Last hunting season, I was out in the woods with Tim in the wee hours of the morning. I was hunting with a Remington 700 BDL and had seen a deer in the far edge of the woods. We were just walking out to the hunting stand and the gun was loaded, safety on. We dropped some of our gear, peered into the woods and stayed motionless. After a few minutes, we gave up hope and approached the deer stand. Tim climbed up to the hunting stand first and was unzipping the main "door" to get in. I was on the ground and was getting ready to unload the rifle and climb up as well. First, let it be known, the I am an extremely cautious hunter. I don't take it lightly that I am out in the woods, with my loved ones, carrying a dangerous weapon. My gun is always in safe mode until I am absolutely ready to shoot it. My finger isn't even by the trigger until I am absolutely ready to shoot it. Does this contribute to the fact that I don't get many deer?? Maybe, one may say, but I am hunting with my family and maybe in a few years my children and safety is my absolute number one priority.
Anyway, I am on the ground, Tim on the ladder and I am about to unload my gun. So, I point the gun in the opposite direction and point the barrel down. I take the safety off, because I have to in order to unload it and the gun fires out of nowhere. I immediately say "TIM - what the hell just happened??" (actually, I may have used another choice 4 letter word, but you get the point.) I start shaking and say it again, "TIM - what the HELL just happened?!" He replies, "Well, obviously you pulled the trigger." I insist that I didn't, over and over, and he finally climbs down and looks at the gun. "You had to pull the trigger." Again, I say I didn't and say my finger wasn't even near the trigger and try to convince him that it wasn't. This proceeds for a bit, I think I start crying, and we eventually make it up into the deer stand. I refuse to load the gun as I think about what just happened. Tim and I talk about it and I try to convince him that I was being safe, that I am ALWAYS safe, and that I don't know what happened. I keep shaking a bit and think about the "What if?" of the situation. What if Tim was right by me? What if he accidentally would have been hit? What if someone else was around?
What if...
What if...
What if?
Yes, I get over it ,but this has been in the back of my mind for awhile. I consider not hunting anymore because of the shock and scare this gave me. But, I enjoy it and just agree to not use this particular rifle again.
Until...
Tim and I are sitting down last night. I am typing up my blog post and he is flipping channels on the TV. I am happily writing about the Packers when Tim says, "Kel - look at this"
There is a story on CNBC about a tragedy that happened to a family out west. They were out riding horses and hunting, enjoying the day together as a family. The mother was going to unload her gun - a Remington 700 series gun - when it accidentally fired and killed her 9 year old son. The father, immersed in grief, vowed to his son to not let this go and to figure out what happened.
So - what happened?
Apparently - there are documented stories and injuries and even deaths about the Remington 700 series gun discharging. This particular story illustrated by CNBC about this family was very compelling and scary and unfortunately hit somewhat close to home. My story was not tragic in its ending, just haunting as I think back to what could have happened especially as I hear about a mother who was trying to be safe and the unthinkable happens. Her son had slid off the horse he was riding and moved to the truck or something without her knowing, and the rest is tragic.
As the Dad dug into it more, he uncovered many stories and many lawsuits about the Remington 700 series guns. He uncovered police squads, sharp shooters, and gun experts who have documented this same issue. These experts have video tapes of these guns misfiring as they have been trying to prove that they may be unsafe. There are gun experts who have studied the guns and testified at trials about these guns. Police units have videos of these guns discharging as they are on assignment. There are stories from the military about the same problem.
The worst thing?
Remington knows. The CNBC investigator spoke with the 98 year old man who designed this gun. He discovered what was causing the rifles to discharge unknowingly about 60 years ago. He alerted Remington about the issue and urged them to change the design. But, they didn't. He urged them at the time to change the triggers on these guns for a fee of $0.055 per gun, but they didn't. He even suggested changing the name of "safety" on these guns because of the trigger failure with the safety, it couldn't really be labeled as a safety. But, they didn't do that either. Now roughly 60 years later after this trigger failure was discovered, the price for Remington to fix one rifle is roughly $75 - $100. A recall would be extremely costly and no one can force Remington to do it unfortunately.
Obviously, there are two sides to the story. You know where I stand on it as this unfortunately happened to me. But, do your own research. The link to the CNBC story is:
"Critical Safety Questions at Remington Arms"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39762676/ns/business-cnbc_tv/
Please spread the word to your friends and family that may own one of these guns. Let them do the research and decide on their own. I know many hunters and feel obligated to share this as I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something should happen and I didn't tell people.
Tim did some research as he owns 3 of these types of guns and discovered it would cost about $200 to buy a trigger on his own and replace just one. I am hoping to do some research on the class action lawsuit against Remington to see what that is about. I also found out that in 2002 Remington reluctantly decided to remodify some of the older models of these guns for a fee of $20. I will look into that as well.
