The Alston Family: September 2015

I missed the normal monthly updates this month with starting school again, so I thought it would be more fun to do a combined update about Kate and Edwin and how they're growing. :)

Edwin has just taken off. He is very solid on his feet these days and getting close to running. He enjoys climbing, LOVES dogs, and also screams constantly. CONSTANTLY. I just can't stress that enough. But overall he is such a sweet and funny kid. We just adore him!

He will be 18 months in a few days, so that means he starts Nursery at church! Nursery class is for toddlers ages 18 months - 3 years. Kate and Edwin will be in nursery together for a few months until Kate moves to Sunbeams (the youngest Primary class) in January.

Edwin is DEFINITELY ready for Nursery. He is just so wiggly sitting with us in our gospel study adult age classes at church for 3 hours every Sunday. I'm excited for him to have more interaction with kids his age and start to learn along with his sister.

We went ahead and let him try it out a few days ago since we have General and Stake conference for the next two weeks... and he passed out after the first hour! Poor kid.

In the past couple of weeks Edwin vocabulary has increased immensely. He can now say: stairs "dairs", Wow!, Up, Ball "baw", cheese, dog, light, HOT, a few other scattered things occasionally, and he signs: more, food/eat, please, all done, mommy, and waves goodbye.

Edwin is TERRIFIED of elevators, and loves to walk wherever he can. He is also super good at throwing tantrums and will just toss himself at the floor when he is grumpy. (Which is like 85% of the time).

Edwin's favorite foods are: bananas, cheese, yogurt, granola bars, fruit leather, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and fruit (especially oranges and raspberries). He will basically eat anything.

Kate's latest obsession is Toy Story. She asks to watch "Buzz" ALL. THE. TIME. She is also loving her Sneaky Snacky Squirrel game that Nonna and Papa gave her when they came to visit in August. The point of the game is to be the first one with all the acorns on your log. It is played by spinning a color wheel arrow and it tells you what color acorn to collect, or allows you to steal an acorn from another player, or the wind comes and blows all your acorns back onto the tree. Somehow Kate ALWAYS wins. We don't even let her. She is just really talented.

Kate's favorite foods are: bananas, which she calls "banalalas", raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple (are you seeing a theme?) and she also loves string cheese and yogurt. Kate does NOT like sandwiches. For the most part I just avoid making them for her. She will sometimes eat egg salad or tuna sandwiches, but claims that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are "too crunchy" for her. I only get creamy organic peanut butter, but apparently it doesn't help. HAHA

Kate is quite the ball of energy. She wakes up at 8am and goes to sleep at 8:30/9pm with no naps in between.

Edwin also sleeps all night, but still takes 2 naps a day (hallelujah!).

He still refuses to go to sleep without his favorite blankie and I have started to get crafty with my mending because it is wearing out a bit. He wants to take it with him almost everywhere we go.

Over the last couple of weeks Edwin has also started sucking his thumb. I just randomly found him one day asleep during his nap with his thumb in his mouth. Jon and I have no idea where this came from or why he does it. It isn't all the time, and I think he might actually be chewing on his thumb to help with teething. Either way it's been kind of funny because he was never even a pacifier baby, but we're working to stop the thumb sucking asap.

Kate has been speaking very well. She forms full thoughts and complete sentences. She also has major attitude.

classic Kate face

The other day she did something that she shouldn't, but I didn't even say anything about it, and instead she immediately disciplined herself and went over to stand in the corner for a time out! When I asked her what she was doing she said, "I'm on a time out because I am very angry." HAHA. Well, I hope that at least she is learning how to cope with her emotions. We have been talking about feelings a lot lately and how to appropriately react when things get frustrating. Taking deep breaths helps Kate a lot.

The kids have adjusted very well so far to our new schedule.

Jon is working two jobs (teaching at BYUI part time as an adjunct instructor of English,

and still working full time as a Supervisor at Porter's craft and frame) and I am taking 4 classes/12 credits (full time) at BYUI.

I am on campus Monday through Friday in the morning, so I am gone from 8:30am-11:30, or 10am-1:30pm every other day. Then I have to coordinate study groups and exams at the testing center in between. Jon works 5 days a week at Porter's (usually from 1pm-9pm and sometimes in the morning/daytime on Saturdays). He also teaches twice a week at BYUI which overlaps with me a bit. A couple days a week he is gone from 7:30am-9:30pm. Whew!

My mom recently moved to Rexburg and has been coming over a few times a week to help with the kids and play with them while I do homework or take exams. It has been incredibly helpful! Kate and Edwin love seeing Gram. :)

Jon and I squeeze date nights in after the kids go to bed, and go to the temple on his days off at least once a month.

Aside from our crazy schedules, the kids continue to impress me with the new things they are learning and doing every day. Kate has been pointing out letters and trying to sing the alphabet everywhere we go. She asks us to read words to her, and is still as book crazy as ever.

This infectious book-love is definitely rubbing off on Edwin. The other day while I was doing homework he just came right in next to me and plopped himself back on a pillow to read! :D