tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149610382011-12-16T15:50:08.484-05:00Life with our two boys! View the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nethope">pictures at flickr</a>.Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.comBlogger4301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-2338383010131218702011-12-14T14:40:00.002-05:002011-12-16T15:48:24.016-05:00

Karston's first grade class held a holiday Cocoa Shoppe, and read letters to parents. Karston's letter ...Dear Mom and Dad,I love it when you play chess with me. Mom, my favorite thing about you is you are sweet. Dad, my favorite thing about you is you are strong. It is so much fun when we go on Opa's motor boat because it is so fast.I love you,Karston

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-17721982681762559752011-12-05T15:41:00.001-05:002011-12-08T18:13:55.689-05:00

Today we got our bike rentals delivered (eventually - they had to build one for me) and pedaled over to Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park just in time for lunch. The boys played on the beach, then we ate lunch, then we explored the historic fort. Each time I read out the full name of the park, Karston said "Zachary?!" because one of his friends since preschool is Zach.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-58299132264704278672011-12-03T21:51:00.001-05:002011-12-06T15:40:05.290-05:00

We left the house early this morning to catch a flight to Fort Lauderdale. After an interminable line at the car rental counter, we hopped in a minivan to drive to Key West. Although we were hungry, we also wanted to get away from the airport before eating.At the first exit, the best choice was Burger King, so we went on. The second exit had a Subway, so we followed the signs there. However, as

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-85581931840649594092011-12-01T15:48:00.000-05:002011-12-16T15:50:08.490-05:00

This afternoon, Cale said, My name is spelled C-a-l-e, picked up a marker, and wrote his name on the whiteboard. He's three!

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-39623933721969505232011-11-22T20:05:00.002-05:002011-11-22T20:23:14.788-05:00

Karston has been playing Angry Birds at Mimi's house after school, and Dig Dug at home after school. Three nights ago, before falling asleep, Karston explained his Dig Dug strategies to Daddy so he's getting more sophisticated quickly. He was very proud yesterday that he finally made it to level 5 in Dig Dug! About a week ago, he picked up checkers quickly. And this evening, he started to learn

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-87114894092719627812011-10-24T08:49:00.002-04:002011-11-04T08:54:05.185-04:00

This morning when I dropped Karston off in his first-grade classroom, the girl who sits next to him stared at my shoes. Finally Keely said, I think your shoelaces don't match. For a few weeks, my shoelaces have been one polka-dotted and one striped, so my shoelaces definitely don't match. So I asked, Are you sure? and she stared at my shoes again before answering I think so. The subtleties of "I

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-46735476663876158712011-10-18T21:11:00.002-04:002011-11-04T09:28:15.290-04:00

As if the circus weren't exciting enough, today we went to the state fair! The weather later this week looks to be cooler, cloudy, and possibly rainy, so we went today. We took Karston out of school a little early, had a quick lunch, and drove to Raleigh.When we first started walking around, the weather was really quite warm! OK, I got hot. We hit our usual attractions, like the antique farm

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-78509698787511742432011-10-17T20:54:00.003-04:002011-11-04T09:16:43.347-04:00

Today Daddy took Karston, Cale, Opa, and Grammy to a small, family-run circus in Burlington. As a bonus, Karston's friends from school Drew and Lexi with their mom Lucy came along! At first, our hopes were low because we couldn't get additional information when we called the Armory where the circus was held. However, we went with free kid admission coupons from Bandido's Mexican restaurant just

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-63491175763095597812011-10-01T15:29:00.002-04:002011-11-04T09:35:18.556-04:00

Boy, October shows up and the weather changes for the chilly!!We went to the NC Seafood Festival today, wandered through the crafts, met up with Opa and Grammy, sampled the fresh seafood, but especially played at SasSea's Island Playground for the kids. Karston and Cale were particularly interested in decorating SasSea cookies [from the Alex and Brett's bakery] again, so apparently that made an

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-87743142544920302912011-09-29T19:25:00.002-04:002011-09-29T19:28:43.501-04:00

Yesterday, the kids watched the sunrise over the ocean, played on the beach, played miniature golf or napped, went to the pool, and played on the beach again. Today, we went to the NC Aquarium, took naps, and played on the beach. The two days don't sound too different, but Karston announced that today was the best day ever after feeding an entire box of (expired) crackers to seagulls while on the

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-73210034674129999632011-09-27T11:40:00.003-04:002011-09-29T17:40:11.936-04:00

This morning we went to the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort for the Merry Time with Tots. This time, many more children attended (last year, it was a new event; I assume Miss Allison recognized us despite the intervening twelve months because we were early adopters), so we had to wait for a spot. Instead of real fish, Karston and Cale put finger paint on very realistic rubber fish, then rubbed

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-31908618064988759372011-09-25T15:32:00.002-04:002011-09-28T19:40:08.634-04:00

When we piled in the car to drive to Atlantic Beach this morning, Cale said, Mommy, my car seat isn't letting me be comfortable. Daddy checked, Cale's car seat didn't have any extra toys in it this time, so he strapped him in. As usual, we stopped for lunch at King's BBQ in Kinston. As I picked Cale up, I noticed a bump in his pocket. Hmm. Yes, he had a toy car in one rear jeans pocket, and a

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-77286521002735724012011-08-16T19:22:00.000-04:002011-08-16T19:22:44.581-04:00

