just because

just because it is Sunday... time to take off all our clothes and play with the stampers!!

 

 

 

nine minutes of fun

Easter sure seems to have come early this year. I feel very ready though. I've got the kids' Easter baskets and some 'crap' from Target to stick inside them come Easter morning. I've got way too many fillable plastic Easter eggs and a plan for hiding them on Easter morning. I've got some eggs boiled and an Egg Spinner complete with dye and stickers to decorate. And I still have a week to go! I guess I'm making up for St. Paddy's Day and my sucky attitude.

So to get the kids in the true spirit of Easter (it's all about bunnies and eggs, right?), we took them to the City of Woodbury's Ole Fashioned Easter Egg Hunt last night. First we had a nice dinner at McDonalds. Let me say- that is the place to be on a Friday night. We got the very last table. It was practically standing room only in there.

After dinner, we made our way to the egg hunt, where there were a few hundred eggs scattered across the snow banks, making it less like a hunt and more like a grab. There were a lot of people there. And rules.

Kiley was pretty upset when she found out that her age category was supposed to get orange and green eggs and that Jaxon's was supposed to get pink and blue.

And then she decided, to hell with the rules. She was gonna get what color egg she wanted. And we thought, sure, let's all avoid a tantrum in the middle of the egg hunt and spare everyone the drama. And we were back to happy.

 

While Kiley was off picking up whatever eggs she wanted to, Jaxon was strategizing. I was watching as he picked his eggs. He knew he was only supposed to get 10 and they were supposed to be pink and blue for his age group. He came up with about 7 or 8 in the same area almost right away because he was scoping them out while we were waiting for them to give the go-ahead.

 

 

Then, even though there were several more nearby him, he took off for the other side of the path, almost like he was savoring the 'hunt' for the last couple eggs, trying to make it somehow more challenging for himself. I notice he does this when there's only one fruit snack (insert other candy/treat/food item) left. He'll either save them for later or take a really long time to chew on it. I'm sure it's hard to know that the fun will end at some point so he's just trying to hang on to it.

 

Which I totally get. Because I'm the same way. Trying to hold on to these fun times and special moments as long as I can. Sometimes they go so quick. Like this egg hunt. Nine minutes.

 And of course, the kids were quite dismayed when they realized there was no candy in the eggs. What!! No candy? I'm fine with that though. It will make the 'real Easter Bunny' look really good!

Enjoy your special moments today...whether they last nine minutes or ninety... cherish each one. I know I will.

winter blues

Seriously. I have got it bad. The winter blues.

When I half-heartedly joked about not writing again until March, I didn't realize that I would actually wait a whole month to post something!

Last month I wrote about winter fun. Now, I'm ready for it to be done.

This past month has been hard. I'm not gonna lie. No sugar coating here. It's been downright hard. For a lot of reasons, but mainly because everyone in our house has cabin fever, is sick and tired of going to Pump it Up to get our wiggles out, and needs to be able to walk from point A to point B without hunching our shoulders up because it's so d*mn cold and windy outside!

Okay. Maybe that's just me. But I'm pretty sure the rest of my family is feeling a little bit of the same.

We've resorted to staring out the window and chasing lasers around the floor...

And every day, the kids ask, 'Mom, is it Spring yet?'. Jaxon is just itching to get on his bike and Kiley has even declared that she is excited to ride on her imaginary purple bike. Something tells me that we will be buying Kiley a purple bike this spring.

 

But before we think about that, we still have to get through the rest of this winter.

Lucky for us, there were some giant ice castles that we got to visit on a pretty decent, sunny, warmish day...

 Kiley and Jaxon enjoyed running in circles, hiding from us, and pretending they were ice princes and princesses.

 It was a fun afternoon with Auntie Jenny...

 

In February we had Jaxon signed up for a sports sampler class at a local elementary school. He got to do basketball, soccer, t-ball and floor hockey. I'm pretty excited that floor hockey wasn't his favorite. I really would rather not become a hockey mom...

 I mean, he really looks more like a golfer anyway, doesn't he?

 

These were fun Monday nights... something to look forward to during this super LONG winter (have I mentioned yet how I hate MN winters?), both for him and for us.

