Helping Mommy

I thought I would show mommy all the skills I've been learning in the kitchen. I made everyone pancakes for breakfast. Yes, I know I'm a lady killer...but you're welcome to feed my ego if you want ;)

Cowboy Kai

You've come a long way Kai.

Stats:
24.8 lbs
33 inches

His vocabulary is growing!
Though not putting words together yet, he's started parroting what you say. New favorites: Pahpee (Papa), Bidee (blankie), Bintee (binkie), wa wa (water), ba ba (this has become drink...and is usually only used to ask for a drink, whereas before it was the go-to word). And I just LOVE the way he says "yea."

Sometimes I will try to trick him just to see if he really understands what he's saying. E.g. We're looking up at the moon and I'll say, "Kai is that the moon?" He'll respond  "Mooo" (moon). I'll say, no...it's a doggie. He'll do a cute little giggle and then say "uh uh" (no) and say again in all seriousness, "Mooo."

He looks up to, admires, and adores his older brother. He wants to do EVERYTHING Kadyn does.

He knows most of his body parts. His favorite word? Eye. Only look out, because he'll probably try to poke your eye.

I can't get enough of this little guy.

Remember when?!

In Honor of Grandparents...

All growing up I had a close relationship with my grandparents (I love you Grandma!) and had always hoped my kids would have the same. Despite living long distances from them, I would always look so forward to their visits or our trips to see them. Now, with kids of our own, we've planted ourselves to help the same relationships blossom.

We are so grateful for the sacrifices our parents make to spend time with the boys. Whether it's watching them so we can work, go to school, or go on a date, or traveling across the country to see them, they know how loved they are. And we feel so blessed to have extra hands to help and extra hearts to love.

What a wonderful thing Grandparents are. What a wonderful thing OUR (grand)parents are (to us &) to our boys. Thank you for all you do for us and the boys. Thank you for all you are to us and the boys. And thank you to all you'll be to us and the boys.

We love you!

Happy Grandparent's Day!

Check out my other blog!

I've created another blog...

The new blog, though it currently has some of the same posts I have on here, is a chance for someone to catch a glimpse of a mother that isn't afraid to be transparent. Please check it out, leave a comment...or two  ;) Or, suggest it to your friends! Even "Follow" the blog. I could use some love on it to keep me going :)

www.transparenciesofmotherhood.blogspot.com

First Day Back to Preschool

Kadyn started back to preschool yesterday. We kept him in the same class that he started this past March...We're hoping a combination of going from one of the youngest in his class by quite a bit to one of the oldest, having the same teacher again, and having his buddy Canyon in his class, will all help bring him out of his SUPER shy, quiet shell. Yes, I just described my son as SUPER shy AND quiet. Strange? I know, that's why we're so confused. He didn't talk at all last spring in preschool. So, we're excited to see what this year brings. He'll be going M, W, F for this first month to see how he does. If it's too much we'll go to just 2 days. (My not quite 4 year old is already wearing 5T or XS clothes. I asked him if he would stop growing so quickly...he, of course, said no.)

Car Travel With Kids

As you saw in my previous post (here), I (Greta) took both kids to Spokane last weekend to see my college friends while Ryan worked on stuff around the house. According to mapquest, this drive is an anticipated 6 1/2 hr drive. Having made it 100s of times in college I knew this to be true...if you don't stop for more than 1 quick coffee/bathroom and 1 gas/bathroom breaks. So, I allotted some stopping time and guessed the drive to take 8 hrs allowing for 3 (1/2) hr breaks. Wrong. The way there took 9 hrs and we stopped 6 times, 4 of those hours and 4 of those stops were from Tri-Cities to Spokane (usually took me 2 hrs in college). {sigh} BUT, the kids did great and as you can see from the pictures, we all had a fabulous time. I know I shared a post before {here} about car travel with kids, but I wanted to share some of the things I learned about taking LONGER car trips.

1. Completely disregard how long it SHOULD take. This sounds obvious, but if you have expectations, you will only find yourself frustrated.

2. Plan on a few places to stop and stretch legs/get the wiggles out. It's easiest if you know the route, but if you don't, solicit friends/family to help. If you can find a few places that have playgrounds or a park to run in, you'll have much happier kids.

3. Test the DVD player BEFORE you leave the house. If you don't, make sure you have a smart phone with gps to the nearest Target. Enough said.

4. Make sure you have some cash with you. If you're in a rush but need immediate coffee, you don't want to have to look for a drive thru that accepts card.

5. Sit in the driver's seat and test arm distances of items you'll need before you leave. You don't want to be hunting around for things blindly or trying to reach for something just beyond your finger tips.

6. Bring several new toys to bring out after you get sick of hearing "Are we there yet?". The $ store is a great place, or the $ bins at Target. Also, keep some things for the return trip!

7. Music is wonderful. And even if you remember to bring more than 1 CD, plan on hearing the same song 100 times. 

8. Be silly. See tip #7. Especially important if you forget to do tip #3.

9. Bring a small cooler with some healthy snacks (string cheese, sandwiches, etc.) and some extra sippy cups of juice or milk. This really comes in handy when the first sippy cup has been gone through within the first 20 minutes. And also helps mommy from eatting so much of the junk.

10. Remember tip #1. If the kids are upset, stop again...and again...and again. And if you have to, wait until they fall asleep, grab another cup of coffee, turn up the Veggie Tales music (maybe with some headphones) and be silly all by yourself...to help keep you awake of course :)

Hike Along Big Eddy Rapids

 

 

Our weekend plans changed drastically when Kadyn began complaining of an earache as we were heading to Detroit Lake (to see Kyle and Sarah Hoyer), and then began crying/screaming about his ear over the pass. However, we still managed to have a great weekend, ear infection and all. (It has been recommended we take him to an ear/nose/throat specialized for his very large tonsils to possibly have them removed.) Such is life with kids right?