labor day with family

For Labor Day, we were able to visit with some of Matt's extended family. It was nice to catch up with lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles. We spent Sunday night with Ben, Jen, Lydia, and Lauren. The kids had a good time playing together.


Nathan and Lydia took a few minutes to watch a video, but I was able to catch a picture first.


They also had a good time playing in the pool after lunch. They mostly stayed in the hot tub, though, because the bigger cousins were jumping and splashing in the main pool.


Speaking of older cousins, here are three of Matt's cousins - Anna, Kate, and Megan. They are really closer in age to our kids, though.

first soccer game

Nathan's first soccer game was supposed to be on August 23rd. But it was rained out. So, his actual first game was on August 30th. Let's just say that it was a very interesting game. Nathan's team was very tentative (those that did more than stand in one spot) and the other team was very aggressive. Nathan was run over several times and was intentionally pushed down twice. As a result, he said that "the game was terrible". Matt was pretty frustrated at trying to coach as well.

Here is a picture of the team being introduced at the beginning. They make a big deal out of the team running out. They also announce each kid's name.


Because he's playing Upward soccer, the teams pray together before the game. They also have a small devotion at each practice and a testimony after the games.


Here is Nathan getting ready to kick in the ball.


And here is a great example of part of Nathan's difficulty with this game. He was having a hard time separating Daddy from Coach.


I know that this isn't the best video to display Nathan playing, but it's pretty funny. Just keep an eye on the left side of the screen. :)

school update

So, we have now made it through four days of preschool. Everything seems to be going well. Nathan is enjoying himself and making friends. Caroline and I are working to find our school morning groove.

To back up just a bit, the first day of school was a little different from the others. After the kids were all dropped off, the parents had an orientation meeting. Then, the kids finished up earlier than normal. So, last Friday was the first normal day of school. I have to say, it was definitely a weird feeling dropping Nathan off at his class and then getting in the car and leaving. It was a little bit hard. But instead of letting myself get too sad, Caroline and I can home and did lots of housework. We stayed busy! I did, however, watch the clock all morning...afraid that I would forget that I needed to go back and pick Nathan up. Luckily, all went well. Nathan was picked up on time, and Mommy survived.

We haven't made too big of a deal about school. We're treating it like just another activity. I think that has helped both Nathan and I. I do think, though, that Caroline has been missing Nathan in the mornings. It is a strange thing for her to not have him around telling her what to do all the time. :)

bowling

We occasionally have a fun family night out and go do some sort of activity that we don't normally do. The last time out, we went bowling. Nathan enjoys it, but I think he likes playing the games in the little arcade much better! :) He's getting better about getting some speed on the ball. At times, we've wondered whether it will actually make it to the pins or not. This time, however, he decided to try throwing the ball...yes, throwing. It worked ok, but Matt and I were waiting for it to end up three lanes down.


Caroline did pretty good hanging out. For part of the time, she colored. Otherwise, she watched and did a little wandering. Here, she is cheering for Nathan.


I know this is a really strange picture. We were trying to find a good way to take a picture in the dark bowling alley. I thought this one was interesting, though.

the essence of fashion

Yeah, I know this is the third post today. I really am working on getting caught up. There are posts scheduled every day for the rest of the week. However, I couldn't resist putting up this picture. I mean, let's be honest, this is the essence of fashion! What could be better than Nathan's old painting shirt, 1980's looking shorts, black church shoes, and a new fishy purse?

just as healthy as can be

Last Thursday I took Caroline back to the doctor. We wouldn't have had that visit except that she had not gained enough weight at the last one. Between the 12 month visit and the 18 month visit (well, she was 17 months), she had only gained 12 ounces. She dropped from around 50% to about 30%. Well, this time, it had been about two months and she had gained two pounds. So, now she's back at about 50%. Everything seemed fine. We're not sure exactly what was going on at the last visit, but we're glad that it all looks good now. Oh...in case you're wondering, she now weighs 24 lbs, 12 oz.

swimming again

We went swimming again in August. Well...Matt and the kids went swimming. I actually enjoyed NOT swimming and just watching and taking pictures and video. The kids are doing pretty well. Caroline loves it (as always) and Nathan is getting braver.


