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13 Huge

23 Feb

B has new favorite adjective – 13. Yep, that’s right.  13 is more than a number now.

B uses 13 to mean “really big” “really tall” or  just “really  cool”.

I am not sure how the word 13 started to mean more than just a number to B.  It started sometime last week and he has been using his new 13 phrases several times a day.

He uses 13 like this:

“That tower is 13 tall!”

“It is really huge!  It is like 13!”

“It is 13 big, Dad!”

“Whoa! That water slide is 13 huger!”

So apparently, 13 is humongous, towering, magnificent, colossal, awesome!

I asked B, “What do you think 13 means? Isn’t 13 a number?”

He replies matter of factly, “It means it is 13! 13 Huge!”

OK Then.  B is 13 Huge to me.

Teaparties & Cupcakes

29 Jan

Surrounded my Monster Trucks, Dinosaurs, and Hot Wheels cars, CJ manages to get in some girl playing too.  Don’t get me wrong, she loves playing cars and growling like a monster and gets right in there with the boys.  But she is definitely all girl at heart.

Dollies – She likes to change their clothes, sway them in her arms, and has even been known to give her dolls a (real) bath.  She gives lots of kisses and lovingly gestures and makes sounds to her baby.  She will be a great mom someday.

Kitchen – Last year she got this great kitchen set for Christmas. It is perfect for her age right now and I love the colors and quality. She uses the microwave part the most (everything gets heated up) as well as the faucet/sink.  Another toy that has been so fun this year are these cupcakes from Melissa & Doug that can be decorated with washable markers.  I love all the Melissa & Doug toys but these cupcakes and the wooden fruit you can cut have been especially fun for us.

Tea Parties – Last but not least, CJ has really gotten into tea parties.  She has the tea set  with the liquid viewable thru the side so it is fun for pretending to pour.  But usually she likes to do the real thing.  So we also have this super-cute Tupperware Mini Pitcher that we put water (tea) in and have a real tea party.  She pours me cup after cup and sometimes tries to give some to her babies with a spoon.  She has the most adorable apron with a matching apron for her favorite dollie of the day that she likes to wear while she is serving tea or working in the kitchen.  She looks like a natural.

Usually her kitchen, tea table, and baby changing station are also littered with all the boys toys (the dinosaurs also had a tea party with the dollies the other day). But she doesn’t seem to mind…

 

“When I was older…”

28 Jan

B tells stories lately that start in one of these 3 ways:

“When I was a baby….” (Insert funny story here about something that he did or did not do as a baby…. Usually this is something silly, or something he saw CJ or another baby do.)

For example, “When I was a baby, I ate my food like this.” or “When I was a baby I really liked Super Mario Wii.”

“When I was older…” (Insert something here that he wants to do when he gets older, or thinks he did in the past, except he was older.  This was also the inspiration behind this post about 20 things I would do if I was a kid again)

For example, “When I was older, I went to work with Dad.” or “When I was older, I liked to go bowling.”

“When I was a kid…” (Insert random funny story about something that he thinks is in the past, now that he is not a kid?  Sometimes this is the start of a request for something he wants to do now, or a strange combination of past & future.)

For example, “When I was a kid, I ate a lot of pizza.” or “When I was a kid, M was a baby and CJ was a mom.”

What will he come up with next? It is fun to see what his imagination dreams up.

What’s the Password?

15 Jan

Although she doesn’t say the words, this stance means “what’s the password?” Emulating her big brothers, Cj usually does this playful move in a doorway or the at the top of the stairs if she beats you there. What does a two year old girl pick for a magic password? She usually makes us list 5 or 10 words before letting us pass, sometimes more. Some of her favorite common passwords are “cupcakes” “balloons” or “grandma”….I think she just enjoys the power to hold us back until she says we can go, the most.

20120115-212945.jpg

Pipe Dreams

1 Jan

A few months ago, there was a conversation between the boys on what they wanted to be when they grew up. M wanted to be a policeman and help people. B wanted to be Batman. Hopefully they would make a good team.

Tonite on the drive home they had a similar conversation except M said he wanted to work for the city and paint all the houses in town so they would look nice. B followed up by saying that when he grew up, he wanted to be a snowman.

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This is my first blog post published entirely from my iPhone!

Christmas Concerts and Joyful Voices

20 Dec

One of my favorite parts of Christmas (since having kids) is the pre-Christmas concerts and programs that involve the kids.  They are a little magical, very sweet, and always fun. This year was the first year that B was in a preschool Christmas program. I was happy to see B being such an active participant in the concert of 3-4 year olds and follow the teacher’s directions so well.

Here is his Jingle Bell song: (notice the  bow at the end)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2MWJbEMRFo

And here is the “Reindeer Hokey Pokey”:
(notice the “hoofs”)

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

M also had an amazing Christmas program at St. M’s last week.  My favorite part was the “march” in.  All the kids marched in, and M put everything he had into a very deliberate, wide stride, and stiff arm march.  Then the K & 1 sang 2 songs (one being Away in a Manger) with actions which made it cute. There was lots of playfulness in the concert with the K boys also being “naughty sheep” for a part, running down the church aisle away from the shepherd.

