Isn't that the truth?

So I heard a saying the other day that I really took to heart:

As parents, we spend our time teaching our children about important things in life while at the same time, our kids are actually the ones who teach us what's really important.

We've Been Elfed!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1294178841

A Visit From The Tooth Fairy

So guess what happened tonight? Tyrus lost his first tooth! I thought this was going to happen later - like maybe age 7 or something! Anyway, it's been wiggly for a bit and tonight around 10:30, he busted out of his room (I thought he was asleep!) saying, "MOM, MOM! My tooth came out!!!" He was so excited, and wanted to look into the mirror right away.

What a doll. And me, the ever tearful one, feels choked up thinking that this was the first tooth he ever had, and now it's the first one he lost. I'm such a sap! (Ignore the fruit punch 'stache!)




So I guess now the Tooth Fairy needs to get it together and go, ahem, take care of business. I wonder what she's paying now a days, anyway?

Warm Fuzzies

A sweet thing happened to Alexis today, and it made me smile.

At Ty's school, there are no buses since it's a Charter school. At pick up time, the teachers take each child by hand directly to their parent's car and so each afternoon, we get a quick "hello, have a good afternoon" type conversation with the teachers. A few days ago during pick up, Alexis jumps up and hands Ty's teacher a stack of blank deposit slips from the bank that she'd picked up while we'd been there earlier. His teacher says, "Oh? These are for me?" And Alexis says, "yes!" Then, I said, "It's no big deal... she's just playing."

I'd forgotten about this until today at pick up. When she opened my van door, she says to Alexis, "I have something for you!" And she hands her back the deposit slips - but this time, they have stickers and smiley faces on them.

Wasn't that the sweetest thing? Alexis isn't even her student and she took time out of her day to make her feel special and important, too, not just her big brother. It was pretty neat. And Alexis of course, was over the moon with happiness!

Ginormous Update!

I just wanted to record some funny things my family has said recently -

I took a cake out of the oven the other night and it was sitting on the stove cooling. A while later, Alexis comes up to me with a fork in her hand telling me that she'd "porked it to make sure it was done."

We were at the grocery store the other night, and Tyrus found a package of foot-long hotdogs. He was amazed at how long they were and says to Josh and me: "You have to have really big buns to eat these!" ha ha!

So, let me update a bit. On the 14th, Carsten had his One Year check up at the doctor. He did great, and is growing right along where he should be. He got 4 pokes which was not fun at all. Afterwards, the nurse gave me a cookie to give to him to try and help calm him down. As I handed it to him, he immediately threw it down on the ground! I had no idea he'd do that! He weighs 22 pounds (45%) and is 31.5 inches tall (90%)! This is the first time he's been below 50 for weight, and the first time above 50 for height!

He's walking full steam ahead and is such a joker. He knows how to make us all laugh, that's for sure! And, his new stunt? Climbing up the couches and jumping on them. It's enough to make my heart skip a beat, that's for sure!

Alexis is doing okay. She's fascinated with Tyrus' school right now and likes to mimic his activities there. So Ty will come home saying something like, "Today, was Taste Test Tuesday and we tried Jambalaya for 'J' week! I gave it a 'thumbs-up!" and the next minute, you'll hear her saying, "Mom, today in preschool, we tasted jumbala for our school!" It's kind of funny, but also kind of annoying. She's figuring out puzzles (25 piecers) and is really doing well at them. It's neat to see her learning things, too. She still loves purses and all things girly. We can't leave the house unless she has her purse (stuffed with cars!) and her newly acquired "Barbie Girl".

And now, Ty...

Tyrus is learning to read!!! It's so neat to watch things click in his head. Last week, his teacher sent home a note with sight words for us to work on at home. Josh cut them up and quizzed him on them, and after a bit of work, he got them all!! He can read:
to
a
am
blue
red
I
can
the
zoo
and I'm sure there are a few more! He's loving this newly acquired skill, and frankly as his mom, I'm super-dooper proud!!

How did you know that?

Tyrus is full of tales about things he's learning at school. Sometimes he'll tell me outright what he's learned, other times, I hear him talking about things to himself, and I have to listen in...

Tonight was one of those times...

