What will they think of next

You'll never regret spending too much time with your kids.


Bekah's advice to Hannah, "Never clean your tongue with a diaper wipe. It never tastes good." Sound advice I'll say.

I gave both of the girls a slice of really yummy pie. . . topped with whipped cream. They ate all the whip cream and didn't want the rest of the dessert. What is wrong with my girls. Not going to waste anymore pie on them.

Mommy woke up today to find out that Hannah and Bekah tried to redecorate Hannah's room by themselves. They used pretty markers to decorate the rocking chair, the sheets, the side table and the carpet. Then they each gave themselves a make-over on their faces, tummy's and legs. Just wish that we got pictures of it all.

Both Bekah and Hannah got to go to the eye doctor today. Bekah was a bit scared and wouldn't say a word to the doctor. Hannah was much less intimidated and participated as much as a two year old could.

I was talking to my dad about another project that I would like to do and just don't have time for. I told him that I had too many pans in the frying pot and I just couldn't do one more thing.

Hannah was sitting in her "boat" (a broken lid to a toy box) singing. A few family members were sitting around her talking. Hannah kept singing louder and so we kept talking louder and louder. Finally Hannah says, "Everybody, listen to my song! Everybody, listen to my song!" Everytime we talked she would say it again.

Good Advice

Bekah's advice to Hannah, "Never clean your tongue with a diaper wipe. It never tastes good." Sound advice I'll say.

We were reading our Bible story today about Jesus being the light of the world. I always ask Bekah questions to see if she understands. I asked her how we are the light of the world. She said that we had to be skinny and bright and that is how we are the light of the world. We did a little more teaching after that comment.

Chocolate Anyone?

Bekah came running in to tell me that Hannah was eating chocolate. I found Hannah on the step stool in front of the can of chocolate Quik, spoon in hand with a smile on her face and chocolate powder all over her mouth and jammies. I was speachless. What do you say to that?

Good-Bye

Monday afternoon we got a sad call saying that Chris's dad had died. He had been running an errand up to Hartstone and must not have felt very well. He pulled off to the side of the road and entered eternity. The whole family spend that night crying and talking and remembering all the good times we had with dad. He was such an amazing man. He loved God and his family so much. We will truely miss having him in our daily lives. It has been a great comfort to me to know that someday we will see him in heaven again. I keep picturing Casey with a big smile on his face, holding onto dad's hand and running all over heaven with him.

Tuesday before heading off to surgery, Bekah and I were talking about Grandpop being in heaven. After talking to her for a while she asked Jesus to come into her heart and save her. What a sweet moment for our whole family. She has been telling everyone that she made that decision.

Right after that I headed to the hospital to have my gall bladder taken out. The surgery went smoothly and they were able to do it with only three small incisions. Shortly after the surgery was over, nausea from the anesthetic set in. That was not so fun. I left the hospital after 6 hours and was home by 3:30pm. By 8 that night I was able to keep food down. The pain has been pretty bad so I got some better medicine today and am hoping that helps. I showed Bekah my scars (mostly to keep her from jumping on my belly). She got a surpised look on her face and asked, "How did they put your belly button back?" I laughed so hard even though it hurt.

Today the family made a lot of the hard decisions for the funeral and memorial service. Some of the guys stayed here to take care of the girls and me. The burial is on Friday and we are having dad's memorial service on Saturday. I just found out that they will be giving dad full military honors at the memorial service. Thank-you all for your prayers and thoughts. I love seeing just how many people's lives Dad touched.

Fall Pictures

I have started a little photography business. I so enjoy taking pictures. It is so fun getting the perfect picture. I was trying to find a pretty place to take pictures and decided to check out John Ash. I woke up after sleeping during the day since I had worked the night before. I got the girls dressed and drove to John Ash. I let the girls explore the grounds. We went everywhere and the girls had so much fun. This is definitely the best place I have found to take pictures. I loved the fall colors too. They were amazing.

