I Heart Sam, too...

I Heart Kate...

She'll be the cutest Valentine ever!

All Smiles...

Sam took a brief moment out of his busy schedule to flash Momma a smile...

I No Like It...

When Kate tries something new or doesn't want to try something new, she commonly says, "I no like it..." Lettuce, broccoli, salad dressings, etc. "I no like it..."

Well, today Kate had a wonderful day...she played in the snow, took a walk, went to gymnastics and saw the "Donut King." Who is the "Donut King" you ask? He is the guy that works the evening shift at our local Krispy Kreme. Daddy & Kate go there every week after gymnastics for a donut and pink or brown milk (strawberry or chocolate.) Kate loves the "Donut King" and whispers his name as though he is a celebrity when he walks behind the counter.

Kate bounded into the house after gymnastics and told me about her night. She chatted about the balance beam, the trampoline and her donuts. After we got her ready for bed, I broke the news about having to go to bed.

I said, "Kate, clock says its 7, 5, 8 (7:58 p.m.)...time to go to bed. She replied, "I no like that clock."

good-night, Kate

Too much information...

We have this wonderful Friday tradition. Grandma sits at our home after the kids are in bed and we head to Barnes & Noble for a little mocha, magazines and relaxation.

We were sitting side-by-side blissfully sipping our sweet java when Steve looked up and said slowly, "Just say no to crack."

"Huh?" I mumbled.

"No, just say no."

I looked up from the latest issue of some design magazine and I saw her. You've seen them...low cut jeans + short t-shirts = too much information. A fashion faux pas.

Mr. XY chromosome sitting next to me then muses, "Maybe she's taking plumbing classes. Do you think she knows?"

I said I didn't know, but it's a little cold not to notice a cool breeze on one's bum.

She tried to fix the crack problem, but to no avail. Remember, low cut jeans + short t-shirt = too much information. Pull on the shirt all you want, but if it's too short, it's too short.

Thankfully, she did come up with a solution. She took off her short winter coat and draped it over the back of her chair. phew.

I was back to perusing design magazines and I didn't have to hear anymore wise cracks from the other spousal unit.

Winter Wildcats...

When the temperature starts out -6F, you have to find things to do inside. The kids really enjoy trying on hats, so we found Daddy's Kansas State Wildcat hat for a photo shoot.

Kate is a big Wildcat fan. Whenever she sees anything purple, she shouts, "Go Wildcats!"



Sam is just learning about football. He does hold his arms up to signal touchdown when we say, "touchdown!" We have our doubts about Sam becoming an offensive lineman for K-State. He just doesn't have the genetics on his side to produce the necessary size. Maybe he'll be a punter or field goal kicker.



After the photo shoot we were back to figuring out what to do to amuse ourselves...scale the wall to change the temp on the thermostat? teach my brother how to climb in and out of his highchair from a dining room chair? surf the internet on Daddy's work computer? rummage through Momma's jewelry drawer? pour water all over the floor and splash in it? play with the answering machine and reprogram it? ...so much to do...so little time...

Sweet Scene...

Kate and Sam were diving on the floor playing after supper tonight. I convinced them to stop long enough for a cute picture. This was a welcome scene after they had their first real fight yesterday...it was over a book about how much Jesus loves children...how ironic!

My Truck...

Sam has an Uncle who is a very talented craftsman. He has made everything from the little truck pictured here, to beautiful furniture to a hand carved fireplace mantle and splendid woodwork for his home.

We treasure his work and this toy truck is one of Sam's favorite toys. I contemplated not letting him play with it because of it's sentimental value, but I decided not to deprive Sam of the joy of playing with it. This is him fixing it after a "rollover" accident in his room. He loves it...

Well Baby Check Up...

Sam went to the kiddie doctor today to have his well-baby exam. Unlike his sister, who dazzles the pediatrician with screaming, crocodile tears and a colossal fight to even peek in her ears, Sam just smiles with a sparkle in his eye.

He ran around the exam room in his diapie, showing off his physique, pulling things out of the cabinets and scaling the furniture.

At the conclusion of the exam, he was pronounced: a healthy boy.

25 lbs 10 oz of sheer muscle...34 inches tall. 90th percentile for height, 50th for weight. ...let's see that makes him about 2 inches shorter than his sister and only about 1.5 lbs lighter. Look out Kate...he's not your "little brother" any more...

Lots of Buttah...

We have discovered that Kate loves butter. Not margarine, not "I Can't Believe it's B*tter"...the real deal...sweet, unsalted dairy fresh butter.

