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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.

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

Top 20 Moments of 2010 for our Family

22 Dec

Merry Christmas!

Remember those 3 different Santa Expressions? Here they are again!

Another year has nearly past.: Tons of memories, lots of fun, much more to look forward to in 2011 and beyond.  Here are the Top 20 moments of the Kaufenberg family in 2010:

20. Mr. Independent- This was B’s year to do it himself. “I do it” and “Me do it myself” were his slogans this year.

19. Fireworks and S’mores at the lake- Need I say more? This and swimming sums up the whole summer fun.

18. M excelling in preschool – He particularly rocks at math and telling time, and is enjoying drawing and coloring more then ever.

17. Neil the Vintner- Neil’s fine winemaking skills keep the cellar full & his wife happy, from box kits to fresh organic raspberry & apple wines.

16. B’s sleep changes- In January B learned how to crawl of out of his crib. Now we are close to getting the boys to sleep in one room after many sleep challenges and some sleep successes.

15. Going to Monster Jam- An extended family event last year, going to “monster trucks” will probably become a new annual tradition.

14. Swimming – Between lakes, pools, and waterparks, M had new confidence with swimming and jumping off the diving board and dock. B took swimming lessons with dad, too.

13. Neil’s garden- The small “spaghetti garden” was perfect for us this summer and the veggies were canned into spaghetti sauce.

12. M beating uncle Dan in Mario Kart on Thanksgiving – M showed Dan how “thankful” he was to his uncle being his Mario mentor.

11. New Playset- After much research, web browsing, and a day trip across the state of Minnesota, we finally got the perfect playset for the kids.

10. Charlotte Jane Song- My brother Joe honored me with an awesome gift for Mother’s Day- my poem about Charlotte turned into a song.

9.  Grandma and Grandpa Haen moving to the farm- This has lead to some new adventures and new memories to come.

8.  Dan & Mandy’s wedding – Neil’s brother got married and it was an amazing and fun day.

7. CJ’s first birthday and getting big- up until about 6-9 months she was a peanut. But then she discovered real food and caught right up!

6.  Having a real conversation with B- there is no doubt about it, he has learned how to express himself with sentences and hasn’t stopped since.

5.  CJ’s’s first word “Dada”- It’s not so much the word that were so big, but the day she first said it – on Father’s Day.

4.   M’s Corn Capital Days lemonade stand – We had fun while earning over $50 and giving half to the local Boy Scouts.

3.  CJ’s mobility- rolling over, sitting up, army crawl, all fours crawl, climbing steps, backwards crawl, going down steps on her tummy, and walking marathons around the house in her walker- all in one year.

2.  B mastering the potty- Officially a big kid now! We are happy to be past the diaper stage (at least for two kids) once again.

1. M learning how to ride a 2-wheeled bike – he did it on his own terms, and when he was ready. Oh and a little incentive, too.

Thank you for being a part of our lives, and we wish you and your family a magical holiday season!

3 Kids, 3 Different Santa Reactions

21 Dec
Encounters with Santa have always been entertaining.  Here are snapshots of the Santa Encounters of the 3 Kids:

Awkard. Silly. Now what did I want again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nervous. Anxious. He knows what I have been up to!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pissed off! This is ridiculous that you hand me to a stranger! This Santa does not even smile!

Pumpkin Patches, Scarecrows, Snow!

14 Nov

It’s 10:01pm on a Saturday night, and the house is totally silent, except for the hum of the furnace. At least 2 out of 3 kids are sleeping, and I think Neil is sleeping in M’s room after a botched attempt at having the boys “sleep in mom and dad’s room”. CJ has been a little down today, I think because of that bit white thing trying to poke thru her bottom left gum, that looks like a molar.

Sometimes this is what it takes to "Clean House".

Another busy month has gone by. Today, was the first snow of the season that stayed on the ground all day. Both M and B were outside at 8am ready to play. It was so awesome to see that total first snow excitement in them. It was a very wet and slippery snow, and when each of them first stepped on the deck, they both fell on their butts. B was not happy about this (and did not have snow pants on) and insisted on changing pants that instant. Luckily I also talked him into putting his snow pants on then too. Even though there was not a ton of snow, they each had a blast going outside on numerous occasions. Neil also got some Christmas decorations on the house so they helped some with that.

