Kids Say The Darndest Things...

All the clever, witty and precious things both kids have been saying lately. Both. How crazy is that, both kids talking?!

Chad {to Mommy}: Are we going to church tonight?

M: Yes.

Lo:YAY! I LOVE MY CHURCH! I LOVE MY CHURCH!! I LOVE MY CHURCH!!! (x10)

Mommy: Micah do you have a listening problem?

MW: shakes head "no." Along with a loud "NO!"

Then proceeds to continue on in his 18m old rebellion.

Leighton falls down {big surprise}, starts her dramatic cry.
M: ::"yelling" down the hall:: "I don't want to hear it, get up"
Lo: ::stops her tears:: "Hear what?!"
M: "Hear your crying."
Lo: ::dries up the last of her tears; and in a happy sing songy voice:: "Oh, don't hear me crying, ok." 
::skips off singing:: "LALALA"

M: MW are you cute?

MW: shakes head "yes."

Chad: "Be Careful please."

Lo: "We won't, we be klutzy."

Trying to work on Lo's number recognition. Her response when she says the wrong number guess.

Lo: "sometimes I get fused." {confused}

Lo: Micah don't throw your juice cup at me.

::Micah continues on::

Lo: STOP!

::Micah still continues to throw it::

Lo: Micah ReaLY {I wish I could convey her "really" voice, think Valley Girl meets British Girl.}

For Leighton's after nap snack she gets a nutrigrain bar. It was close to dinner and I didn't think she needed the whole thing.

M: "Lo you can have it, but you need to split it with your brother."

Lo: "No, you split yours with YOUR brother."

M: "Micah isn't my brother and you need to split it with him, I don't want one."

Lo: "No, he is your brother. I want the WHOLE thing; when I was a little baby I NEVER got to have one of these. You split it." 

M: ::dumbfounded:: "Fine. Case and point. Eat the whole thing."

I love these two comedians.

Home Sweet Home Tour {Micah's Room}

You may remember MW's nursery from here. While I really loved it, I didn't LOVE it. I felt like I threw something together just because we finally got a house and a room for him when he was 5 months. I wanted to put as much thought and love into his room as I continue to do for Leighton's. Plus, while his nursery was cute, I didn't feel like it could grow with him, which is my number #1 criteria in decorating. Thus, his new BIG BOY room--a vintagy, all things boy room. I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

When you first walk in.

His comic book paper airplane mobile. He LOVES it. It was 100% copied and inspired here. Such a adorable idea.

Dresser. I made the chicken wire frame, which was inspired by a high school friend here.

I am in love with that lamp. I found it at Dillons and fell in love. I hated spending $30 on a lamp, but I just couldn't live with out it.

A lot of the stuff in here is actually from when Chad was little, such as that cute baseball coat hook, holding my old bat and Chad's first glove.

My Norman Rockwell print and other splurge. {Can you tell I hate spending money. HA!} "A Day in the Life of a Boy." I made the cute "Oh the Places You'll Go!" printable and just scanned and printed the cover a CARS book. I just loved the vintage look of it.

I am a British girl stuck in an American girls life. Plus, I love the Beatles and MW and I's song is "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." I painted the canvas with the catch phrase "Keep Calm and Rock On." I followed this easy peasy tutorial.
Record frame is from Target, complete with MW's 18m photos in his Beatles shirt. Perfect. :)

I hope you like Micah's room as much as I do, if not don't tell me it will hurt my feelings. :) So this is as good as it gets for now; all that is left is to upgrade him to a big boy bed and bedding...I am thinking this from Pottery Barn complete with my version of the HERO pillow.

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Michele on Pinterest

Word{less} Wednesday

I did it. I put my foot down and Micah is only allowed his paci during sleep times. He was less than thrilled and has perfectly demonstrated "where there is a will there is a way!"
Insert sippy spout...oh Micah you stinker.

Take that fools.

If you can't beat the heat... Go swimming.

So have I mentioned it is hot here?! Not just hot, but HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! {105* plus going on 2 weeks now}, I mean this is nothing new I live in the desert, oh wait, no I don't...but at this point pretty much same diff. Who can tell how much Michele loves the heat? ;) Pretty much this is the same song second or third verse of last year, so to keep cool we go to the Y waterpark for toddler time 3 days a week and then bunker down in Target, our house for the rest of the day.

Micah LOVES the swing. He may or may not nearly fall asleep in there every time. HA!

Ah the water bucket. Leighton's favorite thing. Last year I lost track of her for a moment {yes, I still got my parent of the year award no worries} and the bucket dumped, she was under it. Cue major meltdown and fear. I was fairly certain we would never go back to the pool. This year...she runs for it every.single.time. it clanks signally the impending dump.

