T-Ball - proud, buggy and boring

Kaiden did T-ball this year. He looks so grown up in his uniform. The season was short, which didn't bother Kaiden at all! He didn't really like going. Although once he was there he enjoyed it... reminds me of hockey but to a lesser extent. :-) His coach was very nice and great with the kids.

He did make me proud though because at the end of the season they pitched to the kids and he just kept trying and trying. I thought his arms were going to fall off from swing the bat. I was starting to get a pit in my stomach thinking... what if he can't do it, he will be crushed, but just as I began to worry... whack. He hit it. A releif. He was so excited. Not as much as I was though.

In general, he says he doesn't like it because it is buggy and boring. I see his point.

StoryLand with the Farrs

We headed north to StoryLand with our new found couple friends, Dave, Shannon and their adorable daughter Lexi. Ian did the planning (which I love!) and he found us a great condo just minutes away from StoryLand. Dave and Shannon are so fun to hang out with (unless they are debating on whether or not she can go to Japan or not).



The kids loved StoryLand so much. They have this new area called the “Loopy Laboratory” and the boys could have spent all day just in that one place! It is a crazy and very well designed dome with two levels. The kids (and adults!) on the first floor work very hard to get the balls to the second floor and visa versa. Hard to describe, pictures may help a little.












So as you work like mad to get these balls in all different kinds of contraptions, all the kids upstairs are working just as hard to get them back down to you! Fun chaos!


The kids just had a great time! And so did we.




And it is so neat to take the kids to a place that I remember as a child their age.

And some things never change....

This is Kaiden when he was almost 2 years old! What a cutie.

And here he is now... man does he look big on this tree stump.


And can you guess who this might be???


My dad emailed me some photos of my brother and I at StoryLand. I think I am 4 years old in this picture and my brother Andy is 8.




What a great place! Great trip Ian!

Father's Day Survey

Click here to read Kaiden's survey. I just love this!

OOB Camping 2009

Mid-June we started off with a family camping trip to Hidden Pines in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. My uncle stays there year round. Last year I just really missed him and wanted to visit so we packed up the camper and stayed the weekend. We let family know and it turned out that my parents, cousins, and aunt and uncle could go. We had such a great time… not to mention I was the inaugural cribbage tournament champion…. we decided to do it again this year. Again we had a great time. Kaiden and Kael enjoyed the wicked cold pool with Adam and we had another Cribbage Tourney. And as crazy as it may sound… Liz won the championship game against Uncle Paul. Hummm…. I am not sure how it happened but it did. We all are still in shock.


The boys had a good time especially building a fire with grampie...


...I think the fire was my favorite part too!


Fun times. Mostly dry, except as we packed up Sunday morning. Little did we know that it would rain 30 of the next 38 days! Wet wet summer!!!

Skunks may be to blame for the demise of the dinosaurs

The other day we talked a lot about dinosaurs. My boys asked lots of questions, most of which I did not know the answers to. “How did they become extinct?” “How big is a T-Rex” Etc.


Well, yesterday’s topic was skunks. Kaiden asked lots of great questions about skunks, most of which I did not know the answers to. So we got on line. He wanted to know “how far can skunks spray?” and “Can skunks spray any time they want to or do they have to be startled to spray?”.

Thanks to Google the answers are “too far” (actually the answer is 10 – 15 feet) and the for the most part, skunks have to be startled or scared before they spray. We also found out that they eat stink bugs. Kaiden thought this was very funny. Great info about skunks in the nature video by PBS titled “Is That Skunk?”

So the whole time Kaiden and I were exploring skunks on the web, Kael was playing near by and he came over to us, looking confused, he asked…

“Mumma, how did the skunks make the dinosaurs stinked?”

:-)

Kaiden’s behavior… I love him just the way he is.

I try to help out at Kaiden’s school once a month and the other day I was there while they were learning about whales. My job is to help them along in their journaling. That day they were asked to write one thing they learned about whales and draw a picture. For example, one kid drew a sperm whale then wrote “sperm whales are 65 feet long”. Another drew a blue whale then wrote “blue whales have two blow holes”. These are all little facts they learned about whales.

So I try to help Kaiden out a little but for the most part I stay my distance because he takes direction and suggestions very well from others but let’s just say, not so well from me… so I check in on him once in a while but kinda let him do his own thing. So I check in and he has drawn his whale and many other things…. So I ask, “Can you tell me about your picture Kaiden?” And so the story begins…. “There’s this whale, and he has lots of friend, he has an octopus… you see him right here mumma?.... and here’s a jelly fish, and here is the ink that the octopus squirted on him because he startled him… and you see this mumma?.... here is some coral, and some other fish…” and he goes on and on about the names of the whale’s friends, and why there is coral near the whale, and on and on….

So I gently remind him that he may want to start his writing… well… then he says this is what I want to write…. And the recites pretty much the whole story over again! So I tell him, why don’t we do that part at home… because I think your teacher asked you to write one thing you learned about whales….

He sighs then I know that is my cue to give him space to think about it.

Well… he was the last one done with his assignment and with his teachers help, he did eventually write, “A killer whale is 30 feet long”.

Kaiden loves to write, he loves to be creative, and his imagination is amazing. For about 3 years (just before 2 to about 5 years old) he had imaginary friends…. 3 of them! With very detailed lives. Anyone who knew him then, met Chrissy, Dunda, and Sussa (and occasionally Splat). He mentioned Chrissy just a few months ago but they are pretty much gone now. Busy I guess. My point is that Kaiden has some amazing creativity but he does not take direction very well. I wonder where that will take him in life. It should be interesting!!!

Bye bye not so terrible twos!

Whoever came up with the slogan "terrible twos" must not have had children. Every parent I talk with, loves or loved the twos. I too loved the twos. Both my children that year were filled with so much learning, talking, expolring, laughter, and love. It is all so new for them. The hugs a two year old gives is so big and warm. They are just so much fun to watch from a distance.

Kael was no exception to this. He went from a little toddler to a little boy right before my eyes. To watch him smell a flower or jump off a step or see his reaction to a bug, are all memories I hope to have forever. He loves to snuggle and keep me warm but he is independent and hard to catch. He fills my heart with so much happiness.

Well, we are turning to the next chapter... Kael is three. Over the past 3 months he has been asking for a Wall-E cake. He loves Wall-E. I love Wall-E too. :-)

So Wall-E is was. The night of his birthday, we enjoyed a few friends over to celebrate along with my parents. They never miss a birthday party. I wouldn't blame them since they live 3 hours away but it is so nice to have them, especially because all our other family lives far away too. And not to mention, Kael loves his grammie adn grampie!

It was a laid back celebration. We played outisde, ate Chinese food (which ALL of my boys love!), and some how found room for cake later in the evening.


I love you Kael!