Scary, scary, scary. Especially because they know! The CNBC investigator uncovered documents of Remington running tests on these rifles and they actually had this same problem happen. Anyway, please share and think about it. Even if you are fond of Remington and think this is a bunch of bunk, at least be more careful when using one. I told Tim that he would not be using one of these around me or the kids until they are fixed. I also told him that he is an old man and can decide on his own if he wants to still use it without the fix, but he shouldn't plan on us being around him. :-)
If you want more information - there is a lot of information about this on the web. Or, feel free to shoot me an email as I will be compiling some data too.
Once again - forward this or the link to anyone that hunts or owns rifles. It is definitely better to be safe than sorry when guns are concerned.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Go Pack Go!
Go Pack Go!!!
What a great game! I cannot believe and never would have thought a few weeks ago that we would be going to the Superbowl! I cannot say that we played the best game, but we won. That is all that matters!
What a great game! I cannot believe and never would have thought a few weeks ago that we would be going to the Superbowl! I cannot say that we played the best game, but we won. That is all that matters!
We had the neighbors over for a small party. We had some yummy dips & popcorn and the adults watched the game as the kids ran around, colored, and sometimes cheered when we cheered. All-in-all a great game. Afterwards, we snacked on Packer cupcakes & ice cream. Then... I took Sage for a walk. I needed to get out and exercise, so I bundled up and took the eager dog for a walk.
The rest of the weekend was spent bumming around the house. I cleaned & decluttered. Tim did the same. The kids were having fun helping/getting in the way and playing with toys that haven't been out for awhile. We did a toy swap of sorts and got out their play kitchen and Little People Toys. We put away Emma's Barbie Castle and some of Evan's toy tools.
I had a work Christmas party on Friday night, so Tim and I had a night away for a little while. Our daycare provider gives each family a night of baby-sitting for Christmas, so we took advantage and got away. The kids were so excited for her to come over and to show her all their new Christmas toys. They went to Burger King first to play in their playland with her daughter Breezy and then all came here to play and watch our movie on Netflix "How to Train a Dragon." (good movie, by the way). By the time we made it home after our night out, the kids were sleeping and a good time was had by all.
Good news for Tim and I, our children have started sleeping in later! Emma now gets up around 7am and Evan sleeps in at least until 6:30, but sometimes goes as late as 7:30. This means a much happier (and more patient) Mommy & Daddy :-) Many times in the morning, Tim has to wake them up in the morning before daycare, which I really don't like, but that is the way it goes I guess.
This week will be a busy week. We have swimming lessons, errands, a stop at a sporting goods shop to buy some Packer paraphernalia, and the previous years blog book! I start school a week from Tuesday and I have a few more things I want to get done before that starts.
Here are a few pics of the kids taken this week after their hair cuts. Evan was badly in need of a trim and Emma wanted her hair a bit shorter. She ended up with shoulder length hair that is so cute and makes her look so big! These were taken right after a bath, so they are not the best shots of her hair, but still pretty cute!
Everyone have a great week!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Life as usual
It is nice to have life back to normal. I work 4 days a week, usually 1 from home. The kids are in daycare, Tim is at work. No stressful shopping, no hurried trips to the mall, no late night wrapping or big holiday feasts. I like it. (No, I am not a downer on holidays, it just feels good to be routine again.)
The kids are great... albeit full of energy. I am not sure if it is due to the cold, the deep snow, or what, but they are bouncing of the walls lately as they are unable to play outside a lot. They have been climbing through the windows in their little playhouse, running from room to room chasing each other, wrestling, and just being goofy. Fun goofy for the most part, sometimes rough-house goofy, which I don't enjoy. I really like that they are playing together more and when they laugh, they laugh hard and it is contagious. They enjoy playing Cars together, playdough, and chase. Chase will include either pushing Evan's tractors & trucks around the house -or- chasing each other riding on their little ride-on toys or Evan's new trike. Sometimes they color or do homework, but that activity has lately resulted in fighting due to similar wants of crayons or coloring books. Just little kid stuff, nothing serious, but draining sometimes nonetheless.
Emma loves playing dolls lately, either Baby Alive or PollyPockets/Barbies/Littlest Pet Shop. Emma has discovered some of her old baby doll toys, such as a swing, stroller, and diaper bag, so many times she is pushing Baby Alive around in the stroller or tucking her into bed in the swing. One day, I was the Nana and she was marrying Evan's large Buzz Lightyear Doll. That was a fun one! When we play with the other dolls, I always play the Mommy Doll and sometimes the evil Mommy Doll and she always plays the little girl who is kidnapped by the evil Mommy Doll. Fun times! I love the way her imagination is developing and the interest she has in roll play... except the whole evil Mommy bit. Where did she get that one? Too many Disney Movies maybe??
