Seabrook

We spent this past weekend at the new beach town, Seabrook! One of Erik's friends & former co-workers now works for the developer of Seabrook & recently moved out to the town. They invited us to come out for the weekend, so we did! The town is very cute & has a great beach just across the street...we were able to walk there. The forecast for the weekend looked very gloomy, with rain mainly in the forecast. We headed out Friday night & basically got there in time to go to bed. Saturday morning we woke up to sun & blue sky, so after a pancake breakfast we headed down to the beach in case that was the only sun we got. The kids had a great time playing on the beach, but were fairly tired from not much sleep the night before, so we headed back for lunch & naps. The kids took about a 3 hr. nap, & afterward we went for a walk around 'town' & then played at the playground. The rest of the time we spent hanging out together & playing games...it was a very fun, relaxing weekend!! We had a great time, & the weather was FANTASTIC!!! We had a little rain Sat. night, around 10 p.m., & then 2 minutes of rain on Sunday. The rest of the time was sunny!!! And warm!!! It was amazing. I'll try to post some pictures.:)

Another funny

This is one I forgot:
*Kellen was supposed to be in on his bed before nap yesterday, since he was choosing not to listen to the story. Kaarin went crawling into his room, as she LOVES to do (it's the first place she heads after I get her up from nap -- Annika used to do the same thing.:) ). I heard Kellen playing with Kaarin & yelled in that he was supposed to be on his bed. He yelled back, "I am -- but don't come check!" Sure...I did go check, & he was on his bed, but was also starting to go towards Kaarin when he saw me.:)

Kid funnies

A couple of funny kid quotes:

*Kellen: "I had to stop, I was losing my britches!!"

*Annika was taking a bath the other night (Sunday night) & looked at me & said, "God made us!"

*We were reading a story today before naptime called "God Gave us You!" Here is how it went:
Mommy, reading the book: "Every night, I prayed for you, my special child. I prayed that your bones would be straight & that your heart would be strong. But most of all, I prayed that someday you would love God."
"I love God," Little Cub said proudly.
"I know," said Mama. "I do too."
Annika: "I like Nemo."

*I bought my mom some Mother's Day flowers, which she left at our house, so I have them in a vase on our dining room table. The other day we were eating a meal & Kellen pointed to the unopened flowers & asked if they were going to turn into flowers. I said yes, that they would bloom. He then asked if that is what happened to the kitty in one of our books (Leo the Late Bloomer). heh heh.

One year stats

I took Kaarin to her 1 year well baby check today: she is 17 lbs. 1 oz. (still not on the chart), & 29 inches (50%). She actually went up in % on height, & gained an inch toward where K & A were at 1 yr. -- now she is only 2 inches behind them, not 3!:) She is technically out of her infant carrier carseat now, since she is 29". I will have to get the convertible carseat adjusted for her.

Happy Birthday, Kaarin!!

Kaarin digs into her cake.:)

The cake!

Presents at her birthday party

Presents, with a little help from brother & sister!:)

Taking some steps!!

Happy 1st birthday, Kaarin!! We love you so much!!

9 month pictures (from Feb. - oops!)

Little Pea

Kaarin is still a little sweet pea, really only wearing 9 month clothes at this point (the other 2 were in 18 month clothes by 12 months because they were so LONG). She can fit into some 12 month clothes, depending on the brand, but can also still wear her 6 month clothes from last summer.:) I was thinking about all the 'good' things about her being small:
1. She can still fit into her infant carrier carseat. (K&A outgrew it at 6 months, due to length.) This means that if she falls asleep in the car I can get her out w/o waking her. It also means she can ride in the cart at Costco & there is still room for the other 2 in the seats of the cart.:) Same with Fred Meyer.
2. I can still carry her easily in the Moby wrap. The other 2 didn't get too heavy, but they got too long. And since I don't have a triple stroller, I need some way to carry Kaarin while the other 2 ride in the stroller...they can walk sometimes, but not for actual walks or up the really big hill at the zoo...or when I'm in a hurry.:)
3. She has caught up to Annika's season of clothing. The girls are almost exactly 6 months opposite seasonally, which means Annika's 0-3 month clothes were all winter while Kaarin needed spring, etc., etc. But since Kaarin is so much smaller, she is the right size for Annika's season of clothing now!
4. She will always be the "little sister." In more ways than 1!
5. I can affectionately call her 'runt' or 'little sweet pea.':)
6. She will stay my 'baby' for a little longer, perhaps...
7. She is getting a lot more wear out of her clothing!! Annika & Kellen grew so fast the first year, their clothes look like they were barely worn...because they were! Kaarin is getting more $$s worth out of the clothes, & is actually outgrowing them by season rather than size.:)
8. It makes it look like there is a little more of a gap between the kids, haha.;) I currently have a 3 yr. old, a 2 yr. old, & a 1 yr. old. But people think Annika is older because she's tall, & they think Kaarin is younger because she's short...so maybe they think I am a little less crazy than I actually am to have had 3 kids in 34 months...

That about sums it up.

Out of gas

I ran out of gas last week. Literally. This is the first time this has ever happened to me! I think it is partly our van, though, since Erik ran out of gas about a year ago. Apparently when the gas light comes on, it means "GET GAS IMMEDIATELY!!!" The girls & I had dropped Kellen off at school when the gas light came on, then drove to the post office (maybe 1.5 miles?). Annika was watching a video while I wrote a note to mail, & then the car just turned off. Fortunately, I was sitting in a parking lot, it was sunny outside, & the tow truck came with gas in about 10 minutes! I had been a little worried that if they took too long I would be late to get Kellen from school. But I guess not many people need tow truck assistance at 9:30 a.m.!;)

Sibling love

I had these letters made for Annika & Kaarin (my cousin's wife actually makes them), & we recently hung them on the wall. Kellen was looking at them, & the following conversation took place:

Kellen: A is for Annika & K is for Kaarin. K looks like it is for Kellen but it is for Kaarin.

