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Garage Sales

Here is the listing to learn more about OUR sale. :)
http://gsalr.com/sale-sale-great-deals-oklahoma-city-ok-22516415.html

Battle for the Wet-Wipes

Emma is an amazing helper.  She helps with everything from telling Kaleb how wrong he is to putting Drew in a headlock when we tell her that she needs to help us make sure Drew won't run into the street. Most of the time, she's very, very helpful. Today, was a helpful day, but with a twist.

The kids got a treat today at lunch:  Chocolate Milk.  Emma had a nice milk mustache that she decided she needed to wipe off. Krystin was changing Drew's diaper so the wet wipes were within reach.  Emma grabbed one for her 'stache and as Emma grabbed it, Krystin took it from her to wipe up Drew. Emma, without saying a word, reaches for another. Just in time, Krystin took it, again for Drew. To Emma's dismay, Krystin did it a third time. Finally, Emma was able to get her own wet wipe for the milk mustache. Krystin then asked Emma to be a good helper and get a diaper for Drew. When Emma got back she had two diapers and said (with a bit of diva-tude and a raised eyebrow), "I got two because I was afraid you might take mine."

(Yes, I made up "diva-tude" because it is the only thing I could think of that adequately describes the diva attitude Emma frequently displays.)

Little Baby Jake

It's been forever since we posted anything on the blog.  We've posted some stuff on Facebook and we'll go back to try to add those here just to keep track of them.  Kaleb turned 3 then end of January and has since given us some awesome quotes.  Other items of note is that we're now expecting a 4th child. A few days ago when we told Kaleb that we are going to name the new baby boy Asher,
Kaleb said, "No, his name is Jake."
Krystin corrected him, "It's mommy and daddy's job to name the baby."
Kaleb:  You can name the baby whatever you want but I'm calling him Jake.

So last night during bedtime prayers Kaleb prayed, "God, thank you for mommy, daddy, Emma, Drewsie, Bernie, and baby Asher in mommy's tummy . . . I mean baby Jake."

Move over Brent Musberger

Emma and Kaleb share a room. Before Drew came along, they were going to get their own rooms, but with 2 rooms available and 3 kids, some sharing had to happen. Kaleb's favorite past-time is annoying his older sister. This happens most often when they go to bed. In Kaleb's defense, we have heard this dialoge take place numerous times:
Emma: (in a whisper) - Kaleb come here.

Kaleb gets out of bed going to Emma.

Emma: (yelling at the top of her lungs) KALEB IS OUT OF BED!!!!!!
But for every time that he was tricked by Emma, Kaleb has at least one instance of pure naughty-ness to his older sister. Tonight was no different.

Emma started with the "Kaleb is out of bed!!!" (short pause) "Kaleb is annoying me!!!"
Krysitn: Kaleb get back in bed! Ignore him Emma and face the wall!

As I got up to go to the kitchen I look back to their room and see Kaleb sitting on top of Emma clapping and being as annoying as possible and Emma is quietly facing the wall ignoring his antics. We discipline Kaleb and put him back in bed. Then we praise Emma for doing what we asked her to do.

A few minutes go by after we leave. Emma must have felt empowered by the praise we gave her and Kaleb equally determined to avoid our wrath if he gets out of bed becuase we hear the following play-by-play.

Emma: Mom! Kaleb is out of bed, in bed, out of bed, in bed, out of bed. Kaleb get in bed!

I can only imagine seeing Kaleb jumping in and out of bed as Emma let us know exactly what Kaleb was doing.

The Ultimate Compliment

Thanksgiving is great.  Families get together, eat a lot of turkey, stuff their face with mashed potatoes and eat disgusting desserts.  Um, what?  Yes, disgusting desserts.  After we got done with our Thanksgiving meal, we all got some desserts.  We had the options of pumpkin pie, carrot cake, and a chocolate dessert that my grandmother makes.  It has a pie-type crust with cool whip, then a chocolate layer followed by more cool whip.  It tastes as great as it sounds being described.  Kaleb had some and so did my Grandma Gennie (Kaleb's great-grandmother).  After Kaleb had eaten about 3/4 of his dessert, he looked at Grandma Gennie's plate and asked, "Why are you eating that disgusting thing?"  I could hardly keep my own dessert in my mouth from laughing so hard.  Krystin asked him, "What did you say?"  Without missing a word, he repeated it exactly, "Why are you eating that disgusting thing?"  Of course we had to ask, "Do you like what you're eating?"  "Um, yeah!" Kaleb replied.  Me - "Then why are you calling it disgusting if you like it?"  Kaleb - "I don't know."

