OKC Cheerleaders

While we were at Walmart last weekend, a call came over the intercom.  "Attention Walmart customers, the Oklahoma City Thunder girls are at the front of the store signing autographs."  Diesel, Sawyer, and I decided to go get some autographs.  I was hoping to get a picture of my boys with the cheerleaders. 

We get up to the table, and all three girls sign autographs for the boys.  Then I ask if they could take a picture with my two boys.  I always have a camera with me.  They, of course, said that they would.  I handed Sawyer to the cheerleaders and tell Diesel to stand by them. 

If you know Diesel, you know that HE IS NOT SHY.  However, he wouldn't go near the girls.  He had a death grip on my leg.  After me asking him about three times to please go stand with them, I gave up and took a picture of Sawyer and the three girls. 

After I got the picture, we walked away to continue our shopping.  While we were walking away, I asked Diesel why he wouldn't take a picture with them.

He simply said, "Mommy, those girls aren't as pretty as you."

I'll accept that.

Teaching my 3-year-old to Read

While we were on vacation in Missouri, I quickly realized that my 3-year-old was capable to using a computer appropriately (his GiGi let him play on hers).  So, I decided to introduce some "introduction to reading" websites to him.  The mouse on the laptop was a little difficult, so I bought a wireless mouse.  He loves it.  Hopefully it will help him learn to recognize his letters and letter sounds. 

www.starfall.com

www.more2.starfall.com

Diesel's first (two) goal(s)!

This summer we decided to put Diesel in soccer.  Even though he's only three, he has a lot of energy, and with me staying at home during the summer with the kids, we had to find a way for him to use that energy.  Plus, David and I firmly believe in sports and extra-curricular activities.  Well, his soccer team consists of twelve 3, 4, and 5-year-olds.  The games are 30 minutes long.  They had one practice before the season (just to introduce the kids to each other).   Diesel's cousin, Jaxton, is on the team, and there's also sweet little girl named Megan (she goes to Diesel's daycare) on the team.  David and I (mostly me, I admit) were so excited about him playing a sport that we even went and had shirts made.  We made a Diesel's Mom, Diesel's Dad, Diesel's Brother, Diesel's Grammie, and Diesel's Papa shirt. 






Well, the first two games were pretty stressful on Mom and Dad.  David and I are very competitive people.  It's hard for us to watch Diesel goof off during the games.  We immediately expected Diesel to be a star and score all the goals.  Heck, that's why we had shirts made.  We wanted everyone to know that the star was our son!  After the first game, my throat hurt from all the screaming.  I wasn't necessarily screaming bad things, I just wanted my boy to focus and get in the game.  Diesel was more interested in chasing his cousin, Jaxton, around the court.  There were even a few times we had to run out there and pick him up from rolling around on the court.  You see, in a three-year-old league, parents are allowed to run next to or behind their kid to encourage them.  We also began bribing.  If he scored a goal, he would get ice cream from Braums.  We told him this before every game.  Even though he never scored a goal, we still took him. 

On June 21st, at 6pm, Diesel had his 3rd soccer game.  His 3rd soccer game ever.   We expected the same outcome as the other games.  The one difference was going to be that his cousin was on vacation.  We knew there was going to be one less distraction for Diesel.  We, once again, bribed him with ice cream. 

The game began.  It was 100* and no airconditioning.  A lot of the kids refused to play, so we pushed Diesel to play as much as possible.  After about 5 minutes of playing, we could tell he was already tired.  In order to keep him playing, I told him I would stand out on the court while he ran around.  I think he feels more confident if he knows his parents are near.  Diesel got the ball, and I began to cheer him on.  He kicked and kicked and ran and ran.  He ran to the goal and kicked it in!  GOAL!  As soon as he did it, he turned around and ran to me with his hands in the air.  I picked him up and swung him around.  As we turned around, I noticed Dad had jumped up and ran onto the court in excitement.  At that same moment, we saw that Grammie and Papa had just walked in the gym.  All 4 of us we standing and screaming for Diesel.  He had the biggest smile on his face.

