Happy 4th Birthday My Precious Korben

Dear Korben,

Here we again, a year later and a year older.  You’re 4 now, my sweet first born son.

You remind me so much of Daddy.  I call you my “figure it out” boy.  You NEED to understand how everything works. You are determined and motivated to figure things out on your own.  You will definitely be one of those men who will never ask for directions and will refuse to own a GPS.  I love to watch you when you are deep in thought.  You ask lots of questions.  Each answer to your questions proceeds with another question, why, why why?  It’s most definitely your most favorite word.

You are a very cautious boy.  And because you’re sister is the risk taker you allow her to try just about anything before deciding if it is in your best interest to spend time, energy, and possibly risk body injury to do so.  Smart boy!

You love cars, trucks, buses, trains… anything that possesses wheels.  Your favorite is drawing parking spots on paper for all your hundreds of things with wheels to park in.

You are really creative with everyday things.  A small box becomes a suitcase, the rug becomes the conveyer belt in the airport and suddenly we all whisked away on a trip back to South Carolina.  The detail you use in telling stories is amazing.  Your vocabulary has expanded so much this year and you’ve become quite a sophisticated little boy.

Let me tell you, you can negotiate.  You can convince me of just about anything. I think it is a God given ability that I pray you use for good things.

God has chosen me to be your mother and I learned a lot through you.  Through you I’ve been humbled.  He has given me the beautiful gift of you and everyday I am thankful for you… even on the hard days.  You bring light and joy to this family and I am grateful you are mine forever.  Happy 4th Birthday!

Love- Mama

Happy 3rd Birthday My Kenzie Girl.

Dear Kenzie,

You are now 3 years old. Everyday you never cease to amaze me.

You have an amazing way of expressing yourself through your words and your actions. Your already huge vocabulary expands everyday as you never forget any new words you are taught.  Your memory is unbelievable.

You have such a tender spirit and a genuine concern for others, no matter who and it is seen when we are out.  When you hear a baby crying you immediately say to me, “Mama, a baby is crying; is the baby ok?”  Over the summer you heard a baby crying when we were out getting ice cream.  We were outside sitting on benches eating our ice cream.  A mother walked by with a baby crying in the stroller and you followed the stroller to make sure the baby was ok. 

You love soft things, stuffed animals, blankets, pillows. When I hand you something soft you immediately bring it to your cheek.  Your favorites are Marty Monkey and your lamby, which most of the day is close by your side.

You have an obsession with paint, glue, crayons, Play-Doh, scissors, and markers (both washable and permanent). You especially love to paint and draw on your body.  You have discovered that painting your hand yields a better handprint than markering your hand for a print.  You have tried both; on both hands and feet.

You also have an obsession with water.  It does not matter where is comes from; you love water.  Water from the faucet, from the hose, from the pool, or from the toilet; you LOVE water. You love to pour it, splash in it, dump it on Korben, spray it, and drink it. 

I call you my explorer.  You love to perform experiments.  For example, how much shampoo does it take to fill a sink, how much lipstick does it take to cover ones face, how many piano keys can I paint with toothpaste before Mama realizes that I am not in my room napping.?  How many tiny pieces of paper can I cut an 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper into?  Did I mention you love to cut EVERYTHING… paper, your hair, books, my yarn and thread, the couch?  You are amazingly coordinated, especially with scissors; you’ve had a lot of practice.

You also love to sing.  Singing is your method of putting yourself to sleep.  One song then leads to another and another, until ya can’t sing anymore.  Some nights I just listen to you and you know something, you are really pretty good. 

These are only a few things about what makes you who you are.  It has been an exciting year with you.  This coming year you will become a big sister and you will be the best sister ever.

I love you Kenzie girl.  My pregnancy with you was a big surprise but God knew what he was doing when He gave you to me.  You have been blessing and treasure to our family since the moment you arrived.  I pray that God keeps you healthy this year as I can’t wait for what surprises you have in store for our family as you grow and develop into a 4 year old. Happy 3rd Birthday!

