Shades of gray

So the other day when I was driving the kids to school when we got into a discussion about the MLK holiday (I believe Tehani called it Civil Rights Day) Tehani asked why they had a day off of school and I explained that at one time, there were separate restaurants, water fountains, etc. for whites and blacks. She asked why and I explained that the white people at the time thought they were better than the black people.

I went on to give an explanation about MLK (thinking back now, I'm pretty sure the kids had probably tuned me out by this point) Anyway, some where midway through my intro into the "I Have A Dream" speech, Tehani interrupted and asked "What water fountain would we drink from?"

This wouldn't be so strange other than the fact that Kobe has asked me on several different occasions if he is black (he even asked me once if he was African :) I explained to the two of them that they were brown, not black. Tehani said that she thought that brown WAS the same thing as black. Brown, black, yellow, white--at this point I've decided that being color blind wouldn't be such a bad thing :)

Happy Civil Rights Day!

The B Boy

That's B as in B-Day. Yes, my baby turned 11 today (never mind how old that makes me :) And in true Blogger style, here are some little known (and oft forgotten) facts about my lil' bundle of joy:

The early bird gets the worm--or in this case gets to school on time. Kobe is still compulsively obsessed with being the first one to arrive at school. It gets a little old sometimes having him ask if we can leave for school when it is not even 7:30 (school starts at 8:30 in case you are wondering) but I humor him--because I know that one day in the not too distant future it will probably be me harassing him about gettin' to school.

It's all Greek to me--Kobe loves, Loves, LOVES Greek mythology. He asked me once which Greek God I thought he was most like and I was kind of thinking "Are there others besides Zeus?" According to the Koberoo, he has the most in common with Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes. Who knew?

Men at Work--I've decide that Kobe is either going to grow up to be a human beat box or a video game designer. He's got hours and hours of practice at both! I feel like I'm constantly telling him to BE QUIET. I mean really, should one person be able to make that much noise?

On a more practical side, Kobe is also my best and biggest helper. Every morning he usually the one that puts the dishes away, packs the lunches in the backpacks, gets the newspaper, and washes any dirty dishes (never mind the fact that he is only doing this because he is trying to get us out the door :)

Other hobbies include writing haikus, picking on Tehani just like any good older brother would do, and correcting other people's poor grammar (he must get that from Cynthia :) He's definitely "One Of A Kind"...

Happy Birthday Kobe! Hope this next year brings you everything you hope for (and no that does not include a new XBox :)

Smells Like Teen Spirit

So we took the fam out the eat the other day. As we were walking back to the car Kobe commented that it smelled. I didn't smell anything so being the good and inquisitive parent that I am I asked, "What does it smell like?" Kobe replied "It smells just like Las Vegas."

Now just to clarify--No, we don't take our kids on monthly gambling excursions to Nevada. And my only recollection of the olfactory characteristics of Sin City involve cigarette smoke and beer. I was still perplexed. I mean, we'd just left a restaurant in Utah--there was not a whiff of beer or cigarette smoke anywhere. Maybe Kobe had simply eaten one too many wings at Wingers? Kobe piped back up and said:
"Can't you just smell all the sweat and anticipation...and luck?"

Was THAT what I was smelling? Who ARE these kids and where did they come from? I'll have to remember this smell for a few years from now when the Koberoo is a teenager (because if I remember correctly, pubescent boys are both sweaty AND smelly)

I can hardly wait. Wish me luck--I think I'm going to need it!

Big & Tall

So its official--the Big & Tall store will be my only choice when clothes shopping for the Kobester. Norm took the kids to the doctor yesterday for their yearly wellness check up and Kobe is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight!

Now it's not like the doctor was telling me something I didn't already know. Most kids go through a growth spurt every year or so but Kobe kind of had a growth explosion in just the past month or so. He went from a normal kid that fit into regular size 10 pants to...the kid with a mom that has to return all of his size 12 Christmas presents because they were already too short and look like they are too tight (Ok, Kobe tells me they fit fine because he is hoping I won't make him try on more clothes but my rule is if it takes you more than a minute to button, it's too small :)

I guess on the bright side, 90th percentile for both is better than just being an "overachiever" in just one area: He could be the 90th percentile for just height and just be...scrawny. Or he could be the 90th percentile for just weight and just be...Samoan (luckily for Kobe he is only half :)

Kobe's Top Ten List

It's hard to believe my little Kobester is ten today. It seems like it was just ten years ago :) that I spent my Christmas Eve birthing this little bundle of joy. (And yes, I'm definitely glad that we birth babies--and not full grown boys!) But I'm also glad to have Kobe as a part of our family. And what birthday would be complete without the obligatory "Ten Most Unique Things About Kobe " blogger list so here goes...

