They keep us laughing! and Things I love right now

Me: Come cuddle with me!
R: Ok. *removes my arm that I had placed over his chest* This is not a seat belt. 

R: Daddy, you're back! Did you see cows?
Dave: Huh?
Me: I told him you went to the pharmacy. He may think you went to a farm.
Dave: Not the farm, Buddy, I went to the pharmacy. 
R: And horses?
Dave: No, I went to CVS.
R: And chickens?
Dave: ...Sure, I saw chickens.

K: Have I told you that Sam Houston is my celebrity crush?
Me: ... 
K: What?
Me: I just... I have some questions.

Me: Look at that slug! See how slowly it's moving? Look at its tiny antennae! God made that!!
R: CAN I STEP ON IT?!?

Me: Hey, you need to say sweet things to your mama.
R: Sweet things to mama.

R: What do frogs eat?
Me: Flies!
R: No, french fries.
Me: I said flies, not fries.

R, randomly: Pumpkins make me happy.

K: I love sharpening pencils. It is so satisfying.

K: I need a drink of water.
Me: You just had one. Go to sleep.
K: Hey, you can never stay too hydrated!

Me: Thank you God for the rain, our family, and songs.
R: And snails!! Thank you God for snails!

The kids went through a weeklong phase where they wanted to sleep in the same bedroom. They happily fell asleep holding hands and it was all kinds of precious. One night after I tucked them in, I closed the door and overheard this:
K: Ok buddy, remember what we talked about? What happens when I sleep in your room?
R: You're the boss!!
K: Right! And how many times can you talk to me before we have to go to sleep?
R: Two times!

________________________

Things I love right now

The Cupid Shuffle
We went to a wedding recently and Ryan discovered the dance floor. This kid can dance! He danced his little heart out and had the best time. The next week at daycare, his teacher told me he was dancing in class, chanting "To the right, to the right... to the left, to the left... now kick! Kick!..." It's so funny. I never used to be one to dance at all, but when my kids beg me to get out there and dance with them... eh, who cares? I just want to have fun with them. Also fun is when we turn on The Cupid Shuffle and dance in our pajamas in the living room before bed.

My Best Friend
Ryan's current thing is announcing who is best friend is. It's always Daddy, but it could also be a friend at school or just a random man in Costco wearing a blue shirt (Ryan's favorite color). About 20x a day, he'll say, "[Name], you my best friend?" And the person he's addressing HAS to respond because Ryan is nothing if not persistent and is prepared to ask again and again until he has an answer. Of course, if he's gotten into trouble, he'll look at me through tears and quietly say, "You're not my best friend." 

The Piano
I love hearing Katelyn play piano. I love reinforcing what she's learning with her teacher and seeing the lightbulb go off when things make sense. She plays very musically and seems to really enjoy it. Plus, it's fun to watch her play with her little arm! She's figured out just the right way to turn her arm to make the keys play. So proud of the progress she's made since August. 

They keep us laughing!

Nana: See that man? That's Goliath. And this is David.
R: That's not David! David downstairs!!

K: Sometimes I wish I was color blind. Then I could go back in history and see when things were black and white.

K: I'll be spending the rest of today in the front room. Don't worry, I have enough food and water to survive. (She also had a pillow, scented candle, hairbrush, fidget spinner, and two tubes of chapstick.)

Me: You need to clean up these blocks.
R: Mommy, safety first! Stay right here. I need to get a lawn mower to get these blocks out of the way.

Me: This Fall, I'd like to get a pumpkin and each day we'll write something we're thankful for on it. We'll have a pumpkin full of blessings!
K: Or, we could get some real branches, cut leaves out of card stock, print pictures of what we're thankful for, attach the pictures to the leaves, write with a silver Sharpie what we're thankful for, and the attach the leaves to the real branches.
Me: ...

Me: Sorry buddy, I don't know why the on-demand cartoons won't work.
R: Oh, I got an idea! Phones work!

R: I need another Spider-Man band-aid.
Me: Sorry, I don't have one.
R: Ok, we get in the car. I drive. You, Daddy, Ya-ya in the car, too. We go get gas. You stay in the car and I get gas. Then we drive to the doctor and buy Spider-Man band-aids.

R, pointing to a room door at daycare that was decorated for Halloween: Mommy, look!
Me: I know! It's a mummy!
R: No it's not, it's a napkin.

K: You should get the Chrysler Pacifica van. It's a proud sponsor of Disney Junior!

R: ... and at the zoo we see zebras, and lions, and the sic 'em bears, and giraffes, and monkeys...

