Living through my son

Forever

2010-10-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been forever since I posted last and I should now rename my blog to Living through my son AND daughter but I'm not going to and I'm going to try to post more often.
How time flies....it really is crazy that Kells has started kindergarten and is turning 6 in less than 4 weeks. 6 already!?! Are you kidding me? Six whole years have passed since I was rubbing my belly and talking quietly to the little being inside of me. Pushing his butt down out of my lungs and reprimanding him for cutting off my air supply. Six years since all I had was my imagination in wondering what he would look like and 6 years since I had the complete meltdown and nervousness that only comes to expectant mothers. How can this be?!?
And on to Deirdre. She's already 16 months old!! Where did that whole year go? She's walking, "talking" all the time and has started going pee in the potty already. How did all of this happen? When did I grow up enough to have kids and who gave them permission to just grow like they do?
I tell Kells all the time that he just needs to stop growing and his response is "I just can't do that mom." But WHY!??!

chicka chicka woo woo

2009-09-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Kells loves to sing to his sister. He also loves to scream sharply into her face because it makes her jump and sometimes she laughs and sometimes she cries. When she laughs, Kells laughs. When she cries Kells starts repeating "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" over and over again very quickly. For the most part he is just trying to play with his little sister the best he can. Afterall, she just lays there. He can't wrestle with her. He can run with her but he has found what he can do with her. He can sing. Deirdre has found her voice and nowadays my house is filled with this......
Chicka-chicka-woo-woo in a very high pitched voice....silence.......Very high pitched squeal courtesy of my half banshee daughter. And so their song goes. I will try to get a video of it so you can see. It really is adorable. It would be even more adorable if I had ear plugs. :)

Kellsisms

2009-09-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I've posted on here because I have facebook and everyone who reads this also reads facebook so it's kind of redundant but I'll catch up the best I can anyway. Kells is doing awesome as a big brother. We got a puppy as well and that's not going so great with him but we'll get past it. He just doesn't understand that kicking the dog is not okay and so we have to correct that behavior. As for his being a big brother...amazing! He sings to her and tickles her and makes her laugh and then he pokes her in the eye. Whoops! Guess we have to work on that too.
He is growing so much as a person though. Lately he has started saying the greatest things ever. He asked me what killer whales ate the other night and when I got to penguins he stopped me and told me they can't eat penguins because the feathers would tickle their mouth. I love this kiddo so much. On to photos though because they are way better than anything I type. And there are tons of them too.
Grandma Vicki made him a robot costume.

Grandma Vicki with the kiddos

He tuckered himself out when we went to a football game

A little lovin for the mama

Oh yeah! that's some good pb&j

Deirdre Caj is here

2009-06-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Kells is a new big brother. Well, he's about 3 weeks into it but he is the big brother none the less. And he's a great big brother. He is constantly trying to carry her across the room (with strict parental guidance) and he always wants to help feed her (for about 3 seconds until he realizes he actually has to hold the bottle) and he is sure to let everyone know that his little sister is Deirdre Caj. Yes, he adds the middle name, always.
When he was first introduced to her I was surprised at how unenthusiastic he was. Then I realized that of course he wasn't interested because his cousins CJ & Levi were there. His Grandpa John, Grandma Jackie, Nana, Fish, Aimee G, Jodie, Frankie & Owen were also in the room. So, he went outside and played and paid very little attention to the new baby in the room. His second meeting was also pretty anticlimatic. He walked in, asked where she was and that was it. He still does that. His first question is always "Where's Deirdre?" Once he knows, he carries on with whatever he was doing or going to be doing.

I love this kid

2009-05-12T09:31:00.001-07:00

I know I say this a lot but he just amazes me on an hourly basis. He and Luke stayed home yesterday and when I got home he had to show me that they had done some drawings together. While Dad's helicopter was a sight to be seen, Kells' family portrait will be around for a VERY LONG time!

From left to right, An alien of course, Mom and Deirdre in utero, Kells and Dad. I love that he included his sister. He's gonna be such a great big brother.

Goodnight Kells

2009-04-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Bedtime is always fun when you have a 4 year old. For all of my 3 readers, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Bathtime, pjs, brush teeth, snuggle, get into bed, read a story and then remind the kids 50 gazillion times that it is in fact bed time when they come out to tell you "Mom, I have to tell you something."
The other night I was talking with my sister (Hi Amber!) on the phone and Kells came in no less that 3 times during the 12 minute conversation we had. The final time he came in Amber and I said our good-byes. Kells said his standard "Mom, I have to tell you something." So I, of course, responded with "Yes Kells?" okay, so it was more like "Kells it's BEDTIME and you need to get there right now." So he said "Mom I love you and you're the best." Okay, so how do I actually keep my angry/exasperated and at my last nerve composure to something like that?? I managed somehow and said "thank you Kells, now go to bed." But wait! there was more.
"Mom, I want to say goodnight to Deirdre." He then proceeds to lift up my shirt and kisses my belly and says "Good night Deirdre. I love you and you're the best." Ahhhhhh, I know hearts are melting right now. As he's hopping off the bed I hear in a high pitched fairy voice "Goodnight Kells, I love you" followed by a Kells voice saying "Deirdre said good night to me."

An actual phone conversation

2009-04-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Usually Kells' phone conversations go a little like this "Hi. What are you doing? Bye!" and that's it. He's not big on talking on the phone. Well, he wasn't until yesterday when we called Aunt Amber. He took the phone and immediately asked what Levi (his cousin) was doing. Next thing I hear is a somewhat strange conversation between, what can only be, the two small children. This goes on for a little while and then I recognize English again and realize he is now talking to Aunt Amber again.
Kells: What are you doing?
I forgot to put sunblock on today and my finger got burned and now the skin is peeling off my finger.......no, just one finger.
And then I had a scary dream. There was a silly monster who licked my ear.
Aunt Amber was quite amused and we giggled about it between the two of us and then I shared that just that morning while trying to wake Kells up for the day he rolled over and said "Why are you marrying the clown?" to me.

He's so great

2009-03-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

For those that I didn't hastily text message on Friday when we got home, Kells walked into the house and said "Mama, you're the best mama ever." Yep! He melts my heart on a pretty constant basis.

Food policeman

2009-03-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Kells went to my last OB appointment and at that appointment I was very disappointed to find out I had gained 8lbs in 2 weeks. Seriously!!? Well, my doctor grabbed my leg and said "there's 5lbs of it right there" and proceeded to put me on a salt restriction. Fast forward to 3 days ago. Luke made dinner (thank you very much honey!) and it was great. He made steak stir-fry. Half-way through the meal (in which I had no rice because I'm also on carb restriction due to gestational diabetes) Luke made the comment "It's a little salty." It was a teeny bit salty but no big deal. He hadn't used salt, he had used fish sauce (which of course has salt in it), but he made me dinner and I was going to eat it.....until he said that. Because once he said that Kells dropped his fork and turned to me with huge eyes and said "You can't have salt!" He then continued to stare at me with an open mouth until I shoved my plate away. I'm just hoping my doctor doesn't give me anymore restrictions at my appointment today because Kells will be there and I'm sure my son will keep me on the straight and narrow if he knows about what I am and am not suppose to be ingesting.

Buck me off

2009-02-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

I was going through old files today and came across this little video that made me crack up all by myself in my office. Then, of course, I started to tear up and want to cry because my little guy is not even close to this little guy. And never will be again....... Booooohooooooo!!!! My baby is growing up so fast.

New home for the Fergusons

2009-02-25T08:32:00.001-08:00

We moved! Yep, we did. We have relocated to the country and we couldn't be happier. Finding a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in the country, on three acres and a couple pastures and some horses (they belong to the landlords) and a front yard, back yard, deck, a kennel and dog house has been the most wonderful thing for us. Kells loves going outside and running around and I love the fact that I don't have to worry about some meth heads coming and snatching him away. For those who didn't know, our previous residence was not exactly in a wonderful neighborhood. We're still working on decorating Kells room and Deirdre's room is currently Luke's office but it is fabulous!! I don't have any pictures from the outside just yet because since we're in the country we are forced to leave the house at around 6am and don't get home until around 6ish so it's dark but this weekend I will be snapping some pics and I can share then. For now, here is our new home (part of it) from the inside.
The living room

The entry way

The hallway

Dining room

Kitchen

and Kells and Luke snuggling down for a little light reading before bedtime! In our NEW HOME!!

Zoo Lights with Sister

2009-02-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Kells has a very strong bond with one my football teammates. Her name is Jeana although she goes by Fish. To Kells, she is Sister. She always has been and probably always will be. I'm not sure where it came from but I'm okay with it. Sister took him to the zoo last month and they went and checked out Zoo Lights. I have yet to see it but Kells loved it. Kells loves the zoo anyway but when you add Sister and the lights he's in heaven. I text once to find out how he was doing and at that point he had eaten an elephant ear, cotton candy and had hot chocolate and apple juice.