 

What I have really missed though as I've been stuck in my own head and trying to get past my own selfish winter blues, is just the simple moments. Having my camera out and ready to shoot. It has just felt like something's been missing. I haven't taken the time to take pictures, spend time enjoying the things I like to do... I didn't even make leprechaun footprints this year for St. Patty's! What is wrong with me? I need to get a little bit of sunshine back in my life.

And there's nothing more like sunshine than these two kids (except when they are giving us attitude, calling us names, and hitting/kicking/throwing things... which seems to have happened a lot lately. But we'll save that for another post).

 

 Kiley has been taking really good care of her babies. They have different names these days, but they're still without clothes and need their diapers changed all the time. Typical babies.

 Jaxon has been playing a lot of Wii. He's actually getting pretty good at it. I'm not sure if I should be proud or frightened by that?

 Kiley can still melt hearts with her smile. She's being transitioned into the preschool/3's class the past couple weeks. Miss Kelly, who will be her new teacher in a couple weeks, told us her productivity is going downhill as she just wants to sit and look at Kiley all day. I mean, seriously. Girl is adorable and she totally knows it.

And Jaxon has been reading words all over the place. I'm so impressed with how much he knows too-and man does he talk alot! He talks about the earth and dinasours, planting seeds, the seasons, our presidents and Martin Luther King... he's pretty darn smart and of course says some pretty funny stuff. There's always something to laugh about when he's around.

 

So today I guess I'll remember the sunshine moments of the past few weeks... and I'm going to pray really really hard for the end of winter... just as soon as tomorrow's snow storm is done. Ugh.

 

winter fun



Spring is coming, right? I'm sure Jaxon told us that the groundhog saw his shadow and we'd have an early spring. Or maybe it was the other way around... either way, this winter seems to be dragging on and we are ready to get outside and PLAY!

 

But we have been keeping ourselves busy the past few weeks (as evidenced by my lack of blog posting! So sorry followers- we are alive and well and enjoying life!!)

 

Here's a bit about how we have spent our days this winter...

 

Twin Cities Marathon... for kids! They had an indoor fieldhouse run for kids as part of the Twin Cities in Motion marathon season kickoff. I signed Jaxon up for the half-mile run and Kiley for the parent-child team. 

 

I couldn't have been more proud. And it was even more fun to see the look on Scott's face, watching his son run around that track. You couldn't have found a happier guy that day. And that was after I got him up at 7 to get to the race on time too!

 

Here's Jaxon at the start line, getting ready to race...

 

 

And here he is, in the middle of lap two, stopping just long enough to flash us the peace sign mid-stride. Grandpa Walker should be proud. I don't know anyone else who still flashes the peace sign. Jaxon was not the tallest or biggest kid out there, but that boy sure does have heart and perseverance. He ran four times around the track and every time it looked like he was going to get tired and stop, he just put his head down and started pumping those arms just a little bit harder and moving those legs a little bit faster. He was convinced he was gonna win!!

And post-race, he was all smiles. And SO Proud.

Kiley was more in it for the free bottle of water and jump rope at the end. She pretty much made me do all the work...

 

Let's see... what else have we been up to?

 

We have played a LOT with Karen and Thomas. Who are Karen and Thomas you ask? They are Kiley's two Baby Alive dolls and they make each day interesting. One day, they might both be named Thomas and then the next one is Karen and the other is Thomas. It's confusing really, but you have to just roll with it. Sometimes they get yucky faces or poop and pee, over and over and over again and you just really have to clean them up. Other times, they cry and you need to pat them and sing them songs, put them in their crib and take care of them. We're learning a lot of good caretaking skills over here. Thanks to Karen and Thomas.

And Jaxon has had a few ice fishing excursions. When Scott first suggested they drive four hours to Red Lake, fish for four-five hours, and then drive four hours back, I thought he was a little bit crazy... but Jaxon loved it so much they did it again a few days later. He is turning into a great little fisherman (though sometimes his curiosity gets in the way- like the time he got one leg into the hole cuz I'm sure he was messin' with something he wasn't supposed to...). He loves his time with his dad though and more and more I see so much of Scott in him...

