Mr. Fix It

Kai will be attending his second "kids workshop" at Home Depot next weekend. This afternoon he discovered were I was storing his apron and excitedly tried to put it on himself. Here he is belting out the song, "Bob the Builder".




After tiring of his apron, Kai yanked it off and began to "photograph" me taking pictures of him.


Kai got a hold of one of his playdough cookie cutters and had no difficulty using it to entertain himself. F.Y.I. stars make great little hats and facial ornaments.

For all his cuteness in these pictures, Kai has been "rough" this week! Those 2nd year molars are killing him (and me). This teething business isn't doing much for his usually sunny disposition.
In the morning, Kai and I are going to our adoption agency (China Adoption With Love, Inc.) to meet with families seeking information about Special Needs adoption. Hopefully Kai will tolerate this and not display some of the "choice" behaviors that he has been exhibiting this week. I've packed him a snack bag that would keep a grown man full for a week. I figure if he is gorging, he might forget that he has been fairly miserable lately, and give the grown ups a chance to talk. I'm not kidding about his snacks either; this is what I have prepared: cranberries, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, yogurt covered pretzels, assorted crackers and cucumber slices. I'll let you know how we make out. :)

Hoppy Easter

We've had a busy day and enjoyed the gorgeous weather after a cold, rainy week.
~ Have you ever seen a cuter critter than this little guy?

~Kai's Auntie Toni-Lyn will appreciate this quote from the movie, A Christmas Story..."You look like a diranged Easter Bunny!" ...heeheeheehee

~Kai has been all about snuggling with his good friends, Dog and Bear, this week.

~Some kids have tea parties...Kai has workbench gatherings.

~Mamma's little sweetie picked me some flowers today. Too adorable.

~Kai's new marracca plays music through a speaker at the bottom of the handle. This picture makes a lot more sense if you know that piece of information. {smile}

Have a very Happy Easter!

Play Dates with Delia

Kai and I were fortunate to spend a couple of fun filled days with my friend, Jessica, and her daughter, Delia this week. They had a blast playing outside on our "new" used swingset.
(This is a random picture from earlier this week)

~ Kai's expression as he goes down the slide...


~Kai giving me the "what do you mean?" look because I won't let him climb the ladder without being spotted... :)


~We took the kiddos to Barnes and Noble for a free mini fieldtrip this morning. They were cute as can be checking over the toys and books...



~Gotta love the company of a good friend...

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures

The little darling snagged his Daddy's sunglasses again to sport his "cool dude" image.



Planes fly over our house quite frequently. Kai is always looking into the sky and pointing them out. I wonder what a toddler thinks about things like that?

Kai had a nice little conversation with himself using my cordless phone. It went a bit like this: "Hellllo? Da....da...yup. Okay. Bye."
Kai was trying to take a picture of me as I was photographing him...only trouble was that they have yet to develop a house phone that takes pictures.{I think??? I'm hardly a gadget girl.}



Doesn't everyone dump a bag of pretzel Goldfish on the kitchen table?

Kai was proudly displaying his magnet art...that is until he crazily whipped them off the fridge in a laughing frenzy. Nothing funnier to a two year old boy than watching toys get strewn around the room.

I'm running short on time tonight, but here are a few pictures. I goofed and loaded them in backwards so the ones with the new haircut are from today and the last one is from dinner the other night.
Kai loves hanging on this overturned shelf. At some point we will get around to putting it in the basement, but for now its make a great chin up bar.

Kai was so excited when our friends Lily and Becky paid us a visit this afternoon.

Kai had himself a marelous time splish splash'n in the rain water on his slide. He couldn't have gotten more wet if I hosed him down. This boy knows how to get the most out of a puddle of H2O.

Kai was giving his "cutie pie" face. Who can deny that grin?

This one kills me... Kai made a crown out of the packaging from some underwear.

Kai had his first ear of corn on the cob this week. Needless to say, he loved every bite.

Catching Up...Again

1) Kai had his first dentist appointment. It actually went really well. If you told me he wouldn't mind the visit too much 10 months ago, I would have cast you a sideways glance. A year ago Kai was positively fit to be tied at the mere insinuation of a medical exam. It is amazing how much can change in a year. Kai's dentist and hygienist were sympathetic with the oral trauma he has had to deal with these past two years, so they were careful to make this initial visit as comfortable for him as possible. They counted his teeth and examined him for any signs of decay or cavities. I'm happy to report that his teeth look great! He will go back in the fall for some minimal cleaning. I really appreciate their concern for making a trip to the dentist a positive experience!
2) We were supposed to have our first cleft team visit last week, but too many variables were working against us and we rescheduled for next month. These visits can take up to 4 hours because we need to meet with so many specialists. This new date/time will work much better around his nap and won't involve rush hour traffic or snow. :)
3) We attended our first kiddie workshop at The Home Depot this weekend. Kai is on the young side for these activities, but the projects are simple and are definitely easy enough for him to create with a little adult support. This weekend, Kai made a flower planter. He wears a little Home Depot smock and gets a certificate and piece of flare after each project.
4)I took Kai to Stride Rite to check out their summer shoes and had his size re-measured just for kicks. We bought his last pair of shoes in early February and they measured him as a 5.5 wide. My jaw dropped when I was told that he was already a 6.5 wide. Thank goodness we made a trip to the mall that day, otherwise it could have been another few weeks before it felt necessary. He's a growing boy!
5)Naptime used to be tricky for Kai. I used to have to drive him around in the car FOREVER until he passed out. Napping on his own just made him too anxious to relax. After his surgery in January, Kai seemed to be fine laying in his bed until he fell asleep as long as I sat beside his bed. To avoid eye contact, (he would stare me down and do goofy things to make me laugh) I would sit with a blanket over my head and read with the aid of a book light until he fell asleep. It was a nice chance to catch up on my reading, but boy oh boy did it get hot under there! As of this week, Kai is falling asleep without me in the room during naps. In all honesty, I could have tried this a little sooner, but it gave me a good excuse to finish my book.
6) Kai's speech continues to impress us each week. We are looking forward to the improved sound production that Kai will experience once his palate closure is completed in June.

.....Okay, so here are today's pictures. 1) Kai stole Daddy's hat and is pacing around the hall with it 2) We caught Kai on the table that holds the t.v. receiver. He snatched the "childproofing button guard" and was pushing every button he could before the gig was up 3) Kai is wearing his Home Depot apron and is banging away at the nails as he builds his planter.