Wednesday, February 26, 2014

4 1/4 Years and 21 Month Updates

I sit before you ready to type this update completely and utterly spent.  As in my body/joints hurt, my hair's falling out worse than usual, the insomnia I've had since I was pregnant with Colton is out of control and affecting my cognitive abilities/short term memory/patience with the kids (read: Dylan), and my left eye will not stop twitching.  The past few months have been both physically and emotionally draining, but I have soldiered on.  That's life.  Everyone deals with their brand of hard things.  I know my life is actually really good.  I have 2 kids who are generally happy and healthy, I don't work outside the home, and I have a very supportive husband and friends and family.  However, this past month has been particularly challenging emotionally.  As you can see, the only pictures that were taken this month were when Meagan, Cash, and Chloe Kemp were around.  There haven't been many days spent without them lately as Meagan and Janson have been scrambling with moving preparations.  That happens when you move less than 2 months after you find out you need to relocate  They have become some of our best ward friends since I was called as Meagan's 1st counselor in the Relief Society on Mother's Day last year.  On Sunday, Meagan and I sat by each other at church as we were both released from our callings.  And yesterday I had to watch their moving truck drive off on its way to Utah.  It was really tough.  Even harder because since then Dylan keeps asking to play with them and wanting to drive by their old house to see if they are back yet.  I just feel emotionally hung over.  I am REALLY glad I am finally going to see an endocrinologist on Tuesday.  Hopefully he can help me get back to myself again so stuff like this doesn't rock me so far off center.  Sheesh.

Playing at the park:     




 At Tommy's Batman party in Amarillo (which was at the same exact day and time as Chloe's birthday party in Fort Worth).  We are excited for Matt and Allyson to move back here soon!:
 Partners in crime:
 Kosmo Cougar Dylan and "Cashers":
 Playing basketball with the little hoop:
 Playing outside on Saturday while Autrey was at a work Conference all day:

 Someone takes his sand seriously and doesn't appreciate photo distractions:
 Chloe wanted to be called Princess Elsa from the movie Frozen all day.  Dylan hasn't seen it or know who that is, so he compromised and called her Princess Elsa Chloe Marie:

 Picnic time:
The leprechaun, fire fighter and side kick playing with trains on Monday night as Autrey was helping the guys pack the moving truck and getting our blue truck back from them they had borrowed after they sold their car:
 
Right before they drove off.  Smiling to hide the sadness and exhaustion:
At least they are moving somewhere I like to visit and will see them from time to time.  I just added another sister to the ones I already have and love fiercely.

Dylan's Update:

*D: "I won!  I ate my banana first!"
 Me: "You are faster than Colton, but I actually finished before you." (In an everyone-gets-a-trophy society I want him to learn to cope with defeat and have good sportsmanship when it happens.)
 D: "It's not a race, mom." (We still have a long way to go.)

*Dylan loves olives, like Autrey.  Yuck.

*Dylan taught Colton how to say "saw-wee" (sorry).

*Dylan, I mean Batman, wore his mask from Tommy's birthday party to Walmart.  The next week he went as a leprechaun with a green bowler hat.  He makes fellow shoppers smile and laugh a lot.

*"You are strong, Colt.  You can do it."

*"Last night I dreamed about some-pin.  It scared me out of my pants."

*Aut: "Did you go to the bounce house today?"
 D: "Yes.  It was freezing cold.  G-ma's nose got cold."  (Their heat was broken and it was 55* inside.  We didn't stay long.)

*Dropping mom off at the airport: "I want to stay with G-ma and go to her house."  (At that point she had a big hole in the ground.  But it is progressing quickly!)  

*Aut: "Do you want some milk?"
  Dylan toots loudly and says, "My tooter says yes."

*Dylan and Colton were running around and Dylan was staying "Start your engine" before they would take off.  He said it so much that Dylan said "Start your..." and Colton yelled "en-in!"

*At Mommy School we were talking about letter sounds.  He said, "A says A and A**." Guess he was actually paying attention to my exercise dvd about kicking my own a** during butt kicks.  Parenting fail.  Good thing I am his teacher or someone else would be wondering about his parents' language.

*He was watching a show with Autrey and said, "The bad guys always lose.  That's what G-ma said."

*We went mini golfing and go-karting on Papa's birthday.  After about 8 holes Dylan said, "Golfing is too hard" and stopped trying to play properly and started exploring each hole of the course instead.  Colton loved to carry my club and try to hit everyone's balls.

*At the fire pole at the park Dylan sometimes holds on and slides down, but occasionally he just jumps down.  Luckily it isn't as tall as I am so he's ok.

*We rode our bikes near the middle school to see the horses.  Three of them came to the fence and Dylan fed them grass for a long time.  Colton was more hesitant with them and wouldn't do it.

