Life and Times of Coleman Plaster

Coleman’s favorite thing about this Christmas season was our elf, Sparkle. Every morning he’d come down and look to see where Sparkle would be sitting. A few times, Sparkle didn’t change spots overnight. We told Coleman that Sparkle did fly back to the North Pole, but that he really liked that spot in our house.

Coleman was allowed to open one present on the morning of December 24. Check out his reaction.Thank you Pop and Madi!

As you can tell from this picture with Granny Gigi, Coleman is really a happy boy.

He loves his Aunt Jillian too! We joke around about how Aunt Jillian might be Coleman’s employer in 10 years.

Cole received several Lego sets from Santa.

We all love putting Lego sets together, and the instructions are really easy to follow unlike a lot of non-Lego toys like Transformers! I actually gave up on figuring out how to transform the Transformer and made Brian do it.

Coleman loves his Daddy.

On Christmas morning, we listened to the 90s channel while building Lego sets. Cole really got into Baby Got Back. Check it out. Coleman loves talking about butts.

Grandma Wendy made us dinner on December 27 to celebrate the Bermans being in town. We wish we could hang out with them more often.

It has been really busy the last few weeks. Uncle Paul came out for Thanksgiving, and we had a great time hanging out with him. Coleman went to a Yo Gabba Gabba show that we all thoroughly enjoyed. He’s been to four birthday parties, parties at school and the Nutcracker. This kid is ENTERTAINED. Luckily for us, he does a great job of entertaining himself too. He and Gabby have been playing very well together for the past few weeks, which makes me happy.
Uncle Paul came bearing gifts, one of which was Spider-Man on blue ray. I enjoyed watching it the first two times . . .

I missed the Yo Gabba Gabba show last year, and I’m really glad I went this year. It was fun watching kids dance around, and the music was decent. Cole and Gabby pose before the show.

Confetti and streamers fell from the ceiling onto the people in floor seats. Brian made sure he was in the good seats for his 2nd show. Coleman gathered a lot of the paper and put it into his Plex hat. He is currently storing it in his room.

Kid shows can actually be fun!

Drunk on junk food and Yo Gabba Gabba.

Coleman and Gabby helped me decorate for Christmas. For a while, there was one lone present under the tree. I told Coleman that it was something he really wanted (a Transformer from Pop and Madi, but he doesn’t know that yet). I wish I had taken a video of his reaction. Then Brian told him it was a puppy, and he actually clapped his hands over and over and jumped up and down. I can’t recall ever seeing him that excited. Luckily he didn’t freak out when we told him there’s no way we’d wrap up a puppy and leave him in a box for weeks without food and water. I assured him that he’d still be very happy when he opened his gift.

We had a great time at Alex Saltman’s third birthday party. Brian didn’t come because it was during the Bears game.

The next weekend we went to Opportunity Village’s Magical Forest. We got there before it opened and were able to get on all the rides without waiting in line. The place was mobbed when we left after having been there an hour. Cole posed in Terry Fator’s puppet wall while we waited to get in.

He’s finally cool riding Merry Go Rounds. When he was 2, there were times when we’d try to get him on a horse in Santa Monica, and he would only feel safe riding the bench.

He had no qualms about getting in the spinning dinosaurs. This is an action shot. They laughed the entire time. We also went through a fun house and rode the train through the magical forest.

We had to take a picture in front of the Nutcracker.

Trucker turned five years old on December 15, and we went to the Dog House to celebrate with him. Gabby passed out on the way there, which is why she’s not in the picture. Aunt Jillian let Coleman keep the birthday hats for his birthday party.

On Saturday we went to our first birthday party at the Mini Grand Prix, and it was a blast. Here we are in another spinning ride. I felt nauseous immediately, but was able to keep it together. Brian had to take a minute after we got off the ride. Luckily, he didn’t puke!

Cole attended his second Nutcracker ballet on Sunday. He said his favorite part was buying the nutcracker before the show. I let him know that this would be a tradition that we’d do every year. The Sugar Plum Party following the performance motivates him to make it to the end.

Coleman met Clara at the Sugar Plum Party. He got a plate full of sweets, but only ate a small portion. I’m so glad that he understands when he’s full. I hope he always has that ability.

Yea for Grandma Wendy!

Coleman was Spider-Man for Halloween, a holiday that Las Vegans like to celebrate over several days. On Sunday, we visited Aunt Jillian’s store in Tivoli where they had a free event for kids. Although it was mobbed, the kids seemed to have fun. The next day Cole visited Signature to show off his costume. Then he had a Halloween performance and parade at school. After work, we went trick or treating in Jillian’s neighborhood and then spent some time at a friend’s house eating chili and hotdogs.