Evan usually plays Cars at night or wants to play his Thomas the Train computer game. Now, mind you, him playing Thomas is not physically him playing. Either he sits on my or Tim's lap or squished next to Emma on the chair so he can watch. I prefer playing real Thomas with him, so we try to build a train track once a week as well. He is definitely mimicking our behavior as of late and has told Emma at times "You Naughty Emma. You time out!" or telling her to do something and then doing a countdown until she does it. My favorite phrase?? "You whiny Emma." Lovely.
Both kids have been enjoying helping us in the kitchen lately. Evan, every night it seems, wants a salad, so he will help me wash and tear the lettuce leaves. Every so often we let Emma pick out a meal and she will always pick pancakes. So, she helps me mix the mix and even flip them in the frying pan.
Both kids are in swimming lessons now. Emma is doing really well with swimming lessons. She is in level one and really hoping to pass and get to level two next time. I am not so sure about that as it is much tougher to pass classes in the new place we go, versus the Y, and she actually needs to be able to swim on her own to pass. She is close and will go a few feet on her own, but not quite enough yet to pass. But, she loves it and I love how they really force the kids to swim and try. Every night at lessons they dump buckets of water over the kids heads and I really like that. I am not a fan of the classes that try to shield kids from getting faces wet -- kind of defeats the purpose in my mind. Evan is in waterbabies, which is okay. The hard thing is that he is in a class with babies that are maybe 6-9 months old and up to his age. So, they don't really do much with the kids. We sing songs, he gets to jump in off the side (which he has no fear about) and then use a noodle and play with water toys. He likes it as he gets to be in the water, but I wish there was a class between Waterbabies and Level 1 (which Emma is in). Not yet.
My job is going well. I am now about 4 months in as a project manager and so far am really enjoying it. I like the guys I work with and we all have fun. Stressful at times, but fun. Tim is happy to be adding responsibility to his plate and has hopes of really growing his team, so he has some exciting possibilities coming up.
All-in-all, life is good. We were up at the cabin this past weekend for a long weekend as Tim and I both had off on Monday. We had a fun Packer Party (what an AWESOME game!!) went ice fishing and took the kids snowmobiling. I really have to get a picture of the kids in their snowmobiling attire as they look like little bobbleheads with their big helmets. Evan loves wearing his helmet as he still feels as though he is Buzz Lightyear! We went for about a 25 miles, with a fun stop in the middle for supper at a local restaurant. The kids really thought that was exciting and I love sharing with them some of the things I enjoyed when I was a kid. The rest of the weekend was really lazy, which is always nice about the cabin. I took naps, worked out, watched TV, and didn't do much. Tim was the same. That's why the cabin is awesome; we both say that the worries of the week seem to melt away on the drive up and the world is more quiet up there.
As for New Years Resolutions and all that jazz, nothing much. I hope to keep in shape, keep working out, and relax more. I hope to find a good balance of work/school/family and keep my patience. I hope to excel at my job and be a good Mom & Wife. Tim and I are hoping to take a trip either big (London) or small (cabin) to spend some quiet time together. And - I cannot wait to meet the newest little members of the extended family with baby boy and baby girl Kellogg due in March. I am in one of those times where someone should pinch me as all is well. I sit back and look at the health and happiness of my whole family and feel incredibly blessed and lucky. Here's to a wonderful New Year, full of opportunity, blessings, and happiness.
The kids are great... albeit full of energy. I am not sure if it is due to the cold, the deep snow, or what, but they are bouncing of the walls lately as they are unable to play outside a lot. They have been climbing through the windows in their little playhouse, running from room to room chasing each other, wrestling, and just being goofy. Fun goofy for the most part, sometimes rough-house goofy, which I don't enjoy. I really like that they are playing together more and when they laugh, they laugh hard and it is contagious. They enjoy playing Cars together, playdough, and chase. Chase will include either pushing Evan's tractors & trucks around the house -or- chasing each other riding on their little ride-on toys or Evan's new trike. Sometimes they color or do homework, but that activity has lately resulted in fighting due to similar wants of crayons or coloring books. Just little kid stuff, nothing serious, but draining sometimes nonetheless.
Emma loves playing dolls lately, either Baby Alive or PollyPockets/Barbies/Littlest Pet Shop. Emma has discovered some of her old baby doll toys, such as a swing, stroller, and diaper bag, so many times she is pushing Baby Alive around in the stroller or tucking her into bed in the swing. One day, I was the Nana and she was marrying Evan's large Buzz Lightyear Doll. That was a fun one! When we play with the other dolls, I always play the Mommy Doll and sometimes the evil Mommy Doll and she always plays the little girl who is kidnapped by the evil Mommy Doll. Fun times! I love the way her imagination is developing and the interest she has in roll play... except the whole evil Mommy bit. Where did she get that one? Too many Disney Movies maybe??
