Odds and Ends

I've found the month of January lasts forever while February is gone in the blink of an eye.  Hard to believe March starts this weekend, and Ashley, Bode, and I (and Harley too) are coming up on two years on Colorado Springs.  Crazy.

Bode has started doing gymnastics once a week.  It's nothing too exciting-more like an introduction to tumbling.  But it is helping him build up his strength because last night, we were all in the living room.  Bode decided to do a "bridge" as some exercise before bed.  We were very impressed.  The below picture is of Bode's group getting ready to do some work.  Bode is the third kid from the left.

Here's a shot of Bode doing a modified toes-to-hands.  I've been impressed by how the coach makes them perform basic exercises to work on different muscle groups.

Bode has also been doing his junior stroke clinic twice a week and is become quite proficient at his strokes.  Sadly, I don't have any pictures (I'll be sure to get some next lesson).

Bode's cousin (our nephew) Charlie had a birthday party last Saturday.  It was held at one of the ever popular bouncy-house places.  Bode had a good time (and we measure his time's goodliness by how much he pouts when it's time to go :-)  Below are some photos of different things.  First, the birthday boy.

Next we have Bode climbing on something.

Finally, we have a picture of Bode and Charlie in the king's chair.

I wish I could report some other types of amazing activities.  Bode has been doing very well in school.  The teacher uses a color to rate the kids' daily behavior.  For awhile, Bode was continually on yellow (green the the middle ground), and every now and then on orange  red is a trip to the principal's office).  Something must have clicked in his little brain, because the past two weeks have been green's, blue's, and one amazing pink (red's counterpart atop the behavioral spectrum).  His teacher even commented how much better Bode has been in class.  It must be the presence of such a positive male role model in the house :-)  Then again, there were serious behavior issues when Ashley was in DC for a week, so perhaps she's the key to good behavior.

Ashley and I continue to work at the same jobs.  However, a phrase we like to use is "compensation vs aggravation."  We are compensated nicely at our jobs.  However, the aggravation we experience seems to be growing (perhaps we are cranky old people).  Some day, and perhaps some day soon, we'll both quit our jobs and reboot our careers for the second halves of our lives.

Finally, we had a birthday in the house.  Harley-dog is now three.  We are looking to get her a friend, preferably a boxer, but we are open to suggestions.

Pleasant day to all.

Crazy Hair

I should have posted this earlier, but in preparation for the Super Bowl, Bode had his hair dyed orange and blue.

He looked great, and that's about the only good thing we can say about this year's Super Bowl, as Denver was stomped by the Seahawks.  Fortunately, the dye washed right out, so no one could prove we were rooting for the Donks.

Kinderbear

Kinderbear joined us for the weekend.  Each weekend, one of the students in Bode's kindergarten class gets to take home a stuffed bear.  This bear is supposed to go everywhere with the surrogate family, and at the end of the weekend, we are supposed to write about our adventures.  Included with the bear-take-home-instructions is the journal from all weekend excursions.  Some parents really put out a poor effort.  I decided to do a thorough job documenting our adventures.  I would scan in what I wrote (I printed it long-hand), but I don't think it would show up.  Therefore, without further adieu, here are the Adventures of Kinderbear, Vol 24:  Bode's House.

Friday  On Friday, Bode took me home.  He immediately introduced me to his dog, Harley, who is a rottweiler (am I saying this right?)  Harley is a fierce looking animal, with a chest like a robin and a head like a fire-hydrant.  I was worried when I saw her big teeth (all the more to eat you with, my pretty), but all she really did was sniff me.  Good thing I bathed before school today.  Bode showed me around the house, where the bathroom was, the food (Mmmm...honey), and other odds and ends.  We played for awhile, and then it was time for Bode's swim-lesson.  We rode in the car, Bode buckled in his booster while I sat on his lap.  I'm hoping this was ok; I know there are laws against riding in a car while holding a baby on one's lap.  Do these laws apply to stuffed bears?
   Swim-lessons would have been more fun had I been allowed in the pool.  The life-guard thought my fur would clog the drain, so I had to sit on a chair and watch.

