Craziness ensues

My schedule this past month has been kind of like this:

Last week of April: Go out to plant for a run

Last weekend of April: Go camping - get the stomach flu

1st week of May: Sick with the flu

Mother's Day: Fly back out to the plant, still feeling sickly from the flu

2nd week of May (last week): At the plant doing another coating run

Wed. 2nd week of May: get home from plant, pack stuff for Keegan's last skating lesson, pack stuff for camping

Thurs. - Call in sick to work because now I have a cold - that I caught on the plane probably, take Keegan to his last skating lessons

Friday morning - Finish packing for camping. I promised Keegan before I left for the plant I would take him swimming. Pack up swimming stuff, go swimming. Get home, leave for camping.

Saturday Morning - Enjoy camping :-) Very happy that the weather is nice and no disasters ensue with the camper or hiking. Well, besides a plethora of wood ticks.

Sunday Morning - Go hiking, leave early because Keegan is being a real stinker. Get home, do wash from work trip and camping, Keegan down for nap. In the afternoon take our pontoon out...motor dies...get stuck in the middle of the lake. Lyle swims the pontoon back to the house (with us in it). Keegan is upset because he wants to take the boat to the beach. We drag the canoe down to the lake, Keegan has his first trip in the canoe (he sits still and manages not to tip us!). We go to the beach and have lots of fun :-) Mommy and Daddy are exhausted from all the hiking/canoing/unpacking/sand castle building etc. Go home and make dinner on the grill.

So there's been a lot of going places going on. As I stood last night staring at the kitchen/washroom I could only shake my head. The following bags are cluttering up the floor:
- Suitcase half unpacked
- Bag of skating stuff
- Bag of swimming stuff
- Sleeping bags
- Bags of camping stuff
- Bag of beach stuff

We are basically packed and ready to do anything and be anywhere. Too bad there hasn't been time to clean anything up. Today I am trying to be motivated to write-up a patent at work. All I can do is sit here exhausted and wish I was somewhere else. My exercise program of weightlifting alternating with cardio went out the window mid-April when all the traveling started. not good, considering spring is usually my good exercise time. My eating habits are screwed up from a crazy diet of packaged food and energy bars that I eat at the plant and camping delicacies that we eat on the road. I want nothing more than to have a couple weeks of normalcy and food that actually needs to be refridgerated.

Okay I am done bitching, back to work.

Acrobatics, Volcanos, and Not Another Rhyme Now I Mean it!

We will take this post in three steps. The scary, the fascinating, and the hilarious.

I will make the normal remark that this blog is sorely neglected and I will, again, apologize. But, well we've been busy. I've been having to travel a lot out to the plant again (about once a month) and we have skating lessons and soon swimming lessons. Now we are also starting in on camping and gearing up for our trip to Florida in October. So it's been busy.

Tonight though Keegan performed a feat of acrobatics that almost made me have a heart attack and had to be unparalleled in grace for a three year old untrained in gymnastics. Keegan decided to see what would happen, despite advice to the contrary, if he let go at the top of the swing.

I am all for experimentation, but I prefer less dangerous types. Explosions are okay but throwing yourself through the air, not so okay. The boy let go at the highest point, performed a full 360 degree flip. Of course said flip was in slow motion as mommy and daddy yelled the "KKKEEEEEGGGAAAAN" in slow motion just like you see in movies. The boy then landed gracefully on his butt, hands and feet. Then of course the crying starting.

I was panicking not wanting to move him in case he broke something and relieved that he didn't land on his head and trying not to laugh because that flip was just...sooo...graceful. He crawled over and hugged me and was just fine, not even a scrap. Lyle asked him why he was crying, Kee said "I was 'fraid I broke my bones." I was like, yep we were all afraid of that.

Then Kee stood up brushed off his pants turned to look at Lyle and said "Dad this time I will hold on with both hands. Can we go higher?" Meanwhile I was still trying to put my heart back in my chest and stop my legs from wobbling. I continue to be amused and grateful by what this kid can do to himself without killing himself.

Then there is Kee's latest obsession. With his opinion of ice skating not all that high we have moved onto something new...VOLCANOES! Yes volcanoes are the thing of the moment, have been for the last couple months. We run from lava at the playground, occasionally Kee can't use the potty because "Lava might come up the drain", and tears ensued last time I left to go to Oregon because "That Mount St. Helens might get mommy when she goes to the plant." We have checked out every library book on volcanoes from the library at least twice and are now ordering books from other libraries. We got this library book: Volcano a Visual Guide from the Colombia Heights library today; it is beyond awesome and I highly recommend for all ages. Below are links to some other good Volcano books:
Jump into Science: Volcano!
National Geographic Reader: Volcanoes!

I am not sure why they all need a '!' in the name. Guess that makes it more exciting. Quick funny story. Last Friday we go to the library and there are no volcano books. Lip quivering and tears threatening Kee says "But I need a volcano book." So we went to the online system and looked up some at other libraries and reserved them. I explained they would be here in a couple days. Keegan looks at me and marches right over to the counter. He is just tall enough to see over. He says "Excuse me lady, excuse me." The librarian looks over the counter at him "Can I help you?" "Well, lady I need volcano books and mom said they would be here soon." I got over there then an explained to the lady we had reserved some and we knew there weren't any in the library right now. It was just cute to see Keegan take the matter into his own hands.

Lastly rhyming. Keegan has learned how to rhyme. Which is interesting. You remember the scene in Princess Bride..."NO more rhymes not I mean it!...Anybody want a peanut!" Well that reminds me of our house now. I say "Keegan come and brush your teeth" he says "Is there water underneath". I say, "You are standing on my hair" he says "I am standing over there." It is cute and funny and drives you a little bit crazy after awhile. Yay! My boy can rhyme...that is good. But soon I will be talking in rhyme at work and that is just wrong...

Potty update....
So Keegan went all weekend camping with no accidents. He had one day at daycare last week with no accidents and had no accidents today at daycare. Very cool. I am thinking this kid might be potty trained in the next couple months. It is very exciting. I also think since I just bought a case of diapers last week that he is doing this to spite me. I held off as long as I could but he still wears a diaper over night so we needed some... He can make it through naps really well though. Anyway I am very very proud of him. When I tell him so his response is "Yeah, so. I am a big boy now mom, big boys don't pee in their pants." Well okay then, I guess that tells me where I sit.

Also Keegan is 38.5 inches tall. This is exciting because if he can grow and inch and a half by October than he can do all the cool rides at Disney World. So now he is asking me which foods make him grow big and strong because he wants to hit that 40 inches...it's a good opportunity to talk about what foods taste good and what foods are good for you...

Well that's all for now. Hope you are all having a great week.