Puff the Magic Dragon

I've heard the song, Puff the Magic Dragon hundreds of times. A few days ago I sat down with my three-year-old son to sing along with a book-on-CD version of the song. We were having an awesome father-son bonding time singing and looking at the book's pictures.

I sang my heart out until we got to this page. . .

A dragon lives forever but not so little boysPainted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.One grey night it happened, jackie paper came no moreAnd puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

and I realized what the song was about. It's the kind of thing that gets to my emotions. I was too choked up to sing anymore, which, I guess, made the time that much more special.

If you have kids who are growing up way too fast, give Puff the Magic Dragon a real listen.

Computer Learning for Preschoolers

We give our three-year-old son, Landen, pretty much free reign over our older computer. He reads books on www.starfall.com, types letters with Timon and Pumba, puts together puzzles at www.jigzone.com and writes "books" on Google Documents.

He got his first Webkinz today for Christmas and his two eight-year-old sisters have enjoyed showing him the ins and outs of the Webkinz village.

A little bit ago, he somehow had logged himself off of Webkinz and was sitting back at the login screen while shouting across the room to me, "How do I login to Webkinz?" I told him he needed to type his username and password, which he quickly started to do. By the time I got there he had about fifty characters in each field.

I explained that he had to type a certain username and password and told him I would print them out for him.

I showed him where to type each one and turned him loose. Here's the result:

I changed his password before posting the video.

Six Months Ago. . .

Kristi's cousin, Heather, took this picture.

Kylee, Emily, Makenna

Photography by A Three-Year-Old

There's something about the photos that a three-year-old takes. I always enjoy looking through them. They offer a perspective rarely seen. As I weeded through them this evening, there were about 20 I just couldn't delete. . . my foot on the ever-present antique footstool under my desk, the one mostly of my feet, what my desk really looks like, Makenna's smile. I don't get shots like these. Landen did.

November Quiz Stats

Missionary Church North Central District Individual Quiz Stats

Landen's Bedroom Makeover - More Progress

Landen's Bedroom Makeover Progress

Our first ceiling that is not white. It turned out great and really adds warmth to the room. The color is slightly lighter than the camel color that is on the walls.

Pre-carpet, the blind is still covered and the frog tape is still on, but it's coming along.

No bed yet, well a bigger mattress on the floor. But the carpet is in and the tape is off the wall. Landen's listening to a book by They Might Be Giants on CD here. Good thing it's a CD, I don't think a tape would have played very well.

Trick or Treat

Pumpkin Carving

Six Years Ago

Kylee

Makenna

Dear Time,

You can slow down now.

Sincerely,

Steve

Bible Quiz Team

This is the 4th year that Kylee and Makenna's have been members of our church's Bible quiz team. This year the quizzers are studying Luke 1 - 11. It's a fun way for them to learn God's word through competition and academic challenge.

Individual quizzer stats are posted from the first quiz meet of the season on quizcoach.com, stats for the younger league that the girls are in appear on pages 3 and 4 of this pdf.

First Quiz Meet of the Season

Today was the first Bible quiz meet of the season. The team that Kylee and Makenna are on went 3 - 1. Makenna did especially well. She recorded the maximum number correct in two of her three quizzes. She also came within one of the maximum in the other quiz.

Landen's Bedroom Makeover Begins

We started redoing Landen's bedroom today (our three-year-old.) He's due for a major upgrade. As we were saving and saving to get our house paid off the past few years, his room was definitely neglected. His dressers are about 35 years old. For about the past 6 months, he's been sleeping on the floor on his crib mattress. The paint on his walls is merely some leftover paint from cans in the garage mixed together into an acceptable light teal color. His carpet is just a remnant that we tacked to the floor with no padding. His light is the last remaining antique fixture in our house.

On deck for the makeover - a new loft bed (with dressers, shelves and desk built in underneath,) new paint, new carpet, a new light and a new valance. Here are a few "before" pictures.

13 Old Pictures - Scanned

We got a digital camera in 2004, when our daughters were three years old. We have been working on scanning the negatives of our photos from before that. Kristi organizes the negatives and loads them into the scanner. I scan, save and retouch the photos. I love looking at the old photos, so it's a job I am enjoying.