Just a week ago, we were outside without coats. Neil was hunting and the kids and I had the most awesome bonding weekend together. On Saturday, M played pumpkin bowling, which turned into pumpkin basketball, which turned into pumpkin smashing, and then pumpkin cleanup. We also spent a lot of time cooking and making snacks, mostly out of a Kids Disney cookbook they got for Christmas a couple years ago…. we made a couple desserts (including birthday cake) and Power Up Pasta and Meatballs. M picked out all the recipes, and B would help me make them. Then the boys scrounged them up….. On Sunday we went out to Diamond to celebrate Neil’s birthday with him since he was hunting that weekend. The boys have been getting more into drawing and coloring lately, and made him some really awesome birthday cards. It was so cute, to see how M treated his dad on his birthday, especially later that night…. talk about VIP service. “Dad, you know, you can do anything you want on your birthday! Dad, do you want to do this….?” An un-planned gift from the kids to Neil is the game “Plants vs. Zombies” although this was probably more of a gift for M. After getting hooked on the trial version this summer, it seemed to jump right out at us (like a Zombie would) as a fun gift. Speaking of Zombies and spooks….

Then just a week before that, was HALLOWEEN. My boys live for Halloween. In fact, when we got the Christmas lights out this weekend, B kept saying they were spooky…. Halloween weekend (especially Saturday) was another gorgeous weekend. The kids and I made some scarecrows with leaves and old clothes and Halloween masks. They were all setup for trick or treaters, and one looked creepy and the other one was a little silly. Neil had spooky music playing and we had the front garden set up like a little cemetery. I think our decorations actually kept some kids from trick-or-treating at our house, once it got dark. My Mario (who almost reverted to his last years Batman costume at the last-minute) Scooby Doo Vampire, and Bumble Bee were adorable. Of Course, CJ was a little confused as to why we had her dress so silly, but in a couple of years it will probably be a favorite holiday of hers too.

Another fun October activity that we did was the Nelson Farm. The kids and I went with Grandma Kathy. B loved the baby chicks and after holding them for a few minutes, he thought he was going to take one home. CJ also loved the animals, and gave the rooster and pretty funny look and it cockadoodle-doo’d at her. They had giant haystacks setup and M and B climbed and jumped for what seemed like forever. All the kids got their face painted, and it was so cute when CJ looked in the mirror and saw hers. She loved it and looked so proud. It was priceless. Then it started to get really windy and cold towards the end,but at least we had already gotten some fun in at that time. I always know it is good, when the boys both say on the way home “Can we go there again sometime Mom?”

Bananas, Numbers, and the First Concert Experience

12 Apr

My kids ate like champs tonite. We had chips and guacomole (I had to correct M a couple times as he kept calling it chips and macaroni) and enchiladas and corn. M has gotten pickier as he gets older, and B, well he just has a mind of his own (We made the mistake of letting Mr Independent sit in a big boy chair instead of a high chair too early, which means that often he just thinks he can come sit by me and eat my food, or just walk away from the dinner table). Well tonite they ate up everything. CJ tried bananas last night for the first time, and it was the first time she made a funny face when trying food. All the other foods she has tried so far have been veggies, so maybe her tongue is freaking out from the sweet banana monkey taste! When I made a comment about CJ not liking bananas, both boys chimed in. Brody said “Baby no like nanas?” Then she started to open her mouth to eat them, and I told the boys, that CJ must have seen them eat bananas, so they must be good. Right away, both boys asked if they could have a banana. Their meals were almost gone (and I never turn down fruit unless they want more then a little boy body could handle). It was sweet to see them react positively to the fact that their sister was doing something because she looked up to them.

Is this my LITTLE girl? She is eating lots of veggies, can you tell?


CJ is now rolling over like a little wrestler. Set her down on her back, and in a split second, she is on her tummy. She used to get crabby pretty fast while on her tummy, but now she can tolerate it much longer and enjoy it. She is also drooling like a little waterfall so I anticipate teeth soon!

We took the boys to the Go Fish Guys concert Saturday and they had a blast. For the first 20 minutes or so, they were is total awe. Dancing, shaking their light wands, singing along…. B was pretty antsy half way thru, but we made it thru without any breakdowns. The anticipation until the concert started got them going… “4 minutes until the concert” they would announce over the loud speaker. “30 seconds”… and they hit big beach balls around in the crowd. Impressive lights and show for a preschooler kids concert. Especially coming from someone who has been to both Lollapalooza 1992 and Madonna 2001. Now I get to add Go Fish Guys 2010 to my list of concerts….. : )

Easter has come and gone….which means the Valentines Day candy has to go. Just way too much candy at holidays. CJ went in the hot tub a Gma and Gpa’s for the first time on Easter. She felt pretty special in her Little Mermaid suit. Boys rocked the Easter Egg hunt at the park, and Brody got his picture in the paper with his full basket.

