Halloween

The whole trick-or-treating group!

Baseball player and princess

Monkey and princess

Preschool group at the zoo

We did three Halloweens. The first one was a trip to the zoo with Gracie and Ryker's preschool classes. Ryker was the only one to dress up. Appropriate, as a monkey. The second was a birthday party/Halloween party for Sasha, a little girl in Gracie's preschool class. The last one was Halloween night when we went over to Joy and Rod's for a Halloween party and trick-or-treating. Gracie was a princess both nights. Ryker was a monkey the first night and a baseball player the second night.

HORSES!!!

Ryker and Henry (the pet turkey!)


Ryker and Chris

Gracie and Hootie. She even galloped with Hootie!

Cutie Pie

Ryker. Loves. Horses.

Maybe because we drive by a horse stable near our house almost daily and there's another horse stable by his preschool. We're not sure how or why it happened but he loves them. He's gotten to go to Chris and Monica's a few times to ride horses. He still won't ride by himself like Gracie does, but he's happy to just be out on the farm looking and petting the horses. He also loves riding the tractor and Chris and Monica's. Luckily, Chris and Ryker are buddies and Chris lets us visit often.

Marriage and Fighting

I'm actually not referring to Coleton and I. Gracie and Ryker get married almost every day. It's very cute because Gracie likes to get "fancy" and Ryker gets "handsome." Ryker does threaten not to marry her "evah adin" when he is mad at her. (which is quite often) Now that we have Camryn in daycare every day Ryker can be quite busy getting married. He often hurts Gracie's feelings by marrying Camryn and not Gracie. Tears.



So if they're not getting married, they're fighting. One night I couldn't take it anymore. They were separated for the night from 6-8pm. My hope was they would realize it's much more fun to be together than apart and be grateful for each other. I know, pry too advanced for a 3.5 year-old and almost 5 year-old. So they took separate baths, almost had separate dinners (Coleton convinced me family dinner would be good), and separate bedtime routines. I don't think this helped them at all, but, for the night, it helped my sanity. I know they love each other so much, but emotions run high sometimes. I'm trying to let them work out more fights on their own, which works about 25% of the time. These days Gracie is convinced a little sister would make her life so much easier. She's sugggested trading in Ryker for a sister. I'm trying to explain to her it doesn't work that way.

Funny Ryker

This boy cracks me up. Which is maybe why he gets away with more than he should. Hmmm. Oh well, like father like son, right?

It's been so dry lately than I've been getting bloody noses. Gross. So Ryker noticed and said, "Mommy, you have bloody nose? I not want you to die!" When I told Coleton this story he pointed out that Ryker has been watching so many cowboy movies (horsey movie shows is what he calls them) and blood equals dying in those movies.

Ryker has a tendancy to wait until the very last moment to go potty. So when he grabs himself you know we're at emergency status. He grabbed himself the other day so I asked if he needed to go to the bathroom. He said no and grabbed himself again. When I asked him why he was doing that he said, "Puz Daddy does it."

New Computer!

Yep, I'm updating on my new, delivered by the FedEx man, Dell laptop. My Christmas (and all of next year) gift from my Coleton. I can't wait to start uploading pictures, blog more, and check all my favorite blogs more. Merry Christmas to me!

A post with no pics...

So I really, really need a computer that is less than 10 years old. Then I could post more! (that's my logic and i'm sticking to it.) I can't upload pics on this computer so I wait until Mal is here with her laptop and bug her to let me use it. I know, sad story, right? So my blog hasn't been updated in forever!!!

Gracie is loving her new class - gymnastics! She is so cute out there doing her handstands and cartwheels! We go on Monday afternoons for an hour and fifteen minutes and she's doing so great. What I am most proud of her for is her perseverance. She keeps on trying, even when it's tough for her. Plus, her teacher is marvelous with kids. Gracie loves Miss Margaret and tells her so when we leave.

