Cozy Corner

If Landon takes a nap during the day, he won't fall asleep until 10 or 11 at bedtime. So we are cutting out the nap, but he still has to have about an hour and a half of quiet time. During this time, he sits in his room looking at books quietly. I set a timer so he knows when he's allowed to come down. This past weekend I thought it'd be fun to create a secret little hide-away for him during his rest time. So I padded up a space in his closet with pillows and blankets. We just went to the library on Saturday (btw, Landon got his very own library card Saturday. He thinks he's hot stuff!) so he had a bag full of new books to look at.


Over an hour and a half had passed so I went in to check on him...

Landon, Landon - Always Keeping Me Laughing

A few recent conversations with Landon...

(in the car)
L: Mommy, are we in India?
K: No, we are in the United States of America.
L: Oh.

(getting home from church, Aunt Beth and Olive were over)
L: Mommy, can Aunt Beth put me to bed?
K: No baby, she has to put Olive to bed.
L: Well you can put Olive to bed and she can put me to bed.
K: She has to nurse Olive.
L: Well, don't you have milk in your boobies?
K: No baby, my milk is all gone now since Carter stopped nursing.
L: Mommy, can't you just put some in there tonight and feed Olive so Beth can put me to bed?

Cousins

Carter at 18 months & Olive at 10 months

Acceptance Speech

Christopher and I won an award and have worked very hard on our acceptance speech. What do you think?

It is with great despair that we accept this not-so-prestigious award of "January's Worst Parents". There were many awful colleagues in our category and we are ashamed that we have been voted the worst of the worst. We'd like to thank Carter, without whom we would not be accepting this award. Had we not been neglectful and let you fall down the entire flight of stairs at home on 26 Jan 2011, we wouldn't be holding this award in our hands right now.

Stay tuned for the results of our second nomination, "Worst Parents of 2011".

Getting Your Learn On...Or Katherine's Breakdown (Both Are Appropriate)

I have been dreading this discussion for, let's say, four and a half years.

It's time to start thinking about Kindergarten for Landon. Registration day is near. When I was growing up (don't I sound old?), you had one choice for an elementary school. There were only like 3 in the whole county and you went to the school where you lived. Wake County is CRAZY! Right now, we have 3 options, and one of those options containing even more, and all of those options containing even more...

1. Option 1: Private Christian School - we toured Grace Christian and LOVED it. It has a strong educational curricula with a Christian backbone. I realized how much I despise our non-Christian schools when Landon told me that he would say grace at lunch at daycare quietly so his friends wouldn't hear him and laugh at him. I want Landon to be in an environment where he can feel free to be a Christian and will make every day decisions using his core Christian values. With all of that being said, there is that issue of money. It's expensive. It's cheaper than daycare, true, but can we afford to pay those fees for the next 16 years? And this school doesn't really reflect our diverse society...it's a bunch of rich white kids.


2. Public School (traditional calendar) - Our "base" school is a traditional calendar school, meaning a normal school that lets out in the summer. The problem is that our base school (Reedy Creek) doesn't sit very high on the scale as far as test scores go. I'm not impressed with this one. I have to register here next week, then request to be transferred to option #3 in mid February.


3. Public School (year-round calendar) - We can apply for the year-round option (Adams), but it's a lottery to whether he gets in (you would find that out in March). Year rounds offer 4 tracks, where 3 tracks of kids are in school at one time and the 4th is tracked out. The child would be in school for 45 days, and out for 15 days. Year-rounds have been proven to be better for the children as it eliminates that month of reviewing at the beginning of every school year because they've forgotten everything over the summer. It keeps them in the groove of learning and gives them much-needed breaks throughout the year. The problem here is that we are not guaranteed a spot. Then IF he gets in, we have to pick a track. That's also a lottery drawing (and we wouldn't find out what track he's on until like the beginning of the summer). Some tracks are better than others as they fit better with vacations schedules, etc. Tracks 1-3 start on July 11th, and Track 4 starts on August 1st. I visited this school yesterday. I didn't leave with the warm and fuzzies, but I didn't absolutely hate it. But again, I am probably comparing everything to Grace.

