Night time at the Richards

(this post is pretty random...but its more for journal purposes I suppose)
Parker is so silly when it comes to bedtime. Ever since he was a baby he has only liked to sleep in his own bed. Once in a while if he is super tired he might snooze in the car, hardly ever at another persons house, and for sure not at church.
When he was a small baby he had a mobile over his crib and we would just wind it up once or twice and he would be asleep no problem. (Of course he has always needed a binky and a blanket.) Then when he could sit up and grab it we took that down. We replaced it with a little soft farmhouse thing that my mom bought him that would hang from his crib and he could pull the cow and it was a music box/lullaby and the string would retract as it would play. So for about a year when we would put him in there and pull it, say good night and that was it. Sometimes we would hear it playing over and over until he fell asleep, sometimes we would hear it go off in the night, but that thing pretty much put him to sleep for about a year or more. Then one sad day it broke and the string wouldn't move anymore. I took it apart and tried to fix it, but the thing had just had it. I can't bare to throw it away, so it just sits on a shelf.
Anyway after that Parker was having a hard time with going to sleep, so I had this clever idea to sing him a song! Ha...clever? I never should have started that! He will cry for song after song, and if Brian sings to him then right after Parker insists that mommy sing one. But I don't think he understands what one more means because one more always turns into 10. He usually comes up with a favorite and make you sing that one over and over until your face turns blue. ABC's have been the most popular. If he wakes up in the middle of the night for whatever reason, which happens a lot, he grumbles in this deep little man voice while his eyes are still closed, "wanna song"! It is kind of funny cause I am usually half asleep myself, but just as a I am about to step out of the room I hear those words and I want to scream! It is getting old. We've been doing it for too long.
So after prayers I have been trying to keep to one song and then I just hurry and leave the room. He has this little night light that came with his crib and it has some buttons on it that make weird sounds that I guess are meant to be peaceful but they freak him out. So he just pushes the light over and over until he goes to sleep. Well the batteries on that thing finally died a couple of weeks ago. So I grabbed another one that we have, not sure why we have two. I stuck it on his crib upside down and he used that one for about a week. Then one night he started screaming. I went in there and the thing was running out of batteries too and it started playing deep slow music that really was kinda freaky. Poor kid couldn't get it to turn off. I tried to change the batteries but it takes 2 C size and we only had one. So I stuck it in there with an old one and it lasted another night or two and then finally gave up.
When we put Parker to bed we usually turn on the hall light and then go in his room and leave the door open a crack while we get him settled. Then when we leave we flip the light off. Well since nothing else seems to be working for him, Parker has been insisting that we leave the door open a crack with the light on! He gets really picky too, if the door gets shut to far he freaks out! Then you open it back up a little and he shuts right up.
Last night I put Parker to bed around 9:30 and I could hear him in there until about 10:15 or so. Then it was quiet for along time so I figured he was sleeping. It was probably about 11:30 or so and I got up and snuck over to the hall and quietly flipped the light. Just as I did it I hear this deep slow creepy voice say, "PUSH THE LIGHT!" Like it was a threat or something! I hurry and flipped it back on and then just went to bed. Not worth fighting with him about it cause it usually wakes up Eli and then I have to start all over with bed time! I am still laughing about last night! He had to have been asleep when I turned it off. It had been quiet for so long and I didn't hear anything after I turned it off.
I guess I don't know how bed time is at anyone else's house, but that kid is so picky! I am not sure if I should really be giving in to all this nonsense!
Eli is generally pretty easy. When he was a baby he was pretty much sleeping through the night from a month to 4 months or so. Then I don't know what happened. But it was still pretty easy to get him to sleep. I would just lay him down and he would want the blanket over his face. Kinda freaky, but that's how he wanted it and it worked every time.
Now I just lay him down with his binky throw the blanket next to his face and tell him to go to sleep. But he isn't sleeping through the night and that bugs me, and he is still in my room and that bugs Brian. I can't imagine how the night would be with the two boys in the same room keeping everyone awake. Eli wakes up at least twice a night to eat still and Parker usually wakes up at least once looking for his binky. I don't even know how to start it or try it. Sleep is just too precious to me!
I guess somehow we need to get Parker out of his crib in a big kids bed (also for potty training) we need to get him to give up his binky somehow. Then we need to get Eli sleeping through the night and sleeping in the crib in Parker's room. And I suppose we should probably invest in a decent night light!

November Camping

Richards Family in front of the little Forest Service Cabin

Keller Family

Craziness! We got invited to go with the Keller's camping out of Homer in Tutka Bay. My first response was of course no. I don't really like to camp, and I don't really like to be out in the cold. Then I remember how much fun we had last Christmas. I still didn't really want to go, but I knew I would regret not going just for the experience. So I went just so that I could say that I went! And I did have a lot of fun!

