Knock Knock!

One of the joys of children is all the funny things they say.  I've tried to write down as many as I can as they say them into notebooks, letters, and this blog. I've noticed over the last year that they have become few and far between.  My baby girls are growing up.  Andrei is going to have to fill in the gap! However, Kennedi did provide Doug and me with a huge laugh the other day.  Her sister was not with us, and Kennedi was enjoying being the "big man" in the car.  She was trying to copy her sister's Knock Knock jokes (which are HUGE in a 9 year old's world by the way...) Kennedi was busy making up Knock Knock jokes to tell herself, and then she got her father involved. 

Kennedi:  Knock Knock!
Doug: Knock Knock!:
Kennedi: No, I say Knock knock!
Doug:  OK, Knock Knock!
Kennedi:  I say Knock Knock! You say Who's There!
Doug: Who's There!
Kennedi (becoming very frustrated with her father): DOUG! Say it right! (Yes, she calls him by his first name when she's perturbed.) Then taking a deep breath, she says,  You say it!
Doug: OK, Knock Knock!
Kennedi: Who's there?
Doug: Doug Rawlins
Kennedi:  That's not funny. Try it again!
Doug: Knock Knock!
Kennedi: Tiger (Yes, I realize she missed the whole who's there line, but I think she was trying to nip her father's fun in the bud at this point...)
Doug: Tiger who?
Kennedi: Ask me a dumb question and you get a dumb answer.  Not THAT's funny!!!

Yesterday was the first day of school this year.  My third grader and first grader!  All Andrei wanted to know was who was going to play with him after we dropped the girls off at school. 

After yesterday Annsley thinks third grade is the BOMB! Her eyes were on fire when I picked her up.   Kennedi is just excited to get back around a gazillion people so she can chatter at recess and lunch.  Imagine that!

From photos from our back to school dinner night:

We prayed for all their teachers, grabbed Romans 8:37-39 for their Bible verse motto for the year, and colored on the table. 

Adios Softball!

Today marks the last day of Annsley's coach pitch softball games.  This has been our first go round of organized sports.  I am amazed at how busy it suddenly makes your already busy life.  I can't imagine what it will be like next year when Kennedi joins in on the fun.  How in the world do parents do it when their children are in several things at once? Just this one little thing has caused us to eat sandwiches in the car. 

Annsley is quite a little softball player, if I don't say so myself.  Her team is mostly boys--only 4 girls out of 18 on the team. (Don't get me started about the size.)  She can play with the boys, which makes her daddy puff up his chest.  She struck out her first time at bat, but she's gotten a hit every single time since then.  She's even made a few plays with some grounders at 2nd that have made the crowd go "Wow!", so I guess you could say she's got a proud Momma as well!

These kids are so funny to watch.  And the parents who are soooooo serious about this game! These little first graders are often more interested in the bug crossing first base than watching for the ball.  And then the circles these little guys can run when they don't know what to do with the ball!  And then the little girl who couldn't quite run quick enough to tag the runner and decided to just chunk the ball at the runner's back. My husband was umping by her and leaned over and whispered, "That may work on your brother at home but not here!" Or even my own daughter who did a most unsportmanlike "happy dance" when she tagged a runner out at 2nd just last week.  Where did that come from??? Or the child who loses his cap running to first and MUST stop to pick it up and place it back on his head before he can resume running....AND he still manages to get to first base safely.

Happy Birthday, Annsley!

My baby girl turned 8.  GULP! Here are a few pictures from her family party.  A softball/baseball game was started.  It was pretty funny watching a bunch of 60 something grandparents trying not to kill themselves! Thank you all for participating and making it a fun afternoon!

 And in case you might be wondering what in the world the pink "object" is, well, it's a pinata want-to-be.  Annsley HAD to have a Pink Poodle Pinata.  I was not going to spend $20 dollars on something that would be whacked away in 5 minutes.  So, I went to You Tube and learned how to make our own.  Doug just rolled his eyes when I told him what Annsley and I were about to do.  (Remember, he was a part of the Mother's Day Pinata fun.) 

