A Child and God

So Maggie is getting to an interesting age, where she is asking all kinds of questions about our God. She talks to him at bedtime about all the regular stuff a nearly four year old talks to everyone about. Her toys, her fears, anyone that might possibly be sick around her. Every night she prays for the "little girl" who doesn't have any toys. I know its a figurative little girl, because I speak openly with my children about how some people don't have anything, and we are very very blessed. She is compassionate and sweet, and talks of how she hopes to meet Jesus in heaven.

Yesterday, after a meeting at church she was asking about "appetizing" which = baptizing. She was fascniated by the idea of getting in a pool of water in front of everyone. At which point she asked if you need to be naked.

I love her curiosity, and her love for people and God. She truly has a heart of gold.

Halloween

We all know I am a slacker, but I am making a Thanksgiving resolution to take more pictures of my adorable children, and to post them more frequently. At some point we'll do a belly shot too, as this littlest Keen is starting to make their presence known, outside of the hormone induced nausea.

See my funny and adorable older children in Halloween attire.

Challenges

Things have been tough on the Keen clan lately. This baby has made me far sicker than any of my previous pregnancies, and has even made me miss some work. The kids don't seem to want to stay healthy and we are just drained. So, that's why we haven't updated in awhile. It may be awhile longer before you get anything more detailed. Sorry.

Baby, Baby, Bay OOOHHHHH

So I already made it official via Facebook, but we are expecting our third little bundle in April. Maggie wants a girl. Miles wants a baby. Jeremy wants a boy. I want to stop feeling like I'm going to throw up. Hopefully by April, Miles, at least one other family member, and myself will get what we want.

A Milestone for Miles

He had his first introduction to all out vomiting. It was not enjoyable for anyone involved. He puked all over the living room carpet, furniture, blankets, himself, and his mother. He was so panicked he was rubbing it all over his face and hair, which FREAKED Maggie out. She was gagging and crying and asking why, and telling him to stop. I think I missed the garbage can entirely. He went straight to the bath, where Maggie continued to cry and say that she didn't want him to feel yucky. Then she told him that she would teach him everything to do when you are sick. Good times.

It goes a little something like this

So we have an adventerous life here at the Keen household, and it goes a little something like this.

Maggie: I love camp. I want to go every single day.

She comes home looking like this:

She seems alright and the doctor has no appointments for the rest of the day, so we do our normal nighttime routine.

She wakes up in the morning looking like this.

We hit the doctor this AM who says big mosquito bite and sends us on our way to buy this:

Before people start getting concerned about recals or anything of that nature, we bought the generic. But there are few things worse than a kid on antihistamines. They are like little monsters

Thankful

As all newish moms are, I am nervous and at times anxious about placing my children in the care of others. I am so thankful for the YMCA this summer, and the opportunity to leave my daughter with someone that is perfect for her. Maggie is currently attending half-day, outdoor, daycamp with other 3-5 year olds. She is LOVING it. I thought maybe we would do a couple weeks for fun, but so far she has been to almost every week. The counselors know exactly how to encourage and motivate her. When I pick her up, they tell me how good she is and how thoughtful and what a good listener. As her mom, I don't always get to see these qualities, and I am beginning to realize how vital it is for children to have adults in their lives to encourage them. I think its so important for some of those adults to not be family. These counselors understand the exact mentality of a 3 year old in a way I never will. They let them be suddenly distracted by a funny shaped cloud, appreciate what they have to say about it, then gently guide them back to the group and activity at hand. My heart and gift is mostly for school agers. I know what to expect of them, I can provide the structure and humor that they need, and rarely get impatient with them. My 3 year old tries me and provokes an impatience, and sometimes frustration that I thought I had long ago outgrown. When I see her at camp though, in an environment where she can get messy, do paint and take a nature walk through the mud, I am thankful for people who know that kids need to get dirty to have fun. I forget that, and I don't like messes. Crafts are often daunting for me, because I don't want to deal with the cleanup. I am reassured that there are people that enjoy and care for my children, often in ways that I forget about. I think the nurturing that Maggie is receiving this summer from those staff is exactly what she needs at this stage in her life. And the time away and the feedback from the staff at camp gives me a new perspective of my fiercely independent daughter, and I can reflect on her in ways I couldn't acknowledge before.

