Rolling Suitcase

I just bought Zeke a rolling suitcase that matches his back pack and he is now going around the house "packing" things in the suitcase to take to San Diego.  It is so funny!  Even worth the $16 I spent on the roller!  I asked him what he was doing and he huffed and said, "Moooom, me packing!"  Like duh, can't you see what I am doing.  Gotta love the little independent man that he is already at two and a half!

Brothers

Brothers will be boys! I sent both boys down to the basement to play. I stuck Ki in his johnny jumper and Zeke had free run of the basement. I folded some laundry and then went upstairs as they were playing nicely, Ki was not crying and Zeke was riding his bike - being good! I am sitting upstairs and I hear Ki laughing and Zeke is talking to him. I open the door just enough to see Ki soaring through the air. I know a video would capture exactly what I am talking about and once I get Michael to download the video I will share... but it was priceless. Zeke was grabbing the sides of Ki's jumper and pulling him to one side of the basement and letting go. Ki thought it was the best thing ever! I watched quietly for a while just enjoying my boys being brothers! Zeke decided that was boring after too many times of watching his brother soar through the air and decided to change it up a little. Zeke decided that the jumper would work like a tire swing - you got the picture? Ki was getting twisted around and around and the whole time his eyes are trying to follow his brother - both are laughing. Just one of the priceless brother moments I get to capture in my mind and share with you!

Headed to San Diego

I am very excited to be headed to San Diego. It has been a year since I was in San Diego and it will be so nice to see family. I am excited for my family to get to meet Ki for the first time too. I sure hope that Ki will go to other people though. Ki is a momma's boy and is usually not to open to meeting new people. I guess that is the one down fall to being a full time stay at home mom - Ki really is only around me and is leery of meeting new people. I am excited for Zeke to get to meet my cousins Nick and Brad because I think Zeke will have a blast playing with them. I also am hoping that my dad will get a chance to take Zeke to play some place, even if it is just to the beach. I know that my dad is really looking forward to it, but I am afraid that he is going to be too busy with wedding stuff. We shall see I guess! The one thing that I really want to do is get a picture of my boys with my great grandma Talone. Three years ago when Michael and I were getting married Grandma Talone was saying she wasn't sure if she would make it to our wedding, then she said she wasn't sure if she would get to meet her first great-great grandson, now she has two great-great grandsons and I can't wait to capture that!
Well in five days we will be in San Diego! I sure hope that it is nice weather for my sisters wedding. However, whatever the weather is going to be like I am sure I am going to have to unpack our shorts to bring with us... we have become accustomed to the colder weather and yesterday it was low sixties and we were walking around in short sleeve shirts and pants and were stinking hot! Funny how your body acclimatizes. This summer it got up to 80 one day and I was telling Michael it was too hot for me to do anything! I think that was just my excuse for being lazy, but I did think it was funny how I was thinking it was miserably hot!
Hope to see many of you while in San Diego! I think we are going to try and make church service at Maranatha on Sunday the 6th... not sure which service!

Scooter

So I have a scooter, not a crawler! It is so funny to watch Ki scoot across the floor to get to me. He has figured out that he can get places and he works very hard at it! He stretches his little body out and bends his arms and the pushes off with his toes. Needless to say he looks like he is doing the "army crawl" elbows and toes! For a scooter he is pretty darn fast!
Not that anything in my house was ever safe having Zeke already but now it is doubly not safe! Ki really like pulling himself up on my plants... pulling them over too! I will say that I am nervous though because we have so many stairs in our house and none of them really can have gates on them because of the way/angle that they are. Basically there is no rest for me... at least until I can teach Ki how to belly down the stairs. I think that is going to have to a new chore when we get back from San Diego.

A Wonderful "Births-giving" Day

In case you are wondering that is Thanksgiving and Birthday mooshed together! : -)
I had a very nice day that started with sleeping in until 7:30 then watching the Macy's day parade with my boys. We played in the basement for a little while and then went upstairs to take an early nap. It just so happened that as I was laying them down for their naps that sleep overtook me... so an hour and half nap with my boys was what happened. Michael spent all day cooking some very yummy food. We had my father in law and his wife and our friends from San Diego over. Everyone pitched in and brought great food. Some of my favorites were... Great Grandma Talone's corn casserole made by Michael, Jackie's sweet potato casserole (that really is more a dessert) and then Talia's "birthday cake" for me - pumpkin cheese cake. So good!
After everyone left I cleaned up from dinner, swept, mopped and got everything put away so that this morning I woke up to a clean house. What's on the agenda today? Not really sure, we talked about maybe going to the mountains for a walk - one thing is for sure though, we are staying away from any and all stores! Yikes!
I pray that you too had a restful and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tuesday

I know that today is not Tuesday but if you ask Zeke he doesn't know that! According to Zeke every day of the week is Tuesday. I am not sure why Tuesday is his favorite but it just is! Every morning I ask Zeke, "What day of the week is it today?" He very confidently says, "Tuesday, mom."
Another one of Zeke's favorite things to say is, "Mom, dat funny huh?" One day we were driving around doing errands and Zeke said, "Mom I like snow, dat funny huh?" I chuckled and said, "Yeah, Bubba that's funny."
Zeke is really picking up on his vocabulary and he feels that he needs to talk all the time, often to my frustration!