Here is Nathan working on his kicking.


Once Caroline had her fill of swimming, she enjoyed hanging out in the kid chair and watching the butterflies and bees.


Just a couple of quick after-swim pictures of the kids.



And here are a few videos. This first one was supposed to be Nathan swimming, but he decided to be silly. You can see Caroline in the background turning circles and kicking, though.



And in this one, Nathan is showing off how well he is kicking while swimming. If we could just go to the pool more often, we might have him swimming with no flotation device.



And here is the big one. Matt somehow got Nathan to let him throw him into the pool. I was very impressed that Nathan did it. However, once he did it the first time, he was ready to go again lots of times. I had an actual video of this, but I liked the still photos put together better. So, here is Nathan being thrown into the pool.

outside pictures

Here begins my attempt to catch up on things from around here. These are a couple pictures of the kids from one day mid-August. We went outside to play and I took my camera. Mostly, Nathan just wanted to play in the "jungle" (his word) in the front yard. Caroline was right on his heels wanting to copy whatever he was doing. She loves her big brother and wants to be just like him!

the first day of school

Nathan started school today. It went well. I'll probably give more details later, but here is a picture for now.


(PS: I was going to try to get caught up this afternoon, but I just don't have time. I'll try to do that soon, though.)

an original song

...written and sung by Nathan Moseley.

a few from August

Here are a few pictures from last week. The first one would be a cute picture except that Caroline had fallen and busted her lip. I wasn't really able to get a great picture of how swollen it looked, but the second one is closer. You can also see her chipped tooth (from the same incident).



Nathan often makes train tracks in the morning before Caroline and I get up. One morning, I looked in to find that he had not only made train tracks, but also a road of books for his cars. I thought it picture worthy.


And last but not least...a very girly picture of Caroline. I got her tutus out for her to play with and she wanted to wear them both...at the same time. Then, she decided that she needed a bow...or two...or eight. And don't miss the fact that the book she's "reading" is upside down. I always love those pictures...when the kids have no clue that something's wrong.

some of Caroline's words

The other day I sat Caroline down and got a few videos of her repeating some of her most common words. Most of these are words that she uses on her own on a regular basis. Please ignore the fact that I can't remember what words we've already done in that last one. I almost didn't include it, but it got a chuckle out of Matt and I thought it was cute. You also have to forgive her crooked hair. :) Oh yeah...and at the end of the third one, she is trying to touch my elbow...because elbows and eyes have to be found on everyone within reach. So, here they are:

who knows?

For a little while today, Nathan has been calling Caroline "March". Who knows?

more swimming

A couple weeks ago, Nana came to visit. While she was here, we went swimming over at Grandma and Granddad's house. The kids had lots of fun with Nana and I was able to get a few pictures! Yay!


Nathan is slowing overcoming his fear when swimming. It's taking baby steps, but he's getting there. He is now completely comfortable while in his vest...even enough to swim in the deep end (with an adult, of course).


He is also working on blowing bubbles. Mostly, I'm trying to get him to keep his mouth closed while trying to swim so that he won't get tons of water in his mouth. This is also a challenge with Caroline since she likes to drink the water.


When it was time to get out, Nathan was walking around without his vest but had to go retrieve it. On the way to the steps, he swam while holding on to it. This is another (small) step that I am thankful for! (yes, I know that's bad grammar)


Caroline, on the other hand, has no fear. She is out swimming as much as she can. She's getting pretty good at moving around the pool.


She also enjoys laying backwards. This is not a good picture, though. Normally, she's laying back more and looks relaxed...but this time, she was too distracted by the fact that I was trying to get her to do it so I could take a picture.


