I get a lot of questions about Scout. The most common is, “How does he go to the bathroom?” The answer: Either in an empty water bottle, or I hold him over the toilet. (There is a cut out in his cast to help this all work.)
When he first got home, we were all impressed at his ability to hold his potty. He only uses the facilities twice a day. Yet again, thank goodness it isn’t Navy in a cast!!! Or Dash for that matter. So in an effort to make even the mundane things exciting, we set up his “Personal Best” contest. Each time he potties, we try to see if he did his personal best.
And whatever is his current best sits next to his little prayer guy as his current trophy.
His latest PB has been on the shelf for a few weeks, and he hasn’t been able to beat it. So now when he needs to go potty, I say, “Let’s wait until after breakfast to try to beat your PB.” He is game, and we are trying really hard for a new trophy. But until then — we look at this beautiful golden trophy with pride!
-
But when we don’t get a new PB, and as I finish dressing Scout, the bottle sits on the counter. And that is when Navy grabs it and tries to offer it to everyone as “delicious lemonade”. Seth was dying at how disgusting she is. And then I reminded him about his frozen Popsicle when he was young. I guess it runs in the family.
It is a big day!
Navy is an official 3 year old in years, and a 13 year old in actions!
The day started out in true Navy style!
Scout and I went down to the donut store to surprise Icka with a fun breakfast in bed.
At first, it seemed like she might be excited as she barely opened her eyes from a dead sleep.
But she immediately pulled the covers over her head. After about three minutes (literally three), and a bunch of laughing from Scout, Micah, Bella and me, I finally uncovered her to find the grumpiest little three year old around.
After a few birthday wishes, Scout and Micah left, while Bella and I tried to convince her to blow her candles out. She was just staring at them for about an additional five minutes. Good thing I put really tall candles in her donut. But Bella finally did the trick when she blowed them from far away, and the fire flickered. As soon as she saw that, she immediately blew them out so Bella didn’t get more satisfaction.
Unfortunately for her, it gave us the MOST satisfaction!
A little later, she headed to the kitchen, and was in good spirits!
(Sidenote: If Navy wakes up on her own, she is a sweet and really happy girl. If she is woken, she is a beast! Can you imagine what a bummer it is each preschool day when I have to go and wake her? But I have it down to a science. If I give her a million kisses, her waking up is gradual, and that takes the edginess off. Or if we are in a huge hurry, I tell her I am going to take a bath and if she wants to take on with me to come into the bathroom. It is always a few minutes, but she usually ends up in there with a smile on.)
-
Because Navy shares a birthday week with Cade and Chloe, we try to join up at Chuck E. Cheeses between our homes.
It is so white trash, but our family seems to fit right in, and we love it!
Sissy was loving hanging out with all of the cousins. Especially on this “scary” ride that she was really “brave” for.
We were wondering how Scout would manage, but this boy can handle everything. Even a little skeeball with NayNay.
And soon after, he was doing it by himself and having an absolute blast!
Icka joined in, but didn’t get the concept of rolling vs. throwing!
Then the two handsome Brother-in-laws took the Lindsey challenge. I gave everyone a list of ten games to play with ten tokens. Whomever came back with the most tickets won! Bry won, and his prize — everyone’s tickets!
Skills To Pay My Bills was my kid’s second mother as usual!
This time her kid du jour was Dash.
We eventually got to presents, and amongst some awesome things Icka got, she gave everyone a massive laugh! Notice her fingers on her face. She is mid heart. Apparently she saw a girl on Toddlers and Tiaras trace her face with a heart and then rest her chin on her hands, and she must have loved it because she was tracing the heart all night long. We were all dying! It was pure hamming it up from Navy.
At the end of the night, Scout turned in over 13oo tickets. He got a lot himself, but there was a couple who gave him a receipt for 800 of them. Scout was so stoked! And they were so nice! I guess it is one of the perks to being in a body cast!
The best time must go to Navy. There were multiple times I couldn’t find her, and she was usually dragging someone’s hands to more and more games. Here she is getting 50 tickets off of one game that she kept winning. It was the same game that my mom wasted about 40 tokens on!
