Night time undies

Thornton has been having a complete meltdown on some random nights
when he doesn't want to wear a pullup. Also, I've gone in a few nights
to find that he's taken off his pullup. This would be fine, but he
never wakes up dry in his pullup and, in fact, wets thru it all
probably twice a month.

So, tonight, we're letting him wear undies to bed, have a top sheet
ready to pull off and backup blanket prepared. Let's just cross our
fingers thatt this works.

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A Morning Hike

Ahhh - the sweet sound of baby Harrison screaming his head off as we
head to Stone Mountain for the morning! What a great day of hiking on
the Yellow River trail. The boys had a blast playing in the creek and
thru the water. I love that Jason encourages their respect for
nature. By far, the best quote of the day: "Thornton, for the love of
God son, I you mess with those mushrooms again, I'm going to spank
your butt. We RESPECT nature, or nature will disrespect you."

We got some great shots of Harrison on his first hike at 10 weeks. The
boys investigated every eligible stick along the path, mommy reveled
in her new body along the steeper parts of the path, and daddy's chest
puffed with a little pride at his family in the woods.

And now, on the way home with three exhausted little boys and two
tired parents, we again enjoy the sweet sound of baby Harrison
screaming his head off along to Amy Winehouse.

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Paddycakes for Breakfast

Saturday morning with three boys started promptly at 6:15am. Thornton
requested "paddycakes for dinner" (translation: pancakes for
breakfast). We made blueberry and walnut pancakes with flax
substituted for eggs....daddy had lots of help. Shockingly great,
since mommy was iffy about these new-fangled ideas daddy has.

Breakfast followed by daddy going down for a nap (rough night at the
office), then talking to nanny and grandaddy, then Holden pooping on
the floor, then Harrison needing to nurse (again), then Thornton
taking pictures of mommy nursing (suprisingly good ones actually),
then hide and go seek under the dining room table, then a fist fight
on Holden finding Thornton under one of the chairs (evidently he
didn't want to be found), the timeout for Thornton in his room... Now
Harrison nursing (again) and mommy on the couch with the boys in a tv
quiet moment (thank you backyardigans).

It's 10:22am.

Holden in the Car

So far, we've been in the car for 3 hours and 45 minutes. With the
exception of an hour's nap, Holden has kept a running dialogue the
entire trip. It fluxuates between annoying and hysterical, but
definately provides entertainment. We've heard twinkle, twinkle;
noticed big trees and trucks, wanted daddy to change lanes, asked for
lots of snacks, called mommy a stinky, aaked who has to poo-poo
(person by person), and basically has blabbered the whole trip. He is
definately a motormouth. Meanwhile, Thornton is engrossed in
transformers and has only communicated by yelling or lauging at the
movie!

What more do you want for a Valentine's Day morning?

The best 3 men I could ask for in bed with me!

Pregnancy Woes

So, I'm no longer driving due to fainting in the car on the way to work. Fortunately, I realized it was coming and pulled into a parking lot before going out. Even better, I was on the phone with my medically trained husband who kept saying "Aspen, need you to talk to me".... less than 10 weeks to go, but this baby is definately more trouble than his/her big brothers!

Thornton's First Fight Over a Girl

So, I get home today and learn that my son has hit another boy at school in the face with a block.  And this boy is none other than his good friend, Carlos.  So, of course, I am very concerned and discuss with Jason... and Jason just tells me to ask Thornton what happened.

So, I sit down with my 3.5 year old son and say  "Thornton, what happened?  Why did you hit Carlos in the face with a block".

... and without missing a beat, he tells me it's "because he said he liked Claire".

... uh, are you KIDDING?  Did my child just hit another boy over a GIRL??

So I call Rene immediately, and tell her that her daughter just started WWIII at school, and evidently the boys have not yet learned "bros before 'hos".  I think Rene about lost it laughing.

Odd Pregnancy Symptom

I'm having an odd symptom the last 3 days. After I eat a large meal, I'm feeling really exhausted, shaky and dizzy. It isn't sugar sensitivity, I can eat ice cream, cookies, etc and not have the problem. It's just larger volume. I'm thinking my blood pressure may be dropping??


Talked to the doctor and got the official diagnosis. It’s called “small gut syndrome” or “dumping” syndrome. It can happen anytime, but typically happens when you’re stomach shrinks (aka, not as much room now). It happens when you eat complex carbs and high proteins together too quickly. Evidently, all the blood rushes from your head/limbs into your stomach to digest what you just ate. You feel dizzy since your blood left your brain (sheesh, just what I need in my already damaged brain!), and your heart is trying like mad to keep it all going around (hence the rapid heartbeat and shaky feeling). You are more susceptible to it when you’re pregnant because your blood volume is already wacked out (my words, not hers). Sugar is easily digested, so it doesn’t cause it. It’s the “tough to digest” that causes the problem.


Anyway, the recommendation is to eat meals over a longer period of time, and to watch the complex carb/high protein combo. Sigh. I’m so loving my carbs these days. 

Rock and Roll Holidays

Dear Lord, how time flies!