Of course pictures can not do her joy justice. So please enjoy this video and ignore my stupid commentating. CBS sports won't be calling anytime soon. :)


Waterpark fun {bucket drop} from Michele Keethler on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago we helped my cousin's little boy celebrate his 6th birthday. It was a "pool" party. They had a bunch of fun water slides. Both kids were in heaven.

Of course that side of the family are KU fans...this is Lo's tried and true response every time she sees that bird. HA! Got to love her.

 

Then sometimes when it cools off to a nice 100* straight up in the evenings we play water guns, balloons and sprinklers with the neighbors.

look at that focus. MW may just be the next Tom Brady.


There are no words for these two...

How are you beating the heat? At least the kids don't seem to mind the scorching temps.

Miscellany Monday

Well it's Monday. Monday really means nothing different to me from any other day in the week that ends in "y." But for some reason I am feeling it. Probably all this heat. I know complaining is "so unchristian," but seriously, I can not tolerate it and I am not even pregnant; thus causing us to be couped up inside all.day.long, unless we ventured to Target and let's get real that is really starting to hurt my bottom line. HA! It is really starting to get to me. Everyone is so whiny and I will be the first to admit I am probably their ring leader on that. :) So it's Monday.

In other random news you could care less about; I started working out again at the Y. Oh how I love my Y, it is just one of my favorite places to be. I love working out (well once I get there, the getting out of bed at 545a isn't exactly my favorite thing), I love watching all the people and the things they come up with to do, I love watching CMT on my elliptical thing (since we don't have real cable), I love seeing my friends and I love walking out the door all sweaty and on an exercise high. Not to mention one day I may love my body again. ;) {PS I don't want to hear it Melissa and Meg...;) } So I go 6 days a week because I am addicted and I am uber proud of myself for not making excuses, hitting the snooze button, and continuing to do the ultra early workout. And maybe one day my legs will look like this. :)

Source: totallyloveit.com via Michele on Pinterest

I am also trying to get my family to eat health{ier}. I am an RD so eating healthy is a given, but we could do WAY better. I hate strongly dislike meat, especially during the cooking process. Yuck. So I have been wanting to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into our diet. Believe me if it were up to me we would be solid vegetarians, but the hubs isn't sold on that yet. :) So I have a few new vegetarian recipes to try and will let you know how they go. First up Lentil Pot Pies. Oh my hubby is excited!! ::insert sarcasm::

Wanna know a funny story about us?

Once upon a time long before we ever met in college a young man sat in a Basic Nutrition course. There he heard the teacher go on and on about the wonders of healthy foods such as legumes, lentils and other fiberous wonders. That same young man sat there bored and very sad for the teacher's husband. He thought "that poor sap doesn't get to eat anything good."

Fast forward a year later. A young girl sat in the same Basic Nutrition class and devoured all the wonderful nutrition lessons the teacher could spew out. Legumes, lentils, fiber! Yes! What a wonderful way to eat. I too will one day become a dietitian {RD} and spread the "good news."

Fast forward a few months later that young man met that pretty little girl and they fell in love and now he is that "poor sap who doesn't get to eat anything "good." "

God is SO FUNNY!

Have you all seen this blog post yet? Oh my gosh it is so funny about Gap jeans being gateway "mom" jeans. Plus, she gives good tips here on how to shop for jeans. I really love this because I need all the shopping tips I can get and seriously find it remarkable how changing brand and fit can change the whole way your butt and hips looks and two kids later I refuse to go all mom jeans...ever! Check it out.

Speaking of jeans. {are you so bored yet of my life, or lack there of?!} I scored uber cute Banana Republic Jeans ($2.50), an Ann Taylor Loft tank ($2.99), fun and cute shorts (3.99) and a never worn Target tank (2.99) all at Goodwill! I shop there all the time for home goods, but seldom ever find any clothes I just can't live with out or fit right, but it was a good day and I plan on checking them out more often. But the BR jeans pretty much sent me over the moon. I am easily pleased.

Finally I have Micah's new big boy room done. Well as done as it can be with out the big boy bed. He will be stuck in that crib for a good while...I can only handle one child getting up and climbing in my bed at 3a. HA! Post to come, get excited. :) I really love how it is coming together! Sorry no sneak peek...to lazy to upload my camera right now.

Happy Monday!

Funny Girl {video edition}

Personally, and I am sure there is maybe 10% bias here ;), think she is the funniest girl evah. Enjoy.
And please ignore the fact I am just laying there like an idiot, I would like to think it is not be being lazy as much as I get up at 545a everyday and workout for an hour so hard that my legs turn to jello, let's just call it a 50-50 toss up on that one. Now for the "show."


