Nathan's Kindergarten Legacy: It's a Funny one...

Funny story alert: 

So to preface the story, I'd like to tell you about the food sharing table at our elementary school. Instead of throwing food away, kids can put their unopened food items on the table and kids who are still hungry may take food from the table. Most of the time, the things left on the table are fruit, milk and the occasional much coveted pirate's booty. Nathan, you've been so proud to announce your daily loots from the food sharing table but you made a point to tell me that you always make sure to only take 1 chocolate milk. 

So fast forward to yesterday (which was a Tuesday), and we were walking to the school to take advantage of the open library Wednesdays...mom fail on my part, but that's not the point of the story... Anyways, we walked by a classroom and I see a person look out the window and wave. I look up, and I probably had a puzzled look on my face because the person immediately points down, as if she was pointing towards you Nathan. I ask you to look at the window. Your face immediately lights up as you sees one of the custodians. You quickly say, "They are the ladies in the cafeteria!" The lady opens up the window and asks you how you are doing and you reply politely. The lady then turns around and says to another person, "Venga! Es la leche nino!" (Come! It's the milk boy) Immediately 2 other faces pop up at the window and they all wave Hi to him.  

Apparently you drink 2-3 milks a day at school (although you claim to drink maybe only 1 or 2)...

And that is your Kindergarten legacy! 

We politely had a brief conversation and then we continued on our walk to the closed library. 

Dear Kids,

We've been trying to stay busy-ish now that school is out. We visited the Thinkery and only got to finish playing in the downstairs area (they have a new exhibit finally!) before we had to leave. 

 Another day we went to UT and you big kids were Guinnea pigs in a study about accents. Hailey had fun playing in the room filled with toys while you two participated in the study.

 We worked on making stuff for our church's VBS. You two helped me paint the larger sections of the scenes. I was very impressed.

 Hailey, you are now getting to be a master of communication. You first pointed at the box of ice cream cones. I got one out for you, thinking that you may just want to snack on the cone.

 Then you showed me this....

 So of course, I got you some strawberry ice cream.

We also got a bunch of new board games from a person down the street from us, so we've been learning lots of new games. Your current favorite is Sumo HamSlam.

 Hailey likes to feed the hamsters after a tough training session.

 On Saturday, while Daddy was at hockey I took all three of you down to the local home depot to work on their maker's workshop project. This was a really cool one. Hailey, besides wanting to chuck the golf balls everywhere, you did pretty good.

 On Sunday we wanted to test out a new road that opened by our house, so after church we drove down to Cabelas, had lunch, and took the new toll road home. Huge difference!

 I think out of all the times we've taken you guys, this time was the most engaging...I don't know if it's because Nathan, you can now read, but you all were super excited about seeing all the things!

 At night, Nathan, you still come down after bed time to play board games. Guess what you usually request?

 The next 2 pics are just crazy hair pics. Enjoy.

Hailey after nap time

Hailey's vocabulary has grown and you are now even able to mimic most words that we say. You love to sing along to the VBS CD in the car. You love to eat salsa, ketchup, and really any sort of sauce that's not too spicy.

I think your poop is looking much more normal now that we've started you on lactose free milk. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or not, but I'm going to reintroduce regular milk to you in a few days and see how you react.

We will be have a super exciting next 2 weeks, so be prepared for fun!!!

Until next week,
Love,
Mommy

Rainy Days, Mother's Day and Nathan Wins a Prize

It's been a rainy few couple of weeks so things haven't been too exciting. There have been lots of things going on at school and church so between juggling life and late night roller derby practices, I haven't had much time to update the blog. (Sorry). 

Hailey,

I've been pretty surprised how unlike most toddlers, entropy does not run in your blood. You actually like order and are a rule follower. When asked to put things back, you readily will pick up said object and will take it over to its proper spot. You will even ask me to take off your shoes after coming home and then like both big brother and sister, you'll walk it over to the shoe bench and put your shoes in the cubby. And then the other day, when a kid at martial arts was making the chair in front of him tip backwards, you waved your little finger back and forth, while sternly looking at him and said, "no, no!" 