Then there's the issue of before and after school care and when he's tracked out/on summer break (the Y offers a great program for a fee). Then I'd have to figure out where I drop him off or pick him up at...sometimes at school and sometimes at the Y depending on if he's tracked in/tracked out/school closed/before school/after school. Or would the bus come early enough for me to put him on that? Then I hear horror stories about the buses where a friend's child was dropped off at the wrong stop and then this little 5 year old was wandering around some random neighborhood. And good grief, you should have seen the car pool line at the year-round - holy cow, I cannot sit in that! And my friend's kid barely has time to eat his lunch when he buys it because he doesn't get through the line in enough time to sit down and eat. And Kindergartners eat at 10:30!!! You can send money for their lunch money and they will send home a slip of paper saying your account is low. What if I don't get that slip? Then he'll go to school and eat fruits and veggies and water (I was told that the state allows you to eat that for free). So pack lunch or eat school lunch? O.M.G. I CANNOT handle this!!!!

This was probably not interesting to anyone...unless you enjoy witnessing a mental breakdown. I was hoping it would help me to get it out. I'd like to say I feel better...but I don't. Any suggestions?

Wink, Wink

Dance Party

Almost every day you can find one or all of the Bagley family members shaking their groove thang in the living room. We love to dance. It's good for the soul.

*I especially love the boys' new breakdancing moves (or as Landon calls it...dancebreaking).

So Random...But As Always, So Cute

Carter LOVES Elmo. He has an Elmo toothbrush, bibs, shoes, books and toys. I put Sesame Street on the other day. He was in an Elmo-coma when his favorite red guy was on the big screen.


He also loves reading his Bible. He requests his Bible by name, and takes it around with him.


Landon (aka Iron Man) thinks it's fun to wash the dishes. I think it's fun too! :)


Carter was put in his first time-out this week. Not sure how beneficial it was since Christopher and I were both dying laughing at him being a drama queen and I was snapping pictures of him!

Dr. Bagley

Sir Talks-A-Lot

While at the doctor's office the other day, I had to think about the words Carter can say to make sure he hit the milestone of at least 8 words. Here's a list of his words at 18 months, besides Mama and Dada. Most are crystal clear.

1. bubble
2. ball
3. star
4. moon
5. book
6. Bible
7. dog dog
8. brother
9. door
10. nose
11. mole (weird, right? I taught him that it was not a "ball" on my face)
12. bye-bye
13. hi
14. noooooo! (usually screamed)
15. Elmo
16. more
17. moo (when asked what the cow says)
18. cak-cak (when asked what the duck says)
19. tweet tweet (when asked what the bird says)
20. Carter (he has said that once)
21. Jeter
22. Landon
23. choo-choo
24. all done (he has said that once)
25. mine/my
26. tractor
27. sky
28. tree
29. peek-a-boo (sounds like peek-boo)
30. light
31. shoe

Also, my little man loves to throw things away. He's a neat freak like his Mama. It started off with him throwing away napkins, paper, and diapers. Now he just throws anything and everything away. Oh, done with your bowl? I can take care of that for you! After trying to explain to him that spoons, cups, bowls etc. go in the sink, he puts everything in the sink now...including trash! :)

And the child can spot a moon and star on anything. He brought Christopher's Nike shoe over to me saying "moon". I was like huh? He was pointing to the end of the Nike check...which looks a lot like a crescent moon.

Hakuna Matata

I'm going on a date tonight! Woo-hoo! For Christmas, Christopher got us tickets to see the Broadway version of The Lion King. We have a babysitter lined up (what a trooper...Ms Amy is handling my 2 plus her own kid all with a broken elbow!), dinner reservations, and one hot black dress! And oh how I love The Lion King. It is by far my favorite Disney movie ever, and on the list of my top 10 favorites of all times (I'll put together the list of the other 9 later and post). Ya'll, I went to college with a Lion King bedspread! No joke. I am just so excited to hear the music (best movie soundtrack ever by far...which by the way is how I knew Christopher and I were meant for each other - when we were dating we realized that we both owned The Lion King soundtrack CD.), see the bright costumes and feel the African beat through my bones! Hakuna Matata!

