Allison Says

“I had a bad day, Mommy.”

Those were the first words Alex said to me when I picked him up one day last week. Usually he tells me he doesn’t want to come home because he wants to stay at school. Usually he’ll explain what fun game he was playing with his friends that can’t be interrupted just for dinner and bath time and bed time. Usually, if there are tears involved in pick-up it’s because he would rather stay with his teachers and friends than come home and hang out with his boring old parents.

Apparently, he had a bad day.

The reasons for the bad day aren’t entirely clear, but it had something to do with a fight with his friend, getting in trouble for something he claims he didn’t do, and not liking the snacks they served at school.

Life as a five year old is rough.

“What can I do to make your day a little better, buddy?”

“The only thing you could possibly do to make me happy you won’t do!”

After a lot of coaxing, he finally told me what that only thing that I could do to make him happy is: buy him a new toy.

Clearly that is not the best way to deal with a bad day (although I can’t blame him for the desire), so we brain stormed:

Movie night? No.

Movie night with popcorn?! No.

Playing on the swingset? No.

Going for a bike ride? No.

Taking a walk and looking for cool rocks/leaves/flowers/animals? No.

Changing into a bathing suit and playing in the sprinkler? No.

“Wait! …yes. That would make me happier!”

He didn’t even care that I couldn’t find the sprinkler and could only offer him the hose.

Crisis? Averted.

This weekend was absolutely perfect. The sun was shining and it was warm for the first time in months.

We spent a good chunk of time outside both days this weekend.

It was fun to watch what a difference there has been in Alex’s motor skills in just a few months.

He’s still a total goofball, who is only slightly better about cooperating for pictures than the last time it was warm out.

I wish every day could be 70 degrees and sunny.

Who wants to make that happen, hmmm?

I know we are all looking forward to the regularly warm weather to arrive.

Time flies when life happens, huh?

I started my new job, which is 95% awesome. (The 5% that isn’t awesome? Commuting from the ‘burbs to my job in the city at rush hour.)

Alex is 95% awesome. (The 5% that isn’t awesome? He’s in a…how to phrase this? Tough phase right now. He’s just…yeah, tough. Often.)

We have made the official decision to send Alex to Kindergarten in the fall.

Maybe some day I’ll write a real post. A post about all of the hilarious things that the now five-and-a-half year-old says. A post about the struggles we are currently facing getting him to not be scared to try. A post about how Alex made a bowl out of clay, painted it, and was to give it to “someone he loves” for Valentine’s Day, and he gave it to a girl (not me!). A post about just how much Alex cracks me up these days.

Maybe someday. For now, I’m enjoying being home every evening. I’m enjoying spending the most time with my family that I have since I first went back to school when Alex was two.

And, quite frankly, while I wish I had photographic evidence and some written words about these enjoyments, I think it’s pretty important to just live the moments, too.

A few days ago when it was, on December 1, 60 degrees outside, it seemed like a perfect plan to spend the morning outside. I had given Alex an elf hat a few days before in what I assumed were my naive hopes that it would make him somewhat more cooperative for pictures that I had decided were a necessity for a holiday card this year. Too many years have gone by when I have been “too busy” for holiday cards, but I know how much I appreciate receiving them that it only made sense for me to find the time to do them. (Especially with my New Job! that I started on Monday, which allows me much more time with my family.)

He told me, in no uncertain terms, that he hates having his pictures taken. But! It’s okay if he gets to see them, make funny faces, or think about a certain favorite girlfriend of his.

It was such a beautiful morning, albeit it a little cloudy, that when the time came to come in and begin our typical routine for the day (cleaning the house and grocery shopping) neither of us was particularly happy about it.

Within about 15 minutes of our playing outside, it started to drizzle. Nothing serious, so a few more jumps and slides and swings were able to occur before heading inside.

I could do with more 60 degree days in December (as long as I don’t think too hard about what it all means).

The weather was especially appreciated by me because it made it easy to get a few cute pictures for Christmas cards.

When it comes to friends at school, Alex primarily spends his days with other boys. There was a short period of time when he told us he had a “school girlfriend” but as soon as they were no longer in the same class, he moved on to the rowdy boys: making believe they are superheroes or Power Rangers, wrestling whenever the teacher turns her back, and building weapon after shooty-weapon out of Legos.

The other day, though, he told me something that he said was very important:

“I have six girlfriends.”

I asked him who they were, and he listed four. “I can’t remember the other two names. But they’re my girlfriends, too.”

Two of his girlfriends were available for a get-together over the weekend at a local farm that has all sorts of fall festivities: glitter face painting (the adults all conveniently didn’t notice that), bounce houses, a petting zoo, hay rides, a corn maze, and much, much, more.

Needless to say, he was psyched to spend the day with some older ladies that he calls girlfriends.

At some point, I asked him what it meant to have a girlfriend. He wasn’t sure, but he was sure that he had a bunch of them.

All in all, the kids had a blast at the farm. They found their way out of the corn maze (eventually!), talked nonstop, screamed almost as nonstop, and generally were the well-behaved awesome kids Alex and I are lucky to have in our lives.

“I had a really fun time with them today. I wish we could see them more,” Alex told me as we were driving home late that evening after a night of s’mores, campfire bananas, and a lot of playing, with only a short break for crying when he managed to fall and get stuck in a teeny tiny doll-sized playpen.

Kid has six girlfriends, and he’s only five. He’s lucky: he’s picked some good ones.