Three soon?! OH MY!

(I know you thought this was a pregnancy announcement!)



My baby boy turns 3 in just 4 more days. I can't believe it! He is such a fun kid these days (haven't I always said that?) but really I mean it more than ever! There were times in the last 3 months I wondered if we would survive the 2s. I had heard that 3s were worse-and I was in dread. But then a few people told me that it was just a phase...an "almost 3" phase. I think (and pray) they were right! Or it could be that it's summer finally and we aren't stuck in the house? But I'm going with the 3s not so bad.

This year there won't be grandparents here for his party. We had thought Luke's parents were going to come over the 4th and we could celebrat then. However, Luke's dad had a slight heart attack and some stints put in and that plan was abandoned. Thankfully, Luke's dad is doing great after all the fuss...but Kaden's party was looking a little hopeless! I just couldn't get motivated! And on top of that he was INSISTING that he would have a 3D Thomas the Tank Engine cake. He told everyone. How do you break a heart so set on it? I wasn't sure I was up to the challenge, ESPECIALLY without a Gramma here to help! So I looked all over online and he just kept showing me just what he wanted. Then one day he said "Mom, my thomas cake will go fast!" (or something to that effect...) and then it hit me. He thought he'd be able to play with his Thomas cake. I told him that Thomas cakes don't move. They don't get played with. They just get cut and eaten. He was devastated. Absolutely devastated. So I suggested that maybe we could have a cake with a Thomas toy on top that he could play with. His eyes literally danced. We were saved! His devastation was gone, and my predicament wiped away...all in one little moment. Relief. I can't wait to make his cake now, and I can't wait to share it with you! But for now, it's a secret. :)

Next we went to the store...to look for presents. I was asked to buy presents for Luke's parents since they couldn't come. They wouldn't have time to mail anything and wanted him to have something from him. So we looked at Walmart and, of course, Kaden wanted everything but I just couldn't swallow the rediculous prices! So we headed over to Kmart. (I always wonder why I go to Kmart....) Anyway, if there's one thing about Kmart it's that it lets me down about 99 out of every 100 times I'm in there. You'd think I'd learn, but I don't. And then I hit the ONE time it has what I need and I'm s glad I haven't given up. (Trust me...if we had ANYTHING but Kmart and Walmart and the expensive Teacher's Corner I'd go...but we don't.) Anyway, I found the clearance toy aisle that I never knew existed. It was PERFECT! For $20 total I was able to get Kaden a Cars duplo gas station with 3 of the Cars characters, a Lightening McQeen matchbox car, and a Thomas the Train Memory game. He is gonnna LOVE them! How, you ask, did I buy it without his knowledge...well that was kinda a funny story.

So ...I had walked over from Walmart, WITH my groceries in the back of the cart, as well as Kaden next to them. I refused to go to the car which was at the opposite side of Walmart as Kmart...and I also refused to drive to Kmart when I could just go straight over. They didn't seem to mind the Walmart groceries, or the Walmart cart... Anyway so when I found the toys I distracted Kaden with another toy and put them on the bottom rack of the cart under where the groceries were sitting so Kaden couldn't look down and see them. Problem was, the darn McQueen car kept falling off. We LURCH as the wheel hit it and Kaden would frantically look for the problem. "What was that, MOM?" "Um, I think we just ran over a rock, Kaden....LOOOK AT THIS NEAT THING!" as I handed him some random thing to distract him and get the toy safely back on board. It didn't matter how i put it, it wouldn't stay very long. On top of that we had to go to the very back of the store because Kaden needed to go to the bathroom. REALLY, kid? The timing! So we managed to get back there without him seeing the toy...then i wondered how to get him down from there without seeing? Well i just carried him into the bathroom, came back out to get kate, and reversed it to get it back out. Then right as i started pushing to get back to the front of the store it fell of again. "MOM, you need to drive better!" as he frantically looked for my problem. "Kaden! Look at this!" to distract him....it was a camper trailer dish drainer. He was NOT impressed. By then, I think he thought I was crazy. 100% crazy. We did finally make it to the checkout aisle, where I wondered what to do. I took him out of the cart, stuck him right by the candy, and told him to look at the candy. It worked. He was too busy checking out the candy to see that i'd bought some toys. Then I tried to not buy any. MISTAKE. You do NOT plant your not-quite-3-year-old in front of the candy on purpose and then not buy something. We ended up with a package of mini M&M's...I couldn't bare to pay for anything that wasn't on sale. We made it out to the car without him noticing (remember it was all the way on the opposite side of Walmart...) and home. Then without thinking i got him out of the car and let him play in the yard while i unloaded the trunk. Yep. I opened it right in front of him. I thought he didn't see but now I'm not so sure. Two times now he's talked about the toys that are in the trunk for him! I asked if we bought him toys. He says no, mom didn't buy toys for him, but that he knew there were toys in the trunk. So I took him out to the car to have him show me (acted all confused.) He was so confused when I opened the trunk and they weren't there. "Where'd they go, Mom?" "Kaden, are you SURE there were toys in there?" "Yes...WHERE ARE THEY?" "Kaden, if momma didn't BUY toys, then we couldn' bring them home from Kmart. Did you see Momma buy toys?" "No...... but...." as he walked away. He is still wondering how he saw toys that must have never been there. I can imagine itwill all make sense on his birthday.

