Learning to Read and Ride

In the past month or so our little boys have had some fun milestones. Karsten learned to ride his bike, and Kolter is learning to read. They both are so excited about these accomplishments and because of that, so am I.

When Kolter first started Kindegarten he wanted to learn to read so badly. After the first week or so he said he was going to quit school because he wasn't learning to read there. I told him that in order to learn to read he had to first learn the letters and the sounds they make, and then gradually he would put it all together to learn to read. After thinking about it for a bit, I guess he decided that this is what he would do, and soon he started to be more willing to practice the alphabet and sounds. Then, after many learning sessions with his teacher Ky, (he loves to teach his little brothers and sisters just about anything)Kolter has started sounding out words and feels like he can read now. I guess maybe that means he'll stay in school ;)

After Karsten left his bike behind my car and I ran over and bent one of the training wheels, we decided that was a sign that it was time to learn to ride without them. All it took was a bit of practice with Dad, and before we knew it, he was off and riding and asking non stop if he could ride his bike. He'd ride down the driveway, up the street, around the cul de sac, back down the street, up the driveway, and turn a cirlce and do it all over again...and again...and again.

Meet Bell

Bell is a darling cat that has adopted our family. A few months ago she started showing up on our doorstep and meowing for food. After about the fourth day of it, I felt so bad for her and I decided to buy her some food. Well, that was all it took, and she has been around ever since. She's a great cat, doesn't need a litter box, and is nice to the kids, even Kenz and Karst when they try to pick her up and haul her around with them.

The kids named her Bell because she wore a collar with a bell on it. It makes me wonder what happened to her original family. Someone had to have owned her to put a collar on her. We have asked around though, and nobody seems to know who she belonged to. So, for now she is ours, at least until we move again. Then I don't know what to do with her because we can't take her with us. Anyone want a sweet cat?

Tough Guy

This is Karsten with his new scar just before he got his stitches out. Poor little buddy got a pretty good cut that required ten stitches when he hit his chin on the metal bumper of my jeep after jumping up real fast from hiding under it.

There was quite a bit of blood and it really upset him so he cried a lot at first. After we got the blood cleaned up and his clothes changed, we took him to the doctor to be treated. From then on Karsten was so super tough. He didn't cry at all when he was getting his stitches, not even when he got the shot. Dr. Chamberlain was quite impressed and so was his mama. He sat completely still and made it really easy for Chamby to sew him up. When we went to get them out, he was equally as brave. That's our Karsten, one tough little guy!

Our Little 18 Month Old

Yep, our little Kenz is a year and half old now. The little darling is a joy to have in our family. I would have to say that she is still proving to be the hardest of all our kids, though her pretty blue eyes and unique red hair that help her super cute personality be even cuter, make it hard to ever be mad at her. She screams when you change her diaper, she screams when you wash her in the bath, she cries when you comb her hair, she fights when you brush her teeth, she insists on always feeding herself and hates to be cleaned up afterward. Kenz lets you know what it is she wants, and if she doesn't get it she'll let you know that she's not happy about it. If you want to really upset her, just tell her that she can't have her "go go" (pacifier). It doesn't really matter what kind of pacifier it is, but she still loves her binki. Many times a day she will go to her shoe drawer that she can barely reach on her tiptoes, and get out one of her shoes, bringing it to you to put on for her saying "sues, sues." Despite Kenzlie living up to the reputation of a fiery red head, she brings many smiles each day to all of us and we love this little girl so much.