Beads...

Tyler just left the doctor's office, again!  This time he had to go to have a bead removed from his nose.  He said it hurt worse than the shots and he has been limping from those since yesterday so I am betting that we will hear about a sore nose for a while.  It will give us a chance to reiterate that you never put anything up your nose or in your ears!  I am actually pretty surprised that this is our first experience with object removal - and I hope it is the last!  No surprise that it happened during naptime - they both keep telling me that they "don't know how to fall asleep in the day," and that "trying to nap is hard work."  Tyler, for the last two years, has entertained himself at naptime and not slept - today's attempts at amusement didn't work out so well and I bet that he goes back to trying to convince the teachers to let him have a book rather than testing to see what will fit in his nose!

The 4 Year Check-Up

The kids had a good doctor visit.  Perfect hearing and vision, seem to be on track in developmental areas (although the lack of staying dry at night was mentioned as an issue), and growing as expected.  They are both still right around the 15th percentile in height and weight, but on the curve they are doing well.  Tyler is 38.5 inches tall and 35 pounds.  Katie is 37.75 in height and weighs 33 pounds.  They are small, and of course we already knew that, but growing appropriately so that's good.  They are still on track for Katie to be about 5 foot 2 inches when she is an adult, and Tyler about 5 foot 8 inches. 

They each got 5 shots today, too :(.  Poor Tyler was so scared throughout the appointment because he overheard us discussing whether or not to do the 5 year shots now or next year (we opted for now because insurance wouldn't cover it if we needed to do it before school less than a year from now and they said that kids get more resistant as they get older and they get more difficult).  Katie was a champ with not even a whimper throughout, but Tyler was crying and told the nurses that it hurt "more than a pinch.  We went for ice cream as a special treat afterward, though, and they both thought that was a good trade-off.  We also got Tyler's hair cut and he talked the stylist into giving him a mohawk! 

Katie may be short, but she makes up for it with pure sass!

Tyler's interpretation of the face that goes with wearing a mohawk!

Dentist!

The kids had their first trip to the dentist yesterday (I know it is a year late, but better late than never I guess).  They did well and seemed to think it was a fun thing to do, which is great since I don't want them to have the same "fear" of the dentist office as me!  They got to see Ray-Ray, and Katie in particular was really impressed that he wore a "white jacket."  They both told me on the way home that they want to be dentists when they grow up and I think it was really fun for them to see Ray-Ray at work.  People kept talking to us in the lobby and when the kids told them Ray Ray was their Grandpa they just beamed with pride - they thought it was very cool that other people knew Ray-Ray too.  They got a good check-up and got to pick out prizes so when I told them they get to go back in March Tyler told me that was "too long away."  

We have our 4 year physical appointment tomorrow.  It will be interesting to see what they are weighing and how tall they are now.  Katie seems to be in the midst of a growth spurt.  She is constantly hungry and "they" say that feet grow first and she is just now growing out of shoes she wore last summer.  It isn't very drastic, though and a lot of her shoes will still fit - like her snow boots (I hope we get a chance to wear them this year) and rain boots -  we will just have to pick up a pair of casual shoes and try to find some that are sparkly or shiny since those are what she outgrew that she still wants to wear daily.  It was a bit colder and still rainy today so Tyler put on his new pair of jeans.  They are 3T and I was sure they would fit since he has obviously grown some, but they are still too big in the waist (although the length is good) even when they are adjusted.  Tyler is definitely leaner than Katie which might make him look taller, and he is solidly in 4T tops whereas I think we might be able to get by with some 3T stuff this year for Bug (that might just be wishful thinking, though since I don't want to have to re-outfit them both completely for the Fall and Winter)!  Katie is still dress-crazy though so I might be able to get away with just getting a couple of dresses and some leggings and calling it  a day for her!  They definitely look like bigger kids to me in pictures, and when I went in to check on them while they were sleeping last night I was kind of weepy over how big they look now in their little toddler beds :(!  

Katie has started acting up again when being dropped off at school.  She is clearly taking advantage of Lance (like she did me when I dropped them off) and just being a drama queen, since when I pick them up they are full of stories of the fun they had during the day and still rarely want to leave.  I am really happy with the school and I think they are too.  They seem to be learning a lot, but in a more play/fun way, and are making friends and really, really like their teacher.  It is unfortunate that childcare is also the biggest burden on us financially, and although it is so beneficial will have to be the thing we cut out if things don't get better quick.  I don't know what our other options are (maybe back to where I work), but as I expected the large expense is just really taxing when one of the incomes that pays the bills is commission based and seasonal to some degree.  So funny how my mind works, and obvious even in this post, on one hand I am so sad that my kids are growing up so fast, and the other I can't wait until they get into real school and the expenses go down a little (even though that means they will be 6(!!!) years old).  I am super busy at work and super stressed in general so it helps to sort it out on here, but now I guess I need to do the 1,000 things on my list for the day.  I will definitely post again shortly after their physical with an update - I am certain we will get in "trouble" for them not being fully potty-trained (still pull-ups at night), but for the most part I think they are on track in other areas - we'll see!  

