Jaydenisms

At two years and 8 months, Jayden has grown a bit more in his vocabulary. He still isn't as vocal as his brother and sister were at that age, and that can be frustrating at times because he screams a lot and throws some tantrums, but when he does talk, it's very sweet.

A Jayden dictionary with some of his words and phrases:

ah-puh-toos(octopus)- Whenever he sees the letter "o", he says,"O. ah. ahpuhtoos."

nigh-nigh- His blanket that he currently drags with him all over the house

baby- What he calls his favorite stuffed animal(giraffe), and also when he sees any picture of a baby

watuh(water) His favorite drink(unless he sees me drinking a soda at a fast food place). Usually followed by "peas"(please). He does use his manners.

"No seegig. I doen lie it!" A phrase he picked up when I was singing to him, and he all of a sudden started to scream. I told him that he needed to use his words and he learned,"No singing. I don't like it." He actually loves to sing songs together. Just wasn't in the mood that particular night, I guess. Every once in a while, he will say the phrase just because he knows that it makes us laugh.

"Ah done!" All done.

"Yay! Dih it!" Yay! I did it!

Some songs he likes to sing:

"Jesus Loves Me"

"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"- sounds more like Kee-Ko, Kee-Ko Little Stah"

"Jump Up"(sung by the Imagination Movers on the Disney Channel- complete with motions)

He actually likes singing a lot, and will sing with pretty much whatever he listens to- even if he doesn't know the words.

He also knows his colors, numbers, letters(complete with sounds), and body parts. My favorite parts that he says are "no-ese(nose), to-es(toes), and beh-yee buht(belly button)."

Well, I could go on, but I can't think of everything, and you are probably already bored by now. ;) He's really a smart little guy, and I love him a lot!

Happy Birthday, Mark!

Mark turned 38 today! I made a brownie cheesecake swirl cake, and we sang to him really quick before he and I left to watch Avatar in 3D. The movie was awesome, and definitely worth seeing in the theater!

I love this man very much, and am grateful that he was born on this day 38 years ago!

An Old English Project

When I was in Jr. High, we had a group project(let me tell you how much I hate group projects another time) in which we had to make a revision of a children's book and update it with big words and current issues. My partner and I picked Green Eggs and Ham. We didn't have much time in class, so I told her I would take it home and finish it. It was supposed to be typed, but my typewriter ribbon broke that night, so I turned it in with my own handwriting. My teacher told me that she shouldn't accept it since it wasn't typed, but she took it anyway. The next day, she pulled me aside and said that she was sorry that she had chewed me out because I was the only one in the class who had done the assignment correctly. Everyone else had to redo theirs.

I stumbled across this little gem of mine while I was sorting through things today(You would have thought I wouldn't have had to sort through so much since I did so 6 months ago, but that wasn't the case).

Anyway, here it is, for your reading pleasure:

Green Eggs and Ham(Revised)

Sam, the pretentious door-to-door salesman, meandered up to the door and knocked ceaselessly until it was opened. And old phogey answered the door and was about to slam it in Sam's face when Sam stuck his foot in the door and elucidated,"I am Sam!" The old man was wholly astonished and perturbed at Sam's impudent intrusion. Sam opened his box and thrusted a plate of green eggs and ham in his face. "Do you like green eggs and ham?" he queried.

"I do not like them, Sam I Am. I do not like green eggs and ham. They're full of fat and cholesterol. I'd rather eat green vegetables."

Indefatigably, Sam started running around the room with the plate. "Would you like them here or there?"

The old man responded," I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham. They're not good for you Sam I Am."

Sam pulled some pamphlets out of his briefcase,"Would you like them in a condo in Beverly Hills? It even comes with your own pet mouse."

"I do not like them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere. I do not like green eggs and ham, they're not salubrious for you Sam-I-Am."

"Would you eat them in an alley in a cardboard box? Would you eat them if there was a gorgeous fox?"

"Not in a box, not with a fox, not in a house, not with a mouse. I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere. I would not eat green eggs and ham. They are full of lipid products, Sam-I-Am."

"Would you, could you in a Porsche?"

"I would not, could not in a Porsche."

"Would you eat them in the dark, on a train, or in acid rain? Could you, would you if I gave you a bruise? Could you, would you if I took you on a cruise?"