-
Happy Birthday to the craziest, sweetest, naughtiest, nicest, stinkiest, happiest, oxymoronic child in the world!
It was Crazy Hair Day at school today. So last night, I prepped Navy’s hair in a bunch of ponytails. Afterwards, Scout wanted his hair crazy also, so I worked my magic on his scalp also.
When I was finished, they were loving their dos.
I think Navy felt a special bond, and went in for the kiss…but was rejected.
Navy wasn’t too hyped on the rejection.
But in the end, Scout was the least hyped because, “all of these ponytails are hurting me head!” So I ended up taking them all out.
Men — they don’t have any clue what goes into being beautiful!
-
The next morning, Icka woke up with REALLY crazy hair, and then we added a little more uumph.
After rainbowing it up — we were off to school.
Really Good News—
We have less than a month with Scout’s body cast on!
But he has been a absolute saint.
Not even ONE complaint!
Literally a saint!
-
I originally thought it would be really challenging to fill his time while incapacitated.
But we have done just fine.
Some of our past times include:
Legos
Hot Wheels
Pattern Blocks
Magic Tricks
Reading
Homework
Stringing Things like pasta necklaces - and then we cook them for his lunch
Puzzles
Scriptures - interactive with the pattern blocks
Board Games
Planet Earth
Lego Starwars on the XBOX with his dad at night
Going on Walks
Etc. Etc. Etc.
The list goes on and on. But the point is that we have filled his time pretty effortlessly. When he originally came home from the hospital, I told him he could only watch one movie a day (thinking it would be necessary). But I think he has watched a total of about 6 movies the entire time. But PBS cartoons have filled quite a few mornings while I get the other kids ready. All of this being said, we found a really fun activity for Scout.
It’s Curtoon Time
He has tried it out before, but it was a little too fast for him to follow. But this time around, the timing was just right. And Scout was pretty excited about his “Lettuce” and “Carrot” drawings.
And the pace was just right for him at this age.
-
Later that day, I heard him telling Icka something directly from the show, “Icka, if you want to get good at something….practice, practice, practice!”
Pretty cute.
Scout’s preschool, and Navy’s preschool now that Scout is out on injury leave all went to Sea World. I got to take them both on the adventure, and Dash was with me also. It is a really good thing that Bella adores her niece and nephews so much that she is game on helping if I need it. So Bella was in charge of Sushi, while I was in charge of the boys. I might of looked like I had the heavier load pushing a broken down Scout and carrying Dash in the Bjorn, but Bella had her hands WAY more full!
Our first stop at the star fish was really fun for Scout because he could see everything. Navy was loving putting her hands in the water and picking them up.
What she wasn’t loving was getting a visitor on her head. Unfortunately, it is tradition Navy. And any child that is near the starfish while Tristen or I are — gets a starfish on the head! We have MANY pictures to prove it!
Shamu was a hit….obviously!
And Riley’s bag of popcorn made it even that much better!
We stopped for the kids to get a little hands on with a millipede.
Scout and Navy were fascinated by the beluga whales and the huge walruses.
But Scout’s favorite part of the day might have been when Bella got him out of his stroller and let him cruise through the ice caves with his class.
Unfortunately, Navy might have been the only person who wasn’t very careful around body-cast boy.
-
Miss Dianne made it all so much fun, and we were so happy to have a day where Scout and Navy could both be with their preschool class!
After Family Night tonight, we had game night. Icka hasn’t mastered the board game just yet, but is a champ on the IPad.
She invited Dash to join in on the fun, and he was loving the lights and sounds.
Meanwhile, Scout and I were freeing the ice cream truck in Rush Hour — and he was doing a pretty good job at it!
Since I had my camera out, I thought I would try to get a few posed pictures.
Obviously Icka’s reaction was a little tongue action.
But then I brought Scout in on the scene, and my cooperator was setting a great example.
And then my competitive Icka wanted to be even better than Scout.
But then mastermind Scout was seeing that he had a shadow, and started to act up.
And that is when the camera was put down, so I could keep them calm before bed.
But look at that perfect baby in the back.
Too bad he will one day be part of all of the shenanigans also.
The juggling act a Mom goes through each day is amazing.
But I love to see my weasel’s personalities — tiring or not!
