A little motherly help ... Please?

Let's talk about this little guy right here: 

Kason is a ball of energy. He always has been. He is a social, happy, easy-going, goofy, wild-child with TONS of energy. He can make you laugh with his one-liners or his stories and the faces he makes to go along with them just add charm. He makes friends everywhere we go. He is a GOOD kid. Just today I was thinking how easy of a kid he has always been, from the day we brought him home from the hospital. He was content enough in life to not want a pacifier. He rarely cried. Laughed a lot. Slept through the night early on. Potty-trained in a day. He was just an EASY, happy kid. If all my babies are like him, I will have 8! (In all honesty - I am terrified for our next kid...Kason set the bar pretty high for his siblings) For people who are "Children Whisperers" (by: Carol Tuttle) Kason is a through and through Type 1 child. Bouncy, random, animated ... just fun. Before I read 'The Child Whisperer' I will, unfortunately, admit that I wondered if Kason might have some level of ADD (a common misconception of Type 1 Personalities) but, the book changed my way of thinking. He is just that way. That's him and that's how he will always be. 

Personally, I love that about him. Because, I am a Type 1 personality too, and it helps us have an awesome connection. I love my relationship with Kason. 

I am a FIRM believer in allowing children to be themselves, let their personality define them and who they are ... NOT what a parent/teacher/friend wants from them. 

{BE YOURSELF.} 

Now, the real reason for me rambling is .... I'm at a loss of what to do. Because Kason is such a social kid, he likes LOVES to talk. He could talk your ear off. And he likes to daydream and not focus on what's going on around him. At home, this isn't a problem, because we've figured out ways to work around it and help him still be productive at home.

The real issue lies in school. 

Kason is in Kindergarten this year. He loves it and it's SO good for him! Friends around him, ALL day long!? He's in heaven. 

Well, his teacher, seems to be kind of strict. Which I understand is important in some situations, don't get me wrong. But, I also think that teachers, especially Kindergarten teachers, need to cut their kids a little break! Kids are kids, they are going to be wild and crazy and energetic. Well, my kid anyway. 

So, at school they have a rating system for the day. Green, yellow & red. You can figure out what they mean, right? Kason ... gets stuck on Yellow a LOT. It gets pretty frustrating as a mom having him always come home with a yellow or a red because I want him to be successful in school. Academically, he is top of his class (so dang proud!) but, behaviorally, he's not. Sometimes the reasons he gets yellows are ridiculous "I accidentally whispered the answer to myself" or "I was tapping my pencil on my desk." To ME, those seem silly. Especially for Kason, who then comes home thinking 'I am such a bad kid.' ... In fact, he has told me on numerous occasions, "I'm so sorry I'm a bad kid because I come home with yellows and reds." 

*cue the waterworks* 

right? It kills me because we have never told him "You're doing so bad in school. How dare you get a yellow! You're such an awful kid. Go sit in your room and think about it for hours on end." But, he's a people-pleaser. He wants everyone to be happy. So, he automatically assumes, it makes him a "bad kid" when he gets in trouble. 

One day, he wrote me the cutest note and slipped it under the bathroom door (will I EVER have peace and quiet in there?) that said, "I am sory I got a red. I love you." 

Again, cue the tears. 

He WANTS to behave in school but, because of who he is and his personality ... it's a real struggle for him. He loves learning, he just doesn't like to do it sitting still. 

We have tried talking to his teacher and explaining this to her. But she still tells us his behavior is "out of control". I honestly have gotten to the point where I don't even flinch when he gets a yellow because I know he's just being himself at school. Probably the wrong attitude because I KNOW that he needs to learn how to listen in school and that he needs to learn how to focus ... but how do you teach that when he's not with you for 6 hours a day? And how do you get a teacher to work WITH you instead of being stuck on how she has always taught, and discipling each child exactly the same. I have told her a few things that work at home for disciplining and she says "Well, I don't really like to do that with my students." And I should have said, "Well, then you're not going to get the results you want with Kason." I didn't, because I don't have the guts. But, it's SO frustrating.

