Slice Of Life

The kids and I like to take walks on Sundays. Like I say in the video, it's one of the few things we can actually "go out" and do.

Check out our amazing Sunday garb from a couple weeks ago.

Check It

Little Owl Basket

The sewing bug is creeping bag into my system after a semi-long hiatus. Sprung by the desire to figure out how to make felt food for the Cherry Blossom Market Playhouse I found for 75% off at Target, it became quickly obvious that the plastic food we have simply will not do. WILL NOT DO.
I found this fabric basket pattern in my search and had to give it a go. Tiny and cute it came out just swell. I didn't have the interfacing needed so I went ahead without it. It stands, but would be a little less wonky with it. Next one, bigger and less wonky for sure.

Sweet Dreams

Thanks to all who offered advice or love concerning Rome's night terrors. They seem to have been fever induced and he hasn't woken up screaming, or woken up at all for the last few nights. Ahhhh, the sound of silence.

Night Terrors?

Rome has been having some problems sleeping the last few days. Not with going to sleep, but with staying asleep without waking up screaming and crying. This is new for us, our kids have always been good sleepers. Seriously, it's like their true talents - all 3 of them. They all sleep in their beds, through the night, and have done so pretty much their whole lives. Nightmares are a VERY rare occurance, in fact I think Capri has told us she had a bad dream maybe twice in her life.

A few days ago however, Rome was sick with a fever and had fallen asleep on the couch by Jeff. I was out with the girls and when we got home, Rome woke up crying and was VERY VERY distressed. It was like nothing I've ever seen. He was so upset and I could not console him no matter what I did. He was incomprehensible, we couldn't understand hardly anything that came out of his mouth. It was like some scary evangelist speaking in tongues. To top it off, and this was the really weird part - he would NOT look at me or Jeff. I'd say, "Rome, look at me with your eyes" and he'd say "OK" (that was the one thing we COULD understand) and would act like he was trying to look at us. Instead his eyes would be way over to the side, like he couldn't see us. It freaked me out, but eventually he calmed down and laid on the couch.

For the last couple nights he's woken up crying and upset. Not as bad as that first night but very similar. Last night he was pretty bad, all I could understand him saying was that he wanted daddy, and that something kept moving fast. Then he'd sort of point in the direction of his dresser. A few minutes ago he woke up from a nap on the couch and was crying and upset, but seemed awake. Again his speech was so slurred that I couldn't understand him. Now he's sitting on my lap and seems fine.

I'm not really sure what's going on. A friend suggested that it may be a type of sleep walking, like he's asleep and that's why his speech is slurred and can't seem to see me. Then I remembered an episode of House where a kid was having night terrors. I looked them up online but they don't seem to be exactly what Rome has been experience, similar but not exact.

So I'm wondering if anybody has an idea of what this could be. I know there are a lot of mom's and doctor's wives out there, got any suggestions? Have any of you had kids with night terrors, does this sound familiar to what you experienced?

Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Program

The holidays are over, the decorations are put away (mostly), resolutions have been made (and broken), and life is returning to "normal". It's back to school, back to The Grove, back to McDonald's, Walmart, and the YMCA. But I can't say I'm sad. No matter how great the holidays have been, I'm always glad to see the tree come down and lugged back to the garage. I love putting up my Christmas village, and while I don't LOVE taking it down (it involves a lot of boxes and foam) I'm always glad to see the family pictures return to the mantle. This year the holidays were just enough, not too much to leave me headachy and not to little making me want more.

Jeff and I made our resolutions while eating at On the Border on New Year's Eve with the kids. What are they? I think I'll keep 'em to myself, I mean they are MY resolutions right? But I will say that they have to do with a desire to stop the jigglin' and gets to grinnin'.

Jeff and I went with the kids downtown yesterday to Science City, and then saw a show at the Planetarium. It was called "The Messier Sky" and was great. The universe is so BIG. Seriously, it's totally huge.
We've always had season passes for Science City and Planetarium shows are included along with access to the KC Rail Museum, and I'd highly recommend getting them. Science City is a lot of fun (don't go on saturday if you can avoid it cause it gets really crowded) and the Planetarium is top notch. If you've got a kid that likes trains, the KC Rail Museum will be like their Mecca. You can even get on a sleeper train and walk through it.
We headed home to the lovely tune of, "I'm HUUUNGRY", "I don't want to go home!", "I'm HUUUUNNNNGGGGRRRY!!!" Ahhh, melodious.

Three Christmases

Here in the Runyan household we subscribe less to the ever growing in popularity, "three gift" take to Christmas, and more to the less popular (but I contend far more fun) "three Christmases" take to Christmas.
This year was no exception, the presents abounded, and abounded, and abounded. What bad economy? You sure could've fooled me.

