November Treyisms

1. Trey and I were looking at some cows the other day. He kept insisting that some of them were calves. I told him no, they were cows. He still disagreed. I asked him why he thought they were calves. He bent way over, his head almost touching the ground. He pointed to the cow and said, "See Mom, no udders!" I decided to leave that subject alone after that. I'm not ready to talk about bulls and cows....

2. " Do they call it fall because the leaves fall?"
I really don't know Trey. Maybe they do.

3. When returning from a walk, Trey started excitedly running/jumping up the lane asking "Has Santa been here? Has Santa been here?"

4. This is an older Treyism that has resurfaced... Trey will often inform people of something and then add the phrase "or you'll die" to the end of the statement. For example: "You must eat your vegetables.....or you'll die!", "We need to go for a walk....or we'll die!", "You shouldn't be sassy.... Or you'll die!", "Don't sit too close to the tv... Or you'll die!"
The list goes on and on. Sometimes I find it funny but then he will say it to a complete stranger and I wish I could 'die'.

Why Santa probably doesn't like us...

I have pictures of myself sitting on Santa's lap as a child. I was smiling, or at least not crying! Things haven't gone so well for my own kids (and not from a lack of opportunities).
I have a picture of Trey from two years ago with Santa. Trey is sitting in a shopping cart that is parked as close to Santa as possible. Not exactly a scrapbooking mom's dream photo, but you take what you can get when kids are that little. This year Trey is almost 4, so my expectations are a bit higher.
However, I think I may need to lower the expectations again based on recent happenings. Two weeks ago, Trey and I were in the mall. I noticed Santa across the way. The mall was pretty empty on this weekday morning and Santa spotted us easily. Santa began to wave at us. "Look Trey, its Santa!" I whispered to Trey. I waved to our jolly friend. Trey stopped dead in his tracks. He covered his face with his hands and yelled "Don't wave to me Santa!".
Yup, that should have been my first clue. But, I am a slow learner or stubborn or something....
The next week I took the kids to "Breakfast with Santa". Sounds fun, right? Well, I thought so. My sister and her kids went too. We decided to stand in line to see Santa before getting something to eat. The kids were excited, pointing at decorations, talking, bouncing out of their skins. (That seemed positive)
My sister and I were talking about the picture options. I was leaning towards a photo cd so I could make copies to use on my christmas cards.
Then came the big moment...Trey's turn to sit on Santa's lap! Trey clung to my leg, hiding behind me. I gulped. The photographer sat ready to capture the moment when it presented itself. Don't you want to talk to Santa? I encouraged Trey. He only growled. I held Kayelynn close. See, sis will sit with Santa....only she wouldn't. She did grab his beard (which looked real) and she did not let go easily. But, she wasn't about to sit on Santa's lap either. Trey went as far as to throw himself onto the ground in front of Santa and make a grunty growling noise every time someone spoke to him. To say the least, we were holding up the line and making a scene. The picture lady then suggested that I sit in Santa's chair with the kids and Santa would stand behind us. We tried that, it didn't work. In hind site, I should've paid the $15 just to show people how hideous the picture was. Here's
a description: I am sitting in Santa's big chair. I have a stressed out, hopelessly fake smile on. Under my breath I am telling Trey to look at the camera. Instead, he has his head buried in my lap like an ostrich and his butt sticking out, pointed at the camera. Kayelynn is sitting on my lap but looking up curiously and suspiciously at Santa who looks like he is sneaking up on us.
Our breakfast fun was cut short because I was so irritated with Trey. When we got to the car Trey wanted to know if I had told Santa his Christmas list. I told him that I had not because that was something he needed to do himself. Trey cried most of the way home.
My mom gave me Santa's address so that we could send him a letter. Trey has made several drafts so far but not settled on exactly what he wants to say. He told me he thinks he should apologize to Santa too.
All that being said, I plan on going to the mall again tomorrow. I asked Trey if he'd like to try talking to Santa again. He thought for awhile on this. He tapped his finger to his chin, looking very contemplative. Finally he answered,
"Ummmmm, no thanks".