After he got out of the shower, I heard him sing "A, B, I, O, U!"
I peeked around the corner, and said, "what are you singing about?"
And this point, he got this sheepish look on his face, and then giggled.
Then, I said, "are those vowels?"
And he said, "yes, how did you know?!"

Ha ha. He's cute.

So my kids are amazing, have I told you?

So my kids are amazing, have I told you? They are all so cute and are doing fun things that I thought I'd update a bit about each of them.

~TYRUS~
Tyrus did great for his first week of organized school. His teachers said he was right where he needed to be, and according to his first report card, he mastered every concept they asked of him. The only thing he was unable to do was recognize the letter V. I felt great about the fact that he got everything else, and knew the other things they asked (colors, shapes, letters, numbers, school rules, holding pencil correctly, positioning paper correctly, etc) and felt like we could work extra hard on the V and he'd be doing great.

On another note, one of the girls in his class has been basically raised with him. She's three weeks older than Ty and me and her mom have commented and watched the two of them grow together. Well, her mom was the one who told us about this school, and so I'm pretty grateful to them. Anyway, Nicole was in Ty's class, which he thought was cool - especially on the first day when he was a bit nervous. Turns out, she only lasted four days in Kindergarten, until the school decided she was more suited for first grade! So, starting tomorrow, she begins grade 1! Wow! How very cool for her!

So, Ty's told me lots of things so far about his school that he's learned. It's cool to pick him up, because he's just so bubbly and full of excitement and stories! I guess they had some gingerbread scavenger hunt around the school, and "mom, did you know that the earth is spinning?" And that "when you put things in water, it makes the level of the water go up!" And, "have you heard this song? 'Sunday, Monday, Wednesday', - what comes next?" So cool! I love seeing him excited about school and enjoying it! I think this is a great fit for him, and he's off to a great start! Way to go Tyrus!

~ALEXIS~
Alexis is also loving being "mommy's big helper" when Tyrus is away at school. I find this somewhat amusing, because for the three hours he's gone, she's sleeping for two of them! But, for the rest of the time, it is super peaceful and she and Carsten have really played a lot together. I think I'll take my friend's advice and get her some special workbooks that she can work on some so that she feels like she's doing schoolwork, too. And really, she's old enough to learn stuff!

I've also been able to just spend some much needed one-on-one time with her reading and talking. I've seen quite a change in her - for the good - over the last few months. She's getting older and maturing and it's nice to see. She is a lover or a fighter - there isn't much in the middle.

Recently, she's picked up the phrase "Mom, I'm tired." She says this about 20 times a day. At first, I was worried thinking maybe she was really sick or lethargic or something, but she's not. She'll say this when she just woke up, or when she's sitting on the couch, or in the car, or when she's playing. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. It's just something to say, like she's bored or there's a lull in activity. What ever, weirdo.

The other thing she's doing a lot of recently is combing the hair on her My Little Pony. She discovered where I kept the hair clips and so now her Pony has, oh, 45 clips in her hair. Now, when I try to comb her own hair, she still her screams bloody murder, but I've told her she needs to get over that, since I won't quit combing it until she's fully able to do it on her own. Perhaps the Pony thing will help though, who knows?

We've also been working on trying to cut out the nail biting. I told her that if she didn't bite her nails for one whole day, at the end of the day, I'd giver her a Jelly Bean. She loved that idea, and it worked for keeping her dry over night, so I figured it was worth a shot for her nails, too. And so far, it seems to be working pretty good! She's got some nail growing there which I haven't seen any of in a long time. If this works, then perhaps we'll move on to her thumb sucking which her dentist says is causing a major overbite. One thing at a time, I guess.

~CARSTEN~
Carsten, my baby, is 11 months old as of yesterday. How is this possible? It just suddenly struck me the other day that he's almost a year, and moving more toward toddler hood than babyhood. Amazing.

I'd guess that he'll be full time walking by his birthday next month. Last night, he took quite a few steps toward me, giggling the whole time. It's so cute to see and he loves the challenge. Josh says we're crazy for trying to encourage him to become more mobile, but hey, whatever. He's still a peanut - wearing 9 to 12 month clothes, and weighing right around 20 pounds. Today I put on a 12 month onesie, and the snaps were down by his knees! And his pants! They fall off constantly because he doesn't have enough to keep the crazy things up! He's SO different in this way than his siblings.