And here is my silly child (one of them). I was trying to get her to smile for me and she thought she would stick her tongue out instead!

soccer

Two weeks ago, Nathan had his first soccer practice. He is playing Upward Soccer at church and Daddy is his coach. He has been looking forward to this for quite a while. So far, he seems to be enjoying it. He has his third practice tonight and his first game on Saturday. This is our first adventure with kid sports, so it's exciting. Here are a few pictures from that first practice (which was WAY hot):




(You can see that Matt has a challenge with these 4 and 5 year olds!)

the latest on potty progress

Caroline has been making more progress on her potty training. She has pooped in the potty several more times. She is more interested in celebrating her achievement than she is concerned about seeing it, now, so that is good. Today she made some new progress. She came and told me "poop" and then actually went when we went to the bathroom. Yay! Previously, we had been catching her starting to go and then took her. She still is not peeing (in the potty), but that is usually the easier one...so if I had to choose, I'll go with the poop. :)

For those of you non-parents out there, I'll try to keep the bathroom posts to a minimum. But around our house, poop is a normal subject...has been for years.

things he says

- (leaving the room and almost to himself) Maybe one day we can go somewhere on a rocket.

- (playing in the other room) They still have Indians in Dogland.

- Mommy, I broke all the loops in the lights...I turned them all off.

- N: God is always with us. 12 verse 9
Me: Where does that come from? Romans? John? Or somewhere else?
N: Um...I think God.

- I heard the word "finale" on Word Girl the other day. I think when we go to Heaven it will be the finale on earth.

let's call it ingenuity

I glanced around the corner a minute ago to see what Caroline might be into and this is what I found. I quickly grabbed the camera before scolding her and removing her from the table.

Me and the boy go camping

Nathan and I have been "camping" a few times in the backyard. We just set up the tent, eat some candy corn, and sleep outside for a night. I've been wanting to take him camping for real somewhere, and I decided to do it sometime this summer. So two Thursdays ago, we packed up the car and headed to High Falls State Park. It is located just off of I-75 a bit north of Forsyth.

We got to the campsite a little on the late side, but we were able to get set up as it was getting dark. We had to leave just after setting up the tent (~9:30) so we could go buy ice. We found a little gas station just up the road that was still open and bought some there. The place reeked of cigarette smoke. I guess they ignore the state law passed a few years ago about no smoking inside businesses. Nathan was very tired by this point, but he was good. I got him in bed when we got back and took care of getting other things situated. There were a decent number of folks in the camp (almost all RVers), but no one immediately next to our site.

We got up in the morning and had doughnuts and milk for breakfast. Then we headed to the office to finish checking in and paying (they were closed the night before, so we did a preliminary check-in with the campground host). Nathan wanted to look at the dam, so we did that and then went to one of the playgrounds for him to enjoy. Then we went and rented a canoe to go out on the lake.

Now, if you've read the blogs, you know Nathan is not a big fan of water. He just recently got to where he would walk on the bottom of the shallow end of a pool by himself and float with a life jacket without holding on to someone/something. When launching the canoe, he was on the end that was in the lake (about 5 inches deep where he was), and I was on the shore ready to push it all in and hop in my end. Nathan was VERY anxious and wanted to get out and back on shore. He did not like the rocking of the boat. I kept telling him it was okay and got in. He was still kind of freaking out because the canoe was rocking a little still. He wanted to get down from his bench seat into the bottom, so I let him do that, and he calmed down a little bit. I started paddling us away from the dam and tried to distract him with looking at stuff on shore. He would ask every couple of minutes about going back to shore, but I told him we were going to be out a while. Eventually he stopped being so anxious and was able to enjoy the ride. He was glad to get back, but later in the day he asked about going canoeing again!! Sometimes we have to push pretty hard to get Nathan to realize he's not so afraid or that he does actually enjoy new things.


Next we went and had sandwiches for lunch at the campsite. We hung out for a little while, reading books and playing with cars. We also played a game of Trouble. It was an epic game, coming down to whoever got their number to get their last piece home first. Nathan ended up getting his number and winning the game. After that we went to the mini golf course. Nathan had never played before and didn't really catch on to the rules of waiting until the ball stopped before hitting it, not being able to drag the ball with the putter, etc. I tried to get him to hold the putter correctly, but that didn't really work, either. We had fun, though, and Nathan even got a hole in one near the beginning of the course!

