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 so she could fall a half-step behind her dad to exchange smiles and waves with Karston. Too cute! Tuesday morning, Karston didn't want to walk in with Ella even though we arrived at the same time again. Too shy!
Daddy said Cale spent all morning Monday, until it got too hot to be outside, kicking a soccer ball. He didn't trip, he just kept the ball in play on the level pad of our driveway. He kept the ball moving like a natural! That's some skill for a two-year-old!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Reading a Book
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!
My Foot
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 blankets, so I straightened that out (not convinced that's what he was talking about). That's when I decided I should get some sleep too, and went back to my bed. Sure enough, this morning Cale's feet were still at the end of his legs!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Kid Tracks, Take Two
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 time!
At pick-up time, Cale was sitting on a green tractor ride-on toy. Apparently he spent quite a while on that tractor! Every time Daddy asked Cale how he liked Kid Tracks, Cale said Took green tractor away. From me. So I guess that's what really mattered to him today!
After dropping Cale off at Kid Tracks, we went to (sigh) our first parent-teacher conference. Karston's kindergarten teacher is worried about his letter sound recognition. Given the timing, I had just checked with Karston's preschool director, who snorted. So I think this is either childish diction or weak test-taking skills. Since he does know his letters and their common sounds, this should be easy to fix. We'll see!
At pick-up time, Cale was sitting on a green tractor ride-on toy. Apparently he spent quite a while on that tractor! Every time Daddy asked Cale how he liked Kid Tracks, Cale said Took green tractor away. From me. So I guess that's what really mattered to him today!
After dropping Cale off at Kid Tracks, we went to (sigh) our first parent-teacher conference. Karston's kindergarten teacher is worried about his letter sound recognition. Given the timing, I had just checked with Karston's preschool director, who snorted. So I think this is either childish diction or weak test-taking skills. Since he does know his letters and their common sounds, this should be easy to fix. We'll see!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Cleaning
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 favorite part was to announce, Mommy, going to be loud! each time before he turned on the Dust Buster. Guessing from his smile, he was ready to do that all afternoon!
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 favorite part was to announce, Mommy, going to be loud! each time before he turned on the Dust Buster. Guessing from his smile, he was ready to do that all afternoon!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Best Friends
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!
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!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
What Shots?
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 plain white tee-shirt so that he would look like a doctor. He spent a long time trying to listen with the stethoscope, but I don't think the quality is as high as it would need to be (to be kid-durable, it might not be possible). Eventually he and Cale moved on to giving everyone shots. Karston was right there for shots, so we think he's completely over having had his shots on Friday.
Friday, July 16, 2010
On the Chart!
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 inches and 4 pounds; Karston grew 2 1/4 inches and gained 3.9 pounds last year. His height is around the 5th percentile, and for the first time in years, Karston's weight is on a percentile! He's back on the weight chart! His weight is on the 3% percentile line, but he's back on the chart! The last time his weight was on the chart, he was 6 months old; at 9 months old his weight fell off the charts. (At one year old, he was one standard deviation below the average weight for a breastfed boy, so his weight numbers weren't too terrible, just sluggish to match his (lack of) enthusiasm for eating.) After the positive notes, we did head to less pleasant territory: his immunizations for kindergarten. Karston got 5 shots. He wanted to watch, and the pediatric nurses generally give shots to supine children, so we compromised on a position where I lifted his head so he could watch and we held both of his hands. Karston was really good about it: he didn't complain about the three shots that generally don't bother kids, and he was happy about pretty band-aids. Such a good kid!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Aloha!
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.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The First Day
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 says), and he loves the playground. When we went to orientation last Thursday afternoon, Karston wanted to stay in his classroom or go to the playground; he didn't care about the other rooms.
When I asked him about his day today, though, he told me all about going to the Music room this morning where they sang songs. He said he knew some of the songs from Kid Tracks, but not all of the songs. He's ready to go back, but we'll have to wait until Wednesday.
It appears to be intentional; the Kid Tracks kids are all in different kindergarten classes (as well as the Abundant Life preschool, which is as far as the parental note-sharing got), so he doesn't see Zach or Genna in his classroom but he might at recess and other times. However, Logan who was at Kid Tracks until the most recent years is in his class, so there's one familiar face for Karston.