I'm really trying to cut down the nursing with him and work on him sleeping in his own bed for the whole night. Easier said than done. Part of the issue is that we live in an apartment and we've already had some complaints about noise. (I just think or neighbors are crabby, but eh, what can you do.) Anyway, so with the other kids, I let them cry for a bit one night, and they figured it out. But I feel paranoid to do that with C because I don't want to disturb the other people in the building I'm not sure really how much they could hear, but I don't want another complaint issued, either. All that said, I'm having difficulty teaching Carsten to stay in his bed and that mommy's asleep, without being able to keep him quiet. So far, if he cries, I've just been going in, giving him his paci, and laying him back down. And, I'm also putting him back in his bed, vs keeping him in bed with us, after I'm done feeding him in the night. I think these are all steps in the right direction. Hopefully he'll get it soon. One can hope, right? :)

And He's Off!

Well, he survived!

I was pretty teary on the way to the school as I was driving Tyrus for his first day of Kindergarten. I just kept thinking about what a big kid he is, and I was questioning myself if we've taught him everything he needs to know (don't goof off, listen to instructions, don't go in anyone's car you don't know... etc). Josh came and was able to kiss Ty and tell him good luck! Then, the tears in Josh's eyes made me tear up, of course too.



When I picked him up, he was all cheerful, blabbing up a storm! His teacher said he had a great first day, so that made me happy. I asked him lots of questions about his day and the things he did and he happily answered everything. Then we got home and the tears started! He said his head hurt and he felt sick and all itchy. I think he was just overwhelmed with the new day and all it's activities and he was ready for some down time. So, he changed his clothes and just relaxed for a bit.

Tonight, as I was putting him to bed, he was all excited and giggling - thinking about tomorrow's day of school!

Is that a step I see?!

Carsten is beginning to take steps on his own! Can you believe it?? He'll stand unassisted for quite a while, and then he sort of leans forward and his toes wiggle. It's like you can see his brain clicking and willing his feet to go forward. The most steps I've seen him take is two before he comes crashing down again to the floor. So cute!

I wonder if he'll be in the middle of his brother and sister? Alexis walked at just shy of 10 months, and Tyrus was 13 when he started, so who knows where Carsten will end up? He's almost 11 months now!

Ty's Open House

So tonight we had Tyrus' second Open House for his school. He starts on Tuesday, so this was a meet-and-greet to see his actual classroom, his cubby and get reacquainted with his teachers. He's lucky because the school just opened up a new building and he's the first to use the new classrooms!



I was a wreck by the time we got into the class, though. The school had that "new school smell" and when we walked up and I saw the sign that said "Welcome to Kindergarten" and his name on a folder outside on the table, the tears started! I'm such a sap! It was even worse when I saw his cubby and his name all over the room in the individual areas.




His class is pretty cool. There all sorts of areas and centers that are designated for different things. One is weather and time and reading. There's a piano and a guitar and a huge long white board. There's a large TV and a carpeted circle area. On one wall, they have little pockets with "Our Jobs" over the top. On that we noticed that Ty's stick was in "off duty" currently. We all had a chuckle about that... hee hee.




The whole time we were there though, I kept thinking, how is it possible that my kid, my baby, my first born, is old enough to be going to school? How did we get here? Wasn't he just a toddler in his crib calling out "wann ooout!"

And now, he's this tall, gorgeous young man, old enough for Kindergarten. Old enough to be away from mom and dad for the day. Old enough to learn to read and write and count higher than he knows now. Old enough to make potential life long friends and become part of a class - the class of 2020! Amazing.

As we were leaving, we peeked into the Boys' Bathroom so he'd know where it was. I said to him, "what do you think?" And he said in his ever-so-grown-up-way, "it looks like a bathroom." What a goof.

I'm going to be a mess come Tuesday. Anyone have any Kleenex?