Evan usually plays Cars at night or wants to play his Thomas the Train computer game. Now, mind you, him playing Thomas is not physically him playing. Either he sits on my or Tim's lap or squished next to Emma on the chair so he can watch. I prefer playing real Thomas with him, so we try to build a train track once a week as well. He is definitely mimicking our behavior as of late and has told Emma at times "You Naughty Emma. You time out!" or telling her to do something and then doing a countdown until she does it. My favorite phrase?? "You whiny Emma." Lovely.
Both kids have been enjoying helping us in the kitchen lately. Evan, every night it seems, wants a salad, so he will help me wash and tear the lettuce leaves. Every so often we let Emma pick out a meal and she will always pick pancakes. So, she helps me mix the mix and even flip them in the frying pan.
Both kids are in swimming lessons now. Emma is doing really well with swimming lessons. She is in level one and really hoping to pass and get to level two next time. I am not so sure about that as it is much tougher to pass classes in the new place we go, versus the Y, and she actually needs to be able to swim on her own to pass. She is close and will go a few feet on her own, but not quite enough yet to pass. But, she loves it and I love how they really force the kids to swim and try. Every night at lessons they dump buckets of water over the kids heads and I really like that. I am not a fan of the classes that try to shield kids from getting faces wet -- kind of defeats the purpose in my mind. Evan is in waterbabies, which is okay. The hard thing is that he is in a class with babies that are maybe 6-9 months old and up to his age. So, they don't really do much with the kids. We sing songs, he gets to jump in off the side (which he has no fear about) and then use a noodle and play with water toys. He likes it as he gets to be in the water, but I wish there was a class between Waterbabies and Level 1 (which Emma is in). Not yet.
My job is going well. I am now about 4 months in as a project manager and so far am really enjoying it. I like the guys I work with and we all have fun. Stressful at times, but fun. Tim is happy to be adding responsibility to his plate and has hopes of really growing his team, so he has some exciting possibilities coming up.
All-in-all, life is good. We were up at the cabin this past weekend for a long weekend as Tim and I both had off on Monday. We had a fun Packer Party (what an AWESOME game!!) went ice fishing and took the kids snowmobiling. I really have to get a picture of the kids in their snowmobiling attire as they look like little bobbleheads with their big helmets. Evan loves wearing his helmet as he still feels as though he is Buzz Lightyear! We went for about a 25 miles, with a fun stop in the middle for supper at a local restaurant. The kids really thought that was exciting and I love sharing with them some of the things I enjoyed when I was a kid. The rest of the weekend was really lazy, which is always nice about the cabin. I took naps, worked out, watched TV, and didn't do much. Tim was the same. That's why the cabin is awesome; we both say that the worries of the week seem to melt away on the drive up and the world is more quiet up there.
As for New Years Resolutions and all that jazz, nothing much. I hope to keep in shape, keep working out, and relax more. I hope to find a good balance of work/school/family and keep my patience. I hope to excel at my job and be a good Mom & Wife. Tim and I are hoping to take a trip either big (London) or small (cabin) to spend some quiet time together. And - I cannot wait to meet the newest little members of the extended family with baby boy and baby girl Kellogg due in March. I am in one of those times where someone should pinch me as all is well. I sit back and look at the health and happiness of my whole family and feel incredibly blessed and lucky. Here's to a wonderful New Year, full of opportunity, blessings, and happiness.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A Warrior!
I am a warrior:
www.warriordash.com/register2011_minnesota.php
Wish me luck. A gruelling 3 mile course with 11 obstacles (including fire, sandhills, warrior climbing walls, and muddy mayhem) that a group of friends and I will be doing in July. Sounds like fun, right? I hope so! If interested in signing up - send me a note and I will get you our wave time.
This week has been good. It is nice to be back in our schedule after the holidays. The kids are still enjoying and playing with their toys, which is nice. But, they are still wild and crazy :-) That won't be changing anytime soon. They now have a new hideout that they constantly play in together. It is between the couches, right next to the side table and no, not a lot of room for two boisterous children to play. At least once an hour, one of them starts crying because one accidentally kicked the other, one hit the table, one lost a toy, or something. This prompts the lecture from me or Tim, "guys, we told you that is not a good place to play. We don't like you playing there, you tend to end up crying." But, every night on the way home from daycare they look at each other and giggle and Emma says, "Should play in our secret hideout?" and Evan always replies "Shore Emma. Dat Fun Emma!" Too cute, but I always know the outcome.
