"Dot" the "I"

Well, its only 10 am and we've already had 2 things note worthy happen. Its gonna be a crazy day, I can feel it! Ethan has been carrying around one of Kaylee's chapter books called Junie B. Jones. He told grandma that he was reading it and that he was on the "second third chapter". "oh?" says grandma, "will you read some to me?" Ethan says "no, I'm just practicing reading". Grandma says "oh you mean you just read the words that you know?" Ethan says, "Yeah, I'm just reading the words that I know... I only know 'the' and 'I'"
Jake had his own moment this morning too. He and the other kids went out in the back yard to play this morning. We are dog sitting for Uncle Eric and so Toula is in the backyard too. When he came back inside I looked at him and saw that the front of his shirt is covered in brown red dust stuff. I said "Jake, whats all over your shirt?" He says something unintelligible that sounds like "toowadoats" I said "what?!?!" He says, "Toowadoats!" I thought about it for a minute and then said "do you mean Toula dots?" Yeah! He says. "she knocked me down and stepped on me. gave me tou-wa dots on my shirt."

Tootin' antelopes!

For once the funny "quote of the day" comes from someone other than Jake. Yesterday, I was in the dining room and happened to look down at the ground under the table. There was a funny looking orange square on the ground. Ethan was standing next to me and I asked him "what is that under the table?", being younger and more flexible than I, he dropped to the floor to investigate. He poked it around for a second and then tells me "It's an antelope mom!" An antelope?! "A what?" I asked. AN ANTELOPE! It was a piece of C-antelope that Jake had dropped on the floor at lunch. Then tonight Ethan had a doosey. Aunt Jenny is here visiting and we kicked Kaylee out of her bed so that Jenny can have a place to sleep. The kids were fighting over who got to sleep on the air mattress on the floor. Kaylee got it the first night and so it was Ethan's turn tonight. Kaylee complained that she didn't want to sleep in her brothers bed cause it "stinks". Aunt Jenny asked Ethan whey it stunk and he says "It's cause I toot in it every night. It doesn't stink to me!" Oh, help me please, I have three boys and this is just the tip of the iceberg! Kaylee had her own funny moment today too. For dinner I made homemade egg rolls and stir fry. She tasted it and says, "MMMM! This is good! Mom, you should be a CHEF when you grow up!!" When I grow up huh? Thought that had already happened, but I guess that shows you what I know!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

T-R-O-U-B-L-E, and that folks, is how you spell Jaden. We are in so much trouble!! He is now standing without support and is getting into more and more things everyday. He has discovered that he can reach the buttons on the TV. He stand there and reaches up and pushes the buttons with both hands at the same time. He especially likes the power button. On, off, on, of, on, off, on, off! He is also standing without support and playing. Yesterday, he was standing and chewing on a toy. He accidentally dropped the toy and so he squatted down, picked it up, and stood back up without holding on to anything else!! I am so afraid that he will take his first step BEFORE daddy comes home. He is due to come for a R&R visit in about 19 days, give or take! I hope Jaden waits till then to take his first step! I can't believe he is 11 months old now. How time flies. Jacob and Ethan are in swimming lessons this session again and are improving daily. Jacob can now jump in and swim from one side of the shallow end to the other without any help. Ethan can do the same and is more at home in the water everyday. No more panic attacks this week from him! Yesterday the went into the "deep" end! They both jumped into 6 feet of water, swam down to the bottom to get a ring, swam back up to the top and then over to the wall ALL BY THEMSELVES! Even Jake! Mrs Amy didn't have to help them at all! They are so very proud of themselves, as they should be!

Hummingbirds like kool-aid!

Our hummingbird feeder has be empty for a while. I can't keep up with the birds as they drain the whole thing in an afternoon. I had kinda given up, but Jake was very concerned about the hummingbirds not having enough to drink, so... I got the feeder down out of the tree and had put it on the counter to clean and refill. He came in and saw it and tried to pour cherry kool-aid into it. Only succeeded in making a mess and staining the counter top. He helped me clean it up and then helped me to make food for the birds and when I started filling it up, he got all excited and said "I'm gonna go tell the Hummingbirds that they have a drink again!" and he took off out into the back yard. I can see him from the kitchen window where I am standing filling up the feeder. He is standing under the tree looking up at the branches and yelling"Here hummingbirds! Come on hummingbirds! Come here hummingbirds!!" When he gets no response (of course) he comes running back into the kitchen, "Mommy! Mommy! Come help me call the hummingbirds! They aren't listening to me!" Boy, if he only knew. He must be part hummingbird too.
Jaden is starting to stand without support. He loves to bang on the entertainment center with a block and he has discovered that he can do that more effectively if he doesn't have to hold on to it too. He pulls up and gets balanced and steady then lets go and starts banging away with the block. It's only a matter of time and then we are IN TROUBLE!!