Fears, Emotions, Tears

Tonight was quite the night. After I'd tucked the kids into bed, Tyrus was seeming a bit blue, so I sat on his bed and tried to talk to him about what he was thinking/feeling. That's one thing I've always loved about him. He's a sensitive soul and will usually talk to me about what's going on. Tonight he told me that he's tired of doing the same old stuff all the time - picking up toys, playing the same games, etc and how he just feels like he needs some time away from it all. So I started talking to him about how when he's at school in a few weeks, he will have a time, every day, when he'll be gone from everybody else. He seemed okay with that idea, but also a bit unsure. So I talked some more about what school will involve and the things he'll learn (like maybe how to count to 100! or that he'll learn to spell and then will understand what daddy and mommy are spelling over his head all the time - he laughed at that) and the fun things he'll do. We talked about how his teacher told him he could bring a picture in of his family and paste it inside of his pencil box. He liked that idea, and we decided that tomorrow we'll go through the pictures and choose a picture that we'll print out. Over all, it was a positive conversation, and I think he felt better afterwards.

In the mean time, Alexis comes over and climbs on me and asks when she'll go to school. So, I start talking to her about how she'll get to go in a few years when she's a big 5 year old, and how that right now, she gets to be the big kid each day at home with mommy and can have special time. Well, that wasn't the answer she was looking for, and her ever present emotions burst out. She cried and cried. I kept reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, and that Ty would only be gone for a while and that she was going to do great, but she still felt sad and scared, she told me.

Ugh. I expected some nerves out of Ty, but Alexis' reaction totally blindsided me. I guess I should have seen it coming, but I just didn't. Who knew Kindergarten could be such a big deal?

Silly Kid Talk

So yesterday Josh and I took the kids out to lunch at Subway. After we were done, I dug in my purse for a piece of gum and I offered one to Josh, too. Alexis pipes up that she'd like to have a piece. Well, I'm not usually too keen on giving her gum just because she doesn't keep it in her mouth very well and I really don't want to have to clean up a huge mess. So, I told her no.

Well, of course, she flips out and says over and over, "I want some gum! I want some gum!" I kept telling her that she didn't need it, and then she says, "but I want my breath to be comfortable, mom!!"

Hee hee. Can't argue with that, can you?

Tonight, we had a treat of ice cream since the kids helped pick up all of the toys all over the living room. Alexis chose Bubble Gum and Ty chose Moose Tracks. Later, after they'd finished, Alexis asked me if she could have more. I told her no, she'd already had some. Then she says, "but I didn't have any "Mole Traps kind!"

Family, family, family!

We've been lucky this month. Almost all of our family that live in Colorado were able to come THIS way to visit us! How cool is that? In the two weeks, we went to Lake Michigan in South Haven, the zoo in Battle Creek, the Children's Museum in Grand Rapids, out to the Michigan District Camp Grounds a few times and all over everywhere in between! We got to celebrate my dad's 50th and Destiny's 20th birthdays on the same day! It was a lovely time with all of them and really enjoyed the time that they were all here.










In other news, Carsten is standing unassisted at times! Whoa! How did that happen?! He thinks he's so sly too, when he let's go of your legs or the chair and stands up - he always gets a big grin and then starts clapping. It's adorable. :) The kid is 10 months old today. Whew.



Alexis has really been doing well the last month or so. I've seem some remarkable improvements in her behavior and I'm very proud of her. We've been working on cutting down on her thumb sucking (only in her bed at nap and bedtime) and she's working on some preschool lessons.




Tyrus is seeming ready for school. He starts in just a few weeks and we've still got to get his supplies. I know, I know, I should have done this months ago, but to be honest, I haven't had a chance to. Thankfully, we have the list of what we need already, so now it's just going to get it. I think he's going to do great in school - he's ready.

Is it Spaghetti or Cake?!

So this past weekend, our church held it's fourth annual Cake Walk Fundraiser. There were all sorts of entries this year, including a Christmas Tree, a wrapped present, a McDonald's hamburger meal, and a pair of flip flops. :) It is always very fun to see what everyone will come up with and see all of the creative minds at work.

This time, I made a "Plate of Spaghetti" cake. It was pretty cool, too. It even had real sauce (made of strawberry jam) and meatballs (brownies) to go with it! And the best part of all is I won first place! Woo hoo!

Sweet summertime....

