I just had to write this story about Rylan so I wouldn't forget it.
I have been encouraging him to be more independent in the bathroom lately, which he hasn't been thrilled about. On Thursday night he got up to use the bathroom while I was downstairs watching a TV show. He gave me a play-by-play commentary about how he was wiping all by himself. I was so surprised and made a big deal about how proud I was of him.
All of the sudden I hear him pop the question, "Mom, does my butt look clean?" Looking up, I see his bare white bottom through the balcony railing.
The answer? Great try, son, but you missed a spot. A big spot. We'll keep practicing this whole wiping thing.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Spring at the Zoo
On Friday I took the kids to the zoo to take advantage of our last day of membership. I hadn't taken my camera recently on our zoo trips because we go so often and you only need so many of the same zoo pictures, right? I made a special effort to take some photos this time and got some good ones.
We also never missed a ride on the carousel.
My favorite picture. Love the blooming daffodils in the background!
It made my heart full to see my two kids, side by side, enjoying the giraffes.
I wish I had been able to get some video on this one. Rylan was cooing sweet nothings and totally charming this baby giraffe.
Lion tamer.
The zoo has a new "exhibit" which kind of looks like a phone booth, but is actually a special wind tunnel simulating African winds. What were they thinking? Charging people to experience strong winds? We get that every spring day for free here in Colorado!
Caroline could finally climb up the slide ladder by herself. We always had to stop and picnic in the playground area.
We also never missed a ride on the carousel.
My favorite picture. Love the blooming daffodils in the background!Sunday, May 1, 2011
Rylan's half birthday
We have had a fun week. On Monday, we joined a wonderful gym here in the Springs about 5 minutes from our house. We have been interested in joining since moving three years ago but the logistics just didn't work out until recently. They have lots of fitness classes to choose from, a gorgeous outdoor pool area, and a super cool indoor pool and splash area for the kids. The best part? Membership also includes 2 hours of child-care per day in the special kids' area! That will be such a nice break for me on all my weekends and evenings of solo-parenting. I already took a yoga class on Wednesday night and it was fun although I have paid for it the past few days being so sore! The kids have had a blast playing in the pool. Rylan has been asking me for months when the pools would open so we could go swimming. Finally, his wish came true. Even though the pool is indoors and heated, it does get chilly. Rylan and Caroline will keep on sliding and splashing even while shivering with blue lips. When we get home, they are tired and so hungry. When summer finally arrives, I think our trips to the outdoor pool will be an almost daily happening. I can't wait.
Since we decided to let our zoo membership expire at the end of the month and we had a gorgeous day on Friday, we took advantage of our "last" day to visit one of our favorite places. We fed the "giraffies", rode the carousel, oohed and aahed over the frogs and new baby pigs, and played in the playground to our hearts content until Caroline started running a fever. I got some good pictures and I will try to post them this week. That zoo membership was such a great investment and I have so many wonderful memories there with my kids.
Rylan officially turned 4 1/2 on April 18th, but he has been including the "1/2" for a while now when asked his age, especially if he wants to do something big boys do. He is getting so tall, but will still curl up in my lap to cuddle every now and then. I treasure those times. Rylan is very sweet and affectionate most of the time and can be a great encourager with his words. He still is crazy about Ironman, and will introduce himself as "Tony Stark" if people ask his name. Rylan has found a new love these past few weeks: frogs! He has a frog t-shirt, plays with two squishy toy frogs, read frog books, visited a reptile store twice, and on Friday we checked out the frogs in the zoo. He wanted to wear his frog t-shirt to the zoo so "the frogs will know I am a frog scientist." Red-eyed tree frogs are his favorite, but he also likes the poison arrow variety. I think frogs are pretty cool, too, so I have enjoyed sharing this growing interest with him. He just recently earned his first stripe on his white belt in karate. He was hesitant to get ready for class at first and was sad to be done with the Little Gym, but lately has been more enthusiastic. I just wish he wouldn't practice his moves on Caroline quite so much. Rylan also loves playing games on Charlton's Ipad, watching superhero cartoons, listening to his favorite movie theme songs, taking bubble baths, and wrestling with dad. He and Caroline pick and fight with each other over silly things, but overall are great friends, and Rylan is very protective of her.
For almost a year, Rylan has struggled with certain behavior issues. It has been discouraging, confusing, and downright infuriating at times as we tried to figure out how to discipline him and love him when he was very unlovable. I have felt so helpless and spent a lot of time praying for the whole situation. Early this year, Charlton talked with a counselor peer, who recommended some books on anxiety in children. We never had Rylan formally assessed, but in reading these books, noticed some behaviors linked to anxiety. It was such a relief to me to think I may not be a complete failure as his mom, to have an underlying reason behind the tantrums and outbursts, and more empathy for his struggle. We used a few new techniques when he seemed most anxious, but didn't make any major overhauls. Around that same time, I also started working less. Rylan's life became a little more consistent and his mama had more patience and energy. I realized that I enjoyed being around him a lot more and life was less stressful, but the changes were so gradual. When my mom visited in April, she noticed Rylan seemed so much more relaxed, happy, and obedient. What an answer to prayer! He is certainly not perfect, but I have so thankful for these changes and have so much more hope for him to be able to handle school and other challenges in his life.