Love, Mama

My Very Own Fountain of Love

I finally found a reason to buy a chocolate fountain.  I needed to have a good reason before I bought such a thing.  I love these things, continuously flowing chocolate; heaven I tell you, heaven.  I know that it is one of those appliances that is fun at first and then it takes up valuable space someplace in your house and only gets pulled out once a year if you’re really in the mood for an adventure.  I have a whole cabinet full of these types of appliances; various cooking, steaming, mixing, turning, and chopping apparatuses. I wonder why on earth I have spent money on these things, but like the chocolate fountain I must have had a great reason at the time.  We are having the kid’s family birthday party this weekend.  I thought what a wonderful, fun-filled, sugar-filled activity for all to partake in; especially me.  I am eager to indulge in my very own waterfall of chocolate.  I am a little concerned that 6 children will also be participating in this event.  Oh, I can only imagine the places that chocolate will relocate to in my house.

Empty

The file in my brain labeled, "Fun, creative things to do with preschoolers on a cold snowy day" is depleted, empty, nada thing left.

And I still have lunch, snack, drinks, snack, drinks, dinner, drinks, oh and more drinks left in my day… and what ever craziness happens in between.

Speaking of drinks I think I need one.

I'm Done.

Is winter over yet?  I am so done with cold weather. Done. Done. Done.  I can’t bare dealing with all the winter gear for kids and then jamming them into a car seat.  I really need to strongly consider living in place far south of NJ.  If I never saw another snowflake again in my life I would be content.  The problem is that winter has not even officially started yet.

We still have some time buddy.

Korben questioned me.

Mama, he said, when is this baby going to hatch from your heart?

How cute is that?

(Pregnancy Week 15)

Sayin' like it is.

I tried to come up with some creative way of writing this, a cool savvy way of making my big accounement.

But forget it, I'm gonna say it like it is..... I'm pregnant!...Baby Widmer #3 is coming soon, expected mid May 2008.

That's all for now... I'm tired.

(Pregnancy- Week 13)

South Carolina

We are back from our trip to South Carolina.  Once again this year it was a great time.  We had great weather and spend time with great friends.  Some highlights, our day trip to Savannah, GA, trick or treating in Habersham, great food and great conversation at Saltus Grill.  The downside to the south, bugs, specifically roaches… big ones.

Here are some pictures of my cowboy and cowgirl on their horses.

 

Bye Bye Binky

It was time.  I knew it was coming and a trip to the dentist confirmed that it needed to happen soon.  I dreaded it because she loved her pacifier SO much.

So the story goes that the baby birdies needed the pacifier now and it was time to set the binky free.  We tied the two pacifiers in the house to helium filled balloons. We went to the beach and after setting them free the Mama birdie would find the balloons and bring them to her babies.  Kenzie would also be treated to a trip to the toy store the following day.  I did all I could to entice this new binky free world for her.

So after all that, what I realize is that none of this “stuff” mattered to her.  All I really needed to do was not give her the pacifier one night and that would have been the end of it.  I think Korben had more fun with the balloons and at the store than she did.

Our house is now pacifier free.  I’ve been waiting to write that for a long time now.

MOPS Convention

In late September I had the opportunity to attend the MOPS Convention in Orlando, FL… by myself.  Well, I was with some friends but I was without my children for three days.  The convention was amazing on so many levels.  I feel rejuvenated, emotionally and spiritually.  I’m glad to be home.  I missed the kids and Jeff but this is something I hope to do every year that I am a part of MOPS.  I would just like to mention that MOPS is a wonderful ministry and if you are a mother of children under the age of 6 I encourage you to get connected to a group.

