Waking Up

This morning as Mike was getting ready for work, Josh snuck into our bed. Instead of going back to sleep as he usually does, he was wide awake.  Mike asked him "Why are you awake so early?"
Josh said "Because my dreams were all done."
Mike gets a quizzical look on his face and says "So that's how you know when to wake up, is when your dreams are done?"
"Yep" Josh answers. "This morning my dreams were done and I just laid there for a while.  Then all of a sudden I kind of like jumped in bed and my head went to the side and I woke up."
"Ohhh. So that's how you knew it was time to wake up?"
"Yeah."

Dandelion

When Josh arrived home from school yesterday, he handed me a dandelion and said that he picked it for me.  Then he got a big grin on his face and said "It's a bobble head daisy.  See?  You move it and it bobbles.  I made it by pinching it right at the top."  As he smiles up at me with pleasure, I examine the nearly headless dandelion in my hand.  Indeed he was right...it bobbles.

Karate Part II

Today Mike and I accompanied Josh to his second karate lesson.  Things were going pretty good.  Josh was so happy and thrilled to be learning more moves.  He was even able to stare at a single dot on the wall for 10 seconds while the teacher ran to get a board for him to break.  10 whole seconds!  Don't laugh, this is a huge accomplishment.  I wish I had a video camera with me because it was funny how HARD it was for him.  He was then able to use a karate move to break a board in half.  He was ecstatic!  Then things went downhill.  Actually, it was more like jumping off a cliff.  The instructor told us that with the safety gear and a year commitment, the price is ONLY $1400! What?! But if we pay in full at the beginning, we would get a great 20% discount bringing the total down to ONLY $1120.  That's ONLY $94 a month. I was hoping he was joking but I had no such luck.  I can't believe people can afford this!  I just met a mother from our ward and she has 3 of her kids taking karate there right now.  She must be paying a fortune! Mike then asked about a month to month price.  The instructor explained that because there was no long term commitment, it would be $139/month and that does not include the safety pack which by itself cost $119.  The instructor asked what was holding us back from signing Josh up and Mike told him it was the money.  Duh.  The instructor said that Josh could come to his first group lesson for free so we could see how he did.  So we have put off making a decision until after his next lesson which will be on Tuesday.  How much is his happiness worth?  I don't know.  How much is 10 seconds of pure focus worth? Priceless.

Lunch

Josh came home last week with a note on his behavior chart saying that he chose not to eat his lunch and so the teacher had him eat lunch with her in the faculty lounge.  What?? Josh told me that he had wanted to go out to play and so only ate 1/2 a rice cake before packing up and heading out.  His teacher stopped him and opened his lunch box.  I guess she didn't feel like 1/2 a rice cake was acceptable and made him go eat with her.  He had to eat everything in his lunch before he could go out to play.  He told me his friend had also hurriedly eaten and was with Josh as he headed outside.  I asked if she checked his lunch too and he said that his friend had school lunch and threw it away so she couldn't check it.  I was not happy.  I pack Josh a lunch and if he chooses to eat it, great.  If not, then he goes hungry.  Why did his teacher decide to take it upon herself to monitor his eating?  How many kids barely take a bit or two of lunch and then run out to play?  I know Josh is not the only one, yet somehow I doubt that she has done this to other kids.  I didn't say anything about my feelings to the teacher.  There's a month left of school and I just want to get through it.  No wonder Josh is a terror.  She's a monster!

Monday

Monday is here again.  Josh doesn't like Monday's.  In fact, Josh doesn't like any day that requires him to do something.  He didn't want to get out of bed this morning and took forever to get to breakfast.  I had made pancakes and had already eaten and was on the computer by the time he was ready to eat.  I told him to go ahead and pour his own syrup.  20 min later, Josh comes to the office and says that he's done eating.  " I only ate one pancake though because I put too much syrup on it and it really filled me up."  I don't pay too much attention to this statement and send him off to brush his teeth.  When I go to clean up breakfast, I'm met with quite the sight.  There is syrup all over the counter.  Not just drops, but puddles!  I had filled the syrup jar up after I was done eating and now it was over 1/2 way gone.  His plate was in the sink with syrup covering the entire surface.  I couldn't even be sure what color the plate was.  Not worth getting upset over, I just cleaned it up. Silly boy.

Easter

Josh woke up this morning and checked in the family room to see if the Easter Bunny left him anything.  There was nothing there.  He came and told me that he had heard the Easter Bunny in the kitchen last night. "Hmmm" I say, half asleep.  "Why don't you go and have some cereal for breakfast?"  He agrees without complaint and heads out of my room.  At this point he doesn't think the Easter Bunny left him anything and he seems okay with it.  What a weird kid. I listen, expecting to hear some kind of surprised gasp of joy when he opens up the fridge and sees that the Easter Bunny left his basket in there, but I hear nothing.  Almost an hour later I wake up and get out of bed to find Josh.  He has managed to get a bowl down and fill it with cereal, but he has been too busy watching tv to get the milk out yet.  I turn off the tv and he talks to me as he opens the fridge. When he finally looks inside, his mouth drops open and he smiles.  He then falls to the floor, in complete shock of course. "I knew I heard him in the kitchen last night.  I knew it.  And he put it in the fridge.  I've got to tell dad.  He won't believe it."  Josh was overjoyed with the whole experience and I couldn't help but smile.  How could this day not turn out to be perfect?