IN REYRE FORM

Hearts in His Eyes

2011-06-24T21:08:00.003-04:00

Kaitlyn: "Mommy, am I smart?"
Mommy: "Of course you're smart, honey! You know, when you grow up and get married, you are going to make your husband a happy man. You are smart and beautiful and kind and loving."
Kaitlyn: "I know. And, when there's a boy who thinks I'm really, really pretty, he's going to get hearts in his eyes!"

[I think maybe she has watched too many cartoons.]

Aidan on Goal-Setting

2011-03-22T14:39:00.006-04:00

Aidan needed to do an assignment for his Critical Thinking course, which included posting a list of his goals. So, we are resurrecting this blog for that purpose. Maybe it will encourage us to start using it again more regularly!

Aidan's Goals:

1.I want to be close to God.
Short-term: I could read the Bible, pray, learn more about Him at church and tell others about Him.
Long-term: This is the same as my short-term goal. I could keep reading the Bible, praying, learning more about Him at church and telling others about Him.

2. I want to be an astronaut.
Short-term: I could read up on astronauts and space travel. I could work hard at science, critical thinking and math at school.
Long-term: I could go to space camp and get a college degree in Aerospace.

3. I want to travel to an Italian pizzeria.
Short-term: I could start gathering money and learn how to speak Italian.
Long-term: I need to gather money for a plane ticket to get there. I could do this by walking dogs now or getting a job in high school.

4. I want to give 10% of what I earn to my church.
Short-term: I could earn money by walking dogs and give 10% to the
church.
Long-term: I could earn more money at a job and give 10% to the church.

5. I want to go camping for two weeks at Yellowstone National Park.
Short-term: I need to start gathering all the right camping equipment and learn how to pitch a tent and make campfires.
Long-term: I need to gather money for a car or a plane ticket to get there. I could do this by walking dogs now or getting a job in high school.

Better than caffeine!

2009-09-02T08:41:00.002-04:00

Sunday afternoon Kaitlyn was taking a long, hard nap. We needed to wake her up to go to a meeting, so Roy and I stood at her doorway trying to stir her.
"Kaitlyn, wake up!" (No response.)
"Kaitlyn, your Mommy loves you." (Still nothing.)
"Kaitlyn, it's time to get up!" (Not even a twitch.)
"Kaitlyn, do you want some cookies?" (The toes start wiggling, the eyes pop right open, and her body jumps straight out of bed.)

Then, she stands there in a daze, forgetting what actually got her out of bed in the first place. I wish I had my video camera.

Defying Gravity

2009-07-31T09:36:00.004-04:00

The boys are enjoying their newly painted bedroom. Apparently, the paint has gravity-repelling qualities, so we can float around like astronauts.

New Home Construction

2009-07-31T09:13:00.003-04:00

It has taken about as long as it might normally take to build your average new construction home, but our custom-made doll house is almost complete. This has been a side hobby for Roy and a bit of a home schooling project for the kids. I'll have to post pics of the final product later, but here are some pics of a work in progress with Kaitlyn painting away on some of the bedroom walls.

Get the Growing Thing Out!

2009-06-29T20:18:00.002-04:00

Today Kaitlyn says to me as I'm tucking her into bed:
" I don't want to grow bigger. I want to stay little. I want you to get me something that can take the growing thing out so that I can stay little. I want to take the growing thing out that pumps up so that I won't grow any more so that I can be little like my cousins."

And, as I was blowing her a kiss goodnight from the door, I whispered, "Sweet dreams, Kaitlyn." She says in reply: "Sweet dreams my Mommy, precious Mommy, the most precious in the world."

I love my little girl! 3 year olds can be so much fun.

Fun with ATL cousins: Fernbank Science Museum

2009-05-25T22:37:00.002-04:00

Easter

2009-05-25T21:57:00.010-04:00

Okay, so I'm still trying to make up for lost time, finally getting a chance to sit down and blog after a long time. Here are some Easter pics.

Daddy's Girl

2009-05-25T21:45:00.002-04:00

Kaitlyn is at that age that just about everything she says is really cute. So, we are going to be a little "Kailyn-heavy" in the blogging these days, mostly so that I can have a personal record of some of these things to look back on. Don't get me wrong...all my kids are great. But, Kaitlyn is just really good at the one-liners right now.

Like, last week we were preparing to go visit Daddy to take lunch to a group of them at the office who were meeting off-site. Kaitlyn was excited to hear of our plans and said, "Oh, I can't wait to see Daddy, because I LOOOVE my Daddy. Because he's really pretty. But, he has his meeting clothes on."

I wonder if she meant that Daddy is pretty despite the fact that he was wearing a dress shirt and slacks instead of a dress? We'll never know.

I'm making a hat!

2009-05-25T21:38:00.004-04:00

One day I noticed Kaitlyn was busy cutting some paper. I asked her what she was doing, and she told me she was making a hat. I thought that was pretty creative for a 3 year old. However, I was a bit curious when the Elmer's glue came out. A few minutes later she came to find me, proudly wearing her new hat, which she had glued to the top of her head.

Heaven is a wonderful place!

2009-03-15T16:28:00.002-04:00

Today at nap time, Kaitlyn and I were talking about heaven. When I asked her what she thought was in heaven, she said, "lots of scissors and string you can cut." "And, there's pink trees." Then, she added, "I REALLY like pink trees!"

This would be my little girl's idea of heaven: to be able to spend her time cutting string all day long, outside among pink trees. Wow! Now THAT'S the life!

Cheese

2009-02-26T10:33:00.002-05:00

Kaitlyn's quote for the day: "Aidan, you have cheese in your ear!"

Nope. We're Canadian!

2009-02-17T14:43:00.004-05:00

Our pastor befriended a boy in our community, and he recently engaged him in conversation. He asked the boy if he goes to church. The boy replied rather matter-of-factly, "No, we aren't Christian, we're Canadians!"

Of course, our pastor had to share that with us. Unfortunately, there might be a little truth to that statement...

Cotter's Surprise

2009-02-09T19:21:00.002-05:00

Today I was glancing through Aidan's English book looking at future lessons, and as I read through one of the pages, I got quite a surprise. They actually used Cotter's name as an example in one of their lessons! "First Cotter went to the library and gathered some books on his research topic..." It mentioned his name several times. I have never really seen his name is writing when it wasn't directly related to our Cotter, so we were thrilled to find it there! We have never known of anyone else named Cotter or even seen it as a name in a baby book. Cotter thought it was pretty cool and laughed for quite a while.

Avoiding Bad Words

2009-02-07T10:10:00.002-05:00

Cotter was sitting at the table reading aloud his "Runny Babbit" book, which is full of mixed up words, where the first letter of two words are exchanged to make silly words, but the original story line can still be followed. I was wandering in and out of the kitchen, half-listening to him as he was enjoying this new challenge. At one point he looked up at me and said, "I'm not sure if I should be reading this book. It has lots of bad words. It has the "s" word, the "d" word...a thoughtful pause...and the "b" word." Well, that caught my attention! I was a bit perplexed at my 7-year-old's account of the words in this book, so I asked him what he meant.

Not wanting to really say the words out loud, he sheepishly said, "It says "stupid," "dummy" and "brat." "Mommy," he says, "is brat a bad word?"

Hang in there with me...

2009-01-16T14:04:00.002-05:00

For anyone "out there" trying to follow my blog, I really haven't given up! My computer is just extremely temperamental to the point that it may or may not start up...depending on how much prayer and encouragement you give it when you try. I think I've had a car like that before. And, at this point, I think I'm more dependent on my computer than I am on my car!

My "new" (scratch and dent) laptop will arrive in the next week or two, so, in the meantime, I am limping along. I don't really want to download any of my Christmas pics onto my old computer just to try to transfer them again. So, thanks for hanging in there with me.

We are enjoying a cold snap (by Orlando standards) this week, so I even get to pull out my sweaters! How exciting! But, we are hoping it warms up again by next weekend, because Cotter has chosen an overnight camping experience to celebrate his 7th birthday next Friday.

The Man Cold

2008-12-12T15:19:00.004-05:00

In case you haven't seen this...ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz6DktXFvg4

Nice and snuggly

2008-12-12T11:40:00.002-05:00

She had a nice, comfy bed to curl up in this morning to watch her DVD, but she had to go find a box to sit in. Go figure. I don't think my boys were able to fit into a box that small at age 3!

Citrus for Christmas!

2008-12-12T11:27:00.004-05:00

Back in about 2003 we planted a baby navel orange tree in hopes that one day it will bear fruit for us. The first couple of years we got nothing. In 2007, we got a couple of sorry excuses for oranges. They had pulp, but it was really dry. Not even edible. Needless to say, it was quite a disappointment to cut into a nice, big orange and find no juice. Well, this year we watched nervously as the little orange tree began producing a multitude of oranges. Would they be edible?

The first orange we tried back a month or so ago was, yet again, a disappointment. But, we patiently waited until the tree was bulging with oranges before we began picking them. And, I'm proud to announce that they are actually quite good! (Okay, about 1 out of 4 is still a dud, but at least we have hope that the tree may one day give us a decent crop!) So, it was nice to pile up our Christmas oranges and enjoy them without having to go to the grocery store!