We don't actually eat much butter at our home, but I do bake with it, so it is around the house. Tonight I gave Kate a whole wheat roll with butter and she devoured it. She then asked Steve for "butter with no bread". Steve suggested that wasn't such a good idea and supplied an additional roll with butter. Kate's next move included licking all of the butter off the roll and pointing out to her Daddy that "look Dad, I don't have butter on my bread!"

Steve then asked Kate, "Do you realize that butter will clog your arteries??" She gazed into his eyes and replied, "YUMMMMM!"

Why didn't Sam have any butter you ask? As Kate would say, "Sammy has the 'throw-ups'".

Letting Go...

I finally did it...I took my kids to the daycare provided by the gym, dropped them off, and went to spinning class. Sounds innocent enough, I know. For me this was monumental. For some reason, I haven't ever felt comfortable leaving them at the Kids' Club and going up to the gym. Never mind that it is fully staffed, clean and there is closed circuit monitoring so the Kids' Club is visible in the gym.

Steve's been on my bum about doing this for over a year (probably becau$e we pay extra for thi$ benefit) and since he has been at training, he hasn't been able to watch the kids for me. So, in order to cope with life, I packed them up and we took off this morning.

On my way into the gym I met up with a mom who had really encouraged me to take Kate & Sam. She broke into her great smile and gave me a big "high-5".

It only took a few minutes for Kate to settle in and she was thrilled to meet a new friend. ...then came a trip to the potty (she needs to check out every one she can). She beamed when she saw the flower shaped toilet seat on the little potty. (She visited said potty 4 times in the brief time she was there.) There's no way any of our home potties will ever measure up to that.

My spin class was brutal but great. Super-lean, marathon-runner chick was the instructor and she somehow motivated me into having a great time while the sweat poured off me. (The only drawback was seeing "Lance" again.) Who is Lance you ask? He is the "Lance Armstrong" of spinning and arrives resplendent in his bike jersey, 3 water bottles and Ironman Triathlon bag. His quads are made of steel, he has no body fat and he churns through the miles with ease. He pops up in my classes like a ghost. I left the class tired, but satisfied.

I discovered that Kate & Sam did just fine at Kids' Club. Sam was climbing around when I got there (imagine that) and Kate was running with about 10 kids in the gymnasium. So, a good time was had by all...Kate took one more trip to the flower potty and we all went home...

see you tomorrow Kids Club...

Squeaky Clean...

After bath time tonight Kate & Sam wanted to pose for a few pictures. They both love water and have a great time splashing and playing. The actual use of soap is a bit of an inconvenience....






...what a pair...

Good Night Kisses...

Kate & Sam's bedtime routine includes a goodnight kiss. Tonight we asked Kate to kiss her brother good night. She happily complied and gave him a big kiss on the "cheek". After the smooch, she looked up with a twinkle in her eye and said, "I kissed Sammy on the bum!" She had planted her kiss square on his bottom.

Feeding Frenzy

I made a Chinese meal the other night and broke out the chopsticks. After Steve & I finished, Kate grabbed a set and started to feed Sam watermelon and grilled cheese.

It was so cute and Sam loved eating from the chopsticks.








Kate now thinks all meals should include chopsticks. She was looking for them tonight in order to eat her spaghetti.

Stuck in the Igloo...

I awoke this morning at 5:45 a.m. and got ready to go to the gym. I often just go over in my shorts and skip the sweatpants in an effort to save time. So when I checked the thermometer I was pleased to see 32 degrees...at least I wouldn't freeze in my running shorts. Sadly, I realized the thermometer actually said 3.2 degrees--what a crushing blow to my morning outlook. (I still skipped the sweatpants, however.)

Unfortunately, my plans to take the kids to a local indoor playground blew up when Sam woke up with a little fever and just looked a little punky. (There is something about sharing viruses between kids in public places that really annoys me. I just picture viruses jumping gleefully from kid to kid as they spray respiratory droplets like an irrigation system.) Kate was a little sad about not going so I thought I break out the shaving cream. Kate was delighted and she was up to her elbows in foam within minutes.





Sam was also fascinated...until he tasted it.



After we got his tears dried, the shaving cream out of his mouth and the soapy taste washed away...he was happy again.




So, we had white, cold snow outside and fluffy, foamy shaving cream inside. I don't think spring will be here soon enough for us!

happy new year 2008

...less clutter, more intentional each day, less transfat, more Chinese language, less worry, more photos, less concern about what others think, more to make a difference, less procrastination, more hugs...