Kai's newest addiction

I even created a playlist for him on YouTube so that I can just start it and then get 10 minutes to shower! He loves Choo Choo Soul!! Click here to see a video.

The things Kai says

It's funny to me what Kai picks up on. In the last week or so, I've been repeatedly amused by the phrases that come out of Kai's mouth. For instance, after his nap this afternoon Kai ran into the living room, put a bowl on his head and exclaimed "Oh my gosh!" over and over. He must of heard me say that, but I have no idea when. I was laughing and he thought he was beyond clever so we called Reid to let him listen. Kai's a pretty good comic!

At dinner time and bed time we are very consistent with our prayers and Kai has recently started helping to say them. Normally he just repeats after me or Reid as we say the words, but last week he started adding his own phrases. The first one he said was "Bless the baby". Too cute! I have no idea where he got it from but it was so sweet. Last night, he cut me off to add "Thank you for daddy, thank you for lotion, thank you for the high chair" and he would have kept on going if I hadn't cut back in to take over the prayer! I try my best not to laugh, but come one, it's cute!

Finally, I'm starting to wonder who the parent really is. Almost immediately upon moving to Colorado, I developed horrible eczema. Kai really doesn't remember a time when mommy hasn't been scratching. Yesterday I had a resolution not to scratch. Not even 2 hours into the day, Kai and I were eating breakfast and I broke. While scratching my leg, Kai looked over and said "Itchy Itchy Ichabod"! (For those who aren't familiar with Dr. Seuss' ABC's--"Big I, little i, what begins with I? Itchy Itchy Ichabod, I, I, I.") Of course I laughed! And then Kai said mater-of-factly, "Get the lotion". Of course! Why didn't I think of that! Kai's so good at looking out for me. I love my little boy!

How Kai Says It

I love listening to Kai! He has such a great vocabulary and normally very good enunciation. There are a few words, though, for which he has developed his own pronunciation. I've been wanting to write these down for a while, and I know I don't have a complete list, but I'll try to come back and add to it when I hear something else!

locks = socks (pretty much anything that starts with "s" normally, starts with "l" for Kai)
hopter = helicopter
milt = milk (Kai really struggles with the "c" and "k" sounds)
bana = banana
lum = some
omilla = vanilla
waterlemon = watermelon (my personal favorite!)
ellow = yellow
pup-per-pony = pepperoni

A new T-Shirt

We recently purchased Kai a new t-shirt that should come in handy this fall.
Here's to hoping it fits when baby #2 arrives! (sometime around October 27th)

Easter Weekend (In Words)

We had a fabulous Easter Weekend! It was so fun to be home and enjoy the holiday together. This was the first year that the Easter Bunny came to visit Kai--and he was excited. We had been reading about Easter in the weeks leading up to the holiday and he knew what was coming--jelly beans, eggs, the works!

Saturday we dyed a dozen eggs and it was so fun to see Reid lead out and teach Kai what to do. They did a fabulous job decorating the eggs. I was also surprised with how long Kai was entertained by the process. It took pretty much the whole afternoon! And afterward, Reid introduced Kai to eating hard boiled eggs--and he liked it! Thank goodness (we have a whole lot more!)

Sunday Kai found an Easter egg hunt in our basement. The Easter Bunny hid a dozen candy-filled plastic eggs. Kai made short work of the hunt and was done in less than 3 minutes! The hunt led Kai to his basket of goodies--Easter toys and more candy! Since Kai was such a good hunter, while he was looking through his basket, the Easter Bunny went upstairs and hid another 42 eggs (these were empty). Kai ran through the house with such excitement that eggs were bouncing out of the basket just as quickly as he put them in!

Of course, the real reason for the season is the resurrection of our Savior. And what Easter Sunday would be complete without worshiping Him. Unfortunately, we received about 4 inches of snow or so, and so church was canceled. But it didn't stop us from enjoying our Easter time and our time as a family--an eternal family, thanks to Him. We're so grateful for all of our blessings!!

Easter Weekend (In Pictures)

Saturday afternoon-dying eggs with Daddy

Putting the color tablets in the cups

Watching the bubbles and the color changeDying the eggsKai's colored eggsWaiting for the eggs to dry
Dad tried to teach Kai the matching gameInstead, Kai decided it was more fun to
sit on the pieces so Dad couldn't play!
Putting the stickers on the eggs

Picking a new stickerTime to horse around
Easter Sunday--After the egg hunt
that led to his basket
Enjoying the spoils of Easter

Craft Time

I tried to introduce Kai to finger painting a couple of weeks back, but he didn't really want to have anything to do with the mess. So at the recommendation of a friend, I bought him some paint brushes and cheap little wooden toys.

