Springtime

Spring is trying to make an appearance here in Liberty, MO...and some days there are more signs than others.

We took a road trip out to Colorado to see Grandpa and Grandma Carlson over spring break.  We made the 12 hour drive there and back and the kids were champions.  Brandon and I reflected on exactly how road trips were made before the days of iPods, the Nintendo DS, and DVD players!  Yikes.  If left to rely simply on the alphabet game or I-Spy to occupy everyone, we wouldn't have made it for more than 3 hours without a total meltdown.  We were so grateful for the technology that occupied our troops as we drove along I-70 for hours on end.

We arrived in Colorado and were greeted by beautiful weather.  The kids had a great time playing outside with Grandpa and Grandma:




Riding with Grandpa on the 4 wheeler




Taking a spin with Daddy in Grandpa's Corvette




Hadley COULD NOT get enough of her friend "Bear"...Grandpa and Grandma's dog, Baron.



We took a field trip to Denver, where we visited Hammond's candy factory, where they still make all their candy by hand.  It was neat to take a tour and visit their gift shop:

We also made a stop at the Denver Children's Museum, where the girls had a great time painting and all the kids enjoyed exploring:

The kids have become big fans of "bug park" near Grandpa and Grandma's house, where we spent some time playing:



A photo op before we left:



It was a nice retreat from daily life.  We survived the drive back home and enjoyed the rest of the break around the house.  We have since launched right back into the craziness that we call our daily routine.   It's hard to believe it's been two weeks since we went on this adventure!

Everyday Life

An update on each of the kids....

Connor is doing well in school and, although it would be his preference to say home, he's enjoying himself in second grade.  He has a good group of friends and especially enjoys math and science.  Recently, he and another boy in his class wrote their own story and got to read it to the Assistant Principle at his school.  He came home on cloud nine.  It is rare for him to disclose much of anything to me, but the day he got to read to the AP, well, that was headline news. 

His parent teacher conference was student led, meaning that Connor told us what he had been doing in class and how he had improved in each subject area.  He has begun writing in cursive, which he's pretty proud of.  He's especially good at the letter "G".  As a part of their conference, each student wrote a letter to their parents.  Connor's teacher told us they were free to write about anything they wanted to.  Here's Connor's note to us:

Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for letting us go to Disney World and the Great Wolf Lodge.  Thank you for buying me cloths.  And for fixing me lunch, breakfeast and dinner.  and for taking care of me.  Thank you for giving me my own olowence.  Thanks for buying me stuff like the Wii and my DS.  Thank you for folding my cloths for the week and for letting me go to shcool.  Thank you for letting me play flag football and soccer.  Thank you for planning my birthdays and giving me special privleges.  And thank you for letting me be  your son.
Your Son,
Connor

I was reduced to tears in the middle of the conference after Connor read these precious words to us.  Ms. Groff, Connor's teacher, looked at me and said "I picked you to cry".  It is so rare that we get to really see what our children think of us as parents...and this was a great moment.  The letter will be framed.  On the way home I asked Connor if it embarrassed him that I cried.  In his sweet little voice from the backseat he said "Well, Mom...kind of".

And now we have arrived at Kylee.  She, too, is doing a great job in school, and it is her life's mission to do EVERYTHING she can to please her teacher, Miss Mac.  If Miss Mac says it, it is the gospel truth.  She works so hard to get everything just right, and when she is rewarded for her efforts, she is so proud.  It's the best.  We are so thankful that Miss Mac is such a positive influence in our daughter's world.

She spent the day at home with me yesterday after vomiting early in the morning.  In the late morning, she announced that she was "soooooo hungry".  I offered her some juice and a popsicle.  This was, apparently, not up to par.  She requested a piece of toast.  I fixed her the toast and she ate it.  She then proceeded to lay in our overstuffed chair, repeatedly sighing very loudly.  When I asked her what was wrong she said "I'M SOOOO HUNGRY!".  I explained to her that she was sick, to which she replied "Mom, I'm NOT sick".  So, I let her eat some crackers and drink some milk.  Approximately 3 hours later, I regretted giving in to her as she spewed all over our downstairs bathroom.  It was like something out of a movie...it just kept coming and coming all over the toilet, walls, and floor.  Ugh.  Right after she played the role of the human geyser, she looked at me and said "Mom, I just want to go to school".  I was so aggravated with the whole thing that I picked that moment, surrounded by vomit in my own bathroom, to say "See, this is why I asked you not to eat anything!".  She told Brandon later in the evening that she "thought that staying home all day would be fun, but it just really wasn't".  If you can count on anything, it's Kylee's honesty.