The first grade classes at Karston's school are having a Water Regatta on Friday. Karston made a recycled pontoon boat this weekend, and has already almost played it to death! He should have fun on Friday.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-37772666440364406182011-08-03T13:40:00.001-04:002011-09-29T17:15:09.973-04:00

This is the opposite of the post from November 2005: instead of the first tooth erupting, Karston lost his first tooth yesterday afternoon at 1:40 PM. The loose tooth, his lower left, was bothering him greatly and was sticking out sideways. Karston insisted Something Must Be Done, so Miss Tosha, his first grade teacher's assistant, wrapped it in a paper towel (for the blood) and yanked. One tooth

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-54355040649475381602011-07-03T20:15:00.003-04:002011-09-29T17:36:06.259-04:00

Karston turned six today! One difficulty of a holiday birthday is that your friends may be out of town so they can't come to your birthday party. And yes, this was the case this year. We scheduled a craft-and-cookout when Karston's friend Zach (and his older sister Amanda) could come over. Last year, Karston had more friends who stayed in town, so I had stocked up on craft projects to keep them

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-64634546435637893742011-06-18T20:24:00.003-04:002011-06-19T15:56:24.412-04:00

On Monday I got an Oriental Trading Company catalog of kid craft kits. Karston claimed the catalog initially, but after flipping through it he announced, I don't like these because I design my own crafts! I think he is the Maker Faire type.After lunch today with friends who have a son six months older than Cale, we all went to Maker Faire: NC: "Makers, Crafters, Inventors, Evil Geniuses,

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-75626590993798294632011-06-12T13:30:00.002-04:002011-06-14T13:35:54.565-04:00

We went grocery shopping this morning, and the boys hopped in their respective car seats while we put groceries in the back of the station wagon. I checked, Karston had hooked himself up, and oh look, Cale's hooked up too. I didn't do it, so I asked Daddy if he hooked up Cale. No, so I asked Karston. No, so Cale did it?! We went out to lunch (Karston ate an entire order of chicken nuggets! hurrah

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-32673969486889066212011-06-11T17:15:00.002-04:002011-06-14T13:39:55.431-04:00

We went to Ella's 6th birthday party today. (Ella was in Karston's kindergarten class, and they are very good friends. Karston and Cale just love Ella, and she plays so well with them. I've watched her change Cale's mood from sulking to happy just by holding his hand!) For my boys, the highlight of the party was the bounce castle. Karston did play with Ella, especially when he saw crafts, but

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-78500499262195674482011-05-02T11:34:00.001-04:002011-09-29T17:07:29.844-04:00

Cale, at age 3, definitely understands the passage of time, but not verb tenses. This morning he told me, Mommy, the other day (Cale usually means yesterday when he says this), I eat doughnuts at breakfast. And this day (Cale usually means today when he says that), I eat grapes at breakfast. So far, with the usual interpretations, he's correct! And Mommy? The next day (Cale usually means tomorrow

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-75518453460739904472011-04-28T12:57:00.002-04:002011-09-29T16:00:18.971-04:00

Today we were chaperones for Karston's kindergarten field trip to the Museum of Life and Science. We were assigned to watch Karston and a girl who wanted to wander off on her own. We teamed up with Ella's mom watching three girls because 3 adults to 5 kids was more manageable. The kids had a great field trip! After our picnic lunch, after we signed out our kids from school, Karston and Ella went

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-54390213248857100802011-04-25T11:00:00.001-04:002011-09-29T16:03:32.453-04:00

After a wonderful intersession last month, Cale knows he really loves to play with his big brother. This morning he told me, Mommy, I miss Karston so much. He cheered up with Mommy, dance with me, Mommy, chase me, and Mommy, play with me.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-34837502426931663592011-03-24T19:47:00.001-04:002011-03-25T19:55:46.803-04:00

This week, the boys went to Florida with Daddy to stay on Opa and Grammy's boat. (Mommy stayed home to teach class.) One evening while they were playing together, Karston pretended to be an alligator coming to eat Cale. Cale yelled, "Don't eat me! I'm not tasty!" For a three-year-old, Cale really put together the pieces: what would make the alligator not want to eat him? Why, if he were not

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-21672723882925457552011-03-06T14:21:00.003-05:002011-05-15T14:56:56.479-04:00

Sometimes what you hear is better than what was said. While getting groceries this morning, I told the boys if they would be quieter now, we could go across the street to Toys R Us afterwards. (*sigh* yes, bribes seem worth it) That incentive worked immediately on Karston, who started chanting, but not too loudly, Toys R Us! Toys R Us! Cale often takes his cues from Karston, so now he knew it

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-91458330380833768102011-02-13T22:10:00.002-05:002011-03-25T20:41:02.618-04:00

Daddy has a poster presentation at one of the Disney World resorts, so how could we resist Disney World for the kids and Florida in February for us? We flew in late last night because our flight on Southwestern was delayed over 8 hours! (I am seriously under-impressed with Southwestern's maintenance standards, and very pleased that our two boys were remarkably well-behaved while cooped up in an

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-38820890124838428672010-12-29T15:38:00.001-05:002011-01-20T15:39:40.345-05:00

Karston, who was born in 2005, is 2005 days old today. We ate a celebratory chocolate cookie with chocolate chips.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-1884355963560501302010-12-02T15:50:00.003-05:002011-01-20T16:30:57.292-05:00

Cale is 989 days old today, and Karston is 1978 days old. Cale is exactly half of Karston's age right now, so from here on out, the age gap is closing (right?).