Now for that plum tree we planted back in 2003...it's plenty big, but where is the fruit?

Polar Bear Sun Bathing

2008-12-06T21:39:00.003-05:00

We had a nice (chilly) trip up to Amelia Island for Thanksgiving, but the weather certainly didn't stop the kids from having fun on the beach! In fact, Cotter went almost all the way under in his sweatshirt and jeans (not exactly on purpose), but that didn't prevent him from continuing to play for an hour or two longer.

Here Kaitlyn is so proud to have found a pretty shell to help decorate the sand castle with.

A Buggy Brunch!

2008-12-06T21:29:00.004-05:00

For Kaitlyn's 3rd birthday last month we threw her a "buggy brunch." She insisted she wanted a "paterpiller" cake, which she talked about with great excitement for weeks. So, I had to come through for her. It was actually lots of fun to make and decorate. And, we had plenty of bug-themed snacks, games and favors. It's a great theme when you are entertaining boys and girls, because there are "girly" bugs (lady bugs, butterflies, etc.) and, well, all the rest of the bugs. So, everyone is happy!

Halloween

2008-12-06T21:07:00.010-05:00

So, I guess my out-of-date posts will begin at Halloween, and we'll play catch up from there. For Halloween this year, Kaitlyn decided to be Piglet for the 2nd year in a row. The costume fit her a little better this year! Kaitlyn had her little Piglet skip down perfectly as she pranced up to houses to help knock on doors. But, she got quite a few chuckles when she handed candy back on many occasions explaining, "I don't like chocolate." (She's not my child.)

The boys were Spiderman and Venom ("Black Spiderman"), and they played their opposing roles quite well.

Catch Up Time!

2008-12-04T15:06:00.002-05:00

Oh boy, I really need to catch up on the last 2 months of my life, so get ready for a string of blog entries to follow in the next day or two. Life has gone at such a break-neck speed over the past few months that I'm not sure I've even sat down. But things are finally starting to settle down to "normal" levels of holiday activity, so I am enjoying a few minutes of down time here and there. I just wanted any faithful readers out there to know that I haven't given up on my blog. I just took a little sabbatical. I will be posting some new pics very soon!

Hang on tight, Daddy!

2008-10-02T21:05:00.002-04:00

Roy was away on a business trip this week. When he arrived back home tonight, Kaitlyn was so excited to see him. She ran up to him and immediately started asking him, "Did you fall over, Daddy? Did you fall over?"

A bit puzzled, Roy responded, "No."

"Oh," Kaitlyn said. "You didn't fall over. You held on tight!"

(She was referring to his airplane flight. Unlike her well traveled older brother, the poor third child has never even been in an airplane. I'm not even sure she knows there are seats and seatbelts inside.)

Fun with Cousins

2008-09-24T14:42:00.005-04:00

Kaitlyn is fortunate to have two cousins close to her age...Brennan (nephew on Becky's side) and Jackson (nephew on Roy's side). Unfortunately, they only get to see each other a couple times a year. But, they have lots of fun with they do get to spend time together. Kaitlyn can be quite a "princess" in many ways, but she still much prefers playing with boys. Maybe because she has two brothers?
Here are some pics of Kaitlyn and Jackson having fun together recently. And, there's also the obligatory attempt at a family photo taken at Elisabeth's wedding.

More Andersonville Photos

2008-09-24T14:36:00.007-04:00

Andersonville

2008-09-24T14:10:00.004-04:00

On the way to Roy's sister, Elisabeth's, wedding in Atlanta a few weeks ago, we ventured off of I-75 to go visit the Andersonville museum. We've wanted to go check it out ever since Roy's brother played a minor role in the Andersonville movie, but adding an extra couple of hours to an already lengthy trip was always a deterrent. However, now that we are home schooling, in the name of an "educational" field trip, we finally took the time to go. And, it was pretty entertaining, especially for two little boys who love to learn about battles and prisons, cannons and shackles. It's a little depressing, almost like visiting the site of a concentration camp. (For those who aren't aware, Andersonville was one of the locations where the South held Northern prisoners during the Civil War and treated them atrociously.) But, we had a good time, none-the-less.

"Mommy, I Maka-a Turtle!"

2008-08-28T16:15:00.004-04:00

I was doing dishes as Kaitlyn was sitting at the table playing play dough. She very excitedly told me that she had made a turtle. Very used to giving her a "mmm, hmm...good job" type of a remark, trying to muster excitement for every drawing and blob of play dough as she tells me what she has created. Never does it actually bear much resemblance to the thing she has supposedly made. Well, today, her turtle actually kind of resembled a turtle! I was very impressed. So, I took a picture of her first recognizable piece of art. (Well, if you don't include the wonderful, detailed drawing of her doctor that she made last month on the chalkboard at the doctor's office, complete with facial features and limbs. Unfortunately, that snapshot will have to remain in my mind.)

Here's the famous "turtle." Can you see it? At least sort of? I know, I know. Mothers sometimes see things in their children that others can't. :-)

Future Astronauts (and Climbers) of America

2008-08-28T15:54:00.006-04:00

The kids had a "blast" this past weekend when Daddy took them to the Kennedy Space center. (FYI, if you get a pass to Kennedy, it's good for 2 days within a week span, and transferrable! So, we were given the second day on someone's passes. Very cool!) So, since both of our boys want to be astronauts (or "space scientists") when they grow up, they had a great time exploring the center. The highlight for Kaitlyn (who aspires to be a rock climber when she gets older...or maybe a sky-scraper window-washer) was the traverse climbing wall. It took her a minute to get started, but then she took off! Very fun.

2008-07-21T10:40:00.003-04:00

This morning we had to get up and at it early to take the boys to VBS. As usual, I told Kaitlyn she needed to get dressed, so the pajamas (or "pumamas" as she calls them) came off in a flash, and she ran to her clothes drawer for me to open. Very fashion-minded, Kaitlyn will not just allow me to pick an outfit for her. She has to stand at her drawer for a few minutes, weighing her options. She chose the striped shorts. I then selected a green shirt to go with them and walked out of the room. She wasn't satisfied and had me open the drawer back up, because she wanted the white shirt to go with them. Okay, that's settled. Then, it was shoe time. She wanted to wear her brand-new $3.85 pair of Target shoes, along with socks. PINK socks she yelled at me as I went back into the room to select some socks for her. White socks wouldn't do. So, we wrestled the pair of too-small pink socks (apparently I should have also acquired some new socks from Target) onto her, along with her shoes. When I announced it was time for everyone to get into the car, off runs Kaitlyn. She grabs her hat, worn backwards, selects a gray purse from among her stash, opens a kitchen drawer and grabs a cup to pour some cheerios into for snacking on in the car, and she's ready to go! I must say, she may be high-maintenance, but she still gets ready before her brothers do. Let's hope that lasts.

More Food Tales

2008-07-19T18:28:00.001-04:00

A little addendum to my last blog:

Cotter at the dinner table tonight, while staring at the plate of extra hot dogs: "Well, I already had 2 hot dogs, so that's enough. Isn't it?" Translation: "I'd really like another one, but I'm pretty sure we have a 2-hotdog-max in this family. I might as well end it with a question on the off-chance I'll get another."

Meanwhile, Aidan, who ate two hot dogs, an apple, some baked beans, a half of a cob of corn and an extra piece of toast, asked for another dog, too, albeit a little less subtly. He didn't get any farther than Cotter did.

Life with Two Hungry Boys

2008-07-18T13:48:00.002-04:00

It seems the boys are constantly hungry. Aidan, especially, can devour an amazing amount of food. But, I think Cotter still needs a little practice listening to his hunger cues.

Cotter: "Mommy, I'm hungry."
Becky: "Cotter, you JUST ate lunch!"
Cotter: "Oh yeah. So, I guess I'm not hungry."

Also, often, when he wants to be done with a less-than-desireable meal, Cotter will say, "Mommy, can I be full?"

And, what great timing. As I'm sitting here typing this blog, Cotter just called out, "Is it dinner time yet, Mommy?" It's not even 2:00 in the afternoon.

Anyone who has made it all the way through the teenage years with two boys...you are definitely going to have to give me some tips as to how to fill them up on a budget. Mum Ivy??

Kaitlyn at the Beach

2008-07-06T14:53:00.003-04:00

While the boys spent most of their beach time boogie boarding, Kaitlyn was content playing in the sand. She's still a little intimidated by the vastness of the ocean and the foamy waves.

Boogie Boarding!

2008-07-06T14:45:00.006-04:00

This past week we spent a few days at Amelia Island for a bit of R&R and lots of boogie boarding! The boys had a blast, even after a couple of wipe-outs and a crab bite.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

2008-06-14T12:25:00.008-04:00

I think it was Aidan who first opened up our minivan and yelled out in disgust. "WHAT is that SMELL?" My mind immediately started flipping through it's files, searching for the last time I went grocery shopping. We've probably all let a tub of sour cream or something slide under the bench seats and sit there unnoticed until the odor overtakes us a few days later. While gagging at the stench, I began my search, until I found the source...a half-empty gallon of curdled milk, turned sideways in my trunk, hidden behind the stroller. I noticed the carpet was quite wet in that side of the trunk, so that was definitely the source of the smell. And, boy, was it BAD!

