Quote of the Day

So many of Nicco's gems come at snuggle time. Tonight while we snuggled and I read him a chapter he was pulling and twisting himself into knots and when I finally glanced up from the page I was reading I saw that he had pulled his jammie britches up as high as he could so it looked like he was wearing a diaper and his sleeves were pulled up into his armpits.

He was very pleased with himself. Gave himself a fist pump and said, "Yes!"

I looked at him, smiled, shook my head and told him he's weird.

He said, "Whenever I'm being weird, I'm building my sense of humor."

Rodeo Parade

No school today. It's rodeo break. Today is parade day. I didn't especially want to get up and drive way the heck down town to sit in the cold and watch 7,000 horses march past, but my boy has been yee-hawing, yippee-ki-yaying, and howdy-pardnering for days. I let him choose...go sit in the cold at the parade, or stay home and enjoy a relaxing morning. Maybe even go play in the remnants of slushy snow. He checked on his (unsuccessful) experiment and Billy the Snowman and decided he wanted to go. There will be horses and cowboys and cowgirls! Let's giddy-up and go!

We bundled up and drove and drove then walked a couple of blocks next to a man and his older son. The man said of Nicco's fedora, "I'm sorry, but that is not a cowboy hat." I glared at him and said, "It's an exact replica." What the hell, dude? Leave my kid to his imagination.

Darling of Tucson and newly-enlightened gun-grabber Gabby Giffords and her gun-grabbing husband were the grand marshalls of the parade. I felt a surge of pride when one guy somewhere along the line shouted "MOLON LABE!" as they rode by. I kind of wished it were me.

After that, there were horses, horses, horses, horse-drawn carriages, horses, and cowboys and cowgirls.

Nicco sat obediently behind the red line for most of the parade. He got bored and restless toward the end and crossed the line in an attempt to float a leaf down the river in the gutter. A skinny, pimple-faced "security" officer asked if he could get my son to stay behind the red line. Otherwise, the short, round, elderly "security" official would come complain. I smiled, Nicco complied, and I thought I could handle any complaints about my out-of-control, line-crossing son.

 I liked the furry horses, fat and fluffy in their winter coats.

 The lasso guys were pretty cool.

The Mormon Battalion made an appearance.
So did the Chinese Cultural Association...??? Whatever.

The dancing dragon was Nicco's favorite part.
After all the horses and carriages marched by (two hours of horses and carriages! My-oh-my), we had to wait for a small army of street cleaners to do their duty before we could cross the street and head to the car.

Nicco was starving by that point (??!!??) and it was pure torture to wait for the street washers. By the time we got to our car and headed toward home I was pretty hungry myself. "Now don't you regret not bringing snacks?" my backseat critic who insisted on coming to the parade instead of snuggling up on a frosty morning asked.

I took him to Five Guys, because that is what we do on a winter's day, apparently. Nicco loves Five Guys. "Every time I come here, I feel like leaving a tip," he said. "One, it's so good. Two, it's the kind thing to do. Three, just because!"

Once our tummies were full, we decided it was a good day after all.

A Snowy Evening

This will be my last snow post. Because, as Nicco said, this is the last day we'll see snow in Tucson! Once a year is plenty for me. I confess though, I did quite enjoy watching the big fat flakes falling on and off throughout the day and evening. Usually I just want to be warm.

When the Daddy got home, he and the boy played in the snow. There was enough new snow to make a bigger snowman, even if it wasn't exactly tall, tall, tall.

Nicco was in and out all evening. He "tricked" his dad into an ambush outside the garage door...

Nicco set up an experiment...he put water in a cup outside to see if it would freeze. He wanted to check on his experiment a few times, but it wasn't that cold. I wasn't even sure it would get that cold overnight. I had to finally put my foot down...I forced the kid to change out of his wet cowboy clothes and into fresh-out-of-the-dryer fleece pants and we made hot cocoa and settled in for the night.

Aahhh...hot cocoa, a book, and a snowstorm. The best thing about it? It will probably be back in the 70s next week.

Once There Was A Snowman, Small, Small, Small

Well, the snow stopped before Nicco got home. Our mountains sure are powdered-sugary beautiful! Sadly, there is not enough on the ground to make a snowman...

...or is there?

We ran out back just in case there might be enough of the white stuff to build a snow baby, and sure enough!

Supposedly, it will snow a lot more. I'll believe it when I see it. But if it does, we'll make a snowman, tall, tall, tall!

Some Giggles (Updating as the Storm Progresses)

On the way to school Nicco saw an animal in a desert meadow. He was so excited! He squealed, "That's the first time I've seen a deer in the desert!" After a moment's pause he said, "Or, was it a squirrel?"

