The Flight

Our flight was long and I had some TSA anxiety, but we passed through all our checkpoints without question, let alone molestation, so yay! Nicco loves all things related to planes...the planes themselves, airports, control towers, etc. so he was easily entertained all along the way.

In the plane on our first leg of the trip.

Flying over Lake Powell

We left Salt Lake late because we were waiting for some tardy passengers. It was nice of our crew to wait, but we had a connection too, you know. Fortunately, we arrived in Paris with time to spare. Nicco slept about 4 hours on the trip, which was about 4 hours more than either Patrice or myself. We arrived in Bordeaux exhausted in body and spirit, but happy and relieved to see our people.

It is easy to relax with a view like this, am I right?

We had some snacks, caught up a little, took a nap, caught up some more, then settled in for our first night. Not a bad start.

Updates

Our flight to France was easy breezy, thank goodness. Nicco was a champ, thank goodness.

The first thing Nicco wanted to do was to see the tree house Papi built for him and we can barely drag him out for food and fun. He carries his key around like it is a precious treasure.

We spent our first few days visiting and enjoying the house, neighborhood, town, and each other, and we had four adventures.

1. We visited an old fashioned 1900s town
2. We visited a crystal cave
3. We visited some amazing gardens
4. We visited a 1,000 year old fortress

Pictures will have to wait because my tech genius isn't here and I'm getting frustrated. Frustrated Tam isn't as bad as Frustrated Nicco, but it is not a big jump from one to the other.

Tonight we will celebrate Patrice's birthday at his sister's house. It is his first birthday with his family in at least 18 years.

A New Step

Nicco is a good reader and he has shocked and surprised me with some of his math skills. He loves school, he loves learning. He's curious and creative. He's always been extremely stubborn when it comes to writing. I've learned not to push him and I don't compare him and his skills to other kids his age, but I do confess a teeny tinge of envy when Danielle gave Nicco the little book she wrote, "Boy, Dog, Grl." I've been anxiously anticipating the day he would start writing sentences and stories to express himself.

This afternoon when Patrice got home, Nicco sat down with his special book (thanks again, G&G!) and wrote a whole sentence. I can't remember what it was, but it made me very happy. I told him I was so happy and proud, so he spent the rest of the evening writing sentences. He wrote a note that said "I want to go in the pool when dad gets home" and another one that said "You need to do laundry in 10 minutes mom." Then he wrote his morning message:

"Dear class good morning today is Friday we are going to have a great day I love you mom good job"
He is suddenly making his Ss and Gs (would that be "esses and gees"?) backwards. I know it is a typical phase in writing and he will correct it soon on his own. I also know how he reacts when I correct him. I'll let it go.

Mrs. Cornwell made a little vacation journal for him with the instructions "Try to draw every day." We talked about what "vacation journal" means and that Mrs. Cornwell wants him to draw pictures of the things he sees and does on our trip. I asked what we will be doing on our first day and he spread his arms like wings. I said he could draw an airplane for our first day of vacation. He did, and he even wrote "airplane first day of vacation." So cute. I'm just so pleased and proud to see him writing sentences!
He was also pleased and proud and very happy ("hape") that I was so happy with his work, so he wrote another expressive note:

Oh my goodness, I'm giddy over this new step!

"Hape," even.

Not Exactly What You Want to See Before Leaving on Vacation

Look at this sky...little puffy clouds. Sunshiny. Mostly blue.

So you can maybe imagine my surprise and small panic when I looked outside and saw this puddle on the patio. I got a pit of anxiety and fear in my tummy, wondering where the big giant leak that caused the puddle originated. Was it the pool filter? Part of the irrigation system? Something else?

When I stepped outside, I heard the gentle pitter patter of falling rain. Rain is always a welcome sound, but it was especially comforting this afternoon. There was one single solitary gray cloud hovering over the house.

That was just the beginning of the pre-trip jitters, however. I got Nicco ready for swim, packed up the swim bag, loaded the kid in the car, and as I walked to my door, I heard a nasty, angry hissss. That is NEVER a welcome sound, unlike the pitter patter of falling rain. I looked down and an itty, bitty snake was standing up defensively, backing itself into a corner in the garage. I called my husband, because even though it was very small, I don't want a snake in my garage, and I don't know what snakes are poison, and I certainly wasn't going to capture it myself. He arrived about 20 minutes later, my hero, and saved me from the vicious little monster.

sticking out his tongue

 

Attack mode...he's going after Patrice's hand. If you look closely, you can see his tail sticking up. He was shaking it...He didn't have rattles, but his behavior was very much like a rattler.

Nicco thinks he looks like he's smiling here.

I caught him mid-hiss. He was not happy.

Caught! I took him to the pool to dispose of him. You know, far away from my house. He was curled up in the bottom of the jar, doing his best to hide all the way to the pool. I'm sure he was terrified. I almost felt bad for him. But not quite.