"I would not, could not with a bruise. I will not, will not on a cruise. I will not eat them in acid rain. I will not eat them on a train. Not in the dark or in a car. I do not like them in a box. I do not like them with a fox. I will not eat them in a house. I do not like them with a mouse. I do not like them here or there. You cannot bribe me anywhere. I do not like them anyday, so please Sam, please just go away."

"You do not like them, but don't you see? Look! They are 95% fat free!"

In final despondency, the antiquated man replied, "Sam if you will quit dyssin' me, I will try them you will see. The old man grabbed the fork and took a bite, throroughly masticating, then yelled with delight,"Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-Am!"

Sam beamed and grinned from ear to ear. Maybe his family wouldn't go hungry this year. But what Sam didn't know was that the crochety old man was tired of the door-to-door salesman disturbing him, and he had been planning revenge on the next one that came to his door. The old man reached for his. 22 calibur pistol and blew poor Sam away. The moral of this story is: if you are a door-to-door salesman, don't bother irate old men.

I am Thankful

I'm thankful for my family and that they are always with me no matter where we end up. I'm thankful for the roof over our head- the one currently(even though it's not ours) and the one we are heading back to(even though it's not a big, fancy place). I'm thankful that we could spend the last six months meeting new people and giving the kids some fun opportunities. I'm thankful that we will be able to go back to see our old friends and enjoy the traditions we had living in Pullman.

I don't like moving. I hate packing up all our things, but I'm thankful for things to pack.

This Thanksgiving, we were blessed to spend it with family. I didn't have to make a turkey or anything at all. Everything was taken care of. We went to Mark's aunt's house and got to see his cousins- one of whom we haven't seen for several years- and we got to meet his new wife. The dinner was lovely- the traditional turkey, of course, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, rolls, cranberry sauce, baked artichoke hearts, string beans, pumpkin pie, etc.

Mark's cousin, Bree did most of the cooking and prep!



Kyrie drank 3 Capri Suns!


Jayden didn't want to sit and eat, but he had fun running around and screeching. I think I burned the calories consumed tonight by getting up and down to try to keep him out of trouble and to quiet him down when he got too loud.

Look! A quiet second! It won't last long!

Getting started...


The olives on the fingers routine. I think this is the first time I've ever seen the boy eat olives. He said he enjoyed them!


After dinner, the kids played card games with Grandma and Daddy. Mommy chased Jayden some more. He did fairly well considering he didn't have a nap today. The tryptophan kicked in quickly tonight and the kids fell asleep quite hastily! Maybe I need to make turkey for dinner every night!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

My Little Angel, Kyrie

Kyrie didn't get to go Trick-or-Treating because she was sick, but she did get invited to a carnival the week before by our neighbor friend. Her mom took some great pictures of the girls. You can't really tell in these pictures, but Kyrie has glitter all over her face and arms(she had her sweater off when she was inside). Kyrie had a blast that night, and I'm glad that she got a chance to dress up and have a good time since she was so sick the following week! Kyrie and her friend have a great time together, and we'll miss her a lot when we go back to Pullman next month.

Free Time

Kyrie is finally well enough to be playing at her friend's house today. After recovering from the flu, she ended up with an ear infection. Poor thing couldn't catch a break!

Mark told me that he would watch the boys- not too hard of a job for him this afternoon since Jayden is probably napping, and he's playing Lego Batman on the Wii with Isaiah. But still, it's nice to be able to get out of the house for a while by myself.

It's pretty wet and yucky outside(hello, Seattle Fall!) so I packed up my laptop and headed to the library. Among the few usual websites I like to play on, Facebook is a big escape for me. Particularly, Bejeweled Blitz. This game is a big time sucker for me! It deceives me into thinking that a game only lasts a minute long, so that's not too bad, right? But it's kind of like Pringles- "Once you pop, you can't stop!"

A few of my friends are able to get as high of scores that I do, and once they beat my high score, I feel compelled to keep playing until I get back on top. It is very satisfying to get the 5 in a row gems that blast all the ones that are the same color, or the star gem- created by making an L or a T match of gems and clear out a whole row. When you really get going, the game makes a sizzling sound, and then you get a speed bonus time and the lights start flashing and gems start exploding left and right!

