Today as we were reading a Rosemary Wells book before bed, Addison kept pointing to the book squealing, "Zach and Boobies! Zac and Boobies!" When I realized that Rosemary Wells is the creator of Max and Ruby, Caelen and I had a really good laugh over what Addison thought she was saying.
The following story I have shared with so many people but I just must post it for posterity. Everyone thinks Addison is just the sweetest thing, and she is, but she's got another side to her and it was perfectly demonstrated in the car on the way home from the library just a couple days ago. Caelen informed me that Addison had been looking at a particular book for a long time and she would like a turn. I was impressed that Caelen hadn't tried first yelling at her sister or whining to me, and Addie had had a long turn. So I told Addison that it was time to let her sister have a turn with the book and she could look at the new Zac and Boobie book we picked up.
Addie yelled NO!, and glaring at her sister and held the book as far away from Caelen as she could manage in her car seat. I told her again that it was time to share. She held the book out close to her window so everyone could see and looking right at me, dropped it down between her seat and car door and said, "I can't reach it."
The funny thing is I used to wonder why I only posted about Caelen. Now that Addison is so close to turning two I'm realizing that with age comes the funny stories to write about and the things you don't ever want to forget. Addison is sassy and she doesn't take me seriously at all which leaves Caelen confused and astounded. She is usually watching Addison with her mouth hanging open or a confused look on her brow and I know she's thinking, "I would never dare to do that!"
Caelen's current bad name for someone is "Big Lump". She'll use this term if, for example, someone hurt her feelings, or Woodrow slobbered on her, or someone teases her. She'll often say, "Mom, _____ is a big lump." It gives her a way to express her frustration and usually makes me have to supress a smile.
In other Caelen news, she will not be attending Kindergarten in the fall. After touring Dunham School (which I absolutely love by the way) and talking with the principal, Kindergarten teacher and other parents I came away really feeling that Caelen was to stay home one more year. I prayed hard about the decision and asked for it to be made crystal clear what we were to do, and boy was it made clear. Now the benefits are unfolding before my eyes and I'm happy we have a plan. But I will definitely be purposefully teaching her come the fall. I think of it as homeschooled preschool. And since she's in a social "preschool" setting at least 3 times a week I am not worried about that part of not sending her to actual preschool. But Caelen will get bored and needs to be challenged so I'm gonna have to be a "teacher" next year.
In baby news I have about 10 weeks left until delivery. No date is set yet but when my surgeon gets back next week my OB is going to e-mail him to set up a date so hopefully I'll have a birthday for her soon :) I CANNOT wait to meet her and to be done being pregnant!!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
You might need something besides a doctor...
As we were playing doctor today Caelen and I took turns having various ailments: she fell off a roof, I had the flu and hurt my leg. When it was her turn, I got up to change the music and came back to find her laying on the couch with her eyes closed. I thought, "Alright, we've got a blind one in need of some healing here." So I asked, "So what's the problem today?" and she replied, "I'm DEAD!"
Now Addie is having a turn being the doctor. She comes over with the stethescope and says, "I doctor," and as she places it on my tummy she says, "There you go!" and walks away. Then she brings another tool over and repeats. If it's a medicine container or the thermometer she asks, "Want some? Say Ah!" and puts it in my mouth. But then she came over with the reflex hammer stuck in her eye. Guess we're not quite sure on the use of that one. But she always says, "You're welcome!" before she leaves. (I just got a shot in my eye! LOL)
Caelen loves it and is so proud of her sister when Addison gets a new word. She often has a few per day. But yesterday Caelen couldn't remember what Addie's new word earlier that morning had been so she begins asking me, Grandma, and Addie all at once, "What was Addie's new word? Mom, what was Addie's new word? Addie, do you remember your new word?" No one could remember. So Caelen says, "Addison! Say your new word!!" and Addie proudly replies, "NEW WORD!"
While in Addison's room together I hear Caelen say, "Child, figure out how to do it yourself." And I've actually never said anything like that to them.... that I recall.
Now Addie is having a turn being the doctor. She comes over with the stethescope and says, "I doctor," and as she places it on my tummy she says, "There you go!" and walks away. Then she brings another tool over and repeats. If it's a medicine container or the thermometer she asks, "Want some? Say Ah!" and puts it in my mouth. But then she came over with the reflex hammer stuck in her eye. Guess we're not quite sure on the use of that one. But she always says, "You're welcome!" before she leaves. (I just got a shot in my eye! LOL)
Caelen loves it and is so proud of her sister when Addison gets a new word. She often has a few per day. But yesterday Caelen couldn't remember what Addie's new word earlier that morning had been so she begins asking me, Grandma, and Addie all at once, "What was Addie's new word? Mom, what was Addie's new word? Addie, do you remember your new word?" No one could remember. So Caelen says, "Addison! Say your new word!!" and Addie proudly replies, "NEW WORD!"
