What Do Your Kids Fight About?

What do your kids fight about?
Because today mine seem to be fighting about pears.
No wonder we currently have them at our house three ways.
Whole and fresh, diced and in a fruit cup, and canned by the case.
There has actually been pushing and tackling to steal one anothers pear today.
By both children.
Having them 22 months apart, I figured there would be fighting.
Over favorite toys, or even our attention.
But Pears?

Don't you mess with this little guys' pear. He will take you down, and pull your hair.

Getting Bigger

I took these pictures of our silly, loveable Sam yesterday. Somehow when I uploaded them and I saw them it hit me that he is not a baby anymore. He doesn't look like a baby, he is starting to look like a child. He has that expression full face like his Dad too. Where he looks like a completely different person when he smiles, or changes his eyes just a bit. These picture were taken in the same two minute time frame, but I think each one looks so different. I would be much more sad about his transformation into a child if it were not for the fact that he still likes to cuddle. Plus he is still addicted to his pacifier and as long as that is going he can't possibly be a toddler right?

Sunshine and Sweetheart

I went and had some pictures taken in between Kate and Sam's birthdays to count as their year pictures. I brought Jake along for help, but it seems that no matter what I do, the kids hate sitting and getting pictures taken. I am always amazed when I look at the prints that there are any pictures of them sitting and smiling. Two of each in this case in fact.

Let us Out!

My kids have literally spent the past three days outside playing in the dirt. I mentioned earlier how Sam stands at the glass door and cries "dirt" when I make him come inside the house. Today we woke up to snow, and it is still cold, so no outside time for them today.
They have been begging me to go outside all day.
Their disappointment in the weather could not be more evident. Not only are they beating each other up and complaining about everything.
When I was on the phone for a few moments I returned to find this.
Kate has carried this bucket all the way from her bedroom down the stairs, and to the front door to help assist her in reaching the lock, so she can get the door open. Resulting in them both getting to go play outside like they want.
It disturbs me deeply that she has figured out how to get out of the house without my help. A few more minutes and they would have been on the front lawn.
Sam may be small, and unable to move buckets to be used as stools, but something tells me he was totally in on this plan. I love/ hate the way he is holding the bucket in place so Kate can climb on top. He seems to be the look out in this operation.

My Sunshine

I set out with Kate this morning during Sam's nap time, to try to capture her at three.
We got her on command smile- all the squinting and crunched up faces we could get.
Along with her imagining a pig inside this barn then calling for it to come out.
She is pretty fantastic.












I call her my sunshine.
She calls me her sunshine.
And nobody else can be called sunshine with out her protesting that they are not, and only she and I are.
It fits her well.
She is bright, and everyone loves her, and she lights up my life.

At three Kate is a little gal.
26.8 lbs or 10%, 34.5 in or 3% and 19 1/2 head 75 %. She has that big brain like her Dad I guess.
She is great most of the time with her brother.
She loves loves loves playing with friends, the park, school, and church and sometimes playing alone in her room.
Coloring, crafts, barbies, going to the store, planting things, helping me with projects, singing and playing the piano.
Though she gets mad sometimes when you don't sing " I love to see the Temple" or " I am a child of God". Few other songs are acceptable.
She remembers everything, something you said once last week, every page in the new library book, where we are going based on what she sees outside though we have been there only once.
She is left handed. She knows how to have fun. She pretty much can take care of herself. Get dressed, make herself a sandwich out of stuff in the fridge, even track down something she lost. Last week she lost her blankie blue. She wasn't even really bothered. She just found a new blanket to take to bed. I was trying to find it for her so she wouldn't be sad. She just told me she would find it later, and she would have the orange blanket I made for her instead.
She is getting to be so grown up.
We are rarely apart since she doesn't nap. and I sure love her as a side kick.

Yardwork

I have been so anxious to get outside and work in the yard. Thanks to the new window well covers we had installed, I for see a lot of time working and playing in the backyard. The kids enjoyed "working" even more than Jake and I. This is Sam with a mouth full of dirt and grass in his hair. Kate enjoyed "planting flowers", and we managed to finish this up while not only watching our kids, but some friends kids as well, they all played in the dirt, we got the yard cleaned up and this planter built, and our house did not get destroyed. I really am looking forward to lots of yard work for the next several months. I think working in the yard means dirty kids, but cleaner house. Sounds like an excellent formula.
This use to be lawn. And now a new large garden plot.
This use to be a garden plot. It just was so windy on this side of the house. I choose it for my first garden mostly because it was mostly out of the way, and out of sight. It didn't work very well. So now it has been filled in with the sod from the new garden plot. It was a lot of shovel work.
Starts sun bathing in the laundry room.