I wouldn't recommend it.  I know, it looks like a pig. We didn't have enough toilet paper cardboard rolls, so we had to make 4 legs out of just two.  We just call him Stubby, the fat poodle with mange.  I got hot wrapping the crepe paper around and around, so I made the executive decision to use highly visible duct tape to hold it all together. The $20 might have been worth it...

No rude comments, please!

She doesnt' know how bad it really looks.  Thank you for 8 year old bliss!

Picture Post!

I'm back from the dead.  Maybe. 

A quick picture post of some of my favorite people:

Yes, I stacked it all by myself!



Unfortunately for her, disco has had its day.



My little 'uns made themselves a train.  Notice the caboose is not as happy as the rest.  And such is a 2 year old's life...

It has been crazy, busy around here.  Softball, VBS, end of school...more about our comings and goings with that as soon as my tongue quits hanging out of my mouth.

My Heart Has a Brain!

I absolutely love being in the car alone with Annsley.  In the quiet of the car, she and I will often have some of the best conversations.  Yesterday on our way to gymnastics, her questions turned to the spiritual side. A topic that comes up quite frequently is Nani, my grandmother and her great-grandmother, and heaven.  I was reiterating again to her that because Nani accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior that she is now in heaven.  So then the question progressed to how her body got to heaven and angels and all the other little things that goes with  a 7 year old's thinking.  I said that it was Nani's spirit that is in heaven--the part that was inside of her. 

Annsley:  So, where is the Spirit inside of you? 
Me:  Well, where is Jesus?
Annsley:  In my heart.
Me:  So that is where the Holy Spirit comes to live--to help you.  He's in your heart.
Annsley:  So, it's kinda like my heart has a brain!
Me: (I'm thinking that is a pretty good analogy!):  That's right.  (And because I want to impress upon Annsley and Kennedi that they are made righteous through Jesus Christ I continue...) And because you have the Holy Spirit in you, you have been made righteous in God's eyes.  When we have Jesus in our heart, the Holy Spirit makes us perfect.
Annsley:  But Mom, why do I still mess up sometimes?
Me:  Because you still have a fleshy body.  It's not perfect and never will be.  It's your spirit inside of you that has been made perfect--not your body or your brain. But Annsley, when God looks at you, no matter what you've done or haven't done, who does He see?
Annsley:  Jesus! 
Me:  (Amen!)  That's right! He only sees Jesus!  (I give myself a little silent high five for the day!) 

My high five for myself was short lived.  I decided take the opportunity again to remind Kennedi that God loves her so much no matter what, so I had the same type of discussion with Kennedi this morning.
 
Me:  Kennedi, where does Jesus live?
Kennedi: (pointing to her heart) In my heart.
Me:  Yes, and do you know that makes you perfect in God's eyes--no matter what?
Kennedi: (nodding)
Me:  Do you know that God only sees the inside of you?
Kennedi:  (Her little eyes getting big) "You mean He can't see my arms?
Me:  No--
Kennedi: My legs?  My tummy?
Me:  (I can tell this is heading South in a hurry.  I'm not quite how to proceed from here, so I lamely say): He can see all of you, but because of Jesus in your  heart, he only sees you as perfect.
Kennedi:  (Motioning in a circle on her chest): He can see my grinder.
Me:  Your grinder?
Kennedi:  Yes, I've got a grinder in here.  It chops up my food. 
Me:  (So much for our spiritual conversation.  I ditch that idea and decide to find out more about this so called grinder.)  Who told you about this grinder?
Kennedi: (shrugs) I don't know.  I just learned about it.
Me:  And what does it do?
Kennedi: (again circling her chest) My food goes down to here.  My grinder chops up my food.  Then my food goes around here. ( She makes a snake around her tummy and points to her back.)

How we progressed from God to the intestines, I'll never know.

Where's Your Goat?

