Summer Fun

The kids have still been going to the Home Depot Project the first weekend of the month when we are able to. This last month they made bug cages.  They loved catching bugs to put in it.  I guess there's a pretty funny story of Mimi running down the street after a grasshopper!

 Colin had SOOO much fun playing summer soccer.  His coach was great. He kept the kids in line well, on track with what was going on.  He really rewarded Colin for his hard work on the field.   

This next video is a little "BLURLY".  Try not to watch it, you'll get dizzy, but listen to Audrey, it's so cute! She loves taking videos and pictures lately.

Audrey really wanted to play this summer so we put her in too. She did awesome at the skills/practice day but when it came to a bunch of kids screaming on the field and fighting over the same ball....she wanted nothing to do with it.  She's really good at it when she plays daddy and Colin but right now the sport is not for her.  

 A couple pictures with Mimi

At Snowbird's Cold Air Concert. This night was so much fun. The band was great!

Having a breakfast picnic and playing soccer at the park

We went and got our nails done again while Mimi was here

Beautiful

Daddy, do I look beautiful in my boots and headband?

Learning about saving money

We're planning a trip to Disneyland and trying to use it as an opportunity to teach the kids about saving money.  We've made a jar that is our savings for the trip.  We put change in it or if the kids ask for candy at the grocery store we will tell them we can take that dollar and save it for Disney.  They've really picked it up and seem to be understanding it and actually wanting to save.  

The other day I was at Target buying stuff for our Tahoe trip.  I found this little foldable brush/mirror that I've  actually been wanting.  It was a dollar.  We decided to get Audrey one too.  I gave it to her and she loved it.  When Paul got home from work she was soooo excited to show it to him.   Then Colin said "but mom spent money and didn't save it for Disney". Audrey comes running over to me "momma.... you wasted money.  You are supposed to save it and you WASTED it, you WASTED it. " I told her I can return her brush and put the money in the jar for Disney.  She started crying "but I LOVE it and I want it. "

It was so cute.  I'm impressed that they are really getting the concept of saving money now though.

The Power of Candy

This was the Halloween candy that the kids got while trick or treating.

They got to play with it for a couple of days.  Sort, count, organize.  They got to eat a few pieces. Then, they picked out 5 of their favorites and traded in the rest of it for a toy.  They were very happy with this decision.  Colin said "I love my candy but I love my toy even more."

Fast forward a few days.  Colin is quiet in the corner behind the couch.  I ask him what he is doing and he says "nothing" in a suspicious voice.  I ask him again and he says "Nothing....but I was hungry."

I ask him to show me what he had eaten.  He says he can't so I tell him to show me the wrapper.  He says "I can't, it's way under the couch."

I move the couch and find a stash of candy wrappers.  He had snuck all the candy, ate it, lied about it, and hid the evidence.  I didn't know a 4 year old could have it in them to do that.  

I am so afraid of 10 years from now.  

In their words....

We asked the kids to tell us the story of when we were hiking and startled the flock of turkeys.  This is their version of the story....

What they're saying now

The kids say the cutest things sometimes.  I wish I always remembered to write it down.

Audrey is starting to say more complete sentences.
Her big thing to say is "I want it RIGHT NOW!"

This morning she told me " Mom, I like your shirt, it cool, it my favorite"

She likes to narrate her toileting.  If she lets out a little air while on the toilet she'll say "I farted!" and then it is "I poop lots" or "peeing!!"

Colin says some pretty cute things too.  We went to one of my work softball games last week.  On the way to the game he said "Mom, I hope you win your game.  If you win, I'll be your best friend.  If you don't, I won't"

We actually won the game(our first of the year).  Colin cheered me on from the stands and I could hear him saying "go mom" as I ran to first base.  After the game he said "mom, I'm going to be your best friend forever and ever because you won your game."

Audrey loves to "read" books.  She'll sit and turn the pages and tell you what she remembers from each page.  She had read this book to me 3 times before I grabbed the camera and then I had a hard time getting her to do it again.



Audrey telling us  her ABCs, counting, and Twinkle Twinkle...

What Colin is saying now

1. Last night on the way home from daycare

 Colin: "Mom, can I take my blue blanket to school because I don't like my yellow one anymore." Me: "Okay Colin, but why don't you like your yellow blanket?" Colin: "Well Derek has a blue one and if I take my blue one then we will both have blue blankets."

 I thought wanting to be like your friends started MUCH later.

 2. Colin: "Mommy I love you, and I love Daddy, and Audrey, and Aya(nala). But I don't love Simba because he ate my poptart."

 He ate his poptart that he dropped on the floor about a month ago. Colin was so upset about it and obviously holds a grudge.
 Me: "But we still love Simba even if he ate your poptart."
Colin: "You love Simba mommy but I don't because he ate my poptart and he licks me too much."