I don’t know  a lot of lullabies (nor am I good singer), but this time of year (actually anytime of year), I like to sing Silent Night to CJ when I rock her before bed (sometimes she tries to sing it with me).  It was funny to see how attentive she was when the kids sang Silent Night at the Church Christmas Concert. She really liked the music.  Several times during the concert, she was also imitating the director and was moving her arms with the music.

Some moments feel so magical. There were times during both M’s and B’s concerts where I started to tear up (proud – and moved my music – even the “Reindeer Pokey” apparently). These little things are what life is all about.

My Sound of Music

20 Nov

For my entire life, I have been surrounded by music (we had 3 different live bands play at our wedding!).  As a kid, I fondly remember Christmas’s on my Dad’s side where everyone sang songs for what seemed like hours.  Anyone who knows my Dad well knows his musical history – Bands like Bandicoot, Rebel,  Mark’s Bros, and Fast Forward….  Stories of opening for the Monkee’s at the Gibbon Ballroom before the Monkee’s were famous ( I hear this story all the time, but still don’t know if it is REALLY true), long travels in the Mark Bros. van, and pyro-technics gone bad.  I met lots of my Dad’s musician friends who came to the studio to record – many who I remember fondly to this day. Back then I saw a lot of my Dad’s brothers, who also have music in their blood, and dearly miss, Uncle Dan, (who mostly played bass guitar) the guy who was so shy in person but not on stage.

And I have no musical talent, or at least never gave it enough time as a kid to develop it.  I remember taking piano lessons and just hating to “practice”.   My Dad bought me the most beautiful red electric guitar for my 10th birthday, and I never really learned how to play it.  I just did not have the passion for it, that my brother Joe developed in High School and still has to this day. I wish I did, I wish I would have focused on it more.  To me, there are few things that are  cooler then girls that can really rock a guitar. Yeah being in an all chic rock band would have fit me just fine.

So here we are today.  I am watching my kids play and sing music and hoping to see the talent develop into something awesome.  CJ likes to sing while Grandpa plays piano.  B just bangs on the drums and keyboard.  We have a room basement that used to be the “train room” but is now more of the “music room” with drums, keyboard, my old (like new) guitar, etc.  The kids like to jam out in here, in a very random, “just make all the noise you can” fashion.  M has shown a lot of interest in my guitar lately, we have been hooking it up to the amp and he has asked to take it to friends’ houses…. we are not quite to that point yet.

I went to  Thursday mass at St.  M’s since the Kindergartner’s had a role.  They walked up with Father with food shelf items since it was the Thanksgiving mass and then got to sing a song.  I patiently waited to the very end of the mass to hear the song that the Kindergartner’s sang.  I had never heard it before, although Grandma H. had, who came with me.  It was the song “Edelweiss” from the movie Sound of Music, a movie I have never seen.  Seeing the 5 and 6 year old’s sing it and do the actions was adorable.  It seemed like the sweetest church song a little kid could sing. I have since done some research on the song…. It is known as “May the Lord, Mighty Lord” when the lyrics were modified for Church use.

The Church Lyrics for “May the Lord” go like this:

“May the Lord, mighty God, Bless and keep you forever.

Grant you peace, perfect peace, Courage in every endeavor.

Lift your eyes and see His face, And His grace forever.

May the Lord, mighty God, Bless and keep you forever.”

So here is the inspiration behind this blog post, M’s version of the song, not taken at the Church with his classmates, but at home a couple days later. Below is Take 2, (Take 1 had bad audio and a meddling brother), so I am glad that M willingly and enthuisastically performed it again for me.

Autumn Little Big Things…

8 Nov

Little things are big,  and what make life memorable.  Here are some of the little things about my kids that are memorable to me the past few months:

