Beware the biker gang of Cinnamon Ridge Circle!

Last night as I was sitting outside with the boys while they were playing in the yard and riding bikes, I noticed a strange thing. I wasn't hearing the noise that normally comes from the training wheels very often while Xander was riding his bike.

I paid close attention as he rode from the circle all the way down the hill to the bottom where our driveway is, and my eyes confirmed what I was hearing, he wasn't leaning to one side or the other at all! So I invited Xander to bring his bike to me after I grabbed my adjustable crescent wrench, and this was the final product:

I thought for sure he would fight me or freak out or cry or throw a fit because sometimes change is hard for Xander, but he actually seemed kind of stoked that I had this level of confidence in him.

I told him to go grab his helmet because these bikes can go pretty fast without training wheels and the likelihood of him crashing just increased a great deal. Notice Daschle looking on. He must've been thinking, "This kid is freaking crazy."

So this is Xander (above) all ready to go with his helmet on and training wheels off. After this shot we took his bike up to the top of the driveway which has a slight decline down to the street. I held the bike while he got on and once he was situated I gave him a shove and he was immediately giggling because our theory proved correct: HE COULD RIDE WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS!!!!

He made it 20 or 25 feet out of the driveway, before he forgot to keep peddling and tipped over, but he didn't fall down and didn't get hurt. He was all smiles as he walked his bike back up the driveway to try again.

The next goal was to get him to ride down the street from the circle end. We tried him on the sidewalk but he kept riding into the grass and kept getting stuck and tipping over and was frustrated. I thought the sidewalk was a good idea because if he did crash he could do it in the grass. Didn't work that way though. So I put him in the middle of the circle and told him to ride down the street into our driveway.

He was a little worried about how fast he might get going but I changed the subject and tried to help him get pumped up again. It worked!!! He made it all the way down the street and was able to slow down enough at the end that he just tipped over instead of crashing and burning.

Here he is the second or third time he made it down the hill, this time with a huge amount of confidence and actually peddling hard to go as fast as he could:

Xander was then officially inducted into and became an official member of the Cinnamon Ridge (our street) biker gang.

It was amazing to see how happy and thrilled he was at his newest accomplishment and conquest. His confidence has been in the clouds since then and he is so proud of himself, like I am so proud of him. I love that little guy and the little man he is becoming. We have never had this strong or deep of a connection before.

Here is a quick movie I made in iMovie from a bunch of video clips I shot last night from my iPhone:

Rev's Back to School Night for First Grade

The boys and I went together (Tamara and her family were invited also, but we didn't see them) to Rev's back to school night at his new school: Provost Elementary in Provo. Tamara and I both moved to Provo in July and so Rev could no longer attend Hillcrest Elementary in Orem where he went for a few months of Kindergarten after returning from Japan.

Provost has a student/teacher ratio of 21:1, one of the best in the state. It is also not a busing school (all the students have to walk or ride a bike or get dropped off). I think there are three first grade teachers.

I considered enrolling Rev in one of the three language immersion schools in the Provo School District for either Spanish, French, or Chinese but because he is behind the curve of other kids his age with his English reading and writing (he attended less than half the school year for kindergarten because we were living in Japan prior), I decided that he should probably focus on getting his English on grade level first before starting another new language. He was kicking trash with his Japanese before we left. It's so sad that that experience was taken away from him.

Now he gets to walk with his friends or ride his bike with them to school every day, and he is absolutely stoked about it!

So Rev and Xander and Dasch and I all went to meet Mrs. Cannon, Rev's new teacher at 5PM. I was able to snap a few shots so family and friends can see what his classroom will be like, and where he will be playing at recess, etc...

When we told Mrs. Cannon that Rev had lived in Japan she was very excited and started asking him questions like, "Nihongo hanashimasu-ka?" "Nihongo wakarimasu-ka?" Apparently Mrs. Cannon lived in Japan for 18 months when she served her LDS mission there. She is so excited to have Rev help her teach the rest of the class about Japan and Japanese language and culture this year. Rev was a little too shy to answer her questions, but I hold hope that he will keep his Japanese safely tucked away in the back of his brain.

This is a picture of Mrs. Cannon showing Rev the "magic" closet where all the kids will hang their jackets and backpacks and other stuff, if you look closely you can see his nametag next to his hook:

This is Rev at his desk in Mrs. Cannon's class. He got to pick his desk out and since he was the first one there, he could choose any desk he wanted! She had him write his name on a sticky note, and color a fish that she could hang up with his name on it also.

