The Daily Grind

A few daily statements and questions from the boys over the break.

Teague - (through out the day) Typically at various points during the day one will ask Teague to pass something or if he wants a snack. To this he promptly replies with a snarl to his voice and face "that's not my name! I'm Avatar!" or replace Avatar with, "I'm Batman!" or, "I'm Buzzlightyear!". You see he constantly changes, I believe in his own clever way so he can keep his snarling voice and face he loves so much. By the time I'm going for my next "Avatar, can you come eat your lunch?", the snarl rears around and says, "I'm Batman!".

Taatjes - every morning he slips me a little note. I take it and read it already knowing the words on the page. "Can I please have a cat"? Then he passes my direction to verbally remind me he has a birthday coming up:)
This ones my favorite I wrote it down immediately after the conversation occurred. Taatjes tells me- "I know what you get to eat and drink when you go to heaven!"
Mom- "really what?"
Taatjes- "You only eat bread and drink wine. God makes the wine!"

Trey - A sign of the times...Trey's daily request for a phone and his physical jaw dropping response when I tell him "No"!
Another conversation that we have had a few times now.
Trey - "I do not believe in Santa because I wanted a (insert whatever he happens to think of in that moment. today it was...) radio and he didn't get it for me so he can not be real. Plus he has never given me a real Penguin!" Apparently a life-long request of his that he just informed me about. Really I just can't win with that stuff!

Snow Shoes All Over Town

 

What is that noise? Where is it coming from? Oh it's the new people:- Yup, it's the Belgiano's and we don't care that we sound like a pack of Moose emerging from the forest. We got SNOW SHOES for Christmas and we are coming out to play!!!
They were pretty loud on the sidewalks of suburbia until we made it to the snow packed park. The boys just loved the snow shoes. Trey now wants to enter a snow shoe marathon:) Hey it's possible now!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Warmest wishes for a very Merry Christmas to you all.
The Beligano Family sends it's love from our new home in Madison, WI. We are knee deep in snow and loving it:) We are spending our Christmas making snow men, snow forts equipped with icicle cannons, and eating pazzelles!

The Crew

(Thanks Lisa)

Birthday Party w/Cousins! The Best!

 

We were able to celebrate our 3 fall birthdays all together this year! Christian - 10, Jazlin - 6, and Teague - 3. They were so excited to party with eachother:)

He's 3 and He's Buzz Light Year (to the rescue)

 

Nov. 27th our Teague turned 3!!! Having 2 older brothers, this 3 yr old was more than thrilled to be getting up their in numbers:) The Buzz Lightyear gear was a huge hit for his birthday. He now refers to himself as "Buzz Lightyear" and runs around saying "to the rescue"!

Everyday he walks out the doors and this is all I used to see...

Hi Mom! (Pulling my eyes upward and pretending that flames are not coming out of my ears) Oh Hi Trey how was your day?!

I don't know why but some days I am hopeful that he will walk out of his school and his pants will not be full of grass stains. It just isn't so:( Every morning I try to give him a gentle reminder, even though I know it is lost on him. He simply nods his head as I say; "do you think you could try to stay on your feet playing football at school?" Ya right, no way, it just can't be! This request stands in direct opposition to very nature of the game 500. You are supposed to be the one to go full out and catch the ball when it comes flying at you. He can't possibly think oh wait I know the ball is coming at me, but, it is a bit out of my reach, and I might have to dive, which will in turn cause me to completely wreck the pants that I am wearing, and this will make my mom upset! Its funny because under any other conditions I would be telling him; "if your going to do this sport then give it everything you've got!" How confusing for him. I mean who's problem is this really. Is it mine, or is it his. We have 2 competing "desires". A boys desire to be a BOY. And, a mom's desire to be well "Sane". (If you have been here you know what I am talking about.) Which desire wins? I hold the "power", authority if you will, to impose my desire to be the winner. I do also hold the "power" to relinquish my desire and allow the full Boy to escape him without the "upset" mom pay back at the end of his day. Here is where I currently stand. I have surrendered my "desire" for clean pants. I have given over to sending him in sweat pants and sports pants, and well right back in those stained up pants. In turn, hoping that I have empowered him to be that Boy dying to get out on that football field. I can't fight it. I don't want to. I have conquered my gaze and redirected it towards his face, full of smiles, reaching my arms out to hug him and tell him that I am glad to have him home!

Just Teague and Mom...

...and peace and quite:)



A little glimpse at something Teague and I get to do while the brothers are at school. Build train tracks in any direction he wants them to go (not so easily done with brothers around). Use any train you want, and drive it in any direction you want. We also go to the library once a week by ourselves. I love it! Not only does my head get to stay in one direction, I get a real chance to pick out some of the books I want! Now don't get me wrong; all 3 of them together has different benefits (like laughing hysterically at the things they tell each other or the games they come up with). Just sharing a bit of the peaceful side of our life:)

Some Pay Off

(Deep sigh of releaf) What a beautiful site! 3 boys raking leaves, playing in leaves, and topping it off with bagging leaves! Yes all this was done without me. Well to be honest just the front yard. I did have to rake the back yard by myself. However the front was enough for me this year. It was a truely wonderful moment. Doesn't take much these days:)

And there it goes...