M.J.ready to sparr

  • M has been loving playing football.  It is pretty fun to see him catch a 20 yard pass and then see that look on his face. So proud and a little shocked (I caught it!)
  • M went to his first Tae Kwon Do tournament and got 4th place in forms and 3rd place in sparring. Both him and his Dad loved the experience overall.  I am looking forward to seeing the next one, which will be closer to home. (see short video of practicing form here, or longer video of tournament sparring here)
  • M got Student of the Month in October for being artistic/creative. Then he also got a sudden interest in playing electric guitar again.
  • Today Neil joined M for lunch at his school and it was a surprise. I am not sure who had more fun, M or his Dad.  When the kids talk you into staying for recess, you know it is good.
  • It is really fun to see him really learning how to read words and be so excited about school.
B.T.B on a hayride
  • I have been enjoying some time w/B in the mornings, on the laptop next to me, after M leaves for school and before CJ wakes up.  He likes to wake up early, then “rest in my office” with his blankie for a bit.  I like my  new office-mate.
  • I love first drawings.  B’s faces and family drawings are fun.  Big eyes, big smiles, lots of legs.
  • B has had mid-night wakings lately that result in “Daaaad” being yelled from upstairs.  Dad (or mom) goes upstairs and then he says”I just want you to lay by me.” or “I want you”. Sleepy parents usually abide, but in the meantime a bad habit has begun.  Sleeping by a cuddly kid who wants you to sleep by him, though, is not all that bad.
  • B knows how to talk the talk.  His says some pretty “big” things and his dad says “his negotiating skills have improved.” huh.
  • So he loves to Dance and Sing, he particularly likes Go Fish and a kids Halloween CD (yes all year round).  But if his mom dances or sings *too much* with him, he says “Stop Mom!” Yes he already thinks his mom is embarrassing.
  • Preschool is oozing out of this kid, he is learning so much and growing so smart.
C.J.kitty cat learns how to say trick or treat
  • She learned how to say “trick or treat” by the end of Halloween night.  She also protected her furry pink pumpkin candy holder all night until bedtime.  She then transferred all the candy to her purse, and then proceeded to try to hide her purse under her crib.
  • We are working on all of our words.  She says some words, but many others are a bit backwards or all sound like “daa” or “dis” or “joose”  or “uck” or “um”.  I have to remind her to practice all the time, “can you say [insert any random word here that CJ thinks is pronounced  "diiiis" or "aaaaaak"]?.  Maybe every word needs to have the excitement of “Trick or treat” with it for her to learn it faster.
  • We have been working on potty training, mostly when we see the look that a #2 is coming, we rush to the bathroom.  She knows the drill now because she will look at me smile, hold her hand out (grab it mom) then totally get into the mad rush to the bathroom. She is doing pretty good but we are not pushing it real hard.
  • Although she loves to try dressing herself (likes pulling up her own pants!), she likes to make it a challenge for me to get her dressed, usually escaping mid-way with giggles half naked.  The funny part, if I want to take the easy way out, I just pass the chore on to her Dad, which she will run to (instead of away) to get dressed.
Other fun stuff:
  • We went to Nelson Farm with Grandma Kathy and saw all kinds of farm animals, climbed haystacks, and went on all kinds of wagon rides.  Kids all fell asleep on the way home.
  • Halloween is one of our favorite holidays.  The kids get so excited about it that the decorations go out around Oct. 1.  The kids were Darth Vader, a Ninja, and a kitty.  The kids got a couple rounds of trick or treating in, as well as a full dose of handing out candy at our house and seeing all the other spooky and silly costumes.
  • Neil turned 36.  I had no idea that putting all those candles (an entire box) on a cake would make such a waxy, smoky mess.
  • I am a new Aunt!  Joe and Amanda had baby Nolan Hendrix! And the baby has some very proud cousins, especially when Darth Vader so little Yoda sleeping on Halloween.
halloween crew

Tae Kwon Do Kid and Copycats

24 Oct

So here is M demonstrating one of his “patterns” to me, on his first day of going to Tae Kwon Do with his white belt on.   He started Tae Kwon Do last month and so far loves it.  He knows how to count to ten in Korean and a few other “patterns”.  He said that he can earn his purple trim (this is the seventh belt) in two years. I hope he sticks with it.  His instructor “Master” is awesome and I can tell that he teaches the kids a lot of respect and discipline.

Then there are these two comedians.  They fight. They play.  They scream. They laugh.  They are only one year and nine months apart so right now and for a few months yet they are age 2 and 3.  The older brother does a lot of teasing.  The little sister is learning a few bad habits.  B calls CJ  “Sweetie” all the time, and he tends to know what toys to pick up that will instantly set her off.  But as  you can in this video, they are two peas in a pod.  The cupcakes they are eating were a prize CJ won at the church cake walk.  We were just having fun eating cupcakes outside one afternoon and being silly.

Jawbreakers are for Big Boys

16 Oct

B got his hands on some candy that M brought home from a birthday party. CJ went screaming after him upstairs, where I continued to hear screaming and fighting over the candy.  Then I found the 2 kids hiding in a corner, still trying to get the package open.

Somehow, I convinced them to come downstairs and to “save the candy for after dinner”.  CJ now had the package of candy in her hand and was cooperatively coming down stairs, with B following closely behind.

As I was getting dinner ready, there was still arguing over the candy in the kitchen.  Then, before we even knew what the candy was, CJ  had the package of 3 jawbreakers open, and one in her mouth.

I have never been a fan of jawbreakers – they just don’t taste good at all, and they just seem totally unsafe for kids…. a broken tooth or candy lodged in my kids throat? I don’t want either, thanks.

But CJ already had it in her mouth, and B, he just couldn’t believe she got the package open herself.  He was accusingly asking me and and his Dad, “Did you open it for she?”… “Did you?”

To avoid a bad medical jawbreaker situations, I said to CJ, “CJ please spit that candy out, it is icky and not for little girls.” I held out my hand in front of her mouth, and she must have realized it didn’t taste good anyways.  She spit it out in my hand.

Then B said matter-of-factly, “Yeah!  It’s for big boys!” And he grabbed the already-been-sucked-on candy from my hand and put it in his mouth.

And I was left with just spit on my hand and a smile on my face.

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