Going places you shouldn't and other things

Both kids have been caught in places they probably shouldn't be in. So, like the good mom I am, I have to grab the camera and take a picture first. =)

Dominic had been told not to climb the railings on the patio. He's gotten clothes and appendages stuck and we're afraid he'll fall or be left hanging.

The child lock is now activated on the washer and dryer thanks to Caitlin.

I've been trying to come up with creative ways to fix Caitlin's hair. It's baby fine and won't stay no matter what I do with it. I've braided it and it falls apart within minutes. These head bands work great until she realizes what she's wearing and takes it out to look at the "peety bow" as she calls it.

Caitlin eating a tomato like an apple. We were pulling items out of the refrigerator to make lunch and I handed her the container with half a tomato in it. Turned around to find it almost completely in her mouth.

I walked by the back door and saw Dominic laying down with the dogs on either side of him. When I returned with the camera he was hugging them and rubbing their bellies. He never knew I'd taken these pictures. These two dogs sure do love him.

 

Blame and Big Words

Yesterday Caitlin was playing in her room with Dominic while I painted in his room. I heard crying and went in to investigate. Caitlin had pinched her fingers. She sat in my lap and cried for a while and then with tears still flowing she pointed her chubby little finger at Dominic and said very clearly - 

"He did it!"

Poor Dominic doesn't stand a chance now. =)

I was back in Dominic's room painting and I heard this high pitched little voice say

"I think I'll pull your tail."

Lower pitched voice "Don't be an impertinent scally wag."

It was his stuffed cat and lego man talking to each other.

Music

Yesterday at the children's museum there was a guy with a bunch of different instruments. He allowed the kids to play any of them. Dominic had so much fun playing the drums and the violin.

Caitlin wasn't so sure and this is the only time she got remotely close to one. She was content to sit in my lap and watch everything.

13th Sabbath

Today was 13th Sabbath. So the kids were supposed to get up and do something to show what they've been learning this quarter.

Jon and I have been alternating who gets to attend the adult class and who goes in with Caitlin. I was very thankful that today was Jon's day so I didn't have to go up front with Caitlin.

She wouldn't let go of Jon and participate. Strange since she's fine by herself during children's story.

 Dominic has about 10-12 kids in his class and enjoys going to Sabbath school so much. He told me that it's his favorite day because of his friends and teacher. The teachers are great and really interact well with the kids. The main teacher has come up to me several times and told me what Dominic talks about in class.

Last week he announced during children's story that the pink toilet in our pink bathroom was broken and had spilled water everywhere. So now the whole church knows. =) Turns out it was only Caitlin playing in the toilet. I'm just thankful he didn't know about that or he'd have mentioned it as well.

Dominic's class sang a couple of songs.  He did very well even though the girl beside him kept playing with her ribbons. At the very end he sneezed, smeared his face with the back of his hand and finished the song.

Dominic found the camera in my purse during church and was taking pictures of everything. 

We now have approx 30 pictures of the backs of people's heads and the hymnals. But he caught Caitlin playing with the tic tac box. She knows that I keep them in my purse and if she's upset and getting frustrated about something I can usually defuse it with a tic tac. So after eating two she was quite distressed to find the container empty. She played with it for a while trying to get more to come out.
 

Loving life in Tennessee

Jon has really been enjoying being able to drive the Model A to church and town. Since we live so close to everything and don't have to get out on major roads we can take it pretty much anywhere we need to go.

I made them pose for a picture.

Last Sabbath we rode to church. Dominic and I rode in the rumble seat and Caitlin rode up front with Jon.

On Sunday Jon went to work in the workshop. I looked out to see this. I guess he wasn't getting much work done. But the kids sure were having fun.

Caitlin found this outfit at the museum. She wore it everywhere. She couldn't figure out the tail at first and was spinning in circles trying to "catch her tail". Then she fell down and figured out how to grab it.

Silly girl!

There is a park just a few blocks from our house. The kids really enjoyed the merry-go-round. Dominic called it a dizzy-go-round. Both kids were covered in dust from falling off, but weren't ready to leave.

Dominic was at Little Lambs so I was trying to get some cleaning done. Caitlin was "helping" me wash dishes and playing in the bubbles while standing on her little chair. Then I saw her pushing the chair into the laundry room. We have the gate in front of the bathroom so the cat can eat in peace and so Caitlin won't play in the litterbox. Guess she thought she'd try to get over the fence.

Dominic learned that he could tip his cereal bowl up and get the milk out with the spoon better. 

"Mom, someday I'll teach you how to do these things."

Looks like he's gone back to his previous method.

Random bits of stuff

When Dominic says something cute and I don't have a moment to blog I will write it down in my planner. I was throwing away the old pages and found several things from the previous weeks and thought I'd go ahead and post them even thought it's not in order.

Dominic was praying for lunch.

"Please bless the food and please bring us more."

Guess he figured I hadn't made enough. =)

Dominic had been playing really rough.

"My underknee hurts. I guess I'm falling apart, Mom."

Caitlin turned to me out of the blue and gave me a huge hug and kiss. Then she said "wov you mom." I melted into a little puddle. Dominic has her calling me mom and it's so cute to hear her. She's starting to talk more clearly, but will frequently make up words for ones she doesn't know. It's keeping us guessing. Her most consistent one is maa maa for water.

Dominic had been waking up very early and I wasn't having time to have my devotions. So I put an alarm clock in his room and told him it had to have a 7 in the front before he could get up. This has worked amazingly well.

Yesterday he woke up at 8am. It gave Caitlin and I some quality time together. When he came out of his bedroom he said:

 "I slept until 8 o'clock, Mom. I think I went overboard in sleeping."

