Painting

I have a few minutes before the kids go to sleep and I thought I would take pictures off the camera and post them but I can't find the cord. 

Painting has taken much much longer than we anticipated.  We are nearing the end.  The second floor is done.  The main floor is nearly done.  I think there are just a few touchups and some trim painting.  The basement needs a second coat and trim painting.  I want to burn these paintbrushes when we are done and not look at one for a very long time.  In addition to the painting there were a lot of little jobs that needed to be done.  We needed to finish the banquette area, repair the outdoor lights, and numerous other things that I wish we had done earlier.  The kids haven't done much because I don't want them painting.  They did some window washing today and cleaned floors. 

Cora has been doing a decent job of staying out of the way.  She's not as bad as she could be.  I do think a few of her clothes have paint stains from not staying away enough.  She has spent a lot of time playing with Nyla.  They were playing chase/hide and seek earlier today and squealing so loud that glass nearly shattered.  She also joined Bohdin and Nyla in the bathtub today when their play involved washing toys.  Right now the three of them are watching something on the other computer. 

The other night Cora placed a cup of water in the middle of the hallway.  I told her it wasn't a good spot because it blocked the path.  She walked over and made a show of going around it.  Then she turned to me and said it was fine.  Another day she had food in her hand and her mouth.  I told her to go to the table to eat.  She finished chewing, swallowed, and said she wasn't eating after showing me her empty mouth.  She then ran off with the food in her hand.  

Nyla has been making progress with her reading.  She read 42 words the other day.  When she is in the right mood she works hard.  Since that day it has been hard to get her to agree to read much. 

Hurdles

The past few weeks have been so busy.  We decided to have the movers come before Christmas so it would be easier to get the house in move out condition.  Buddy had wanted sooner and I wanted later so the week before Christmas was a good compromise.  Once that was settled we needed to move Christmas up because it was important to the kids to have a tree.  The tree is too big and bulky to take up precious cargo space in our personal vehicles.  Once the decision was made I had a bit over a week to pull Christmas together quickly.  That wasn't the only thing we did.

On Tuesday we saw M- and W- for the last time to say goodbye.  The kids had a lot of fun at their house.  Those boys are so wonderful.  Tuesday evening Grandpa stopped by for the night.  We went to dinner where Bohdin talked to Santa for the first time ever.  I thought of him scared at the sight of Santa as a little kid and how far he had come when he actually requested to see Santa.  Nyla was all over Santa and asked for a Tangled dress which she later regretted.  Luckily Santa didn't bring the Tangled dress.  Cora is less scared of Santa than Bohdin at that age but she still kept a healthy distance.  After dinner Bohdin played his new game courtesy of M- and W-.



On Wednesday, the M- family came to visit.  I thought it would be a farewell visit but they want to see us one last time.  Hopefully that works out.  Again the kids had a great time and it was hard to break up their fun when it was time to go.

The next few days were spent on Christmas prep and moving prep.  I had a list of things I wanted to make the kids for Christmas but couldn't complete the list.  I made Nyla pants from Tangled fabric but haven't made a matching hair band or shirt yet.  I did complete two stick horses for the girls and a dress up stand to organize their clothes.  I wanted to make a few additional costumes but ran out of time.  I had started building a bed for Bohdin in October with Buddy's help and that needed finishing. It was never meant as a Christmas present but since it was done on the day we celebrated I told him Merry Christmas when I set it up in his room.















Cora received a lot of Mickey and Minnie things which pleased her enormously.  Bohdin received a lot of books which he enjoyed and Nyla received a mix of items.  I don't think I could choose a favorite.  They liked everything quite well.

It was a huge relief to have Christmas done.  I felt like I had three hurdles in front of me and Christmas was the first one.  The next one would be the packers that came three days later.  Once Christmas was over all of my attention needed to focus on getting the house ready.  We did a lot of decluttering and organizing.  I also painted Bohdin's dresser, a shelf, a small table, and two small chairs.  Bohdin is sad that he will be losing his colorful room.  His new room will have white walls.  Part of the reason I made the bed is so that it would be colorful.  I also wanted him to have a lot of book storage since he enjoys reading so much.  I painted his dresser in 10 different colors per his request so he could have color in his room when we move.  Nyla is sad that she will be losing her pink room but I didn't start soon enough to remedy her problem.







The movers arrived Wednesday morning and worked hard.  I don't even remember what time they left.  That night was the first night I could go to bed at a reasonable time because nothing needed another coat of paint or a bit more cleaning.  They arrived Thursday morning at 8am and left close to 9pm.  It was a long day.  Now we have a mostly empty house that we can paint and finish cleaning.  We will have plenty of time to get this work done and if we work hard we may be able to take a short vacation before driving to Kansas.  Buddy is exhausted and still has one day left at work.  After working so hard these past few days I'm not sure I'm willing to do a brutal schedule in order to have a few vacation days at the end.  Perhaps after a short rest we will both feel energized to tackle this last hurdle.

