May I pick your brain...please?

So I have some questions I've been pondering and I thought maybe someone out there could help me ... if you don't mind... please :)

* I bought some used Harry Potter books today. Do you think Hallie (7 years-old) is too little for Harry Potter? Do you think it would be too confusing or too scary for a 7 year-old? What if I read them to her?

* Toddler bed or twin? Campbell is still in the crib but with the baby coming in November I'm thinking I need to get him out of the crib by February so the baby can have it. I'm just debating if I should get a toddler bed (anybody getting rid of theirs?) or go straight to the twin. With my girls I put them right into a twin bed but they were older. It would be nice to do a toddler bed because it wouldn't take up much room since they will be sharing a bedroom and I think Campbell would adjust to it better but I don't want to spend money on a bed that he will outgrow so quickly (the mattress is the same size as a crib mattress). Any opinions?

*Finally, how the heck do you discipline a 18month old crazy little boy? Seriously? Nothing is working, what do (or did) you do that works? Help!!! (I'm begging you on this one)

Thanks

Thanks be to Lacey who led me to this great site for a tutorial on 3 column blog templates. I LOVE having the extra sidebar on the left! Less scrolling for everybody!

"Campbell, can you say... OUCH?"

Untitled from T G on Vimeo.

It's tough being a kid, especially when your having a bad hair day!

Campbell is 18 months old and boy is this kid busy! He hates to be slowed down (just look at that face when I stopped him to take a picture). He had his well-child appointment this week

and the weighed in at 24lbs 9 oz (40 %) and 32 inches (50%) tall.

He is my fastest walker but my slowest talker (although a friend assured me that it means he is a left-brainer and so he will probably be a brilliant scientist one day ;)

He loves to keep busy and find new things to do. He recently took one of the neighbor girl's shoes and filled it with chocolate syrup. You should have seen the look on his face when he handed it to her, he was so proud.

Campbell still loves to dance and has his own kind of rhythm. He is always bouncing and swaying to the beat (he even digs the Hymns).

What else can I say, this kid makes me laugh every- single- day.

I adore him.

I'm against child labor laws

I believe in teaching the importance of a good work ethic at a young... very young age. ;)heehee
(Actually, the kid is just obsessed with vacuums!)

Learned a new blogging trick worth sharing

I wanted to learn how to "sign" my posts and found out how you can do it and have your "signature" automatically added to your posts. Just check out this great tutorial!

I didn't use the "mylivesignature" (although, I've tried it and it is really cool!) I just wanted to create my own whimsical signature which I did on photoshop and then uploaded it to photobucket and followed the rest of the tutorial.

Just thought I'd share.

Taylorsville Lake

Taylorsville Lake is about an hour away and the girl's favorite place to camp since it is also where they found their turtle "Shelly Sandy". Unfortunately, this time when they went hunting for a new turtle they only found a skunk!

Our friends Christina and Dave joined us for dinner and smores (which we roasted over the gas stove in the air conditioned trailer since it was 90+degrees outside... why sweat if you don't have to?).



We threw rocks in the lake and Campbell found a pack of cigarettes to play with then did a nose dive into the rocky shore... he sure keeps us busy. He also keeps us laughing...everyday!


Campbell and Nixon are buds and love to chase each other and fight over toys... it's what little boys do.
Hallie and Meg loved the break from routine and, as always, they love to go camping with daddy.

I personally don't love camping but I do love spending time with my fam. Afterall, together IS our favorite place to be. ;)

Sheetrock!!!

Trev has been working really hard on the new room. My sis and her hubby are coming in Sept. so we now have a deadline we'd like to meet. Trev, with the help of a few friends, (thank you Brett and Dave N. -- bless you, bless you!) has put up a lot of the sheetrock and it is really looking like a room!

We had no idea just how much work this room would end up being and we are soooo happy to be at this point. Still a lot to do but look how far it's come!

