recess time

To Cavan, empowerment comes in a form of a school recess time.

Till primary one, he's never had money in his hands, with the freedom to buy anything he loves, without Mommy hovering over him, saying 'no' to this and that.

For his first week at school, I didn't know what to expect, so I gave him $1.50 on top of packing ham sandwiches for him.

On the first day, I watched him from a distance at the school canteen. He ate his sandwiches and drank from his water bottle. Then he got up from his seat and walked around, in fact two rounds, the school canteen. Then he queued up at the drinks stall.

He returned to his seat with one siew mai.

When he was done, he threw the waste away and disappeared into another part of the canteen, hidden from where I was standing. He didn't appear for quite some time, and I was getting restless.

Then he emerged with a bowl of noodles.

I looked at my watch and panicked. There were 5 more minutes before recess time was over.

I caught his eyes and signalled him to hurry up. By then, the teacher was making announcements and students started streaming into the school hall. I was relieved when he managed to finish his bowl of noodles just as the bell rang.

That evening, I asked whether he was hungry. Why did he buy so much food and kept walking around the canteen?

His reply, "I haven't tried all the food yet!"

I was very amused by his reply. I told him that recess time is not buffet time. It's not for him to try out all the stalls.

* * * * * * * * * *

That week, he kept having noodles for recess. I was getting concerned that he was overeating. Just one week into school he was gaining.

So I told him no more noodles.

One day, he proudly told me after school that he didn't buy noodles. I was pleased until he said,

"I bought rice."

Faint.

* * * * * * * * * *

He lost his scissors at school. So I decided to punish him to teach him about being responsible for his own belongings. The punishment had to correspond to the nature of the deed, so I told him that he would not get pocket money for 2 days and the money will be used to buy a new pair of scissors.

It was a heavy sentence. To him.

He broke down and cried and said how sorry he was and he would never lose his things again. I felt sorry for him but punishment had to be meted out. He had to learn consequences.

So I consoled him that we would still pack food for him to eat. He would not go hungry.

Later he found his scissors and was very very glad.

Still, I decided to take away his pocket money and discussed with him.

My explanation was that he went to school after lunch and he would have dinner after school. He won't starve. We'd pack him stuff to eat in school.

He agreed. I was relieved.

At least a step to check that weight gain.

Maybe he was not ready for that 'empowerment'. Well, perhaps gradually. He still got pocket money when he had CCA and he could eat whatever he liked.

I was ok with this. Afterall, it was only once a week.

Pri 1 Registration

This three words. So potent. Mention them to any parent with 4-5 year-olds, and they send hearts palpitating.

Many parents start to scramble and look for "good" schools around their area. Not good schools? Shift to a new place. To increase chances, dig for their primary school report books, do volunteer work... whatever. As long as it guarantees a place in that school.

I am more the bochap parent. My expectations are simple:
1. Must be co-ed. What to do, I have kids of both gender.
2. Must be near home. I think in terms of convience of sending and fetching. And to consider CCA.

Too bad, both Clem's and my primary schools closed down. So we will go the traditional track - go by proximity and cross our fingers that it doesn't require balloting.

The next question put us in a dilemma. So should we consider a school near our CURRENT home or our FUTURE home (which will be ready in 2-3 years' time)? Whichever school Cavan goes to will determine our lives for the next 12 years!

Unfortunately, our property developer decided to be reaaaaally conservative and gave a late TOP. Which means we won't qualify for the school near our future home. We are just one quarter short.

Clem suggested doing parent volunteer. This, I'm dead against. I'm not going to pump in 40 hours or more to get my kids into a school! There are so many schools in Singapore, I don't believe there isn't a school my child can get into? It's just not worth my time. If I want to volunteer, I will, after my child has gotten into the school because I want to give back to the school. Not "volunteering" with an ulterior motive. That isn't "volunteering" anymore, just "buying" a place in the school with our time. What's worse, some schools have bad ethics - take in more volunteers than they have places for. Some parents did volunteer work and ended up being balloted out! Good grief!

As the date drew nearer to the registration, I thought hard and started feeling bad. What if, for all Cavan's potential, he didn't get the opportunity to develop it because he is in a less-than-optimal system? Then Clem, in all his wisdom, said,

"God is more interested in our children's future than us."

I hung on to this revelation. It was very liberating. I let go and let God.