Non-sleeping house

What is up with the men in this house? None of them know how to sleep! Last night all three of them were asleep by 9pm. Michael woke up at 1am, Ki at 3am and Zeke at 4:30am... all of them have been up since then. Geeze - why don't these men know that night time is for sleeping and in the morning wrestling on my bed is not what I want! Way too much energy at 6:30am in my room. Ugh!

Something Amiss

All day today I have felt like I am in a fog. I don't quiet feel right. Frustrating, yes! I wish I knew what was wrong or amiss but nothing comes to mind. Just feeling kind of blah!

Christmas Wish List

So I know that I am too old to have a Christmas wish list, but I have been adding my wishes up and I think I have more on my list this year then I have ever had. Funny I guess!
I have decided that I really want a good camera. I know I have a decent one that captures those great little shots, but I would love to have one that has a good lens on it that will allow me to capture on film some of the great things that I see, especially of my boys!
I also want a Kitchen Aid... although I really think I want this more because Michael really wants it. Every time he watches Good Eats has another food that he wants to make but says, "Not until we have our Kitchen Aid." So I think number two is more for my husband then for me!
The other thing that I really want is an Ergo baby carrier. I have always sworn by the slings but with Ki a sling really does not work. Being that Ki is a back archer, I cannot safely carry him in the sling, yeah it was nice when he was an immobile baby but now that he is so strong I need something else. I have been looking around and I have not been able to find any on Craigslist, I guess that is because everyone keeps theirs until they have worn them out completely! So I think that this is probably my number one choice!
Maybe "Santa" will have grace upon me and get me one of my wish list items!

Longest Night EVER

Ahhhhhh - last night was the longest night I have had since bringing Ki home! He has a tooth that decided to cut last night. So needless to say Ki was up screaming all night long, I think the longest time period he slept was maybe an hour and half. Therefore a very long night for me.
Today however Zeke and Ki took a nap at the same time, actually Zeke is still sleeping but I got a solid hour with no boys. What do you think I did with that hour of quiet... I cleaned! I know I must be insane! Although I must say it was nice to clean my house (okay maybe not the entire house), but it was nice to get some cleaning done and not have a toddler "helping" me and an infant screaming.

Lighting is the BOMB

Daddy bought Zeke a Lighting McQueen blanket at Costco today. I was thinking it was a Christmas present but daddy couldn't wait to give it to him. We didn't even get home before the blanket was unwrapped. Needless to say I am washing the blanket because Zeke wants it for his bed - tonight!

JumpStreet

$4 Entrance Fee
1 1/2 Hours of Play
3 Hour Nap
Two Happy Parents!
Zeke and Ki had a blast at JumpStreet... think we will have to go again!

Cartoon Morning

Very rarely do we allow Zeke to watch cartoons in the morning let alone television. This morning all three of the Kulow men are sitting in front of the television watching Cars. There is something very sweet about seeing and listening to Michael interacting with Zeke while they watch Zeke's favorite movie. Moments like these I think are what makes family memories.
I have been in the recent months trying to be cognitive of making lasting and impressionable memories for Zeke - I think mornings like this are what he will remember... snuggled up on the couch with daddy and brother watching Cars.

Five in a Bed

This morning through blurry eyes Michael says, "We need a bigger bed!" Our queen size bed had Michael, Zeke, Ki, Neeko and myself. Five in a queen size just is not comfy for anyone. Okay maybe comfy for the two boys that were snuggled in the middle between Michael and I, but that is about it. Michael asked Zeke why he was in our bed and Zeke grinned and said, "No, dis me bed!" The argument began between Zeke and Michael and I think Michael wound up giving up - Zeke was loudest in the contest for 7am.

Hands Full

Tonight I finished my dinner and then made Ki some dinner. I put Ki in the booster seat and moved him between myself and Zeke. I fed Ki his baby food and towards the end of his meal he started getting really fussy. Zeke too was getting fussy so I told Zeke he had to eat two more bites, and I would even help him by feeding him like I was feeding Ki. One bite to Ki, one bite to Zeke. I was watching Ki every time I gave Zeke his dinner and Ki had his mouth wide open and vise versa. After Ki had finished his meal he was pissed. So I thought maybe Ki wanted a bite of Zeke's dinner... meatloaf, green bean casserole and rolls. Ki was so stoked to get Zekes food on Zeke's fork! It was the funniest thing to watch. Zeke didn't mind sharing too! After every bite Ki had Zeke would lean over and ask Ki, "You like dat Ki?" Ki would smile something fierce and wait for Zeke to get his bite and then try to be patient and wait for his next bite. Now don't worry I was not feeding Ki meatloaf, I was just giving him the soupy stuff from the casserole. Pretty darn funny - Ki thinks he is a big boy just like his brother.