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-81018422518377491412010-11-29T19:28:00.002-05:002010-12-02T19:30:53.735-05:00

Yes, math homework saves the day! Or at least this evening. Well, Karston's love of math homework did! When I came home after work, Karston was very worked up. He was running through the house at top speed, laughing loudly, bouncing off walls and little brothers, and someone was going to get hurt. Not knowing what else to do, I did what I always do when Karston needs to calm down even though it's

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-10858290963963381732010-11-23T19:57:00.002-05:002011-03-25T20:08:27.298-04:00

At the end of the school week, Karston brings home the work he did in class. This week is a short week because he gets off Wednesday through Friday for Thanksgiving. One piece of class work was the standard open area at the top for drawing and coloring with a lined area below for writing. This one had cues: a picture of an empty cornucopia to fill, and a lead-in for a sentence or paragraph.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-71659194301196843562010-10-31T21:50:00.002-04:002010-10-31T22:02:24.697-04:00

We were exhausted this evening after three days of Halloween -- that's three days in a row of kids staying out late, and eating at least one piece of candy before bed. Luckily we scored some popcorn (in a glove, with candy corn fingernails: a witch's hand!) and Cale went for it after one chocolate; Cale went cornhulio on candy two nights ago *shudder*. Cale fought off his nap this afternoon, so

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-80063161528744323272010-10-30T20:48:00.004-04:002010-10-30T21:54:03.195-04:00

We think the kids had a poor dinner-to-candy ratio last night because they were not as sweet as usual this morning. However, they improved after lunch, so we went out to a Mexican restaurant (one of Karston's favorite treats) and then to the University Mall. Yes, shops in the mall had a trick-or-treat night! It was a great outing, and both boys remembered to say Thank You at each stop! Plus

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-38854509393856688082010-10-29T20:40:00.002-04:002010-10-30T21:53:11.820-04:00

The thing about Halloween being on a Sunday is that it turns into a three-day candyfest when we hear nonsensical (to adults) requests like Why can't I have more candy before bed?Although he's only 2, Cale has a very clear understanding of trick-or-treat. He heard that we were headed out for that, and he said, Where my goodie bag? and started looking for it. (This isn't quite as disturbing as

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-5393106406668366472010-10-17T21:00:00.002-04:002010-10-17T21:20:57.972-04:00

Cale's bedtime routine starts with Daddy reading bedtime stories. Then I pick him up, tilt for kisses from Daddy and Karston. After kisses, Cale turns off the hall lights, then his bedroom light. I settle on the chair while Cale gets the correct combination of toys in his hands, turning some in, picking some up. Then he climbs up onto the chair with significantly less help than when he was

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-40182349213523404382010-10-09T21:57:00.002-04:002010-10-09T22:10:30.735-04:00

Karston got a splinter in his right heel while playing outside (on a deck) Friday afternoon, but he wouldn't let me look at it. He was still too scared from Mimi's giant tweezers (they are big for easy squeezing, with sharp-looking precise tips, and really could seem ominous). This evening, I finally got to look. You know what I saw: a really fat, deep, dark splinter right in the middle of his

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-10267582256851071072010-09-14T20:01:00.002-04:002011-01-20T16:04:46.224-05:00

This evening, after dinner and before it got dark, the boys helped me weed the garden because the purple shiso had taken over; we came inside when it got dark. Cale was so good and so helpful, I thought he needed an award or a reward too. So I gave him his first pair of safety scissors whereupon we spent the rest of the evening, me holding scrap paper, Cale cutting with two hands. He sat down

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-75859695365062626052010-09-14T10:00:00.001-04:002011-01-20T16:01:33.964-05:00

This morning we went to a Kiwanis Terrific Kids assembly. We heard the vice principal say on the intercom that Terrific Kids should come to the cafeteria. When Karston saw us, he said, I heard the bestest kids come to the cafeteria, and my teacher sent me! He was so happy to go to the cafeteria, and so happy to see us. The assembly started with kindergarteners, so Karston wasn't quite in the

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-22123111637759885742010-08-31T16:05:00.001-04:002011-01-20T16:08:01.269-05:00

Last month, Karston told Daddy that he liked Ella in his kindergarten class. Obviously Daddy asked to hear more, but Karston said he was sleepy, rolled over, and fell right to sleep. This morning, we arrived at the school parking lot at the same time as Ella. Ella and her dad were about two steps ahead of us. Karston gave Ella a dazzling smile and a small, shy wave. Ella had a fake stumble twice

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-13924202241895185672010-08-27T21:32:00.002-04:002010-08-27T21:35:44.368-04:00

Before bed this evening, even though he was very tired, Karston read a book to us. Yes, this is a first! He got almost all of the words in the book correct (I'm sure the pictures helped too); the word nine appeared at least every other page and caused him the most trouble so I think Karston prefers his numbers in numeral form. He is on the cusp of reading!

