Karter lately:
Oh, my sweet baby boy is turning me gray. This boy is SOOO busy. I cannot keep up with him. He's physical and has no fear. In the last month alone he's given himself a black eye, a cut across his face, and a lump on his forehead the size of his fist. The number of times I've caught him in situations where my heart stopped beating is too numerous to count. He goes on kicks. For a few days that kick was to do everything within his power to sit on the middle of the kitchen table. Then his kick was to try his hardest to climb on top of my headboard (which is a shelf style). Then he was bound and determined to fit inside the dishwasher. Next was trying his hardest to open the oven at all times. And today he decided that he would do whatever it took to get to the toilet scrubber brush. Disgusting. He even brought the one from the basement bathroom upstairs when I hid the ones in the upstairs bathrooms. I can't remember the last time I relaxed while he was awake. Once I was on the phone with Kyle for a total of 3 minutes. In that 3 minutes I pulled Karter off the kitchen table twice, pulled him off of standing on the kitchen chairs 7 times. Stopped him from playing with the knobs on the stove 4 times and pulled him off of the dishwasher 10 times. The next night I put the extra baby gate up and blocked him from the kitchen while I made dinner. He screamed the whole time. He is so cute and very affectionate. That little stinker can say Daddy as clear as a bell and even started say Eee-eee for Kizzy and Dan-da for Kendal, but he will NOT say Mama. When I try to get him to, he just gives me a sneaky little smile. He loves hugs and kisses from everyone and will initiate cuddling with his big brother and sister. He likes doing a fake laugh at everything. More than any of my children he thrives on one on one attention.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Personality update 2
Kendal lately:
Kendal's version of the toddler tantrum is an open mouth bawl. He's still mild mannered and doesn't get angry. I've never seen him lose control and scream and throw his body on the floor, ever. But he's very fond of crying at the drop of the hat. Everything makes him cry lately. I'm kind of getting desensitized to the sound of his cry. I'm working on being more sympathetic to him, because it seems like that is what he needs.
He is the self appointed police of everything. On one hand, he's pretty aware of following house rules. On the other hand he is not very nice to Karter. He's also going through a phase where if I ask him to do something, he does one of two things. Thing #1: zero acknowledgement of my existence. Thing #2 is this mouthy, defiant attitude that drives me nuts. Example: "Kendal, please sit in your chair and while you finish eating." "YOU sit in YOUR chair." or "It's time to clean up your toys." "YOU clean up YOUR toys." *grrrr* Anyway, this kid needs to be a stand up comedian when he grows up, just because of the face expressions this boy can make. He can look like 8 different people just by the faces he can pull.
I don't know if you do this, but sometimes Kyle and I like to speculate what our kids might be good at when they grow up, based on things we see in their personality now. We've been saying that Kizzy could be a nurse ever since she was a baby and we still see that in her. Kendal I can see him being some sort of engineer. He seems to be mechanically minded, and slightly abstract, so maybe an architect. The capability of reading people, or sensing their emotions, or empathizing does not come to this boy naturally, so I don't think he could be in a field where he had to deal with any of that. I'm frequently at a loss of how to teach him that his actions hurt others. He doesn't seem to understand. If I tell him he needs to go to a sibling and say "I'm sorry, how can I make you feel better." he's quick to do it, because he really loves his brother and sister. But getting him to understand that he caused the hurt and he can't do that anymore is where we are struggling. I've told many people this and as he gets older I really think it's true, I think he has OCD. I'm fairly certain it cannot be diagnosed at his age, so all we can do is watch and help him when he gets fixated on something. He's currently doing this really cute, really sweet thing where he'll repeat your name 6 or 7 times before you get a chance to respond. When you finally say "what?" he says, with a sly little smile on his face, "I like you." I love it! It can brighten the grumpiest of moments.
Kendal's version of the toddler tantrum is an open mouth bawl. He's still mild mannered and doesn't get angry. I've never seen him lose control and scream and throw his body on the floor, ever. But he's very fond of crying at the drop of the hat. Everything makes him cry lately. I'm kind of getting desensitized to the sound of his cry. I'm working on being more sympathetic to him, because it seems like that is what he needs.
