Loving the Snow

Last year when it snowed, David rejected the cold, which makes sense coming from a tropical climate, and he thought the snow needed to be cleaned up because it made his shoes dirty. This year he still was timid of the cold and snow, but he more readily embraced it. This time he even climbed through a snow tunnel at Scott & Andrea's and participated in snowball fights!

Stay Warm,

E

WHY?????!!!!!!!!!

Wow! The moment I've dreaded has now reared its head, as of yesterday. David officially understood the meaning of WHY and asked, "Why?" after asking him to do something. I'm sure my jaw must have dropped to the floor in surprise, and he quickly smiled. He later asked, "Why?" again during the day, but I thought it was simply prompted by my reaction. However, this morning, when getting ready to go to Cathy's (his in-home daycare), he asked if he could watch an episode of THE BACKYARDIGANS, and I told him, "No." "Why, Mama?"Again, slightly shocked but desperately trying to play it cool, I responded, "Because we don't have enough time, David." "Oh, okay."

Oh my gosh!!! We've entered into a new realm of parenting where my child will now (as Kyle brilliantly states) "begin flexing his personality and opinion muscles." Welcome to a whole new world!!!

E

Christmas 2009

This Christmas was much more experienced than the previous; I think the birthday round of presents to David solidified what should be done. We spent this Christmas, first, with my parents at our house. My favorite moments, by far, were when they opened the ceramic cross David had painted for them, and also when David opened the Home Depot Stool/Work bench. He cutely said, "Oh, thank you. A stool for time out!" (David has a time out stool at the end of our hallway). We giggled and giggled.

Our second Christmas occurred at our house on Christmas morning after Santa had come. David enjoyed his knight costume, R2Potatoo, Backyardigans computer game, books, fruit snacks, world map floor puzzle, and, most importantly, his VTech camera. He spent the morning taking interesting pictures: everything from the dogs, us, himself, the insides of bags, and rooms in the house. We finished off our morning with pancakes and digging ourselves out of the driveway so we could leave for Tulsa.

Eventually, we made it to Tulsa, and because they were snowed in, we celebrated at Scott & Andrea's house and helped rescue them from their covered driveway. David appreciated more books, clothes, Backyardigans figures, and Star Wars action figures.

Overall, it was a plentiful and enjoyable holiday, and the cool aspect of this Christmas was the David understood and was ready for the loot.

Thanks to all, and Merry Christmas.

E

Clearing the Driveway

Poor cold Kyle clearing our driveway of the 1.5-2 + feet of snow. Stay warm, love! E

Oklahoma Blizzard of 2009

This morning while we were getting ready David asked if we were going to Poppy & Granna's after presents and pancakes. I told him that we'd have to wait to check the weather and see about the snow. David replied, "Mama, Jesus drive lawnmower and clean up the snow."

Gotta love it,

E

Backseat Style

Here's just a brief glimpse of David's unique style & fashion sense.

DDD

Today was another Daddy and David Day!!! Mama took her students to a speech tournament in Choctaw, so David and I had the rule of the roost. The day started as normal with a trip to the donut shop and to Wal-Mart for groceries, except this time David wanted to buy a Nerf "gum" like Daddy's with his chore chart money.

So we tried a few different models at the store until we found one that he could operate. It took a little bit of extra effort in the beginning, but he finally got the hang of it. After some target practice in the living room, I decided we should play hide and seek "Nerf style." I went first and hid in the office behind a chair for cover. After counting to a very fast 10, David slowly came down the hallway calling my name. He soon found me, and a gun battle quickly followed. We collected the darts, and David announced it was his turn to hide. However, when I was halfway finished with counting, I heard his dart shoot and wondered what happened. I started down the hallway only to be met by David running my way hollering like a crazed warrior. (I was so proud!) I noticed that his gun was unloaded, and I destroyed him with me barrage of darts!!! Next, we collected the darts the darts, but we could not find the dart from David's premature discharge of his weapon. (Officer Dake, I may need you to talk to him about that.) Just as I was about to give up, I looked towards the ceiling and saw our wayward dart. I am not sure if he doing target practice or just got excited about hiding and squeezed the trigger early. Either way I grabbed the camera and documented the occasion.