B collecting eggs!


B sayings of the week “Dada say me cookie” “Mama, I’m crying” (yelled in whiny voice from bedroom) And many more things that were so cute and memorable at the moment, but of course, now when I am sitting at the computer trying to think of them my brain doesn’t work.

M and B have been helping Neil outside a lot this weekend. The Easter Bunny brought them some gardening stuff to dig in the dirt which they thought was really lame at the time. Then Neil put them to work digging up stuff and finding worms and they didnt think it was so bad…

M is obsessed with numbers lately. Asking lots of questions – “what is 66 + 83?” Counting down the numbers on the microwave, asking what every number is that he sees… Counting up to 100 with help along the way. I think a lot of his interest in this sparked from watching basketball scores. I hope he is good at Math like Neil.

B and M keep on shooting, keep on shooting


B is pretty athletic for a 2 year old. He is making baskets in his little hoop, and on Sunday he even hit some balls that were pitched to him. His swing was slow for a while, but now he is getting the timing down and connecting with the ball.

Busy and Fun 3-Week Wind Down

5 Jan

The last 3 weeks have been a whirl wind of snowy fun…Here is a quick re-cap of the haps at our house over the holidays:

Brody is officially 2! The highlights of the night: Balloons and Cake!

B’s Birthday: Last night, we had a little birthday party with family for our big boy Brody who turned 2…. Yes TWO. It is a little easier for me to grasp the fact that he is two with a new baby around, but really? Has 2 years gone that fast? Brody was excited, had his banana pancakes that dad made him in the a.m., and was pumped for a party at daycare and then later at home. When M turned 2 (about 2 1/2 years ago) his bday was the day we moved in to our new house. It was also the day that we announced that I was pregnant (with Brody) when Mav opened a present that had a “I’m going to be a big brother” t-shirt.

Rockin' New Years Eve!

New Years Fun: We had some friends and their fam over for New Years Eve. We played a little Wii and Guitar Hero and somehow M and B made it AWAKE (and tolerable) until midnight when the ball dropped. They sure felt special to be able to stay up with the grown ups, and play Wii most of the night without me hounding them to do something different.

Joe and Brody made a new friend!

White Christmas: I absolutely LOVED this years white Christmas. We are blessed to have our families and Christmas celebrations so close, so to drive across town in a Winter Weather advisory is really no big deal. 4 days of big fluffy snow flakes and 25 degree weather meant sledding and snowmen for the kids. How perfect to be able to mix in true winter activities with Christmas?! I wish every Christmas included sledding and snow ball fights and snowmen in big fluffy white snow….

All Aboard! Geotrax town in our living room!

Christmas with a change of pace: With the weather being unsafe for travel, a couple of our Christmas’s with extended family got postponed. What was nice about this, is that we got out of the typical Christmas routine of doing the same thing, year after year. On Christmas day, we had time to just relax with the kids, play with their toys and trains, and be in the snow! Later in the afternoon, my parents and Joe came over, and we had an impromptu Christmas dinner. It was so fun and relaxed. Gpa and Joe helped the boys to set up many cool Geotrax train towns in the living room.

I found this baby girl wrapped up under the Christmas tree...

CJ’s first Christmas: This is Charlotte’s first Christmas, and as the youngest in the room, she gets passed around to grandmas and aunts constantly. I am still elated with the fact that I have a daughter, and how wonderful of a baby she is. I am so enjoying this time with her as an infant and treasure every moment. Next Christmas she will be one, and it will be so different, having a toddler, rather then a baby.

Charlotte’s Baptism

My Child of God

CJ got baptized on the Saturday before Christmas. She looked SO beautiful. I was so afraid that she was going to have and blow-out since she hadn’t gone #2 in over a week. But we made in thru the ceremony dress and all. After the ceremony, the dinner, and family were gone, I just could not stop staring at her in her dress, thinking how special she was and how lucky I am. I wanted her special day to last forever. Her dress has lots of soft white lace, and she wore a special “child of God” onesie underneath that Grandma Kathy gave her a couple days earlier.


I get to come home to these smiley, slimy, sticky kids.

