Ryan is four going on ten. He is 5.5 years younger than Colin which is exactly the same difference between my oldest sister and me. That gives me hope that one day they will finally get along.
It is shocking to me how two kids from the same gene pool can be so different. Ryan is outgoing and funny. He has never met a stranger, and never has a bad day. He is strong in both mind and body. He is smart as a whip and constantly shocks me with the way he thinks. He is big for his age and most people don't believe me when I say he is only four. It might also be confusing when he is using words that some adults don't understand.
Ryan will use his charm on anybody at any time to get his way. I am finally immune to it, but it still gets me every once in a while. When he had tubes put into his ears at 14 months the nurses were so charmed they did not want to do anything to hurt him, even though it was necessary for us to go home.
Ryan is also loud. That might not be enough to describe him. He is like listening to a jackhammer all day. He never stops talking and if he has nothing to say he will just sing whatever song is on his mind. None of this ever takes place at a conversation level or tone, it is done at earth-shaking levels. Yesterday he was screaming at Colin and my neighbor across the street thought it was one of her cats screaming and went to investigate. It was just another day at our house with Ryan.
In every way imaginable, Ryan completes us. He looks like Dave's dad and has his temperment, but he is as stubborn as me and that is saying something. He is the final spoke on our wheel and holds us all together. He was definately worth the wait.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
My First Born
When people ask me how old I am and I am distracted, I will often say 28, even though I am really 38. My life as I knew it ended on February 7th, 2000 as that was the day that God brought Colin into my life.
Colin is a very complex child. He is anxious but is also laid back. He always worries about the littlest things but will almost always go with the flow. He is incredibly, painfully shy. In short, he is a minny me.
He looks almost identical to pictures of my dad at his age. He is tall and thin, and when he starts to grow his ears are the first thing to start. For about a week or two he is out of proportion and then it seems like overnight it is back to normal.
Colin has a sock problem. He will only wear white socks that do not have extra cushion on the bottom. They can not have any color on the bottom and they have to have a seamless toe. For the last 5 years he would only wear socks from the Stride Rite store, but recently he grew out of them. This is a problem of epic proportions for this household. When he grew out of the baby socks from Old Navy it took me about 3 months and $100 to find an acceptable replacement.
Colin changed my life in so many ways. He makes me laugh out loud every day. He can also push my buttons when he wants to, but usually reserves that for special occasions. He was not an easy baby, but he is a great joy to me now that he is older. He will usually do what I ask him to do if I can get his attention, and he tolerates his younger brother. I think that is only because he feels responsible for him. I told him he could have a sibling if he asked God and God said it was OK. A few months later we were expecting and he was so proud of himself. That was an interesting conversation with the babysitter. Apparently the kids were all talking about where babies come from. He managed to convince five four-year olds that he was responsible for our baby. It made it quite convenient because he still hasn't asked how babies are made. It also taught him that prayers can be answered.
Every day I ask him if he knows how much I love him. I don't think he ever will.
Colin is a very complex child. He is anxious but is also laid back. He always worries about the littlest things but will almost always go with the flow. He is incredibly, painfully shy. In short, he is a minny me.
He looks almost identical to pictures of my dad at his age. He is tall and thin, and when he starts to grow his ears are the first thing to start. For about a week or two he is out of proportion and then it seems like overnight it is back to normal.
Colin has a sock problem. He will only wear white socks that do not have extra cushion on the bottom. They can not have any color on the bottom and they have to have a seamless toe. For the last 5 years he would only wear socks from the Stride Rite store, but recently he grew out of them. This is a problem of epic proportions for this household. When he grew out of the baby socks from Old Navy it took me about 3 months and $100 to find an acceptable replacement.
Colin changed my life in so many ways. He makes me laugh out loud every day. He can also push my buttons when he wants to, but usually reserves that for special occasions. He was not an easy baby, but he is a great joy to me now that he is older. He will usually do what I ask him to do if I can get his attention, and he tolerates his younger brother. I think that is only because he feels responsible for him. I told him he could have a sibling if he asked God and God said it was OK. A few months later we were expecting and he was so proud of himself. That was an interesting conversation with the babysitter. Apparently the kids were all talking about where babies come from. He managed to convince five four-year olds that he was responsible for our baby. It made it quite convenient because he still hasn't asked how babies are made. It also taught him that prayers can be answered.
Every day I ask him if he knows how much I love him. I don't think he ever will.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
My Other Half
Lets talk a little bit about my Husband, Dave. He is the love of my life, but sometimes I forget that fact. He is gentle and kind and loving. He is shy, naive and very funny. He is a great father and loves our kids unconditionally in a way that I envy. He has patience to spare and lends some to me when I get past my breaking point, which seems to be often. Some might say he is the stereotypical guy-next-door.