Coleman posed with Super-Girl (Aunt Mari). Mari came to Cole’s school and was a hit in her costume.

Coleman always loves visiting Gigi at work.

It’s always nice when they look like they actually like each other. Or maybe they are happy because they scored a handful of candy.

He sang/recited at least 10 different poems in the school production. It was really cute.

I wish I could remember what they were saying when this picture was taken.

When they do the parade, they have them walk through the Lower School too, probably because 3 and 4 year olds in costume are so darn cute.

Catching a ride while trick or treating. James, take me to the next house!

I took them to Stone Cold Creamery recently because I had a Groupon I needed to use. Needless to say, they were thrilled!

Video of Coleman singing about how much he loves to eat ice cream. Do we have a performer in our midst?

Video of Coleman playing soccer.  As you can see from the video, he is pretty hard on himself when he doesn’t score. Brian and his coaches think he’s improved a lot since he started two months ago.

Later that day, we went to a nearby park for my office party. Coleman and Gabby had a great time running around for three hours. They went to bed early, which is always a treat.

Video of Coleman playing with leftover ice from the party.

Here he is with his new friend, Tony Olivas. Cole filled the cup with ice and requested that I not throw it away so he could drink it the next morning. Once it was water, you could see all of the dirt in it. He didn’t insist on drinking it. The amazing thing for me was how much fun he had playing with ice. He was entertained for at least 30 minutes.

Coleman helps Gabby with a puzzle before leaving for school.

At Crystals Mall next to Aria.

We were at a park, and Cole was bummed that no kids were there to play with. This is his “I’m not having fun” face.

Cole had a lot of energy at his soccer game on November 5. The weather is finally decent so he can run without sweating. He practically melts in the heat if he’s not in a pool.

Good game, good game.

We checked out the 10th annual Vegas Valley Book Festival sponsored by the City of Las Vegas. Coleman got a free hotdog, a free snow cone, and a free face painting. It was pretty awesome. We also bought a bunch of books at half price.

See how happy they are about those books being half price? Or maybe it the snow cone sugar injection.

This morning we went to the new Nevada State Museum, which may be my favorite museum in Las Vegas. They had lots of cool stuff on the history of Nevada, including huge fossils. Afterward, we checked out the playground at the Springs Preserve.

Coleman has now played in five official soccer games, only two of which Brian and I attended. We acknowledge that we are awful parents in this regard. Grandma Wendy and Grandpa Richard took him to his first game where he scored two goals. Since it’s pee-wee soccer, they don’t really keep count and both teams win (or no one wins in my book) when the game is over. Grandpa Richard took him to his second game. Brian and I took him to his third game, and Jenica took him to his fourth. At that game, Cole got the ball, dribbled it all the way down the field and scored. Jenica was pretty excited about it. When Cole gets the ball and has room to move, he gets the biggest smile on his face. Brian and I really hope that he’ll continue to like the sport, especially as he gets older and realizes how fun it is to play on a team (right now, it’s each boy out for his own!). It’s also a good workout, as you can see in this post-game picture!

The day he picked out the number on his jersey, Brian called me and said “Guess which number he picked?” I thought about it for a second and said “1″? I was right! Yes (with fist pump)! I can tell the kid is going to be competitive, just like his mother. Or, he just couldn’t think of any other number.
Cole on his last day of swimming in Jaime’s pool until next year. Thank you Jaime for unlimited access!

It was pretty darn cold, and he enjoyed warming up in the Vegas sun. If Cole saw that last sentence, he’d say “Is ‘darn’ an adult word?” And I’d tell him that he can say darn. We’ve had the discussion about certain words only being okay for adults to say, and Cole seemed pretty open to the idea. It sounded reasonable to him, like how you have to be 16 to drive a car.

The Dixons came over for another play date, and Brian thought it’d be funny to get the kids to drink from the slip and slide.

Cole and Gabby, post brunch.

Cole got to see Lion King for the second time yesterday because the show will close in December. He was the perfect theater goer. Gabby, on the other hand . . .

Coleman has been watching a bunch of princess stuff lately because Gabby is really into it. When Brian and I were talking about the day we got married, Cole asked us if that was the first time we kissed. Pretty funny how these ideas get into his head! Here he is with his princess sister in his Halloween costume.

This morning, I interviewed Cole and asked him about being Spider-Man for Halloween. Check out the video.

