Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Backwards
Now that Liam is potty trained, we (and Gail) are trying to get him to be independent when getting dressed again after going potty. He's had a few days when he came home with his jeans on backwards - once he got them on, he didn't want anyone to help him turn around. He's had elastic jeans on backwards, but this was the first time he had snap jeans on backwards. Silly Liam!
He may also have backwards underwear under those jeans - you never know what you'll find!
He may also have backwards underwear under those jeans - you never know what you'll find!
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Choices
We heard that Karsten's class had a second quiet time yesterday since they weren't listening very well, so during dinner we were asking Karsten if he does a good job of listening to Mrs. G and following directions. He said that he did and he really didn't want us to ask her - hmmm, sounds suspicious, don't you think?
About 5 minutes later, he said (with a quivering lip) 'I was a little bit bad today.' Then he told us a story about how one of his friends threw soap at him in the bathroom, so he threw soap at him and another boy. He was almost in tears when he told us that his teacher said she was disappointed in him. He said he needed to take soap to school tomorrow, and we're not sure if she told him that or if he wanted to bring it.
So, Karsten and Scott ran up to Walgreens after dinner and bought some soap. Karsten had to use one of his dollars to pay for the soap. This was huge for him because he's just discovered that dollars can buy things like Legos. Then when he got home, he had to write her an apology note.
We reiterated several times that we were proud of him for telling us. Hopefully he'll continue to tell us stuff like this.
About 5 minutes later, he said (with a quivering lip) 'I was a little bit bad today.' Then he told us a story about how one of his friends threw soap at him in the bathroom, so he threw soap at him and another boy. He was almost in tears when he told us that his teacher said she was disappointed in him. He said he needed to take soap to school tomorrow, and we're not sure if she told him that or if he wanted to bring it.
So, Karsten and Scott ran up to Walgreens after dinner and bought some soap. Karsten had to use one of his dollars to pay for the soap. This was huge for him because he's just discovered that dollars can buy things like Legos. Then when he got home, he had to write her an apology note.
We reiterated several times that we were proud of him for telling us. Hopefully he'll continue to tell us stuff like this.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Ashes
When Holy days of obligation occur during the week, I often go to church at noon instead of all of us going to the evening mass. Unfortunately, today I had a conflict, so we all went to mass together. As soon as Karsten heard we were going to church, he asked if Father was going to put dirt on his face. Apparently Karsten's teacher had ashes on her forehead and Karsten didn't like it.
This wasn't surprising to me as he doesan't like to have temporary tattos or face painting. We told him if he didn't want to get ashes he could stay in the pew while the rest of us went up. Sure enough, he stayed in his seat and waited for us. When we got back, he kept looking at the ashes on our forehead.
Liam didn't pay too much attention to the ashes, but when we got back to our seats, he looked at me and said 'what on your face?' with a frown? I chuckled because he didn't realize he had a very faint cross with ashes on his forehead.
This wasn't surprising to me as he doesan't like to have temporary tattos or face painting. We told him if he didn't want to get ashes he could stay in the pew while the rest of us went up. Sure enough, he stayed in his seat and waited for us. When we got back, he kept looking at the ashes on our forehead.
Liam didn't pay too much attention to the ashes, but when we got back to our seats, he looked at me and said 'what on your face?' with a frown? I chuckled because he didn't realize he had a very faint cross with ashes on his forehead.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Sushi lover
Karsten and Scott both had the day off today so they met me for lunch. I ordered Karsten a bento box, not knowing everything that came with it. We told him he was like The Very Hungry Caterpillar because he ate miso soup, a salad, a potsticker, 4 pieces of California roll, 1 shrimp tempura, 1 asparagus tempura and one onion roll. He was one hungry boy!
When the tray came, I wasn't sure if he would eat the sushi, but it was the first thing he went for after the soup! Like I've said before, I want him to like sushi, but this will be an expensive habit we're starting! He's starting to do pretty well with the chopsticks too, especially when they're rubber banded together at the top.
When the tray came, I wasn't sure if he would eat the sushi, but it was the first thing he went for after the soup! Like I've said before, I want him to like sushi, but this will be an expensive habit we're starting! He's starting to do pretty well with the chopsticks too, especially when they're rubber banded together at the top.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Happy Valentine's Day
We had a great Valentine's Day as a family. The boys played video games, played play-doh, made bead-o's and spent lots of time playing superheros and Legos.
