January 15, 2010

Ayden has decided what she wants out of life... and that is to be a tree. Yes, a tree. We tried to explain to her that as extraordinary as a goal as it was, it would be awfully lonely.

She said that she understood but that the grass and birds and so on would keep her company. April then asked her what she would do in the winter time when it got really cold, it would be hard, if she were a tree to stay warm. She said not to worry, her leaves would keep her warm.

Oh, don't stop reading now, it only gets better...

She then replied that she didn't have to worry about losing her leaves in the winter because she was going to be a pine tree and they keep their leaves all year long.

Last night was the first night of my MU class. Not the ones that I am a student in, the one that I am teaching. I must say, it was amazing. I truly felt like I was doing something on a grand scale and what I was doing was appreciated. By the students of course. They wanted to learn. They asked questions, and stayed after, and did all the things that a person who truly wants to teach wants out of a class.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I now know that it wants me to be at the higher education level. The only problem now is I need to pursue and obtain by doctorate. With this I have two options. I can go to WVU or UK. Before I started college, I always wanted to go to UK. But with WVU it would be in-state tuition. I just need to decide and finish up my current coursework of administration classes and then start that. I guess I need to start gathering information and get in gear.

It's good to be able to multi-task again.

Ayden is becoming a great helper. When Kylee makes the least bit of noise, Ayden is there. She is like a little mother hen. It is so funny to watch Kylee with her. Kylee laughs at every little thing that Ayden does. I can try for hours to make her laugh and nothing, then Ayden walks into the room and she lights up like the Fourth of July. Which makes me just as happy.

I came home last night from work and my back was really giving me trouble. Ayden was determined to help me change clothes. She made sure to hold my had as we were walking through the house, so I didn't fall. Yes, I have had a tendency to do this lately. Not that she could stop it of course. But she made me let her unbutton my shirt and reach me my tee shirt. It was priceless. It is just a great indication of the type of little lady that she is turning in to.

On the other hand, I think Kylee is going to be a hand full as she gets older. She is a great baby as Ayden was, but she is very, very demanding and opinionated. Even as an almost 8 month old. I preparing now for the future. My parenting motto is simply you can only teach than so much and hope that they us the good sense that they were given. Of course, April and I will discipline her as we have and continue to discipline Ayden but that only works to an extent. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Someday real soon she is going to start putting words to the tremendous amount of sound that continues to come out of her mouth. When she does who knows what she will say.

January 8-11, 2010

Kylee in a high chair at South Tenampa. This is the first time that she has been able to sit in a high chair when we have gone out to eat. Notice her ears are now pierced.

Ayden all bundled up to go to Will and Pam's for Will's birthday dinner. Due to the snow we were forced to have dinner at their house instead of going out to eat. We postponed that until the weekend...Maybe.

As if the 14 day Christmas break wasn't enough. We go back to school on a two hour delay on January 4, 2010. Which those of you that are teachers know, that it may be counted as an instructional day, but with the kids all wired up it is as far from an instructional day as you could get. Then the snow comes, which is strange for early January, and we don't go back until Thursday. Once again on a two hour delay. But this time it gets even worse. Not only are we on a two hour delay but a storm front is headed in and there is a possibility that we will get out early. What? Early. Yep, that's right, early. While I was on lunch duty, the big screen television was on in the cafeteria and the news was scrolling school closings. For the first 20 minutes of lunch Wayne County was nowhere to be seen. Then all of the sudden, there we are. The cafeteria erupts. It is complete hysteria. And the first thing that I think is, GREAT. At this point I would rather be at work and just get it over with. At this pint the kids are on complete reset. They have to learn many things all over since they have been off so long and when they do have to come back to a full week, or even day for that matter, unwanted behaviors tend to rise. But hey, it's all the teacher's fault. Enough of that, I'm depressing myself.

As you can see from the pictures above, the girls are really growing. Kylee now has her ears pierced. We did then when she was six months old. The

She has now found her voice, it is "dad dad". Just different variations of how she says it and to what volume it comes out.

Ayden want to become a ballerina. Just so she can have a ballerina dress. I am convinced and just about ready to sign her up for dance lessons. If she likes it, great. If she doesn't, we can stop going. It's not the end of the world.

This evening we were sitting at the dinner table and Ayden got this horrible look on her face. She said, "excuse me". Which means that she passed gas. We discussed how inappropriate that was while eating dinner. But hey, at least she said excuse me.

She put her had down the back of her pants and said, "I think I, ..."

I then interrupted her and asked if she had pooped on herself. She replied, "I don't feel any poop." It is at these times that being a parent and what I should do really puzzles me. Hey it's probably what I would have done. Luckily, April was sitting at the table and made her immediately go wash her hands before she did another thing. I love having a mommy around.

I met with Missy Reed this evening to get ready for my first job at MU. I will be teaching a class for non special education undergraduates. I am really excited. I hope I can do a good job. I hope it turns out to be a positive experience and provides me with that little extra nudge I need to go ahead and get my doctorate. I think I really want to be on the higher ed level.

Another thing I was upset to see was that Sue Hardin has stopped blogging. I completely understand this. I have been absent from my writing and reading on the blogging universe, but she has a lot on her plate and it is understandable. I wish her all the best and hope she someday returns and keeps us updated. I do try to post here as often as possible, but not so people will read my blogs, although that it is a plus. i enjoy reading comments. I post this in the hopes that someday in the distant future, I can print it all out, bind it and give it to my girls as wedding gifts. That is the goal.

Hello, Twenty Ten

Santa has been here and gone and the girls were extremely delighted. Ayden had a wonderful time except for the fact that she had pink eye for about four days. We managed to keep it away from Kylee for the most part. Everyone had a wonderful time except for being really tired. We had our annual Christmas morning breakfast in which everyone came over and watched Ayden and Kylee open gifts from Santa and we gorged ourselves with eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese bread, OJ, milk, and coffee.