Football Saturday

We had swim lessons this morning (kids are doing great although Tyler is still refusing to jump in because he doesn't want to go under and Katie insists on holding her nose every time she jumps) and then rushed to the 11:30 Vandy game.  This is probably one of the only ones we can really take the kids to.  It was early enough in the day, and not an SEC opponent so there was room for us all to spread out a little and sit in an open spot instead of our seats.  The kids had a good time, but were definitely done by halftime.  We called it a day when it was obvious that Vandy was doing well (ended up being a 58-0 victory) and are home now for an afternoon of more football, and the kids get to play (right now I am being serenaded with drums and microphone by Tyler).

Big 4 Year Olds!

Katie and Tyler have really latched on to them turning 4 meaning that they are big kids now.  If Tyler whines Katie will tell him "4 year olds don't whine," and when Katie didn't want to eat her dinner last night Tyler looked at me and told me that she didn't have to because she was already big and strong because she is 4 (she did end up eating her veggies because she  wants to be even bigger and stronger and faster).  It also means that Katie thinks she has even more control over what she wears, which I didn't think was possible!  For her Birthday she got some Ladybug rain boots from So-So and Ray- Ray (Tyler got some fireman ones).  Tyler wore his all day and wanted to wear them to bed, and they both wore them to the grocery store but on Tuesday when we went to school he realized that it wasn't raining and opted for different shoes.  Katie couldn't be convinced that there was no reason to wear hers, because she told me that it had rained yesterday and there were still probably puddles (my explanation that they wouldn't be in her classroom didn't work).  It didn't matter to her that she was wearing a mermaid shirt, a denim skirt, and turquoise leggings (all that she picked out and insisted went together), because she told me that "shoes don't have to match" and wore her boots to complete the disastrous ensemble!

They have always talked about one particular boy in their class who they say is "mean" and "bad" because he apparently gets in trouble often for hitting and scratching.  He will turn 4 this week and Tyler told me that his friend will not be bad anymore because he is 4.  I really hope that it is the case for all the kids, but I doubt it. That conversation led to more talk about the kids in their class - and they identified the nicest one, the silliest one, the one that is their best friend, or the ones that sit at their table and then Lance asked them which one they are.  Tyler said he is the one that "remembers things."  I have to try to remember that Tyler is ALWAYS listening.  Frequently he will repeat something I said when I thought he was out of earshot or not paying attention and I am sure that comment came from my conversation with his teacher when she was amazed that she couldn't find a book in the classroom that he hadn't memorized.  I am still kind of torn on that one - I think it is great that he seems to have an exceptional memory, but I think it is prohibitive for him in learning at this point.  That, and the fact that he thinks that if he knows something he doesn't need to work on it or he gets tired of reviewing it (he seems to have the Allen Iverson view on practice).  It just hasn't clicked with him that he would be better off learning to read the words because he knows that he can just remember what words go with the pictures and still gets to enjoy the story.  He also doesn't yet understand that him knowing his letter sounds and all the letters is the first step in reading and has dismissed working on them anymore (or playing games on the kindle that are letter based) because he is approaching it like everything else - shapes, colors - got it and now I am moving on.  It is hard to explain, and again I know that there isn't really a reason for him to learn to read right now (other than that we are still considering having them tested to enter Kindergarten early), but there just hasn't been that moment of recognition that each letter and sound make up words that can create all sorts of stories.  I guess that might be because of his age, although he is stubborn and a bit of a "know-it-all" so some credit has to be given to personality!  I think, too, that this will always be a challenge.  He will probably get bored in class, and not perform up to the teacher's expectations because he doesn't realize that a big part of school success is proving that you know something.  He knows that he knows it and is ready to learn something else, and doesn't understand why he has to repeat it again and again.  The good thing is that at this point he is not disruptive and is content to entertain himself while his classmates are reviewing something he is familiar with - he will definitely need that if he does have two more years until Kindergarten!

