Seth is 3 and a half!

This post is late … Christmas Eve is just such a hard time to post – even for a half birthday!  And this year was so busy with all the family in town and then Katsu going out of town.

Seth seemed to have a hard time this year again with the holidays.  Thankfully, we are past wanting to kill Santa Claus, but several different times, Seth said he wanted to just skip the holidays and skip Christmas.  I think Santa Claus still kind of scares him.  There were several different occasions where Seth just melted down.  I think he also had a hard time with so many people here and invading his space and all the changes to routines.  He was pretty scared/worried when Sarah and Danny showed up and wanted to know specifically how long they were staying and wouldn’t even come in the room they were in to eat.  But then, when they left today, he wanted to know when they were coming back.  I think he just has a hard time with transitions.

Seth is still pushing a lot of buttons.  He has started making all kinds of threats when he is angry now.  Like “I am going to chop up the Christmas tree” or “I am going to go to the library and cut up all the books”.  They are pretty funny, but obviously there is a lot of angst going on in them.

Seth has still not been wanting to play on his own, but it’s nice that Andrew is home for a couple of weeks, so Seth can play with him a lot.  Although they spent most of the time when family was in town “playing” video games (i.e., holding the remote and thinking they are playing) and playing Angry Birds.  Seth loves playing or watching any sort of video or computer game.

Seth is a really big rule follower and is really into creating rules for every situation, i.e., “Now, it is my turn and then it is your turn and then you’ll do this” etc. etc.  He really is starting to love to play with Logan and it is cute to watch them.  He always loves playing with Andrew.

Fun Things This Month

• Hiking at Rockwoods Reservation / Lights in Eureka – we went hiking on Dec. 1 with fabulous weather to Rockwoods Reservation. Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed, but the hike was great! There was a fabulous trail guide to explain the sites, and it was nicely wooded and a nice climb up. Plus, there was a cave that you could look into. Seth had a great time and it was hard to keep him from running too far ahead. We had Pizza Hut for dinner which the boys thought was a real treat and then we went and saw Christmas lights at the Jellystone Campground in Eureka. Seth really seemed to enjoy it.
• Playdates.
• Going out for frozen custard and seeing Christmas lights.
• Christmas program – Seth sang along in the Christmas program at school.  It was so cute and we filmed it so hopefully we’ll get around to posting it soon.
• Dentist – Seth was very scared.  He thought we were going to the doctor, but when he found out it was the dentist, he kind of flipped out and I had to drag him to the car.  He did better … he cried the whole time and I had to hold his hand the whole time, but he did get xrays and his teeth cleaned and did xrays and the dentists coming over by himself, so he really did a great job.  His teeth looked great, as usual.
• Going to lots of Andrew’s swim lessons – Seth is really great about looking at tons of stories on my Kindle and keeping himself entertained.
• Time with Dad at the park and Sonic.
• Making sugar cookies with special cookie cutters from our neighbor Martha.  We brought them for Seth’s last day of preschool and Christmas party.
• Watching Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on the TV.
• Going to Andrew’s Christmas sing a long.  Seth must have been tired, because he feel asleep while we were sitting on the front row, on the floor, with drums, electric guitar, etc.
• Helping make stollen.
• Going to Magic House with Danny and Dad.
• Going to Zoo with Danny, Sarah, and the family.
• Chinese Buffet with Danny, Grandpa, Andrew, and Dad.
• Going up the big mound at Cahokia and seeing the lights in Belleville with Grandma and Grandpa, Michael, Meghan, Sarah, and Danny.
• St. Charles – it was cold, but Seth got lots of Santa Character cards and watched the Santa send off parade. 
• Christmas with the whole family.  Seth got train tracks from Santa, plus new underwear, socks, craft supplies, and candy in his stocking.  He also got new books from Mike and Meghan and Tomo and Masami and his brothers.  From Mom and Dad, he got castle building blocks.  From Grandma and Grandpa he got Trio Batman and Superman blocks.  From Grandpa Dick and Grandma Clo, he got Book of Mormon action figures.  From Kiyo and Hiroko, the boys got a new race track.  From Sarah and Danny, he got an army notebook.  The boys spent most of the holiday, racing cars down their new racetrack, putting together his Trio, wrestling with Grandpa (playing frog legs?), playing Angry Birds on Danny’s phone, and playing video games with Dad, Danny, and Michael.  It was a fun holiday once he got used to all the family again.
• McDonalds, Applebees, and delivery pizza with Sarah and Danny.
• Babaloo Concert at the History Museum – Seth seemed a little overwhelmed at times, but also seemed to really enjoy it and think it was funny.
• Science Center with Sarah and Danny.  A little too crowded, but the boys had fun.  They especially enjoyed building the arch together a couple times.

