Farm livin' is the life for me!

I've started my own farm. It's a small plot of land but it suits me just fine. I've planted eggplant, squash, and wheat, and I have three trees growing.

Okay, you probably guessed that I'm not actually out there tilling the soil, toiling away in the hot sun wearing a wide brimmed hat and coordinating gardening gloves. I'm in the house and my garden is just a few clicks away on... gulp... Facebook.

I still don't know how I got started. John showed it to me and I thought it might be kind of fun. So I set up my "person" and planted a few seeds. My crop of strawberries (harvest in 4 hours) withered but I caught the eggplant (harvest in 2 days) in time. I started with the small stuff. A plot of strawberries here, a plot of eggplant there. Pretty soon it was soybeans and now I'm into the heavy stuff... squash. Low point? I was explaining to a friend how she could "plant her strawberries in the morning and then she would be able to harvest them during her lunch break." And it actually didn't sound crazy while I was saying it. Only when I thought about it just now. And typed it out. And re-read it.

Oh, boy. How did I get here? Why did I start?! I may have become slightly too interested in growing vegetables I can't eat, can't sell (for any real money) and can't actually touch. But there's something kind of peaceful... maybe even zen-like... about taking a few minutes to see how my crops are doing. That's it. I don't have to pour blood, sweat, and tears into this. I don't have to worry about paying bills on the land. And I don't have to think much in advance... only 4 days for wheat, 2 for eggplant, 4 hours for strawberries.

Hopefully the time goes fast. I only have 6 coins left and I want to harvest so I can add some funding. I want to buy a cow or some chickens... but I would settle for a few more plots of wheat.

Sometimes Katie just cracks me up!

Last night, she was sitting with John while he was playing poker on the computer. When I told her she should go pick out some jammies, she said, "Daddy, when you're done with your stupid game, will you come with me to get my jammies?" John said yes. Then she said, "And then will you hold me again?" John said yes (because what else is there to say when she's being so sweet!).

She wasn't as sweet earlier today. She told me she wanted to go to sleep so I should turn off the TV. When I didn't, she pulled out her "ear mups" - some wooden animals that she pressed to her ears. After a few minutes she said "That not working." And she switched to two of her Knex pieces. She said they worked better but I'm not sure about that.

Now tonight we were outside and she was riding on her bike. She got off, came over by me and Jake, and said, "Mom, I have to ask you some queshons." (That's how she says it.) Then she said, "Uh oh, gotta go catch those villans. Just like on Scooby Doo." And she went and got on her bike and wheeled off.

She played with grandma for awhile and then went to the store with daddy. It's 10:00 now and they just got home. Jake is sleeping and Katie is getting close. I hope!

Hi Kids, it's Mommy.

Hi Katie. Just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. You're such a big girl and you take such good care of your baby dolls and you're such a good friend to Honey, Gaga, Lola, Zola, and to your baby brother.

You're an unending source of laughter and surprise for your mommy and I love you so much for that. You're also starting to get a bit of an attitude, but that's to be expected at your age.

I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a wonderful daughter.


Hi Jake.

I couldn't write something just to Katie and leave you out! You're my sweet little baby boy and I'm so happy that you show your joy on your sweet face with such a big smile that it lights up the room... maybe even the block!

I'm so relieved that you're starting to let us get more sleep at night, but even at your middle of the night feedings your smile is there.

I watch you move your mouth and make noises and it makes me think you have so much you're just waiting to be able to say!

You're ready to grab anything that catches your interest (like mommy's hair and glasses!) or excited to get into your walker so you can practice getting around on your own.

My sweet kids, mommy thinks you are both such a joy and a blessing and I love you so much!

Love, Mommy

Free is one of my favorite words!

Today was the day of Byerly's Western Roundup. We drove out to Rachel's house and then followed her, Donovan and Marshall to the St. Louis Park store.

The flyer said Calf Ropin', Bull Ridin', Horseshoe Tossin', and alot of other "in's" along with ...


FREE FOOD.

So we went. We stoped at the Chuck Wagon and Saloon first and had our fill of mini hamburgers, chips, and pop. Then off to the "pony express races" where me and Rachel rode an inflatable "horse". I rode with Katie and Rachel rode with Donovan. I didn't go very far. I was laughing way too hard... and then I looked over and there was John. With the video camera.

After the horse races we stopped at the "outhouses" which were port-a-potties with a poster on the fronts to make it look like an outhouse. It was cute. Still a port-a-potty but cute. After business was handled, we took pictures of the kids, and me and Rachel.

Then we went to the horseshoe tossin' area and the kids did that for a few minutes. They had a great advantage over me since they stood about 2 feet from the post but they're so cute, who can complain!

Then we headed to the cotton candy stand and got ours. After that, a trip to the wash station was needed. Both kids' faces were covered in cotton candy! Then we headed to the horse ropin' and stood in line. Donovan and Katie sat on the horse (not a real one...) and tried to "rope" the calf (not a real one). Neither kid was successful but it was cute to watch!

Our last event was the bouncy room... but I guess it's really called the Moonwalk. I didn't think Katie would do it but I think Donovan was a good influence. She was right there ready to go in with Don, even standing on the blacktop without her shoes so she was ready. That's not usual for her. She's actually never gone on the moonwalk EVER, so we were very proud.

