So Proud

My little first grader, Koen, is such a bright little man! He has grown so much over his first grade year! Here is a paper I found in his backpack.

 

The expectation at the end of first grade is for each student to read at least 53 words a minute, and as you can see Koen has exceeded that expectation. I am so proud of him for his achievements! He also exceeds expectations in spelling. I don't think he has missed more than 2 words on a spelling test this year. As far as math, he amazes me with his thinking and is bringing home such high scores there as well!

I can't believe my little guy is almost a second grader! It is going by so fast! 

Am I really going to miss these days?

So, today started out kind of slow. I wasn't feeling the best! I think I have seasonal allergies because I feel like I have a cold during the night and when I wake up, but if I get moving it's gone. I was supposed to go visiting teaching, but the person I was going to visit is also a buddy of mine, and happened to text me to see if I wanted her to just come to my zoo instead. I thought it was a great idea! Then my kids could destroy my things instead of hers! We like to craft together anyway and we have all the stuff to make family home evening boards so we were going to work on those while the kids played. My kids weren't very good at this, but her daughter on the other hand is such a quiet little angel. Havyn was so excited to see her Darby, but when she got here Havyn screamed in her face and wouldn't share her princess tiara. Wow, talk about traumatizing! Poor Darby. I carted Havyn off to her room to calm down more than once and Kai was running around with the peeler, while Kael wouldn't stay out of the pantry. I am pretty sure every time she comes over here she about gives up on being my friend because I literally live in a madhouse!
Tonight was when all the "fun" occured, though. Tyrell went off to work. Lucky him! I have been trying and trying to get at least an interview for a teaching job next year. In order to do that I want to be certain that my resume and cover letter are perfect so I had emailed and called the principal at the school I student taught. He was looking it over and going to give me a call this evening, and he did. Now, Kael had already been in the sink once today with running water, trying to clean his car.

I don't know why I didn't think he might go back there, but I was so focused on trying to listen to what this principal had to say and fix my materials that I just figured they would be good for 10 minutes. Not so! I heard this banging on my door and Koen screaming "mom, you need to come see what Kael is doing right now! Mom! Mom! Kael is doing something you need to see!" I come out, still on the phone, because I was worried he had a knife or something, and I could hear all kinds of screaming (I am sure it sounded so impressive to this principal). I get to the bottom of the stairs and turn to look in the kitchen and there's Kael just spraying away with hose on the sink.

All the kids were drenched because it was like a sprinkler watering my kitchen. Lovely, the counters are covered (including the Vallivue bond calling list I was asked to do and turn in), the floor has about 2 inches of water covering it as well. I get Kael off the counter and the water turned off, and he gets a dishrag and starts wiping the floor. Like that's gonna help much! I told Koen to run upstairs and get every single towel he could find so we could soak the mess up, and then every single one of them was going to bed.
As I am getting ready to get them out of the bathtub, Kai says, "Mom, there's poop in here." Just the words I really wanted to hear after all that mess I had just cleaned up. The pile of towels filled my ultra capacity washer full.

I know, I know, I am going to miss these days. Just not today!

Kai at the Dentist

About a month ago, I took all four kids to the dentist. Three in the morning, at the same time. No, I wasn't thinking! Anyway, Kai would NOT let the dentist even take a peak so I suggested that I bring him back, later, with his older brother who has done the dentist before, to show him how it's done. They agreed, and we came back. After seeing Koen sit in the chair and allow them to x-ray, look, and clean his teeth, Kai was all for it! He got right up there, and let them do everything! It's a good thing too because he had a cavity. Koen did too, though. I know it sounds bad, but was I ever thankful that Koen had missed that spot brushing! So I scheduled them together the next time to do exactly what we did for the cleaning. I prepped Koen, by telling him that Kai was going to watch, and I really needed him to be a good boy for them so that Kai would get his tooth fixed. Koen has had a cavity filled before, so I knew he would be ok.
Monday came and it was time to go back in for the fillings. I really didn't think Kai would let them do it. It involves a "noodle" (needle) so I wasn't getting my hopes up. Luckily, I don't think Kai had a clue that that medicine they were going to shoot in  his mouth was a "noodle". Koen didn't cry, and they put this strawberry stuff on first, so it was okay. I was so proud of both boys, because Koen was a rockstar, and showed his brother that it would be okay, and Kai actually let them do his! Of course, they both got the laughing gas to chill them out. At one point the hygenist had to hold his legs down. He's going to be one that won't sit in his seat at school! I am going to get all kinds of phone calls from his poor teachers.