He is the self appointed police of everything. On one hand, he's pretty aware of following house rules. On the other hand he is not very nice to Karter. He's also going through a phase where if I ask him to do something, he does one of two things. Thing #1: zero acknowledgement of my existence. Thing #2 is this mouthy, defiant attitude that drives me nuts. Example: "Kendal, please sit in your chair and while you finish eating." "YOU sit in YOUR chair." or "It's time to clean up your toys." "YOU clean up YOUR toys." *grrrr* Anyway, this kid needs to be a stand up comedian when he grows up, just because of the face expressions this boy can make. He can look like 8 different people just by the faces he can pull.
I don't know if you do this, but sometimes Kyle and I like to speculate what our kids might be good at when they grow up, based on things we see in their personality now. We've been saying that Kizzy could be a nurse ever since she was a baby and we still see that in her. Kendal I can see him being some sort of engineer. He seems to be mechanically minded, and slightly abstract, so maybe an architect. The capability of reading people, or sensing their emotions, or empathizing does not come to this boy naturally, so I don't think he could be in a field where he had to deal with any of that. I'm frequently at a loss of how to teach him that his actions hurt others. He doesn't seem to understand. If I tell him he needs to go to a sibling and say "I'm sorry, how can I make you feel better." he's quick to do it, because he really loves his brother and sister. But getting him to understand that he caused the hurt and he can't do that anymore is where we are struggling. I've told many people this and as he gets older I really think it's true, I think he has OCD. I'm fairly certain it cannot be diagnosed at his age, so all we can do is watch and help him when he gets fixated on something. He's currently doing this really cute, really sweet thing where he'll repeat your name 6 or 7 times before you get a chance to respond. When you finally say "what?" he says, with a sly little smile on his face, "I like you." I love it! It can brighten the grumpiest of moments.
Personality update 1
Kizzy lately:
Boy, this girl never stops! She has an explanation for EVERYTHING, even things she knows nothing about she can talk about it until next week. I love hearing how her mind works, but I'll tell ya, listening to that girl is exhausting. No joke, it takes energy to follow her train of thought. Today I said to her, "Sweetie, I know that you have so much to say and so many ideas, but sometimes, you're not letting other people have turns sharing their thoughts. Sometimes, you need to listen and let other people have a turn talking." This was after she flipped out at Kendal when he tried to ask me a question while she was talking and had been talking non stop for over 5 minutes.Then later at the grocery store I had to gently pull her out of people's way and tell her to pay attention and watch where she is going. Every time that happened she went on a 3 minute speech about how sometimes people get in the way, and that's ok, because people make mistakes, and that just happens. Finally, out of frustration, I pulled her aside and said, "Katherine, I know that people make mistakes, but sometimes when I have to remind you to watch where you are going, over and over again, I don't want you to tell me all about it, I want you to say 'ok, Mom' and then you need to pay attention." She just gets so caught up in talking and explaining and questioning and narrating that she sometimes is completely oblivious to what's going on around her. Unfortunately I have to cut her off multiple times a day and tell her that she needs to wait to talk because I really need to... (talk on the phone, pay a bill, fill an order, take care of her brothers, respond to an email, make a grocery list, you get the idea). I'm absolutely not exaggerating when I say this girl does not stop talking unless she is asked to. She has so much enthusiasm and curiosity and energy, and imagination, she's incredible. She is bright and quick and caring and I wouldn't trade her for anything. I worry to no end how to guide her to use all this passion for good. She's a walking stick of dynamite. She has so many emotions in her at all times that she's on the verge of exploding at all times good and bad. Most things that come out of her have a sense of urgency. Examples include a frantic, "MOM! MOM! MOM! I accidentally put my underwear down the laundry chute! It was an accident!" Um, ok kiddo, not a big deal, but thanks for making me think your brother was choking. OR the moment she burst into the bathroom while I'm showering, again frantic, "MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! Is this a baby tooth or a big tooth?" Gee thanks for the privacy, and the heart attack. All kidding aside, some moments I want to pull my hair out, and other moments I want to laugh my head off.