Later in the afternoon, we went to a hobby store on the southside of OKC. (FYI - I bought a little hobby store RC helicopter recently, and it has become my new obsession! I even fly it in the gym at work when the kids are at electives.) David was really excited by all the cars, planes, and helicopters in the store. I guess the old saying is true that the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys! After I found what I needed, we just walked around the store looking at the fun stuff, and David would occasionally tell me he wanted to play with one of the cars on display. We finished the day by fulfilling a long standing tradition of mine. Since Emily does not like seafood of any kind, I have made it a point to eat some kind of seafood when she is gone for a tournament; I usually have to go out to eat for this since even the smell bothers her, so I decided that David would Long John Silvers a try and he loved it. The funniest was when I looked over and noticed that he was dipping everything into his cole slaw. (The boy loves condiments!) We rounded out the day with another Nerf war before cleaning up and welcoming Mama home. What can I say? Another great day at Daddy daycare!

Kyle

Lyrical Genius!

We were amused by our influence on our 3-year-old, who changes song lyrics too! Tonight he started singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," and changed "Glad tidings we bring, to you and your kin" to "We're hiding the beef from you and your kids!" What have we done?! :)

Emily

Build and Grow

Lately we have been enjoying trips to Lowe's for their "Build and Grow" program. (www.lowesbuildandgrow.com) On various Saturdays throughout the year they have little hammer and nail projects for parents and kids to do together. We have made a school bus, a firetruck, a ball toss game, a snowman, and many other things. David enjoys them all, and he has only hit my finger a couple of times!

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On another front, David is getting excited about Christmas. We have dropped off our box for Operation Christmas Child (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/). He has already talked to Santa at the mall, and presents are showing up under the tree, but I know he is really getting the hang of it because of what happened today.

David was helping Emily bring presents out to the tree, and he was full of questions. When he found out that some of the presents were for him, he got really excited and began telling us "thank you," although I think some of the excitement went away when Emily reminded him that we had to wait until Christmas to open them. Right about that time I hear something rattling, and I look up just in time to see David shaking on of his presents and ask Emily, "Lego's, Mama?" GREAT!!! He has already started snooping. I thought that did not start until he was 5! It was another one of those "Now what do I do?" parenting moments. Man, this is a great job.

Holiday Fun

The Thanksgiving break was great and we all enjoyed the food and family visits, but I thought I would share one story in particular.

When we visit my parents in Tulsa, David sleeps on an air mattress in the room with us. The first time he slept there, David got freaked out by a rag doll that my mom had on display on a shelf. Being a good grandma, she now migrates the doll to another room whenever we visit.

Well... we arrived Thanksgiving afternoon and put David down for a nap shortly after lunch. Just a few minutes later David started crying so I went to check on him. When I arrived, he was staring at the shelf and crying. I asked what was wrong, and I got a one word answer, "Bear." I looked up and saw a teddy bear dressed as a soldier (my brother is in the Air Force) on the shelf. I told David it was okay, that the bear was nice, and asked if he wanted to say "hi" to the bear. He answered with a shaky, "Yes," followed be an even more tentative, "Hi, bear," after I picked the bear off the shelf. We both hugged the bear, but David still looked a little unsure.

Not knowing what to do next and not wanting to make mom redecorate the room whenever we come over, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "Now David, the bear wants to go to sleep, but you are being too loud, aren't you?" That seemed to click with David because he said, "Yes," and laid back down. We both wished the bear sweet dreams, and David was asleep shortly afterwards. For the rest of the trip, whenever David woke up, he would say, "Hi," to the bear. What a funny kid!

Kyle

Judge and Jury

We have had a problem with David keeping the water in the bathtub lately, so we have had to tell him that he will lose a bath toy each time the water gets splashed all over the floor. After about a week of losing and gaining toys, David seemed to be getting the idea. Water stays in the tub!

