Five on Friday- Kateisms

I'm linking up again for Five on Friday, but thought I'd do something a little different.  Since Kate is so full of funny things right now, I thought I'd share just a few of the things she has said lately....

- ONE -
I took Kate for her 2 year well-check a few weeks ago, and at the end of the appointment, the doctor wanted to check her blood sugar and give her one final vaccination.  Kate had no idea what was coming, so she was happily sitting on the edge of the table when the nurse came in to do her job.  She watched as the nurse grabbed her hand, and then wiped off her finger with an alcohol wipe.   Then, before Kate knew what was happening, the nurse pricked her finger.   She loudly gasped and said “Oh no!”.  It wasn’t until she saw blood that she started crying.  Through the tears you could hear her saying “Got you! Got you!” to the nurse, to which the nurse responded “Yeah.  I got you!” 

- TWO -
I bought a cake mix and icing at the grocery store a while, thinking that Kate would enjoy helping me bake cupcakes.  Of course we made a big mess in the process, but she loved it.  I had her stand back while I put the cupcakes in the oven, and then she would check on their progress every few minutes.  When the timer finally went off, I pulled them out of the oven and then picked her up to show her how they came out. She took one look at them and said “Not bad, Mommy.”  Gee thanks, Kate!

- THREE -
I’ve been talking to Kate about being sorry when she does things wrong.  I also told her that it makes God sad when we do things wrong, and he likes for us to appologize to him too.  About a week after we had that conversation, Kate and I were in the car driving to church.  She was coughing in the back seat and I reminded her that she needs to cover her mouth when she coughs.  She looked at me in the mirror and said “Sorry, Mommy.”  And then looked straight up at the ceiling of the car and said “Sorry, God.”   I’m still amazed at the things she remembers.

- FOUR -
Tuesday evening we were in the car driving back from dinner and I decided to ask Kate what she learned at "school" that day.  Her class is working on their colors, so I was expecting her to tell me about the color red.  Instead, we had the following conversation:

Me: Kate, what did you learn at school today?
Kate: (blank look on her face)
Me: What did you learn?  What did your teacher's talk to you about today?
Kate: (smiles slyly and starts wagging her fingers)  No get up. Told you lay down!
Kevin and I almost died laughing.  That conversation actually sounds about right.  I'm guessing she had trouble taking a nap on her mat Tuesday.

- FIVE -
Kate has started getting really jealous of Kevin and me when we're together.  She doesn't like to see us hug or hold hands and will run between us and try to get one of us to pick her up. One day she saw us holding hands in the car and kept yelling from the back seat "Stop! Let go!!"  Sunday before church, Kevin came to give me a hug before he left.  Kate saw it and started crying, so I tried to explain to her that Kevin is my husband.  She kept crying and saying "No, MY husband! MY husband!"

Simple Things

Sometimes the simple things really are the most fun, and kids are quick to remind you of that.  Yet again we pulled out the sprinkler to water a section of our new sod and immediately, Kate wanted to take off into it.  So we stripped her down and let her go for it.

She had a blast running sticking her arms and feet in the spray, running away from it, and of course trying to "lick it".

And before you think that the whole sticking-out-her-tongue thing only happens when we pull out the sprinkler, let me assure you that it happens any time water is involved.  Like every single bath.

Kate is definitely a water girl. I'm thinking swim lessons are a must next summer.

Adoption Update

After turning in the first round of paperwork, we received a second packet in the mail. Although we knew it was coming, and had a general idea of what would be included in the packet, it still took us a LONG time to complete it.  The biggest reason for the delay was that Kevin and I both had to get physicals.  Kate even had to get a "physical", but since her 2 year well check was coming up, we let that count as her "physical". 

We FINALLY got both of our physicals out of the way, and then had to go to CVS's Minute Clinic to have TB screenings done, since our doctor's office was out of the test and wouldn't have them back in stock until November.  Let me just say, the Minute Clinic needs to get a new name.  I got there around 4:40, hoping to beat the people who were coming by after work. Three hours later, I finally went back to get tested.  After my three-hour wait, the test took all of five seconds.  Definitely killed my phone battery during the wait- wasting time on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.  There's not much to do in CVS.

