Kiddos

Lately Kate has been learning at warp speeds. I don't know how to handle it! The other day (like 2 weeks ago) she started insisting that she sit on the potty...all.the.time. It was actually just purely annoying. So I thought, "Can't beat 'em? Join 'em." So, we taught her to go potty while she sat on the toilet. And...here we are 2 weeks later, after having BARELY potty trained (mostly she's just taught herself) and she's dry all day. She only uses a diaper at naps and night. I'm impressed. I'm relieved...I mean, how easy was that? I remember saying that about Kaden... I firmly believe in the "they'll let you know when they're ready" thing.
Some new words in the last month:
cheese- EEESE
Please- EESHZE
My Turn- Dah Doo (while patting her chest with her hand)
Meh Meh - No NO (While pointing to her diaper... sometimes it comes out Mo Mo)
Dog - Daahh
Dad - Dada
Kaden: Day doo
She also has started to make a dog sound, duck sound, and a few more animal sounds. She's quite fond of all D words.

It's so crazy to talk about my almost 2 year old this way. So crazy different. She is soooo smart just like her brother, but they are totally different in how they display their brilliance. She just knows how to do things. No explanation required. Puzzle? easy. Spoon and Fork? Mastered in seconds. She can already put on her shoes and if you let her, her pants (normally backwords.) These are things I had to force her brother to do, at a much older age.

Kids are just sooo different. and so precious. And so, so, so wonderful.

Kadenisms: (I couldn't make these up, people!)

on the way home from walmart, Kaden from the back seat: Oh no! Where did I drop that booger?

I asked Kaden what he liked about AWANA. Number 1 on the list was: snacks 2: craft time 3: surprise box. So i asked what he didn't like: That they don't have trains. (surprise!)

Kaden: "Mom, would you go down and get my green blanket from downstairs? I unheld it."
Mom: "You 'unheld' it? So it's downstairs? I don't think I understand what you mean."
Kaden: "MOM....UNHELD means to DROP something."

Kaden usually offers to lick me after he kisses my cheek. I always respond "no thanks". Today:
Kaden (after a kiss on my cheek): Do you want me to lick you, mom?
Mom : No thanks... I don't need licked.
Kaden: Because your not a lollipop?
(that's one reason, I suppose...)

Kaden was "reading" the 3 little pigs to me. I asked him which house he would build: straw, stick, or brick? He said "I'd build straw, because we don't have BIG BAD WOLVES in Gillette" LOL. logical.

Kaden was helping stir the sloppy joe meat.
Mom: Make sure not to touch the pan, ok?
K: Ok mom. But if I do, I'll just wipe it on my shirt.
so then dad explains that the reason is that he could get burned.
K: It's ok if I get burned. it will be fine.

kaden: mom why are you looking at these pictures?
Mom: they are of mommy's friends. do you want to look at pictures of you now? (normally an instant yes)
Kaden: no, i just want to look at pictures of trains.

Kaden's newest love is the game Memory. We have one that has 3 levels of difficulty. He is now on level 2. It is just adding more cards. He loves it. And he is SO good at it. Of course, it is a THomas the train game, so he loves that too. He has to make sure I know what each engine's name is as we flip them over.

He also loves to cook with me. He's always wanted to, but lately he can actually do it without spilling everything or trying to touch something hot. He thinks its the best thing ever.

My laughs for the day

Kaden: "Excuse me." (this is what he normally says to get my attention)
Mom: "What?"
Kaden: "Excuse me."
Mom: "What, Kaders"
Kaden: "Excuse me."
Mom: "Kaden, WHAT?"
Kaden: "Oh I was just burping a lot.... Mom when I burp I say excuse me."
Mom: "Oh, ok...that's good."
Kaden: "Mom, Roslyn can't talk so she uses her burp cloth to cover her burps."

Kaden: "Mom, can you untangle this for me?"
Mom: "Sure, will you go get my purse off the table while I do that?"
Kaden comes back empty handed.
Mom: "Did you get my purse?"
Kaden: "Yep, it's on the floor!"
Thanks Kaden, I guess I should have been more clear.

Funny Kaden-boy

Kaden: "Dad, what would happen if we only had one leg?"
Luke: "We'd have a hard time walking!"
Kaden:"OH. Yes. Yes. I knew that. I knew that."

Kaden to Mom while we were driving to get his hair cut... right after we made a right turn. "Excuse me Mom, are you sure we're going the right way?"
Mom: "Yes Kaden."
(Next turn.) Kaden: "Um, Excuse me, Mom... are you SURE we're going the right way?" (Ok, so I had veered into the Starbucks lane!)

Kadenisms

Kaden: What are we having for breakfast?
Mom: Worms and alligator tongues!
K: (the beginnings of a fit) I don't WANT that! I want YOGURT and alligator tongues!

"Mom, if some little Katelyn chewed on this and ruined it, I'd be sooooo sad." -Kaden

Kaden stopped dead in his tracks, looked around...then said "I just forgot myself.... MOM! what was I going to say?" (I think he meant "do")

Kaden: "I found a chocolate chip under the stove. ...sooooo I kinda ate it."

