January 30th

My Friends Tigger and Pooh are quite a pair. It is not just that cutesy parental desire, but Skylar's as well. She likes to match Kamden when she can and since you won't catch Adam allowing a dress and clacky shoes on the boy, this is what we get for matching for these two. He has a hard enough time when I paint one of Kamden or Dustin's nails when they see the girls and ask for their "toes, toes" as Kamden requests. Oh, the love of a clean smelling, fresh out of the bath, snuggle from a child...
Kamden has come upon the testing, exploration phase. "Now let's see what kind of reaction I get for doing this."

When you have other children who seem so much bigger, you question whether a 20 month old is old enough to have real consequences. I lay in bed the other night recalling that Kamden is at the age Dustin was when I was expecting Skylar. It was at this time that I remembered that Dustin was held accountable for his toddler actions. Boy, now it seems a little harsh. But we do know that Kamden is old enough to be told, "no."

While I was coloring with Skylar, Kamden decided to join us, but joined in by throwing the crayons. So I suggested to Adam that he was going to need a timeout, considering his age I thought it was due time for him to realize the consequences for his undesired acts. I proceeded to tell him, "No-no." So Kamden got himself up and walked to the official timeout corner saying, "out, out." He placed his head against the wall then look at me and said, "Out, no-no."

We may not have gotten them message across to Dustin yet but Kamden got Dustin's message: you say that when you want to get out. We are still working on him for a quiet timeout. As I type this post, Kamden saw the picture and recalled, "No-no."

I pray that I would be able to adaquetly teach my children the respect and tenderness of loving others.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:10-12