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I couldn't think of a title, so I just decided to go with the home row.

If you came to this blog from facebook, I know, I'm not supposed to be on facebook.  BUT, I didn't check things while I posted this.  Plus, keep in mind, I make the rules.  So, if my fast includes breaking the fast, then that's OK..... right???. ;)  I decided that I could post this on facebook during my fast, and I also decided the other day that I could go on and grab a recipe I had in one of my messages.  AND I checked a different message while I was at it because Ben said that it was important that I not be "rude" to people who may not have read that I was staying away from Facebook for Lent.  I thought that was fair.  I'm trying not to be a legalist about it.  The purpose of the facebook fast is to keep me from wasting time on it.... you know, the newsfeed can waste a lot of time-- and I've enjoyed that part.  So although it may seem like I'm a big cheater pants, I feel like it's going rather well.

Now that I'm done giving lots of excuses, let's move on!

The other day Caleb called to me "MOM, I'm holdin baby GRACIE!!!"
I was picturing something horrifying, but it was really quite sweet.  She even looks like she's enjoying it!  We had one of Ben's friends over the last couple of days, and as he watched Caleb going to hold Grace he was freaking out saying it was child abuse.  I think he was floored I was allowing it to happen.  But Grace was SMILING at him even though he was extremely awkward...and maybe slightly rough.  It's so sweet.... plus babies are quite resilient.  You ever notice how rough nurses are with your newborn??

Awwwwww

 And the next day he was still into it. I did have to stop him because he was actually standing up lifting her off the ground, and I was picturing a brutal face plant when he decided he was sick of holding her (not realizing that dropping her would be an issue...).  I was impressed at his strength.  I mean, she's over 18 pounds!   

This is the quilt my Gram is working on for Caleb's room.  Isn't it CUTE?!  I'm SO excited for it to be finished.  Unfortunately,  Caleb's room is always absolutely FREEZING COLD, so it's likely this beautiful quilt will be covered up by a hundred million other inferior blankets.

Ben went to Wisconsin last week to visit his Gma Kappers because she was needing surgery on her hip from a fall.  I was home with the kids and didn't feel like cooking (I have NO motivation to cook for just me and Caleb), and I didn't feel like fending like we had the night before. So, we took a trip to Culvers and brought it back home.  I was SO COLD, and I assumed my children were too.  I kept Grace's hat on because I thought she'd stay warmer...

When I took it off she was a hot mess.  Whoops.  Yeah... pretty sweaty.

I feel like this Winter I have been cold almost every minute.  I just have a chill throughout my entire body... all the time...  Maybe Winter is almost over... it is March 12 afterall.  This morning I mentioned it looked like Christmas and Caleb told our guest "It's Christmas!"  I think he just wanted some presents.

Lately when Caleb is receiving correction he says,

"Mom, I'm sleepy"

"Mom, I don't feel good"

"Mom, you're scaring me"

I promise I'm usually not scary when I'm correcting him.  These are total lies.... he's not sleepy and he feels fine... HOW is this happening already-- he's not even three!!?   I will admit though, the other day he said "Mom, I don't like when you talk like that" (he said it very sweetly), and he was right in saying that because I was speaking in a very impatient tone.  I apologized, and he was so quick to forgive.  Aren't kids neat?

He has also started saying things that don't make any sense

For example:

Caleb: Can I eat your finger?

Me: Um.. no. Why?

Caleb: Because I dropped the bat. It was on the couch before but now it isn't.

OHHHH, that explains it!  Why, sure you can eat my finger!!

Also after Bible study Tuesday he told a lady from our church

"I like your necklace!" The only problem was, she wasn't wearing one......

I will leave you with one more picture of my baby girl.  She and I went for a walk together while Ben and Caleb were at guy time when the weather was nice the other day.   As I was walking with her, I was praising the Lord for giving me a daughter. WOW. I was overwhelmed.   

Isn't she the sweetest? 

oh P.S.-- if you have a comment you really want me to see, put it on the blog and not facebook, so I can read it! =)

-Melanie

Playdoh disaster, clean basement, and a sideways video

Since I haven't posted in well over a month, It usually takes me a while to figure out what's worthy of a blogpost.  Usually there isn't anything, but I make a blog post anyway. HA! =)  I just figure, I'll look back on here and enjoy reading about the little things that happened in our family that I'm sure I'll forget about.

