Karter at Five

FIVE! This was a VERY long awaited birthday. The countdown was on and the anticipation grew to astronomic proportions. I suddenly thought it might be wise to ask him, "What does your birthday day look like?"  I didn't want the day to arrive and have him bitterly disappointed and let down, so I thought that if there were notions that needed to be squelched, I better get going on that!  

But he didn't really have high expectations. He wanted cake and friends over and I'm sure presents were in that list too, but he didn't make too much mention of them until the day or two before and even then he wasn't asking for much. Phew!!

We counted down days for quite a while and it was the first question he would ask when he woke up in the morning. .  . how many days now?? 

We decided that since one of his favorite questions each day is, "Can I have someone over?" that we would have multiple play dates/birthday parties instead of having them all over at once. 

So he had two friends the day of his birthday, and three the next day. This worked really well and it was fun to see them having fun together!

 Blowing bubbles.

We actually did not end up having cake. We went to the grocery store and this is what he picked. He had it all figured out in his head. "The brown thing with white in it!"

And pictures and commentaries from the last year:

I'll start with Karter and Konnor's relationship since this picture is first.  These boys love each other and can play incredibly well together, BUT Karter also loves to bug and tease Konnor for no apparent reason other than to hear him cry or whine.  (this seems familiar).  We could do without that part, but on the whole Karter is very glad to have Konnor around and they are pretty good buddies. Now that Konnor is getting older, he can play certain things with Karter and Karter DOES enjoy having someone to play with. He does not have a whole lot of imagination, and therefore if he is all alone, he grows bored rather quickly. 

 Karter is definitely ready for school. I was not looking forward to this at all, but there comes a time when it is okay.  I think I will be sad, but okay when September comes.  Because he is so ready and is constantly needing something to do or somewhere to go or someone to have over, it becomes easier to have him go because it will make him so happy! I am still very glad that it is only two days a week. It will be a good balance.

 Karter's favorite time of the day is when the kids come home from school.  He counts that down too. "How much time til the kids get home?" is a constant refrain in my afternoon.  When it gets close, he will often head outside and wait for the bus to come.  Then he has new faces to play with!

 Karter loves all sports and is another "always on the go" kid.  He loves soccer and hockey best, but will join in whenever he can at whatever he can.  When I teach Phys. Ed at school once a week, depending on what we are doing, he will join in and get right in there with the Grade 4's - especially in hockey and soccer.

 Karter is really starting to love the water and swimming. After a slow start last year, he really embraced it and was totally good with jumping in over and over by the end of the summer (with his crab). He has already jumped in the pool once this spring and though it took his breath away (literally!), he did not hesitate at all. (though he probably will next time!)

 Karter loves story time at the library. We go once a week and he knows most of the kids and loves the "teacher".  It is familiar and fun and they do such a good job there, that the kids LOVE going!  

He also loves books. We still try to sit down once or twice a day and read a few books together. If I try to escape after my coffee or breakfast, he will sit on me and force me to stay until I have read him the three books he has grabbed for me to read.  I do really enjoy this time and so does Konnor, so I am thankful that it is part of our routine.

 Karter also really enjoyed Bible Boys (and Girls) this year.  He goes to that "class" while we meet for Bible Study. I cannot believe how much he learned this past year. They started going through the Jr. Catechism and he just grabbed onto those question and answers and really figured them out.  It is not odd to hear him saying something like this, "That is just a stone. You cannot worship it b/c there is only ONE TRUE GOD. How many persons are there? Three. God the Holy Spirit, God the Son and God the . .. . . . . Father!"   I love it.  There have been a lot of discussions and conversations as a result of the things he learned there and I am so thankful for the time the teacher has taken.

 Karter loves to talk about God and ask questions.  He is really trying to figure Him all out.  He knows He is big - but how big? Bigger than the house? Bigger than the truck?  But then how does He fit in our hearts.  When we read a Bible story before bed, I am often interrupted in the middle of every sentence as he thinks of another question. Some are related to what we are reading and some are not.  It is pretty neat. I love these conversations and hearing him say that he loves God and Jesus SOOOOO much.

 We memorized Psalm 103 as a family (with the church) and Karter is able to say pretty much the whole thing too! We are still perfecting the last few verses, but he can recite most of it perfectly.  We're pretty proud of him.