April just got over a three day stomach bug to end the holiday break. That was exciting. I guess I escaped the holidays unscathed, except for a couple extra pounds. Which I plan to work on in the coming year. I have started contributing to a special education blog which you can navigate to from my home page. Check it out. Some really neat articles and information there. With more to come, I'm sure.

Now it's back to work and the snow is flying. We have had more snow this year than for many years previous that I can remember. I hope in the New Year I can keep up with the blog about the family a little better. If nothing but for the girls to read when they get older. I also plan to start my book. It's a long shot. But it is something that I am doing for me. Sounds like the medication is starting to get balanced and I am returning to my old self. Hopefully, it's not a fluke.

So long for now. Life's a journey and I'm just along for the ride.

New Pictures of the GIrls

I loved this picture. I loved it even more once I got an app for my iPhone that would turn any picture on your phone to a black and white one.

April had to send this picture to me while I was out of town. That was very thoughtful of her.

Kylee and Ayden with Josh's new puppy, Pete

My favorite time, snuggle time.

Preschool, Colors, and Finger Paint

Ayden is really into the whole preschool scene. She won't really talk to us about it but from the word we get she loves it. She is "learning" her colors. Which she has known before she could talk. The morning they were going to start the first color, Red, I quizzed her on things that were red. The first thing she told me was a lady bug. She then said it wasn't completely red because it has black spots. She then said a STOP sign. She went on to define a STOP sign for me. Stating that you have to stop and look both ways before pulling out. Yea, my goal is to have her driving by Kindergarten. She then went on to tell me that Peepaw's truck is red and so is Grammy's "Go Car". They are also finger painting on Thurdays. She likes it, so I've heard. She has also started showing some OCD characteristics. She will line her pencils and crayons up. She will line all of her baby dolls up and feed them one at a time. She is just too much.

Kylee has started "talking", to April mostly. She will give me a word every once in a while. I really don't want to know what those words are. She is now eating applesauce. You can't get it in her mouth fast enough. I think a straw would probably work better for her. She is growing entirely too fast.

April and I are way too involved with our jobs and can't spend enough time with the ones that matter the most. The girls, and each other. We were able to decorate a wagon, which was the best I must say, for the Fall Festival Parade and pull the girls the entire length of the parade. Ayden had a blast. She had to take her American Flag and wave it for all to see. It was her idea. I was very proud. It was one of those moments I have been waiting for being a dad. I have had many of those and know I will have many more to come.

Yes, We Are Alive

It has been several days since the last entry. Life has a way of keeping us on our toes. Ayden has started pre-school and we can't get much information out of her about it. She talks a little about her friends she has made and that is it. She went to Uncle Matt's race this weekend in Yadkinville, NC. She left Thursday and just got home today. It is really a different house with her not here.

Kylee is really starting to vocalize now. It is so funny. She is laughing and kicking and starting to try to sit up. She is growing so well. She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. We'll see how much she has grown then. I think she is bigger than Ayden was at this age. But the tape will tell as they say.

April and I have been sick. Not the pig flu. Sinus infection and I think April has Bronchitis. She hasn't had a voice for two days. We are both on antibiotics. So much fun. I feel worse today than any day. I am trying to stay away from the girls just in case.

Work is going well. I am taking administration classes. Two this semester. There is a lot of work involved. It is not really hard, it just takes time to get it finished.

Well, that's all the time I have for know. Be back soon. I have to make time for this. It's something I enjoy and I need to do it to document the girls.

So long for now.

Sleepwalker

In the early 90's there was a movie called Stephen King's Sleepwalkers. That was really brought to mind this morning. In the movie there is a lot of supernatural, demonic possession and vampirism. I know I like it. But this morning I thought that I had sworn off horror movies FOREVER thanks to Ayden, the possessed three year old. Ha Ha.

She woke up around 10:30 and April and I were still lying in bed playing with Kylee and just talking. I had gotten up to use the bathroom and heard Ayden cry as she came into our room. She flopped into the floor between the bed and April's closet. She kept saying she couldn't sleep. Yea, it's 10:30 no wonder, you have been asleep since 8:00 last night. I walked over to pick her up and put her on my side of the bed beside Kylee and this is when she pulled the exorcist, Linda Blair, Emily Rose trick on me.

She was crawling and spun around a couple of times. She crawled away from me as fast as she could, which seemed very fast. She crawled straight into April's closet and shut the sliding door. Wow. She kept saying, "I can't sleep, I can't sleep."

Yea, I know. You have been asleep for over 12 hours. But how do you explain that to a three year old. Oh well, ayden <---------Ayden had to type her name.

We have finally completed the Halloween costume search. I took Grandpa Ruben to the Mall yesterday to try on a pair of boots to make sure we got the right size when we order them and we went on to the Disney Store. Me, April, Ayden, Kylee, and Ruben in the Disney Store. It was priceless. Ayden decided on the Snow White costume and I had to get all of the accessories that went with it. The light up slippers, the flashing wand, the hairband. It is great. She loves it.

We spent a couple of hours in the Mall and Grandpa seemed to have a real good time. Of course, Kylee slept in the stroller the majority of the time and Grandpa and Ayden picked at each other. It was fun to watch.

We then went to Famous Dave's to eat. This is one of Grandpa's favorite places. April and I like it too. Plus, Ayden can get Oreo's in the kid's meal. Which is something that she doesn't often get. The girls fell asleep on the way home and it was a good day. It was enjoyable spending time with my grandfather. I don't get to do that nearly as much as I would like too. Not even close.