Absolutely blessed

I think I am just about the luckiest lady! I have a great husband of which I have been married to for three years, yesterday! We have two great kids. We live in a great town. We have an awesome church. What more can I ask for?
It has taken me a while to really appreciate everything that I have. I have always loved my husband but there have been times where I want to throw him in the trash. In our three years of marriage we have come to learn how to work well together. I have learned what he needs and expects from me and him for me - it has not been easy, but I suppose things that are really good take time!
Yes, of course I have always loved my babies! From the minute we found out there was a baby in my womb there is this unearthly love that overwhelmed me. But trust me there are times I too want to put them out with the week's trash! Zeke knows just how to push buttons but he does so with this cute little grin that makes me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. Ki has been going through a rough patch of screaming - the Lord gave me patience but by four o'clock in the afternoon the meter has hit empty and I want to curl up on the floor and scream and cry too! How can it be that two little boys can rummage up so many emotions in one person? I am not sure but I know I would not trade it for anything!
I know I was not too keen on the move to Colorado. It meant picking up from my parents and everything that I really loved in San Diego. Now a year later I am so glad we moved. I do miss the people in San Diego that makes it home. My love for where we live now is so strong. I love that two weeks ago my kids were playing in the snow, last week it was in the high 70's and this week it has been in the 50's with pending snow for the weekend. I love that today we got to play in the leaves in the backyard that had fallen from the trees. I love that everything is so close to where we live, yet we are still so close to the mountains.
I thought I would never find another church that "fit" me like Maranatha Chapel but I have found a place in my heart for Foothills Bible Church. I have grown accustom to the worship style and the way Pastor Bill teaches and found myself enjoying it all. I always thought there was nothing other then Maranatha Chapel, but it seems that there is!
Basically I am thankful for everything that the Lord has done in my life in the last three years! I am blessed and very content!

Imaginary Life

Zeke has become very aware of his imagination in the last few weeks! It is so neat to see him play by himself and then to hear what it is he is saying. Lately he has been playing sharks and spiders - pretending that there are sharks or spiders on the carpet and trying to get away from them. Another thing that he has begun doing is playing dress up - not in a creepy way but finding mine and Michael's clothes fun to put on. Today he has been carrying around a tool box saying, "I have lots of work to do." Whatever keeps him entertained I suppose is good. Along the lines of dressing up... yesterday I was at WalMart getting some stuff for Michael and I saw that there Halloween costumes were all 90% off so I got Zeke two costumes to add to his dress up/imaginary play! Ki even took part in some of the dress up too...

Randomness

Today I took a nap with my boys for the first time in months! It felt so good... I knew there was stuff to be done but curling up with a boy laying under each arm was just what the doctor ordered for me today!
Zeke is doing great on his potty training. He has gone a whole week with only one accident. I am seeing light at the end of the washing a million pairs of pants and underwear tunnel! Yeah!
Ki has decided that his favorite teething tool is a stalk of celery! I gave him a stalk this afternoon as I was making the dinner salad and he gnawed on it for almost an hour.
Today I was at WalMart to get Michael's flavored water and all of their Halloween costumes were 90% off so I found two for Zeke for dress up. I got him Buzz Lightyear and a clown. He loves the Buzz costume... actually wore it all afternoon.
I took my mom to the airport this morning, I was sad to see her go but I get to see her in less then a month. It is always hard seeing her go - it is so nice having her help with the boys!

Mothers Helper

Ahhhh - It is so nice having my mom here visiting! I can not even begin to say what an amazing thing it is to have two "moms" doing "one" job!
Right now I am sitting here on my computer writing instead of doing bedtime stories. We got home from a friends house around 6pm - I fed Ki while my mom entertained Zeke (a full time job). I got dinner made while mom played with both boys. I got to eat my entire meal without having to bounce Ki on my knee and try and eat a cold dinner! After dinner mom gave Zeke a bath while I attempted to give Ki his night time bottle/medicine. Ki cried himself to sleep. Mom read Zeke multiple bed time stories while I cleaned up. I got the dishes washed from dinner the kitchen floors swept, the trash taken out, the cat box cleaned, got a load of laundry folded, another in the wash and picked up the basement. Now I am taking a breath to update my blog! Aren't moms great! Thank you mom for taking time out of your busy schedule to come out here and give me a few minutes!

Family Photos

After much painstaking organization, I was able to get some family pictures! We picture traded with our friends... they took pictures of our family and us of theirs. It worked out very nicely! Here are some of the pictures. Hope that you enjoy!
BTW - I have given up on trying to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time and not making faces. So as you will see there are some goofy faces and wondering eyes - oh well!