I am in Toastmasters, and last week I had to give a roast. I pretended it was Coleman’s fifth birthday. Cole produces a lot of material to work with, so it was quite easy to write this 4 minute speech. I doubt I’ll actually do this on his birthday, so I thought it’d be nice to post it here.

To my beautiful, talented son Coleman Bresnahan Plaster. Just five years ago, you and I spent our first night together at Summerlin Hospital, and it goes without saying that you have changed a lot since Day One. You arrived looking just like your Daddy, but as most of us have figured out, your personality is actually a lot like mine. We’ll leave it up to Gabby to be the crazy one.

Coleman, when people have children, one of the things they most often hear is how it will change your life. This is what we call a cliché. You have changed my life in the most remarkable way. It has made me so happy to spend 2 years with just you and then watch you get to know your baby sister Gabby.

Coleman, on your fifth birthday, I’d like to extol your various talents and abilities.

Let’s start with your dancing abilities. About six months ago, I was worried that your little sister was already outdancing you, but I think you caught on to that and stepped it up a notch. Watching So You Think You Can Dance when Granny Gigi comes to babysit has certainly helped. Uncle Paul saw your video on You Tube recently dancing to Michael Jackson’s PYT (YouTube video), and said it’s his favorite video yet. He said it reminded him of himself as a kid, and that he was a goober too. Your goofy dance style is just one of the things I love about you.

Let’s move on to your relationship with your Grandma Wendy. At a young age – around 2 years old – you intuitively knew that this was the most important person in your life to get on her good side. What have you gained from your winning smile and attitude around Grandma Wendy? Candy! Clothes! Toys galore! Trips to the condo in LA! Way to go for picking up on this at such an early age. All kidding aside, I’m really proud of you for being sweet to your grandparents and treating them with respect. Grandma Wendy recently told you that you were too adorable and that you shouldn’t get any cuter. She said “Don’t get any cuter!” After she returned from a long vacation, she told you how adorable you were, and you said “Grandma, you told me not to get any cuter, but I got cuter!” I can’t even fathom how many people she’s told that story to.

You’ve also become quite the philosopher. I’ve been quite amused by your philosophy that having dogs or kids is very important. I was recently talking about a new friend, and you asked – Do they have kids? I said no. Then you asked – Do they have dogs? I said no. You said, “Then you shouldn’t be friends with her because she’s not a good person.” I’m not sure where that came from, but I think you have strong beliefs that taking care of kids and pets is very important. And I’m happy to hear that you want to “get three kids” when you grow up. I can’t wait!

And finally, your relationship with your little sister Gabby, who adores you but also loves to antagonize you. At first, you were pretty cool with her when she didn’t move around much and get in your way. Then as she got older but wasn’t yet talking, you were often annoyed when she’d snatch your toy right out of your hand. I’ll never forget the day I told you how to deal with her when she took your toys. We both learned a valuable lesson that day about how to treat others. When something didn’t go your way, you would yell at her and command her “Gabby, GIVE THAT BACK!” I suggested you talk in a high pitched baby voice – “Gabby, would you please give me my toy back.” And it worked! We looked at each other in amazement. You regularly use that tone of voice with her now, and it almost always works. I’m so glad we discovered that technique together. I’m also glad that you now treat Gabby as your friend.

Coleman, on your birthday, I want to thank you for being such a sweet, loving child to your family and friends and thank you for the joy you bring to my life. Happy Birthday.

We had family over for dinner a few weeks ago. Video of Coleman perfecting his racing in the house and getting some good advice on being #1.

Coleman loves pretending he’s a pilot when visiting the Children’s Museum.

The Children’s Museum brings out Cole and Gabby’s goofy side.

Speaking of goofy, Coleman recently completed two weeks at creative dance camp with Star Arts. Here’s his silly shot with his class.

Here’s a video from his second week: Da La Soul’s Me Myself and I

Cole is multi-talented. He can hold a pencil with his left foot!

He’s had a lot of fun with the Spider-Man costume we bought  him at Costco.

We took a kid vacation to San Diego, and we stayed at TJ and Blake’s the first night. Here Cole and Gabby are relaxing on TJ’s father’s leather chair.

Then we went biking around Mission Bay. Video of Cole’s biking abilities.

Cole built a sand castle at a nearby park, and a group of kids walked right in front of him and stomped on it. Cole almost cried, but did a great job of holding it together. The moms of the kids saw what happened and made them apologize and help Cole get more wet sand to rebuild it. I was thankful that the other moms were paying attention, because I would have made Cole deal with it himself.