Carter's 18 Month Appointment

Carter was having a great time yesterday playing with the bead toy in the waiting area at the doctor's office...until the nurse called his name. He literally jumped, looked at me with panic all over his face and started bawling. He cried until the nurse left the room. I finally got him calmed down, only for him to start up again the moment the doctor walked in. I think the last time we were in and got those horrid antibiotic shots scarred him. His check-up was good - ears were in the clear (she did say that we will send him to the ENT to talk tubes if he gets one more ear infection) and he met all of the developmental milestones (speech, gross motor skills and fine motor skills). My Carter Bear is still on the smaller side as you can see from his percentages below, but it is in trend with what he's always been at, so no worries there.

Height: 30 3/4 in. (10%)
Weight: 24 lb. 12 oz. (30%)
Head circumference: 46 cm (10%)

He had to get 2 shots - flu booster and Hep A. When we rounded the corner to leave, he started going nuts and saying "more, more, more" and pointing...I finally realized that he was pointing to the suckers. There's nothing like a grape sucker to fix any hurt feelings.

Next appointment is at 2 years. Things to look out for and work on before then are using a spoon and fork (or try to anyway), discipline (can start time-outs), and keeping an eye on his speech development to make sure his ear infections haven't had any effects on it.

A Bedtime Story

Sometimes if I have a hard time falling asleep, Christopher will tell me a story. He recently told me one that was too good not to share (and I was so tickled afterwards, it took me about an hour to fall asleep).

*this is written as best as I can remember

Once upon a time, there was an evil wizard named [insert name of person that makes me miserable every day at work]. There was also a young sorceress named Kat, who was learning wizardry. She could also shape shift into a cat, which is why she was named Kat. The evil wizard was very mean to her. One day, Kat shifted into a cat and went to the doorstep of the evil wizard's castle. He thought she was cute and let her in to live with him. The cat (aka Kat) wreaked havoc. She peed in all of his vents (see back story below). She also invited all of her cat friends over and they drank milk out of his fine china and told them her story of how mean the evil wizard was to her. So they all peed in his vents too. The castle smelled so bad that the evil wizard ran out of his castle never to be seen or heard from again. The sorceress used her magic to clean up the castle and she lived happily ever after.

*Back story about the peeing in the vents: we once had a cat named Radar (I called her Little Girl). She was a bad little girl (and very fat) but we loved her anyway. One of the rooms in our house in Youngsville smelled so bad and we couldn't figure out why. One day I caught Little Girl in action...PEEING in our floor vent. It was very bad...especially when the heat came on.

Jones Family Get-Together

This past Sunday, we had our annual Jones family get-together at my parents' house. I was surrounded by my parents, brother & sister, 4 nieces/nephews, 2 sets of aunts & uncles and 14 cousins. We had a blast together.

My sister with my nieces (and one cute little boy!)


Double trouble (we've got a surprise up our sleeves to rep our sisterhood - stay tuned...)


Carter Bear was looking exceptionally cute outside in his dino hat.





The boys had a blast riding on Adam and Ryan's JD Gators. We also got in some soccer and golf cart riding. There's never a boring moment at Nannie and Papa's. And what a beautiful day to be outside.








After eating a HUGE meal (remember how awesome of a cook my step-mama is?), we roasted marshmallows on the fire. mmmmmmm

More Chompers

My Carter Bear has been a little "off" this weekend. He's had some diarrhea today, which has led to a monstrous diaper rash. When I try to wipe him, he screams in pain and shakes. :( I feel so bad. I've started using a warm washcloth to pat, but it's still hurting him. Hopefully the Triple Paste kicks in overnight tonight. While he was laying on the bed screaming, I noticed a few more teeth...which would explain his "off"-ness. He has 8 in the front (4 top, 4 bottom) and 1 molar (top right). I noticed a molar all the way through on the bottom left and one coming through on the top left (I think that's right). Also, on either side of his bottom 4, his gums are swollen about a 1/2 inch high. Poor fella is having a rough go with these toofers.

His 18-month check-up is Tuesday afternoon. We'll get a look at those ears and see how they are doing (and potentially talk tubes).