After a week of play, the game resets, and everyone goes back to the same points. Then it's back to playing again so that my score will soar high above the rest!

I've even incorporated the game into Homeschooling! Kyrie has Math Minutes where she has a bunch of problems and she has to see how many she can get done in a minute. Well, a minute of me playing Bejeweled has turned into a very effective and entertaining stop watch. ;)

Isaiah, the Slow-Eater, Tiny Bite Taker

We've been reading this book for Isaiah's Language Arts the last couple of weeks. I just found out tonight that my husband's grandma was friends with the author of this book, by the way. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading this book, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is an eccentric lady who has all sorts of cures for childhood ailments like selfishness, kids who won't pick up toys, kids who talk back, and the category that Isaiah falls into- slow eater, tiny bite taker. I swear, the boy would graze all day if we let him. It's good to eat relatively slow and take small bites, but in our fast-paced American society, we usually like to get it done!

So after reading this chapter today, I decided to play a little joke on Isaiah. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's cure for the slow-eater, tiny bite taker was to gradually make the plates smaller. The first day the meal serving was on a plate the size of a saucer, a cup like a small after-dinner coffee cup, and they were given a small fork and a little spoon. The next meal was served on a plate like a doll plate, had a doll cup, and a very small fork and spoon. Each meal gradually got smaller until the plate was the size of a small penny, the cup would hold a small drop, and a fork like a needle, a spoon like a pin. Even with the small servings, the boy still would only eat a portion of it until he got so weak that he couldn't even sit up, and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle told him it was his turn to take the pony out for a walk, but he couldn't stay on and so he finally ate to get his strength back and was able to get back on the pony.

I actually skipped the saucer size plate and headed straight for the doll size plate- just to get a laugh out of Isaiah. He enjoyed bringing the story to life. I gave him a bigger size portion later. I think he might always be a slow eater, but he's a pretty good boy.

Sleep Talking

I don't know if Kyrie is always like this in her sleep, or maybe when she is just sick with a high fever, but she has been talking in her sleep.

Tonight she sat up and asked me to help her stand up. So I did. I asked her if she wanted help getting to the bathroom. "No."
"What do you want,then?"
"What's 10 +10?"(by the way, she's in 3rd grade Math, and certainly knows the answer to this. ;))
"20"
She points to my finger. "I need 20 of those."
"20 fingers?"
"I need 20 fingers."

Then she lay down again and she looked at me and smiled. "Never mind," she says."I love you." Then she closes her eyes and starts mumbling incoherently.

Fever is down to 99 degrees now. I hope we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

"Ti-ah-tee"

That's what Jayden managed to get out tonight after he started getting the hang of Trick-or-Treating. Even though I carried him pretty much all over the place(I'm going to have Amazon Woman Arms thanks to this kid), he liked climbing up the stairs and going to the doors and knocking on them. He scored several full size candy bars! He was even polite and said,"Thank you!" and "buh-bye"(though he still has a very soft voice with people he doesn't know). We also went out this afternoon to downtown where the businesses were handing out candy, too. They had a parade of costumed dogs, and I thought this one was the best. Of course, I might be biased toward Chocolate Labs. They had a weiner dog race after the parade, too, but we missed it because Jayden was getting fussy.



You might notice two kids missing from these pictures. Kyrie is still sick and has a fever. Isaiah had a fever of 101 today, too. Bummer for them, but we rented the new Tinkerbell movie(RedBox is awesome!) and we got plenty of candy from Jayden's efforts alone to last this household a LONG time. Must have self control...Must have self control...Must have self control...

Sick

This is what Kyrie has been doing all day today. She's been running a fever of 101.5. She needed help getting to the bathroom tonight because she was too weak to walk. Didn't eat anything except for a couple of bites of sandwich- odd for the child who usually tells me that they are hungry half an hour after she ate her last meal. I've been making sure she stays hydrated, though.

So no trick-or-treating for her tomorrow. I promised that she would get some candy still and that I would rent the new Tinkerbell movie for her.