Since we fell short of the TOP date by one quarter, we decided to register for the school near our current home. Afterall, we have received positive comments from friends from the MOE that this school was quite good.

I didn't expect it to be THAT good. When Clem called the school, the adminstrator was confident that we could get in cos we just stayed across the street. It turned out later that there were 125 vying for 87 spots! We had to ballot!

Though I was anxious, I had peace of mind. God was in charge. Besides, I didn't have any expectations so, no pressure. At most, go the other school down the street.

The day came for the balloting. There were many PRs. They got 1 balloting slip, while the Singaporeans got 2. I must commend the principal for conducting the session so well. I felt he was very empathetic and the entire process was very transparent. I liked him very much that I really wished Cavan would get in.

The PRs were lucky. With only 1 slip, many of them still got a place. When they picked the 78th spot, it was Cavan. Thank God!

Not to be xenophobic, but I thought it was unfair to put PRs and Singaporeans together in a balloting process. Though Singaporeans received 2 balloting slips, they were still thrown in together with the PRs for the balloting.

Anyway, Cavan is going to have many multinational friends. What will happen in 1-2 years' time when we shift? I have no idea. Will leave it in God's hands.

friends

At their young age, we can already see how our kids develop friendship and what matters to them. Cavan and Verity are completely different in their approach to making friends.

Cavan thrives on having many friends. His teachers say that once he reaches school, friends start to call out to him. On the school bus, children will compete to sit next to him.

And he is also a loyal and forgiving friend. When he was in Nursery 2, there was a boy B, who said hurtful things to him. Once I saw B and remarked, "Your friend, B, fat fat one ah." Cavan got indignant and retorted, "You can't say such rude things about other people." "I thought you didn't like him?" I inquired. "Still, you cannot say bad things about him!" Two years later, he told me that B had become better and not so naughty anymore.

He has another friend, who was also abusive towards him. And he gets hurt easily. I was angry with Cavan cos he still wanted to be friends despite being emotionally and physically hurt by this person. Why subject yourself to so much pain? You're asking for it.

But Cavan believes in forgiveness and believes that every person will change for the better. Whenever we arrange for them to play, Cavan would pray that he will not be hurt and that the friend will be good. Whenever he gets hurt again, he'll cry and get very upset. But in the end, he'll always say, "I forgive him." And he does notice if the person has improved. He will report to me and say that so-and-so is now a good boy, so on and so forth.

I have such an angel for a son.

Verity, on the other hand, is highly selective when it comes to friends. She is happy just to have one best friend, K. All other people do not matter.

She was at a ballet class and this girl kept calling out to her. But Verity ignored her. I asked Verity why she ignored this girl. Weren't they from the same ballet class? Verity replied that her friend is K.

When K is around, Verity will not pay much attention to other friends and sticks to K like glue. I am always amused how Verity and K will hug and kiss each other non-stop whenever they are together. To the point of being disruptive. Cos they spend more time hugging and kissing each other.

Once, in the ballet class, I asked Clem to peep into the class. He said that the children were doing their exercises around the classroom and when suddenly Verity and K bumped into each other. Then they started giggling and hugging each other and totally disregard the class activity.

In school, the same thing. Her nursery teacher shared that Verity and K will talk non-stop to each other. And Verity only talked to K. She wanted to help them build healthy relationship with others as well so she separated them in different groups and they were no longer partners. Both gals went home and "complained" to their mommies that they were very sad because of this.

Of course, it's so sweet to see her so pally with her BFF. I really pray that their friendship will blossom till teens, till adulthood. At the same time, I also worry about her social life. I mean, her BFF will make other friends and she simply doesn't care about having other friends. I worry she ends up being alone and lonely.

Sometimes, she gets very sullen for no apparent reason and says that no one plays with her. I told her that she has to learn to play with others and not get angry and sulk when her friend is not around. I pray that when she grows up and mature, she will learn to make good friends.

Here they are, my two bubbies, so different when it comes to making friends. One a popular one, the other a highly selective one.

But both, very loyal.

firstborn

I always wonder if firstborns ever face any pressure. Pressure of living up to their parents' expectations. Pressure of being a role model to their younger siblings.

As the first child, firstborns are given undivided attention. Daddy and mummy are there to guide their every step, coach them to perfect their speech and repeat melodies to catch that perfect pitch.

When Verity came along, we would ask him to give in to her, to be a good example as she would follow his ways

I wonder if Cavan feels any pressure.