Me: Two fire trucks and an ambulance just drove by! It's a good day to be Ryan!
K: It's not a good day to be people!!!

R, after throwing a fit: I happy now.
Me: I'm glad! What made you happy?
R: Um, God.

K was helping R calm down after he had a meltdown. I found him sitting in her lap while she talked gently to him.
K: Shhh, Mommy, he's in his happy place.

Tia Christy: Katelyn, you're delightful, but Zorra (the dog) doesn't care that much about you.
K: WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M DELIGHTFUL?!?!?

R: Can I have applesauce? Say yes, Mommy.

R: Can we go talk to that man over there?
Dave: That man on the phone? We don't know him!
R: Yes we do, his name is Mike! (?????)

Getting more than you prayed for

Isn't it silly how we pray specifically for something, forgetting that God can do abundantly more?

Several months ago, Katelyn began asking to take piano lessons. Of course I wanted her to take; music is important to our family, and I knew she would do well. Plus, she absolutely loves to sing and I know that a piano foundation will be beneficial if she ever wants to pursue music. Teaching her myself wasn't really an option; we are too much alike for that to end well. I knew she needed instruction from someone who isn't Mommy.

So I asked friends for recommendations on piano teachers. I looked into options and there was nothing wrong with any of them, but... I don't know, I just didn't have a peace about moving forward with any of them. Nothing seemed like the right fit. 

I began praying about it and told God that if we were supposed to pursue piano right now, I needed a green light in three specific areas: 

1. I wanted lessons to be in a home setting. Katelyn can be very shy and I didn't see her adjusting well in a setting where a lot of other people would be around, even if just in passing.
2. I needed the location to be relatively close to our house so that I could pull off the logistics of getting her there after school.
3. I needed the cost of lessons to fall within a certain range.

Most importantly, I needed to have a peace about all of the above.

Some time later, I texted my friend Lisa from church. I didn't give her my specifics; I just asked if she could recommend a piano teacher. Lisa said she could certainly recommend her daughters' teacher, but she had someone else in mind who might be a good fit for Katelyn. 

So I emailed the lady Lisa recommended. As it turned out, lessons would be 1) in her home, 2) she lives 5 minutes from our house, and 3) the price was right! Yes! Finally, I was feeling good about this! So that this teacher wouldn't be completely caught off guard, I mentioned that Katelyn had one hand and asked if she was comfortable with a creative teaching challenge. Her response:

"I actually have a student that has one hand without fully grown fingers, so I'm already working with a similar situation."

Wait, what? Are you kidding me?? 

WHAT ARE THE ODDS that this teacher would already have a student with any sort of similarity?!? (Lisa had no idea, and it's worth noting that she has a gift for connecting people!) Naturally, I picked my jaw up off the floor, wiped away my tears, and asked when lessons could start. To say that I finally felt peace about this would be an understatement!

When I had prayed for peace, I really just meant that I would feel right about whatever fell into place. God delivered that with the home setting, location, and price... but then He gave abundantly more. I never, ever would've thought to pray for another student with a limb difference. But He knew she needed that right now.

Katelyn often says she feels like the only kid in the world with a limb difference, because in her day-to-day world, she is. It's hard. School is going very well because kids know her by now, but any sort of new setting outside of school is often followed by nights of tears. Two hands or not, no one wants to walk into a room and be greeted by stares and whispers. And Katelyn experiences that all. the. time. It gets old, and it stings. At age 7, she's having to learn hard life lessons about self-confidence, friendship, and extending grace.

So for her to feel like she's not alone in piano is huge. When I told her about the other student, she was crazy excited. We've never met the student, but just knowing she's not alone feels pretty good!

What a beautiful, humbling reminder this was! How foolish I feel to be surprised by God's abundant blessing, yet how grateful and humbled I am by it! How many times have my prayers lacked great expectation and boldness? God is in the details. He is good. He knows our hearts and our hurts and he wants to bless us immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.

They keep us laughing!

K: The next time someone dies, I'm going to say, "Oh look, they've expired."

K, ready to tell a joke: Hey Ryan, is your refrigerator running?
R: No, my nose running.

Me: Where's Ryan?
Dave: I thought he was with you...
We found him sitting quietly on the stairs, where he had voluntarily put himself in time out 15 minutes earlier. I'm still not sure what he did wrong, and I had forgotten he was there!
Me: Well... are you feeling better about your choices?
R: Nope. I stay in time out.

R: My ear feel funny... booger...
Me: Did you put a booger in your ear?
R: Yes.

Me: Say pretty please.
R: Pretty please!
Me: Say "Mommy, you're the best!"
R: I da best.