Going back to work full-time: With the holidays over, reality is setting in that I have full work weeks ahead of me. I am doing everything I can to adjust and make mornings and evenings as relaxed as possible. Thank God for cooking club and a helpful husband! I LOVE sleep, but CJ has been so good to me, waking up only once, or sleeping all thru the night. I am finding myself to stay up later to prep for the next day, or (like now) waking up earlier to get my own time in. It has been relatively easy to throw baby #3 into the mix (so far). The important thing: Being Present – in the moment… wherever I am…

Where to Start? Somewhere. The Fourth of July.

16 Jul

Life is good. I just wish it would slow down a bit so I could take every moment in a little more. Why is everything such a rush? So many special things happen every day, but slowly become a blur. My intentions with this blog was to capture the little thing about my kids’ lives in writing and pictures so I wouldn’t forget… but then when I fall behind I feel the guilty and overwhelmed. I know I dont have to do it, but I really want to. It helps me to remember and appreciate the little things that otherwise go unnoticed. The further I get behind, the harder it is to catch up. Tonite I have been working on moving over 2 years of blog posts to this new blog. My goal was to have it done last spring… there are more posts then I thought. I got a lot done tonite, but still am not satisfied because there are so many more…. Man.

I have so much I want to write about but am a month behind. I am going to start with one of our favorite holidays, the 4th of July. Spent at the house of the rising sun with friends and family for the 10th summer.


Fourth of July- One of the best yet, even though I am so prego and the alcoholic beverages were calling my name. The boys had a fantastic time, with water guns, hoses, anything that involved water. Mav is starting to get more comfortable in the water, but I think the big lake intimdates him. Oh and he is a Fireworks NUT. We spent time at the park, at gma and gpas place, and hanging with the crew at the cabin. Great times. And the highlight for Neil was getting the new patio doors in, thanks to Ben and Dan. I got a lot of time in the Twilight series which was very relaxing indeed. Dad and Joe and gang of musicians jammed at Todd’s. The parade was great, and we were glad to have B’s “monkey” to keep him from running to far into the street. Every piece of candy he got went right into his mouth, wrapper or not. The boys were overly exhausted every single night, but with each night came new memories..

I am now getting kicked out of the library, so I will continue the adventure later…

Memorial Day Weekend Haps

28 May

Memorial day weekend, we went to the lake Friday night. Brody did not like the sleeping arrangements I guess (all 4 of us on one room, and Brody in a Pac ‘n’ Play instead of a cozy crib). Well he woke up at 3 (and all of us) and did not go back to sleep until 5. I saw the sun come up, which was beautiful, but probably more appreciated in a different situation.

Brody helping dad to fill up the air bed..

Brody helping dad to fill up the air bed..

Neil and I worked our butts off cleaning the cabin for an open house while the boys were with their grandparents. Later we picked up the boys for a little bit of car shopping in Willmar. Brody somehow spilled juice all over his butt and the car salesman would not take his eyes of the baby with the wet bottom. We went back to the cabin to get ready for some dinner on the pontoon with Gma and Gpa. After changing Brody, I apparently did not get his diaper on good. He squated down to pick up a ball and peed all over the floor as if he was wearing nothing.

My cool guys... I could only get one to wear sunglasses at a time...

My cool guys... I could only get one to wear sunglasses at a time...


The pontoon ride was great. Gorgeous weather (wind died down from earlier that day) and despite the rough last 24 hours with Brody (he was extremely hard to please) he loved the boat ride. We had dinner on the boat (mom’s cedar plank salmon). The best part of the boat ride was the fishing. Dad was helping Mav fish and there was actually several boats that huddled around us as we parked to eat. As we were getting ready to go, Neil noticed that Mav’s fishing pole was bent. The excitement soared from there… Mav/Dad started to reel in the fish, and found it to be a very large ….dogfish! When Mav saw it, he hid down in the bench instinctively. Neil thought the fish was about 6 lbs. We gladly let it go since it was a dogfish, were ecstatic for Mav catching his first fish! Later, we got our first smores of the season!

doing a little jammin' at the party!

doing a little jammin' at the party!


On Sunday, we were headed back to Olivia for Alyssa’s grad party. Mav and I stopped at the Spicer Park for a little fun first…. wow that new park is great! It was a gorgeous day, and when we got home we played out side for a little while, then headed to Alyssa’s grad party. There was some good jammin’ there with Gpa and Brody playing piano and Joe playing guitar. Mav popped over when he heard Gpa sing “Bob the Builder”.