Sick

I'm having trouble posting pictures and don't have the time to mess with technology that doesn't work.  I copied most of my post before losing it so I'll just paste that.  I'll come back another time about Bohdin's birthday.



Monday at gymnastics I was working on Nyla's Christmas present. The next thing I knew she is standing right next to me. She told me she wasn't feeling well and the next instant threw up all over me. The vomit was everywhere. It was on her, the floor, and me. I cleaned her up a bit and we left. Two other moms were nice enough to shoo me off while they cleaned the floor. I had to drive home with Bohdin's coat draped over me since I had only underwear on. It turns out that Cora's throwing up from the week before was not vaccine related. It was contagious. Nyla threw up a few more times that afternoon. I took Cora out Monday night so we could pick up supplies for Bohdin's party with his friends on Wednesday. When I was at the store I started feeling a little queasy and had to come home. Buddy was already feeling bad. It was a rough night. Only Bohdin and Cora were feeling fine. The next morning I told Bohdin to stay as far away from all of us as possible hoping he wouldn't catch it. He threw up a minute later. Cora was the only one feeling well. With the exception of Bohdin we were feeling better by Tuesday evening. Bohdin developed a fever on Wednesday and wasn't completely better until Friday. His party was cancelled. We saw M- and W- today to say goodbye and we'll see more friends tomorrow. It's a shame that the party didn't work out. We'll try our best to see S- before we leave.

December is always a busy month and this time even more so because of the moving. The packers will be here next week and there is a tremendous amount to do before then. We've moved Christmas up to the 16th which leaves even less time to get things ready and I lost several days with the illness. I'm making many of Nyla's presents this year and I've only completed one so far. I'm in the process of building Bohdin a bed which has to be done before the movers come. I also want to paint his dresser before then. I need about 8 more hours in each day for the next week.

Last Monday at gymnastics I discovered that Nyla has her first loose tooth.  She is beyond excited.  She can't wait to exchange her tooth for money.  Nyla's first two teeth popped up on Christmas day five years ago.  It would be ironic if she also lost her first tooth on Christmas day.  

Really Busy

We're in the final crunch of getting the house ready before we move.  There is an overwhelming amount of things to do in addition to the holidays and just daily life.  Nana and Papa came for Thanksgiving help us out.  The help was so needed and appreciated.   



This week we've been busy painting, working on the fireplace, and various odds and ends.  In addition Nyla developed a high fever after receiving the varicella vaccine on Wednesday and Cora threw up about a dozen times after her MMR vaccine.  They're both fine now.

Today was Bohdin's Lego League presentation.  Two of the kids couldn't make it which we were aware of so the girls stepped up.  The two remaining boys on the team aren't talkers.  Bohdin did his two lines.  He had them memorized very well but had trouble remembering to say them loudly and slowly.  The team did a great job.  We'll have one last get together on Wednesday for a farewell/birthday party. 

Hooters

The Halloween candy from the zoo was stored in an upper cabinet.  Cora was in the mood for candy and pushed the chair across the kitchen so she could climb up and find something sweet.



Nyla made a Mickey and Minnie Mouse for Cora.  I don't think Cora appreciated it that much.  I don't know where they are now.  Nyla made me a necklace out of yarn and later made another one with a large drawing of her attached.  I haven't worn the bigger one yet because I am worried that Cora will ruin it but I did wear the simple one.

The kids went to G-'s birthday party on Saturday and had a great time.  Nyla was really excited to play with A- and Bohdin was excited to play with G-.  It was an owl themed party and we came home with owl magnets and an owl attached to a mini clothes pin.  Nyla was getting ready for bed so she only had underwear on.  She clipped an owl to each hip and came into the bedroom shaking her hips and asking if I liked her hooters.  I don't know what we'll do with a teenage Nyla.

Mickey Pusher

One of the reasons Cora likes Mickey and Minnie so much is that Nyla is really pushing it onto her.  It seems like the moment Cora wakes up, Nyla asks her if she wants Mickey.  We have two Mickey toys, a small stuffed one and a Lego Duplo one.  Nyla asks Cora if she wants to wear her Minnie shirt.  Sometimes if Cora doesn't want any of these things Nyla gets mad and yells at her that she is not getting her a Christmas present.  I'm having trouble convincing Nyla that it is not a nice thing to do.

