Three!

Kellen is now three years old. That means it is time for his first birthday interview. Here is a little bit about Kellen, in his own words, as he turned three.

1. What is your favorite color? Blue
Yes, he is a blue lover. Blue wall coming soon in his room. 

2. What is your favorite toy? Dino Car
This transformer like dino car toy has not left his side since he got it last week.

3. What is your favorite fruit and vegetable? Blueberries
He is a kid after my own heart with those blueberries. And yup, he pretty much ignores vegetables unless I am sneaky or it is between them or meat for dinner and he is absolutely starving.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Kellen LOVES Jake. A lot. 

5. What is your favorite movie? The Pumpkin Movie
This is a random movie he watched this week while he was sick and I was working.

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? Jake Pajamas
They are pretty comfy.

7. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe
News to me.

8. What is your favorite song? The Hot Dog Song
I know Kel watched too much TV during his fever, hence the TV answers. He is a big fan of the Frozen soundtrack and Fresh Beat Band CD's.

9. What is your favorite book? Thomas and the Big Bridge
He loves every book ever. Thankfully.

10. Who is your best friend? Noelle
Noelle is his favorite person. Ever. And he wants to be just like her.

11. What is your favorite snack? Applesauce and Blueberry Yogurt
He would eat them all day long.

12. What is your favorite drink? Water
Probably because that is all I give him. When your daughter has dairy limitations, you don't buy juice, and the only thing other than milk in your refrigerator is beer, water it is!

13. What is your favorite breakfast? Waffles
It is a family love.

14. What is your favorite lunch? Goldfish
You'll notice that doesn't actually count as lunch.

15. What is your favorite dinner? Broccoli
If he eats dinner at all it is a small bite of the vegetable I provide. Meat or pasta? No thanks mom.

16. What is your favorite game? Mario
I have no clue what this is but I fear it is a big kid game he sees at daycare.

17. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Soccer
Athlete, maybe not! But he does love playing ball outside.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
I'm not positive he even knows any other holidays right now. He does mention Christmas lights as we drive so maybe?

19. What do you sleep with at night? Mickey
Mickey most nights, switching out with Olaf or Piglet every once in a while. And Scout still sings him to sleep.

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Dinosaur!
If he still goes around roaring when he is a grown up that will be so, so awesome!

A few other notes about Kellen at 3:

He loves to laugh, talk, smile, and tease his sister. He also loves playing with trains, cars, pirates, dress up clothes, and art stuff and is very good at entertaining himself. He is a great sleeper at night and sleeps from about 7:30 pm to 6 am each day (thankfully the night terrors have stopped!). He doesn't like to nap but does still when he is at home 2-3 times a week. He is a super picky eater and survives on breakfast foods, dairy, fruit, peanut butter, and green beans. He is pretty good with balls and less good with writing/drawing. He remains a lover but can throw one heck of a long tantrum. He loves to read but is just beginning to show interest in letter and number identification. He can count pretty well and do simple math though. And he isn't potty trained. That stubborn boy better be by Christmas! We love him so much and are excited to see him blossom even more the next year!

Kel Turns Three

It seems like we have been celebrating Kel's third birthday for like a month since pretty much we have been. Everyone wanted to do gifts when they saw my little guy which meant gifts the end of September at the beach, here with Grandma the weekend before his birthday, and then finally his birthday evening.

For his third birthday we had his godparents and their daughter over, had breakfast for dinner, ate carrot cake, and then gave him his two gifts for the night. He loved the dino car he got from the Hollywoods and the cars he got from us (thanks Catonsville Yard Sale!) and plays with them constantly.

On Friday we went to a local playground for cupcakes with a few friends after preschool. I loved the low key nature of the celebration and it was perfect for Kel who could pretty much care less about a big party! Hopefully I can continue to keep his expectations for a celebration low key! Note that I am now a one trick pony and did card stock cupcake toppers just like I did for Noelle's birthday. If it isn't broke, don't fix it!

Happy third birthday, Kellen! We love you buddy!

United Way Ravens Event

Bryan is pretty involved with the United Way, particularly their Emerging Leader group, so our whole family was invited to the local celebration event at Raven's Stadium Tuesday night, the 14th. It was a long day since we got the kids up early for Noelle's 8 am marathon Hopkins appointment, but worth the tired bodies as the kids had an amazing time.

