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| Preston, Ashton and Chandler before Preston's first game of the season. (Chandler hadn't received his shirt yet). |
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| Ashton and Mom--aka the cheerleaders |
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| Preston at bat |
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| Chandler at bat |
I had a very 'interesting' experience with Preston last night. He has had his share of sleep issues (too scared to sleep in his own bed, sleeping on our floor for months at a time, etc.), but since he turned 5 he has slept in his own bed pretty well. Occasionally, he'll come down scared and I'll have to take him back up, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Last night, I was still awake reading my book in bed when I heard his door open. I thought here we go again. I waited for him to appear in my doorway so I could escort him back upstairs to his bed, but he didn't come, so I decided to investigate. I walked out and saw his shadow in our office. I turned on the light to find him standing there peeing on the floor! I turned on the light and said, "Preston, what are you doing? Stop! Stop peeing on the floor!" He didn't stop. He just kept going until he was done. (Sidenote: no more drinks after the bath from now on). He seemed a little out of it and didn't really answer me as to why he was doing that. I sent him up to bed and he went without complaint. I promised him a 'talk' in the morning. Fortunately, his aim landed on one of those hard clear plastic things that you put under office chairs to protect your carpet, so the cleanup was pretty easy. I bet the manufacturers never would have thought it would protect my carpet from urine. When I asked him about it this morning, he had no idea what I was talking about. I guess he wasn't truly awake when it was happening. You're probably wondering why this is titled 'Karma.' Jared had several similar situations when he was a child. In fact, he did the same thing right into his older brother's closet. (I still think that was subconsciously on purpose). Let's hope that this is the end of our sleepwalking adventures. At least the end of the adventures that involve bodily fluids.
May 26, 2010
Preston finished his second year at preschool this year. This is him with his teacher. He is already an excellent reader and still has one more year before Kindergarten.
February 5, 2010
I just had to record another funny thing Preston said the other day for posterity. We were on our way to Chandler's T-ball game and Preston let out one of his famous high-pitched screams that we all love. I told him that if he did that again, he would have to walk the rest of the way. (for the record, it was an idle threat). He responded by saying that, "You sure are mean to Heavenly Father's children!" I guess he effectively put me in my place. :)
I just have to document Preston's latest insult so that someday I can blackmail him into something good. As we were driving to Jared's parents' house for Father's day, he asked, "Have you ever seen a really strong mother?" Giving myself a mental pat on the back for all those 6 a.m. sessions with the personal trainer when I really just wanted to sleep, I said, "I'm a really strong mother." He came back with, "No, you're fat!" There was a moment of silence in the car and then Jared and I both busted up laughing. What else do you do? Jared tried to defend my honor with the obligatory, "It's a baby in her stomach, Preston! She's not fat." But can you really convince a 3 year old? NO! Oh well, I'll go in search of my self-esteem in a couple of months...
I recently watched the movie Enchanted for the first time with my kids. Even though it was a "Princess" movie, I knew they would like it for the silliness, sword-fighting and the dragon. I was right! Preston especially loved it and has watched it a few times now. Yesterday, I found out that while playing in the backyard with Chandler and a little neighborhood girl he often plays with, Preston experienced his first kiss. This little lover boy is only 3! I am doomed! I made sure that she wasn't upset and actually wanted him to kiss her. I guess they were playing "princess." We had a talk about not kissing people who aren't in our family (at this age anyway). I told him he could kiss another girl after his mission. A little extreme maybe, but it works for me!
The most exciting thing to happen in our house in awhile has finally happened! We are a diaper-free environment! Over conference weekend, I decided to really put forth the effort and try to potty train Preston. He's definitely old enough, and ready enough, I have just been too lazy to make the commitment. Knowing we weren't really going anywhere that weekend, I decided it was the perfect time. Days 1-2 were a little dicey filled with numerous accidents, but it got better and better and by about day 4 things just clicked. He is now totally on his own including #2 and nights. I will definitely be savoring the next 4 months without changing diapers and then it's back to square one with #3, I guess. Next up...sleep training...
Preston has been mentioning his friend, Aiden, for a few weeks now. I thought it must have been someone he met when Jared had the boys somewhere. After continually asking him where he met him, where does he live, how old is he, it has become pretty clear to me that Aiden is an imaginary friend. These are the things we have learned about Aiden thus far:
These are Jared's words describing what Preston said when he woke up this morning. I HAD to share:
When Preston woke up this morning he was talking to me and said some funny things. He came into the bathroom and said "Dad, I don't like to drink Coke because it makes me bounce off the walls and it makes me have stinks in my mouth." Then he immediately said "Dad, I love it down in Snow Canyon because I can climb on the rocks like Spiderman. There aren't any snakes there because they don't live in the snow, they live in the desert."
Sorry the quality of this picture is not that great, but the pose itself is priceless! See what I have to deal with on a daily basis! Preston routinely brings 2-3 weapons to the bus stop each morning as we wait for the bus with Chandler. All of the older kids get a kick out of being chased by someone so young. He's very serious about it. He even told one of the girls that he was going to 'get that pretty girl.' I was mortified that he said that, but glad he called her pretty. She knows he is 3 and wasn't overly concerned for her safety.
Chandler was watching something on TV and a commercial for some sort of wrinkle cream came on. "Mom, you should get some of that green stuff! You would be so pretty!" Honesty....sigh.
"Preston, who's your favorite mom?" I asked, thinking I was a shoo-in. "Grandma!" Oh well...
He has gone from being a sweet, easy-going baby to a very fun, high energy little boy. I guess that has to do with following his big brother around. He adores Chandler and really enjoys playing with him. I don't know what they would do without each other for entertainment. He has toughened up to the point where he can definitely hold his own with bigger boys.
Preston is always busy with something. I have learned the hard way, never to leave him unattended for more than a moment (see above). He is very creative and adventurous. The most innocent looking of household items quickly becomes a sword or gun in his hands. He is definitely "all boy!"
There certainly is a downside of being fearless. Almost a year ago, Preston broke both bones in his lower leg. You would think this cast would have slowed him down some. You would be wrong! It was only 2 days before he was climbing out of his crib with the cast on. He quickly found himself in a 'big boy bed.' They even had to recast the bottom of his foot because he wore through the cast. Fun times!
Preston is such a joy to our family and things wouldn't be half as fun without him! We love you, Preston, and can't wait to see what your third year holds for us all. 911 is on stand-by. :)
