Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Happy Birthday Gabby!
Today you are six. I love you from the tip of the mole on your hairline to the tips of your beautiful toes with chipped pink nail polish.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Hawaii Pictures
Snorkeling Cruise off the Big Island
Two dorky Hawaiian cowpokes or Paniolos as the locals say
Rainbow Falls near Hilo
Kellen and Dad at Mauna Kea Beach
Snorkel Face CadeTerrible Two
With our two older kids the notion of the terrible twos seemed to be an over-reaction to the developmental phases. Not for #3. We've recently endured some tremendous tantrums that rival anything John McEnroe could muster.
At Church on Sunday I had the audacity to pick him up from nursery. He wanted Mom. Mom is usually tied up in Primary and unable to come quickly after Church and relieve the poor nursery workers so I told Kellen that he needed to come with me and began collecting his pictures and shoes and tried to convince him that he needed to come with me. Unswayed he stayed back in the room screaming for Mom. After about a minute one of the nursery workers scooped him and brought him too me.
Bad move, nursery worker, bad move.
Kellen kicked his tantrum into high gear-complete with crying, full-body wriggling, kicking, and throwing his head back. Unable to find any way to reason with him I stuck him on the stairs into the upper classrooms and gave him a timeout - somewhat out of the hallway at least and let him scream his heart out. After he calmed down a little, and let me stress the little part of that comment, I told him he could either walk with me out to the car or stay on the stairs crying by himself.
He chose the latter option. In the meanwhile several concerned mothers wondered if this poor little baby was lost or possibly if his parents were negligent. Crystal and I reassured onlookers that he was okay and that we didn't really care if he screamed.
Finally Crystal dragged him out of the chapel and into the car. Once we got home, we told Kellen that Dad would be the one to get him out of the car and help him into the house.
"No. Mommy get me out."
Great.
So we left him in the car for 40 minutes while we fed the other kids their lunch and only after Crystal left to go to another Church meeting did Kellen finally assent to allowing me to bring him in.
All this paled in comparison to the tantrum he threw on Tuesday night.
The trigger this time? Who got him out of the bathtub. And to think, I'm the one that does the shake-shake-shake when I get him out of the tub.
This tantrum featured such violent body contortions that Kellen gouged his forehead on Crystal's mousse bottle and required me to use Kellen's pajama shirt as a straight-jacket to get a diaper on him. The usual arm bar and leg press were insufficient to get the pajamas on, but once I was able to secure both arms with a shirt and one of my fingers I was able to use my other legs and hand to secure his legs and get him into a diaper.
After finally wrestling him into his pajamas I wanted to calm him down so I offered to read him a book. He immediately calmed down, came and sat in my lap and sat nicely there while I read him a dinosaur book and truck book.
The second the cover closed on the second book, Kellen stood up started yelling and trying to pull his pajamas off.
I don't even remember how we got him into bed I just know I needed a stiff drink after the ordeal. Drinking cough syrup isn't breaking the word of wisdom is it?
At Church on Sunday I had the audacity to pick him up from nursery. He wanted Mom. Mom is usually tied up in Primary and unable to come quickly after Church and relieve the poor nursery workers so I told Kellen that he needed to come with me and began collecting his pictures and shoes and tried to convince him that he needed to come with me. Unswayed he stayed back in the room screaming for Mom. After about a minute one of the nursery workers scooped him and brought him too me.
Bad move, nursery worker, bad move.
Kellen kicked his tantrum into high gear-complete with crying, full-body wriggling, kicking, and throwing his head back. Unable to find any way to reason with him I stuck him on the stairs into the upper classrooms and gave him a timeout - somewhat out of the hallway at least and let him scream his heart out. After he calmed down a little, and let me stress the little part of that comment, I told him he could either walk with me out to the car or stay on the stairs crying by himself.
He chose the latter option. In the meanwhile several concerned mothers wondered if this poor little baby was lost or possibly if his parents were negligent. Crystal and I reassured onlookers that he was okay and that we didn't really care if he screamed.
