Monday's Menu Madness

Here's what the Kenley's are eating this week.

Monday: Pinto beans and cornbread
Tuesday: Bible study and boys night out
Wednesday: Parmesean tilapia for Mom and Dad and chicken nuggets for Sam
Thursday: tacos
Friday: Stadium food at Uncle Barrett's football game!

I plan menus a week at a time and then grocery shop 1x per week. This has helped keep us on track and spend less at the store. We eat out less and less - mostly because it's so difficult with Sam. He eats in about 5 nanoseconds and has no patience for the dining room table. :)

Dinner with Sam

Last night Scott had some business friends staying at our house. They all went out to eat dinner together and that left Sam and I to our own means. He decided he'd eat chicken nuggets and green beans with a banana.

We're eating our meal. We're talking. Well, mostly I'm talking and he's repeating no over and over.

"Sam, did you have fun playing with Mommy today?"

"No"

"Sam, do you like to eat chicken nuggets?"

"No"

"Sam, did you like playing in the water this afternoon?"

"No"

No is a favorite word for most toddlers I know and Sam uses it a lot. I'll ask him some times if he wants some cheerios and he'll be saying no and reaching out his hand for some! :)

So - we're eating dinner when all of the sudden I see...

A banana fly by my head! It happened so fast that I wasn't sure I'd seen it at all.

Until I saw Sam busting up with laughter! He thought it was the best game ever.

Needless to say, you have to sit in the naughty spot if you throw a banana at your mom during dinner.

But it took all I had not to laugh as I was punishing him! :)

Peeing and Crying

Well, we're rocking and rolling at the Kenley house. Sam is getting more and more consistent with using the potty. He loves to watch himself pee. I'm using M&M's as a reward. I don't like that, but we're working on it.

I usually don't write much about being pregnant, but I'm feeling it. I'm huge and most of the time, winded. :) I go back to the dr next week for the glucose test and then start the biweekly appts. I was also told that I needed to register at the hospital. I can't believe it's already that time.

I had a mini-breakdown last week. My emotions have literally been all over the place. I'm trying - but it's so hard to control things when you've got an alien living inside your body. Plus the insomina has arrived. I'm awake every 2-3 hours at night. This is, I think, God's way of preparing me for the arrival of this little girl, but I'm tired. One night I just cried. Maybe I needed to - I don't know. I couldn't stop so I went into the master closet, turned off the lights, slumped down, and fully gave in to the cry. It was not a pretty moment.

I heard a little knock on the door and Sam softly say "Da Da" (he occassionally calls me Da Da...ok, a lot...he calls me Da Da a lot.

I didn't answer. I thought he'd go away, but he just got louder.

"Da Da....DA DA!"

Finally, "Mamma! Open!"

I opened the door, left the lights off and he came into the closet.

Then he just sat down on the floor next to me. He didn't say anything.

I kept crying. It was a breakdown...I couldn't stop.

Then, my sweet, sweet son started patting my leg. Then he hugged me.

Then we left the closet together.

I love that boy!

I seem to be a doing a little better today, but ask me in an hour and I might be crying again! :)

Let's talk about poop

That's right...poop.

We've started potty training in the Kenley House. I say started lightly because the training won't be in full swing until this weekend. I need 3 uninterrupted days of going to the potty every hour to conduct the official training, but Sam is definitely ready.

This past weekend - he said that he needed to go pee-pee and I took him to the potty - where he PEED!!! Insert shouts of excitement here! We had friends over that night and there were shouts of excitement and praise from all corners (you know you have good friends when they are cheering for your son asking to go the potty for the first time). Sam has been telling us when he went poo-poo, but usually after the deed was done. This was a pre-deed announcement. All this to say...we are ready.

So, Sunday, after church, we went to Wal-mart and stocked up on our supplies. Big boy underwear and training pants. Bad news, Sam's a small guy and really a pretty early potty user, so his underwear are mighty big. I'm looking into the options. Right now, the dinosaur on his tush covers the entire tush. Scott won't let me post any pictures.

And, Sunday afternoon, Sam used the potty for pooping. Yeah, double yeah!!!!

I have always said that I hoped Sam was trained before 3. For some reason, 3 year olds in diapers disturb me. It looks like my wish is coming true. I am so excited!!!

Now - disclaimer for blog readers - when you have a 20 month old words like poop, pooh, pee, and potty do not bother you. You hardly notice that when you have to go to the bathroom yourself, you are announcing to your family "Mama has to pee-pee." In the next few weeks I am sure that these words are going to pop up on this here blog, so prepare yourself. :)

Adjusting to life in town

This is a blackbird.
There are many, many blackbirds in our new neighborhood. Maybe they are getting a jump start on Halloween. Who knows? But, one thing for sure, they are driving my husband crazy.
So, the other night I had a commitment during the evening and was home a little later than usual.
I walk into the house to find Sam and Scott perched together on the back porch with a...
BB GUN OUT!!!!!
Sam was cheering as Daddy tried to take out the blackbirds hovering around our backyard.
I, for one moment, wanted to die of embarrassment.
You cannot shoot any type of gun in a neighborhood!
But, we're rednecks and sometimes you have to remind us of that.
When I pointed out to Scott that perhaps our neighbors did not want him to be shooting objects so close to their homes, he acted like it was ME who was crazy.
Nevertheless, he put the gun away.
I thought it was over. He'd seen the light. I could rest easy that I would not be called to testify against him before some city council.
Then it happened.
Those blackbirds came back.
I'm lying on my bed, resting, growing our daughter when I heard it...
"Left..right...left right left. About face, aim and...."
The BB gun was back out.
Scott dropped a bird into our neighbor’s backyard.
I'm waiting for the letter from the city council to arrive any day now.

Recording Sam's growth

This is mostly for my memory.

Sunday (9/7) Scott and I discovered that Sam is starting to match the names of objects with pictures. He has a book that Nana (or Nannie as Sam calls her) bought for him that has buttons with pictures on it and when you press them they make the sound of that object. Sam was able to identify dog, cat, duck, train, and boat.

Yeah for learning!

Working with Daddy

Sam loves to work with his Daddy. The MINUTE Scott gets home from work, Sam is running for the door and if there is an outdoor task - Sam is there.

Last night we attempted to put up the dog fence for Birdie. I say attempted because she managed to break free within a minute. So, we have more work to do. Because of the flower beds in the backyard, she can't have free reign of it. I'd like to keep my seasonal flowers for at least a few more weeks. :)

I snapped some pictures while Sam and Scott were working.




I am loving this, Dad!!!


Here's an updated picture of Birdie. She's getting pretty big, but is so lanky compared to Lady Bird. I don't think she'll end up being quite as big as her momma was.


Sam figured out how to use these tools and actually screwed on the end. He wasn't able to turn the bolt, of course, but I was pretty impressed with how quickly he learned how to put it together.

Right now we're all boy at the Kenley house. But, come December, the ladies may be taking over!