Emma is continuing to learn and do her homework. She enjoys learning letters and sounding out words as we try and prepare her for kindergarten. Her favorite things now are playing with her "Flairies" which are the fairy dolls in the most recent Barbie Movie, "A Fashion Fairy Tale". She can play with those three dolls for a very long time and most often brings them to daycare with her as well. We are still trying to work with her on listening and respect however. She struggles at times to pick up her toys and to not come back with a whiny statement, but we are trying. I had to have the conversation with her tonight about why her Daddy and I are trying to teach her to be nice, why it is important before she gets to school and why she needs to listen and respect others. Wish me luck. Overall, she is doing good and learning a lot, but I still think we have a few behaviors to work on before kindergarten comes.
Evan... well, is Evan. He is trying to assert his independence as of late also and has been receiving time outs for not listening as well. Of course Emma loves it when Evan is in time out and vice-versa, so it just fuels the fire of sorts when they are naughty. It is cute when Evan is being punished too, as he looks all defiant when we are saying no and he is pushing back. However, the minute we say "time out" his face crumples and falls and he starts crying. Plus, in the time out chair, he looks totally in despair that he has to sit out for 2 minutes. It is hard to discipline him at times as I can easily laugh at his reactions. He is talking in sentences more and trying to understand a bit more of the world around him, so that is cool. He still loves his Cars and has to wear Cars clothes, jammies, cover up in his Cars blanket, etc. Most of the time though, he can be found following around Emma and trying to do what she does.
Work is good for me. Continually busy. Same for Tim. He is now receiving more responsibility and working for a new boss, so he is happy with the change.
Our puppy Sage is back after being gone for 5 weeks at hunting/obedience training and we are happy to have her here! She is really enjoying the snow and I am enjoying the winter walks we take her on! She is a whopping 65# (at least) and still growing, but still a puppy at heart. Tim laughs at our "lap dog" as many times when we are petting her, she will circle around and try to lay on my lap; just like she did when we picked her out of the litter! There is something soothing about having her around and petting her at night so I can destress and relax, so it is a nice thing to have her home.
I leave you all with a "GO PACKERS!!!"
www.warriordash.com/register2011_minnesota.php
Wish me luck. A gruelling 3 mile course with 11 obstacles (including fire, sandhills, warrior climbing walls, and muddy mayhem) that a group of friends and I will be doing in July. Sounds like fun, right? I hope so! If interested in signing up - send me a note and I will get you our wave time.
This week has been good. It is nice to be back in our schedule after the holidays. The kids are still enjoying and playing with their toys, which is nice. But, they are still wild and crazy :-) That won't be changing anytime soon. They now have a new hideout that they constantly play in together. It is between the couches, right next to the side table and no, not a lot of room for two boisterous children to play. At least once an hour, one of them starts crying because one accidentally kicked the other, one hit the table, one lost a toy, or something. This prompts the lecture from me or Tim, "guys, we told you that is not a good place to play. We don't like you playing there, you tend to end up crying." But, every night on the way home from daycare they look at each other and giggle and Emma says, "Should play in our secret hideout?" and Evan always replies "Shore Emma. Dat Fun Emma!" Too cute, but I always know the outcome.
Emma is continuing to learn and do her homework. She enjoys learning letters and sounding out words as we try and prepare her for kindergarten. Her favorite things now are playing with her "Flairies" which are the fairy dolls in the most recent Barbie Movie, "A Fashion Fairy Tale". She can play with those three dolls for a very long time and most often brings them to daycare with her as well. We are still trying to work with her on listening and respect however. She struggles at times to pick up her toys and to not come back with a whiny statement, but we are trying. I had to have the conversation with her tonight about why her Daddy and I are trying to teach her to be nice, why it is important before she gets to school and why she needs to listen and respect others. Wish me luck. Overall, she is doing good and learning a lot, but I still think we have a few behaviors to work on before kindergarten comes.
Evan... well, is Evan. He is trying to assert his independence as of late also and has been receiving time outs for not listening as well. Of course Emma loves it when Evan is in time out and vice-versa, so it just fuels the fire of sorts when they are naughty. It is cute when Evan is being punished too, as he looks all defiant when we are saying no and he is pushing back. However, the minute we say "time out" his face crumples and falls and he starts crying. Plus, in the time out chair, he looks totally in despair that he has to sit out for 2 minutes. It is hard to discipline him at times as I can easily laugh at his reactions. He is talking in sentences more and trying to understand a bit more of the world around him, so that is cool. He still loves his Cars and has to wear Cars clothes, jammies, cover up in his Cars blanket, etc. Most of the time though, he can be found following around Emma and trying to do what she does.
Work is good for me. Continually busy. Same for Tim. He is now receiving more responsibility and working for a new boss, so he is happy with the change.
Our puppy Sage is back after being gone for 5 weeks at hunting/obedience training and we are happy to have her here! She is really enjoying the snow and I am enjoying the winter walks we take her on! She is a whopping 65# (at least) and still growing, but still a puppy at heart. Tim laughs at our "lap dog" as many times when we are petting her, she will circle around and try to lay on my lap; just like she did when we picked her out of the litter! There is something soothing about having her around and petting her at night so I can destress and relax, so it is a nice thing to have her home.