Back in Session

Ahhh, the first day of school. I can't recall a summer ever going as fast as this one did! It was a great summer full of fun memories that I will cherish.
Hallie and Megan were excited and anxious to start school in fact they could hardly sleep the night before and they insisted that I wake them up at 6:15am so we had plenty of time to "get ready and do their hair cute." Stripes greeted us at the front door of the school. Hallie willingly posed for a picture while Campbell stared in unbelief and Megan hid behind me (She was nervous enough without adding a 7 ft tiger into her morning).
We dropped Megan off first to her class where they were coloring a schoolhouse then off to Hallie's class just down the hall where her teacher anxiously awaited her arrival (did I mention we were running a little late... even after waking up at 6:15am! ) I felt the lump forming in my throat as I walked from their new classes towards the exit. What is it about the first day of school? I can't help but get a little choked up about this milestone in their lives. But, I was strong and held it in... until I got in the car, then I allowed myself a few tears before I headed home for a quiet day with just me and my little man. (Did I say quiet? Haha )

When the afternoon came I headed up to the bus stop and the girls walked off the bus smiling and looking triumphant. The first day was a huge success and there was lot's to talk about. Stealing a tradition from a friend years ago I make cookies on the first day of school every year and so when the kids got home we sat around the kitchen table eating cookies and milk and talking about all of the events of the day.
Megan's favorite part was riding the bus and reading stories and Hallie enjoyed learning a new song and seeing her old friends and teacher again (they keep the same class for 2 years).
They were both beaming and I was so thrilled and so thankful that they had such a wonderful day!
Here's to the first day of school!!

He hears me.

As all of my dear friends and family know I have been worried about Megan for awhile now. To say she is shy is an understatement. Infact there are dear friends of mine who have never heard her speak. She only speaks to a select few so when I was praying to know if I should put her in kindergarten this year I was nervous when I felt strongly that I should.

How would she communicate? How would they test her? Who would be friends with a little girl who won't talk to them? Would they make fun of her? Would she hate school and be sad and lonely everyday?

As her mother I just want her to be happy and thrive and feel loved so I prayed for faith and for help for Megan.

Soon after, I was vacuuming my house and felt the prompting to stop and call the school to talk to someone about Megan. I did, not knowing what I was going to say. They answered and connected me with the school counselor. I tried to explain my concerns and told the counselor we believe Meg has what they call "selective mutism". She stopped me and said, "My child had that". I was shocked... my pediatrician didn't even know what it was, it is so rare. I felt myself warm inside and tears filled my eyes as she told me she thought I should put Megan in "Jungle" during the summer (which is a program at the school for kids whose parents work) to help her get comfortable with the school and meet some other kids.

After calling the Jungle director and talking to the teacher over Megan's age group it was all set-up and they knew the purpose of Megan being there.

The first day of Jungle was hard. I took her early and tried to get her comfortable with the new surroundings but when it was time to go she clung to me and when I looked in her eyes I could see she was absolutely terrified. I finally had the teacher hold her while I tore myself from her grasp and practically ran to the car where I promptly burst into tears wondering if I was making a huge mistake. I cried and prayed... and I was comforted.

Needless to say we did this for awhile but gradually it was easier for her to say good-bye and we noticed she starting acting differently at home. She seemed to somehow be braver and happier.

Last week was Megan's last day at "Jungle" and she walked in happily and sat in her spot as I waved good-bye. When I came back to pick her up I was greeted by 2 smiling faces as the director exclaimed, "Megan talked today!" "What?" I couldn't believe it but apparently Megan talked to one of the girls (Sydney) in her group. That was the first time she spoke to anyone there... and everyone was so proud of her. I was thrilled and so grateful that the Lord led us there.

My prayers have become more fervent as school started today. Monday we had the opportunity to meet Megan's new teacher and some of the other kids in the class. Her teacher was as sweet as can be and we were shocked to find that of the 4 friends starting kindergarten ALL 4 were in her class!