Sooo... last night David was in the bath playing when I heard him start to get whiny. I didn't say anything but just listened as the whine turned into a whimper. Since David can get whiny when toys do not work the way he wants, I waited to see if he was going ask me for help (or figure it out on his own). However, the whimpering continued, and he started saying to himself, "Can't play my toys." When I stepped around the corner to see what was going on, David started into a full blown cry.

As I tried to figure out what was going on, I noticed some water on the floor, and as David started to settle down I could put a few words. He kept saying "duckie" and "water" and "bathtub" and "can't play" while pointing to his stack of toys. I slowly put two and two together and asked if he splashed water on the floor. He said, "Yes," and then I asked if he can't play with his duckie because he has to give it to Daddy because he was splashing. He replied, "Yes," followed by some whimpering. So to be consistent with the rules, I let him hand me a toy, and I put it on the counter.

It was another one of those happy/sad parenting moments. I was happy that he felt remorse for breaking a rule, even if it was only because he was sad about losing a toy (We can work on nobler reasons later!). However, part of me wanted to let it slide because he sort of punished himself.

This situation ties into a line I read earlier this week. "Saying 'I'm sorry' removes the guilt, not the consequences." In the end, I think it is better for him to learn about consequences now

(when it is something inconsequential like a bath toy) rather than later when it may be something more important, like a job or a relationship.

Ahhh.... parenting-the hardest, best job you'll ever have!

Kyle

Thank you, Backyardigans!

Last night, I told David to clean up his toys, and he calmly said, "Sorry, Boss," then went about cleaning them up. Kyle and I couldn't help but be amused. We asked David where he heard that phrase, and he said, "Tyrone. Lady in Pink." Then we remembered the "Super Spy" episode in which Uniqua, the Lady in Pink, had a henchman Tyrone do tasks, and he would reply, "Sorry, Boss."

Being a mom makes me smile every day! What a funny kid I have!

Emily

Gotcha Day

So today is the first anniversary of going to Guatemala to adopt David! We call it "Gotcha Day" because this is the day that we finally got David after over three years of paperwork and waiting. We are going to celebrate each year by taking David out to eat and getting him a gift. This year we ate at Jimmy's Egg, and David prayed, "Dear God, thank you for pancakes!" We bought him a beginner set of Legos. We quickly built a house like on the box while Mama built little replicas of each of us. I saw some flags on the box, and I made an American and Guatemalan flag, which David found cool because they match the ones in his room.

He did make us laugh when he opened the Lego box. The pieces came in plastic bags, and before we could get scissors, David was trying to open the bags with his teeth. What a problem solver!

We spent the rest of the day playing with Legos, baking cookies, writing on the driveway with chalk, watching our "Guatemala Scrapbook Video" and just enjoying being around each other!


Kyle & Emily

Halloween

We celebrated this holiday at our church's Trunk-or-Treat. David dressed up in a homemade pirate costume I made from clothes that no longer fit him. David enjoyed his first hayride, moon bounce, and trick-or-treating in the parking lot. Afterwards, we went to Braum's for some food and ice cream! Yum!!

For Halloween, David also received a care-package from Granna & Poppy so he could make his very own "Captain Pumpkin". Overall, it was a festive experience.

Emily

Purge Blog (Emily)

Life has been busy, and I'm finding it more and more difficult to record memories when I'm living them! So here are a few memories that have happened over the last month or so...

"Broken Chairs"

During the one act, David had to come to a few evening rehearsals with me because Kyle had parent/teacher conferences. Two students, Haley & Tyle, entertained and watched David while rehearsal continued. David's favorite activity was counting all the "broken chairs" in the auditorium seating areas. So now, when I tell him I'm going to work, he says, "Mama see Tyle & Haley, and count broken chairs that hurt-uh my bottom."

