Girls in the hole in the wall saga continues

Karter must have a really great imagination. I choose to believe this, over anything weird and scary. =) The other day when he said he wanted to p ray for the girls, then pointed and told me they were in the hole in the wall. Okay...

Tonight, I again, asked him who he wanted to pray for, again it was the girls...in the hole...in the wall. Hmm. I did some more investigating, like this:

Me: Are the girls big or little like you?
Karter: little like you
Me: How did they get in the wall?
Karter: djen (that's what it sounded like, I have no idea!)
Me: Who put the girls in the wall?
Karter: kids
Me: Kids put girls in a hole in the wall? Ooookay!
Me: What do the girls do?
Karter: um...soccer ball!
Me: They must be little to play soccer in the wall.
Karter: yeah.
Finished covering the boys up, said goodnight and went to leave the room.
Karter: goodnight girls in hole!
Me: You want me to say goodnight to the girls in the hole in the wall?
Karter: yesh, good night girls.
Me: Uh...good night girls...in the hole....in the wall....

Uh huh... He also played that he was a puppy all afternoon, I named him Ruffy. He and Kian thought it was great fun. I do not let this child watch dateline or Law and Order SVU or anything, to get these weird ideas from.

Good boy: dog training and conditions on children

Good boy, or similarly good job. I think if I hear that phrase, not directed at a dog, again, I might scream. Even my husband is guilty of it. I am very conscientious of it, so I rarely, if at all, say it. "Good boy, you finished your food!" "You picked up your blocks, good job!" Ahh!

Why do I hate it so much? Well, first I don't want my kids to expect that they will be praised for every single thing they do, especially chores or routine things, like picking up their toys, or eating their food. Second, it's an overused, generic phrase, that dilutes their worth, or the worth of their actions. I don't want my kids to see their worth, and being loved is only tied to their "good" behavior (which is also subjective to the person who said it, meaning that "good" behavior is constantly changing by who they are around) and that they only get things, get love if they act a certain way or do certain things.

I choose, and most child development experts say, to use phrases that compliment their work or acknowledge them, what their doing, etc. If they pick up their toys, or make their beds, or put their plates in the sink, I say "thank you". That's it. I'm happy they chose to do the things they needed to or were asked to do, but they don't need to be praised for it. If they are building an awesome Lego castle, then I say that. "I like your castle" or "wow, look how tall that is" or the like, is much more effective in the long term than a generic "good job". I know, that if Kevin says "good job" to me, then I ask him, "well WHAT did you like about dinner? Did you like the pasta, or was there enough seasoning on the chicken?" etc. So, saying something specific is much better. Plus, the odds of increasing that behavior again (be it cooking an apple pie for Kevin, Kian putting his plate in the sink, Karter picking up his blocks) multiplies when you use a specific characteristic you liked or want to praise.

And, putting conditions on things, like saying "you won't get a snack if you're not a good boy" is just ridiculous to me. I won't withhold food from my kids, depending on their behavior. Might they lose a special snack or treat, such as ice cream, if they misbehave? Yes. But, I will give them an option for another snack, not make them go hungry, just because they had poor behavior earlier. I don't insist my kids finish all the food on their plates, at every meal. I don't always eat the same amount every day, every meal, so I won't force them. Yes, they have to try and have bites of things and eat a decent amount, but overall I don't worry about it so much. Also, using food as rewards, I don't want to send any more emotional eating messages, as I deal with that myself. Bored? Upset? Did a good job picking up toys? Eat eat eat! No no no! Ah!

Along with that is "I/so and so won't play with you, or build that tower with you if you don't do x" "if you do this, then maybe I'll play/read with you". Sigh. So, you want to revoke childhood rights and learning (by play) because the child doesn't act exactly the way you want them too? Obviously there are certain things that do necessitate losing privileges and such. But, kids are kids. Did I do everything my bosses wanted me to? Exactly the way they wanted me too and at the exact time? Nope. I don't want little minions, little, silent clones of myself. I want to give my kids some freedoms to learn and explore and be themselves, within limits of course. I realize they are their own people and parenting is not about control, it's about guiding and teaching.