 Karter loves Kevin - Kevin is the one who will spend the most time playing hockey in the basement with him and that is his most favorite thing in the world to do.  Kevin, though he has a fairly full and busy schedule, will usually take the time to teach him new things or help him practice.  

 Karter also loves Kade but they maybe bond more over screens.  Kade has somehow (to our dismay) created a deep love for x box and you tube videos in Karter.  He won't last as long as Kade on a screen if left unsupervised, but he sure does want his turn.  He has lately started calling me screen girl b/c he thinks I spend so much time on the computer.  He figures for every minute I get, he should get the same - and he actually believes that that is the right and just thing for me to allow. Never mind that I am working and he is not.  Those details are not important.  He feels thoroughly persecuted and mistreated when I tell him no. I am a firm believer that video games make kids bratty.  It is true of him and thankfully we have a weekend only rule that is well enforced and not argued with.  He is quite familiar with the concept of a weekend as a result!

 Karter loves Kylie and when they get playing together it is wonderful. It is the only time Karter plays with his imagination.  He can do it and he does it well, but I believe that everything he has learned concerning using his imagination was taught to him by Kylie.  She is amazing that way - especially with the nicer weather, it is so fun to see them playing outside and pretending and having a good time.  

 The many faces of Karter!

Though Karter has a room in our house and even a bed, he spends every night on an extra mattress on the floor of either Kevin and Kade's or Kylie's room. He does not want to sleep in his own room with Konnor. This works out fine, so this is the way it is for now!

 Karter's last year was a year of many dental visits. He has (HAD!) bad teeth. He had  a few taken out and replaced with silver and a few cavities filled. He was amazing through it all, but we are glad to be on this side of it and thankful that at the last dental visit that she declared his teeth excellent and his brushing VERY GOOD!  I don't think we slacked terribly on him, but it sure made us smarten up!

 Karter loves spending time with Jonathan and loves it if he can "work" with him.  His favorite is when Jonathan plays hockey with him, but he is equally happy to go out to the shop and help him .. . and Jonathan reports that Karter is actually a HUGE help.  He also loves going on scrap metal runs or other odd jobs. Part of the joy is the Tim Hortons run they go on when they are done. Regardless he loves Dad time.

 Karter loves spending time with friends.  Mason and Karter remain very close and have lots of fun and get into little bits of mischief together.  Karter also loves spending time with the other boys his age at church - and there are a bunch of them to choose from.  He also loves his cousin Savannah!

 When Karter puts his mind to helping - or when there is a reward at the end, he can go like there is no tomorrow. He can help me put the house in order in a very short time if there is motivation. There are also moments, when picking up one toy is a monumental chore that he is pretty sure he will never make it through alive.

 Karter is starting to do some "school" things. I don't do any work with him specifically, but once in a while I will get him to copy letters or something like that while we are working in the office. He will sit at his desk and I will sit at mine, and he does quite well. He can copy most of the letters very well, though he doesn't know all of their names.  He knows a bunch and most of his numbers. I am not too worried about having him figure it all out. Kindergarten will be here soon enough.  He knows how to write his name so they should let him in :)

 Karter is also an amazing help at the grocery store. He gets a comment pretty much every week on how good of a helper he is too (which I'm sure spurs him on!) At the checkout, he usually loads the cart onto the counter while I start packing on the other end. He also loves to organize the shelves if he sees things kind of out of place and push the empty milk crates down the track.  He would be a good stock boy.  He also helps with Konnor - or bugs him.  Some days are good and some days he is just not allowed to sit in the cart with Konnor!

Karter, like everyone else in this family, doesn't require a lot of sleep.  We are a bit dysfunctional with bedtimes right now and Karter often goes to bed at a time far beyond his years.  This will change next year for sure when he has to get up for school. Right now he sleeps in so it works out okay!

 Karter is a snacker and asks too many times a day for snacks.  Thankfully he does like healthy snacks too. One of his interesting quirks: He eats yogurt with a measuring spoon. Always. And usually the smallest one there is.  Not sure why, but it has to be that way for him.  

Karter also loves to sing. He has his favorite songs that he learns from his older siblings and to which he gets most of the words wrong. He also has his favorites that we sing as a family after supper.

 Karter! We love you so much.  Our prayer is that you would be like your favorite Bible character - David.  You love listening to the story of David and Goliath that we have on a CD.  May you be brave like David. May you be strong in the Lord like David - putting your trust in Him in every situation! May you praise the Lord with everything that you do, and when you sin, may you, like David, turn to God in godly repentance, asking for forgiveness, and knowing that God will cleanse you and wash you til you are whiter than snow.