First Day of School

Basil Boy

Korben eats fresh basil, lots of it.  Everyday at some point he makes his daily stop at the garden for some basil.  He picks it by the handful and begins to eat it one leaf at a time.  On some days, hours later he will still have a piece of basil in his mouth.  I always know when he is on a basil eating binge: 1. I can smell him from several yards away. 2. His teeth, tongue, and lips are stained green

Sickness Explained

I have tested positive for Lyme Disease.  I am not thrilled about this result (obviously) but I am also glad to have an explanation to my strange and weird symptoms.  My diagnosis of Shingles back in May was actually a really bad rash which originated from the tick bite.  My diagnosis with Step Throat and Mono in July was all related to the Lyme.  My constant jaw pain is also related to the Lyme.  I have to thank a friend of mine who encouraged me and referred me to a doctor who specializes in Lyme Disease.  The doc thinks we have caught it early enough for treatment to be successful.  I am now on the road to recovery and am excited to start to feeling strong and healthy again.

Washing Clothes.

She sees me wash pots with water.  She sees me water flowers and rinse dirty toys with the hose.  She knows the washing machine uses water to wash clothes.  She is cleaned with water and soap.  So when I found that Kenzie had removed her bathing suit and was washing it in the toilet (she added some soap) how could I be surprised?

Me: Kenzie! What are you doing?

Kenzie: Mama I am rinsing my bathing suit in the toilet.

Me: Now lets put it in the washing machine.

The Joys of Motherhood

Tonight we took a family trip to Kmart (my kids call it The Big K).  Kenzie had a little accident, you know the kind when you can’t hold “it” anymore and suddenly you are standing in a puddle of urine (not that this has happened to me recently).  She has been trained for a while but when you are free to roam in a very large store (which I only allowed because the hubby was with me) all the rules about making sure you tell me if you have to “go pee” are off.  I walked over to the restroom, which happened to be close by, grabbed lots and lots of paper towels.  I figured I would clean up the urine mess.  I could have politely asked for janitorial services to assist in the clean up… I didn’t.  As I was finished washing the floor in The Big K, I began to walk and down I went, hard.  This was not what I would call a graceful fall, if there is such a thing.  It was like me body completely collapsed.   My pants now wet with my daughter’s urine, my knee throbbing in pain I stand up to find that in my fall my flip flop has completely busted.  I am now walking threw the store with paper towels wet with urine, pants wet with urine, a swollen knee, and one shoe.  The joys of motherhood.

Time

So I am wondering when these other “mom bloggers” get the time to post news everyday.  I feel so overwhelmed by my daily routine which mostly involves being a waitress, a cab driver, a referee, a singer, a painter, and a swimmer.  Now that I have the time to write I am writing about how I never have a moment to write.

My Little Explorer and Destroyer

This week Kenzie has managed to dump 2 brand new bottles of body wash on the carpet in our bedroom, she has painted each and every piano key with toothpaste, and has cut the thread to my embroidery project into a thousand pieces.  I would just like to mention that all these things happened while I thought she was napping.

Helmets

I was loading the truck with usual kid stuff for an afternoon at the beach.  I let the kids play in the truck until I was ready.  It was one of those times when each time I thought I was ready I remembered one more thing.  In and out of the house I went while in and out of the truck the kids went.  As I was adding items to our endless supply of kid stuff and they were adding additional items we needed from the garage into the truck… a hammer, rackets, and bicycle helmets.  I placed them in their seats and they each placed the helmets on their heads.  I thought, is this some indication of the way I drive.  My 2 and 3 years olds feel the need to where helmets in the car.  Probably not a bad idea based on all the other crazy drivers on the roads not me :).  They did wear the helmets for the entire car ride.

But where's the chocolate?

My grandmother lives in assisted living.  The kids love to go visit her.  Well I’m not sure it is her they really like to visit… it is the treats that they are bombarded with that are the real motivators.  Before we are through the door both of them are already asking, great grandma can we have some cookies, do you have any candy, is there chocolate in the bowl at the front desk?  They act like I never give them sweets…. oh wait, that is mostly accurate.  Anyway, my grandmother gave them each a package of cookies.  Korben immediately began devouring his oatmeal cookies.  Kenzie, on the other hand, was investigating the cookies.  Then she looked at Korben’s cookies and then back at hers with a very puzzled look.  She then looked up at me and unhappily announced, Mama there is no chocolate in these cookies.  That’s my girl always looking for the chocolate.  She managed to eat a few bites but was very displeased with this special treat. 