We also became obsessed with watching the live cam on this Eagle's nest. There were two eggs in the nest on Friday evening and one of the baby eagles (an eaglet) hatched on Saturday morning. Check it out - when Scott told me about it, I thought it sounded about as interesting as watching paint dry, but after watching it for a bit, I was hooked, it was fascinating.
My dad dropped the boy's Valentine's present by my office on Friday and Karsten was not happy that we said he couldn't open them until today.
We went to the grocery store and picked out our dinner. Karsten found a big lobster in the back of the tank that was the perfect one.
The gal that got the lobster out of the tank was awesome - she held it out and the lobster's legs were flying around. The boys weren't too sure they wanted to touch it and they both backed way up!
She gave Karsten the bag with the lobster and I think he proudly opened it and showed two people on our way to the register. Then, as he put the bag on the counter to pay, he proudly said 'lobster!' with a big smile.
I wanted to make a special dessert for dinner, and decided to make homemade marshmellows and we would have chocolate fondue with marshmellows and strawberries. Karsten was a big fan of the marshmellow fluff.
I have tried to make homemade marshmellows one time before, but we liked this recipe better because we cooked the honey longer and whipped the fluff longer which made it less sticky in the end.
Finally, it was time to get the lobster out and cook him.
My Valentine's about to enjoy our Valentine's feast - steak, lobster, roasted potatoes and kale salad.
The lobster was a big hit - the boys kept asking for more long after it was gone. I guess we'll have to get more next year! They did manage to dig out a few small pieces from the legs.
Karsten made Scott some coupons at school - they were good for a car wash, playing video games and making our bed. Pretty cute!
Dessert time! It was delicious and the boys thought it was cool that they got to put food on a stick and dunk it in chocolate. Well, Liam liked putting strawberries on the stick. He wasn't interested in either the chocolate or the marshmellows. I think we might need to consider a fondue pot in our future if this becomes a tradition!
What a perfect way to celebrate Valentine's day with my loves! Hope you had a wonderful day surrounded by people who love you!
We also became obsessed with watching the live cam on this Eagle's nest. There were two eggs in the nest on Friday evening and one of the baby eagles (an eaglet) hatched on Saturday morning. Check it out - when Scott told me about it, I thought it sounded about as interesting as watching paint dry, but after watching it for a bit, I was hooked, it was fascinating.
My dad dropped the boy's Valentine's present by my office on Friday and Karsten was not happy that we said he couldn't open them until today.
We went to the grocery store and picked out our dinner. Karsten found a big lobster in the back of the tank that was the perfect one.
The gal that got the lobster out of the tank was awesome - she held it out and the lobster's legs were flying around. The boys weren't too sure they wanted to touch it and they both backed way up!
She gave Karsten the bag with the lobster and I think he proudly opened it and showed two people on our way to the register. Then, as he put the bag on the counter to pay, he proudly said 'lobster!' with a big smile.
I wanted to make a special dessert for dinner, and decided to make homemade marshmellows and we would have chocolate fondue with marshmellows and strawberries. Karsten was a big fan of the marshmellow fluff.
I have tried to make homemade marshmellows one time before, but we liked this recipe better because we cooked the honey longer and whipped the fluff longer which made it less sticky in the end.
Finally, it was time to get the lobster out and cook him.
My Valentine's about to enjoy our Valentine's feast - steak, lobster, roasted potatoes and kale salad.
The lobster was a big hit - the boys kept asking for more long after it was gone. I guess we'll have to get more next year! They did manage to dig out a few small pieces from the legs.
Karsten made Scott some coupons at school - they were good for a car wash, playing video games and making our bed. Pretty cute!
Dessert time! It was delicious and the boys thought it was cool that they got to put food on a stick and dunk it in chocolate. Well, Liam liked putting strawberries on the stick. He wasn't interested in either the chocolate or the marshmellows. I think we might need to consider a fondue pot in our future if this becomes a tradition!
What a perfect way to celebrate Valentine's day with my loves! Hope you had a wonderful day surrounded by people who love you!
Friday, February 13, 2015
Lunch date
Scott didn't have to work today since they had parent teacher conferences earlier this week, so Karsten stayed home with him and they had a fun day together. Lucky for me they met me for lunch at Spin! He did a great job ordering for himself and remembered his manners and said please. So proud of him! He was pretty excited that his kids pizza came with gelato for dessert - well, he was excited once we told him gelato was like ice cream. :)
He was proud to sport his 'Future Cardinal' shirt for his new school next year.
He was proud to sport his 'Future Cardinal' shirt for his new school next year.