Kids that Keep us Laughing

As our family gets a bit older, and each child shows their personality a bit more, it seems we are rolling on the floor laughing more and more. Some hilarious moments of the past week include
1. We tried to go to the feed store to see all the chicks and bunnies. We had done this once about a week prior to this attempted outing and both kids got a kick out of seeing 200 or so chicks chirping about. We did not tell the kids where we were going, but as we pulled in the parking lot of the store Kate shouted in a very nasally whiny voice" Not the CHICKEN store". Turns out it was closed anyway, but anytime we drive by now we repeat " not the chicken sotre" and it is funnier every time.
2. For Family Night we were playing a game which demanded that each player tell each of the other players a reason they loved them. Kate caught on fast, and after 2 seconds of contemplation stated that she"loved Mom because she cooks, Dad because he reads books to her and Sam because he was special". She was quick as a bunny with this response- which is why it was funny and not only sweet.
3. Sam likes to use a real fork to eat his food. When he manages to get food on the fork and into his mouth I tell him good job and give him a little praise. Yesterday he was eating in his chair still while Jake and I were doing dishes, he was eating but every time he got food to his mouth using a fork he would pause and hold it there until we noticed him and could praise him. Just sitting there with the fork about to touch his lips waiting for us to turn to see. No sense taking a bit if you don't get credit I guess. When we would catch him and praise him then he would
get a huge smile on his face and get all excited before finally eating the bite.
4. We are trying to only allow Sam to have a pacifier at bed time. And in fact I just keep the pacifier in his bed. During the day however, if the gate is down, Sam will walk up the stairs, and emerge back down a few minutes later with a pacifier. He is not able to get the ones out of his bed though, he seems to have secret stashes of them under his bed, under the chair in his room and in his toy bins and even behind my nightstand. No matter how many I confiscate, he keeps coming up with more. Over the past year I though I was loosing them so I would buy more to replace them. Little did I know, Sam knew this day would come and he was secretly hoarding them all around the house.
Every time he goes upstairs and manages to reclaim one more guarantees a laugh.

Hilarious Kids. You make our house so fun.

Easter Sunday.

We love our birthday girl!

We decided to celebrate Kate's birthday today. It was easier to have my parents over and Jake hates waiting to give gifts if they have already been purchased.
So this morning after the first session of conference Kate got to open her first gift. Her first bike.
She was excited and a little scared. Somehow I manage to bring something frightful to her birthday party each year.
Dad helped her take her first ride all the way to the park and back. About five blocks round trip. She was cold by the end, but proud. Jake was patient rotating her feet for her for 7/8 of the way.

Kate had been planning her birthday since Sam's birthday 6 weeks or so ago. I let her go the the party store and pick out plates and cups and decorations for her cake. She knew before we even went that she wanted a "pink, ariel birthday" So that is what we made for her. She also insisted that Grandma and Kaylie come too- because they came to Sam's. Amy, Craig and Grandpa rounded out the birthday guests.


At the party store she also picked out an Ariel crown to wear for her party hat. But when I went to set things up today it was no where to be found. I don't remember if I decided we did not need it and snuck it out of the cart, or it somehow got lost, but she remembered it. Wanting to make all her three year old dreams come true, I went in search of a new Ariel Crown. Living in a town with only grocery stores to shop at, it was a challenge. But hot gluing a sticker to a dress up generic crown did the trick and she never knew the difference. Too bad she wears crowns like headbands and you can't see my skill.


Despite the fact I always say I will keep birthdays small, once she recieves presents from grandparents and a few other people, in addition to the couple we got her, she received quite a pile of loot-mostly princess themed- which was a delight to her. She had been talking about a seahorse for Ariel for some time that she said was what she wanted for her birthday. I had no idea what she was talking about- and when I went shopping for something to fill this request all I could find was a plush seahorse that was for an infant- which I bought because it was fairly cheap. When she opened it she told me it was for babies. I guess I didn't get what she had in mind.
I guess she will have to make do with the two princess dolls, shoes, ariel play set, two books and bucket of craft supplies...not to mention the bike.
Good thing every thing else was a three year olds dream come true.

Happy Birthday Kate.
You really are my Sunshine!