Sibling rivalry is high at our house.  I don't like it.  Annsley does a fantastic job of twisting the knife she just inserted into her sister's back.  Kennedi has a knack for sending her older sister "over the edge" with frustration. Doug is always reminding Annsley to not let Kennedi know where her goat is tied. Last night Kennedi was taking down Annsley's Super Bowl decorations and throwing them in the trash.  Annsley was beside herself and Kennedi was gleeful. 

Annsley was tearful and distressed about how mean her sister was and telling her daddy she didn't like her.  Doug pulled her up into his lap.  "You know, I was sure that Kennedi was going to be a boy," he told her.  Doug continued, "God told me when your mom was about 5 months pregnant that we would eventually have a boy, but this was a girl because Annsley needed a sister." 

Annsley was not impressed that her father had heard correctly from the Holy Spirit.  She just crossed her arms in a huff.  She got up and marched to the trashcan, and now she's really mad because she realizes that Kennedi has thrown away even more of her decorations.  I look at her and say, "Annsley, Kennedi is a gift from God..." and I continue with my lecture.  Annsley puts her fingers in her ears and starts singing.  Daddy Doug says to her the same thing he's been saying since she was four, "Annsley, don't let her know where your goat is tied."

Later that evening when Kennedi is taking her bath, I find Annsley filling up a ziplock bag with ice.  She has plans to tackle her sister when she is naked and force her to lie on the bag of ice.  I take her weapon from her and she marches to her room.  I find Annsley on her bed. "It's not fair." In all my motherly wisdom I say to her, "Annsley, it's a game to her.  She wants to see if what she does is going to get you upset.  You need to smile and not watch her.  Even if you don't say anything, but you snarl and cross your arms, she knows she got you.  And then she wants to take the next thing down to see if you'll react again."  Easier said than done.  It's so hard for adults to "take the high road" how can a little 7 year old who is just consumed with "now and the present" understand?  Then Annsley starts crying and says, "It's a mistake she's my sister!" 

I only know her pain too well.  Kennedi gets into her sister's stuff because she can.  Because it will upset the apple cart.  Because life is a game to her.  And not that she really wants to win, but throwing the confetti is more than half the fun.  It's who she is.  She is still tests the boundaries yet, but that will change soon.  Right now, we're working on Annsley's sense of humor.  She has very little.  Well, she actually has a lot-- it's just one sided.  She's great at dishing it out, just not very good on the recieving end. Unfortunately for Annsley, she is a lot like her mother.  Unfortunately for Annsley, Kennedi is a lot like her father.  Even today he still giggles when he thinks about doing something funny to somebody else.  Like father, like daughter!

FOLLOW UP**The next night after I typed this, I was so proud of Annsley.  Her sister was taking down yet another Super Bowl decoration to get a reaction out of her sister.  "Kennedi, does that belong to you?" I asked.  Annsley shakes my arm in an effort to get my attention.  She has this fake plastered smile on her face and says, "See Mom, I'm smiling."  Kennedi puts the decoration back and searches for a new stick to stir.  For now, though, it is a victory for my 7 year old!

Watch Out World...I'm Reading Now!

Annsley has been reading for quite a while now--seriously reading like books and everything!! (to borrow from my daughter's vocabulary), but it seems that she has recently realized that her reading skills serve her well outside a "school" setting. She is starting to take notice of billboards, a list of ingredients, signs, etc. She is truly starting to put her reading skills to work everywhere. The other day she and her father were in the car when she saw a sign that read "Free Kittens."

"Hey Daddy, those kittens are free. They don't cost anything. Can we get one?" 

Or yesterday at the table. I am reading this book:

She looks at the title and says, "Mom, what's this book?"  I said to her, "Read the title." She reads the title and says, "Why are you reading this book?  Is it to get help with Kennedi???"

Uhmmm....yes Dear...and maybe you too! On a side note, Kevin Leman is a hilarious Christian speaker and writer/psychologist.  Check out his materials when you have a chance.

Merry Christmas!

