Best question of the day

We are deep into the "why?" stage around here. A typical conversation goes something like this:
Kate (pointing at blinds): Mommy, what are these?
Me: Blinds
Kate: What are they for?
Me: To make the room darker when it's too light.
Kate: Why do they make them?
Me: So people can choose how light the room is.
Kate: But why do they make them look like this?
Me: Maybe because they look the nicest in this house.
Kate: But why do they have all these parts?
Me: To make them work right.
Kate: But why do the parts look like this?
At this point, because this is an actual conversation we had today, I basically gave up and gave the "just because" answer you try so hard not to give but eventually give because you've reached your limit of whys. And by "you" I mean "me." While the "why" syndrome is fatguing, I do have to admit kids come up with some great questions. Kate's best of the day was "what is a gesund?" I kept saying "huh?" because I had no idea what she meant. To clarify, she said, "you know, like in gesundheit. What's the gesund part?" As much as you try, there's no way to answer all their questions--at least not Kate's! Two other things she's very fond of saying that always make me chuckle are "in the meantime" and "this is a great opportunity for you." She inserts "in the meantime" into everything and she tells me "this is a great opportunity for you" when she wants to convince me to say "yes" to something I'd usually tell her "no" about. Quite a little saleslady!!

Hey, Jim Maroney-Wigley....

...Will's still trying to steal your moves!! I'm working on installing a disco ball so you guys can get down together someday. Jump Around still gets him every time! :)

Stubborn, much? Part 2

Ryan's been gone since Thursday and my mom (my only, completely fantastic, babysitter) is out of town, and mommy's starting to feel it. Lordy, I love these kids with every bit of my being but I'm finding my patience is dwindling! Kate is the main one wearing me out because she is SOOOO argumentative. I know I deserve this since I'm sure I did the same thing to my mom, but she has to disagree with everything I say, even if I know she really does agree. Her love of saying "I can do it myself!" is becoming less endearing by the hour. I totally appreciate her wanting to try everything by herself, but she is so stubborn about it that if I do something that she wanted to do herself, she'll UNDO what I've done and re-do it herself. This applies to anything and everything. If I move the soap closer to her so that she can wash her hands, she moves it back as far from her as possible and then moves it right back to where I set it. If I let Hickory in, she lets her back out, closes the door, locks it and then opens it right back up to let Hickory in. I find myself trying to do things so she doesn't see them, just so I can get them done! Aside from her fruit snack incident (mentioned a few posts back), her other best display of stubbornness seems to be coming at the swimming pool. She is taking swim lessons and is getting much more confident in the water. I've been taking her and Will quite a bit since she can wear a life jacket or a floaty thing, so I can hold Will and not worry about her drowning. She keeps wanting me to put pool toys far away from her, so that she can swim out to get them. I think this is great. The problem is that once she retrieves the object, she then has said object AND whatever she used to help get her out there (like a kick board). She mainly uses her legs, so when she has nothing to push off of she kind of just treads water and has trouble getting going again. This makes her incredibly mad, and I made the (apparently huge) mistake of offering her help to get going. The first (and only) time I did this and went over to help her, she started shrieking, "NO, DO NOT HELP ME!!!!! DO NOT TOUCH ME!!" I'm not kidding--she was screaming at the top of her lungs. People milling about the club probably thought some sort of abduction was taking place in the pool. I learned my lesson. Now, I don't try to help her and she completely exhausts herself going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth across the pool. I do like her tenacity, but I could do without the shrieking. Ryan and mom, please come home soon--mommy needs another target for Kate's berating!!

Second word?

One thing (of the infinite) things that has always confused me is what actually qualifies as a "word" when it comes from a baby. I mean, no one ever really says that "mama" and "dada" were their kid's first words, but that is usually what kids say first. Is it the first word they say after that? Or the first word that someone other than their parents can understand? I don't know. But, anyway. Will's first word aside from mama and dada was definitely "dog." He says it pretty clearly, so I'm going with it. His second "word" has popped up in the last couple weeks and it's "Kaaaa." So, here's where it gets dicey because it's not really a word, but it does have meaning to him, and that meaning is definitely "Kate." He loves to say it loudly to get her attention and she loves to tell me that Will likes saying her name more than anyone else's. Which is probably true. Whether it's truly his second word or not, it's exciting because it means we're one step closer to him talking! (Yes, I use the exclamation point intentionally. I'm excited to converse with him, even though I know it means hearing a lot of "NO!" and "MINE!!")

Six year, two fires

It's our sixth anniversary today and it's the second year running that we don't get to spend it together because Ryan has to work on a fire out at Warm Springs. Quite a bummer, but it's still amazing that it's our SIXTH year of marriage. We're closer to ten years of marriage than we are to being newlyweds, which seems kind of crazy to me. Time just flies so quickly. Ryan, you are the most amazing person and, somehow, you become more amazing by the day. Our lives have gotten a lot more busy in the last six years as we went from a new couple to a family of four, but at the center of it all has always been you and me. Whatever life hands to (or, sometimes, throws at) us, we go through it all together and always come out better on the other side. Thanks for being the best part of me, and for being a fantastic dad to Kate and Will. We all love you completely!

