Happy Birthday Koen

Today we celebrated Koen's birthday as a family.  Six years ago we welcomed this 9 lb 7 oz baby (10 days early) via C-section.  He adds such a wonderful dose of goofiness to our family.  I will add more to that once I take his six year old photos.  

Our family has been sick for weeks.  Almost 3 weeks now.  I was nervous because Koen had a fever yesterday but today he seemed fine.  They started with swimming lessons and they both passed!  Kai is now in Swim Kids 4 and Koen in Swim Kids 2. 

Koen's gift from us was a table top Foosball game and a game that he could choose to download on his Leap Pad.

I had won passes to Science World a couple of months ago and so we used them today.  Nya wasn't 100% so she stayed on the Ergo on my back for most of it.  The boys LOVE Science World.

{How long is your intestine?}

{Rotating climbing wall}

{Seaweed snack break}

{Kisses from Koen under the mistletoe}

{Bernoulli Basketball, pretty cool, right?!}

Koen weighs almost as much as a Giant Pacific Octopus (he's 50 lbs).  Our entire family weighs as much as a tiger, in case you were wondering.

The hard part about a birthday on January 2nd is everyone is sugared and partied out.  I threw this cake together yesterday so pretend it's decorated nicely.  Yes, the candles are `3' plus 3 individual ones.  And yes, my 6 year old son requested a `Hello Kitty' cake.  When his swimming teacher asked him if he loved Superheroes, he said `no' (she wanted him to swim like one).  She asked what he did like.  He said `Stuffies'.  She told him to swim like a Stuffy :)

We ended the day with the Birthday Bumps and I wish I wasn't holding his legs so that I could've gotten a picture of his face. Pure joy.  

We love our Koen.  He is our sensitive, goofy, energetic, and creative cuddle buddy.

Happy birthday, Koey.  We love you.

Love,
Louise/Mom

The Three Monkeys

I love having stats about the kids documented so that is what this will be!  It's so interesting to me how different they are.  A lot of it I saw when they were just babies but now the differences are just....exaggerated.  They love being together, but wow, can they fight.  This has been alleviated a bit in the van because someone (KOEN!!) has been moved to the backseat by himself.

Kai (8 years old): 

-60lbs

-4'3"

-loves American Ninja Warrior (the tv show) and practicing to be one.

-would like to marry an American so he can try out 

-loves school and his new teacher and the fact that his very good friend is in his class

-competitive

-loves to play Wii

-great hiker

-very `even keeled' like Gary.  Tends to be more serious.

-started climbing lessons and is so happy about it!

-plays with Koen at home.  They love to play Wii, a made up game with the stuffies, Pokemon, or practicing their American Ninja Warrior skills.   

-eats and drinks everything but still doesn't love dairy

Koen (5.5 years old)

-48lbs 3'8"

-started part time kindergarten (full days on M, W, Fri)

-enjoys playing Wii

-can physically keep up with Kai in most outdoor activities.  They are both very determined but where Kai has endurance, Koen has strength.  

-is emotional

-can make me lose my mind.  For real. I have no control over myself when parenting him sometimes.  This usually happens when disciplining him.  He will either be goofy and throwing his body around laughing OR he will continously ask the same question over and over while I'm trying to talk to him and if I don't understand, he cannot rephrase which makes him angrier and angrier.  This is so frustrating when trying to discipline him that there have been several times that I have had to chase him and carry him up to his room.  I hate the feeling of losing my mind but it can happen so quickly with him (usually on days when he spends a lot of time making Nya scream).

-bugs Nya all day long BUT is very good with her at the same time.

-loves to be silly

Nya (2.5 years old)

-27lbs (wow, not sure when that happened!), 2'9"

-loves older kids and Koen is her best friend

-loves Dora. Too much.

-can climb well

-speaks quite clearly and in long sentences

-very affectionate with her family.  She will tell us daily that she loves us so much.

-loves to be held

-strong willed.  Wants to wear a dress every day with flip flops. And not wear a sweater.  Or a bib.

-was potty trained for at least 6 months and then struggled a bit over the past 2 weeks (I think due to final molars coming in and holidays?!) we are working hard to get her back on track. 

-loves music and singing and dancing

-is somehow more attached to Koen than Kai.  She doesn't like to hold Kai's hand which hurts his feelings.  She also doesn't love to give him hugs.  She really, really loves the one that pesters her the most.  