I think he likes elephant ears

But let's start from the beginning. Going into the zoo is a bronze or brass or some metal sculpture goat with a baby goat on it's back. This is a classic photo op for any parents or sisters as it were.

Next comes the eagle's nest. There are beautiful bald eagles at the zoo and Kells found out their arms are a lot longer than his.

Of course there are climbing opportunities along the way that must be taken advantage of. I'm so glad Sister was there to keep him propped up.

Must not forget the bears. Lots and lots of bears. Kells is so little next to the bears.

Oh! A horse ride!

I love that he was mesmerized by this picture.

Who knew you could fly on top of hippopotami!

Another climbing opportunity

Finish off the trip with a train ride and you've got a 4 year old little boy who was asleep in the car in less than 5 minutes from leaving the parking lot. He had such a wonderful day!

Watch this Deirdre!

2009-02-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

I have been a little worried about how Kells would react to having a little sister instead of a brother since we found out. I don't think I have to worry. I think he's going to be an amazing big brother. He already loves her and can't wait to play with her. Almost daily he asks when she will be here and when she's kicking he insists she is trying to get out. I can't wait until he starts to try to teach her new things. The other night he was being Super Kells and jumping off the bed with his Superman cape on. He kept saying "Ahhhhh! I'm drowning Mom!" I guess he decided I wasn't paying proper attention to the severity of the situation so he said "Watch this Deirdre!!" and promptly jumped off the bed and "drowned again".
Deirdre already loves her big brother too. He put his head to my belly the other night and she proceeded to nudge his cheek every 5 seconds or so. Kells' eyes lit up and he kept gasping and laughing and saying "She's kicking me!!" She seems to respond to his voice the most and will instantly become active when he talks to her. He tries to "see" her through my bellybutton as well. Kells gets to go see the next ultrasound with me this week and I'm very excited for him to be able to actually see her. Especially because it will be a 3D ultrasound so he may be able to see features too.
I am a very lucky mother!

2009-02-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

Here are the rules:
Once you are tagged, your task is to go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures. Go to the 6th Folder, and pick the 6th picture in that folder. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.Tag 6 other people that you know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

My sister Amber tagged me for this and I thought, what the heck. Of course, I don't own a camera so the picture would be old but this turned out to be one my favorite pictures of Kells. And no, I did not cheat! This really was my 6th folder and the 6th picture.
This picture is Kells getting ready for his parent's wedding. He was 7 months old and looked just stunning!

I'm fairly certain there are only 3 people who actually read this so I tag Ricki and Angela and Amber already did it so that's all I got.

Snow day

2009-01-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Wow! Two posts in one day....within an hour of each other. This is probably never happen again.
So the reason for this post is because I came across some pictures that I had taken the week of Christmas and completely forgot about. During that week, we got snow. And though it wasn't like an Alaskan winter, it was about a foot and that's a lot for Vancouver.
On the first day of the "arctic blast" (the news actually named the cold snap this) my entire office shut down. I went to work anyway. And since I didn't figure I would be there too long, I decided to bring Kells along with me. He ran up and down the halls for a bit. Raced the rolling chairs, running them into walls, took pieces of paper and magnets and played "Backugan" in the hallways (now THAT was fun to watch) and then got bored with being inside so insisted on going outside. Thankfully, all of the trucks were parked in the back parking lot and the gates were locked so Kells had an entire parking lot of fresh snow all to himself. He made good use of it and spent the majority of the day running in and out of the office to give me updates on the size of snowballs he was making.
I love this kid!

Santa didn't listen

2009-01-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

I do apologize for the time between posts. I don't have a lot of new pictures but I do have some news. Kells got his popgun for Christmas and was over the moon for it. He plays with it at least once a day for a total of 1 minute. So, not too bad. A couple weeks after Christmas he did mention that Santa didn't bring him a puppy or skateboard though so he was a little bothered by that. One thing that Santa did not listen to him on was the little sister though. He was adamant he did not want a little sister but guess what?! A little sister it is. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive about telling him this. This is pretty much how the conversation went.

Mom: "Kells, we went to the doctor today and found out that you are going to have a little sister."
Kells: "I want a little brother."
Mom: "I know you do, but the doctor looked and it's a girl so you're getting a little sister."
Kells: "I want to see pictures."

and that was it. I showed him the pictures, including the one that showed no penis and he was satisfied. Now he asks on a daily basis "When is the baby going to be here?" When asked what his little sister's name is he promptly says "Deirdre Caj" He says it perfectly and includes the middle name every time. I think he'll be a very good big brother and even though he's not getting a little brother, he's gonna love the baby.
Deirdre Caj, due May 27th 2008

Santa Claus

2008-12-03T11:38:00.001-08:00

Christmas is fast approaching and this year Kells decided that he did indeed want to see Santa Claus. So, we got lucky when we were shopping at Cabela's. Santa took some time out of his hunting schedule to find out children's wishes.
Kells was so great. He waited in line so patiently with his hands crossed watching as each child went up ahead of him. When he got to the front of the line the camera battery went dead so the kids on Santa's lap were there for forever and Kells finally turned around and asked, "is it my turn yet?" Aha! The camera was fixed.
Kells sprinted into Santa's lap and when asked what he wanted for Christmas promptly responded with "A PopGun!" No, it wasn't a Red Rider BB gun with a compass and a stock but it was a gun none the less. When Santa prodded some more, Kells could not for the life of him think of anything else he wanted. This is despite the fact that my child will want EVERY SINGLE toy from commercials on the Cartoon Network. It is quite comical for the first couple commercials but becomes very old after the fifteenth time of hearing "I wanna get that." in awe as if this plastic and metal foot breaker is the best thing EVER invented.
After many suggestive questions from Santa Kells decided he did want a puppy and a skateboard and most definitely did not want a baby sister.

He made it!

2008-11-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

He turned 4 last week. Yep, he's now in the in between phase of not quite toddler and not quite kid. I think he's actually made the jump to kid but I like to think he's still got a bit of toddler in him since I for sure can't say he's a baby anymore.
We had a small party for him and did some kite flying, present opening, cake eating then off to the zoo we went where we met up with some of his friends from daycare and his daycare ladies. They love him so much there was no way they weren't going to be there.
I'm pretty sure his favorite present was this

Score one for mom and dad! We once again got him the really cool present. Last year it was his Seahawky uniform.
He immediately decided that Dad's rear end made a good target.

He decided this year for his birthday he wanted a fighting cake. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what it was he wanted and this is what I came up with. A pseudo UFC octagon cage complete with little fighters and gummy bear spectators

I was pretty proud of my imagination on this one.
After filling up on cake we went to the zoo and Kells ran amuck with 6 other kids and had a blast. He got to see the alligators and was very pleased because last time we were there that exhibit was closed. I think his favorite part was watching the black bears eating pumpkins though.

He really liked the salmon life cycle too. He was mesmerized by that.

All in all it was a really great day and Kells was asleep in the car 5 minutes after leaving the zoo. Turning 4 just wore him out!

Just another little gem

2008-10-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last night while driving home from daycare I was eating some red licorice. I gave Kells one piece and it was only going to be one because we hadn't eaten dinner yet when from the back seat I hear:

Kells: "Mom, you know what my tummy is saying?"
Me: "What's that Kells?"
Kells' tummy (in a super deep growly voice): "I want some more licorice"

and what could I do but give it to him because it wasn't really Kells asking, it was coming straight from his inner workings.

Almost 4

2008-10-14T16:02:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Kells is going to be 4 in less than 2 weeks. It's just outrageous how fast they grow up. Not to mention it seems like a huge injustice on Father Time's part. Before I know it he's going to be a teenager and I'm going to want to kill him on an hourly basis and then he's going to graduate high school and I'm going to want to hold him closer than I do even now and keep him safe from the big world. Maybe I'm jumping ahead of myself though. It's just a scary thought. I don't care about me getting older, it's the fear of missing something in this blink of an eye that is his childhood. I guess the best way to not let it slip away is to keep reminding myself of all the great things he does.
The other day he got stung by a bee. When I asked him what happened he told me very seriously "Mom, the bee was flying in front of my face so I squished it, and it didn't give me any honey." (You know, because bees give honey!) The nerve of that bee!!
He went to the pumpkin patch with his daycare last week and I asked him how his day went. He was very excited to tell me all about the "HUGE hay castle" that went up and down and had tunnels and Oh my!!
Then:
Kells: "I rode on a tractor Mom!"
Mom: "did you go on a hay ride?"
Kells: "No a tractor ride!"
Mom: "Did you sit on hay bales?"
Kells: "There were no bells Mom" (as if that was the most ridiculous thing to say in the world.)
Most days I just look at him and wonder how I could have produced such an amazing little human being. I love this kid!