Well, he earned ice cream and there was still half a game left.  What to do?  Sprinkles.  "Diesel, if you score another goal, we'll get you lots of sprinkles on your ice cream."  What did he do?  That little boy went out there and scored another GOAL! 

Now he had ice cream with sprinkles.  What should I bribe him with?  There's only 5 minutes left in the game, and his team needed another player.  "Diesel, if you get another goal, I will take you to the lego store tomorrow."  He looked at me and said, "I'm too tired.  I'll go to the lego store another time."  I accepted it and sat down with him.  I was so proud. 

When your mom is a teacher...

I consider Diesel lucky.  Every day we have craft time.  I should probably focus more on him writing his name, but I enjoy craft time more.  We've had a big box in our house for almost a week now.  Diesel plays in it all the time, so I haven't had the heart to throw it away.  I decided to make the box look more like a toy instead of a piece of trash. 

Well, we had Christmas, zebra, and camo wrapping paper.  We decided to make it a hunting lodge.  His favorite part is the window. 

I don't know why he's gluing beads on the top of it though...

Jesus and I Made It

Every year our family does a garden. 

Usually David does all the vegetables, and I grow the herbs and decorative flowers. 

However, this year I decided to plant 3 gourd and squash seeds in my garden.  I wanted something fun to grow on my fence.  And I, like many other gardeners, love the satisfaction of getting to pick and eat something that I personally grew. 

Every day Diesel, Sawyer, and I go outside and water the gardens (we have lots considering the small yard we have).  Diesel loves looking for all the squash and different gourds that have started growing. 

Finally a couple days ago, one of the squash/gourds were big enough to pick.  It probably would've grown a lot bigger, but I knew Diesel was wanting to pick it very badly to show his daddy.  So, I let him pick it.  It's a pretty special squash/gourd.  The reason why I keep slashing squash and gourd together is because it's both.  You see, the squash and gourd plant cross-pollinated.  So, it's both.  Here's a picture:

As usual, before an important phone call, I quiz him on the things he's supposed to say.  He wanted to call his daddy and tell him, so I began asking Diesel the necessary questions.

Mom: "What is that?"

Diesel: "It's a squash."

Mom: "Squash and gourd.  What colors are in it?"

Diesel: "Yellow and green."

Mom: "Where did it come from?"

Diesel:  "The garden."

Mom: "Who grew it?"

Diesel: "Jesus.  Me and Jesus.  We did it together."

I think he's understanding his Sunday school lessons.

Meanie

For Christmas, my Papa Kurtz bought Diesel a doll.  Not just any doll.  The doll looks like this:

This doll even has wire toe hair sticking out of its feet.

When we asked Diesel what we should call it, he replied, "Meanie."

Meanie scares Diesel. 

We can't keep it in his room.

So, it ends up everywhere around the house.  My husband, David, likes to hide it under the covers while I'm showering before bed.  He gets a chuckle out of me finding it.  Diesel likes to push him around in Sawyer's riding toys.  

But, you know who plays with it the most? 

My 8 month old.

Oreo

Diesel has made a new best friend.  While we were on vacation, Ella and Buzz Lightyear (my two classroom rats that we keep at home during the summer) had a litter of 4.  There are 3 brown and white rats (they look like Ella) and one black and white rat (it looks like Buzz).  Diesel's favorite is the black and white baby. 

He has named him Oreo. 

They play together all the time. 

Today, Diesel taught Oreo how to ride a tractor. 

I don't know how well Diesel's going to take the news about Oreo's future.  In another week, Oreo and his brothers and sister are going to be snake food (unless they find someone who needs a pet rat). 

You see, we thought Ella had gone through menopause.  She hasn't had a litter in 6 months (usually they have a littler every 21 days).  What a delightful surprise (sarcasm)!

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is  very special.

No, I'm not Irish.

Not from Ireland.

Not Catholic (because of the Saint thing).

Yes, green is my favorite color, but that's not the reason.

Four years ago today....

March 17th, 2007

I was standing in a Walmart bathroom stall holding a pregnancy test that had two pink lines.