When we were in the science center in Orlando there was an area with paper and tape.  There were instructions on how to build something that would fly in the wind area.  Nyla couldn't read the instructions so she designed her own.  I was surprised at how well it flew.  I told her she was an engineer and ever since then she has been making all sorts of things.  Some of it is just art like a paper doll with clothes and some of it meant to be useful like the house she made for D's cat last week.  She thought it turned out too small so we just threw it away.  Yesterday she made herself a paper basket.  We go through a lot of tape in this house so I was glad to be able to find a six pack at the dollar store. 


The schools in Kansas are supposed to be excellent and after talking to somebody out there with a second grader I want to put Bohdin in school as well once we move.  Supposedly the elementary schools are among the best in the country.  If Bohdin is ever going to attend school this is the one.  It has a few things going for it.  The school has great teachers, lots of money, and great students.  Almost the entire school is made up of kids with parents going to school on post.  None are poor or have uneducated parents.  These things can make a difference.  The other thing I like is that there are lots of new kids.  Most kids are only there for 10 months.  The school is used to a huge turnover.  Bohdin shouldn't be the only new kid at the time.  Every single kid will know what it is like to be the new kid in school and most have been there just a few months.  It seems like it would be easier for Bohdin to make friends in that situation.  My concerns are that he doesn't like the noise of a lot of people at once.  He can't concentrate with lots of people talking.  In Lego League on Wednesday all of the kids were trying brainstorm and he kept trying to get everyone to talk one at a time.  Eventually he walked away.  That was only five other kids.  My other concern with Bohdin is he crumbles under time pressure.  I can see him failing a spelling test because he will be so focused on time that he will be unable to move at all.  I tested him out at home with a spelling test and it ended in tears.  I'm hoping the teachers will work with him and if it doesn't work out that's fine.  I don't anticipate that Bohdin will be behind academically.  They are starting to learn cursive which Bohdin hasn't yet.  I thought about starting him and seeing how much we can do in the next few weeks.  Bohdin might also feel overwhelmed if he went in and had to catch up. 

I'm not concerned about Nyla at all.  I think she will thrive in school.  She has a completely different personality than Bohdin and it is the kind that works well in public school.  If the kids have learned something that she hasn't she will just learn it.  I expect that she will be one of the most popular kids in the class by the end of the year and doing somewhere between fine to great academically.  Nyla isn't reading yet but she's progressing well.  She's getting better at putting sounds together into words but still needs more time to mature or more practice.  I'm not certain which.




Nyla and Cora laying together watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Cora finally watches tv and now that she likes it she wants to watch it all of the time.  She would watch all day if we let her.  In the picture Cora is wearing Nyla's underwear.  Many times Cora will wear only Nyla's clothes.  She won't wear her own underwear at all.  It must come from Nyla's drawer.  Yesterday she wore Nyla's pants and popped in them.  Cora likes to wear underwear but she won't sit on the potty even when she knows she needs to go.  There are times that Nyla can successfully take her but even Nyla isn't 100% effective at convincing her.  I don't know what Cora will do with herself when Nyla is gone.  She's going to miss her tremendously.   

Cousins

The Saturday before Halloween Curious George was at the Science Museum.  Nyla doesn't like to pass up a chance to meet a character so we went.  Cora really likes Curious George as well but she wasn't going to sit next to him.  One of the employees did manage to coax her into touching his hand quickly.  As far as character greetings go this one was really lame.  Whoever was inside was hardly moving much less interacting with the kids. 



After saying goodbye to Curious George the kids played a bit.  Bohdin didn't want to do the little kid area so I let him go off by himself.  I wasn't sure how well it would work but it turned out fine.  He stayed in the area he was instructed to.  Nyla and Cora had fun playing on the plane together and went down the slide side by side.  There were a large number of sick kids in the general vicinity.  I predicted one of the kids would be sick for Halloween and I was right.  Cora developed a cold helped along by running around outside in inappropriate clothing.  She hates any sort of outerwear and getting her to wear even a long sleeve shirt can be iffy.


The cousins arrived Tuesday evening.  It's been almost two years since we've seen them so it was really wonderful to have them here.  It took Nyla a little while to warm up.  She didn't remember her cousins at all but within a few hours she was cuddled up on the couch with one of them watching a movie. 

Wednesday was Lego League day and we couldn't really miss it.  It was at M-'s house.  The kids were playing and Nyla found an old Mickey Mouse costume.  The mom explained that it was the only costume she had saved from when they were little.  Cora wanted to put it on and it fit perfectly.  She offered to loan it to her but I declined because I didn't want to ruin a costume that she cherished.  I had an extremely difficult time getting Cora out of  it.  She cried and didn't stop crying. It was a struggle to get her into the car seat.  I drove off and she was still crying.  I pulled over to call the Disney store about buying one but they had already sold the last one.  I turned around so I could borrow the costume. 