Clem says I'm stricter with Cavan. Though I beg to differ. I thought I scolded Verity more. I smack her more. Because Verity is more rebellious and stubborn.

Maybe Clem is right. Verity can get away with most wrongdoing. Because she is as stubborn as a mule. Doesn't help that she has such a cute and innocent face. And i get tired of fighting with her. (Such irony. Since when I get tired of fighting. Must be age.)

For Cavan, when he doesn't obey the first time, I get mad. Because he's so obedient and willing to please. I guess I can't accept it when he doesn't listen the first time.

One night before bedtime,

Me: Children, go and brush your teeth.
(no response)
Me: (raising my voice) Children, go and brush your teeth!
Verity: I don't want!
Me: Cavan, go and brush your teeth.
Cavan: Verity doesn't want to brush her teeth, I also...

Suddenly, he stopped and caught himself. Then he continued.

Cavan:... I will still go and brush my teeth. I will be a good example.


I was surprised by the response. I totally didn't expect it from a five-year-old child.

Of course, I praised him to no end. I'm so proud of him for doing the right thing. I don't know this is because he is aware of his "responsibilities" as the oldest child. Or simply because he's such a pleaser.

One thing I know is, Cavan is a such a perfect son. The kind of son I've always wanted.

I'm so honoured to be chosen to be his mother. It's my blessing he is chosen to be my firstborn.

Appetites

Inconsistency at the dining table. I had to ask one to eat slowly and the other to eat quickly.

Cavan has no problems. He gobbles up food quickly. And eats adult portion. Maybe more than adult portion. You ask him what's his favourite food and he ends up naming every edible thing.

He's always hungry. After his meal, he awaits his sister's leftovers. When Clem and I have our dinner, he requests for a bite here and there.

I told Cavan that he eats too fast, so the brain hasn't registered that he's eaten so he doesn't feel full yet. But he does say he is hungry and asks to eat something 30 - 40 min later.

Clem and I always think we got bang for our buck whenever we bring him for buffets. Especially when kids eat for free. We always snigger to ourselves that Cavan eats more than some adults and he doesn't have to pay. Cheapskate parents.

Then Verity. When she was younger, she was experimental with food. But her interest waned as she grows. She loves veg and fruits, and hates meat. (Now where did all that chubby cheeks come from?) It has become an ordeal making her eat her meals.

She plays around her bowl. Picks a grain or two. Nibble. Picks some veg. Nibble. I have to ask her to perform every step: Pick up spoon. Scoop. Feed. Chew. Swallow. 2- 3 rounds till I get really fed up and start yelling at her, threaten her or sometimes using reward to motivate. Carrot and stick, I've tried them all. But we just can't spend our time cajoling or coercing her right? Sometimes, Cavan tries to help his little sister by feeding and coaxing her. Other times, he simply hands me the ruler.

Inconsistency. I attempt to reward Verity with a cookie or chocolate if she eats fast. Then Cavan asks, how about me. I eat fast.

I told him: for you, you have to eat slower. And less.

The last thing I want is to give him more food. But how can one ever say no to a kid who wants more food?



School A Year Ago

Just a year ago, I wondered how Verity would take to school. While Cavan was adaptable, made friends easily and independent, Verity was more xiao jie and had people to fuss over her. I was also worried about her taking the school bus. She was barely 2.5 years old. Would she sit still on the bus? Would it be safe? Actually, I didn’t have to worry about her. I was sure Cavan would take care of her.


On their first day of school, I went to work for I would definitely be anxious. Dun think my emotions could handle it if Verity started crying. So I left it to Clem to follow them (secretly). He wanted to send the kids to school. I said no. Let Verity go through the day as-is, otherwise she would have the same expectation every day making it hard to transit.

So Clem darted in every corner so Verity would not see him.

Verity went up the school with Cavan without a fuss. We established a good-bye ritual that continued till today – hug, kiss, hi-5.

In school, Cavan held her hand and brought her to her class. Clem peeped from outside.

There were parents with their children. The children had to wash their hands before breakfast. Parents were helping their children wash and dry their hands. Verity observed and followed suit, without assistance.
During breakfast, while other children were distracted and had their parents to supervise, Verity was still eating her breakfast like a little lady, unfazzled by the surrounding chaos (and Clem still hiding well). Her steadiness persisted for weeks.
I was very proud of her. And proud of Cavan as a little guardian. Sometimes Verity cried in class and Cavan would go to her class to comfort. Teachers told us that Cavan was a good brother. He knew how to coax her and settle her.