Taatjes front tooth made a good run. Maybe you remember his biking accident of 07? I certainly do! That summer while on a walk/bike ride Taatjes fell and knocked 2 of his teeth out. Lucky for us they were sitting in his mouth when we showed up to our pediatric dentist!!! We spent a pretty penny to have them placed back in and wired to his other teeth (and removing the dead roots - so awful). It was well worth it. They held in for 2 yrs and saved the space for his next tooth to come through.
Let me share Taatjes new look with you.

The event took place at school. He knocked another boys head (that poor boy was probably in more pain than Taatjes) and pop out came the tooth. We won't go into the part where the school called and I was to busy test driving cars to hear the phone ringing in my purse - whoops. His teacher is amazing and they took care of it all. (Again Lisa I want the mom of the year award for this one!) He was so excited. He told his teacher that he was either going to get a feather or a dollar! So cute, we have left feathers, "dropped from the tooth fairy", by Trey's bed when he has lost a tooth. Had no idea Taatjes thought that was awesome:) Sure enough when he awoke he was thrilled to see 4 feathers sitting in his bed! It took him a minute to check and find the dollar under the pillow. He is such a sweet boy. He shared his feathers with his brothers and us. We will have our toothless wonder for quite a while. It's cool with him cause looking like a real pirate is every little boys dream come true!

Trick or Treat

Ninja

G.I.Joe (who lost his helmet)

Knight

The boys went wild trick or treating this year. We ended up with 2 rounds of it. One at a friends costume party and again in our neighborhood. Justin was down with the flu so it was up to me this year to get everyone dressed and out the door for candy time! This is typically his role and I stay to pass out the candy to all the kids. I happen to love seeing every ones creative ideas and smiles when you put a bunch of candy in their bags:) Oh and poke fun at the teenagers who come to the door with no costume. Well, it was fun to see my boys super excited yelling trick or treat and having someone fill their pumpkins. (This is the first year Trey noticed the older kids using pillow cases. Causing him to make a prompt request for trading in his "small" pumpkin for a "big" pillow case next year!) They also had a blast answering our door once we came home. Taatjes double-fisted candy into bags which brought out shrieks of joy from the kids! He was also yelling out to them "I gave you a treat not a trick!", such fun! Great memory and now onto the daily grind of 3 kids begging for candy at every turn in the day.

The Spoils

Another thought from Teague...

"I wish mom was a dad so we could have all boys in our family!"

Ummmm interesting? (ouch)- It's rough being the only girl in the house sometimes:)

A few words from Teague

This is a daily one - "Let me pick first cause I'm the littlest in this family!!!"
Cracks me up every time he says that:)

After a trip to Cabela's (with Dad) - "I wish our house was Cabela's!!!" Um you and Daddy.

Another "rules" boy - (this one is typically yelled) "Follow the rules!!!" Or - "Mom said so!!!" Again, these are yelled multiple times during the day.

And, in classic nearly 3 fashion - "NO, No, NO!!!" To pretty much everything, yes, even good things. He just has to say it. Thank goodness I now know this is a phase. Just took me 2 times through to learn it:)

Down on Didier Farms

 

Taatjes' 1st field trip! He was super excited to get to the pumpkin farm with his class! Even better was that his friend Ethan got to come with us:) Oh yeah, and he had to drag his little brother along:) Teague loved it as well. Hay ride, petting zoo, doughnuts, maze, and pick your own pumpkin. All coming together to bring huge smiles, giggles of joy, and sugar filled bellies! That's a field trip win.

(In sad news - Trey is missing his Pumpkin Farm field trip this day because he has come down with the flu. He was bawling his eyes out this morning when I had to break the news to him:( I hate this part of parenting, the breaking his heart part. But unfortunately I know all too well this is only the beginning of a few more broken heart moments!)

Gymnastics Show

 

So this year I asked Taatjes; "what is something new you would like to learn?". He picked Gymnastics! Well great we can do that and I think you will love it. Needless to say Taatjes did love his gymnastics class. Taatjes really loves anything that is rough and tumble. He did really well but Justin and I noticed something with him. He is wild and just too crazy for gymnastics. He did listen and do everything he was taught. But we feared he was going to break his neck doing all of it. He just runs full on, jumping of the mats, grabbing the high bars, doing front flips right off of them, and not landing gracefully. I don't think his teachers quite new what to say to him. He did it, but oh my was that "wild"! He is our "Wild Card" for sure:)
We are thinking he is more of a hockey/football/rugby kind of kid! It's all full speed ahead and if I think I can do it I am certainly going to try. You never know what the "wild card" might do!
These are pictures from his gymnastics show for the parents.

The Big House

 

Thanks Papa Doc! Yea the boys got to head back to Michigan for their annual UofM game with Papa Doc. It was Teague's 1st game and Papa Doc bought him his first Michigan hat, he was thrilled! The boys pretty much sang the Micihgan fight song the entire game. Really haven't stopped yet:) The best thing is that Michigan won, thank goodness!