Sickness

Sickness has plagued our home.  For the last month we all have battled some form of an infection or virus.  After stomach viruses, shingles (me), fevers, vomiting, coughs, and runny noses we thought we were on the comeback.  Then Kenzie expressed that it feels like she has a bee in her ear.

A doctor visit later and both of her ears are infected.  What an amazing way for a 2 year old to express exactly the way she is feeling.  In her sweetest cutest voice, “Mama. My ear. My ear feels like it has a bee in it.”

My Dear Korben

I know there will come a day when your strong-will will be a good thing.  And deep down I know it is a good quality now but my endurance to press forth with you is draining quickly.  I thank God everyday that he gives us what we need…because my strength is not sufficient alone.  I hope that you stand as strong on the morals and values I am instilling in you as you do when you are determined to get something you absolutely “need”.  Korben you are going to make a great salesman because your ability to negotiate, at age 3, is beyond belief. 

I am struggling with helping to shape this strong-will that God has blessed you with.  I am struggling with being the mother you need.  Any disciplinary actions I take don’t seem to phase you .  I want you to understand that there are consequences for your actions and choices, good and bad.

I want you to rest peacefully under my wings.  I want you to respect me as your mother. I want you to control your anger.  And I want these things because I love you too much not too care.

I was praying these things for you and I heard God speak to me loud and clear… As much as you long for these things in your son I long for these things in you. And I love you just as much and more as you love your son.  And I began to pray differently.  I prayed that as you grow you would see me praying for guidance, wisdom, and control, a control that comes from knowing God. I prayed that God would fully equip me with all I need to be the mother you need so that I can raise a Godly man.  I pray that you have a desire in your heart to know God.  That He would be your source of strength where ever you go.

I love you my dear son.

A Masterpiece

Back in April, we did a 2 mile walk in Central Park, along with thousands of others, as a benefit for Parkinson’s disease.  We had the opportunity to create a team sign.  Korben and Kenzie created our team sign.

Here is a picture of a very proud Korben holding his sign high for all to see.

It's Alive

Korben was balancing several Matchbox cars on a flat piece of train track while walking down the stairs (sound like a circus act for a 3 yr. old.). He was walking slow and steady.  I was rather proud that he was taking his time because this is not a pace that comes natural for him.  He is a fast and furious kind of kid.  I’m getting off topic here, back to the circus act.  Ironically (haha), two cars rolled off the track… cars…have wheels…wheels are round.  Simple.

Korben was extremely upset that these cars had “decided” to motivate themselves and leap off the track to take a joyride down the remainder of the stairs.  He yelled at his cars in his furious voice, “Stop being alive”.

I just love the funny things kids say.

Almost Diaper Free

Kenzie has decided to potty train herself.  I’m game.  We have done nothing to encourage this behavior.  I don’t even remind her.  She tells me when she has to go and she goes…pee and poop.  This is amazing.

Cape May Zoo One Year Later

 

2006	2007

Conversation Complete

I strategically place phone calls. When I feel like I think the kids are occupied enough into something I make a run for it and place a call. They were playing happily together outside turning dirt into mud with the garden hose. Great, I made a call. Within 2 minutes they were not playing happily together. They were both still happy but Kenzie was now inside surveying the kitchen cabinets trying to make a decision on which kitchen appliance, utensil, or dish she wanted to experiment with first. As I strategically place phone calls, she strategically gets into mischief knowing I am occupied on the phone… smart girl. The large canister full of baking flour was her choice for today. I spotted her before she opened the canister. I quickly picked up the canister and placed it outside on the patio.

In my efforts to complete the conversation with my friend this is what Korben looked like shortly after the flour arrived on the patio. Oh, and I did finish my conversation.

What would you choose?

