Saturday, November 20, 2010

Funny Kids and Stories

















October is always a blur. It goes so fast and there are so many events. Halloween has become bigger than Christmas. My kids had 6 dress-up events this Halloween. It was crazy and a lot of fun. I didn't get great pictures of them all in their costumes at the same time; we seemed to take more video of the kids. But here are a couple:




































Projects:
We have had a variety of projects going on at our house. Our biggest outdoor project was building flower beds in our backyard. Captain F actually did it from start to finish in a fairly organized way. We didn't have to make too many trips back to the hardware store. Captain F has improved significantly since we first bought our house. There were quite a few home improvement projects that didn't quite turn out. But back to the garden, our bedroom window looks out on this sad patch of concrete backyard. The garden boxes are a welcome improvement. We planted the box with lots and lots of bulbs. It should be gorgeous in the spring.
















One of my favorite videos of the kids helping Captain F with this project was deleted off my phone by Little V. Oh well. But here is another video of Little V helping paint the wood which leads us to another project--potty training Little V.







So the update on potty training is that we started last week and she is doing great. Of course there are some accidents, but she is really doing well. After watching the video you can see that she didn't want to do it. I had bought all sorts of cute presents to bribe/reward her. One day I showed them to her, this was before the video above was taken, and she liked all the presents. She wanted them right then. I told her no, that these were presents for when she went potty. She was upset, but as I put the presents away she regained her composure and said, "I no want dose presents." The big break came when I noticed she was going in her diaper and I hurried and put her on the potty. She was able to go in there and then I gave her a present. She thought that was OK. She still didn't want underwear, but from that point on she was willing to go potty once a day or so. Then she finally said she wanted to wear underwear. That's when we really started last week. All and all it has been pretty painless. I was probably the biggest hurdle. Sometimes it is hard to find the time and commit. I am sure most people don't want to read about potty training, sorry, but these are the victories of my life.

Moving on, for Captain F's birthday I gave him barefoot running shoes. He is easing his way into barefoot running. Even still, his calves have both cramped up in the process. The Prince loves to run with dad. They run around the block, which is about a third of a mile. Captain F was pretty surprised that the Prince kept a good pace and even sprinted at the end. Little V, never one to be left behind, found a way to get in on the act.





















The kids getting a tickle from my Dad.
















Finally, my favorite story lately is of Frosty. Two weekends ago three different kids in the neighborhood all cut their hair. I had to talk to my kids about never doing that and if they want a haircut we will take them to get one. The Prince had been wanting a haircut for a while because he said, "My hair's all crazy." So one Tuesday I scheduled a haircut for the Prince and Captain F with Pat, a woman, the Barber. This is the Prince's favorite place to get a haircut because Pat gives him lots of mints afterwards and they have cool cars to play with. Plus, he loves going were dad goes for a haircut. Anyway, the Prince was talking about the haircut all day. Little V thought she was going. When Captain F came home from work, Little V would not be left behind. Captain F said I better come along, too, so I could watch the kids while he got his haircut. So, it turned into a family outing. The Prince got his haircut first, then V sat in the chair and got her hair pulled back. It was perfect because she felt like she had had a turn. Finally, Captain F got his haircut. When Pat finished she asked if we would like her to trim the baby's hair so it was out of her eyes. I didn't really care, but I thought it was nice of her to offer so I agreed. We put Frosty in the chair, then Pat wrapped the cloth around her and next thing I know Pat says, "She'll look much better with these ends gone." Clip Clip. Pat gave her a full haircut. Frosty had her first haircut just shy of 6 months. Little V had her first haircut at 2 1/2. Frosty's hair is still poofy, so it sort of looks like a mom haircut. Here are some before and after photos.

(Sorry these pictures aren't in order, for some reason I can't move them around.)



















No comments: