Life Without Kids

The other day we were all sitting at the table, the kids were screaming for more food/milk/etc., and David said something to me like, "Can you imagine what we could be doing right now if we didn't have kids?  We could be vacationing in Italy."

Before I could respond, Daniel butted in and said, "If we didn't have kids, we could get a dog!"

David said, "Who could get a dog if they didn't have kids?"
Daniel replied, "You, Mommy, me, and Catherine!"

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago.  Here are a few of the best pics:

Racecar Surprise

David and Daniel are at the Abilene Speedway right now to attend Daniel's first car race!  David wanted to keep it a surprise, and this is how the conversation went down:

David: Daniel, I have a surprise for you tomorrow night.
Daniel: What is it?
David: Well, it's a surprise!  It's something really good though.
Daniel:  Is it a tea party!!!???
David: A tea party???
Daniel: Yeah!
David: No, it's not a tea party!
Daniel: Hmm.....is it a slumber party!!!???

Hope our "manly" little guy isn't disappointed in the race.  :)

What's in a Name?

Daniel uses a lot of nicknames for Catherine.  I can't even think of all of them - he just calls her random silly things that come to mind.  Sometimes he calls her bunny, snuggle buns, and paper monster, but the two that get the most use: Munchy Bunny and Big Belly Monster.

Teething

Catherine is teething.  She's not one of those horrible teethers that you hear about, but she's obviously teething because she's biting down on things really hard, including my shoulder - yikes! 

Today she found the ultimate teether.  I was vacuuming, and she crawled up to the vacuum, yelled at it loudly, then bit down on the front (while it was running!).  Apparently the vibrations or something felt good because she proceeded to follow me all over the living room, doing whatever she could to bite down on that thing!  Goofy girl.  :)  Vacuuming took a little longer than usual today.

Thumb Update

Daniel has been a hardcore thumb sucker for a long, long, long time.  We had been talking to him about quitting the habit once he hit four years old.  We weren't exactly sure how we were going to accomplish this, but we figured it would be a long process, considering how long he's been addicted. 

We forgot that Daniel is really good with deadlines.

For example, when Daniel turned three, he started pooping in the potty.  He had refused to do this for the previous eight months (even disregarding bribes such as trips to the zoo, cupcakes, toys, etc.), but when he turned three, he turned a magical corner in his mind and just did it.

The same thing happened with his thumb and turning four.  He just quit the day he turned four.  Just like that.  He's asked a few times to put a bandaid on his thumb to "help him remember," and there are occasional nights that we hear him sucking it long after he's fallen asleep.  I'm assuming that will go away on its own as he doesn't need it to fall asleep anymore.  Overall, he's doing amazingly well!

Tonight we treated him to frozen yogurt - the same prize we used for potty training.  The kid loves it!  He had cookies 'n' cream yogurt with Reese's, M&M's, Nerds, gummy bears, and colored sprinkles.  Sounds kinda nasty to me, but he loved it.  When we got in the car, he said, "When will we come to the yogurt shop again?"  I said, "I don't know.  When do you think?"  He said, "Well, I guess I need to learn to wipe myself all by myself all the time, and then we can come back to the yogurt shop."  Agreed!  Glad we have a new goal! 

Catherine's 8 Month Update

Catherine turned eight months old the same day that Daniel turned four years old!

She has really been changing a lot and is not so much of a baby anymore! 

• She can crawl everywhere and gets pretty quick sometimes. 
• She pulls up on everything and anything that she can. 
• She follows Daniel everywhere. 
• She eats a variety of foods and doesn't seem to be bothered by any of them.
• She is starting to feed herself finger foods, though most of it falls on her lap.
• She still has just two bottom teeth, no uppers.
• She follows Daniel everywhere.
• She sleeps through most nights (8ish to 6ish) and takes 2-3 naps.
• Her hair is silly long, and I realize it needs to be trimmed, but can't make myself do it yet.
• She likes to "dance" to music, particularly when she pushes the buttons on the keyboard.
• She follows Daniel everywhere.
• She loves to be outside on the back patio and is frequently covered in sidewalk chalk.
• She loves to play in the water - either tub or pool.
• She makes silly panting and raspberry noises.
• She follows Daniel everywhere.

Can you tell she loves her big brother?  It drives him a bit crazy at times!