So after finishing all the paperwork and getting our physicals done, the whole stack sat untouched on our dining room table for a couple of weeks. Yep. I'm a slacker. :)   I wasn't really slacking off, I just didn't feel any real motivation to get it all turned in because then this whole adoption thing would actually be happening again.  The home study would get started, we would have to do some adoption training online, we would have to go in for interviews, and I just felt that we have been busy enough lately that a little break would be nice.  And before I knew it, a couple of weeks had past and Kevin was asking what we had to do to finish up the paperwork and turn in the packet.  When I told him all we needed to do was proof over everything and make sure it was all in order, he went ahead and did it.  I found myself doing this a few days later...

So yeah, it's about to get real again. And I'm excited. I'm not really sure what the problem was before.  Maybe it was just the anxiety that this whole thing could go really fast and I just needed a little more time to enjoy our family of three. Who knows.  But now I'm ready to get the ball rolling...

Except, we're not, because apparently our doctor's office forgot to do a drug screening on us, so we're back to waiting on the physicals again. Kevin went today and I am going tomorrow morning to get tested so until they get the proof that we're not using (nor have we ever been), we're on hold again.  Only for another week though, and then, it's homestudy time.

The Most Important Thing

All over Pinterest, I keep seeing tons and tons of posts on "things your child needs to know by age ___".  I know it's because of the time of year it is- when people are sending their kids off to school for the first time, or when parents of 4 year olds are realizing that this is the last full year they will have with their child before they do go off to school.  However, after looking at some of the lists and reading what some random person thinks Kate should know by age 2 or 3, it made me think a little bit harder.

While I don't necessarily disagree with any of the things I've seen, I don't necessarily agree with them either.  In all honesty, we do spend time teaching Kate to count, say her ABC's, recognize colors, etc.  However, I don't think those are the most important things for her to learn right now.  What do I want her to learn?  Well, I guess they're more of the intangible things.  Things that will help her to have good character.  Things that are valuable in LIFE, but not necessarily in school.

1. To be polite.
This one is big for us.  "Please", "thank you", and "you're welcome" go a LONG way. So do ma'am and sir.  It's a work in progress.  Kate does a decent job of saying thank you.  We're working on the others.  But the definition of being polite goes beyond the manners.

po·lite /pəˈlīt/
adjective

1. 1.

   having or showing behavior that is respectful and considerate of other people.

   
   

I want her to be able to recognize when someone else needs help, and jump in. I want her to take initiative.  I want her to be respectful.  Don't interrupt.  Is this asking a lot of a 2 year old?  Sure.  But there is no better time than now to start teaching her these things.

2. To be honest. 
Isn't it fun when you ask your child a question about something they've done, when you already KNOW the answer, and they lie right to your face? Yeah. That's already started.

- Kate, did you go to the bathroom in your diaper?
- No (while adamantly shaking her head "no".)
- Really? Because I can smell it and it is terrible.
- No, I fine! (as she is pushing me away from her.)

While the things she lies about now really aren't all that important, it's still a lie. And if we just keep letting the little lies slide by without any correction, she won't think twice about even bigger lies.

3. To share.
Right now Kate is an only child, so she doesn't get this one very well.  At home, she doesn't have to share with anyone, except for Mommy and Daddy.  And unless she has a really great looking cookie that I want a piece of, there's not much else that she has to share with either me or Kevin.  We're in the process of adopting another child, so Kate is going to have to learn the whole sharing concept the hard way. I mean how do you teach a kid to share, when there is no one for her to share with?

Of course this is an important concept for kids to grasp, but it goes way beyond childhood. Sharing starts to teach children to think of someone besides themselves. It starts to teach them how to be unselfish, and that is something that I most definitely want Kate to know.  We all struggle with selfishness.