Umm, thanks, Kate...

So, we were pulling into a parking spot today when Kate started exclaiming, "Mommy, that looks exactly like YOU!!!" I looked around, trying to spy someone with red hair, maybe, or at least a mom, but saw no one. I asked her who she meant and she pointed at a man. Yes, man. A quite overweight man. With facial hair. Riding a recumbent bike. I must admit I was slightly dismayed as I quite like to believe that I am female and lacking in any significant facial hair. But, on she continued with her insistence that I looked EXACTLY like him. With further probing I learned that by "exactly alike" she meant that we were both wearing the same shade of blue shirt. Phew. I mean, no offense to this man, but my self-image was salvaged...for the moment (toddlers are full of flattery, after all).

Will's first injury (of many, I fear!)

Will is proving himself to be quite the handful of late. The stairs are his main target, and he's working hard to figure out how to unlock the gates himself. Actually, he knows how to do it but isn't quite dexterous enough and, since he isn't, he just shakes the gate in hopes it might fall apart (it just might). Ryan commented that all the babyproofing stuff he made (like the gates) was made for Kate. Will is entirely different animal--or, boy, I suppose since they seem to be a completely different breed when it comes to getting into, onto or around stuff. Despite his love of climbing, Will's first real injury came from Hickory's paw. And who could blame her, given that the the kids dress her as above all day long?? No, just kidding, it was an accidental paw-ing that got Will right under his eye. It looked a bit nasty at first, but is really almost gone now. I'm using Mederma so it won't scar, but I don't think it will anyway. Ironically, the Mederma is purple which makes Will look like he's been a much bigger brawl. We got lucky on this one...fingers crossed we keep it that way!

Stubborn much?

In the name of full disclosure, I must say that Kate comes by her stubborness naturally. I know I have always had an abundance of stubborness (right, mom?) and Ryan is no slouch in this department either (right, Star?), so Kate was genetically fated to want her way and to know SHE IS RIGHT. Today, we had a fabulous example of her stubborn tendencies. She is completely into the concept of "saving some for later" right now. She got the whole delayed gratification thing and is running with it. I took them running today and she had some fruit snacks in the stroller. When we got home, she was (as always) still clutching one lone fruit snack. She announced she was "saving it for after swim lessons." As the end of swim lessons was a good two hours away, I thought she'd lose interest but I told her it was a great idea and off she went, clutching the fruit snack like it was some nugget of gold. After a good while, she must have taken her eye off the prize because she put it in her mouth. Then, she burst out crying because, I think, she shocked herself. She started screaming, "GET IT OUT!! I was supposed to save it! GET IT OUT!" I told her it was just fine to eat it and she didn't have to save it, but she was having none of this advice. So, out we got a paper towel and in it went a half-chewed fruit snack. And there it stayed until--you got it--after swimming. You see what I'm up against here?! :)

Today I realized....

...that Will owns 10 pairs of jeans. Yes, TEN. Granted, these are almost all hand-me-downs since I've found a great group of moms in Sisters to trade clothes with, but still---you know you're a parent when your kids own infinitely nicer clothing than your own! :) Hmmm, what else? I've just been posting a lot of random thoughts lately, haven't I? Perhaps that's because I rarely complete anything but a random thought. Okay, here's one more. My favorite thing Kate said today: "mommy, I'm just really not in-test-est-ed in what you're doing." It took me a few "huhs?" before I realized she was telling me she was not "interested" in what I was doing. How's that for blunt? :)

Cycle Pub=Brilliant idea!

On Saturday, we had a little adult time (thanks, Grandma Connie!) and went on a Cycle Pub adventure. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: you cycle and drink beer! You get a group of 14 and book this mobile pub. I'm not sure exactly why it's okay to cycle around town while drinking, but who am I to question? There's a driver/guide, so you don't have to steer, but you do have to keep pedaling to make it go. We all commented that it is surprisingly hard to pedal and drink at the same time--well, the actual pedaling isn't hard, but the REMEMBERING to pedal is a bit of a challenge. We got a fun tour around town, with two stops. One stop was a tasting room where they just gave us free beer. Again, I'm not sure why, but why question that?! A great time was had by all. It was a great way to spend time with friends on a sunny summer afternoon...everyone is already planning another go at it!

Will's a terror, Kate's an artist (from mom's perspective)!

