LESSON OF THE DAY

When you are 3 years old and cannot close the lid to the purple paint ask for help...if you don't ask for help and you put it in a basket that has holes in it, the paint could spill and fall through the holes of the basket onto the carpet everywhere you walk. UGH! Thank you Home Depot for renting out carpet cleaners.

SAVE THE PUMPKIN

I am not a fan of carving pumpkins. I think it is messy and hard to carve. I don't mind other people doing it and in fact enjoy seeing other's art work. So, Mom got Joshua and Andrew this big pumpkin. She wanted me to carve it. I told her that was not an option since Jeff is out of town, but I would let Joshua paint it. I showed Joshua how to make a turkey from his hand and so that's what we did. This is about as artistic as I get.
There were some mishaps while decorating. Joshua washed his hands at about 6:00 p.m. from the brown paint. He did not get it all off and started to panic. I spelled our last name incorrectly...don't ask how I did that. I went to give the boys a bath at about 7:00 p.m., the water was still running from when Joshua washed his hands and brown paint was all over the faucet. Joshua said, "I did not want to get the brown all over me again." Fair enough.



Four turkeys...

"NOBODY LOVES ME"

Yes, those were the words out of my 3, in less than two weeks 4, year olds mouth. He and I were having a rough day. I did not have our normal quality time (our playtime was spent with Andrew that day) and things were not going his way. I asked him why he thought that noone loves him. He said, "Because nobody wants to do stuff with me." Hmmm! Shall we say Quality Time is his Love Language. I provided some Words of Affirmation and later gave him some time with just us, although it was not 30 minutes the little bit that I did was good for the moment.
It makes me think about how I treat the Lord. When things are not going my way, when I don't feel like it is a good day, when I don't feel he is with me I am doing the same thing to him as Joshua said to me. No, I did not say the words, but my actions and my questioning the events of the day did. Forgive me Lord! It's funny how this all works. I try to teach my children a lesson and end up learning one.

I'M A WINNER!

I won! I won! I won! I never win anything. Or, if I do win something there is always some hiden agenda. I went to A List Baby and signed up for the drawing via e-mail. The drawing closed last night and I won an Arte Baby hat of my choice and a pair of Robeez Tredz of my choice. Very exciting!
Check out A List Baby for future drawings.

WHY?

Why is it that the days you have so much planned the baby, 14 months old, decides to get up at 3:00 a.m. to play? Why is it that when you need some down time the kids decide they will run amuk (sp?), not listen to a word you are saying, and not nap? Why is it that the day you have a headache the kids' whining is 10 fold? Why is it that when you want some time to yourself the kids want to be on top of your head and with my boys want to wrestle? Why is it that the night you don't get much sleep and your husband is away your kids get sick? Why do I question all this? Why don't I just suck it up? Don't I realize how good I've got it?
Lord, help me to realize my blessings. Help me know that I am not alone, you are with me. You will never give me anything that I cannot get through without you. Thank you for listening!

SWEET SLING

I had the privalege of seeing Ms. Kenslea Braaten at Trunk-or-Treat. Mommy, Meredith, had Ms. Kenslea snug and tight in one of her many wraps/slings. Although I could not see much of her, she still looked so cute.

HOW DO YOU EAT YOURS?

How do you eat your Oreo? Joshua likes it two ways. He will either just eat it, or he will dunk it in milk (hand and all). Andrew likes to twist it apart...yes, he is only 14 months old and he does this. Jeff and I are twisters and dunkers.
This year Joshua decided that he and Andrew would be an Oreo cookie and a glass of milk. Below are a few pictures from Trunk-or-Treat. This is an event my mom's group puts on every Halloween. We park in the church parking lot and go from trunk to trunk collecting treats. The first year Joshua won best costume for being a skunk. We have not won since. I don't think our costumes are bad, but there are some pretty creative people in our group. The winner this year was a jack-in-the box. It does not matter if we win or not. It is still fun to make their costumes and see them trying to walk in my creations...lol!

Andrew, the oreo. Joshua, the milk.

My decorated trunk...I do not spend time on this, as you can see.

The costume winner, Barrett Starr.

The winning trunk...kids loved it.

Trying to get a picture of all the kids from trunk or treat...yea right!

UGH!