This morning I set him up to paint, figuring that while he was occupied I could get the dishes done. Well, I didn't get the dishes done, but he did have a good time "coloring the airplane".

The finished project. Ok, so yeah, I helped, too.

Wendy's Kid's Meal

Yesterday Kai and I traveled into Colorado Springs for an appointment. After we were done, I thought we'd do some errands while we were there. We made a stop at CostCo and before I knew it, it was lunch time. While heading home with our goods, I decided to drive-thru at Wendy's. (There's no Wendy's really close to us and a good Frosty fix every now and then never hurts!) I knew what I wanted, but couldn't figure out what to get Kai. So, after some pondering, I ordered him a cheeseburger kid's meal. Who would've known it would be a huge hit?!! Kai has only had a hamburger once before, so I wasn't sure what he'd make of it. But he insisted on eating this burger by himself and he loved it! It was the first time I've seen him eat a sandwich as a sandwich. Normally he disects it, eats only the parts he wants, and insists I break it into little bites. I think that's why I really love this picture of my boy eating like a big boy!

My Best Laugh of the Week

I guess I should have been more prepared for it. It was inevitable that this would eventually happen, but I still found it HILARIOUS. Last Friday while I was getting ready to go out (I have a normal routine of make-up and brushing my teeth before taking Kai out) Kai asked me "Where's Kai's make-up?" I explained to him that he was so cute he didn't need make-up and he was satisfied. However on Monday when I told him we were getting ready to go out, he ran to my make-up bag, pulled out the blush and the brush, and brought it to me. "I want this," he said over and over. He would not let it die. So, I thought I'd see what would happen. I opened the blush and he dipped his brush and began to put it on his face. I don't think I could have laughed harder. He was having such a good time. The funniest part is that he's right-handed and so never once touched the left side. He had a great pink spot on his lower right cheek!

After the blush, he brought me my foundation and a sponge and insisted on some of that as well. I opened the bottle and told him to dab the sponge on the top (that way he wouldn't actually get any, just made him think he did) which he did. He loved it! He insisted on going out with his make-up on! From the pictures you can't really tell, and to be honest I don't think anyone else would have noticed. But I certainly knew what the slightly pinker than normal cheek was all about and it made me smile all afternoon!

Trying to get a picture of the pink cheek, but
the camera didn't do it justice.

A Week Full of Pictures

With a snowstorm last Thursday and Friday, another this past Wednesday, and another rolling in tonight, we've spent a great deal of time indoors. As I've looked back at the pictures I've taken this week, I realized that we really have had a good week and Kai has been especially cute. Here are some highlights of our week.

On Sunday, Kai wanted to learn about roadsigns. We started by taking a zoomed-in picture of the stop sign at the end of our street. After we showed him the picture, he was able to identify the sign right from the window.

After the stop sign, Kai wanted to see some of the signs on the interstate (a bit further away). Reid came up with an idea that involved putting tape as an outline on our windows so that Kai would know where to look to find the sign. Here's Kai and Daddy looking at the sign

and here's the tape box.

Later, Reid moved the box down to Kai's level so he could see the sign without Daddy. Kai really enjoyed looking at the "green sign" and he can find it now without the assistance of the tape.

One morning, while I otherwise distracted, Kai decided to be mommy's helper. He took all of the measuring cups from my drawer and loaded them into the dishwasher for me. He thought they were dirty!
On Wednesday we went to the store and bought Kai his first playdough kit. After I talked it up through the entire store, Kai was super-excited when we got home. He actually sat in his chair and "played" playdough for a full hour! He loved that the kit had his very own scissors and noodle maker. What's even better is that when Reid came home, he had just as fun as Kai. Playdough has become a popular request these past three days!

Finally, who says boys can't play dress up? This morning Kai asked to wear his blankie as a dress. He didn't want me to safety pin it, so this is the best we could do. He was certainly cute in his "dress".We're looking forward to another snow-bound weekend full of general conference and cinnamon rolls. Ok, I'm looking forward to the cinnamon rolls. I checked The Tigger Movie out for Kai, so hopefully that will entertain him a bit while Reid and I can enjoy a few minutes of quiet conference viewing. It should be a good weekend!