After the moonwalk we listened to "Trailer Trash" the band that was playing for the evening. We had decided to head home (at about 7:30) and I got up from the blanket and it flipped over. All of our chips, the containers, two water bottles... EVERYTHING that was on the blanket flipped off. So that was fun. Katie had fallen and skinned her knees awhile earlier so she was clingy with John and I was holding Jake. I put Jake in his stroller and he fell asleep pretty fast so I could pick up the mess.





Katie on the calf ropin' ride:


We headed home and watched Evan Almighty. Jake's asleep in his crib, Katie's asleep on the floor, and I'm about to fall asleep in this chair!

Thanks to Grammy and Grampy...

Thanks to grammy and grampy, me and John had two great babysitters so we could go out to dinner!

Katie was excited to go over to grammy and grampys for awhile and our conversation while getting her ready went something like this:

Mommy: Katie, who are you going to see tonight?
Katie: Blank stare
Mommy: It's someone you are excited to see...
Katie: Donovan?
Mommy: Noooo, someone else!
Katie: Lori Kuger?
Mommy: Noooo, someone else!
Katie: Grandma?
Mommy: Noooo, grammy and grampy!
Katie: I like grammy and grampy.

So all was well. She got dressed and we got everything ready. John got the walker in the car for Jake, bottles were made, extra clothes were packed... then Katie got fussy. And I mean fussy. She started to cry about nothing. She wanted her daddy to hold her. So he did and she fell asleep... I mean she was OUT. He put her to bed and I put Jake in his crib because he had fallen asleep too! I called grammy and grampy to cancel our babysitters and they offered to come over here. Whew! They saved our evening out!

They came over, watched Jake, looked in on Katie, and went home after we sat and talked for about an hour once we got home. We had a nice dinner at Sarna's and I got to use the $20 gift card I got for my birthday.

It was a nice night... till Katie woke up at about 1:00 a.m.

and stayed awake till 5 a.m.

I was busy with Jake so John had the pleasure of staying up with Katie and making her a hot dog for dinner at, oh, maybe 2 a.m.

But it was okay, he got some rest, I got some rest, and we were all ready for our fun day on Saturday.

Don't step on Honey!

Mom and Dad came up last night for dinner and we ate a casserole grandma made - it was delicious! Thanks Grandma! Katie and mom were outside watching a city worker climb a post to look at the wires or something and then it was time to eat. Katie didn't want to come in but she wanted me to sit outside. She wanted me to watch her so no one would steal her. So maybe she is listening! I told her I could watch her while I ate dinner but she should come eat too! She didn't, she cried, she got louder, she got time out. She cried there too but usually her attitude changes once she's out of her TO. She came to the table and ate and was fine. She polished off almost a whole can of green beans AND her casserole AND some cranberries! Then we cleaned up and watched Bedtime Stories. It was cute. We also had yummy cake and ice cream!

Katie was playing while she watched and when the movie was over mom and dad went home and I cleaned up our stuff. Katie had some toys set up in the path to the kitchen and she said "Mommy, be careful! Don't step on Honey. She's sleepin here" and made a vague gesture toward the floor. So I avoided that spot, even though it meant walking out of my way, around where I thought she was over and over while I picked up. Katie fell asleep and I guess I forgot that Honey wasn't real... because I still tried not to step on her even after Katie was sleeping.

Holiday Weekend Part Deux!

So the parade... the parade was fun! It took a bit of time to get everyone (okay, me and the kids) out the door but we drove over and found a great place... no sun in our eyes and nice people around us and when I say nice, I mean candy sharing. :)

Katie didn't like the noise, as usual, and boy, was it loud. Why does every truck seem to think that using their horn, or whatever it is they toot, is fun for all? It's not. I wish there would be "no tooting" sections on parade routes where people could sit with their kids (the ones who haven't ruined their eardrums listening to that crazy rock and roll turned up too loud) and enjoy a non-ear blasting time. Hmmm? WHYYYYY?!

Ahem, ANYWAY... back on track...

So, we found a great place to sit and while the grownups waited for it to start, Katie seemed to be looking forward to the showers of candy!

We watched the bands play, the dancers dance, the tiny cars zoom past, and the candy rain down! It was a fun time and the people next to us kept giving Katie their candy. A man at the other side of that group would come over and pick up a bunch of candy and give it to Katie. She called him the "nice man" after the first time he did that. Then the lady beside us (a bit older than Katie's grammy) would give her pieces of candy. Katie saw this and every once in awhile she would hold out her hand to give this lady a piece of candy herself. It was so cute. She was sharing! Well, then Katie held out her hand and there was nothing in it... she explained to a puzzled stranger that Honey was giving her a piece of candy too. I translated that "her invisible friend was sharing a piece of candy" and the lady smiled and took the ... well, nothing. But she pretended well.

That was about it. The horses came at the end and that was it. Dad and Katie walked home and me, mom, and Jake headed to Walmart to pick up the pictures we selected earlier.

Got our pictures and some other stuff and headed home ourselves.

We had tacos for dinner at about 11:00 (yes, that's right... 11 p.m.!) and Katie was already sleeping. Went to bed soon after that.