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-9283490073771719242010-08-27T09:26:00.002-04:002010-08-27T21:32:43.556-04:00

Last night, Cale called out for juice around 3 am, and Daddy brought it to him while I talked to him. I stayed next to him for a while afterwards. He went through several fussy spells, and generally didn't answer me when I asked him what was bothering him. He did answer me at 4:30 am, though; he said I don't know where mine foot is rather distinctly. Sure enough, one foot was tangled up in

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-45759172472558141702010-08-24T17:42:00.001-04:002010-10-30T21:56:38.224-04:00

Today was Cale's first day of Kid Tracks preschool. We would have missed Kid Tracks more once Karston was a graduate, but we knew Cale would be starting soon. He was very happy to arrive, but since he had only been there with me, and I stayed longer to do the registration paperwork, well, he was sad to see me go. He said Mommy don't go, and that really tugged at me. I'll be faster to leave next

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-21249154072790676392010-08-22T13:47:00.002-04:002010-08-27T13:53:27.023-04:00

I hope this (the cleaning, not the mess-making) lasts as long as possible!Cale spilled pencil shavings this afternoon, and said, Made a mess. Daddy said, Well, we'll have to clean that up now. Both boys about knocked each other down to get to the kitchen first! Karston grabbed the Fuller Brush carpet sweeper, Cale grabbed the Dust Buster, and they raced back to the scene of the mess. Cale's

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-47910958272764476332010-08-17T14:45:00.000-04:002010-08-27T13:46:38.339-04:00

At school today, one of Karston's classmates asked him who his best friend was. Karston answered, My brother!About the same time, Cale was playing with Opa and Grammy. After Cale's nap, Grammy asked him if he wanted a cookie, and Cale said, No, wait for brother. Cale did eat his cookie once Karston arrived.Yes, they really do like each other. Wonderful!

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-33869983752843837102010-07-18T14:51:00.002-04:002010-07-18T15:19:02.992-04:00

Karston had five shots Friday morning (but won't need any more vaccinations for six more years), and he said his left leg hurt (where he had the two shots the nurses told us might bother him). This morning, he found the play doctor's kit that Cale got for his birthday, and he had to play doctor! He changed from his Batman shirt with attached cape (once Batman is on, it never comes off) into a

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-85582781136574040942010-07-16T10:45:00.002-04:002010-07-16T14:38:07.402-04:00

Karston went to the pediatrician this morning. We sailed through all of the developmental questions. For instance, can your child count to 10? and the answer is he counts to 100, and wants us to ask him simple addition and subtraction questions. Good hearing, good eyesight. He's 39 1/4 inches tall now, and he was 29.6 pounds on their scale. Average annual growth for this age range is 2

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-13360525136296208022010-07-15T14:40:00.001-04:002010-07-16T14:49:48.639-04:00

Now that school is in session, Karston goes to Spanish class Thursday mornings. This afternoon he announced that the Spanish greeting is ALOHA! Weeeell, not quite. He watches enough Handy Manny that I'm sure he knows Hola as well, but we like the Aloha variation to match the Hawaiian shirt he wore today.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-1177231710636477422010-07-12T14:40:00.003-04:002010-07-18T14:03:12.156-04:00

Since Karston was accepted to the year-round elementary school (with the 48% acceptance rate), today was his first day of kindergarten! Half the kindergarten class came to school today, and the other half will go tomorrow, then the whole class on Wednesday. He loves his new school (he's been asking for months, when does he get to go to "the big school"), he loves his teacher (my teacher, he

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-14528390731535674982010-07-11T14:26:00.002-04:002010-07-18T14:50:55.025-04:00

I saw these monkeys on the cover of Taste of Home at the store today, but I find "1 package chocolate cake mix" less than inspiring. (Translation: I have never bought cake mix, and I have no plans to change that. Cakes are easy to make!)First I made my peanut butter banana muffins (that works out to 1 cup of mashed banana, and I left out chocolate chips this time). After all, what says "monkey

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-55834503117863663272010-07-03T22:43:00.002-04:002010-07-18T14:02:31.021-04:00

It's Karston's birthday!We had family over for grilled dinner. For dessert, I tried to make Lady Liberty Cupcakes, but my decorating skills (and supplies available at the store) were not all the way up to the challenge. Still, chocolate cake in ice cream cones (about 1/3 leaked) with chocolate icing and vanilla cream sugar wafers (sprayed with orange and yellow decorator's spray) doesn't taste

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-11674510871408525912010-06-20T15:19:00.002-04:002011-01-20T15:26:26.948-05:00

Today, Cale has told me everything that he's doing. Mommy, I'm dancing or Mommy, I'm walking or whatever else he's doing. Karston was his own narrator at two-and-a-half, and Cale is just a few months younger than that now.Even though we're on the road, I packed a slim Father's Day present, and we've had a lot of fun today. The best part was finding Eaton Street Seafood Market: an excellent

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-89739076645358184812010-06-19T15:14:00.003-04:002011-01-20T15:37:10.421-05:00

We were at the airport today, to fly to Key West. Cale very seriously, several times, said Daddy, I'm not scary. I'm pretty sure what he meant is that he wasn't scared to be at the big, busy, bustling airport where most people are so much taller, are rushing, are pulling bags, and might not be looking for small children underfoot. However, I'm not scary is a lot funnier than I'm not

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-41907642421603163112010-05-31T15:03:00.002-04:002011-01-20T15:07:04.978-05:00

We went to the North Carolina Zoo yesterday. Karston said he liked the zebra best of the animals, possibly because we saw it last. The kids liked the play areas best, no surprise. Soft serve ice cream after lunch was a terrific cool-down. We all had so much fun, I'm ready to go back!Karston quotable is: Mommy got a sunburn [at the zoo] so I have to wear sunscreen. I think he missed the point, but

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-87383029777540781172010-05-23T16:38:00.000-04:002010-05-23T16:38:13.777-04:00