Next we hiked down a trail next to the Towaliga River where the falls were. There are a lot of steps at the first part, then rough rocky trail. Nathan didn't really want to go further once we passed the end of the steps, but we did go a little ways just to see what was down there. The falls were pretty neat -- very wide and tall. At this point it was the middle of the afternoon and quite hot (and my bionic knee was hurting), so I didn't mind that Nathan wanted to go back to the car.

We went up the road a bit to a different store and bought a Powerade, another bag of ice, and a bundle of firewood (it is illegal to disturb sticks or wood in a state park, even for use as firewood). We brought a pile of sticks from the yard for use in helping start a fire. Then we went back to the campsite to rest (I was pretty tired by this point). More cars, reading, and a rematch of Trouble. That game ended with the same situation, except I got my number first. Fortunately, Nathan had a good attitude. Eventually it got late enough and we worked on starting the fire to cook supper on. I was worried that our wood was not going to burn well enough to make coals for the hamburgers. It smoked a bunch, so the wood must have been somewhat wet or hadn't been dead for long enough. I got the fire going well enough with the paper and sticks we brought and stuck the purchased firewood on top. Then I threw the patties on the grill with the fire still going to make sure we would get to cook them, since I was afraid the fire would just go out and not have hot enough coals. It turned out the fire kept going (and smoking!) for a long time and we wouldn't have had a problem other than waiting a long time to cook on just coals. We ate supper and then cleaned up. Then we played soccer in the grass next to our site for a while. Nathan did well with his passing, using the inside of his foot correctly most of the time.

Eventually it got towards bedtime and we got ready for bed. We got in the tent about 8:30 or so, I think. It was definitely not dark yet, which was weird. But we were quite tired! I didn't sleep as well Friday night, waking up plenty of times. It didn't help that it was warmer than Thursday night had been. In the morning, we ate breakfast (more doughnuts, and some burned bacon for me) and started getting packed up. We left about 9:45 (I think) and headed to Bass Pro Shops in Macon before going back to Warner Robins and lunch at Sonny's.

(I wrote this originally less than a week after the trip, but I had misplaced the camera and thus didn't have any photos to put up with the post. Grandma found it at her house today and we got it back.)

swimming

We have taken the kids swimming three times this summer. It's not as often as we would like, but we hope to go quite a bit more. It is so funny how different they are about the water! Nathan is still very hesitant. We have to really encourage him to do much (really more like pushing him). Caroline, on the other hand, would be off by herself if we would let her. No fear!

Nathan is now walking around on his own with no support. He will also "swim" around with his lifevest. Really, he looks more like he's walking through the water...but he's not touching the bottom or anything else. So, we'll call it swimming. It's exiting to him to think he's swimming by himself! It took a lot of prodding to get him to let go and try to float on his own - much less try to "swim". Unfortunately, we don't have a video of Nathan swimming, but here is one of him walking around.



Caroline, on the other hand, was ready to go just as soon as she had some kind of flotation device. It doesn't take her long before she wants to be back on the steps where she can stand, though. I think it's just a little boring for her because she can't move around too much. She'll get the hang of it soon enough, I'm sure. She's going to be our little fish.

yay! another success

We had another potty success yesterday. All day long yesterday, Caroline went to the bathroom with me if she knew I was going. She would sit on her little potty while I used the big one. She also took careful note of what exactly I was doing. Well, during one of our trips yesterday afternoon, she went. She pee-peed. Yay! Unlike her previous success, she didn't seem bothered at all. She seemed to be very proud of what she had done. And so was her Mommy.

brother sister love

These kids love each other. And they play together pretty well, too.

Here Nathan is reading his favorite Bible story to Caroline - David and Goliath. This is the Bible story book that he used to use. He can pretty much read it all himself at this point. Now, we have a more difficult one that we use at night.


They love laundry days. They have a good ol' time playing in the laundry baskets.


This day, Caroline was standing right up at the tv watching whatever cartoon Nathan had on. I told her to go sit by Nathan to watch and this is where she ended up. And this is where Nathan let her stay.


