Canning

I decided to can my first-ever batch of pickles this week.  I'm not a fan of dill, so I searched all over until I found a recipe that I think I might like.  I used the recipe for Sweet Pickle Spears out of the Ball Canning Guide.  Simply sugar, vinegar, turmeric, salt and mustard seed.  Canning was the easy part; the hard part was teaching a little boy to be patient.  He couldn't wait to get his hands on my canning supplies and "can" his own veggies!

He was so excited when I let him use some of my jars.  Even more excited when I let him use the lids, too!

Apparently he watched me pretty closely throughout the whole process - he knew that he had to get the air bubbles out and measure the headspace!

Ready to be canned!  He told me that he was canning cucumbers and watermelon to take over to Kitty O'bey's house because she didn't have any blue supplies - just green ones (which apparently don't work as well?).   He was entertained by everything for well over an hour!

Oh, and my pickles turned out pretty good!  Judging by the amount of blossoms on my cucumbers, I will be canning more in the next couple of weeks!

When Lane grows up...

...he wants to be a farmer.  No surprise there!  However, for months he has wanted to be a road construction worker...he said Katy would do the farming.

Lately, he's been going with Curtis more often to fix pivots or ride in the tractor or do what farmers do.  He has really enjoyed all that time with Daddy (and I really enjoy it too!).

A few days ago, Lane was playing quietly on his own (a rare occurrence!) and I wondered what he was up to. About 10 minutes later, he showed me his list.

Lane had written down all the farming tasks that he had to do that day.  First on the list was spraying, then cultivating, then fixing tires, and a bunch of other stuff that I don't remember.  He took his list and was busy for the next half hour doing farming things.  He even made a list for Curtis that included things like drive the Bobcat, fill in the hole, etc.

Makes me wonder what he will be when he grows up!

*Notice the letters that he used to write his list?  He likes "L" for Lane, "t" for Trenton, "M" for Miles, and "E" because it looks the same upside down.

Lane's new hobby

I think that Lane is a budding photographer - he just loves taking pictures!  He will often ask me for the iPod so that he can take pictures of random things.  I LOVE seeing what he takes pictures of - it is so fun to see his perspective on things.  He has taken over 400 pictures using the iPod, mostly of his toys, feet, and Katy.

The other day when it was so nice outside I was trying to get him to go outside during Katy's nap.  He just wanted to play inside until I told him I'd let him use my old camera to take pictures.  He had a blast!

Unfortunately, something is messed up with the camera and all the pictures were coming out blurry.  Luckily, he didn't seem to notice too much, he was just obsessed with getting the right shot!

I walked along with him and took some of the same pictures he did.  Lane didn't take these, but he was right beside me as we took these.

This is one "hobby" I wouldn't mind him doing more of!  It will be fun to see how long he is interested in it.

Happy 4th Birthday, Lane!

Yesterday was Lane's 4th birthday!  (Just like everyone always says, I can't believe my baby is 4 already, he's growing so fast, yada, yada, yada....).  He's at the age now where he could really look forward to his birthday. He told me for months what he wanted for his birthday (Bob the Builder stuff, a sleeping bag, and a baseball glove).

Finally the big day came!  I asked Lane how old he is:  "I'm still 3."

"No, Lane, you're 4!  Today is your birthday!"

"But I'm still 3.  I didn't grow at all!"  I explained to him that he really was 4.

Lane and Katy were really excited about the candles on Lane's cinnamon roll in the morning.  After a normal Sunday of church, lunch, and naps, we headed over to my parent's house for a birthday celebration.

Since Brooks' birthday is May 3rd, Casey wanted to celebrate his birthday this past weekend (she might have a baby by next weekend!) so we combined Lane's and Brooks' party.  Definitely made it easier for me - I just had to make a couple sides and buy a cake!

Lane was really excited to open his presents.  He got everything on his list...lucky boy!  We bought him Bob the Builder Duplos, and Grandma and Grandpa and Great-Grandma and Grandpa bought him a sleeping bag. (I found a cheap baseball glove at a consignment sale a few weeks ago, so he already had that!).  He got some dinosaurs, a bubble wand, and a squirt gun from Casey and Blake and a kids' CD from Bret and Laura.  He was pretty excited about everything!