The thing that really freaks me out about our slithery, slimy little intruder is that he has a mama somewhere. And I don't know where.

Parent Helper, and Diddle-Diddle-Dumpling

I volunteered to help out in Nicco's class today. Nicco has been looking forward to this day since I told him I would be coming in last week. He said he wanted to introduce me to everyone in his class. When I arrived, he introduced me to each of the kids at his table and in transition time, he introduced me to a couple others. He had to focus on his work and activities, so he didn't get through all 21 kids. He said I could come back again another time to meet everyone else.

Mrs. Cornwell stuck me in her office cutting out shapes and other things for future assignments. She does a lot of work she doesn't need to do. She had sheets of paper with 3 jars drawn on them, with the word "Name" written at the top. She drew each of the jars. And wrote the word name above each one. There were probably 200 of these jars. She drew them all. I wanted to introduce her to the photocopy machine. But I didn't, I just sliced each of the papers in thirds.

When I finished that assignment, I worked with a couple of individual students reviewing letter names and sounds with flash cards. When I finished that, I still had about 20 minutes left in my "shift" so I asked if I could hang out with the kids. I helped some kids who needed help and I sat on the rug with them during a repetition activity. As the kids got to the rug, Mrs. Cornwell started handing out golden tickets for the treasure drawing to kids who sat down quickly and quietly. Nicco was one of the first, and he was very quiet, with his little hands folded in his lap. When the kids saw the tickets, they started waving their hands in the air to get attention. Nicco did not. After a few moments passed, he did raise his hand, but he did not get a ticket. I am not a big fan of rewarding expected behavior. I think rewards are best for going above and beyond, but if one chooses to reward good expected behavior, one should reward liberally. Nicco has expressed disappointment in "not getting a single golden ticket," and he is keenly aware that one particularly naughty boy came back from being sent to the principal's office with a reward.

I remind him that some days they get treasure, some days they don't, but Nicco appears to be one of those good, quiet little kids who works hard and conscientiously to do his best to meet expectations but gets looked over because he is quiet. I know it is easy to appease the mostly good kids who make a little noise just to get them to hush, but it isn't a great policy. I don't want Nicco to expect a reward every time he does what is expected of him, but darn it, when there are rewards, he should get one too; at least often enough not to have hurt little feelings. So, I did what any other enabling and entitling mother would do. I stopped at the store on my way to pick him up and got him a little treasure. I justify this action because I witnessed Nicco following all instructions, being a good little listener and careful worker, being kind and quiet when some of his friends were disruptive and pesky to one another, and getting passed by when rewards were handed out. Also, I didn't just give him his reward for the vague reason of being a good boy. I told him the specific good things I saw him do at school. He was so happy! And guess what...he came home and ate his lunch quickly but without rushing and said, "Aren't you proud of me for that? I deserve that reward." Then he replicated the work he did at school so I would be "more proud of him."

I was glad to get into the classroom and see the routine and the kids Nicco spends his mornings with. And I'm proud of my little kindergarten kiddo.

Nicco and Jackson, hard at work.

And as something of a follow up/addition to the post about Nicco's interesting outfits, Nicco comes home and takes off two shoes and one sock. He spends the rest of his afternoons with one sock off and one sock on. When I call him my diddle-diddle-dumpling, he usually responds "one sock off and one sock on."

Who's Busted?

Is it the cat, caught with her paw in the cookie jar, so to speak?

Is it the kid, who found a way to finish breakfast in under 3 hours?

Or is it the Mommy, who encouraged both parties in their naughty behavior in order to capture the moment on film?

Because Some Things Just Scream "Document This!"

Nicco has been wearing his Five Little Monkeys hat from school, his turtle mittens and no shirt since he came home.

This was a while ago, another interesting ensemble: toy tool set safety goggles and his SpongeBob pillow tied around his waist.

I'm glad he still lets me dress him when he goes out in public. Weirdo.

The Tortoise and The Snail

Q: Which is slowest, the tortoise or the snail?
A: Neither! The slowest critter in the world is Nicco, eating breakfast! (or lunch, or dinner)

I am losing my patience with the meal time slow race. I don't know if it is PMS, the current phase of the moon, or getting-ready-for-a-big-trip anxiety, but I am really irritable with my kid's eating/not eating habits lately.

It's making me craaaaaazy!

A Change in the Air (and Water)

The first official day of fall isn't until September 23, but there are hints of yellow on the tops of my oranges, day temperatures have dropped by about 10 degrees in the past week and the nights are much cooler. The pool loses a lot of heat in the cool nights and it takes a long time to recover when we don't hit 90 until 10 or 11 o'clock. Nicco and I went swimming in the 80 degree water this afternoon...that would be warm enough for a bath back in Colorado, but here in Tucson it's down-right chilly. I covered the pool today. I'm sure we can extend its usage for the next 2 weeks before our vacation, but I'm not so optimistic about swimming when we return. We'll see! I wish I could remember when we quit swimming last year. I know we went well into September, but I don't know how far into October we got.