Big Brother

2008-09-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

We found out last week that Kells is going to be a big brother. Luke & I are very excited about it but Kells is just eh! When asked if he wants a little brother or sister he is very adamant about having a little brother. Having a little sister isn't even an option as far as he is concerned. So, yesterday, I asked him what he wants his little brother to be named, if he has a little brother. He automatically comes out with Charlo. ???? Yeah, me too. I asked him where that name came from and he said it was a super hero. So I asked him if he wanted his little brother to be a super hero and he amended his answer to Jacob. Hmmm? Not sure where he got that from but this is a name I am not opposed to.
Shhhhh! Don't tell Kells but mom and dad are kind of hoping for a little sister.

Hard work

2008-09-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

I'm one proud mama lately. Well, I'm a proud mama all the time but especially lately. I'm from the country and can relate better to "hard work" being getting dirty and sweaty rather than sitting here at my computer and shuffling paperwork. Yep! I said it, I don't work hard! My son on the other hand, he gets it and does it. Every evening when we get home from my "hard day of work" (eyes rolling here) Kells promptly changes out of his tennis shoes and puts on his snow boots,(not really sure what that's about but it's his show so I don't question), and goes out back to where we have a nice little patch of dirt. It's about 4x4 in the back yard where grass refuses to grow so it's the sand box. Anyway..... About an hour after Kells runs outside he will come in and show me his hands proudly proclaiming "I've been working hard Mom! Look at how dirty my hands are." To him, it's serious business this "working" in the dirt. He will stomp around the yard looking for his shovel so he can dig out a hole and do his hard work. It's priceless. Now, I'm not saying I want my son to be a dirt mover but if that's what he loves to do then well, I guess he's getting a head start on the work place competition huh?
He does have other interests though. He buckled his belt the other day, put on Luke's work shirt, swam in Luke's shoes and tromped down the hall
Kells: "Mom, I'm going to work."
Mom: "Oh yeah! What do you do there?"
Kells: "Work"
Mom: "Well I know, but what do you do for work?"
Kells: "Shoot people."

and this is when it became apparent that perhaps he needs to be educated on the fact that Daddy hauls around people's money and keeps it secure and even though he carries a gun we all hope he NEVER has to use it.

The wagon is trying to get my toes

2008-09-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Kells has such a vivid imagination and on most evenings can be heard in his room performing an entire production of ANYTHING with his cars, blocks, and even pillows. My favorite moments are when he wakes up though. He dreams! And it is so amazing to listen to him tell about his dreams. Granted, he doesn't go into deep detail but the idea that such a young child has dreams and can recite at least some of them back is just astounding to me.
When he was only 2 1/2 and barely talking I walked into his room to wake him up one morning and he started shouting, "No! No!" Of course I got a little freaked out that he might be having a nightmare but when I woke him up I asked if he was alright and with this amazed look he said, "The wagon is trying to get my toes!" The wagon is trying to get my toes? No idea what the rest of the dream consisted of but he was convinced there was a wagon after his toes.
Another time, about a year later, he woke up several times in the night crying. Finally I brought him in to bed with me because really moms, it's something you gotta do if you want to get any sleep at all, right? In the morning I asked him what he was so scared of and he got very serious and announced, "There were purple spiders in my room." Not just regular old big nasty hairy spiders. Oh no! There were PURPLE spiders in his room that were freaking him out a bit.
I think this morning was the best dream story yet though! I woke him up and he was not happy with me at all. He shot up, looked at me very sternly and said, "Mom! I was building a castle in here." As he said here he pointed to his temple. I said, "Building a castle?" He said "Yes! But in HERE!" pointing again. Then he adamantly said, "Shut the light off, I'm building my castle" and rolled over and went back to sleep. That, my friends, is MY child!!

It's the little things

2008-08-29T09:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning Kells woke up before I was quite ready to. He came in and snuggled up with me. The alarm went off and I reluctantly got out of bed to shut it off and snuggled back in for the next 9 minutes until I would have to do it again. After I got into bed, Kells snuggled up next to me, stroked my cheek and said, "Mom, let's not get up. Let's just lay here."

Fair time

2008-08-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

We went to the fair a couple weeks ago when Grandma Vicki was visiting. Kells had a BLAST! First we watched the police dog demonstration and while that was kinda cool, Kells couldn't wait to get out of there and go see something else. He did give me a chance to take some pictures with the police officers and their dogs. They gave out little playing cards too.

Then it was off to pony rides. This is the first time he had ridden a pony and he loved it. He was a real "cowboy"!

While on the way out of the fair they had a climbing wall and jump elastics. I want to say bungee but they weren't dropping kids off bridges or anything. So, he decided he wanted to do that. Let me tell you, was terrified and fairly certain that he would get up to the top, open his eyes really wide and decide it was too scary and want down. I couldn't have been more wrong! He jump and went sky high and LOVED every minute of it. He started shouting "I'm spiderman" and curled up his hands and started shooting spiderwebs at all the people walking by. I know I should be proud but it just punctuates that he is getting big.

I do apologize for the small pictures. Cell phone pics just don't do the experience justice.

Okay Okay

2008-08-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been neglectful. I didn't realize it had been so long since I had been over here and then my sister mentioned she was putting a link to my blog on her blog so I guess I'd better get on it.
It's been roughly 9 months since the last post. Kells is potty trained and has been since about 2 weeks before that last post. He had a great 3rd birthday with tons of people showing up. (who knew a 3 year old had so many pals)

And lots and lots of fun too

and then.................
Christmas came and went and of course my camera quit working about a week before that lovely event so no pictures. We had fun at grandma's and all got together for a big family brunch before heading home.

and then...................
I became a football player and Kells thought it was the coolest thing in the WORLD!! He now walks up to young girls and ask them if they play football and get cross eyed looks back. He doesn't understand why and I love that fact.

Recently Luke and I have begun wondering about how to get him to understand "stranger danger" because he will say hello to anyone. Last weekend I played in a softball tournament and Kells mosied up to some gals and started up a conversation. Here is our conversation:

Me: "Hey Kells, do you know those girls' names?"
Kells: "Yes!"
Me: "Well, what are their names then?"
Kells: "Srangers"

so he kinda gets it but hasn't gotten the concept of not talking to them. We'll work on that.

Just the kiddo

2007-10-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

He's so active and has such a great imagination. If he wears a hat, boots or overalls he's automatically a farmer. The other night he was SuperKells farmer boy. Running all over the house with his "cape" (a pillow case) and his hat. He loves to "fight" and wrestle around. In fact, he will walk up to just about anyone, his size or not, and ask very politely with his fists up "Wanna fight with me?" It's too darn cute.
He's almost three. I just can't quite believe that. Where has the time gone. We're still working on potty training. He knows where he is suppose to go but just doesn't do it all the time. Last night he walked up to me and promptly told me "There's poop in my butt." He hadn't gone in his diaper. He hadn't gone at all. He was just informing me. Well, at least he knows where it comes from.
So, without further ado, no more blathering. On with the pictures.

He got bucked off his horse (pillow)

Something made him happy

Chillin with Ricki at the Coney Island place

See the damage that can happen when he's fighting. Poor dad.

The beach

2007-09-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

We went off to the beach this weekend. Kells was all about the water. He loved it so much. Even when his little lips were blue. He just ran right in. Got swept up a couple times and just had a blast. This is definitely my kid. A nice guy on the beach tried to teach him how to fly a kite. He wasn't getting it. He just kept walking forward. LOL
Katy and him had a ball just being kids at the beach. So, pictures.

And the kite

Checking out the surf.

He's such a great dad and watcher of children.

Kells got cold and I forgot to bring the actual jacket part. At least we got the sleeves.

We went to Astoria and climbed the Astoria Column. Kells practically ran up the 164 steps.

And he and dad loved the view from the top.

It was a great family day. We had a blast and he fell dead into his bed that night. And also slept until like 9 the next day. Yeah!!

Forever

2007-08-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

So it's been forever. I'm here now okay? Summer has been busy and I'm ashamed to say I haven't really gotten many pictures but I will do my best to post the ones I have. We've gone to weddings, had a great Memorial Day and then just random stuff.
Kells is huge now. I noticed last night that he is one long bean pole. He loves his cars and pretty much all of his toys and will often be found in the morning in bed with at least a dozen or so of them. He got new glasses because he turned his old ones into a knot. Hopefully he won't be able to do that with the news ones and his newest saying is "Betaws I want to." (Because) He speaks pretty clearly for the most part. It's just those little things every once in awhile. When he runs through the sprinkler he will say "I got soaped" I haven't figured out if he's saying he wants soap to clean himself or if he is saying, I'm soaked. Either way, it's cute.
So, without further ado, pictures.
My little cowboy at a wedding. His glasses have already been mangled at this point, hence the scrinched up nose to keep them on.

He stole the wooden chair from one of the older gentlemen at the wedding. How rude is my kid?

Daddy was a big help in getting his shoes back on his feet. Not exactly sure how they came off.

He enjoyed sitting with Nana around the campfire for Memorial Day weekend.

