Kieran Says April/May 2016 Edition

So I will totally admit this kid's got my number! The other day I told Jon that Kieran convinced me to take him to Starbucks when that hadn't been my plan. When Jon asked me how exactly our 2.5 year old "convinced" me I just couldn't put into words what putty I become in his hands when he asks for something so sweetly and politely. "Mama, we go to Starbucks? I want an egg and bacon and cheese sandwich. Please can we go to Starbucks Mama? You have a coffee Mama? We can sit outside. We go to Starbucks and then the grocery store?" His sweet little voice is just so precious and honestly sitting at a table chatting with this little person will be remembered long past when I've forgotten the unwashed clothes, unpaid bills, etc. of the morning.

After making a quilt for Reed last year to keep at Grandma's house I decided to do the same for Kieran. It took me a while to get around to, but I asked Kieran to choose between a few patterns and he went with a plus pattern for his quilt. I was really afraid if I let him choose a fabric color he would want yellow but I had a few red fabrics he really liked so I was pretty pleased with his selections. The quilt has found its' home at Grandma and Grandpa's house but for the few days it was with us K took it everywhere and absolutely adored it. This made me so happy and since I needed to take some pictures for this post I decided to capture him and the quilt together.

Reed was rushing through counting something and I told him to slow down because he kept skipping 10. Reed replied that "number ten is going eight, you're leaving me behind." To which Kieran responded "don't worry Reed, I got him!"

A police car whizzed by us on a freeway off-ramp with lights and sirens on and quickly turned off onto the surface street. Kieran asked "where is the police car?" It was an off-ramp with lots of fast food places so I told him "maybe he's going to a restaurant." Without skipping a beat K said "he must be hungry!!"

Reed still struggles with putting his shoes on by himself, probably half the time ending up with them on the wrong feet. When one morning I told Reed he had his shoes on the wrong feet, Kieran ran over and said "I have to teach you!!!  That one goes on that foot!"

One of Kieran's favorite things to do is pee outside (such a boy). One day I was helping him with his pants while he went and he stuck his leg out in front him. When I asked what he was doing he told me "See Mom, I lift my leg like Dodger when he pees."

Even though Kieran is pretty much potty trained, I still remind him every couple of hours to try to go. When I asked K if he needed to go potty he replied "I don't need to go potty, I went yesterday!"

While on the drive home from Sunday dinner I asked the boys what their favorite part of the visit to Nonna and Pepe's was. Kier piped up and said "dessert!!!" Knowing we didn't have dessert I asked what exactly was for dessert to which he replied "ketchup!!!"

At breakfast Kieran broke his banana in half. I immediately held my breath because this usually means a meltdown in our house. Instead he declared "banana nunchucks" and started doing karate moves with the two pieces.

We were listening to the song "Down by the Bay" and I kept laughing at all of the "My Mother will say ..." parts and finally Kieran said "this is so ridiculous!!!"

As a reward for going potty K asked for jelly beans and I agreed but was in the middle of cooking dinner so I handed him the Tupperware container and told him to just take two (there were like 8 in the container). A minute later I turned around and there was only one jelly bean left. I immediately said "did you eat all of those?" Kier replied "not yet" in this super sing-songy voice while slipping the last one in his mouth with the most devious smile.

After the jelly bean binge incident I was serving up dinner and out of nowhere K said "I hear voices." I told him jokingly "I hear voices too, what do your voices say?" He immediately said "eat the jelly bean." (to be honest I'm still a little haunted by this one).

2016 Swedish Festival

Yesterday I participated in the Dala Horse Trot 10k. I went back and forth on whether to do the full 10k this year since it would mean, once again, pushing both boys in a stroller. I have obviously done this before, but they are heavier and I am older so I was hesitating. I talked to Grandma about the race and she wanted to do the 10k so I bit the bullet and signed up knowing at least I would have company. It was an absolutely beautiful day and a great race. We finished in just over 56 minutes which was a 9:05/mile pace and definitely hit my goal of finishing in under an hour. Grandma even took first in her age group!!! A bunch of our friends and co-workers did the run too so it was fun to see them before, during, and after the race.

We of course had to also take part in the Swedish pancake breakfast, which was delicious. Reed was pretty happy with the pancakes and sausage I brought for him and over the moon that he could have the orange juice and peaches that came with the breakfast. We said goodbye to Grandma and our friends after breakfast, walked around the Swedish Festival, signed Reed up for youth soccer, and then played in the park for awhile. By the time we were done hanging out, the parade was about to start. We met back up with Kevin, Shannon, Clara, and Emmett and the kids had a blast watching all of the marching bands, floats, cars, and especially the fire trucks. Kier was adorable and every time he saw the next parade entry he would yell "Clara, Clara, I see something!!!" The boys were both exhausted - Kieran fell asleep on the 8 minute drive home and slept right through lunch and Reed, although claiming he didn't need quiet time, managed to pass out in the middle of the living room!

Post Race

Laurie, Bailey, and Russell

Shannon's Mom (aka Aba), Kevin, Clara, Shannon, and Emmett

Mikael and Jeffrey

Swedish dancing

 

Mother's Day 2016

Last Wednesday Reed's school hosted a "Moms and Dads" event which featured Reed's class singing a few songs then the kids taking us back to the classroom to show off some of the artwork they've been working on. Reed had made us each a gift - a framed picture for Jon and a potted plant for me. It was really special for the three of us to spend some time together at Reed's preschool. We have a meeting at work at lunch every Wednesday so the three of us rushed back to HMC where Reed hung out with me in the kitchen listening to the meeting. He did a great job staying quiet and his only question was why Pepe was talking so much and not all of the other people were getting to talk. No surprise he had everyone in the kitchen laughing at this!!! After the meeting Reed was super excited to help Auntie P around the office and was a little disappointed when I told him it was time to go.