4. To have compassion. 
It made my mommy heart proud last year when Kate's teachers at MDO told us that she was the "consoler" of the class.  Kate never really had problems when we would drop her off.  Kevin would drop her off in her room, and she would happily go right in to play.  Some of the children had attachment issues, and weren't so happy about their moms and dads leaving them.  They would cry, and sometimes there would be more than one kid crying when Kevin dropped Kate off.  Apparently, Kate got very upset with the crying and would try to console them by rubbing them on their backs.

She was just 1 at the time that this was happening, so I can't really credit it to anything we taught her.  I guess that's just part of her nature.  However, it's a characteristic I hope she continues to have for the rest of her life. We live in America, and while our country has it's own problems, we're still very blessed.  Kate has clothes to wear, food to eat, and a house with electricity to live in.  Beyond the basics, she is blessed with tons of people who love her (more than I could name).  She has it a LOT better than most people in 3rd world countries and a LOT better than many of the people she will come into contact with on a day to day basis, whether that is in school, at a sports practice, or in the grocery store.  I hope she recognizes how well she has it, and that she doesn't take it for granted.  I also hope that she recognizes that she can help others.  More than that, I hope she has the desire to help others in whatever way she can.

5. To love Jesus. 
To me, this is the main one.  If she gets this one, she'll recognize the importance of the other 4.  If she loves Jesus, she'll understand that He wants us to show compassion.  He wants us to be polite, be honest and share. They all go together. So this one is my main focus- to teach Kate to love Jesus. It's one I pray about every day.  You can't MAKE anyone love Jesus.  Even if you could, that wouldn't be true love.  That's why we have free will.  So I can't make her love Jesus, but I can teach her about who Jesus is and why her Daddy and I love him so much.  I can teach her the stories of the Bible, and one day she will see how Jesus' birth, death and resurrection were planned from the very beginning of time. I can pray with her and for her. And I will. Every day.

So if Kate goes off to kindergarten in a few years, and she doesn't know how to read yet, I'm not stressing. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee you that she WON'T know how to ready before kindergarten, unless her preschool does a really great job.  Most people in my generation, including me, didn't know how to read at age 3, and I don't think it held me back in any way whatsoever. So when I see those lists of things Kate needs to know by Age 3, well, I'm planning on ignoring them. My focus is on other things.

If we can teach her what I consider 5 of the most important things by kindergarten, then I'll be thrilled, but I know that won't be the case.  These are the types of things you have to work on your entire life.

Let's be honest.
Are you always polite? Nope.
Are you always honest?  Nope.
Do you always share with others?  No, again.
Do you always have compassion?  No.
Do you always love Jesus?  Yet again, no. (When you sin, you're definitely not loving Jesus in that moment.)

So while I know that these aren't things that she will fully comprehend and embrace at age 2, or 3, or 4....  I'm just hoping we can help create a solid foundation that she can build on her entire life.  So for now, I won't stress out over the ABC's, or the 123's, because my focus for Kate is on something a little bit bigger.

Quick Trip

Apparently all the "cool kids" hang out at QT now, which is a gas station, for those who don't live around here.  Back in the day (I can say that, because my 10 yr reunion is coming up), people used to hang out in the Wal-Mart parking lot, though I can honestly say that I never did that.  My friends and I did end up wandering around the inside of Wal-Mart a time or two, just because there was nothing else to do.  Can you tell I grew up in a small town?  Oh yeah, Wal-Mart wasn't even in our town.  It was one town over.  Guess times change and QT is the new Wal-Mart.  Can't say that's much of an improvement.  

Anyway, that's not the point of this post.  We took a different kind of QT (quick trip) on Friday when we went to my parent's house for the evening.  We drove down Friday after work and got there a little after 7pm, and then we got home Saturday around noon.  Even though the trip was quick, we definitely got in some good quality time. 

We had a great dinner, then let Kate stay up WAY past her bedtime.  She had fun playing with my mom on the floor.  She had a small flashlight and they would put the blanket over their heads.  She loved it, and I'm sure my mom enjoyed all of Kates giggles and smiles. 

Then Pick (Papa Rick) would pretend to be asleep and Kate would "wake him up" by giving him kisses.  She loved it! 

