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