 

 We also found some time to see our friends at Elmo Live. Unfortunately, Auntie Jenny got sick that day and it was 2 on 1 at the Target Center- and I aint talking basketball. What chaos. You wouldn't think it by this picture, but Kiley was terrified of all the characters. We went to get food at intermission and as Jaxon and I started heading back towards our seats, Kiley started booking it towards the escalators, saying, 'I going home, I not going back in there.'. It was more than comical and I was sweating by the end of the show in the midst of carrying her, losing Jaxon at the top of the escalator, and eating so much cotton candy that they were bouncing off the walls. Gotta love that Elmo...

I'm sure there have been so many other things we've done, but since it's taken me two weeks to get this post done, I'll work on part two for March...

teachers' pet

I was always the teachers' pet growing up. I showed up early to school so I  could help grade papers. I stayed late so I could clean up. I always raised my hand in class and even sat on the twelve member 'jury' in 9th grade (the gifted kids - well we thought we were- who always had an answer to everything).

And so it is no wonder that Kiley has followed in my footsteps.

Err...it might be a little different. You see, her 'teacher' is her big brother. But she's definately a fast learner.

As I type this, they are up in their room, supposed to be going to bed, but Jaxon is teaching her the phoenetics of Gangnam Style. "Kiley, say 'Gang', okay say 'nam'. Now say 'sty', and 'l'. I just sat there laughing as she obediently repeated each symbol back to him. And now I have two little Psy's up there singing Gangnam Style.

Woa Woa Woa.

I suppose she has learned some good things form Jaxon too. How to count and sing her ABC's. How to eat fruit rollups and gushers. How to check out books at the library and carry them in her backpack. How to cut with scissors and put stickers on everything. How to sing and dance and work a microphone.

She's learned to always get the 'last whatever' because it doesn't matter what it is, as long as you got the last one before the other one.

She's also learned to share and hug and love each other. Just tonight, I was quite impressed as they were sharing their ice cream, giving each other bites. For some reason Kiley doesn't like to share with me though- she has the idea that I'm going to eat it all!

She has also seemed to grow a strong sense of independence overnight. I'm quite certain she has learned some of this from Jaxon, though it's probably her developmental stage right now too (like I have any idea- are you kidding? who has time to read parenting books these days!).

Tonight when we were at Lookout Ridge, Kiley just took off climbing after Jaxon and going down the slides. I felt this much closer to those parents who sit at the tables and let their kids run wild while they sip their lattes and read their iPads. I don't want to be them yet. But I felt like they were calling me, saying, 'Relax. Just sit and enjoy yourself. Your kids are fine.' I digress though as that is a whole other blog post...

At any rate, I am astonished at the rapid rate at which Kiley is learning. Scott and I have commented in the past couple weeks several times that she's like a little person. She has so many opinions. SO MANY. And she forms complete sentences that have complicated thought processes (I think) for a two year old. She's manipulative and smart. Funny - oh so funny. And she is a caretaker. She's just really sweet and when she looks at you, sometimes your heart just melts.

And for these reasons and so many more, I am sure she will have no problem settling in to become a teachers' pet...

little monsters

Gosh, looking back on my last post, I make it sound like my kids are animals! Well, they are.

But they're pretty cute little animals... even though they drive me crazy at times I wouldn't take away the chaos and time we have together for one minute.

And I'm feeling like I should clarify, that when I say I sometimes lose my cool in the privacy of my own home, I am simply referrring to the fact that I may raise my voice a bit louder (okay, a lot) and go into wild explanations to a 2 and 5 year old about why it isn't okay to hit, throw, punch or kick. It's not like I'm using any sort of corporal punishment or anything, so don't start calling the state investigators.

Whew. Got that out.

There were some funny moments this weekend that amid all the running around and slight exhaustion, we all found a little bit of hysteria and laughter.

At one point Kiley started saying 'Donut' over and over again. Soon her and Jaxon were in fits of saying 'Donut Mommy' and laughing hysterically. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized she is really saying 'Darnit!'. Something she clearly learned from her big brother.

And I've come to realize that Kiley has way more to say when Jaxon isn't around. Yesterday when we dropped him off at his friends' birthday party (that's like a whole separate blog post!), she began talking and didn't stop until we picked him up... she comments on everything we see outside- from snow, to birds, to things that aren't even there, like purple dinosaurs, the moon, and marshmellows on her fingers. When we got to the grocery store, she started making a list for me of everything we needed to buy in a really matter-of-fact voice- 'gotta get more pears mommy. and some nanas. and Gushers!'.