Here is a picture of Rev's classroom from the door:

What you can't see is the electronic whiteboard, and the three iMac computers in the front of the classroom. Really cool how technology enabled the classrooms are in this school. The teacher even gave me a PIN code for Rev to memorize to use when he buys lunch at school, since they discourage cash. Wow, I bet this helps discourage bullies!

Here is one of the playgrounds at the school. We were walking over to it when the sprinklers turned on and we almost got drenched but we ran super fast and made it out safe and dry.

We left our car there at the school and walked home on the trail that makes a shortcut right from our neighborhood to the school so Rev won't have to walk or ride on State Street to get to school. Our neighbor and my friend from years ago Jeremy Jackson showed us where the trail is on google maps a couple sundays ago in church, and we explored it on our way home.

When we got home, Perry and Tabitha and Finn and Owen pulled up just as we were walking up the driveway. We invited them to stay for dinner. I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes and corn, and we snacked on Mike & Ike's that Grandma Doodies left behind and some cheezits.

While dinner was cooking we caught Finn and Dasch singing ring around the rosie and falling down together:

Finallly gonna flesh this out...

The boys and I have had a ton of super fun experiences and time together since I moved to Utah in March. There are hundreds and hundreds of photos to share, and stories to tell, and adventures to remember. I'm making a commitment right now to start using this space as a diary, to document my relationship with my boys, and to memorialize all the good times we are having.

I love these boys so much and I love that I have been able to spend more time with them than ever before. Who says good things can't come from divorce?

So here are some pictures from my last couple weeks with the boys, after we returned from our Clason Family Reunion in Fresno:

Yes, Daddy sure can cook dinner just as well as he can make breakfast!!!! Yes, it was only one of those cheesy velveeta skillet things, but I picked it, I thawed the chicken, browned it, cut it, and followed the recipe on the box, and the boys LOVED it!

I freaking love Daschle. I used to have to physically put all three of my boys in their beds and give them repeated instructions at bedside that they are not to get up out of bed a million times, and that they are to close their eyes and go to sleep. Recently however, after family scriptures and prayers every night, and after family hugs and 5 kisses to/from each boy, all I have to tell them is to go upstairs and get in bed and they do it, and they don't get up. Maybe it's because I decided to just stop getting mad when they got up a million times, and now they aren't afraid of getting up and getting in trouble, maybe I'm finally getting that whole kids respect and obey their parents more out of love from their parents than out of fear of the consequences.

Whatever the case... I came up one night about 30 mins after bed time and this is what I found in Daschle's room. The door was wide open. The light was on. The blinds were open. But there he was: in bed and asleep. I have some more hilarious pictures of him sleeping that I will post soon. Like I said, I love that kid!

Thug life!!! As I was unpacking the boxes in my room one day, I came back in to my room to find Dasch looking like this. Teehee...

Here are the "victims" of my evil and dastardly deeds. Don't they look distraught and terribly unhappy and abused after being "kidnapped" by me several times!?! This was on the couch one night in our new house in SE Provo before we watched a church video for scriptures. Xander was just in such a great, happy and smiley mood that I couldn't help but want to try and capture it to document the transformation that has been occurring in him. He has totally been coming out of his shell this past month. He smiles all of the time with me now, and laughs and is happy and these are no longer the exception to the rule. His whining, and grouchiness and gloomy outlook on his life that seemed to constantly be there these past several years has finally taken a back seat to the joy that he is experiencing and how loved and happy he feels. It's contagious and it makes me and his brothers smile and laugh. I love his little semi-maniacal laugh and when he giggles. I love to watch him and be with him and know that he is having a fun time and he is happy because of me. He is a special kid.

It finally came!!! At Christmas time in 2010 we didn't have enough money to buy Rev the one thing he really wanted: a R35 GTR remote control car. Don't get me wrong, he made out like a bandit even though we had no money, but Tamara and I did promise him that he would some day have his R35, and I decided that we could commit to getting it for him when he graduated from Youchien (preschool/kindergarten) in Japan in April.