I'll talk about Caroline being 2 1/2 in a later post but I do want to update on potty-training. I think we have hit that wonderful stage where she is able to have some more bladder control and it doesn't consume every waking minute of our lives! I put the portable potty away (which upset her very much when she saw it in the garage), and we now use the regular bathroom. I love being able to move all the wipes, spare underwear, pull-ups, etc... back into the bathroom and off the kitchen counters where they were handiest for emergencies. Caroline will sometimes tell me ahead of time when she has to go and we have made it a few days with no accidents. Woohoo! I think the worst is over, at least when we don't leave the house! Next challenge, running errands without pull-ups on.
Since we decided to let our zoo membership expire at the end of the month and we had a gorgeous day on Friday, we took advantage of our "last" day to visit one of our favorite places. We fed the "giraffies", rode the carousel, oohed and aahed over the frogs and new baby pigs, and played in the playground to our hearts content until Caroline started running a fever. I got some good pictures and I will try to post them this week. That zoo membership was such a great investment and I have so many wonderful memories there with my kids.
Rylan officially turned 4 1/2 on April 18th, but he has been including the "1/2" for a while now when asked his age, especially if he wants to do something big boys do. He is getting so tall, but will still curl up in my lap to cuddle every now and then. I treasure those times. Rylan is very sweet and affectionate most of the time and can be a great encourager with his words. He still is crazy about Ironman, and will introduce himself as "Tony Stark" if people ask his name. Rylan has found a new love these past few weeks: frogs! He has a frog t-shirt, plays with two squishy toy frogs, read frog books, visited a reptile store twice, and on Friday we checked out the frogs in the zoo. He wanted to wear his frog t-shirt to the zoo so "the frogs will know I am a frog scientist." Red-eyed tree frogs are his favorite, but he also likes the poison arrow variety. I think frogs are pretty cool, too, so I have enjoyed sharing this growing interest with him. He just recently earned his first stripe on his white belt in karate. He was hesitant to get ready for class at first and was sad to be done with the Little Gym, but lately has been more enthusiastic. I just wish he wouldn't practice his moves on Caroline quite so much. Rylan also loves playing games on Charlton's Ipad, watching superhero cartoons, listening to his favorite movie theme songs, taking bubble baths, and wrestling with dad. He and Caroline pick and fight with each other over silly things, but overall are great friends, and Rylan is very protective of her.
For almost a year, Rylan has struggled with certain behavior issues. It has been discouraging, confusing, and downright infuriating at times as we tried to figure out how to discipline him and love him when he was very unlovable. I have felt so helpless and spent a lot of time praying for the whole situation. Early this year, Charlton talked with a counselor peer, who recommended some books on anxiety in children. We never had Rylan formally assessed, but in reading these books, noticed some behaviors linked to anxiety. It was such a relief to me to think I may not be a complete failure as his mom, to have an underlying reason behind the tantrums and outbursts, and more empathy for his struggle. We used a few new techniques when he seemed most anxious, but didn't make any major overhauls. Around that same time, I also started working less. Rylan's life became a little more consistent and his mama had more patience and energy. I realized that I enjoyed being around him a lot more and life was less stressful, but the changes were so gradual. When my mom visited in April, she noticed Rylan seemed so much more relaxed, happy, and obedient. What an answer to prayer! He is certainly not perfect, but I have so thankful for these changes and have so much more hope for him to be able to handle school and other challenges in his life.
I'll talk about Caroline being 2 1/2 in a later post but I do want to update on potty-training. I think we have hit that wonderful stage where she is able to have some more bladder control and it doesn't consume every waking minute of our lives! I put the portable potty away (which upset her very much when she saw it in the garage), and we now use the regular bathroom. I love being able to move all the wipes, spare underwear, pull-ups, etc... back into the bathroom and off the kitchen counters where they were handiest for emergencies. Caroline will sometimes tell me ahead of time when she has to go and we have made it a few days with no accidents. Woohoo! I think the worst is over, at least when we don't leave the house! Next challenge, running errands without pull-ups on.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Basket hunt
After church, I had a scavenger hunt planned to help the kids find their Easter baskets. Caroline had no clue what this was all about, but Rylan was excited as we helped him figure out each clue. Finally he found the big prize, hidden in the dryer! My parents usually had scavenger hunts for us and it was another of my best memories of Easter.I bought new Easter "buckets" for the kids this year because they had outgrown the baskets we used for them as babies. I found the plain blue bucket for Rylan at Hobby Lobby and ordered the vinyl decals from a great store on Etsy. Rylan is crazy about frogs right now. I couldn't find the same bucket in a girl color, so I just had to order Caroline's whole bucket from another store on Etsy. I thought they both turned out really cute and were definitely roomy enough to store their Easter treasures.
