Kate's First Almost Stiches

Last week, Kate tried to climb up my Mom's ladder in the playroom and did a header off and evidently hit a drawer and put her teeth through her lip. Needless to say, it's a good thing my Mom was there because the rest of us were not "calm" per say. There was A LOT of blood. I thought her teeth were knocked out all over in her mouth, but it was just all the skin that she had bit out of her lip. We placed a phone call to my sister, Jodi, who is an ER nurse (she gets a lot of these types of phone calls from me) and she pretty much told us that we would be hard pressed to get a doctor to do stitches in the mouth of a baby that young. So, I gave her some medicine and took her home and slept by her all night because I was so nervous she might have a concussion. She was unfazed. Had a sippy cup the night it happened and I caught her with Doritos the next morning. Yeah, I know -- Ouch. But, the next morning her mouth looked like complete hamburger and she resembled BuBu from Forest Gump. I hauled her in and they said they wouldn't want to do anything about it but giver her antibiotics. It's been a week and a half and it is coming down but is still nasty. Mark's Mom cried the first time she saw it. So... I have spent the last week trying to protect her from any further injury which is like a full-time job. The child is an animal. On Wednesday, she tried climbing the same ladder. Maybe she's not a fast learner. :)

The picture is a few days post fall, and yes, this is what she normally looks like. She is a Cheeto and Dorito hound and refuses to leave anything in her hair. Lovely, isn't it?

I hope this isn't the first of many blogs chronicling Kate's reckless injuries over time, but she is wild so who knows?

Curiosity

My latest conversation with Launa is as follows:

Launa: Mom, Did you know that babies come out of your private spot? And then they ruin it.

(Getting my composure together)
Me: Really? Who told you that?

Launa: Alexa (my 4-year old niece). So, you said they come out your belly button. Why do you have a belly button if babies don't come out of there?

Me: Um... yeah, Alexa's right. They come out your private spot.

Launa: That's kind-of yucky don't you think? How do you get it out?

Me: Well, you go see the Doctor and you have to push really hard.

Launa: Don't they get stuck in your pants?

Me: Uh, you have to take your pants off.

Launa: And your pannies?!!!

Me: Yeah.

Launa: Oh man, I'm never having a baby.

My sister said maybe this curiosity will pay off and she will be a doctor some day? Last week we had a conversation about why boys can pee outside and girls can't (she tried and ended up with pee all over). She wanted to know what the boy private spots are called? She didn't like the technical term and said she would just use her own made up name. Fine by me. Her questions are forcing me to be more mature than I think I'm ready to be.

She's not just curious about anatomy, she is curious about EVERYTHING!! She basically follows me around and asks me why I do everything the way I do. She asked me how many days all the other people who have died have to wait before they be resurrected. She asks how far up in the sky heaven is and if Jesus sleeps?

More Launa Comments...

Just today, Launa said so many things that made me laugh. The neighbor kids, Hunter and Kyla came to play and when I asked her if she had fun she told me "No. They were ganging up on me! And they were being greedy." She has a funny vocabulary.

I saw the orange cat run by while I was in the office and Launa came in behind me to let me know that she was "just going to let the cat peruse the house for a minute and then I'll take it out".

Mark passed a little gas and she informed him that he needed to excuse me and that he was a real "Farter". Amen to that. :)

Two days ago Mark told Kate to sit down. She gave him a stink face and called him a "meany". It was classic. She is starting to jibber jabber all the time. A small list of words she says: Mommy, Daddy, Launa, chips, baba, eyes, bye-bye, owie, hi, hot, Kyla, Ky, Ty, Grandma, Grandpa, Kitty, Puppy, Pretty, mine, and of course, meany.

Launa & Kate's Pictures

These are the most recent pictures of Launa and Kate. They were from this last summer. Thank you, Jen!! Her patience and talent amazes me. Some people naturally can smile, but when I try to get Launa to smile, it always seems a little forced. We're working on it. :)

For an update, I have madly been painting and repainting furniture and hanging pictures and sewing pillows, but, I think I'm almost done. It will be just in time to start the outdoor projects.

Katie Bug is cute (and wild) as ever. I have found her on top of my kitchen countertops, trying to climb on the back of the chairs, etc. While most kids are afraid of the vaccuum, Kate tries to ride on it while I'm vaccuuming. It's maddening but so funny. She is also learning how to talk up a storm. She asks me every morning (after demanding her baba), "where's Nauna?" "Where's Da". She always wants to know where everyone is. When Launa isn't around, she is bored and asks me over and over again where she is at. Kate also LOVES her grandparents and aunts and uncles. When we go to restaurants, she likes to "work the crowd". At Denny's she walked up and down the rows waving to everyone and saying "Bye". At the doctors office she even blew the nurse a kiss. She is so busy but brings me so much joy.

Launa is sweet (and sour, depending on the minute) and likes to help with her baby sister. She says the funniest things that amaze me. We were looking for wild cats that had got in my Mom's house (also an interesting story) and while I was opening up closets and cabinets she said to me, "um... mom, they're cats. They can't open doors". She also loves to do crafts, crafts, and more crafts. She has stolen every paint brush I own, and is always making me little "notes". She told her sunday school teacher that I am always bossing her and she doesn't like it.

