After the last post, we headed to Birmingham, AL (where all grandparents and most family live) because my sweet grandaddy, aka Pappy (as Vivi called him) passed away. He had been fighting several things for years, and as he got older, their severity increased. He was very well taken care of through these past few years by his sweet children and their families/my mom, aunts and uncles. He would not have survived as long as he did without their help and his access to the great medical care in Birmingham. I was able to talk to him the week before he passed - not sure how much he heard (hearing has never been his...er...forte...) from me over the phone, but he still sounded like the same old grandaddy...asked about Vivi's cast. We really will miss him! (fyi....Vivi is named for Vivian, Pappy's wife, who was eternally healed on Jan. 4 2002. Coincidently, Jan. 4 2006 was the date I found out I was expecting my Vivi).
So anyway, Kyle was able to take a few days off and drive down to Birmingham with us where we almost go to see all of our families during the short time we were in town. Kyle had to be back at work before I was ready to leave town, so he flew back and the kids and I came back to NC a few days later. With - Granna! My mom (Granna) decided to drive back with the kids and me to help along the trip (11 hrs in the car)! Thanks to Granna, we now know that Bowser's (Bryton's sleeping buddy) ear can be tied to his blanket, thus keeping him from disappearing into the depths of the Sienna. She flew back to AL the next day after having a sleepover with Vivi (not sure sleeping in bed with a 3 year old talking to you all night qualifies as a sleepover). Oh - and don't let mom tell you that I dehydrated the kids and the dog...we just don't offer extra liquids on 11 hour road trips :-)
Since we've returned, Vivi has gotten her cast off! It wasn't nearly as traumatic as I feared it would have been! She was so brave! Vivi has always been a very timid child...very cautious/scared of things...i.e. she HATED the detangler bottle when I first started using it - was in hysterics when I would spray it on her hair, even though she was covered with a towel and we lived in AZ - not like it was cold; she was terrified of the auto flushing potties (I understand that one) for months!; she goes into hysterics when they went to take her temperature at the dr office (thinking that the probe is a needle); has just recently gotten over being scared to step on the scale at the dr office (again - I understand the fear of the scale...but for a different reason...haha)...so I was just expecting the worst when it was cast removal time. But she was a trooper! Didn't move during the removal, did great during the xrays, and was ready for a sucker treat on the way home. I realize that we have a lot of dr office fears....probably because it is a novelty of sorts... it makes me grateful that she has rarely had to go to the doctor for things other than just check ups. And a broken arm.
I've had a few photo jobs since we returned...all went well...but were all for people I knew. I need to get a 'better' website up and running - my goal is to get that done by the end of May.
Other things? Hm...Bryton has been pretty fussy lately. Just making an awful whining sound. I think it means "Mama...hold me now!" He's taking lots of unassisted steps, but still isn't walking a lot - only when Kyle and I encourage him he'll walk between him and me sitting on opposite sides of the room - but doesn't initiate it by himself. I think he'll be happier once he starts walking fully and gets some upper teeth all the way in. He's got 3 that are almost through - I know they are probably giving him a hard time. Regardless, I have a hard time carrying a 23 lb 1 year old around in the grocery store while trying to push the cart and get groceries and make sure Vivi doesn't get abducted. He's just going to have to calm himself down. He won't take a pacifier, only rarely sucks his thumb...so I keep plenty of Ritz crackers in my purse as well as a couple of toys. And, we listen to kid songs in the car 90% of the time, so there's always a fun one running around in my head. I constantly find myself singing something to one either V or B a lot. So - any of your New Bernians...please don't give me dirty looks. I know my child is loud. It hurts my ears too. Have you seen the size of his thighs? It's all the Ritz crackers I give him trying to keep him quiet. But my family has to eat. We are not at the store to annoy you but rather to get groceries. I guess annoying you is just a fringe benefit :-)
I think that Bryton is old enough for a little thump when he starts acting up....but I have a difficult time doing that in public. I'm scared that the police are going to show up at my house and arrest me for spanking my child - you never know! A neighbor of mine was in the local grocery store last week and gave her 18 month old a warning of "you need to sit down now or I'm going to pop your leg." An elderly lady walking by looked at her and said "You better not!" Yikes! You just never know who is watching and what might happen! This also reminds me of a day when Mom and I took the kids clothes shopping. I can usually take V and B almost anywhere and expect pretty decent behavior (until B's whining, we could deal with most situations). Well, Mom and I were at a kids clothing store and V was just being ugly! Ugly at me, ugly at the sales lady, etc. Naughty corner wasn't working, so it was time to take her for a spanking. I decided to take her to our car to be a little discreet about it...when I realize that the shopping center we were at had video cameras all over...and I thought it would be best not to tan the hide of a little girl in a pink cast on video. I mean really...never spank a kid with a cast (in public). That is just asking for an investigation. She got a big discreet pinch instead.
Back to B...I kind of like it that B wants me all the time...it's very sweet and it melts my heart...it's just not practical. So, we give him attention when we can, and try to help him learn to distract and soothe himself when he gets whiny. Great skill to have...but we are working on it.
The other day in the car, we are stopped at a red light and as the light turns green, I hear from the back seat in a 3 year old voice "Come on, dude....GOO!" Haha. I guess if that's the worst that she's heard in the car, we are doing okay. Also, she said to Kyle one night, "Obama makes bad decisions." :-) She asks questions constantly, and I try to answer them the best I can. During a discussion about the United States of America and how Daddy fights the bad guys, I started to teach her about people in charge of the country and how they need our prayers so that our nation can go in the direction that would please God. She doesn't fully understand the concept of 'bad decisions' as it relates to her own life, but she's starting to get it. Bad decisions = bad outcomes.
We are really excited about our summer - just trying to get some events scheduled. Here's what we are looking at...swim lessons (maybe 2 weeks...not sure yet), ballet class (2 weeks), Bible school, trip to Birmingham for Vivi's birthday (Kyle will be in Yuma for 7 weeks..we'll head to AL during that time and likely celebrate V's birthday there), and a 4th of July trip somewhere (we've been to Myrtle Beach to see our good friends there for several 4th of July's...but haven't asked to see if they are going to be around that weekend). Also, found out that Vivi's preschool for next year is offering summer classes that you can sign up for a week at a time! That will be a great filler especially when Kyle is in Yuma. We like having a routine!
I'll try to post more consistently - my days just fly by much of the time! Have a great week!
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