Keep Thou My Feet: a birthday week

Our ward has been having a Park Day every week during the summer. I normally haven't been coming because I don't like Kevin to miss his morning nap and I didn't think he'd have much fun at the park anyway, but I decided to go this week because I've been needing some contact with other moms. We had a really good time, and I think we're going to start going regularly. It's worth it to me to get some time with my friends and to get out of the house. Kevin had a good time on the swings. He laughed and laughed and clapped his hands because he was so excited. While at the park I did learn a couple of things:

Bring lunch to the park so that when you go home you don't have feed everyone when you're exhausted.
Put the kids in shoes. I didn't have any shoes for K at the time and I wasn't terribly excited about him being in the bark barefoot, but he just had to get down and play.
If it's rained recently, bring a towel for the slides. Kids can slide down the slides sitting on the towel without getting all wet.
You can put two babies back-to-back in the baby swings so that they stabilize each other.

On Thursday I started making a can rotator out of a cardboard box. At first it was really overwhelming, but once I got going making it, it was pretty easy. (Here is where I found the instructions.) I'm going to make a few more so that I can have a better system for rotating through our food and so that I can use the space a little more efficiently. I can fit a lot more cans on my shelves this way than if I have them in rows, and I don't have to reorganize it all every time I buy a new can. Fortunately, I have an endless supply of free cardboard boxes because there are a ton of people who live in our apartment complex who think it's okay to leave enormous piles of boxes by the recycling bins rather than flattening them and putting them through the slot where they belong. (How's that for having a positive attitude about something that drives me nuts?)

On Friday K and I went to a big kids' consignment sale. I had a list of what I wanted to get for him, mainly toys, and I found almost everything I wanted. I was hoping to get a bunch of size 2T clothes for Kevin (yes, that's probably the size he will be wearing this winter), but we were too tired by the time we had found all the other things we wanted, so I gave up and got in line, although I did pick up a few size 2T clothes that people abandoned while they were waiting in the long line. While we waited in line, K had a great time playing with one of the toys I had picked out for him--it was great to have some reassurance that it was something he would have fun with!

Saturday was Kevin's birthday. The three of us got up early and went to the farmers' market. We found peaches, potatoes, and cantaloupes for really good prices. After we were finished there, we went back to the consignment sale because it was nearby. We got plenty of clothes for Kevin, and we also found three pairs of shoes that are really cute. It was really nice to have RT there with me this time. Let me just say, I am a huge fan of consignment sales now. We have saved a ton of money by buying K's things at these sales. I'm grateful for all the people I have met in this ward who have taught me so much about how to save money.

Kevin had a nice birthday. He got some fun new toys and he got to eat a chocolate brownie and lots of peaches.

You may also notice our new outlet covers in the previous picture. A friend hired me to clean her family's apartment for them after they moved, and they left their outlet covers as well as a couple of those wire keys that you can use to unlock the doors that have a hole (make sense?). I'm often amazed at how observant Kevin is. I often notice him staring at the keys above the door frames (which you can barely see poking over the edge), and he went straight for the outlets the first time he saw that they were different. That was when we discovered how cheap the faceplates are. They're really flimsy/bendy, they only have one screw in the center to attach it to the wall, and they never actually got glued to the wall. As soon as K noticed the new outlet covers, he went straight for the nearest plugs, dug his fingers behind the faceplate so that it bent, and pulled enough that the top outlet cover came off, and then he promptly put the outlet cover in his mouth. We were really impressed with how smart he is, but not too excited at the prospect of our kid getting his fingers into all the wires and things behind the faceplate, and we couldn't stop him from doing it over and over again! The outlet covers are great--they fit quite snugly, and Kevin can't get them off. It's the faceplates that are the problem. So we superglued them to the wall. Problem solved, apparently.

I was debating about whether or not to get a toy like this because I knew he would love it, but I was worried that it would only be used for a short amount of time before he starting walking. But I'm glad I got it. He thinks it's an awesome toy. It also folds down so that it's one of those little bikes that they can scoot with their feet, and I think he'll also be able to use it when he's a little older to do role-playing games, like mowing the lawn or going to the gas station.

K is a good kid. I'm starting to learn to be content with him being a little crazy during church, and I'm learning new ways to keep him occupied so I can get something out of the talks and lessons. He is a very fast crawler and has figured out how to get into rooms even if they are closed.

K's top teeth are growing in, and it's cute. Sometimes we catch him grinding his top and bottom teeth together. Apparently he likes the sound and the way it feels. It's kind of unnerving, but it still makes me laugh. I don't think it will become a habit as long as we don't make a big fuss every time he does it.

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