I have always loved me a dimple! So when Scout was born and had a tiny one on his upper cheek I was thrilled. But over time, it has sort of dissipated. Navy was a no go. So when Dash came out with one on his right cheek, I was thrilled all over again. Every time he smiles at me, I see that cute little dimple staring right back.
My very favorite is how he does his half smile, and his little dimple just sings to me.
I mean — just take a look!
It gets me every time!
Scout’s best preschool buddy came over to play. Riley broke his arm in Hawaii over Christmas and had a red cast, so Scout was pretty stoked. And then when he had to have it recasted, he picked orange — just like Scout did when he had to have part of his cast redone. Both boys thought it was so cool, and so did their moms!
I grew up in ballet classes.
I loved them. But unfortunately, they provided the setting for one of my infamous stories. The one about how I would go to class and be the boss. And then when it came to dancing, I would be one step ahead at all times. You would think it was because I just lacked the ability to stay with my class. But I will admit that the story is true. I was always one step ahead because I wanted to show everyone that I knew the routine. When I was little, I just always had to be the boss. Since then, I have really changed (as long as you don’t ask my husband or my mom!). It makes for a good laugh, and when I watch videos of me from those performances, I think they are quite funny. But when I think of my mom in the audience of our recitals, I feel bad that she had the daughter that was “always off”.
-
Fast forward to today. It was a very exciting day to take my daughter to her very first ballet class! I had visions of her leaping and performing the perfect arabesques. I should have known form the night before. So we obviously needed to get her ballet outfit and bag all ready before class. I went with a traditional black leotard and pink tights because that is what I grew up wearing. But while we were at the dance store, Navy had different ideas. She “loved” the blue tulle tutu, and “needed” leg warmers. Beyond the fact that we were in the store with a hungry newborn and a body-casted boy, Navy was OUT OF CONTROL! You would think the others were the spectacle, but Navy was the main offender of curious glances. So after I threatened her within an inch of her life, we got out of there with the basics — and a darling bag I couldn’t pass up. (But at least I made her earn her bag by being respectful, nice and happy until we left for ballet.)
-
My one proud moment is that my daughter controlled herself until 10:30 the next morning, and went skipping out to the car with her cute bag full of her ballet shoes, a water bottle and two string cheeses (one for her and another for Ivy).
-
When we got there, she immediately met Miss Sharon.
Navy liked her just fine, and took a seat right next to her. You would think it was because maybe she was timid, but this girl was letting everyone know that she was partially in charge.
The class was really cute, and had two of her friends — Ivy and Olive — in it.
The stretching went really well.
And wand time started out pretty good.
But this girl, not wanting to just be a regular part of the group, made her way outside the circle.
Then she made a habit of running off from the group to deliver kisses to me and her “baby brother”. After the third time, I told her to get back to class or we were leaving. It did the trick.
But still in boss mode, Navy somehow made her way to the front of every line, and positioned herself right next to the teacher a lot of the time.
When class was finally over, she went digging into that bag of hers, and got out her string cheese for Ivy.
(A little of her sweet side coming out.)
But before she could give it, I told her to give me her best ballerina pose.
And this is what I got.
So then I asked her to just smile and show me her cute bag.
And after I laughed at my girl, she said, “Is dis one good?”
-
Sweets, it is all good!
You might just be the cutest little bossy ballerina I have ever come across.
I just can’t wait until I am sitting at your first recital, watching you twinkle your toes a second before everyone else does.
Because I will know that your “always off” is innocent.
DNA is a powerful thing!
There is something in me that can’t stand my kids watching too much television…or worst yet, playing video games! (They both have their place, but the place is very small in my eyes.) So with Scout laid up for a total of 10 weeks, I try to limit all of that. My best way is to come up with alternate stuff. I know at Megan’s house he was loving the pattern blocks, so I ordered some from Amazon, and we are loving them. This day, we made a platform for some awesome paper monsters he and Micah made. I love seeing his little imagination at work. And I will admit that when I need to entertain him via the television because I am bathing/dressing/feeding other kids, I often get the response, “Mom…I want to do something else. Television is boring!” Somehow, I love those words!
| DESIGN BY