I dropped Megan off today for her first day of school. I could tell she was anxious as we nervously looked for her seat in a crowded room of strange faces and then there was Sydney sitting right next to Megan's assigned seat. "Hi Megan!" Sydney smiled and Megan smiled (looking relieved) and slid into her seat. Again my heart warmed. The spirit whispered to me that the Lord had heard my prayers and He will take care of my quiet little Megan and I am so humbled by His love.

gIrLy HaiR

With school starting this week I've been trying to come up with some new fun hair-do's for the girls. I used to be creative but I've gotten really boring and lazy when it comes to hair. Anyway, I found some awesome hair blogs and wanted to share them. Check them out!
http://allgirlshair.blogspot.com/
http://babesinhairland.blogspot.com/
http://girlydos.blogspot.com/
http://shedoeshair.blogspot.com/
http://hair4myprincess.blogspot.com/

The Adventures of an ER Resident

Trevor often works odd shifts in the night. He sometimes gets home in the wee morning hours but is careful to move about the house quietly so as not to wake us all up... last night was different.
I was sleeping soundly when I heard:
Trev (in an excited tone): "KATHRYN- KATHRYN, are you awake???"
Me (in a groggy, sleepy, slightly irritated tone): "Huh?"
Trev: "Guess what I did tonight???"
Me: "Huh?"
Trev: " We delivered a baby in a car!!!!"
Me (still groggy): "What?"
Trev (nearly bursting with adrenalin): "Yeah, and I didn't have anything to tie off the umbilical cord so I used the drawstring on my scrubs! Isn't that cool?"
Me (somewhat impressed but mostly tired): "Cool"
Trev: "And I put in 2 chest tubes!"
Me (drifting off to sleep again) : "wow... snore, snore"

Trevor is sleeping in this morning but now that I'm fully awake I can't wait to hear the whole story!

Done... well, pretty much

When I was pregnant with Campbell I made this bumper for the crib (ha,ha, more like my mom made it and I kept her company while she worked on it). Anyway since we are having another boy I guess we will be using it again so I decided to redecorate the "boys room" to match this bumper.
This is what the room looked like before except the ceiling was also blue and the walls didn't have white spots, that is from the spackle (yes, those are all nail holes in the wall. Someone couldn't decide where to hang the pictures or something!)
I just finished the room yesterday. I did all the painting and Trev helped me make the shelves with 1x6 plywood and crown moulding. I was really worried once I got all the paint done that I might have picked the wrong colors but in the end I like how it turned out.

If you know me then you know I am cheap and love to stretch a dime (which is a good thing on a resident's salary) and this project is no different. I just used things from our house to decorate the shelves. I had a bunch of scraps left from when I made the bumper that were just sitting in a box so I decided to just roll them up and stick them in this bucket which I got from our downstairs bathroom. The dog is from Trev's mission and the sign a friend gave me... told you I am cheap.

The only thing I bought was the letters for BOYS but I did use scrapbook paper I already had to cover the letters.

Anyway, I still have a few finishing touches but for the most part I am done and excited to check this one off the list. On to the next project... anyone know how to hang drywall???

Our Little Garbage Man

I made the mistake of cheering Campbell on when he picked up a wet diaper, I had just taken off him, and headed to the garbage then threw it in. What a brilliant child I have!... or so I thought.

Well, Campbell loved my reaction and apparently doesn't yet know the difference between garbage and non-garbage items because he was expecting the same reaction when he later proudly dumped a glass bowl in the trash can. I have since gone to throw something away and found silverware, cups, toys, books, bowls, and shoes inside the garbage and recently a few things have come up missing including my prescription sunglasses!

My brilliant little boy. Ugh.

flying again

Trevor doesn't have many hobbies but one hobby he enjoys is flying remote controlled airplanes. He used to get together with is dad and brother to fly in Utah and he really looked forward to that time together.

Since we have been in Kentucky residency has just been too crazy to do much flying plus it is not as fun to fly alone but in the last few weeks Trev has found a few friends who are willing ;) to go with him and watch him fly and if they are lucky Trev sometimes even let's them fly... a little. ;)

People usually stop and watch and sometimes he gets a crowd but his biggest fan is definitely Campbell (you can tell in these pictures). He follows Trev around and points at the plane in the sky with his mouth open in amazement. I have a feeling in a few years Trev will have an anxious little flying buddy.