Why does it have to be so hard? Jeff left today and Joshua just lost it! He fell asleep on the way to the airport. He was concerned about beign so tired and said, "Mom, I cannot keep my eyes open." I said, "Don't worry! You can go to sleep if you want." He then replies, "But I want to say goodbye to Daddy." We made sure he understood that we would wake him to say goodbye.
We get to the airport and Joshua is still sleeping hard. Jeff woke him to say goodbye. Joshua responded to Jeff. However, he was pretty out of it and went right back to sleep. With that said, Joshua woke later wondering where his Dad was. Oh no! I told him that we dropped him off...he completely lost it. He was crying so hard I could not understand him and I started crying. I called Jeff immediately and I am sure Jeff was upset. Joshua did not even want to talk to him. Once he calmed a bit he did talk to his dad, but he is already hurt. Ugh! We will see how he is while Jeff is away.
On another note, Jeff and Joshua setup Joshua an e-mail address so that Jeff can e-mail Joshua. Joshua seemed pretty excited about it. I look forward to seeing what he is going to type to his dad.
Pray for us while Jeff is away.

CHURCH FALL FESTIVAL

The Kennedy bunch had a great Saturday. The weather was perfect and we got to see a number of our friends.
The day started with me running the 5k while Jeff had some good one on one time with both boys. I was very pleased with my run/jog (36 minutes) since I had not run even a mile in at least 3 months and the last time I ran a 5k is too long to remember. I was thankful that the Rissmiller's were there to run with me...I get my motivation from others (Meredith would say it is my competitive side). Jeff pushed Cole in the stroller and pregnant Emily, 20+ weeks, set the pace. After the 5k it was cool off time. The church had orange slices, bananas, yogurt, juice, water, and coffee for all the early risers. Once I cooled off I volunteered to watch some bounce houses for a short while. I was the "adult" supervision. Funny since the teenager I was making sure was doing everything correctly was taller than me and may have been a bit more mature than me...I said maybe! Jeff and the boys made it to the festival by the time I was done volunteering. We had lunch, Joshua visited with the animals (he did not feel comfortable petting them), Joshua rode a pony, Joshua and Cade played on an obstacle bounce house, Joshua and Andrew played in a small bounce house, and then it was time to head out. All in all, we had a good time. I look forward to next year.


Andrew's first bounce house experience...he loved it!

He tried to get on the pony by himself...he rode the pony by himself.

Jeff and Andrew

Joshua at the end of the obstacle course. There was a teenager trying to help him through part of the course and Joshua looked at him like he was crazy. He said, "No! I don't need help."

FIRST COOL WEATHER

The rain yesterday brought in cooler temperatures today. The high today was only going to be 67 F with a light wind...not sure what the actual high was, but it felt cool enough to definately be in jeans.
Knowing that is was going to be cool I dressed the boys in jeans. It was their first time to wear jeans since the fall season began. I think they are simply adorable in their jeans. Some of you may know, but for those that don't, I am a country girl. I have always liked the Marlboro man...he looked good in those jeans, not that he advertised smoking (ugh!). Anyway, I would love for my little guys to have a pair of wranglers and some boots...Jeff and I disagree on this (city boy!). I am sure they will wear them someday soon...in Dallas they are not so cool, so the boys may not like them. However, if we were in Emory they would have more than one pair. Take a look for yourself to see how cute they are...


Andrew posing while chewing on the toy pizza cutter.

Joshua and Andrew posing for mommy. FYI, Joshua tried to wash his face by himself, hence the water on his shirt and pants.

Joshua giving Andrew a hug and Andrew not into the hug...Andrew is teething.

WELCOME KENSLEA CAROLINE BRAATEN

Comfy in daddies lap.

The Braaten family welcomed a baby girl into the world yesterday at 10:55 a.m. Kenslea Caroline was born at the Allen Birthing Center weighing 9 pounds 8.5 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and Kenslea are doing well.
Andrew and I were able to stop by today to bring some food and for me to get a good look at Kenslea and to hear the birth story (Meredith you are awesome!). Kenslea is adorable! Tons of dark hair, likes to be cuddled (especially by her mom and dad), very alert, long fingers, long legs, and just a cutie. I look forward to seeing her grow.
Her parents look great! Meredith did not seem tired at all. Maybe it is the euphoria of just having a baby. Chris was smiling ear to ear.
Kenslea you have very loving parents. They will always do right by you. They will always love you. What a lucky girl you are to have them.
Congratulations Chris, Meredith, and Cade Braaten!


Andrew was waiting for me to get the food ready and loaded in the car. As you can see, he fell asleep while eating his cracker.

Very upset. I was holding Kenslea at this point. He was either jealous, or his teeth were hurting.