Yes, I was crying,

BUT

I didn't understand how wonderful of a gift it was going to be at the time.

I was scared.

This is how it started....

David and I were married on September 30, 2006.

We began dating on September 29, 2003. 

Yes, we purposely planned our wedding anniversary next to our dating anniversary.

David said he already had too many dates to remember, so this would make it easier on him (since he had already memorized our dating anniversary). 

I accepting a teaching position in Oklahoma in July 2006.

David didn't move to Oklahoma (he still went to school in Missouri) until December 2006.

Yes, we were married and living in two different states.

We bought a VERY small house (2 bedrooms, one bath, 1100 sq ft) in December 2006 when David moved to Oklahoma.  From July-December I had been living with David's parents (even though he lived in Missouri). 

We were finally married and living together in our own house.

David got a job working on an oil rig.

He worked in Texas for a week at a time.

I got to spend every other week with him.

When I began teaching, I, of course, got my own health insurance.  Because we had just bought a house, we were poor and decided that we would wait until January for me to get on birth control (because of the deductible thing).  Well, since I just moved to Oklahoma, and didn't have a primary care physician, it took me a while to get an appointment.  

I know....

Excuses, Excuses

But, it's true. 

Well, spring break was coming up and David just so happened to be working in Texas during my spring break.  Instead of spending it alone, I decided to go visit my family in Missouri.  Where I come from (Rolla, Missouri), St. Patrick's Day is a BIG deal.  Lots of partying.  Lots of drinking.  I planned on doing all of those things. 

Before I headed off to Missouri, I decided to buy the biggest Red Bull you could buy at a gas station.  Why I was buying it, I thought to myself, "Hmmmm, I think I'm a couple days late on my period.  No biggie.  I'm sure I'm fine, but before I start drinking all this caffeine and green beer, I should probably double check." 

After all, even though I wasn't on birth control, we were still taking extra precautions.  We weren't panning on having a baby anytime soon.  Our house was very small.  David didn't have his career yet.  We weren't ready.

I know you roll your eyes whenever you hear someone say, "I didn't think it would happen to me."  Well, we honestly didn't think it would happen to us.

After all, we had only been living together for two months and half of that time David was away working.  The odds had to be small.

Well, I ran into Walmart really quickly.  Grabbed a pregnancy test.  I grabbed the cheapest one possible.  It was in Spanish.  It was buy one get one free.  Checked out in the express lane, and walked straight into the Walmart restroom.  Peed on the stick. 

And two lines showed up.

Immediately I began crying and shaking.  Most people would've called their husbands or started jumping up and down with joy.

I called Cathy, my best friend.

She calmed me down and told me to drive to Missouri anyway (I think she said this because I was on my way to see her). 

Before I left Walmart I bought a water.  I had to double check.  I guess this is why most packages come with two pregnancy tests. 

I began driving to Missouri.  Still hadn't told anyone other than Cathy.  About an hour into the drive, I pulled over and took another test. 

Two lines again.

I decided to call David.  I was too scared.

I tried and tried to call David, but he didn't answer.

This was common because of his job.  He was in the middle of nowhere working on an oil rig.  There was no cell service.  He would usually call me at night when he got back to the hotel.

Well, I didn't know what to do.

I sent him a text message.

It said something like this:

I'm pregnant.

I got to Missouri and told my sister.  She didn't believe it either.  We went to Walmart.  We bought another pregnancy test.  I guess I thought there was a chance I was reading it wrong because it was in Spanish.  I bought one of those digital tests (yes, this package was buy one get one free, too).  We decided that I would take the test and not look at the results until we got in the car.  We got in the car and she pulled out the test.  And a HUGE smiled appeared on her face.  I began crying again.

We drove to my dad's house.  When we got there, we always sit down on the couch and "catch up".  Let me remind you that I still hadn't talked to my husband.  The only people who knew my dirty little secret were my sister and best friend (and maybe David if he checked his phone and was just in so much shock that he couldn't call me).  Aimee (my sister), my dad, my step-mother, and I were all sitting down  talking.  And here is comes.... 