Under Construction: Slow but Steady

Last month between Trev's crazy schedule and our trip to Utah we didn't get anything done on the new room but this month Trevor has been back up there (it's more like a sauna than a bedroom right now, HOT!!) working away. He did all the electrical and is putting up the insulation. He also started working on the back part of the room which will be a play area for the kids (shown in the second picture).

Cutting and installing the insulation is tedious but it's coming along, slow but steady. We hope to have the room done in September.

As if we didn't have enough construction going on in our house I'm officially getting into the "nesting phase" (unfortunately without the extra energy that usually comes with it) and I'm finally redecorating Campbell and the new babies room. This room has been driving me crazy since we moved here because the walls obviously don't match the bedding and until yesterday the ceiling was this ugly blue too. Anyway, I have some fun plans for it so I will post the finished room soon... as soon as I get it done. :)

Summer Plan

WARNING: This post is more for me than anyone else.

I wanted the girls to have some responsibilities this summer so I came up with this checklist:
Daily checklist
*** Make Bed
*** Get Dressed (clean up PJs)
*** Eat breakfast
*** Brush teeth
*** Say morning prayers
*** Clean room
*** Do one chore from the jar
*** Read for 30 minutes today

In the beautiful jar Hallie made for me for Mother's Day (pictured above) is a bunch of chores they pick from like:

*** Empty 4 garbage cans

*** Wash front and back door windows

*** Sweep front porch

***Clean out a closet

*** Dust

*** Help with dishes

*** Vacuum one room

*** Shake 4 rugs outside

*** Help clean kitchen (ask mom what she wants you to do.)

*** Wash counter, sink, and mirror in one bathroom

*** Wipe leather couches with damp rag

*** Sweep laundry room

*** Wash 2 walls

They have to finish the checklist (with the exception of reading which we usually do after lunch to give all of us some "quiet time") before they can play.
Anyway, it's been working great (which is why I'm writing this post, so I will remember all of this next summer)!

This morning one of the girls had the chore "help mom with the dishes" and I gave her the job of cleaning the 2 pots from last nights dinner. She, of course, was not happy with this chore and the whining started so I did what I always do when they complain about doing dishes and told them about how "when I was a kid we didn't have dishwashers and we had to wash every single dish by hand and my mom wanted to make sure the dishes were clean so she would fill the sink with scalding hot water so we would burn our hands as we..." You know the story.
This morning after I was finished Hallie turned to me and asked, "Mom, did they even have sinks when you were a kid?"

Happy Birthday Megan!

Megan had a fun 5th birthday. For her birthday breakfast she requested "cold cereal and sausage" and for her birthday dinner she wanted Rice A Roni and pizza with sausage. That girl loves sausage (she gets it from her grandpa G.)!
Megan felt so special on her birthday, she told Hallie before church that she wasn't going to her normal church class today, she was going to the princess class where the birthday girls go instead. She loved her curly hair and all of the extra attention she got. All night she was singing to herself "Happy, happy birthday Megan dear..."

Megan has been talking about getting her ears pierced for a few months now. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at five years old but I also didn't think the desire would last (especially since I had her watch like 10 kids on youtube get their ears pierced... imagine lot's of screaming). She didn't back down and part of me was proud of her (this is my nervous little Meg after all) for wanting to do something so scary.

So after she promised me like 10 times that she was really going to do it and not freak out at the last second we headed off to the mall. She did AWESOME!!! She jumped right up on the big chair and held perfectly still. Unfortunately one of the girls was WAY off the mark and we had to do that ear twice, Megan was NOT happy and neither was I but we got it done and she is thrilled. She keeps saying to me, "I can't believe I have my ears pierced!"

I can't believe my girls used to be so little. Megan has been such a fun little girl to have in our family. She makes us laugh daily and just adds spice to our family and our lives.

We love you so much Meg! Happy Birthday!