My little audience

All my kids have an interest in cooking...and hey - I think it's great.  I hope to teach them valuable cooking skills so one day when they are in college they will eat more than Ramen noodles.  But most importantly, I want them to be helpers to their future wives in the kitchen as well.  Let's face it, I want my 3 boys to be well-rounded!

 It didn't use to be too bad when I had one child who wanted to "help" in the kitchen.  Well, now I have 3 who want to help..

But it's getting to be more unhelpful....but I want them there at the same time.  

Kellen came up with the idea of pulling the 3 chairs up close to where I was working.  I thought it was great - they could watch me, take turns and then go back to their seats....

They more or less thought it was a game and they entertained themselves.  I however thought my little audience was the best.

A boy and his shoes

Can I just say that Kade must take after his mommy? He LOVES shoes.  Now don't get me wrong...I don't have THAT many shoes - especially when the amount of space has limited me but Kade just loves them.  

He likes to wear Keagan's winter crocs a lot

and on opposite feet

I just think this picture is adorable.  Innocently unaware of how silly he looks.

He put crocs on over his footed pajamas one night and wore them for an hour or so.  I made him take them off before bed and he was quite upset with me.  He just kept hollering "shooz!! shooz!!"

So proud of himself.

He likes to pull my shoes out of my closet and try them on.  If he can't get them on himself he will bring them to me for help.  

pointing to his "shooz"

practicing his modeling

Oh Kade you are a little boy after Mommy's heart.

When one gets sick....

They all get sick...

We have had our fair share of sickness this winter.  Frankly I'm sick of being sick!

This particular bout of sickness was fevers and generalized achiness/flu-like symptoms.  They didn't eat for a week and pretty much laid around all day.

Keagan was over his and passed it along to Kade...poor baby.  

Karsten and I decided to grill out this particular night.  The boys weren't eating anything so we decided to fix something for ourselves.

Kade couldn't be far from me and Karsten was grilling so we sat up a viewing post in the kitchen.

Let's face it - I was tired of everyone laying around not feeling good and I was running out of entertainment ideas as well...especially something other than TV when they had no energy.

We have since had another round of stomach flu.....I am so done with this!! I am welcoming Spring! 

Kade at 20 months

Kade: 20 months

Lover of shoes...any and all sizes and types of shoes

Mr. Curious

Mr. Independent

Super cuddly

Kade, you are getting busier and busier.  You are starting to run and I can hardly keep up with you!!  Your biggest love right now is shoes (a shoe post to come).  You LOVE shoes.  You can put Keagan's crocs on by yourself.  You bring me shoes from my closet all the time.  You wear your blue crocs all the time.  I think you think they are slippers or something.  You are going through a picky stage regarding food.  You love all things milk...and fruit.  You are a Mama's boy...which I love but can be exhausting too.  I love you very much big boy.  I can't believe you are going to be 2 in just a few short months!

New beginnings in Mt. Carmel

As some of you may or may not know, we will be moving - yes moving again - to Mt. Carmel, IL this summer.  Karsten accepted a position with Wabash General Hospital and he will be starting late this summer.  

We decided to bring the kids along this time around so they could get a feel for the town and our home that we are looking at.  We made a weekend of it and Nana and Papa Slater met us there to help out with the kids.  In between all the running around, we took the kids to the city park.  It's a huge park and has lots of different types of play equipment.  They had a blast.  

They have a log roll - that I can forsee someone busting their chin on - that is really complicated.  

I tried to log roll - it didn't work out too well.

They also have one of those rocking tube/tunnels that are hung by chains.  Kellen liked it okay....

Keagan did not!

They have several steep slides and Keagan and Kade LOVED them.

This slide was super-slick.  In fact, Kade came barreling down the slide and Papa tried to catch him.  It caught Papa off guard and they both wiped out on the ground.  It was HILARIOUS...you just had to be there to see it.  Thankfully no one got hurt. 

We will be closing on our new home at the end of March and will (I'm sure) be making multiple trips to work on the house.  The house needs a little TLC but we believe it will be a great place to raise the boys.

Slumber party in the kitchen

One morning I told the boys I was going to take a quick shower - so to be good and no fighting. I'm used to taking a shower  before Karsten leaves for work and before I take Kellen to school but this morning was a little different.

By quick shower - I mean like a 3 minute shower.  I do not trust them when there is no supervision.

It was a little too quiet - if you know what I mean - 

But both the boys were "pretending" to be asleep on the kitchen floor no less. It was really sweet.  

Keagan had taken out both sleeping bags and a large sheet and made a bed for both of them.  I just thought it was great that he had thought about Kade too.

I guess that's what you do on a freshly mopped kitchen floor - slumber party!!

When Mom is out

I came across these pictures on my camera the other day.  Karsten finally fessed up that he had taken these pics. (which is a rare thing).

I don't know whose idea it was to climb on top of the fridge....I think he mentioned that maybe Kellen was trying to get to something and the others followed suit.

Of course Kade, my adventurer, LOVED being up high.

And Keagan apparently was scared to death or just really ticked off.

To all who are wondering...no one fell off and I came home to 3 healthy boys.