At first I made an attempt to sop up the carpet in the trunk, and I borrowed a steam cleaner for a deeper clean. The next morning the awful smell in the garage gave us a clue that my attempt to remedy the situation had apparently failed. My next step was to actually pull up the carpet in the trunk, trying to air it out completely. I realized there is thick padding under the carpet, all of which is ALSO saturated with sour milk. I applied vinegar from top to bottom and steamed it all again. The smell remained. It was about mid-day the second day that I finally noticed (with horror) that the carpet in the very front-right passenger side was also wet with sour milk! The milk had travelled through the metal ridges under the carpet from the back of the car all the way up to the front! And, there were pools of milk in the little cups in the floor that anchor the bench seats in place. I had only touched the surface of what was turning out to be a major ordeal.

It was bad.

I tried to rip up as much of the carpet I could around the edges, scrubbing it all with vinegar, steaming it, and then spreading baking soda all over it. We let that mostly dry. The smell remained. Thursday evening, Roy and I decided we had no choice but to go ahead and take all the seats out of the car and rip the entire carpet out. So, a couple hours later, we had a completely cleared out van! With the carpet splayed out on the driveway, we then made up a big solution of oxy-clean and drenched the whole thing, with Roy dancing all over it with his feet, trying to press it all in. You can only imagine the looks we have gotten from passersby as Roy is dancing a jig all over a sour carpet beside an opened-doored van, cleared of everything, including the driver's seat! It was quite a sight!

Here's a picture of the van, as clean on the inside as it will ever get. Unfortunately, I failed to get a picture of Roy's dance moves.

Well, with a blank slate to work with, we started thinking about maybe upgrading the flooring in the van - maybe trying to match it to our house. We may as well travel around in style! Let us know what you think. We are still playing with colors.

To finish the story - well, the true ending has yet to be written - we have doused pet odor cleaner with enzymes all over the carpet, but the smell still remains in the jute padding. We need to go get another bottle of the cleaner to douse the padding. We may end up having to replace the padding, but we are still hoping to salvage the carpet. If anyone has any ideas, let us know!
At the very least, we are hoping to reinstall the driver's seat in the next day or two, because, if you've ever tried to move a car without being able to sit down you'll know that you might as well not even know how to drive!

Possessiveness Gone Crazy

2008-05-13T07:32:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I know that every toddler goes through a possessive stage. I guess it's part of claiming their little space in the world and vying for independence. However, I don't really remember my boys having such moments of insane possessiveness that I am seeing in Kaitlyn these days. Perhaps the more siblings you have, the more possessive you are forced to become? Or, is it just her little personality? I do remember Cotter's amazing first words at 9 months..."no" and "mine." But, he has had a fairly giving heart for the most part. And then there's Kaitlyn...

Here are a few examples of her masterful possessiveness:

1. If she is feeling rather possessive, and you are carrying on a conversation with her, she will high-jack a word from your mouth and call it her own. Like, at breakfast this morning, Aidan, doing an obligatory 8-year-old act, opens his mouth with food and says "AAAGH." So, Kaitlyn replies, "No, MY aagh." Or if a brother mimics her in saying something, like "I want juice," after he says it, she will yell back, "No MY I want juice."

2. If Kaitlyn and I are in the car and I play one of her little cassette tapes with songs, she WILL NOT let me sing along. If I start singing, she will say very loudly, "NOOOO.... MY sing." (Of course, she doesn't really actually sing along either.) So, sometimes my rebellious side comes out and I sing along anyway, louder than her yelling, just to not let her get away with treating me that way. Or, I'll just turn off the tape.

3. I'll admit, she is also strongly possessive on behalf of other people. If she thinks a certain cereal, for instance, is Daddy's, she will refuse to eat that cereal or let anyone else eat it. I could offer her a favorite menu item, but if it's something she thinks belongs to her brother, she'll refuse it. Same goes for sitting at a certain place on the couch. For our morning devotion time, we all have spots on the couch and surrounding chairs, and Cotter better not sit in Daddy's spot, or Kaitlyn will personally push and shove him to his proper position!

4. We were talking at the dinner table the other day about something that happened when Cotter was Kaitlyn's age. So, Kaitlyn starts saying, "MY age. I want some age. I want some age, PLLEEAASSE!"

5. Probably my favorite was when Kaitlyn was waking up yesterday morning. In general, if she wakes up before 7:00, we just let her jabber in bed until 7:00, mostly because we can't really deal with her until we've at least begun sipping our cup of coffee. While she's waiting in bed, she will yell out periodically, "Mommy, can I get up? MOOOMMYYYY, can I get up?" And, "I want apple juice!" And occasionally, she'll throw in a Daddy command if she thinks Mommy is ignoring her, just in case that's the magic ticket. Well, yesterday morning, in the midst of her barking out of questions and comments from her nocturnal command post, she hears the scraping of a kitchen chair being pulled out of the table by Aidan. So, she yells out from across the house (and behind a closed door), "NO, MY chair!!"

Puh it BAAAAT!

2008-04-21T16:49:00.002-04:00

We all love to go up to a cute little nose and steal it off a toddler's face. It's quite irresistible, really. The thumb trick has likely been around for many, many decades. Kaitlyn is the victim of a stolen nose on a regular basis, with even her brothers getting in on the game. And, while it doesn't really make her super mad or traumatized, her most common response is an insistent, "PUH IT BAT!" (She pronounces the "k" sound like a "t" sound.) She won't really rest until you have placed the nose back onto her face.

Comedian Aidan

2008-04-08T14:18:00.004-04:00

I dare you to say that title a few times fast! Anyway, I was thinking about what to post about Aidan, because I certainly can't leave him out today. And, when I think of Aidan, the first thing that comes to mind is silly. He is definitely a little goofball and loves to make people laugh. His sense of humor will hopefully be refined over the years, under the tutorage of both of his grandfathers. Here are a few photoes where his personality is shining through a little bit.

Fashion Designer

2008-04-08T14:04:00.003-04:00

When it comes to fashion with Kaitlyn, you just never know what you're gonna get. She is opinionated, and her style is...well...different. Sometimes fairly stylish, like when she found a lost-and-found, kids' tie with yellow stripes on one Sunday morning and insisted on clipping it to her yellow dress. She wore that all morning. But, generally her style is rather eclectic. Here are a few samples for your enjoyment.

Cotter Bravado

2008-04-08T13:47:00.004-04:00

We have begun seeing a new side of Cotter over the past year or so. Thanks to an extremely generous gift from some of our supporters, we have had annual Disney passes for the family! When we started, we wondered if the kids would brave the adventures of the kiddie roller coasters yet. For Aidan and me, that is about our speed. However, Cotter has become Mr. Brave and insists on riding the biggest and scariest roller coaster in the park! He rode Everest last weekend, barely meeting the minimum height requirement, and he said he was ready to do it again! Aidan, Kaitlyn and I were content to wave to Daddy and Cotter from the ground. Cotter has certainly come a long way from the 2 year old who would get car sick during our 20 minute trips to Target.

While I don't have a good picture of Cotter's roller coaster adventures, this photo shows the difference in the boys' personalities a little bit. Roy was edging the lawn, and sparks were flying up in the air. Cotter was following behind at close proximity. Aidan, well...he likes to play it safe.

Who's Gonna Win?

2008-04-08T13:45:00.004-04:00

I love this shot of Kaitlyn and her cousin at Christmas time. I'll leave it up to your imagination as to who was the instigator and who was the final victor.

I'm Back!!

2008-04-08T13:39:00.002-04:00

After a series of crazy months, during which I've let my blog go, I'm back! I'm excited to once again begin documenting the childrens' milestones and the silliness of life. I hope I can do a little better this time with keeping it up. I'm going to make up for lost time by including a couple oldies but goodies (photos as far back as Christmas). Then, I'll bring us up-to-date. Thanks for all of you who have hung in there with me and not given up! :-) And, if any of you have blogs or websites for your family, please email them to me, because I want to keep track of your doings, as well.

You Can Hurt Me Any Time You Want!

2007-12-10T16:48:00.001-05:00

Kaitlyn started something new in the past week. When she hurts me accidentally, like by running her car over my toes or bumping a toy into my hand, she'll say, "Wawry, Mommy!" (Translation: "Sorry, Mommy!") I get a kick out of it every time. I love the tenderness it shows--that she is actually aware of the fact that she has hurt me and apologizes for it. I don't think the boys have even mastered that skill yet!

In fact, just last night we were discussing the need to try to develop in the boys a greater level of consciousness towards the needs and feelings of others. Maybe a little impact awareness, too. Any ideas?

What Happens If Your Heart Stops?

2007-11-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

Cotter was splashing water at an electrical outlet the other day, and Roy warned him not to do that. He told Cotter the dangers of messing with electricity and how he could get electrocuted. Cotter, replied, "And I would go like this?" while imitating convulsions with his body. Roy said, "Well, more importantly, your heart might stop!" So, pondering the significance of this, Cotter asked, "So, my heart would stop loving?" Too cute!

WAY Too Close for Comfort!