Boy, this girl never stops! She has an explanation for EVERYTHING, even things she knows nothing about she can talk about it until next week. I love hearing how her mind works, but I'll tell ya, listening to that girl is exhausting. No joke, it takes energy to follow her train of thought. Today I said to her, "Sweetie, I know that you have so much to say and so many ideas, but sometimes, you're not letting other people have turns sharing their thoughts. Sometimes, you need to listen and let other people have a turn talking." This was after she flipped out at Kendal when he tried to ask me a question while she was talking and had been talking non stop for over 5 minutes.Then later at the grocery store I had to gently pull her out of people's way and tell her to pay attention and watch where she is going. Every time that happened she went on a 3 minute speech about how sometimes people get in the way, and that's ok, because people make mistakes, and that just happens. Finally, out of frustration, I pulled her aside and said, "Katherine, I know that people make mistakes, but sometimes when I have to remind you to watch where you are going, over and over again, I don't want you to tell me all about it, I want you to say 'ok, Mom' and then you need to pay attention." She just gets so caught up in talking and explaining and questioning and narrating that she sometimes is completely oblivious to what's going on around her. Unfortunately I have to cut her off multiple times a day and tell her that she needs to wait to talk because I really need to... (talk on the phone, pay a bill, fill an order, take care of her brothers, respond to an email, make a grocery list, you get the idea). I'm absolutely not exaggerating when I say this girl does not stop talking unless she is asked to. She has so much enthusiasm and curiosity and energy, and imagination, she's incredible. She is bright and quick and caring and I wouldn't trade her for anything. I worry to no end how to guide her to use all this passion for good. She's a walking stick of dynamite. She has so many emotions in her at all times that she's on the verge of exploding at all times good and bad. Most things that come out of her have a sense of urgency. Examples include a frantic, "MOM! MOM! MOM! I accidentally put my underwear down the laundry chute! It was an accident!" Um, ok kiddo, not a big deal, but thanks for making me think your brother was choking. OR the moment she burst into the bathroom while I'm showering, again frantic, "MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! Is this a baby tooth or a big tooth?" Gee thanks for the privacy, and the heart attack. All kidding aside, some moments I want to pull my hair out, and other moments I want to laugh my head off.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Taco Chili
This is not a usual post about the goings on of my family, but while I was eating dinner tonight, I thought, 'I need to post this recipe.' We call it Taco Chili and it has a lot of reasons why I feel the need to share
Reason #1 -It's tasty.
Reason #2- It's pretty cheap to make
Reason #3- It's a hearty meal and very filling
Reason #4- I'm not an expert, but I'm fairly certain it's gluten free
Reason #5- It's EASY
Reason #6- My kids eat it.
Reason #7- There are many many ways to mix and match the ingredients
So first I will share the recipe as I learned it, but at the end I'm going to share the different variations I have found work really well.
TACO CHILI
Combine together in crockpot:
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can corn (drained)
- 2 cans chili beans
- 1/2 lb. ground beef cooked
- 1 envelope of taco seasoning
Cook it on low for 3-4 hours Garnish with sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve with tortilla chips
Variations:
Tomato Sauce and Diced Tomatoes - I have used all sorts of variations of these, depending what I have on hand. I've used only diced tomatoes because I didn't have any sauce, I've used tomato sauce WITH diced tomatoes. But seriously anything works. My favorite way to make it is to use 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 1 can of tomato sauce. We like tomatoes.
Corn- YOU HAVE TO DRAIN THE CORN!!!! I cannot stress this enough. It's horrible if you forget. That being said, if you are a fan of corn by all means double the amount! I have also used frozen corn and it works just as well.
Chili Beans- Make sure it's chili beans and not pinto beans. I have found that beans are the easiest and cheapest way to bulk it up. If you want extras for leftovers or for another meal later on, add more beans! You don't need to double the entire recipe to make a larger amount and it doesn't compromise on the flavor or end result.
Ground Beef- I have made this with ground turkey, chicken, venison, buffalo and elk. I didn't like the elk, but everything else was ok. Turkey and beef are the best. I've also used leftover meat from taco night and dumped it in. And on more than one occasion we've gone vegetarian with no meat at all. We like it both ways.
Taco Seasoning- When I'm making it for Kyle's deer hunting weekends, they like it spicy and I add more seasoning. If I'm making it for the kids I go lighter. If your like me and buy your taco seasoning in bulk from Costco and not in envelopes, I recommend about 1/4 cup unless spicy is your thing, then I'd say 1/3 cup. If McCormick Taco Seasoning is not gluten free, I have seen on pinterest ways to make your own seasoning blends.