Lord help this baby....

......she is gonna have her momma's hair.

Accident waiting to happen....

The simple task of doing laundry has become a dangerous job. When clothes are finished drying I take them to my room to fold on my bed. On this particular day I went straight back to start reloading the dryer. I threw in a couple things and then heard a tiny giggle coming from my dryer.....

Let's climb a tree

The kids and I have been making the most of the last few warm fall days. We like to take walks down our gravel road that runs through the woods. It's quite an affair when we go for a walk. We all have to bundle up. Kayelynn rides in the big jogging stroller. Our 3 dogs like to follow along sniffing things out along the way. Our cat, Poco, (who thinks she is a dog) likes to follow along too. She will trot along with the dogs and explore things too.
I took this picture because Trey was so excited to "climb a tree". (Notice the tree is fallen and his feet are touching the ground). He told every one he saw for the rest of the day that he climbed up a tree!

Little Helpper

This is Trey helpping Grandma get rid of some sticks and leaves that were in the yard. He loves to 'help' around the farm.

"Stop saving turkeys and blog already..."

Trey and I have found a new way to pass the time. We are now "facebook gamers". In the past, I was against gaming. It seemed silly and I didn't want to be sucked in. The number of game related posts that came through on my newsfeed was sometimes annoying. My mom (avid fb junkie) had been urging me to give farmville a try. She needed new neighbors. So, to help mom, I gave it a whirl. Trey was watching me and was fascinated. He wanted to change my avitar to look like him, so we did and now he refers to it as "HIS" farm game. He can plow, plant and harvest with the best of them. He loves getting gifts and likes to give his animals love. It is sweet and charming and the perfect way to keep him out of my hair while I fix meals.....

But now I have turned to the dark side. I thought if he liked one online game, maybe he'd like others. So now we have two farms, a fish tank, and a roller coaster park. He loves them all. The fish tank is one of his favorites. I don't feel like I am totally frying his brain by doing this because I try (for the most part) to make it educational for him. Trey can tell you many of the fish names. My personal favorite is hearing him say "scooter blenny". We also count our fish and name their colors (in english and spanish). He has also learned an important lesson about pets. You must feed your fish on a regular basis or they will die. (yes, even imaginary internet fish will die with out the proper care)

So sorry, Jill, for all of the turkey saving lately. Trey and I have been busy little gamers. I think you may be one of the only people to miss my blog. No one comments on my posts anymore. : ( (hint, hint)

What's in your purse?

My sister and I recently took our grandma christmas shopping. While we were out she opened up her purse and pulled out a small bottle of water. (Just something to 'wet my lips' she said). Very hip, grandma, I thought. Later the occassion arose that I needed we needed scissors and I found some in my purse along with a tube of diaper rash cream (which we didn't need). That got me thinking about my mom. She has been known to carry a small bottle of her favorite salad dressing in her purse when going out to eat. It seems that the possibilities of what to carry in a woman's purse are endless.
So, here's my question.... what do you have in your purse?

Fun in the Park

Saturday was a gorgeous day! I love fall weather, especially the 70 degree kind. I met up with two friends from church and we took our kids to play at the park.

Trey and Kayelynn both enjoyed swinging. I'm not sure who liked it more. Trey did act like a nice big brother and push his sister for awhile.

This is Trey with his friend Avery. Does anybody remember swinging like this as a kid? I do. Pretty sure it wouldn't work for me now.

This is Trey, Avery, and Shelby. (they were on a "pirate ship")

This is Avery and Trey with the sticks they found. They played with their sticks all afternoon. Trey even declared his to be named Sticky, and they were best friends. At one point I heard Trey conversing with his stick at the top of a slide. It went something like this: "Isn't this fun Sticky? Do you wanna go slide? Should I go first or you? Okay, lets go together!"

The Mommies and the kids had a good day. The Mommies enjoyed a few hours of adult conversation with relatively few kid emergencies. We also learned that we really didn't need to take the kids to the park. Give them a ditch and a few sticks and they'll play for hours!