Kobe's Afro--One of the saddest days in Kobe's little life was when I took him to cut off his "afro." And while my mom might argue that it still looks like he has a 'fro in this recent pic, this is nothing compared to the flowing locks he used to sport around in his younger years.

Kobe's Pacifier--If Kobe ever ends up needing braces when he is older, I can blame it on the fact that he used a pacifier until the ripe old age of 3! For some strange reason Kobe actually called his pacifier a "Phizer" (whatever that is?) Anyway, we were finally able to have him give this up when we told him the story about how the Easter Bunny collects pacifiers. And that when you give him your pacifier (when you go to get your picture taken at the Provo Towne Mall) the Bunny gives you a present. (Kobe got legos.) And you thought the Easter Bunny just delivered eggs...

Kobe's Name--Yes, he is named after a famous black sports athlete. Luckily for us, we choose to name him after the famous black athlete that has only been caught cheating once (I never liked the name Tiger anyway)

Kobe's Noises--I don't know if it is just a boy thing, but Kobe is ALWAYS making the strangest noises (and no, I'm not talking about farts.) He is like a big non-stop noise machine. And although the noises tend to drive me crazy most of the time, at least I know if he ever gets lost in the woods, I'll be able to find him (that is if a big grizzle bear doesn't hear him and eat him first :)

Kobe's Smile--You gotta love a boy that isn't afraid to smile!

Kobe's Profession--Kobe has told me that he is going to be a "Video Game Tester" when he is older. He has decided to get an early start on said career and would spend every waking moment playing his DS (or Wii or Playstation) if we would let him. Luckily Norm made the rule awhile back about no video games on school nights or we'd never get any homework done.

Kobe's Friends--Who knew that I was raising such a social butterfly! Kobe is constantly asking about playing with this friend and that friend. I can already tell that the teenage years are going to be oodles of fun!

Kobe's Brain--Kobe apparently has a super big brain because he is super smart. He is a whiz at math and loves science and social studies. In fact, he loves learning and school so much that he gets all freaked out if he thinks he is going to be late to school (and in late I mean not being there the 20 minutes BEFORE school starts)

Kobe's Mom--All of Kobe's future girlfriends should be warned that I am raising a Momma's Boy. It's not like I set out trying to do this. It's just what happened. My husband says I baby him too much but he IS my baby. What else am I supposed to do?

Kobe's Everything Else--What can I say--everything about him is unique and we love it all! Happy Birthday to our lil' Kobester!!

Kobe's "Christmas Eve" Birthday

Kobe always loves telling people about his birthday since he was born on Christmas Eve. This year at Halloween he even dressed up as a Christmas present and came up with saying that he was like "an early Christmas present" to us when he was born since it was on Dec 24. Which means our family spent the day celebrating Kobe's birthday with a trip to the bowling alley (one of the few places that is always open on Christmas Eve) and lunch at Portillo's (one of Kobe's favorite places to eat in Chicago.) People always ask if he gets "jipped" on the presents since his birthday is so close to Christmas and the answer is definitely NO. If anything he makes out like a bandit since everyone--especially Grandma--makes sure that Kobe get plenty of birthday presents. He even got a cool Guitar Hero game from the Cynthia & Ken and Raymond & Kelly...which the whole family played the rest of the night while we were waiting for Santa to come (I'm pretty sure Santa played a few sets before he headed on to the next house.) Anyway, Happy Birthday Kobe and thanks for being the best present ever!!

The Birthday Boys

Well, December is a pretty busy month for us because we have TWO birthdays to celebrate and the first one is already here...
The kids were very excited to wake up their dad early on Thursday morning so he could open his presents--some new "threads" (and he even sported some to work that day.) Speaking of work, I did manage to surprise him by dropping off some yummy cupcakes at his office. It's funny because I had been worried about maybe embarrassing him (but like the good wife I decided to do it anyway.) Well, after I made my special delivery to his work I come to find out that they actually have cake (and ice cream) every time there is a birthday. I'll know not to be worried next year!!

And now all I have to do is plan what we are going to do for Kobe's 9th birthday at the end of the month. (Yes, this is an old, old photo with this post) So if anyone has any party suggestions for a rowdy group of nine year old boys, I'm all ears :)