Fighting... with an 8-1/2 yr age difference?!?

Seriously... they're fighting today. There are 8.5 yrs between them and they are FIGHTING!

Um... like brothers?

Who would've thought that they'd already know how to push each others buttons so. I guess I don't need to worry too much about the age difference keeping them from having a normal sibling relationship. They've already mastered one of the most important parts of growing up with a sibling... driving each other insane! They are extremely supportive of each other tho. Kyan will be the first to clap and give Jaben a "good job!" when he's done something praise-worthy, and Jaben celebrates all of Kyan's milestones right along with the rest of us (using the potty on his own!!), so I know they love each other. I just think today they're having a day when they don't really like each other.

Normal, yes. Frustrating? You'd better believe it. I just gave my first double time out and... I didn't really like it. That was no fun. One of them looked at me like I was a moron (gotta love that pre-teen know it all phase) and the other one looked at me like I took away his puppy.

Hopefully we'll be able to move to the new house sooner rather than later, then they can have their own rooms as well as a playroom and maybe, just maybe, having that extra space will level things out a bit.

Oh, I didn't mention we're very likely moving to a new house? It's a family-owned home (meaning owned by my mother's family - it belonged to my grandma and grandpa) and it's recently been empty. It needs a lot of work (so does the house we live in now) but it's got enough bedrooms that everyone could have their own, plus there would be a rather large playroom, once we're finished with the remodel the kitchen will be huuuuuge, it has a gigantic back porch that will be screened in for hanging out and playing (yay for a rainy-day playspace!), a garage, and will have a large fenced-in yard! I do hope things work out because that would be so very nice. I'd love to be in the same area of the house as the boys, I'd love for them each to have their own rooms... and I'd love everything else we'd most likely end up having with this other house.

Plus, it's right up the street from some life-long friends of ours and it'd be very cool to have friends that close. Our neighbors here... well, they kind of suck. I'm very hopeful that this will work out and I'm definitely excited! I can't wait to get out of this house! Hopefully Sept-Oct..... Cross your fingers!!

Daycare switch hell

Have I posted that Kyan is at a new daycare? I don't know if I did. It's so hard to find the time to post anymore (especially since blogger is NO LONGER COMPATIBLE with my mac at work!) that I don't know what I've posted and what I haven't. Regardless, our super-wonderful-love-her-to-death daycare provider is moving to South Carolina and we're going to miss her like crazy. That also means we needed to find a new home for Kyan during the days. Lynn suggested someone, we met her, liked her, and started Kyan over there, and that's where things got rough.

Kyan isn't the most adaptable kid to begin with. He wants things the way he wants them and if he's not happy, he lets you know it. I wouldn't call him difficult, exactly, but headstrong for sure. Yeah, definitely headstrong. But that's not what this is. Lynn has a little boy, just his age, I think 2-3 months older, named Chad. He and Kyan are best friends, brothers. They have spent all day together since Kyan started there last August. That's not long to you and me, but to Kyan and Chad, it's been forever. I don't think they can remember ever not having each other.

So, while our new provider is great, she's not Lynn and she doesn't have Chad. And Kyan is very, very sad. I even got a call at work yesterday about how pitifully sad Kyan is. She said he's breaking her heart... he's not being difficult, he's not being whiney, but he's so very sad and nobody - not even Mommy - knows how to help him. He's grieving, he's hurting, he misses his friend so much, and he's not big enough yet to understand what's going on. I can't explain this one to him and it hurts to see him so hurt.

Lynn brought Chad over last night to visit and Kyan was so happy! After they left he smiled at me, jumped up and down and said, "I play Chad today!" That's the happiest I've seen him in a week. We're going out this morning, but after nap this afternoon we're going to go to their house to visit. I'm going to bring my camera and get some pictures so Kyan will have them, but we can't do this forever. They're leaving Weds to go look at a house Lynn's husband found and if they like it they'll stay to sign papers and do the closing. All they'll have left to do here is sell their house. So he can't get used to going to Chad's house to play.

I wish I knew what to do to make this easier for him. I wish there was some way to let Kyan know that Chad is okay, Lynn still loves him and they miss him, but they're going to be living somewhere else soon, too far to go play. I wish I could fix it all for him and I just can't. And that makes ME sad.

Beauty and the Beast

MY KID IS SO TALENTED!!!!

This past Friday, June 1, Jaben was in Beauty and the Beast, as Gaston. Yes, my short little dude played a big, burly, arrogant jerk and he was GOOD at it! He acted his little hiney off, actually.

This was Jaben's part! Absolutely beyond the shadow of a doubt! He was INCREDIBLE! He was so funny, he was so good, he didn't miss a line and in fact he knew the other kids' lines when they forgot them! He had the audience in stitches - even in places I didn't think people would laugh he played it so well they went NUTS! Seriously! At intermission people were coming up to me telling me what an amazing job he was doing, he's so talented... I could not believe it! I mean, yeah, I knew he was hitting it out of the park, but wow! To have the other kids' parents be that impressed is HUGE! I can't wait to get the DVD!!!

Okay, I'm bragging my butt off here, but I feel like I can honestly say that there was only one other child on that stage that was even remotely as good as he was, and that was the girl who played Belle. I talked to her mother after and she said the same thing... they both just blew the other kids away. I know, I know, not so great for the other kids (there were some BIG problems with the castle objects) but wonderful for ours! I already KNOW how talented he is!! I was literally sitting there thinking, "Wow... that's MY son!" I could not be more proud of him!

Just after his entrance:


All the girls looooove Gaston:


I’m too handsome (yes, this is a blurry action shot):


As you can see I’ve got biceps to spare:


Dancin’:


Kill the beast (another blurry action shot):


After the show:

Prayer request

Since I believe you can never have too many people praying and sending you good thoughts, I'm going to ask that you keep a friend of mine in mind. I don't know her IRL, "just" online, but I know that she's an amazing person, with a husband and a son she loves and a huge heart. She just found out that she has skin cancer. I don't have details or anything, and honestly, even if I did I don't think I'd post them. All I want is to get as many healing vibes and prayers out to her as possible.