I leave you all with a "GO PACKERS!!!"
Saturday, January 8, 2011
10 things they don't tell you about having little boys...
I never had a brother. The closest thing I had was my cousin Joel, which was pretty awesome really because he hung out around the farm, gave me 4 wheeler rides, played games, and then he would go home. So, when I found out that I was having a little boy, I was a bit nervous. I didn't know how to play with a boy. I never played cars or trucks and did anything like that. So, here is hopefully a helpful tool for those that may be having a boy and don't know what to expect.
1) They are rough and tough and never stop. Evan is the toughest little kid I know. He can seriously bump his head on something, hard enough to where I am expecting a big scream and cry, and when he does that, he looks up at me, shakes his head back and forth, and then goes back to playing. Sure, he may want the owie to be kissed at times, but that is more for Mommy's benefit than his I am sure.
2) Cars & trucks are their things. Yes, he does play with Barbies. However, the barbies are usually riding around in his cars/trucks/tractors while he is pushing them back and forth or smashing them into things.
3) Train tracks are the best. Evan love Thomas the Train. He loves putting the track together and then demolishing it. Little boys will feverishly work to link one track to the next (not in any specific order or arrangement) and then rip it apart. I will spend an hour putting the damn thing together and little boy will play with it for 5 minutes with a train/car/lawnmower/anything with wheels really and then smash it apart. Yes, it is incredibly frustrating. But, I have learned not to get too attached to my train tracks.
4) Little boys don't take time to do things the safe way or the way Mom prefers. He doesn't use stepstools to stand up to the sink and wash his hands. He stands on his tiptoes on the toilet that is somewhat near the sink and then stretch out as far as he can to wash his hands. Or, little boys will turn over the waste basket and use that instead. Foolish Mom needs to realize that stepstools are for sissys. Also, why bother to wait for Mom or Dad to come and get you when you wake up from a nap?? I can crawl out by myself now and while I don't do it that often, it was fun to surprise Mom and Dad that one morning when I ran into their bedroom before they could come and get me.
5) Little boys love to torture their older siblings. Play barbies, you say?? Sure, as long as I get your favorite one and you don't mind if I pull out their hairbow and rip off their shoes and clothes. Oh, you don't want to play Barbies now?? Okay, I will read a story. Just as long as you don't mind that I use my scary dragon voice and roar every once in a while. And if you don't give into me or give me my way, I will take a swinging hit at you or even bite you at times. Little boys always want to get their way.
6) Little boys are physical when they play in every sense of the word. A favorite game may include running back and forth in the kitchen and dining area pushing a tractor and sliding at the end so I don't hit the cupboards or fall down the stairs. (Yes, I can do this for about an half hour straight) Playing cars isn't so much pushing them around on the little play mat as smashing them into each other and into Mommy or Daddy. Playing the piano is mashing the keys with my little pudgy fingers and yelling along, but thinking that I am singing.
7) Little boys really think farting is funny. Especially when they discover that at times they can make themselves fart. I was changing little boys diaper tonight and he made himself fart like 4 times and he thought it was the funniest thing in the whole wide world. Yeah, just try to keep a stoic, serious face when your little boy does that.
8) Little boys are very, very stubborn. If I had a nickel for every time I heard "No, I do it" I would be a rich women. Today I was trying to change a different diaper and he resisted by pressing his little knees together so I could not get the diaper up through a very important area of coverage for a little boy. Then, he insisted on rocking back and forth to make it more difficult. This time, I was not laughing.
9) Little boys really love their Mommy's a LOT. They love to smash their little noses up to Mommy's noses and smile or laugh or whisper silly songs. They love to give kisses and have Mommy's kiss each little finger if they are cold or an owie or scrape. Little boys love to rock and cuddle at times, but... not that often so savor it when it happens.
10) Little boys have a special hold on their Mommy's hearts and are so incredibly special it hurts sometimes. They know just the way to smile so you cannot help but smile back, even if they are being naughty. My little boy likes to plop backwards onto my lap and then lean into me and read a story or watch a favorite show. My little boy can be so intuitive at times that when I am sad or hurting or frustrated, he will raise his little arms up for a hug or kiss or cock his head at me and say, "Mama Sad?" in such a voice it makes my heart melt and my eyes well up.
So - for anyone that may have a little boy or is expecting a little boy or may want a little boy - good luck. I am here to tell you that it is a different experience than having a girl. Get used to farting, dragon roars, and rough-housing. But look forward to the special bond you will form and the heart-tugging moments and the "please, always let me remember this" times. The years fly by way too fast.