When I asked him about his day today, though, he told me all about going to the Music room this morning where they sang songs. He said he knew some of the songs from Kid Tracks, but not all of the songs. He's ready to go back, but we'll have to wait until Wednesday.
It appears to be intentional; the Kid Tracks kids are all in different kindergarten classes (as well as the Abundant Life preschool, which is as far as the parental note-sharing got), so he doesn't see Zach or Genna in his classroom but he might at recess and other times. However, Logan who was at Kid Tracks until the most recent years is in his class, so there's one familiar face for Karston.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Monkey Muffins
I saw these monkeys on the cover of Taste of Home at the store today, but I find "
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" like banana?
I put a thin layer of chocolate frosting, left over from the torch cupcakes for Karston's birthday, on the muffins. Banana goes well with so many other flavors! Like honey and peanut butter (in the muffins) and chocolate (in the frosting)! I put an extra swizzle blob at the top for the monkey's hair.
I carefully cut a Nutter Butter in half for the ears. Then I discovered that half a Nutter Butter is still too heavy (so I recommend mini vanilla wafers for a low-maintenance alternative). My recovery plan was to use a toothpick, but it split the Nutter Butter in half the first time. So the way that works is to hold the Nutter Butter half very tightly while inserting the toothpick. I couldn't get the toothpick in as far, but that doesn't seem to matter. Using the toothpicks, I was able to position those monkey ears at a jaunty angle!
I cut a vanilla wafer in half for the mouth, and added a big smile with red cookie icing in a squeezie bag. For the eyes, I used white M&M's with a dot of blue cookie icing in another squeezie. I discovered that bigger blue circles look friendlier, so that gives me even more room for slop in my fledgling decorating skills. All of a sudden, I had a cute monkey cupcake!
I've been stressed for two weeks about what to pack Karston for lunch once school starts. He eats so little already, with so little interest, that the collision with 30 minutes for lunch could add up to one empty Karston tummy, and that leads to poor behavior and maternal stress trying to avoid that situation. So one of my plans was to make his food so attractive, he'd be more interested in it, and hopefully eat it. Well, this afternoon, Karston took one look at the first monkey I made, and he ate it. He ate all but the bottom half of the muffin because he wanted another layer of frosting there. Cale saw Karston eating a monkey muffin, and then he had to have one. I couldn't make it fast enough for him, but I wasn't allowed to cut corners and leave off part of the face decorations. Cale kept pointing out what I hadn't done when I asked if he wanted to eat it now in response to his endless Monkey Muffin! calls. After making one of these in an insane hurry for Cale, I feel comfortable saying this is a very easy decoration task. I can do it. Generally when I try artful decoration, we end up talking about how good it tastes: I can cook, but I usually can't decorate.
Hopefully the attraction of a cute monkey muffin for dessert will encourage Karston to eat his lunch tomorrow!
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" like banana?
I put a thin layer of chocolate frosting, left over from the torch cupcakes for Karston's birthday, on the muffins. Banana goes well with so many other flavors! Like honey and peanut butter (in the muffins) and chocolate (in the frosting)! I put an extra swizzle blob at the top for the monkey's hair.
I carefully cut a Nutter Butter in half for the ears. Then I discovered that half a Nutter Butter is still too heavy (so I recommend mini vanilla wafers for a low-maintenance alternative). My recovery plan was to use a toothpick, but it split the Nutter Butter in half the first time. So the way that works is to hold the Nutter Butter half very tightly while inserting the toothpick. I couldn't get the toothpick in as far, but that doesn't seem to matter. Using the toothpicks, I was able to position those monkey ears at a jaunty angle!
I cut a vanilla wafer in half for the mouth, and added a big smile with red cookie icing in a squeezie bag. For the eyes, I used white M&M's with a dot of blue cookie icing in another squeezie. I discovered that bigger blue circles look friendlier, so that gives me even more room for slop in my fledgling decorating skills. All of a sudden, I had a cute monkey cupcake!