"Wal-Mart"

David & I had to make a shopping trip to Wal-Mart, and while I was paying for our new purchases, David says, "Mama, itch." I turn around, and David had his pants pulled down to his knees, scratching his bottom and smiling. After pulling up his pants & explaining that we don't pull our pants down, he sweetly said, "But Mama, my bottom itch!" You have to admit that he's a problem solver!

"Girls"

Like most little kids, David has his nighttime buddies (JoJo, his Curious George stuffed animal; Uniqua & Tyrone, Backyardigan's stuffed animals; a small squirrel, & a stuffed lion) to help him go to sleep. David is still unable to make certain sounds for certain words, like "squirrel," so when he awoke crying on night, we asked, "David, what's wrong? What happened?" he replied, "Daddy, my girls (squirrel). My girls on the floor." Kyle lovingly soothed him and said, "This won't be the first time you cry about your girls!"

"Music"

At night, David falls to sleep to music on an older version iPod, and I'm so proud that when I ask who he wants to listen to, he'll reply "The Beatles," "The Shins", or "Coldplay."

Emily

Life Lesson...

I am not sure how it got started (maybe it is the racing game I have been playing), but David has started telling me to drive faster. I had to explain to him that if I drive too fast then the police will take my money away from me. That seemed to satisfy him, and he changed the subject.

Later this afternoon, he started telling me to go faster again. Sooo... I repeated the story from this morning except, this time, I told David that if we do not have money, then we cannot buy any donuts on Saturday mornings. This really seemed to capture David's imagination, and he spent the next few minutes in frantic discussion about officers and donuts. So let me sum up today's lesson according to David...

-If you drive too fast, the police will take your money.

-If you do not have any money, then you cannot buy donuts.

-Therefore, if you speed, then the police will take your donuts!

Somehow I managed to play right into the stereotypical picture of an officer. I hope I have not skewed his view of our fine police officers forever! (sorry Uncle Kyle.)

Kyle

Long time no talk...

It has not been a particularly busy month, but for some reason we have not been as studious in updating the blog. Soooo.... here are a few tidbits to help fill in the gaps.

David's daycare was closed today so I was able to stay home and play daddy daycare. We did the usual (donuts, play cars, read books), but a couple of things stuck out. We went to Target today, and I caught David saying "thank you" to the automatic doors when they opened. I could not help laughing but also thought it was cool that he says thank you like a good gentleman. (Even if it is just an electronic door.)

I wanted to go to Target to get a little LEGO set to see if David could handle the little blocks because I want to buy him some basic LEGOs and make a table for him to build on "Gotcha Day." (The celebration of the day we finally got David.) I settled on a little 6 in. by 6 in. castle play set and went back home. David and I built the castle, and he was really excited! He played for over an hour without getting up from his table. He just kept moving the blocks around and yelling for me to look every few minutes to see his latest creation.

Needless to say, the castle did not last long and David's creative juices are now mainly focused on creating "pirate ships" for the three of us. By the looks of them, I think they are only pirate ships in the imagination of a 3 year old boy, but I would not have it any other way!

I hope life has been as good to you as it has been to us!

Kyle

Safety Day...

David and I recently participated in Lowe's latest "Build and Grow" project, a fire truck. David was very excited to get his apron and googles on again and he was really pumped when he saw that he was getting to build a fire truck. David was very careful not to hit my fingers and did a good job hammering!

Things really started heating up when a Yukon Fire Department truck arrived followed shortly by a Yukon PD car and K-9 unit. David could barely contain himself! However, that was not the end of the proceedings. As David was finishing his building project, a Life Flight helicopter flew over and landed in the parking lot! We spent the rest of our time exploring the knooks and crannies of all the vehicles on display! It was a great way to spend the morning!

Kyle

PS-Seeing as I am a failure as a father and forgot to bring a camera, I have included the following pictures as visual aids. :)

The first step....

...into a larger world.

It has been a busy few weeks for us and probably will not be slowing down anytime soon, but I wanted to share something from the other day.