Lo Singing from Michele Keethler on Vimeo.

PS thanks to my hubby for his mad video editing skills...I loathe video edits, I like to keep to the photos. :)

MW 1.5 {Watch Me Grow}

How Big is Micah?

SOOOOO BIGGGG!!
18 months. 18 months! How is this happening? You are a real little big boy now. Although, even though physically and developmentally speaking you are way more advanced than your sister was at this age, I still just see you as this little, helpless baby. You aren't that big...

However you remind me daily you are. Personally you think you ARE 3. Everything Lo does, you do. Everything the neighbor kids do, you do. So we may just skip the 2nd birthday and hop right on over to the 3rd one.  HA! You are a fun little boy and I love watching you. Here is what I quickly jotted down this month.

Milestones: You are finally getting more teeth!!! You now have 4 on bottom. 4 on top and a top molar broken through and fairly certain the other one isn't too far behind and quite possibly the bottom ones too. Sissy was a rock star teether, you, well you could be worse, but I can definitely tell something is up, when you get all clingy and whiny at me. Motrin is our best friend right now.

We are getting ready to start potty training. Actually we sort of already started, but mommy got a little bored of it---you have a bladder like a tank, so waiting around for "opportunities" got old real fast. When you did need to go we got it figured out 50/60% of the time, but I figure I will wait just another month before going full steam ahead. HA!

our similarities are scary sometimes. HA!

 Not really a milestone, more of a backslide. This kid is whole heartedly addicted to his paci. Today we had to go to Target and buy MORE, more pacis! How sad are we. I was so embarrassed when the cashier got out her stickers to give the kids and I told them to say please. They both said their pleases and thank yous. She was blown away by MW doing it and asked how old he was. 18 months, and yes, we are here only buying pacis. Sigh. At least whenever we get somewhere and stop the car he takes it out and throws it because he knows he isn't allowed to take it into the store. So when kindergarten rolls around he will at least know to leave it at home... HA!


Language Skills: I may just omit this category from now on. He says everything in the English language. Now granted a lot of people including daddy, don't have the Micah Bear verbage down, but to me it is crystal clear. Some of my favs: "owie," "cofay" {coffee}, "beep beep" "dank do" {thank you}, "EAD" {read, very dramatically}, "bebay" {blankie}, "PAHHH!!!!!" {paci}, "1,2,1 dump" {jump}--he even uses his fingers to "count" and "yes." Oh and he calls me "mimi," not mommy or momma, I love my own special name. :)

Eating: Like a teenage boy. Feeds himself + less mess = happy mommy.

Sleep: Awesome. The other night we were playing with the neighbors and I took MW into bed and came back out like 5 minutes later, they were all "Micah's asleep already?!"
 I just looked at them and said, "yeah, he puts himself to bed, isn't that what they do?"
::baffled and amazed faces:: Apparently that is NOT what they do...who knew?! Both of my kids do this, they may have been HORRID first year sleepers and waited until 8/10m to sleep through the night, but now they are both awesome.
Routine: {Bedtime 7ish} Find paci, find blankie, jammies on, fresh diaper, lotion on face, read a book {very newly added to routine}, turn on sound machine and fan, lay him down, kiss, lights off and close door. Usually asleep within 10-15 minutes. Fussing would be a rarity. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
However, we are STILL taking two naps, averaging 1.5 and 2 hours respectively, each day. I tried today to get him to drop it, but he was dead asleep before we could even feed the poor kid lunch. He napped 2 hours and was up, by 5p he was exhausted...so I wait. Lo was done with that by this age, so it is a bit weird for me.

he has this new thing of sticking his tongue out all.the.time.

Favorite toy/book(s): All of a sudden Micah has found a LOVE for books. I laugh, because this is about the age Lo was when she went through started this seemingly never ending phase. ;) One afternoon around nap time daddy was taking Lo to her room and asked her to pick out a book to read, I was taking Micah to his room for nap. Lo asked "what book is Micah going to read?!" Daddy said "Micah doesn't read books before nap yet..." That was it, he heard that and promptly ran into her room, grabbed a "book, book. EAD!!!" And that is all she wrote folks, he must be read to 100x/day now. Can't complain though, it is a great love affair to have. :)
He doesn't seem too attached to any toys right now, just plays with anything and everything sissy has. It can be a war zone some days. :) Except the slide. You do love the slide and now go down head first. We can thank sissy for that one. And yes those are girly monkey undies...he found them in the (clean) laundry basket and insisting on wearing them...who am I to say no. HA!

