nothing like a sleeping toddler ...

Besides getting a little peace & quiet of my own, I love watching little Max in his crib ... the way he always tucks his legs up under him, with his little rear in the air. And those little toes ... love them! He is definitely a fan of his crib, and I can't imagine him out of it for awhile! I still can't believe we had Katelyn in a toddler bed at 18 months! There is no way Max would ever stay put! He'd be like, "Woo hoo, PARTY!" It'd be crazy!
 
 

 
 

Max's new loves ...

Shoes ... anyone's will do, but he's partial to flip flops.
Shopping Carts ... just make sure the dogs stay out of the way.
Purses ... um, yep. He's shopping, come on!
CLIMBING ... on everything and anyone!

 
  

Matejka Mom Musings ... #1

I'm not sure if any of you have experienced this while raising your kids, but I tell you what, God sure speaks to me about my relationship with Him through my kids! Wow ... sometimes it hits me square between the eyes. There has got to be a book out there on "Things I've Learned From My Children."

So, I figured maybe I'd share on here some of the thing I've been learning and the ways my kids inspire me to be a better child to God.

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Musing #1:

Yesterday, we started this chart for Grant ... he can earn stars for listening and obeying and even more stars for doing things with a happy heart, not whining or complaining when he doesn't get his way. Liz shared the idea with me about keeping a character chart, and I thought it was a great one. Seems we always have chore charts, but I loved the idea of a chart to encourage them to develop good character and reward them for that instead of continually harrassing them about doing their chores, etc., etc. It all seems to fit together.

So, Grant started the day out great ... talking nice, no whining, doing what he was asked. It was great ... I think he earned like 10 stars by lunch time. By evening, he was tired. He got to play at a friend's house all afternoon, and by the time Steve got home, he started back into the whining. It's so tiring. Even this morning, he just didn't seem as focused on his chart ... he started to lose sight of the end rewards (sleepovers, computer time, video game time, etc.).

While trying to figure out what to do to encourage him to refocus, I realized how God must feel. Here He's given us this great reward to look forward to in heaven (well, even heaven itself!!!) and only asks us to love Him, love others and love ourselves, but how quickly do I lose sight of that and spend my time worrying about myself and what I want, not what God wants and asks of me. I don't believe that doing good deeds will get me to heaven, but I definitely know that God wants us to do good things for others in His name and show His love.

And how much am I like Grant, get to spend the day doing what I want (shopping, working, etc.), so I'm too tired to really think of others, and am just pretty grouchy. How often do I do that? Toooooo much! How sad is that!

I am no different than Grant in God's eyes ... so today, I will make my own mental character chart. Hmmmm, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control ... YIKES! I've got some work ahead of me ... Good thing God is a patient God!!!

That's all for today!

Sniff, sniff ... Katelyn's first year at camp!

It's hard to believe that Katelyn is now old enough to go to camp ... it just doesn't seem right! Even so, Katelyn has been looking forward to this week for quite some time, so I was excited for her and her first week at camp. We drove about 3.5 hours up to the Sequoia National Forest to Lake Hume. It's so beautiful up there ... I almost wish I was a counselor this year, but Steve said I couldn't do that ... the whole point is the kids have time away from us! I just don't understand, but anyway, here are some pictures from the area.

Katelyn is staying at WagonTrain this week ... and they get to sleep in covered wagons ... they looked a bit primitive compared to what I stayed in when I went to camp, but they definitely looked fun too! Grant already was playing in the little crick that ran between the wagons. Our church brought about 40 campers, 20 girls, 20 boys, but there were many other churches there too.

To find out more about this camp, check it out online Hume Lake Christian Camp.

 
 
 

 

Drawing in 3-D ... with Mark Kistler

I thought since school ended on June 1, it would be sooooo relaxing to be on summer vacation! NOT! I happened to sign Grant up for a 3-D drawing class that started the week after school got out, and the first session was at 9:00 a.m.! He and a buddy Caleb went to both the morning and afternoon session. I only stayed for the first session and Caleb's mom took them for the 2nd. I must say, it was quite fun, and the boys had a great time with Mark ... he was definitely all boy with great sound effects and creative drawings! Katelyn decided on the 2nd day that she wanted to sign up for a class too, so she did the morning class and really enjoyed herself. Here are some of the pictures from the last day ... getting their certificates signed and just being boys!

 
 
 
  

the CUBE!

It's funny how a $30 toy can bring hours of fun for the kids! I picked up this silly cube thing at COSTCO the other day, thinking it would probably be popped within an hour. Fortunately, it is still alive, as the kids have had so much fun in it. It definitely gets a little crazy in there, and we've only had one head bonk so far (Grant's nose connected with Katelyn's hard head!). Max even gets a kick out of it. Of course, the kids have found how you can flip it in the water! Figures! Here are some fun pics!

 
 
 
  
  

2nd Swim Meet of the Year

Obviously, I'm working backwards again... but that's the way it goes! ha, ha. Our second swim meet of the year was at Taft. Katelyn swam her regulars: 50 yd. free, 25 yd. back, 25 yd. fly, and 25 yd. free. She was also in a mixed relay. She had a great meet with 3 first and 2 seconds (one being the relay). Grant is working really hard, and we've seen such improvement! He's starting to get the strokes down, and really wants to compete more, so this meet he did the 25 yd. back and the 25 yd. free. He got 4th in the back and 9th in the free. The best thing is he's improving his times!! Woo hoo!!

Here are a few shots from the meet. If I ever figure it out, I'll try to add video!

 
  

kissable lips

Not sure where Max gets these lips (must be Steve), but don't you just want to kiss him :) hee, hee! I set out to get some 18 months pictures (look, Grandpa, he's got clothes on!!!), and got some sweet ones. I actually wanted to get some of his hair before we get it cut (sniff, sniff). So, here are two ... one with THE hair!

baby birds

The kids heard these baby birds outside, so we hunted them down and found them in the bush by the driveway. Poor guys ... they look so hungry! Just to be nice, Grant & Katelyn put the leftover fish bait in the bush for the momma bird to find :)

 
  

get a smart start to your day ...

Well, at least Max is! Here's the scene I found when I came out into the living room. Don't you love how toddlers just take care of themselves! ha, ha! Even the dogs had to get in the action. They know when Max gets food out it's feeding time!