No Lack of Black - the FOB blog

Swing

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:40:00 +0000

We've had some really beautiful weather the past couple of days, just perfect to be outside as much as possible! We have a great, big, old tree in our front yard, so Vince borrowed the neighbors ladder (well, really he borrowed the ladder several weeks back to try to clean the ice out of the gutters on the back of the house which gets very little sun and is still totally covered in snow... but that's a different story) and hung a rope from one of the large branches. The boys are in love with their new swing. And yes, Ezra is outside without shoes on and no, it was not that warm. That is truly a child who lived in North Dakota for most of his life... 47 degrees is warm enough to be barefoot... I think if it hits 50, he'll be ready to play in the sprinkler!

On a side note... Obed also enjoys the swing, but Vince couldn't get a picture of him since he was a bit nervous to take his hand off of Obed while swinging since "hold on tight" seems to be a concept a bit lost on Obed at this point.

Solomon's First Food

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:01:00 +0000

"Hey, Look at me all cute in my little seat. And what's this new thing to chew on? I like it!"

"Oooooo, what is this? I should probably put it in my mouth to discover what it is - you know, because that's the best and safest way to learn - by putting everything in my mouth."
"I'm pretty sure it's poison."

"Quick, I'll spit it all out and maybe it won't penetrate my system. What is this stuff? There's no way it can be good for me. Seriously mom, what are you trying to do to me?"

A Trip to the Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:10:00 +0000

Vince has been out of town for the past 5 days and flew back into Denver today. The boys and I got to head to the airport this morning to pick him up and thought we would take advantage of our Denver Zoo membership and visit the zoo since we were already down that way.

We started out visiting the lions. The zoo has a glass wall where we could see the lions up close and personal. It's a little creepy being nose to nose with a lion - there was this small, nagging thought at the back of my head saying, "what if this glass doesn't hold? What if the lion lunges and comes right through and eats my baby and me?" Sure, this probably wouldn't happen... but wow, those things are HUGE!

The lion thought Obed looked like a tasty snack.
There was also a glass wall to view the hyenas. Did you know a hyena is not a dog or even a member of the canine family? I didn't. It's a member of the mongoose family... there, now you've learned your interesting fact of the day (assuming you didn't know the hyena is not a dog).

We let the boys go for a ride on the carousel today. At first, Asher and Obed were pretty sure it was torture and NO fun at all. Asher warmed up to the ride... Obed? Not so much.

Little legs get tired walking so much. We have the triple stroller, but it won't fit in the back of the van, so we only travel with the double... but it works too.
Solomon snugly peeping out of the Moby.
There were some really talented geese balancing on fence posts on one leg. I couldn't do that... but then again, I'm not a talented goose.
There were literally hundreds of ducks and geese swimming in this tiny little swimming hole. It sounded like a duck chorus as they all quacked at once. Obed loved it.

The Denver Children's Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:51:00 +0000

The boys and I headed to the Denver Children's Museum today with some friends from church and had a fantastic day of play! When you first walk in the museum, there is a real fire truck, complete with bells, sirens and lights. My boys were sold!

There were also mini-fire coats and fire hats (adjustable hats, mind you, to fit the freakishly large melons my boys possess).

Then we headed upstairs, where there were several exhibits. There was a grocery store with a kitchen for cooking, which all the kids enjoyed for quite some time. First, Obed did the shopping.
Then Asher, Obed, and their buddy Rooker made some tasty plastic treats for lunch.
Asher was a very serious cook, making sure to wear an apron while he cooked.
Ezra did a bit of clean up on aisle 3.
Then we headed to the art exhibit, where the boys each painted pictures. Notice how Obed is holding the paintbrush. He did not want to get his delicate little hands dirty (this from the kid who dips his toothbrush into the toilet, but heaven forbid he gets paint on his fingers!).