Verity settled down in school like a big girl. Her teacher, Ms Grace, frequently gave feedback on how Verity was doing and I thanked God for nurturing teachers like her in school. Here were some things:

• Extended love and care for her friend. Verity would pat her friend’s chest when her friend was coughing

• Asked teachers and friends to pray for me and baby

• The Chinese teacher commented that Verity learnt very fast and had a very good memory. Though Verity started out with zero Chinese, she could understand and converse in Mandarin very quickly. The teachers were impressed that she remembered all the songs and dance steps, and often volunteer to sing and dance in front of the class.

• Being chatty, she would have lots to share and tell her teachers whenever she returned after the weekend.

I certainly didn’t expect it when Verity got an award. For Cavan, he received an award every year since Play Group.

When school hols started, Verity kept asking why there was no school. Tomorrow, school will start and she (and Cavan) had been looking forward to it.

So do I.

Letters

Since last year, Cavan was into writing letters. For Clem and me, for his friends. It's wonderful to receive letters from him as he will tell us how much he loves us.

Well, the letters to us aren't exactly letters, if you compare what he writes to his friends. For ours, he uses post-its, so I guess those are more like love notes.

For his friends, he fills up an A4-sized paper and it goes into an envelope.

Sometimes he shows us what he wrote. Sometimes he just passes to his friends directly. So we don't really know what else he conveys to his friends.

Here are a few samples I managed to snap photos of. I think they are really cute.

He wrote this in Sep 2009 when he was in Nursery 2. The recipient was a K2 gal who he chose to sit with from time to time. (According to the bus auntie, many kids want to sit with him so he gets to choose who he wants to sit with.) It happened that this gal was sick thus was unable to sit with him for fear of spreading germs.She was very kind to write a letter to explain. Here, Cavan reciprocated with a letter, affirming that he was still her friend.

The next one is more recent. Dated 29 Sep 2010. I'm really not sure if this should go to the gal. What would the parents think? Well, I figure that since many letters have passed us by without our knowledge of the contents, I'll just let him go ahead.

And this letter goes nicely into a recycled envelope. He likes it because it's colourful. And on it, he boldly claims that he is her best friend.

So, will the letters ever get him or us into a situation? Not yet a sticky one, I'd say. There was once I received an sms from a parent, responding to Cavan's request on a letter. What's it all about? More on that later.

Right now, I'm just crossing my fingers that the parents of the above recipient will not complain about harrassment.

Touched

I have been touched by my children.

Just last 2 months when Clem was overseas, I slept with the 2 kids on our bed. We usually would take turns to pray before going to sleep. It was very sweet to hear the children's prayers, as they would pray whatever came to their mind.

Cavan: Dear God, I miss Daddy. I pray he will be safe and come back soon. Lord, I pray he will not go to USA because then we cannot see Daddy. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Verity: Dear God, I love Daddy forever the more. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

One night, Cavan got up to pee. As he returned to the bed, he actually placed the blanket over me and kissed me on my cheek. I was so filled with emotion that I reached over and gave him a hug and a kiss. Then he whispered, "I love you, mommy."

A few nights ago, I was touched by Verity. This feisty gal does not display as much affection as her brother. Cavan hugs and kisses easily. And he is always full of loving words. At most Verity would just follow suit.

That night, when it was her turn to pray, she said,

"Dear God, I pray mommy not work late and not tired. Then we can play monkey. I also pray for kor kor, that no cough and no need to eat pi par kao. In Jesus' Name, Amen!"

I was not expecting this at all. She was un-guided and used the little words she knew. But she expressed her prayer with such love and sincerity, I couldn't believe it came from a two-year-old.

I am truly amazed how at such a tender age, she understood what a prayer was and what it meant to talk to God. And she knew about putting a request before God.

From these, I could see that it was God working in their lives. His Spirit reaches the hearts of the children. Verity couldn't have understood the concept of prayer as it was an abstract action. But she was able to, because she was led by the Spirit of God.

Truly, I give thanks to God. For showing Himself through the children. As much as I am touched, I am also humbled.

A Boy's Views on Marriage

During cell yesterday, Jo came to Yoyo and me, and told us that our kids were getting married on her patio.

Haha, yea a tad too young. Afterall, the 2 kids are only 4 years old this year. What do they know?

