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Not to be Excluded

Kasey may not have started school yesterday, heck he doesn't even start Kindergarten for another three years (youch).  Nonetheless, here are a few facts about Kasey:

He is 2 years old.
He wears size 3T and 4T and a size 9 (maybe a 9.5) shoe

He is most definitely our kleine boef!
He is potty trained.

He loves to be naked (and has been seen chasing rabbits out of the backyard in his birthday suit).
He can identify almost all of the letters of the alphabet. (W, R, V and Q throw him for a loop)

He knows what he wants and lets you know.

He has a great sense of humor.
Bada saying no will always make him melt.

He is our bruiser and already has a few small scars to show for it.
Hi is funny and brings sunshine into our lives.

Spring is Coming!

Bada visited last Friday and helped the kids to start getting their garden ready. Gabriella is so excited to have a fairy garden and to have lots of vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

Kasey Potty Training!?!?

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When I first met you, I...

A year ago I wrote that I had set up email addresses for the kids. I have been sending pictures to the kids occasionally and I hope that someday Tomas, Gabriella, and Kasey will be able to access these accounts and see it as a really neat compilation (hopefully!). On that note, if you have a moment, please write a quick note to one or all of them that completes this sentence, "When I first met you, I..."

Or, as I said before, you can just send them a little note of  "introduction" so to speak.  Thanks for your help!!


Email Tomas

Email Gabi

Email Kasey

Too big too fast

As of last night Kasey is officially out of the crib.  Wow.

Hanging Out

It doesn't get much better than this...the munchkins snuggling in the pillow fort reading a book.  Tomas does the best voices!!

Can't stop laughing

Kasey is spending some time without a diaper because her has a diaper rash.  This its his latest choice of footwear.

Sweet Siblings!

I love these two to pieces.  Kasey is enjoying himself so much he doesn't want to eat lunch.  Gabi is teaching him words on every page.

Update

So far he has peed on Elmo, then on Cookie Monster.  He was very concerned both times.  I'm going to take this as a good sign, suber it means he is aware of it happening.  Not sure he is ready for the full potty training treatment. If there is one thing I have learned...don't try to speed up the process too much out make it stressful because that doesn't work anyway!!

Potty training

He said potty, then he pooped, on the floor.  His reward was elmo underwear. The fun begins!!!

Another Performer

While Kasey and I were hanging out I front of the house, the ice cream truck came by.  Kasey was digging the music and dancing for quite a while. This is just the tail end.  I love his hand motions and the cheesy grin at the end.  If only my phone would sync audio and visual...
Watch "Interpretive Ice Cream Man Dance" on YouTube

Kasey Bath Time Giggles

Watch "Giggles" on YouTube

Baby giggles are the best.  Uninhibited, belly laughing awesomeness.  Sadly, it disappears some time after age two.  This giggly hilarity was especially awesome.  It was a relief after the horrors that preceded it. 
This was a midday bath.  Utterly.  Disgustingly. Unavoidable.
The diaper was so bad I threw away a sock.  Oh yes, you read that right, my phone's auto complete is working just fine.  A sock.  It was completely coated in stinky poopy grossness.  Go ahead and take a moment to imagine how that might have occurred...got an idea?  Yep, chances are it was oh so much worse in real life.   The horror when I started to take off his pants was truly great...truly.  Could I have scrubbed the nastiness off the sock, gagging the while time...?  Yes, probably, but no thanks! Don't judge.
Into the bath he went. Gabi, of course thought that sounded like a barrel of laughs, and she was right...

Sweet sweet Tomas

Watch "Tomas reading" on YouTube
This morning Tomas heard Kasey crying in his room.  He came in to my room to tell me about it and that he was going to get a book and some blankets so he could snuggle with and read to Kasey.  This is what I found. 
A cute side note, Kasey is acutely aware of cameras.  Note how when he notices that I am video taping he immediately turns on for the camera

Third Time's a Charm?

Two days ago Kasey went poop in the potty for the first time.  He actually said poop before he made us a present that morning, so when he did it again later that day, we got the potty out of storage and within fifteen minutes, VOILA!  We were so excited!!! Pete even took a picture (I will spare you that).
Since then, Kasey often seems annoyed with his diaper, so he is definitely more aware "down there.". Then this morning he started yanking at his diaper and looking at me with a sweet "help me" expression on his face.  I got out the potty.  It turns out the diaper yank was an indication that he was actually in the middle of peeing, so I missed that moment.
He has been naked ever since but hasn't gone, despite my attempts at pumping him full of water 'n milk.  However, you can see that the potty curiosity is high. 
Don't worry, I have no anticipation that he will be potty trained any time soon.  After a frustrating and too stressful journey with Tomas, I have learned to let go and just flow with and encourage the kids' cues.  So, at this stage we are working on how to sit on the potty and what exactly it is for..."No, Kasey, your baseball and milk cup do not go in there.  No, Kasey, it is not a step stool.". Let the adventures begin!!!!