Anyway ... I am ranting about his poor kindergarten teacher who really does do a great job academically. He's reading and adding and subtracting numbers. He loves science. She does a good job. She really does. I just want her to see Kason the way Brad and I see Kason. He's an amazing little boy, and she's missing out on enjoying his personality and who he REALLY is because she's focusing on how "out of control" he is. I feel like she is keeping him from his full potential. I also feel like she is crushing his self-esteem despite any attempt at home to assure him that just because he gets yellows/reds, it doesn't make him a "bad kid". (I hate that label! HATE it!) 

So, what do I do? 

Honestly. Be honest with me! 

Do I just let him keep getting yellows and not worry about it, because I know he's being himself? 

Do I keep trying to convince his teacher to discipline him in ways that I know will work? 

How can I make this a win/win situation for us at home and at school? 

Maybe I just need to ride it out for 5 more months and call it a semi-successful year in Kindergarten. He can read, that's good enough, right? 

But, I want him to be happy and successful at school, too, instead of just at home/church/with friends. 

(that's the other funny part, his teachers at church adore him and say he is an amazing kid. THEY see his potential!!) 

Okay ... am I being ridiculous? Do I need to just let this go, let her do her thing at school, while we worry about him at home? No, I know that's not the answer either! 

So, what is the answer? Because we have yet to be able to figure it out. How can I get him to be successful in school? How can I help him learn to focus on what is going on instead of daydreaming? 

Part of me also thinks that maybe he gets bored in school, so he has to do something with his boredom ... so he talks or goofs off. Or, part of me thinks that since he is an only child, he craves the attention from his teacher while he's at school, whether it's positive or negative.  

Alright, enough about this. I want to know what you would do...

Ready...

Go! 

{he's also a handsome devil, too, isn't he!? I love this boy so much ... can't he just be happy in all areas of his life?!} 

Stop 3 (Day 2): Brussels, Belgium

Don't worry ... I am almost done! I agree - it's a little much. We were definitely ready to head home by day 5. 

Tuesday morning we woke up and headed out to the Basilica. After getting lost and confused in their underground tunnels, we made it! That building was huge. 

Apparently, there was a New Years party on the lawn ... and apparently, its not customary to clean up after yourself. The aftermath: 

The view:

This the the courthouse in Brussels and, a cool statue out front (that was also scattered with party aftermath).

The Brussels, Arc de Triomphe. I swear every European city has one of these. This particular arc took a good 25 years to build and it was built in remembrance of the 'glorious past of Brussels'. 

(source: www.trabel.com) 

Some more cute, Belgian houses:

Brad also wanted to see the European Union building. I guess all the government officials come to Brussels for big meetings and stuff like that. It is the central station of the Union. Those pictures told all about the European Union and how it came about, and why. Also, how it helps Europe today. 

(This screen on the ground was interactive. Great fun!) 

In a park next to the building, there was a piece of the original Berlin wall. Neato! Seriously, so much history over here! 

Then, we loaded up and headed home. I think we were all glad to be heading home to sleep in our own beds and get back to a normal routine. Kason got so worn out on the trip!!! Lucky kid ... he looks so comfy. 

Stop 3 (Day 1): Brussels, Belgium

Monday morning, we left home base. It had been a good, few days, but it really was time for us to move on....to Brussels! On New Years Eve (morning) we headed to Brussels, Belgium. I am going to apologize in advance because this post has a lot of pictures. But, really I'm not sorry because Brussels was pretty neat. Although, I have learned that I am not as big of a fan of the big cities as I am of the little quaint cities. The big cities (ie: Brussels, Rome, etc) always have too many people. They're loud, busy, dirty. I prefer quaint, quite and charming. Brussels was no exception to the loud/busy/dirty rule. Plus, it was New Years Eve, there were some crazies out! 

