My Little Monster is Baaaaaaack!

Kaden's had a cough and runny nose for 9 weeks. I was just sure it was allergies, because he never had any other symptoms. He never complained of anything. He got more and more cuddly and laid back, but I figured anyone with allergies would feel more and more miserable the longer the season went. Finally he got to the point where I decided even if it is allergies I need to get him on some allergy meds to help him feel like a human being again.

(this is kaden "playing naptime" which he "played" a lot. Any excuse to lay down whithout actually going to bed, really.)

Instead the Dr. put him on antibiotics. And within 24 hours that child was back to running around our island, climbing on everything, using his voice excessively (I had forgotten how loud that boy is!) etc...

I feel like a bad mom. And I feel even worse as I think to myself (as he's climbing on Theresa's coffee table for the millionth time) "I think I liked him better sick."

Also, in the last 9 weeks he's been so laid back that I've hardly had to discipline him. I mean, you can't get them in trouble when they aren't doing it. So, I think he forgot the rules...which is why he was even climbing on the coffee table, putting the dog food in the water, etc...he forgot that rules aren't there just to be broken. Now I have to remind him. Unfortunately.

Theresa, thanks for putting up with him (and us!) today, and hopefully next time the coffee table will be more respected. OR i could bring a leash. Either way. I regress...

Now I know better than to wait 9 weeks. Maybe 3-4 is more reasonable. I don't want to be the mom who runs her kid to the doctor for every twitch, sneeze and itch. But, I don't want my kids to suffer longer than needed either. And Kaden is such a fun-loving little guy that he never complains!

I still think he may have some allergies, but am hoping this is really the cure.

Kisses for Momma

My Katelyn-girl gave me kisses tonight.

Over, and over again.

And my heart melted.

I would say, "Can I have a kiss, Kate?" and she'd look at me and lean in and lick my cheek really quick and lean away. Then I'd say "Oh! Thank you, Kate!" and she'd giggle.

And then we start over.

She's 6 months old today-that girl of mine. She just keeps growing...against my will. I want time to stand still, I want to enjoy her (and Kaden) to the fullest..and it seems impossible when time flies so quickly!

She's no chubby girl (at this moment, anyway). She's mostly happy. More and more she wants to do what we are doing and be where we are. She adores her brother. He can do almost anything to her and she just plays along. The other day he found it hilarious to put a stocking hat over her head...and her face. And she just sat there, playing along. Eventually she screamed at him and he quit (with a little help from mom).

She might not smile as much as Kaden, but she is quite literally my pure joy.

"No, Just Happy"

Lately, Kaden has been saying a phrase that I just find... what's the word.... uplifting. A phrase I've decided I need to add to my list of "frequently used phrases." Even greater would be to add it to my list of "subconsciously and frequently used phrases." So get ready..it will blow your mind. (or not. but you'll at least find it cute if nothing else!)

Mom: "Kaden, are you sleepy?"
Kaden: "Nope. Just happy."

Mom: "Kaden, are you full yet?"
Kaden: "No, just happy."

Mom: "Kaden, are you silly?"
Kaden: "Nope, just happy."

He says it nonchalantly. He says it contently. I think what he means is to say "no, just content."

Kitchen Floor

The other day Luke started tearing out the flooring in the kitchen. And by tearing, I mean that literally. Kaden LOVED it. Isn't that a little boys dream? To destroy. And to be helped in destroying by none other than Daddy.

So far "we" (that's a he-we, big time) have one layer of linolium off, 1 layer of plywood off, and 2 layers of linolium to go. Possibly another layer of plywood depending on what we find. I am feeling bad for Luke and will be buying him a BIG SCREEN TV as a thank you with my Pampered Chef money. I know he could have lived with the flooring that was in for years and years, so he's doing this project just for me.

ANYWAY, so the morning after the first layer got torn off Kaden was walking into the kitchen. Right as he was about to step in he stopped-one foot in the air-and exclaimed "OH NO!! Floor BROKEN!"

For how good of a memory he normally has, I was surprised he didn't remember. It was adorable though.