On the bay at our resort, Paradise Point.

Enjoying breakfast by the water.

We checked out jet ski rental prices, but never found time to do it.

We spent the better part of the day poolside. Cole wanted to go home after two hours (he was “hot” in 85 degree weather), but he persevered.  They loved playing in the sand right next to the pool.

Cole and Gabby had dinner with 9 adults at Baleen and were very well behaved. Too bad we can’t say the same for our server!

Cole got a miniature golf lesson from his daddy the day we left.

The part that was most memorable for him was playing in the waves for 10 minutes, right before we left to go back to Las Vegas. We’ll have to spend more time in the ocean next time.

Coleman has a new theory. You are only a good person if you have kids and/or dogs. He came up with this all by himself. When Coleman grows up, he wants to “get” three kids.

He has also decided he wants to be a developer. There are a few unfinished buildings in Vegas. Coleman has noticed these buildings and would like to finish them. He initially said he’d be the actual construction worker, but I suggested it’d be better to put the plans and financing together and oversee the project rather than do the labor himself. He liked the sound of that.
So far, he has had a very good summer. He and Gabby are spending a lot of time together and getting along better than ever. Cole also misses school. Last week he got to see a few of his friends when he attended a Jr Mad Science camp in Summerlin. He did lots of arts and crafts projects around dinosaurs.

Cole, Gigi and Brian were looking at all of the pictures and videos on Brian’s phone.

We had a play date with the Dixons and fun was had by all. The gluten free coffee cake Yindra made was a hit.

Here is proof that Cole and Gabby can get along. The iPad has brought them together, which is a good reason to only have one. Then they have to share.

We went hiking at Mount Charleston a few weekends ago. Coleman hiked about two miles. Even though it was a lot cooler than Vegas, he still complained about being hot.

He was pretty happy about stopping for snack time as was Gabby.

We spent our first Fourth at the Las Vegas Country Club and will probably make this a tradition. It was a lot of fun for the kids. Check out this video of Cole and Gabby dancing to Lady Gaga. I think they’ve heard this song before!

Aunt Jillian was happy that Cole let her hold him during the fireworks. It was a great display over the golf course.

Brian took the kids to Rainbow Park for the first time. This might be our new favorite City of Las Vegas park. It was clean and desolate. Check out the video of Cole playing in the water feature.

We broke out the new slip and slide today. Cole and Gabby battled it out to see who could “win the race.” They are already competitive with each other.

Cole and Gabby just got to spend a week in Mississippi and loved every minute of it. On day five, Cole said “Only two days left? That’s not long at all!” He spent quality time with Pop and Madi and also spent quality time with Brian, me and Uncle Paul. It is so nice having several whole days being with him.
No doubt one of the highlights of Cole’s trip was eating whatever he wanted. His first breakfast consisted of cereal and mini muffins. Debbie bought a bunch of fruit, but they didn’t eat much of it. I wonder why?!

Another highlight was swimming at the country club. By the end of the trip, Cole was able to pick up rings five feet under without any help. He learned that he could jump in and hit the bottom.

He loved jumping off the diving board and being thrown by Pop. Cole is now able to jump off the diving board and swim to the pool’s edge without any assistance whatsoever.

Madi and Pop bought lots of fun things to entertain Cole. He played with 3D chalk, “the coolest new toy invention of the modern era” (according to Brian). He also did a lot of drawing and coloring. Madi drew him a cool nature scene and a USA flag.

Coleman played Xbox. Sometimes it was fun, and sometimes not so fun, particularly when Uncle Paul beat him at boxing. It also wasn’t so fun when Daddy broke his toe. Here Cole is during a fun moment.

Coleman probably had at least 4 grilled cheeses while in Meridian. This is his new favorite meal.

He played in the shower at the lake house.

One of the best things about the trip was the blow up beds Madi and Pop had for them in their bedroom. Brian and I got to sleep past 8:00 a.m. every day. Thanks for the wonderful vacation Pop and Madi!

Back in Vegas, Cole shows his Daddy some love.

Coleman survived his first year at the Meadows. In that year, he learned how to write his name, write upper and lowercase letters and read some words. I’m still amazed that he can do all that, and he’s not even at the top of his class!Our goal is to get him reading easy books by himself before he starts his second year of the Beginning School.
Coleman took two weeks of swim lessons in preparation for his trip to Mississippi and is on the verge of doing the freestyle. Hopefully by the end of the summer, we can get him swimming like a professional. Here he is with his lobster ribbon.