Okay, so it might not be Degas or Monet-like, but Kate drew her first people the other day and I was so proud! It's a lot of years (well, three, I guess) before kids do anything more than scribble, so I was kind of shocked when Kate said, "mommy, I drew some people" and it actually did look like people (okay, give me a little leeway here!) Kate has also entered the "but, why?" stage and says this sometimes dreaded phrase multiple times and hour, if not a minute. Most of the time I have no idea "why?" but I'm getting better at making things up. Kate has also taken to saying "No thanks, I'm good" when offered something, which just sounds really funny coming from a kid, even though I know Ryan and I say it all the time. She also loves to say "let's just do this for old times' sake" about just about everything which also sounds funny, mostly because there's not much "old time" for a three-year-old. And the funniest thing she said today was, "man, I had to pee like a horse" which was probably meant to be "race horse" (thanks a lot to whomever taught her that one!!) So, those are my random thoughts on Kate today. As for Will, he is, as my mom has said, "Hell on wheels." He is literally into E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Even our Keurig coffee pod things, which he bit into and happily ate until I caught him. Yes, not even coffee grounds phased him. While all I could think was, "FANTASTIC, he will likely never sleep again" (luckily, he did). He also loves to unplug anything he can find including the baby-proofing plug covers, pull over anything can find, open anything he can find, climb anything he can find...okay, you get the idea. I can only imagine what walking will bring. And I guess that's about all my random thoughts for the day. Actually, no. I just thought of the second funniest thing Kate said today. When I told her I was taking Will up to put him to bed, she ran after us and said she really wanted to come. When asked why, she replied that it was her favorite part of the day. I asked her why reading to Will was her favorite part of the day and she looked at me witheringly and said, "no, mommy, my favortie part is when you put him to bed." Oh, sisterly love.

County fair time!

Last week was Deschutes County Fair time and, although it's not as good as the Siskiyou County Fair, we can't miss it. It was Will's first fair on the outside, which I must say I prefer as last year I was very pregnant and not loving the 90+ degree heat combined with the smell of livestock. We made the full tour this year--including the fair rides. It didn't even occur to me that Kate may want to do these, so we'd already been at the fair a couple hours before she saw them and said, "What are THOSE?" as if we'd been keeping an enormous secret from her. She went on two different ones, which I think was a good enough introduction for a just three-year-old. But we better start saving now because I'm sure next year we'll be forking over quite a bit for ride tickets!

Kate's first roller coaster! It was short, but pretty fast and jarring (as carnie rides usually are...). She wasn't too sure about it, but she didn't cry or try to get off. She keeps talking about it and saying, "I KIND of liked it but I kind of didn't. Next time, I want to do all the rest of the rides and see if there's any better ones!" Great, here we go with the fair rides (not mommy's favorite!!)

Kate's first fair ride: a nice, slow canoe.

One year later and the tractor/backhoe/all that other farming stuff is still the biggest hit. Now Kate AND Will seem obsessed. We spent a good half hour just at this display and we still had to drag them away.

Will really likes to point and while he points he makes excited noises like he's really saying something fascinating. Now, if only we could understand him we'd all be happy!

Pony rides!

My other tiny dancer

Kate's not the only one in the house who likes to groove. Anytime he hears music, Will starts bouncing around which may not exactly be "dancing" but it's a pretty good start! He seems to like all music (and has a newfound love of Kate's keyboard), but his favorite song seems to be "Jump Around." He gets a big grin if we start to sing it and drops everything to bounce if we play it!

...and one more...

...to show her love of frosting!

Belated birthday pics!

The Spiderman cake in all its glory. And, no, we still have no idea where this sudden interest in Spiderman came from.

I think she MAY have been excited by the prospect of frosting...

Kate was appalled when we suggested we cut the cake. She announced, "NO, I think all this frosting is for me." We did end up sharing it, but she had dipped her finger in pretty much every spot.

Instead of birthday hats (as we couldn't find Spiderman--the only Kate-approved choice), Kate donned a birthday crown, much to her delight.

One year later, her love of Cars has not passed!

Sheesh! I've got such a backlog of photos and no time to post them--who knew unpacking with two kids would be SO time-consuming. Actually, I could have guessed it would be, but it's an even slower process than I thought. Basically, it's something like: open box, answer one call for "Mommy!", take one thing out of the box, break up a fight over a toy, try to take that one thing to a spot, kiss a bump or bruise....and on like that. Which mean I'll likely be unpacking until they enter school. Oh well. We LOVE our new house, even if there are still lots of boxes! As for all the photos I have to post, it will happen sometime....hopefully sometime before they start school (or at least the one entering pre-school!)

Moved!!

Well, we did it! I think Ryan, Kate, Grandma Starla, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Connie are all feeling a little like Will is above--tired and ready to sleep!! It went so well, though, and our parents were a complete God-send. Grandpa Bob helped Ryan move and put together every bit of furniture, baby-proofed the house and built a shelving system in the garage (lazy, aren't they? :) Grandma Starla kept both kids entertained and occupied (otherwise we would have got NOTHING done). And Grandma Connie helped with the kids and helped me clean up the rental house at 8 pm on a hot Sunday night--what a trooper! It was definitely a group effort and we earned our "Bob Specials" (fantastic margaritas!) every night. On top of the move, we did manage to celebrate Kate and Grandma Star's birthday. Photos of all our shenanigans are to come but, for now, I'm going to bed!