And that's my random rant on those phrases, and as I lost steam and the boys were done playing in the mud and ready to come in for a snack, that's how I'm going to leave it and end it. Here's some very good articles on the subject:

5 Reasons to stop saying Good Job

3 alternatives to saying 'good job'

Don't praise your kids

And if you want to find a ton of other articles and websites all saying the same thing, just google "parenting praise". I do remember some of this vaguely from my child development classes. It's kind of like Pavlov for kids....

Conversation with Kian and Karter

While getting into the shower the other day, Karter was with me in the bathroom and says "You a popotamus?" I said, "no, why? I'm not a hippopotamus." He says "you popotamus. you have popotamus butt!" Um, thanks kid! That's why I worked out again this morning, and he obviously believes I still have a hippopotamus butt, as he was yelling "push! one more! is it burn yet?" haha!

Karter is just like Kourtney and cannot stand his socks being on sideways or even slightly twisted. I remember her always taking off her shoes and realigning her tights and socks so the toe seam was just right and straight. He's the same way! "twists! fix it!" ahh.

Kian, was having great manners at dinner and I complimented him on it. He answers, "yes, I am being a man. I'm doing what daddy and men do."

Me: Karter, who do you want to pray for?
Karter: girls.
Me: Girls? what girls?
Karter: big girls.
Me: Where are big girls?
Karter: in the hole, in there (pointing to his bedroom wall)
Me: you have girls in a hole in your bedroom wall?? (laughing hysterically) every man's dream eh?

Overheard:
Kian: Gingerbread! Use your manners! Pickles, say your sorry to Gingy. (Apparently they weren't being too polite at meal time haha)

And another time, chasing Gingy around the house, Kian says "Gingy! I'm your hero! Gingerbread! I'll be your hero!"

Kian: here Karter, you were nice to me so you can use my leapster. <3

And: Karter, I will read you a book for nap today. double <3

Far too long

It's been awhile. I've missed blogging regularly, but, well, life is happening. Besides the house upkeep, and there's a lot of that, preschool, errands, doing crafts and puzzles with Karter, you know the list that just keeps going. I feel like, I don't have that much to say anymore...sadly. I mean I DO, it's just in my head and by the time I think of some awesome posts, it's vanished. My friends and I fondly call it "baby sucked your brain out and you'll never get it back" aka "baby brain"...I suppose that's shorter.

Almost two full months into this new year and i don't know that I accomplished much of anything yet, that I hoped too. I set goals, not resolutions. But, the exercise and eating less sugar, less carbs/processed junk just hasn't happened yet, again. Being sick with a copule stomach bugs will do that. No, not pregnant. Trust me, not this month anyways, that's my standard answer. =)

I have, however, wandered into some new ventures. Not quite ready to go nuts with that, but picked up some old hobbies again, and perhaps thinking of opening an Etsy shop. (that's www.etsy.com) for those of you who don't know...all handmade or vintage and crafty stuff. It's something I find that I can do for myself, just me, not a kid thing, a shared thing, but a Krysten thing. And if it turns into something that can turn a profit, even a small one, hey-even better! I'm teaching myself some more of the difficult things that go along with this hobby, via free online information, a big bonus, so that I don't have to spend much on it. So, I'll be sure to put it out where, when/if I do that. It'd be nice to have that feeling of 'working' again, in some random way.

Along with my re-found hobby, we're just plugging away at life. Kian is making some friends and we've had play dates this week. This is a whole new thing for me, and let's be honest, I can type a lot and be open, but I dislike meeting new people, I dislike getting to know new people sometimes, i dislike being thrown in a crowd of 15 parents each day at drop off and pick up and feeling shy yet forced to talk and get to know them. Ugh. Kian has about 3 friends he talks about a lot, 2 are girls. We went to the little boys house, and then had another little girl, and her sister who is Karter's age--bonus!, over on Wednesday. I wasn't completely comfortable going to another person's house and worrying how the kids would be, touch, break things, etc. Of course, I went nuts cleaning before Wednesday's girls came here. But, it was great. The kids played so well together, the mom and I sat and chatted so easily and didn't feel we had to even watch the kids closely, like I did at someone else's house. My 4.5 year old is more social than I am, and has a better social life than I do. Not sure how I feel about this!