2007-11-27T21:47:00.000-05:00

I don't think we've ever experienced God's protection in such an obvious way as we did this past weekend. Our family was travelling back home from our Amelia vacation, on a major highway. We were in the far left lane, and a garbage truck was in the center lane to the right of us, ahead of us by maybe 50 feet. All of a sudden, the garbage truck blew a front left tire, and the driver started losing control. He began skidding into our lane and somehow flipped over in the process, right in front of our car! Roy was somehow (by God's grace) able to swerve around this huge truck as it was flipping over, with a huge plume of dust and debris flying everywhere. Visability was terrible, and there were also cars behind us and to our right to avoid as we swerved out of the way. We did get a glancing blow from the truck on the side of our car, which broke our headlight, scraped some paint off the side and knocked the driver's mirror out. But, other than that, our car was in good shape and completely driveable.
Miraculously, on this busy holiday travel weekend, this accident did not even scratch any other car, and the driver of the garbage truck, though taken by ambulance, seems like he'll be just fine. And, it was even good timing for another woman whose husband stopped at our accident scene and notified the paramedics that his wife was having severe chest pains. She got taken away by ambulance, too!
We know without a doubt that God had His hands in all of this, and we rejoice that he has spared us from what could have been an extremely devastating crash.

Aidan provided us some comic relief when he pointed out the sign posted at the back of the overturned truck. It reads, "How am I driving?"

Fun at the Playground

2007-11-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

The Beach at Amelia

2007-11-27T21:29:00.000-05:00

Vacation at Amelia Island

2007-11-27T14:22:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos from our relaxing week at Amelia Island over Thanksgiving. It was so great to just get away for a while!

Kaitlyn Turns 2

2007-11-06T14:54:00.000-05:00

Well, Kaitlyn was already two in spirit, just not in size. But, it became official on November 3rd. My baby is two! It's definitely hard to believe. As announced in a previous post, we indeed threw Kaitlyn a "shoe party." Everyone had a blast! We carried the shoe theme over into her decorations, food and party games. Here are some of the highlights:

Flip Flop birthday cakes
Flip Flop cookies
Boots and Feet-shaped sandwiches (cut from cookie cutters)
Streamers tied in bows decorating the walls

A foot/walking maze taped to our family room floor, helping the sock find the shoe
Shoe-themed games (like guess the famous feet, with various famous cartoon character feet)

A loud, energetic game of Hullabaloo
Lots of running around in the back yard when the sugar-high began

Opening of shoe presents (We asked parents to pick out some shoes for Kaitlyn from a thrift store or clearance section instead of the usual gifts. Some cheated and got her other things, as well.)

I'm not going to post pictures of other kids at the party, because I'm too lazy to get permission from their parents for their pictures to go over the internet. But, the party had a happenin' 17 kids show up! Quite a zoo.

Halloween Fun

2007-11-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

We all had a great time on Halloween. The kids dressed up as the Flash, a ninja turtle and piglet. See if you can guess who is who. :-) The kids did the typical trick-or-treating, followed by 10 minutes (on the clock) of candy engulfing and choosing of 10 pieces to keep. My kids are funny (and definitely different than me as a kid). They will pick some candy to keep and rarely even ask for it after Halloween. I won't complain.

Kaitlyn even got into it this year, following behind her brothers to the various houses to gather treats. She was a little intimidated when some people answered the door dressed up in scary costumes, but overall she had fun.

Mmmmmmah!

2007-10-22T12:36:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn has begun a little bed-time tradition, which is now a few weeks in the running. After we get her ready for bed and read her a book, we plop her in her crib. Immediately, she grabs the crib rails, like she's in jail, and says, "Mommy mmmah!" (Translation: "I want a kiss--through the crib rails!") So, I get down on my knees and plant a kiss on her face, through the rails. And, then she says, "Nanny (Aidan) mmmah!" "Totter (Cotter) mmmah!" So, I call the boys in to give her a kiss. They come running as fast as they can for this cherished event. They each give her a kiss. And then, Kaitlyn calls, "Daddy, mmmah!" So, Daddy gets called in, much to his delight, as well. After everyone has given their kisses, Kaitlyn contently gets settled in for her sleep. All is well in her world.

The boys love this little ritual, too, and they are at the point of tears if they miss out, due to being punished or somehow otherwise unavailable at the time. It's really cute. (Not the crying part, the affectionate towards their sister part.) :-)

I'm a little afraid of this tradition ending when we move her out of her crib, so I hope perhaps she'll be content in there until at least age 8 or 9.

Lessons Learned

2007-09-27T13:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Cotter learned two important life lessons:

Number 1: If you stick the eraser end of a pencil up your nose, the metal might cut you.

Number 2: If you take fingernail clippers and clip off all of the bristles of your hairbrush, you will have unhappy parents and a pretty worthless hairbrush.

[Okay, to his credit, lesson Number 1 was actually learned vicariously through a classmate, and I don't think Cotter will try it any time soon!]

Looking for Ideas

2007-09-20T12:37:00.001-04:00

Kaitlyn turns two in about 6 weeks (Nov.3), so I started thinking about what I might want to do for her birthday. I'm not going to kill myself over a 2-year-old party, but I'd like to invite a few neighbors to come over to celebrate.

Since her passion is shoes (well, clothing of all types, but especially shoes), I decided I'd throw her a "shoe party." Maybe it's the first shoe party in the history of the world! (You never know.) And, I figured rather than adding more toys to her over-crowded room, I'd ask the guests to go to the thrift store (or any other cheap store) and select a pair of shoes for Kaitlyn. She'll be in heaven! So, there you go. We are having a shoe party.

With that in mind, I am looking for ideas of how to carry the theme out into food, games, party favors, invitations, etc. So, if you have any ideas, please chime in! She'll probably have a handful of little girl friends (age range 1-4) along with some big brothers thrown in. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Wow, it just occurred to me that ALL of her little girl friends in the neighborhood have big brothers. Hmm... maybe that's just because we got to know the families first through our boys playing together. But, that does give hope to any of you out there who have your boy(s) and are trying for a girl! :-)

You are Me and I am You

2007-09-10T18:53:00.000-04:00

At my sister's suggestion, we decided to play a little game. Everyone pretended to be someone else for the evening. So, Aidan was me, Cotter was Kaitlyn, I was Aidan and Kaitlyn was Cotter. Roy wasn't in town at the time, so he got left out. Although, it would have been helpful to have him around, because Aidan did wonder who was going to be the cat! We decided to dress in each others' pajamas, aside from Cotter, who had to just dress in whatever works from Kaitlyn's future wardrobe. Here are some pics from our evening. And, despite what some people are thinking, Aidan is not waxing his upper lip--it's just bad lighting.

My Little Tomboy Princess

2007-09-04T13:51:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn is a fairly complex individual. This picture pretty much says it all:

You may not be able to tell, but underneath all of that dirt, there's a fresh coating of pink nail polish! She very much wants to get down and dirty with the boys, but, just as much, she wants to imitate her Mommy and do anything she sees Mommy doing. Despite her adventurous spirit and rough and tumble play, there's a little girly-girl in there for sure. Two of her biggest passions are shoes and clothing. Give her a bag of shoes or a pile of clothes, and she will be entertained for quite a while. This morning, we had to dress up all of her babies in little dresses out of her closet, complete with bloomers. And, Kaitlyn is also quite opinionated as to her own wardrobe. Daddy laughs when he comes home from work at the end of the day, because you never know what combination of clothing Kaitlyn has insisted on wearing that day. (I didn't know it started this early!) And, let's just say, her sense of style still needs a little refining.

Here's a picture of her (in her too-big PJs), and her babies all dressed up and ready for a snack.

More Pics from the Trails

2007-09-04T13:47:00.001-04:00

Trying Out Our New Camera!

2007-09-04T13:35:00.001-04:00

I'm now a proud owner of a new Canon Powershot SD1000 (for all you camera geeks), so I decided to try it out yesterday on our outing to some birding trails. I haven't bothered to sit down and really learn how to use it yet. I know there are lots of cool settings for action shots, outdoor photos, etc., but I chose to just do plain ole point and shoot for now.
Our hike was especially eventful, because we even got to drive to the nearest fire station to report a forest fire! Smokey the Bear would be proud!

A Motivational Tool

2007-07-26T21:51:00.000-04:00

I was just wondering if I'm the only cruel mother out there who uses scare tactics to get her kids to clean their rooms. You see, I know first-hand that my kids are scared to death of the vacuum cleaner. Not scared of the noise or of being physically harmed (although an injury has occurred in the past), but scared that I might take the cleaner and suck up a little piece of some cherished toy that they could never do without and send it into a dusty oblivion. That's an absolute nightmare to them! So, knowing how much they detest this possibility, I announce to them that I'm about to go vacuum their room, and you wouldn't believe how quickly they jump up from whatever they are doing and dash to go clean their room. Every little-bitty piece of every toy will be cleaned off the floor before I can lug the vacuum out of the closet and drag it down the hall. It works like a charm!

So, fess up. Anyone else?

1,2,3...JUMP!

2007-07-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn has become quite confident in the water these days. Unfortunately, a little TOO confident. We taught her to "1,2,3..JUMP!" into the water from the side of the pool, and we let her go all the way under before picking her up. She does this at least 100 times during a typical visit to the pool. This is fine and dandy, except sometimes we'll hear a little "un, two, tee" and hear a splash when our backs are turned. Hmm...she's still jumping TO us, but a little scary just the same. Gotta watch that kid!

