Thursday, January 29, 2009

Piano with my Pals


Peder is taking piano lessons right now and Caroline always wants to "pay" with him. She's usually gated off from our front room which has the piano so it's always a treat for her to sit on the bench. She was pretending to play with her stuffed animal friends. Froggie had trouble staying awake, I think.
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I love...


...to watch Peder and Caroline have fun together.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Waking up with a Book


Most of the time, Caroline wakes up from her nap happy and chatters away. Today (snow day) we were concerned because it was late in the afternoon and she still wasn't awake. When I entered her room, she was just looking at her book. It was nice....
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Baby It's Cold Outside!





Well, school is out for day 2 for Peder. Today my district is closed all day as well. So, we're all home today. I really am glad I didn't have to get out there this morning, but right now the sun is shining and it looks deceptively nice outside. Our house faces the north and so the front is still shaded a lot. I just took a few of these pictures this afternoon. Wish it had snowed a bit. That would have been fun for the kids.
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Monday, January 26, 2009

Icy Weather

We're watching the weather to see what's going to happen in the next 24 hours. Wish it would snow. That's at least fun. This icy weather is just a hassle since no one in Dallas knows how to handle icy roads. I heard on the news that whatever is approaching has the potential to be one of the worst ice storms in several years here. All I know is that the kids at my school (and the teachers) go crazy when we can't go outside for the entire day.

Peder March 2003



I couldn't resist looking back at old pictures of Peder when he first used the same easel. As you can see, he was working so hard and seriously that he had to remove his shirt to get the job done. It's hard work being a toddler! Peder was almost exactly the same age as Caroline (22 months) is now.
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Coloring Away at the Easel




We got this easel from IKEA when Peder was about 3 years old and he used it A LOT! We recently took it out for Caroline. Mark noticed that she was getting frustrated because she was using the side that didn't have a tray on it to hold crayons. Well, that just wouldn't do for Mark to have his daughter inconvenienced by such a thing. So, he attached a little bucket for her crayons. He's thinking of putting another one on the other side of the easel. You never can have too many crayons!
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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Camping with Daddy



Mark and Peder went camping with the Adventure Guides this weekend at Camp Grady Spruce, just west of Fort Worth. They drove over with a friend from school and church, Garrett, and his father. The weekend included horseback riding (Peder had a horse with blue eyes whose name was "Blue"), "mountain" climbing, boat ride, hauling wood, eating smores by campfire, and running around like crazy boys (the kids ran around too! Ha!). Mark says the accommodations weren't as nice as the previous camping trip from this past fall, but they were still in heated cabins and that's what mattered. Peder was excited to sleep in a bunk bed. Guess who always gets to sleep on the bottom bed?

In the meantime, Caroline and I had a fun girls weekend. She asked several times about "Pedie" and Daddy and going to the door, but never got upset. She had me of course! She screamed with delight when the boys got home. Mark really missed her.
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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inauguration Day

It was an exciting day for our nation with the inauguration of our new President, Barack Obama. The 5th and 6th graders at our school got to watch it during their lunchtime. I watched some of it on my laptop at school but it wasn't as nice as watching on a large TV screen (plus I had work to do, of course). Peder watched some too at school apparently. Peder has only known one president in his short life, so we asked him what he thought about having a new one. Of course we barely got a response. Then, when I told him that one of the President's daughters is 7 years old just like him, I asked if he thought that would be neat to live in the White House. He commented that there is a bowling alley and movie theater there. I added that there were swimming pools and tennis courts, as well. He thought that was way cool. Then, I told him that I'd been there and he immediately whined, "I want to go to the White House, too." I actually don't remember much, although I was in college (so it wasn't THAT long ago). I went with two friends and we waited in line a LONG time and didn't get to see very much. Still, it's fun to say I've been there and Peder loved that.

Now, Peder can add the White House to his growing list of places to visit: Legoland in California, Disneyworld or Disneyland (he'll take either), and Chuck E. Cheese's Restaurant.

Also, I couldn't resist including this video of Caroline. I had asked her in October, just before the election, who she would vote for and she made it very clear:

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Appetite is Back!




Caroline is finally getting back to her old self. She's always had a healthy appetite and today was no exception. She loves ravioli but it is oh, so messy. I try to make sure she's wearing dark colored clothes when she eats it, but it doesn't always work out that way.

By the way, if you're one of those on my email list and get these posts automatically, scroll to the bottom of the email to get the link for the blog. I have other fun things in my blog that I've added (such as the countdown to Caroline's birthday -- it's coming up!). I'll love your feedback!
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Sunday, January 18, 2009

Caroline Coloring

Although Caroline STILL isn't 100%, she's still active and is playing every now and then. I played around with some pictures I took yesterday and created this little slideshow.


Carrots, anyone?








These carrots do look funny, but only because Mark and Peder grew them! Mark planted them too close together, which accounts for their funny shapes. But we've all tried them and they are good. Maybe we should start renting a space at the Farmer's Market soon?
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Friday, January 16, 2009

Reading is a Wonderful thing!