Since Casey already had plans to make Brooks a cake, I figured that we didn't need 2 traditional cakes.  I love ice cream cakes so I picked one up from Dairy Queen earlier in the week.

Both boys really admired their cakes!

Brooks had to watch Lane pretty close to figure out what exactly was going on!  Lane blew all his out and then we laughed while Brooks tried and tried.

Lane and Katy have had a great time playing Bob the Builder today.  Duplo sets was a pretty good choice for a present - the kids can share them and Katy doesn't feel left out!  I even heard Lane singing the Bob the Builder theme song and he NEVER sings!  Pretty cute.

February

I thought that I didn't take many pictures during February...it seems like we didn't do much...but I did get a bunch of "real life" Lane and Katy shots.  Here's what they do during any given day:

Katy's first time painting.  Yikes!

Both kids discovered a dry erase board and markers.
They've had lots of fun drawing and tracing everything.

Katy likes to push her dolly stroller around.  She keeps
her sippy cup and pacifiers in the bottom basket.

We went sledding down the interstate hill with Chad, Brittanie, Grace, and Kaylie.

I made playdough one day...surprisingly, it kept both kids quiet
and happy for 45 minutes!

They are all about dancing these days!  Katy is hilarious with all her "moves".

I made them both new shirts one day.  They loved them, but were
even more thrilled with the shorts.

Playing with flour is a messy but extremely fun way to pass the time!

Mixing everything up getting it "just right" for the bulldozers and diggers.

Great-Grandma and Grandpa brought back some beads from Mardi Gras.  Katy
loves them and usually has a strand or two around her neck.

I got Katy's trike out one nice day.  Once we brought it inside, she
learned to ride it in about 2 days.  She pedals forward, backward, and everywhere!

Lane is all about the duplos/mega blocks these days.  He's been waking up at 6 am
just so that he can go play with Duplos!

That was our February!  We have all been sick for about the past 6 weeks. I am so ready for spring and staying healthy!

Lane's version of "Be Careful, Little Eyes"

Lane was being restless just a few minutes ago when I was trying to get him to go to sleep.  I asked him to please lay still and sing to Little Deer.  After a few moments, I heard this:

"Be careful, Little Deer, when you build a hoooouuuusssse!
Be careful, Little Deer, when you're on a crane on the roof of the hooouuuusssee!
Be careful, Little Deer, so you don't fall offff!
Be careful, Little Deer, when you're playing in your sandbox!
Be careful, Little Deer, when you dig a hole, so you don't fall in and get hurt!!"

It was all I could do to keep from laughing.  And no, he didn't fall asleep.

Lane - 3.5 years old

At 3.5 years old, Lane:

-is in preschool 2 mornings a week, 8:00 - 11:15.  He loves it there and has so much fun playing with Trenton and Miles.
-is SO close to being completely potty-trained (well, except at night).  The end is in sight!
-talks all the time.  He's getting easier to understand, but he doesn't always use the right sounds.  And he's not even consistent in using the wrong sounds.  For example, "Grandma" is pronounced "dah-ma" and "Bobcat" is pronounced "dahb-cat".

-loves harvest time.  It's so funny how he switches which toys he plays with - spring and fall, tractors and combines.  Winter - trains and mega blocks.  Summer - construction toys.
-still prefers to wear t-shirts and sweatpants all the time.  Occasionally I can get him to wear khakis.  Very rarely, jeans.

-favorite foods are cookies, applesauce, chocolate milk, spaghetti and meatballs, and McDonald's chicken nuggets.

-likes to hear Daddy's silly songs about machinery.
-likes to pretend things (like the couch and the playground) are his ship and Katy is a sea creature.

-loves his little sister and is getting better about sharing with her.
-takes a nap 2-3 days out of a week.  Loves his new quiet time boxes.

-figured out how to open the child lock on his door.  "Mommy, you put this white thing on my door knob so I couldn't open it!  But, I just stuck my fingers in the holes and the door opened and I walked out!"
-has a few favorite shows: Curious George, Calliou, and John Deere tractor videos.

-concentrates so hard when he's "working".
-for Christmas, he wants "a payloader with forks, a cherry picker, and a log trailer."