Our first Christmas was of course in La Quinta, where Capri nearly died with excitement when my brother Josh gave her a Mariposa Barbie. Seriously, she nearly had a heart attack.

That clip was taken on the Flip recorder that my parents gave Jeff and I. Yeah that's right, I can now post video clips. Start the rejoicing. Come on, REJOICE! (That bonus footage after Capri opens her gift is our family dog Mac, who is in his 80's. Mac gets presents for Christmas too which he unwraps all by himself and then destroys as quickly as possible.)

Jeff got a tennis racket from my bros, which conveniently came with a picture of himself right on the front.

Returning home to Kansas City we celebrated our second Christmas on Christmas Eve with the whole Runyan, Sirois, Clark Clan. It was mass chaos, there were more presents than could be counted. Ours made up a small hill in Katie's living room. Santa even made a surprise visit, as he did last year. Uncle Jonny seems to have a knack for getting him to make a personal visit. Thanks again to Jon and Katie for offering their house up to family madness once again.

Sable has NO problem opening presents, she's got quite a talent for it actually.

Baby conference

Our cutie patootie new nephew Topher

Cousins

Once we'd got back home, the kids took baths and put on the jammers that Gramma had made for them. We read "The Night Before Christmas", the Bible, and the very last card in our Advent box. The marker was moved to the last spot on the Christmas train.



Christmas day, Jeff and I actually woke up before the kids. We had family coming later in the day and wanted to be through the presents without having to hurry before they all came. Just as we were saying, "we may have to actually WAKE THEM UP", we heard Rome's door open and his feet patter down the hall.

"OHHHHH my goodness," we heard him exclaim, "Santa Claus came!" And then the part that made us both smile, "I've gotta go tell Capri!"



Jeff and I looked a little beleaguered from a long night of wrapping ten tons of presents and watching both "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life".
Our presents to each other were just what we'd told each other we wanted. Jeff wanted CASH, he was saving up to buy massages (pretty much his FAVORITE thing EVER). And I got CASH to go to an all-day crop at Archivers (pretty much my FAVORITE thing EVER).



Santa got the kid's letters, cause they each got just what they'd asked for.

Capri's Rock & Roll Barbie

Rome's Diego car track


Sable's shopping cart


It took a couple of weeks to open all the presents out of their packages. In fact, I think there is a least one that has yet to be broken into. And the box that my mom had to mail to us containing most of the stuff we received in La Quinta has yet to arrive. So maybe it's gonna be more like FOUR Christmases!

It was one of the very merriest Christmases I can remember. No, it's NOT all about gifts. But see, to me Christmas is the ONE time of year where you can go WAAY overboard. That's why I don't like the "three gifts" Christmas that I keep hearing about. The whole want / need / read idea is just. . . well I'll go ahead and say it. . .boring to me.

Personally, I ascribe to the same theory of Christmas giddiness that both my parents brought me up with. Christmas morning in the Callister household was fueled by my Dad's sheer joy for the day and his desire to make each of us light up just as bright as the tree. We were always met by a mountain of gifts in our living room. Did we end up spoiled? I guess you'd have to ask my parents that one. But I don't think we are. Each of us kids love each other fiercely. We love our parents, we hope we tell them that enough. I know that my brothers would give anything they own to a friend or family member in need, and I feel as though I'd do the same. So no, I don't think we ended up spoiled. And I don't worry about my own kids becoming so, they are bright and compassionate. They honestly care for others, and were honestly surprised when Santa brought them more than they'd asked for. I suppose I should step down off my soapbox now.

It was a great morning followed by two conversations with my brothers Rob and Dan on their missions. The house was filled with relatives as Jeff and I wandered around, both on receivers listening to those two boys we love and miss so much. They are both doing amazingly well, and are tearing up both England and Italy.

This is an AMAZING time to be here on earth. I thank the Lord for his gifts both physical AND spiritual.

The King Has Spoken

My brother Josh left this comment about my last post:

I feel I need to defend myself for the picture in which I look like some sort of modern, satirical, degenerate throwback to a medieval king, what with me spearing meat and wearing a crown, while my mom, ever eager to serve, leans over to feed jello to me and the prince next to me. I don't remember that picture being taken, and am in fact fairly certain that you made it in photoshop. That being said, the fondu was delicious, and the jello, as always, rocked. Long live the king.

Cali

December 8th and the kids and I are off - to the desert and the oranges - Jeff joined us on the 12th. I've had quite a few people question how I travel and go so many places by myself with three little-uns. The answer to this question is also three-fold.