As I prepare to leave both children in daycare 2 days a week starting in August, I am beginning to realize that it may not be the bad thing that I had initially thought. Having dropped down to part time to ensure that my children are home with me, putting them in daycare was something I had never considered. Now I am realizing that those people, experienced and perhaps even designed to work with 18 month olds and 3 year olds, may have an understanding of them that I am lacking. So I am choosing to look forward to the ways that my children will grow from their experience. If this summer is any indication of the quality of people the Y will bring into my children's lives, we have a lot to look forward to.

Oh baby!

A conversation I overheard Maggie having with herself:

"Oh man. My belly is so big. It is so big. There must be a baby in there. There is a baby in my belly. . .wait, maybe not. . . .wait. . . oh yeah, there it is. There is definitely a baby in my belly."

Taste of T-Ball

The Bird is the Word

My little birdie girl has been full of gems lately, so I just thought I would share.

She has taken to noticing things that are alike and different. For example, if we both have red shirts on, she is almost sure to tell me so. If something has changed, she is sure to point it out. Unfortunately for us, this also goes along with strangers that are different, or friends that are different. She very recently realized that there are different skin colors out there, and after much explanation, I thought that she had come to terms with "its what's inside that counts." Until she told her Aunt Jess's friend that she could not kiss her goodnight, because her skin might turn brown. . .I guess there is only so much you can do with a 3 year old. They have their entirely 3 year old logic.

She is my mini-me to the extreme. As she continuously interrupted a conversation I was having, I was just about to turn to her and send her away. Upon making eye contact, she told me this instead. "Focus mommy, focus. I don't have all day."

My last Maggie gem, has to do with breaking the thumb sucking habit. We can't seem to do it. I finally caved and bought that foul tasting nail polish that is supposed to discourage it. I thought it was going to work, when for a whole day she stopped, and upon forgetting at bedtime broke into tears about the bad taste. However, by morning she had quickly realized that upon sucking for long enough, the taste goes away. I painted her nails 5 times with it yesterday. I give up. For Maggie, it was a waste of 12 dollars. I know that it works for other children, and if you think yours might be one, send me your address and I'll gladly mail you the bottle. I felt defeated at bedtime last night, and I teased her as I tucked her in with good night kisses. TERRIBLE good night kisses. A word of warning to you all. If you plan to use the nail polish, and your child is as stubborn as mine, don't kiss them good night. After a full day of her sucking off the nail polish, she tasted awful.

Oh girl of mine, you were born to teach me patience. I have a lot to learn.

A friend painted a picture of Maggie

Birds

The birds in the neighborhood are conspiring against me. Somehow they figure out the nights that I am restless, the nights I have woken up many times for no reason. Even the nights when I have zombie dreams of my old high school. Then, around 4:30 am, they have a karaoke party in the tree in front of my house. I can still hear them even after I close the window. One of the very few houses on the block with a tree in the front yard, the birds congregate in there. I envision them saying to each other, where do you want to meet up just before sunrise? How about 778. You know, the house with the tulalips growing in the front, where the kids drop crackers and shiz. We had to stop providing bird seed for them. It didn't even seem to help. But what do you do, when you are a lone house, with a lone tree? Ask Maggie! She knows. Our morning conversation went something like this:

Maggie climbs into our bed to wake us at 6:30am.
"Morning, mom and dad" - Maggie
"Morning sugarbee. I've got to do something about those birds. Either a bee bee gun, or bird poison." - Me
"A bee bee gun mom. Then sneak out there at night, and SHOOT 'em in the NECK!" - Maggie

Jeremy and I burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"ITS NOT FUNNY!" - The Psycho little three year old girl that wants a bee bee gun

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day was a wealth of emotions this year as I battled the stomach flu on my special day. While I did enjoy the luxury of lying in bed all day, it was punctuated with bouts of vomiting and a wicked headache. All of this occurred as Jeremy was recovering from his stomach bug. He was the healthiest of the two of us at the time,and thus took over home duty, while I holed up in the bedroom with a garbage can and a glass of diluted water. I guess in some ways I got everything a mother hopes for on Mother's Day. The seclusion of my room, not bothered by anyone. However, I would have preferred being bugged all day by the small ones, followed up with dinner that was tasty, no sips of watered down sprite. I am feeling better today, but now that three of us have endured the attack, we are waiting it out to see if Miles gets it, or avoids it. Say a prayer for us, as we finish up the last rounds of this virus.