We usually don't do too many planned activities around the house.  I'm not the kind of mom with tons of brilliant ideas that make my child a genius while we have fun.  I do normal things... you know, read books, play with his toys with him....have them play while I clean. =)  The thing we do most though is play pretend.  Caleb LOVES it.  So some days I may wake up as Kanga (he is roo and asks to go in my pouch...), turn into Mrs. Aspargus (he's usually junior), maybe I'll be Tigger or Pooh for a while.... and sometimes I'll even be Uncle Alan.   A few weeks ago, I decided to be a "good" mom and try and do something we've never done before in the Kappers' house.....  PLAYDOH!  Of course I had to make it since I'm a cheapskate and avoid going to the store with both kids at all costs (if I have them both in the cart WHERE do I put the food??).  I have a Vitamix as I've mentioned before, and in the recipe book that came with it, there is a playdoh recipe.  I figured I couldn't go wrong with that, so I used it!

I made four different colors and even put them into bowls that MATCHED.  I took a picture because I thought it was so fantastic.  I felt pretty cool at this point.

I put a bowl down on the table (see below) put some flour down, and was ready to knead it!

Unfortunately, the playdoh was sticky.  Like... I couldn't get it off my hand sticky.  Like... I got playdoh all over my phone trying to take a picture sticky....

 In my depseration to get it OFF MY HAND, I started dumping flour everywhere.  Does the picture below look like playdoh to you?  No, me neither.

 It was hard to hold the bag of flour with my hands full of sticky mess. Here is the flour bag.  It still looks like that in my pantry.  And, that was with me dumping it out with my elbows.  Neat.

It was a huge mess.  Finally, after messing with it FOREVER,  (and getting better with each color...) I was able to get it off my hands and into something that resembled playdoh.... 

Here is Caleb playing with it.

He acted like he really liked it.  BUT, for the most part he was just sitting there staring at it sucking his thumb. .... I kept saying, "Should we get down and do something else?" And he said "No, I want to play with playdoh"  He just wanted ME to build things with it.

But... I didn't make playdoh so that I could play with it.  (I feel like I've heard my mom say those words before in other situations....)

Also notice his hair?  I totally cut it.  I've received a lot of flak for it... but it WAS my first time cutting HIS hair.  It's a little funky in front... and it seems to be growing out a little weird.  Ben suggests I seek professional help.... not for me... for Caleb's hair.  He wanted me to leave it at "professional help", but I'm too smart for that.

 That's what I get for trying to be a cool mom.  Note: Buy the playdoh next time. (or get a better recipe... or have someone else make it with me...) 

Next topic...

In case you're wondering how potty training is going... #1 is going well, #2 is not going well at all.  So, any tips are welcome.

My kids were sick a couple weeks ago, and I took the opportunity of staying in the house to clean out my basement! YES, YOU DO SEE LABELS!  I'm so excited! 

Grace sat in that swing some while I cleaned. =)  I had a box of toys that I set aside that were either just to take a break from or not age appropriate anymore.  Caleb got a hold of those and LOVED playing in the basement.   He started requesting "Can I go down to the basement?"

Our Guest suite. ;) 

If you could see it before, you'd be amazed.  =)  Sorry, no picture.

Finally I will leave you with a sideways video.  I'm not sure how to flip it?? (if you know how, feel free to let me know....) Every morning at breakfast we read the Proverb of the day, work on a memory verse (currently Psalm 119:9-16) and then we sing a song.  I try to pick songs that we might sing in church- or just hymns that I think are beautiful.  A few weeks back we were going to be singing Oh for a thousand tongues to sing in church, so I taught him that one.  That's what he picked to sing after breakfast, but this time had "Grace" singing instead.  Caleb often speaks for Grace in an extremely high pitched voice.  Yesterday he decided to SING for Grace in that high pitched voice....  Of course, when I pulled out the camera, he stopped doing it.  We had to egg him on a bit, which is why Ben is saying "that doesn't sound like Grace" He turns into a broken record partway through too-- not sure what that was about???  

I laugh so hard when I listen to this.  I think he'll be a soprano for sure.

-Melanie

Christmas/NewYear/pottytraining fail....

So, Christmas and New Years has passed, and the weather has been horrible.... do you know what that means?  It means, I HAVEN'T BEEN BUSY!!  And I LOVE not being busy.

Let's review, shall we?  Christmas.  It was nice.  We were able to see lots and lots of family.  Caleb for the first year, understood presents.

My worst nightmare happened.  After opening a present he said the dreaded words.....

"May I pease have another present?" (at least he was polite ??)

So I said.. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

I do not like spoiled children... and mine is spoiled. wahhhh

But, he was SUPER cute opening presents... and extremely helpful? when anyone else was opening presents too.

My mom got him Melissa and Doug Cutting food. It is a VERY cool toy.

Grace and Ben were opening presents together.  (She didn't even notice there was a pack of bibs on her head....)