I've been stressed for two weeks about what to pack Karston for lunch once school starts. He eats so little already, with so little interest, that the collision with 30 minutes for lunch could add up to one empty Karston tummy, and that leads to poor behavior and maternal stress trying to avoid that situation. So one of my plans was to make his food so attractive, he'd be more interested in it, and hopefully eat it. Well, this afternoon, Karston took one look at the first monkey I made, and he ate it. He ate all but the bottom half of the muffin because he wanted another layer of frosting there. Cale saw Karston eating a monkey muffin, and then he had to have one. I couldn't make it fast enough for him, but I wasn't allowed to cut corners and leave off part of the face decorations. Cale kept pointing out what I hadn't done when I asked if he wanted to eat it now in response to his endless Monkey Muffin! calls. After making one of these in an insane hurry for Cale, I feel comfortable saying this is a very easy decoration task. I can do it. Generally when I try artful decoration, we end up talking about how good it tastes: I can cook, but I usually can't decorate.
Hopefully the attraction of a cute monkey muffin for dessert will encourage Karston to eat his lunch tomorrow!
Saturday, July 03, 2010
High Five!
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 too bad! Note, red food coloring will not make red icing, so I decided chocolate was a better color (and flavor) than pink.
Our neighbors with two girls each about a year older than our two boys came over. We had moved the craft table downstairs, and the kids spread out with crayons, paper, and stickers. They decorated slide whistles, colored then assembled pinwheels, and assembled stars-and-stripes airplanes. What fun! Then Karston's friend from preschool, Zach, came over with his family, so we started all over again with crafts.
And if that weren't enough fun (my kids were getting very worked up), then we went outside to watch our neighborhood fireworks over the 12-acre lake! Wowie! Zowie! Ka-pow! 1300 pounds of fireworks, an outdoor stereo system around the lake, a week of preparation from a team of volunteers, and safety precautions everywhere. Impressive display. The other kids didn't want to go home, and our kids didn't want to go to bed. Eventually we will get to wind down, I'm sure.
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 too bad! Note, red food coloring will not make red icing, so I decided chocolate was a better color (and flavor) than pink.
Our neighbors with two girls each about a year older than our two boys came over. We had moved the craft table downstairs, and the kids spread out with crayons, paper, and stickers. They decorated slide whistles, colored then assembled pinwheels, and assembled stars-and-stripes airplanes. What fun! Then Karston's friend from preschool, Zach, came over with his family, so we started all over again with crafts.
And if that weren't enough fun (my kids were getting very worked up), then we went outside to watch our neighborhood fireworks over the 12-acre lake! Wowie! Zowie! Ka-pow! 1300 pounds of fireworks, an outdoor stereo system around the lake, a week of preparation from a team of volunteers, and safety precautions everywhere. Impressive display. The other kids didn't want to go home, and our kids didn't want to go to bed. Eventually we will get to wind down, I'm sure.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day
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 replacement store (replacing Waterfront Market) for extremely fresh fish while in Key West.
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 replacement store (replacing Waterfront Market) for extremely fresh fish while in Key West.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Cale's Not Scary
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 scared.
Once we arrived, we quickly discovered our big disappointment: Waterfront Market is gone! UPDATE 6/20/2010: Get fresh fish at Eaton Street Seafood Market instead.
Once we arrived, we quickly discovered our big disappointment: Waterfront Market is gone! UPDATE 6/20/2010: Get fresh fish at Eaton Street Seafood Market instead.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Karston's Quotable
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 it sounds a lot like the old saw, Mom's cold, so we have to wear sweaters. Karston really can't stand sunscreen so we're lucky he doesn't burn as quickly as I do. Lately the campaign has been insect repellent on Cale, to reduce the bug bites on his legs. He probably wouldn't have as many bites if he didn't stomp in the deepest pile of leaves at every opportunity!
Karston quotable is: Mommy got a sunburn [at the zoo] so I have to wear sunscreen. I think he missed the point, but it sounds a lot like the old saw, Mom's cold, so we have to wear sweaters. Karston really can't stand sunscreen so we're lucky he doesn't burn as quickly as I do. Lately the campaign has been insect repellent on Cale, to reduce the bug bites on his legs. He probably wouldn't have as many bites if he didn't stomp in the deepest pile of leaves at every opportunity!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Hummingbirds
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 excellent spotter of hummingbirds.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Art Museum
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 to go: he told us that one time when he went, he saw (Clyde Jones) animals in the grass, but the next time he went, the animals weren't there. I think he was 2 when we saw the Clyde Jones exhibit! So we had all hands when we could miss the weekend crowds, and off we went!