Thanks to some gift cards we've been able to do some things around the house. We were given a nice, newer window someone was taking out of their home, and put it in the 'gym' room. There were no windows there before, so it's nice to have some natural light in. We painted the dark paneling in the laundry room. It's now a nice pale blue, don't ask me the name. We didn't even have a plan, we just grabbed one at Lowe's and that's how we decided in under a minute. We also found some cheap vinyl tiles, so we will be ripping up the carpet from that room this weekend. We use it as a laundry room/mud room/pet room, so we're just destroying the carpet. It will be easier for me to use a mop on it than try to not get mud in there. After that, we'll take a break from house stuff. Wears me out!

Actually, this whole month has worn me out! Super busy, busier on Kian's school break than regular days. 3 play dates and a day they spent at their grandma's while I visited a friend in the area. My good friend from work is moving to North Carolina. I don't really use "best" friend for people (then I feel like I have favorites? is that okay to have favorites? haha) but Amy's been one of my 'goodest' friends. I've known her since....June of 2004 when I started my service coordinator job at Catholic Family center. There was a time I thought she hated me, but once my office mate left, Amy and I were friends. I still miss seeing her daily, our chats in our office, the office gossip, all that stuff. And of course she quit work to stay home with her kids AFTER I moved farther away from her, the nerve! Even though we're an hour away, we still keep in touch and get together here and there. So, I'm sad. I feel like I have few really, good, deep friends and usually they leave... like my college roommate Jessica, who was in town, er the country the last couple weeks. I almost killed her with her "I'm coming/I'm not coming" bit, but it was great to see her for a visit with our families, as we haven't seen each other in almost 6 years I think. We had a get together with a lot of new and old friends on Sunday. It was busy, but fun. Then, Jess went back to Syracuse to visit family, before returning to Holland. So, let's just say that Thursday after saying goodbye to my two good friends, and driving past our old house and roads, I was having a rough afternoon. Thankfully, Amy sent me off with her cool touch kleenex! I needed it on the drive back to pick up the boys. I wasn't a pretty sight, and had to pull myself together before going in. I hate change and goodbyes.

But, now, I have some good vacation spots, and good reasons to go. Amy and our friend Casey and his wife are in NC, my grandma, grandpa and uncles are in Florida. Kian's saving every penny in his piggy banks for his Florida trip to "meet my grandma Mcknight and grandpa Lloyd and grandpa McKnight and Lego land". I desperately wish we could just say 'yes!" and go. But, we need to save up for that, and find some good deals. Darn money! I tell ya, this world would be a happier place if it wasn't so dang expensive.

Money, money, money. Waiting on taxes so we can pay taxes, it's an odd irony that annoys me. Maybe I should tell my federal return to go right to Canandaigua's town tax department? Wonder if they'd do that? Oh, and I had to spend some money on Pickles the cat. The cat that the vet told us was a girl and magically one day was a boy. Yeah, that cat. Thank you God that the price they quoted me for his neuter surgery was not what they made me pay. I waited as long as I could, but he was attacking poor Gingy and I can't have kittens being born now, here, and trying to find homes, we're trying to be responsible pet owners here. So, I did it and thankfully, when I picked him up, they billed me $35 less than what they quoted. Oh happy day! And he's left Gingy alone, and has been a bit more affectionate, not much, but not getting all mad if we touch him, like before. And yes, for those counting, 4 cats, 7 chickens, at least a dozen fish (Kevin's, yet I get stuck feeding them daily) and just one dog. Windsor baby left us towards the end of January, for another family. I hope he's doing great, he was last time I checked. A friend of a friend was looking for a dog and hooked us up. It was too much for me to keep handling. There, I admitted it. I failed at child/animal/housekeeping juggling act. I miss sweet Windsor but also know he's probably the king of the castle there, no jealousy with sharing attention with Finn. It's easier here at night and in the morning with only one dog to let in and out and feed. The boys only asked the first few days for Windsor, and then haven't brought it up again. I think it was best for all involved, even the dog.