After receiving a free sample of cereal at the grocery store, Ryan held onto the little cup very seriously.
Me: It's ok if you eat that now.
R: I can't eat it right now.
Me: Why not?
R: You have to pay first.
I tried to explain, but it was no use... he held tightly to that little free sample cup the whole time. At the checkout, I pretended to scan it, gave it back to him, and then he happily ate it!

R, pointing to the tag on his Paw Patrol stuffed animal: Paw Patrol have a ponytail???

Me: You have to stop biting your nails. We need to put that bitter polish back on them.
K: Ok. It doesn't really help, though. I mean, it just tastes like earwax.
Me: ... Gross!!!! One issue at a time, please!

R: Aw, man!
Me: What happened?
R: I spill applesauce on my bellybutton.

Me, holding a peeled apple slice from McDonald's: Want an apple?
R (appalled): No! That apple nakey nakey!!

R: My tummy hurts. I need to go to the doctor.
Me: I don't think you're sick. What's the doctor going to say?
R: No more jumping on the bed!!


And reasons my heart has melted lately...

Me, driving to drop off kids one morning: Oh no! I forgot my lunch! I left it in the fridge! I can't believe I did that.
R: It's ok, Mommy. Hold my hand.

R: Oh no, Mommy! Your water shirt is all wet! You need a towel!
Me: It's ok, we're supposed to get wet in a swimming pool.
R: No, I get you a towel. Here you go.

R: Ya-ya (Katelyn) my best friend.

They keep us laughing!

Me: Relax! You know what Grandad says? 90% of the things we worry about never even happen.
K: Then maybe I should start worrying about all the things so that they don't happen.

After getting mad that I threw something away that she longer played with:
Me: When was the last time you even played with it?
K: December 2017.

Me: Daddy is a very focused person. When he has something to do, he gets it done.
K: That's just weird.

K: You're not going to have anything to do on Mother's Day!
Me: How nice! So you're going to do everything for me?!
K (long pause): What exactly do you do?

Me, singing: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus..."
R, squinting his eyes tight: I did it! I did it!

Me: Can you stay a little boy forever?
R: No, I not a little boy. I a nice man.

R, authoritatively, as though making an announcement: I don't eat peas.

R's way of saying he's scared of something: I scary.

R, singing: Baa, baa black sheep-- I the black sheep. Mommy, you the dame. 

R, pointing to our Cinco de Mayo photo strip from the celebration at K's school: It's hola, Mommy! Hola!!!

R, pointing to a picture of George Washington crossing the Potomac: Is that Moana?

R: Funny!
Me: What's funny?
R: Me! Ry-Ry!!!

Me: It's VBS day!
R: Emerson???
Me: Yes, you'll probably see Emerson.
R: O-kayyy, I'll go.

Me: You made a mess with your rice!!
R: Yeahhhh, I a hungry boy.

Me: I missed you today! Did you miss me?
R: No.

R: Let me see!
K: Let me see, please. 
R: Please!
K: Now say the whole sentence.
R: The whole sentence.

R: (suddenly coming up to me and reaching out to shake my hand) It's nice to see you!!
Me: It's nice to see you, too!
R: Ok, bye ma'am!

R, to his Sunday School teachers: Daddy a bus driver. He drive a yellow bus!

R, to me: Daddy works at Walmart. Moves carts.

R, after I said several family members' full names: Good job with your words, Mommy.

R, looking at very ripe bananas: Hahahahaha! Those bananas in chocolate!

R: Gimme that!
Me: I don't understand "gimme." Try "May I have..."
(moments later)
R: Oh my gosh!
Me: Let's say "Oh my goodness."
R: (big sigh) Oh my gimme.

Jeeps and Jellybeans

I'm so proud of Ryan! This little guy is potty trained! Potty training was sponsored by Starburst jellybeans and Jeeps. At Easter we learned that he loves jellybeans, so he quickly caught on to earning one jellybean at a time for potty training. He's obsessed with all things "vroom", but especially Jeeps (we have no idea why), so after some big successes, he earned a ride in a Jeep-- either our friend Paul's Jeep or Tio Jonathan's (so grateful for friends/family who rejoice with us in milestones!). One day Ryan got to ride in the Jeep to Costco, one of his favorite places. On the way, we happened to see firetrucks and tractors. Let's just say it was a good day to be Ryan!

