deal with me - if I was good at school for an entire week and didn't have any "bugs" pulled (the teachers pull bugs off of a leaf when I get in trouble) I could have a camp out with daddy. I had a couple of weeks of close calls where I just had one bug pulled or was good all week but some kid said something to me and I just would have to hit them. But I pulled it out this past week and earned my camp out. The weather cooperated and the entire family gathered in the backyard for a fire and smores. Then after we put the fire out, daddy and I camped out in the basement. We turned off the lights and used a lantern. We played Cootie, I Spy, and Candyland. We had sooo much fun! The next reward I'm going to work for is a movie night with mommy in the basement.

Goodbye Karate, Hello Rookie Ball

This afternoon I will be going to karate for the last time. Well I say last time but I might go back in a while, we'll see. I'm going to take a break in karate to focus my efforts on rookie ball! I have been practicing hitting and fielding a bit with my daddy to try to get ready. One of my friends from school and her cousin are going to be on my team. We're going to have the coolest coach ever - my daddy! Yes, that's right, daddy will be the team's coach.

Intense Pressure

Those of you who know me, know that one of my main goals in life is to make others laugh. Sometimes the pressure of being a 4 year old comedian is too much. However I took some time this past fall recharging my comedic mind and want to share some of my new material.

I run around spinning one of my arms saying, "I might be small, but I'm fast."

"I'm strong, but I can't lift the solar system."

"There are a lot of things in my brain." Many have commented on this one with some witty comebacks that I do not care to share.

When we were speaking of what would be on our Christmas lists for 2009, I decided that Mommy will want "new boob covers". She thought it was funny and insightful.

And I have decided what kind of birthday party to have for daddy's upcoming 31st birthday - a laptop party because "he loves working".

And Mr Jason and Ms Amy caused some "commotion" when they were here and it probably had something to do with my rendition of "Brickhouse".

I know it isn't much but I'm trying. If I can be like Pappaw and have a joke for every occasion I'll be happy.

My Christmas Vacation

Well it has been a long time since I've posted anything and that's because I've had such a busy holiday season. We were gone for 12 days and then the next day left again for the day. We also had some friends come visit us. So here's the story.

Mommy and Daddy had the van packed to the top and picked me up from school. We headed to Pappaw, Granna, and Aunt Jamie's for several days. Pappaw retired which means he doesn't have to go to work anymore. There was a big party for him that we went to. And oh the cake! There were 3 different types of cake. I sang on the microphone for everyone to hear. We spent the next few days doing things like eating with Grandma and playing with Landon my second cousin. I also took a trip to see Santa with my friend Jada. We headed up to our house in Toxey and had so much fun. Grandma came with us and Uncle John, Aunt Amy, and cousin Foster came down too. Daddy took me out in the woods looking for deer tracks and whatnot. I am becoming a regular woodsman. I spotted deer tracks up and down the red dirt road where the family house is. I saw a dead deer even!

Santa Claus came to see us in Toxey. I got just what I asked for - Martian Matter (SO cool! and it works great), some Planet Heroes, and a remote control truck. I got a lot of other toys that I have been enjoying very much as well. We just had so much fun opening all those presents.

I also got to visit Granna's cousin's cattle farm. Cousin William took us out in a trailer attached to his 4 wheeler to see the cows. There were calves and pregnant cows. One of the two bulls pooped in front of me and that was my favorite part of course because I'm all boy!

When we got home we slept and left the next morning for Granny's. Papa, Nanny, Aunt Mimi, and Austen were there too. We just hung out all day and I got to shoot Austen's BB gun.

Mr Jason and Ms Amy also came to visit. They are so cool. We played a lot of Wii and Ms Amy helped me with the Lite Bright. I stayed up till midnight with those guys.

We did a lot of other stuff but how can you fit it all into one blog? I guess I will mention some of the fun stuff we did at home...I had a Lego Advent calendar daddy and mommy put together with Clone Wars Legos, we went to Cooper's Tree Farm again for our tree, we decorated the tree together, and we set up a candy cane forest in the front yard.

Lego Mania

I have been building with blocks since I turned 1 year old and got my first set of Lego Quattros. I play with Duplos most of the time because they are safe around Trinity. However I absolutely love regular Legos. Last year I started getting Legos in an advent calendar. This year the advent calendar has Star Wars Legos in it. I have been slowly building the sets each morning as I receive a few more pieces. I also dragged out one of my Creator sets and have been following the instructions myself. Daddy let me play with the box of small Legos yesterday and I built some cool things all by myself. Daddy and Mommy said they were super impressed by my Lego skills.

Whistle While You Vacation

I am on vacation and staying at Uncle Mike's right now. Tonight we had dinner with my great grandparents at the campground. We just got back and I whistled for the first time ever. I cannot do it again, but I'm trying. I'll hopefully have it down pat here shortly. Tomorrow we head to the Gulf of Mexico for Thanksgiving. I'm having lots of fun with all of my family!

Halloween

I was a bug chef for Halloween and I also dressed as a toad for school. I really enjoy Halloween and am already asking to be Speed Racer for next year. I still have candy left and am slowly working through it. I am actually sharing my candy for the first year with my parents. Oh and Nanny was here for Halloween which was so much fun. I wanted Papa to be here too, but he had to work.

Karate update - I earned my second belt on Monday. I'm now a full yellow belt.