1) They are rough and tough and never stop. Evan is the toughest little kid I know. He can seriously bump his head on something, hard enough to where I am expecting a big scream and cry, and when he does that, he looks up at me, shakes his head back and forth, and then goes back to playing. Sure, he may want the owie to be kissed at times, but that is more for Mommy's benefit than his I am sure.
2) Cars & trucks are their things. Yes, he does play with Barbies. However, the barbies are usually riding around in his cars/trucks/tractors while he is pushing them back and forth or smashing them into things.
3) Train tracks are the best. Evan love Thomas the Train. He loves putting the track together and then demolishing it. Little boys will feverishly work to link one track to the next (not in any specific order or arrangement) and then rip it apart. I will spend an hour putting the damn thing together and little boy will play with it for 5 minutes with a train/car/lawnmower/anything with wheels really and then smash it apart. Yes, it is incredibly frustrating. But, I have learned not to get too attached to my train tracks.
4) Little boys don't take time to do things the safe way or the way Mom prefers. He doesn't use stepstools to stand up to the sink and wash his hands. He stands on his tiptoes on the toilet that is somewhat near the sink and then stretch out as far as he can to wash his hands. Or, little boys will turn over the waste basket and use that instead. Foolish Mom needs to realize that stepstools are for sissys. Also, why bother to wait for Mom or Dad to come and get you when you wake up from a nap?? I can crawl out by myself now and while I don't do it that often, it was fun to surprise Mom and Dad that one morning when I ran into their bedroom before they could come and get me.
5) Little boys love to torture their older siblings. Play barbies, you say?? Sure, as long as I get your favorite one and you don't mind if I pull out their hairbow and rip off their shoes and clothes. Oh, you don't want to play Barbies now?? Okay, I will read a story. Just as long as you don't mind that I use my scary dragon voice and roar every once in a while. And if you don't give into me or give me my way, I will take a swinging hit at you or even bite you at times. Little boys always want to get their way.
6) Little boys are physical when they play in every sense of the word. A favorite game may include running back and forth in the kitchen and dining area pushing a tractor and sliding at the end so I don't hit the cupboards or fall down the stairs. (Yes, I can do this for about an half hour straight) Playing cars isn't so much pushing them around on the little play mat as smashing them into each other and into Mommy or Daddy. Playing the piano is mashing the keys with my little pudgy fingers and yelling along, but thinking that I am singing.
7) Little boys really think farting is funny. Especially when they discover that at times they can make themselves fart. I was changing little boys diaper tonight and he made himself fart like 4 times and he thought it was the funniest thing in the whole wide world. Yeah, just try to keep a stoic, serious face when your little boy does that.
8) Little boys are very, very stubborn. If I had a nickel for every time I heard "No, I do it" I would be a rich women. Today I was trying to change a different diaper and he resisted by pressing his little knees together so I could not get the diaper up through a very important area of coverage for a little boy. Then, he insisted on rocking back and forth to make it more difficult. This time, I was not laughing.
9) Little boys really love their Mommy's a LOT. They love to smash their little noses up to Mommy's noses and smile or laugh or whisper silly songs. They love to give kisses and have Mommy's kiss each little finger if they are cold or an owie or scrape. Little boys love to rock and cuddle at times, but... not that often so savor it when it happens.
10) Little boys have a special hold on their Mommy's hearts and are so incredibly special it hurts sometimes. They know just the way to smile so you cannot help but smile back, even if they are being naughty. My little boy likes to plop backwards onto my lap and then lean into me and read a story or watch a favorite show. My little boy can be so intuitive at times that when I am sad or hurting or frustrated, he will raise his little arms up for a hug or kiss or cock his head at me and say, "Mama Sad?" in such a voice it makes my heart melt and my eyes well up.
So - for anyone that may have a little boy or is expecting a little boy or may want a little boy - good luck. I am here to tell you that it is a different experience than having a girl. Get used to farting, dragon roars, and rough-housing. But look forward to the special bond you will form and the heart-tugging moments and the "please, always let me remember this" times. The years fly by way too fast.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Christmas 2010 Memories
The holiday recount...
(getting ready to go outside. I do have a nice picture of Kristen getting bundled up, but she glared at me when I took and threatened me not to post it!)
Happy kids outside.
Evan's trike loaded up with Cars in the little trunk.
A shot of the grandkids.
Christmas Eve! By this time, the kids were still incredibly excited for the holidays! They had their daycare party the day prior and of course, I was talking up the next few days to them to help build excitement! So, this morning, the Kellogg's came over for a home style breakfast of french toast, breakfast sausage, and yummy chocolate croissants for the Mama's! This was a special treat for the kiddo's itself, but then throw in the holiday crafts, the outside time, and the Christmas anticipate and they were bouncing off the walls. The kids made holiday reindeer crafts out of their little hands and feet (I totally stole this idea from friend Molly. LOVED it when I saw it on her blog!) colored holiday pages that Kristen printed out for them, and played/danced/sang.
