Problem Solving Problem

PJ and I have always like to sit and watch Tyler. Unlike his older sister, he can totally spend time playing and entertaining himself, its great. And we often find him concentrating very hard to figure something out. Which is why for Christmas we decided to get him this neat tool bench that came with a mini car and engine to take apart, fix, and put back together. He's always been a very busy boy.
A few days ago his preschool teacher sent home his Developmental Report. It reported to us things like:

• He can catch a ball from short distances
• He can jump getting both feet off the ground but can't hop
• He likes to play at the sensory table, do manipulatives, or science projects but will rarely enjoy drama or dramatic play
• He identifies his own name and attempts to write it
• He can maniuplate a computer mouse and explore/navigate programs
• He expresses himself in 3-5 word sentenses
• Listens with attention for only 5 minutes :) (Yep which is why I don't believe my friends when they tell me he is good/reverent in primary)

Anyway...my point is this... One thing it also said is that he identifies problems, but does not try to solve them; he turns to another activity. Obviously there would be things on this report I know he can do but he doesn't show his teacher (such as higher counting, more colors and sorting techniques etc). But how could they be soo off on this one?! Let me just tell you a story...

For Valentines Day Tyler got this cool Color Wonder Paint Sprayer. He was very excited. But like I said before he is also a very busy little boy. And most days he had the privilege of opening and using it taken away for various reasons (I'm mean I know).

Well one particular night he got it taken away and he wasn't happy at all. So it ended up needing to go on the very tippity top of our book case in the living room where he couldn't get it. He tried to scale the bookcase once until he realized that also got him in big trouble. Well the next morning he was up early as usual and came downstairs. When I got up and came downstairs I found him in the middle of the living room, with his sprayer?!? He had taken one of the dinning room chairs, drug it over to the shelf, got the box down, and managed to do what even some adults can't do - get it out of the box and untwistied from its cardboard. And he was now looking at all its various parts and trying to work it. Well of course he got it taken away again. And when he finally did get to use it he started explaining to me, as I was getting it out, that the batteries did not work. I told him it didn't come with batteries and I would get some. He was trying to tell me something else but I didn't realize what it was until I unscrewed the battery spot...that morning not only had he gotten it down and out, but he had also found daddy's screwdriver, found 4 AA Batteries, unscrewed it, put the battieres in the spots, screwed the cover back on put the screwdriver and the batteries away, and come back to realize the batteries didn't work....that must have been when I found him. It was the funniest sight to see 4 AA batteries where 4 C batteries needed to go. He was right, the batteries he had put in did not make the sprayer work. But by golly he probably would have found the right batteries had I not found him first. This boy is sometimes too insistent on solving problems...not to mention pretty darn smart if you ask me!

Daddy Daughter Date

On Valentine's night Brynn went up to bed to find a special envelope on her pillow from an admirer of hers... Not only did she find the card hillarious...but she couldn't have been more excited for a date, just for her and daddy, and she wanted to go right away. But life has been a little crazy busy which has left her asking and asking which night would be the night. Well tonight was the night. And Brynn knew it. She got off the bus, walked in the door, up to her room and proceeded to find the perfect outfit. Then she got in the bath (without persuasion?!?) and even dried her hair (a little bribery here). An hour later - after some lipstick, loading her purse, and everything else - she was finally ready. And daddy seemed to enter on cue... ...so they are at dinner a little early tonight because we knew she wouldn't be able to wait any longer. Their usual preference is Texas Road House where she can throw her peanut shells on the floor and eat all the yummy rolls and butter she wants while daddy drinks his diet pop after diet pop while only paying attention to her. But I'm thinking they may switch it up a little tonight...wish I was there...

Tooth Fairy = $$$

Brynn has had her first loose tooth for forever now...seriously...its been like 6 months since the dentist pointed out to her that she had a hardly noticeable loose tooth. So for the last 6+ months she has been wiggling and showing people her tooth. However, in recent months it actually became noticeably loose, so PJ has tried on several occassions to help the thing out. But of course that never went over well with Brynn.

On this particular day, a week or so ago, I saw him getting his instruments out of his bag and suggested he may not want to go at her with those. He didn't listen. And that abruptly ended any chances he had of helping her with the darn tooth.
This morning as we were doing her hair for school she said her tooth hurt, and as she started to move it around with her tounge, out it popped. After she got over the initial shock/surprise the first thing she said was, "see I told daddy I could do it by myself. I didn't need help." Then the second thing out of her mouth, "yea! now I get to get lots of money!"

I didn't think this day would ever come...not only that the tooth would actually fall out, but that my baby would be this old...
However, just as her baby tooth fell out she is also as of this weekend teething again - she has some big tooth in the way back coming in?!

(By the way, the pictures may seem confusing because yes, she is randomly wearing the same outfit at these two different occassions.)

Grandma Eccles Visits

Grandma came for a little visit. The kids were so excited to see her they seriously woke her up at the crack of dawn just about every morning she was here. Most of her trip we spent being lazy and relaxed and comfortable at home. It was kinda nice. But yesterday we ventured out to show her the fun to be had at the Magic House in St. Louis...

It was sad to see her go tonight! The kids sure loved all the reading time, cuddle time, game time, and craft time!

Slave Driver

I found Dylan doing his chores without me asking...

I had previously taught him how to do this because sometimes he's not so helpful when I'm trying to get the laundry done. Guess he's caught on quite fast :)

Dang Doors!