Trey's Trip to the Fun Fair

This past Saturday was the elementary school's fall festival. When I was a child that was a very big to-do. My sister's and I went every year. I want to give Trey the same experience. He seemed to enjoy the festivities last year. So, we went again.
The night started with all you can eat pizza. (For Trey, this is one slice) Then Trey pulled me from the cafeteria to the gym "to play games". Playing games turned into repeated trips through the big, blow up, jumpy thing. (Sorry, my discriptive words fail me....its late). He played on this blow up obsticle course for over and hour. I finally convinced him that we should try out some other things before we had to leave. So, the next stop was at the big, blow up, bouncy cage. (Go figure). We did finally do a few things that did not involve blow ups or bouncing.
One of those things was letting him get his face painted. He waited patiently for his turn. When he got to go sit in the special chair he grinned shyly and told the face painter he wanted a turtle on his cheek. The lady glanced at me with a worried look and said she'd do her best. Trey was thrilled before he ever saw the turtle. When he did see it, he was amazed. "She made him look just like Oxley!" (His pet turtle) "How did she know him?"
He had a good time. When we left, I could tell he would sleep well that night. But, before we could get to the car he did something I knew he would eventually do to me. There was no way to avoid it. Every kid does this at least once to an adult. That night was my first experience with......'the loud questioning'. You know what I mean. (Don't you?)
There was an older gentleman walking ahead of us. He was using a cane. Trey says "Look Mommy, that man has broken legs". He didn't say it too loud. I felt like the man probably didn't hear. - gave Trey a weak acknowlegement and hoped he would drop it. "Mommy....his legs ARE broken! Look at him walk". (That was quite a bit louder. Pretty sure the man heard. Maybe he's deaf...) I tell Trey no, the man does not have broken legs. " But he is walking with a stick!". Trey announced even louder. (Why don't I just give him a microphone?). I squeeze Trey's hand a little tighter as we walk, trying to send him the secret signal to be quiet. But Trey is 3. He doesn't know secret signals yet. I tell him quietly but firmly that the man is just fine. Trey's still not buying it. He points out loudly again, "He walks funny with a stick. If his legs aren't broken why does he walk with a stick?!?".
At this point I'm ready to cover Trey's mouth with my hand and pick him up and run behind a shrub or something. The man had mercy on me and stopped walking. He turned to Trey and said, my legs aren't broke they just feel like it. He smiled and seemed friendly enough. I sighed, relieved. We walked by the man (but were still in ear shot) when Trey told me in a matter of fact way, "they FEEL broken, see Mommy, they FEEL broken!" I had to chuckle because Trey said this in a way that showed he thought he had been right. All I could do was shake my head and be glad the man didn't seem offended. It could have been worse. Somehow I feel that that was just a practice round for a more horrifying experience yet to come.

Trick or Treat (a bit late)......part two

I thought that this bunny costume was adorable when I saw it online (before Kayelynn was ever born). I still find it adorable. But with Kayelynn wearing it, this bunny has more attitude than it ever did in the catalog!

"Bows?!? Whose idea was it to add bows to this costume?!?"

"Sure, I can climb these steps. No problem!"

"Just Chillin' in my bunny suit."

"See that wounded rabbit behind me? I crushed him with this chair."

I just think she looks snide in this picture.

"I know I'm cute"

"I said, I don't want my picture taken with him!"

"This airplane game is fun. Wonder how long Nana can keep it up."

"So. Tired. Need. Candy."

My Lil Sis

Most of you know that my littlest sister is engaged. ( I blogged about the adorable way Ryan popped the question to her using their old movie ticket stubs.....) Well, they had their engagement pics done. I think they turned out wonderful. I do have a biased opinion but I think Ashley looks beautiful, so in love, so young, so vibrant.....I could go on and on. Please check out Ashley and Ryan's pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bthorne/sets/72157622768873954/ (the pictures also contain some cool local sites around my hometown that Rex and I used to frequent when we were young and vibrant)

Trick or Treat (a bit late)

Trey told me quite a while back that he wanted to be Bugs Bunny.