Andrew is 5 years 7 months old!

 

Andrew is growing and eating a TON.  All he wants to do is eat.  Several breakfasts, snacks after coming home and before dinner and after dinner.  They don’t have much time to eat at school, I know, so he rarely gets to eat everything (though he is getting faster), but they have 1 or 2 snacks, too.  He loves to eat my food and was so happy this week because everything we had to eat, he liked.  Everyday he would say how lucky he was because we were eating good food.  His favorites – homemade fried rice, homemade mac and cheese, homemade pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, etc.

Andrew finished up a session of swim lessons.  He is making slow improvements.  One session he had a substitute teacher who was great and got him to swim across the pool several times, but it hasn’t happened since.  He is taking a holiday session at the pool because I don’t want him to regress.  It is Mon and Wed. after school which is stressful for me with the little boys, but hopefully he gets to finally pass Level 1.

Andrew does not like to practice reading, but I feel like he should at least a couple times a week so he doesn’t forget it.  I will be happy when they start more formal reading at school because I know it will make him excited about it.

I finally found something that encourages Andrew to read – computer games.  If he wants computer time, he has to read before he can do the next level.  I check out easy readers from the library for him to read.  He likes this computer website – abcya – and plays this logic/physics game for 4th graders where you have to cut these ropes to let balls go into boxes (a lot like cut the rope).  He and Seth love it!  He gets really intent when he is doing it and I bet he would play forever if I let him.  I have never seen him so eager to read.

School is going well and he is eager to go.  He has a dentist appt on Wed. and I was telling him we could just skip the whole day if he wants and go to the zoo or something, but he kept telling me about all the different parts of the day he couldn’t miss.  I went and volunteered last week and saw the new book he is working on in Writing Workshop – it is about going ice skating over Thanksgiving.  He spends a lot of time on each story – much more than anyone else in the class – and is very methodical. 

I also learned that he is learning poems.  I heard him reciting today – I thought he was just talking to himself, but then I started recognizing Emily Dickinson!  I love how broad his exposure is at school.  I guess during their rest time (“Cozy In Time”) his teacher reads poetry to them.  I love it!

Andrew has loved Christmas this year, but is still not sure how much he believes in Santa.  I think he thinks some part of the storyline is just too hard to believe.  Too logical, that boy.  But we don’t talk about Santa a whole bunch anyways, so I am sure that is it.  He helped Katsu put up the Christmas tree and was actually a big help.  We have somewhat been doing a Jesse tree and having the boys color up ornaments to put on the tree.  Andrew loves it and is always talking about how his ornaments are better and look more real than Seth’s do.

Andrew doesn’t seem to enjoy playing as much and prefers to spend time doing crafts, reading books, playing on the computer or cleaning.  Yes, cleaning.  He loves it and asks me for extra chores.  He really wants to help out and do everything – especially washing windows and cleaning up around the kitchen.  Of course, anything with a spray bottle is preferred.

What a great boy!

Fun Things This Month:

• Grandparent’s Day – Andrew brought our neighbor Martha, which was a real treat since she used to teach at Meramec.  We followed along because Martha can’t drive, but tried to keep out of everyone’s hair.  He got to do crafts with her and show her his special Museum box which showed various artifacts/momentos from Andrew’s life.  Martha got him a candy bar as a token of appreciation.  What a fun day!
• 3/5/7 Shichigosan Holiday – This is a very big Japanese holiday you celebrate when boys are 3 and 5 and when girls are 5 and 7 (it is on Nov. 15). So, both Andrew and Seth got to celebrate this year. We had a busy morning – Andrew had swim lessons and then Katsu, Andrew, and Seth went to a local church to help make sandwiches for the homeless as part of an elementary school project. Then, we went to the temple and took pictures of the boys in yokata (we only had one, so they took pictures separately). The boys were not too thrilled, but after about 5 minutes, we left and went to the favorite and fancier Chinese buffet a couple cities away. They were having live entertainment for some reason, so it seemed especially celebratory. They had a dancer in a big costume that changed masks mid-dance, then a women playing a Chinese harp, and then a guy doing a dance with this watering can that almost looked like a sword. It was pretty crazy. The boys had a lot of fun and we got to reflect on how happy we are that they have gotten this far happy, healthy, and alive.
• Play Dates – Andrew had several play dates with friends from school and also has gone to one birthday party for a kindergarten friend at a bowling alley.  He had tons of fun and ate like 10 pieces of pizza, which I think was his favorite part.  I enjoyed walking there and back with him.
• Thanksgiving – we went to the parade in the morning. Andrew, as usual, wanted to see the whole thing, but was bummed that it wasn’t a huge candy throwing parade. But we stayed for the whole thing and even got some candy in the end. Then, we finished our baking and went over to our friend’s, the Shumways, for dinner. It was a really yummy dinner with tons of food and the sister missionaries were there as well. The boys ate lots and enjoyed the little cornucopias full of candy. They enjoyed playing downstairs with Elias and also watching the Snowman movie.
• Ice skating – we went to a party the day after Thanksgiving and Andrew got to try ice skating for the first time. Andrew tried it with the red pushing thing and at first, was just kind of hanging on while Katsu did all the work, but soon enough he could do it on his own.  He loved it.  That plus tons of Krispy Kreme donuts (they said they order 1400 but maybe that was a joke) made it a great morning! I think Andrew ate at least half a dozen, probably more.  We put up the Christmas tree in the boys room after that, which Andrew is loving!
• Empty Bowls Night – Andrew made clay bowls at school and then we went to the school and made a donation to a local group for the hungry and picked out bowls to take home and had a simple dinner of soup and bread.  It was really delicious and Andrew was SO excited to see everyone from school while we were around.  He kept saying “Look, there is ____”.  The funniest part of the night – they had a table with sample dishes of food eaten around the world – mostly rice and beans, but one plate was American and had fried chicken, etc.  One boy ran by and just took a piece of fried chicken and ran off.  It was so funny!
• Hiking at Rockwoods Reservation / Lights in Eureka – we went hiking on Dec. 1 with fabulous weather to Rockwoods Reservation.  Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed, but the hike was great!  There was a fabulous trail guide to explain the sites, and it was nicely wooded and a nice climb up.  Plus, there was a cave that you could look into.  Andrew had a great time and it was hard to keep him from running too far ahead.  We had Pizza Hut for dinner which the boys thought was a real treat and then we went and saw Christmas lights at the Jellystone Campground in Eureka.  Andrew didn’t seem too impressed, but I could tell he enjoyed it.
• Fireworks – Andrew finally got to see fireworks for the Clayton Winter Festival.  Katsu and Andrew went out into the front yard to watch the display, which was pretty good.

Logan is 13 months old!

Logan, Logan, Logan.  What to say?  He just seems SO grown up!  A lady at school pick-up on Friday could not believe how well he can walk.  He was basically dribbling a soccer ball up and down the playground.  This is his favorite thing to do.  He can kick and throw balls really well for his age.  He even aims – and it goes where he wants (better than me half the time!).  He is also running.  He is really steady on his feet.  He spends a lot of time practicing his gross motor skills, so he can walk up and down slopes pretty well without falling.  He also walks up and down steps well with handrails.  He knows he should slide down them on his belly, but if there is something to hold onto, he tries that instead.  Today he tried to walk up the stairs one step at a time without holding on, but he is not quite that tall or strong yet.

He is a lot more expressive with his pointing and his noises.  He still doesn’t have a ton of words.  He says “hi” or “hey” and waves greetings.  He also says “ha” for hot when we are in the kitchen.  He sometimes says “Dad” and maybe “Joe” or “Seth”.  He says “ma” when he wants to eat something, which is often.  Usually between pointing and noises, he can express what he wants pretty well.

He has anemia, and so he wasn’t eating well for a while, but I think the iron kicked in and he is eating much better now.  Our best eater so far.  He loves soft vegetables (like carrots, parsnips, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli), fruit (like bananas, apples, pears, clementines, etc.), cheese, yogurt, bread, crackers, pasta (esp. macaroni and cheese), cereal, meat.  Sometimes, it’s hard to tell because he really likes to throw his food.  All.  The.  Time.  It drives us bonkers.  He throws way more food than the other boys.

Speaking of throwing, he loves to throw and hit.  He is always carrying around a sword (inside) or a vacuum attachment or broom when he can’t find a sword or else a stick (outside).  He loves to look for sticks at the playground or when we are hiking.  He especially likes to hit people and especially me.  We are working on that.  I have had to say “no” a lot lately with him.  He gives me a mischievous smile whenever I say it, but cries whenever anyone else disciplines him.

He is still nursing 3 times a day and probably once at night unless he is sick or teething.  This month, he had had lots of teeth coming in and also a pretty bad cold, so it has been rough for sleeping.  He sleeps roughly 12 hours at night, maybe a bit less, and also 2 naps a day.  I usually end up sleeping with him on a futon half the night, but he is in the crib the rest of the time.  I don’t think he is ready to drop down to one nap a day, though sometimes that is all he gets.