We woke up to a wonderful surprise on Christmas morning! SNOW! I think it was our first white Christmas in 10-15 years. The weatherman missed it badly--said we might get an inch. It snowed all day long--we got more like 6 inches or so. The girls went sledding. Kennedi was in the middle of it this year--unlike last year. Read that post here.  They are out sledding again this morning before it all melts! And yes, I still think their Daddy is pulling them much too fast.  Annsley wants him to go fast enough that she catches air on a hill.  I don't think so!

Building ammunition stockpile for the snow ball fight.

Oh what fun it is to ride!

Afterwards...

Getting the hang of this Christmas thing!

Sugar Cookies!

The girls love making sugar cookies every year. Last year we didn't make anything. I can't even remember the holidays with all the rushing to and from Russia. Here are some pictures from this year's sugar cookie round up! It was Kennedi's first year to really "participate", and she ate just about as much cookie dough as she cut out into shapes. Annsley was rather put out with her as well when she used all the white icing. That meant her candy canes had to be red and green. Not cool for that 7 year old little girl...

All Andrei can manage to do is go around the house saying, "Gooo-kieee." He won't say "Momma" for nothing. He calls me "Daddy." Doug is now trying to bribe him. "You can have a cookie if you say Momma." So far it's not working. He's now screaming for a cookie...(sigh)

Wanted: Snow Plow Driver

Here is the conversation between my two girls this morning as we made our way to their dentist appointments.  I love how they converse like I'm not even there... To give a little background, we're having a some nasty wintery weather today, and we got stuck behind the snow plow on the way. 

Annsley:  Mom, what's that big truck?
Me:  It's a snow plow.  See the front of the truck?
Annsley:  That gets the snow off the road? Why?
Me:  Yes, it's like Katie!  (We have read Katie and the Big Snow before.)  It makes the road safer without the snow on it.
Kennedi:  Oooo! I want to be a snow plow job! (That's not a mistype.  That's what she said.)
Annsley:  Is that what you want to be when you grow up?
Kennedi:  Oh, yes! A snow plow job!
Annsley:  (in her motherly voice) That is a great job, Kennedi.  You wouldn't have to work very often.  Just when it snows. (Hmmm...should I be concerned about this lackluster motivation of working?)
Kennedi:  OK
Annsley:  Now Kennedi...I don't know how to tell you this...(big pause) but you could work as a snow plow job here and then when it's not snowing, you could go somewhere where it is snowing to work all the time.  That would be good. (Obviously she is concerned that her sister will not be employed full time.)
Kennedi:  (totally enamored with her sister's wisdom, she nods her head) Yes!  I want to be a snow plow job. I'll go to work where it snows.
Annsley:  That would be very good! (Is she trying to get rid of her little sister??)

Fiona and Phylis

Annsley comes out of her room the other afternoon, sits on the couch beside me, and says, "Mom, I have something I need to tell you."  She isn't looking me in the eye, so I'm thinking this must be a serious matter.  We've had a few bathroom accidents (no relation to the tp rations by the way), so I ask, "Annsley, did you have an accident in the bathroom?"

She frowns and says no--and rather indignately I might add.  "So what is it?" 

She smiles, looks away shyly, and says, "I don't want to tell you."

I'm still thinking about bodily fluids, so I press farther, "Did you get some clean underwear on?"

"I didn't have an accident, Mom!"

"OK, then what is it?"

"I don't want to tell you."

Now Doug is getting in on the action.  "Annsley, you need to tell us if you had an accident."

"I didn't!"

Doug and I together with frustration, "Then TELL US what it is you want to talk to us about!"

Annsley takes a deep breath and says, "I want to change my name to Fiona."

Fiona???? "Why?"  I ask.

"Because I hate Annsley.  I love Fiona!" and she jumps off the couch and runs to her bedroom.

I have NO IDEA where a name like Fiona came from in her little world.  Kennedi has been sitting on Andrei's Lightening McQueen car listening to this conversation. After her sister's departure into their room--which  I'm guessing to mull over the finer points of Fiona and practice rolling F-I-O-N-A off her tongue, Kennedi pipes up.