I knew it was going to come up. 

They decided to give me the pregnancy talk.  True story.  They explained to me how it would be irresponsible of me to get pregnant now.  They asked me if I was on birth control.  I lied and said that I was.  They said they recommended me waiting two years to have kids. 

The entire time Aimee is giving me puppy dog eyes.  I was heart broken.  But, I didn't let it show.  They had no idea I was pregnant.  I told them I didn't want a glass of wine because I was saving it for the partying I was going to do later.

Aimee and I left and went to visit our mom. 

While we were visiting my phone rang. 

It was David.

I went out to my car and answered it. 

I began crying automatically.

I said, "Did you get my text."

He said, "Yep. Are you sure?"

I said, "I've taken three tests.  They're all positive."

He said, "Sounds good.  Sounds good.  Well, I have to go.  I'll talk to you later."

And he hangs up.

I cried and cried and cried.

I eventually went back inside my mom's house.

She took one look at me and said,

"Are you pregnant?"

I told her no.

She didn't ask any more questions.

She still swears that she knew that night and didn't believe me when I told her no.

I had a great week with my friends, even though I didn't get to drink Red Bulls and green beer.  My best friend, Cathy, was already pregnant, so we even went shopping for maternity clothing.   I even took that extra digital pregnany test while I was with my girlfriends.  It said PREGNANT loud and clear.  By the time I drove back home, I was excited about having a baby.  David and I still hadn't talked about it too much, but we had nine months to do that. 

Well, I know you're wondering about how I told my parents.  After my second (yes, second) ultrasound, I decided I could tell them.  We told David's family April 1st (decided it would be a good April Fool's joke).  I believe I was around 4 or 5 months when I told my family.  How did I tell them?  I sent them a package in the mail.

Both parents received a grandchild picture frame with the ultrasound picture in it. 

I included a card.

The card read,

"Ready or not, here I come."

On November 12, 2007, Diesel Daniel Baker was born.

He is perfect.

Happy, St. Patrick's Day, Diesel!

The Report Card

I know I'm a good teacher.

I always knew I'd be a good teacher.

I've wanted to be a teacher since kindergarten.

Although I also wanted to be an entomologist (bug scientist) and an FBI agent, being a teacher was always number one.

Although I've been a great teacher from day 1, I became an even better teacher when I became a mother.

You do things differently after you become a mother.

You not only think about the teacher side of things, you think about the parent side as well.

What would I do?  How would I think if I were this child's parent?

Now I approach things differently when I call a parent (which I had to do yesterday) or write a parent letter.  I think differently about my response when a parent writes me a letter. 

I guess you could say, I put myself in their shoes.

This not only applies with my students but also with my children. 

I now think differently when a preschool teacher comes to me with concerns for my child.  Sometimes, and I probably shouldn't do this, I even think, "They don't have children, so I don't think they fully understand what they're talking about."

And then I get my 3-year-old's report card:

I couldn't read it as soon as I got it.

I admit, I was very nervous.

I slipped it in my large teacher bag and waited until I got home.

I sat down in my big recliner and looked over it very closely.

You see, I know my child is very bright.  I expected outstanding scores in everything (except maybe behavior). 

Well, I was in for a surprise.

I was disappointed.

Obviously his teachers don't think he's as smart as I do.

I know my child has excellent fine motor skills.

My 3 year old can count to 20.

He knows all his shapes and colors.

Any of my family members can back me up on this one.

I was hurt.

After a few moments of disappointment, I realized:

How many of my students' parents feel the same way when they get the report card that I write?

In fact, a couple weeks ago I received a note from a parent.  This was before I received Diesel's report card.  The note was a concern from a parent.  Their child was behind in math.  They were only on the -2 test (when they should've been on the -9).  The parent said they pass the practice tests at home, but they are obviously not passing them at school. 

The parent thought I should move the child up a level since they could do it at home.

I thought about this for a while.  I still think about my decision and whether it was the right one.

What did I do?

Well, I bumped them up a level.

Why?