So, that brings you all up to speed on my not very interesting life. Someday soon I shall have more deep thoughts and recipes and words of enlightenment. But, tonight, I am only a tired housewife, looking forward to a (free via giftcard) dinner with my husband tomorrow night because my kids will be at my mom's house. Off to bed with me, before I make anymore seriously long run-on sentences!

If Jesus had been born in 2011, a modern birth portrayal

Most of you know I'm pretty intent and gung ho about natural births, least invasive medical involvement during pregnancy and birth, and so on. So, I got to thinking about Mary, about baby Jesus, about her birth in a stable. I don't think the stable was that much dirtier than the home, bedroom counterparts of that day. I mean they were made of mud, stone, dirt, etc. But, giving birth alone, with animals and a (let's be honest) clueless, brand-new husband as your only companions? Probably sucked, but Mary was a trooper right?

But, what if Mary had been pregnant and given birth in 2011? What would that birth look like? A whole, heck of a lot different that's for sure! Let's take a look...

--Scene: Doctor's office.----
Doctor (sarcastically): Soooo Mary, you said you're still a virgin eh? You've never had sex huh? Well, the test shows otherwise honey. You're definitely pregnant.

Mary: Well, I uh, I know, I said I was told I was going to be pregnant. But, um, yes, I'm not even married yet.

Doctor: Dear, we don't all have to be married to have sex or be pregnant. I just take care of the ones that are. Now, are you feeling okay? Does your mind seem to be a little off lately? Have you had any strange thoughts? Maybe you just don't remember the night you got pregnant, a little partying perhaps? (writes "watch mental status" in Mary's chart.) I could always have you talk to someone about it, or if you've always had some strange thoughts maybe we can get you some pills.

Mary: Um, no, no it's fine. I just must not remember clearly...

---A few months, a small wedding to Joseph, a lot of whispers and gossip later: A mid-pregnancy ultrasound.---

Tech: So, here's the heart, looks great. Brain looks fine. Measurements seem normal. Would you like to know the gender?

Mary: It's a boy, I'm having a son.

Tech: That's right! How did you know? Did you see it on the screen? I didn't even get there yet.

Mary: Uh..no, God told me.

Tech: Oh, I see. Well, anyhow, it definitely is a boy. Do you have a name picked out yet?

Mary: We're naming him Jesus.

Tech: Jesus eh? I haven't heard that one before and I've heard a lot of names, lots of strange ones too. Where'd you get that one? What does it mean?

Mary: It means "Savior, Messiah, God delivers". Jesus is the Son of God.

Tech: Huh...Son of God eh? Interesting. Well, I don't see any halos or blinding lights or angel wings on this baby, far as my ultrasound wand can see. Hehehe.

---Mary begins labor---

Mary: Joseph, I'm having contractions, it's time to go.

At the hospital....

Nurse: Sorry honey, it's pretty full in there tonight, guess it's a popular night for having a baby. I'll have to have you sit out here in the waiting room for a bit until I clean out a triage room.

Little while later....

Nurse: (Reading Mary's chart) So, you have a "special" baby in there eh? How have you been feeling? Have you had any strange thoughts lately, I mean besides the angels and Son of God stuff?

Mary: I'm having contractions, I'm in pain, can I please have a drink of water? Can I get up to use the bathroom?

Nurse: Nope. You stay laying in bed until the doctor comes to check you. And hold still so I can put this IV in.

Mary: IV? Why? For what?

Nurse: In case we need to give you fluids, pain meds, or if you need surgery, that sort of stuff. It's easier access for us, it's a lot quicker. What's your pain level right now anyway?

Mary: A 5 I guess.

--OB enters--

Doctor: Ok Mary, so let's see where yu're at. We'll check you every few hours and see where you're at with this baby. I've heard a lot about this baby, anything special I should know, besides him being the "Son of God" haha. (Winks at Joseph) You God then Joseph?