Loving the rope swing at Papa Stephen's house over Memorial Day weekend. We were there to memorialize Stephen who passed on April 4th.

He and his cousins went up in the treehouse and Kells is shooting the bad guys from his bunker hole while his lookout looks for trouble from the door.

And a great naked bum shot of he and Katy getting into trouble in his old room. Those two, if one is nake, they both have to be naked.

Update

2007-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

It was pointed out to me that I do not write in here often enough and low and behold when I logged in it was blaringly clear why I was being admonished. It's been almost 3 months and there have been a couple new things going on.
1 is that Kells had to get glasses. Margaret and I were both noticing that he was getting up really close to things and putting his food right in front of his eyes. Off we whisked him to the eye doctor and boy do I love mama intuition. He is severly far sighted and needs glasses. At first I was devastated but then the doctor explained that this is something that can be corrected and he may not have to wear glasses his whole life. Woohoo!! yeah for that. Even knowing that, when it came time to get his glasses I had the worst emotional dilema ever. You see, he is absolutely adorable in glasses but they are so thick it makes it look like he is blind. It's good he is getting assistance with his sight so that he may be able to learn now but it's also sad to think there is something that is wrong with my child. Not in the defective, can I return him way, but in a way that I can't fix with a kiss or a bandaid. So, for now, we fix it by getting him glasses.
I was so worried about the struggle it was going to be to keep them on his head as well. I got a strap and everything to make it more difficult for him to rip them from his face. Turns out, it was unneeded. He loves his glasses!! Loves so passionately that when I was changing him into his pjs last night he threw a fit and screamed that he wanted his glasses. Well, that's good. Margaret wrote today that he hasn't touched them at all and it's as if they have been there all along. He must really like his new view of the world and I breathe a big sigh of relief knowing that my son can see clearly now and enjoys the world he lives in.

I didn't want to get him some wire rimmed ones that are a bit nerdy so this is what we settled on. Blue converse chunky rims. He looks a bit Ralphyish but still styling.
I was a little concerned about his eyelashes hitting the lenses because he does have freakishly long eyelashes but so far so good. I think it's within millimeters though.

And one without the tongue sticking out. I'm not sure what the tongue business was about because he doesn't always do that but for some reason last night that's all he wanted to do.

Dirty laundry

2007-01-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

Kells often likes to run around the house in his spaceship (our laundry basket). He looks a bit alienish to me but that's only my personal opinion. He also found a "portal" of sorts and makes me think I should probably think about giving it up to him all together and buying a new one.

this is where he found the portal

I think he could probably climb out of it if he really wanted to

Zoo fun

2007-01-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

Grandma Vicki came to visit from Hawaii and while she was here we decided to check out the Oregon Zoo. We've lived here for almost 7 months have yet to visit. It was GREAT!!! We had a blast and saw all sorts of great animals. Kells got very excited while in looking at the fish. I didn't get the video of the freak out excitement while there but I did get other video and pictures.

Birds=Fabulous

and just to prove it, the sea lion was Daddy and ALSO bird!

Christmas Wonderful

2007-01-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone. Kells made out like a bandit and I'm still trying to figure out where the heck to put all of his stuff. I've gone through his toys and I am having a hard time deciding what to get rid of and what to keep. Everything seems to have sentimental value or is stuff he still plays with. I'll just have to bite the bullet and take care of it otherwise we will be overfilled toys.
So, Kells was diggin his new pjs. Santa could only find them in a size larger than he wears. He may just wear them next year too.

We've found he loves unwrapping presents. It was hard to keep him away from other's presents. He is a pro now.

He ended up with a couple big toys. The tricycle he had to ride just shortly after seeing it. He didn't even take time to clean up his mouth from candy cane consumption.

Then Nana Betsey showed up and Kells was in heaven. Loving coloring and reading with Nana.

Nature lover

2006-12-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

Kells and I went for a walk on Sunday. It was relaxed and a nice stroll, minus the wind howling 30 miles an hour and an occassional pelting of rain. Overall, it was peaceful and I found my son has a love of nature. So much so that as we were walking he would pass every bush and wave at it and say "Hi tree!" He was oh so polite and when he pulled the twigs he did it ever so gently and then wrapped them in his hand and put them gently in his pockets.
I've been realizing a lot lately what a little gentleman I have. The cashier at the store was so impressed with him the other day because I had him put his juice on the counter and he stood there and waited for me to pay, candy looking him square in the eye and never once did he reach for it or say "I want some." He stood quietly by my side and once I had paid he tucked his apple juice under his arm, walked to the door and turned and waved good-bye to the clerk.
It's so refreshing seeing a well behaved child and it's very rewarding knowing it's your own that is getting the compliments and showing their children how a child should act.

Shipped off

2006-11-30T11:52:00.000-08:00

Luke and I are going on a mini-vacation. Kells was going to stay with his Grandma Betsey but due to the weather and her being frozen on the island, she was unable to come down to visit. Instead I called upon a dear friend of mine to watch over him while we are gone. I was a bit worried he would have a hard time with this because he has not seen my dear friend in about 9 months. Well, turns out I am very easily replaced. He is having so much fun that when I called last night Kim asked him if he wanted to talk to Mommy and he gave a very definitive NO! Well, how do you like that? You carry them, give them life, feed and care for them and that's how you get repaid. Well I NEVER!!
At any rate, he is having a ball and this little montage is what I got sent in my email. Can you guess what it is?

And Kells new temporary Mommy gives him kisses justlike me.

Toddler Eating Bed!! ARGH!!!!

2006-11-25T21:07:00.000-08:00

I think Kells may think his toddler bed morphs into a monsterous bed that is going to saute him up and eat him as a midnight snack. That's the only thing I can logically (now you know I am sleep deprived) as to why he must wake up screaming bloody murder at around 3 am every morning. Well, not every morning, but recently it has been almost every morning. Last night/this morning he woke up and I swear he was posessed. By what? You got me. I haven't a clue but the way he was contorting his body and screaming bloody hell, you'd think there were some demons thrashing about. And I couldn't calm him. Still have no clue what the deal was but after about a half an hour he fell asleep in my arms curled up just nicely. I went to lay him in his bed and BAM!! the demons were back. There's something about that damn toddler bed. He loves it during the day but at night he might as well be screaming "It's GONNA EAT ME!!!"

Boots!

2006-11-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

And I'm not talking that funny little monkey on Dora either. I'm talking Kells' winter boots. We got him lovely Columbia snow boots at Value Village. They are practially brand new with wool popping out the seams, on purpose. Big clunky rubber soles and Kells is in love with them. First thing he does when he wakes up is run around his room yelling Boots!! All day long he walks around pronouncing "My boots." We're working on potty training and today I sat him on the toilet and he wouldn't even wipe his imaginary excrement without wearing his boots. He freaked out until I put them on him. These apparently have magical powers. And occassionally he'll put them on the right feet.

Deeetars and bunJOOOOOS

2006-11-22T17:47:00.000-08:00

Kells got to have a sick day yesterday because dad took off of work to be with him as he hacked up a very precious and small lung. I had to go to work. When I got home my son had learned a new word and was a pickin wonder. I know some day he will be in a rock start band. Well, rock is less likely, blue grass seems to be his rythm of choice. Kells can bump to the beat so amazingly. I didn't figure out how to dance with the music until I was well into my 20's but he seems to have it down and my favorite part of his whole freedom dancing is he will bring one hand up to his stomach and strum it with his other hand. Just like a guitar. It's wonderful to see. Also, he inherited an harmonica from his great grandpa and he will run around the house blowing on it and then clapping his hands saying Yeah!!! He loves music.
Luke has had a banjo that he has never touched since we have been together. It just sits in the corner looking authentic country. Last night it was laying on the floor and Kells was picking it. I asked him what it was and he proudly and loudly says DEEEtar!! Well, that surprised me. I wasn't really expecting him to know the word for it. I assumed, for whatever reason, that Luke hadn't told him the word for it. Well, I guess I assumed because if he had he would have taught him banjo instead of guitar. So I asked Luke if he taught him that word and he said no, he just said it. Well, woohoo!! I pointed at the DEEtar and said "very good!! How bout Banjo?" He looks at me and says buuunJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo. Screams the JO. Runs around the house screaming bunJOOOOOO and DEEEtar. That kid is the best!!!

Bigger and bigger

2006-11-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's been forever but now I'm back for a few anyway. Kells is 2 now and full of piss and vinegar, although right now he's full of Robitussin because he has this nasty cough that, it seems from his reaction, is slicing his throat like papercuts. Drool pouring out of him like someone opened up the floodgates. Poor little guy is really not loving this being sick business and trying to help him last night was heartbreaking. Nothing I could do would help so I just kept hugging him and stroking his little blonde head and rocking him whispering, "relax, it's okay."