Programming for Kids
As part of Scott's job, he gets to visit classrooms of all ages across the district. He recently visited a kindergarten classroom and came home with several great apps that he wanted Karsten to try out.
Tonight they checkethrough the app, a kids programming app called Kodable. The kids tell a little ball the directions it needs to go to get coins/points. Scott was showing him how to do it and said 'tell it which way it needs to go', so Karsten leaned close to the iPad and said GO TWO TO THE RIGHT.
Scott and I tried not to laugh out loud as we realized what he thought Scott meant. Scott showed him how to give the game directions - using the iPad rather than saying words.
Liam was right there with them, watching and ready to give it a try when it's his turn!
Tonight they checkethrough the app, a kids programming app called Kodable. The kids tell a little ball the directions it needs to go to get coins/points. Scott was showing him how to do it and said 'tell it which way it needs to go', so Karsten leaned close to the iPad and said GO TWO TO THE RIGHT.
Scott and I tried not to laugh out loud as we realized what he thought Scott meant. Scott showed him how to give the game directions - using the iPad rather than saying words.
Liam was right there with them, watching and ready to give it a try when it's his turn!
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Valentine's Party
As I've said before, I love going to Karsten's class parties - its fun to see him interacting with his friends and put faces with some of the kids we don't see during dropoff or pickup. I like to sign up to bring treats to the party, but I totally missed the signup for this party, so I didn't get to bring anything. I need to remember to check the other door to his classroom - sigh! Oh well, there's still the Easter party.
One of Karsten's teachers read a book the kids put together with tips to take care of their new class pet dog, Wuffles. Wuffles is a beanie baby puppy that the kids get to take turns bringing home to take care of. In the book, they each contributed a tip about how to take care of the dog. Karsten's tip was to keep him on a leash when he's out.
After snacks, the party wrapped up and the kids gave us this adorable vase they decorated and added pipe cleaner flowers. While Karsten would rather be exploring his goodie bag with his friends, I managed to pry him away for a quick picture and a hug goodbye.
Another fun party in the books!
The party started with a game called 'Who's the lovebug'. The kids had to wear this pink headband with wobbly antanee, and sit facing away from the clas. Then, one of their classmates would say 'Happy Valentine's Day' in a funny voice, and they would have to guess who it was. When it was Karsten's turn, I tried to make my way over so I could get a picture of him with the headband on, but he guessed his friend Lauren's voice too quickly and was taking it off before I got over there.
One of Karsten's teachers read a book the kids put together with tips to take care of their new class pet dog, Wuffles. Wuffles is a beanie baby puppy that the kids get to take turns bringing home to take care of. In the book, they each contributed a tip about how to take care of the dog. Karsten's tip was to keep him on a leash when he's out.
After snacks, the party wrapped up and the kids gave us this adorable vase they decorated and added pipe cleaner flowers. While Karsten would rather be exploring his goodie bag with his friends, I managed to pry him away for a quick picture and a hug goodbye.
Another fun party in the books!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Valentines
I knew I didn't want to do candy for Karsten's valentines for school, so I found a few options on Pinterest and showed them to Karsten so he could choose. He liked the bouncy ball idea, so we went with these cute Valentines that say 'Valentine you make my heart BOUNCE.' Bouncy balls can entertain our boys for quite a while, so I hope they entertain his friends at school as well.
Karsten signed a few of the valentines last night and while I assembled the first batch, he and Liam made beados. Well, Karsten made a beado star, Liam spilled beados on the floor, not once or twice, but three times. Luckily, he had less beados to spill each time so the mess was not as big each time.
Karsten signed a few of the valentines last night and while I assembled the first batch, he and Liam made beados. Well, Karsten made a beado star, Liam spilled beados on the floor, not once or twice, but three times. Luckily, he had less beados to spill each time so the mess was not as big each time.
Valentine Crafts
While Scott was at conferences tonight, we made a few crafts for him for Valentine's day. Karsten learned that you can make a heart much easier if you fold the paper in half - poor guy has a bit of my perfectionism (or OCD - you choose) in him and kept getting frustrated that the sides of the hearts were not even. Once he had an even heart, he colored it and wrote 'I LOVE DADDY. KARSTEN'
Liam let me trace his hands and we're going to make something like this.
Liam let me trace his hands and we're going to make something like this.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Stroller free
We took advantage of the beautiful weather today with a walk to the park. Liam has been riding Karsten's (old) yellow scooter and doing a great job, so we decided he could take that with us. Karsten opted for his bike rather than his scooter, so we got everyone outfitted with their helmet and off we went.