I hope both Peder and Caroline learn to love reading. Caroline LOVES Goodnight Moon, a wonderfully classic book (although I don't have a picture of her looking at it yet). I really like this picture of the two of them looking at books together. Peder will read to her too. Peder's first FAVORITE book was called Rupert Penguin. Everytime we read it to him he was entranced. He was still an infant at the time. We even tried to find another copy of it, so I think we do have two copies. Below are some old pictures of Peder:

Peder 17 months old
18 months old
10 months old

3 years old?

12 months
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Thursday, January 15, 2009

What a Day!

Well, what a day this has been. Caroline is still sick with fever but is hanging in there. I hate to think of bringing her into the doctor's office since the first thing they will probably do is check the ears. She tends to produce more wax than probably necessary and since the doctor has to see that eardrum he needs to dig out the ear wax. This procedure isn't particularly painful unless you decide to thrash around and scream, which is what Caroline does. Last time was particularly nasty because they did a saline wash to clear the ear canal. It was tough. But we've been so lucky not to have had the ear infections that Peder had as a baby and toddler. THAT was not fun.

(WARNING! If you are offended by the word "poop" and bodily functions, you might want to stop reading. I'm immune to knowing if I'm crossing the line since I talk about poop and say "poop" every day, at home and at school (I do work with preschoolers, some of who are still in diapers. Lovely, huh?)

Besides Caroline being sick, this afternoon I got a phone call at work from Peder's school. This never happens so I was concerned. They said he had a terrible stomachache. Of course, I immediately overreacted and thought the worst (for me it's the stomach bug, etc.). He got on the phone and whispered, "Mommy I have to poop." Well, I really just wanted to tell him to go to the bathroom like any normal person and get it over with but, instead, I picked him up and brought him home. Mark was already home with Caroline. Peder could barely walk upright the pain was so much for him (although watching TV distracted him so I knew it wasn't life-threatening (think appendicitis).

Well, we decided to call the doctor and immediately got in (I love our pediatricians!). Mark took him (yeah!) and I stayed home with Caroline. They were soon back and Mark told me that Peder was constipated and needed an enema (!!). Not only that, but he prescribed we do it once for 2 or 3 days. He said the doctor gave the name of it and to buy it over the counter. I asked Mark what else the doctor had said about that since I had never received nor given an enema. Mark said that there are directions on the box (!!!). Now, those of you who know me well know that I would be asking the dr. a million questions about the procedure, I'd write down plenty of notes and would probably have him draw diagrams for me as well. The doctor did mention many other things to do besides this of course.

Okay, to make a long story as short as possible, I will say that it went MUCH better than expected. (I had laid out many towels in our bathroom and had expected much crying and negotiating). Peder did want me to read the directions to him on the box, which I did. He's very thorough. Well, I certainly didn't want him to have a traumatic experience, but I also didn't want this to be a walk in the park. There was no crying or screaming. In fact, I'll share just a few of the many comments that he said this evening:


  • After hearing a big plop, he said "It went like a cannon into the seven seas!"
  • "Wow, water is coming out of my bottom!"

  • Giggling "That was loud!"

  • There were moments when he wanted a little privacy (understandably) and he said "Daddy and Mommy, ignore it like an elephant." We looked confused and asked him what he meant. He said "On a field trip, we saw an elephant poop and he just ignored it." Well, alright then.

Now, this reminds me of a time when he was having difficulty knowing when to poop several years ago, so I said "Peder, you have to listen to your body." He replied, "Mommy, my body doesn't talk to me!"

For obvious reasons, I'm not including photos on this posting.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Our Sick Baby





Caroline awoke in the middle of the night with a fever (always happens that way, doesn't it?). She seems to be doing fine and hopefully will be over this soon. But, I had to take a picture of her laying down with her blankies this afternoon. You can't see in the picture, but she has three there that she collected. But, even laying down and feeling icky, she still said "cheese!" when she saw me with the camera. I can't complain if she just has a plain fever, but it's no fun knowing your child is feeling uncomfortable.

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Proud of my Tummy and my Balloon


Caroline has always been proud of her tummy and loves to show off her belly button.



Here is the balloon and her looking up at it. The simple joys of being a toddler...

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Birthday Party Drama



Peder went to a birthday party at a huge gymnasium where they practice gymnastics and host birthday parties. He got some great party favors including a coveted Webkinz stuffed animal (he traded a horse with "girl eyes" for a toad, so a crisis was averted there). He also got a party bag with a bag of animal crackers, a bag of Skittles and a bag of M&Ms. On the bag was a balloon. Caroline LOVES balloons and he was running around with this bag and balloon (I had already removed the candy). Caroline was getting so frustrated and we finally told him that Caroline really wanted to see the balloon and that he could share with her. He ran again into the kitchen and I was about to plead with him again to JUST GIVE HER THE BALLOON (!!) when he said "Mommy, just a minute." He brought in the balloon with the bag. She opened the bag and saw the bag of animal crackers and was thrilled. Now the balloon wasn't even an issue (of course). Peder gave her a kiss on the forehead and sat with her on the couch. Okay, he doesn't really like animal crackers, but it was the thought that counts, right? Now if I throw a tantrum will Peder share the M&Ms with me????
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