Just the basics of the last 2 months!

Kaden: "Daddy, when we get home can I have a bath?"
Silence as Daddy considers it (it is already bedtime).
Kaden: same question.
Daddy: "No Kaden, I don't think we're going to do baths tonight."
Kaden: "JUST because I ask you for something DOESN'T mean you always have to say NO!"
Poor kid got a short bath.

The last 2 months have been insanely busy. In November Kaden took 5 weeks of swim lessons with his friend Quincy. He thoroughly enjoyed every second of those lessons! The first day of lessons Kaden convinced his teacher to take him to the deep end afterwards. She didn't know what she was getting into...almost every lesson he begged, pleaded, and otherwise convinced her to spoil him for a few minutes after lessons. He also was the kid who was always in trouble and had to sit on the wall. He wasn't trying to be naughty, but he just loved to be underwater. Apparently going underwater while the teacher is working with other kids is a big no-no. Also, he didn't have the greatest attention span, and loved trying to make the other kids laugh. I was told before we started not to expect him to pass because "they never pass a kid the first time." Well, I'm proud to say he passed! (I do have to wonder if the teacher just wanted to be rid of him!) He was able to hold his breath under water for 3 seconds, push off the wall on both is front and back and glide 2 body lengths, pick up an object off the floor of the pool, and other things like that. He even jumped off the diving board twice! He was one of only 2 kids to pass.

Katelyn and I spent that time either sitting and watching (well, she ate suckers...) or we suited up and walked the "lazy river" together with a friend and her daughter. Walking against the current is harder than it first appears! Katelyn loved getting to be in the water too.

For Thanksgiving we headed to Montana to my parents house (and sadly, we forgot our camera.) We were able to spend Thanksgiving with 3 of my 4 brothers and my Grandparents. The last time I was able to be home for Thanksgiving I was pregnant with Kaden and sick, sick, sick. I don't even remember most of it. It was fun to do all of our traditions: the meal, graham cracker houses, games, and leftovers on already too full stomachs. Kaden still talks about the house he made (which had character! I wish I had a photo!) and has asked Gramma to save it for him at Christmas so he can eat the candy off of it. So fun to share traditions that I enjoyed at his age!

For my birthday my parents offered to keep our kids for the night the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We left around 9am and headed to Billings to shop. It was so weird to drive in silence, and the car felt so empty! We shopped alllll day, then had a nice hotel with heated pool and hot tub. We shopped a little more on Sunday and were able to get much of our Christmas shopping done. We met my parents with the kids at Sams around noon. Katelyn wouldn't even look at me when we met up. She held out, not looking at us, and refusing to come to us until Gramma threatened to put her in the car and take her back home. She practically leaped into my arms! What a stinker! It was a very fun weekend, but it always reminds me how much a part of my life my kids are. I sure do love them. (I just don't love shopping with them!!!!!!)

(I am so thankful for autosave as I accidentally just deleted this entire post. It had autosaved just a few seconds before!!!)

This month has been filled with Christmas Parties, (for MOPS, PCA, Church..), meetings for church, and other holiday fun. Yesterday Kaden and I were laying on the floor by the tree looking into the ornament's reflections and talking about Christmas. He has been asked several times by people what he wants from Santa, which has generated much talk. He is confused between the link between Santa and Baby Jesus. We are talking about how Santa is someone we pretend brings us presents, and Baby Jesus is real, and was born as the son of God. After we talked about that I asked him what he wanted for Christmas and his reply was, "Ummmmmm...some more trains, some more trucks, and something for Katelyn." It melted my heart. A while later, curious as to what he'd say, I asked again. He replied the same exact phrase. So we decided to take him out Christmas shopping for his sister. They each got each other a present and we are talking about how we get presents for each other at Christmas and why. It has been fun to see him question, and put together the pieces that everyone teaches him about Christmas.

This week Luke had an appointment to find out if the mole on his nose was something we needed to be worried about since it was changing in shape/size from year to year. Since he works in the sun many hours all summer long we wanted to make sure it was not going to be something to cause skin cancer, etc... The doctor said that he was fairly confident that it was nothing, but said that it might be best to have it removed just to make sure. It ended up being more than we bargained for. Apparently to make an inscision on the face they have to put you under anesthetic to ensure that you won't move and screw anything up. So 2 days later Luke went in for that surgery. It was not a very fun experience for either of us, but it's over now and we're glad to have it behind us!

In a week we are headed back to Montana to spend Christmas with Luke's family. It's hard to believe it's already that time of year! During that stay I'm hoping to write our Christmas letter (which is actually a new years letter and I don't know why I still call it our Christmas letter and send it in Christmasy envelopes!) We need to take a family picture- I wish I'd thought of that before Luke's surgery! (I bet he wishes that too!)

Kadenisms

"Mom, can Roslyn (the baby I babysit) not talk?"
"No, she is too little."
"Yah, But I can talk! And baby (Kate) can talk a DIFFERENT language, because I can hear what she is saying."

