Teller Christmas 2012

Yep, that's right... blogging about Christmas... in February... That's how I do it... sokay?

Anywho, Kaleb got to help put the tree up with Daddy!

 

And the kids loved the decorating. Much like the way she cleans up her toys, Sasha would put an ornament on... walk away for three seconds then come right back and take it off and would do that with the same ornament over and over.  They both just loved looking at the Christmas lights, and Kaleb was a huge fan of  switching the tree on and off once it was all decorated.

Every year, each person gets an ornament to symbolize that year somehow.  This year, Ammon got an Eeyore ornament because he felt with a lot of drama at work, he just kinda grinned and bore it, like Eeyore.

I chose the Tasmanian Devil dressed as an angel because I felt a little bipolar all year.  

Kaleb got a set of wind-up chattering teeth as his ornament because the kid LOVES to talk and ask questions.  "Why?" is his fall back when I say anything and he loves to talk to random strangers, so this seemed the most appropriate.  

Sasha was my climbing, never-stopping little daredevil, so we got her a fun little monkey ornament.  

We had a family get-together (for my side) at our house the Saturday before Christmas.  All the cousins enjoyed watching each other open presents.  I took lots of pictures which came out fuzzy (stupid black Friday camera), so I am only posting my kids.  My brother Devin's family sent us a movie and a whack-a-mole type game.  (Thank you, Liz)

Sasha was kinda bummed we didn't get to play with it that night...

But really had fun when Daddy showed her how to use it the next morning.  

Sasha also discovered how much she loves baby cousin Ian, and I must say he couldn't stop laughing at her.  

The Sunday before Christmas was got this postcard shot before heading off to church.  

SO STINKIN CLICHE!  I LOVE IT!!

One of my Christmas gifts from last year was a new dishwasher and it was also a gift this year since we finally got it all hooked up in November.  

Ammon gave me mostly cooking things:  a wok skillet, fondue pot and this griddle.  He felt bad, but I loved experimenting with them.  This was me making 6 pieces of french toast at once.  IT"S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!

Since the kids are still pretty little we were able to enjoy the morning and go through their toy-laden stockings (way better than doing the candy, a note to myself for next year).  

Sasha got maracas, a bunch of earrings (that I have yet to put in her ears) and hair bows.  Her favorite was a new hairbrush.

Kaleb got Hot Wheels and Whoopie cushions and a magnifying glass.  They both got balls with flashing lights and these great expandable tubes that they both fell in love with.

Some of Kaleb's big presents included a Play-doh candy maker (this picture is of him "eating" the candy he is gonna make)...

And a Big Rig truck to hold all his Hot Wheels...

But the best present was his first bike... something we bought back in August that he apparently grew out of already... silly mommy and daddy.  

Sasha got some farm animals and that farm animal "The cow says moo" thingamajig and some Disney princesses.  

They got a joint gift of bath musical instruments. 

They also both got dress-up clothes from Gramma Teller... Sasha got a fairy dress and wings

And Kaleb got a Super Cape and Mask.  Here he is as a Super Train conductor (combining two costumes) 

And Ammon got a little jealous so he had to try Kaleb's on.  

The kids also both got Doodle boards which they both love.  Overall we all had a bunch of fun this Christmas and are counting the days till next year.

Sasha 15 Months

Okay so I'm running another month late on this entry.  Sasha became 15 months back in December.  At her doctor's checkup she was 32 inches tall (90th percentile) and 23 lbs, 1 oz (50-75th percentile) which was expected.  What was kinda funny is that they measured her head circumference twice because it was  in the 95th percentile.  I guess she just has a wide head.  It's cuz she's so smrt obviously!!

 

Anyway, during this month she got to graduate to a forward-facing carseat.  We just wanted to make sure kaleb could use a booster seat so Sasha could inherit his.  She just loves it, and it's fun for all of us to see her dancing and all that in the car.

 

 

One problem with being in the 90th percentile at 15 months, you're too tall for 12 month clothes and too small for 18 month clothes.  I bought a bunch of sleepers for the winter (in 18 months size) and half the time her feet just drag behind her like Quasimoto. 

Sasha also seems to love coloring.  At a restaurant the other day, she was given paper and crayons and just went to town.  She doesn't even put them in her mouth!  Maybe she is the one that inherited her parents' artistic talents!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d1hfeePr94

Now that she isn't so much a baby as a toddler, Sasha has started to appreciate babies more and more.  She found Kaleb's baby doll one day and just started feeding it:

And eating... i mean kissing it:

 

Then I realized the real reason, she wanted the fake milk... mmmmmmm

 

She has also become more interested in books.  Looking at the pictures; turning pages;

Snuggling with them.

Eating ... i mean kissing... no, she really was eating them.

And wearing them as a hat!

 

Sasha's vocabulary continues to grow.  I've counted 10 distinct sounds for words, but some often sound alike like Binky and Baby sound like "BeeBee."  This month she started saying "Yum, num" when she likes something she eats and "sshhhhh" to quiet people down.  She also says "Diddy" for Dancing.  

 

 

This month was the time period where Sasha was in LOVE with getting into trouble!!  She ignored any and all instruction and would throw tantrums if we took action.  It would have been a lot harder to deal with if she wasn't so dang cute. 

This is her "HUH?  What?  I shouldn't? Face"

And this is her "I wasn't doing it! FACE"

And of course, there is always her entertaining interaction with Kaleb.  Here they are at the park, dancing on a metal platform. 

And playing the piano together.