AND, for the most part, Ryan has stopped sucking his thumb. This is HUGE. He was HARD CORE. As in, every single one of my ultrasound pictures show him sucking his thumb. We've been dreading breaking this habit, but one day Dave simply mentioned to Ryan that "Big boys don't put their thumbs in their mouths." Ryan clearly did not like that, as he is very proud of being a big boy. And just like that, Ryan stopped. If he sucks his thumb in bed, he confesses it to me the next morning. What in the world?!? It's very strange, but I'll take it! I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Dave is the one who said it; Ryan ADORES his daddy. 

Another big thing in the life of Ryan was going to a baseball game recently. We went as a family and I honestly thought it was risky to bring a 2 year old to a game. But he LOVED it! He's still talking about it and always saying he wants to watch baseball on tv with Daddy.

And of course, he charmed alllll the ladies sitting around us with those big brown eyes and coy smile! He's getting so big so fast.

Hand Camp 2018

We got to go to Scottish Rite's Hand Camp this year! This was a really big deal because the camp could only accommodate a limited number of families. We went two years ago and loved it, and this year may have been even better. 1st grade has been a little rough for Katelyn, arm-wise, and she really needed Hand Camp. It's the one time of year that she can be around other kids she doesn't know and no one will ask questions, make "broken arm" comments, whisper, or stare. The kids at camp, and many of the counselors, have some form of upper limb difference. It is a family camp, so siblings of limb difference kids attend (Ryan isn't old enough yet), but no one thinks twice when they see others with missing fingers, a little arm, or no arm at all. It just seems normal! In fact, when we returned from camp, I had to look twice when I saw kids without limb differences. Ha!

Hula hoop and jump rope happened every day before meals

cooking class-- making apple donuts and zucchini pizzas

making her pillow case... all on her own, she wrote "we are all different"

finished product

making a jar aquarium

Our family brick from Hand Camp two years ago! 

Knowing Katelyn needed to overcome some fears, we signed up for the rock climb/zip line. It took a lot of prodding and she was not a fan, but she did it!

We are so very thankful for Scottish Rite and the opportunity to go to Hand Camp. Thankful for new friendships made, new experiences, and time with our girl.

They keep us laughing!

Me (having a very long, in-depth discussion about God): ... and God knows everything about you-- even what your next thought it going to be!
K: So God knows how many meters long this house is?

K: Ugh! This is maddening! My invention is just not working!!!!
Me: I'm sorry, maybe try again later?
K: No, I just need some quiet time to think about this.

Me: I just realized at your next birthday party, you'll turn 7. I need a moment to cry, please.
K: It's ok, Mommy, you'll turn a year older, too!

Me: Why didn't you eat your carrots at lunch?
K: I didn't have time and you gave me a lot.
Me: Ok, you can eat them tomorrow-- for breakfast!
K (dryly): Oh Mommy, you're always good for a laugh.

Me: Why is there a sign on your door that says $5?
K: Well, it's not for you, Daddy, or Ryan. But anyone else who wants to enter my room has to pay $5.

Me, skeptical that all her carrots were gone: Have you been throwing away the carrots you don't want in your lunch at school?
K: No, I've been eating them. But that's what I used to do in kindergarten.

After a long discussion about what it means to confess our sins:
K: Mommy, I think I need to be honest with you about something.
Me: Ok, I'm listening.
K (deep breath and in a high, squeaky voice): Well... you know how sometimes you say I can have one piece of candy well sometimes I have two but I can'thelpitcandyisthebest!!!! 
Me: Is there anything else you need to be honest about?
K (back to her normal voice): Yeah, in kindergarten I also used to throw away my sandwich at lunch. Man, being honest like this sure feels weird.

K (watching the Olympics): I want to go to Israel and meet that figure skater.
Me: That's a long way to go to meet one person!
K: Well, on Sunday at church they said they're taking a trip to Israel soon. Maybe I could go with them.

Me: Throw away that toothbrush, please. I got you a new one.
K (10 minutes later and very solemnly): Mommy, I need you to come here. It's time for the funeral. 

K: Ryan is two. Man, it's going to be a bad year!
Me: Why?
K: Because he's two! And two year olds these days!!

K, on an airplane as it was landing: My ear made a fart noise!

D: Bye Ryan, have a good day!
R: Adios!

Me: I wouldn't trade you or Ryan for anything in this world.
K: What about your salmon?

R, lying down without a shirt on, laid on the floor, stretched his arms behind his head, sighed, and said, "It's a hot day!"

R: Where's my da-dor (tractor)?
Me: At home. Baylor's going to watch your tractor while we're gone.
R: (distraught) Oh noooo!!!!
Me: No, Baylor will not be ON your tractor. Baylor will be sleeping. It's still YOUR tractor.

