Fall Fun

It is so much fun to have a kid old enough to get excited about things like Halloween and Jack-O-Lanterns, and because Colton is excited about it Kaci gets excited too. Several weeks ago I checked out a book from the library that had a Jack-O-Lantern in it and after I explained to Colton what it was he decided that he really wanted to make one. This last week I finally went to Wal-Mart and got two pumpkins, one to carve and one to cook and make into a pie. Colton was so excited that we were getting them that the whole time we walked around the store if we would stop next to some one he would say “Hey, see our pumpkins? We make Jack-O-Lanterns!!” Luckily every one was really nice and would act interested and tell him how fun that sounded. We brought them home and for family home evening activity carved pumpkins, as I said I had planned on keeping one but after we finished the first one the kids though it was so neat that they really wanted to do the other one too, so we did both of them. Here are some pictures.

Colton was very interested in the whole carving process

Pulling out pumpkin brains

The kids didn’t like the way that the seeds and slime felt on their hands, so they each only pulled out one handful

Posing with the Jack-O-Lantern

The kids thought that it was especially neat when we put a little candle inside and lit it. we have the pumpkins on our steps and every time we walk out the door Colton thinks we need to strike a match and lite the candle.

This next story has nothing to do with pumpkins but I thought it was cute so I need to write it down before I forget it. I took the kids to the park today and a little girl from nursery was there with her mom and Colton was talking to her. Kaci couldn’t see him so she asked me where he was and he said “I’m over here talking to the kid.” Then he walked over to me and sighed and said “She’s pretty Mama!!” I laughed at that one. She is a darling little girl though, she has very pretty long blond hair and her mom always has it fixed so nice and neat, so even though he is only three years old he already has good taste in girls!!

Kaci is doing very well with her potty training, I think it is mostly because she gets to run around with out a diaper on and she really hates diapers. For the past few days she has used the potty every time and hasn’t had any accidents or wet diapers (I still have her wear diapers when we leave the house) I think she really likes it and it is about time to get her some big girl underwear because she keeps getting in the laundry and putting on Colton’s underwear and wearing them around the house.

A Busy, Sweet, and Smelly Day

Weldon and I have been talking for quite a while now about taking the kids to Apple Annie’s in Wilcox and letting them each pick a pumpkin so on Saturday we decided to go. We thought it would be the perfect time because the fair was in town so we thought that it shouldn’t be too busy at the pumpkin patch because every one would be at the fair. We were wrong. It was so crowded when we got there that we didn’t even stop. Everyone and their dog was there, literally, people brought their dogs! We didn’t even stop at the pumpkin picking place because of all the people but instead drove to the apple orchard and got out there. It was also quite crowded but the kids really wanted to get out and we couldn’t just go home. We walked around for a little bit and got some things at the gift shop there, Colton got a sword, Kaci got a stuffed turtle, and got an awesome cookbook full of fall food ideas that I cant wait to try out.  Then we came home and just decided to get some pre-picked pumpkins from Wal-Mart.

Later that day we went out to my parent’s house to get a skunk trap because we had a skunk that was living under our house that we really wanted to get rid of. While we were there we told them about not being able to pick pumpkins so my dad took Colton and Kaci out to his garden so they could pick a watermelon to take home instead. Here are some pictures I took while out there.

Kaci liked this one

Choosing a good one

Kaci saying ‘cheese’ in front of some pretty flowers holding her own personal little watermelon

Colton riding Chip and wearing Grandpa’s hat (because according to Colton that’s what you do when you ride a horse)

Kaci wanted to pet him but did not want to ride him at all.

After we left my parent’s house we came home and set the skunk trap and went inside to wait. After about an hour we had caught the neighbor’s cat so we had to let him go and reset it, a few hours later Weldon went out to check it and sure enough we had caught our skunk! Weldon  had researched what to do at this point (thank you YouTube!) so he knew what to do. He held a blanket up really high so the skunk couldn’t see him and wouldn’t feel threatened and then slowly and carefully put the blanket over the cage. I stood a very safe distance away and held the flash light, but that still counts as helping right? Anyway, then Weldon carefully and slowly picked up the cage and carried it a safe distance away from the house where we left it over night until we could decide what to do with it. The skunk was a little spotted skunk and it was so cute and little. We couldn’t just let it go though because even if we were able to release it without getting sprayed it would just go right back under our house, and we were not about to try putting it in our car to transport it some where else to let go. So as sad as it was our only option was to get rid of it, so the next morning the skunk got baptized and then buried. But the good news is our house doesn’t stink any more! I am glad that have Weldon around who can take care of things like this, because I would not have been brave enough to walk up to a caged skunk, or tough enough to take care of in once it had been caught. Thanks Weldon!!