Ben's parents were in from Africa and got him a drum! (He loves it!) And... another instrument that I confiscated to keep my sanity ;) Maybe I'll pull it out when they are around next Christmas. hahhahah =)

Then we had that massive snowstorm.  Ben REALLY bundled up before he went out to snow blow.  He's my HERO! (I made a comment like... it's not THAT cold when he came inside from snow blowing, and he told me he'd rather I respond with something like "you're my hero", so I'm trying to make up for my apparently offensive comment.)  

Caleb still isn't potty trained.  He turns three in April just so everyone knows.  Feel free to judge me or use me to feel better about yourself. =)

The other day Grace was crying after filling her pants, Ben was outside snow blowing, and Caleb fell off the toliet and landed in a pool of his own urine.  It was amazing. NOT.  Unfortunately, he misses the toliet EVERY time he goes, which is why there was urine all over the floor.  After that horrible experience I decided to buy him his very own little potty.  

So here is the brand spankin' new potty! 

I KNOW! Isn't it fun?! It is a hippo!  Now, see that little lion and hippo? (close up below)  Those are buttons you push.  The lion shouts "HIP HOP HOORAY! HIP HOP HOORAY!" That woke Ben up this morning. He was thrilled.  The Hippo tells a little story (he reads the book that came with the toliet).  Unfortunately Caleb is TERRIFIED of the talking hippo and was having a total FREAK out when he pressed it.  

Leave it to me to botch potty training once again by buying a toliet my son is AFRAID OF.  Are you kidding me?!  It's so horrible it's funny.  Amen? 

So, I'm currently accepting applications for a person to potty train my son at their house.  Any takers??

Today Grace was having a nice time playing with her toys!

Then her big brother came and decided to "play with her".  That's code for take all of her toys away.

Grace tried to get a toy back, but Caleb was quick to stop her.

"MOM, YOU SAW THAT RIGHT?!" 

He ended up putting it together and giving it back to her.  I'm glad I didn't interfere.

 Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  I've been marveling at God's goodness and faithfulness to my family lately.   He is SO good! 

-Melanie  

Before and after of Caleb's room!

I know. I can't believe it either.  I'm posting twice in the same month!!  Here's why... Ben has an elders meeting tonight, so I'm all alone.  And, I've had a tendonitis FLARE UP in my left wrist, which leaves me pretty much handicapped.  SO, instead of doing the cleaning I NEED to be doing but can't because even just wiping the table is excruciating, I thought I'd blog.

Plus, I bought the red valance for Caleb's room today from Anna's Linens and put it up.  Anna's Linens is fabulous.

SO... without further ado...

--- and I must confess. I TOTALLY just googled that saying.  All of the sudden I panicked that I was totally spelling ado wrong.... or was remembering the phrase incorrectly.  Am I an idiot?  I found this http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/ado-versus-adieu.  So, she says I'm right, and I enjoyed reading her explanation.  HAHAHA.   And now writing that makes no sense......

ANYWAY, here is Caleb's room in a few different stages!

I didn't get good before pictures because I'm totally pathetic.  That's the only reason.  I got this photo on accident. I intended to get a picture of Caleb playing in his toybox and thought the enormous mess was picture worthy.

This is the room I used to refer to as "the horrible room"

Then Lauren Earnshaw, who happens to be totally amazing, offered to help me.  She deserves total credit for the room.  OH and speaking of Lauren, now that I think about it, she asked me to send her a picture of the room so that she could see what she was working with.  I will find it....   

            Yep, it still looks pretty BLEH.

She came over and painted the woodwork and then filled in all the holes/blemishes? in the wall   LOOK AT ALL THAT!!!!!!!!!! 

Then she painted the whole room light blue.  Honestly, with the newly painted woodwork and the light blue, I though the room looked FANTASTIC. 

Then she did the stripes. (The green is tape not paint...do not be deceived)

 And then it was finished!!!!!  Isn't that AMAZING?!

I found a dresser at a garage sale for pretty stinking cheap, so I decided to paint it.  It was a good decision looking back.... but I wouldn't do it again.

First I primed it

 Then painted it....

 It took forever... But I was pleased when I was FINALLY finished.

I'm SO excited about this neat storage thing.  I got this at Menards on black Friday and the bins were $2.50 each!!

The new valance!  Notice Caleb still enjoys playing in the toybox... 

 In this picture he's hiding inside the toybox....

Currently on Caleb's bed there is one of those fleece blankets you tie together.  Ben and I actually made that when we were dating... but soon the picture below will be a quilt on a twin bed.  My grandma is making it.  Isn't it wonderful?  There will be red on the outside.  I can't wait till it's done =)

I put some Bible verses in garage sale picture frames that I spray painted.

