Andy

Meet Andy.

I met Andy this afternoon while folding laundry. Elizabeth was watching a little TV, and the boys were napping. We've found it to be a little bit of a challenge to find decent TV for Elizabeth in the afternoons. But there's a show called Maya and Miguel on PBS that is harmless.

Maya and Miguel are Hispanic (based on their names, I'm sure you're shocked) and they have a wide ethnic range of friends. Andy is one of their friends. Andy also happens to be the token white guy on the show.

Another thing you may have noticed about Andy is that he only has one and a half arms. When I noticed that today, I must admit I was a little taken aback. Poor Andy, not only is he the only white guy, he's also the token disabled person.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I think it is a very good thing that children's shows portray such a wide range of characters. But usually, when it comes to disabilities, it's something a little less random. You see a lot of character in wheel chairs, or who are blind. So when I see a kid running around with only one full arm, I was surprised (and amused!).

All this to say, Andy made me chuckle today. He also reminded me of how important it is to teach our children about all the many different kinds of people God made.

More ballet

At Bryn's birthday party, we were introduced to Bella Ballerina. Bella is an Australian ballerina, who has an instructional video, complete with bar and mat. We found Elizabeth the Bell stuff for really cheap. And now, I HATE Bella! She is so annoying. So here's a rather long video of Elizabeth (and Micah!) dancing to the Bella video. Just listen to the songs if nothing else. It will make you CRAZY!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

ballet girl

Today at Wal Mart, we got Elizabeth some new ballet things. So here are a couple pictures of her in her new leotard and skirt. And notice that she has a big girl bun in her hair! Too cute!

Pachelbel Bedtime

I love this! Do I hear an "amen!" out there from the other mommies and daddies?

Mommy Brain II

This is part II of what seems to be a continuing saga for me. You might remember awhile back I posted about Mommy Brain. Well, it seems that I have had another. one of these moments.

The picture is of a can of Allens Collard Greens, seasoned southern style. Now, never in my life have I had collard greens. I was at HEB today buying food for College Lunches tomorrow. We're having Mexican food, and I'm going to make some beans. Well, apparently I picked up a can of collard greens at the same time I got the cans of beans. Mommy Brain.

Yesterday, I picked Curtis up from work for lunch. When we got home, there was a street cleaner in our cul-de-sac. Thinking Micah would enjoy the big noisy truck, I quickly got him and Elizabeth our of the van. Turns out Micah is more than a little scared of the street cleaner, and ended up freaking out.

After lunch, we were getting ready to take Curtis back to work. Elizabeth went outside to get in the van, and came running back in, saying that the street cleaner was back. Nope. I had left the car running the entire time we were in the house for lunch. Mommy Brain.

Back to the problem at hand. Anyone want a can of collard greens, or have a suggestion as to what I should do with it?

I know....

I shouldn't post so much in one day. But I've been having to work to put Ben to sleep, which means I have lots of time for thinking and blogging.

So the most recent theme of thought has been blog titles. And I would love feedback. Here's what I'm thinking.

Stay the same.... Party of Five.
Controlled Krajca Chaos
Or in reality.... Krajca Chaos (no control about it!)
Krajca Confusion
Krajca Confessions

Hmmm. All good. Need feedback.

And I need for sweet Benjamin to quit screaming and go to sleep!

Last But Not Least

We have Benjamin's randomness.

1. Despite what a lot of people think, he is not our smallest baby.

2. He likes to talk. A lot!

3. When he's finished nursing, he pops off, so loudly that you can hear the pop, and lays there smiling, like he's saying thank you.

4. When we were in the hospital when he was born, he got kicked out of the nursery for crying too much.

5. Curtis and I dubbed him our "Prettiest Baby at Birth."

6. He and Micah share a room, and he usually ends up waking Micah up at least once during the night.

7. He had his infant cry for a lot longer than the other two. But he's making up for it now!

8. When he cries really hard, his belly button pops out.

As far as tags, if you want to be tagged, consider yourself tagged! :-) Grand-Daddy, this might be a good opportunity to revive your blog! And Grandma, this might be a good time to start blogging!

More soccer pics

Here are a few more pictures of our little soccer player in action. Here's what you do in Pee Wee Soccer.

You run.

You kick the ball.

You hug your friends and have a good time.

And at the end, you yell, "PEE WEE SOCCER!" and throw your hands in the air. Well, at least that's what you're supposed to do.

For Kristy Bell

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Micah's Randomness

1. The best belly laugh ever comes when he is tickled.

2. Micah loves squeezing into small places.

3. Picking on big sister is becoming an art form. And apparently, he needs to practice.... a lot!

4. Even though Micah is a big kid, he has the sweetest personality, unless you're Elizabeth.

5. My Mom has joked that Micah has puppy hands. Really big and he'll grow into them. They are the chubbiest hands!

6. When he talks on the phone, he'll say one random word, bye-bye, love you, and then he hangs up. Hot dog tops his list of random words.

7. If one year olds have best friends (which I think they do!), than Gracie Mae is Micah's best friend.

8. When Micah hugs, he now uses his arms, rather than just leaning.

No tagging today. I'll just wait for someone who has already been tagged to get on this! But if I did tag someone, it would be Hannah A, one of Micah's favorite people. Hint hint, Hannah.