Thank you for all the joy you bring us. Thank you for all the help you are to us. Thank you for the things you teach us (some that we don't like learning!) Thank you for being a great brother to all your siblings and a great son to us!  We are so grateful that you are a part of our family!!

We LOVE you!

Konnor at Two

Two already! They sure do a lot of growing up between the age of one and two. This is a very fun and funny age. Konnor is a pretty easy dude. He is easily entertained, has pretty thick skin, and doesn't require a lot as long as he has ready access to milk in a bottle, a soother, and a family member.  

He has just really started to talk and although his first words (after mom, dad, and uh-oh), were Paw Patrol, Chase, Skye, and Marshall, he also loves to rattle off the names of his siblings - and he does them fairly well.  He can pronounce the "K" too . . .so that is beneficial! (Karter started everyone off with a "T")  He loves all his siblings and loves to tag along with them all and join in on whatever they are doing.

Konnor, like most of my other kids, spends a lot of his time on the counter and island.  He climbs well and loves to be right there when I am working in the kitchen. We have lost another one of our island pendant lights due to his head. (Twas Karter's fault though as he was the one who swung it . . so technically Karter still gets the credit for every single broken one).

Konnor loves hockey in the basement with the big boys and is most often right in the thick of things.  It is shocking that he doesn't get bowled over or clobbered more often, but somehow he remains mostly unscathed.  If it is only two or three playing and he feels like he is one of them, he will get quite mad if he is not included and will repeatedly yell out "Pass! Pass" and bang his stick on the cement.

He loves his soother and his bottle. He will drink from a cup no problem, but he LOVES his bottle and I'm pretty sure drinks way too much milk because of it.  He will retrieve it from the drawer, stand by the fridge and make a lot of racket. There are a lot of folks in this house that will "fill er up" for him in order to make him happy.   I don't think you can overdose on milk, but if you could, I might worry. He will not drink juice or water in the bottle and gets quite angry if you try.

He goes to bed well between 7 and 7:30pm, very rarely sleeps through the night, and has about an hour - to hour and a half nap in the afternoon.  (update: one month post birthday - He learned to climb out of his pack n play immediately after he turned two and it is now impossible to put him to bed at night or for naps in the afternoon. Slightly sad. But! He can find his own way to our bedroom in the night so I don't have to get up to get him anymore.)

He sleeps on his belly with his owl pillow and favorite blankets.  It is quite cozy. Just need to re-convince him of this.

He is starting to talk like crazy and repeats everything! Most of what he repeats is quite understandable in my opinion. I love hearing him talk. It is absolutely hilarious watching him mimic Karter. Sometimes he will mimic every action and every word. He just wants to be big!

He loves Paw Patrol and as I said earlier it was one of his first words. It sounded more like "Shaw Shole" but he said it over and over. He loves having Paw Patrol books read to him and watching the movies.  He knows the stories and characters well!

He loves it when Jonathan walks in the door or drives in the driveway. Dad always gets a very energetic greeting! He also is quick to point out "Dad" every time he sees a white work truck.

He does not love it when we leave. Even if I just bring Kevin to work, he often comes with because he is rather distraught at the sight of me leaving in the van. If we are both leaving, we are sure to use distraction tactics in order to not have to much sadness.

He loves animals and calls them all "cow".  He does not seem to be afraid of them which is really nice. He went to the barn a while ago with mom and she said he was not nervous at all. He loves Cita (our dog) and is certainly not afraid of the cats (though they should be afraid of him!)

He knows some of his body parts - eyes, ears, and nose mostly.

He loves to sing action songs - his favorite being "Clap Your Hands"

He loves books and between him and Karter they pile up the books after my coffee time in the morning and we settle in for a little reading time. He enjoys this, but he is very fidgety!

He has always been an early riser. He is usually up around 6:30.  My other kids have all been good at sleeping in, so we have some training to do!

He is mostly quite a sweet boy and gentle, though lately (through the encouragement of older kids!) thinks it is quite funny to hit.  He sees the older boys at church and runs around hitting.  Hopefully he doesn't do it in the nursery! Something to encourage him in, (the not hitting ever part I mean;))

He loves his riding toys and being outside. We are looking forward to spring . . . though he will need to be watched well! He was on the road once in the fall when Jonathan was mowing the ditch and it was rather scary!