In true Kylee J fashion, in the midst of her sick day, she decided to independently raid my make-up drawer and applied everything...eyeshadow, blush, powder, and lipstick.  She came down all painted, and, after a couple hours said, "Mom, I need to tell you something.  I got into your make-up without asking".  I was actually impressed with the job she had done.  She is feeling better today and tonight, decided to announce to me at dinner, seemingly out of nowhere,  "Mom, I hate to tell you this, and I don't think you're going to like to hear it, but I really wish I didn't look like you.  Everyone says I look like you, but I wish I didn't".  Nice.  I asked her if she'd prefer to look like her Daddy.  She didn't comment.

Hadley.  What can we say?  BUSY.  Our baby is a climber.  She's everywhere and into everything.  Her words have exploded in recent weeks and now she repeats almost everything we say and you can (almost) have a mini-conversation with her.  Her passion is our pantry.  She begins scrounging through the food in there looking for a "nacky" (snack) around 9:00 am every morning.  She goes through Goldfish, Cheeze-Its, Teddy Grahams, whatever she can find.  It's endless.  She asks for her "milky" (sippy), and also has a passion for her binky.  Her other passion in life is shoes.  She absolutely adores them.  She tries on several throughout the course of a day and insists on wearing shoes, even when she's in her pajamas.  We recently splurged and bought her a pair of Sketchers Twinkle Toes that light up.  It has been worth every penny to watch her dance just to see them blink.

She continues to adore her big brother and sister, and works hard to keep up with them.  She has recently discovered her outside voice, and can often be round walking around the house screaming our names until someone pays attention to her.  Once she has your attention, she often just smiles and walks away.  She's just proving who's in charge. 

I can see the age of two on the horizon....Elmo is the new man in our youngest daughter's world.  We have one single Elmo movie that we watch way too many times a day.  She LOVES it.  She has also started to express her opinion about which books we read to her at naptime and bedtime....Moo, Baa, La, La, La, Little Hoot, Little Kitten, and an Elmo book are favorites.  It is so neat to watch her personality emerge.  19 months old this week.  Holy cow.

We have signed both Connor and Kylee up for soccer and that will start here in the next week.  This will be our first "go" at juggling an activity for both kids at the same time.  It will add to the joyful chaos.

There are times that I think my head is going to explode from all the noise in our house...but I've gotten to the place where I can just marvel at it instead of being frustrated by it.  It's great to be here.  Even if my daughter doesn't want to look like me. :)

Winter Montage

To sum up life in a short statement, let's just say: We've had ONE full week of school since before Christmas.

Mother Nature has thrown snow, ice, sleet, and below zero wind-chills our direction almost non-stop.  We've had snow day after snow day over the course of the last few weeks, which is fun for awhile...but on day 3 in week 3, the party is over and it's time to go back to school.  With an early dismissal on Monday, we found ourselves enjoying life on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Thursday, it was all hands on deck to try to prevent World War III.  Connor and Kylee were nitpicking at each other, Kylee was fed up with Hadley, and I was fed up with all of it.  We were relieved to hear school was back in session on Friday.

But, to back up a little bit....

In early January, we had the opportunity to participate in a service project that involved packing food for an organization called Numana, who provides sealed bags of rice and beans to families in Haiti.  One bag serves 5 people.  The kids were able to dive in and help in the assembly line, which was really cool.  It was also neat to have such a tangible, measurable example how much even the smallest amount of food means to those who are hungry.  Below are pictures of Connor catching rice in the baggies and Kylee "patting down" the filled bags so that they could be boxed up for delivery.