The room which seemed to hold the interest of all the kids the longest was the giant tree room. It was a room that looks like a tree. There were tunnels under the tree roots, as well as little hidey holes for the kids to climb through. There were all sorts of costumes for the kids to dress up in - costumes of the types of animals that might live in or just below a tree. Obed was a bunny...
As was Ezra.
For a time, Asher was a squirrel and gathered acorns for the winter (and he kept asking where the feed corn was - "why don't they have feed corn here mommy? Squirrels like feed corn.")
The outfit that made me laugh the most today, however, was the earthworm. Asher wore the earthworm costume for quite a long time. He finally took it off after he asked what earthworms eat and I told him they eat just about everything. "Even poop?" he asked. When I told him they probably ate poop, he decided he was done being an earthworm.
Asher crawling into the ground, under the tree, just as an earthworm might do (sans the legs, sweatpants and tennis shoes of course).

Obed's New Toothbrush

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:31:00 +0000

Obed got a new toothbrush today. Why, you might ask? Well, after hearing shrieks of "NO OBED! NO! DON'T!" from Ezra last night, I ran into the bathroom, only to find Obed happily brushing away. When asked why he was screaming, Ezra promptly replied, "Obed couldn't reach the sink to rinse his toothbrush, so he dipped it into the toilet and then kept brushing." Yup, that's my kid.

The Digits

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:28:00 +0000

Solomon had his 6 month check today. This may surprise some of you... but he measured on the "large" side of the spectrum. He weighed in at 20 lbs, 3 oz (90%) and was 28 1/2 inches long (97%). Solomon is the largest of the 4 boys at 6 months. He is 3 pounds heavier than Ezra was at 6 months, and over 2 inches longer. He is 2 pounds heavier than Asher was, and about an inch longer. And about 1/2 pound heavier than Obed was, and over an inch longer. Praising God that Solomon is well and healthy!

New Baby Carrier

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:25:00 +0000

I got a new baby carrier today. I've had a Baby Bjorn since Ezra was born, and I've gotten many miles out of it. The older I get, however, and the heavier my kids get, the more and more the Bjorn hurts my neck and back. I just can't wear it anymore.

Solomon is at that stage where he has almost outgrown his car seat, but he still cannot sit up. I can hardly lift his car seat into a cart if we go to a store (since the combined weight of Solomon and the car seat is well over 30 pounds), so shopping is a bit challenging (plus I need to strap Obed down into the cart since the child has a bit of a wandering spirit in the stores and requires much attention).

I did some research and read a lot of good reviews about the Moby Wrap. My dear husband stopped by a children's store and picked one up for me today (a store full of women looking at cute baby things, also looking at the creepy bearded man walking aimlessly through the store as well).

I really, really like my new Moby Wrap. I can wear it in a bunch of different positions and Solomon is quite content to just sort of sit in the front of me and bounce along as we go. He even fell asleep in it this afternoon, which is great news! It gives me another option for him if we must be out and about during a nap time. And the best part? Thus far, my neck and shoulders have not hurt. Two thumbs up from this mama!

A Date at the Drum Store

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:20:00 +0000

Now that we are a bit more settled, we are starting up our weekly dates with the boys once again. This past Saturday was Asher's turn to go out with Daddy, and they headed to the drum store in Old Town. Asher was a little timid at first, but once he realized he could play as loud as he wanted and it all came through the headphones, he was hooked. He sat at the drum store for a good 30 minutes, enjoying banging around on the drums.

Senior Thickness

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:42:00 +0000

The kid is thick.

The Banana Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:13:00 +0000

The boys have a banana most mornings with breakfast. Their father (who shall remain nameless for the sake of anonymity - you know, should the paparazzi find out his immense talents and then try to find out where he is... I want to protect him from that, thus the anonymity) generally grabs the bananas from the banana basket (say that 5 times fast) and on his way back to the table, strikes up a conversation on the banana phone.

The boys are learning to pick up this grand talent, and many mornings, spend a bit of time talking on the banana phone as well. They have not quite yet grabbed the conversational genius their father possesses. Their conversations typically go something like this...

Ezra: "Hello?"

Asher: "Hu-woah?"

Ezra: "HELLO?"

Asher "HU-WHOA!"

Ezra: "Daddy, I said hello to Asher and he didn't answer. He just kept saying hello."