My 7 year old

Best friends: The old ones in Pullman, and her new ones- Sarah, Amelia, Frances, Ellie and Lily

favorite food: candy(Almond Joy and White chocolate Kit Kat), Hamburger Helper for dinner, ham and cheese sandwiches and favorite cereal is Fruit Rings(dry with no milk).

favorite toys: Littlest Pet Shop, Hello Kitty, Polly Pocket(any tiny little girl toys that are easy to suck up in a vacuum!), the Leapfrog Didj


favorite subject:Science


favorite activities: playing with friends, sleepovers, playing in the PlayPlace at McDonalds, going to the store

dislikes: when Mommy has to get dirt out of my fingernails

Free Giveaway on my Husband's Blog!!!

The Geek Church is giving away a Bushnell Backtrack. It's an electronic compass/GPS. Retail price is $69. It would make a great Christmas present! Go check it out!

Nostalgia

7 years ago today, I was in the hospital. They induced my labor with Cervadil. I spent most of the night cramping and in the bathroom(felt like I had to go constantly, but later learned that the sensation was normal for women in labor).




This next layout actually described what I had to go through a few days earlier when my dr. wanted to induce me initially, but the hospital ended up sending me home because they were full and the non-stress tests turned out okay. If you can't see it in the picture, my ankles are swollen like balloons. Those sandals were the only thing I could wear for the last few weeks of my pregnancy. My fingers looked like little sausages, too!



In about 13 hours from now, I'll be throwing a party for my oldest baby. Can't believe she will be 7! Where does the time go?

Endearing

Moments like this make my heart melt. Jayden has started losing his afternoon naps(NOOOOOOOOOO!), but every now and then I will find him snoozing(Mark calls it "taking a snuzzle"-important to note that "snuzzle" is not a verb) on the floor when he is just too tired to stay awake. I found Kyrie patting his head today, and I had to go run and get the camera and try not to disrupt the sweetness.

Today the kids and I took a walk with Grandma to the salon so she could get her hair cut. The kids always enjoy going along and playing with the little toys they keep in the corner. A song came on the radio, and Kyrie asks,"Do you know what song this is?"
"Nope."
"It's 21 Guns. I've heard it a few times lately."
"On the I-Pod?"
"No, on VH1."
My almost seven year old is already into the music video scene. Maybe I should be worried? Actually, she will sometimes wake up early in the morning and watch the Beatles on VH1. My friend Kimberly(ultimate Beatles fan) would be proud!

Bed Hogs

This is why my husband ended up sleeping in Isaiah's bed, and I woke up at the foot of the bed this morning.

Like Mother, Like Son

At age 2, this child is already becoming adept at using a computer. I thought we were safe for a while when he only moved the mouse around, but then he started scrolling and clicking, and now he can get around on different websites.

Our Weekend Vacation

Last week I made a mention of the trip we took to Westport to visit Mark's aunt and uncle at their condo on the beach. Here are a 1/4 of the 60 pictures I took. It's really hard to narrow down the ones that I like the most. I think that's why I procrastinated so much in posting them this week!

I really love this picture! I wish it turned out a little better. If any Photoshop experts reading my blog think they can tackle this one, I'd be really grateful!

Jayden loved the beach. He was a little timid around the ocean waves, though.


If you squint really hard, you might be able to see the mermaid tail that we made for Kyrie!


The kids love playing in the sand!


This telescope was free! Usually these kinds of telescopes require quarters to enjoy, so we were pleasantly surprised that it didn't cost a dime!











Pretty sunset!

The tallest lighthouse in Washington. Too bad the ocean has gone so far out from it. It used to be right on the coast. Now it is about a mile inland. It still shines at night, though. I loved going out on the deck at night and watching it shine through the mist.

We got treated to breakfast both mornings that we were there in a little cafe near the water. The first day we saw a little sea lion swimming around in the water, and the next morning we went back to see if he was still there. Instead, we heard a bunch of them barking. We were able to walk out on the docks and actually see these guys up close! We kept our distance, of course, but it was amazing how close we could have been. We've been to see the sea lions at Pier 39 in San Francisco, but we were a lot closer to these creatures!



Another fun part of our stay was the swimming pool. Grandma A and Grandpa B bought these little squirting fish, but the kids enjoyed having Grandpa come join them in the pool to play! He kept the kids laughing all weekend!




Even Jayden enjoyed the pool!

So those are the pictures I've decided to upload. Like I said earlier, it's only a 1/4 of the pictures that I took. We really had a great time!