 
With snow has come some outdoor play.  The kids had a great time sledding down the hill in our back yard with the first major snowfall.  With this most recent snow, Connor and Kylee created a "snow family" in our front yard.  Below is a picture of the whole family, including mom, brother, sister, and the dog, followed by a close-up of brother and sister.  I am told there wasn't enough snow to make dad or a baby.

The kids had one day of school last week and on that day, had the highly-anticipated "100th Day of School" kindergarten celebration.  Kylee's class spent the day focusing on the number 100, and each classmate contributed their own unique collection of 100 items to tell about (Kylee was insistent on bringing popcorn kernels...I was thankful she was opting for something cheap).  Parents were invited to join in the fun.  Below are pics from the celebration, highlighting the 100 Day hats and the 100 Fruit Loops/Cheerios necklaces that the kids each created:

We hear that more snow is headed our way this weekend, but are optimistic that it won't be as much as we've had over the previous few weeks.  In the midst of all of it, we feel blessed to have food in the pantry and warm beds to sleep in at night.  And the kids are especially grateful for the bounty of hot chocolate that has been available in our house. :)

Christmas Has Come and Gone...

Our Christmas was filled with food, family, pajamas, and presents.  How much better could it have been?

We entered into Christmas with the kids' holiday parties at school.  I had volunteered to coordinate the party for Kylee's class, so Brandon took the afternoon off work to help with Hadley and so one of us could attend Connor's party.  As you can see in the pictures, Hadley fit right into the mix in both classrooms. :)

The kids really enjoyed the break from school.  Connor, especially, was a little burnt out and ready for a break.  We spent a fair amount of time in our jammies over the break, and the kids were excited to have more TV and Wii time than normal.  We played Rock Band and Mario Kart together and just relaxed.  It was wonderful.

Christmas Eve found us at the KC Rep, where we took in their production of A Christmas Carol.  It was amazing.  Connor, Kylee, and I attended along with Uncle Craig, Aunt Sarah, and cousins Cara and Collin.  The kids were all real troopers and the message of the play was a great one to start the holiday out with.

Christmas Eve we spent time with the Haneke/McKinney clan and we tackled our first REAL traditional holiday meal since Grandpa and Grandma have been gone.  Brandon and I read up on how to fix a bird and Brandon took charge of that project.  The meat was DELICIOUS and the side dishes brought by Sarah and Mandy rounded out the meal perfectly.  We enjoyed dinner together as a family, eaten on Grandma's Christmas china with Mom's silverware, and had a nice evening.

Connor has figured out the secret behind Santa, but Kylee is still full-throttle into it, so she was so excited to put out cookies and milk for Santa.  This year, she put a sign next to the plate so the big man in red was sure to find his snack.

I thought it was precious.  A part of her ritual is to prop the fireplace glass open so Santa can get through. :)

We tucked three very tired kids in bed on Christmas Eve.  Connor was back up at 1:00 am, asking if it was time to open presents.  Daddy tucked him back in, and then everyone slept until about 6:45 am.  Connor and Kylee came into our room, rearing to go...we were able to talk them into laying in bed with us until about 7:15.  We got up and Christmas morning began.  Hadley was still sleeping soundly in her crib until around 8:15.  The big kids had came, destroyed, and were playing with their new toys before she even awoke. :)

Santa brought Connor and Kylee beanbags this year:

 Big smiles:

On Christmas afternoon, we left Liberty and boarded an airplane for Colorado, where we celebrated Christmas with the Carlsons.  We were grateful to arrive there in one piece (and without being groped at airport security).  Hadley was a champ on the plane, keeping Mommy really busy all through the flight, and then sacking out as we taxied to the jetway after landing.  Of course.  

We had a great time in Colorado, hosted by Grandpa and Grandma Carlson and with cousins Drew, Amy, and Beth and Aunt Mary and Uncle Justin.  The weather while we were there was actually quite mild.  The kids took turns riding the 4 wheeler with Grandpa Carlson and we enjoyed more good food, playing games, and spending time together at Grandpa and Grandma's house.  This was Hadley's first visit to Grandpa and Grandma's, and she just slid right into it like she'd been there a thousand times before.  It was great!