Asher: "Daddy, dat's not twue. I said hu-woah and Ezwa just kept saying hu-whoa. He didn't ansuh."

Then some time is spent arguing about who was supposed to call and who was supposed to pick up the banana phone, at which time, the fun of the banana phone is over and we promptly peel the banana phones and break them in half so the boys can eat the phones, thus ending argument.

Falling Asleep While Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:06:00 +0000

Occasionally, Obed falls asleep while looking at books at night.

S.R. Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Most days he goes by Obed, Bo-Bo or Boo-Boo-Bear. These days, however, he goes by Snot Rocket Jones and the Boogie Bunch.

Birthday Celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:02:00 +0000

I had a birthday this week, so of course, as it goes with birthdays in the Black house, the boys were very, very excited. All week, they have been drawing me birthday pictures and singing happy birthday to me.

Asher was so excited about my birthday presents. He had a hard time keeping them a secret (which he usually does pretty well). He never actually told me what I was getting for my birthday. He did, however, whisper (ever so quietly) to me what Daddy might like for his birthday (which is not for another 9 months). Several times this week Asher came up to me and whispered, "Mommy, I think Daddy would like new sun glasses for his birthday." The one that sort of "showed his hand" was when Asher whispered, "Mommy, I think Daddy would like a new skirt for his birthday." Shocking, I know... I got new sunglasses and a skirt for my birthday.

So the morning began with opening presents. Then Vince and the boys made me a carrot cake.

All the boys have had nicknames throughout their childhood. Ezra has been String Bean, or Beaner. Obed is Boo-Boo-Bear or Bo-Bo. Asher used to be Meatball, then Smasher (due to his tendency towards clumsiness). Meatball and Smasher evolved into Smash Burger. Imagine his surprise and delight when we moved to a city that has a restaurant called Smash Burger! That being said, we went to Smash Burger for lunch for my birthday. Obed was ready to go... although he didn't quite get the right shoes on.
The boys enjoyed Smash Burger... but really, how can you not enjoy a good hamburger and fries (every once in a while that is).

The boys thought the thing I would enjoy most for my birthday would be a picnic and camp-out on the living room floor (they must not know about things like pedicures, massages, or nice meals out yet - although the picnic and camping on the living room floor might be a close second).
We then had birthday cake (which was so yummy! Kudos to my husband for being a great cook!!). I forgot to buy more birthday candles so either A) We used the candle I had, which just happened to be the left over Lightening McQueen candle from Asher's birthday or B) I LOVE McQueen. So much so, in fact, that it was the only candle I truly wanted on my cake so as to show off my love for McQueen (I'll let you choose A or B).
After our picnic and cake, we roasted a few marshmallows over the fire, as would occur with any good camping experience.

Then it was camping time. Ezra and Asher are still chatting away in the tent as I type. Obed? Well, Obed lost the privilege of sleeping in the tent after he was in and out of the tent about 12 times, crawling on top of Ezra and Asher, throwing their animals out of the tent and just being a 2 year old sleeping in a tent, so he is currently asleep in his room. Maybe this summer he will be ready for a real camping trip (at least it was good practice, eh?).
All in all, a fun day with lots of memories for the boys. I'm grateful for my boys who want to make my birthday special for me. I truly am blessed!

Who Needs Girls?

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:51:00 +0000

For some reason, unbeknown to me, the boys decided last night after dinner that they wanted to do my hair. It started out with Ezra and Asher getting a few of my brushes and simply brushing, twisting and knotting my hair.

Then Obed wanted to get in on the action and brought out the "cutters" (also known as my flat iron for my hair).
The way Obed "cut" my hair with the cutters was to grab a few hairs between the cutters and then pinch the cutters together, and then proceed to pull, yanking my hair out.
Who needs to have little girls when I've got 3 little boys who like to play beauty parlor.

The Evolution of Stuck

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:30:00 +0000

Weights and Un-Beauty School

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:14:00 +0000

While Vince was lifting weights tonight in the form of Asher...

Ezra was brushing both his and Obed's hair and displaying his non-talents in hair styling.