____________

Ryan is really verbal, but when he doesn't know how to pronounce a word, he substitutes it with the sound that it makes:

Fire truck/police car = whee-oh, whee-oh (like the sound of a siren)
Fire in fireplace = whee-oh 
Santa = ho ho
Sheep = baa baa
Horse = neigh neigh
... and so on. I love it.

Puerto Rico!

We had the opportunity to go to Puerto Rico with Dave's family over Spring Break. I've never been to Puerto Rico (or even outside the continental U.S.) and wondered if we were all crazy for taking a big trip with young kids. The 4-5 hour flight felt long... and as it turns out, I'm pretty sure my max for keeping 2 kids entertained on an airplane happens to be 4-5 hours. But we made it! And I loved seeing all the islands along our flight path! Beautiful. 

Fun fact: Hurricane Maria took all the street signs around the airport, so there's really no way to know if you're going in the right direction as you leave the airport. Nana, the kids, and myself were in the car headed to the resort first, and we unknowingly turned the wrong way. We did a lot of accidental sight-seeing--again, no directional signs along the interstate--and finally found some English speakers who could help us. They were so, so nice and told us that we should be using Google Maps, not the Apple map, on our phones because Google Maps was more accurate after the hurricane. They also reminded us that, since we were from Texas, our 54 mile journey back to the resort would be no big deal!

Puerto Rico is beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. It felt like we were the only people at the resort. I seriously counted about 10 other people that we saw there the entire time. We were told that the week before had been really busy, so I guess our timing was good!

This lasted all of about 10 seconds. Ryan HATED the sand touching his feet or getting into his sandals.

He also hated the water.

There were two beautiful pools at the resort, and he didn't want anything to do with either of them. 

Proof that we actually got him on the sand... so long as he had a beach towel to sit on. Even then, he was so uncomfortable when sand got on the towel.

Luckily, there was grassy area near the pool and that's where he wanted to be.

Ryan may hate sand and water, but he could spend all day going "vroom vroom" in a golf cart. 

Katelyn and I found so many shells. Her favorite were the "unicorn horns."

These two cousins were born just months apart and are polar opposites: one is cautious and calculated and the other is fearless and adventurous. But they get along so well and seem to have their own little language!

We played a LOT of UNO after the boys went to bed.

These beautiful iguanas were everywhere! This one was at least the size of my leg, hip to ankle.

The weather and scenery were absolutely perfect. We had SUCH a wonderful time!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ryan!

Ryan is two. Two!! He is SO much fun right now. I love this age because he’s so eager to talk, enthusiastic about everything, and uninhibited. It’s all on the table. He hasn't quite hit terrible twos yet, so I'm soaking up the sweetness now.

There are a few things that stand out in this phase that I do not want to forget.

First, his beloved tractor. It was originally at Nana's house and he went nuts over it every time we visited, so Nana decided it made more sense for the tractor to live with us. This is the toy that's going to be with us forEVER, that we keep for his own child someday. When he wakes up in the morning, he says, "Where's Dada? Where's Katelyn? Where's tractor?" It's so special to him. 

This was the look on his face when he realized the tractor was in OUR living room instead of at Nana's

Next, Ryan's love for drawing. I mean he really, really LOVES to draw, especially with pen. Plain paper, big sister’s artwork, bills, the decision clipboard he discovered on the pew at church—everything within his reach is fair game, apparently. I don't think a day goes by when he doesn't draw for an extended period of time. My mom gave him a pen with a removable cap and he is fascinated by it. It’s going to be a sad day when he uses up all the ink in that pen-- which will no doubt happen. 

I turned my head for 2 seconds and Ryan made lots of decisions for Christ

And as he’s drawing, he pretends to draw/write the names of specific people… he doesn’t know how to spell or write words/shapes, of course, but he calls out random letters and shapes as he’s drawing and proudly tells me what he’s done. My favorite is when he cracks himself up when he draws something he thinks is funny. There is so much I love about all of this.

And last, his relationship with Katelyn. I think one reason I'm loving this stage is because I get to watch Katelyn's response to Ryan growing. They're such good friends. She’s quite the little mama and loves teaching him new things, and Ryan soaks up the attention. Katelyn is religious about dressing her dolls into their pajamas and tucking them into their bed each night. Well, one evening when Katelyn wasn’t home, Ryan went up to her room and had me help him dress one of her dolls in pajamas and tuck it into bed. When finished, he promptly said "all done" and went to ride his tractor. SO SWEET. 

Hard to believe he is already two but I'm so excited for what this next year will bring!