Gavin

First tricycle ride

Posted on February 20, 2010 by wadmanclan

The big kids wanted to play outside today after Saedi got home from school, so we did. After a few minutes Solvei and Nels got bored in the stroller. I got them out of the stroller and decided to get the tricycle for them to play with. It was the first time I’d ever put them on it and Nels knew what to do immediately. He pushed along with his feet and steered very well. Anytime he got near the curb or the grass, I told him to stay on the sidewalk and he would. He even tried to pedal by the end of the evening (still too short to get enough strength).

Solvei, on the other hand, had no idea of what the tricycle was for. She didn’t even stay on long enough to get a picture. She was, however, very entertained by every rock and stick she saw, and very happy when she picked them up.

I couldn’t get any good pictures of Saedi, but I got a good one of Gavin. The neighbor girl across the street brought out her badminton set and the big kids played with that while the twins went up and down the sidewalk.

Here are a few more of Solvei and Nels that are just too cute to keep to myself.


Categories: firsts, Gavin, Nels, playing, Solvei | Leave a comment

For me?

Posted on February 18, 2010 by wadmanclan

The kids opened some Valentine’s cards after dinner on the 14th and I so wish I’d had my camera ready! I set Solvei’s opened card on the table in front of her and she had a sudden look of shock and awe on her face, sort of a “This is for me?” look. So cute! But I missed the photo opportunity. So when the kids got more cards to open I had the camera this time. Not quite the same look, but pretty close.

Categories: Gavin, Nels, Saedi, Solvei, Valentines | Leave a comment

Mushy Holidays

Posted on February 15, 2010 by wadmanclan

Nothing says” I Love You,” on Valentine’s Day like a trip to redneck heaven to browse through guns and ammo.

We made a trip to Cabela’s today. Very romantic, don’t you think?  😉

I’ve never actually been to one before and the kids thought it was pretty neat. Its almost like a zoo and aquarium inside, except the animals don’t move around (or have to be fed) and the fish come from the river instead of the tropics. They have a shooting gallery too which the kids quite liked.

Categories: Gavin, Saedi, Valentines | Leave a comment

All better

Posted on February 8, 2010 by wadmanclan

Nels has recovered from his “stitches” very well. His bandage started coming off too early so I had to tape it down a few times at night. I was officially allowed to take off the bandage and steri-strips on the fifth day, so I did so Thursday night. The glue started to dry out without a bandage, so all it peeled off on Friday. Only bad things is he had a reaction to either the bandage or the iodine they put on under it so he developed a rash.

He looks just fine now, as Gavin has been sure to point out…MANY times.

Categories: Gavin, Nels, stitches | Leave a comment

More Climbing

Posted on February 2, 2010 by wadmanclan

Solvei is getting pretty good at climbing up onto the furniture. There are still a few places that she needs help with but she has figured out how for sure. Today she was practicing climbing up on the black chair in the living room (climb up, climb down, climb up, climb down….) when Nels decided to join her.

Then they found one of the toy cups and were sharing.

I also used the opportunity to play with my new lens a bit. It’s so much fun to take close-ups because they are so cute.

Got one of Gavin too.

Categories: climbing, Gavin, Nels, playing, Solvei | Leave a comment

You can hear me coming

Posted on February 2, 2010 by wadmanclan

I have really creaky knees. I’m not sure at what age it started but they’ve been that way for a while. I even have a story of my creaky knees from when we lived here, in Washington, before.

I worked at a company in Tacoma that was in a two story building; the bottom floor was a “store” and warehouse and the top floor was corporate offices (where I worked). We usually went up or down stairs at the employee entrance in the middle of the building. Occasionally I would have to go down to the “store” area to sort things going in the mail to other locations, and when returning to the top floor I would take the stairs leading the front corporate offices. At the top of this staircase was the corporate receptionist. She told me one day that she could tell when I was climbing up the stairs because she could hear me (my knees) coming.

Today while walking up the stairs with Gavin to put him down for a nap, he heard my creaky knees and asked, “Will I have creaky knees like you when I get big?”

Categories: Gavin, growing up, Sheri, work | Leave a comment

My "party"

Posted on January 24, 2010 by wadmanclan

Last night, right before I made dinner, it suddenly dawned on Saedi that it was my birthday and we didn’t have a cake.

I actually planned it that way. I had decided I wanted a homemade carrot cake for my birthday, and that I wanted the kids to make it for me. Knowing that my birthday was on a school day and that I wouldn’t want to undertake any huge tasks in the limited time between school dismissal and bedtime (because it wouldn’t be fair to Saedi if we did anything while she was at school), I had also decided that we would make the cake on Saturday.

I explained it to the kids in terms that they would understand, “Sometimes when your birthday is during the week we have the ‘party’ on the weekend so everyone can be there [since daddy was at work late].” So today was my “party” according to the kids.