Putting away markers after drawing. 

Last week we went and had amazing baozi at a restaurant. I was inspired to create my own, because they are quite yummy and portable. Quick meals that can be reheated and taken to go if needed. While Nathan was at school, you both were able to help me make them.

 On Wednesday, we went up to the Chinese market and stopped by a bakery beforehand to enjoy some yummy asian bread and warm beverages.

 The rain continued to pour down so we spent the rest of the day just hanging out at home. Hailey, you've figured out the cheat way to open the Jack in the Box. You will push the latch and you giggle with laughter as you anticipate the pop.

 When it rains, we get little creeks running in our back yard. Hannah went out and splashed in it for a good 45 minutes or so. I tried going out, but the water was too cold for me!

 Hannah made tikka masala chicken in the instant pot. You were very proud of the meal that you made.

 Hailey, you just love sitting in Nathan and Hannah's car seats. Sometimes you will ask to go out just to sit and hang out in their seat. You will sit there for 20 minutes sometimes. Sometimes I think you are just waiting for me to take you somewhere in the seat. In the picture below, you are throwing a book down because I suggested that it was time for you to come back inside. You had other ideas.

 On Thursday Hannah, you invited me to your school for a mother's day tea. You showered me with handmade gifts (including this awesome hat) and you two (especially Hailey) had a blast trying on all the different hats and necklaces that they teachers had for kids to put on.

 Hannah, I can't believe you are about to start Kindergarten in about 3 months!

 And then today both of you worked hard at your belt test. You demonstrated various escape moves, recited martial arts terms, and repeated strength training moves likes push ups, burpees and sit ups. At the end, the Sensei called each of you up and you received your white belt with yellow stripe.

Oh, exciting news! Nathan remember when you brought home a flyer from school a few months ago. The flyer was advertising a book writing contest hosted by PBS. You entered in a story and we just found out that you got 3rd place in the Kindergarten division. We are so proud of you! We will celebrate your hard work and creativity this Saturday. In the meantime, if you want to read the story, here it is: 

https://www.klrukidswriterscontest.org/2019-writers-contest/kindergarten-entries/kinder-nathan-h/

Well, until next week, 

Love, 

Mommy

P.S. Also, we just got a call from the doctor saying that Hailey tested positive for p.diff. bacteria again. This super bug is back. He's prescribed a new antibiotic to treat it, so hopefully it will get rid of it once and for all.  As a preventative measure, I also deep cleaned the bathroom and threw away all the bath toys that you guys have played with in the past year. I'm also going to throw away the current yogurt that I have and will use a fresh starter for the next batch of yogurt. I don't know if it was a bacterial comeback or a re-infection, but I'm playing it safe this time. 

Otherwise, Hailey, you are eating better (most of the time) and when you have a good dinner, you will sleep through the night. Let's keep up the eating, Ok? I'm liking the occasional bouts of uninterrupted sleep. 

Overcoming Sickness and Mom Guilt

Dear Kids, 

Last week we said good-bye to Ama. It was so nice to have her here especially with it being a busy season. We will miss her until she visits again next February. 

 Last week Hailey got a really weird fever. This lasted for 5 days, spiking in the evening. You had a little bit of congestion, but overall, you were just very cuddly and you were generally tired. Luckily Ama was still here and could help run the house while we had cuddles.

Towards the end of the sickness, we ventured out for some Indian food. You absolutely love shrimp, so I ordered my usual Saag curry, but instead of lamb, I ordered shrimp. You tend to eat more when we eat out, so after several days of eating basically nothing, you gobbled up the shrimp curry like pac man. 

Hannah, you ended up having a UTI this week so we are currently on antibiotics to take care of that problem. While we were at the doctor, I discussed Hailey's tan poop with the doctor and he decided to order a basic allergy test to see if Hailey is allergic to anything else.

Hannah, I just love how you will sometimes get inspired to create art. You will ask me for supplies and then you just take off. I used to be a Nazi when it comes to wasting supplies or messes, but I've become better about that because I've accepted that our house will always be just a little bit messy.