Lazy Fall Day

I love having a lazy fall day with the family. Today has kind of been that sort of day. Chris and I were able to sleep in until 8 am. That is pretty unheard of in our family. The heater was on and it is cold and sprinkly outside. We had joke (yolk) eggs, toast with home made strawberry jam and hot cocoa. After a little clean up we headed down town as a family with Aunt Shonna in tow. It was fun walking down town to Barns and Nobles Book store. The kids found lots of good books to use with their gift card and Shonna and Chris found some great ones too. I bought the book Wicked which I heard is a really good read. Then we ordered coffee and cocoa (it's just that type of day-what can I say) at Starbucks. It was so nice sitting outside in the cool weather talking and enjoying our hot drinks. Hannah kept getting a mustache from the chocolate syrup and whipped cream on my cocoa. Then we walked back to the library. Bekah, Hannah and Aunt Shonna played on the computer. Ok, Bekah played and the others just watched. I picked a pile of books and we headed home. After a quick lunch and a pile of books the girls headed to bed, Chris to his video game and I to curl up under my covers with the computer. I hope the rest of the day is just as nice. Pumpkin carving and chicken fried steak and gravy are on the docket for tonight. Oh, you just gotta love those lazy fall days!

Now on to get caught up on the funny quotes from the kids.

June 2010

Bekah's new favorite movie is Disney's Robin Hood. She keeps getting mixed up and calling it the Neighborhood Movie. Around the same time we let her watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Bekah loved that movie except for the creepy guy (who likes him anyway). She would run around the house singing, "Chicken, chicken, Bang-Bang!"

I love it when Bekah sees something that she has heard of but doesn't remember what it is called. She just makes up a new name for it and there you have it. A cart wheel is now a carpet square, a water fountain is a watermelon, pop tarts are pot arts and Mr. Jelly Belly is Mr. Gummy. She is often heard saying, "I put my clothes in my hamster." and "I'm going to put my hair between my ears."

Auntie Shonna was staying with us for awhile. Shonna always says, "Good-bye Love." One day she said it to Hannah and our little one piped up, "Bye Love!" A few days later Bekah asked Auntie Shonna why she never called her Love anymore. Auntie Shonna had daringly called her Bekah instead of Love.

August 2010

Bekah was singing, "Darn-in-nation" for what ever reason. We told her that the word was actually domination. We asked her what that word meant. She replied, "Yeah, cause Domination doesn't make you better, it kind of makes you sick inside." Still not sure what was going through her mind.

Daddy picked up Bekah's piggy bank and felt how heavy it was. He told Bekah that she had too much money in her piggy bank. Bekah had a good solution. She said, "I'm going to give some of my money to Pastor Stan. He said he didn't have any money. I'm going to save the rest of the money for winter 'cause I might need it."

On a car trip Daddy asked Bekah to sing Mary Had a Little Lamb. This is what he got. "Mary had a little lamb. She didn't' know what to do with it. So she pushed it in the fire pit. she wrapped it up in newspaper and took it home and cut it up and ate it." We didn't ask her to sing that song again.

We had a delightful time with our relatives from New York and Texas. When we asked Bekah what her favorite part of the visit was, she replied, "Walking on the Golden Gate Bridge. And riding on Dan's shoulders while I held onto his fingers as he ran across the bridge."

September 2010

Hannah is now 22 months old. She is just starting to grow out of her 12 month clothes. We went shopping to get her some new outfits. At the store, she went from one dress to the next saying in a girly soft voice, "Oh, that's cute! Oh, that's cute!" for each one.

Bekah was very sad that the sun was hiding behind the clouds. She looked out the window and said thoughtfully, "The sun is my friend. I want it to get out here. Maybe the sun is getting on it's yellow."

Bekah and Hannah were supposed to be cleaning up while Aunt Jennifer was babysitting. Hannah was much more enthusiastic. Bekah turned to Aunt Jennifer, "Hannah is being a good example to me!"

October 2010

Mommy went to a baby shower for Laurabelle. When Bekah was asked when Mommy would be back, she responded, "She'll be back after she gives the baby a shower."

Bekah asked if she could listen to her new CD, "The Garden Of Eden" otherwise known as "The Secret Garden".

Mommy to Hannah, "Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice." Bekah immediately piped up with, "No, girls aren't made of sugar and spice! God made men and boys and girls out of nothing. Papa Karl told us at Cubbies that God made everything out of what was in his paper bag after he dumped everything out. Nothing!!"

Bekah loves to watch America's Funniest Videos. We were talking about how we enter a movie and tried to get her on the show. She looked at mommy sadly and said, "But then you wouldn't have me anymore."