1. Because I've got good kids.
2. Because I am the extreme opposite of a homebody.
3. Because I must.
I've told more people (strangers) than I can count, "If I didn't bring the kids, I'd never go anywhere!"

On a nearly DAILY basis I have comments made to me about having 3 little kids. "Looks like you've got your hands full" is the flat out favorite comment of strangers who for some reason love to talk to me.
On this trip out I got quite a few comments, even though the kids were super good and we didn't have any problems or interrupt the other passengers' precious serenity. Can you tell I'm a little bitter about kid-haters? Well if you can't then I'll state it VERY plainly, I HATE kid-haters. These are those that see a kid and immediately assume they are going to "be a problem". Yeah right old guy or lady, or middle aged guy or lady - like you're such a peach yourself?

Ok, back to the task at hand. The joy of travel!

So we made it to Cali, Palm Springs to be exact, and breathed warm orange scented air. Then we coughed a bit because some idiot was smoking. See it's so warm there that practically the whole airport is outside - the only place that smokers can smoke now in California. Lucky us.

We continued on to La Quinta, where my parents' house sits on the edge of the desert. This is where I fell behind in my blogging.

Reason # 1
My family has Rock Band 2.

And I L-O-V-E-D it.

You have to understand something: I H-A-T-E video games. I didn't plan to play, only to watch my brothers, Mom, and Jeff. I planned to sit and laugh and maybe even take some pictures so that I could laugh again later.

Instead. . . I sang. . .I played lead guitar. . .I played Bass guitar. . . I played drums. . . I stayed up till 3 am playing (more than once). . .rockin'. And I never took a single picture. Seriously, I was too busy rockin'.

And now I spend a good portion of every day wishing that I had Rock Band. This I have found is tricky proposition when you don't own any kind of video game equipment whatsoever.

Reason #2
We made GALLONS of orange juice from my parents' orange trees. Yeah that's right, we'd walk about 10 feet, fill 2 Walmart bags to near explosion and then juice and juice and juice. We did this 5 or 6 times and when we left there were still oranges on the trees.
We also made homemade lemonade for the first time from the lemons on the trees at my parents rental house. Jealous? Frankly, you should be.




Reason #3
California. We had way too much fun.

Capri saw the Nutcracker with my Dad - just the two of them.


Rome and Sable closed the Chuck E Cheese with my Mom, Josh and Erin (my brother Dan's girlfriend, Dan is serving a mission in England).

Capri fell madly in love with Erin.


We helped pick out my parents' Christmas tree. Well actually we were there, and Dad bought pretty much the first one he found.





Made s'mores and sat in the hot tub.

Went to Candy Cane Lane.



The kids used Spencer and Josh as their own personal trampolines.

We ATE and ATE and ATE. Out and in, fancy and non. My mom cooked her famous pasta and made my family's traditional Christmas Eve (although not actually on Christmas Eve) meat fondue.



Jeff and I turned 32. Sigh.



Dazzled everyone at church with the kids' cuteness.



Had "Christmas".




We went for long walks in the desert behind my parents' house.

We talked, and laughed, and missed my brothers, Rob and Dan.

The 22nd came all too soon and we found ourselves flying back to the cold and snow. We wrestled with seat changes, and the fact that it was costing us $90 just to fly our bags back and forth. We didn't have to wrestle with the kids too much and we made it back to KC tired and happy to be home.

But a little sad. . .Gramma and Papa, Uncle Spencer, Uncle Josh, Erin, and Mac the dog are now so far away again. We hear the oranges are all but gone, and my parents' house is quiet. The kids are already talking about "next time", and I'm wondering when that will actually be. Whenever it is however, we'll be ready to brave the kid-haters once again - if only to get a taste of that orange juice.

Let's Get This Party Started. . .

I'm WAAAAY behind on posting. I know you all have been holding your breath, turning blue, just waiting and wanting and WISHING that I would get off my previously mentioned round planet and post. Well let out that long held breath and celebrate cause here I go.

Let's start with Thanksgiving (NO, the previous post titled "Hooray for Thanksgiving" was NOT the Thanksgiving post. Seriously, do you think I'd let you off that easy? And what were you thinking anyway, short sleeves in November? Come on.)

We ate in a mine. Specifically, The Mine restaurant in Silver Dollar City. In a way it was like our FIRST Thanksgiving, because it was the very first time that we ALL ate turkey together for Thanksgiving. And we sure packed it away, that buffet didn't know what it was in for when it let Sable eat for free.






After successfully stuffing our faces we "did The City" for the next two days before heading home. It was cold and crowded (especially the day after Thanksgiving) but we had a blast. The lights were amazing, and we saw some great shows. Oh yeah, and Sable showed her true feelings for Santa. . .

PURE FEAR.