Well, you're at a 4. If you're having a lot of pain, I can give you a shot of something, put something in your IV, until you're a bit further, then we can give you an epidural and you won't feel a thing.

Mary: I just want a drink of water and to use the bathroom please.

Doctor: Oh no, no water. You might need a c-section or something, so nothing goes in your stomach. I'll buzz the nurse, she can come back and help you move that IV pole and go to the bathroom.

Nurse enters...

Nurse: Hey Mary, you gotta use the bathroom eh? Well let's get you over there. You know, if you get an epidural we'll give you a catheter so you don't feel the need to go and won't even know when you're going. It's great.

Mary: Great? not feeling half my body is great?

Nurse: Sure is! Then giving birth is a breeze, well unless the baby gets stuck, or you're pelvis is too small-say you are pretty tiny thing, it might happen to you. You want me to call the anesthesiologist now for that epidural?

Mary: No, I'm okay right now. Joseph's helping me handle it and I'm praying and using some massage.

Nurse: Yeah, praying, praying it's over right? haha! Well, you buzz me when you're ready for those meds.

--Few hours later--

Doctor: You're at 10 Mary. Let's start pushing.

Mary: I have felt like pushing for an hour! They wouldn't let me until you were here!

Doctor: Well, let's get to it. You have an hour to get this baby out or we'll have to talk other options, I mean you've been in labor for 11 hours now.

Mary (under her breath): And yet you've made it feel like eternity! Hope the Son of God redeems you before I do!

After pushing for an hour and a half..

Doctor: Come on Mary! Get this baby out. Push harder. I don't know, maybe the baby's just too big. Maybe your pelvis is too small...we might need to start talking c-section. Nurse, check her IVs.

Mary: No! I can do this. I need to sit up, I need to change my position. Laying down just isn't working for me.

Doctor: Well honey, you standing up doesn't work for ME! I need to see what's going on and this is the best angle. So, let's try this again. Go!

Mary: What are we, in a friggin barn? Why can't I give birth the way I want to? Arrrgghh!

Doctor: That's it! There ya go, get mad!

---Finally, baby Jesus is out---

Nurse: It's definitely a boy!

Mary: Oh can I see him? Can I have him?

Doctor: first we need to wash him off a bit, I need to suction him out some more. Then we'll weigh him and let you have him for a bit.

Mary: I can wipe him off, please can I see his face?

Nurse: Here's a quick peek honey, I'm taking him over here to the isolette to get warm and clean. He weighs 7lbs and 12 oz.

Mary: (to herself) I'm warm, I think I could keep him warm. *Sigh*

Doctor: Hmm, we need to take him to the NICU, he seems to be, well "shining" a bit. We don't know what this means. We need to get some blood work and hook him up to monitors and we'll see what else.

Mary: I told you, he's Jesus, the Son of God. Please give me my baby and let me hold him.

Doctor: Do you want us to circumcise him while he's back there with us?

Mary: Well, we are Jewish, and usually have a ceremony for that....

Doctor: Oh I'll just do it quick today in case there are other things we need to take care of, like this shining thing.

Mary: Um, my religious beliefs...I want to have the ceremony, not in the hospital...

Doctor: Fine, I won't do it today. We'll let you know when we find something out about this shining thing, and his heart seems a bit big for a newborn...hopefully we won't have to transfer him to the special children's hospital a few hours away.

Mary: Of course his heart is big...my baby is fine, there's nothing wrong with him. I'd like him to stay here with me.

Doctor: well, these are normal procedures and protocol for when something doesn't go just right, the way we expect in a birth. And we'd better give you a shot, some pitocin to contract the uterus and some vitamin K, you seem a bit pale and tired, we'll check our blood too.

Mary: I just had a baby, of course I'm tired! Have you ever pushed a baby out?

Doctor: Well, um, no I'm a male, that's your job.

Mary: I'm fine! My baby is fine. Just please leave him here and let us have some time.

Doctor: I'm worried about your mental status Mary, you've made some far-fetched claims about this pregnancy and baby, and something is a bit off with him. Maybe we need a psych visit and some more blood work. Do you regularly take anything? Vitamins, supplements or illegal drugs?