He had his two year check up and turns out I malnourish and put weights on the kid because he is only 25lbs 7oz (I swear when I was looking at the scale it said 27lbs 7oz) and is 35 inches tall. It equivocates to the 25th percentile and the 60th percentile. Okay, the height isn't bad but boy did the doctor have all sorts of things to say about what and how I feed him. Did you know that I should cut out fruit in the shapes of things like stars or animals to get him to eat them? Okay, if any mom has that much time or energy to do that, well then give them a medal because they are something special. That or very very organized or anal. I think my neighbor might do something like that and therefore the anal theory is exact.

Kells has started having an obsession with hats. And anything will do. He loves the gift bags for hats and I will often find him walking around with one completely over his face. How he has managed to not run into everything is beyond me. Could it be I have superboy on my hands and he has x-ray vision? If it's not bags it's Luke's cowboy or baseball hats. I'm not complaining except for the fact that whenever I actually want him ot wear a hat it goes on for 30 seconds tops and then is off and on the ground and he wants nothing to do with it. Go figure.

I've started painting again and Kells likes to join me. The first attempt he just wanted to drink the paint water. I don't blame him, it was a nice shade of puce green. Yum!! That's the good stuff right there. I know I'm going to have a health nut on my hand. One that drinks those wheat grass smoothies. He'd do it just for the color I'm teling ya. There have been more attempts and he has done just fine. He likes to sit at the table and draw. In fact, I found out he likes to draw so much that while cleaning the kitchen this weekend I discovered his amazing mural on the wall. Good thing it was in pencil.

I was working on this painting and had him put his handprint on it (you can see the little tips of his fingers) and after that he decided it was his painting. I hid it several times and found him scaling the bookshelf trying to get to it. He's one determined little boy. Now it is out of sight, out of mind and he has moved on to other things to worry me about, like climbing onto the counter and trying to play with the stove. He likes helping me cook but doesn't quite understand that he can really hurt himself if he touches a lit burner so we're working on that one.

We have discovered he has a good throwing arm recently. Well, not so much discovered as found out when he threw a flashlight and caught me right under the eye with it. I can't remember the last time I cried like that. It was one of those injuries that didn't even allow for a breath to compose myself. It hit and I bawled. Not just a little tear either but a full on wail. Kells just stared at me. I don't have one of those kids that will cry because they see their mommy crying, I've found. He just looked at me like I had 2 heads. He then of course came over and gave me a big hug when his father explained that it hurt when he threw this hard plastic baton at mommy's face. At least I hope he understood that. He hasn't done it again. Of course, we haven't given him the flashlight back for round 2 either.

And lastly, I just wanted to share this picture of Kells when he was about 7 months old. My how the time has flown. Look, he's wearing a hat and spitting at me. Time has flow but some things never change.

Cousins

2006-08-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Kells and his cousin CJ got together this weekend and I see lots of mischief for them in the future. I was freaking out and so paranoid but you could never tell by how relaxed and carefree they are. It's nice that our children are so fearless but it's still heartstopping.

He will be missed

2006-08-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

I got a call from my mother tonight finding out that my grandfather had passed away last night. He had just celebrated his 76th birthday a couple weeks ago and we went up to visit him. Thank goodness. I am so grateful for that time with him. I wish Kells would have warmed up a bit. We did get some pictures of him with his great grandsons, something he was very happy about. He had an only child and my dad had 4 girls. When his grand daughters started having kids there were 3 girls so he was thinking boys were not in the future for the family. His great grandsons made him smile so much. I will miss him dearly.
Grandpa Dale, you will be missed very much. We love you.

The big move

2006-07-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been forever since I posted but I have a good excuse. I have no camera. That's right, it dies, I buried it in the garbage can under some banana peels and coffee grounds and I never want to see it again. Problem is I don't have a backup one so I haven't really had anything worth posting. But now.....alas, my sister has shown up and taken some pictures of the little guy and so now I have something for you all to look at.
We have moved to our new home in the city and Kells is loving the new place. It has an enormous fenced in yard adn a lot of sun. It also has a gravel driveway that Kells likes to fill his pockets up with. I have found sticks, rock, and even a pretty big boulder that he stuffed into his overalls. Forget that they have pockets, the big pouch is big enough for everything. Today he put a hot wheels downt he front and found it when it fell out of his pants leg. He's an adventurer and has attempted climbing the 5 foot chain link fence and then found a way to open the neighbors gate. It was a great learning experience for the neighbor though because she has a little girl who is only a couple weeks older than Kells. I imagine the gate latch will be moved up out of reach within the week.

He enjoys playing in the yard. He tries to be a stunt rider on his four wheeler, riding it backwards and while standing on it. He also tried out the scooter but he hasn't quite figured out how it works. Although today he did figure out how to work the bell.

He likes to sit on the porch and just check out the neighbors. We do have a questionable person that lives across the street that I'm not sure I want Kells watching at all but all in all he just hangs out.
We went to a farm a couple weeks ago and he decided to climb the corral fence to check out the horses. He thought he was something else getting all the way up there.

So, now you're updated. We have gone to the beach and the park and just explored our new surroundings. Unfortunately, we have no pictures but hopefully that will be remedied before long.

Walk Softly and Carry a Big Stick

2006-05-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

He loves rocks, he loves the outdoors and he loves sticks!!! No walking softly for this boy but he has started wielding his weapon of choice quite well. Now if I can just get him to learn that the sticks are meant for leaning on while walking, not attacking. He's such a boy.

Tough Love

2006-05-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

My family has always been hands on when it comes to playing and loving. We like to wrestle around and hug and toss each other around and get dirty (in the quite literal sense). There are people who can't understand this but it's how we do things. Luke and I set to wrestling in the lawn last weekend and I soon found I have no ally in Kells. Every time I got on top Kells would freak out and run to me and push me over. Every time Luke was on top of me, Kells was jumping on me too. I felt a bit bullied but we had so much fun. Our mother's were appalled. At one point they both told us to stop because it was upsetting Kells only to stop and have Kells come barrelling at me and pushing me down. No one was bruised although my hair got a bit mussed.

Settled in

2006-05-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we got all settled into Nana's house now and Kells is doing great. He loves exploring her garden and the weather has been great to get out quite a bit. My mother came to visit and took him to the Westcott Bay Sculpture Park ( http://www.wbay.org/ ) He loved it. There are so many things to see.
I think he was a little frightened by the alligator.

He thoroughly enjoyed the fox and even petted it. After doing so he looked at my mom and said "Hot!" Apparently the brass had gotten warm from the sun.

So many things to take in. He was interested in every aspect of the sculptures. Not sure what he was looking for here.

This is my favorite and will probably end up framed on my wall. The face seemed to have something very important to tell him.

Saying goodbye

2006-04-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

No pictures this time. Just wanted to mention we are moving. Not towns or anything...yet. But we are moving houses and in the last couple days Kells has been completely crazy. Today it was asked by my mother-in-law if we had talked to Kells about the fact that we're moving and all of a sudden my husband and I feel like complete idiots. Somewhere along the way we forgot that he was a human being who could understand and feel confused and just assumed he was a baby unchanged or unphased by drastic changes in his life. So tonight, when I tuck my child into bed in his new home for the next 6 weeks I will have a talk with him and let him tell me how he is feeling about the whole thing and hope to the land behind the rainbow that I can understand enough to make him feel at ease.

Vacation at home

2006-03-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

We had friends visit us this weekend and it was great seeing the island like a tourist. We went out to the west side of the island and took some family pictures. Very impromptu ones. And it was a gorgeous day. As you can see from the severe squinting going on by Kells and myself.

Kells was having a hard time posing for the camera. We only got one where his face was pointed in the direction of the camera. The rest he was so enthralled with the ocean and the drop off the bluff. We had to hold him the entire time because if we set him down he'd start trying to walk off down the cliff. Little daredevil. Oh, and no, I didn't take the time to shoot that picture. My heart was beating entirely too fast for that.

Lasagna monster

2006-03-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

I missed the pics in the highchair but couldn't resist while in the tub. I probably should have had Luke take some of me trying to rush Kells to the bathtub without touching anything orange or dodging his sauce smeared hands around my white sweater. Needless to say, the sweater is toast but I did get my lasagna monster back to a baby pink color.

Hey Mom, come a little bit closer. Come on, you know you want to do it. This was just seconds before he splashed me. Gotta love the kiddo.

Where can I fit?

2006-03-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

He tries and tries to fit in the oddest places. He recently has found between our bed and the wall especially challenging. He will slide himself down there and just hang out. Then when he tries to get out he gets stuck and just gets mad!! But up until that point he laughs and giggles at us. I wanted to get a pic of his little eyes poking above the mattress but I wasn't quick enough. So I must settle for these.

He was less than amused when he wanted out and I wanted to take a picture.

The corner of the couch....

2006-03-11T23:35:00.000-08:00

Is obviously where I spend all of my time. I seem to melt into the thing and it seems this is where I am always sitting when picture time comes around. Kells was getting ready to get into the bath but we ended up putting the squeeze on him before doing so and while we were having a family squeezefest I asked our roommate to snap a shot of us. Kells was trying to figure out what the heck we were doing

then, after dad zerbered his back he decided it was pretty darn fun snuggling with mom and dad.