For Mother's Day, all of my boys gave me a hummingbird feeder. Karston helped me make hummingbird nectar (one cup boiling water to one-quarter cup sugar). Although hummingbirds are attracted to red, red food coloring is bad for them so we didn't use any. Karston and Daddy put the filled feeder outside yesterday. We saw two hummingbirds yesterday, and three today already! Karston is an

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-52429576494156615982010-05-11T15:24:00.000-04:002010-05-12T21:51:57.999-04:00

Early in our Mother's Day planning, I was asked what I wanted to do. My all-time favorite Mother's Day is when we walked the trails at the NC Museum of Art, so, as always, I said I wanted to do that again. (It was fantastic: easy hike, whimsical whirligig art.) Our weekend plans kept shifting, but since we were all home on a Tuesday, we headed out for my Mother's Day hike. Karston was very eager

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-85594117858117193272010-05-09T20:50:00.002-04:002010-05-16T08:57:57.335-04:00

Karston helped me to make cheese. I had to beg to get him to try any of his cheese, and he only ate a little bite. The resulting cheese is fairly sweet (milk-sweet, not added-sugar sweet), dry crumbles (I squeezed very tightly to make sure it didn't have any vinegar flavor). Notwithstanding the long time at the stove stirring hot milk (but compared to three months), this was a very fast method

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-15600872017203593712010-04-02T21:39:00.002-04:002010-04-02T22:42:39.790-04:00

Today we figured out a recent "rule" for Cale: dancing is better with two. For the past two weeks, when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse gets to the hot dog dance, Cale calls for Daddy. "hot dog, Daddy, hot dog!" (Mommy will do.) This afternoon, we enjoyed the fantastic weather on our deck, and I brought out my iPod and some small speakers. As soon as Cale hears music, he starts to sway. Dancing by himself

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-24821965531491214672010-03-29T11:01:00.002-04:002010-03-31T11:09:19.429-04:00

Cale has added a new language skill in addition to learning new words: now he's trying to form sentences. He strung together three concepts this morning while I was trying to find the loose end on a tightly-wrapped bobbin. He stood on tip-toes at my elbow and said Mommy, Mommy, pretty please, have it (three concepts stacked together). You know, I didn't need to let that bobbin frustrate me, so

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-90078699373136147462010-03-27T18:09:00.002-04:002010-03-31T11:14:29.006-04:00

Karston had a special treat today: his cousin Evan spent the day with us! In the morning, we had breakfast, we went to Lowe's for the Build and Grow workshop that Karston adores (a real hammer! on real nails!), and we went to the Farmer's Market for their pre-Easter Eggstravaganza. We came home for lunch of hot dogs. Even though Cale and Evan love hot dogs, Karston didn't try any but he ate

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-84040637492896040702010-03-21T21:05:00.002-04:002010-03-21T21:29:05.400-04:00

Karston ate next-to-nothing yesterday and today, and his behavior was starting to deteriorate. Every incident either made him cry, or yell and kick. We explained that we couldn't see Aunt Robin today if he weren't nice. That was probably too theoretical! So I told him I could tell that a Mean Bug had jumped down his throat, and the only way to fix that situation was to eat some food to cover him

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-66232402788379906552010-03-20T21:30:00.000-04:002010-03-21T21:41:46.636-04:00

This morning, we headed to our local Farmer's Market (the one with fresh produce that I like, not the one with crafts -- I want to buy the starting produce, not the finished product). Since we had such a cold winter, often running 10 to 15 degrees below normal, produce was scarce, but the locally-made ricotta cheese tasted great! After the Farmer's Market, we went to the new public library with

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-14044714487376445172010-03-19T22:45:00.000-04:002010-03-30T20:21:16.164-04:00

A happy visit to the pediatrician for Cale's two-year-old checkup! Cale is in the process of out-growing his food protein-induced enterocolitis "allergies"! He can't drink milk with impunity, but he can eat cheese and yogurt. Now that dairy doesn't give him ear infections, he is doing fine with his language skills. (Head, hair, hood, hat, eye, nose, mouth, hand, knee, foot, shoe; water, juice

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-89596265106684393482010-03-18T19:55:00.000-04:002010-03-31T11:00:42.350-04:00

Cale turned two today! Although we weren't trying to have a birthday party, Cale's friends Jim, Amy, and Daniel came to visit. Since Karston has been singing the Happy Birthday song to get ready, Cale knows how to sing it too. So we all sang Happy Birthday to Cale to a lit birthday cake! Also from his brother, Cale knew how to blow out the candles on his birthday cake, although he did have to

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-58002507588904117122010-02-02T22:08:00.003-05:002010-02-05T20:23:34.260-05:00

Karston's new favorite TV show is How It's Made. Imagination Movers still rates requests too, but once How It's Made is on, Karston does not want the channel changed. The Science Channel has been doing a How It's Made marathon since the snowy weekend, so we've been cooped up. Hard to argue with him wanting to watch technical, not-too-fluff TV.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-67943356751243906472010-01-27T21:51:00.003-05:002010-02-06T11:54:12.295-05:00

When I got home from teaching class tonight, the house was still and quiet, so I unpacked from work first. Then I heard Cale cry full-force, so I raced back to help Daddy.Cale had been sound asleep on Daddy's lap next to Karston, but then he had a big sleep twitch. Part of the motion including bringing one hand to his forehead, which just happened to smack the spout of his sippy into his face.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-43603431345129993372010-01-24T21:57:00.005-05:002010-01-24T22:11:20.527-05:00