Well obviously that didn't happen, but he did start going to Kindergarten here in Utah and I told him when he graduated I would still get him an R35 GTR. Well he graduated from Hillcrest Elementary Kindergarten in Orem and from the Kindercare Kindergarten program as well, and he did a great job adapting to the new school and all the changes going on in his life. It took a couple months after graduation, but the wait was well worth it for Rev. He got an officially licensed by Nissan, 1/14 scale, red R35 Nissan GTR remote control car, and he was and still is stoked about it.

Rev is growing up so fast. He's not a little kid any more. He's like my little man and he is such a great big brother. He helps me so much with his younger brother and with chores around the house. I'm so proud of him.

Ok, that's it for now! I am going to continue posting pictures from here forward as I take them, and I'm also going to try to go back and post pics from things that have happened these past few months. I think my next post will be pictures and videos from the Clason Family Reunion in Fresno from last month.

-Trevor Sr.

Letter to my boys from 1-31-2011

This was originally posted on blog.t24ever.com by me on 1-31-2011. It was deleted a week or two ago from that blog, and people on facebook were told that it was I who deleted it. This is not true. I have nothing to hide, and I am happy to re-post this here.


Monday, January 31, 2011, 11:56AM
Grandma Doodie’s house

Dear Rev, Xander, and Dasch,

Hi boys!!! I flew on an airplane like you did from Japan and Grandma and Grandpa Doodie picked me up from the airport just like when they came to get you. The night I flew in we went to my favorite restaurant in the world, Cheesecake Factory. I had my favorite food there: avocado eggrolls, corn tamale appetizer and chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake. I was so full and I couldn’t even eat it all, so I shared with Grandma and Grandpa, and I wish I could’ve shared with you too!

I wonder where you are, and what you are doing right now. Do you think about me throughout the day like I think about you?

Grandma has told me a million stories from the 2 days you were at her house. She sure was excited to have you boys here, and misses you so much like I do. Daschie, Grandpa told me that you were so nice to him and were his friend and he felt so special because of that. Grandma and Grandpa told me that you did such a good job at saying the prayer and remembering to say prayers while you were there. All of you are such good boys and I am so proud of you!

I went to church yesterday with Grandma and Grandpa Doodie and all of the primary kids came and sang a song about Temples to all of the moms and dads. I imagined that you were there with them and it made me so happy.

I know that so many things in your lives have changed in such a short period of time. I am sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye to your friends and teachers at your school. I bet Uta-chan and her sister miss you so much Rev and Xander! And your teachers too! Yui and Reina also miss you. One of your friends wrote you a letter that I brought with me from Japan, and I hope I can give it or send it to you soon. Please don’t be scared about the things that are happening in your lives. Mom has always taken good care of you, and we won’t ever leave you alone. One of us will always be there waiting for you boys when you come home from school, or finish your primary class at church, or whenever we are separated.

On Saturday and this morning I went to work out at the gym with Grandma Doodie. She is helping me stick to my diet and work out every day, so I can get skinnier like I want. All of the kids that live on Grandma’s street didn’t have to go to school last week because of all the snow and ice, and because the electricity went out. They were out building snowmen and snow forts on the center island of grandma’s street in front of her house. I brought my snow pants and my gloves here too, because I hoped we could all play in the snow again together.

I am sorry I haven’t been a very nice dad all the time to you boys. I have yelled at each of you lots of times, and said things that aren’t nice to you. I have been irritated, and frustrated and angry at you so many times and you didn’t ever deserve it. I really want to be a good and a nice daddy all of the time with you boys, not just some times. I want to be perfectly patient and happy and fun for you to be around. I want you to feel comfortable around me, and not feel anything but the love I feel for you. I am working with the Bishop here and I am also going to see a few different special doctors who can give me medicine and talk to me and teach me how to be a better dad, and a nice dad, and a fun dad.

I also want to tell you that I’m sorry for saying not nice things to mom in front of you, and for being angry at her and yelling. It isn’t fair to you or to your mom that I have treated her so badly in front of you so many times, or treated her badly at all. I love mom so much, and when I yell at her or say bad words or mean things to her, it makes it hard for her to believe that I love her. I am sorry boys, for not being a better husband to your mom. She is a good mom, and a good wife, and she deserves better.

I hope you have a super fun time seeing so many people who love you and care about you while you are here in America, and while we are apart. I will be here for a few more weeks, and I hope I do get to see you before I go back to Japan, but if I don’t, please know that I am thinking about you every day, and missing you, and wanting to be with you. I won’t be in Japan forever, and I will be very sad that you are not there with me, but I am excited for the time when I come back from Japan to America and get to see you again.