On Sunday we went to church. Partway through, when everyone got up for the fellowship (... or Donut Time) I did too... and noticed that Jake's bottle must have tipped over. It was still in the cold bag but tipped. I noticed this because it had somehow leaked out and made it's way about 4 aisles down in the auditorium. I didn't have anything to wipe it with so I had to drop Jake off with dad and get paper towels from the bathroom. I headed back with Katie as my shadow and started to clean up the trail that had since made it's way past another aisle, narrowly missing a purse someone had set on the floor. This church meets in a school and the aisles are child size... or maybe teenager sized but my hips are lady sized... and with each step I took, I bumped against the desk piece that tucks into the seat. With each step. And with 5 aisles to clean and about 4 seats to walk past in each aisle, both ways, it was a challenge. Finally finished the cleanup and got to the foyer only to find that there were only 4 donuts left and none were chocolate covered. I found one that was okay and got a maple covered one for Katie. They were good... but chocolate would be better.

After church we went to eat at the Ding Dong Cafe. Good food, home cooking. Very tasty. Dad got pancakes the size of a horses head. He couldn't eat them all so mom and I got to try them too. I had a roast sandwich with swiss and mushrooms and onions. YUM.

Then we went to Family Dollar for some stuff and back home.

Jake had a little formula in a sippy cup. If he could talk, he would have said "MINE" very loudly and with force because he really wanted to hold that sippy cup. Well, he used it but it wasn't as easy for me as his bottle, which he also held on his own on Saturday. I gave it to him and let him hold it for a minute, then I talked to Katie and then I channel surfed and finally realized that I had two hands free... I looked down and he was happily holding his own bottle. I want to encourage that! It was nice to be able to take a drink without having to balance the bottle with my chin. :)

Then we cleaned up and got ready to go home. Kids slept fine during the drive until Jake woke up about 5 minutes from home. He woke Katie up and she never was able to get back to sleep.

We got home and unloaded and I was outside with Jake and heard crying. Thought it was the kid next door till I remembered that Katie woke up all the way on the drive and sure enough, it was her. She wanted her Umpa. Dad went in and talked to her. She settled down. We all went to bed. She started to cry... and cry and cry. She was quiet for longer and longer inbetween cries but Dad came up, picked her up and took her downstairs for a slumber party at their house. Which was fine with me!

Everyone finally got to sleep at around 1:30 a.m.

This felt like a Holiday weekend!

So, those of you with kids ever have a day where everything just goes right? No one's mad, crying, or pouting... nothing gets forgotten when you leave the house... the day is just full of possibilities and fun. That was my weekend!

We stopped at Bonanza on the way to the lake and with Jacob being just a little baby, things can get somewhat loud and end up feeling... the opposite of relaxing. But, on this day, on this visit, he was a peach. He sat in his little car seat on the table watching all of the people and smiling at gramma and grampa.

Katie ate her mac and cheese, shredded cheese, and... well, I forget what else. I actually got to ENJOY my meal, we all did!

We got to the lake and Katie went outside with gramma and grampa to sit on the dock to watch. I kind of thought I would see her a few seconds after the first "booooom" hit but no, she sat outside the whole time! She's growing up so much. Last year we were watching from the sun room with my hands on her ears and her hands on mine. This year me and Jake watched from the sun room. The noise didn't bother him, he drank his bottle and was content.

Everyone came back in and we unpacked and got ready for bed.

The next day we got up and I made coffee cake for breakfast. I didn't remember to pour half the batter in the pan then the topping but mom was there to tell me not to worry about it... she always forgets too and it turns out okay! It did... it was good.

We headed out to the craft sale in chilly weather. Walked around and looked at everything and then I bought a jar of Jalepeno Jelly from the Tastefully Simple lady. She said it was $7.99 which is a lot but I really like it. THEN when she rang me up, she said there was a 10% "handling fee" which I gasped at... but paid because I was a little shocked and, hey, that jelly is good on cream cheese! When I found mom again and told her what happened, she was surprised too but we were already past that booth and moving on. We got through most of the sale when we saw a man playing his guitar and selling CDs. He sang Tennessee Waltz (I think that's what the song is titled) and Katie loved it. She wanted to listen to him and she wanted to sit down. So we did. Sat for three songs and she moved back and forth to the music. Mom bought a CD for someone (I can't say who since it might be a gift) and then we got up to leave. Katie wanted me to say thank you to the man so I did. She really liked his music!

Got to the parking lot and mom offered to return the jelly for me since she finally mentioned that she might have some at home!! Once that was done (Thanks Mom!) I bought raspberry jam from the lady I buy it from every year.

Katie, who started out with $5 from me, then got $1 from Dad, bought a pretty pink bead bracelet, a pillow and blanket for her baby doll, and finally a Tinkerbell coaster - she only had a dollar and it cost $2 but gamma came through with the extra buck. Katie was thrilled and wanted to carry her own bag.

Dad dropped off the car so we could go more into town but we realized that we forgot to get the car seat! So me and Katie drove dad home while mom and Jacob continued on. Dad got out of the car and went inside and Katie was sad - she told me - and wanted to stay home - she told me that too... loudly and while crying. But once we caught up to mom and Jake and did some shopping, she was fine. We went to the Wonderbread store and a "storage sale" which I had never been to before. We mostly looked at everything at the sidewalk sales and other places. Somehow Katie ended up with a stuffed lamb and a Beanie Baby. The lamb is called Lambie now and is a firm member of Katie's stuffed animal family.

I was shocked. Jacob had a bottle just before 8 a.m. and we were out doing stuff and he slept a lot of the day - he ended up eating at about 5 p.m.!