Finally Crystal dragged him out of the chapel and into the car. Once we got home, we told Kellen that Dad would be the one to get him out of the car and help him into the house.
"No. Mommy get me out."
Great.
So we left him in the car for 40 minutes while we fed the other kids their lunch and only after Crystal left to go to another Church meeting did Kellen finally assent to allowing me to bring him in.
All this paled in comparison to the tantrum he threw on Tuesday night.
The trigger this time? Who got him out of the bathtub. And to think, I'm the one that does the shake-shake-shake when I get him out of the tub.
This tantrum featured such violent body contortions that Kellen gouged his forehead on Crystal's mousse bottle and required me to use Kellen's pajama shirt as a straight-jacket to get a diaper on him. The usual arm bar and leg press were insufficient to get the pajamas on, but once I was able to secure both arms with a shirt and one of my fingers I was able to use my other legs and hand to secure his legs and get him into a diaper.
After finally wrestling him into his pajamas I wanted to calm him down so I offered to read him a book. He immediately calmed down, came and sat in my lap and sat nicely there while I read him a dinosaur book and truck book.
The second the cover closed on the second book, Kellen stood up started yelling and trying to pull his pajamas off.
I don't even remember how we got him into bed I just know I needed a stiff drink after the ordeal. Drinking cough syrup isn't breaking the word of wisdom is it?
Friday, August 15, 2008
The things our kids say
Crystal will likely kill me for posting this, but I couldn't resist -
Our kids have a ridiculous fascination with all things scatalogical and so when Crystal was out of the house all day yesterday she not surprisingly needed to avail herself of the facilities while out and about and so she dutifully dragged Gabby and Kellen into the bathroom with her and was in the bathroom while another woman was in the restroom as well.
Of course Gabby HAD to know what Crystal was doing, calling out to Crystal, "Mom, are you going pee or poop?" Crystal tried to ignore her, but Gabby called out again, "Mom, MOM! are you going PEE or POOP?" So, Crystal tried to deflect by responding, "I'm going potty, Gabby" But Gabby would not be detterred and asked a couple more times with Crystal giving the same response.
Finally, Kellen decided to take matters into his own hands. He was in the stall with Crystal to keep him from running amok elsewhere so he felt perfectly comfortable to walk around to the back of the toilet and answer for Crystal. "MOMMY GOING POOP, GABBY! MOMMY GOING POOP!"
Needless to say, my dear humiliated wife waited in the stall until the bathroom was empty before exiting.
Our kids have a ridiculous fascination with all things scatalogical and so when Crystal was out of the house all day yesterday she not surprisingly needed to avail herself of the facilities while out and about and so she dutifully dragged Gabby and Kellen into the bathroom with her and was in the bathroom while another woman was in the restroom as well.
Of course Gabby HAD to know what Crystal was doing, calling out to Crystal, "Mom, are you going pee or poop?" Crystal tried to ignore her, but Gabby called out again, "Mom, MOM! are you going PEE or POOP?" So, Crystal tried to deflect by responding, "I'm going potty, Gabby" But Gabby would not be detterred and asked a couple more times with Crystal giving the same response.
Finally, Kellen decided to take matters into his own hands. He was in the stall with Crystal to keep him from running amok elsewhere so he felt perfectly comfortable to walk around to the back of the toilet and answer for Crystal. "MOMMY GOING POOP, GABBY! MOMMY GOING POOP!"
Needless to say, my dear humiliated wife waited in the stall until the bathroom was empty before exiting.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Summer Vacation - Pictures
Kids at Capitol ReefCowboy Kellen
Outside the Haunted House in Lyman
More Capitol Reef
At the Black Sand Beach, Hawaii
joining the 21st century
Here it is - our long awaited entry into the blogosphere - of course even saying blogosphere is probably passe. Ah well, we're online and even have some pictures to boot.
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