Steinkes Arrive - Bringing the Cool Weather With Them!

We were excited last weekend when Amy's cousin Jeff and wife Niesha moved down from N. Carolina.  We were especially excited when they brought Jeff's mom and Dad - Aunt Ev and Uncle Ken with them!  We were OVER THE TOP excited when they brought cool Fall weather with them!  Yippee on all counts!

We are very excited to have Jeff and Niesha living down here - we hope that they will enjoy Orlando!  They're living in Amy's Mom's old house until they figure out where they ultimately want to live and save to buy a house - so that worked out well for all parties. 

Zachary asked Aunt Ev to play "5 Little Monkeys" with him - of course he doesn't know HOW to play, so poor Aunt Ev ended up having to read the instructions! :)

Zachary and Kaleb were beside themselves of course, because they LOVE playing with Jeff and Niesha.  They played in the pool, and we went to the nearby school track where they rode bikes (even Uncle Ken!)

Jeff narrated the "races" around the track - added quite the excitement!

Uncle Ken taking a bike "stroll" :)

Uncle Ken is a professional cabinet installer, so we scored his expertise when Karis installed some utility room cabinets at Mom's new place.  What a treat to have someone who is a professional do it!  He apparently put his pencil behind his ear as he was hanging the cabinets, and both boys have been walking around since then with pencils behind their ears! :)

On Sunday we decided to enjoy the beautiful cool weather and we headed off to SeaWorld with Cochrans and Bergherms.  In the morning the weather was in the 70s, what a difference from the last time that we were there when it was in the 90s!  MUCH better!  It was very fun - we saw lots of shows and animals.  Zachary also went on the water roller coaster - Journey to Atlantis, which was his second 'real' roller coaster ride.  Can't believe how big he is!

Kaleb on the roller coaster - his second ride - he loves it!

It is official - Kaleb no longer stays in his crib and calls for us to come and get him.  He does stay in bed during the middle of the night thankfully and doesn't yet do the "jack and the box" game when we put him down for naps and bedtime, but in the morning and after nap he just comes trotting out, pleased as punch! :) 

Phrase of the week:  "NO, I will NOT do it!"  This is obviously not a fun phrase that we share this week.  However, it seems that easy-peasy Kaleb has entered into a new phase of his life where he is sowing his wild oats and giving us some attitude.  Always look on the bright side!  This week when discussing his behavior and attitude, Amy said "Mommy likes 'Happy Kaleb,' not this Crabby Kaleb so much."  Kaleb's response?  "No, I like Crabby Kaleb!!"  Zachary is becoming much easier - most of the time he obeys willingly, a good little helper, and doesn't have as many emotional outbursts....but even he has his moments when receiving punishment for misdeeds.  When told that he would lose a privilege for misbehaving, Zachary insisted that he needed MORE consequences as if to say "I don't care, that privilege doesn't matter to me!"  We've told him it doesn't work that way and that we won't take more privileges away for a misdeed, but then you wonder maybe you should take more away because he's being lippy?  Parenting 101 (or perhaps 505!) classes are needed!!!