He is also frustrating beyond belief. He is stubborn and can be passive aggressive with the best of them. If it comes to a sporting event that he wants to attend (of which there are MANY) he will find a way to go. He can be selfish without even realizing he is doing it. Sometimes he is selfish just to be a jerk.
In short, he is a typical man.
Neither of us can remember the first time we actually met. He was just part of the background of college. He used to deliver the mail to the part of the library where I worked. The ladies that I worked with did not really like the guy I was seeing at the time and wanted me to go out with "the mailman" instead. Eventually I saw the light and wanted to go out with him, but it seemed he lost interest. I then launched my plan to woo him back. Several mutual friends knew I wanted to date him and got us together for a group project in one of our classes. He said if I typed the project he would take me to dinner and the movies. I typed the paper, he took me to Chi Chi's and to see "A Few Good Men". When he was leaving he kissed my forehead. I had to actually ask if we had been on a date. It turns out we were. Who knew.
The rest, 15 years later, is history. We have had a pretty good life. Quite a few ups and quite a few downs, but such is life.
I wouldn't want to share mine with anyone else.
He is also frustrating beyond belief. He is stubborn and can be passive aggressive with the best of them. If it comes to a sporting event that he wants to attend (of which there are MANY) he will find a way to go. He can be selfish without even realizing he is doing it. Sometimes he is selfish just to be a jerk.
In short, he is a typical man.
Neither of us can remember the first time we actually met. He was just part of the background of college. He used to deliver the mail to the part of the library where I worked. The ladies that I worked with did not really like the guy I was seeing at the time and wanted me to go out with "the mailman" instead. Eventually I saw the light and wanted to go out with him, but it seemed he lost interest. I then launched my plan to woo him back. Several mutual friends knew I wanted to date him and got us together for a group project in one of our classes. He said if I typed the project he would take me to dinner and the movies. I typed the paper, he took me to Chi Chi's and to see "A Few Good Men". When he was leaving he kissed my forehead. I had to actually ask if we had been on a date. It turns out we were. Who knew.
The rest, 15 years later, is history. We have had a pretty good life. Quite a few ups and quite a few downs, but such is life.
I wouldn't want to share mine with anyone else.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Lets Start at the Beginning
My name is Kate.
I live the American Dream with the husband, two boys and a dog. Oh, and let us not forget the two African Dwarf Frogs. They are lucky to be alive because I often forget them. They live in the kid's bathroom and only need fed twice a week. I often forget to do this but the instructions that came in the box assured me that they will live up to ten days without food, and I have not gone that long. Yet.
I grew up in a very sheltered household. One could say that "Leave It To Beaver" had nothing on me. I have three older sisters who are my best friends, as well as eight nieces and nephews, four brother-in-laws and then the Husband's side of the family.
I am calling this blog "Dancing in the Shadows of Others" because I am not complete without my family and close friends around me. I tend to be in the background as a support system instead of the leader, and I am comfortable there. Being the youngest of four girls, all within six years of each other, certainly had its challenges, but I would not trade the experience for the world. It taught me about cooperation, patience, and most importantly, love. With my family if you get one of us, you get all twenty. You will learn more about them as time goes on.
That is all for now. I am using this as a type of diary of my life. I have already forgotten so much of the fun and folly of the kids so far. Today I am going to put an end to that.
Looking forward to spending some time here.
I live the American Dream with the husband, two boys and a dog. Oh, and let us not forget the two African Dwarf Frogs. They are lucky to be alive because I often forget them. They live in the kid's bathroom and only need fed twice a week. I often forget to do this but the instructions that came in the box assured me that they will live up to ten days without food, and I have not gone that long. Yet.
I grew up in a very sheltered household. One could say that "Leave It To Beaver" had nothing on me. I have three older sisters who are my best friends, as well as eight nieces and nephews, four brother-in-laws and then the Husband's side of the family.
I am calling this blog "Dancing in the Shadows of Others" because I am not complete without my family and close friends around me. I tend to be in the background as a support system instead of the leader, and I am comfortable there. Being the youngest of four girls, all within six years of each other, certainly had its challenges, but I would not trade the experience for the world. It taught me about cooperation, patience, and most importantly, love. With my family if you get one of us, you get all twenty. You will learn more about them as time goes on.
That is all for now. I am using this as a type of diary of my life. I have already forgotten so much of the fun and folly of the kids so far. Today I am going to put an end to that.
Looking forward to spending some time here.
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