We went home after that and Katie helped grandpa outside with some yard work. Grandpa was pulling weeds and Katie was watching. Mom looked at her pictures to find ones she wanted to print and I napped for about 15 minutes (Jake napped too).

We went to the parade soon after. See the next post for all of the EXCITING details! :)

I can do anything better than you can... or at least just as well!

Jake seems to be doing everything right now that Katie didn't have any interest in doing at this stage. And that's okay! Each kid is a unique experience and it keeps us on our toes!

He doesn't mind his feet touching the floor; Katie did not like it one bit.
He grabs for things; Katie was more of a watcher.
He has already rolled to his tummy, pushed himself backwards in his rocker; Katie did it too but she was more relaxed about the timing of her "milestones."

Jake seems to want to be more "involved" in what's going on. Katie has been happy to observe and then decide what she wants to do.

I'll have to see if Jake is as independant as Katie, as stubborn and as "know his own mind" as Katie. It looks like he's already practicing to be as happy and as sweet as Katie!

Art

Last night before dinner Katie had a great time coloring with her crayons and colored pencils on the cardboard piece that was in the crib set I bought for Jake this weekend. We ate pizza and cleaned up and then Katie and Daddy went outside and played with her chalk. They were out there for at least 2 hours, long enough for me to have some snuggle time with Jacob and relax.

Then we all went out on the deck to enjoy the nice evening. The breeze kept the mosquitos away and it was so hot in the house from having the oven on for our pizza and the muffins I was making so it was great to get out.

We didn't do much else, I did laundry and Katie played and Jakey sat and watched everything we were doing. It was a quiet night.

Today we've got to get our tire fixed for the car. It went flat awhile ago and since we've got two cars we've been okay but the blue car, my car, is my favorite of the two and I miss it.

The Toy Fairy

Katie has a problem. She's got lots of toys and not enough energy at the end of the day to pick them all up. Our converstations go something like this:

Me in an excited upbeat tone: "Katie, please pick up all of your toys."

Katie, kind of distracted: "Mommy, I don't want to."

Me in a patience is a virtue voice: "Katie, pick up your toys. You can start with the K'nex and put them in the box first."

Katie paying attention now: "But, I playin' with them."

Me (wondering if this is easier to do myself but then remembering that I need to teach her to be responsible so must stick with this no matter how difficult it is to keep my smile on when I just want to dump everything in a bin and stick it in the closet): "You can only play with a few toys at a time... pick the ones you want to play with and pick the rest of them up. You need to be responsible for your things."

Katie in a kind of whiney tone: "Mommy, I too tired to pick up my toys."
Mommy's note: This explanation of why she can't do whatever she's been asked to do rotates with "Mommy, I too boring..."

Me: "Okay, do you want me to put them away in my closet so you can't play with them allllll day tomorrow?"

Katie: "Okay Mommy. You pick them up and put them in your coset."

This is a common conversation with a few variations but you get the idea. So, you can see why I had to do it. I had to invent... The TOY FAIRY. I figured, we have Santa to keep kids in line for most of the year but I can't make Santa take toys away... that would be wrong! So I created a new character.

So, without further adieu, the tale of the Toy Fairy as told to Katie last night at 10:30 p.m.:

"Katie, you need to pick up your toys before we put on your jammies. If you don't, the Toy Fairy will come and take them." (Katie's eyes got very round)
"The Toy Fairy, mommy?"

Finally, I'm getting through to her... she's actually listening!

"Yes sweetie, the Toy Fairy. The TF (abbreviating for the numerous times I'll mention the Toy Fairy but won't want to type it) comes to the house and if there are toys laying around and not put away, she will put them in her bag and carry them off to a house where the children are responsible and take care of their things and she will give the toys to those kids."

Now, at this point Katie seemed a little nervous so I added:

"The TF doesn't want to take the toys, as a matter of fact, when she comes to a house and the toys are put away, she gets so happy and her icky gray dress and her ugly shoes suddenly start to sparkle and shine and her wings turn pink and her face is happy and she becomes beautiful because she is so happy that she has found a child who takes care of her things! If she has to take the toys with her, her dress stays very ugly and she doesn't sparkle and she is sad."

Imagine my surprise when Katie started to pick up! She kept it up till a lot of the toys (small tiny things) were picked up!

Then I had to go into the bedroom to change Jacob's clothes and get him a bib (we've got another tooth coming in so he's a droooool machine!), and I heard Katie calling for me from the hallway. I went to see what was up and she said "Mommy, I have to pick up my toys before the TF comes and I need you to help me!" She was looking into the living room anxiously. I told her I would be right there and she said "I have to hurry before the TF takes all of my toys." Uh oh. She was on the verge of tears. I quickly explained that the TF doesn't come until everyone is in bed, asleep but that didn't seem to help. Daddy came inside at just the right moment. Katie asked him to help her and between the two of them got everything picked up. Crisis averted.

On the one hand, toys got picked up... on the other, trauma and tears.

I might have to amend my story to be more "toy friendly" or, if worse comes to worse, I'll just tell Katie that the "monster juice" (or bug spray if you're not 3 years old with monsters on the brain... thanks Scooby Doo cartoons!) her daddy sprays on the house kills Toy Fairies too.

Dinner at Grammy and Grampy's

Grandma invited us to dinner last night so me, the kids, and dad (cause mom had gone straight from work) headed off. Jake was his usual self, smiley and content, and Katie was pretty sweet. We ate a delicious dinner (two bonuses: 1. Grandma made it (yum!) and 2. I didn't have to cook) and then had grandma's apple pie for dessert.