Monday, our day at home was perfect. We played outside doing nothing special, but had so much fun just being. Mav was so helpful. He helped me weed around the whole house, willingly and happily. I think he mostly was interested in using the clippers. We also have 3 robins nests around our house and baby bunnies, so we check on their progress…

A sweet baby bunny ready to be attacked by Brodzilla

A sweet baby bunny ready to be attacked by Brodzilla

Ahh….it is soo nice to have 3 day weekends. Time for fun, time to relax, time to catch up. Truly feels like a weekend instead of a rush.

So much happens in such a short time…

28 Apr

Mav at preschool, playing his favorite toy - Trains.

Mav at preschool, playing his favorite toy - Trains.

Tomorrow Maverick is having a program at preschool, where they have a slide show and sing songs for the parents. It will be fun to see him with the other kids. I wonder if he will sing nice, or act goofy. I think he is going to start acting strange when he sees us there.

It seems like forever since I have written a blog, I guess it has only been a couple weeks. But in that couple of weeks, I have been trying to make mental notes of all the things I wanted to remember, write about. Here is goes:

Find the Easter Eggs! Then we hide them again!

Find the Easter Eggs! Then we hide them again!

- Easter- For one thing, it is insane how much candy kids get for holidays. Every new holiday that comes up, I have to get rid of the old candy from the previous holiday since we have all new candy to work on. Brody loved the colored Easter eggs. I cannot say how many times he got his hand on some type of candy and eventually chewed right thru the wrapper to the good stuff. Mav has been seeing a bunny in the back yard for the past month or so. I wonder if he will always think it is the Easter bunny, and not just the rabbit that chews on my tulips.

Is it wrestling? Or a hug?

Is it wrestling? Or a hug?

-Wrestling- It’s starting. The boys are literally wrestling each other on the living room floor. I caught Brody repeatedly grabbing Mav from behind in a head lock type move, then Mav takes him down to the floor. Stopping them is not easy. And Brody is beginning to like it more. The fighting over toys has gotten worse too. I know this is common for siblings, and boys…. but what do you do?!

There's nothing like the site of sleeping monsters...

There's nothing like the site of sleeping monsters...

-Sleep- Mav is now going to sleep better by himself at night. I think the combination of eliminating the daily nap and Dad buying him a new monster truck toy with the promise of “going to bed nice” did the trick. For Now.

Brody checks out the spokes on Mav's bike.

Brody checks out the spokes on Mav's bike.

-Bike Riding- Mav loves to ride bike. He is so fast now that I can now longer walk with the stroller with him as he rides bike. He will get too far ahead. He asked Dad to take of his training wheels after seeing a bunch of kids (a little older then him) riding bike without them. He realized quickly how different your bike is without the extra wheels. For now, I think Neil is going to put one back on or try them a little higher so he gets the feel for how to balance.

-Brody and Books- I remember when Brody was around age one, how he had no interest or patience for me to read to him. Then just before about 15 months, he started to just sit there and pay attention. It was like a switch flipped. Now he has his favorites (many the same as Mav) 5 little monkeys, Word Book, Peek-a-boo Elmo, Big & Little. A couple nights ago, I was reading to him, and he insisted to get down. Then he went to the book pile and picked out a different book and basically told me (in his words) to read it. It was the book with lights and music, called “You’re my Little Lovebug”. I love moments like that, where you see them grow up and get smart before your eyes.

One thing that Brody and Mav love to do together is make a fort in my linen closet with the pillows, blankets, etc. And they now understand NOT to pull everything off the shelves, and to just use the pillows and blankets that are on the floor.

One thing that Brody and Mav love to do together is make a fort in my linen closet with the pillows, blankets, etc. And they now understand NOT to pull everything off the shelves, and to just use the pillows and blankets that are on the floor.

-Don’t Spill the Beans- My dad asked me a couple weeks ago, if Mav was getting any better at “dont spill the beans”. When I got him the game (over a year ago) he would maybe put on a bean or 2 then knock it over. Just did not have the attention span for the game. Thought it was funny to just knock it down. Then like lots of things, it got put away for a while, mostly because if Brody was around while playing, he would eat the beans faster then you can say “dont eat the beans!” Well last night, Mav and I played the game again. He was so excited to play! And he got it. No spilling the kettle intentionally. He played 5-6 games with me like Mr. Mature. And it was fun. Then after that, we played Monopoly.

Wow I wrote a lot about a few things. I need to start writing more often, a little bit at the time. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Good night!

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