Hannah went to her first dentist appointment with Dr. Oliver. She lay in mommy's lap as he looked at her teeth. She was a big girl and didn't cry at all. Her favorite part was getting a "brush teeth" of her own.

Hannah just turned two years old. She threw away her "baa" (pacifier), went poop in the potty and had her first visit to the dentist. Hannah loves to help mommy clean up all the time. She helps clean put the dishwasher and load and unload the washere and dryer. She picks up her books and toys when asked. Hannah cleans up spills on the table or floor on her own. She normally wakes with a smile and tells us that she is happy. As a little sister of course she copy's every move and word that she sees her big sister do or say. Hannah can say six to seven word sentences and amazes us with her much she says and understands. She is very opinionated and wants to do everything "all by myself". When going to be she wants to rock with mommy and "nuggle". She is best known for her cheeser smile and her pouty lip. She is a lovely and cuddly little girl.

Bekah has just turned four years old. She is a bright and inquisitive child. Our eldest child love to be the center of attention. She will sing (quite off key) and tell stories to anyone who would listen. Bekah has imaginary friends she calls "Geysers" that she plays with and talks to every day. She is a great helper! Most of the time. Sometimes she tells mommy that she is just too tired to help with the chores. She decides to help out though when mommy tells her that mom is just too tired to make dinner. Bekah loves to read books and will sit and listen to any one who will read to her. She enjoys listening to CD's during nap time and has been listening to Adventures in Odyssey. Bekah has started Cubbies this year and memorises verses so quickly. That is one of the favorite things that she looks forward to every week. She loves to have daddy put her to bed at nighttime. She is a sweet and funny little girl.

Hurting Backs and Funny Kids

Oh how busy are lives are somedays. We get so caught up in work, activities and just life that we forget to slow down. Then God comes along and slows you down. Sometimes you are ready for it, most times it is very unexpected. I was working quite a bit. I had finished 5 days of work out of 6. We had my parents over to celebrate their birthdays. I had gone upstairs to get their presents when God stopped me in my tracks. . . literally. My back seized up and I couldn't stand up. Chris and I started laughing because I looked so ridiculous. I kept trying to stand up, but couldn't. After making it into the hallway I collapsed on the floor and there I stayed for the next hour. Between spasms I could talk and laugh. Bekah kept coming upstairs to check on me. She would tell me, "Just walk mommy! Just walk!" Hannah would touch my face and say,"It's ok mommy. You'll be fine." God definitely has ways to rearrange our days and force us to slow down. I am so grateful for the health that I do have. He is so good to us and I need to always remember that. In good times and in bad: God is Good. I finally managed to get downstairs and then to bed later with the help of Chris. The next day my chiropractor got me in for an appointment. He and Chris had to practically carry me in. After he worked on my back I could walk slowly and stand upright. Thank God for people that can help us when we can't do it ourselves. I am slowly getting better and am enjoying the time I can spend with my little ones right now. It is good when life slows down and you can stop and see the good around you.

Here are some more funny stories about my children. I am trying to document the things they do and say so that I can put them in their photo books to have for always.

May 2010

Mommy and Daddy were talking at dinner about Hannah. Bekah piped up with, "When you are done with Hannah, you can talk about me!"

Hannah does not like being dried off with a towel after a bath. One morning mommy was drying her off and she was fighting it. Mommy said, "Don't you like the towel?" Hannah replied quite certainly, "I don't like it!" She was 19 months old.

One morning Bekah told mommy, "Momma, I can't call you momma anymore. My breath has turned into a brain and I have to call you mom."

Bekah was coloring a dolphin and Daddy came over and added spots. Bekah said, "Dolphins don't have spots!" Daddy asked her who said that. Bekah replied, 'Then man with the yellow hat who lives with the monkey."

Another one of Bekah's prayers: " Dear God, Help me to obey my mommy and my daddy. Help my mommy to grow because she is short. Very short. Help her to grow and grow and grow. Then she will grow big and have kids. When I'm big I'll grow up and have kids. And daddy can grow and grow and he can have kids. Amen"

An interesting conversation between Bekah and Mommy: Bekah said, "I;m a big soldier. Mommy you are stuck in a tree." Mommy replied, "Will you get me down?" Bekah said, 'No. I won't help you down. Your have to wait for a little while, then you can climb down on your own." Mommy replied, "But big soldiers are supposed to help people." Bekah then told mommy, "But I'm little and can't climb a tree. My big gyser will get you down. Ok?"