More than we think, I suspect. Well, nowadays, we can't underestimate how much they actually know.

Sometime back, during one of our usual casual chats, I asked Cavan if he knew what a "wife" was. He replied, "A wife means it's a girl that you love and you want to be with her forever." Not bad. (On a side note, I noticed that Cavan usually describes and defines words really well.)

After the episode yesterday, I asked him on our way home, "So, you married Bernice?" He evaded the question shyly. I probed, "Do you love her?" He nodded.

"How about Faith? Do you love her?" He nodded.

"Do you love Krisalyn?" Again, he nodded.

"Do you love Erika?" Yet again, he nodded.

"Then why don't you marry them?"

"Aiya, you can't marry everybody!" he replied, rolling his eyes in mock frustration.

Clement was so proud of his son's comments and praised him, while extolling the virtues of being faithful to one.

Then Cavan added, "The bed would be so squeezy. How can you squeeze so many people?"

That really threw us off and we roared at his spontaneous reply. There we were talking about values and the boy was concerned about practical issues. I guess at this point, he just has other priorities...

Planning His Birthday

I think kids probably understand better what birthdays are all about after their 3rd birthday. For the first 3, birthday parties are pretty much what the parents want. Particularly for Cavan, he was rather nonchalant and dismissively just mentioned his invitees. For the 4th, the birthday star wants a say.

Birthday Theme
For Cavan's 4th birthday, he actually told me that he wanted a Disney Cars themed birthday around late Oct/ early Nov last year. This movie was out around three years ago! I was not sure if I could find stuff for the theme. And he was insistent about it. Thankfully, he told me early so I had time to source - in ebay, Spotlight, Toys 'R Us, pasar malams. As for the cake, he had a 3D car cake for his 3rd birthday already so I settled for a Swensen's ice cream cake with McQueen printed on it.

Wish fulfilled!

Invite List
OK, he had his way in the kind of birthday party he wanted. Next, was his guest list. I asked him who he wanted to invite for his birthday. He named three - Miss Gracie, Albert and one more person I couldn't remember who. I said, is that all? He replied yes. Well, it's going to be a quiet birthday party I think. Is there anyone else you want to invite, I asked. He thought for a while and said excitedly, oh yes! Mr Bean! I said, erm ok, it's going to be very expensive flying him to Singapore. Anyone else? He thought for a while and said, Power Rangers! Trying not to discourage him, I asked gently, ok is there anyone you want to invite that you don't see on TV?

So, Cavan this time wanted a say who he wished to see at his birthday party. That morning of his birthday, he asked if Ms Lilian was coming. Oops, no we didn't invite her. From here we know he wanted to include his teacher in his birthday celebration. This year we didn't celebrate in school since his birthday fell on a Sunday.

Cavan and his little friends

Countdown
He was really excited about it this time and kept asking, is it my birthday yet, like a broken record. We would tell him his birthdate, report the day and month and how long more to go. He began to learn about the concept of time through this. We also pointed him to the calendar and he learnt the concept of days and weeks. Finally it came down to next week, three days later and TOMORROW! Ya, he was so excited he woke up at 2.30am to help with decor.

Putting up for my party!

Prayer
The birthday party was one of the items he incorporated into his nightly prayers. Gosh, I didn't know it meant so much to him! It was nice hearing him talk to God about his plans and wishes and committing them to God.

Birthday Activity
He had told me that he wanted to make his own birthday cake. The Icing Room provided just that. So we took leave the next day to bring him to decor his own cake. He was looking forward to it! And he enjoyed it! After which, he couldn't wait to eat his own cake so we had it at New York New York. He wanted to eat straight from the cake tray, instead of cutting it. So we had to finish the whole cake in one sitting! Thankfully, it wasn't big!

Having his cake and eat it

We were really glad we managed to fulfil most of his wishes except for the Mr Bean and Power Rangers bit. The greatest fulfilment was when at the end of the day, he hugged us and said, "Thank you daddy, mummy! I'm really happy today!"

a child's prayer

It's always sweet to hear a child's prayer, for it comes from a believing heart unhibited by the world's constraints and reason.

Here's one un-guided prayer (verbatim) from Cavan as he prayed before bed last night. Something I'd like to remember and something for him to look back on in the years to come.

"Dear God, I pray for my throat, that it will become better.