For the second day in a row, Cale fell asleep on Daddy's lap while bedtime preparations were starting. He's also fought off his afternoon nap, so I think he still needs it. So both nights, I've headed to the kitchen to clean up while Daddy reads bedtime stories to Karston.This evening, Karston said his tummy wanted more food during story time. We keep Whales (cheese crackers) on top of the

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-41302081320151460392010-01-24T20:29:00.003-05:002010-01-27T22:13:17.112-05:00

The boys' hair has been too long for a while, but it's been too cold to cut away anything that might keep them a little warmer too. I was waiting for a day like today, that's remarkably warm when I'm home with them. So this afternoon, we headed out to the deck for their haircuts. Since Cale was playing, I cut Karston's hair first. I made sure his hair can't get in his eyes or tickle his ears,

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-59126901794713320702010-01-14T20:09:00.003-05:002010-01-14T20:46:38.038-05:00

We knew how to start potty training with the second child. Before we started, we explained to Cale what we were doing when we were in the bathroom. (He was most interested watching Karston.) This time we knew just to put Cale on the little potty (just start!, by 18 months), and from Karston's pre-school director, we knew that M&M's make the best reward. Cale lets us know when he's ready for M

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-61733405598708503222009-12-17T21:15:00.002-05:002009-12-17T21:24:06.919-05:00

Cale started a new (to him) game this evening: he said Catch it, found the kids' catcher's mitt (with velcro) and soft fabric ball, and yes, started playing catch. He would rather hand you the ball than throw it, but he can throw a ball straight in front of himself when he does throw the ball. He just beams when he catches the ball, which means Daddy made a good throw since Cale doesn't lean over

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-85876922442187317472009-11-24T21:36:00.006-05:002009-11-24T21:59:09.372-05:00

I just learned the most remarkable little thing about Cale! He was on beyond tired this evening after I had washed up and was ready to start the final segment of his evening routine. I tipped him over to get kisses from Daddy and Karston, and Cale waved bye-bye to them. Then we walk away from the reading room and into the hall where Cale turns off the light for me. We go into his room where

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-24635200436515759442009-11-16T09:50:00.000-05:002009-11-16T13:56:15.581-05:00

I was really surprised that parent-teacher conferences start in preschool, and that all of us parents just quake when the preschool director says she wants to see us. It's preschool! Lighten up! I think we're all scared of her because she's right, and she's honest (by which I also mean refreshingly direct). This conference was individualized, and for the parents of rising kindergarteners.In

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-47795920244879323152009-11-14T19:49:00.002-05:002009-11-15T06:56:22.756-05:00

Yesterday's new word was book. Cale walked up to the bookshelf with children's books, pointed, and said Books!Today he had two-word phrases for us. I asked him rhetorically, Who needs a diaper change?; he looked me in the eye and said I do. I was so impressed, I made him say it again for Daddy even though he gave me this look of "you heard me the first time, so what's your problem?" Several

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-16393213546382206232009-11-12T11:15:00.002-05:002009-11-13T19:50:54.240-05:00

I noticed we hadn't scheduled an 18-month checkup at Cale's previous checkup, so we went this morning. Cale is now 33 inches tall, just 4 inches shorter than Karston although Karston looks taller than that. Cale weighed 23 pounds, 0.8 ounces with a hat size of 19 inches. (Those specs are 50th percentile, except his weight is the 10th percentile on my charts. That seems odd given how much he

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-39882363126400137662009-11-11T19:32:00.002-05:002009-11-12T07:40:17.435-05:00

Now that we're past Halloween, Daddy and Karston brought in the daddy pumpkin, took off the press-on face pieces, and carved it. When they were done, they put two LED "candles" in it, set it on the kitchen floor, and turned off the lights. Cale walked over to see what was going on. Oh, he saw the pumpkin! He immediately got on his belly in front of it and elbow-walked until he was

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-72497696474533199492009-11-09T20:20:00.002-05:002009-11-09T20:24:11.114-05:00

Cale's done this a few times in the past week: he says tip toe and then walks around on his tippie toes with a huge grin.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-39934648341687277042009-11-05T22:30:00.006-05:002009-11-08T16:13:15.524-05:00

Cale was listening to me when I told Amy last Wednesday that he was talking less now because he was so effective at pointing and grunting. (Karston often translates his cries. He'll calmly say, Cale wants juice, like he did this morning. Karston's usually right, too.) The very next day, Cale ran up to me with a plastic fish and said FISHIE several times very clearly. Cale also said pat, pat,

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-8134311837090447912009-10-20T21:29:00.004-04:002009-10-24T22:06:47.766-04:00

We went to the NC State Fair today (on Daddy's birthday, no less, with gorgeous weather)! We walked all over and had a great time.In the North Carolina agriculture building, Karston and Cale each had a sample of fresh peanut butter. After Cale cleaned his popsicle stick of peanut butter, he looked looked up at Stan longingly, and pointed woefully at the empty end of his popsicle stick. Yeah,

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-65825980542282384932009-10-19T06:14:00.002-04:002009-10-24T21:29:31.776-04:00