It's already the middle of July, and it feels like summer is slipping by so quickly. Where does the time go?

Oh, I know! It goes to the grocery store and the library and church and the doctor's office for another ear infection, and to softball, and to the IL's house to do laundry, and back to the store, and to the park, and to the gas station, and.... Yikes! Ha!

Actually, we've had a nice summer. :) We've spent a lot of time outdoors and at the library doing story hours, and the kids have enjoyed many Popsicles. Things are going well.




Let me update a bit about us.

Josh is currently out of town in Ohio. He got a promotion at the bank, and so he's down there currently for training. He's excited about this new position and the flexibility it will allow, and also the quarterly bonuses. :)

Tyrus is such a big kid. He starts kindergarten in the fall (actually less than a month from now at the day after labor day!) and he's getting excited. Today was the first day that I sensed hesitancy at all in him. He told me school was going to be hard - but I quickly told him that Kindergarten was going to be a lot of fun!

He went this weekend with Grandma and Grandpa K camping. He loved that! He even rode a horse, which he thought was pretty cool!




Alexis is our resident stinker! She's full of spunk and currently loves to play dress-up. She still screams when I comb her hair (I'm hoping she'll get over that soon - because I'm not stopping any time soon!) and so that's no fun. She's also learning her letters some and can recognize the letter "A" and when she sees it, she shouts out - "Look, there's my letter, mom!" It's cute.

One thing she says too right now that's not so cool is, "I will TOO!" when I tell her that she won't or shouldn't do something! UGH.




Dr. Destructive is what we call Carsten right now! His current favorite activity is to pull all the books off of the shelf and pull all of the silverware out of the dishwasher drawer. His brother and sister find this incredibly amusing, I have to say.






And me, I'm doing well. Chugging away at my Body Shop at Home business, and loving every minute of it!

Testing the waters...

Tomorrow we meet with a realtor to look at a few houses. Whew. I'm a bit nervous because of the situation that happened with the last house we owned (lost our jobs, had to sell, took forever to sell, etc) and I don't want to get into something that's more than we really should buy.

We've been living in an apartment for the last year and a half, and before that, we lived with Dennis and Mary Lou for about two years. It's taken us this long to get back on our feet, but we're feeling confident that things are better now and that we're more sure footed and that maybe, perhaps, it's time again to buy a house.

There are four that we're going to look at tomorrow, and both Josh and I feel like if it's going to be the right thing, than it will work out - if not, we're happy staying in our apartment for a while longer.

So, we shall see.

Look Mom! I have a farkle!

Tonight, Alexis discovered a freckle on her chest, right under her arm. She was so excited and exclaimed with all her might, "Look mom! I have a FARKLE!"

What a silly girl.

The Award for Mom of the Year goes to...

....someone other than me, that's for sure!

So I had a horrible parenting moment on Saturday. Carsten was cranky all morning, and neither Josh or I could figure out what his deal was. We'd pick him up and he'd just scream like he was in major pain or something! It was freaky. His top front tooth is coming in, so I thought maybe that was the problem. We gave him some Tylenol and OraJel which seemed to help some, but he still wasn't acting normal. At one point, we were looking at his legs to see if there was a major bruise or a lump from a broken bone, but everything seemed fine.

We went out and about and he finally fell asleep in his carseat. We got back, and I went to change his diaper, and IN HIS DIAPER was a set of plastic toy chew links. The poor kid had a toy in his diaper which was why he was so uncomfortable! Thankfully, once I took it out, he seemed just fine and no worse for the wear, but I still felt (and feel) like a horrible mother for not realizing the problem.

I'm still at a loss as to how exactly the chew links got into his diaper, but I guess that's one only he knows.

Carsten's First Haircut

So C's hair was starting to hang over his ears, so I thought it was about time to get it cut. It's always such a momentous occasion, so of course I had the camera posed and ready. My mom and sister were here to help hold on to him and take pictures.

Here he is before:




It wasn't much of a cut, but more just a little trim around his ears and neck. He looks like such a big boy now! It's amazing what a difference it's made! What a cutie!