I've also left mine in my crock pot for much longer than 4 hours because of time constraints. Really it doesn't matter, everything is already cooked through and the crock pot is to heat it up. Just keep it on low.
And really, don't forget the sour cream and chips! It makes all the difference. I felt obligated to share something that is literally the EASIEST meal I make, my kids eat it (yes, even Kizzy), and it's one of my favorites.
Reason #1 -It's tasty.
Reason #2- It's pretty cheap to make
Reason #3- It's a hearty meal and very filling
Reason #4- I'm not an expert, but I'm fairly certain it's gluten free
Reason #5- It's EASY
Reason #6- My kids eat it.
Reason #7- There are many many ways to mix and match the ingredients
So first I will share the recipe as I learned it, but at the end I'm going to share the different variations I have found work really well.
TACO CHILI
Combine together in crockpot:
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can corn (drained)
- 2 cans chili beans
- 1/2 lb. ground beef cooked
- 1 envelope of taco seasoning
Cook it on low for 3-4 hours Garnish with sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve with tortilla chips
Variations:
Tomato Sauce and Diced Tomatoes - I have used all sorts of variations of these, depending what I have on hand. I've used only diced tomatoes because I didn't have any sauce, I've used tomato sauce WITH diced tomatoes. But seriously anything works. My favorite way to make it is to use 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 1 can of tomato sauce. We like tomatoes.
Corn- YOU HAVE TO DRAIN THE CORN!!!! I cannot stress this enough. It's horrible if you forget. That being said, if you are a fan of corn by all means double the amount! I have also used frozen corn and it works just as well.
Chili Beans- Make sure it's chili beans and not pinto beans. I have found that beans are the easiest and cheapest way to bulk it up. If you want extras for leftovers or for another meal later on, add more beans! You don't need to double the entire recipe to make a larger amount and it doesn't compromise on the flavor or end result.
Ground Beef- I have made this with ground turkey, chicken, venison, buffalo and elk. I didn't like the elk, but everything else was ok. Turkey and beef are the best. I've also used leftover meat from taco night and dumped it in. And on more than one occasion we've gone vegetarian with no meat at all. We like it both ways.
Taco Seasoning- When I'm making it for Kyle's deer hunting weekends, they like it spicy and I add more seasoning. If I'm making it for the kids I go lighter. If your like me and buy your taco seasoning in bulk from Costco and not in envelopes, I recommend about 1/4 cup unless spicy is your thing, then I'd say 1/3 cup. If McCormick Taco Seasoning is not gluten free, I have seen on pinterest ways to make your own seasoning blends.
I've also left mine in my crock pot for much longer than 4 hours because of time constraints. Really it doesn't matter, everything is already cooked through and the crock pot is to heat it up. Just keep it on low.
And really, don't forget the sour cream and chips! It makes all the difference. I felt obligated to share something that is literally the EASIEST meal I make, my kids eat it (yes, even Kizzy), and it's one of my favorites.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Kizzy's Rainbow Birthday
Karther's First Birthday Celebration
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Kendal's Birthday Party
I am super tired, so mostly this post will be the pictures of Kendal's lego party. 
These balloons show the color scheme.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Preschool is over, now on to Kindergarten!
Back in May Kizzy graduated from Preschool. She is officially done, and will be a kindergartener this fall. She is enrolled in Connections Academy, the online public school. We had some major concerns with our school district's schedule and bus system so we researched what our options would be and found Connections Academy. Kizzy will be a very young 5 when the school year starts, so if online school is not a good fit for her, the worst case scenario would be a repeat of her kindergarten year. Most of the children the same age as her within a week or two of her birthday are starting next year anyway, so repeating Kindergarten wouldn't be so bad for her. She is ready for the academic challenge though, and we are excited for all that CA has to offer.
Kizzy on her first day of Preschool
Kizzy on her last of Preschool
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Home
People have requested pictures of our new home, so here they are!
Dining Area -note my fireplace in the corner
From this view you can see our sliding glass door and our patio beyond
And there is the virtual tour of our home! Now come see it in person! We'll take visitors any time!
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