This morning at 4:14 am, I woke up when Daddy said Karston??? and I wondered why he said it like a question. Karston said, Hi Daddy, I came in here two times before, but you didn't wake up, and I wanted you to sleep in my bed. OK, so that's why Karston's here, but why the question? Then Daddy asked, Karston, were you jumping? -Yes Daddy! I was jumping next to you.I can just imagine the early

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-37296439701810487362009-10-18T20:47:00.002-04:002009-10-24T21:06:20.419-04:00

Cale has added some new moves: when you mention dancing, Cale will grin and carefully step around in a circle. So when Mickey Mouse says it's time for the Mouse-ka Dance at the end of a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode, Cale starts dancing if he wasn't already.I gave Cale a haircut yesterday. In the front, because he wouldn't hold still, it's ... ah ... not my best work, but at least it's out of

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-85619386532338089362009-09-29T07:07:00.003-04:002009-09-29T07:19:07.904-04:00

We went to the coast this weekend because cousin Mike was in town. We all had runny noses and weren't at our best, but we were happy to see Mike. This morning, Karston woke up quickly, stood up tall in bed, raised his arms, and announced Next time cousin Mike is here, I will be this tall!!! Those were his first words upon waking up this morning.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-40484831914244274102009-09-24T20:38:00.003-04:002009-09-29T07:11:36.488-04:00

One of Cale's goofy new tricks is to walk around with his shoulders hunched so far forward that his back curves a lot. I call this his hunchback look, and he always has a huge smile to go with it! He hunches his shoulders for his "sneaking up" walk, but you can see a grin that big coming for quite a ways.Peek-a-boo, on the other hand, has been foremost in his book of tricks for a while. Monday

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-79028232300158643262009-09-22T04:46:00.002-04:002009-09-22T21:58:27.458-04:00

Just in case other parents are wondering, I can describe Cale's cry when his intestinal allergies are hurting him. He cries like I've abandoned him, when I'm actually hugging him closely and cuddling him. The inconsolable, abandoned cry is the allergy cry. This morning's crying was accompanied by some really smelly gas, also pointing to intestinal discomfort as the cause of crying.I'd rather

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-15239283178260556712009-09-18T21:18:00.004-04:002009-09-23T07:36:16.003-04:00

Ah, a year and a half! Cale has been walking for three months now. I actually can't remember when Cale couldn't walk now. He's so confident, he loves to walk and run. When he's tired, he still falls down for no reason, and he cries because his pride is hurt. What I like about the walking milestone is that a child's features really begin to develop. Instead of the pudgy baby face (which is

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-82064075129567988962009-09-16T18:38:00.002-04:002009-09-23T07:37:54.566-04:00

This afternoon a neighbor with two girls about a year older than our two boys came over to play. Our house was LOUD, but the kids were so into playing and running that they needed only the smallest bit of adult attention. Maria read the paper and I made dinner, in fact. The youngest girl asked me for some juice, so I listed her choices of papaya and pineapple. She looked downright worried. I

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-47381673657641810402009-09-13T19:27:00.001-04:002009-09-23T07:03:27.116-04:00

This weekend we went to the coast with friends whose son James is 3.5 months older than Cale. You might expect that Cale would be most interested in James, but actually Karston was all about James. During naptime: when is James going to wake up? Luckily Karston slept for much of the drive home (Daddy and Cale are staying a half-day longer), but when he woke up, there was an hour of Where's James?

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-14964203728195888062009-09-07T15:04:00.001-04:002009-09-22T21:11:32.919-04:00

We went back to the state park today. Today the boys were less interested in walking the trails themselves, so we decided to take an easier hike than we had originally planned. Karston wanted to go on the trail with the swinging bridge, so we picked that one. Well, not too far past the bridge, you loop back to the river again ... at a wide, shallow spot! Oh my, there were so many kids

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-63189978283928052152009-09-06T18:36:00.001-04:002009-09-09T06:52:22.265-04:00

We made Cale-safe blueberry pancakes for breakfast this morning. Cale loves blueberries in all forms! He lit into these pancakes, which were a rich golden color from the natural apple cider from the farmers market, quite happily.After putting a good breakfast in the boys, we went to discover a nearby state park. The first discovery was how close it is to our house ... close enough we should have

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-83685982357323179342009-09-05T21:47:00.000-04:002009-09-08T22:10:20.072-04:00

My favorite Farmers Market had a pancake breakfast this morning, with a side of reading children's books about pancakes. So of course we went! The vendors are so sweet there! At the very first booth, the gentleman let Karston select a zinnia (orange), and the lady asked me if we knew about the pancakes and books. Oh yes, I said, that's why Karston's here. then I had to explain that actually Cale

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-29351563806455524312009-09-02T17:53:00.001-04:002009-09-22T21:13:08.198-04:00

Just one bruise on Cale's leg after that massive Whump. Tough kid!

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-42167254066184696942009-08-31T12:04:00.000-04:002009-08-31T12:48:34.135-04:00

Cale went to a car show late this morning with Karston, Daddy, Opa, and Grammy. When they came home for naptime, on the final turn before our driveway, Cale started chirping Mama! Mama! Mama! Of course, once he saw me, he ran off to play with toys, but I heard he was glad to come home to Mama.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-88638244851192346552009-08-31T06:39:00.000-04:002009-09-22T05:53:01.764-04:00

Last night, a sad-but-funny thing happened. When Cale cried in the middle of the night, I brought him to bed with me and cuddled us both back to sleep. Cale was asleep, but still very squirmy, so he was rolling all over the bed. I placed a pillow barricade on one side, and me on the other. Well, on one particularly active roll, Cale rolled up and over the pillow, and WHUMP! he fell off the bed.