While in Addison's room together I hear Caelen say, "Child, figure out how to do it yourself." And I've actually never said anything like that to them.... that I recall.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Umbrella, Muffins, & Mini Marshmallows
Sorry about the sideways picture, but when uploading straight from my camera I don't know how to flip it. Here's Addie's latest obsession - her umbrella. She inherited it from Caelen who got a new one for her birthday and offered her old one to Addie. She treasures this thing, but only when open. If it's closed she pitches a fit until she remedies the situation.
This is Addison down for a nap with her beloved. She had just come from a car ride where she held it, partially opened, over her head the entire ride exclaiming, "I did it! I did it!" (And seriously, as I'm typing this blog Addison and her umbrella are climbing all over my legs.)
Here are my little bakers making blueberry muffins. I thought I'd occupy Addison with a spoon and a cupcake liner while her sister got the job done but Addie ended up filling 5 of the muffins!
This is Addison down for a nap with her beloved. She had just come from a car ride where she held it, partially opened, over her head the entire ride exclaiming, "I did it! I did it!" (And seriously, as I'm typing this blog Addison and her umbrella are climbing all over my legs.)Here are my little bakers making blueberry muffins. I thought I'd occupy Addison with a spoon and a cupcake liner while her sister got the job done but Addie ended up filling 5 of the muffins!
And how sweet is this beautiful face as she roasts mini marshmallows over an open fire? It was totally all her idea and when I saw her hunched over the fire patiently roasting, I had to run and get my camera!
Addison has turned two with a vengeance and we still have a month until the official milestone. The tantrums and fits have begun, especially when I ask her to clean up her toys at Grandma's house before we head home for the day. When I took her Tabby (her blankie) away for disobeying, Caelen remarked (in a non-haughty manner), "Mom, you're the best mom ever. You always know the right discipline." I laughed (mostly in disbelief) and asked, "Do you think that even when I'm disciplining YOU?" She smiled and earnestly replied, "Yeah." And I believe her. Like my mother in law said, that's a girl who loves her some rules.
I'm learning with this pregnancy that I hate hate hate being out of commission. I can't handle it. The nausea was incapacitating and now the sciatic nerve pain has gotten to such an unbearable point that I can't walk without tears coming to my eyes or crying out in little yelps of pain, which is really embarrassing (luckily my kids don't pay me any mind and they're the ones around the most.) I've actually honestly never had pain as acutely unbearable as this. So here I lay on the couch, on my other side, with ice on my butt, in the middle of winter. Thomas had to come home early from work today which always makes me feel really bad. And my chiropractor can't see me until Tuesday morning. Until then, I don't know what I'll do. I sat up to change a diaper and almost began crying. I think my pride is hurt more than anything and I just need to get over it. I'll just have to rely on Thomas to get me water and chocolate from my secret stash for a couple days. The things we take for granted, like mobility....
Sunday, January 09, 2011
All in a Day
Today while Thomas was trimming his beard before church Caelen was just watching him. Finally she said, "Daddy with that beard you look a lot less like a girl."
Then on the way to church when Caelen was asking what we're doing the day after tomorrow (she's always planning WAAAAAAAAAY ahead) Thomas told her that today has enough trouble of it's own. He said it in Thomas-ese though which is always harder to understand than the King James Bible. After a silent moment Caelen replied, "Daddy, you don't have to teach me everything, my friends teach me things too. I make my own decisions Daddy and you and Mommy don't have to teach me everything, my friends teach me too." I looked at Thomas and asked, "Wait, is she four or fourteen?"
Caelen and I had the priveledge of getting to see the Asante (Swahili for "Thank You") Children's Choir at church this evening. They're a group of orphaned Rawandan children who have been sponsored through African Mission Alliance and travel the globe to sing, dance, and share their testimony of God's faithfulness in their sweet lives. So it was very lively and loud and colorful. It was a ton of fun and of course I was teary just watching the joy these kids exuded.
Caelen had a blast, she loved their costumes and dancing, she kept commenting on how good they were and that she didn't know how to dance like that. At one point she said, "Mom, I have never seen kids like this before, they're all brown or black," which I thought was really funny because she's totally seen dark skin everyday, but I think a huge group of children dressed in their African clothes really made an impression. Then she noted, "Mom, they're really gonna have to pee after this."
Following the choir we had a going away dinner for some friends from church. We had it at the church so we just wandered over one building where Thomas and Addison met us since Addison was done with her nap. Poor baby girl was eating dinner at her seat and next thing the entire room knows, she's fallen, food and all, face first to the floor. When Thomas lifted her up her lip was bleeding. Now she's got a fat, red lower lip, but the tears stopped when she saw the cupcake I had been saving for her. After two of those puppies she was running around the room smiling again.