He loves pushing our Little Tikes trucks and cars around the house and he and Karter will go flying across the floor. (the knees on their pants testify to this fun)

He loves helping me in the office too. He will hear the sound of the printer from the other room and come running to hand me whatever papers have come. He loves sitting on my lap while I work too which is not the most convenient, but is cozy as long as he sits still!

He is a sensitive boy -especially when disciplined.  He gets the saddest look on his face and it makes it somewhat hard to keep on with the discipline. I feel like grabbing him and giving him a big hug! (which can still happen at the end :))

He loves baths and playing with his cars and trucks in it. It is a good way to get my bathrooms cleaned! (I clean; They play)

He will often say "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom . . . . " and repeat it over and over even when I respond to him. He loves me ;)

He is maybe best known for his teeth and his smile - his teethy smile!  

He loves turning the lights on and off - future electrician?

He is a good breakfast eater. He is a fairly good supper eater. He is a terrible lunch eater, and he is a FABULOUS snacker!! He is quite capable of helping himself to whatever he needs and once again I mourn the lack of a lock on my pantry.

He knows "Hot" and "Cold" well and snow is definitely cold.  He doesn't love it.

From very much disliking shoes as a baby, he now quite loves them. He has his favorites, but will wear anyone's. He actually particularly loves Kylie's high heels and walks around clipping and clopping quite well! Boots, shoes, and hat are three other major words in his vocabulary.

He made it out on the ice for the last few weeks of hockey/skating this winter. I was not very ambitious with getting out in the cold, but perhaps should have been because he sure loved it!  He grabbed his skates at home and was MAD when he could not wear them around the house.

I love hearing his "Uh-oh!"

He has a stubborn streak that shows up occasionally and he can hold out for a good long time. Actually I usually give in before he does. (bad me)

I had the kitchen decorated with Paw Patrol stuff for his birthday and he walked down in the morning and just quietly took it all in. I have a video of him just quietly examining everything and uttering the occasional "Chase" "Skye" "Shaw Shole". Over and over.  

He got a Paw Patrol book and figurines as a gift and a movie as a gift. Just two presents. The other kids couldn't believe that was all. But he was tickled!  His birthday was on a Sunday so he got to be celebrated by many at church. He seemed to know and strutted around quite proudly! Opa and Oma came for supper and that was that!

It is hard to express in words how much love you have for your kids. It's a lot.  Konnor - you bring us so much joy.  In a busy life, you have taught us to enjoy the moments.  The older we get, the more value we see in this. We know how fast life goes and we want to enjoy it all and make good memories along the way.   I know I have created a lot of bad habits for you - but I actually don't regret them!  I could have taught you (I think!) to sleep through the night, but just think of all the snuggles we would have missed out on.  We could be immensely stricter with your bedtime now that you climb out of bed . . but it doesn't seem like a big deal to have you traipsing around. You are still cheerful and so the occasional 10:30 bedtime doesn't seem worth fighting over.  I'm sure there are advantages to being the youngest!  Kevin and Kade would not likely have gotten away with this!

I am excited to see who you will grow up to be.  We pray that you would grow up to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I love it when you reach out and want me to hold your hand(s) when we pray. I love it when you fold your own hands when we pray (even if it is only for two seconds before you decide you should probably have a bite to eat). You are an imitator and I hope we can all be worthy of being copied. There is a lot that we don't want imitated, and you are a warning to us all to watch our words and actions carefully!  Keep enjoying life and offering us your big smiles. I love watching you run up to dad (and into his arms) shrieking with excitement.  I love your joy when the kids get off the bus and walk in the door. Thanks for being you and for all the joy you bring into our lives. We love you immensely.

Crazy Weather!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Today I taught Phys. Ed at school. It was so warm that many of the students were in shorts and t-shirts. I myself was in a t-shirt and was HOT.  The kids were asking if they could go inside the gym to cool off. That is crazy.  Crazy enough I want to remember.

This is February! Love it.

Family Day

We took a little time on Family Day to "get out!"  

We headed for Port Burwell. 

It was a beautiful day for February, but it was still chilly once we were on the beach!

The ice and water was beautiful. It is neat to take the time to look and magnify the Maker!

T'would have been very cold if he had gotten wet! Somehow they can't resist.

Though we weren't away really long, it was nice to get out and get away from the work that is always  there and also to get excited about spring and summer and camping and beaches and even warmer weather . . .