Be good boys and be nice to mom and help her as much as you can. I am so proud of you for how smart you all are, and how nice you are to each other, and how you make everyone around you happy. I love you!

Big big big hugs and kisses and smooshes to you all,

Dad

Our day, Wednesday March 9, 2011

Wow, today was a long day! Daschle was up coughing almost all night Tuesday night. I kept him propped up on a mountain of pillows and we gave him some OTC cough medicine every four hours, but the poor guy just couldn't stop. So sad. He kept shifting positions to get comfortable in his bed every few minutes, and several times his head ended up where his feet had previously been all discombobulated... :)

Finally around 3 or 4AM i felt some hands on my feet and I asked, "who's that?" and he said, "it's dasch dad. can i sleep with you?" so he came and snuggled up on my shoulder and immediately fell asleep and stopped coughing. who'da thunk? needless to say, I didn't sleep a wink last night, and when Rev started to stir around 6:15AM and got out of bed in the hotel room to peak out behind the drapes to see if the sun was awake, I was ready to get up and stop pretending like I was gonna get any rest and get on with the day. Dasch was pretty tired all day, but otherwise in good spirits. The coughing only seems to come when he is in the cold air outside, or when he prone. It's weird. will definitely be getting him in to the doctor to get this chronic cough figured out once and for all. maybe we can get another nebulizer.

my mom went to run a few errands, so around 7AM or so the boys and i went to the breakfast bar at the hotel. they all started with yogurts. it was unanimous. yogurt was the first course. then rev wanted frosted flakes cereal and xander wanted a waffle. the waffle was ginormous so I split it between him and Rev (yes he wanted more after his bowl of cereal and yogurt were gone). dasch wanted a bowl of fruit loops after his yogurt, and when he finished that he also wanted his own waffle. i made the two older boys share bites with him and he was content with that. rev and xander both wanted a bagel and cream cheese after that and I finally had to say no, and to save room for lunch. they even went without spilling any of their juices, and it was me that spilled the cup of full apple juice. doh! and I didn't even cuss.

grandma made tuna sandwiches for lunch and bought some sweet potato chips and we ate in the car in Salt Lake City today on the way to the airport. Our flight to Denver left at 3PM and we had to wait FOREVER in the security line. It wasn't until the last 3 minutes of our wait that we saw a family with 3 kids older than our boys go through a separate "family" line that expedited them right through to the front of the huge crowd of 100+ people. stupid stupid. oh well...

made it through security with Dad only slightly frazzled and on edge. then we got on the plane to Denver. Southwest let us board after the "A" boarding group so we all got to sit near eachother, albeit at the back of the plane. Rev and Dasch sat with me, and Xander got to sit with my mom. We read "grandma doodies" scrap books that I brought from Japan with pictures from throughout the boys' lives, and we did Xander's spiderman puzzle, and Rev played with his Prince of Persia Legos for the short flight. We had to hussle once we got to Denver and I'm surprised our bags made the connection to the flight to BWI, but we got on that flight and this time Xander sat with Dad and Rev and Dasch sat with Grandma. Dad got a few minutes of sleep here and there while Xander was occupied doing things, but man being a single parent even with Grandma's assistance sure requires a TON of my attention. it's nice that I don't have anything else to really worry about right now but being a good dad and giving my boys as much positive attention as I can.

Look how chipper they are after flying all afternoon and evening! They are such good boys.

we made it into BWI around 10:30PM, and our bags took forever to come out, and once we had everything Grandpa was there to pick us all up in a minivan he borrowed from a neighbor. It fit all our baggage like a champ and none of us were squished inside. We went to McD's for dinner and got hamburgers and nuggets and sprite for the boys, and shortly after they finished chomping they all zonked completely out. We got to the house a little before midnight, and couldn't find Dasch's cough medicine, so Grandma went to the store and brought some back.

After family prayers it took Xander no time to fall back asleep and now that Dasch has had his medicine, he and Rev are also no longer being kept awake by the coughing. That's where I'm headed to right now! Rev and Xander are on a pallet on the floor and me and Daschle are in the bed. It's not that big of a bed so I probably will get no sleep again, but it's the best we've got until we can get mattresses and find a place to put them sometime tomorrow or this weekend.

A day in the life of those Crazy Cobb Boys!