She's started requesting Lady Gaga on the radio, though I'm not sure she knows who Gaga is. Funny though because that was Jaxon's first real interest in music. I wonder if Lady Gaga knows how many 'Little Monsters' she really has?

And she now says 'No problem.' when she drops something or if I say thank you to her. No problem mom.

Sometimes Kiley says something totally rediculous that doesn't make any sense at all- okay, this happens a lot- and Jaxon will just look at me and we both crack up laughing. It's pretty awesome.

When we went to go pick Jaxon up though, Kiley saw him and ran over to give him a big hug. She missed him after just a couple hours. It was so cute. Though in true big brother-around my friends- style, he kept walking right by, not bothering with her. I think he secretly missed her too though as I caught him sharing his candy with her later...

So, I guess it wasn't all screaming kids and worn out chaos. There were some good, and definate favorite parts, to this weekend (like when they both went to bed at 7:30 last night, worn out from way too much fun and I got to finally sit down and relax!).

ice fishing widow

I'm never a fan of Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend in January. Not because I don't think Martin Luther King Jr was a good and noble man.

But because it means Scott will be 'gone fishing' from Thursday through late Sunday night or God forbid, Monday.

I have to mentally prepare myself for weeks ahead of time.

Lucky for me I just returned from a weekend getaway in Lovely Las Vegas. Lots of quality time with Scott, some quality 'me time' (aka shopping, walking, and relaxing with a massage), and of course the occasional drink or two (wink wink). I can't say too much because we all know that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Don't worry, it was nothing like the Katy Perry song. 

And yet, I could have used a couple more days. Or some yoga or meditation or something to prepare me for this.

Being an ice fishing widow isn't easy. Last year, for example, I was stuck with two sick kids, one who was hospitalized shortly after said ice fishing weekend. Thankfully, knock on a big wood door, we are all in good health this weekend.

But what I didn't anticipate was the total defiance, lack of listening, running off in the middle of the store, and screaming in public places. And that was just Kiley by noon today.

Our trip to Target this morning was comical to say the least. Though I wasn't thinking that the people staring at me and judging me thought it was very comical at the time. I could actually see it in their eyes:

"Poor thing, I bet her husband is ice fishing this weekend."

"Such cute kids, it's a shame they don't behave better for that poor ice fishing widow."

"Did you see that girl just whack her mom in the face? Bet that one hurt."

"I guess that boy should have been sitting on the cart seat so he didn't fall down, huh."

"Why would you take kids like that to Target?"

And I'm sure most of them were thinking:
"Thank God that isn't me!!"

Oh yes, I got some looks. Especially as Kiley was going in for the second punch and I reach my hand up to protect myself, only to scratch her in the mouth, drawing just the tiniest little bit of blood...and then when I was trying to move the cart- you know, one of those really big oversized two seaters that they just have to make so friggen hard to move, it's like driving a semi-trailer in Target- Jaxon of course was goofing off so he fell right into the base of it, meanwhile Kiley is screaming and crying that I hit her... it was lovely.

I can usually handle the stuff in public with a good amount of grace, humor and tact. But in the privacy of my own home... that is where I sometimes lose it.

Now I would never publicly write about this if I didn't know that it happens every day in all those perfect kids' homes too. No family is perfect and no parent has all the answers.

Sometimes you have to use idle threats. Like today when I pretended to call Jenny and had a whole conversation with her about how we were not going to be able to go to Elmo Live tonight because my kids were being BEASTS and wouldn't take a nap.

At one point I went upstairs and almost got caught in the crossfires of Brown Bear Brown Bear and Mr. Seahorse being flung across beds. Time to get to separate rooms. Ugh!

But since I had a few outbursts and felt really bad about them already this weekend, I knew I had to keep my cool. I thought, how in the hell do I get a five year old to listen to me?

Make it the other kids' fault.

So when Jaxon came down for the umpteenth time to tell me something, I said, hey look Jaxon. I know it's all Kiley's fault- the book catapulting, the story telling, saying 'butt' as loud as you can, and jumping on your bed. I know she is the main reason you can't go to sleep. What do you say we try to ignore her and that will make her mad so she'll just go to bed.

Well, I'm not perfect, but at least this bought me some quiet time and so far seems to be working...

Now to mentally prepare myself for the rest of the weekend...