adventures in raising a spitfire

I'm trying to get better at recording journal style day to day stuff...sorry if it bores you!

Today I picked Kosty up from preschool and I tried to talk to him and ask him about his day. He took one look at me, turned his face, then just walked on, in silence. Then we were our way to the grocery store, he was still silent, so I turned around and asked him why he was mad at me for no reason. Then he yelled and kicked my seat. OK. When we got there, and we were roaming the aisles, he started swatting at me and finally I started swatting back, just to turn around and see my neighbor right before she witnessed us punching each other out. About an hour later, I casually asked him why he had been mad at me earlier. His response, "BECAUSE I DON'T WIKE YO HAIW WIKE THAT!!!!" I had my hair in a ponytail and I was still in my gym clothes. Apparently my hair choice had set the tone for the day. Seriously, what kind of kid does this?? Its crazy. No, he is crazy.

When Brayden got home from school, he did his homework and we worked on his challenge list, I've been pushing him to get his challenge spelling words right every week-- he is a great speller! The mood sure lightens when Bubba gets home! Even though I'm almost certain he hates me, Kosty certainly does love his brother. Then they played play dough together & roller bladed in the backyard together, while I was having my "quiet time" in my room. I opened my blinds and enjoyed that moment of watching them laugh & play. {I chose to ignore the weeds and the half finished backyard}.

Then when I was making dinner, I asked Kosty to please clean up the play dough mess. He of course, said NO. Then he asked me, "does cleaning make the Earf healfy?" YES, I said. To which he said, "FINE. Then I hate healfy EARFS!"

Next was haircut time and he asked me a few times to cut it like Bubbas. He also told me that if I didn't do it, he was gonna run away...and he was going to the outside mall all by himself! When it was Bubba's turn, he saw the buzzer, and quickly scampered off and declared he liked his hair the way it was.

Then Jer got home and I tried to do a quick FHE lesson on prayer. Kosty is always VERY disobedient at this time, and its really frustrating. He just yells, runs off, jumps on the couch, interrupts, anything other that sitting and listening to a 2 minute lesson that I ask him very nicely to do. The more I try, the more he disobeys. BTW, the lesson was on prayer and how to "reverently" pray, since its a problem with him. Of course he hops on Jer's back and interrupts the prayer. Then Jer took Brayden on his back to the bathroom for teeth brushing and Kosty got really jealous and kept saying he didn't want Bubba to ride on Daddy's back. So after he set Brayden down, Jer felt a whack in his back, something really hard. He turned around to see a baseball & little half-pint Kosty glaring at him like he's ten feet tall, and he says, "THAT'S FO GIVING BUBBA A RIDE ON YO BACK!"

He also has a new favorite phrase, "OH YEAH?!!" In a tough guy threatening voice. He also loves to threaten. For example, if I say you can't have any more fruit rollups today--he will say, "If I can't have any more, then........I HATE HARRY POTTER!!!!!" Or sometimes if we don't comply, he will take one of his favorite toys or his blankie and throw it in the trash. Its so hard not to laugh because he always threatens us with something that he loves.

Seriously. This kid is such a challenge and this is new for us. We feel like waving a white flag and surrendering!

Girls weekend

Me and 13 other super fun girls got to spend the weekend at my friend, Alisa's cabin in Greer a few weeks ago. I got soooo carsick on the way up that I was tempted to have them leave me on the side of the road and hitchhike home. I'm so glad I didn't! We stopped for dinner on the way up at a overpriced, and untimely Steakhouse....

Poor Lori and Lisa...these 'butterfly' style chicken breasts cost them $20 and add$4 for the scoop of bbq sauce on Lisa's!

No wonder it took us 2 hours to get our food! And of course it was.... separate checks!

Angie, Cari, and Kristen

Marcee & me

Flagpole ceremony...jk not really...

There was nonstop eating, laughing, and talking the whole weekend. When we got to the cabin everyone had a nice stomachache, but that didn't stop us. We stayed up way too late and then in the morning we went for a hike. Then we came back and got ready and went to lunch at this cute little diner that had the best blackberry cobbler, and a very entertaining waiter who was none too pleased when we asked for (again!) the dreaded "separate checks"....Here he is, curled mustache in full effect:

Alisa (our host), Melissa (rarrr!) and Cari

Julie, Angie, and MarceeDon't mind us...