Kindergarten, Here We Come

Tonight was the open house for Tyrus' new school. We were thrilled to be invited to come and see where he'll spend so much time this fall. We met his teachers (TWO of them!) and found out that he'll get to be in the brand new building that is currently under construction. Josh and I both thought it was cool that he'll have two teachers, instead of only one. That's just better, I think.

Anyway, we're excited. I know that he is, too. And I know that he's ready to start this new stage in his life. According to the teacher, the new year begins right after Labor Day. Kindergarten, here we come!

Wedding Weekend Extraordinaire

So this weekend, Josh's cousin Brendan married the love of his life, Amanda. We were lucky enough to be able to celebrate with them for four days and three nights in the bustling city of Chicago! After lots of taxis, tips, and restaurants, we're home again.

The wedding weekend was simply beautiful. You could tell that a lot of thought went into the activities and details. On Saturday afternoon, we went on an architectural cruise down the Chicago river and learned all about the fabulous buildings that line the city. The kids loved the boat - though Carsten was a tad freaked by the boat motor! :) Toward the middle of the cruise, the rain started, and so by the end, we were pretty wet. Thankfully, I'd had the foresight to bring one umbrella and a few jackets, so all was not lost.

After the cruise, aunt Chris asked if Alexis would like to go visit the American Girl store. Neither she nor I had ever heard of it, but Chris insisted that we'd like it. So we went along and let me tell you, Alexis was in heaven! She loved looking at all of the dolls and hearing about them. In the end, she chose Molly to bring home with her. (Thanks Chris for your generosity...) That was very fun, though after walking back to our hotel, we were all soaked.

Later that evening, we were all invited to the Rehearsal Dinner and Emilio's Tapas. This was such a cool restaurant, and I was able to try a few things there that I'd never had the chance to try before (capers, scallops) and so that in itself was a joy. We stayed late, and the boys fell asleep in the bench.

Sunday morning we joined forces with Josh's cousin Arrowyn, her husband Jason, and their daughter Manzanita and went to the Field Museum. Our kids really connected with Manzanita and loved spending time with her. Dennis and Mary Lou, and their gang all came along as well. It was fun to be able to explore the museum and see the kids experience it as well!

After the museum, it was time to get ready for the wedding. Josh and Ty went off to the guys room to get dressed, and I took Alexis and Carsten. Amanda's friend Amy offered to do Alexis' hair, so we took her up on it, and soon she was looking fabulous.





The wedding was held in the Alder Planetarium, which is this absolutely beautiful glass building right on the water. Tyrus and Alexis looked stunning as they walked down the isle. Alexis LOVED being in the center of attention for that moment! She kept smiling and and smiling. It was so cute and I felt proud!




And Tyrus! Oh my! He looked so handsome and he did a fantastic job! I was very proud once again.



And then came Josh. My love! He was the usher and had the honor of walking his grandmother and Aunt down the isle. Amanda and Brendan were radiating and you could see their love for each other. Everything was simply beautiful.

The reception was magnificent! The food was excellent, the band spectacular, the company good. And really, the fireworks over the sky lined water topped it all off!







Congratulations, Brendan & Amanda!

Wonders Never Cease

Today at our church, we had a Friend Day. Everyone invited all of their friends to the service, and then afterwards, we had a pig roast. It was a beautiful day and there was a fantastic turn out. As we went through the food line, Josh got his plate and Alexis' and I got my plate and Ty's. Josh piled his plate with the pork, plus some baked beans and homemade potato salad. I was surprised by the potato salad, since I've never seen him eat it before, but didn't think too much about it.

As we sat down, I watched him eat a bite of the salad, and looked on with amazement as he ate another bite! Wow! I asked him if he actually liked it (knowing he's not big on mayo) and he said, "you know, it's not too bad!"

Yay, I get to make my mom's potato salad now and I won't be the only one eating it! Sweet!

Crazy Carsten

So Carsten is only seven months and he's already begun to pull up against things and try to stand next to them. It's like he's forgotton that he's a baby or something. He's only been crawling for a week, and he acts as if crawling is old boring news now. After he stands up, he'll fall and then he gets so upset because he can't figure out what happend.

He has a ton of zest and no skill. It's a very scary combination. I have visions of Alexis as an infant in my head! Sigh.