Good News

Koen went to the eye dr. today and we found out that his lazy eye is no longer lazy, and that in fact his eyes are close enough prescription wise that the chances of it coming back are a lot lower! I thought for sure he'd be worse with all the glasses he has broken and not had to wear a patch with for weeks at a time, but he obviously wore it enough. He did really well! He had is eyes dialated and wasn't real pleasant for that, but he managed to calm down, and let the eye dr. do his job. Picking out frames was so much fun this time! He is getting to the age where he is starting to demonstrate a certain taste. He is totally a rectangle frame kind of kid. We found these one really round ones, like old men in the old days wore. He tried them on for fun, and we both just laughed and laughed. I am super surprised that he doesn't like colored frames. He is all about neutral, plain, sleek looking frames. The ones he picked today are a charcoal gray color and they are metal this time instead of plastic. This will be the 3rd set he has picked on his own, and they are very very much like the other 2. He never goes for colored, and he never goes for oval or round. It's always rectangular.  When they come in I will take a picture and post it.

Like Mother Like Daughter

So this little gal.....

looks like...

 



 

and acts like....

 

 

I find her doing things that remind me of myself more and more everyday! First, it was the rocking until her hair is staticy and ratted.

She truly believes that the rocking chair is hers! If Kael is in it she freaks out and finds me screaming at the top of her lungs (usually it takes me a minute to figure out what she is saying) and she will say "Kael in my chair!!!" We have gone over it several times with her that she can share the chair. The poor thing has stuffing falling out the back and stains everywhere. Who knows what she will do the day it has to hit the road.

 

As of late she has this horrid attitude problem. Hmmm, yes, I am saying that I occasionally have an attitude problem. Like today, for example, we had a ton of things to get done before Tyrell had to go to work so we were really late on nap time, and we were driving in the car, and Kael had touched her. Heaven forbid!!! How dare he! She threw a massive fit and screamed so high pitched. I turned around and said "Havyn, be nice, that's enough!" She looked me right in the eye and said, "weave me awone!, don't talk me!" Miss sassy pants!

 

She keeps gaining all these new fears. Everyday there is a new one. Yes, I am a scaredy cat too! Always have been, always will be! My fear was mostly animals, as I recall, but I remember when I was growing up we had this storage room in the basement and in the storage room was a section that was under the stairs. I would run as fast as I could in and back out of there fearing for my life every time. That is probably news to my family because, yes, I did know it was silly, but  hey, I was scared! So Havyn really fears the garage. I don't know why, but for the past 3 months or so you have to hold (holds me, as she says) when you take her to the car. She will flat out tell you the garage is scary. Poor girl! Today she had striked up the nerve to walk through the scary garage to the door when, bam, I pushed the button for the garage door to go down. She was almost to the door, but she screamed bloody murder as soon as I did it, and started yelling at Tyrell that he scared her, and he said, "no, I didn't your mom did." I think I retraumitized her. When we were in Salt Lake over spring break our hotel had a parking garage, and she was scared to death of it too. She wouldn't walk in it at all, and the elevator, well, Tyrell had to hold her the entire ride, and she wrapped her little legs around his waist so tight I am surprised he could breathe. She is also scared of the dark. We had to buy a lamp for her to have on all night long to fix that fear. Yes, people, I had a lamp all the way through high school! I still turn on a light! Tonight, though, she surprised me with yet a new one! I took her in my bathroom after bath because I wanted to blow dry her hair to see if we'd have less of a rats nest in the morning if I did, and when I turned on the blow dryer she hauled butt across my bedroom and hid in a corner, crying. I went and brought her back and turned on the low setting to show her that it's nice, warm air that comes out and it won't hurt her. She let me do it, but not any higher than low. Just imagine how long that took. When I finished she looked at me and said, "I don't want to do that again!" Wow! I guess I made her mad!

 She has to sleep with all these different toys and objects each night too. Tonight she has a pair of too small flip flops she is certain are new, and won't quit wearing, in her bed. Those suckers need to find Pyper and soon because she really doesn't fit in them. Maybe she knows if she takes her little eyes off of them they will magically disappear.

Maybe all of this a what a 3 year old little girl does, and I know boys, but she sure does keep us hopping! We love her and are glad she is the only girl all the same!