Anecdotes/Quirky things you do:
*When you have a stinky diaper, I bag it and then you insist on walking the bag to the stairs and throwing it down to the landing {where I then kick it out into the garage for daddy to deal with. :)}

*Of course throwing things down the stairs is not just limited to the trash. Shoes, books, toys, clothes, pretty much whatever you can find at your disposal.
*You constantly beg me for my "cofay," {coffee}. Never had any, but insist on trying to drink it everyday.
*Your new name will be Mogli, since everything must be climbed!!!! I swear you were raised by wolves, but then I remember you are MY son completely, I am not sure daddy contributed much other than the Y chromosome, it is that bad. ;) You have zero fear, your loud, you are strong, your determined, your passionate, you are kind, you are compassionate and empathetic. It is why you and I struggle so and probably always will; we are just two peas in a pod. Problem is we don't want to share a pod. HA!

I was a STRONG baby/kid, well still am. ;)

Anyway, MW taking after me, he is on his own power pushing up into a handstand,

 I am merely balancing him. Wow. He will be my future gymnast. :)

scaling the couch to the ledge. Thanks again Lo for that one. 

It is seriously monkey see monkey do around here. If it isn't her it is him teaching the other one something "fun" to do. Seriously, who are their parents? When I have kids I am never... ;)

 

*You are great at sharing--with your sissy at least. Anything you hear her say she wants, you get it for her. You keep that up and you are going to be a WONDERFUL hubby someday. ;)

you think you are such a "cool dude" in sunglasses, even if they are pink. 

*You also love her best. She is the only one who gets your kisses. And mommy is last on the kissing list. I am trying not to let it hurt my feelings. :)

See sometimes I get these special moments...

 

Temperament: see above.

Stats:
Ht: 29in {mommy guesstimate} 30in {2%}

Wt: 22# {mommy guesstimate} {6%}
Head Circumference: 18.25 {14%}

Clothes: 9-12-18m
Shoes: 4/5
Diaper: 3 swaddlers/4   

Word{less} Wednesday

The Fourth of July

Here's to the fourth. The celebration of our freedom and independence. A nation first and foremost founded on biblical truth and faith in God. Sadly, something our nation is so far away from now, and I pray one day could turn towards again. We had an amazing Sunday service allowing us to reflect on our beginnings before the festivities hit on Wednesday.

Leighton and her BFF. Two cutest girls on the block. Micah jumped in there and gave us the best grins. To bad he is half naked.

We always celebrate my sisters birthdays (July 8th, two girls born on the same day 7 years apart) on the 4th. Unfortunately Melissa lives too far to join us, so we just celebrated Meg. Great delicious cake, courtesy of Julie. {she makes them as an adoption fundraiser--if you live in my area use her, you won't be sorry. :) }

 

I made the yummy patriotic strawberries. And thanks to pinterest there wasn't any white chocolate to be found in the area, well except the last bag of white chocolate chips I finally found at Target.

I also made (in honor of someone's 21st birthday) a white sparkling wine. {Moscato wine + Fresca + fruit: use what every ratio floats your boat. 1/2 wine 1/2 soda, 2/3 wine, 1/3 soda---can't go wrong just depends on how strong you want it, try this you won't be sorry. :)}

Then of course it was time to take some cute outfit photos of the kids. Well, we tried...

The festivities!

1. chasing parachutes

2. MW throwing snappers.

4. enjoying watching fireworks
5. doing sparklers.
6. thanks to pinterest we tried the red plastic cup to "protect" Lo's hand from the sparkler. It worked great and made her feel a little "safer" about holding a sparkler.

Water balloon fight. The kids, even the big ones, loved it.

Poor Micah was so sad when the water balloons were all gone. He kept signing and saying "more, more." So we hooked up the sprinkler, threat level downgraded.

After some sprinkler fun, a piece or two of cake and few daytime fireworks I put Micah to bed. I wasn't sure how he would do since Mayberry sounds like a war zone and quiet possibly could put our nation's capitol's display to shame. HA! But he went right to sleep and didn't make a peep all night. WOW! He was a little scared of the fireworks while he was up though, but overall did well. Leighton was loving it.
At one point we took a little walk to pass the time, but then the sky started lighting up with fireworks. Leighton got all excited and demanded we turn around and get home. "We're missing the fourth of July!!" She kept saying. So funny.

My sister and I have an annual sparkler dance. We have been listening to that "call me maybe" song way.too.much. and may or may not have a routine to it...

The evening ended with this gorgeous moon. Of course we don't have a great zoom yet, so this will have to do. It was brilliant and huge.

What? The 4th is over?!

Until Next Year!

Happy Fourth Of July!