In other news, I am demanding a re-schedule of Mother's Day. I refuse to accept the dress rehearsal that was yesterday, and luckily for me, I have a loving husband who agrees.

Behind the times

I admit, I have once again been MIA on the family blog front. Life is busier, and I enjoy life more than I enjoy the computer. Only at times though!

A few updates:

-Maggie had her physical for preschool

-She is in the 70th percentile for height

-She is in the 60th for weight

She is tall and skinny. The doctor asked me if she gets that from her dad. While she obviously does, I wasn't sure how to take that. . .thanks Dr. Love.

-Miles is babbling up a storm and seems to be trying to learn words all the time. He's always trying to mimic what we say. He gets the inflection but not the sound.

-He likes to put things in the toilet, which you will see proof of below.

-He likes to play with the cans on the pantry shelf, and also cars.

-He and his sister love to dance together and play in boxes.

Mom has been busy with her 3 jobs that she is doing lately and leading a small group for church. She is tired but fulfilled.

Dad is currently working on finishing his newest musical endeavor, and hopes to have them ready for sale by the end of this summer.

Learn How to Drive

Today we were on our way to the Y.M.C.A to do our usual Thursday routine. While on the way, for no apparent reason, my dear daughter says, "Learn how to drive people." She paused, and then said, "I know I'm not the boss mom, but I just had to tell those people that. They should know how to drive already."

Also, we toured a preschool today that we are considering for our rambunctious girl. She thought it was nifty and now we just need to pray about it and make sure we are making a wise decision, but it was a very nice school, and a Christian one at that. Its run by 2 very nice ladies that I know through church. Other than that, not a ton going on around our front.

Hope all is well across the world.

The Heart of a Child

I had a sweet discussion with my girl today. It went a little something like this.

Enter Sam attempting to put on a pair of boots.

Maggie says,"Mommy are those rain boots."
Sam, "No, just regular boots. It would be nice to have some rain boots, but I don't need them. Did you know there are some people that don't have any shoes at all?"
Maggie, "We have lots of shoes. Maybe we should get them some!"
Sam,"Yeah, we have a lot of shoes we don't wear anymore or don't fit. Maybe we could get all those shoes together and give them to help people that don't have shoes."
Maggie, "Mommy that is a GREAT idea!"

Children have the best hearts. They maybe be selfish and not like to share. They may want their brother or sister to go far away, but when they see someone in need, they want to act. My Maggie is no different, and I am proud of her tender heart. I love that girl.

My babies

My babies are getting quite big. There is nothing like them in the whole entire world.

Miles' newest adventures include the following:
-Running everywhere
-Rolling over the dog and cuddling her on her bed while drinking his bottle
-Drinking a bottle (even though he should be over this by now)
-Saying a couple of words Mama, Dada, Dog, Nigh Night, Yeah, Baba, and my very most favorite Gigi, its what he calls Maggie, and it may be what I start calling her
-He's figured out how to turn the crank on the Jack in the Box and gets endless amusment from it
-Giving and blowing many kisses, he is a lover
-Hiding behind Mama's legs, he is a total Mama's boy
-He is forever sniffling and coughing, and I am beginning to worry that he has some real allergies going on. It would be a shame for him if it was the dog, but a joy for me.
-Sticking his fingers up his nose
-Torturing his sister by always trying to get ahold of her favorite things, but he waits to grab them until he knows she is looking

Maggie's Newest Adventures:
-Rambling a mile a minute about everything under the sun
-Playing with friends
-Dancing to all kinds of music (her favorites are Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Lady Antebellum)
-Holding hands with her best friend while driving through the carwash that she is usually afraid of. J was supposed to be brave and hold her hand. He did, but then he ended up getting "just a little scared of the brushes."
-Crafts, the girl LOVES anything crafty
-Playing outside, now that the sun is finally making small infrequent appearances
-Begging for sweets, a new favorite REDVINES! She is my daughter surely and truly
-Snuggling while watching a movie
-Telling me she loves me more than the whole entire world

Yikes

I am very behind on the family blog. Rest assured I will be posting some tasty story nuggets for your pleasure soon. In the mean time, enjoy these beautiful family photos by Stephen Signa.