And playing with tractors.  Sasha has grown especially fond of cars, too.  Which is great cuz we have TONS of those! 

 

*Some other tidbits about Sasha this month:

*She loves singing along to hymns.

*She likes having her hair brushed.

*She had a Mommy-Only phase most of this month.

*She is obsessed with using a fork or spoon while eating

*She FINALLY got her top molars.

*She doesn't like having her hands messy.  She will tear up PB & J sandwich, but as soon as she is done she will whine to have her hands wiped.

Another Semester Done

This fall I took Uses of Accounting Info (basically overview of accounting) and got an A; Microsoft Excel and got a B (I didn't quiz well) and Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues in Business (basic and business law) and I got an A.  I actually enjoyed the law class the most this semester.  It was challenging without really hurting my brain (like my tax class did last Spring).  This gives me a current GPA of 3.57 (since I've gotten a pretty equal share of A's and B's).  I'm excited for my break during January since I'm sure this next semester will be more challenging.  From how I understand my schedule I only have this coming spring semester and then one more full year before I graduate with an Associates in Accounting.  Some may say "Wow!  That is taking you so long!" (four full years total), but I am so glad I have taken this time to better myself while I am a 'stay-at-home-mom-anyway.' 

Kaleb at 3 1/2

Kaleb continues to be a fun little challenge.  Our biggest problem with him right now is his inconsistency.  He is such a sweet boy, but he can be terribly sensitive over the littlest things.  Other times he is so tough and doesn't want to do a thing we ask.  I think he's just trying to figure things out and we're just trying to do our best to go with the crashing of his and our emotional waves. 

 

One thing that hasn't stopped is his endless entertainment value.  He is becoming so creative with his imagination.  He likes to use this flexible tunnel to become a caterpillar.

 

This is Kaleb getting everything ready to "Go camping."  Apparently he got the impression that when one goes camping they bringing EVERYTHING with them.

 

He often uses his hands as little critters, calling them 'spiders' and likes to project his emotions on them and his blue bear. Similar to an imaginary friend. We hear things like "Blue bear is getting hungry." or "My spiders did it!" We love to encourage his imagination but we also need him to own up to his own actions and feelings.  Lately he has taken to lying, which is never acceptable.  Sometimes they're complete falsehoods like one time when he accused his cousin Ellie of pushing Sasha when Ellie was on the other side of the room.  There are other times when he isn't telling the truth, but it's almost like he doesn't understand... but he should.  Like at night when we try to give him a hug and kiss, he will refuse.  We say, "okay, goodnight" and walk out and he has a complete melt down because he didn't get to give us a hug and kiss.  This kind of hypocricy is probably my biggest personal pet peeve with him since it's so hard to trust any decision I let him make. 

 

A look of innocence:

There is also Kaleb's grasp of organization and patterns that continues to astonish me.  He likes to have things in order (like his mommy)... like in this picture he placed those books like that just because...

 

 

But other times he just doesn't seem to 'get it.'  I helped him make a drum out of an oatmeal tub, and had him decorate it with his vast array of stickers... well, there were three spots that were just piled with stickers one on top of another, instead like most kids do with individual stickers coating every inch of a project.  It's just one of the quirks that I laugh about. 

 

Kaleb is ceaselessly a 'big helper.'  He would almost always be doing something rather than nothing (unless there's something REALLY good on the tv), and when Ammon and my dad were installing our dishwasher, it was constantly "I wanna see!  I wanna try it!  Daddy, let me do it!" 

Over the last few months Kaleb has been far more daring.  He has become a big brother of a fearless little girl which seems to be pushing him to try new things.  He also takes every opportunity to tell Sasha all the rules and keep her in check. 

 

Kaleb has also found a friend in one of my friend's sons, Logan.  They often play together in nursery and since my friend and I like to get together, there are SO many opportunities for them to play.  Logan is a tough little sucker in spite of being an inch or so smaller (but four months older), and the other day they got into a nice little wrestling match at the mall playplace.  Since my dad is a HUGE fan of wrestling (the real sport, not stupid fake pile-driving type), he was proud to see this little clip I got.  Kaleb is the one in the camouflage pants.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3bK5JW0c4

 

Of course some of the best times is just listening to the things Kaleb says.  He still has some problems forming grammatically correct sentences, but then again, don't we all?  He is ALWAYS talking to strangers about who they are and what they are doing and why they are the same place we are, anbd occasionally bringing up random facts about us that most people don't share with strangers (Like "We are going to buy me new pants and shoes for Sasha!!!")  He is always very friendly and most people are quite understanding. 

 

This period in Kaleb's life is the WHY? phase and for someone who is very informative, it gets a little frustrating when the question WHY comes right after I've explained the why.  Silly Kaleb!

 

Some funny things Kaleb has said recently

When seeing a video of Michael Jackson: "That girl is really creepy"

When asking to keep his bedtime book till morning, "I want it for so I can read to the bright."

Guns he calls "Shootguns"

Medicine is "Mesidin"

Cousin Evelyn and elephants are "Elphalant"

 

 

"WHY SO SERIOUS?"

(jelly mess)

 

As a preschool aged kid, Kaleb is constantly trying to understand letters and numbers.  He recognizes more letters by name and we have taught him to write a "K" and "A" for his name and I hope to have him able to write all his letters and numbers by the time he turns 4... if he can't it will be completely our fault for not putting forth the effort.  Anyway, with his heading into Sunbeams next year and every other milestone he has coming just around the corner, it's been drilled into me lately that Kaleb is never gonna be that cute little toddler... but at least for now he is a cute little boy still!!