"Mom, I want to change my name to Phylis."

Surprise, surprise. "And why Kennedi?"

"Because I hate Kennedi.  I love Phylis!!" And she zooms off on Lightening McQueen singing "I hate Kennedi.  I love Phylis!"  Meanwhile Andrei is screaming and running after Kennedi because she is touching his things--yet again.

TP Rations

(You know it's been a slow week when all you have to blog about it this:)

We're on rations around here...toilet paper...I'm tired of buying it...not tired of using it--big difference.  It's the children--and I don't mean Doug or Andrei.  It's the little women of our household.  I noticed a few months ago that we seemed to be going through a lot of the paper.  I noticed that Annsley sure was having an abundance of empty toilet paper rolls for her arts and crafts projects.  It was always in the back of my mind when I put on a new roll, but I could never quite remember when the last time I replaced it, so I kinda thought it was just me.  Well, it's not. 

I finally caught them.  I had just bought another new package, and put one on the roller at approximately 4:30 PM Thursday.  Noon on Friday the roll was empty. 

And so we began our 3 steps to Wise Stewards of the Toilet Paper Training training.  I reinstituted the 5 square rule.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I told them to count out five squares and that's it.  It's not "let's wad up the toilet paper the size of a pom pom to wipe the delicate parts of our body."  Kennedi told me she didn't know how to count 5 squares.  Yeah, right. 

Notice I said reinstituted.  When Annsley was two, she became pretty self sufficient with the potty training and preferred to be left to her own vices in the bathroom. Literally, she would hold her hand straight out from her little body as she sat on the toilet.  "Go Mom.  I'm fine!"  I figured if she was going to be left to wipe herself at two, she needed a little direction with the use of toilet paper.  In a quandary about how to show a toddler how much toilet paper is "enough", I decided to go with a quantitative measure:  ie. 5 squares.  And should my little rule follower follow you into the bathroom and you choose to use 6 squares instead of 5, she would let you know about your excess use! Trust me and the grandmas on that one! LOL 

Anyway, Kennedi was introduced to the 5 square rule as well, but I never really followed up on it.  Yes, I became lax in my mommy skills.  And it really didn't become an issue until a few months ago when I noticed that my children were becoming wasteful with several items around the house.  It could be pouring half a bottle of shampoo into the bath tub to make a bubble bath...or dumping the last of the hand soap in order to get to use the new stuff that smelled differently...or purposely getting muddy in the late afternoon before church in order to wear new clothes that evening...and so on...

So, Friday afternoon I showed them both how to count out the toilet paper lest there be any miscommunication.  Problem solved.  Or so I thought.  Sunday I happened to be in the bathroom while Annsley was in there doing her thing.  I watched her systematically count out her squares, making an ever so slight tear at each square.  "That's my girl!"  I thought.  Then, I watched in horror as she did it 4 more times.  (And this was not something that required repeated wipings....)  Sunday evening I found about half a roll of toilet paper in the trash can--compliments of Kennedi.  When I asked her about it, she said that she had counted out too much toilet paper, and threw the rest away. 

OK, so it wasn't going very well.  I know what you're thinking...this story can't get any better...Out of my frustrations we are now on toilet paper check out.  I am in charge of the toilet paper.  All of it.  Queen of the TP.  If you need to go to the bathroom, come get your toilet paper before you go.  Surely, this will get their little attentions.  Quite frankly, it was a lot of work for me yesterday as I finally had to put a roll in every room so I could remember where they were.  Last night I asked Annsley how she liked having to ask to get the toilet paper.  (I'm thinking that she thinks this is way below her standards.) In a much too chipper voice she says, "It's OK Mom!"  Kennedi, on the other hand, has kept repeating, "Mom, I'm so sorry I wasted so much toilet paper!"  I have toyed with the idea if this doesn't work, then I can always just give them each a roll all to herself, and when it's gone it's gone...but then what do I do?  That would be a bit self defeating.  Maybe  a sticker chart for good stewardship...