First we went to the State Farmers Market. Karston started talking about how hungry he was, a very rare occurance, so we went straight to the Restaurant. Karston didn't eat a lot, Cale was a steady eater who ate my fruit, so that was normal. Then we shopped produce since I love farmers markets! When we saw the homemade ice cream, we got some cookies and cream for Karston. He ate as much as he could (whew!), and then I took a few bites before it caught Cale's attention. Unbeknownst to me, my lactose intolerance decided to kick in this afternoon. Yummy ice cream, but crippling stomach cramps for the next two hours.
When we got to the art museum, I could only walk very slowly, but I didn't want to lag behind, so Karston came back and held my hand. I didn't look so out-of-place walking slowly with Karston, and he is sweet enough to hold my hand when I don't feel well. Since a new building opened recently, we went to check it out first. As we went through the Classical Art with 1st century statues, Cale pointed from the stroller and said uh-oh for the missing limbs. The last one was also missing the head, and Cale said uh-oh, lost his head for that. We went outside through the Rodin garden, and the kids played by the reflecting pond. We didn't walk as much as I had hoped because I was still doubled over, but it was very nice. As we left, Karston said he would like to come back again soon. I think so!
First we went to the State Farmers Market. Karston started talking about how hungry he was, a very rare occurance, so we went straight to the Restaurant. Karston didn't eat a lot, Cale was a steady eater who ate my fruit, so that was normal. Then we shopped produce since I love farmers markets! When we saw the homemade ice cream, we got some cookies and cream for Karston. He ate as much as he could (whew!), and then I took a few bites before it caught Cale's attention. Unbeknownst to me, my lactose intolerance decided to kick in this afternoon. Yummy ice cream, but crippling stomach cramps for the next two hours.
When we got to the art museum, I could only walk very slowly, but I didn't want to lag behind, so Karston came back and held my hand. I didn't look so out-of-place walking slowly with Karston, and he is sweet enough to hold my hand when I don't feel well. Since a new building opened recently, we went to check it out first. As we went through the Classical Art with 1st century statues, Cale pointed from the stroller and said uh-oh for the missing limbs. The last one was also missing the head, and Cale said uh-oh, lost his head for that. We went outside through the Rodin garden, and the kids played by the reflecting pond. We didn't walk as much as I had hoped because I was still doubled over, but it was very nice. As we left, Karston said he would like to come back again soon. I think so!
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Cheese
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 to make cheese. I could imagine using this if I wanted fresh mozzarella crumbles without going to the store.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Two to Dance
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 didn't last a minute before he was up on my lap to dance with me. That's when I noticed that Cale now expects a dance partner.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sentences!
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 Cale got it. Such a fun time!
Cale has a bit of runny nose, possibly just seasonal allergies since I saw some ragweed blooming. Also, Karston said his tummy hurt today for the first time in ages. I'm hoping it's either what Cale has (allergies or a cold) or because he hasn't eaten well today, and not a return to the bad old days of consistent gastrointestinal pains. Karston was doing well when I asked him for a month or so, and I started asking because it seemed like several months without mentioning his stomach. Just as Cale turned a food corner when he turned two, I think Karston may have turned a food corner when he turned four (maybe four-and-a-half). I want to stay on the improvement trajectory!
Cale has a bit of runny nose, possibly just seasonal allergies since I saw some ragweed blooming. Also, Karston said his tummy hurt today for the first time in ages. I'm hoping it's either what Cale has (allergies or a cold) or because he hasn't eaten well today, and not a return to the bad old days of consistent gastrointestinal pains. Karston was doing well when I asked him for a month or so, and I started asking because it seemed like several months without mentioning his stomach. Just as Cale turned a food corner when he turned two, I think Karston may have turned a food corner when he turned four (maybe four-and-a-half). I want to stay on the improvement trajectory!
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