....I'd like to think at this point, Joseph steps in and the doctor backs off... Of course the hospital really went into a frenzy when the wise men came to visit...

Exciting reruns

I admit that I didn't think that living through all the baby and toddler accomplishments and milestones for a second time, wouldn't be that thrilling. But, guess what? It IS still as exciting and fun the second time around. The crawling, walking, was fun, and expected. This toddler stuff, the conversations he comes up with though, are entertaining and so much fun.

I remember Kian as this same age, just over 2 years old, because I really thought of him in depth as he became a 'big' brother. It's interesting to see Karter in a different light, because he's a different person, but also because he's not on the verge of becoming a big brother (no, not yet, despite what Kian and I hope for!) so he still has time to be that "baby". He knows he's still small enough and adorable enough to ask for skittles after each potty trip. And to snuggle in with mama, twisting my hair and making his big blue eyes just so, to get to stay up later.

But, he is making sure we all know he is not a baby. His favorite thing to say is "I not baby, Kian a big boy, I a little boy". So true. His second favorite, and most often heard phrases are: Me do this, and No me! He wants to keep up with everything Kian does. He scales counters and playground equipment like nothing. This week, he decided he did not want to be dressed any longer. So, he taught himself how to get dressed. Underwear, pants, undershirt, shirts, socks, babylegs, shoes, everything. He just decided it and it was done. I was pretty impressed. I didn't think I'd be impressed as I was watching my firstborn accomplish such things, but nope, still very much impressed! Also, impressive was his choice of outfit today: not one, not 2, but THREE pairs of babylegs (two football and one fire truck) on each leg. Thomas pj shirt, no pants. And he refused to let us help him put each pair on. The first time I've seen his legs look chubby!

When Karter is mad at me, he calls me "mean old man mommy!" No idea where he got that from! It's hard to not laugh at that one. He's learned the word 'stupid', which is so bad, and he knows how to use it appropriately. He also uses it as a term of endearment--'thank you stupid mommy'. Um, no! Ignoring it is the only thing that works, seriously, even acknowledging it makes it 100 times worse.

Watching Kian and Karter play and interact, just gets better every day. They can actually play for a long time, creating scenes and plots and dialogue. It's wonderful to watch, and sometimes they even let me in. He's very much his own person, with likes and dislikes apart from the rest of us (can we say peanut butter every hour of the day? tractors and hair!) and is full of it and definitely lets us know what he wants and when and how. He's joining Kian's "baby sister bandwagon" and even wanted to bring our friends' new baby home with us last week. But, he's still the little boy for now (don't call him a baby!) and we're enjoying watching his new milestones and conversations develop, as his own, apart from Kian's accomplishments, even if they occur at the same age. I know why people want a lot of kids, these are the ages that aer so enjoyable and to think it could be the last time to experience that would be sad! Luckily, it's 3:1 for another baby in this house, poor Kevin.

Conversations with Kian and Karter

Kian: Mom these are my escape artist shoes.
Me: Your what?
Kian: My escape artist shoes. My feet slip out and my shoes escape!

Karter (at 10pm): TV! TV on!
Me: No! It's bedtime!
Karter: Mean old man, mommy.
Me: What??
Karter: Mean old man, mommy!! Get new one.
Me: Get a new what?
Karter: New mommy!

Kian: I am going to make the Christmas gift lists. What for Paul? How about hunting boots? (Draws a boot)
Me: Well...Paul doesn't hunt.
Kian: Well, he can. He can hunt for warthogs, wild hogs and turkeys for making turkey bacon.
Me: ...Okay...
Kian: Now, he needs a gun. How do you spell gun? (Sounds it out, writes G-U-N)
Me: Yeah...if you say so ;)

Full and empty

My brain is full. My plate is full. My gas tank is empty. Eesh. Not a great combo. This is one year I haven't been super excited for the holidays. Very behind on all things holiday: cards, cookies, baking buns, decorating (saved only by my mom's help) and so on. I am way behind on gifts and shopping as well. I have no idea how this underline got turned ona nd it won't turn off! grr.