We came home tired, but very happy.  We spent New Year's at the Blakemore farm in Kearney and then celebrated Christmas on January 2nd with McKinney family at Aunt Sarah's house, where we inherited, among many things, a Venus Fly Trap (pics to come).  It was a great note to end the season on.

The kids went back to school on Tuesday of this week and it has been a bit of a rough adjustment for all of us.  I feel as if Kylee, in particular, is experiencing kindergarten re-entry all over again, as she has been really whiny and quick to melt down since going back to school, which has made things interesting on the home front.  Hadley has been a bit lost without brother and sister in the house.  Today while I was changing linens on our beds, she busied herself by throwing some of Kylee's bracelets in the toilet (does it say something about our stage of life when I admit that one of the blessings in my day was that the toilet water was "clean" when I had to fish the bracelets out?).  Our 17 month old tornado was quite proud of her work.  

It's been a long week and we're grateful that the weekend is here.

We hope 2011 finds you happy, healthy, and blessed.

The Holiday Season

Our holiday season got off to a good start with a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We enjoyed good food, fellowship with family, and were able to put up our own Christmas decorations here at home while the weather was almost warm outside!  We deemed the weekend a success.

As we were driving down the highway towards our Thanksgiving celebration, I had a moment of real sadness.  It seems that on most notable occasions, moments like this hit me.  It's the moment where I realize, all over again, that many people that have played an instrumental role in my life and in my holiday celebrations...my Mom, my Grandma, my Grandpa...are no longer here.  It's tough.  Then, the pit in my stomach grows a bit deeper as I realize that we'll never truly get to spend the holidays as an ENTIRE family...because our Caden isn't with us.  This year, I tried to console myself by picturing my baby up in heaven with my family members who are there.  I could really see Caden in the midst of so many loving faces and arms.  But down here, our minivan seems a little emptier than it should be.

Caden would have been two and a half this Christmas.  At that stage where he would just be grasping the excitement of unwrapping a present...and would then be more preoccupied with playing with the paper than what was in the gift bag.  He would have worn footie pajamas on Christmas Eve, and would probably have a bulky diaper butt as he ran from room to room with excitement.  His little red hair might have stuck up slightly on Christmas morning.  I picture Connor helping him put together whatever Santa left under the tree and the two of them laying on the family room floor playing together.  There is not one day that we don't wish he was here with us.  Not one.

As you, who are faithful readers of this blog, know, my heart goes out to those for whom the holidays aren't filled with happiness.  Those who are hurting because they are celebrating the holidays without someone that they love...either for the first time or the twentieth.  There are families who have experienced miscarriages and are spending the holidays trying to accept the reality of a dream ending.  There are families who have been diagnosed with terminally ill babies, who grapple with the fact that this Christmas will be the only one they get to spend with their soon-to-be angel.  There are families trying to establish a new normal without a parent, grandparent, cousin, aunt, uncle, or close friend.  I ask that you join me in prayer for those people and families who so desperately need to feel the comfort and peace that only Jesus can bring them.

As for me, I am overwhelmed by the blessings that abound in my world.  Good health, a warm home, food in the pantry, and a loving family.  Friends that most people search a lifetime for, and a husband that I still can't believe chose me.  The pitter patter of feet in my house, a 16 month old vocabulary to listen to, a 6 year old that will change the world and make it a better place, an 8 year old with a heart of gold and an inquistive mind, and yes, even the dog, who despite his own neurotic tendencies, is a part of the family, too.

Most importantly, I am blessed to have a Savior who loves me...even when I struggle and ask, for the millionth time, why I can't spend Christmas with my baby.  A Savior who, despite all the tears and heartache, has given me more than a girl could ever ask for.

Keeping the Tooth Fairy in Business

Kylee came to my side of the bed early one recent Saturday morning with an urgent report....her tooth was hurting.  Being the morning person that I am, I mumbled something about getting a drink and then seeing if it felt better.  She disappeared for approximately 2 seconds and was back at my bedside again.

"Mom!  My tooth fell OUT!"  She stood next to me.  And then, being Kylee, she followed that with "I tried to carry it in here but I dropped it!".  She has her Daddy's grace.  I love it.