Then - time to release some of that energy and get them outside!! So, we bundled up 4 little kids (and pregnant with twins sister - haha!) and got them outside. It was a beautiful day to be out and the kids had fun tubing down the hill. Unfortunately my little guy isn't so good at trudging through the heavy snow we have now. Sometimes he needs a little boost up the hill. They all enjoyed tubing and playing in the little tunnel that Tim dug out for them. See the new blog header for the pics of that! Then - the snowboard came out! Emma is bound and determined to learn how to snowboard, so we have a little kid one that they could stand on and try. After some practice all the kids made it down the hill! Well, all but Evan. He did slide down on his little butt a little bit. After that, I was motivated to get my snowboard out a bit too and take it down the hill! So fun - I miss it! So, I think I am going to sign Emma up for snowboarding lessons so I can get out on the hill also!
(getting ready to go outside. I do have a nice picture of Kristen getting bundled up, but she glared at me when I took and threatened me not to post it!)
Happy kids outside.
After our adventures outside, we made a Mexican Fiesta feast, got the kiddos down for nap and relaxed a bit. It was nice for a short time as when they woke up - more Christmas party!! The kids and I went over to the Kellogg's house and the kids opened up the presents they bought for each other. Evan loved it, but didn't understand why he couldn't open up all the presents. He definitely LOVED the Cars sets he received and Emma enjoyed her Littlest Pet Shop play set. Then, back to our house where other family came over and a fancy meal of steak/potatoes/pecan pie/wine was enjoyed!!
(I love this picture as it shows how happy Evan was to be in the picture!)
But, of course, all smiles playing with his Cars pit crew set. I love how he lines up the spare tires next to the ones on the car. Then, he takes a little pit car and "puts" them on.
And Emma with her littlest pet shop stuff.
Then, the kids put on Christmas jams, laid out Christmas cookies, milk, carrots, and celery for Santa and reindeer. All night, we had been tracking Santa on the Santa reindeer and they were excited to see that he was getting closer! They luckily went to bed well and slept well too!
Evan was the first awake at 6:30 am. He easily came into our bed to enjoy some Handy Manny on TV and to await his sister's excited footsteps. She burst into the room at 7am and wanted to head downstairs right away! "Santa camed!!" He really camed!" I rushed down first to get there with my video camera! As previously mentioned, they immediately saw the presents that were unwrapped and tore into their "own special" wrapping paper. In the end, the big presents for Emma were her precious Baby Alive (who she just decided tonight to call Kate) a little kids camera, and dress up clothes. Evan loves his Cars trike, his Thomas the Train set, and all the Cars toys he received. all the excitement was infectious and carried through the day as we ate Monkey Bread, opened and played with toys, and got the kids down for an early nap to get them ready for their next Christmas party!
Evan's trike loaded up with Cars in the little trunk. Emma and Baby Alive. She loves this doll - even when it "peed" on her.
After the Santa adventure was the Heuer Christmas in Hudson where we dined on prime rib and opened more presents. Emma loved the pillow pet and Evan, once again, enjoyed more Cars and trucks! Seriously, that kid is such a boy!! He instantly starts pushing them around and crashing them into things.
After the Heuer Christmas was the Brunner Christmas at my parents. So much excitement and good food! We got there Saturday night and were able to relax a bit there before more family and more presents. Emma was pretty distraught when she got there as Santa did not leave any presents under the tree! Unfortunately Santa was too busy and couldn't do all of his stops in one night for some reason, so Emma was excited to wake up on Sunday morning to see that Santa came again!! Ahh - the innocence of a 4 year old - gotta love it! Before more family came, Evan enjoyed an early nap and Dad, Tim, Emma and I went snowmobiling! It was nice to be out on the trails and enjoy all the snow!
A shot of the grandkids.
Then - more presents! Again! Yup, my kids loving endured 4 days of Christmas and presents. This, duh!, lead to my previous post "All Christmas's Out!" Christmas was fabulous! The whole time was great and full of wonderful memories, which, I don't think were captured so well here unfortunately. The kid's energy was infectious and I know I have to treasure the few years of the wide-eyed innocence that Christmas holds for children. I just sent in Emma's kindergarten enrollment form and I know that once she gets in school, things will change. She is already wise behind her years (sigh) and I know school will only make it worse :-) Evan lovingly does everything his big sister does and it makes this even more fun. They love each other so much!
Thankfully New Years Eve was a 5 day event with just Tim, Emma, Evan, and myself at the cabin. We got to relax and enjoy each other. We played with new toys, watched new movies, at great food again, and went ice fishing. Hopefully, more on that later.
First - Evan's new favorite phrase "Hey Look Guys!" Or "Wait guys!" or anything with "guys". Hilarious.
Last - I got an A- in my last class!! YEA! Definitely cause for celebration.
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