We're doing his party on Sunday. He has requested Pizza (how did he know he got to request???) So I think we will just do a family pizza for lunch after church and then have naptime and have a cake and ice cream party after his nap with some friends. It will be fun. I'm so glad it's all coming together. I was starting to feel bad for not being able to get in the groove with his birthday plan!

Everything in me wants to blog. I just don't have time! SOON! I hope!

As for now, i'm back to cleaning. (Hy-ho! Hy-ho, it' off to work I go. Hy-ho, Hy-ho, hy-ho.)

Bleh.

An Update.

I go through these phases where it's really hard to convince myself to post. I'm not sure if it's because i feel like everything I'm doing is unimportant to remember. Or if there's so much going on I just don't feel like trying to keep up. I feel like it's more the second one. I have so much going on, and when I have a few minutes what I really want is to go outside since it's so nice out!

Next week the kids and I leave for Denver for a week with my friend/roommate from college. I am really looking forward to that. I have so much to get done before then though, because VBS is just 1 week later.

I tried to go to the church today to copy the VBS inserts (this attempt was #3.) It did exactly 15 and then started being a pain. I figured out how to do 10 more...so then it started printing them off center. WHAT? Stupid stupid stupid. So.... that is still not done. I was going to put up the big huge sign with Luke on Sunday but then our car died, and that became priority. I also was going to put posters up around the church, but when I looked for them I realized I hadn't gotten them ordered in time. I'm determined this stuff WILL get done. I'm thinking a family trip to the church is in order tonight.

I do however, have cooking club done, and have 1 show ready to submit, the other I'm still waiting on. I have directions MOSTLY printed for Denver next week. Deposits made, cash gotten, Walmart shopped, and the kitchen is sparkly. Only 1 more Lia Sophia order to get dropped off and that will be checked off. So I feel like I should feel accomplshed today, btu i don't!

Today I ended up at the park for a while (a story in itself) and Kaden had to potty. So, he peed on a tree. At first he was not okay with it. Then he loved it. Then he thought he needed to pick the flowers he had also peed on. GROSS!

I have looked EVERYWHERE for sandals for Kate. In all of Gillette and Rapid City there is not a single pair of cute size 3's. How is it that my kids sizes are always out of stock??? Always!!?!?!

I think why I feel so behind on this blogging thing is that Luke had 2 four day weekends in a row. That's right, he worked only 2 days out of 10. That's a lot to keep up with! We were BUSY. but we have new windows, new gutters, an (expensive) trip to Rapid, and a dead/now revived car behind us. And that's just what Luke did.

Better get back to life now...I'll try to update-even if it is boring.

Right Here at Home

Nothing like watching some video coverage of a town torn apart by a tornado to put my problems in perspective!

Also seeing the pictures/videos of my hometown and the flood that is, and is coming.

It reminds me of that country song...I don't know the title. One of the main chorus lines is "I've got problems, right here at home." I think it fits. It seems that the weather is beating up all different areas and we all have our problems "right here at home."

I can't say Gillette has seen it's share yet, but I also wouldn't say I'm holding my breath against it!

But my problem "right here at home" is my sick baby girl. How many appointments, fevers, meds, etc...can this girl possibly have? It's certainly wearing on me. I'm praying for real answers...not just more meds.

But my perspective has changed. My problems are small compared to many.

Snakes and Worms

The other day Kaden got to go outside and play in the rain. When it's rained for 5 straight days and the forcast calls for at least 5 more we just go play in the rain. He found that our pond out back had filled with some water and proceeded to take his extra big dumptruck, some scoops of various sizes, a bucket and various other toys he happened to find in the garage and played happily for quite some time. However, this IS my Kaden-boy, and that means he cannot do anything without inviting me to join him at least every 5 minutes. (At LEAST.)

He had been coming up the deck and opening the slider and inviting baby (Katelyn) out. "Baby, do you wanna come play with me?" Baby would get all excited and mommy would have to break her heart. Eventually he realized he could tease her. That's when mommy locked the slider door. OH MY. I honestly didn't know if he was going to forgive me, but eventually he made his way back to his pond.