After dinner, Dad and Grandpa went outside to work on the car. I guess Katie didn't notice that they were gone right away because she was busy playing but when she did notice, her breath caught in her throat and she said "Where Grampy? Where Umpa?" and she looked from one end of the table to the other like she expected them to pop up at any moment. Mom took her outside to see what they were up to. While they were out there, Mike, Jenny, and Paige came over and Katie and Paige had a great time running around. Mom, Mike, Grammy... well, everyone took pictures of Katie and Paige standing still for the camera. Someone told Paige to "look at daddy" and Katie looked at me and said "Mommy, I look at you" and I think everyone got their shot before patience ran out.

They ran around inside too and near the stairs Katie would put her arms on each side of Paige to make sure she didn't fall. She didn't actually touch her, just had her arms braced like she was going to hug Paige. It was very cute/funny. Paige ate dinner and Katie kept her company.

Jake showed off his front to tummy rolling ability and also his puking prowess. Turning over; cute. Puking; not so cute, or fun... for mom anyway! He finally chose someone else to let loose on because usually it's me.

We went home at about 9:00.

Weekend – Part 2: There's never enough time!

Later in the afternoon we (sans mom and Jake) went for a boat ride to the other end of the lake about 20 minutes away. Katie was having a great time but close to mid-point in our ride her head started bobbing with the boat. Eventually she decided that it would be better for Mommy to hold her so I switched seats and cuddled her. She got antsy and demanded that I “hold her like a baby” which was just the tiniest bit confusing. Till I figured out that it meant that she wanted to face me and put her head on my shoulder. A little tough when she’s wearing her Barbie life vest. But we made it work and she fell asleep.

Got back and went in to see what Jake was up to and he and mom were sleeping. I don’t remember what else we did… and it was only a day ago. Is my memory getting that bad?

Anyway, we ate dinner at some point (hot dogs on the fire) and watched Marley & Me. It was cute. Katie wanted to see the “bad dog” and I had to let her know that the dog wasn’t bad… it just had bad manners. So then she wanted to see the “bad manners dog.” I carried her to bed when the movie ended and went to sleep with Jake. He did not sleep as well as he did on Friday night. I think he had “tummy issues” alllll night. Finally he fell asleep at about 8 a.m. – we were rocking in the bedroom, I fell asleep too. Till about 10:30 a.m. when I heard Katie calling me. Loudly and repeatedly. I laid Jake down and went to see what disaster I could hopefully avert. At first I heard her say that she threw up in her bed… but when I saw her she looked fine and then she said that she had to go potty. I asked her if she threw up and she said “No, I got to go potty BAD” so we headed to the potty with more energy than I usually have when I first wake up. Usually she points at the door and says “Go away mama, I need private time” but she wanted me to stay this time which was sweet but I really had to go too. Worked it all out and everything was hunkey dory. Till after breakfast. When I heard a thump from the sun room where you-know-who just happened to be playing. Where Grandma has a collection of bears, some soft cuddly bears and some very breakable bears.

I went in (rushed in actually) to find Katie holding two pieces of what used to be a one piece seesaw with a bear on each side. She looked at me and started to cry. I told her that when grandma and grandpa got home, she would have to apologize for breaking the bear. She did not want to apologize. “You do it” were the words she used. I gently explained that since mommy did not break the bear, mommy did not apologize. She stopped crying after a little cuddle but did not want to say sorry when gramma and umpa came home. She did show them what happened and sat with them for a bit. Then gramma went into the other room and Katie told us she was going to say sorry to gamma. But not umpa. And off she went.

Mom, dad and the kids went outside while I got ready for the day. Then Lori started cooking her spaghetti. It was a hit! We sat down for lunch everyone ate a lot. We didn’t even have room for the cake we were going to eat because we were so full. I was so tired I took a nap with Jake. Katie had to go potty and gramma tried to help her but I guess I was the only person she wanted to see… until she decided that umpa could help her instead. So the yelling for mama and the knocking on the door finally ended and I got back to sleep. Me and Jake (Jake) woke up just in time to see everyone in the boat heading out for a ride. We (me) watched a little TV and Jake had a bottle. After everyone got back we made BLTs. Katie was in mom and dads room and she said she didn’t want to eat so I checked on her to see what she was doing (mom’s laptop was sitting on the floor so I hoped she was ignoring it like she ignores John’s laptop at home) and she had her back to me and was looking in grandma’s work bag. I surprised her when I said “Katie, what are you doing?” She turned around, pointed her finger out the door and said “Mama, you go away. Go and eat your food.” It was very funny, ahem, very not good manners I mean. She eventually joined us for a very delicious dinner of pickles and toast with jelly.

We watched Nim’s Island while we ate and once that was over, we packed up and headed out. The kids were asleep 5 minutes into the trip so it was a very relaxing drive back home. Well, it was very relaxing till we stopped to get gas. At that point, Jake woke up and was crying. Lori fed him the rest of his bottle (about 2 oz) and Katie woke up, bleary eyed and wondering what was going on. Got gas, headed to Lori’s to drop her off, listened to Jake cry the whole 5 minutes to Lori’s apartment. Made my first bottle on the go – standing at the back of the car, pouring the water from Katie’s sippy cup into Jakes bottle, mixing it up, sitting in the back seat to feed, burp, and cuddle. Not my idea of fun. Finally Jake felt better and went to sleep pretty much right away. Katie stayed asleep (whew!) and I got to bed about midnight. Finally!