Me and Jamie--going to bed, in the full size bed...it could really pass for a twin size here!

Somebody was tired!

The porch was my favorite part of the cabin, it was huge and wrapped all the way around. It had custom rocking chairs for each person (and their spouse) in the family. It had their names etched on the backs. Super cute.

My backseat car buddies- Jamie & Melissa

Then it was back to the cabin for more talking, more food, and more laughing. We all stayed up way too late once again and I really felt sorry for those that had to drive 3.5 hours home! We made a stop at church and then packed up and then got on the road. It was my first official weekend ever away from my family and I am happy to report that I didn't get homesick like I thought I would! Thanks girls for an awesome weekend! And thank you to Julie and Amy for the pictures-- I only took three on my camera!

D e f e a t e d.

About 6 months or so ago, our Bishop casually mentioned something about no TV on Sundays. I immediately felt guilty so I decided that from that day forward we would be "that" family. The family that eats breakfast together, reads scriptures, Ensigns, and Friend Magazines, plans lessons, only listens to church music, plays board games, doesn't fight or argue, and of course...NO TV or video games. Unless its a church movie of course.

I implemented the plan immediately. I wish I could say I had my husband's full support, but in this case, I don't. He whined almost as much as the kids. "But its relaxing...Sunday's are supposed to be relaxing....family movie time is bonding time....the kids are bored..." For the most part we do pretty good until church. Then sometimes we go over to his parents for dinner, and they happen to watch tv on Sundays. Me and Jer both come from families where there was no rule about TV on Sundays. Everyone is grumpy, fighting, bored after church. We've played every game, watched church videos, and made desserts together, but somehow at the end of the day the tv is on and the video games have been played. Sometimes I just plain and simple feel like a failure. Please tell me your best secrets. I'm about to give up. And I'm pretty sure my family hates me on Sunday. Yep, they do.

third times a charm

When I picked up Kosty today from preshool, his teacher said he had a "monumental day" today! Speaking in sentences and having conversations. When we started walking home, he said, "I just talked-ed today!!"

I'm so happy.

first day of preschool

My sweet tiny boy officially started preschool last week. I was extremely nervous, based on the fact of his behavior at the "Meet the Teacher" a few days prior. He was so excited to go, and then when Miss Nicole tried to talk to him and give him a treat, he clinged on to my leg and wouldn't look up or talk to her. Then more kids started coming in, and he got increasingly nervous/shy so he started clinching his fists and shaking...it was a sight. Then immediately when we walked in our house, (Miss Nicole lives right across the street) he started talking all about it and acted like it went perfectly smooth??

So on the first day, he was really excited and ate breakfast (which he now makes all by himself), got dressed, put on his backpack, and was begging me to hurry up so he could get to school. Only problem was it didn't start for 40 more minutes, so he did not appreciate the delay. I could barely get him to stop for a split second to take a picture!

So, he has now been to school twice. Here's how Miss Nicole reported.

First day: No words, separated himself from the class and did his work on the rug.
Second day: Still no words, but sat at his group table with the kids.

Baby steps. Can't wait to see how he does on his third day! I'm so anxious for him to come out of his tight little shell. He comes home FULL of words and promptly takes all his work and puts it on the fridge. Oh, my sweet little boy you are so grown up!

And I've got 4.5 hours a week alone! I feel like I need to use my time really wisely and enroll for a college class or two....we will see. I also need to do projects around the house, hit the gym, grocery shop, clean, blurb, pay bills, volunteer in Brayden's class.....the list goes on!

last round

These are the pictures that Cede took in Newport. Ah, I really want a good camera.

Newport- part 2

Zach (Jer's brother), Chuck (Jer's Dad), and obviously Jer and Brayden

Grandpa and the boys!

Here are the Hatch's taking a big group picture of us

He looks like he is about to spin a web on that hand!

Brayden scored these headphones for free at Huntington and they were a big hit!

bed dancing with cousin Zoe

The Hestands/Lees were also there the same time, just 2 beach houses away! Me and Jenna

Jenna, Kevin & Braxton

Jer's older sister, Mindy, Dave and Zoe

Cede and I

Mindy and Kosty

He LOVED standing over the fan!

On the ferry ride to Balboa island

this boy was OBSESSED with the sand. Every chance he got, he would lay/crawl/dig in it!he even loved making "sand angels"!