Logan, except when sick or teething, is just a pretty happy fellow.  He loves to walk around and get into everything.  His favorites now – still the dishwasher, pots/pans/dishes from the cupboards, throwing cans from the pantry onto the floor, strewing the library books all over the floor, throwing out the DVD, using the drawers in tables as ladders, emptying coffee table drawers, dumping out all the toothpaste and floss, playing in the water in the toilet, taking underwear out of our drawers, and hitting the Christmas tree hard with a sword.  The most fun for him are the Christmas tree hitting and the toilet bowl splashing.  Oh, and the cat’s litter box – a personal sand box, you know.  Disgusting!!!

Logan also enjoys playing with his brothers, looking through any books (board, the older boys’, or ours’), ripping up magazines, playing with or body-slamming the cat, watching me cook and getting tastes, cuddling a/o biting me, and watching for Dad in the window.  He also loves to dance and starts shaking his head and body to any music – even the cell phone ring tone!

Fun Things This Month

• Voting – Logan was quite restless waiting in line and while I was voting (I had something like 25 judges to vote for), but thankfully, it only took about 15 minutes.
• Hiking at Route 66 State Park – Logan enjoyed running around in the visitor center and especially looking at the neon lights.  He liked running around a bit at hiking, though we kept in the stroller for most of it.
• Hiking at Elephant Rocks & Johnson’s Shut Ins – He slept on the drive, but he LOVED it when we got there.  He wanted to climb on everything, hike around on his own, and pointed at everything.  It was pretty exciting – as soon as we got there, he found a stick and had one in his hand most of the time.  He took another nap on the way to Johnson’s Shut Ins, but we all walked around and he enjoyed looking at the sites.  He screamed a good chunk of the way home, so we had to stop early and eat dinner at Steak and Shake.  They had no high chairs and he spilled water everywhere, but he enjoyed the shake!
• Pictures – we got his 1 year old pictures, tricky because he was walking everywhere and wanted to be in my arms, but we got some great ones.
• Meeting Santa – we went to the mall when Santa came in the carriage.  Logan thought the horses were pretty neat and definitely wanted to do his own craft when we were in there – he tried to make an ornament, but lost patience and feel asleep in the stroller on the way home.
• 3/5/7 Shichigosan Holiday – it wasn’t his turn to celebrate, but he enjoyed the buffet lunch and watching the performances and the koi fish.
• Thanksgiving – he got bored of the parade pretty quickly, but he loved the City Garden.  He wanted to walk everywhere, play with the Christmas light cords, and try to climb into the water.  He did like the balloons, though.  After a nap for Logan, we went over to our friends’, the Shumways, for dinner.  Logan ate some food, but mostly wanted to walk all around and check everything out.
• Ice Skating – we went to an ice skating party the day after Thanksgiving, but Logan got really bored of being held all the time and my arms got really tired.  He did like the Krispy Kreme donuts, however.  Logan had a cold and hives, which I am sure contributed to his fowl mood.
• Christmas decorations – Logan loves the tree and wants to look at it all the time, especially at night with the lights on.  He also likes to attack it and take down the ornaments.  It’s still standing … mostly, which is better than we expected.
• Second Thanksgiving – i.e., when we made our own turkey and ate it at home.  Delicious again and Logan LOVED the turkey and ate tons.
• Zoo – Logan and I went to the zoo together this week just the two of us and had a blast.  Logan loved the Children’s zoo and really liked watching the animals, especially the mole rats.  He even petted a guinea pig.  He loved running around the Bug House and enjoyed the butterflies there.  We even sat and watched the sea lions for awhile as they swum over us in the new tunnel.  It was a fun hour while Seth was at preschool.
• Hiking at Rockwoods Reservations/Santa’s Magical Kingdom – the weather has been so incredibly warm, we went hiking again!  Logan went right for a stick and really tried to hike a lot of the way.  I don’t know if he overdid it or was sick, but he threw up a little of the way through the hike, so we cleaned as best we could and ended up carrying him most of the rest of the way.  He especially thought the cave was neat and anywhere with a drop (of course).  We went to Pizza Hut for dinner (which he loved) and then to the a very decorated campground next to Six Flags called Santa’s Magical Kingdom.  Logan LOVED it – he was pretty quiet the first half – we thought maybe he was asleep, but I think he was just taking it all in, because he was wide awake.  He especially loved the tunnel.  As soon as we left he park though, he screamed the entire half an hour home.  Yikes – why we do not like driving with this kid.