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-89606466899070179822009-08-24T21:58:00.001-04:002009-08-31T12:02:56.144-04:00

As you know, small children love when they know what comes next. This evening when Daddy got a beer, Cale happily ran to get a beer huggie. (That's what comes next, Daddy gets a beer then he puts it in a beer huggie.) When Cale ran back to Daddy holding up the beer huggie for him, he distinctly said Here go. More words! Cale is so expressive with pointing and grunting that I wasn't sure when

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-54241473987153858182009-08-21T23:34:00.002-04:002009-08-21T23:47:40.788-04:00

Some milestones you can't see at the time, only in hindsight. We started bugging Karston in June to finish potty training, and he kept putting us off for the entire month of June when not a single poop went in the potty. On July 1st, he started using the potty for all elimination, and only one poop went in the pull-ups instead of the potty that week. He's been perfect ever since. It's as

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-16835991933906384592009-08-18T22:25:00.002-04:002009-08-21T22:52:52.859-04:00

I can't believe my little baby Cale is already seventeen months old (and about 21 pounds)! He's been walking for just over 2 months, and in fact he's been running for most of that time too since he really wants to chase after Karston. He's sure that's where the fun action is! He went from walking to confident walking to running in no time. Cale knows he's supposed to wear shoes to go outside,

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-39274563606103848222009-07-22T18:08:00.004-04:002009-08-21T23:34:17.706-04:00

Daddy and I talked to a registered dietician today about Karston's eating for the research study with a goal of healthy weight from a healthy diet (Karston may be in a distinct minority for needing to gain weight). The take-home points for us to try are:no more bribing -- I didn't like it anyway, and it takes forever to get him to eat two bites of good food so he can have a potato chipannounce

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-67778357626948197352009-07-19T23:30:00.000-04:002009-08-21T23:33:14.752-04:00

Whew, after a whirlwind trip, we're home again! We got to see all of the Smiths, even though we left shortly before the Smith reunion this afternoon. The boys had a great time! Karston woke up this morning and asked what fabulous adventure were we going to have today: the adventure of coming home! The Milwaukee airport is great if you arrive early because the boys did not want to leave the

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-80588180914411548052009-07-18T23:00:00.000-04:002009-08-21T23:32:54.391-04:00

The big day, Fish Day!This morning, we watched the Fish Day parade with cousin Jenny and her daughter Lola, and with Karston's entire NC cousin family. Even our friend D'nardo and his family showed up! Cousin Dana was part of the motorcycle brigade leading the parade. The parade highlight, of course, was watching the Shriners in those funny little cars! (Cale fell asleep in the backpack; so

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-50128773641267510592009-07-17T23:30:00.000-04:002009-08-21T23:32:37.435-04:00

For today's excursion, we met up with our NC relatives (yes, I know we could do that at home) and cousin Mike, and went to Bay Beach in Green Bay. What a great amusement park! Even though it tried to rain on us a few times, we had a fabulous time! Karston enjoyed the carousel (twice) and the train ride. Of course he also enjoyed chasing the sea gulls while we were eating lunch, so he's not

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-77439415741529053332009-07-16T23:00:00.003-04:002009-08-21T23:12:28.287-04:00

This morning we went to the new playground on the bluff in Port Washington. I have to say, it exceeded expectations for everyone in our family! Very nice. Cale liked the musical toys since he likes to pound, and he liked trying to catch up to Karston. Karston saw so many wonderful play areas that he was moving quickly! Karston didn't want to leave, ever.This evening we met all of the Schmit

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-10122125298461914332009-07-15T22:00:00.002-04:002009-08-21T23:05:08.297-04:00

We flew to Milwaukee today, by way of Cinncinnati. The first leg of the flight was grueling: the kids were so full of energy that we chased through airports and snagged them all over the plane (ok, just within arm's reach of our seats). They had more squirming in them than is really fair to discuss. My only moment of peace was when I went to the bathroom in the Cinncinnati airport. As soon as

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-52931849536791909462009-07-12T16:04:00.003-04:002009-07-12T16:10:52.233-04:00

Cale's upper canine teeth have been slow to come in; they're still just points between his front teeth and his molars. This morning, I felt the lower left canine tooth's point, and this afternoon the lower right joined it. I mentioned that Cale seemed out of sorts to his pediatrician, but she couldn't find anything wrong. She did say that canines can be very worrisome teething. The picture now is

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-25671461634203957002009-07-11T09:02:00.002-04:002009-07-11T23:08:06.101-04:00

Karston didn't want to eat breakfast this morning, even though we made banana-blueberry-guava pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse. (Cale ate two pancakes.) Finally Karston said he would eat doughnuts, so Daddy gave him some. A while later, Karston asked me for more doughnuts. Since the goal is calories, I opened a new four-pack of miniature doughnuts for him; since he had already had some

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14961038.post-31007680398856313682009-07-09T22:00:00.002-04:002009-07-11T22:06:21.841-04:00

The boys really wanted to play outside this evening, and were out a little later and darker than usual. Karston was chasing fireflies when Look, a black butterfly! It's so pretty, it makes my heart go (hands clasped over heart) thump, thump! Chasing fireflies is an excellent summer evening activity, but enjoying natural beauty is even better!

Dr Mom Kellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04094331905585049155noreply@blogger.com0