*He came up to me with his arms open wide and said, "I want a hug-a-bug."  Made me happy.

Colton's Update:

*Colton got tooth #8 on Feb 1 (bottom right front tooth), tooth #9 and #10 on Feb 9 (MOLARS: top right and bottom left), #11 on Feb 11, and #12 by Feb 16 (OTHER 2 MOLARS).  He has 1 space in each quadrant between his molars and the teeth in the front area.  My kids are all about looking like they have lost teeth before they even grow in.

*Poor guy has been dealing with new teeth, a cough... and REALLY dry, red, and itchy skin lately, just like last winter.  Except this winter it was so itchy that he scratched himself so hard he would leave marks and even draw some blood at night.  We started using either Aveeno products or the Dove sensitive skin bar soap again instead of the Johnson's.  And with all the Vaseline I put on him he looks like a greased pig.  It's starting to get better.  I thought he had grown out of that.  I thought wrong.

*New vocab...at least what I remembered to write down.  He says a lot more: "fingen" (fingers), "fic it" (fix it), "chi-ten" (chicken), "potty," "G-ma and G-pa," "choo choo chrain (train)," "naken" (naked), "I foun (found) it," "Yesh" (Yes, instead of uh-huh), "meh-ih-cin" (medicine), "waysin" (raisin), "hab it" (I want to have it.), "I know, I know," "Dop it" (Stop it)

*Before he does a something he wants you to watch he will say, "Weddy?" (Ready?)

*Aut: "Colton, where's Dylan?" 
 C: "Hine you." (Behind you.)  Dylan was hiding behind Aut.

*While eating banana slices with a fork: "I poke (ba)nana."

*He will hold up his hand and say, "han" (hand) to hold yours when he is going down the stairs.  

*He sneezed and said "I need a bess (bless) you."

*He picks his boogers sometimes and says, "Das gose" (That's gross) or "Yuck" and holds them out for me to wipe off.

*When mom would leave the room Colton would follow her and say, "Where G-ma?"

*When he wants peanut butter bread he will say, "Butter!  Honey!" because Dylan eats peanut butter and honey sandwiches. 

*He is going through a possessive phase: "I wan(t) it," "I wan(t) hold it," "I hab (have) it," and "Mine."

*He puts his hand up and says, "High 5."

*Colton can stack 8 blocks in a tower.

*Colton loves his "Cashers" and "Co-ee"...Cash and Chloe Kemp. 

*We were on a family bike ride and as we passed a bus parked at the school he said, "I anna (want to) wide (ride) it."

*I made "bow-mees" (brownies) when the missionaries came over and Colton LOVED them.

*C: "I sing song"
  Me: "You want to sing songs before you go to sleep?"
  C: "Yesh."
  (I sing songs and he joins in on some ending words and anticipates some phrases if I pause.)
  C: "Gen" (Again)
  (We sing more)
  C: "Oh one." (Another one.)

*He loves singing and books.  He always asks for "Oh one" or points and says "diff-ren one" (different one) 

*On a Saturday I was attempting unsuccessfully to nap I heard this conversation:
  C: "Where mommy?"
  Aut: "Sleeping."
  C: "Why?...Dylan?"
  Aut: "Downstairs."
  C: "Why?...cuz."  I think it's funny he answers himself.

*He fell down and hurt his bum.  He backed up to me and told me to "kiss it."  I respectfully declined.

*He knows the Cars character names and points to them: "Matah" (Mater), "Queen" (McQueen), "Bee-do" (Guido), "Wee-gee" (Luigi), and "Sow-ee" (Sally)

*Me: "1, 2..."
  C: "3, 5, 7, 10"  He may learn skip counting before regular counting.  Who needs all those other ones anyway?

*Last night I was getting the boys into the bath, Colton's FAVORITE time of the day, and he pushed the bathroom stool over to the toilet by himself and said, "potty."  It surprised me, but I stood him up to see what he would do.  He was making sounds and trying to go pee pee but couldn't.  I cheered him for the attempt and put him in the tub.  Soon he started to go.  I hurried and put him back on the stool and he didn't go any more...until he got back into the bath.  I think he is a little young to start that whole process, but he is interested in the potty, says "potty" when anyone goes, tells me when he goes poop, and even attempted to flush for Autrey the other day after he was done.  I think I will just have him try before bath times and see what happens.  We might have less pee pee bath water.
  
Random:

*I started the 30-Day Shred dvd again mid January.  I was doing ok until I bumped up to Level 2 the beginning of February.  My joints ached and I couldn't do it like I have before.  Between that and my busy schedule I have taken another break to regroup.  I am way too young to feel this old.  Praying the doctor has some answers for me.