Gracie has also started preschool at Beck Rec Center, which is a different preschool from last year. I'm impressed with the teachers and the preschool program and the program. I just wish that since we're only going two days/week, that the program was longer than 2.5 hours. Gracie loves school, she just hates separating from me. So once I get her there, I want to keep her there a little longer. :) Thus, my dilemma about 1/2 day vs. full day kindergarten next year. I think I've already talked to everyone I know and almost every stranger I've run into about this so I won't go any further. But it will be a big decision. As will what school to send her to next year. Sigh. Bittersweet. I love watching my little G growing into a little girl. She is beginning to really think about things and take care of her brother and the daycare kids.

Ryker has grown up in so many ways since April! He is a non-diaper wearing, non-pacifier sucking preschool boy!!! Wow! Not that it's been easy to get to this point... The potty training was fairly simple and he's done really great with it. Letting go of the pacifier, however, was not in any way easy. He lost his beloved "roro" one day. Coleton and I had discussed that it was almost time for him to give it up. So the night he lost it, we decided it was a sign from the heavens. Or something like that. That first night I laid in bed with him and tickled his back. He fell asleep pretty quickly. I settled in for a rough night thinking that he might wake up often crying for his roro. He didn't. But he did wake up early. I found the roro the next morning when I was getting his clothes. In an attempt to put it on his dresser, it fell in one of his drawers. I hid it away, but have considered, oh so many times, getting it out. Because the next week was just awful. He begged for it every night, "All I want is my wowo. Dats all." It broke my heart. I had to send Coleton up many nights because it made me so sad. I made Mom vow to never let me give another child a pacifier.

So in this process he has given up naps because he has to be really tired at night to fall asleep with no roro. Talk about some rough days. And early mornings. I don't think I realize how long he laid in there in the morning, content to just have his roro and lovey. Sometimes he fell back asleep. He was just in heaven. And I feel guilty for taking it away. It was such a comfort to him. But I know logically that it was time. He looks and sounds so silly walking around with it in the morning. He knew he was supposed to give it to me when he woke up, but the battle was prolonging and getting vicious. We still sometimes have rough nights, but it's getting better. He's sleeping later in the mornings. Ryker and Gracie are so happy after 12 hours of sleep. It almost makes no nap times worth it. Now they have quiet time in their rooms for an hour, which is going pretty well. Sometimes Ryker falls asleep under his bed or behind his bed. Maybe that makes it seem like he's still not taking a nap in his mind. If only I could post those pics...

Ryker and his buddy, Lincoln, are also in preschool at Beck. They are only there for 2 hours, 2 days/week. They are sad and serious at drop-off, but very happy at pick-up. I think they're both doing great!

Whoa, I just thought about how I'm going to be one busy van driver next year. Kindergarten drop-off and preschool drop-off. It might be that long until I post again... Hopefully not. :)

That's what my talkin' bout!

Ryker is potty-trained! Woot Woot! I've been waiting to post this, just hoping we don't go back to diapers, but my little boy is doing amazing! I've been saying that I just didn't think he was ready, but he has definitely proved me wrong. I think the main reason for his success is that he wants to be a big boy so badly - he loves wearing his "unders" and he's so proud of himself when he goes on the toilet.

It all began the weekend my parents were in town. Ryker said something Dad didn't understand and Coleton interpreted it as Ryker saying, "I'm looking for somewhere to poop." Coleton suggested he try the toilet. We figured it'd be the same as the other times we suggested he use the toilet, but this time he really went! We all made a big fuss about it and I let him start wearing his unders the next few days. He loves going to the bathroom with Daddy and loves all the celebrating. He's only had a few accidents over the past couple weeks and lets me know when he has to go. That's been the best part - I haven't even had to stay on top of it, he knows when he has to go. Which is so crazy to me because we've tried going to the potty so many times and he just hasn't been able to do it. It just clicked. I've been dreading potty-training little Ryker and, it turns out, the kid pretty much trained himself. That's what my talkin' bout!