By the time we got into our home the kids comfort items (bear and blanket) were getting pretty disgusting. So I tossed them in the washing machine on hand wash. It was apparently fascinating and distressing.

 

Good thing the handwash cycle is short. Because they stood right there and watched their precious items the WHOLE time.

Yeah! They are done!!!

Dominic playing on his bunk beds. Blogspot won't rotate the picture correctly. But I think you get the point.

Caitlin playing IN the toy box.

Our little girls.

Josie

Sarah 

The dogs love these bar stools. They head straight for them when they get in the house. In fact, that is where they are sleeping right now.

Every morning when I take the dogs outside I see this beautiful fog. But by the time I get the camera it's all burned off. I finally captured some of it.

Sick

Yesterday Dominic complained of a stomach ache right after lunch. He hadn't finished his whole burrito so we knew it wasn't because he'd over eaten. He was laying around on the floor and moaning and groaning. I gave him some Tums and he burped and said he felt better. I assumed it was gas.

He seemed fine and went to Little Lambs club. Jon called after they had gotten there and said that Dominic has thrown up all over his shirt and could I bring another one when I came with Caitlin.

I, of course, forgot. But Dominic seemed fine when I got there and after the meeting was over we came home. Ever since he's been rolling around on the floor crying that his stomach hurts. Earlier today he kept crying that he was dying. He will have periods of being just fine and playing and then go back to crying again.

He was eating supper and had his head down on the table. I asked him a question and he answered. I came back 5 minutes later and found this.

He's out cold. Jon was mowing right outside the open window and Caitlin was yelling at him (Jon) and Dominic never stirred. He was so out that I carried him to bed and he never moved. He had the last piece of his roll clutched tightly in his hand.

He woke up about an hour later and after a call to my aunt (a doctor) I gave him some medicine. He insisted he wasn't tired 2 minutes before I took this picture. =)

Poor little man!

Little Lambs

When I was a kid there was the Pathfinder club. I had the scarf and pins that I earned in early elementary school, but there weren't any clubs until a child turned 10 yrs old. Jon and I both enjoyed being in Pathfinders.

When Jon and I were first married we found out that they added to the scarf and pins from school and now had Adventurers for the grades 1-4.

Now they have Eager Beaver (Kindergarten)

 and Little Lambs (Preschool).

So yesterday Dominic joined Little Lambs at church. He had a ton of fun. Jon and Dominic rode the Model A to church and then had the club meeting.

At 4pm I woke up Caitlin and we went to the church for Investiture. That is the ceremony where the new members and advancing members are welcomed and given their scarfs.

They were supposed to be wearing their dress uniforms, but the first meeting was postponed and combined with the Investiture. So they are wearing their field uniforms.

 Our Little Lamb.

What you can't see in this picture is the huge puke stain on the bottom of the shirt. More on that in a later blog. But Dominic had fun and is so excited to belong to the Little Lambs club.

Diapers & Waddles

I was commenting to Jon that Caitlin was walking funny. She was walking with her arms and legs bent into an almost squat. It made her look really bowlegged.

I hear this voice from the other room (Dominic's) -

"Well she IS wearing a diaper."

Smarty pants!

Gymnastics

Today was the first day of Dominic's gymnastics. It's a lot like the toddler gymnastics in New Bern. 

The main differences are I leave him for 3 hours and he has a snack. 

He was so excited that he woke up earlier than normal and couldn't go back to sleep.

When I dropped him off he had to be reminded to give me a hug before he took off. So I figured 

he'd have fun. I just wasn't sure how well he would listen and pay attention.

When I picked him up he was so excited and proud to show me two stamps on his hands. One was for 

listening and the other was for trying something new.

Proud of my little man.

On another note:

The other day when it was raining Dominic informed us that it was the clouds peeing. Where does he come up with this stuff?

Labor Day weekend

Since we closed on the house on Wednesday afternoon Jon took Thursday and Friday off. It worked out wonderfully because the weekend was Labor Day weekend.

We worked really hard on Thursday and Friday so we could play the next two days. Then Monday it was back to work again.

Sabbath afternoon we headed south to check out another waterfall we'd heard about.

We will definitely be back to hike to the bottom. 

The kids really enjoyed watching the waterfall so I know they'll love being at the bottom.

The views from on top of the mountain were amazing.

On Sunday we headed to Knoxville. Some friends of ours had invited us to go out on their boat and watch the fireworks on Boomsday.

Caitlin wasn't sure about her life jacket. It made her really hot.

Michelle and Jack.

Jon and I enjoying the day.

The kids were looking out the porthole. Granny Pat was a great "grandma for day" (her words) and the kids loved her. She looked like she was enjoying them as well.

 Caitlin had several bug bites from here at the house and then she fell on the boat. She looks pretty rough.

The kids enjoying supper. Dominic was bugging Adelae.

Caitlin looking at the picture Mr. Brent took of her.

The picture is super blurry. But I love it because the kids were being so sweet. Michelle and I kept talking about how great our kids were behaving.

The views from the boat were amazing. 

When the fireworks started up it was unbelievable. I have seen fireworks here in the States and in Canada and I've never seen fireworks like these. It was truly amazing. I just wish my camera had been good enough to pick up the colors. The music on the radio was cued to go with the fireworks.

These fireworks were cascading from the bottom of the bridge.

It was late and Jack couldn't stay awake. I couldn't believe that he fell asleep with all of that noise.

Dominic LOVED the fireworks. He kept singing, dancing and shouting. Once he turned to me and said "Mom, the fireworks are messing up the sky." 

He wanted to watch more fireworks the next day. It was an amazing day spent with good friends.

It must have been exhausting being so good. The kids fell asleep before we even left the parking lot.

Brent had a great camera so Michelle said she would send me copies. I'll post more pictures when I get them.