"Mom, do you eat fishes?" (as he's eating goldfish crackers.)
"Not very often, why?"
"No, Mom, I mean the fishes that swim in the water? Do you eat those?"
"I don't like fish but some people do."
"Yuck. I just eat fishes that DON'T swim, Mom."

Katelyn-handing me a flashlight that has dead batteries and yelling jibberish.
Mom to Kate, "The batteries are dead, we can't turn it on!"
More jibberish yelling from Kate.
Kaden, to Kate: "Kate, we're just going to have to retire it for now. I'm sorry."
(Where does he get these phrases?)

Kaden, sucking on a sucker at the table. "Mom, there's water on the table!" "It's sucker water!"
(Thank you Kaden for drooling on the table your blue "sucker water")

The last few weeks

It's been a while. But I always say that. So I'll skip to the next part.

So the last blog I talked about how I had company coming THE NEXT DAY. Well, that went okay. I got the house cleaned, and everything ready. I got all the meals mostly prepared, and then I got sick. Yup. Some host. I had some kind of flu bug that turned into bronchitis-which is still blessing me with it's presence. My family, so far, has been spared. But, even though I was sick (I always get sick when they come. It's enough to wonder if they poisen me!) Anyway, it was good to visit with Bill and Nate again. I missed Rachel a lot though.

Also, about the siding. You guessed it. We did NOT get our siding yet. The update "We'll have it this Thursday." I will believe it when I see it. But this time I have enough hope to actually go out and take the "before" pictures. I'm so excited to see how much it will transform the look of this house!

Now for some Kadenisms:

Kaden- to Katelyn as she scratched his legs- "Katelyn no more scratching. STOP scratching" slight pause..."No scratching! I CAN SCRATCH MYSELF!" the kid cracks me up.

Backing out of the driveway, and Kaden says, "Mom, tomorrow I'm going to climb up the garage door and get up on the roof of the house." silent pause. "Okay?" Okay..i totally thought he was kidding. Nope, he REALLY is gonna.

(Out of the blue) "Mom, when I get a little bit bigger, and that tree gets a little bit smaller, THEN I'm going to climb up it!" -Kaden

On to Kate. She is still refusing to talk...but getting better and getting her point across through screams. She gets so mad when we try to get her to at least do some sign language. She is definitely a stubborn thing. She's had a fever lately from teething...so we're hoping for a 6th tooth soon. They sure do come slow for her.

Maybe the next time I update I'll have pictures of a green house???

More about the kids...

Facebook reminded me that this was Luke's "status update" from February 21, 2011.

"Good morning Mom! Time to get up?" ~ Kaden, 15 minutes after going to bed.

He is so hilarious. And I wanted to have it noted somewhere other than Facebook for him to see someday.

So while I'm at it...more Kadenisms:

"Nurdles" are noodles
"I'm a BOY" is what he thinks is the reason for everything. (Example: why can't I paint my toenails, Mom? Because you're a boy. Why can't I have long hair? Because you're a boy. Translated in his mind: Find your shoes Kaden. I can't! Why not? Because I'm a boy.) You see the trend. Sigh.

In other news, Katelyn has learned how to push Kaden's buttons in a matter of milliseconds. Threaten to come downstairs when he just finishes building a track out of his wood track set. Take said tracks. Run to the bathroom and get there before Kaden as soon as you realize he needs to go potty. (She loves this one, and does it often. I keep trying to tell Kaden not to announce his need to potty...She loooooves the hollar and screams that come from him until I make her leave.) Also, she mostly won't do what we want her to...unless we ask nicely. We can have a fit because Mom said "Give me my phone back." but if Mom says "Kate, can I please have my phone back" then it's all ok. RESPECT.... also, at her developmental checks she will not do what they ask. At the last one (about a week ago) they got out a HUGE stuffed bear to try to get her to come play with them. She smiled slightly (with a look that said, "I'd DIE to be playing with that bear right now, but I can't since you want me to") and walked the other way. There was NO getting her to play with that bear until the end, when she wasn't supposed to. I found it all very hilarious. And we wonder why she doesn't talk. Why would she, if we WANT her to?

When I write these things it sounds so cute and funny. But actually, in real life, I struggle to see the humor oftentimes. I'm working on that.

Kadenisms

"Awfuls" ---Waffles
"Kung-uhl"--Tunnel
"Nah-nuh"---Banana
"Katewin"---Katelyn
"Percy Juice"--anything in his Percy sippy cup
"Kick-up"---pickup
"Trabis and Lebi"--his cousins Travis and Levi
"tuit"--foot
"potato"---tomato or potato (good luck guessing!)
"gakkett"--jacket
"WHAAA WHICH"---(said in a horrible voice) Sandwhich
"yangya"--lasagna

For the most part his words are very clear. There are a few that he just kills us with!

Also, we are "chasing" whichever car we are following in our car.

His bed "kicks him out" at times.

And, if you ask, Katelyn is always "10 Months" while he is mostly "2 and a half" or "almost free, but i'm 2" while holding up 5 fingers.