Things That Have Made Me Laugh Lately

1. At supper, Landon said to me randomly "We learned all about planets today. You know, they are all on a track and they stay in their own track but if they bump into each other, we die".
2. Carter's latest obsessions are his Bible, the broom and the Swiffer. He totes them around all the time. A Bible-toting housekeeper.
3. Landon and I were reading a book about a King Phillip. He started laughing hysterically saying "Phillip...like Fill Up. Fill Up. (hysterical laughing) Fill Up."
4. Carter is also obsessed with Elmo. He used to hate bibs. He would tear them off the minute I put them on. I pulled out an Elmo bib the other day. Well, now he wants to wear his bib all of the time...way after dinner is over. I think he'd wear it to bed if I let him. He also likes to brush his teeth a lot with his Elmo toothbrush...but I have to reapply his toothpaste about every 30 seconds. I have to cut him off after a few refills.
5. We got home from school/work and Carter walked straight into the den, and then came back in the kitchen eating something. I asked Christopher what he had. He said "Oh, the rest of the Pop Tart that he was eating this morning. It's been sitting on the table all day." Mad props to Hokie for not eating that!
6. Carter thinks Landon is the most hilarious thing to walk this Earth. He can just look at Landon and bust out laughing. It's pretty cool.
7. The other day after the boys got back from ice sledding soaked, Landon decided he needed to take a shower with Daddy (which about made me fall out in the floor because Landon does not take showers, he hates the water in his face). So Christopher and Landon get in the shower. Then Carter walks up to the shower door and starts banging so I get him undressed, open the door and in he walks (Carter takes showers because he hates baths...he puked in the tub back in November and is traumatized. Seriously, he's fine in pools but will literally flip himself out of the tub and screams and shakes.). It was so funny seeing all 3 of them in that tiny little shower. Wish could have taken a picture but I'm trying to keep this G-rated. Then I hear..."Pee down the drain Landon, not on me!"

*This is the 400th post on my blog! That's a lot of blogging!

Playing Hooky

I played hooky from work yesterday. There was ice on the roads so Christopher's work was closed and daycare delayed. My work, of course, was open regular hours. However, we all decided to stay home. Landon and I snuggled on the couch and watched Beauty and The Beast (first time for both of us!). Carter was obsessed with his Bible all day - yes, my 18 month old asks for his Bible by name! His favorite book used to be the bubble one, which has now been replaced by Jesus. And Landon and Christopher went super-sledding at Bond Park...apparently it's more awesome on ice than snow! Christopher took some pictures and video with his phone - I'll try to get those and get them posted this week. I love lazy, hooky days with my boys.

Jump! Jump!

New Couch

This is how my little Spiderman decided to watch TV over the weekend (he's on a Rubbermaid tote lid).

Muscles

We have a toy box in the living room, but had moved it into the dining room while we had our Christmas tree up. We haven't brought it back in the living room yet. Landon was fixing the squeaky wheel on my dump truck (he's Handy Manny, you know) and he had to go get a tool out of the toy box. So I am sitting here and hear this noise like something was sliding on the floor. I looked up and Landon was pushing the entire toy box back into the living room. I guess milk and veggies do help you grow strong!

Someone's Getting An Opinion!

Don't Forget

Mommy: Landon, don't let me forget to get your library books in the morning - they are due back.
Landon: Okay Mommy, I won't. I have good "remembries".

Bagley Boys

New Years Eve 2010

Christopher was out of town for 4 days over the holidays so Landon, Carter and I headed to VA to my parents. I couldn't be alone on New Year's Eve...and I was definitely NOT kissing my dog, Hokie at midnight!

Here's how I spent my wild night...

Kissed Carter nighty-night and took Landon and my 8 y/o niece, Gracie to see the 7:00 showing of Yogi Bear.

Partied with Landon, Gracie and my step-mom in the living room til 2011, complete with beads, blinking tiaras, party hats & horns, with a few games of Hi Ho Cherry-o and Color Wonder coloring thrown in.

Kissed this little guy at midnight (yes, he stayed up!!!)

This Is What I Call Good Sleeping!

Love In 2011

Happy New Year! Here's a little brotherly love to start your year off right!