It's only Saturday and already our weekend has been full!

Wow, what a great weekend. Last night, me and the kids picked up Lori from her place and headed to the lake. We had to stop and eat on the way so we picked IHOP. Yum. Lori and I shared an omlet and pancakes and Katie had her own meal - mac and cheese and fries (with chocolate milk). Now, on the menu this meal looks like it's enough to feed a hungry toddler but when our food came, the bowl was about 1/3 full and there was a scattering of fries. I asked how much this cost (because there were no prices in the kids menu) and it was $4.99! I was shocked! Then the waitress told me that Friday's were "kids eat free" nights. What a relief. I was about to get maaaad and I didn't have to. The food we did get was good so that's a relief.

After we got done eating, I fed Jacob his bottle and Katie drew on a napkin with the waitress' pen. She drew a face with eyes and a mouth and nose, then stick arms and body. She told me that it was Jesus. Then she said, "I'll give him feet" and she drew feet. Then she drew a circle and said it was the stone. I asked her if it was the stone that was rolled in front of the tomb and she said yes. Then she drew a bad guy (I think she meant a guard). Very intent on what she was doing the whole time.

Jake burped, we packed up and headed out.

Got to the lake, unloaded, waited for mom and dad to arrive. I was in the bathroom and heard Katie tell Lori "No gamma, no umpa, nobody here!"

Mom and dad arrived about an hour later and mom cuddled Jake. I got bottles ready and Katie ready for bed and grandpa set up a tent... in the sunroom! Yes, that's right. A three person tent in the sunroom so he and Katie could "camp". Mom brought some flashlights over so I guess Katie played with hers for a loooong time before she fell asleep. She had so much fun with the tent and she was so excited to be able to sleep in it. She told grandpa to zip up the door and boy, she was ready to enjoy the experience.

Jake had a bottle at about 11:30 so he was ready to go to sleep when mom took him to cuddle. He fell asleep and I took him at about 12:00. I laid him in bed and he was out... till 5:30 this morning!!! I was surprised when I heard him moving around and woke up and realized that he had slept for 6 hours! He usually wakes up twice at night between those times. I was happy... and well rested!

We woke up at about 7:30 (Jake fell asleep at 6 and woke up about 7:30) and Jake talked to himself till 8. Ate breakfast at about 10 a.m. and then went to Walmart... JUST me and Lori! Katie decided she didn't want to go and Jake didn't have any opinion either way so Mom stayed home with the kids and we took off. Went to the clothing store where I usually find cute stuff for Katie but I didn't buy anything because she wasn't with me... and I worried that she wouldn't want to wear what I picked out. She's quite vocal about her outfits.

Then we stopped at a consignment shop and looked around. Didn't buy anything there.

Then we were off to Walmart. Got stuff on the list to make some meals and then went to the baby area to pick up some butt paste (A&D if you want to be specific but we've always called it butt paste as in "Katie, will you bring me the butt paste for Jake's diaper change please" or "Katie, why are you putting butt paste all over your baby doll!" or "Katie, why do you have butt paste all over your face and arms?" - and just one arm... she must have used one hand to squeeze it out, the other to rub it in) when I showed Lori the bedding set I really wanted for Jake's crib but it was almost $50 last time we were here a week ago. I was kind of bummed when I didn't see it on the shelf - I guessed that they were just sold and that was that. We got closer to the formula area and saw a clearance shelf with, you guessed it, the crib set! I told Lori it was too expensive and she said that it was $21 now. I was so excited! I thought about it for two seconds and decided that I needed that crib set... so I bought it... along with $50 worth of other stuff.

Got home, put stuff away, had soup and bread and watermelon for lunch and went on a boat ride.

Now we're home and Dad is holding Jake and Mom is outside with Katie and Lori just finished some water and is probably heading back out. Me? I'm heading for the living room and the tv and my Jakey. We've got a date with a bottle.

I know, I'm slow to post pictures... here's how you can help!

We keep them online and I'm just not very good at pulling them and adding them to the blog.

Soooo, if you know me personally, send an email to thetiessenticket@yahoo.com and I'll send you the link. You can peruse our pics at your leisure... maybe even suggest some you think would go with past posts. See, my problem is that 1) it takes me forever to get the stupid things into the blog and 2) I can't always decide which pic would be cutest... so I don't put any.

Oh, plus, comments? Good. Sometimes I wonder who reads this thing so comment if you want. No pressure, don't let me twist your arm or anything.

I look forward to hearing from you!
K

Katie loves her “shows” and What we did last night

Last night when I got home from work, our conversation went something like this:

“Mommy! I got ropes too!” As she was holding and swinging the belt times on her dress. “Yes, you do!” I said once I finally understood that "ropes" meant a belt. And normally I don't wear anything that pulls the fabric in near my tummy but I bought some maternity shirts while pregnant with Katie and Jake and yes, I am still wearing my maternity shirts even though Jake is what, 5 months old now? Even though it’s obviously maternity. Even though it makes me look pregnant NOW (and I'm not, in case anyone wondered). It’s comfy and looks pretty and, well, it was clean.