Spinach?

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:57:00 +0000

We try to encourage the boys to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fruits are never a problem... they LOVE fruit. Veggies are hit or miss. We do well with green beans, broccoli, salad, carrots, corn, peppers and a few others as well. They struggle with others such as edamame and spinach (I can't comment on how they do with peas. Peas are on my top 3 list of foods that make me gag, so I never feed the boys peas because that would mean I would have to eat them and I just can't do it. I have to swallow them like aspirin in order to get them down and the smell alone is enough to put me over the edge... but I digress). I have recently learned, however, that if you put fresh spinach into a smoothie, sure, it turns the smoothie a strange color, but the taste of spinach is almost undetectable. It's fantastic! We told the boys they had spinach in their smoothie, but they didn't believe us the first few times. Then, they saw us putting the spinach in and were shocked. So, here's the tip for he day... add fresh spinach to your smoothie and get an extra serving of vegetables.

Tonight's dinner? Blueberries and whole wheat, white cheddar macaroni.

Smoothie (consisting of chocolate soy milk, frozen blueberries, raspberries and black berries, 1 jar of homemade yogurt, and about 2-3 cups of spinach. Sure, sounds nasty, but don't knock it until you try it!).
And one boy with Bert like uni-brow and handlebar chocolate mustache.

Solomon's Latest Trick

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Solomon has a new trick. All my kids have had stages where they too have learned this trick. Solomon seems to excel at this trick, however, in the most inconvenient places (mainly, in his car seat which has a non-removable cover and says, "spot clean only" on the side). For the third (yes third) time this week, Solomon has decided that the best time to create an explosion so huge (that nary a diaper, no matter the size nor absorbency, could contain the force behind it) is when he is in his car seat... in the middle of a rather busy situation... with no bathrooms or changing tables in sight... and at least one brother in the midst of melting down and needing special attention. Today, he chose to load his diaper, car seat and suit in the middle of the grocery store. He really is getting quite good at this trick. Below is the clothing-carnage post-diaper change.

Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:22:00 +0000

Our good friends, the Carrolls, from Minot came to see us a few weeks ago. Mandi is a great photographer, and took quite a few pictures of her kids with our kids when we were together, as well as some from last summer. Take a peek at their blog.

Cool Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:03:00 +0000

We went to a local cafe and play house today called Cool Beans. It's a place for kids to have creative play, as well as a coffee shop. At first, the number of children there was a bit overwhelming... but once the boys saw all the fun that was to be had, they were in the mix. There were tubes that the boys could drop different toys through which would land in different buckets.

Little trikes to ride.
A foam pit, complete with Tarzan-type ropes for swinging.
A big, fast slide.
Cars galore.
The boys had a great time, and I enjoyed sitting in a nice leather chair, watching the boys run like mad, making a wreck, in a place that was not our own, nor did we have to clean it up. Nice.

Obed's New Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:18:00 +0000

There are some movies from which the lines just become part of our everyday language. For instance, rarely is a bag of tortilla chips opened without Vince or I saying that these are indeed holy cheeps. Or if I might prepare an awesome dinner of pancakes or PB&J, Vince will call to the boys, “Tina, come get your ham.” (Of course, none of this makes any sense to you, nor is it funny at all, if you are not a fan of Nacho Libre or Napoleon Dynamite). Just tonight, Ezra had on his long underwear pajamas and I told him that when you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants… it’s for fun. After a rough day, Vince will often comfort me by telling me not be jealous that he was chatting online with babes all day, since we both know he’s training to be a cage fighter.

Today was a movie quote in real life as we were preparing to head out the door. Maybe his head was cold? Maybe he’s 2 and wants to be in control and this was a power struggle? Maybe he’s just Obed and he’s goofy and strange and all together fun? No matter what the reason, Obed insisted today that his undies were actually a hat and left the house, in order to run errands, with his new hat on his head. Maybe Obed has heard us quote Raising Arizona a few too many times? But today, we were able to truly say, “Son, you’ve got a pantie on your head” and mean it.