I was surprised that he picked Bugs Bunny over a train, Bob the Builder, Clifford, or Curious George. Trey does like to watch old Bugs Bunny cartoons with Daddy. I figured that had a lot to do with his choice. I asked him anyway what made him want to be Bugs. Simple, he wanted to say, "What's up Doc?". Actually, in Trey talk, its sometimes, "What's up Duck". I wasn't thrilled with the 'head on top of your head costume'. I hate those. But, Bugs Bunny was hard to come by. Trey didn't care. He said he was the best Bugs Bunny ever. I have to agree.

Here we have Trey's cousin Caleb (the dinosaur) trying to eat Bugs Bunny. Things always turn violent when these two are together. Also, Cousin Leah as Bat Girl. I found that an interesting costume pick too. Then I was informed that the girl super heroes are very cool with the 6 yr. old crowd. I didn't know....

Kayelynn's 1 year photo shoot

The dreaded one year pictures......

I don't dread them because it means my baby is getting older. Reaching the one year mark does make me feel sentimental but dragging the kids in for pictures has proven to be nothing but exhausting. I remember Trey having some stranger anxiety around the one year mark. At 18mo. he cried during the whole session. Kayelynn seems to be a lot like her brother in this respect. She posed nicely for the first shot and it went down hill from there. There was not only crying but screaming and wailing too. By the end of the photo shoot she was minus several articles of clothing. See for yourself......

The first picture taken and the one I ended up ordering the most of. I could've saved me and Kayelynn a lot of stress by stopping after this shot.

This picture is much like the one above but I love the way she is holding her hands. Her expression tells the story though. This was only the second picture taken and she is working up to a cry already!

This picture actually reflects a common look that she gets. Although it is very thoughtful.

Oh, and did I mention that after we were finished, Kayelynn laughed, smiled, waved and said bye-bye to the picture lady.

October Treyisms

1. We were getting ready to eat and Trey pointed his fingers at me like a gun. "Say you're prayers" he drawled. He was being a bit hyper so I lectured him a little on proper dinner table manners. He kept on. In his best old west show down voice he said again " say your prayers, mommy". Turns out he really wanted to pray for the food!

2. After a long day of chasing Kayelynn around and taking things away from her that she shouldn't have, I finally raised my voice to her to try to get my message across. Trey praised me, "Good yellin' at Sissy, Mommy." He has since approved of my discipline of Kayelynn several times. Once he was even cheering me on " Spank her, mommy! Spank her!"

3. I randomly reached over to give Trey a hug and a kiss. "I love you soooo much", I told him. He hugged me back. "Mommy," he said, " I love you ten million loves!"

humpty dumpty recitation

My Extra Hour....

Let me just say that I do not like day light savings time. I will always want things to be put back the way they were in my childhood (meaning: clocks tell time, they don't hop back and forth all willy nilly.) All that said, I was really looking forward to the extra hour of sleep I had coming my way.
The kids were exhausted from a full day of trick or treating. They both went to bed easily. I was hoping Kayelynn would sleep all night (occasionally she does).
At 2:30, I heard Kayelynn crying and got up with her. At 2:00 I went back to bed. I wish it always worked like that. Or I did, until...
I was back up again at 2:30 with a screaming baby. Then I was feeling cheated out of my extra hour. Kayelynn did go back to sleep by 3. I put her back to bed. I stubbed my toe getting back into my bed. And while I laid in bed with my toe throbbing, Rex decided to start snoring. I did drift back off to sleep before the clock said 4. But around 5, some terrible fiend must have come into the yard ( maybe a oppossum or raccoon) because the dogs went into orbit and stood by my window and barked for 15 minutes or so. Nobody reset Trey's clock, so around 6:30 he ran to my room and jumped up into bed between Rex and I. I got him tucked in and thought he was convinced to sleep a bit longer. However, I felt him poke me several times, honk my nose and trace pictures on my face before my alarm went off at 7am.
So, why am I so tired after getting an extra hour of sleep?