There was a definite change in the air and Nicco insists that it is now officially fall. The days are shorter and the nights are longer, after all.

Tenth Anniversary Reflections

In church yesterday, our bishop paid a brief tribute to five LDS victims of the 9/11 attacks. He read a small summary of their lives, which was, as he said, an insufficient tribute to lives that were full and complicated. In spite of that, it was touching and appropriate.

In our Gospel Doctrine class, our teacher spoke about Paul's letters to the Corinthians, specifically the concepts of repentance and forgiveness. He framed the discussion in the context of 9/11, recalling a flight he took to Malaysia and when he landed in the airport he "looked out over this sea of beautiful, colorful, muslim women and the overwhelming impression [he] had was 'goodness.' Imagine how it feels to be a muslim ten years after 9/11." That was jarring and inappropriate, in my opinion.

My emotions have been raw the past few days. I finished reading Rise to Rebellion, which is a quite excellent portrayal of the American Revolution, and which elicited a few tears as I read. Also, Friday was celebrate America day at Nicco's kindergarten. We listened to a patriotic CD all week to help prepare him for the day. These are some images that represent my personal reflections:

Oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life.



Oh beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years, thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears.

I was glad, as I watched the 9/11 tributes yesterday that I still feel pain, sadness, anger and pride. I was glad that my throat was tight and that I had tears behind my eyes (sometimes overflowing.) I was glad that Nicco asked me questions and that he has a budding sense of patriotism. I was glad to see New York rebuilding, and I thought that the memorials in each of the sites are beautiful and touching and appropriate. I am glad that we as a nation are healing, but not forgetting.

In the immortal words of Todd Beamer who led the team of passengers who took down the terrorists and sacrificed themselves on Flight 93, as we move forward with our memories of that day and our pride and resolve intact, "Let's Roll."

God Bless America.

Never Forget

Phobia

Nicco just told me he's afraid of heights. The highest heights I think he has experienced are the diving board (NOT a high dive...) and playground equipment. Those things aren't really that high, and he has never shown any fear. He doesn't like the diving board, but I don't think it's because he's afraid. I asked him how he knows he's afraid of heights and he told me, "Because I've never been in a hot air balloon." Oh...it totally makes sense now. (Whaaa????) He went on to explain that he's afraid of flying. (Wait, what? My airplane obsessed boy?) He added a caveat...he's afraid of flying in things that don't have windows or doors. He's only NOT afraid of flying in airplanes and helicopters.

Just Curious...

Has anyone ever seen Labor Day fireworks? There was a pretty serious display last night coming from a nearby resort. Considering Arizona is a right-to-work state, I'm guessing they just needed an excuse to light the fireworks they had left from the cancelled 4th of July celebration.

Speaking of Labor Day, so nice to hear the civil discourse coming from our compassionate labor leaders, who are "Obama's army, ready to march...take these S.O.Bs out!" and it was so comforting to hear that Dear Leader is "proud" of the likes of Jimmy Hoffa Jr.

Only 427 more days...

Fine Young Capitalist

We had a successful garage sale this weekend, ridding ourselves of a bunch of useless junk while raking in piles of cash. Well, maybe not piles, but "We are rich!" according to the small boy.

He was really working those baby blues of his to make a sale. Each time a car drove up, he jumped up excitedly and said, "We have a customer!" He held out the particular item he wanted to sell and asked each customer if they saw anything they liked, he negotiated, and wished them each a nice weekend.

When we counted our dollars from the first day, Nicco said we could sell his toys so we can be more rich. (If we had Cameron and his electric guitar, I'm sure we'd be living on a secluded island by now, having arrived in our private jet.) I asked him what we should do with all our money and he answered like a true fiscal conservative, long term planner: "Put it in our banks." Good boy!

New Swim Skill

Those of you who know Nicco, a.k.a. Captain OCD, know that he struggles with brand new concepts. If he can't "do great" the first time around, he gets frustrated and even angry. Mr. Josh introduced flip turns in swim practice on Tuesday. It did not go well. There were tears and threats involved. On Thursday, Nicco did much better.

It's a work in progress, but my baby can do flip turns! I think it is kind of awesome.

Fine. I'll Stop.

We got Rio from netflix the other day. If you haven't seen it, there is a part where Blu starts movin' and groovin' to the rhythm of the music. At this part in the movie the 4th time around, I started dancing like Blu. Nicco told me to stop! over and over again. The more he repeated his demand, the more I got down with my funky self. He finally screamed, "Stop! Because I hate your moves!"

I know I'm not the most coordinated or graceful person on the planet and I would certainly not show off my "moves" outside of my own living room, but ouch, buddy. That hurts.

P.S. The super awesome thing about Rio is the whole new set of noises Nicco added to his repertoire. My house now sounds like a tropical aviary. Delightful.