Here are one percent of the pictures we have scanned so far. (We're about half done - from the girls' first birthday through about 2 1/2 years old.)

My Son Loves My Hair

Today my three-year-old son told me that he wants to have hair just like me when he grows up.


He even added, "I'm gonna talk to God about wiping all the hair off my head."

I think his prayer will be answered.

Landen Riding Video

Here's a better video of Landen riding his bike without training wheels than the one I posted a few days ago.

How Old Should My Kid Be to Teach Him to Ride Without Training Wheels?

How about three years, two months?


Landen learned to ride without training wheels today in a matter of minutes. Since his birthday on March 15, he had ridden his bike (a Specialized HotRock 12) a total of 66 miles with the training wheels on. So he definitely had some experience. Landen also had mastered balancing his Razor Scooter, which I think helped him know how to balance the bike. The Balance Buddy handle we used made it easier to get him started, but he caught on so fast we probably would have been fine with out the handle.

He's already ridden three more miles without the training wheels. Here's a video (not all three miles - just a half a block.)

Spring Musical

Kylee and Makenna's first grade spring musical, "We're Just Plain Silly," was tonight. Both of the girls had parts in the program telling jokes.

Kylee at the mic.

Landen's Bike

Landen is still racking up the miles on his new bike. He has had it for two weeks and has already ridden 20 miles. Here's a short video of his newest trick, riding off the edge of the sidewalk curb.

Makenna Knows Words

Kristi and Kylee went shopping tonight. After I put Landen to bed Makenna asked me to play a game. We decided on UpWords, a game at which I have been known to excel. As we began to play I told Makenna that she can't expect to be an expert at the game right away and that it would take her a while to learn how to play well.

Makenna is eight years old. She beat me. 163 to 148.


She made her best move with her last letter. Shortly after I told her that I didn't see anything she could do with her 'U" she came up with a double word move, forming both HUM and US.

And if anyone sees anywhere I could have played my leftover 'E' or 'O' please let me know. The 'G' in GARB was the only tower that was maxed out.

Good job Makenna. And maybe you're right - I might be the one who needs the practice.

Landen's Birthday, My Birthday

Landen was born 3 years ago today, on my 35th birthday. We had a great day (see the slide show for a glimpse.) The whole day was a lot of fun, but I think the best part was when I tucked Landen into bed and he sweetly whispered, "Thank you for the new bike."

The Weekend

We (Kylee, Makenna and I) took Jamie's family to Indianapolis on Saturday. I had been missing Jamie. It was great to spend some time with him and his family this past week. I wish it would have been under happier circumstances though.

I forgot to take the camera, but Deb did snap this picture of the kids in the back of the van. They seemed to really enjoy the drive. We didn't hear a complaint the whole way there, just a lot of playing and giggling.

Deb iPhoned this picture to me.

We stopped at Moe's for burritos in Carmel before dropping the Prenkerts off at the airport, where their van was parked.

Heading north on 465, Makenna said, "INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY!" I said, "Yeah, you can visit it." Pause. "Do you want to?" "YEAH!" So I made a quick exit and we headed toward the Speedway.

I thought it might be fun just to drive under the tunnel and take a look at the track, then head on north. The girls, however, were already scoping out the museum signs and asked if we could go in. I was afraid admission might be $15 or $20 each. Much to our surprise, admission to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is $3 for adults and $1 for children. We bought tickets for the museum as well as tickets for a track tour, which were also $3 and $1.

The tour was fun. A bus took us right on the track. We did one loop, listening to track history as we rode.

The museum was nice as well. We watched a video that detailed the history of the Motor Speedway. Mostly though, the museum is a collection of Indy 500 winning cars. Probably close to half of the winning cars were on display, dating back to the first race in 1911.

All three of us enjoyed our visit. The $10 total price was a bargain!

I spotted a guy with an iPhone
and asked him if he would snap
a picture and e-mail it to me.

After the museum we drove to Kokomo, where we spent the night at the Courtyard by Marriott.

• We swam four times. (It would have been three times, but Makenna threw-up in the pool bathroom (almost in the pool,) so we had to go up to the room so she could get cleaned up - then we went back.)
  
• I got plenty of use out of the hotel's free wi-fi on my iPod Touch.
• I wish my iPod had a built in camera.
  