Well it happened. I always HATE hearing kids running around and slamming doors, let alone just closing them. Its a big no no in our house. Tyler knows the damage and pain it can cause but apparently a few years has allowed him to forget and become a little bit careless. Today Tyler smashed, more like mangled, Dylans middle finger in the bathroom door. I had a hard time looking at it at first. It was pretty bent out of shape and what I thought was maybe bone showing ended up being a huge white thing of skin mashed together in a clump - that he picked off himself. He kept sticking his other finger in the wound and crying even harder (so I had to put a bandaid on to stop that but he didn't love the bandaid being on his finger either). He screamed for literally 35 minutes straight before I could get him to calm down for short periods of time. So he wouldn't hold still so I could get a decent picture. He's asleep now but he's pretty mad about the whole thing.

Poor baby...

Little Mouths, Big Thoughts

• Previously we had decided to limit our childrens activities at church during sacrament meeting - we took away snacks and toys and basically only let them have church related books and coloring stuff. But they still struggle to be reverent. So yesterday we decided to go cold turkey, they no longer got anything. They just get to sit there. As we were explaining this to them before hand Brynn was quite upset about how bored she would be. We talked to her about how she could try to listen like mom and dad do. Well yesterday was testimony meeting and one lady got up and was crying and trying to talk at the same time. Brynn turned to me and said, "mom, I really am trying to listen but I can't understand anything she is saying!!" And just so you know it actually didn't go all that bad...Tyler got a little restless at times but nobody had to be taken out. I don't imagine its going to keep going that well each week but there is no turning back now!
  
• The other night Tyler insisted on riding home from the dealership in daddy's new truck - he always wants to ride with daddy. But as he sat there and realized what just happened he said to PJ, "Man, I don't want this one! I want our race car back!" But not long after we got home we had some friends over to play. He ran up to the little boy, excited as could be, grabbed his hand, and rushed him off to the garage saying, "Come! See my new monster truck!! I got a new monster truck!!!" Guess it didn't take him long to get over the race car...not sure where he learned the term monster truck though?!

As I was getting ready in the bathroom the other morning Brynn came in and plopped herself down and we had the following conversation...

Brynn: I almost thought my dad was a doctor.

Me: What do you mean?? He is a doctor. You know that.

Brynn: Well, I just got this owie by my eye and he doesn't even want to look at it! I thought he liked to help people feel better.

Me: (realizing she had quite the red mark by her eye and not sure how to explain why her dad didn't seem to care...changing the subject...) How'd you do that?

Brynn: Oh it was just Tyler's applesauce. (???!!?!)

Part of Brynn's prayer the other night...

Please bless that we can get more money. And please bless that we can live near the beach.

Well amen to that sister, it really is too cold here, but seriously?!?...her dad must be putting ideas into that pretty little head of hers.

• I don't like telling the kids too early on that I'm pregnant. And simply because 9 months is a really long, unimaginable time frame for a toddler. When I was only about 10 weeks pregnant PJ decided to go ahead and tell Brynn. So she was trying to sort through some things in her head and was asking me about going to the hospital and who was going to take care of them when I was there, etc. I reminded her not to worry because it was a long time away and that would give me plenty of time to get everything ready for them. So she looked at my tummy and after thinking for a minute said, "oohhhh, is that why your belly isn't THAT big yet?". Yes darling of mine, thanks for pointing out that my belly is already bigger than it should be...it is a depressing thought that you could pass for 5 months pregnant when you're basically not even pregnant...

(me and Brynn on her field trip last Thursday)

Ice Skating!

We took the kids ice skating for the first time today! Actually I guess I should use the term 'we' loosely...we all went (with some friends) but in the end I watched with Dylan while PJ helped Brynn and Tyler. And it went exactly as we should have expected...
Tyler was excited and happy and brave and got right out there and got going. He enjoyed himself and kept going until he was done. And then he marched off the ice, took his skates off and was ready to go.

Brynn wanted to go but when we got there and got the skates on she became very hesitant and fiesty. She decided she didn't want to do it and watched Tyler and daddy for a while. After some time had past she slowly but surely made her way out on the ice and ended up trying pretty darn hard and in the end she was going around the outside by herself. But even then, when daddy would try to help her she'd get mad and yell at him.

There really weren't that many spills...

They had a great time! Even if daddy was hobbling around afterward :)

And it wore them out. Look how great and snuggly with all that room in our new van!...

New Babies & Adjustments

Remember this...
...PJ's baby. His baby that I surprised him with last year for Christmas. His baby that made him happy. His only baby that he hasn't lost sleep over. Well believe it or not we said goodbye to his baby tonight. It was a long day. It was kind of a blur. But here is how it happened...
My car - my MUV (multi utility vehicle) - has been getting a little small for us. I have been feeling like its been closing in around me. And everything here seems to be at least a 20 minute drive away. And I am in my car ALL the time. I've been wanting a minivan badly. Honestly he hasn't understood why I feel the need for more space. He's very good at not spending money and making do with what we have. I'm not so good at that. So, in order to prevent us from spending money, in order for us to maintain our 'budget', he made a very selfless sacrifice.
Today we traded both of our cars in and got two new ones that would be nicer to our 'budget' and more practical. Yep, we left them in the dark, snowy night. I think I had a harder time parting with his car...I'm shocked that it hit me the way it did...but look how sad it is just sitting there when we drove off and left it behind...
And here are our two new babies...
A used red Toyota Sienna and a used white Toyota Tacoma...
Its only been an hour but so far we are very happy with our trades. It will be an adjustment for sure. But the bigger adjustment is the very reason I need more space. Baby #4 is on the way...
Yes, you heard me right...PJ will be losing more sleep all too soon. Baby #4 is due August 22nd and we are very excited!