 3. We have an "elf on the shelf". It is an elf doll that you put up somewhere in your house. Each night the elf goes to the North Pole to tell Santa how the kids have been and then comes back to a new place in the house. We had moved it from one spot to another. Then next morning....
 Colin: "Who moved him over there?"
 Me: "noone, he went to the North pole last night to tell Santa how you've been and came back and picked that spot"
 Colin: "you mean he got down and walked over there and climbed up the shelf by himself?" "Mommy, show me how he got down." "Mommy, I just want you and Daddy to tell Santa how I've been."

 I don't think the Elf has been that successful in this house.

 4. Talking to Audrey in the car.(We have been doing a sticker chart for nighttime potty training)

 Colin: "Audrey, when you get big like me you can have a sticker chart"

 5. After seeing the Christmas lights up at daycare
 Colin: "Mommy, when is Santa going to come put lights up at our house?"
Me: "Santa doesn't put lights up, you have to ask Daddy when he's going to do it" (Colin asked and the lights got put up that weekend)

 6. Driving home from daycare
 Colin: "Mommy, why don't we have a tire on the back of our car?"(must have just seen a jeep with one) Me: "Because our car is small and it doesn't fit so our extra tire is in the trunk."
Colin: "So if our tire broke and we only had 3 tires on the car we wouldn't be able to drive it? And we could use the extra tire in the trunk so we would have 4 tires and be able to drive?" "Can I put the new tire on?" Me: "Well you're not big enough. Mommy's not even big enough. I need Daddy's help if I need to put the new tire on."
 Colin: "So when I get big I can put the tire on and not need your help"
 Me: "When you get big like Daddy, you can put the tire on and I will probably call you to come help me with the tire."

Sneaky and Stories

We found out the other day that Colin has learned to be a little sneaky.

Back story: He likes Audrey's puffs. He would grab the can and eat the whole thing. The problem is that I buy these nice organic veggie puffs and they're not cheap. I don't want him to eat them all because Audrey likes them and they are the only thing she can feed herself right now.

Further back story: We bought Colin a step stool so that he can reach up to the sink to wash his hands after going to the bathroom. He also likes to use it to stand at the counter when we are cooking or whatever we're doing up there that he wants to be a part of.

One day I notice that it has suddenly gotten quiet. I walk out to the kitchen and see that Colin has dragged his stool across the room and the puffs are missing from the counter. I look around for him. I find him hiding behind the curtains stuffing his mouth with a handful of puffs. Definitely getting sneaky!!


Colin is starting to tell stories.

We always ask Colin about his day at school. For the longest time his only answer about the day would be the name of his teacher..."Ashley" or "Gabby". We'd try to question him more but he'd just say "I don't know". This week that has changed. He is now telling us whole stories about his day like

What friends did you play with? "Jonah and Teague but Nikki was in the other room"
What did you eat for lunch? "pickles, beans and bread"
What did you play? "read books and baby doll"

It is so fun to get a whole story out of him. Yesterday when Audrey and I went to the dr's we brought a sticker home for Colin. He was wearing the sticker when Paul got home and Paul asked him where it came from. Colin told him "baby gave it to me from the dr's." He's just getting so smart!

"Tell the baby to wake up"

Colin was looking at one of Audrey's birth announcements. He comes over to me and says "Mommy....tell the baby to wake up". I think it's so cute how he interprets pictures.

"No me want to"

Colin at the age where he is starting to say some of the cutest things. I want to make sure that I write them down and remember them. This post will have a few things he's said recently but sometimes I might just post a quick quote so I don't forget it.

If he doesn't want to do something like put his pajamas on or eat dinner he says
"No me want to" or "No me like it". I couldn't believe it the first time I was telling him to eat something on his plate and he tells me "No me like it".

The other day we were looking at some pictures that I had printed up. One of the pictures was a little dark, should have had the flash on. Colin points to the picture and says "Mommy....turn the light on."

On Sunday Colin was in the kitchen and was putting away some things he had taken out of the cupboard. I stopped across the room to watch him because it was so cute to see him cleaning up after himself. He turns and looks at me and says "Mommy....What?!?!?!" And he has done that a few times since where he's just like "What?!"

Tonight after dinner Colin was eating some "fruit pudding"(baby food prunes that we feed him to help with his regularity). He started eating with his fingers and Paul told him to stop and use his spoon. He turns over to me and asks "Mommy, me eat with my fingers?" He's already trying to get us to contradict each other, we are in so much trouble when he is a teenager.

I think his favorite word right now is "Almost".
Me: "Colin, it's time for bed"
Colin: "Almost"

Paul: "Colin, it's time to pick up your toys"
Colin: "Almost"

Me: "It's time to get off the potty"(when it's close to bedtime)
Colin: "Almost"

Pretty much any time we are letting him know that is time to go to bed he says "Almost". But it is so cute!