SPRING

. . . HAS SPRUNG!!!  Which means I survived the winter. 
Our tulips are poking their heads up above the ground. 
We've seen robins, doves and even a woodpecker in our tree.
And, Spring Break and come. . . and gone.
The boys had Spring Break last week.  We didn't go anywhere so we came with something fun to do everyday during the week. 
We went to:
the library
had lunch at McDonald's
Matt & I saw "Rango"
Robert & Adam saw "Mars Needs Moms"
watched a lot of basketball, especially KU
...and did spring cleaning.  What Spring Break is complete without spring cleaning?  A year ago, Adam and Matt started sharing a room.  So, it was high time that we cleaned out under their beds and vacuumed. 
Now, we're back to school, counting down the days 'til Summer Break.   

Pinewood Derby

Last night was Adam's first Pinewood Derby.  He was quite excited.  The theme was favorite sports teams, so he clearly chose KU.  His car ended up being in the middle of the pack which was a bit disappointing for him (we're still working on losing graciously).  Afterwards at home, I told him losing simply helps us do better the next time because it can teach us what we need to improve.  He's quite competitve and is already thinking what he can do differently and better for next year's race.  He did receive an award to "sticking to the theme the best".   

First Full Week

Gavin has now been weaned for a full week now.  This wasn't intentional.  In fact, I've always nursed for at least a year.  But Gavin and I have really struggled with nursing for a few months now.  It started over Christmas break.  He was cutting teeth #5 and #6.  His teeth were so sharp they kept cutting my skin (but only my left side).  Cutting it so much that it would bleed.  And the pain was excruciating.  So, I went to pumping my left side.  But this had it's own difficulties, like finding an outlet if I wasn't at home, having to leave church in order to pump, etc.  I would pump for a few days while the skin healed.  Then I could nurse again for another week.  And then I would have to pump for another week.  This went back and forth for two months.  I finally had it when it took 10 days for my skin to heal and then only one day for it to be cut again.  I realized this was not working out.  And sadly decided it was time to wean Gavin.  This has been a whole new experience for me.  I had never bought formula before--had no idea how much to feed him or even how to make a bottle.  I know that's pretty pathetic to admit, but I had never prepared a bottle before.  I didn't even own a bottle.  Luckily, Gavin has been agreeable about taking a bottle and switching over to formula.  I'm not use to being "free" from Gavin--being able to run errands and not having to think about nursing.  Or yesterday, it finally dawned on me that I can eat certain foods now that I'm not nursing.  I'm still the one that feeds Gavin (gives him a bottle).  I still like to cuddle him and don't really want to give that up yet to anyone.  Robert has fed him a couple of times but I usually am not willing to share that responsibility.           

10 Months

• 
  
  
  
  Weight: 18 lbs.
  Height: 27 1/2 inches
  
  
  
  Gavin is growing up so quickly. This has been a fun month. He is now:
  
  
  
  • waving bye-bye
  
  
  • eating mainly table food. He'll eat anything. New foods he's tried this month include--spinach, asparagus, fish, pickles, stuffing, strawberries, cheesecake. His favorite food is a banana.
    
  • cruising around everywhere
  
  
  • had his 7th tooth come in
  
  
  • dances to music. He's got great moves. He looks likes he's either doing the twist or bellydancing.
  
  
  • is beginning to say 'mama'.
    
  • sleeping on his tummy. He likes to do that. We can tell when he's slept on his tummy most of the night because in the morning his eyelids are really puffy.

Chiefs Fans

Gavin is now big enough to wear an outfit that Adam wore on his first birthday. It's fun to see the comparison.

Gavin at 10 months




Adam at 1 year

Earning $$$

Adam has been diligently saving his allowance for weeks to purchase a $40 video game. He was hoping he would have it all saved by this weekend, just in time for Spring Break. Sunday evening he was counting his money, calculating if he would have enough and realized he would be short $5 this weekend and would have to save another week. This is what he did not want because he wouldn't have it to play over Spring Break. So, he asked me for $5. I said no. But, perhaps he could do some extra chores to earn the money. I told him to think of some possible chores and we would discuss it. Later he asked if he watched and played with Gavin every day after school, if that would be a good chore to earn some money. I thought about it and said, 'How about you play with Gavin for 30 minutes each afternoon while I am preparing dinner?" I'll give you a dollar a day for doing that. He agreed. Yesterday, he realized that it might not be so easy. Simply because Gavin is usually quite clingy around that time. Adam tried all sorts of things and finally found a toy that distracted Gavin while I fixed dinner. Adam is definitely going to earn his money. I was pretty pleased that Adam thought of this idea to play with Gavin. Typically, he is quite self-absorbed and doesn't get out of his own head to recognize the needs and wants of others. So, I was glad that he was putting someone else first. And since he's quite motivated to earn this money, I think he'll stick it out all week.

Family Update

It's been quite awhile since I posted anything. This month has been busy. Robert continues to work hard building his practice. We're surviving. Thank goodness for the contract he has with the city. We wouldn't be making it without that. He has and is getting more and more retained clients, just not enough yet to cover all of our expenses. So, that's where the city contract keeps us afloat.

Adam and Matt are doing well in school. We had parent-teacher conferences last week. I'm really glad they both have great teachers and are learning lots. During the first week of school, all the kindergarteners were tested to see how many letter and sounds they knew. Matthew was too shy to answer so his teacher had to give him a score of 'zero'. She sensed that he knew his letters but was too bashful, so she wasn't concerned about it. She says he has really opened up now and participates much more, and his scores are well-above the class averages. As a celebration, over the weekend, we took the boys to Wichita to the children's science museum (we had free tickets and a gift card to Applebees so we did it for cheap).

Our school district is adding another elementary school for the 2012-2013 school year. Robert and I have been asked to be on the committee to help decide what the new school boundaries will be. I'm adamant about keeping our school boundaries the same. It's interesting to see how school politics, etc... work.

MATT VADAR

DARTH VADAR:

COOL VADAR:

BORED VADAR:

This is Matthew. He recently saved his allowance, with a little help from us, to buy this Darth Vadar helmet. It is pretty neat. It can alter his voice to sound like Darth Vadar and it also speaks 'Vadar phrases'. It's been a lot of fun. Matt is a bit small for his age, and with this helmet on, he reminds me of the little boy who did the Darth Vadar commercial during the Super Bowl. In fact, he and Adam act out the commercial a lot.