I don't know if he was trying to be sly and convince his great-grandma that what she was about to eat was disgusting and that he (Kaleb) would be willing to dispose of it.  He may not even understand what "disgusting" means, but he made it one memorable Thanksgiving!

No Vacancy

Tonight at dinner, Emma said, "We're going on a field trip next week."
Dad:  "Where are you going?"
Emma:  "I don't know.  But we're going on Monday."
Dad:  "Do you pay attention in class?"
Emma:  "Yes, I pay attention."
Dad:  "Are you telling me that your teacher has never said where you are going on your field trip?"
Emma:  "She probably told me, but my brain is still so small and it is already so full that there wasn't anywhere else for it to go, so it went into someone else's brain."
Dad (through laughter):  "Ok.  Glad we got that cleared up."

I have a feeling we're going to be in for some great excuses in the future.

The kind of boy you want to take home to meet your....Grandma!

Kaleb loves Mother's Day Out.  He loves the crafts, the snacks, the play time, and the grandmas.  Krystin and Kaleb were walking down the hall on the way out after MDO and Kaleb sees someone sitting at a desk doing some work.  Naturally, he says "Hey, how you doing?".  So Karis Stemen, who was working in her office, comes to her office door and starts chatting with Kaleb. 

Karis:  I'm good, how are you?
Kaleb:  I'm 2.
Karis:  Well, I'm not going to tell you how old I am.

After Krystin got Kaleb away and started walking down the hall towards the exit, Kaleb, in his matter-of-fact tone of voice said, "Grandmas like me."

Ice Cream Truck Blues

Our poor deprived kids have never had ice cream from the ice cream truck and honestly, I'm not sad about it. I think it is way overpriced, and I would much rather go to Braum's and get them a $0.79 junior ice cream cone than a buy a $3 popsicle from an ice cream truck.

Today when the kids were riding tricycles in the driveway, the ice cream truck went cruising our street, which is a rare thing, and the kids were in awe. Emma's eyes grew wide and  as she ran to the edge of the yard to look, and Kaleb yelled, "Mickey Mouse! I think Mickey Mouse is coming!" The truck rolled down our street with a giant Blue Bunny ice cream logo on the side. When the truck driver saw Emma at the edge of the yard, he stopped on the other side of the street in front of our house just in time to hear Emma yell to him, "Do you sell bunnies?" I was laughing too hard to hear his response.

Best-Friends Day

Emma loves holidays.  She loves doing special things on those special days that have been set aside for various reasons.  A few years ago between Mother's Day and Father's Day she was sad because there was not a Kid's Day.  So, in our family, the first Tuesday of June is always Kid's Day.  Today Emma was asking Krystin if there was a Best Friends' Day.

Emma:  Mom, is there a best friends' day?
Krystin:  I'm not sure.  There probably is but I don't know when it is.
Emma:  I have an idea!  How about we make a Best Friends' Day?  We can make it in August!
Krystin:  I have news for you Emma, it's already September.
Emma:  Oh man!  We missed Best Friends' Day!

This makes me think of something Joey Tribbiani would say.  (....pssst.....Joey Tribbiani was one of the 6 friends on F-R-I-E-N-D-S).

Understanding the Omnipresence of God

Kaleb, our 2 1/2 year old is in potty training.  He is so proud when he goes in the potty that he wants an audience.  Tonight he says "Dad!  I have to go poo-poo!"  I reassuringly respond by saying "That's great buddy!  Go ahead and go to the bathroom!" because he's capable of doing it on his own at this point.  Other than his stubborn streak he gets from his mother, he always goes in the toilet.

The problem tonight was that I was alone with the kids and Krystin was getting groceries.  So, being logical, I figure if I can't supervise all 3, then 2 out of 3 isn't too bad.  I walked with Kaleb back to the bathroom and then back to where the other 2 were playing.  Again, Kaleb wanted me to be there.  I said, "Kaleb, I can't be two places at once."  From the other end of the house I hear, "Kaleb, only God can do that.  I guess you'll just have to be with God."

So, if my kids can't be around me, they have to settle and "just be with God."  Is that blasphemy?  Probably, but I don't think God will hold that against a 4 1/2 year old.

Learning to be nice.

**Names have been changed to protect the innocent.**


Emma has now been in Pre-K for almost 2 weeks.  Today she came home and said a classmate of hers was mean to a friend.  They were all drawing self-portraits in class.  "Phineas" says to "Ferb", "Ferb, you look like a girl in your drawing."  I'm proud that Emma realizes that "Phineas" wasn't being nice to "Ferb", but then Emma says to us, "Well, he did look like a girl, but I wasn't going to tell him."