On Saturday we had Grandma and Grandpa over for an early Mother's Day dinner. The boys had a blast playing with them. They were a bit hyped up during dinner because I told them we were having s'mores after. Luckily once we got outside they calmed down a bit and we had a great time hanging out by the fire pit.

On Sunday we had a relaxing morning at home making breakfast and watching soccer. Jon surprised me with a massage so while I went up to Fresno to be pampered he took over lunch and naptime duties. After Kieran woke up we headed to Pepe and Nonna's where Gran, Papa, Aunt Di Di, and TJ joined our normal Sunday dinner crew. K was all about the ladies opening gifts and was so excited when he would find out what was inside a package. Again the kids were rowdy during dinner so after getting them to calm down as much as possible and finish eating we went out to the tennis courts to play "baseball" and to pick fruit from the orchard.

Just listing all of the celebrations from last week makes me realize how lucky we are to have so many amazing women/Moms in our life. I started to make a list of all the women that do things for our family and to be honest it was really long and I was afraid I would leave someone off. We have friends and family close and far who adore my boys and that really is the best gift any Mother could ever ask for!!!

Two and a Half Years

This is by far my favorite age for Kieran so far. He is sleeping better than ever, other than a pull-up overnight he is fully potty trained, he can do a lot of things independently when asked, but also loves his Mom and Dad so much and has special things he does with each of us. This kid has the best laugh and I love making him giggle whenever I can. Even if I'm upset with him I know his sweet little laugh will fix things between us. The Bug wants to be just like Reed and idolizes his big brother. He will do almost anything Reed asks of him but at the same time has no patience for Reed's dramatic meltdowns and will walk away or physically attack him if he feels like he's taken the meltdown too far. The boys really enjoy playing together and on any given day they probably play 30 minutes to two hours independently spread out during the day. K has started to give us the first glimpses of a "why stage" and I'm wondering how I'll react to this kid constantly questioning me.

Kieran and I have two different mornings during the week where we have about three hours all to ourselves. We usually go running, grocery shopping, hit up a museum, go to mom and me yoga, or go to Starbucks for a snack. I love this one on one time with K-Bug and I know he loves it too. K is such a sweetheart and melts my heart whenever he comes up to give me a random hug, grabs my face to give me a kiss, says a genuine please or thank you, and especially when he's sweet with a friend or family member. Watching him bring joy to others makes me so happy and I love hearing how sweet and how much fun others think he is. This kid definitely makes me a very proud Mom!!!

Interesting Facts

Weight: 28 lbs

Height: 36.5 inches

Clothing Size:  2T and 3T tops and pajamas. Pants and shorts are 2T.

Shoe Size: 7

Kieran likes: Playing with Dodger, doing anything outside, and pretending anything with Reed. He has started enjoying drawing, helping in the kitchen, loves reading books, and snack dates to Starbucks. His special guys are Max the monkey and Geno the Gorilla. He also loves a good cuddle with his blue blankie. Screen time favorites are Super Why, Daniel Tiger, and Shaun the Sheep, he'll also sit through an animated 90 minute movie now.

Kieran dislikes: Reed being emotional and being told no.

Nicknames: K, Bug, K-Bug, Boo, and Sweatheart

 

Food: K will try almost anything I ask him to. He loves almost all fruit and carbs. He's hit or miss with meat and usually just eats a couple bites of vegetables. He loves pancakes, pizza, anything with avocado, pasta, beans, cheese, rice, and French fries.

Communication: Kieran's communication continues to improve daily. He has quite a few really complex words and speaks in full sentences most of the time. I love when he tries to tell a story and gets so caught up he stumbles over his words a bit but then figures out the right word and continues on. He also is a little mimic and constantly repeats what we say, he especially likes copying Reed. K knows quite a few songs and will start singing whenever he hears something that reminds him of one of his favorites.

 

Favorite Color(s): Yellow

Best Friends: When I asked him, he said "just Reed"

How Kieran is sleeping:  K goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 pm and sleeps until around 6:00 am most mornings. He sleeps in a twin bed, with a night light and sound machine as well a special blue blanket, and two cuddly guys (Max and Geno). He refuses to use a pillow or covers. He goes down for a nap around 1:00 pm and sleeps for 2-3 hours.

Milestones over the last six months:

Kieran attended his first wedding

He performed in a music recital

K bowled for the first time

The Bug drinks out of a lidless cup now

Kieran tried out snow skiing and sledding

He successfully shared a bedroom with Reed on several vacations

K no longer wears a pull-up for nap time

K-Bug has started to wake up with dry pull-ups after sleeping overnight

Grizzlies Game

We never got to a Grizzlies game last year so when we found out that HMC was getting a suite for a night as a thank you for being a season ticket holder we were excited to take the boys to the game. Nonna, Pepe, C, Tio, Lyla, Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie P, Tim, and our co-worker Jerry joined in on the fun too. The boys had a blast, devoured hot dogs, cheered on the players, loved trying to spot the mascot (Parker), and had a ton of frozen lemonade. We were the last ones from our group to leave the game, two hours past the boys bedtime and Kieran was so amped he didn't even fall asleep on the 30 minute drive home. I think we'll try to get to another game or two this season because the kids loved it that much!