-a smaller eater than her brothers but eats most types of food

-no more bottles :)  

-sleeps through the night 7pm to 7am

-hasn't napped in about 6 months 

-has a scar on her forehead from when she fell down the front steps.  There may be a little rock imbedded in there.

{Kai's first day of grade 3}

{Koen's first day of part time kindergarten.  His thoughts on the first day were that the toys weren't that fun and that there are only 99 days left until the 100 day party.}

{Yay! Two kids in school!  Less fighting in the house!  Now we just have to see how Nya does at daycare when I work later on this week.}

I feel bad for those that are not back in school.  I'm sorry :(  It's such a bad situation for the teachers, parents and students here in B.C.  I don't know the numbers on how it's affected the private schools but I know in Kai's class of 25, 5 students are new to the school.

I hope you're able to enjoy some sunshine this week!

Love,
Louise

Five things

One of my favourite things about my blog is that I can document things about the kids.  I love looking back and seeing where we were years ago.  Those things that I thought I would never, ever forget actually do fade away until I read about them again.  

Today, just a short post which includes five things about each kid.

Nya

{I got this dress in a 3T lot yesterday and she insisted on wearing it today.  Cute right?  She loves wearing dresses and I won't complain for one second about that.}

1.  Wakes up with a smile.  Seriously, a very happy child.  Gary and I look at her and melt.  We listen to her voice and melt.  We cuddle with her and melt. We are all so in love with her.

2.  Refuses all things `baby' (bibs, highchairs, cribs, diapers, naps) but will not give up her bottle of milk.  I think that is telling of her personality.  Fiercly independent yet still clings to comfort.

3.  Very petite.  Just 24 lbs (her brothers were at least 10 lbs heavier at this age, as was I!).

4.  Affectionate.  Love cuddles and hugs and often says `Hold you, mommy'.  She loves to give Koen kisses and hold his hand (yes, Koen, the one who bugs her all the time).  She always wants to be wherever her brothers are.

5. Enjoys colouring and is pretty good at puzzles.  She can count to 11 and speak in long sentences. 

Koen

1.  Is over the car stage.  He was into cars for over 2 years straight.  It's a bit sad for me actually as it was such a big part of him but I guess it's good to move on to other things!

2.  Has started playing video games but is also passionate about imaginative games.  He often plays `Amazing Race' or `The Price Is Right' with his stuffies.  Oh yes, the stuffies now also play `American Ninja Warrior'.  He, like Kai, is very competitive.

3.  Has started being more emotional.  He's trying to figure out how to deal with all these different feelings and will suddenly burst into tears.  I think that is common for this age.  Although he is very social, he needs periods of time alone to recharge.  He plays so well on his own.

4.  Very focused.  He does not see the big picture or what's going on around him.  If he is focused on a topic, you can't change it.  If he sees something he wants, he might walk into a window or tree or person because he is looking at just one thing.

5.  Very excited for kindergarten.  He cannot wait to be a big boy.   He's very social and academically I think he'll be just fine.  We have a countdown going.

Kai

1. Enjoys spending free time playing sports with the neighbour boys or whoever else will play.  Any sport will do.  

2. Is really into `American Ninja Warrior'.  He knows the competitors and stages well and often dreams of competing.   Do not be surprised if he breaks out into push ups at any time.

3. His favourite subject is math.  He is very good at it.  We do school books every other day and he almost always chooses to do math. 

4. Kai doesn't love time alone.  He loves to be with others.  Always.

5.  He will be eight years old this weekend! We will be having his `Amazing Race' party in a few weeks.  It's hard having parties in the summer, so few people can come.  By the way, he's only lost two lower teeth so far!

I cannot believe the energy that goes into raising these monkeys.  They exhaust me mentally and physically but they also make me laugh daily. I like seeing the world through their eyes.  

I hope you are having a good week!  We have two Korean students in our home for the next two weeks which adds a whole new dimension of interesting.  Kai and Koen are currently having a nerf gun fight with them in the basement and there's a lot of giggling going on.  Kai is soooo excited to have them here.

Love,
Louise

Koen the Preschool Graduate

We had Koen's preschool graduation this week.  He has gone to the same preschool and had the same teachers for two years.   I'm very thankful for these lovely ladies and how they just `get' Koen.