In the kitchen part !!!

2006-03-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

Kells is still perching on his countertop as I chop things for dinner. Now in order to get there he positions himself between myself and the counter and instead of hugging my legs he pushes me away from the counter so he can look directly at me while yelling, arms in the air. I am forced to stare at his tonsils until I pick him up or escort him out of my kitchen for rudeness. If I take him down from his perch he must follow me around everywhere and any cupboard that is opened by me must be inspected and EMPTIED after I walk away.

Tonight, he pulled out a baking sheet, threw it on the floor and proceeded to ride it like it was a surf board. He also thought throwing mushrooms and potatoes off the counter was great fun as well. Perhaps he thought he was saving them from the chopping block.

Aquiring tastes

2006-03-11T23:07:00.000-08:00

Kells likes creamsicles. Not because of the nummy citric goodness wrapped around devine vanilla ice cream. Kells likes them because they have a stick to chew on. The stick to him is like the tootsie center in a tootsie pop. He could care less about the actual dessert. In fact, he thought he found a great way to get to that stick faster and that was biting the ice cream.

He now has a hatred toward the icy bitch we call a dreamsicle but it holds in it's core a rare treasure. A piece of wood!!!

Wounded.....morning after

2006-03-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

So his nose looks a lot worse off today than it did yesterday. It still doesn't seem to bother him yet.

He's still got his smile.

Seriously injured

2006-03-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

Kells had his offical first injury today. He fell down a concrete step and decided the only way to stop himself was using his forehead and nose as a brake. After doing so however, he didn't think it was such a hot idea. He only cried for about 30 seconds and then wanted down so he could go show that step who was boss. I'm so proud of my little guy for getting right back at it. I think I've mentioned this before however.
It's just a flesh wound Ma.

Get a load of this!! Chicks dig scars!!

I think I'll try a helmet next time though. Either that or get some landing gear.

Getting into his toys

2006-03-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

When Kells does something he goes all out. He really enjoys playing with his toys and if they are not spread all across the floor his job is not done. When I clean house he automatically goes to his toy box and begins throwing out toys because apparently he doesn't like my organizational skills. Well, this day he decided the only way to thorougly arrange his toys was to really get into the job and make sure not one toy was left out. Or in in this case.

Apparently mission was accomplished cause he was looking pretty darn satisfied with himself by the time he was ready to get out.

I've given up on it and now have decided to look at is as making my living room more colorful.

How does it happen

2006-02-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

How does it happen so quickly? How did Kells go from this

To this

And then here

How does it all happen so fast? Then he's this old and looking so handsome.

It's amazing the progression from that to this

this

and to see all of this personality form

into this smiling happy person

And let's not forget the funny faces

or new experiences and sensations (yummy)

and seeing them grow out of things is so sad

and then comes the attitude

the antics

and new experiences

New tricks like becoming mobile

the emotions they encounter

feeling pride

and amazing happiness

Watching my son go through all of this amazes me. And it's awesome to know that I am one of the reasons for that smile!!

The great times

2006-02-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing the feeling you get when your child hugs you? That warmth that isn't exactly warming but makes you feel all fuzzy inside. Like you swallowed a lightening bug and it just keeps fluttering about in there? I get that feeling when my son snuggles down close to me and if I shift at all he moves even closer. When he lays his forehead against my chin and starts to hum like he is purring. It's such an amazing feeling when all he wants to do is lay on my chest and be near. It doesn't happen often which makes it all the more special and it's a feeling that ends all too quickly. This is one of the many reasons I love being a mom.

More of my stunt kid

2006-02-16T22:40:00.000-08:00

So now I'm thinking he may be a stunt rider or a cowboy. Whatcha think girls?
X-Games?

Or NPRA material? His form is looking pretty good here.

He's even trying it out on real stock. Maybe not livestock but dog, cow, what's the diffrence to an one year old?

Hair DO I look?

2006-02-16T22:37:00.000-08:00

Kells hair has once again gotten out of control so I decided to play with it a bit before I cut it again. I did his hair all cool like Danny Zucko and when he got home from daycare the babysitter had flattened it out. What's that all about? Personally, I thought he was pretty darn styling.

I think he thought so too.

Riding!!

2006-01-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Kells likes to ride. I can just see it. In the future he will be a motorcycle man!! Either that or a dirt bike rider. He likes to take his litte 4 wheeler four bying on Cooper's pillow. He hasn't figured out how to steer yet though so he squeezes his eyes shut and braces for impact whenever he gets close to a wall.

Now his Harley Hippo, as I call it, he has down pat. He can mount that sucker and take off like no one's business. Can you tell he likes this toy?

A little love for mama

2006-01-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

Kells has been snuggling a lot lately and on this particular day I got it on camera. It's like the taming of the wild beast documentary. I should get some kind of reward. Well, Luke should anyway for actually getting the camera fast enough. Anywho, Kells likes to make noise with his mouth and recently he has started trying to make me do it too. He will start waving at my lips, for lack of better description, until I start making a sound so he can make the pfta, pfta, pfta noise with his hand. Does that make sense? Well, here's a pic that I hope kind of describes it.

He loves to make music too. Last week Luke took Kells to his aunts house and his grandmother was there and played the piano. When Kells heard her play apparently he was in total stand still and listen mode. Luke has started to leave the piano open here at home and every once in a while Kells will bless us with a song. His GG (=great grandma on Lukes side) also got him this great xlaphone (sp?).

He's still trying to figure out how to make the music with the rod in his mouth but he'll get it.

Ktichen Helper Part II

2006-01-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

So Kells has made this his ritual while I am cooking. He will walk over to the stove, position himself between my legs and the cupboard, throw his hands in the air and scream. So, of course I pick him up because after the screaming begins the latching on and there is no way to walk when a small human has a hold of both of your legs. Kind of like a human gunny sack he's created.
Anyway, after the picking up he has found himself a new perch on the counter.

He mostly just throws things in the sink and snitches whatever I am chopping just to taste it, wrinkle his nose and then hurl it onto the floor but it's still kind of nice to have the company.

My Mr. Fix It

2006-01-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

Kells has recently shown interest in mechanics. Well, he tried to help our roommate fix his heater anyway. It was great watching him try his darndest to get in there and act like he knew what the heck he was doing. He would have fooled me. In fact, he acted much more professional than a lot of mechanics I have seen in my lifetime.
Okay, let's take a look here. I think this may be the problem.

No, not like that. Why do I pay you at all Man!!??!

If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself.

Hey, I'm all for it. Mechanics make good money and I'll never have to worry about my car breaking down.

Curiosity got the kid all wet

2006-01-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

Kells has become fascinated with the bath tub/shower. He tottled into the bathroom the other morning and attempted to climb into the bath tub. It wasn't a successful attempt because our bath tub is a very high tub. He got stuck. I ran into the bathroom to his wails and find him suspended on the tub like an out of practice and no longer limber ballerina trying to do bar activities. He was not as amused as I was.
Two days ago I started the shower to take one and he decided he would like to get in as well. Well, I thought that's what he was saying as he screamed outside the tub and looked at me while holding the curtain open, letting the water flood my bathroom. I stripped him down and brought him in to find that he decided that was worse than standing outside the tub and continued to shriek in my ear. Setting him down was not an option because the water would splash him in the face, causing him to reach yet another octave I was unaware he was capable of. We suffered through the shower. I didn't get my cleaning done however.
This morning he walked into the bathroom when I was already in the shower and threw back the curtain, looked up at me and began screaming. Oh no! I was not falling for that bit again. I let him holler at me while I washed up. He found some amusement in throwing his rubber ducky onto the floor of the bath tub but then was not so amused when he realized he couldn't play with it anymore. As I'm rinsing my shampoo I hear a thud. I get the soap out of my eyes and see my son, fully clothed, standing on his hands with his body leaning out of the tub. He is trying to get his rubber ducky. He's not screaming, yelling, or crying. He's just in that position like he's trying to figure out how to get out of it. It was great. I, of course, helped him get upright and by the time my shower was done he was pretty well soaked but the screaming had stopped.

Around the bend to Grandpa's house

2006-01-18T23:04:00.000-08:00

Kells enjoyed the walk to Granpa's. He lives a block away which is handy when we want to go visit both on the same day. Kells had so much fun at his great grandpa's house. He figured out how to play the harmonica after great grandpa gave him a brownie (I'm seeing a pattern in eating behavior at great grandparent's house)

Please don't mind the chocolate goo, saving it for later people!!

Did I mention the peanuts Kells also begged off of great grandpa?

Oh yeah, and more harmonica playing

Great grandpa was so much fun. We played pass the hat
Kells' turn

Now great grandpa's turn

you look good in a hat Grandpa

And then they had a nose stealing war
Gotch yer nose

No I got your nose

Who has who's nose?