We went out on the Keller's boat and the guys fished for some cod to use as crab bait. Most of the kids were just cold, hungry, and grumpy, but Nettie and I kept them entertained up in the cab.

Chubby cheeks!

Then we had to go check on the crab pots that Travis left out there over the weekend. We were expecting to take have a ton of crabs, but sadly...only three. Apparently someone came and stole our crabs and messed with the pots. Jerks. Luckily we found them all!

Grumpy Parker....what else is new? What happened to my sweet little boy?

We made it to the cabin just before dark, and just like last Christmas the cabin was freezing while we got the fire going and all the kids were screaming and crying! We are going to have to figure something else out!

Brian with Trayton, Parker and Tustin making smores outside that night!




Brian and Parker inside the little cabin.

We pretty much just ate and hung out while we were there. Poor Nettie got the flu, but she was a champ and didn't complain at all. My kids kept everyone up half the night I think! They sleep best in their own beds in their own rooms! But Parker got to sleep on his own top bunk and he thought that was pretty sweet. I should have taken a pic! It was so fun. We forgot to bring him a sleeping bag though so we just borrow one of the Keller's. We had lots of blankets though. Eli just slept with Brian and me in our giant queen size sleeping bag! It was awesome, but pretty uncomfortable cause our sleeping pad was just regular size so we were falling off the edges. Oh well.

Yes we let him have his binki....we were all going crazy with the crying!!!!!

In the morning Brian went out duck hunting in his kayak. That's the other reason that I really wanted to go camping was because Brian hasn't been duck hunting in years now and he loves it so much. There was one kind of duck that he saw out there a few days earlier with the scouts and it is one (can't remember the name) that he has always wanted to hunt. I don't think I will ever understand this whole animal killing thing, but I know it makes him happy. So I play along.

Anyway he didn't get that kind of duck, but he got three of another kind. I guess that was good enough for him. They are in our freezer now, still whole. Gross. Brian is starting to get into taxidermy now and he thinks he is going to stuff it. He is going to put it on a shelf in Parker's room with a squirrel he is working on. Can't this guy find anything better to do? I have a whole list of awesome thing he could work on! :)

This is Nettie and Tracker sitting by the fire pit in front of the cabin, OCEAN VIEW!

This is the back of the little cabin....and Parker crying and trying to catch up to me I am so glad they have so many of these up here! They are so fun to use!

The camping trip was a blast and the area was beautiful. The outhouse wasn't too frosty this year either! I would definitely go again!

This is Brian Kayaking out to get the boat un-anchored (is that how you say it?) . You should have seen Travis try! LOL!

As we drove away on the boat I tried to get a pic of the cabin, it is up on the bluff in the trees! Such a beautiful little area!

Halloween

EEEK! So it has almost been a month since I last posted...where did the time go??

HALLOWEEN 2009

Halloween was so much fun this year! The day before Halloween we went to a party at the Henderson's where all the kids dressed up, we made some masks, and at Chili and homemade rootbeer! It was so fun!

Parker found a football and a helmet and was running around the house grunting and chucking the ball! It was so funny to me because I don't think he has ever seen a football game! Someone must have shown him what to do. He was just so cute. He kept trying to put the huge helmet on backwards too. He just couldn't really see out of it. Silly guy!

Eli got his first two teeth on Halloween! Just in time to eat some sweets right? Haha, Poor little guy has been so fussy lately. Now we know why! They are so cute too. He is such a sweet little baby.

On Halloween I was so anxious all day to go to our church trunk or treat, but I was so nervous that Brian wasn't going to be there to help me carry the kids around. He went on a scout overnighter and I made sure he knew that I really wanted him home in time to go. And he made it! I was so excited! He came home with two live crabs...kinda freaky at first but cool at the same time! Parker thought they were pretty awesome. He even shared some of his candy with one. Gross.

I ended up making Brian stand at the car to pass out candy while I took the kids around. I didn't know what else to do cause we got bombarded right when we stepped out of the car! There were a ton of kids there! It was a blast though. I don't think Parker really knew what was going on, but he for sure had fun! He just kept staring at everyone and he ate a bunch of candy as we walked around.

It was a pretty cold night but my kids had pretty warm costumes, Parker was a Monkey and Eli was a Dragon! I layered a bunch under and neither of them complained.

So after we got home from Trunk or Treat we boiled our crab and had a vegetarian pizza, mmm. It was so yummy! Definitely the best Halloween treat! Parker wouldn't eat any crab, but he entertained himself for a long time with the crab pieces that we gave him, and we got to enjoy our dinner for once! It was so awesome! Plus we don't really mind him not eating crab, more for us! Then when he is older and we go out to eat, he won't want to order expensive crab HAHA!