Sooooo big!!

Today Kasey climbed on the couch all by himself with his milk so he could have a snack!  Yesterday Kasey pooped on the potty all by himself.for the first time.  Getting big, fast!

Electronic Time Capsules

Dearest Family and Friends,
 Liefste Familie en Vrienden
Tonight (as I should very much be sleeping), I decided to create something new.  I created email accounts for each of our amazing little munchkins.  Why, you ask, would a 5, 3, and 1 year old need to check or write emails.  You're right, they don't!  However, with a little age manipulation (Google thinks they are all exactly the same age as me), I created these accounts. Ik weet dat ik echt zou moeten slapen, maar toch zit ik hier te bloggen...te gek?!  Ik wou iets nieuws proberen.  Ik heb email adressen opgezet for mijn kinderen.  Waarom hebben kleintjes van 5, 3, en 1 een email adres nodig?  Dat hebben zij inderdaad niet nodig, maar toch...

The idea is this:  If I (or you...this is really the idea here) are thinking about any one of them, have something to say, a picture to share, whatever, send an email to Tomas, or Gabriella, or Kasey.  The idea is that these emails will hang out there for a long time, like a wonderful electronic time capsule.  (I got this idea from some commercial, by the way, it is not entirely my own).  Dit is het idee: Als jij aan ons of een van ons denkt, als jij een foto wilt deelen of een herrinering/verhaal, stuur alstublieft een email aan Tomas, Gabriella, of Kasey (of alle drie).  Ik hoop dat die emails lekker lang ongeleesd blijven "liggen," en dat in een aantal jaren, zij door de kinderen worden geleest. (Ik heb dit idee van een reklame op tv, en het is daaruit tot deze blog gegroeit)

I could go on an on about what I hope this will become, but I think in doing so, I might limit its possibilities, so instead, I will simply ask you to start sending emails to the following addresses:  Ik hoop dat jij naar de volgende adressen wat stuurt:

tomas.a.pedraza@gmail.com

gabriella.a.pedraza@gmail.com

kasey.r.pedraza@gmail.com

I will be checking the inboxes periodically to organize the emails.  I do not intend to read the emails...they are not for me.  However, I want to maintain some order in the chaos, so I will probably create yearly folders (or people/topic folders...that will become clearer as this progresses).  Also, I realize that this is a lot to ask for those less creative souls, so I will also periodically send out "prompts" for possible emails to my loves.  Zo nu en dan ga ik kijken wat er in deze "inboxen" ligt, zodat ik het allemaal een beetje georganizeerd kan houden.  Ik ben niet van plan de emails te lezen, dat laat ik over een aantal jaar aan de kinderen over.  Ik weet dat dit wat veel is...zo nu en dan ben ik ook van plan "prompts/ideetjes" te bloggen en emailen met ideetjes voor wat voor emails jij mischien kan sturen.

So, that said, if you would like, please send an introductory email to the aforementioned addresses.  Introduce yourself (you are writing to teenage/adult individuals here...I have yet to determine when I will give the kids access to these time capsules...suggestions are super welcome).  Stuur alsjeblieft een introductie email naar de email adressen die ik hier boven heb aangegeven.  Het idee is dat je deze gedachtes aan een tiener of volwassen iemand schrijft (ik weet nog niet zeker waneer ik de kinderen dezen adressen zal "geven"...suggesties zijn welkom).

Wiggles and Giggles

Kasey's latest dance move is a butt wiggle and it makes us all smile...
Watch "Mr. Dancey Pants" on YouTube

What do we need?

NAPS....When do we need 'em..NOW!  Poor kiddo does not want to take a nap this afternoon.  He is having a sweet, smell good baby meltdown on my lap with his blanket.  Positive note..he is VERY snuggly!...

Congested Struggles

Poor kid is so congested!!! He cant breathe through his nose, so every bite of food is followed by loud mouth breathing.  That misery seems to have zero effect on his sweet, happy attitude!