I guess they decided it was a draw

And both ended up happy

I'm really happy Kells got to spend this time with my grandpa. Grandpa was diagnosed with CPOD last year so it's only a matter of time before he won't get to have this kind of energy. They thoroughly enjoyed each other and I hope they can do it again soon.

Over the river and through the woods

2006-01-18T22:52:00.000-08:00

To Grandmother's house we went. Eating like a horse was Kells way and no sleigh needed because it only rained. Perhaps we could have used water skis. Anywho, Kells had a great time with his Great grandmother and she fed him so much food. I have never seen the kid shovel it in so fast and with such vigor. Can't say I blame him. I do the same thing when at Grandma's. She made my favorite cake which meant of course I had to eat almost the entire thing and then broke out my favorite cookies. How can someone you love so much be so evil? Needless to say, Mommy is on a diet now. This was worse than the holidays.
Kells gorged himself on some wonderful, hmmmm, what was this dish? He liked it whatever it was.

I found he thinks his great grandma is a pretty special lady. Something I've always known of course.

Apparently her lap is a pretty darn good place to be.

It tickled my innards so much to see Kells playing on the organ I use to bang on as a kid. I still remember crawling around the foot keys. That's how he started out his adventure. Then great grandma put him on the bench. He's a regular Mozart.

Dad had fun at Grandma's house too.

It was great getting to spend the time there and it was especially nice for Kells to get to know what a wonderful lady my grandma is.

Demon Child

2006-01-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

Refusing to go to sleep demon child o mine!!!

See Mom!!! I'm not tired!!!!! HeeeeHeeeeeHeeeeeeee (as he laughs hysterically because he is so overtired he may as well be hopped up on caffeine)

Favorite Chair

2006-01-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

Kells is beginning to bother me. The place he loves best in the house is this uncomfortable green plastic lawn chair. (Yes it's in the house)

He loves climbing on the thing

And he loves to sit here and watch our room mate play vidoe games. This is worrying me some except he just lounges back in the thing and hangs out with the guys, which is pretty cute.

Sometimes he will watch the games though. Thank goodness it's only the racing games so far.

This is like his magical spot. Even when it betrays him. The other night he was standing up on it and the next thing I hear is a muffled Thwump!! I look over and his face is buried in the carpet, the chair toppled over backward. I sit and watch and wait for the wail but surprisingly he turns his head and starts looking about like he is trying to figure out why his chair broke. He gets up. Walks over to me. Looks at his chair and I go and set it upright and up in it again he goes. He loves the chair.

Bedtime??What's bedtime?

2006-01-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

Kells has been going through a schedule transformation the last couple days and I don't know that I'm up for it. Isn't it the children that are suppose to need routine and if they don't have it it can seriously mess with them? Well, I'm finding that I am the one needing routine and him changing this on me is becoming difficult. Who said being a parent was easy though, eh?
Kells normal bedtime routine is as follows.
6:45 pm bathtime
7:00 pm pj's and kisses
7:10 pm sippy cup and crib
7:15 pm a little grumbling then out like a light
Like clockwork this works. Until last night. Last night he got his bath and was all smiles while running around in his birthday suit while dad looked for his pjs. All smiles when I gave him a kiss and waved as I said night night. Okay, the wave is a definite I'm going to sleep because no other reason to wave if he's going to see me in a 20 minutes because instead of going to sleep he screams and screams. So I go and get him. Up out of the crib, into my bed with me where we lay down and try to snuggle him to sleep. Nothing doing, he wants to play. All smiles, giggles and once againg the klweuindujoiananding to me. A little mouth instrument. You know the blllleeelelelelell with his mouth where he makes a noise and then brushes his fingers over his mouth? Well, that.
So, he has won his way downstairs with his insistance at not sleeping. He plays with his cars. Plays in my lap. Makes his way over to the computer and tries completely erasing my harddrive with just a few strategically placed mouse clicks. Back into the living room with his toys where we play race cars. Next he's in the other room up on a chair watching Matt, our roommate, playing video games and then all over the dog and then back into the living room where he throws himself on the floor and starts rubbing his eyes. Sure sign he is ready for bed. Up we go to the crib.
And 20 minutes later down we come again. The screaming demon has won. Again!! So we go back and do this all over again. But this time he throws in some extra and pukes on me. Okay, so his tummy hurts but he isn't acting like anything is wrong until I put him in his crib. Before that he is laughing and giggling and glullluelkadanbalaking and just fine. And after that he is as well. I can't figure it out but he cheeks are red and his tummy is hard. Finally, I give him some peppermint tea and he goes to sleep with minimal fussing.
2 hour bedtime routine? Not sure if I'm up for this.

3 am Wake up Call

2006-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Who in their right mind wakes up at 3 am to just hang out and buzz around the house? No adult that I know, unless they work the graveyard shift and that is their normal sleep and awake routine. But if that is the case then they wouldn't be actually waking up at 3 am. The reason I ask is because Kells seems to have an internal clock that says he has to wake up around 3 am every morning. Sometimes it's 2:45, sometimes 3:00 or like yesterday morning it was 3:17 by my clock. 3:17 am!!!! That's right folks, the roosters are no where near to crowing and my eyes are no where near ready to open. Let alone my body falling out of bed and lumbering around the house in my nightgown while a child is looking at me and gluabablieksliekneoijklsaing to me. The real problem I have with this whole situation is he is just as chipper as can be while rubbing his eyes and yawning so you KNOW this child of mine doesn't really need to be awake at this hour. I think perhaps he likes seeing this monster of a face of mine at this ungodly hour when only ghouls can possibly be out. Whatever the reason, this lack of sleep is killing me. God I love being a MOM!!!

Christmas Came and Went

2005-12-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic Christmas this year and though Kells didn't get all jazzed up about opening presents, he did enjoy playing with them. The toys he loved the most belonged to his cousin CJ. It didn't matter what was in front of him he had to have CJ's toys. It's like CJ's hands left a scent on the darn things too because those were the only ones he was interested in. Luke was trying to get Kells to open one of his presents and Kells just kept turning around and making a b line for CJ's hot wheels. He did find one of his toys tasty however.

Kells was such a great kid all weekend long. He snuggled with Uncle Chad

put up with being smooched constantly from everyone, including Aunt Cala

Just barely though

and even tried to do some smooching of his own.

All in all it was a great weekend with great friends and family.

Christmas Parties

2005-12-20T23:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had the annual Fireman's Christmas party. It was held in a local business of a couple of the firefighters and it was fun. Not raging good time but good clean fun. After the first Christmas party of the season, which was my company party with lots of food, alcohol and as the night wore on the whispers of who was going to get the dildo for the white elephant present, we decided that it would be best to put Kells in his pajamas for this one. With him being in his pajamas the wake up factor when we got home would be less. Well, the plan was good, the results were even better. Kells didn't sleep at all. He charmed, wooed, entertained, and was just an all around joy for everyone there. He flirted with a 4 year old little girl named Lucy who was wearing a red velvet dress with faux fur on the hem. So adorable. If he's gonna go for older women at least he has taste. He stole legos from a cute 7 year old boy who was a push-over and thank goodness because my baby is just 14 months after all. The elder women swooned and the younger gals giggled. He was the life of the party. During the gift exchange he showed his sensitive side by dangling a gift bag from his arm and walking around to each person in the circle. Kells inspected every gift unwrapped and tried really hard to walk away with a fabulous baroque clock and plate for mommy. Afterward he played like a little gentleman with the present that Nana had won. It was a toy mini motorcycle. He only screamed once and it was for about 2 seconds after I told him no he couldn't dig in the garbage can. Then he toddled back into the circle and mingled once again. At the end of the night women were telling me how wonderful a baby he is and that he is a very lucky boy to have parents that raise him so well. It's so nice to hear that when every day all you wonder is how bad you are going to screw up this perfect little being.

How I lived without digital!!! I have no idea

2005-12-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

So I got the pictures back from Santa Clause trauma and OMG, the quality is terrible even after the scanning. So, bear with me and this weekend hopefully I'll get some more of him freaking out with mall Santa. I am an evil mother.
Oh the HORROR!!!!

Big Bearded Men

2005-12-18T23:27:00.000-08:00

So I found today that Kells has a major trust factor with big bearded men. In this case he happened to be wearing a velvety red suit with fuzzy white stuff everywhere (which in most cases kids are extremely attracted to) but Kells was not into it at all. In fact, he was so not into it that he screamed bloody murder when we got within 5 feet of the man. The man I am talking about is of course, Santa Clause. We do have pictures, however, because I loaned my digital camera to my boss and have yet to retrieve it I have to use the ancient method of developing actual film so that could take a couple days. Rest assured, I will show off the tonsils of my son while he clings with steel grip to his father's shoulder. It really was quite amusing, however I did give Kells the standard comfort needed to appease him. That and the candy cane didn't hurt either.