You know that show My Strange Addiction? My cat could be on it. She eats toilet paper. She doesn't scratch at it and pull it down off the roll for fun, she gently pulls a tiny piece off at a time and nibbles, chews and swallows. Weirdo.

It's cowboy week in Tucson. No school Thursday and Friday. We don't honor two of our greatest Presidents here. Not when the rodeo's in town! Nicco wanted to dress up like a cowboy. We don't really have any authentic type cowboy clothes, so we did our best. He's wearing jeans and a checkered shirt, but he refused the bandanna I found for him. He did want a cowboy hat, of which I have several, but he insisted on his straw fedora, explaining that it is "an exact replica" of a cowboy hat. Okay. (giggle)

YEE-HAW!!

Patrice's phone started beeping and squeaking and squawking last night, issuing an urgent warning of a severe winter storm in our area. It said something was coming within the hour. Nothing happened. He reported that on the way to and from the gym this morning the news repeated that warning over and over. On my ride home they said that schools in Bisbee are closed in anticipation of the blizzard. I'm curious to see how severe this winter storm will be.

Those are some menacing clouds hovering over the mountains. I guess we'll see!

Winter Storm Update:

Some precipitation, and the mountains have disappeared!

Update: Fat, heavy, wet flakes.

A Rant

You might think I would learn a lesson. I got all angry the last time I paid attention to the news. It happens every time. Must. Quit. The News.

Anyway, this time...
I'm tired of hearing how murdering murderer Oscar Pistorius felt "terror" as he murderously murdered his girlfriend. I'm tired of hearing how he sobbed through an emotional testimony about how he murdered his girlfriend. I'm tired of hearing about how he felt as she lay dying in his arms after he murdered her by shooting her four friggin' times. I hope he feels terror every last day of his life. I hope he sobs every day from this day forward and I hope he's haunted with guilt from watching her die in his arms after he shot her four times, thus MURDERING her.

I'm really tired of stirring up sympathy for criminals so they become some sort of victim. Yeah, his was an inspiring story...double amputee qualifies for the olympics! Awesome! But now? He's just a sick killer. Murder trumps inspiration in the evoking emotion contest. No more sympathy.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not the one responsible for judging people and damning them to hell.

This Weekend

It was going to be a busy weekend. Nicco had a soccer game on Saturday. It was my turn to bring snacks. They had team pictures scheduled after the game, and we were planning a picnic with our friends and then to let the two younger boys play together while the older kids played their game.

 

It was going to be very exciting because the Daddy was planning to take a long lunch break to watch the boy play. He (the Daddy) has only been able to watch practice so far.

 

I woke up so comfy in my big softy bed and I was glad the game wasn't until noon so I could stay snuggled up for a little longer. The Daddy went off to work and the boy came pitter pattering into my room. I told him he could find a show and I would be out in a moment.

 

I finally decided I should move my bum and as soon as I stood up, I broke into a sweat and queasy dizziness. I made it to the couch. I closed my eyes for a few minutes then tried to get up to make Nicco his traditional chocolate milk. I couldn't do it. Nicco told me not to worry, we have plenty of time. Plenty of time ticked away and I realized that there was no way I could take the boy to his game. I called the Daddy to see if he could come home, but he could not. I called my friend to see if she could come get my snacks and my kid. She did.

 

In the meantime, the Boy had to eat breakfast and get ready for his game. He toasted his own waffle, washed and sliced his own strawberries, put on all his soccer gear (except for tying the shoes) and felt very grown-up and independent. He told me he didn't want me to move at all, and was there anything he could get for me? He took my temperature and brought me some bubble water, then went off to the game with his buddy.

I missed all of that! Boo! Patrice called after the game and asked if I wanted pictures. I said yes. We owe our friends money for that because we didn't have a checkbook.

When the Daddy brought the boy home, he told me that he arrived a little late to the game. Nicco was on the sidelines and told him that he stopped three goals and no one in his family was there to see it. That broke my little heart. I have silently sworn that at least one parent will be at every one of Nicco's games and important events. It's an easy promise to make with only one kid, and here we missed a moment. Boo, again! But, at least his Dad was there for part of the game.

Nicco was left to his own devices until Patrice came back from work. That meant a lot of t.v. and i-pad. Best mom evah! All I could think about was when I was going to be able to make cookies for the church event we had the next day. Eventually, I decided that there was no way I could go to church, so I should at least let the ladies know that. I made my phone calls and another friend stepped up and offered to bake cookies for me so I could stay home and get better. And, she added, we don't want cookies coming from your house anyway. I didn't blame her for that.