 Hailey, after watching Hannah paint, sometimes you will go to the supplies cart and bring me some paint and make drawing motions with your pointer finger to communicate that you want to paint. So I will pour some of the paint onto the lid and you will dip your brush into the lid and draw away. When you are finished, you will point to the next color that you want and I repeat the process. You stayed occupied for 45 minutes the other day!

 In the evenings, Nathan, you still come down after Hannah falls asleep. You are getting pretty good at strategy and I actually have to try a bit to pull a win.

 On Wednesday, Hannah, you wanted to go to the Thinkery. It was a nice day so we spent most of the time there outdoors. It was nice being the first ones there to play because the flat surfaces are still relatively dry.

 And I don't have to worry too much when you do things like this.

 But when the wave of field trippers arrived, we headed inside to play at the water room. I figured, you were both kind of damp, so why not just get wet?

 After changing into fresh, dry clothes, we checked out the baby section where Hailey had a blast walking up and down a ramp, we danced for a bit and then left to go get some lunch.

 Right next door to the Thinkery is a Bao zi place. The flavors remind me of Taiwan and they have a deal where you buy 5 buns and you get 1 free. Hannah, you really like the custard cream one. I like the juicy pork buns, apparently Hailey does too.

 Hailey, you continue to love cheese. You will often point to the fridge, and after I open the door, you will point to the cheese drawer and demand, "Chis, Chis." And then I go through all the options before I reach the one where you don't say "No."

I've decided to finally wean you off night milk. So last night, you woke up around 12:00. I went up to check and sure enough you had a dirty diaper. I changed it, sang a song and put you back to bed. You protested and told me you wanted milk, but I insisted, "No milk. Go to sleep." Well, you cried and cried and cried. I went back up around 12:45 and I gave you some water. You took a few sips and then pointed at your crib. I put you in and you fell right back to sleep. Hopefully this trend continues. 

As a result, I think you woke up hungry this morning and generally had a much better appetite. So, I decided to introduce you to the deliciousness of avocado toast. I put the sliced avocados on the bread and immediately you wanted to dig in. I told you to wait....

 and then plopped down a fried egg. Immediately, your facial expression was priceless!

 So then I cut the whole thing into small pieces and you cautiously dipped your finger into the runny yolk, tasted it and said, "Mmm!" I gave you a bit with bread, avocado and egg and you also said, "Yum." So I let you go to town on your lunch and you ended up finishing about half.

 Last blog post I talked about how you are just so full of expression these days. I've attempted to capture a few and so here they are!

Well, things are getting quite busy around the house. The end of the school year always brings lots of things to check off the to-do list. And since I am currently in the process of trying out for roller derby, Daddy has been talking care of the evening duties on the nights that I have practice. I can't even begin to express the mom-wife guilt that I have over leaving the three of you to Dad while I pursue something fun for myself. (Overall, you guys have been doing a good job of being nice to him and not giving him too much trouble at bedtime.) However, as I am chewing these thoughts in my head, I am beginning to see how this can be a good thing.

You guys always ask me how practice went and I tell you guys like it is. It's tough, but I'm going to just keep doing my best and eventually I'll get better with practice. I think this is a great lesson that I can pass down to you guys because I know through your eyes, us parents seem to do everything so effortless, but I feel like sharing my struggles with you will make it more likely for you to be able to recognize your struggles throughout life. I know first hand that struggle builds character and remember the post from a few years ago where I was looking for opportunities for you guys to struggle? Well, this is one way. kind of.

I thought that roller derby was something that I was doing just for myself.  But after processing my thoughts through this blog, I've come to realize that it is so much more. In addition to you guys seeing me overcome failure and discouragement, you are also seeing me step out of my comfort zone to pursue challenging things.  You are realizing that you are not the center of my universe and that I am not simply defined by the name, Mommy.  You are seeing me pursue a passion. So to close today, my prayer for you three is that you live a persevering life full of meaning and joy, centered in God.

Until next week,
Love,
Mommy