Charlton and Rylan reading the clue to determine their next step.
Caroline has a mouth full of Hershey kisses and is a happy girl with her movies and Rapunzel doll.
Rylan tore himself away from his Ironman transformer to humor me with this picture.
Thanks to Grammy for the kids' wonderful Easter gifts. They were a huge hit!
He Is Risen!
We woke up Easter morning to a blanket of fresh, wet snow covering the ground. I always think of new spring growth being a wonderful illustration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter. However, the snow is a great reminder, too, that Jesus has washed our sins as white as snow!
I love the contrast between the bright colors and the snow.
I hope my tulips were insulated enough by the snow to survive the cold. I would love to be taking Mother's Day pics in front of red blooms in a few weeks. Notice Caroline's snow boots. We had to trade her sandals for something more practical. Snow boots and Easter dresses are quite fashionable for little Colorado girls.
Caroline doesn't seem to excited about this kiss from brother.
Some cheesy grins.
The best shot of both kids, I think.
Caroline models by the fireplace.
Sweet kiddos. We had a nice relaxed morning getting dressed, eating a light breakfast, taking pictures, and even made it to early service on time. It was wonderful!Journey to Jerusalem and Egg Hunt
On Saturday our church fellowship hall was transformed into a Jerusalem marketplace. They did such a great job with decorations and making all the tents filled with interesting things for kids to do. I enjoy all the Easter egg hunts and candy, but I also want my kids to know the most important meaning of Easter. This was such a fun way make the time of Jesus' life come alive.
Rylan enjoyed trying out the interesting musical instruments.
The guys created a clay pot at the pottery station. There was even a women demostrating the pottery wheel. So fascinating!
Caroline loves play-doh, but wasn't too interested in making a pot. She was kind of shy and clingy to me the whole time, except when she saw some of her favorite teachers from MOPS and Sunday school. Then she came alive waving and shouting to them! It was funny to see her excitment at recognizing someone in the crowds of strangers.
Caroline loves this sheep that is usually on display in the child classroom areas.
Several women were making traditional unleavened bread. The kids received a ball of dough to press on the olive oil covered mold, and then sprinkle with seeds on the pan. They even were baking that bread in the church kitchen nearby. We could smell the wonderful aroma and even taste the fresh hot bread.
Finally, the Easter egg hunt. It didn't start until 12:30, so we were all hungry, tired, and cold.
But, we just couldn't miss it, especially with our new Easter pails to try out.
We have been having practice egg hunts all month, so Caroline was all business.
It was painfully cold, as you can tell from Rylan's face, but he was proud of his "haul."
Rylan enjoyed trying out the interesting musical instruments.
The guys created a clay pot at the pottery station. There was even a women demostrating the pottery wheel. So fascinating!
Caroline loves play-doh, but wasn't too interested in making a pot. She was kind of shy and clingy to me the whole time, except when she saw some of her favorite teachers from MOPS and Sunday school. Then she came alive waving and shouting to them! It was funny to see her excitment at recognizing someone in the crowds of strangers.
Caroline loves this sheep that is usually on display in the child classroom areas.
Several women were making traditional unleavened bread. The kids received a ball of dough to press on the olive oil covered mold, and then sprinkle with seeds on the pan. They even were baking that bread in the church kitchen nearby. We could smell the wonderful aroma and even taste the fresh hot bread.
Finally, the Easter egg hunt. It didn't start until 12:30, so we were all hungry, tired, and cold.But, we just couldn't miss it, especially with our new Easter pails to try out.
We have been having practice egg hunts all month, so Caroline was all business.
It was painfully cold, as you can tell from Rylan's face, but he was proud of his "haul."Egg Dyeing
We dyed eggs last week.
I though a blanket on the kitchen floor would be a good idea until the cup with the pink dye spilled completely. It cleaned off the vinyl floor surprisingly well.
Caroline turned her fingertips black from the combination of all the colors! Rylan did that too, when he was her age. This year, he figured out how to use the spoon.
All the eggs ended up with cracks from minor accidents, but they turned out pretty and we had fun! I hope my kids have good memories of dyeing eggs just like I did growing up.
I though a blanket on the kitchen floor would be a good idea until the cup with the pink dye spilled completely. It cleaned off the vinyl floor surprisingly well.
Caroline turned her fingertips black from the combination of all the colors! Rylan did that too, when he was her age. This year, he figured out how to use the spoon.
All the eggs ended up with cracks from minor accidents, but they turned out pretty and we had fun! I hope my kids have good memories of dyeing eggs just like I did growing up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