So on a rare weekend in which I actually had quite a few responsibilities I was down and out. Instead of a busy weekend, I laid on the couch and I had to rely on friends to cover for me, and my little boy was forced into being responsible for himself too. He insisted to his father that they serve me so I wouldn't have to move.

It was sweet.

And it lasted precisely until the moment that I could stand up without vomiting.

Be Mein!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stuffed Buddy Sleepover

Nicco told me he was going to do eeny-meeny-miney-mo to decide which animal to take to the sleepover at the library. Then he said if he didn't like the one he chose, he'd just do it again. I suggested just choosing the one he wants, but whatever.

He chose his Build-a-Monkey, which is apparently named Frank. On the way to the library, Nicco punched and squished and pulled and threw and stomped on Frank. It seems he chose the one he didn't like. I guess so that if anything happened to it, he wouldn't care? Anyway...

We got to the library and signed Frank in, gave him a name tag, read him a story, saw the game, coloring, computer, and sleeping stations that Frank would go to over the course of the evening. Frank was the only one in the library while we were there.

We left Frank in the watchful care of Ms. Cheryl, the librarian. She promised to put him to bed at a decent hour.

We popped back over to the library on our way home from school to retrieve the stuffed buddy. He was on the shelf, waiting with Wich Kitty and Blue. They were the only three friends to show up for the inaugural library sleepover. Ms. Cheryl told Nicco she had lots of fun with the furry friends and showed Nicco the book with all the things they did together:



Signing In



Coloring Corner



Frank colored Frankie

"Do you think the librarian did that?" Nicco asked me.
I said, "I think Frank did it. Haven't you seen Toy Story? You know what toys do when people go away."
"That's just fiction. A made up story. I think the librarian did it."
"What about Doc McStuffins?" I tried.
"Fiction, Mom. I think the librarian needs to go back to kindergarten to learn how to stay in the lines."


Puzzles and Games



Computer Corner



Reading a story at quiet time, just before bed



Bedtime story with Ms. Cheryl, the librarian



All snuggled up for sleep



The three stuffed buddies, waking up in the morning

The event was definitely geared toward younger kids, but Nicco got a kick out of it anyway. The librarians said they saw this at another library and thought it was the cutest thing ever, so they decided to try it out here. I told them I would tell my friends.

On the way home, Nicco looked at his book. He said, "If only I could do those things at the library!"

Aha! I guess the point was made!

Quote of the Day

Nicco splashed water on his glasses while brushing his teeth and he asked me to clean them for him. I wiped them off on my shirt.

He said, "Remember when my dentist said NEVER to wipe my glasses with a shirt?"

I said, "The dentist?"

He clarified, "The eye dentist."

Marshmallow World

We woke up to snow on the mountains and rain in the valley the other day. Every time it snows on the mountain, Nicco wants to go sledding. He misses snow so much. He wants to make snowballs and snow men and snow angels and sled and slide and have an icy good time.

We missed a trip to the mountains the last time it snowed. You have to time it just right in Tucson. You don't want to go up when it is actually snowing, but if you wait too long, there isn't enough snow to play in. Even at 8000 feet. It worked out nicely this time...snow on the weekend! We put on our layers, packed a dry set of spare clothes, grabbed our sled and headed up to Mount Lemmon.

On the way up, Nicco was convinced that our quest for snow would be unsuccessful. People were out riding bikes, for heaven's sake! It wasn't until we reached 7000 feet just about an hour after we left the house that we first saw signs of winter. Nicco got more and more excited as we climbed up and up and when we got to Ski Valley, he giggled and squealed and ran to the nearest snow drift to make a snow angel. I pulled out the camera to snap a picture. I made sure to charge up the battery, but I neglected to replace the memory card. What a dummy. We had to use Patrice's phone. Which was fine, except that I didn't get a picture of the snow angel.

Nicco slid down a steep drift then we hiked to the top of a road for him to sled down. He had a blast, as expected.

 

The road we sledded on was not that steep, so after some fun (and climbing Mt. Everest)

we set off to find another hill. We drove on a couple of narrow, rocky roads and had an "officially freaked out boy." I told him he could trust his dad, but I confess...there were moments when I was nearly officially freaked out too.

With the wetness of his clothes settling in when he was no longer playing in the sunshine, Nicco got frostbite. Frostbite is when everything inside freezes, even your blood. "My heart is not even beating anymore!" my son exclaimed in near panic. We asked if he wanted to find another hill or change into his dry clothes and head home. He said he just wanted to be warm. But play in the snow. Sorry buddy, but you can't have both. We changed and hit the road. We were ready to eat by the time we got back to town, so we stopped at Five Guys. "Good stuff," said Nicco. "I'm tellin' ya, there's nothing better on a winter day."