A Day in the Life



Kennedy at the international play group

I realized that I have been writing a LOT about what goes on with me, and a little about what's been going on with the kids, so I thought I would give an update.

First off, the potty training is not going too well. We may not be putting enough effort into it, though. I'm not one of those moms who is happy to just take the diaper (or pull up) off and let him pee in his underwear. I just can't deal with the mess, so instead we have to remember to put him on the toilet a lot and we don't always remember! Last week, Cade did poop in the toilet which was very exciting! Unfortunately, it was quickly followed by him peeing and pooping in the shower. We put him on the toilet every time we change his diaper or before we take a shower and he pees in the shower every time! At least it's easy to clean up! Patience is a virtue.

Kennedy has been doing a great job with everything lately! She is a big encourager for Cade with the potty training. She tries to tempt him with stickers if he goes (apparently she remembers that's what she got), and she helped him pick out a special drink at the store last week when he pooped. She has also been helping out with chores around the house. The upside of the short broom is that it is the perfect size for her, so she is learning to sweep. She also volunteers to dry the dishes while Eric washes them after dinner. She is out of her screaming phase, thankfully, and they have both been doing a great job going to bed recently!

Cade in the bouncy house at school

They are, in many ways, becoming TCKs (third culture kids--if you don't remember, you can check out an old post about this). They have learned to make a toy out of ANYTHING! A few weeks ago, they started pulling kitchen towels around and calling them puppies. Cade turned one of our drying racks into an ice cream truck. They've made a coffee shop out of the hole between the chair and couch in our living room. And, every time we buy something new for the house (like a router or even crackers), they turn that box into a special treasure chest where they collect everything they can find (rocks and various garbage they find at the park!). They don't have many real toys, but they keep themselves entertained and their imaginations amaze me. I remember reading in a book before we came about TCKs that had created their own Monopoly game out of a cardboard box, and I thought "I'm not creative enough to do that". It turns out, I don't have to be. They are!

Bouncy house at the picnic

We have discovered many, many parks around our neighborhood and we make daily visits to at least one of them. There is an international play group at our church on Wednesdays. So, the Wednesdays I'm home, I take them and the Wednesdays I work, our nanny takes them. Friday night, we had a Back to School picnic at school where there were food vendors, bouncy houses, and water gun fights. They've gotten to know a lot of staff kids, and they had a great time running around with them!

They also have developed great relationships with the other new teachers here (the ones that we met in Mississippi at PFO). They are all really good with our kids and the kids are really comfortable with them. We hang out together as a group every Wednesday night and have a Bible study...oh wait...we watch Lost, eat cheap pizza, and tell everyone we're having a Bible study. Just kidding! I think for a lot of us, it's the only night we watch TV, so we enjoy the down time and being able to just hang out and relax. The kids enjoy the attention and the fact that they get to watch their own "kid" movie.

All in all, I think they're finally adjusting and it has been a long time since I've heard either one of them say they want to go back home to Stanwood!