We spent the morning as usual, and after Solvei and Nels went down for a nap, Saedi and Gavin made my birthday cake. I did help a little with the making, and I frosted it, but they did a very good job. I think making it also made it okay to eat it. Being CARROT cake and all, Gavin told me before we made it that he didn’t want any, but afterward he had changed his mind.

This is what I ended up with for my “party”

Didn’t the kids make a yummy looking cake?
And this is what it looks like when 30 candles tries to burn it down. =P
We didn’t even get them all lit – don’t worry, I blew them all out before it did any damage. And it was still delicious.
Categories: birthdays, Gavin, Saedi, Sheri | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

Posted on January 23, 2010 by wadmanclan

Saedi and Gavin love to make birthday cards, it’s the part they get most excited about for anyone’s birthday. They have each been to birthday parties this last month that the other was not invited to, but they both made cards for both occasions.

On school days Saedi and Gavin usually get themselves dressed in the mornings and then wait for me to do hair and make breakfast. This morning I didn’t want to get out of bed so I was a little late, but when I came out of my room they had both made me birthday cards – Gavin was dressed but Saedi was still in her pajamas. The thought was very sweet, but now we were really late. Saedi barely had time to eat anything before we had to leave for the bus. Also, I usually take the babies to the bus in their pajamas and get them dressed when we get back. Today Solvei’s diaper leaked and Nels was stinky so they had to be dressed before we left and we were really, REALLY late. We did make it just in time though, so at least I didn’t have to drive Saedi to school.

Even with a not too good start, the day was pretty good. Gavin invited the boys from around the corner over to play in the morning and we just hung out at home. After Saedi got home from school I got a delivery of flowers and another “card” made for me.

Knowing that Nate had to work today, possibly late, I arranged for a babysitter for after the kids went to bed. So Nate and I could have a dinner for just us. I made the kids their dinner, which they finished just as Nate came home, and we hung out a bit more, then read some Harry Potter and put everyone to bed.
Nate and I took the recommendation of a neighbor (glad we did) and went to the Iron Chef Japanese Steakhouse for dinner. It was really good.

So, I am now 30.

Being born on a zero year makes it easier to conceptualized decades. I actually remember thinking when I was in elementary school that it would be so weird when it got to be 2010, not so much that I would be thirty but that it was SOOOO FAR in the future and with a number like 2010 it sounded important. But it’s not weird, it is a good future and I am not ashamed or afraid to be thirty.

Categories: birthdays, Gavin, Nate, Saedi, Sheri | Leave a comment

I love how smart they are

Posted on January 20, 2010 by wadmanclan

My kids love books. Saedi devours books as fast as Nate does (which is REALLY fast). Gavin, as I have said, is doing really well at learning to read. It’s not something I am making him do, he really wants to. Even Solvei and Nels love books. As I have also said we have A LOT of books.

In the house we are in there is an eat-in-kitchen and also a formal dining room. We don’t do formal dining (and only have one table anyway) so we have turned the formal dining room into a library. While I was moving the books all in there and setting up the shelves during the winter break, Solvei and Nels discovered the books. Then they got some books of their own for Christmas. Now they won’t leave the books shelves alone. Every time we are downstairs they will try to get at least one book from the shelves if not all of them (at least they only go after the board books most of the time).

This afternoon while I was making lunch, Solvei went to the shelves, got out three books, then gave one each to Nels and Gavin. They all sat down on the kitchen floor (right underfoot) and read their books while I finished, trading books when they were done. Amazing!

Categories: books, Gavin, Nels, Solvei | Leave a comment

Helping Gavin read

Posted on January 19, 2010 by wadmanclan

Gavin likes to think that he doesn’t need a nap anymore. But if he doesn’t get a nap most days, I’m about ready to lock him in his room before dinner. For a while I would lay down with him so he would go to sleep faster and not play around trying to keep himself awake. But then he started to throw fits and refuse to go to sleep, if I didn’t lay down with him. After many days of him getting in trouble for not napping, and my telling him that I can never lay down with him again because of his behavior, we think we have discovered why he wanted it so much. That was the only time that he had my attention all to himself. So I am now making a conscious effort to make sure that I am spending a few minutes with just him between lunch and nap. This makes his nap not quite long enough but he doesn’t fight me about going to sleep.

Since he has started to show such an interest in letters, we have been practicing his reading during “our time.” I write down a word and have him sound out the letters as I write, and then he puts the sounds together. He’s doing really well. Then I sound out a word and he writes the letters that make the sounds to spell the word. I don’t think it will be too much longer before he’ll be reading street signs that we pass, like Saedi did in Monterey.

We had a neighbor family over for dinner tonight, and Nate overheard this little snippet. Saedi was talking to Cassie (the neighbor her age) about a book. They were probably not including him (as usual) so Gavin declared, “You know Saedi I’m going to be reading books someday soon, too!”

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Categories: Gavin, growing up, routine, Saedi | Leave a comment

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