And figured out he could still come invite me by going through the backdoor of the garage and coming in through the garage door. About the 25th time he did this I decided enough is enough. I headed down to have a little talk with the boy. Right as I got to the door he said "LOOK MOM!" It was a worm. Now I'm not scared of worms, snakes, or anything else like that....but it startled me. I mean this thing was huge. And I just wasn't expecting it! I gasped and that was it.

Kaden saw my reaction, dropped the worm, and backed back out into the garage absolutely SHRIEKING! He was hysterical. I finally calmed him down (by calling Daddy to have daddy reassure him that it was ok)...and that he had just startled momma-no big deal. That's when he whimpered, "Mom, I was holding a snake, I think." I asked him why he thought that...he replied that "A snake startles mommy." I don't know how he got that but somehow that's what he thought. I told him it wasn't a snake and asked if he knew what it was. He happily replied that it was a WORM.

It took him a while to convince himself. I tried to get him to pick it up to put back outside (by this time, Kate was VERY willing to pick it up.) He would get *this* close, then startle and jump back. He finally did and was proud to show mommy his worm.

On the Mend?

Poor Katelyn

She got her MMR and chickenpox vaccines last Monday and has been sick ever since. Firt she got a fever-which I attributed to her shots. Then it got worse. So we took her in to the doctor (pause, while I tell this story.)

The appointment was at 3:10pm. I had to go early to do a UTI test for Kate, so it was 2pm. Naptime for both kids. Kate was sick and grouchy (read: screaming her head off). I walk in and they hand me the stuff for the urine sample. Surprise! I get to put it on this time, instead of them. They have no baby changing station (at a pediatrician's office!)So we head outside to put it on in the car. Kate is NOT impressed. We go back in and Kaden runs to play on the playground in the waiting room. Kaden got pushed off the playground (and landed straight down on his head). So I give Kaden Kate's sippy (only way to calm him down) Kate didn't like that. Kaden guzzled it so then he had to pee. He won't pee with his shoes on and I wouldn't take his shoes off. (we are now working on that problem) So by the time we leave the bathroom, Kaden has NOT peed. Both kids are screaming bloody murder (and I'm pretty sure I've been reported to someone for some kind of abuse by the sounds coming from that bathroom!) So i take them and go for a drive (we were trying to get a urine sample so i didn't have to be in the waiting room-just had thought, THOUGHT, it would be easiest). Drive doesn't help. Not at all. Kate is screaming so hard I thought she was going to throw up, so we come back to the office and I rock kate in he parking lot and leave Kaden in the carseat and call daddy in for backup. After daddy got there he was able to convince Kaden to potty with his shoes and pants around his ankles, and Kate was happy to be away from MOM. We go into the dr at teh scheduled time (Luke had been there maybe 5 minutes...thank goodness he came!) and come to find out she has an ear infection so getting the dumb urine sample is pointless because she'll get antibiotics either way. SIGH.

back to the original story. So that whole dr visit was because her fever was up at 104.2 all night-even with meds. So we started her on antibiotics-fever still doesn't break, and 3 days later (and 7 days after the shots)she gets a rash. We can't tell if it is hives (allergy to amoxiccillan?) or rash (reaction to live vaccine)...sooooooooo back to the dr we went. No answers. We changed antibiotic in case (and Dr told me to try amoxiccillan again sometime when I can "watch for a reaction" umm. No thanks, I'll do the blood test.) Anyway, we got a new antibiotic which seems to finally have kicked in and her fever is gone. She finally took some good naps yesterday (good thing, cuz this momma was low on patience!)

She still has the rash and is itchy, but we're hoping that will be gone in a day or 2. needless to say, we won't be hanging around other kids for a few days!!

On a side note. It is kinda cute to watch a one year old rub her head and back on things to "itch" them-once you get past the feeling super sorry for them!

Mother's Day

Luke took Kaden shopping for a Mother's Day gift this evening after dinner. I wondered how he was going to keep whatever it was from slipping out of Kaden's mouth. He's not the secret type. Or the quiet type. OR the forgetful type. I gave him 30 seconds to ruin the surprise...

Sure enough he walks in the door and announces, "Mommy, Daddy bought you a present!" (He was very excited.) Luke asks him to tell me what the present was for and, since we are just coming off Kate's birthday, he couldn't remember what they had rehearsed the whole way home and said "For your BIRTHDAY!" I asked him if it was a secret he wasn't supposed to tell. He said yes. Then promptly announced that he had gotten me a necklace. He was proud. And it had been about 30 seconds...

I laughed so hard. SO SO hard.

Also, after he got the secret off his chest, for the rest of the night he talked about Mother's Day. That secret just had his brain in knots.