Interestingly enough, Kaitlyn has also decided to apply this new-found skill under the regular constraints of gravity. A few times we've caught her counting "un, two, tee" and jumping off of rather high furniture to us, expecting us to catch her as we did in the pool! Fortunately, we've managed to brace her fall each time, but I'm waiting for her to try THAT with our backs turned!

I'm Sorry.

2007-07-26T21:23:00.001-04:00

Back when I was more serious about journaling, I went through a period of time in which every entry would start with an apology to myself about how long it had been since I'd written. I'm not sure why I felt the need to apologize to myself, but, regardless, I once again feel like apologizing to the great blue yonder (who's out there anyway?) that it has been over a month since I've posted to my blog! So, for all of you out there who go running to your computers hourly to see if by chance I've posted something exciting-- I'm sorry!

I'm also not as motivated to blog, because our digital camera broke! I'm very bummed. (Does anyone out there know of a good-quality, affordable digital camera to recommend?) I'm hoping to find a good deal soon, so any advice would be appreciated.

Kaitlyn's Count-Down

2007-06-20T15:27:00.001-04:00

Kaitlyn, a little party-animal, enjoyed Aidan's birthday party, too, as you can see by the icing on the clothes and face and the disheveled hair. (I think I began the day with a barrette in her hair, but I can't promise it.) Anyway, I think her calling will be the official count-down girl when Aidan's space shuttle is to take off. She has learned to count...backwards! This comes from the many times we try to get the boys to clean their room or get ready for bed by counting down. So, when we ask the boys to quickly do something, or when we say a number of some kind, Kaitlyn will chime in "Ten, nine..." (She doesn't really get past 9 or maybe 8, but it's pretty cute regardless.) I must admit, I've been trying to emphasize forward counting during the last few days to make sure her backwards numbers cause a permanent stumbling block to her ultimate developmental progress. (Okay, I'm only joking. Sort of.)

And, Roy is absolutely thrilled these days to have a "Daddy's girl." The boys barely look up when Roy comes in the door at night. But, when Kaitlyn hears the door opening, she runs as fast as she can to meet him and exclaims, "Hello Daddy! Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..." He loves it!

Aidan is Eight!!

2007-06-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

I can't believe Aidan has turned eight! Since he wants to be an astronaut (or, as he calls it, a "space scientist"), he celebrated his birthday this past Saturday with an "Outer Space" party. (He also wants to be a "snake scientist," but that didn't seem a very convenient theme for a birthday party. Maybe next year... HA!)

We had a great time playing games and eating foods related to that theme. Here are some pictures of his home-made cakes (Mommy and Daddy had a little TOO much fun that morning decorating the cakes), and of the party itself.

Cotter's Graduation

2007-05-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

I'll admit, I was a little surprised when I found out Cotter was going to have a special ceremony for preschool graduation. I thought Aidan's Kindergarten graduation a couple years ago was ridiculous enough! I guess I'm just not the sentimental type when it comes to things like this.

That having been said, I am very proud of Cotter and the progress he has made in the last year. A year ago, he had no interest in learning letter sounds and numbers or anything faintly academic. Now he is starting to sound out words to read! He is excited about going to Kindergarten next year and getting to go to the same school as Aidan. (And, for the record, so is Mommy!)

How do they know?

2007-05-03T14:42:00.000-04:00

Roy and I have been involved over the past couple of weeks in a fairly large-scale home improvement project--tiling our bathroom, hallway and laundry room, painting, and other misc. tasks associated with beautifying these areas. Our kids all play independently pretty well, allowing us to get our hands dirty even during their waking hours. Well, during one such time, we allowed Kaitlyn to wander alone down the hall to the boys' room. I figured it takes her at least a couple minutes to climb all the way up to the top bunk bed, so we were okay for a minute or two before I had to go check on her. What I didn't realize is that a brother (who will remain nameless) had apparently left some "no-nos" in the bedroom for Kaitlyn to find. And, despite the fact that there were plenty of big, safe toys for Kaitlyn to find, somehow she, like all kids, likes to bee-line for that which would be to her potential detriment. Roughly one minute after Kaitlyn wandered down the hall, I hear the pitter-patter of her little feet back towards me. I glanced in her direction, and got quite a surprise. No joke, this is how the scene unfolded:

In one hand, Kaitlyn had a very sharp, OPEN pair of scissors, her little fingers wrapped around the sharp part. In the other hand, she is grasping a toy snake, which only looks dangerous. As I'm carefully taking the scissors away, I notice her munching on something. I pry open her mouth to find a lego. As I struggle the lego out (with much resistance on her part), she drops the snake, and a marble falls from her same hand. How in the world do they know what to do to give their parents a mild heart-attack? I'm actually kind of surprised she didn't climb up into the top bunk bed with the scissors, snake, legos and marble in hand, laughing to herself and she teeters over the edge.

A day after this experience, I was finishing some painting in the bathroom and I saw Kaitlyn prance by to go play in her room. No problem. At least that room is childproof. Well, I heard a bit of a gagging noise, and ran out to check on her, and she was gagging up an entire mouthful of pistatio nut shells, along with a little of her lunch. Up it came. I can't believe how many nut shells she had jammed into her mouth! And, the bad thing is that she dug them out of the top of the trash can for her little feast!

I really do try to keep her safe. She's never been to the ER (yet). I've never had to perform the Heimlich. I guess we all just have those moments when we look away...and, inevitably, THAT'S when the real action begins. This is just such a wild age, where they can get into trouble in just a matter of seconds! I keep praying that God will watch over her during those brief moments of inattentiveness on my part.

She's Growing Up!

2007-05-01T14:37:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn is experiencing a surge of development right now, which is so fun to see. But it's also a little sad. She may still weigh only 19 lbs, but I'm losing my baby!

For starters, she used to always call me "Bobby" instead of "Mommy." The "B" and "M" are phonetically very close, so she just mixed them up. But, now it's just "Mommy." I kind of miss "Bobby!"

And, just a few weeks ago, she didn't even have a word for book. Tonight, for the first time, she put two words together: "another book." Actually, it sounded a more like, "anu-uh bu."

She's also following directions better. If I tell her to sit down, she will (unless we are in the midst of a power struggle). If I tell her to go show Daddy something, she will go in search of him. If I tell her to go get her shoes, she will. If I ask her if she wants to read a book, she'll go in search of a book and plop down in my lap. However, if I tell her it's time for bed, she'll run the other way! (Unless she's really tired, in which case she'll go in search of her Lovey.)

And, Little Miss Independent thinks she has the world all figured out...and definitely wants to join in. This can be good...or bad.

For the good, Kaitlyn...
...finds a hairbrush, she brushes her hair.
...finds a washcloth, she scrubs her body.
...finds a phone (or a calculator), she holds it to her ear and says, "hello!"
...finds Mommy's shoes, she puts them on.
...finds an action figure, she moves it around, making nice boy-like sound effects.
...holds a banana, she makes monkey sounds.

For the bad, Kaitlyn...
...sees Mommy starting to prepare a meal, she climbs up into her seat, expecting immediate gratification. (Little does she know that the chicken will take 45 minutes to bake!)
...finds a potty...she stands in front of it, pulling her shirt up, just like her brothers. (Fortunately, she leaves her diaper on!)
...finds ANYONE'S toothbrush, she brushes her teeth.
...finds an ink pen, she takes off the top and colors all over our sofa.
...finds Mommy's make-up, she empties it out and gives herself a fine clown face.
...finds a box of tissue, she wipes her nose (with at least 50 of them).
...finds a "spanking spoon", she gives Cotter a spanking.
...has a poo-poo in her diaper, she comes and tells me "poo-poo," pointing at the diaper...and then runs the other way, because she doesn't necesarily enjoy a diaper change.
...finds a toilet brush, she...well, you get the picture.

I can't believe Kaitlyn will be 18 months in 2 days! She is such a delight, and, despite her antics, not a day goes by when I don't ponder what a joy and a blessing God has given us in her.

Trying on Hats

2007-03-30T13:33:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn got left out of many photos from our trip, because she was stuck in a stroller (sometimes sleeping). So, I thought I'd include a couple pictures from after we returned. She and Daddy were trying on hats.

Some of Our Many Adventures

2007-03-30T13:23:00.000-04:00

Well-Traveled

2007-03-30T12:14:00.000-04:00

We are well-traveled, and we traveled well! Last week we completed our most extensive roadtrip yet, as we loaded up the family and traveled over 3300 miles in a 2.5 week period. While we had fun visiting old friends and seeing new sights, the main purpose of the trip was for support-raising. We met with 3 churches and visited 20 different family units along the way.

Our journey consisted of stops in Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, back to Atlanta, and then back home. We got to enjoy such experiences as: descending into the depths of Mammoth Cave, wandering through the above-street tunnels of downtown Cincinnati, having a snowball fight at a rest stop parking lot in rural Ohio, visiting the science center in Pittsburg, exploring the battlefields at Gettysburg, tasting some chocolate from the Wilbur chocolate factory north of Lancaster, spending a full day exploring Washington D.C. (with Aidan insisting we have to see EVERY monument before we leave--we tried!), trying out many new McDonalds play places, watching cousin Hayes' college Ultimate Frisbee club team play in a tournament...and the list could go on. The kids loved playing with some old buddies of theirs, too, and discovering new toys at each house we went to.