What does my Birthday Mean

2005-12-16T23:17:00.000-08:00

Your Birthdate: September 6

You tend to be a the rock in relationships - people depend on you.Thoughtful and caring, you often put others needs first.You aren't content to help those you know... you want to give to the world.An idealist, you strive for positive change and dream about how much better things could be.
Your strength: Your intuition
Your weakness: You put yourself last
Your power color: Rose
Your power symbol: Cloud
Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Daredevil? Maybe. No Jackasses!!

2005-12-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

I have noticed a pattern in Kells behavior. He believes he can throw himself from anything and be caught. The couch, the stairs, the bed, his high chair. He doesn't particularly care. And that's normal, which makes me feel good but it's still hard to understand. After his bout with the stairs you would think he would show some caution but I think I have an adrenaline junkie on my hands. I'm already concocting prevention programs for Jackass like qualities in my child. I mean, I'm all for adventure but if he decides it would be fun to hang over a crocodile pond with raw chicken hanging out of a jock strap then Mama is gonna step in no matter what his age. Anyway, last night he crawled up to the top of the couch and spread his arms out and laughed. It wasn't quite an evil laugh but it did have a Gaston-like (from Beauty & the Beast) quality to it. Once he had our attention he let out a banshee squeal and hurls himself face first off the couch. My roommate, who is closer, reaches out and catches him head first. Kells flips over head comes up eyes shining and there is that huge grin again. I'm sure I have a skydiver in the making.

Perspective is everything

2005-12-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

If you have a small child you may have noticed that they are often owl-like creatures with the way they turn their heads almost completely around just to get a better look. Apparently it doesn't occur to humans until much older, in the male case VERY much longer, that they can simply turn their head the other way and get a better look. For small children it is the same. My son will turn his head until it is promising to twist off at the base of his skull just to get a glimpse of Cooper, the dog, as he passes by in the kitchen. And if he that meer glimmer doesn't suffice, he will fall over backwards, arch his back and start turning his head like a top on the floor with his body rotating around it. Apparently it is giving him a neck exercise. Why he doesn't just switch sides is beyond me but that is the way he chooses to do it.
Also, I have noticed that Kells will wiggle his way into anything he sets his mind to. The other night we were playing on the couch and in one moment I am getting my face eaten off by his wonderful "kisses" and the next he's launched himself toward the other end and in less than 5 seconds all I am seeing is the bottom of his feet flying in the air. He has been practicing his nose dives apparently because he did this so gracefully that he landed just so as to tumble into a somersault and land just next to the bookshelf. Between the bookshelf and the barrier we have set up to deter him from the ever tempting leafs of great literature that obviously must taste exquisite if there are such extreme security measures. So there he stands with so much pride in his face that you can clearly see all eight of his teeth. And of course, then comes the laugh!! Such a musical sound that no one would be able to resist a smile after that melody.

My son is possessed

2005-12-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

We recently returned from a trip to Alaska and I swear some snow demon took over my son while we were in the wastelands of subzero temperatures. He has been so down in the dumps, cranky, whining, and just plain unpleasant since we set down back in Washington. I can't figure out how to excise this horrid attitude from him. I've tried Motrin to rid him of the temper the demon puts in him and it seems he has been sleeping enough to be classified as hibernating but with all his waking moments he is almost unbearable. Well, perhaps it's only the waking moments when I am home that he acts like this because his father, who is home with him all day, hasn't said anything about his piss on the world attitude. Or maybe it's just me???
I walked into the house from work yesterday and he was smiling and happy. It was so great to see him so chipper and excited to see me. You know, that warm fuzzy, I am loved feeling? That's when I made a mistake. I set him down to go start making dinner and the wailing started. By wailing I don't mean a small mewling, mommy that hurt my feelings noise, I mean full out sirens blaring, someone is cutting off my nose and bending my fingers back at the same time wailing. So I picked him up and he was happy. That made me feel oh so good but now I had a dilemma. Dinner wasn't going to fix itself and I had a 20 lbs blonde appendage. And for those who don't know me, I'm packing around enough 20 lb pockets for this to be a problem. Not just the extra libs but also the fact that I am essentially a solo armed chef now. Ever tried chopping a clove of garlic with one arm? Not an easy task. So the idea comes to me to set Kells on the counter and make a mad dash for the chopping block, which is directly next to where Kells is sitting and block his hands with one arm and somehow chop the garlic with the other. He is having great fun on the counter so the demon is obviously dormant at this moment. Then he picks up a piece of garlic and pops it in his mouth and gives me the most what have you done to me, blech, head shaking, shoulders shuddering looker ever. I pick him up and decide it's time to let my arm have a rest and take him to dad so I may proceed with dinner. The MOMENT I walk through the doorway into the living room Kells knows exactly what my plan is and starts with his wailing again. This time directly into my ear. I'm still not sure my eardrum has recovered.
So, toting the possessed child back into the kitchen I continue with dinner. What a GREAT night to choose fettucini alfredo with sauteed chicken for dinner. It actually didn't turn out too bad to tell you the honest truth and I am hoping Kells may get an appreciation for cooking if we end up having more moments like this. Either that or my biceps are going to be enormous and my ambedextrious ability will get even stronger. There is always a silver lining.

The First Time My Heart Stopped

2005-11-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

Nothing is scarier than having your child injure himself. Your heart jumping into your throat and beating furiously as you attempt to breathe and calm your child. How can you possibly calm anyone down when you can't even take a breath without your entire body shaking? I know this feeling because I had this feeling 5 days ago. 5 days ago I swear my world stood still for a whole 2 minutes. Standing still isn't even the correct description. More like the world stopped on a dime and started to spiral down the drain of life's sewer. Taking all hope and ripping it out of your body through your stomach as it twists and turns and wrenches the last bit of lining from your stomach. I exaggerate you say, but it felt exactly like this when Kells fell down the stairs.
Kells had mastered the stairs, or so I had thought. Many times I watched him as he raced up the stairs like a professional carpet climber. Hand, hand, knee, knee, repeat. When he'd reached sufficient height he'd kick out his legs and slide down on his stomach, giggling the whole time. I was nervous at first. What mother wouldn't be? But as time progressed and he got more comfortable with them the less I worried. I should have known it was coming but for some reason I was naive and figured it would never happen. That my one year old child had the coordination to stop himself from gravity's pull if he lost his balance on the stairs. The thudding of his little body as he tumbles was comparable to the thunder of a heard of elephants coming through my walls. That's the feeling I had. I was being trampled as my child was falling to his death. As I flew around the bannister and heard him wail and then watched him fall the last 3 stairs into his father's arms, I swear to you I have never been so fearful in my life. Of course as I look back now it's a little ridiculous because he wasn't hurt but the thought of it was excruciating. No broken bones, concussions or blood. He got out of my arms in less than 60 seconds and tottled back up the stairs with not a care in the world but you can bet Mom is always listening for when he mounts the stairs that couldn't keep him down. Is it weird that there is a welling of pride in me as he jumps back onto the obsticles that knock him down?

Oh the faces I've made

2005-09-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

It has recently occurred to me that in order to truly track my son's firsts I should also include the differing of facial expressions to the short (although it should be long) list of things he has done. It seems when he was a newborn he knew how to contort his face into only a few comical and thought provoking appearances. After his facial muscles became more adept at changing and rearranging into other more inquisitive and expressions I began to try to interpret exactly what he was thinking.
The first actual facial recognition I noticed in him was only a few hours after his birth when he was faced with not one, but two depictions of his mother. My identical twin sister, in an attempt to see her newborn nephew, had maneuvered her face right next to mine. In the time it took my poor unsuspecting son to look into my eyes and shift to see that his mother now had two heads, his brow furrowed and his eyes became distant. It was an automatic analytical expression that had the uncanny resemblance to what Auguste Rodin must have seen while sculpting his now famous, The Thinker. I was taken aback at the profound questioning in the eyes of this new life who had not even been given a chance to eat but had been forced into such thought provoking imagery from the moment of birth. Perhaps my son will become a great problem solver and find the cure of cancer?

I should have started this a year ago

2005-09-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

I should have started this a little less than a year ago on the day my son was born. I should have been keeping track of everything new that he has experienced. As it is I have to drag from memory the first time he touched water and the way his fingers danced in the faucet as if they were fairies in a moonlit field prancing about at a festival for the stars. Or his intial look into my father's eyes as his brow furrowed and his lips puckered as if he were Sherlock Holmes just upon a mystery. Since I have been so careless with my memories and the chance to jot my memoirs, I will begin from here and tell you what I do know.
I do know that Kells is getting his 6th tooth this week. His nose is running with some grotesque ooze that has to be of another world. There is no possible way this glowing green goo could come from my precious angel with eyes of blue and hair the color of wheat at harvest.
Alas, I didn't start this when I should have and now he is on his 6th tooth and getting ready to take those precious first steps. To him it must be like walking on the moon. It's amazing how everything is so new.