First of all, WE DID IT!! The GA State Charter APPROVED our petition for a new public school in Avondale Estates. Doors open in August 2010.... WHOO HOOO!!!

The holidays were wonderful... the boys had a blast since Nona and Pappa spent the night for Christmas Eve.  They were there on Christmas morning.  Thornton and Holden watched Wall-E in our room on Christmas morning, since we didn't think Nona and Pappa wanted to start at 5:30am.  We held them off until 7-ish when we went down to see all that Santa brought.  Thornton asked days later:  "mommy, can we watch Wall-E again, so Santa will come?"  Ok, didn't intend THAT!


Despite the sober pregnant women, the New Years Eve party was a blast and an outstanding success. Julie Collins, Sarah Barge and their husbands enjoyed a wonderful evening.  Us gals didn't think we'd make it to the New Year, then all of the sudden, it was upon us!  I can honestly say it was the first time in my friendship that 3 of us split a half a bottle of wine. Good thing the boys made up the slack...

November Summary

Huge month for us!

Jason was accepted to the PA program at Emory and will begin in the fall of 2010.  We are so incredibly proud of him and can't wait to begin a new chapter in our lives.  We're also thankful that he made it this year, since the timing will work well with the new baby.

Jason and I also have been really involved in the proposed new charter school for our community and organized the silent auctions as the fundraising co-chairs.  Our first silent auction was a HUGE SUCCESS with over $24,000 raised for the school.  After the expenses of less than $2K, the net was unbelievable!  We find out December 14th if the charter is approved.

I had a wonderful 34th birthday, and the best present I could ask for:  a healthy 20 week ultrasound which showed a perfect little baby.  Still confident that it's a girl!  Now I'm trying to convince Jason that if it IS a girl, we need to have another!  Sisters are important after all!

Summary of October

Mickey's boat was awesome... mostly.  Thornton had an attitude quite a bit, and didn't want to see Nannie as much as she wanted to see him.  Holden couldn't be cuter, but still was a big sleeper, so that caused someone to have to be in a cabin, and mommy got some sort of bug and slept for an entire day without moving.  Otherwise, we saw lots of characters who were loved from afar, but not as much up close), had a ball swimming with the dolphins (highlight of the trip), and ate great food.  Mommy and Daddy even got a little personal time in there!

Holden gave up the paci this month.  I thought it would be a bigger deal, but he was fine.  I was more concerned than he was, frankly.

Halloween was VERY WET... thank God 5 houses are enough for a 3 and 1 year old.  It was just the mom's this year at Rene's house as all the dads were working our out of town.  We fell to the power of the pre-made costume and let the boys go as Spiderman and Mr. Incredible.  Next year, we'll go back to family made matching costumes for as long as I can get away with it.

Holden is my big lover, and Thornton is still a trial.  I can't imagine my Ho-Ho hitting the terrible twos as wonderful and loving as he is now.  Then again, I'm not sure if Thornton will live to see 4.  I do know this:  This too shall pass.  Both the good and the bad, so I'm prepared.

Kron Baby 3 on the way!

We always planned to have 3, and now we're there!  Kron baby #3 is due on April 6th, 2010.  We did everything we could to "stack the deck," so if this is a boy, it was meant to be.  I'm feeling girl, though, and we've nicknamed this pregnancy "project think pink"! 

We did get to tell a lot of close friends at Cooper's funeral, and it was nice to have a ray of sunshine during that time. 

My big boy Holden

Just converted Holden from the crib to toddler bed...1.5 hrs later the boys are asleep in Thornton's bed. Should make for an interesting night!

The Power of the Stickerchart

I had to take a moment to share an INCREDIBLE success that I’ve had this weekend with Thornton. For mothers of three-year-olds that have 1-800-GYPSIES on speed dial, I have a potential tool for you to use. Thursday I met a mom who was also ready to sell her child, and then had great success with this method. Who would have thought that a simple sticker chart would hold the power of peace!?!

Here’s what we did.
We created a chart on a piece of paper with the top 6 things that are causing the most problems/meltdowns in our house. I used clip art and let him pick out the picture that he said described the following things. Then we went over each of them a couple of times.
1. Get dressed in the morning without melting down (including crying over wearing our spiderman costume or buzz lightyear jammies to school)
2. Turn off the TV in the morning with a good attitude
3. Have a good car ride (this really means that when it’s time to come home, we don’t meltdown about going inside)
4. Take a nap or have quiet time
5. Clean up
6. Use a fork during dinner

See the awesome sticker chart below:

Then we went to Target and picked out prizes for the treasure box. I got some spiderman magnets and stickers from the dollar bin, a small pack of matchbox cars and some candy. I also purchased a bag of small toys from orientialtrading.com that is on the way. We decorated a shoe box with treasure stickers, jewels, and other pirate stuff, and wrote “Treasure Box” on the top. Then, we loaded the treasure box up with all these items and put the box on the counter in a very visible place.