The closet used to have awful sliding doors (the color of the door on the far right), so Lauren gave me the idea of a curtain.  I think it's briliant.  I took a different picture where the curtain wasn't messed up, but I liked this one better because Grace is in the middle of the floor...   Hi Grace! 

So there you have it.  The horrible room has turned into my FAVORITE room.  Thanks Lauren for all your work.  We love it.

-Melanie

Remember November

I chose that title because Libby Dykstra posted it on my facebook as a possible option for me.  I love it. Why?  First of all, it rhymes.  Second of all, I didn't blog all of November, and I'm going to try and go back and remember SOMETHING that happened. So thanks Libby, it's brilliant.

Remember last time how I said Grace was sweet now?  Well, she's reverted back to her old ways.  Most people say she's great-- but that's because most people are holding her.... which is what the little stinker wants.  As I write this, she is gazing longingly at me from her bouncy seat. ... and filling her pants.  Perfect.  It's like she knew that would be a good way for me to stop typing and pick her up.  And, she's a genius... because it's going to work.

There's my little stinker! She IS the sweetest ever...... but only when receiving attention ;)  It's hard not to give it to her since she's SO HONKING PRECIOUS!

BIG. NEWS.  I figured out how to get my pictures from my phone to the computer!  WOO HOO!  It took me FOREVER.  Finally I watched a youtube video and did half of what he said, and some how it worked!!  This is going to make blogging SOOO much better.  I like to include pictures, but it's hard to remember to take them with the camera instead of my phone.... now I don't have to!

I watched my photos upload onto my computer and thought I'd post some of my favs.  SO, in honor of my figuring out how to upload, here's a taste of ... my phone photos!

Below is a picture of a dog that I drew. ANNNNd, I'm not sure WHY I took a picture of it.  Oh, it looks like he has a tumor on his rear?? I hadn't noticed... (obviously I'm a brilliant artist and you just can't understand the meaning behind this photo)... Caleb often asks me to draw things, and it's pretty hilarious because I'm SO BAD AT IT.  Seriously, I got a B in art in grade school-- pretty sure NO ONE gets a B in art in grade school....  One time I tried to draw a poodle for Caleb and he asked if it was a lamb (he must not know his animals very well... ;)) .  He's pretty gracious overall though.  He'll even say "Good job, Mama!" on occassion.

Next is Ben and me.  Not bad eh? I nailed Ben's hairline.  Also, I think that totally looks like me ;)  Caleb especially liked this one.  Again, WHY did I take a picture?  Maybe I was so excited my new phone could take good photos-- my old phone's (an amazing razor) camera was broken.  Really, I'm not sure why, but I did get a good laugh looking at it again.

And here's what happens when I try to get a nice picture of my kids... it NEVER goes well.... like ever.  The only ones that some times turn out are the ones where Caleb is kissing Grace.  So that might just have to be the way it is for a while....

And THAT is my coolio stroller.  It's neat because Caleb can stand OR sit.... and you can rearrange it all too.. like have Grace where Caleb is and Caleb where Grace is.  WOW.

And that was our dinner the other night, and I know why I took a picture-- because it looks amazing!!!  But, shrimp, sausage, and pineapple is a KILLER combo.  (at least I think so)

So there you go.  The ridiuclous part about all that is that I called this post "remember november" and then posted a bunch of random pictures from this summer.  I'm NOT changing it.  

Well, the food picture is actually from November, and I'll post another one.... This is from Thanksgiving.  My cousin's kids were holding Gracie.  They are going to have a little sister soon, and I think they'll do a great job taking care of her =).  

We had a nice Thanksgiving with a lot of family

Top three things I'm thankful for this year (besides the Jesus, the Bible etc...)

1. Ben.  Because he's the absolute best EVER.
2. My children-- because they are so sweet and mine.
3. My family has been praying together over the phone every week, and it is totally awesome.  We are seeing God answering prayers like crazy, and it has been such an encouragement to me!

And finally, I'm going to do a shout out.  If you're not sure what to get your kids for Christmas OR what your parents should get your kids, consider getting them..... SEEDS FAMILY WORSHIP cds.  It's scripture to music, and it's totally awesome.  (I've told you about this before).

The other day in the car Caleb told my parents and brother... "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted Psalm 34:18" (He saves those who are crushed in spirit... )

HOW COOL IS THAT?!  It's because we listen to the songs in the car.  SO, buy it for your family and be blessed.

Stay tuned-- next time I'm going to post a before and lots of after pictures of Caleb's room!  I need to hang a valance, and then I'm all set!  Hopefully I can do that this next week.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.... and now it's almost Christmas.  AHHHHHH!

-Melanie