Not because I agreed with the parent (which the parent probably thought I did).

I did it for the sake of argument.  It was not worth arguing with the parent.  It's her child.  If she wanted him bumped up, it was her choice. 

Did he pass the next math test?

No.

Has she wrote another letter?

No.

But now I see where she's coming from.  When I received her letter a couple weeks ago (again, I have to emphasize, before I got Diesel's report card), I thought, "Who does she think she is?  Telling me how to run my classroom.  She must be lying.  Her child is not able to pass the test." 

I admit, I could be wrong.

Maybe her child really knew his -2s.

Maybe I made the right decision (for the wrong reason) in bumping him up a level.

I need to remember to think like a parent... and a teacher at the same time.

This was my favorite page:

I could take this a bunch of different ways.

I'm going to take it as good.

Blank is good.

However, I really would've appreciated a nice comment about my Diesel.  Just so I could scrapbook it.

I'm going to remember this as a teacher.

I've never written comments on a report card.

From now on, I will write comments.

A good one.

No matter how rotten the child is.

Yes, that's a picture of my son's excellent fine motor skills.  He's threading beads on a needle. 

I just had to prove it.

Panties in a Wad

Oh, Diesel Dan.

He never wears pants.

As soon as he gets home from daycare,

he takes them off.

He is always running around in underwear and a shirt.

Always.

Even when it's 10* out like today.

But that's not the best part.

The best part is how he wears his underwear.

Diesel has a habit of putting on a new pair of underwear every time he goes to the bathroom.

No, he doesn't pee in them. 

I don't know why he does this.

He can never tell me why.

However, when he puts on new underwear, he ALWAYS puts them on backwards and inside out. 

ALWAYS.

Why?

He never tells me.

Surely he can't like the wedgie feeling.

Surely.

Yes, we put on his underwear before he goes to school, so he doesn't look too silly.

Hopefully he quits this habit before he gets a girlfriend.

Cowman

Diesel and Mommy had a long discussion on the way home from school today. 

This was day #2 of getting in trouble at school.

Yesterday, Diesel was put back in the two-year-old room (from the three-year-old room) because he was spitting.

You see, the three-year-old room is a privilege. 

One that is taken away for being a goofus (they use the words goofus and gallant to explain behavior choices).

Diesel is in the process of moving up in classrooms.

Well, today Diesel, once again, was put back in the two-year-old room.  Today, he decided to yell at his friends. 

He claims he doesn't remember doing this. 

Daddy told Diesel this morning that if he was a good boy, he would help Diesel put together his basketball goal.  Grammie and Papa Baker bought Diesel a basketball goal for Christmas.  It's still in the box, and Diesel has been patiently waiting for nice weather. 

Well, Diesel was a goofus.

The basketball goal will not be put together tonight.

Diesel cried a few "tears" when I reminded him of the consequence to his behavior.  Then, he said, "That's ok.  I'll just play Cowman tonight."  I said, "You mean, cowBOY?"  He simply replied, "No, I don't want to be a boy.  I want to be a man.  A cowman."

I couldn't help but laugh.

He said Daddy would buy him the horse so he could be a real cowman.  I said, using appropriate language, that there's no way in hell Dad's buying you a horse.

We got home, and since the weather was nice, and Diesel's been asking for a while, I decided to take out his carseat to wash.   I set the seat up on the porch and asked him to push it inside.  He looked at me and said, "I'm not big enough yet.  I will go inside and eat a lot of food.  I will get bigger then.  I will help you later."

I took the carseat in myself. 

I love being a Mommy.  My boys always make me smile.  Even if they are being a

goofus. 

Diesel's New Best Friend

Diesel has a new best friend.  He is called Fisherprice iXL.  I'm giving this gaming system 2 thumbs up!  Very educational and child friendly.  My favorite part is the different games.  You load them onto the "mommy" computer and then connect the gaming system to it.  You don't have to worry about the child losing the games.  He takes it everywhere.  His favorite is the Toy Story read aloud book.  It even highlights the words as they are read.  I hope it lasts for a while!