We had lots of people praying for us on our journey, and the trip really did go beautifully. The boys got along really well, and Kaitlyn hardly made a peep, which is really quite remarkable. I've included a few pictures of our trip. The family pic was taken by Aidan, an aspiring photographer.

Severe Case of Mommy Brain

2007-02-20T12:05:00.000-05:00

As many of you Mommies out there can attest, we most definitely lose our brains from the moment our kids enter our lives. It's not even a gradual thing. Just like that, it's gone. My sister-in-law, Elisabeth, sent me an interesting email recently about one mother and the crazy names she has accidentally called her children and the silly things she has told them to do. Well, I could totally relate to this.

Take today, for instance. After a long night with a sick and grumpy daughter, I'm trying my best to function. Cotter decides to open the door to the laundry room, which houses our cat's litter box and thus stays closed for Kaitlyn's sake. (Thankfully, the cat has learned how to "ask" us to open the door.) So, I call out to Cotter, "Kaitlyn, close the door before Cotter digs in the litter!" [Cotter laughs at my misplaced words.] Giggling myself, I try again with all seriousness, "Cotter, close the door before Kaitlyn digs in the laundry!" [Cotter laughs again, probably thinking I'm joking.] Then, Cotter is quite impressed when I finally, slowly, come out with the correct words on my third try.

Then there was lunch time. Cotter asks for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So, having fixed at least 400 of these sandwiches over the past year, I can pretty much do that in automatic-pilot mode. So, I guess the sandwich was made, although I don't really have any recollection of having completed the task. About 10 minutes later, Cotter says, "I'm still hungry." I look at his blank plate and start to ask him what else he would like. But then, glancing onto the countertop, I notice a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which was made, neatly cut in half, and placed into a sandwich baggy, all ready for Cotter's lunch...uh...tomorrow?

After a while, you just have to laugh at yourself.

Jesus Muscles

2007-02-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

We've started something new in our house--exercising our "Jesus Muscles." The kids get rewarded for intentionally obeying God's Word by doing such things as: obeying immediately, resisting temptation, not hurting or yelling back when somebody hurts or offends them, listening to the Holy Spirit (or, as they call it, "the little voice inside of me"), etc. When they do one of these things, they get to pick a slip of paper from the Jesus Muscles envelope and follow its instructions. These aren't material things, but more like silly little privileges.

Here are some examples of some of the things they've been able to do:

Wear Daddy's pajamas to bed
Eat dessert before dinner
Get to choose where we walk (and control the garage door clicker) when we take a walk
Get to eat off of breakable adult dishes all day long
Get to plan a meal and help cook it
Get a free pass to not have to clean their room that night before bed
Get to call two family members or friends to tell them all about how they resisted temptation, listened or obeyed
Get to stay up an extra 10 minutes with Mommy and Daddy

The kids absolutely love this! They can't wait to see what silly thing they'll get to do next. And, I've noticed a remarkable improvement in the boys ability to get along together now that they are working hard to not fight back or escalate arguments. Aidan especially is learning how to listen to the Holy Spirit better. For instance, the other day right after Cotter got a spanking for something, Aidan came to me and said, "I wanted to laugh when Cotter was getting a spanking, but the little voice inside of me told me that I shouldn't be happy about that, so I didn't. " I thought that was great!

We'll see how long until the novelty of the Jesus Muscles (or my creativity in coming up with silly privileges) wears off. If you have any ideas, let me know!

Dashed Expectations

2007-01-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Kaitlyn has a cold today, so she needed to stay with us during church time so as not to infect the entire nursery. (Why don't all parents do that, by the way?) So, when it was time for communion, I decided to just carry her up with me. In my mind, I was about to share in a sacrament, a remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection. I was trying to focus in that direction. I walked up the aisle to the front and received communion. But, there was only one problem. Here's the scenario from Kaitlyn's perspective:

Kaitlyn thinks: "Mommy and Daddy walked me all the way up to the front of the church, where there were these fancy bowls of bread and cups of juice. But, they had the nerve to both have a snack without sharing any with me!"

She howled the entire way back up the aisle, and then some! I must admit, as soon as the howling started, my first instinct was to do the only thing that would shut her up quickly--grap a bread chunk and hand it to her. But, I quickly realized that, of course, you can't do that with communion bread! Hmm...I'm starting to realize this new realm of awareness she has developed is going to limit our behaviors a little bit.

I was just commenting to Roy this morning about how amazing it is that babies go from these blobs to little people so quickly! As sweet as she is, Kaitlyn (at 14 months) is definitely a little person now, with an agenda, a will, a temper and a manipulatingly cute flirtatious side. I love every bit of her, though. We marvel daily at how blessed we are to have such wonderful kids.

Bathing Beauty

2007-01-27T08:35:00.000-05:00

I decided to give Kaitlyn a bath in the sink instead of the tub, mostly to save water and my back. It has been months since she last bathed in the sink, but I figured she's such a little peanut, she'd probably still fit in there! Such enough, she had a blast! Her bath must have lasted most of an hour, entertained only with a plastic cup and a spoon.

Twins Twice Removed?

2007-01-27T08:14:00.000-05:00

So, do you see any resemblance between Cotter and his maternal Grandfather, William Cotter?

The Big 5!

2007-01-25T14:07:00.000-05:00

This past Tuesday, my baby boy turned 5 years old! I can't believe it. As I was tucking him in the night before, I mentioned that next time I see him, he'll be five! He thought about that a minute and then said, "When I turn five, does that mean I get to talk louder?" I immediately replied, "NO! Actually, when you turn 5, you'll talk more quietly, because you'll know how to use an inside voice a little better." Hmm. I guess my constant begging "Cotter, pllleeeaaassseee... be quiet. You're gonna wake up your sister!" is getting a little old for him. I don't remember at what age comes voluntary volume control, but age 5 sounds good to me!

As I shared in the post below, we went to Sea World to celebrate Cotter's birthday. So, on his actual birthday, we had a nice, quiet evening. Their across-the-street friend Anthony (who blends into our family quiet nicely) came over for pizza and cupcakes. I hid Cotter's presents with treasure hunt clues, so that he'd have more fun finding and opening them. They seemed to like that. But I did have to set a few boundaries for Aidan, who, before we started the treasure hunt, said, "When do WE get to open OUR presents?" He has never been too subtle with his intentions.

Cotter's 5th Birthday Celebration

2007-01-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

We didn't have a formal birthday party for Cotter this year. We alternate years, so one year they get a party, and the next year we just do something fun as a family. So, this year, thanks to a generous birthday gift to all of us from Grammy and Papa, we took Cotter to Sea World last Saturday. The kids had a great time, and so did we! They have some really good shows. Shamu was definitely a highlight, as was the pirate sea lion show. But the kids' favorite part was the kiddie roller coaster (which is about my speed, too) and the 3-story-high netted playground. At the end of the day, we were exhausted, and Kaitlyn was asleep in her stroller, so we just plopped down in front of the penguin exhibit and stayed to watch their antics for quite a long time. Definitely a fun time. And, it's a great deal, because, as Florida residents, we get to come back for free the whole rest of the year!

Such Good Helpers!

2007-01-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of Kaitlyn and Brennan helping Grammy (Becky's Mom) wash the dishes. They had a blast.

Spaghetti Face

2007-01-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

You have to admit, everyone needs a good spaghetti picture on file for all posterity. And, spaghetti happens to be one of Kaitlyn's favorite foods, too. Unfortunately, with spaghetti, it takes longer to clean up after the meal than it does to cook the meal in the first place!

Are they REALLY the same age?

2007-01-11T13:53:00.000-05:00

Kaitlyn has a cousin, Brennan, who was born less than three weeks before she was. It was cute seeing the two of them playing together in Atlanta and interacting a little bit. They shared many things that week--toys, food, sippy cups, and even a stomach bug. However, one thing they've never shared is a similar plot on the growth curve! Brennan is trying his best to become the stature of a football player by early next year, while it appears Kaitlyn will be content to remain in her infant car seat until she graduates college.

My petite little girl only weighs 18.5 pounds (at 14 months). My goal is to fatten her up in the next month or two so that she can graduate to a forward-facing carseat in time for a big road trip we are taking in March. Any suggestions? I started the process by giving her her first chocolate marshmallow Santa. Despite the fact that she was desperate for a nap, she approved!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...

2007-01-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

...Aidan!
Aidan announced to me the other day in wide-eyed wonder that he can move faster than the speed of sound! He wasn't just pretending to be Superman--he was quite serious! He said, "Come here, and I'll show you!"

Extremely curious, I followed him into another room where he knelt over a noise-making toy and punched a button. Then, he quickly brought his hand back up and touched his body before the toy actually began making noise. His conclusion, then, was that his arm movement must be faster than the speed of sound, because his hand made it back to his body before the sound traveled to his ears!

I did get a good laugh, but I didn't dare deny him the pleasure of believing his theory must be true.

Cotter's Catastrophes

2007-01-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

It sure has been a while since I've posted. I guess we've all been busy with Christmas travels and such. Now that life is finally settling back to normal again, I thought I'd jump on here and blog a few funnies that have happened over the past few weeks. Once again, Cotter gets to be the main star in this show!