• While trying to decide where to eat supper, Kylee spotted a sign at a McDonald's that said "Free Hot Chocolate on Feb. 14." We went in and ordered three cups - nothing else.
  
• We ate supper at Cracker Barrel. It's not my favorite place, but it was good and cheap. The girls loved their pancakes - WAY cheaper than IHOP.
  
• After supper we went to another McDonald's (one with a really busy drive-through with only three employees working) and ordered three more free cups of hot chocolate - and nothing else.
  
• The hotel reservation came with a free in-room movie, but we did not have time to watch one, which would have been Madagascar 2.
  
• The breakfast (which is not usually free) was included in the deal and was really good.
• I usually use hotwire.com or priceline.com to book hotel rooms. I booked this room directly through the hotel. The deal was $69, which is more than I usually pay for a similar grade hotel, but the free breakfast made it worth it.
• The hotel was busy - lots of kids.
• We ate lunch at Qdoba.
• We walked both Kokomo malls.
• All three of us were exhausted when we got home.
  

Girls' Birthday Slideshow

Eight Years of a Whispered Phrase

Today is Kylee and Makenna's eighth birthday. My, how I love those girls.

I have this phrase that I have been whispering to each of my girls since they were born, and oh it is so true that "you are just the kind of kid I always wanted."

Birthday Pictures

My niece, Abby, just turned 7. Kylee and Makenna turn 8 next week. We celebrated their birthdays with family today.

Day with the Girls & Bolt

Kylee, Abby and Makenna sporting their 3D glasses.

I spent the day with Kylee, Makenna and my niece, Abby. I took Rob's advice and took them to see Bolt in 3D. The movie was fantastic. Beyond the terrific story, the RealD 3-D visuals were very impressive. If you enjoy going to movies and haven't seen Bolt yet, I would recommend seeing Bolt in 3D before it ends its run.

The whole day was a lot of fun, we:

• Went to Dick's Sporting Goods and PetSmart in Mishawaka. (The girls do not have any pets, but they do enjoy looking at the animals in pet stores.)
  
  
• Went bowling at Strikes and Spares in Mishawaka. (None of us had been there before. It is a very nice place. It was Kylee and Makenna's first time bowling and we had a good time. I plan on returning to Strikes and Spares.)
  
  
• Ate lunch at Chick-fil-A. The girls played in the play area.
  
  
• Went to Build a Bear Workshop and Claire's in University Park Mall.
  
  
• Took the Toll Road from Mishawaka to Elkhart.
  
  
• Saw Bolt in 3D in Elkhart where we drank 120 ounces of Pepsi and ate a large popcorn.
  

Our Best Video of The Year

Our best video of 2008 was recorded shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve. The throws were great, the celebration even better.

Six Years Ago Today

At the Fashion Farm in 2002 & 2008

Kylee

2002..........................2008

Makenna
2002..........................2008

Trick or Treat

Unbelievably Blessed

Long before I had any children, I wanted twins - twin girls to be more specific. I never expected to get them, but I did. They are just the kind of kids I always wanted.


I love this picture of Kylee and Makenna, taken in April 2007 at a mall in Nashville, Tennessee. It hints of them venturing out into the big, wide world, but doing it together. Cool stuff in this photo: holding hands, no one else being around, their jean pockets and especially their instep stride with identical peaks at the bottom of their shoes.

Makenna

My daughter, and fellow blogger, Makenna, recently posted the 100th entry to her blog.

Bible Quiz Team

Kylee and Makenna are on the Bible quiz team at our church. This is their third season quizzing. This past Saturday was their first meet of the year. Their team won 2 and lost 2 on Saturday. Makenna did record her first "perfect quiz out" ever on Saturday. A perfect quiz out is when one quizzer answers five questions correctly during the 20 question, 8 competitor quiz without getting any questions incorrect.

There are about 150 questions per month to memorize. This year the questions will be based on Exodus 1 - 20.

Here's Makenna sporting her perfect quiz out medal on Saturday. We spent about a half an hour on Sunday afternoon looking through leaf piles for this medal, only to have Landen find it this morning behind one of our living room chairs.

Kylee had a perfect quiz out last season. Here is a video of that event (about 4 minutes.)

Favorite Shirts

Me and Landen in our favorite shirts.