Mark is gearing up for the spring and can hardly wait. He sneaks out every Saturday and I can typically find him on some tractor or doing something with dirt. He can't help himself. He is also avoiding the long list of "honey-dos" that are awaiting him at home. I've decided it may be worth it to hoard up money here and there and find a good handy man.

Babies

Nope, I'm not pregnant. I just had the funniest conversation with Launa. She was asking me questions about marriage. I was explaining to her that boys and girls marry so that they can have babies, she can't marry a relative, usually you marry someone around your age, etc. She finally says to me, "I don't want to get married". I asked why and she told me "because then I will have to have a baby. Then I will have to nurse and get big boobs, and the baby will always want to be fed, and then it will be harrassing me all the time!" Evidently, she finds her baby sister kind-of annoying (and no, I am no longer nursing). She has been telling me that "Kate gets all the attention around here!" Her ability to reason and think about those things baffles me. I hope that means that eventually she will be a very level-headed teenager. :)

We're In!!

It's official. I have internet, a washer and dryer that work, TV, and toilets that consistently flush! I have officially moved in! I feel like I can be a productive human being now and am loving it!

We had Launa's little birthday party last Friday in our new house. It really was fun. We did a pinata like she wanted (it was a little cold for outside, so Mark just stood on a chair and held it. A little redneck and risk, but he was willing. :)
decorated cupcakes and she played her little heart out. It was the first time our house really felt like home for me.

Now I'm just looking for my cord from my camera to the computer and then I will upload some fun pictures...

Things That Make Me Happy...

Last Christmas, my sister-in-law got me a subscription to "Real Simple" magazine and can I just say that I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Every month, Mark brings in the mail and says "surprise" and then I veg out for awhile and read my magazine. I love to read, but when I sit down to read a book, I just can't stop and then it's after 5, Mark walks in the door, and I hardly even realize that the house is a disaster and Kate is running around with a wet diaper because I am so engrossed in my book... you get the picture. So, magazines are my compromise. There are short stories that inspire me, pictures, small tips, etc. This month the theme was happiness. Studies about what make people happy and how people make it last. I'm pretty simple-minded so happiness is not a complex subject for me. I can think of a lot of things that make me happy. A small list, so that when I read back through my blog, I am grateful for the small things that make me happy...

#1 -- Kate's giggle. She has a raspy little giggle and every time I hear it, it makes me smile and I want to hear more. Both my girls have good little giggles that they've inherited from their Father.

#2 -- Launa gives "squeezy hugs". Another good quality passed down from Mark. I would not say I am a "touchy" or "cuddly" person, but my girls (especially Launa) are. She will lay be me and play with my hair and give "squeezy" hugs and it warms my heart.

#3 -- Laughing. I know it sounds simple, but it makes me happy. Mark is really good about making me laugh. Even when we're fighting, he still makes me laugh. Last week while we were lost in Seattle, he told me I was a terrible wingman (I was trying to navigate) and if I were Goose that he would have ejected me a long time ago. I replied that I would have ejected myself if possible, and then I laughed.

#4 -- Reminiscing. This is a huge reason why I love having so many syblings. We all have life experiences that we can relate to, and that makes being together seem like so much fun.

#5 -- Completing a project. I am constantly making lists because I love to cross them off. I liked school because of the sense of accomplishment at completing assignments. Lately, I've been able to complete a lot of projects. I like being able to say, "hey, look what I learned to do (with a lot of help, but still)!"

#6 -- Seeing my girls play together. When I'm trying to talk on the phone in the car, they both like to start yelling at the same time. It's annoying, I know. But they both love it and they yell and then laugh, and then yell some more. When they play and laugh together, it makes me happy.

#7 -- A clean house. In my next life, I would like to be one of those Type A personalities that cannot go to sleep knowing that there are toys left out of place. For now, I probably stepped on the toy and didn't even notice, but, when I come home and the house feels clean, I love it. It makes me happy.

#8 -- Going to church. I'm not going to lie, I don't wake up happy to get there by 8:30 AM, I'm not really happy when I'm scrambling around with my kids trying to shove cheerios in their mouth so they'll be quiet, or even particularly happy when I'm muddling through a lesson that's a little over my head sometimes, BUT when it's all done and I feel like I did something that God wanted me to do, learned a little something, and just made it, I feel happy.

#9 -- Singing and dancing. To say this is not one of my talents would probably be an understatement. But when no one is looking and my kids and I are hanging out and singing and dancing, it's fun. And when I see them try to mimick what I look like dancing, I think uh-oh, this is bad, but they like it, and it sure makes me happy.

#10 -- Feeling loved and appreciated. Who doesn't like that feeling right? It doesn't matter if it comes from Mark, my kids, my parents, a friend, a sybling, when you feel like someone gets you and loves you, it makes being happy a lot easier.

On that note, I hope you can all recognize the small things that make you happy. Ironically, in the article, money had very little to do with the things that when you think outloud, make you happy. In my case, obviously, it was true. Joy is in small moments! I especially hope during Christmas that you have many small moments of your own joy!