Apparently Cotter has been a little clumsy lately, sustaining minor injuries on multiple occasions. I'd like to think that he's just going through a growth spurt or something, but the source of his injuries is generally some form of mischief instead.

One day he was playing with scissors in the "art room" (a corner of our home office den) and received a VERY minor cut to his index finger. Immediately, he comes running to me, and, with much drama to his voice, he exclaims, "Mommy! I think this is the last day of my life!"

On another occasion, he was monkeying around on his Grammy's armchair and went over the edge, falling against a toy on his way down. This was actually a fairly dramatic fall right onto his face (see the picture above, complete with very chapped lips, too!) But, his response was classic. He came crying to Grammy saying, "Grammy! I think I damaged my head!"

Cotter has always been creative, so I guess a simple "I hurt myself" just wouldn't do.

Just today in fact Cotter came inside crying, "Daddy says I have a scarf, and it really hurts!"
"You have a scarf?" I asked.
Cotter: "Uh huh. I tried to catch the football, and it hit me in the face, so now I have a scarf."
Me: "Oh, a SCAR! You have a scar? Is that what you mean?"
Cotter: "Yeah, a scarf!"
Me: Tempted to clarify again but decided, why bother? Especially since it's not even a scar that he'll have, but more likely a bruise.

Time for a Cotter Tale

2006-12-06T16:37:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've had a post dedicated to Cotter, so I figured I'd share a couple of his recent funnies. He's quite a humorous little boy at times.

One of these instances happened a day or two ago when Aidan and Cotter were in Kaitlyn's room working one of HER puzzles. (This puzzle was an awesome gift from a friend for Kaitlyn's birthday. It has really big wooden pieces that can't be swallowed or bent, and it has pictures of all sorts of animals on it. Gotta like that!) Roy and I were working on something in the kitchen, and we hear an argument ensuing. We sort of tune it out for a while until that is no longer possible, so we then begin listening to what is actually being said.

Cotter: "NOOO... don't tell me what it eats, tell me what it IS!" (With a loud whine of frustration.)
Aidan: "I SAID it's an ANT EATER!" (With even louder insistence.)
Cotter (now with tears): "AIDAN...Why won't you just tell me what it is?"

[I could go on, but you get the point. Cotter ran to us to get the answer he was looking for. He wasn't exactly expecting us to say, "It's an Ant Eater!" Poor guy. He can laugh about it now. :-) ]

Also, Cotter and I were talking today about the Christmas story. It's fun to ask a four-year-old questions to see what they'll come up with. When asked what gifts he thought the wise men brought Jesus, Cotter replied with a smile, "I think they brought him Transformers, Bionicles and Ben Ten guys." And when we talked about shepherds, Cotter proclaimed convincingly that shepherds could read. Hmm... now that's a fact that even I didn't know! When asked to explain why he thought shepherds could read, he replied, "They had to look for the star that said HOLY STAR. Not a shooting star, a holy star!" Too cute.

A Monkey with Chicken Pox?

2006-12-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

Kaitlyn beat the odds this week by actually contracting chicken pox from the chicken pox vaccine she received last week. The one saving grace is that she is too young to scratch the pox to a pulp like many older kids are inclined to do. And, she didn't actually get many on her face either. I guess she got a milder version, because, although she had well over 100 pox, they didn't really scab over like most pox do. But she was pretty miserable for a few days there, as were we!

Yesterday was the first day she started seeming to feel a little better and was totally back to her old antics--and then some! She accomplished two new feats yesterday, neither of which my boys ever even attempted at this age. The first happened while I was in my bedroom typing some emails. Kaitlyn wandered from the bedroom to the "child-safe" family room to play. I heard her making happy noises and banging toys. All of a sudden she got really quiet. As you parents know, that's when you need to go check on them. I sent Cotter in there to see if she was okay. He came back in saying, "She's fine. She's still eating." Hmm..."Eating what?" I wondered out loud. I ran into the family room to find Kaitlyn sitting peacefully in her highchair eating leftover crackers on her tray. There is absolutely no way for her to climb up the highchair and get around the over-sized tray to enter the seat. The only way she could have done it is to climb up the back of one of our living room chairs, step precariously (over the "air") onto the tray of her highchair and into the seat. Needless to say, I was a little amazed. She's definitely a problem-solver.

Kaitlyn also figured out yesterday how to scale a baby gate, which is actually a little depressing. I'm not quite sure how to contain her now! She didn't officially get to the other side, but she climbed the gate, her waist even with the top, and she was leaning over the ledge about to fall to the other side (kind of like a gymnast flipping over the uneven bars) before I caught her.

I'm guessing it won't be long before she finds her way out of her crib. Maybe I should invest in one of those crib tents!

You Like WHAT?

2006-12-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

Right before Thanksgiving, Aidan had a Thanksgiving "feast" with his class at school, where parents brought in various dishes. One "mystery" dish sat on the table, and we as parents didn't want to offend the provider of this dish by asking what it was, so we just dutifully served it to the kids without really knowing. After the meal, I asked Aidan was his favorite foods were. He replied, "My favorites were the cornbread and the other yellow stuff that I don't know what it is." Hmm...now I had to know. So, I politely went to the Mom and told her that Aidan really loved that dish, and what was in it? Well, ends out it was rutabagas! Rutabagas?? Who serves rutabagas to a room of second-graders? She must be from the deep south. But, now that I know how much Aidan likes them, maybe I should try to include them on my menu. But, how exactly does one cook a rutabaga? And, would I even recognize a rutabaga in the store if I saw one? Anyone with ideas, please let me know!

[Oh, I did find out one of her tricks: she adds sugar to them. ]

WHAT did you say, Aidan?

2006-11-10T10:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning I left the boys to finish eating breakfast while I took a quick shower. (Moms are allowed one of those at least every couple of days, right?) When I returned, the kids were giggling, and Aidan was spinning an empty bottle of apple juice on the tabletop. I asked him what he's doing, and he replied, "We are playing Spin the Bottle!" Taken by surprise, I gained composure and asked him where he's heard about that game. He said, "We play it at lunch at school." Then, not knowing whether to burst out laughing or call the school to see what's going on, I decided to clarify first. I asked him, "How do you play Spin the Bottle?" He replied, "You just spin the bottle, and whoever it points to gets to be the next person to spin the bottle." Phew. Okay, I guess I can live with that.

Tentative Steps

2006-11-03T20:29:00.000-05:00

Kaitlyn has been taking some tentative first steps for a couple weeks now, but we haven't ever been able to capture them on camera--until today! She's funny, because she has figured out how to stand up in the middle of the room without holding onto anything and take off from there (for up to about 5 steps) and then flops to the floor. My boys didn't master standing up all by themselves until they were accomplished walkers. And, my Mom says that I wouldn't stand on my own at all without holding onto anything until I was walking really well--the feeling was just too weird to me. It's funny how different kids are.

Kaitlyn's Gift Gets 5 Stars!

2006-11-03T20:17:00.000-05:00

Kaitlyn spends lots of time on her old little tikes riding car, so we thought she might like a new and different one for her birthday. That way, she and Cotter (who zooms around looking ridiculously big on the little tikes one) can even play bumper cars! This gift was a definitely a winner! She wanted to ride it before we even took it out of the box. Then, she played and played on it for quite some time, which was especially amazing considering she really didn't feel that well. Then, when she realized it even had a seat that opens up, WOW! Quite amazing. It's so neat observing kids at this fun age of discovery.

Speaking of, as I was typing this blog, she saw herself on the computer screen for the first time and was quite excited! She said what I believe is her word for Kaitlyn (after I said, "Yes, that's Kaitlyn!) and then pointed at herself on the screen over and over saying, "Hi!" It was very cute.

Breakfast Cereal--a Family Tradition.

2006-11-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

Before heading off to the doctor today (see post below), Kaitlyn roused for long enough to try a little bit of her special Dora breakfast cereal. It's a MacNabb family tradition to get a special sugary cereal on your birthday, since we don't often buy that kind of cereal otherwise. So, we chose Dora cinnamon stars for Kaitlyn. Despite not having an appetite, she did eat some and play with some. So, overall it was a success.

Happy Birthday Kaitlyn! (If only it were true!)

2006-11-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

As you can see from this picture, Kaitlyn's birthday didn't exactly start off on a happy note. She woke up for the third morning in a row with a fever. We took her into the doctor, where she got poked and prodded and catheterized and all sorts of injustices. She was then diagnosed with a bladder infection. Poor girl! After being injected with round-one of a 2-day antibiotic regimen, we were back home to rest for the day.

Say It Isn't So!!

2006-11-02T15:07:00.000-05:00

I figure all of you Moms out there will appreciate this. My friend Kim sent along a link for a product that will blow your mind. And, YES, it's real! Here you go... http://www.pregnancystore.com/zaky.htm

Dad's Surprised Look!

2006-11-02T13:27:00.000-05:00

I tracked down a picture of my Dad at the moment of surprise at his 60th party (thanks Elisabeth!). He recovered quickly and immediately went into a humerous speech in typical Bill fashion.

Holy Ween?