The fact that I just wrote an entire post about the wiles of our toilet paper saga makes me think I'm off my rocker trying to teach my kids to be good stewards of the all important toilet paper.

Picture Post!

I'm cleaning out some 800 pictures off my memory stick, so here's a little show and tell about our comings and goings for the last few months.  Enjoy!



Andrei lovin' his first corn on the cob!




Andrei thinking he's big stuff getting a ride in the jeep!

  Scenes from the Tri State Fair:


Daisy the milk cow




Watching Daisy the milk cow get milked.




Kennedi helping out the lady from the Farm Bureau kids' show.



Annsley realizing that her daddy is about to beat her.  (Please note her father's gleeful face...so sad, so sad)

 Scenes from the Corn Fun Farm:

Navigating the ropes through the corn maze

Annsely on the zip line.

Doug re-living his ice slide in Krasnoyarsk...



Loving the slide through the "mountain"



Is it ever going to end???

Kennedi on the zip line.

Doug sporting some fine looking attire:

Free ride in the wheelbarrow with the guy in the wife beater t-shirt.  (Doug knows I HATE those shirts...What girl wants to look at arm pit hairs?? He hadn't worn one in about 18 years...cut this shirt up that day  I guess in a fit of rebellion..it has since made its way into my cleaning cabinet.)

Copy Cat!

Andrei is such a copy cat.  More so than even Kennedi was to Annsley, and I didn't think that could happen.  Unfortunately, he copies some negative behaviors which can often be a detriment to him. (There are certain things, Little Boy, that should not be copied!)  He'll learn.  Other times he's just pretty darn cute! 

I've always thought it was important that my children can play by themselves.  I firmly believe that it is a life skill that will help them.  So, when Annsley turned two, I put her in her room with the baby gate up and she had "toddler time" by herself in her room.  We started out with just 5 minutes, and slowly increased that time to 30 minutes that she was in there by herself.  To keep her from thinking it was punishment, I'd always give her a Goldfish cracker snack in her room and brought down "special toys" only available during toddler time.  Kennedi began the same thing when she turned two, and she still has "toddler time" although I really should change it to a different name now that she is 5.  She gets her snack (she chooses to use a play kitchen cup or bowl to hold her crackers) and  she heads off to spend some quiet time in her bedroom.  Andrei has been watching all this for a few months now, and a few weeks ago after Kennedi started her toddler time, he went to the kitchen bucket on his own, dug out a little plastic cup, and brought it to me with "aaaa" coming out of his mouth.  Too cute! And super smart I might add!!! So, I obliged, and now he daily comes to me when Kennedi gets her snack,  holding out a plastic cup he's scavenged from the play kitchen, and reaps his reward of Goldfish crackers. 

A Few of My Favorite Things...

I love my new ride! 

It comes with a bonus:  Lightening McQueen talks.  I love the "Go! Go! Go! button bestest!

We have spent literally HOURS doing "hair".

Yes, this is "Jessie" the beautician. 

Thank you Momma Carol and Grandpa!  These items were a big hit!!

On a side note, I was fixing Kennedi's hair this morning and brushing out the tangles.  She let me know that I was causing her little head pain.  I apologized and said I wasn't paying attention (and I wasn't as Andrei at that moment was thinking about going fishing in the toilet).  She asked me if Gram hurt my head when I was little.  I said yes, but I was tough (my attempt to let her know to "buck up" and ease up on the theatrics.)  She then asks me, "Were you just Jessie, the ruffest, tuffest cowgirl???" (If you're unfamiliar with Jessie, click on the link.) 

"No, I didn't know anything about Jessie," I told her.

She then asks all wide-eyed, "You were just the ruffest, tuffest?"

"Yes--the ruffest AND tuffest!"

Ah, to be put above the ranks of Jessie.  It is a good day! :)