Today is not my birthday yet. Pray that myself, daddy, mummy, verity, auntie, ah gong, ah ma, yeye, ah ngin, my teachers and my friends will all be there. On my birthday. Pray that we will be happy.

We also pray for my sister. Pray that she will grow up quickly. I am a strong boy because I can carry Verity. Also pray that she will learn to talk quickly, and don't talk like a baby.

In Jesus' Name, Amen!"

Snip Snip

Cavan hates going to the barber/ hairdresser. Not that I mind, for I also enjoy snipping his chops off. I find it strangely therapeutic, as I clip off uneven locks and see his hair get neater. This is as good as squeezing Clem's blackheads.

I started cutting Cavan's hair when he turned one. The haircut before that was horrible. My in-laws brought him to an inexperienced hairdresser when he was nine months old (without informing us).

I was horrified when I saw him. The hair was unevenly cut, patchy and looked that it had been bitten off. My parents couldn't take it and sent him off to a barber the next day to straighten things up.

I couldn't take it anymore and decided that I, as a mother, should have a final say over my son's hairstyle.

That's was when I became a mommy-hairdresser.

Good for us too, since Cavan's hair grows really fast and I need to cut it 2x every month.

I started out humbly using a rounded-tip scissors to prevent causing hurt to Cavan. Eventually I graduated to the hairdresser scissors and layering scissors some more!My tools

How about Cavan's reaction. Initially he didn't like it cos I would strip his clothes off, and pour powder on him. He would become warm and sticky and had the prickling hair stuck on him. Poor thing, it was uncomfortable but hey, bear with it! Before

The process

Tada!

Even when I was expecting, that didn't stop me (ya, and not even after giving birth, during confinement). Only that the bathroom was tight for me to move around and I also had to squat to cut at the nape.

I was tempted to upgrade my tools to a Philips shaving set. But I heard feedback from buyers that it is hard to control the shaver and more likely to get uneven cut. So I dropped the idea.

I was also tempted to cut Clem's hair. He would visit the barber/ hairdresser every month so I offered it free of charge.

Well, he didn't take up the offer (hmph!). So I have to rely on Cavan as my only source of therapy then. Verity? No way, that squirming gal.

One-to-one Sunday mornings

On Sunday mornings, Clem would teach at 9am Children's Church. The kids also wake up early, and Cavan would insist on following daddy out. (We attend Sat service so usually we have our Sundays free.) Sometimes, Clem would bring him to church. If he is teaching, he can't bring Cavan along.

I thought it would be a good time to bond with my son over breakfast. So we trooped to Mac's one Sunday and BK the next. It was good to have this time talking to him and just spending time alone. Especially when he is now very gender-conscious and follows only daddy because he is a boy. He doesn't want to stick to me because he is not a girl. So at times like these without daddy, we can truly be together. Hope to make this a regular affair.

I would also love to spend such one-to-one time with Verity when she's older. Now, she'll only be squirming around and raring to run amok...

I luv Mac's breakfast... bcos of the toys!

Examining the Christmas decor early in the morning

Gobbling up ham and egg crossanwich all by myself...

...Also eating up mummy's hash brown and eggs

Butter also whack!

Reading & making friends at Border's

Cavan the Constructor

Recently, Cavan was quarantined at home as he had chicken pox. Not being to get out of the house, he had to find something to occupy himself. So he started playing with Imaginarium. And imagine he did.

He started constructing buildings, runways and even animals using the blocks. We had been pretty amazed how symmetrical and intricate his designs were. I tried to observe how he built. Did he have a picture in mind first? Or he just put things together as he went along? I tried to analyse how his mind worked while he was working. But of course, he wasn't interested in answering my questions. So it remained a mystery to me.

Beware of the destructor!

Family Soccer Time!

A Gift from Cavan

This is the first time Cavan has specially gone and got something for me.

We attended a wedding dinner and on our way out, my brother-in-law got his girlfriend a flower. I'm not sure Cavan saw it but he later exclaimed very loudly, "I want to get a flower for Mommy!"

With this, he skipped and looked around for flower baskets or bouquets but could find none. He asked my father-in-law to help him look for flowers.

When he returned, he was holding a beautiful red rose gleefully.

"For you, Mommy. From Daddy," he said.

"Wow, not bad huh? Helping you score brownie points." I nudged Clem.

I accepted the rose with delight. Cavan was so sweet! He really behaved like a charming gentleman!

My heart totally melted.