Mommy: That is right, K is for Kellen & Kaarin. Annika & Kaarin are going to share a room when Kaarin gets bigger.

Kellen: Instead of Annika sharing my room?

Mommy: Yes.

Kellen: And then I will be all by myself?

Mommy: Yes.

Kellen: No, I want Annika to sleep with me all the time.

Aw.:) I do really think he will miss her when she moves out. Maybe Kaarin can just move in & all 3 of them can share the same room....

Almost summer!

I was thinking earlier that I could post that Kellen's behavior has been improving, but then he didn't have such a hot morning...so I'll just say that his behavior has been better on a whole, with fewer 'scenes.' He is definitely a creature of routine, so having the construction finished is helping him. He is still not using the bathroom, I guess he is still adapting to the new one.:) I wish he'd hurry up, but there is no rushing him!

It's hard to believe that this is the last month of school for him! I think he only has 7 days left! I think he will miss Miss Karen & Miss Karen, they have been great first teachers for him! The nice thing about his next class is that he will already know one of the teachers, Miss Michelle. I think that will help his transition. Plus, he will also already know most of the kids in his class. A few are going on to pre-K & skipping the 4 yr. old class, but the majority are moving up with him.

Kellen has been really working hard on writing his letters & numbers, & learns more & more each day. He always wants to know what letter words start with. We sound them out & he usually gets them. I don't think he shows this knowledge at school too much.:)

I had to take Kellen to get new shoes (he is in 11.5 now) as his other shoes (size 10) were too small. I had bought him a pair of Geox shoes (they sell for $60) on sale for $29 awhile back, but he wouldn't wear them...so I took him to Nordstrom to let him pick out a pair so that he would wear them. He picked out a pair of Nikes, & we wore them home. Then, after nap, he put them on & said they hurt & took them off & wouldn't wear them. Grrr! He literally had NO shoes to wear, since I told him we left the old pair of Nikes at the store when we got the new ones!! So, at 8:00 p.m. I took him back to Nordstrom, where he tried on pretty much every pair of shoes in the store before we finally settled on a pair of Stride Rites. I hope his feet don't grow for awhile!! After that we went to 31 cent scoop night at Baskin-Robbins.

I took the kids to Charlie's Safari on Monday while the gal was cleaning our house. They had so much fun!! Annika is a bit too brave for me sometimes! She was befriended by a little girl (who wanted to have someone to lead around) who took her up to the very top of the climbing structure. Then Annika went down the huge slide, head first! She did get hurt, & fortunately she learns from those things so she didn't do it again.:) Kellen had a great time jumping too, & even Kaarin got to climb a bit! Last time we were there she couldn't crawl! We came home & they were still cleaning our house, so we went to Costco.:) We will have to find a different activity for the cleaning days so that we are out of the house!

I scheduled the kids' first dental appts. for June 3rd!!

Family-style meals

I have been meaning to start doing this for awhile, but it has taken awhile since it actually requires more organization (& actually creates more dishes!). Kellen has always been a fairly picky eater, & sometimes we wonder how he actually lives on the amount of food that he eats. Even Annika eats a lot less than she used to, & Kaarin is following a bit in Kellen's footsteps. So for about the last week we have been doing family-style meals at the table. In the past, I have dished up a little bit of each food onto the kids' plates, & Erik & I have dished up our plates off the stove in the kitchen. The kids were never required to eat what was on their plate, but that food was their only option. By doing our meals family-style, all the food is on the table in serving bowls & we pass it around & the kids dish up their own plates. They still have the option to let the food pass them by, by saying 'no, thank you' & passing it to the next person. It might be partly the novelty of it, though I think it has more to do with autonomy & being able to look at the food as a whole before it's cut, but the kids have shown way more interest in meal times & tend to actually eat more! Even Annika can dish up her own plate. Yes, we have a few more spills here & there, & yes, I have more dishes to clean up...but it is a healthier way to encourage eating, so I will deal with the mess.:) I am trying to keep on top of the cleaning so that it doesn't get overwhelming, so as long as I do that, it is manageable.

Speaking of cleaning...since our construction is all done (with the exception of our master bathroom shower that is being redone) & since we had some $$ free up after Erik's company started paying the whole family's medical premiums, we decided to give a cleaning lady a try. I have been having a hard time keeping up with the cleaning with 3 kids at such a young age, & often feel like it is all I do...but it isn't noticeable. I interviewed about 5 different ones back in January, but was having a hard time making a decision. I picked this gal based on her referral, but also because she charges by the job, not the hour. I decided I may come out ahead on that one, since the master bathrooms alone take at least an hour to clean! The house was SO dirty after all the work, & I couldn't wait to get it cleaned!:) She came out this week to clean, with 2 helpers...I DEFINITELY came out ahead!!! I paid her $180 for the initial cleaning (it will be less on a bi-weekly basis) & got 26 hrs. of cleaning done. I don't even think that's minimum wage...yep, the house was dirty! The amazing thing is, though, that she cleaned things I never even think of cleaning.:) And she cleaned my ovens. And vacuumed my couches. Ah, I could get used to this!! Now I am just trying to stay on top of things so that they stay in a semi-0rganized state!

Funnies

Some funny quotes:

*Kellen to mommy: "Why do you have an eye on your nose?" (yes, I have a zit!)
*Kellen was looking for his water cup & said, "Annika will find it. She knows where everything is."
*Annika to mommy, as I was sniffling a bit while reading them a story: "No cry, mommy. It o-tay."