We met the cousins at the Science Museum for a little while.  We couldn't stay long because Cora would need a nap if she wanted to go trick or treating especially since she wasn't feeling well.  The plan that night was to meet up with G-'s family just like in previous years.  We went to their neighborhood but didn't bump into them.  I'm glad because Bohdin and Nyla were able to be with their cousins without interference.  They had so much fun.  Nyla couldn't find her Tangled dress which I later found in my closet so she decided to go as Santa girl. 


The cousins had to leave late Thursday morning.  We were sad to see them go.  I hope it's not two years before we see them again.

I love Minnie

I had a request for the kids' Christmas list and after many hours spent searching Nyla narrowed down her choice to the one she absolutely loved.  She found a Tangled doll and wanted it bad.  She wanted it so much that she did jobs around the house for money.  Washing windows and scrubbing floors made hardly a dent in the amount she needed.  While her desire to work abated her desire for the doll did not. 

On Sunday we went to Costco and Cora had a peek of Minnie near the front of the store.  She was nuts.  I thought she was just tired but Nyla eventually convinced me to go the toy section.  It turns out that Cora had just wanted a better look at the Minnie thing she had briefly seen.  After looking at that she discovered the giant 48" plush Minne and Mickey.  She was in love and told me repeatedly "I love Minnie".  I wasn't sure we would make it out of the store without a huge fuss about not getting Minnie.  Nyla offered to buy it for her with the money she had saving up for her beloved Tangled doll.  That giant Minnie actually costs more than Nyla's doll but Nyla is determined to get her that Minnie.  I was touched by Nyla's generosity.  We made it out of the store without a Minnie and I think I convinced them both that something smaller would be better.  I hope I did.  Just to be safe I should go to Costco by myself until Christmas. 

Gymnastics

Nyla has been putting Cora in the doll stroller and pushing her around for the past several days. 



Bohdin reading to Nyla and Cora.  It's not something he does very often. In the picture Cora is wearing a Minnie pajama shirt that I found at the consignment store.  It is her new favorite shirt.  She wore it several days in a row this week, only taking it off for a bath.  After the bath she would put it back on.


October must be bubble bath month because I have a bubble bath picture from a previous October also.  This year Cora has joined a few times but she doesn't love it.  The bathtub is deep and when she sits in so many bubbles they go in her mouth.  Cora likes taking baths with Nyla in the little bathtub.  Earlier tonight they were playing duckies in there and Nyla was brushing Cora's hair with a toothbrush. 





I took Bohdin to gymnastics on Monday.  I wasn't sure how he would react because he was having a bad day.  The first thing he asked when he came out was when he could do it again.  He loved it.  Nyla's class is directly afterward.  I spent a lot of time trying to keep Cora out of there.  She wanted to be with Bohdin during his class and Nyla during her class.  Since they love it so much we'll keep doing it up until we move. 

We've had some warm days in the low 80s this week and I told the kids to go outside and enjoy it.  On Tuesday they played in the sprinkler.  They came up with a game that had them hugging Bohdin before each round and then touching the sprinkler with more water coming out each round.










Bohdin's bread this week was potato rosemary.


Nyla likes to go outside and watch the girls across the street get off the bus with the hope that they will invite her over.  Her plan has been working and she has played with them a lot the past two weeks.  Everything seems to be going okay.  On Wednesday Nyla took out her backpack and blanket to wait under her favorite tree which is actually in the neighbor's yard.



Wednesday we had Lego League at our house.  Because the weather was so nice we had it outside around the fire.  Afterward they roasted marshmallows.  Nyla had fun playing with S-.  They get on well despite the 4.5 year age difference.  S- wants Nyla's new address so she can write to her after our move.  Bohdin spent a long time talking with P- about Star Wars Clone Wars.  They both enjoy Star Wars.

Right now Nyla is playing fetch with Cora.  She just told her "You're not a girl.  You're a dog."  She's instructing her to pant, crawl around, and place the ball at her feet.  When Cora brings the object back in her mouth Nyla calls Cora "a good girl" in the same voice one would use with a dog.  Now Cora is barking.  Kids come up with crazy games.