ARE YOU A FOLLOWER

How many blogs do you follow? I love this new dashboard that blogger offers. I can insert the address to all my blogs and just go to my dashboard daily to see who has updated their blog. Very quick and I get to see pictures and make comments this way. Love it! So, if you are a follower to this blog click the link down on the right, follow this blog.
Enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN!

Today is Kristen's birthday. Kristen is Jeff's "baby" sister. We could not make it to SC to see her and wish her a happy birthday in person. Joshua continues to ask, "Are we going to her house to have some cake? I want to see her." I guess he really wants to sing Happy Birthday to her and watch her blow out her many candles. He loves his Aunt Kristen!

No, we could not surprise her, but Lynda, her mom, showed up last night at Kristen's door. How very exciting!

Happy birthday Kristen!

Kristen and Joshua (November 2004).

Andrew and Kristen (August 2007).

IT'S PUMPKIN TIME

The kids and I opened pumpkin season with a trip to a pumpkin patch, Big Orange Pumpkin Farm, a couple of Fridays ago. We went with my Tuesday MTM ladies and their kids. I was a little bummed that I had to pay $7 for me and $7 for Joshua when I first heard about it...last year I went to a pumpkin patch for free. However, when we got there I soon found the price was well worth it. We got feed for the animals (cows, goats, sheep, long horns), we each got a small pumpkin, we rode the hayride, and there were a couple of tractors I could not keep the boys off. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, from Dallas to Celina, and once we were about 5 minutes away it started raining. Oh man! I tried calling a couple of the ladies and when I got someone they assured me it was not raining at the patch. However, I was not prepared for how cool the rain made it. Joshua did have a jacket in the car, but Andrew and I were a bit chilly. It warmed up after about an hour, so we ended up being dressed perfectly.
We started by feeding the animals, Andrew did not like this one bit. He screamed in fear as the cow tried to "eat" his hand. Joshua was scared at first, but ended up relaxing and fed the goats. Once our hands were slimed to our elbows we decided it was time for the hayride. I think the boys enjoyed that. Lots to see at a pumpkin farm. After the hayride we went to the pumpkin fields and took pics of the kids as they picked out a pumpkin. Then it was time to eat lunch. As the adults were trying to finish their lunches the kids played on the tractors. Joshua was okay at sharing, but he would get off and run and get in line again. Andrew stayed by the pedals. Once everyone was done with lunch we tried to get a picture of all the kids...no go on that one. It was time to go! Maybe we will try to take Daddy later this month.


Andrew held the cow food well, he did not try to eat it, but once the cow's mouth engulfed his hand he dropped the food and screamed.

Joshua finally enjoying feeding the goats...it's like they are starved.

Boys and I on the hayride.

Andrew picking out a pumpkin.

My attempt of getting a good picture of the boys with their pumpkins.

Andrew and Emma. She is a month and a half younger than he is and she is so long...She and Andrew are in the same class and her sister, Blake, and Joshua are in the same class.

The boys on the tractor. The only time Joshua said okay to letting Andrew up there with him.

DAILY WALK/BIKE RIDE

Joshua, Andrew, and I have been walking the track at Richland College for a while now. I usually just put them both in the stroller and we go. The track is about a quarter mile there, three quarters mile around, and then of course a quarter mile back. It is rather difficult pushing both boys in my stroller made for casual pushing 1.25 miles. I believe the real reason it is so hard to push is that Joshua's weight has surpassed the limit. So, when Joshua asked if he could ride his tricycle I was happy to say yes. However, I did tell him that he had to ride it the whole way. I would not be pushing/pulling his tricycle back home if he got tired. He had no problem with that. That was about three days ago. Since then he has taken his tricycle every time. One day we even went once in the morning and another time in the evening. He has been asking to go on these walks, which is just awesome...I have some poundage to lose and he is motivating me. I am very proud of him. I mean he is not even 4 yet and he rides 1.25 miles, sometimes asks to go around again, and we also stop at the little exercise area and do some situps, pushups, leg lifts, tricep dips, etc...Gotta love him! He is a trooper.

Leaving out this morning...it was a bit chilly.

See the blue reflectors in the road. Those are his speed bumps. He loves riding over them.

He likes to run, jump, and grab the bar...this is a shoulder stretch, but it is perfect for him to do chin lifts.

Andrew content in the stroller...playing peekaboo with momma.

Joshua being silly...he put Mr. Potato Heads silly mouth in his.