Cooper's Non-Napping, Sheet Coloring, Scissor Flinging Day

Before I mention the evening, I need to give some background on the day. When I came to pick him up at preschool his teacher said "I have to show you what he did today". Today Cooper did not nap at all. Somehow during his non-napping quiet time he found a red crayon in the vicinity of his nap mat and proceeded to color his nap mat and the sheet covering the mat. His sheet was COVERED in red. He is usually the kid who puts one small crayon mark on a page in a coloring book and moves on to the next page, but apparently figured today was the day to go all out and really focus on coloring. Good thing crayons are washable. So, going home we talked about what is and is not acceptable to color. I could see in Cooper's eyes how tired he was at this point, and we had a while to go before bedtime.

We started out slowly with a snack and watching one episode of Handy Manny (how did we ever survive before DVR/Tivo?). Then we read a little bit. Next, Cooper and I worked on his High Five end-of-the-magazine activity. This month it was make your own puzzles. Cooper is obsessed with scissors, so got to work cutting up one puzzle while I did the other two. Dinner was ready, so it was time to put away the puzzles and scissors. This led to a total meltdown by Cooper since he did not want to part with the scissors and I did not handle it well because I was worried he was going to hurt himself flailing around with the scissors. Ben wrangled the scissors from his hands and Cooper calmed down after a time out combined with a long and dramatic tantrum.

Puzzle sample

Cooper's version of a puzzle, much more challenging to complete!

My boys

Dinner was dicey due to the Scissor Incident of 2009, but Cooper finally ate. Whew. Mood improvement on his part. I bargained with him that if he ate his dinner he could use scissors again. We finished cutting the puzzles. Then, Cooper decided he was done, gently set down the scissors (did he learn, or just lose interest? Was it the now full tummy? who knows!) and was ready for the next activity. We played indoor soccer in the family room and with his toys. It was nearing bedtime, so we started with a few warnings to get him thinking about bedtime. A few minor meltdown later we were upstairs, he was brushing teeth and getting ready for bed. But not before we took a few more pictures...

Wow, that's one tired toddler. He still managed to direct the photo and asked Ben to do a re-take because I forgot to say cheese the first time. As for me, yes, short sleeves. I am being optimistic that we're in store for some warm weather soon and leading the way wardrobe first. Please don't let the blindingly pale whiteness of my skin shock you. It's been a while since it hasn't been covered up in sweaters and jackets.

Do I have to go to bed?

The evening ended on a positive note- hugs and kisses, prayers, and bedtime stories. Not a peep from his room after lights out either. Here's hoping for a restful night's sleep for all of us!