-says funny things:  "I looked and looked and couldn't find it."
-"I need a little thing about 6 inches big." (Everything is 6 inches big to him!)
-"Let's just sell Katy to the Indians."
-In the car on the way to York: "Mommy, I have to pee!" I asked him to hold it until we got to Casey's house.  Pause.  "But I can't!!  There's a buckle in the way!"

-still has favorite stuffed animals: Kitty, Little Deer, Snow Leopard, Bee, and Penguin.

-is entering more of a "daredevil" stage: swinging on the bars at the park, jumping off stuff, and just yesterday, riding down the hill on the "gator".

-LOVES my old Copycats of the King cassette...he talks about Growlbert and "Snoozer"

-is growing up so fast!  It always amazes me how he will go to bed one night and then just wake up the next morning so much older!

Folding Laundry

He is so careful when folding dishcloths...

 

...now if only he had the coordination to fold the rest of the laundry.

Every parent can relate to this...

Honestly, what parent doesn't want their kid(s) to have everything they want?  It's fun to see their little faces light up with a new toy, a candy bar, a pet, whatever.  Of course, no parent (at least the ones I know) gives their kid everything they want - but it would be fun!  (If Lane got everything he wanted, we'd have a house full of giant construction equipment and would eat nothing but candy corn and kit kats.)

But...why is it that when you think the kids are going to love something...it doesn't work out the way you planned. 

We have had this Power Wheels motorcycle sitting in our garage since Curtis found it in his parent's shop.  It didn't work, but after buying a small part for it, Curtis got it running.  We figured Lane would LOVE to drive it around (Katy already liked sitting on it any chance she got!).

I've been thinking about getting Katy a Cozy Coupe car (you know, the big ones that go outside) for Christmas.  When I saw that our neighbors a few blocks away had one for FREE out on the curb...I figured I might as well snatch it up (well, after seeing it there for a few days and deciding that since no one else wanted it, why not?).  It was pretty dirty and worn out, but after a good washing, it's not too bad.  Bring on the fun!

As it turns out - Cozy Coupe had to be stored on top of the garbage can due to all the fighting/screaming matches over who got to ride him.  Lane freaked out when the motorcycle started to move and refused to get back on.

So much for the fun times I envisioned!

ETA:  Lane did eventually get on the motorcycle when we put it on the bike path.  He loves it now.  And Lane has learned to leave Katy alone if she's any where near Cozy Coupe.  Apparently, it is HER car and she DOES NOT want to share it, but she will happily spend a half hour sitting in it and playing the music.

First Day of School

Lane has been so excited to start preschool and today was finally the big day!  He woke up and immediately asked to put on his "school" clothes and go.

I tried to get a good "first day of school" photo, but he was being so goofy!

Katy and I took him to school (me on my bike, Katy in the bike seat, and Lane in the bike trailer - we make quite a scene!) and walked him to his classroom.  He's already been there a few times - a couple of speech appointments and preschool orientation last week - so he felt really comfortable and just dived right in to start playing!  I don't think he even noticed that I left.

I've had a lot of people ask if I'm sad about him starting school.  I'm not!  I'm excited for him (he loves situations like that!) and I'm excited to start a new phase in our life.  I did get a little teary-eyed walking in to the school today, but that was more from nostalgia than anything.  My dad went to that school, I went to that school (had first grade in the classroom Lane is in now!) and now Lane gets to go. 

Katy and I had a good first morning without Lane around - she was pretty crabby from lack of sleep - but I would much rather deal with one crabby toddler than two of them ;)  We didn't do much - cleaned a little, caught up on laundry, and then went for a walk to the post office (the long way around).  We had a little adventure when we watched the city workers put a snapping turtle back in the lake.  When we got home, Katy wanted to ride the bike, so we rode my bike all around town. 

Lane was very excited to ride the school bus home.  It was so cute to see him get off!

He told me all about his day - he played in the block house with Trenton, got to swing on the swings, had a snack with chocolate milk, blew bubbles, bounced on a green ball, never took Little Deer out of his backpack, drew pictures, went potty by himself (and covered his ears when it flushed since it was loud), and got to ride the bus home.  Whew - busy day for a 3-year-old!

I think he will enjoy the year - it's already off to a great start!