Elizabeth's randomness

1. Elizabeth is scared of cars. I guess that's a good thing, but when she freaks out, and won't go into the parking lot, it makes thing challenging.

2. Her favorite store is Hobby Lobby. A close second is Target.

3. She thinks she can e-mail.

4. We got the name Elizabeth form Curtis' Grandmother and Carol from his Mom.

5. She uses the phrase, "love on me" when she's sleepy, or when she's afraid she's in trouble.

6. There hasn't been a book yet that she doesn't like, and want to memorize. Upon memorization, she "reads" the book to us, or corrects us when we read the book incorrectly.

7. She has a knack for retelling events in the most dramatic and comical way.

8. She loves to sing. Her current favorite songs are "Come Thou Fount" and "Nothing But the Blood" both of which are hymns.

Since none of the people I tagges yesterday have responded, we'll tag a few more people (all of who are mothers to Elizabeth's friends).
Kristy Nickles, Rachel Anderson, Sherry

Curtis' Randomness

1. He can swaddle a baby better than anyone else I've ever met.

2. He can be OCD about the most random things. Like his silverware.

3. Being the computer geek he is, he told me he, "thought he was falling in love with me" over IM.

4. Curtis' isn't a big reader.

5. He buys great jewelry!

6. Texas is the only state he's ever lived in, and if he has his way, it might stay that way.

7. Even though he doesn't have the greatest singing voice, he sings to the kids every night.

8. Curtis saved jars full of old coins, hoping that one of them would be worth something.

Oh, and it's time to do some tagging! Let's tag some of Curtis' friends.....
Michael, Matt, Charles and Kyle

Growing Boys

Today, both boys had well visits at the pediatrician's office. Here's the run down.

Micah, 18 months
33 lbs
35 1/2 inches tall
Basically, off the charts, big boy. The nurse said a lot of kids don't even hit 36 inches by the age of two, and Micah will hit it before two. So, we can all just imagine how big he will be as an adult! He had to get two shots, but after a lollipop, things began to look up.

Benjamin, 4 months
14 lbs 14 ozs
25 1/2 inches
He is in the 65th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for length. The funny thing is that his head circumference is off the charts, and bigger than Micah's was at four months! The doctor said that Benjamin had amazing motor skills for a baby his age. Normally, babies are just rolling over from tummy to back. Benjamin can roll both ways with ease. Apparently that's rather rare for a third child since usually their older siblings baby them. But, since the other two are still young, he's having to fend for himself. Oh, and he got four shots and an oral vaccine.

Two healthy boys!

A Week of Randomness

Awhile back, several in the blogging world were doing 8 Random Things, a list about oneself that is nothing but random. I loved it! So here's mine. My hope is to write 8 random things about each of my family members this week.

Kierstyn's Randomness

1. I like to have chunks in my icecream.... chocolate, nuts, brownies..... but not fruit!

2. I can make cookies in the amount of time it takes to preheat the oven.

3. By nature, I'm not a very organized person, but I am trying!

4. I've never passed out.

5. My family used to call me Grace.

6. When I started college, I either wanted to be a teacher or a dental hygienist. For those of you who didn't know me before my mommy days, I taught middle school for two years.

7. I like to dip my french fries in my frostie.

8. One of my biggest fears is having the house catch fire.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I'm going to do Curtis' Randomness.

Anthony!

On Friday, our best friends Michael and Christi, welcomed their second child, and first son, into the world. This picture was taken less than an hour after he was born. He was so alert! Isn't he beautiful, I mean handsome? :-)
The proud new parents
Christi and I.

Michael and Christi have been there to celebrate the birth of each of our children. We are so excited to be there with them as they begin the next chapter of their lives with two beautiful gifts from God. Alexis and Anthony are very blessed to have two wonderful parents, and Michael and Christi are very blessed with two wonderful children. We love you guys! Congratulations!

For the record

All three of my children are taking naps! This, my friends, is the result of answered prayers. Thanks Hannah! Now I'm off to either take a nap or do something highly profitable.

soccer

Yesterday, Elizabeth had her first day of soccer! Trying to be the very realistic parents, we weren't expecting much from the whole thing, especially on the first day. But Elizabeth surprised us! The first thing they worked on was dribbling the ball, kicking with the inside of your foot, and not using your hands. It was really cute to watch Elizabeth run around the field with her hands behind her back! A neat thing that they do is have a parent participate with the child. Curtis was just about as excited as Elizabeth!
She took a quick play break with Piper, her friend who is also in Pee Wee Soccer, back was ready to get back on the field.
Here she is perfecting her kick.

This was when that batteries in my camera died. After some kicking practice, they shot goals. Elizabeth really like this part, and was excited when at the end of the class she could make a goal from where the cones where (about five feet). She really loved it when I would yell, "Yay, Elizabeth!" and Micah would clap.

Look-a-like

Well, I'm not sure I agree with the whole look-a-like meter thing. But before I tell you who we think the kids look like, what do you think?

Oh, and does anyone else this it's a little suspicous that all three kids look equally like mom and dad?