Grandma and Grandpa (Gary's parents) came to the graduation which was really nice.  Nya loves her grandparents!

They asked each child what they would like to be when they grow up and Koen said `How can I know if I'm still little?  I'll be a dad, obviously, and then maybe a teacher.'.

We are veeeeery much looking forward to Koen going to kindergarten.   He is a January 2 baby so he has been ready for a while and so have we.  Academically I think that he is definitely ready for school as he's started reading and like his big brother, he is very interested in math.  We do our `school pages' at home but he definitely needs more.  

Nya is...independent.  Everything is `I do it' and `Go away mommy, I want pibacy (privacy)'.   I have definitely learned to pick my battles and although it may look like she's the boss at times, the only things I feel really need to be `battled out' right now are issues of safety and respect.  She is starting to use much larger sentences and it is pretty cool.  I love that she can communicate most of her thoughts to us.  Here are some cute pictures of her jumping around with Koen.

{Her eyes!!! Awesome, right?}

Oh man, these two test my patience daily.  Walking with them to the park can be excruciating.  Trying to encourage Koen to get dressed in the morning is a full time job (he get sooo distracted).  The steal each other's toys to make the other person scream.  But, there are many good things in there too and seriously, they're pretty adorable.

Love, Louise

A `Things' Post

My friend Shannon does a post every once in a while with cool things to check out.  I have a few random ones so I will share them here :)

1.  Shannon mentioned something and I'm going to do it again here.  Have you heard of the `One Match' program?  It's through Canadian Blood Services and is separate from blood donation.   It does take about 10 minutes to go through but I think it's worth it.  So instead of looking through facebook for 10 minutes, maybe check it out?  They send you a cool kit where you get to swab your cheek for DNA and mail it off.  I did mine last week.  Who knows, you could help someone by donating your stem cells.  Here is the link.

2. Depression sucks.  I have many loved ones who suffer from depression and/or anxiety.  As much as I want to complain about the viruses attacking my family over the last 2 weeks (OH MY GOODNESS, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!), I know it's nothing compared to what so many people go through every single day.  This video was good for describing depression and I asked Gary to show it in his class. Click here.

3.  SHE IS clothing.  There are a few things I love about this.  Let me tell you a few.  First,  I love it when women start up their own businesses.  Love when they take a risk.  Love when they can share their passion/artistic abilities with others.   Secondly, I love the message behind this.  Often I find that Christian stuff can be kind of cheesy, do you know what I mean?

I love that Kim is making clothing based on Proverbs 31:25.  Proverbs 31 talks about a wife of noble character and this verse is `She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without the fear of the future.'. My strength, when things get tough, comes from God.  My prayer this past week may have been begging for health for our family and strength to get through it.  I know the viruses that hit our home are NOTHING compared to what most people go through every day, but for me, it was weighing me down.

When I was in Kenya, I would talk to Gary on the cell phone once a week.  On Wednesday afternoons, I would sit in the cow pasture (where there was reception) and talk to Gary.  One day, he told me that my mom had bone cancer.  No cure.  Immediately I felt God holding me and protecting me and keeping me strong.  I would not have handled it well on my own.

Again, here is the link to her clothing line.

And now, just some pictures of the kiddos.  We have spent A LOT of time together over the past 2 weeks and are looking forward to being healthy again.

Kai Bear.  I love this kid.  It's sometimes hard to remember that he's my child not my buddy :)  He is very much `our' child.  Obsessed with watching cooking shows (he dreamt he was on Chopped) and loves to learn, especially in a school environment.

Koen (Just before getting sick.  Again. We just thought he was grumpy.).  He is so full of questions now.  Mostly he wants to know what various words mean.  After writing that, I can hear him say, in my head, `What does `various' mean?'. 

Nya (excited to find an old cell phone on the lawn).  This kid amazes us.  She's an amazing mix of Kai and Koen.  A very fast learner who loves to be goofy.  She will do everything and anything her brothers do.  The `Nya' ingredient is the volume.  She is loud,especially when she does not get what she wants.  We are learning how to discipline this strong young woman.  She melts our hearts daily and we are all so smitten with her. 

I hope you have a wonderful week full of good health!
 Love, Louise