I took a moment and then rolled over and poked Brandon (who would remain asleep in the presence of a brass band).  "Honey, our baby lost her tooth!".  I later realized that maybe those weren't the best words as my husband woke up and tried to understand why in the heck Hadley would have lost a tooth.

As I said those words, I realized that I was in no way, shape, or form prepared for this.  With Connor, the tooth had dangled precariously for days as we eagerly anticipated his first visit from the tooth fairy.   I hadn't thought it through with Kylee.  Our second child is at the stage of life where her baby teeth will fall out.  Whoa.

I crawled out of bed and thankfully, was able to find the tooth right next to our bed.  I invited Kylee to crawl into bed and cuddle with us for awhile, which she did, quite happily.  It was great.

That night, Kylee placed her tooth under her pillow.  The tooth fairy came and went.

Mission accomplished.

Just one week later, Kylee came home from school reporting that her other bottom front tooth was hurting.  I looked at it and it was hanging by a thread.

I will tell you that even though I'm a nurse, there are some things that totally gross me out.  Toenails and teeth fall into that category.  The neighbor girls we walk home from the bus stop with told us in great detail what the best way to pull out a tooth is.  My stomach turned, but I could tell that Kylee's mouth really was hurting, so I took the plunge and asked her if I could pull it out.  It must have really been hurting, because she said yes.  I was sweating at the prospect of yanking on a tooth.  Two twists later (I followed the neighbor girls' instructions), I had the tooth out of Kylee's mouth.  I felt quite triumphant and she was happy.

About two hours after pulling her tooth, Kylee was at work in the bathroom, furiously scrubbing the tooth with her toothbrush.  As I saw her, I thought "it isn't going to be long until she loses that tooth down the drain".  Sure enough, a second later, she yelled "Mom!  My tooth is LOST in my toothbrush!".  I inspected the toothbrush.  No tooth.  I recovered the tooth on the bathroom rug.  Whew.

I asked her why she was scrubbing her tooth.  She replied that the neighbor girl had told her that if she brushed the tooth, the tooth fairy would leave her $20 instead of just $1.  I quickly squashed that dream by suggesting to her that it was better to leave a dirty tooth than to risk washing a clean tooth down the drain in the process of brushing it.

It's always an adventure.

All Kylee wants for Christmas is her two front teeth. :)

And an American Girl doll.

Happy Haunting

And now, coming to your screen...pictures of the Carlson goblins...Halloween 2010:

Connor chose to dress up as Snake Eyes from GI Joe.  When he selected his costume (not at ALL influenced by the fact that it came with a sword and a set of two little daggers, I am sure), I suggested that maybe people wouldn't know who Snake Eyes was, both he and my husband looked at me like I had sprouted two heads right there in the aisle at Target.  Silly me.

Kylee wanted to be Padme Amidala from Star Wars.  I was a bit surprised when she chose this over a pink, glittery costume...but the minute she laid eyes on it, she knew exactly what she wanted (not unusual for our girl).  I suspect the reason she chose this was because she knew it would be exciting for her Daddy, a huge Star Wars fan.

Hadley gave our Winnie the Pooh costume one last Halloween romp.  Connor wore this same costume on his 2nd Halloween:

Photo opportunities with all of our kids looking decent are hard to come by (mostly due to the wandering tendencies of the littlest one).  This is the best pic of the three of them that we captured:

It has become a Halloween tradition to trick or treat with our friends the Chases and the Blakemores.  Here are Connor and Kylee and the Chase kiddos gathered up ready to go trick-or-treating around the Liberty Square:

Hadley was quite a riot this Halloween.  She was insistent that she be let out of the stroller to join in the fun with the older kids.  It didn't take her long to figure out that if she brought her bucket up to people, they would throw candy in it.  It took her just one time of seeing candy land in her pumpkin to make this magical connection.  She was off like a shot after that:

As I post, we anticipate the celebration of Thanksgiving this week.  Enjoy your holiday...we are thankful for your love, support, and friendship!

Apparently, I Have No Schema

...Cross-posted at BJC's Blog...