The best of Friends

Colton and Kaci are so sweet and silly and are great buddies. I love being able to be a stay at home mom and see and hear everything they do, it is certainly entertaining! Kaci loves to hold Colton’s hand if they are out walking around. I find this funny because it is a tooth and nail fight just to get her to hold my hand if we are crossing the road but I guess that is because I am not as fun as Colton. He is really good about humoring her and holding her hand when ever she wants him too, in fact he does pretty  much what ever she asks him to, including pushing a chair over so he can get into my cupboards and get down marshmallows and brown sugar because she wants some. He is the one who makes the messes, but I am pretty sure that most of the time it is her idea.

They are both so sweet to each other and to Weldon and myself that it makes my heart melt and I am so glad that they are mine. Kaci is into kissing owwies and sometimes this includes things like moles and little scratches. She says “Owwie Mama!? Here, lets kiss it!” Then she gives the sweetest kisses, I just love them. Colton is very tender hearted and is always aware of other peoples feelings. Kaci had to get shots the other day and he was so worried about her and if she was ok, he kept telling her “It’s ok the doctor will fix it!” He has the upmost faith in doctors and if any one is hurt or not feeling well he says “Oh go to the doctor?” I think this probably comes from when Kaci broke her arm and we talked a lot about how the doctor would make it better to help Kaci not be so afraid. At my most recent Dr. appointment I had to get the flu shot and it was the day after Kaci got all of her shots so Colton knew what was going on when the CNA  came in with the needle. He was so cute because he held my hand while I got the shot and kept telling me, “Its ok Mama, you’ll be alright” Another thing that he does is want to take care of every one, if Kaci is hungry and he doesn’t think that I am responding fast enough he will get something for her himself, or if I yawn and say I am tired he says “oh go to bed Mama?'” and then take my hand and lead me to my bed and try to get me to lay down. He is very sweet.

We decided to go ahead and start working with Kaci on potty training, nothing hard core, just letting her get the idea and hopefully gradually get it done. She loves it, mostly because she gets to run around with out her diaper on. She knows that she will get some marshmallows if she pees in the potty and she is pretty smart she will run and sit on the little potty for a few seconds and then hop up and say “ok all done, marshmallows!” when she hasn’t even gone. So far she is doing pretty good but we have had a few messes, its ok though, its just part of learning. One of the funniest things about her recently is that she loves being naked. If you try to get her dressed she will say “no, pee!” and run and sit on the toilet just to keep from getting dressed. She has also been taking all of her clothes, including diaper off every night after we lay her down for bed, so every morning I go in to get her up and she is naked as a jay bird with her pajamas and diaper thrown out of her bed on the floor. Luckily she stays dry during the night so this isn't a huge problem, I just worry about her getting cold. She is a lot of fun and every day her silly little personality shines through more and more, I love it!

Colton made me laugh the other day because he wanted to go bowling (we took him several months ago and he had a blast) and he kept asking if we could go. I told him no not right now and he asked why so I said that it cost too much money. He said oh, and and ran off and I thought he had forgotten about it because I could hear him getting into something in the kitchen. A few seconds later he comes running back in with two pennies that he had gotten out of my purse and said “ok, here’s some moneys, now go bowling?” I laughed and said that it wasn’t quite enough money, to which he replied “yes huh, its lots of moneys, its two moneys!” I wish life were really as simple as it seems to a child!

Here are some pictures of the kids being cute!

Colton and Kaci ‘hiding’ in the cupboard eating dry mini-wheats while I made breakfast.

Oops I caught them!! I don’t think they knew that I could see their feet and knew where they were.

They were coloring when Daddy came home and got a little creative!

I love these two and I am so excited to have another little one in the family who will only make it more fun and crazy around here. I know that Colton and Kaci will be so good with the new baby and that they will be so excited. They both talk about the baby in Mama’s tummy, but I don’t know if they really understand it that much. At my last appointment the Dr. asked Colton if the baby was getting squished in there and Colton said “No, he likes it!!” It will be fun to see what this baby boy looks like and it will be fun to watch Colton and Kaci with their new baby brother!

Biker Gang

The other day the kids and I went to visit my Grandma Shurtz and she thought they would have fun riding in the trailer of her riding lawn mower. The kids loved it, I was thought that the noise would make Kaci a little nervous because stuff like that bothers her sometimes, but she thought it was lots of fun. Colton kept calling the lawnmower a motorcycle and he was very excited to ride in the trailer, but he had the most fun when he got to “drive” it.

Here both kids are in the trailer and you cant really tell because of my cell phone camera but they have huge grins on their faces.

Colton getting to drive and being so excited about that. Kaci liked to pretend to drive but when Grandma asked her if she wanted to drive Kaci said “No! All done, Get down!” I think that it probably would have been too loud and scary being in the driver’s seat with the lawn mower turned on, so she just played pretend and would make all of the noises herself.

Watching the kids riding around in this and playing brought back lots of memories for me of when I was younger and Grandma and Grandpa would load us kids up in the trailer with lots of pillows and blankets and drive us up and down the lane. It is crazy how fast time goes and how much things change through the years.