June 2010

Hannah is talking so much right now. Her vocabulary is growing and she is putting lots of words together. The other day she said so clearly, "More cracker please, daddy. More cracker." We love hearing her talk.

Mommy heard a noise in her room and discovered Hannah next to the closet. . . feeding the doggy. She managed to get the lid off of the dog food and had filled up half of the dog dish. I guess she figured she was big enough to do it all by herself.

Hannah is 20 months old and is 20 lbs 12 oz. She is still wearing 12 month clothes and is in the 3rd percentile on the growth curve. Hannah says, "Please, Thank-you, You're Welcome and Sorry". She knows all our names. Hannah now helps pick up her toys and even helps unload the dishwasher. She still loves to snuggle and be held, but she plays all by herself and with Bekah very well.

Update on the Kuhner Family

I was just reading through some of my friends blogs and got inspired to update my own blog. So here it goes.

Life is busy and crazy, but wonderful. Today Bekah turned 4 years old and yesterday Hannah turned 2 years old. It seems like just yesterday that they were babies. Though today Hannah did inform me that she is still a baby. We had gone swimming for Bekah's birthday and Hannah hated the pool and the hot tub. Not sure why, but she did. As I was putting her jammies on I told her that when she was bigger, she would like swimming. She said, "I not a big girl. I am a baby." What a funny girl I have. Bekah thoroughly enjoyed her time in the water. Auntie Shonna was there and was her swimming buddy. What fun we had. Yesterday on Hannah's birthday, we had a yummy dinner and gave the girls the presents from mommy and daddy. We enjoyed some delicious ice cream at a new store nearby. Bekah kept asking, "Why isn't everyone here to celebrate? Isn't anyone going to come over?" She doesn't quite get that the birthday party isn't for a few more days.

Chris is keeping busy with the radio station. He works at Broken Fm on Mondays and Fridays. He is also helping a lot with the different concerts that Broken is setting up or promoting. When he is not at the radio station he is at home enjoying being a full time dad. Some days are hard and he does enjoy getting out of the house for some grown up time, but over all he loves being with the girls. My husband is a great dad and wonderful husband. He reads to the girls and enjoys going to the park or feeding the ducks with them. He helps out around the house so much. The other day he poured a cement pad out back for the BBQ. It turned out so nice and the girls loved putting their hands and feet in it.

I am keeping busy as a mom and nurse. I am still working full time (3 days a week) on night shift at Sutter Medical Center. I just became a Staff Nurse III. This is basically a nurse leader role on my unit. I do all my normal duties but I also am on different committee's that are focused on making our unit better. I am a leader of the Neonatal Mock Code team. This is one of my passions. I want to make sure that all nurses and staff are fully prepared to resuscitate any baby. I am also becoming a transport nurse and will soon be transporting babies to Sutter from other hospitals around the north bay. I am on the partnership council and help provide feedback from the nurses on my shift to our team. We make changes and discuss isses and work to solve them. Over all I stay quite busy at work.

I absolutely love being a mom and cherish every moment with my children. I see how brief life can be as I work in the NICU. After a difficult shift when we have lost a baby I ponder just how fleeting life really is. We only have this moment to enjoy our family, our children, our friends. I am continually challenged to make each moment count. To say I love you every day, every hour. I am really focusing on making sure that my children and husband know how precious they are to me. Sorry for being sappy but this has been on my heart the last few days.

Chris and I are part of a catalyst group through our church. We meet with other believers to share life together every week. We eat dinner together and fellowship. Then we spend time in prayer and Bible study. We have been digging in deep and really seaching the scriptures. It is amazing what you can learn when you are really studying what God has told to us through His word. It is a wonderful time to get to know new people and really establish deep relationships with those around us. This is an open group to any who would like to come.

Bekah has recently started cubbies and is loving it. She is learning so many verses and can recite them when ever we ask. Even Hannah can say, "Jesus Loves Me." It is so precious.

God has blessed our family in so many ways. I am so grateful for his provisions for us. That's all the update I have for now. God bless you all.