Interview with Bohdin

1. What is something mommy/daddy always says to you?

mommy -  Do you know that I love you?
daddy -   I don't know

2. What makes mommy/daddy/ Bohdin happy?

mommy - a clean house
 daddy -  playing a lot of computer
 Bohdin - reading

3. What makes mommy/daddy/ Bohdin sad?

mommy -  no Bohdin?
daddy -   I don't know
Bohdin -  hurting myself

4. How does mommy/daddy make you laugh?

mommy - I would think hugging me
 daddy - Tickling me

5. What did mommy/daddy like to do as a child?

mommy - I don't know that
daddy - I don't know that either

6. How old is mommy/daddy?

mommy - 36?
daddy - 48?

7. How tall am I?

mommy - I would think about maybe 4 feet?
daddy -  Four feet six inches?

8. What is mommy's/daddy's/Bohdin's favorite thing to watch on TV?

mommy - News?
daddy - Football
Bohdin - Star Wars The Clone Wars

9. What does mommy/daddy do when you're not around?

mommy - Clean?
daddy - Play computer

10. If mommy/daddy become famous, what will it be for?

mommy - For being the best mommy in the world?
daddy- Playing a lot of computer

11. What is mommy/daddy/Bohdin really good at?

mommy - Cleaning
 daddy - Playing computer
Bohdin - Reading and having ideas

12. What is mommy/daddy/Bohdin not very good at?

mommy -Flying
daddy-  Knowing when to get off the computer
Bohdin - He couldn't think of anything

13. What does mommy/daddy do for a job?

mommy - Take care of us
 daddy - Work in the Army

14. What is mommy's/daddy's/Bohdin's favorite food?

mommy - Apple?
 daddy -  Chocolate nut bars?
Bohdin - I would say broccoli

15. What makes you proud of mommy/daddy?

mommy - I have no idea
daddy - I have no idea

16. If mommy/daddy were a cartoon character, who would I be?

mommy - I don't know
daddy - I have no idea


17. What do we do together?

mommy - Clean
daddy -   I don't know

18. How are we the same?

mommy - We both have brown hair
daddy - We're both boys


19. How are we different?

mommy - You have greenish eyes and I have blue ones
daddy - Daddy's hair is short and mine isn't very short

20. How do you know mommy/daddy loves you?

mommy - You tell me that every single time
daddy - I don't know

21. What do I like most about daddy/mommy?

mommy - The hugs you give me
daddy - I don't know

22. Where is mommy's/daddy's favorite place to go?

mommy - the library?
daddy - I do not know
Bohdin -I don't think I have a favorite place to go

Here is last year's answers:  http://buddyhelen.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

Missing Time

I don't have as much time on the computer as I used to.  In the past I did the blog posts while Cora took her nap.  Today during her nap I was shopping with Nyla.  Yesterday I was doing Bohdin's schoolwork during her nap.  The day before she didn't take one.  The list goes on.

As Cora is getting older she is playing more with Nyla.  The other day they dressed up as princesses and Nyla was combing Cora's hair.  They've been doing all sorts of things together including and not one comes to mind right now.  Cora has finally shown interest in tv which has been amazing.  Buddy takes advantage of it a lot.






I took Nyla to gymnastics class on Monday.  We know another family that goes there and I thought Nyla might like it.  Buddy has been home all week so I only had to take Nyla.  She really enjoyed it and I'm going to put Bohdin in gymnastics as well.  G- is in the class and I think they might enjoy doing it together for at least a few weeks.

Wednesday was Lego League and the kids had a lot of fun as usual.  There wasn't much work done on the project because they are mostly done with the build.  Instead they played all sorts of games including a game where they pretended they were orphans and had to escape   They made is as far as the backyard before it was time to go.  It's nice that all of the kids get along and can play together so well.



On Tuesday Bohdin made pizza dough as his baking project.  Nyla wondered what would happen if flour was mixed with water.  I handed her some flour and water and told her to find out.  She played around with it outside while I put Cora down for a nap.  She came upstairs and wanted to make it into bread.  I told her to add salt and yeast.  She added some and put it on the counter to rise.  It rose a bit and after dinner I threw it in the oven.  It wasn't the best bread but it was edible.  We took it outside and ate it around the fire.



Nyla has been really determined to learn how to read and demands to do several reading lessons per day.  She's working on letter sounds right now but has learned enough that she could move on to reading simple words.  She's having difficulty moving from sounding out the letters to saying the sounds fast enough to make it sound like a word.  She is a stubborn little thing and while she was discouraged today I know she's not going to give up.  I expect that she'll be demanding to do more schoolwork tomorrow.

Today I took Nyla with me to Costco.  Somehow it ended up a trip to get Nyla new shoes.  She loves shopping and has way more stamina than I do.  We didn't find the right pair of shoes yet but we did find Tangled underwear and a new winter coat.  I wouldn't be surprised if she asks to go shopping again tomorrow.