Soooo... David and I were wrestling around on the floor. At some point I picked him up be his feet and was dangling him a few inches above the ground. The next thing I hear is David grunting real loud and stretching his little arm out as far as it would go. While I tried to figure out what he was doing, David started whispering "lightsaber." What!? My little jedi was reenacting the scene from Empire Strikes Back when Luke was stuck in the cave. My little geek heart has never been more proud!

Kyle

Daddy Day

Since David's daycare was closed today I got the privilege of staying home with him today. We started the morning by making chili for lunch at "Daddy's work" and watching Disney's Robin Hood. Soon after that we were playing cars and racing them down his new racetrack.

For lunch, we took the chili up to the school and we at with my coworkers. David enjoyed the school building and the students kept saying that he was sooo cute! We went into the big gym, but all the lights were off and he announced that the gym "sqeeza me." (His way of letting us know that he is scared.) We watched some boys play dodgeball before saying our goodbyes and heading out.

On the way home we stopped by an automatic car wash. David was unsure about the whole affair. His face was a mixture of curiosity, fear, and amazement. He said that he thought the car wash was fun, but followed it quickly with another "it sqeeza me."

After nap we had snack time at Braum's before running some errands. Overall it was a great father and son day, I even got a chance to play some video games! As I keep telling Emily, the only thing I would give up teaching for would to be a stay-at-home dad.

Kyle

Kids Say the Darnedest Things!

As of this weekend, David has entered his teenage years, frequently uttering, "I don't know," when asked where something is, what happened, etc.

Also, on the way home from church this morning, David prayed aloud (in a sing-song voice), "God...Jesus...Happy Face! Amen!"

What a weekend!

Emily

American!

Yesterday David became an American! We went to the Homeland Security/Immigration Office for our appointment, waited our turn, and got his paperwork. David mostly enjoyed the token "Merican Fwag" (as he says). We came home, and I went to the Social Security Office and the bank to change his information and citizenship status. Then, after lunch and a nap, Kyle took David to the doctor to get his 3 year old shots. Apparently, our little David was a tough guy! After the first and second shots, he said, "Ouch! Daddy hurt!" By the third, he said, "Oww! Hurt very much!" and he cried when the fourth shot came! What a trooper! But he coped well at Braum's as he and Daddy enjoyed chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream!

Kyle and I are just relieved that as of today, ALL of our PAPERWORK IS FINISHED!!! Now, there's nothing left to do but enjoy our lives together! HOORAY!

Fashion Disaster

Either David helped me get dressed in the morning, or it was "Fashion Disaster" day for Spirit Week at school (or both).

It was so fun to have him help me. I would hold up two options and ask, "Which one?" to which he'd reply, "Uh...Dis one!" By far, he loved choosing my earrings and hair accessories--he wanted to add more and more.

Good times,

Emily

I"m a big kid now!"

It's official!!! No more diapers, pull-ups, anything. Just "big boy" underwear (or as David says, "Bo boy!"). For over a month now, David has had absolutely no accidents or leakages during nap or bedtime, and Kyle and I decided several weeks ago that once this set of pull-ups is gone, we're not buying anymore (unless we're wrong). So far, it's been several days, and no problems!

At this rate, our little boy will soon be driving and changing my diapers!

Emily

Potty Humor

Couple of funnies relating to David in the bathroom.

David was pottying before his shower tonight, and he grunted, "Mama, try poo poo! Mama, poo poo black!" and stared at his creation. Concerned yet skeptical, I went to his side and corrected, "It's not black. It's brown." He smiled and replied, "No black?! Try poo poo brown!" followed by more grunting. Since David has learned his colors, our lives have gotten so much more interesting!

A few months back David had an ear infection, and his medicine came with a plastic syringe for measuring which has now been turned into a bath toy. While playing in the bath a couple of days ago, we heard David sweetly calling out for the dogs, "Gun-ter. Come here, Gun-ter." When I peeped my head around the corner to check on him, David was leaning on the edge of the bathtub wearing a mischievous smile and holding a water-filled plastic syringe! Oh, this clever little boy!