Anyways, my point is that I hate feeling empty. I hate my plate being so full. But, as they say, you have to be emptied so you can be filled. Same goes for my septic and toilet pipes too I guess. But they're cleaned out and so is my wallet. Ah well, such is life. So, now everything's empty, so we're going to wait for the filling to begin.

I really like 4

Yeah I know, I haven't touched my blog in ages. Sorry. Life happens, is happening, keeping up with house and yard and kids and animals and just...life. Computer facetime comes much later at night when my creativity isn't flowing.

Anyways. I like 4. I really like 4. Four years old is amazing. I really, really did not like three years old. That was a really rough year. (Interestingly, Karter is making 2 a challenge, when Kian was easy as pie at two; of course.) But, this year 4, it's so much better.

Kian amazes us, and himself, daily. I can see it. His vocabulary, sentence structure, it's so advanced and he truly believes he's 10 at times, and I almost could be convinced at times. His pronunciation has always been great, but the conversations blow me away lately. He asked me to describe dinner, called me 'lovely Mommy' and asked what spices I put on the rice, etc. The conversations we have about God, death, heaven, he gets so much and wants to understand so much. (I don't believe there's any benefit from really hiding a lot of things just because of his age, we just tailor it.) He really 'gets' the way things work, and will work at figuring it out, with toys or legos or electronics, anything.

Not only his behavior and attitudes have improved, his drawing and writing are looking good. I was a bit worried at his crazy left-hand grasp (which is still weird, but we're working on it) but he draws people and animals and mangers and randomly will write "Neenee" on stockings so I think no worries needed. He's getting back to his sweet self. Of course we still have normal challenges of childhood, but it's so much better than three years old.

I love seeing Kian help Karter with tasks, sharing with him, reading to him, teaching him how to do things, yes even the naughty things. The realization that others have feelings, the world is affected, outside his own self... I just am enjoying Kian so much more lately, and I love it. I love that baby stage, but each day a whole new world opens up, as we are playing Go Fish and Rummy and "big kid" stuff that we can enjoy as a family. He's so helpful and wanting to learn to do other 'big kid' stuff, like helping Kevin with tools also. I just love watching him grow and change and mature. He just warms my heart. Glad to know despite the crazy days, and in spite of me, he's growing right...

Fall Happenings

We seem to go through spurts of busyness and quiet times. Kian has been in Great Start preschool since second week of September and really enjoys it. Fridays are the more kindergarten type focus for the older kids, and Mondays and Wednesdays they do more group and art work. He's making some friends and loves his teachers. My only complaint is their excessive use of purell on every child all day long. Ugh. Especially at snack time. They've had a field trip to the apple farm and yesterday was the pumpkin patch trip. I left Karter at home with NeeNee for the pumpkin trip. Less for me to watch and easier for Kian to hang with the big kids.

The weather is a constant change, some days 70 and sunny and other days 45 and blowing rain. We get out when we can, and have been utilizing all our craft supplies as well as the library a lot more. Kian can't wait for snow and Christmas, I can definitely hold off on snow for awhile yet! The boys think it's the greatest thing when I let the put on their rubber boots and go stomp in puddles. So do I, actually.

The weather hasn't changed the chicken's laying habits yet though. Despite the creeping darkness earlier eacfh night, they're still laying regularly. I get 6-8 eggs per day. They each lay almost daily, which I keep reading isn't always the norm. I credit their free range ways. Although lately, they've had to be locked up more, as they keep running in neighbors' yards and fly out of their pen! We keep the well fed from the house-their favorites beign squash and watermelon. They also love pasta, beans and grapes. They ate the pumpkin seeds like little cyclone vacuums! Still very sweet and friendly and easy to pick up. Now they will stop and squat down if you come to pick them up, instead of running away. I tell them to run from the boys, but they don't' listen.