2006-11-01T20:53:00.000-05:00

Aidan asked Roy where Halloween came from. In the middle of Roy's rather lengthy explanation Aidan concludes outloud, "Oh, so it should be called Holy Ween!" (As if that makes it all clear.)

Here are some pics of the kids on Holy Ween. See if you can figure out who's who. ;-)

Birthday Fun

2006-11-01T20:08:00.000-05:00

First picture: Kaitlyn and her new baby doll.

Second picture: Kaitlyn trying her first taste of cake with brothers cheering her on.

Third picture: Cousin Brennan in need of a bath! And Grammy trying not to get too dirty.

Birthday Celebration Times Three!

2006-11-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago we traveled to Atlanta for a surprise 60th birthday party for my Dad. The party was lots of fun with over 100 people in attendance, and we were all amazed that we pulled off a true surprise for him. That was quite an accomplishment! I want to track down a picture taken of him at the moment of surprise. But, for now you'll have to make do with pictures of the second party in Atlanta--a joint birthday celebration for Kaitlyn (born on Nov. 3) and her cousin Brennan (born on my Dad's b-day, Oct. 15). I don't think I'm going to be able to fit the pictures and all the text on the same post, so see the pics in the post above.

Anyway, we have lots of Hispanic friends here in Orlando, and they really know how to put on a good party! A kid's first birthday is a really big deal. I don't think I'm going to admit to my friends that Kaitlyn's first birthday celebration lasted about 20 minutes and included any family members who happened to be around at the time. I figure, she's one! She won't remember! Oh, well. Shame on me. We did do the obligatory cake with lots of icing for a good picture. Brennan knew exactly what to do with birthday cake--eat it, smash it, rub it in your hair....drop it, throw it, bathe in it, pat it...you get the picture. Kaitlyn, ever the dainty lady, did touch it a couple of times and eventually picked up the entire plate and dumped it upside down. I think we had to convince her to try the cake, which is no big surprise considering her selective eating habits. But, we did have fun.

And, we brought her a birthday present, too, from Orlando, even though it wasn't her true birthday. Now, that's not bad for pre-planning! (I think Emily and Adam bought Brennan's presents the same day of the party.) She loves her little baby doll (the first one I've ever gotten to buy!) She hugs her and pats her and kisses her and talks to her...and even eats her toes! What a good little Mommy! Kaitlyn's true birthday is in two days. I'm not sure what we are going to do to mark the official day. I guess you'll have to come back later to find out...

Just Because

2006-10-09T17:40:00.000-04:00

I decided to post this just because I thought it was cute. Aidan likes it, because Kaitlyn looks like she's throwing a punch in defense of her little castle. I like it, because Kaitlyn is, for once, contained, and she doesn't quite know what to do about it.

Kaitlyn reached a little milestone today. She can now stand up from a sitting position in the middle of the floor and take a step forward. She hasn't really managed two steps yet (unassisted), but it won't be long!

Goodbye Old Friend

2006-10-09T17:13:00.000-04:00

It just warms a mother's heart to see her kids so attached to material possessions--in this case, our decade-old yellow sofa. We decided to hang on to this sofa until our third child was past the spit-up stage. So, that milestone having past, this sofa, as big and comfy as it was, had to go. And so it did in our community garage sale this past Saturday. We warned the kids of the impending loss, and they definitely expressed disapproval. However, our need for money and more space in our family room trumped their need for a great place to hold wrestling matches. With one last mournful picture with the much-loved couch, the kids waved goodbye forever and dashed back to playing Legos. We thought that was the end of it, until...

....around 9:30 that night. The kids (we thought) had been asleep for about an hour, and maybe they had! But, our peaceful evening of togetherness in front of a re-run of 24 was interrupted by loud sobs coming from the boys' room. We both jumped up and ran in there, expecting a kid fallen off his bunkbed or a really scary dream. Instead we encountered one really sad little 7-year-old, chanting "sofa, sofa, sofa" in between gut-wrenching sobs. The finality of the end of his life-long fun with the yellow sofa had hit him hard. It broke my heart! In tears myself, I embraced him and explained that the sofa has a very important role to play in a new family now. They would take good care of it. Still sniffling, he nodded in understanding and put his head back on his pillow. I wanted to go back and buy our sofa again! But, with no room to put it in, a wallet in need of the extra $50, and the risk of my sanity being put into question, I decided not to pursue that thought.

So long yellow sofa! Maybe we'll meet again at the next community garage sale!

Cotter's Dream Dinner

2006-09-30T20:13:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had a gourmet dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches, tortilla chips and apples. Like any meal around our house, one boy whines about how yucky the meal is while the other boy scarfs it down. Today, unlike most days, it was Aidan's turn to whine. Aidan is generally a very good eater, but he doesn't always like typical kids' foods like mac'n'cheese, chicken nuggets and grilled cheese sandwiches. Cotter, on the other hand, ONLY likes kid fare. So, he was very excited to sit down to a meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and chips.

Well, after we had finished our meal, we retired to the family room, leaving Cotter, with no food left on his plate, still sitting at the table. It isn't uncommon for him to play around at the table in the midst of some great daydream or something. Nobody thought much of it. We hung around the family room watching the rest of a football game and playing on the computer. Life just goes on, and the boys do their own thing. Well, 40 minutes later, we hear a bit of a whine in the background. Again, didn't think much of it until it registered what Cotter was saying. He was groaning, "I'm so tired of eating all of this food!" Huh? That's strange. He had already consumed his 1.5 sandwiches, handful of chips, and apple. And then we turned around. There's Cotter with the bag of tortilla chips (now mostly empty) in front of his plate. He had, apparently, been eating tortilla chips for the past 40 minutes, like it was, for the first time ever, his duty to finish off all of the food left on the table. Hmm...too bad we weren't having broccoli for dinner Oh, well. I think somebody is going to go to bed tonight with a tummy ache! But, thanks, Cotter, for saving me those extra calories.

Vrrrooommm...

2006-09-29T11:05:00.000-04:00

I think this Little Tikes car was one of the best garage sale items I've ever invested in, second to the stash of Rescue Heroes that Aidan and Cotter played with daily for about 3 years and still have fun with. Kaitlyn LOVES her car! She would probably take it to bed with her if she could. She pushes it, pulls it, does flips over it, climbs it, uses it as a stool to reach high-up objects, and...oh...actually rides it, too! In this picture, she was all out bawling after she woke up prematurely from her nap. Tears and snot and the whole bit. I put her on her car, and snapped this picture moments later. (After wiping her nose, though I should've left it that way for affect.) Her brothers also have fun pushing her around at top speeds on our tiled floor. Good thing hard heads run in the family. She definitely enjoys the adrenalin rush!

A fish?

2006-09-18T21:41:00.000-04:00

How come this is cute now, but when he gets to be 15 I'll start getting a little scared? I was sitting beside someone with a mohawk at church yesterday, and it was a little distracting. I wanted to figure out how he gets it to stand up so pointy. And, I wondered how often he actually shampoos it. I also remembered back to a funny but embarrassing moment when Cotter first met this guy at church a couple years ago and started pointing, laughing and calling him a fish. Well, if you walk around with a mohawk, you gotta know people are staring.

Vocal Bloopers

2006-09-18T21:19:00.000-04:00

Cotter has never been much of a singer, especially when compared to his ever-singing brother. But in the past year or so he has started singing songs to himself as he carries out his daily activities. Usually these songs consist of music from his favorite videos, but more recently he has been overheard singing the songs that were repeatedly drilled into our heads during the week of Vacation Bible School. Or songs from some of his Christian music tapes we play in the car.

As a mother, it warms my heart to hear my child singing songs with scripture about obedience, loving God, and being a light to the world. I think, "Well, if he is constantly singing about these concepts, maybe he'll actually carry some of the principles into his life." But, as I began to listen more carefully, I realized that I may not WANT him to take these songs to heart! But, as you'll see below, it doesn't really matter either way, since Cotter doesn't exactly practice what he sings.

Here are some lyrics we've overheard Cotter repeating over and over again:

"You are the night of the world."

"Keep your lips from speaking wise."

"Do everything without complaining. Do everything without arguing. So that you may become playing with the your, children of God." [You have to wonder what he thought this means.]

The funny thing about this last song (above) is that Cotter was going around the house singing at the top of his lungs, "Do everything without complaining. Do everything without arguing..." And, I walked up to him and told him to go potty so that we could leave to run some errands. He stopped singing and started whining. "I don't need to go potty. I don't want to go. etc. etc." It's amazing how quickly they forget.

The Sweetest Girl in the World

2006-09-06T12:47:00.000-04:00

Of course, I have to believe my daughter is the sweetest girl in the world. But, she has proved it this week. :-) In the past week, she has started "kissing" me on command (well, most of the time) when I get near her and say, "kiss kiss kiss." I love those big open-mouthed, slobbery kisses. They're the best! And also, Kaitlyn has her official first word. It's even accompanied by motions! It's a high-pitched "Hi!" with a wave of the hand. So cute. I love it!

When Cotter was watching "Go Diego" yesterday, the narrator said, "Say Hi!" Kaitlyn, who was playing with toys on the family room floor, looked up at the t.v., said, "Hi," and started waving! I'm sure now she's definitely on her way to Harvard.