It's hard to be a mom and not laugh at all the crazy things he does!

Emily

Raptor Skills

Emily and I have always been amazed at the dogs' abilities to gain entrance to various parts of the house. She jokes that they are worse than the door-opening raptors from Jurassic Park. Well, that and the creepy puppets in horror movies that show up out of nowhere to stare at you .

Yesterday Emily came down the hall to announce that David had achieved "raptor" status. David has been opening doors for some time now but with a hesitancy, almost as if he were trying to crack a safe, got a winning combination, and was surprised that it worked. However, in the last week he has become very confident in his door-opening skills and has added light switches to his repertoire. So now we have a very excited 3 year-old running around the house opening doors and turning on lights whenever we need it. Oh to be excited by the little things in life!

Kyle

Lowe's Build and Grow

While Kyle was at Emmaus training yesterday, I took David to the free kids clinic at Lowe's where we built a school bus. David received a pair of safety goggles, an apron, and a school bus patch. We had a great time, and he especially loved the "too loud" hammering and attaching the stickers to decorate our bus. We're definitely planning on returning to more free clinics, and for those of you with kids or grandchildren, Lowe's Build & Grow program is a must!

Emily

First of many...

Just another proud daddy moment....

So, the three of us stopped by Target yesterday to get a few supplies before heading home. When we arrived, I sent David and Emily ahead because I had a date with the "potty" after having too much to drink that morning.

Afterwards, I found my family and headed their way. I was trying to look manly in the makeup aisle while Emily picked out some mascara, when David asks loudly, "Daddy, finish potty?" Embarrassed, I quietly and quickly said, "Yes." Only for David to follow up, again loudly, "Good job, Daddy!" Ooohhhh.... the fun of being a daddy.

Kyle

To Uncle Tim...

David would like you to know that he has been practicing his bull fighting skills. Every few days David wants to "gull fight like Tin." I believe that he may be ready for a rematch when we see you for Jenica's wedding. Thanks again for showing him so much around the farm!

Kyle

Baptism

This past Sunday the Farnham clan officially became members of the Church of the Good Shepherd. David was baptized, or committed to God by Kyle and I (a.k.a. baby dedication for all you non-Methodists). We're happy to be a part of our new church!

Emily

Children's Museum

Thanks to Mammy for taking us to Seminole's Jasmine Moran Children's Museum on Saturday. David absolutely loved all the vehicles he could climb in and drive. He also enjoyed the train ride and the pirate ship! We'll definitely be taking him back!

Emily

Happy Birthday!

We recently had a party for David's 3rd birthday. His aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents came over to the house for cake, ice cream, and presents. David really enjoyed the activities.

We started the day by giving David our present to him (a bathtub pirate set). This meant a rare morning bath so that he could play with his new toys. I took him to the bathtub to show David how they worked, and when I turned around he already had his pants and underwear off!

We met my parents at our favorite Guatemalan restaurant, Cafe Antigua. After David's nap people started to arrive, and the party began. It was our first time to throw a birthday party, and we really had a good time.

Until next time,

Kyle

Let's go to the pool!!!

Well... what is a summer without a little time at the pool? We decided to sign David up for some pre-school swimming lessons at the Mustang pool. David started off in the beginner's class because he was too shy to put his face in the water on the first day. It worked out for the best because he was in a class with just one other girl; they both learned really fast (floating on their backs and bellies, blowing bubbles, submerging their entire bodies, and kicking.)

And like a good parent, we practiced what he learned in class in our little pool at home. (Is it too much to ask for parents to do this with schoolwork?!? Oh well, don't let me get on my soapbox.)
David really enjoyed the frog water slide in the main area of the pool and the toys/rings that his teacher would throw out for them to collect. David has enjoyed his time in the water, and before we knew it, he will be swimming laps and breaking records.

Kyle

What a difference...

...a year makes. I was going through pictures on the computer and ran across this gem! It was interesting to see the change that has happened.

June 2008

July 2009

Kyle