So while I’m still feeling pretty impressed that she noticed something as tiny our similar belt style, Katie asks/tells me “You don’t change the channel, okay? I watching my shows.” Now we get to the real point. The "ropes" thing was just something that caught her attention but NOW we're onto the real focus. She loves her shows and I guess the talking dog show was coming on… Kittson or something? So I told her that was fine and I walked into the bathroom. And called Katie over, interrupting her show. I saw not one, not two, but three pairs of pants on the floor. And since she’ll help reallllly good when her shows are at stake, I asked her to put them in the laundry basket and I asked Daddy what happened and his answer was that she changed her clothes a lot. I kind of got that idea from the variety of outfits strewn about the bathroom and living room. It looks like she started out in pants and a tank top, then moved to warmer pants and a shirt (she must have gotten cold), decided she didn’t want those on and changed again to other warmer-er pants and then finally her dress.

She is definitely a dress girl. And she’s very impressed when a dress is twirly. That’s a whole category I consider when buying her a skirt/dress. Machine washable? Check. Warm wash? Check. Twirly? Check. Cause if it’s not twirly, she doesn’t want to wear it. I’ve come home to find her in one of her many winter dresses – long sleeves, heavy fabric, high collar – that I’ve put on the top rack of the closet but that she wants to wear because they are... yep, you guessed it. Twirly. I don’t mind if she wears them, but they are sooooo hot that I come home and I’m hot just looking at her!

She also wants her nightgowns to be twirly. We were at Walmart last weekend and she found a cute nightgown and pulled it down and asked me if she could have it. I told her no, that we hadn’t budgeted for it, and she was not happy. She held it until we left that aisle and then, at the last moment, she put it back. I told her she could earn money to buy it herself and explained that she could make her bed and pick up her toys and maybe have enough for it next weekend… She made her bed once and earned a bright shiny nickle... and then I asked if she wanted to pick up her toys to earn not one, not two, but THREE shiney pennies, she told me "tomorrow mama. I too tired today."

So after Kittson was over, we were still picking up the many toys she pulled out during the day. I don’t know how many toys she has but I'm thinking that there might be a tiny bit too many. I asked her to please put X away and she did, then X away and she did, then X away and … “mama, you help. I too tired” To which I have to reply “You got them all out here, you can help put them away.” She did for a bit until a very odd show with a very odd cartoon boy came on (looks like pinnochio, has clothes like a jester from the Renesance Fair, and pushes the vocal abilities of the guy/lady doing his voice). After that, she was done. She sat down in front of the TV on top of one of the parts from Jakes floor mat and stared at this show like it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen. I wasn’t as impressed. The kid and a friend, they both look about 5 or 6, were driving in a car to a festival. Helloooo? Driving a car? I’m just relieved our keys are still out of her reach after seeing that episode! The kid didn’t know where he was going and they got lost. Saw an elephant walking with severe breathing issues. Went to an adult friends house for a visit and directions. She loves it. We've been having a talk about strangers. I finally figured out that she calls them "rangers". Here I thought she had a strange facination with Yogi Bear. I didn't comment on any of these points because I didn't want to be "shushed" by a three year old.

Finally, after the funny boy show, Caillou, AND the birthday show (don’t ask…) it was my turn. While I was enjoying some quality programming, Katie kept up a continuous commentary about everything and then started to “skate” on the kitchen floor by standing on her “cool phone” and pushing off with her non-skate foot. After a turn through the kitchen and dining room (wood floors) I realized that the phone rubbing the floor with the weight of a 3-year old might not be best for the future quality of our flooring and I asked her to please not scratch the floors. If I had more energy, I might have gotten up to check but I was tired and it had been a long day so I felt that my mommy requirement had been fulfilled at that point. Katie did something else for a little bit then she was back in the kitchen. I looked over to see if I needed to get up to check for scratches because she was “skating” again and I saw that she had one of Jakes bibs on the floor and the cool phone on top of that and she was trying to skate again. She’s so resourceful! I kept my mouth shut.

Once she was over that, she picked up the part from Jakes floor mat that she had been sitting on earlier. (It’s cloth covered and kind of shaped like a pool noodle.) And she referred to it as “Honey’s dad”. If you recall from earlier posts, Honey is Katie’s imaginary friend. So I guess if imaginary Honey had an imaginary dad, who am I to say he’s not 3” thick with no arms and legs, neck, ears, or any other discernable features? She ran around with that for awhile and had a great time till we ate our pizza. Then I guess Honey’s dad went to sleep cause I spotted him under the kitchen table. Poor guy must have been exhausted from all of the exertion.

Katie had her eye on my last piece of pizza which was technically her last piece since I gave her 3 and I took 5 (little pieces). I told her that she should save room for CAKE with gramma after we had our pizze and she told me “mama, I not save room, I want pizza not cake” So she ate 3 and a half pieces and I finished her last little bit. She told me very seriously “Be careful mama, don’t get sick, okay?” I answered her very seriously “Okay.”

After dinner we went to gramma and grampas (okay, we walked downstairs) for some CAKE! I told her we were going to have CAKE (can you tell I’m excited for cake?) and she said, “I full from my pizza, I no want cake.” Is this my kid? How can you ever not want cake? Is that even possible? THEN I remembered… that’s just the kind of thing John would do. Is this a sign of “like father like daughter”? If so, good for her. That’s so much better than “I’ll just unbutton my pants to make a tiny bit more room”.