Bode's Dad met us at the pool.  He seems nice, but was a little surprised I would be staying with him all weekend.  He mumbled something about there being enough food, how much I eat, yada yada yada.  A bit of a worrier if you ask me.  After Bode finished swimming, we all went to Dion's for pizza.  Bode shared his cheese pizza with me.  Bode's Mommy scolded him for that, thinking I'd get sauce on my fur.  I wanted to tell her not to worry because I was sure that beast Harley would appreciate the snack, but I let it go.  We proceeded back to the house.  We watched the Olympics, played some Uno (Bode is awesome), and went to bed.  I slept in Bode's room and met all his friends--Piggy and Orton and another bear and so many others.

We played games and told each other stories until we both drifted off to sleep.

Saturday  I had the best sleep last night.  Bode has this great big blue blanket.  We were so warm.  It was like sleeping under a polar bear (well, a blue polar bear if there were such a thing...oh, whatever; I'm no good with metaphors...or is this a simile?)  We were sleeping great when this annoying woman woke us up at the obscene hour of 8 A.M.  Aren't Saturdays for sleeping in?  Bode and I had to get up because Bode's parents wanted to go to the gym.  Bode and I ate a quick breakfast (waffle for him, honey for me), and then we were off.  Unfortunately, Bode's Dad thought it best that I should remain in the car, thinking I might scare the other kids.  He said I could "guard the car" like that is some great privilege.  He wouldn't even leave the keys so I could listen to the radio.  The nerve!
   After a few hours, their gym-time was over.  For a treat, we all went to lunch (do these people ever cook?)  Did we go some place nice?  Some place classy?  Naah.  We went to the Waffle House.  Not exactly five-star cuisine.  It actually wasn't bad.  The waitress brought me some honey, and we all enjoyed a nice meal.  Saturday night was most fun.  Bode's Dad made us some soup for dinner (Hurray! A home-cooked meal!), and then created a cool fort from the couch cushions and the big blue blanket.  Bode and I crawled through the fort, popping our heads out every now and then, scaring Bode's Mom or Harley.

The best part was when we smashed the fort, acting like wrecking balls as we slammed into the fort's walls.  Afterwards, we played some more Uno and watched Despicable Me.  I slept with Bode, and spent part of the night wrestling with Fang, Bode's puppet crocodile.  We then told each other stories as we all huddled warmly under the blanket.

Sunday  This morning was a bit somber.  Bode's Mommy had to travel to Washington D.C. for her job.  She will be gone all week.  Bode was sad as he squeezed his Mommy and told her he loved her.  She promised to call him every day.  After Bode's Mommy left, Bode's Dad took us to the grocery store.  While this might not sound exciting, it was a blast.  Bode and I rode in a shopping cart that looked like a race car.  We had a little steering wheel and horn.  People passing by commented on how cute we looked.  Bode's Daddy needs to work on his cart driving because we kept bumping into things, knocking cereal on the floor, and crashing into people.
   After shopping, we came home, had lunch, and played with Harley.  Bode had swim practice (again...what is he, a fish?), so I went and watched.  When we got home, Bode and I played outside in the snow, and then we took Harley for a walk.  I wish I had brought some warmer clothes because I got a little chilly.  Bode's Dad hugged me tight to keep me warm.  Bode's Dad cooked burritos for dinner, and then Bode and I spent some time in the fort.  We also played more Uno (Bode's going to be a card-shark when he's older), watched some snow-boarding at the Olympics, and then we went to bed.  Since Bode's Mom is gone, we were all allowed to sleep in Daddy's room.  This included me, Bode, Bode's Dad, and Harley.  The latter is a huge bed hog.

I had a wonderful time with Bode and his family.