A tub of chocolate chip cookie dough had just been delivered to our house.  We had bought it from our neighbor to support her track team.  I love moments when the door bell rings and there you find an unexpected package, letter, or a person holding a tub of cookie dough.  I had totally forgotten that we had ordered these so it was a nice edible surprise.   We had just finished dinner when this delectable treat had arrived.  Perfect timing, I will make some cookies right away (although I would have made some right away no matter what time they had arrived).  It is not custom in our home for our kids to eat after dinner.  They go to bed early and it has just happened this way.

Anyway, I offered the kids a cookie and each accepted and then rejected.  Korben took one bite and was finished.  He was ready to take a bath.  Kenzie’s cookie never made it to her mouth. She pushed it away and instead began to eat string beans from the bowl that was still on the table from dinner.

I was utterly amazed.  Who would ever choose overcooked soggy string beans over warm chocolate chip cookies?  I like to think that this is something wonderful that I have done, like I have some kind of magic trick that I use to make my kids eat lots vegetables and push away the junk food.  This is not the case.  But whatever it is in them that makes them choose veggies over cookies does not come from me.

A Complaint Free World

I received an email about purchasing a bracelet to support a Complaint Free World.  My cousin had seen a segment on Oprah (side note: you mean there is TV watching outside of Noggin).  So I decided to challenge myself.  I figured I would start small.  Could I make it a full 24 hours without complaining?  I figured a portion of the 24 hours I am sleeping so I was clear for those hours.  I am starting this now.  Wish me luck, this will not be easy.

But really come on… a complaint free world, yeah right.

Wow, I blew it already, like I said this will not be easy.

Not a Mama

Kenzie and I were drawing together. 

Kenzie: Mama, draw a picture of daddy.

Mama: Sure (I don’t draw well and this was a scary and sad looking daddy)

Kenzie: Mama, draw a picture of an airplane.

Mama: Sure.

Kenzie: Mama, draw a picture of Mama.

Mama: Sure.

Kenzie: No Mama, not  Mama

Mama: Ok, what then?

Kenzie: A Mama.

Mama: A Mama?

Kenzie: NO Mama draw a llama.

Yes my sweet pea two year old asked me to draw a picture of a llama… and I thought the picture of daddy was scary.

Peanut butter and jelly without the crust.

I just don’t get it.  Why do children instinctively not eat the crust of their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?  Korben will eat every last crumb of his sandwich up to the crust and instinctively stop.  Where does this come from?  It has not been taught.  I eat the crust of my sandwich so it is not like he has learned it by watching me.  I, in fact, like the crust of bread.  Hmmmm…

Vacuuming

As I was vacuuming today I noticed that I was vacuuming up Christmas tree needles.  This is just an indication on how often I vacuum the house.

Our new cousin Adam.

Congratulations to Coley and Brad on the birth of their son Adam John!

Korben and Kenzie are soo excited to have a new cousin.

We can't wait to meet you.

Choices

I just wanted toothpaste… straight up toothpaste.  Yes, I have bought toothpaste many of times in the past but today for some reason (probably because I was kid free) I really looked at my options.  Here were some of my options: 12 hour protection toothpaste plus whitening, extra whitening plus tartar protection, anti-cavity toothpaste, toothpaste plus mouthwash plus whitening, dental baking soda & peroxide toothpaste, sodium fluoride anti-cavity toothpaste, and these were just some of my options.  Then add the various brands and several varieties of flavors and you have, what felt like, hundreds of options for toothpaste.  So which toothpaste is the best?   I care a lot about my teeth but my goodness.

Styrofoam Fun

Call me crazy for allowing my children to destroy a piece of Styrofoam but hey, they were having too much fun.

Strange Moment

I thought I lost my wallet today at the store. I didn’t thankfully. Between my son’s shrieking at the top of his lungs (I wouldn’t buy him the ball he “needed”) and my daughter’s attempt at climbing out of the cart I thought I may have put it down during the mayhem. When I called the store to ask if a kind soul had turned it in they asked me to describe my wallet… the wallet that I carry everyday, the one that holds my driver’s license, my credit/debit cards, my cash… I couldn’t fully describe my wallet. How could I not know what my wallet looked like?