We left fairly early that morning so, Kason was still in need of sleep ... apparently this is comfortable? 

The one nice thing I like about cities in Europe is pretty much all of the stuff you want to see, is all in City Centre. So, it maybe a big city, but you can easily knock out all the sights in one general area. 

Here is the main market place (Grand Place): 

Town Hall: 

I loved this row of buildings. SO picturesque! 

Right in Grand Place is, Hard Rock Cafe. We have kind of started the tradition of hitting up as many Hard Rock Cafe's as we can. We get a sampling of food and buy a glass with the city name on it. It all started when the eternal mate and I went to Seattle on our Honeymoon. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe there and walked out with souvenir glasses. When we went to Prague, we did the same thing and we thought, "Ya know? This is an easy way to collect items from each city we visit!" And there you have it, the tradition of Hard Rock Cafe began. Not every city has a Hard Rock, but, most of the big cities we have been to do! And they're never very hard to track down ...

(Our waitress at this particular Hard Rock was awful though. She probably could have cared less that we were there eating. And she got our check wrong THREE times. Finally, we just paid the extra 5 euro she charged us and called it good.) 

After lunch we headed off to find the little peeing boy. Weird huh? I'm not really sure why he's so famous but Kason got a big kick out of him. Each season or holiday, they dress Mannequin Pis up in different outfits. I read online (at visitbelgium.com) that he has over 760 outfits. Seriously!? 

On the way to Mannequin Pis we passed this wall of TinTin art! Apparently Belgians l-o-v-e cartoon characters and you can find proof of that all over the city. 

This picture cracks me up. Kason is like: "I am so annoyed right now. I don't want anything to do with this family."

Brad is like: "I am so good looking so I am just going to stand on this street corner and let people admire me."

I'm thinking: "This moment is epic, I need a picture."

Moving on ... we then meandered through the city and found some random statues. So, of course we took pictures. Who wouldn't? Our end goal, was the cathedral.

I was terrified taking this picture of the Smurf. Not because I am scared of Smurfs but ... because there was a group of really sketchy homeless guys who were off to the sides. They kept looking at us and I kept thinking, "The further away from me that Kason gets, the closer to them he's getting." So, I told Kason to hurry, I snapped the pictures, honestly didn't care if it was blurry and we took off. So glad my hunk of a husband was with us to keep the cool and protect us. Scary stuff! 

That facade on the outside dates back to the 1250's!

Brussels is the home to all of the European Union offices and government buildings so, we ended up seeing a lot of those. This is the Belgian Parliament building. It is right across the street from this really big park that I am sure is gorgeous during the spring and summer. During the winter, it's kind of ugly. 

This gazebo was neat though ... 

And, on the other side of the park is the Royal Palace! If the Belgian flag is flying on top of the Palace, it means the King is in the country. Looks like he wasn't far from home while we were there! 

So random but, this street was so WIDE! 

The buildings in Brussels were all pretty. Some had really fancy molding. Others had a really fancy balcony or gold leafing. It was so fun to see all the different designs. 

A view of City Center:

As we were walking back down to the city centre, we came across the firework show, all set up, for that night! 

On the way back to the car, we passed this adorable brick church, right in the middle of town! 

Once we got checked into our hotel, we walked back into town and saw a few more things. 

This building is the Bourse. It is the main Stock Exchange building in Brussels. The locals like to sit on the steps and enjoy some local Belgian fries (which are amazing by the way ... and if you go to the fry stand right by the Bourse, you can have some eye candy, too. Just a heads up for you single readers planning to visit Brussels). So ... we decided to get some fries and sit on the steps, just like the locals. (That is the Brussels Christmas market going on still, below the Bourse...) 

While we were wandering around, we passed through this little street. It's called: Rue de Bouchers. It's a charming little street that has mostly seafood restaurants. I wish I had gotten a picture of the food they display. Each restaurant has a display out front of seafood piled high on mounds of ice. 

