Adjusting to Idaho

We moved to Idaho in June and since then it has been an adjustment.  I didn't think Rex would have a hard time since he's so young, but I was completely wrong.  He has had the hardest time out of all of us.  It was so hard for him to move to a new place and have Bryce gone for 3 months.  It just showed me how important it is to have a mom and dad in the home.  Boys need their daddy's.  Bryce was gone in July, August, and October.  It was a tough 3 months.  It didn't help either that Rex is 2 and that's just a tough age.  There's a reason they call it the terrible twos.  I never really felt that way with Naomi because I didn't think she was too tough at 2.  But Rex is a whole other ball game.  Wow, he has been tough!!!  He is so dang stubborn and has got a serious temper.  If he doesn't get his way then he will go ballistic.  He will scream at the top of his lungs, and it is ear piercing.  Then he will chuck whatever is in his hands as hard as he can at the wall or floor.  Then he will completely flop and go limp.  It's frustrating because most of the time he freaks out like that and will knock his head on the ground.  He usually ends up hurt and that just makes it that much worse.  Ugh it's really discouraging.  I hope he grows out of it, because it's pretty bad.

Rex is big enough that he will get himself into trouble that Naomi never could because she was too skinny and small.  One night I was changing Violet's diaper and when I got done I walked into the kitchen and Rex had pulled a gallon of milk out of the fridge and was trying to pour milk into his sippy cup.  Milk had gotten all over the floor. Rex just knows how to attract trouble.  One day at lunch time I had gotten chocolate milk mix out and it was sitting on the counter.  I went to get Violet because she was crying and when I came back Rex had poured the Nesquick all over the floor and was playing in it.  At the end of the summer, we were leaving Carleen and Brent's house.  We had picked a bucket of raspberries and Rex LOVES raspberries.  So I put the container in his lap and let him eat them on the way home.  That was a terrible idea.  We got home and he had mushed raspberries all over himself and his carseat.  It was a disaster.  Plus he had pooped his pants.  So I changed his diaper and left him naked because we were out in the garage cleaning the carseat. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal because if he peed it would be on the cement.  Well as I am scrubbing the van, I look up and Rex had climbed into the van and peed on the floor!!!  So I go inside to get more hot water and soap.  Then I find him in the bathroom shoving grandpa's towel in the toilet!!  It was just one of those nights I couldn't win.  Bryce was gone and so that's why it was just a disaster.  There's only so much I can do on my own.  I feel like I'm barely hanging on when I'm taking care of the kids by myself.  Then just a couple weeks ago I was getting ready to go pick up Naomi from preschool.  I came upstairs to get Rex and he had taken off his diaper and had pooped all over the carpet!!  Ugh it was such a mess.  And in that same day he and Naomi had grabbed a roll of toilet paper and shredded it all over the living room floor.  HAHAHAHAHAHA As I am writing all this down, I can't believe what a hot mess we all are.  It's amazing we've all survived this year.  It's been challenging with this kid, but oh, I love this kid sooo much.  He's my baby boy and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for my boy.  He is a sweet boy and just needs to be loved.  He loves to sleep by me and has to be by my side.  That's a good and bad thing.  If I'm not by him and he wakes up then he will freak out!  That's never fun. But it does make me feel good that he wants his mom by his side.  In the middle of the night he will reach over and touch me just to make sure I'm by him.  This is a rough age for Rexy, but we are going to get through it. Plus it just makes for really good stories to tell haha.  He is a good boy and we love him so much.

Funny Little Stinker

Today after church we ate lunch with Blair and Kate.  After eating, all of us went outside to let the kids play.  While the kids were playing, there was one point I saw Rex pushing Raelyn.  He got in trouble and had to sit in time out for a little bit.  Then he went back to playing and everything was going well.  Then Rex and Raelyn were standing at the top of the hill on a round metal thing.  Bryce could see that Rex wanted to push her, and he warned Rex not to do it.  Then about a minute later, Rex gave into the urge and pushed her off.  She fell down and started crying.  Immediately, he knew he was in trouble.  Bryce started walking towards him and he turned around and ran.  Then he stopped and started spanking himself!  Bryce and I about lost it.  It was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time!

No Fear

This kid of ours has NO FEAR!!  We went to Kings Pointe Resort this weekend in Storm Lake, Iowa.  We took the kids on Friday and came back Saturday.  It was just a fun little get away to celebrate ending 3rd year of medical school.  At the hotel they had an indoor water park where we took the kids swimming.  It was so much fun and we all had a blast!!  There were 3 big slides for us to go on, and the kids could go on 2 of them.  There was a big green slide that they would let the kids go on by themselves.  Naomi wouldn't dare go by herself, and any time we mentioned she could go she would start flipping out.  So after going several times together, Bryce walked up the stairs with the kids and Rex was ahead of everyone.  By the time they got up to the top, Rex was nowhere in site.  The lady at the top said that Rex had just walked up to the slide and went down BY HIMSELF!!  I couldn't believe it.  He is way braver than I could ever be!  He went down by himself several times, until one time he started spinning around in circles and it scared him pretty bad.  He didn't want to go by himself after that, but I was just so proud of him for being so brave in the first place.

Rex was wearing a puddle jumper and that thing is a life saver!!  He was able to swim by himself and would just be hanging out in the middle of the pool kicking around.  It was pretty cute to see.  Then he would stand on the end of the pool and belly flop into the water!  He would go completely under the water and come up with a huge grin on his face.  The pool also had round "lily pads" in a row that you could try and walk across.  He loved that thing!  He would jump from one lily pad to the next and land on his stomach and slide off.  Then he'd get back up again and jump onto the next one.  Once he went across the whole thing, he would turn around and go back.  He did this for a good 15-20 minutes.

We swam for about 4 hours on Saturday, and when we left Rex was exhausted!  He had so much fun.  We stopped at a Mexican restaurant and got some lunch and then drove back home.  Within 5 minutes he was out cold and slept the whole way home.  I'm so glad we went and made such incredible memories.  I love my brave little boy so much!!