I think we are going to start swim lessons this Saturday.  With football season Saturdays may be a challenge, but I am super busy at work and just can't commit to getting them to Tuesday/Thursday at 5:00 lessons right now.  It is a little late for swim lessons, I know, but  we have meant to do it all summer and can go to the indoor pool at the Y all year and I will be more comfortable taking them by myself while Lance is working once they have had some non parent/child instruction!  Even though I am sad that summer is coming to an end, I do love Fall.  We should have lots of fun things in store - festivals, football, pumpkin patches.  I just hope the weather changes soon and it's not so hot, but maybe not too soon because I really don't have time right now to get the kids geared up for Fall.  Regardless, the next post should include pictures of something fun - I just hope I can get back on here before they are Halloween pictures :)!

Happy Birthday!

I think the kids had a fabulous birthday!  They took cupcakes and goody bags that they made themselves to school and thought it was great to get to have a birthday party at school with their friends.  Today we had a family party at the house after a breakfast at Cracker Barrel (kid's choice) and a trip to Target since the kids were super anxious to spend their gift cards from Grandma and B-Bob.  They played with those gifts while I straightened up the house, and (yes, last minute) wrapped their gifts.  We then had cake (split since they couldn't agree on one theme)!

They had fun opening gifts, and we only had one small incident.  Katie saw this Minnie Mouse purse a while back and fell in love.  It sings, has a microphone, and uhhh, is a pink purse - so naturally she thought it was awesome.  She tried to buy it today with her gift card, yesterday when we went to look for Tyler's gift from her, and the day we saw it by slipping it in the cart while we weren't looking.  Once she opened it she didn't want to open anything else but when I convinced her that we could play with it as soon as she was done opening she realized that she got lots of other cool stuff, too! 

Tyler was in little boy heaven - lots of Cars the movie stuff, tracks, and a remote control Lightning McQueen!  He was concentrating so hard on the track that has a waterfall that changes the color of cars - he told me before bed that he wanted to invent a track that changes the color of all cars (this one only works with special cars) :)! 

They were too quick blowing out the candles for me to capture it, but Tyler told me he did make a wish! 

I can't believe they are 4 years old!  I am glad we decided to go low-key with the party this year - we had a blast playing tonight after they opened their gifts and they are really looking forward to playing all day tomorrow.  Since I think more rain is expected, I am glad there is plenty to occupy them indoors in case of bad weather!  Katie did end up getting the drums she requested repeatedly, and I think Tyler is happy even though we didn't get quite the "lots and lots and lots of tracks and cars" that he asked for :)! 

Beach Trip!!!

We had an AWESOME beach trip.  The kids were at such a great age this year to really enjoy just hanging out on the beach.  This picture kind of epitomizes our beach adventure.  Tyler really loved playing in the sand and was content to spend all of his time playing pretend with his sand toys and building sandcastles.  He told me that he wanted to move to the beach and live there all the time, but he did say that he wanted So-So and Ray-Ray to move there too (he realizes that Grandma and PaPa already live there since we luckily got to visit with them both), and his school and his teacher Miss Abbey!  Katie was all about the water and kept us busy begging to get in the "wave water" constantly. 

They both really loved "crab hunting."  Their teacher said that they talked about it constantly today at school.  We were able to really do some nighttime beach time with flashlights on Thursday when they took a really good nap.  We tried again on Saturday but a pretty bad storm came up right when we went down to the beach, and both of the kids were scared of the wind and Lance and I went in as soon as we saw the first bolt of lightning.  All in all we had pretty good weather - with rain only at night and Friday afternoon, but that storm was pretty scary especially since we almost got stuck in the elevator due to wind preventing the door from fully closing!

We only made it out to dinner as a family one night.  My mom kept the kids our first night down there (big thank you due for that) and Lance and I had a fabulous "date" to Whiskey Bravo and Red Bar.  When the kids actually took a nap they weren't completely exhausted and were great at dinner at the Shrimp Shack in Seaside (home of the expensive but fabulous lobster rolls).  They were so excited about looking for crabs and using their flashlights after dinner that they didn't even remember the promise of ice cream.  They were really great pretty much the whole trip, and even on the way down for the loooong drive.  It was wonderful to spend some quality time with the kids right now because their behavior has been frustrating lately and we were definitely reminded during this trip how lucky we are to have such awesome, funny, smart, just plain fun to be around kids!   

We had such a great time and all of us were really sad to come home and to realize that we have another year before we can probably make it back.  The kids keep talking about going to Disney World and we really do want to try to make it there sometime very soon, but there is no doubt that beach fun gives Mickey a run for his money!