Karter now has quite the vocabulary and little running mouth. The downfall is that he has picked up the word stupid (our downfall when yelling at animals or drivers) and constant ignoring it is the only thing that works. Unfortunately he knows how to use it properly. Ugh. He's quite the athlete already, spiraling footballs and catching them, begging to go to Kian's football camp when Kian does not want to go. He loves puzzles and animals and tractors. Oh the tractors. He sleeps with 1-3 each night. Usually I make him park them under his bed. But, sometimes I find them in his bed with him. I love seeing the differences in their likes/dislikes, as Kian was more into trains at this age, maybe because he didn't have any tractors yet, but he didn't form attachments like Karter has. He's been going on some bad sleeping patterns the last couple weeks and now that he can open doors, makes it harder to keep him in bed!

Kian, ever the great sleeper, has been starting to read. Forget that dumb flashcard stuff, we haven't forced him into anything, or pushed him, other than when he asked, and he does well with the phonics type learning. He is reading and sounding out words in all the Dr. Seuss books and is quite proud of himself. He also began reading the bank drive thru signs and other things around town. There goes spelling things and keeping things hidden from him. It's amazing to see these growths and changes and milestones. It's a bittersweet type of thing, because then he's not a baby anymore, and to realize how things change and open up once you become a reader... Craziness.

Kevin's still busy, eye deep into 5linx and training. He's building quite a team of reps under him, which eventually will pay off for him/us. He'll be happy once it does so he can stop getting up at 4:30am. We'll be happy to have him here more often. Last night, he got home early and after dinner he and the boys went to the garage to build a cat tree/stand. Karter insists on playing football with him all the time. Kian just always wants to help him and be wherever he is. The boys spent the past weekend with my mom while we went to a wedding. It was Karter's first time away from me/us for more than a few hours. He did great and enjoyed it, they both didn't want to leave. It was nice to wake up ourselves instead of by jumping children, and to eat breakfast in quiet and hear ourselves talk. We did miss them though. The weekend before, I had a chance to help out a photographer at a wedding. I had so much fun! I don't know if the pictures I took were even good, but it was a learning experience and fun to play around and do something grown up, with all adults all day, and feel like I was working again. =)

We're rounding the bend into the holiday season, and with that comes a lot more changes. There's been a lot of changes in both sides of the families and therefore, changes to holidays were necessary. We're going to host Thanksgiving here with our immediate families, smaller than past years, but for Kevin and I, it will be less stressful and incorporate the immediate families and be easier for us to handle. His working so much and having to worry about animals and such, gets hectic, let alone the boys all over into everything.

Speaking of animals... Finn hates us. He has been banished indefinitely to Kourtney's house. I brought him back to our house last Thursday morning. He and Karter were happy to see each other, but then Finn just laid around and wouldn't play with Windsor. He behaved well, as long as he knew the remote/shock collar was on. I didn't have to use it at all, just put it on. Friday night he was testing me and not listening to come back in the house so I did buzz him. Saturday, right as we were leaving for the wedding he acted like he had to go out, and I had taken the collar off, no big deal I thought. Except, he looked at me and took off. That was that. WE had to leave and my mom was worrying about the boys and car seats, so when the humane society called the house to say they had Finn, AGAIN, he was stuck there. We asked Kourt to go get him, and they gave her some threats about fines and judges, etc. since it was his third (at least) time being there. He just doesn't seem to want to stay here and we have 6 stinking acres for crying out loud! So, for now he's back with his doggy parents and Kourt and Jeremy. I miss him some. It's definitely quieter and more relaxed with just one lazy dog, but Karter can't climb on Windsor like he can with Finn. I mean, he's a couple miles away so it's not like he's gone forever...but more changes.

I have also put away dozens of apple filling, grape filling, grape jam, salsa, pickles, banana peppers, apple butter, and more in my 'canning cellar'. It was a lot of work at times, but worth it. So much cheaper and tastes much, much better than store bought, factory stuff. The grape jam is delicious, but not that thick, jello-y glob stuff, smooth, soft, yumminess. The boys have helped a lot and enjoy making dried apple rings in the dehydrator. We're now moving onto pumpkin baking, and with fresh pumpkin! Then, it's onto Thanksgiving menu planning!