There was food, photo ops with green screens, a tour of the facility that allowed us on the field and in the locker rooms, pictures with the mascots, and a chance to sit in the stands. We like football, but our heart lies with the Orioles for in person sporting, so this was a great opportunity to check out all that the stadium had to offer. The event was well done and we will definitely return in future years!

Grandma Comes to Town

The second weekend of October brought a visit from Bryan's mom. Schedule issues and some illnesses have meant she hasn't made it to MD in quite awhile so we were even more happy to have her.

Friday morning, Bryan, his mom, and I did some errands while both kids were in school and then Bryan and his mom picked up Kel for lunch and a visit to the train museum. When Noelle came home from school we had popcorn and played. Friday night Uncle Raymond joined us and we all had dinner together.

Saturday, the kids, Bryan, and his mom went to the Science Center and then headed to Fort Meade to see Uncle Raymond and Dart, his dog. Then they all went to dinner. I had the day to myself which was kind of crazy and lovely!

Sunday, Mom Evans had to leave, but first we went to church together and then we made breakfast, opened some of Kel's birthday presents from grandma and great grandma, and played out front for awhile.

It was a great visit! Thanks for journeying to Maryland!

Gaver Farm 2014

Sunday the 5th (yes I am way behind in blogging!) we journeyed from church (it was donut day!) to Mt. Airy to visit our favorite fall-themed destination, Gaver Tree Farm. We skipped last year because of weather, but the kids love this place. They offer free hayrides to the pumpkin fields and then a festival with slides, farm animals, a jumping pillow, and many more activities. While it was pretty crowded and a little chilly the day we went, we had a great time. And while my kids were mostly running around like crazy playing, we did get to experience the pumpkin patch with the Weirs and lunch with our whole group. Another great visit to Gaver!

Just Keep Swimming

The end of September and early October were tough for our resilient foursome. The beginning of school was a challenge for Noelle. Not academically, she has been doing great on that front, but full day Kindergarten in a brand new place is a whole different ballgame, even when you went to Pre-K three mornings a week previously. Wednesday and Thursday evenings especially, Noelle went from her happy self to tears with literally no warning due to exhaustion. Add in her bathroom issues that were exasperated by the new environment/routines and every day I was bracing myself for daycare pickup and the series of emails/calls I would have updating me about Noelle's troubles during the day. It was definitely stressful.

Add in lack of sleep from Kellen's night terrors. During this same time, Kellen went from having an occasional night terror to terrors pretty much every night, occasionally more than one in a night. While he never remembers them, seeing your 2 year old cry hysterically with his eyes wide open despite being fast asleep is upsetting. Then add in the worrying about your other kid and whether she was ready for school after all or how she possibly will survive a full day field trip to the farm later in the month, and getting back to sleep after those terrors isn't so easy!

Finally, factor in Bryan's normally stressful job, and the first really stressful fall I have had in my position as I take on teaching 3rd and 4th grade students two mornings a week in Laurel about space, a topic I know almost nothing about. It has definitely all equated to things being touch and go for awhile here. After some tears I reached my breaking point, cancelled all of our social events except for pumpkin picking, and we regrouped as a family.

I am happy to report that things are much better. My teaching has started and while it is stressful, meeting the kids and getting through the first two lessons has reduced my fears. My work load is still crazy, but I am enjoying the new challenge so it is okay. Bryan's job is still insane but that is sort of a given here. Noelle hasn't had an accident at school in almost a week. Noelle's teacher has been going above and beyond what we could have hoped to support and encourage her. We have our first Urology appointment since Kindergarten started on Tuesday and are excited to report back some of our recent successes there as my last conversation with them was two weeks ago while I was in tears. Her GI doctor that we saw last Thursday actually cleared Noelle from future appointments assuming the sitz marker test she'll have in the coming days is normal. The essential oils I bought to help Kellen weren't successful but the combination of two long naps on Friday and Saturday and the sound machine I have been using in his room after he falls asleep have meant no terrors for 6 glorious nights. We all remain exhausted but things are definitely looking up!

Thanks to all of our friends and family who have offered support the last few weeks. It was appreciated, even when we didn't take you up on it or want to talk. And sorry if our social cancellations messed up your plans! Sometimes you just have to be anti-social and take care of yourselves. We'll just keep swimming as we get used to these new routines and tasks and ask for your continued prayers for all of us.