Parker got a bunch of candy. When his friends came over for a minute they were playing and Parker went over to their candy bags and dumped them in his own bucket! Little stinker! We let him play with it and eat as much as he wanted for about an hour or so then we put it away. He had forgotten about it by morning. Every once in awhile he'll ask for a piece though.

Eli got his first piece of candy on Halloween too. While I wasn't looking Parker decided to share a tootsie roll with him. What a good brother huh! Anyways I ended up taking it away and giving Eli just a plain chocolate bar. He liked it, but not as much as I thought he would. I think he was just pretty tired.

The boys each got a Halloween card and $5 in the mail from their Great Grandma Bonnie! Thanks Grandma!

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! We can't wait til next year!

1, 2 buckle my shoe

Are you supposed to teach numbers or letters first? I think I may have done it backwards.

ParKer can almost count to 10 all by himself!

The only numbers he misses are 5 and 9!! He counts everything now and it is so cute! My little man is growing up faster than I want, but it is so much fun watching him.

We have been singing him the ABC's every night before bed for the past 4 months or so...but nothing seems to be sticking there. He calls every letter, "the letter M". Once I was watching Wheel of Fortune and he started shouting out all these random letters! It was so cute.

I'll try and see what videos I can catch of Parker counting. He is really good at it and it is cute....but he hates the camera and he gets a little shy when he knows someone is watching. And next time I post I'll try and put up some pics. I just got a funny video of Eli eating baby food Ham and he is gagging!

And I still haven't bought my washer and dryer yet, but I think I am going to go with the Kenmore. I looked again and I don't like the GE anymore. When we were at Sears on Thursday they had 2 sets of the Kenmore's left. If they are still there on Monday they will be like 30% off and so I am taking my chances. If they aren't there it obviously wasn't meant to be and I'll wait for the next sale.

Stumped...

I have been researching Washers and Dryers now for about 2 months. I am getting really excited cause I am finally going to have a set that actually work (hopefully). I have read so many reviews and comments that I just don't know what to do anymore. There are alot of really bad comments about almost everything. I am guessing that just means that people who are not satisfied take the extra time to tell people, and the people who are satisfied don't even go back to the site to say it cause they just really don't care (or they are busy doing laundry :) ! )

So thanks to alot of help from alot of people and their advice and all the people who listened to me even if didn't want to hear all the stress....I have narrowed it down to 2 different sets.

This is the Kenmore Elite HE3t

And this is the GE

Only it won't be in Red cause I missed that chance. I guess the customers who said they didn't want it really did want it-so because I was so stressed I missed out on a really good deal. I like to think that maybe I did someone a favor by not buying the set because then they would have had to reorder them a new set and who knows why the people wanted them....they could be really needing them. Anyways now the set I am looking at is the same model only in white and more expensive. Dang.

Well Brian is going to come home and get me and take me and the kids to Kenai to go look at some more washers. I don't know if this will help anything or make things worse. Hopefully I will just make up my mind and get things over with.

P.S. is ALOT one word or 2 (A LOT)??? My spell check thinks it is two but I know when I was in school we learned it as one.

Good Morning Parker!

It is always so fun to go into Parker's room in the morning. You never know what funny things he is going to say or what he is going to be doing in his crib. He usually wakes about between 9 and 10 (I'm know I am spoiled cause my kids sleep in). Unless we are in a hurry to get somewhere we usually just let him sit in there and play and talk until he calls for us to come get him out. Sometimes its an hour! I'm not sure if this is healthy or not, but it nice for me!
This morning I went and Parker said, "Look Mummy, CIRCLE!" He was sitting in a circle with his stuffed animals and his blankets! He is so funny. He just talks to them like he is the boss. It usually sounds just like something I say to Parker, "Sit down, K blankie?? K baby?? K?? K??" Everything ends with "K??"
On Sunday after his nap I went in to get Parker and he said, "Look Mummy, I'm feedin the baby milk!" He had his arm out of his shirt through the neck and he was trying to feed his baby milk! What a funny kid. Brian thought it was a little disturbing, but I took a picture. Blackmail. I'll post it next time I have a chance to upload some pics.
Just for journal purposes...
The other day Parker had something sticky on his finger and he went over to the baby and said something like, "Here baby! Eat it Baby! MMM, it's candy baby!" Then he tried to stick his finger in the babies mouth. Luckily I was right there cause I honestly don't know what was on his finger!

Did you ever wonder....

What I would look like with a

mullet???

I found this little beauty when I was looking for Taren's Zoo pics. I'm pretty sure Brian was laughing at me one morning and decided to take this. There are other funny ones I'm saving for later!