Over the course of the day, we did a small sticker on the chart every time we completed an activity with a good attitude. Conversely, every time we started melting down (for any reason really), I’d say “remember the treasure box…. We want to have a good day to earn our treasure today”. OH MY GOD…. IT WORKED!!! I kid you not, my devil child actually was a fun human being all day, and if things got challenging, “remember the treasure box” somehow shut it down.

The Awesome Treasure Box

At the end of the day, we made a big deal about the last sticker… and the treasure box that was the last item on the list. We counted all the stickers, and he got all excited about going to the treasure box. He jumped the whole way to it, hopped up the stool, and spent almost 10 minutes going through all his options before he decided on his one treasure. It came down to a matchbox “boat car” vs. a starburst candy… and the candy won. Soooo, basically, I had an awesome day with my child for the cost of a starburst.

I’m totally stoked.

Day at the Lake

What could be better than a day on the lake with beautiful weather and family? Nothin' I tell ya!

My future's so bright.... I gotta wear NONNA's Shades!

Even better, we had two absolutely exhausted little men who swam their heats out, drove the boat and played so well with their new cousins Macy (9) and Madison (7).

Playing with Pappa, Madison, Macy, Ashley and Jacob on the boat!

Neither dirty nor filthy can fully describe this child in this moment!

Holden's Hot Date and the Schoolyard Rumble

Holden's first day of school behind him, mommy gave him the hook up second day out. With paci, blankie and "Milp" in the packpack, he was ready to go. While he did cry at drop off, his teachers said he did great!

Mommy picked him up a bit early and we went to the library for some books on choochoos and then lunched together at nearby JavaMonkey. On the way to lunch from the library, we had to pass the school. Holden stops dead in his tracks, runs back to me, clings to my leg and says "no mommy- up". He was absolutely certain he didn't want to go back to school that day. I carried monkey boy clinging to me to lunch.

Holden "lunching" with mommy on brie and apples - very shishi!

After lunch, we head back to school to pick up Thornton. Walking up to the playground, we see his old teacher, Ms. Chastain, and wave. I notice that she has Thornton by the hand and says to one of the teachers "Oh, his mom is here. I'll just talk to her".... Uh oh.

She's all smiles on approach, but I walk up to her with a heavy heart.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Well, two of the older boys started getting rough, and Thornton got caught in the middle of a fight."

"Did he start it?" I ask.

"No, but when the fists started flying, let me tell you - he held his own!"

I look down at Thornton and his little left eye and cheek are bright red. I ask him what happened and he says "the big boys were kicking and hitting, then I was kicking and hitting, then we were fighting". I reminded him that we should not play with those boys again, and he said "yeah- they're MEAN"!

Way to go Thornton! Great not to start the fight; even better to stick up for yourself when they started in on you. I'm a proud mama!

Thornton's Varied Sleeping Options

Every night, Jason and I check on the boys, and every night, we wait for the funniness that may be Thornton in sleep. My favorite thus far, is the night we went into his room to find him fast asleep partly in bed and partly in the shelving unit behind his bed.





Tonight was also a good one. Evidently, Thornton needed a costume change. I put him to bed in his Batman jammies, but when I went to check on him, he's wearing full on spidermand costume complete with stuffed muscles. No idea when that even occured or where he even found it. Frankly, I thought we hid the darn thing.

Spiderman in the Daytime

All's too quiet...

20 minutes of three too quiet children = graffiti on 12ft of wall, one hallway carpet, bedroom carpet, all down the hallway banister, and the bathroom tile floor. But, hey, at least they shared.

First Day of School Drama

I have these grand plans to take Thornton on his first day of school. Of course, that's only to drop him off in carpool, but whatever. This morning, I realize that I have a 9am meeting I'm leading and need to have Ms. Pat take him. No big deal.

So, I call Ms. Pat about 9:30 ready to hear how great he did getting into school. Instead, I hear the drama! Evidently, Ms. Pat tells Thornton that he has to go potty before they leave. Thornton states that he already did. Jason confirms. Ms. Pat leaves for school. When they hit traffic and are still a bit from the carpool lane, Thornton announces that he has to go potty. Uh oh.

Ms. Pat tells Thornton that they'll be there soon, but it's a long wait on day 1 of carpool drop off. The teachers go to pull Thornton out of the car, and Ms. Pat tells them that he has to go potty really badly... at which point, the teacher says "I think he already did". Thornton starts crying that he doesn't want to go to school with pee-pee pants and that he's wet. I feel so bad for the poor guy!

Thankfully, I sent an extra change of clothes including undies, so he can change when he gets to class. Hopefully, he'll remember the good, fun parts of school and will forget about the drama of that first moment walking in the door.

But, LORD! First day drama!

Happy Birthday Thornton

Can't believe that three years ago today, Thornton Matthew Kron arrived into the world - and this morning he wants chocolate for breakfast. Sigh. Time flies... HAPPY BIRTHDAY THORNTON!!

Here's what I know about 3 year old birthday parties:  no nap + birthday cupcake sugar high = 3 year old meltdown + complete passout. Now why don't they teach that in algebra?