 





My Day (disclaimer: I try to be postive, but today was rough and I needed an outlet and here it is so if you don't want to read whining don't read this post)

Now, as stated above, I try to be positive on my blog because who likes a whiny person, and who wants to save bad memories right? Today has been rather rough, and Tyrell hasn't been home since 7:30 this morning. I need to get these thoughts out somewhere so this is my place today.
I didn't sleep last night, and to be quite honest I felt like there was a fire buring right next to me most of the night. Two fans on high and the air conditioner didn't even cool me down. Who knew that while your body adjusts to different hormone levels and dramatic changes you could expriences some menapausal symptoms? The doctor warned Tyrell that I may have some hot flashes and my mood may be a little off for a while, but I should go back to normal soon because they left one ovary which allows my body to get enough hormones. I thought maybe I lucked out and I wasn't going to have to deal with these things, but no such luck! I have also heard/read that insomnia is also a symptom. I am suppose I am suffereing from that as well because it has been rough the last two nights! So first thing this morning, lack of sleep, lack of hormones, or whatever caused me to be kinda grouchy and really tired so I started a movie for the kids and went to lay down in the other room. They were angels during that hour and half and I thought maybe I had this down for the day! For the most part the morning went extremely well other than my emotional ups and downs for no particular reason. I couldn't even get my make up on to go to work without shedding some tears this morning. My visiting teacher texted me about this point in my day to see how I was, and I hardly know her so I just said I was fine. She replied that she was bringing dinner by tonight, and that was a relief because I honestly had no idea what I was fixing. Somehow I pulled it together and went to work.
Then, my friend down the street stopped by after school for a visit, and that was nice until Koen threw a major tantrum (when he throws a tantrum it's like kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs, and throwing things). Her son and Koen are great buddies, but I don't think he'd ever seen Koen do this, and it was over him playing with Kai and not just Koen. I was so embarassed, and I really didn't know what to do because I have yet to figure out how to manage him or calm him down when it happens. The poor friend was upstairs watching in horror and crying. He looked scared to death, and his mom decided it was time to leave. As they are walking out the door Koen is howling at me how much he hates me because I told him he needed to go to his room and calm down, and that if he didn't stop yelling he'd have specific consequences. Once I heard that he had calmed down I headed up to chat with him about what had happened. I calmly asked him if he thought what he had done was ok. He answered that it wasn't and that he was really sorry and he'd apologize. I then asked him if he went to play with someone and they acted like that would he want to go back. He said no, but that it'd be ok because he'd apologize. I am not sure how to get him to see that sometimes our actions speak louder than our words and there are consequences. This is where being a parent is one of the hardest things I will ever do! I know these things because of experience, and I know that my parents probably wanted to beat their heads against a wall more than once when I was growing up. Heck, they probably still do on occasion because no matter how old we get our parents still have more experience and have learned more things along the way. If he would just listen and learn it would be so much easier, but most of us don't just listen to learn. There are somethings we just have to make mistakes to learn.
After talking with him I walked out of his room to peer into Kael's room and this is what I saw.

I had seen a crayon on my way up the stairs and picked it up so this very thing didn't happen. I guess it'd already had.  This picture is small in comparsion to the actual artwork (if you want to call it that).  The entire thing measured about 5 ft long and 2 ft. tall. I was literally at my whits end by this point, and just so frustrated! Why do they not listen?!!! I have been making Havyn and Kael clean up crayon off the walls for a month now, and they still have not learned. I hide the crayons, and somehow they still find them. This is the worst one by far! I immediately asked for some advice on how to quickly and easily get this off the wall on facebook. Luckily one of my friends had the best advice ever! She said to use goo gone, which for some odd reason I actually had on hand. In minutes it was gone. So easy! I don't think I will be without the stuff again. I have a feeling that most of the crayons will be thrown away tonight as well. Maybe when they are older they will understand better.

 

 

After we got that done and ate dinner Havyn started hitting so she got a time out, which she screamed through the entire 3 minutes she was sitting there, and then continued to scream after she got out and was told to tell Kael sorry. Kael said sorry to her and then she wouldn't apologize to him. She stood and just wailed at me so she got put in her bed (no I am not supposed to lift, but sometimes I have not choice). I couldn't keep her in there for long though, because I knew if I did she'd fall asleep and then not go to bed tonight (she wouldn't nap).

Then, as I am trying to clean up a little Kai all the sudden starts throwing a massive fit, and Kael is not far behind so I said that's it and put them all in the tub, and read their bedtime story through a screaming Kael, and put them to bed. Enough is enough and this poor momma is tired!

I LOVE my kids, but days like these sure make me glad that they will grow up someday!

Easter 2013

The Easter bunny brought the three older kids bikes this year! Mostly because poor Koen who is 7 has never learned how to ride. I know, I know what kind of terrible parents don't teach their son to ride a bike by the time he is 7? Well folks, we don't! I'd like to say it's because we were so busy with school and work and a million other excuses, but excuses are just excuses, and we should have done better! OH well! He did fairly well today! Havyn did better, but hey I hear it's harder the older you get. He will know soon! His dr. advised us to get it done because apparently it's a big deal developmentally. Who knew?! Kai did fairly well as well! He contracted a fever late this afternoon and has strep throat so maybe that's why he wasn't all that interested at first. Kael was fairly upset he didn't get one, but LOVES the bubble mower and will get over it and ride the trikes we already have.