Our kid free weekend.

Jeff planned a kid free fun filled weekend in NYC for me as a Christmas gift… he knows what I really like... a little free time. I miss living in NYC and love to spend time there. Some highlights were, dinner at Pure Food and Wine, a raw food restaurant. The concept of raw food restaurants is to, “keep all ingredients under 118 degrees. This preserves food’s natural enzymes which catalyze digestion. Wheat, dairy, soy, and refined sugars are naturally omitted in raw food preparation.” This was a great experience.

We also went to the Bodies: The Exhibition. This is a must see. If you don’t know, this is a, “phenomenal look at the phenomena we call the human body with real human specimens”. Check out their website.

We saw the show The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This was a fun show that gave us some good laughs.

We slept in really late... 9:30am. :)

We stayed in a hotel downtown which was different. When living in the city we spend very little time way downtown. We had a corner room on the 49^th floor with a killer view of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and the site of the World Trade Center.

Thank you to my dear husband for making this possible.

Miss Independent

This happened several months ago but I am just posting is now due to lack of computer time.

Kenzie was carrying what I thought to be a toy too heavy for a 2 year old to be carrying up the basement stairs.

I say, Kenzie can Mama help you?

Kenzie, No Mama I can do it my own way.

And she amazingly did.

Ok Miss Independent you are definitely 2 now.

Santa Claus is coming to town.

Korben was looking at a book and spotted a toy in the book that he didn’t have and wanted. He told me that he is going to ask Santa Claus to bring it by tomorrow morning.

I guess he doesn’t quite understand that Santa Claus only comes once a year.

Question

How do you fit a toddler in a car seat with a winter jacket, scarf, mittens, and a hat on... without suffocating them? This is one of the hardest things about trips in the car for me. I can’t figure out why the manufactures don’t make the straps any longer. I am thankful that this year I only have to stuff one kid in a car seat now that Korben has graduated to a seat that uses the car seatbelt.

Blue Monday

Jeff sent me an article entitled “It’s Blue Monday: The Unhappiest Day of the Year. The article stated that “British psychologist Cliff Arnall has designated January 22, 2007 as Blue Monday – the most miserable day of the year”. I was wondering if this goes for adults and children. Because if it goes for children this would explain there insane behavior yesterday… causing me to become pretty miserable.

Vitamins

My pediatrician gave me some new vitamins for the kids. Korben’s are a little bit bigger (square shaped) than Kenzie’s (shaped round) because of there age difference. Each day when I give them their vitamins they switch, just like everything else I give them. Today I got smart, I will give them each others to begin with and then when they switch they will have their own. Nope… they each took the vitamin I gave them and immediately put it in their mouths. This has never happened before. As much as they like their vitamins they never just eat them… right away that is. They talk with each other about the color and shape and why we take vitamins and then after the switch they eat them. Not today.

Masks

We made masks today.

Simple Things

My wonderful hubby makes breakfast practically every morning.  He’ll make pancakes, eggs, potatoes, muffins, etc.  I will wash frying pans and pots but I hate washing the muffin pan.  Do muffin pans ever really come clean?  Mine sits on the counter for about 3 days before I attempt the impossible.  Getting the pan into the sink for soaking is a step in the right direction. After about a day of soaking I begin to scrub and after a few minutes I give up and think this time the dishwasher will clean it (even though it hasn’t the last 5 times I put it in there).  The dishwasher makes things worse by baking the food remnants in.  Now even more frustrated I put the pan away to deal with it next time.

As I was walking through the grocery store yesterday something wonderful caught my eye… muffin baking cups.  Why hadn’t I thought of this earlier?  They must have had these here the thousands of other times I have grocery shopped.  How did I miss them?  It didn’t matter I was so excited to purchase these colorfully decorated baking cups.  I love when something so simple brightens my day, makes my life in the kitchen a little less stressful.  Simple things…I hope that I can remember slow down in life a little bit more so I don’t miss the joy that simple things in life give… like muffin baking cups.