So later, once we were back upstairs, Katie was chatting with me. Telling me that Lola, or is it Goga?... I don’t remember, but one of them was mean. There was a long explanation about the situation which, of course, I can’t remember any of right now!

Oh, Jake has two perfect little teeth (he got them a few weeks ago) and he shows them off any chance he gets. He sits in his walker and stands up. He took actual steps forward while in it last night. One minute the stove was blocking him from view, the next minute I could fully see him! He also rolls from back to front, and back again. Very quickly. And when he’s on his tummy, he looks around for something to chew on. He also pulls hair and grabs glasses. He’s got a very good grip.

Katie entertains him. He sits in his walker or his little chair and she plays around him and does her thing and he smiles and watches her. While we ate our pizza she would look over, smile at Jake and he would smile back. She said “Mama, look, Jake smiles at me!”

This weekend we’re going back to the lake with one of our friends. It should be fun! Katie never did earn enough for the nightgown so I’ll have to steer clear of that section of Walmart – since we go there EVERY time we’re at the lake!

4th of July Weekend. What, no fireworks?

We spent a wonderfully relaxing weekend at the lake. Katie got to put her swim suit on and go swimming in the lake, Jacob got to try out Katie's swing, I got to eat rice krispy treats, special K bars, and brownies. Arg. Too much sugar but so yummy.

Katie also got to play in her little froggy pool from Grandma and Grandpa. It's just big enough for her to sit in and move around in a little and the hose connects to it and there's a little sprinkler in the front. She had such a good time with that! And she thought it was hysterical when grandpa "feel in" the pool! She would cover the spout with her foot and then tell grandpa to take it off and when he did, after he fell in the first time while doing this, she would take his arm and with all of the strength of a 3 year old, would pull him into the water. Dad would "fall" and get his arm and his head dunked in the water and Katie would lauuuuugh and laugh! Then she would cover the sprinkler again and repeat the process many, many... many times! Grandpa just kept going. We've got video. I promise I'll load it .

Jacob slept a lot. We sat outside and he slept, we sat inside and he slept. The only time he didn't sleep was at night. He was very fidgety. Katie slept really well. We ate dinner at about 9:00 p.m. on Saturday and were almost done when Katie said "I tired. I want to cuddle." I asked if she wanted to cuddle with me (but I was still eating) but then grammy came to my rescue and asked if Katie wanted to cuddle with her and she said yes. Grammy got her in jammies and rocked for a few minutes and Katie was out for the night! Sunday evening I was worried that the same thing would happen before we got in the car for the ride home! She was sitting in the kitchen chair and I looked over and her eyes were closed and she was leaning her head to the side. Grampa woke her up for me while I finished packing.

We had a great time, as usual. Katie had fun with Aunt Colleen - they made pretend sandwiches a few times this weekend. I'm glad they weren't real. I think the toppings included miracle whip, pb&j and pickles. Yuck!

Carrots and Prunes and Applesause, oh my! Potty time, and falls and *ah hem*, no laughing, oh my!

It's official. Jake likes food. He ate carrots first (see previous floppy ear blog!) and he's since tried prunes and applesause. He loves it all. Of course, his bottle is still a staple but this is a fun extra!

His smile is just as big too... only two teeth so far so it's a big gummy grin and he uses it often.

Katie eats well too mostly. If I can keep her attention on her food and she doesn't get distracted by something! She's potty trained to go in the toilet (which makes me VERY happy not to have the little potty chair in the bathroom) and last night she kind of had a little accident... She was standing on her stool and about to sit when I realized she was just a few inches too far over! She sat before I could stop her and she fell face first toward the bathroom floor. Luckily she caught herself and it wasn't a free fall but still, not too fun. I got her up and she was willing to try to go even after that. I didn't laugh then but as I typed this... I gave a little tiny, the tiniest of chuckles. Okay... so I actually giggled out loud. I couldn't help it... it was kind of funny!

Katie said *sigh* that I hurt her feelings *sigh*

I was minding my own business the other night when Katie came to me and said "mama, you hurt my feelings" *sighhh* "You hurt my feelings real bad" *sighh* I just looked at her and tried not to laugh because she was really adding a huge sigh after every sentence! She did that for awhile and I asked her how I hurt her feelings and she said "mama, you talk to me too much. You hurt my feelings" *sighh* "I so upset, you hurt my feelings" *sigh*

I told her that I wanted to remember that I hurt her feelings so I was going to get the camera. Got back and caught another performance! She was so funny. She started to smile toward the end... she must have known that she was putting on a show.

I'm trying to explain "acting" to her. We watch House on TV sometimes and she usually wants to know what the doctors are doing and "why that person there?" so I've been telling her that they are actors and not really doctors and the people aren't really sick but I don't know if she gets it.

Speaking of House, I love that show. I never liked ER, I would rush to change the channel when it came on after The Office because I didn't even want to hear the theme song or see any of the characters. Now I'll catch reruns of House and happily watch 2 episodes - that's what usually airs each night. Katie will watch too which means I've got to be careful about how much "hospital" stuff she really sees... that show can be a little TMI if you know what I mean!

On a side note, I happened to catch a bit of the Billy Ray Cyrus show "Doc" and I realized that if I ever got sick and the only people around to help were the cast of Doc and the cast of House, I would choose the cast of House. Watch and compare and let me know if you agree!