 

With the victory came a spacial visit to Blimpy's! On Guys' list of Diners, Drive-in,s and Dives helping Justin add a check mark to his list:)

Fall Hike in Wisconsin

We got to hike with our friends and all 6 of our children ages 6,5,4,3,2,1). They did awesome! 3 miles! It was a beautiful hike. Fall colors beginning, lake in the middle, and a brisk chill in the air. Actually it was so cold the kids wore their winter coats and I think my PBn'J sandwich was partially frozen when I ate it.
Good times, great memories, great find Joe and Tina!

A Rare Picture of Us!

Thanks to Tina and Joe for taking it:)
During our Fall hike in WI.

I'm 6 and I'm looking for a say in this family...

Yesterday we were playing a family football game; it is fall after all. It started of great. Cooperation on all sides, agreement with the game plans, and only two-hand touch for play stoppage. Alright our pre-game talk is working!
Until - (painting the image here) Trey running after the man with the ball. Teague, the man with the ball, who is half the size of Trey and trying to score a touch down. Trey meeting the man with the ball, Teague, and completely leveling him to the ground so he will not score a touch down! Shock and horror on the parents faces. Teague now screaming and Trey a little unsure of why his team is not cheering at his great football tackling skills.
Well when it comes to Trey both Justin and I know it is a matter of time before he simply can not handle losing or running the plays he believes to be best. Also, he is the oldest, biggest, and most coordinated at this point in our family in regards to his brothers. We do realize that this is a hard place for him to be in when you combine all those things. (Special thanks to Wolgie who can offer us great insight on how "hard" it really is to be the oldest child, since Justin and I are not!) We do give him time to be 6 and play full out. We just want him to understand that this time is not when he is playing with his brothers.
So, we have to tell him to go inside and sit in his room because he did not follow the rules, he has hurt his brother, etc.
He goes inside crying and very upset.
He serves the punishment (time out and can not finish the game)
So we go in, we have a talk, and everything seems all right.
A few moments later.
Trey whips some paper out of his pockets. "Hey mom want to see what I made?" Me, "Yes, please show me". Trey; "I made 2 signs!" Unfolding his paper he reveals 2 "signs" he has made out of paper. These "signs" contain 2 messages.
Sign 1 - No One Can Put Me In Time Out!
Sign 2 - No One Can Stop Me From Playing Football!

(Again, good try, but that is not how it works in our family:))
This stuff is hilarious. It is all a part of growing up. Hey he is 6 and he is looking for a bit of a say in his family. We just need to keep working on that together to shape a nice respectful voice:)

Um you look like you need some help...

(The other day while gathering things and give my marching orders to get out the door on time.)

Trey : "Hey mom if you need any advice just ask me." (In a plain and simple tone.)

Is it that obvious that I have no were near mastered this whole mom thing:)
A few possible translations

Hey mom I'm here for you.
Or
Your back and forth, back and forth, just stop and let me bring some clarity to these proceedings.
Or
He has most definitely positively received a few genetic traits from his father:)

Choose what you like, but personally, I am for the last option...teehee.

1st Grade and Pre-K

Greer! So Adorable!

Live for this stuff...

Hamburger Night...

...I used sesame seed buns for our burgers the other night; something that the boys are not used to seeing on their bun. I brought the plates out, set them down, and immediately received a few sighs of "what is that she is trying to give us"! First Trey; "Why seeds on our bun? I don't want a bun like this!" Next Teague; "Awe!" And finally Taatjes, huge smile on his face as he scraps the seeds of his bun in silence. Me; "Taatjes stop what are you doing? Don't make a mess like that! Leave the bun alone!" Taatjes; "Mom I'm getting the seeds of so I can go plant a hamburger tree in the back yard!!!!" Cracks me up! I do live for this stuff!

Pictures of back to school coming as soon as I can locate my cord to download them to the computer:)

School starts tomorrow...

...and I am the only one with a pit in my stomach:(

1st grade = full day! I will post with pictures and stories soon.

Manitou Springs Mechanical Mania

 

Even more...

 

Couldn't Resist

 

Colorado...the Second Week

(Pikes Peak)

After all our adventures in Denver we headed down to "The Springs", in local terminology a.k.a. Colorado Springs. Our great friends the Smiths hosted us and took us on many more amazing adventures! Green Mountain Falls hike, Garden of the Gods, Manatou Springs, and a great park perfect for little boys to climb to the top of a small mountain and get the feel of "victory" up there. This place is just an one big outdoor playground! For those of you who know John Eldridge and his Wild at Heart book...he lives here!

The boys - Trey, Mason, and Taatjes at the bottom of Green Mountian Falls

Half way up

Lunch break


Mountian Lions

Tunnel adventures and crayfish hunting again:)

Garden of The Gods

Victory!

Pikes Peak view thru Garden of the Gods

Learning some rock climbing skills...plant and push!

The Dads at work! The rock climbing only worked because of them:)

The Smith's