First, let's explore what 'schema' actually means:

–noun, plural sche·ma·ta
[skee-muh-tuh or, sometimes, skee-mah-tuh, ski-] sche·mas.
1. a diagram, plan, or scheme.
2. an underlying organizational pattern or structure; conceptual framework.
3. (in Kantian epistemology) a concept, similar to a universal but limited to phenomenal knowledge, by which an object of knowledge or an idea of pure reason may be apprehended.

Or, in Kindergarten terms, it's your ability to understand or remember something.

Now, let's roll back a few days. Kylee wasn't in a particularly supper-friendly mood. We let her get up from the table with the understanding that when she got hungry later, she had to come back and eat some more of her main course before she can have anything else (including dessert). That sort of agreement is never a problem when it is made, but later, well, it doesn't usually go so well.

Anyway, the bargain was struck and she left the table. Sure enough, an hour or so later, Kylee told me that she was hungry. The conversation went something like this:

     "Dad, I'm huuuuuungry!"
     "Okay, go grab your plate from the fridge and help yourself."
She busied herself with a nibble or two.
     "I ate my dinner. Can I have something else now?"
     "How many bites did you eat?"
She thought for a second, adding up the nibbles. "Two."
     "Eat a couple more bites -- BIG bites -- and then you can get something else."
     "But you said I only needed to eat two bites!"
     "No, I never said how many bites you needed to eat. I just said you'd have to have more of your supper before eating something else."

Now the volume ratcheted up. "But Daaaaaaad, you said I only had to eat two bites!"
     "I don't recall every saying that."
     "Yes, you diiiiiid!"
     "No, I did not. I just said you had to eat more of your supper. I never said how many bites you had to eat."
Then she dropped the bomb. "Daaaaaaad, you don't have any schema!"

It was at this point that I impressed even myself. If you know Kylee, you know that she hates it when people laugh at her (unless she's telling a joke, which is a topic for a whole different blog post). I mean really, really hates it. Even if it's a genuine amused/approving chuckle, she feels embarrassed and scolds the offending chuckler in no uncertain terms about how IT'S NOT FUNNY, and usually storms off in a huff to underscore just how UNFUNNY it is.

So, there I was, arguing with her about how many bites of supper she needed to finish, and she whips out this new word, schema. Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't even crack a smile...

     "What?"
     "You don't have any schema!"
     "What do you mean by that?"
     "You said two bites, you don't have any schema!"

...don't smile...not even a little bit...keep face studiously neutral...

     "Kylee, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by schema. Can you explain it to me?"
     ***SIGH*** "It means you don't remember what you already said."

Ah-hah! I hadn't forgotten what I had said earlier, of course, but that's irrelevant. We finally resolved the issue and went on with the evening, but it made for a good story to Mommy later that night. A day or two after that, Lindsey overheard Kylee accusing Connor of not having any schema, either, because he apparently didn't remember the *ahem* rules of the game they were playing (which she was making up on the fly, I'm sure). Lindsey commented that it was really no surprise that it was all the males of the family who didn't have any schema. I couldn't really argue.

Anyway, Kylee's teacher, Miss Mac, would be proud to know that at least one of her pupils has firmly grasped the concept of schema, and is applying it regularly to daily life.

Also, if I ever forget anything from now on, my excuse will be that it's not my fault, I simply don't have any schema.

The world would be so much more dull if it wasn't for six year old girls.

Fall Festivities

The kids had a great time getting ready for Halloween.  They were chanting at me the minute we flipped the calendar to October about getting the Halloween decorations up.  I love their enthusiasm for the seasons.

The fun continued with Fall Parties for Connor and Kylee at school.  The kids get to bring their costumes to school (Connor was Snake Eyes from GI Joe and Kylee was Padme Amidala from Star Wars) and participate in a costume parade followed by fun activities in their classrooms.  This was the first year that I had to split my time between two classrooms, so it was a crazy 20 minutes, but I was able to spend some time with both kids during their parties.

At the craft station

Sorting through the loot!

Our two school kids in the hallway

Playing "fill the bucket with candy corn"

Friends!

We love Miss Mac!

We also got to carve and decorate pumpkins as a family.  The kids had fun digging out all the "gooey stuff":

Hadley LOVES puppies....and Kit Kats, as you can tell by the chocolate on her face.