Okay, it is official! If you ever get an opportunity to be around Keaten lately, he is a talker! Non-stop, chat chat chat chat, and usually always has something on his mind. It actually is quite fun now that he is talking. We've been requiring him to use his words when he wants things and his little temper tantrums that occur when he wants to just point and grunt are pretty funny. Of course, nothing is funnier than walking into the room and seeing your child walking in a circle saying "duck duck duck", quizzically you ask "goose?" to which he responds "No, duck!"
If talking weren't enough, this little boy decided to go on a growth spurt. I think he has added a few inches to his height over the last month or two. It won't be too much longer and he'll be needing a whole new wardrobe! Many of his shirts are getting a bit tight to put on and pull off and his pants are fitting a lot better. His new height should start to come in handy around the house now that he is doing a few chores.
One of his chores (which I'm fairly certain he thinks is "play time") is washing dishes. The boy loves to wash the plastic dishes he and his sister use for snacks and their drinks. He probably feels he just gets to play with plastic containers in a sink full of water and doesn't really consider it a "chore", but "Hey! Who are we to complain?" If he wants to do it, and has fun while doing it, all the better!
Oh, I almost forgot the best part! Since Keaten is talking quite a bit more, we've been able to see what (if anything) he has picked up with Brianne going to school. One thing Brianne's class learned early on was to be "bucket fillers" instead of "bucket dippers". Bucket fillers lift people up and bucket dippers are tearing someone down. Mommy accidentally stopped Keaten's show one morning and Keaten let her know that she was being a "bucket dipper!" The whole thing was just too cute as he folded his arms, pouted his chin and said "bucket dipper" in his "stern" voice. Needless to say, Mommy tried as hard as she could to not laugh, but just couldn't hold it in.
Since Keaten usually walks Brianne in to school, Mrs. Julie (Brianne's teacher) decided it was time for Keaten to have some homework of his own! To say this little boy was thrilled is an understatement. He was super excited. He went home, completed his homework and proudly took it to Mrs. Julie the next day to get his "prize" (somehow he already knew he'd get a prize... probably because his sister always gets a prize for doing her homework). I think he has completed 3-4 homework sheets now. It won't be long before he'll feel he is ready for Pre-K too!
Much like Brianne, Keaten loves the pillow bed Mommy made each of them. Daily they pull them out lay on them to watch TV, play on their tablets, or eat a snack (and sometimes take a nap). Most of the times they are used as cushions when the kids want to jump off the couch and onto the floor.
Keaten really enjoyed his Valentine's Day this year. Mommy got him cars and he loved them. He wanted to have them opened immediately so he could get to work driving them around the living room. He also had a blast picking out the Valentine's cards he wanted to send to everyone and then placing his "mark" on each one. And let's not forget the enjoyment he had when making a Valentine's Card for Mommy. He had a wonderful time coloring it and gluing on the cut-out hearts. I think Mommy may remember this Valentine's Day as much as Keaten will.
Last but not least, Keaten has become a huge fan of play dates. The last few birthday parties have been really telling as he gets excited to go and play with other kids of various ages. Then there are the play dates with friends, BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), and Mom's Group outings. All of these are becoming something he looks forward to and is starting to really enjoy. Unfortunately, he still has a biting habit that we are desperately trying to break. We've bit him back, slapped his mouth, and put him in timeout, and he continues to bite. I'm starting to think I'll have to carry some tabasco sauce with me and put a few drops of that in his mouth the next time he chooses to bite. Maybe that will do it?
Well, that's the past couple of months in a nutshell and I can't wait to see what the next month will churn out. His 3rd birthday party is closely approaching and we're having a fun time planning that. All we know at this point is the theme is "Trains", as that is what Keaten said he wanted.
Love,
Matt, Kami, Brianne and Keaten