We also walked through the very first shopping mall in Europe. The Galeries St Hubert. I wish we weren't all starving so we could have enjoyed the shops.

Here is another 'TinTin' shrine ... okay, a store really but, it was EVERYTHING TinTin. 

Brad was really wanting some French Onion Soup so, we were trying to find a restaurant that had some. There was one in Grand Place that served it so, we went in, sat down, got the menus and realized that everything was seafood (Kason and I don't do seafood...) So, we decided Brad would just get soup and we would be good.

Well, apparently that's not an option in Brussels:

Brad: "We will just have a bowl of French Onion Soup."

Waiter: "That is it? What about them?" (Pointing to Kason and I)

Brad: "Oh, no. They don't want anything. So, just the soup please."

Waiter: A look of disdain came over his face. "No! This is a restaurant. If you are not going to eat a full meal and not everyone is going to eat - you CANNOT eat here! I am sorry. Good day!" 

He grabbed the menus and hurried off. So, we left. When we got outside we couldn't help but laugh. It was pretty comical and we will never forget the time we got kicked out of a restaurant in Brussels for wanting food! 

So, instead we settled for Belgian waffles. What the heck do they put in those things!? They are AMAZING. I don't care what the topping is, your Belgian Waffle is going to melt in your mouth and taste like a little piece of heaven. So good...

At night, they light the Town Hall up with lights. I'm not sure if they do it all the time or if it was only like that because it was New Years but, it was still pretty neat! 

So, as we were walking down one of the side streets Brad mentioned that there was a man sleeping under plastic right behind us. I didn't believe him, but I turned around and right on cue, a scruffy old man, probably reeking of alcohol, rustled under a heavy sheet of plastic. Jeez! It's like a horror flick down those side streets. Brad loves a good scare but, I assured him, he doesn't have to tell me everything he notices while we're traveling ... 

I decided I needed some Belgian chocolate to calm my nerves. Belgian chocolate is heaven. I think that when we move back to America, we are going to have to order boxes of European chocolate to get our fix because it's so much better than American chocolate!!

Finally, we decided to head back to the hotel. As we were walking, we passed a couple guys in suits ... and name tags! Sure enough - they were a couple of Missionaries for the church! We stood and talked to them for a few minutes and come to find out, Brussels is part of the South Paris mission - luckies! Elder Olivander was from Cache Valley, Utah and Elder Thomas was from Scottsdale, Arizona. (Should have snapped a picture ... darn it!) We had fun talking to them and seeing how their missions were going. I LOVE being a member of the church, no matter where you're at, there's gonna be somebody serving the Lord and somebody you can relate to. It was awesome. 

Then, when we were almost back to the hotel, some yahooligans were throwing around smoke bombs and laughing as they would explode around people. I noticed the young punks laughing and pointing in our direction after one had been thrown and I realized it was about 5 feet from us! We backed up as much as we could before it went off. That sucker was LOUD. Our ears were ringing for hours. Needless to say: I was ready to get out of the cold, off the busy streets and away from crazy Belgian kids wreaking havoc. Back in the comforts of our hotel room, Kason gave us a dance show: 

Then, we ushered the rockstar to sleep ... Brad got Pizza Hut pizza and we sat at the window and people watched the hotel rooms across the way from us. We really know how to party and bring in the New Year! I think we both fell asleep around 10:00 that night which is a real bummer because I was excited for a New Years kiss from my Mister!! But, he wouldn't settle for anything less and he woke me up at midnight, told me happy New Years, gave me a kiss, rolled over and fell back asleep. Talk about romantic! Actually, after sorting through the confusion of what was going on, it made me smile that he did that. Best New Years kiss ever. I watched the fireworks going on outside for a couple minutes before realizing sleep was more exciting. So, we all welcomed in 2013 with dreams and confusing kisses. I wouldn't have wanted it, any other way!