He and Gabby love to run around naked in the backyard. I occasionally get a picture that I can post on his blog.

If you want to shop with Cole and Gabby, take them to a place that sells tents. We played in this tent at REI for at least 15 minutes while Daddy shopped for clothes.

This is Coleman’s “I want to go camping” look.

Coleman created a sculpture recently with sand and wood chips. He was pretty ticked off later when Gabby destroyed it.

Coleman was having a good day yesterday. Grandma Wendy picked him up from school and took him shopping at Nordstrom for new shoes. He came home and was being good, and then according to Dulce, something switched off in his brain and he became very ANGRY. He hit her, was generally disrespectful (I wasn’t here, so I can’t give specifics), ransacked our house (I’m sure Gabby helped), and when Brian came home, he was standing on our kitchen table (a huge no no) and practically hanging from our chandelier. He got a spanking, and when I got home, he still wasn’t remorseful. So he spent a good bit of time in his room and didn’t get to watch TV or play on the iPad or iPhone for the rest of the day. He was pretty sad about that. This morning he apologized to Dulce. He was coached to say “Dulce, I’m sorry for hitting you. I’m sorry for being bad. I’ll try to be better. I love you.” Of course, she accepted his apology.

I took a picture of Cole and me a few weekends ago. He doesn’t look like a monster, does he? As Cole would say “No, not at all!”

He and Gabby like to ride bikes at Bob Baskin Park.

Coleman and Daddy at the Getty Villa in Malibu.

Cole enjoyed some sandbox time in Venice Beach. I am so glad we don’t have a sandbox at home!

Enjoying some quality time with his sister at Best Buy.

Here’s a video of Coleman on Easter morning checking out what the Easter bunny brought.

Cole got an awesome Spider-Man towel with his name on it. See how excited he is?

He also got a ton of crayons, which he later used to color under the table. I’m sure they’ll be the next thing we take away as punishment!

Later that morning, he and Gabby played with Duplos. Watch the video.

Then we went to an Easter party at the Binion’s. Cole actually wanted to leave before the egg hunt, but got in a pretty good mood while hunting eggs.

Looking like an academic. Yes, can’t you tell he’s a Meadows student?

Coleman did well on his last report card. He got “exceeds expectations” on: knows right and left hands; can recognize numbers 1-10 out of sequence; can recognize first name in writing; knows age and birthday; recognizes 11 basic colors; speaks clearly; knows upper case letters; knows lower case letters; demonstrates one-to-one correspondence to ten; imitates block/bead patterns; relates positively to adults; works and plays cooperatively with others; shares and respects rights of others; can sit through and discuss with interest story/pictures; works independently; engages in make-believe play; makes smooth transitions; can thread beads with large needle and shoelace; can put puzzle of 8-10 pieces together. The only areas where he scored “developing” were on: can walk backwards on a beam; can jump on both feet (I’m certain he can do this - even Gabby can do this); can catch a ball with hands only.

What his report card doesn’t say is that he can write his name without help, read basic words, and he’s starting to produce some good artwork. His teacher also said that he really tries to avoid getting into trouble. (As Grandpa Richard would say “That’s my boy!”) I’m happy with how far he’s progressed at the Meadows in 7 months.

Coleman and I figured out a better way to get what we want from Gabby. One day, she snagged one of Coleman’s toys, and Coleman screamed “Give it back!” I suggested that Cole instead talk in a high pitched sing-song voice and say “Gabby, will you please give me my toy back?” It worked, and Cole was amazed that he could get her to do what he asked. We both use the technique often now.

Cole was in a school play on March 9 called Insects Don’t Bug Me!

Here is a video of Cole saying “Crabs, lobsters, shrimp and scorpions have external skeletons too, but they are not insects!”

Here is a video of the Buzzing Bumble Bee poem.

Cole was very happy when the play was over. I’m sure that had nothing to do with the huge chocolate donut and meringue cookies he was given as a snack!

Cole with his Daddy at the Springs Preserve playground.

Enjoying a morning smoothie. He likes to coordinate his pajama selection with his sister.

Video of Cole and Gabby dancing to reggae a few weekends ago. He is often hilariously goofy. Now who could he get that from?

More evidence that the kid is goofy!

Exhibit number three. This is one of those pictures we can use to blackmail him when he’s a teenager.

Cole and Aunt Jillian during Gabby’s 2nd birthday celebration.

This is the first piece of art that Cole did with tempera paints. The video is even more impressive.