Once again, the floor has turned into more work than we hoped. Yet, again, not more than we probably expected. We've learned that, at least in this house, probably nothing was done to our standards and will be a pain to redo! It's going to get harder and harder to convince Luke to do projects! THAT, or the thank you's will have to get better and better...maybe i shouldn't be starting out with a TV! I'll be posting many before-during-and after pictures as this project progresses. Stay tuned!

Hair

Last night we were at our church's business meeting and Kaden went to sit with Earl Byrd. He got up on his lap...and immediately asked about his necklace and his nose and then his mustache...

Kaden: "what's this?"
Earl: "that's my mustache"
Kaden: Kinda pulling on the mustache then pointing to Earl's head "That go on THERE"

Yes, Kaden...he should have hair on his head.

Water Bottle (part 2)

A few days after we went to Rapid City, Rachel and I decided to brave another restaurant with the kids. This time Sanfords (Humphreys) here in town. It was tasty, and relatively uneventful. Until I put Kaden's recently rescued, and dearly treasured by it's owner, orange water bottle on the roof of the car to put Kaden into the car.

Forgot it there.

And drove off.

Classic? Right? Thankfully, it was unharmed even though it really should have been backed over and then run over. We rescued it again..and are wondering still if it should be allowed to leave this house.

He still loves that water bottle.

(Just a side note: Luke and I took the kids to Rapid this last weekend and guess what we forgot. Something for Kaden to drink out of. This time we did not buy him anything. We simply ordered a kid's water when we went out to eat!)

Water Bottle

Rachel and I decided to make a trip to Rapid City while she was here...mostly for the good eatin' but also for some shopping (mostly me!) First store: Gordmans! Where they have this awesome TV area for kids. Rachel, Kaden, and Kate hung out there while I shopped...and finally got myself the promised "when I'm done being pregnant" pajama pants. You can see them in the back of the cart in the picture below. Kaden had decided that he needed to hold Kate and it was too cute to not take a picture! Kate didn't hate it the whole time...just by the time I got a picture of her face...hence the "happy" picture that avoids her upset face.

After Gordmans we realized I had not brought Kaden a sippy cup to use for the day. So, since we were going to Scheels anyway I figured I'd just get him a water bottle like Luke and I have. He's always swiping ours anyway. So I let him pick one. Much to NO ONE's surprise, he picked an orange one, and wanted to hold onto it from then on.

Next we went to lunch downtown to a place called the FireHouse Grill and Brewery- a favorite of Rachel's that she was wanting me to experience (definitely good if you're every in the Rapid City area!) I think she likes it mostly for the beer....mustard.

It was a busy day downtown with some kind of parades and construction all around. We managed to find a parking spot only about a block away and headed in. As we walked Kaden held to his new water bottle proudly. Then he dropped it. And it rolled into the street. No big deal...we'd send him to get it once it rolled to the curb. Except that the curb was a gutter drain...without a metal cover! It rolled right down into the ground about 6 feet down. I COULD SEE THE STUPID $12 water bottle that hadn't even been washed yet, much less used!!!! But I could not reach it.
What to do? I was sick. Would I go back and buy another one? Or would i just go find the cheapest sippy I could find and cut my losses? We got into the Firehouse and ordered and I just could not get that water bottle out of my head. So, I left Rachel with both kids...and headed back to my car to see if there was a clothes hanger I could try to snag it out with. No such luck. So, I looked to see if there was ANYTHING...and much to my surprise I found a tow rope with a nice little (ok, it's big) hook. I walked back to the hotel with a stupid little grin on my face...the thought going through my head was "I sure hope I can get it, and I wonder how dumb I will look...oh no! A car is in front of the drain!"
I didn't let that car stop me. I am sure I looked quite hilarious swining a tow rope down a gutter drain...but after only 2 tries i hooked the bottle and hoisted it up.
Then i walked dumbly with a huge grin on my face into the restaurant...with my huge tow rope and my newly saved water bottle. It was a happy moment.

(Here is a picture of where it rolled down the "drain."

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, I will say that I kept better hold of that bottle. When we got ready to leave we stopped at a convenience store to get some drinks and left Kaden in the car for a minute and when we got back out he was already asleep just like this:

It was a cute ending to a fun day.