Last night, we spent the VERY awesome evening at Jackson Square. Dinner at Moondollars.
Ice cream (sugar) at Razzleberry’s.
Entertainment at Moondollars.

Wildcat’s 1st grade teacher is in a band and they were playing last night.
He’s been excited all week about going to see her sing.
Some of his classmates came, too.

And they took over the place — well, at least until they all crashed.

Our little garden has exploded in the last week or so. It’s amazing really.

We’ve only had to water it twice since we planted it – since it’s been raining so much.
And we’re going to have to get some kind of something to put on the okra plants, because there is some little critter eating the leaves. They look like doilies. We spread coffee grounds around them for the time being. Heard that helps keep snails out. It doesn’t seem to be working.

Today, Wildcat and I did some needful in the garden.
He pulled “weets” while I put some posts in the ground and ran some string support lines. The tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are a foot or taller and leaning. It was time. While stringing up the ‘maters, I noticed the cherry tomato plant has a tomato!! It’s about the size of a dime. Kinda cute. Wildcat said, “Well… the flowers turn into the fruit. Then, it’s green first. Then orange. Then, when it’s red…we can eat it.”

So we’re gonna watch and wait.

It’s exciting.

Last night, we didn’t feel like cooking.
Well, Jake was craving Mexican and when Jake craves Mexican, you might as well have Mexican or your gonna hear about it until you do.

And it was sooooo beautiful outside. We wanted to go somewhere we could eat on a porch.
So, we packed the family up and went to our favorite Mexican restaurant in town. J & T joined us.

Evidently, this place now has live entertainment on the porch on Thursday and Saturday nights. It was a nice to listen to music, eat good food and hang out with friends.

The music was a little too loud to do much chatting, but it ended up being the highlight of the evening.

The fellas that were playing would get done with a song…chat it up with the audience a little…take requests…etc.

During one in-between chat session– Dragon asked Jake if it was the appropriate time to yell Free Bird!! Jake looked at me, tickled by the question, and looked back at Dragon and said — “boy… you’re figuring it all out”

That got the ball rolling. After the next song ends, they were asking for some more songs. The 12 yr old yells “Skynard or Rolling Stones!!”

OMG. I ’bout sprayed my delicious Mexican beverage all over the table.

The music starts up again…and Wildcat, itching to get involved, starts dancing to the music (he’s a bit of a spaz when he dances, but he loves to do it). The couple sitting at the table beside us were tickled at his antics and started cheering him on. They got up and danced with him.

Seriously people— cheering for Wildcat is like filling a balloon with helium and then letting the balloon go without tying a knot in it. It gets bigger and bigger and BIGGER and when it’s released it zipsaroundtheroominalldifferentdirectionsnotknowingorcaringifitslamsintothingsornotand — doesn’t — stop — till — it — is — out — of — air.

By the end of the evening, the band was complimenting Wildcat by name. The people on the patio were smiling and clapping.
As the band was packing up their gear and we were getting ready to leave, Wildcat says, “I was nervous at first…but I’m proud of myself. I did good. I think I was the champion of the night.”

heh.

Here’s a little clip. (Of course, we didn’t have our video camera) Jake used his phone, so it’s not great quality.
But you’ll get the gist of how our evening went…

(Yes… he was knows the words to Simple Man. Yes… it’s sad.)

Wildcat is one cool kid.

Last night was the talent show at Dragon’s school.
It was fun for the kids. The talents were wide ranging…lots of dancing to religious music, a magician, pianists, violinists. Cyndi Lauper was there…

A very brave science teacher.
20 some-odd 6th graders.
4 weeks of practice, 2 days a week.
Zombie costumes.
One VERY excited and proud 12-yr old.

And here it is…

For the past two days, Wildcat has come home with a bad behavior report from his teacher. He’s had to write his name on the board at school.

He knows it’s bad. He knows how he should have handled the situation differently.

His stories about what happened and how it happened are priceless. He doesn’t waver. He doesn’t change it at all. He knows what went down- and has no trouble telling you the story.

Needless to say, his stories are LONG and full of opinionated views about WHY he got in trouble…followed by a ‘oh yeah..i know how to act better, I just forgot’ or a ‘I don’t know why really’ when we ask why he thinks whatever he did was a bad decision.

What we’re seeing at home right now— and trying to to squash– is Wildcat being a bit assertive.

Talking the loudest, sarcasm and a little showing off– obnoxious is the best way I can describe it. (In this family? Hmmm….) We’ve told him that isn’t the way to have people listen to you…or think you’re a neat kid. “Because you ARE a neat kid…and you DO know a lot of things. Don’t be loud, or a show-off or a know-it-all. Other kids don’t like that. Grownups don’t like that.”

I love his self-assuredness (is that a word?)…we don’t want that to go away….we just want to channel it in the right directions. Or at least help him learn when it’s appropriate.

We don’t like bad behavior reports two days in a row.

Tonight we made him write an apology letter to the teacher…for having to be asked more than once to stop talking when he wasn’t supposed to be talking… and to tell her how he will choose better actions next time. He wrote it all by himself with no input or help from us.

And the letter is priceless. (scroll over each section for translation)

And the reason he was talking? They were playing Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger over the intercom after morning announcements. It’s one of his favorite songs. He was singing it. It’s hard to squash pure joy… but talking isn’t allowed during announcements. And that’s a rule.

“And you have to follow rules.”

And sometimes rules are stooooopid.

Wii has a pretty cool weather application. You can spin the whole world around and look at local weather anywhere you want.  It’s been neat, because we can look at the weather in Italy, where my brother is living.

This morning, Jake, Dragon and I were playing with the globe..and Jake was quizzing Dragon about different cities and their corresponding countries.

Jake  – “Dragon, what country is Berlin in?”
Dragon – “I don’t knoooooow.”
Jake – “Come ooooon. It’s BERLIN”
Dragon – “Daaaaad… He hasn’t teached us any geometry yet”

I sure love my boys…

The frog (holding origami hearts, folded by little boy hands) and the balloon snuck in the store around 6 (I saw, but I won’t tell)

And the mini roses were hand-delivered by the lil boys when they brought my dinner…with a little origami doggie that said:

Dear Mom,

Me and Wildcat really love u more than any thing else.
Happy Valentines Day.

Makes me feel all mushy inside. It’s awesome. : )

It’s the first “real” snow we’ve had this year. Yeah, I know. It’s not really a lot. The boys played yesterday…and are itchin to get out in it already today. And it’s Xander’s first snow. It’s been fun to watch.

I will have to trek to work at some point today, but no worries….least I don’t have to drive to the Knoxville store anymore. 30 miles in the snow sucks.

Here are some pics…

And here’s a video… Enjoy!!!

We’ve been family “Rock Band”-ing this morning. It’s so much fun. With the kids, with our friends.

WEASEL WAR DANCE

Introducing:

Anton VonRokk : drums, guitar, bass, vocals

—————————Bell : guitar, bass

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Dragon : bass, drums

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AwsomeTime : vocals, drums

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Other players with Weasel War Dance:

Bosalicious                            Dr Funkenstein                         SuperT

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Rock on…