While we were walking, we realized this was our first family walk without the stroller. Sure, we had many times last year when Liam would ride for part of the walk then walk or run for some of the time. But this time the stroller stayed at home in the garage.
As we were approaching this bench, he announced he was tired and needed a break. He sat there for a minute but when Karsten kept riding around, Liam was ready to get moving again.
He tried hard to keep up with Karsten and occasionally got frustrated when he couldn't. We tried to explain that bikes are faster than scooters, but he didn't want to hear it.
When we got back in our neighborhood and had to come up the dreaded hill, Karsten did an amazing job and rode his bike right up the hill. He needed a few pushes to keep moving, but he kept trying. On the other hand, that's Scott and Liam you see at the bottom of the hill. Liam decided that he was mad and din't want to keep going. He didn't want to ride the scooter, he didn't want Scott to carry the scooter - see the dilemma. I think he was just tired and grumpy and was ready to disagree with everything Scott said. We've had this battle in the exact same spot with Karsten more times than I can count!
The first walk without the stroller was a success - I can't wait until the sun stays up longer and we can take these walks in the evening!
While we were walking, we realized this was our first family walk without the stroller. Sure, we had many times last year when Liam would ride for part of the walk then walk or run for some of the time. But this time the stroller stayed at home in the garage.
As we were approaching this bench, he announced he was tired and needed a break. He sat there for a minute but when Karsten kept riding around, Liam was ready to get moving again.
He tried hard to keep up with Karsten and occasionally got frustrated when he couldn't. We tried to explain that bikes are faster than scooters, but he didn't want to hear it.
When we got back in our neighborhood and had to come up the dreaded hill, Karsten did an amazing job and rode his bike right up the hill. He needed a few pushes to keep moving, but he kept trying. On the other hand, that's Scott and Liam you see at the bottom of the hill. Liam decided that he was mad and din't want to keep going. He didn't want to ride the scooter, he didn't want Scott to carry the scooter - see the dilemma. I think he was just tired and grumpy and was ready to disagree with everything Scott said. We've had this battle in the exact same spot with Karsten more times than I can count!
The first walk without the stroller was a success - I can't wait until the sun stays up longer and we can take these walks in the evening!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Home Depot Kids Creations
After we had such a good time at the Lego build night, Scott brought up the Home Depot kids building events. We've seen many friends post about them on Facebook and they always look fun. It seemed like we were always missing them, but this time we lucked out and the event was this weekend and there were still spots available.
The confirmation email said they would see us promptly at 9am, so we showed up at 9am because we weren't sure how it worked. There were already quite a few people there working on their projects but we didn't have to wait in line too long before we got their aprons and project kit.
The handful of tables they set up were already full so we found an open spot on the floor and got to work.
Turns out that hammering on the floor was actually easier than hammering on the folding tables with four other little ones.
The boys were so proud of hammering the nails in themselves.
Once the boxes were put together, we thought they only had pink and white paint that they could use to paint their boxes. We were going to paint our boxes at home so we could use other colors. Then I pointed out someone with red paint and suddenly we were off to paint our boxes.
They did a good job keeping the paint on the boxes and only minimally on the paper and their hands. It went far better than I had anticipated.
Check out the white on the inside of the scallops. Karsten was pretty proud of that design!
These two proud builders completed their first Home Depot project and got a pin and a certificate. I think this will be a new monthly tradition. When Karsten found out that they got to keep the aprons, he said 'WE CAN WEAR THESE IN PAPA'S SHOP!!' LOL it was so cute!
The confirmation email said they would see us promptly at 9am, so we showed up at 9am because we weren't sure how it worked. There were already quite a few people there working on their projects but we didn't have to wait in line too long before we got their aprons and project kit.
The handful of tables they set up were already full so we found an open spot on the floor and got to work.
Turns out that hammering on the floor was actually easier than hammering on the folding tables with four other little ones.
The boys were so proud of hammering the nails in themselves.
Once the boxes were put together, we thought they only had pink and white paint that they could use to paint their boxes. We were going to paint our boxes at home so we could use other colors. Then I pointed out someone with red paint and suddenly we were off to paint our boxes.
They did a good job keeping the paint on the boxes and only minimally on the paper and their hands. It went far better than I had anticipated.
Check out the white on the inside of the scallops. Karsten was pretty proud of that design!
These two proud builders completed their first Home Depot project and got a pin and a certificate. I think this will be a new monthly tradition. When Karsten found out that they got to keep the aprons, he said 'WE CAN WEAR THESE IN PAPA'S SHOP!!' LOL it was so cute!
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