Then on the way to church when Caelen was asking what we're doing the day after tomorrow (she's always planning WAAAAAAAAAY ahead) Thomas told her that today has enough trouble of it's own. He said it in Thomas-ese though which is always harder to understand than the King James Bible. After a silent moment Caelen replied, "Daddy, you don't have to teach me everything, my friends teach me things too. I make my own decisions Daddy and you and Mommy don't have to teach me everything, my friends teach me too." I looked at Thomas and asked, "Wait, is she four or fourteen?"
Caelen and I had the priveledge of getting to see the Asante (Swahili for "Thank You") Children's Choir at church this evening. They're a group of orphaned Rawandan children who have been sponsored through African Mission Alliance and travel the globe to sing, dance, and share their testimony of God's faithfulness in their sweet lives. So it was very lively and loud and colorful. It was a ton of fun and of course I was teary just watching the joy these kids exuded.
Caelen had a blast, she loved their costumes and dancing, she kept commenting on how good they were and that she didn't know how to dance like that. At one point she said, "Mom, I have never seen kids like this before, they're all brown or black," which I thought was really funny because she's totally seen dark skin everyday, but I think a huge group of children dressed in their African clothes really made an impression. Then she noted, "Mom, they're really gonna have to pee after this."
Following the choir we had a going away dinner for some friends from church. We had it at the church so we just wandered over one building where Thomas and Addison met us since Addison was done with her nap. Poor baby girl was eating dinner at her seat and next thing the entire room knows, she's fallen, food and all, face first to the floor. When Thomas lifted her up her lip was bleeding. Now she's got a fat, red lower lip, but the tears stopped when she saw the cupcake I had been saving for her. After two of those puppies she was running around the room smiling again.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Big changes for little girls
Converted Addison's crib into a toddler bed today ::sniff:: When did my baby get to be, well, not a baby? I did it most to save my achin' back. I can't lower her down into her crib with this huge belly anymore, and after talking with my doctor about my chronic siatic nerve pain (I know, I feel lame even admitting to how gimpy I am) I decided it would be best to do as little of that kind of heavy lifting as possible.
The questions run through my mind: What will happen when she realizes she doesn't have to stay in bed?? What if she falls out? Will she be wandering the house in the middle of the night? Will bedtime become a battle? We'll see.....
Today Caelen and I were working on a money worksheet. She was learning the value of coins. There were pictures of a dime, nickel, penny & quarter on the page and she had to draw a line to the value written out 1 cent, 5, 10 & 25 cents. I asked her to tell me the numbers first so I pointed to 5 and she said, "Five cents", I pointed to the 10 and she said, "Ten cents", I pointed to the 25 and she said, "CHRISTMAS!" Evidently she stared at her advent calendar long and hard last month :)
Later we were working on finding hidden objects in her activity book. I was looking at the pictures, all beginning with "c" and said, "OK, so we need a cat, cake, carrot and chicken." She replys, "No Mom, that's a rooster." I said, "Oh is it? Well, it says 'Chicken'". She laughed sheepishly and said, "Oh sorry Mom, I can't read very well." Sweet child! She can't read at all, but she's learning!! I was laughing at how cute that was.
We're making serious progess on the baby's room! The only things left in there are the computer stuff, my sewing table and photo albums. Thomas is bringing home some bins tonight and working on some shelving in the garage so hopefully tonight the photo albums will be out of there! Maybe some other things as well. I love home decorating anyway but when a baby is on the way I get really antsy!
The questions run through my mind: What will happen when she realizes she doesn't have to stay in bed?? What if she falls out? Will she be wandering the house in the middle of the night? Will bedtime become a battle? We'll see.....
Today Caelen and I were working on a money worksheet. She was learning the value of coins. There were pictures of a dime, nickel, penny & quarter on the page and she had to draw a line to the value written out 1 cent, 5, 10 & 25 cents. I asked her to tell me the numbers first so I pointed to 5 and she said, "Five cents", I pointed to the 10 and she said, "Ten cents", I pointed to the 25 and she said, "CHRISTMAS!" Evidently she stared at her advent calendar long and hard last month :)
Later we were working on finding hidden objects in her activity book. I was looking at the pictures, all beginning with "c" and said, "OK, so we need a cat, cake, carrot and chicken." She replys, "No Mom, that's a rooster." I said, "Oh is it? Well, it says 'Chicken'". She laughed sheepishly and said, "Oh sorry Mom, I can't read very well." Sweet child! She can't read at all, but she's learning!! I was laughing at how cute that was.
We're making serious progess on the baby's room! The only things left in there are the computer stuff, my sewing table and photo albums. Thomas is bringing home some bins tonight and working on some shelving in the garage so hopefully tonight the photo albums will be out of there! Maybe some other things as well. I love home decorating anyway but when a baby is on the way I get really antsy!
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