Baby Holder

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:39:00 +0000

Ezra's my baby-holder. He loves to hold Solomon, in spite of the fact that the wee one weighs over half of what Ezra weighs and probably crushes Ezra's bird legs just a little.

Four!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:56:00 +0000

Asher turned 4 on Saturday. It was a great day of remembering God's grace in causing Asher's early arrival to protect both he and myself. It was a great day of spending time together as a family. And it was a great day of playing with new birthday toys.

Asher awoke to Ezra singing "Happy Birthday To You" at the top of his lungs. Birthdays are a full day celebration in the Black home. Asher got up and immediately opened his birthday presents (never mind the Christmas wrapping paper. Asher wanted the Snoopy paper, so he got it, in spite of the Christmas decor, which he didn't seem to notice).

He got a police dress up set from his Aunt Megan and family, and amazingly, the helmet fit his (rather large) noodle.
He wanted a chocolate cake with cherries inside and white frosting... so that's just what he got.
Our favorite gift for him was a bike tag along. Asher knows how to pedal, but he just doesn't have the stamina to ride very far on his tiny little bike with training wheels. We bought him a tag along which attaches to mine or Vince's bike. As soon as Solomon is able to sit up, he and Obed will be able to ride in the Burly, Ezra can ride on his own, and Asher can tag along behind a bike. Hello family bike ride (we're so excited!).
We gave Asher every option we could think of for his birthday... Dinner out at a restaurant, a visit to Chuck-E-Cheese, bowling, a movie in a theater. Asher didn't want any of those things. He wanted to do a family date night. I LOVE his choice! We watched Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, ate popcorn, crackers and cheese, apple slices and M&M's and the boys got "bubble juice" as a special treat. It was a great day. Happy Birthday Asher!

Mom of The Year

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:38:00 +0000

Well, my quest for "Mom of The Year" (imaginary as it may be) came to a screeching halt 2 weeks ago when, as any good mother would, I took Ezra to the dentist for his semi-annual cleaning.

The dentist came out after Ezra's examination and said that Ezra did not have one cavity (imaginary pat on my back). He did not have two cavities (self-high-five). He did not have three cavities (wait, this is sounding a little strange). He did not have four cavities (uh-oh). He did, however, have FIVE cavities... count them, one, two, three, four, five. And one of them was so large they could not put in a filling, but rather, they had to put some bling in his mouth and crown a baby tooth. What!?

How could this be? We brush twice a day with a soft bristled tooth brush. We even, on occasion, throw in an after-lunch brush just for good measure. He chews sugarless gum every day after his afternoon snack. He rarely drinks sweet beverages and drinks lots of water. He eats a healthy, balanced diet. Candy is a rarity. The one, apparently key (and so, so obvious) element I seemed to miss? Well, flossing, of course. Who knew you were supposed to floss your kid's teeth? I mean, it seems to obvious in hind sight... but I must say it never occurred to me to floss Ezra's teeth, and well, apparently he has very tight contacts (thus, 4 of the 5 cavities were between his teeth). I'm pretty sure he had food stuck between his teeth from the time he started on solids, 5 years ago.

Ezra was a crown-receiving-super-hero (after a bit of goofy gas made him nice and happy). All this to say, I'll have to pursue my imaginary Mom of The Year award next year, after the dental hygiene blight is cleared from my record.

5 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsten) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Today, Solomon is 5 months old. I know I say this often... but my, how time flies! Solomon is a pretty happy baby, offering lots of smiles for all his family, and often time strangers too. He was sleeping about 10 hours at night... ("was" is the operative word in that phrase since now he is going closer to 7-8 hours. I think he's a pretty typical baby in that you think you've got something figured out, and then he changes everything just to keep us on our toes!) His latest tricks include almost rolling over, exersaucing in his exersaucer, spitting and blowing a lot of raspberries, drooling a lot, turning his head when his name is called, and (my personal favorite) "singing" with me when I sing to him. When I sing, he will often start cooing and ooing with me as he just stares right into my eyes. Oh how I treasure these moments! What a joy Solomon Hosea is to us!