Playing in the rain is always fun. I think this may be the first time that Caroline has joined in. She really liked splashing in the puddles.

a strange discovery

I took Caroline to the doctor on the 3rd. This was a combined 15 and 18 mo. visit because we had somehow missed getting the 15 month one scheduled. So, we combined them at 17 months. Anyway, everything seemed fine except one thing. Caroline had only gained 10 oz. since her 12 mo. visit. She went from around 50% compared to other kids to about 30%. Her height also dropped in percentage from almost 75% to 50%. It's very odd. The doctor wasn't too concerned since her height and weight were still ok together. However, the sudden drop in percentage was cause to at least keep a good eye on things. We'll be heading back the first week of September to see if she has gained some weight.

We discussed what might have caused this drop, and the doctor thought that it may just be a difference from stopping nursing. Also, since she is not a big fan of milk, she has been drinking 1% like Nathan and Matt. That way, we don't waste it. Nathan did the same thing and was just fine. At any rate, we are now trying to get two sippy cups (the bigger ones) of whole milk into her every day. I never thought I would be actively trying to fatten up my child. I want her to be healthy, though, so we'll do what we are advised. We'll see in September how the numbers are looking.

Oh yeah...the doctor also said that she could just be settling into her curve. She may just be a little more on the small side (though that would be strange in this family).

disciplining a little one

We have begun to really have to discipline Caroline. I mentioned before that she has had several "battles" over what food to eat. Well, she also doesn't obey very well at times. We want to guide her in the way of obedience. So, she has received two punishments. First, she has started standing in the corner occasionally. Surprisingly, she actually stands there like she is told. I'm so glad! I wouldn't want to have to battle over the punishment as well as the original action. At this point, she is bothered by having to stand in the corner, so I hope that she will start to get the idea. On a few rare occasions, she has also received spankings. Wednesday was one of those days. She just did not want to pick up the blocks that I had told her to clean up. She understood. She just didn't want to do it. She kept walking the other way or laying on the floor...anything to keep from doing it. Well, after she received her spanking, she was all about cleaning up those blocks. She still needed some direction from me to get them all, but she stayed right on it. I know that disciplining her is going to be very different than it was with Nathan. I just hope that we can instill obedience early on so that we don't have as many battles in the future.

Nathan's reading

Well, I haven't been able to get a great video of Nathan reading, but here is a short one for those of you who aren't close enough to hear him read in person. I'll try to get a better one before too long.



Another note of interest...When Nathan reads, he often doesn't stop to breathe. What I mean is that while he is reading, he breathes but continues to mouth the words. So, whatever words he "read" while he was breathing has no sound along with them. And he just keeps going like it's normal.

a first...a first...

On July 4th, Caroline had a first. She used the potty. She has previously been interested in sitting on it, and even taking her diaper off to sit. Once, she even went to the potty and sat with her diaper on and pooped. However, this is the first time that she actually got something in the potty. I like any steps toward being potty trained. We're not pushing the matter, but we are to allow her to try when she's interested. Unfortunately, she seemed a bit bothered by the contents of the potty. And she was definitely not sitting back down once it was in there. Hopefully, this will not keep her from using it again in the future! I am including a picture. I have smudged the contents of the potty for your viewing pleasure. :)

fripp - beach pictures

I wanted to try to get some family pictures on the beach. However, I didn't make plans to do it at a good time. We tried it one night after coming back from supper. Caroline just didn't want any part of it. I was also wanting to get some pictures of her in her sailor outfit on the beach, so I just let her roam. I didn't get very good pictures of her, either. Oh well. I did get a good picture of Nathan and Daddy.


And we ended up with a decent family picture.


I thought the kids looked very sweet wondering around together.


Mostly, though, Caroline just wanted to get in the water. I didn't want her to get her clothes really yuck, so I let her play in her diaper. She had a blast, but didn't want to leave to go back inside.



Well, that's our trip to the beach in a nutshell. I hope you enjoyed the four-post picture tour.