Definitely a quick trip, but so much fun.  

Dance Girl 2.0

Kate's 2nd and 3rd ballet classes went MUCH better than the first one.  She actually paid attention and listened, instead of running around and doing her own thing.  Some of the other little girls opened up a bit, so Kate was not the only loud little girl with a lot of energy. :) 

She really is learning a lot about ballet.  Her first day they learned first position, and her second day they learned second position and how to plie.  And during the third class they learned how to do battement (which I guess are basically high kicks).  Although I did ballet a lot when I was younger, I'm not familiar with all the terminology, so I love that she's learning proper names for things.  

It's so funny because she KNOWS when it's time for dance.  Last Thursday, we were driving to her class and as soon as she saw the building, she yelled out "DANCE!" and pointed to the studio.  So, I think this is going to be a fun semester for her.  The recitals should be interesting...

Fall is on the Way

Fall is by far my favorite time of the year.  I LOVE fall weather, when it actually feels like fall.  It feels like we only get a couple of days each year, but when we do get them, we enjoy them. About a week ago, we had a day just like that. Perfect weather for being outside. So we did just that.  I raked the front flower bed to get rid of clippings and leaves, and of course my little helper wanted to join in.  Who am I to turn down free help?

She did such a good job raking that she backed right into the lawn timbers around our flower bed, and somehow I caught it on camera. Bet she'll love this picture when she gets older. :) No worries. She jumped right up after her fall.

And then she found the sod, and this has quickly become her favorite place in the yard.  Since it's still getting established, we've let it grow a little taller than the rest of the yard and Kate loves to lay down and roll around in it.

Like I said, perfect weather.  Hope we get lots more of these kinds of days soon!

Monumental Day

This past Saturday was a BIG day for our family for two reasons.  The first (and biggest) reason that Saturday was so special is because it was Kevin's birthday.  And, not just any birthday.  Saturday was his 40th birthday!  

The second reason that it was so special is because Clemson and Georgia were playing each other for the first time since we've been married. This was a big game for our family!  We went back and forth about going to the game for a long time, plus we didn't know if we would be able to track down tickets.  But, a few weeks ago, Davis's mom came through and found us tickets!  We were excited, but knew that one of us was going to leave the game not happy.  

Part of Kevin's "birthday present" was that Kate wore Georgia colors for the big day.  On normal football Saturdays, she either does a wardrobe change 1/2 way through the day, or we switch Saturdays back and forth. But because of Kevin's birthday, I got her a smocked Georgia shirt and she wore it for the occasion.  Even though she had on the wrong colors, she still looked cute! :) 

Since the game was at night, Kate stayed at home and spent the night with her Aunt and Uncle.  We headed over to Clemson to meet up with Kristi and Davis. 

And... Clemson won, so I was happy for me but not happy for Kevin.  I've never been a true Georgia fan because of my love of Clemson.  However, Clemson and Georgia don't play each other that often so it's never been a huge conflict of interest for me to pull for Georgia. And, after having watched nearly every Georgia game for the past 6 years, and hearing Kevin talk about it all the time (recruits, offseason stuff, etc), I can't help but root for them when I'm watching.  So even though I was glad MY team was won, it wasn't all that easy to pull against Georgia. Plus, Kevin was sitting right next to me pretty frustrated.

Happy birthday, Kevin.

Back to School

I promise I haven't dropped off of blog-land, but August just turned into a crazy month. I'll be back tomorrow with some updates and pictures, but for now, here is a quick picture of Kate on her first day back at "school".

Doesn't she look thrilled? :)  This was actually taken at the end of the day, so she was exhausted and honestly not feeling all that great because her allergies have been acting up. BUT, she was so excited this morning.  Kevin dropped her off and sent me a picture of her on her way in.  She loves her new bookbag and wouldn't even take it off for the pictures. 

She'll be going to a 2 year old preschool class for 2 days a week this year. We love that she gets a chance to be around other kids her age in a Christian church setting.  Her teacher this year was actually the helper in her class last year, so she won't even have to adjust to a new teacher.  We're looking forward to an exciting year!