January 2014

It was a frosty cold month for North Carolinians this past January. Heating bills were high and the layers of clothing were thick, but that didn’t stop John, Larkin, and Reagan from enjoying the outside world. They were fortunate to have a couple of nice wintry weather storms this month, which they have come to love. They really enjoy sledding, rolling down hills, making snow angels, and grabbing large handfuls of snow and throwing or licking it. The first of these snowfalls occurred while the Kindem family was up at the mountain cabin. John, Larkin, and Reagan were accompanied by their cousins Lindsay and Anna Katherine. Everyone had a nice time eating good food, getting into the hot tub, and playing with the kids in the snow.

Per usual, the families ventured out to a tiny, off the beaten path, Thai restaurant, called Monsoons. The lady who runs this place is hilarious and her food is out-of-this-world good! Everyone, even the kid’s, love her eggrolls, fried rice, and the adults go crazy over her curry! The flavors are quite unique and it has just the right amount of kick to it, at least for us O’Brien-Kindem’s. On this most recent visit she had us sample a meal she had prepared for herself. It was a duck dish that was made from wild duck a local had dropped off on her doorstep. It was delicious, but it was filled with Thai peppers, so you couldn’t eat much of it without paying for it later. Our families have always enjoyed spicy food, and have always prided ourselves with our ability to eat it, but we clearly are no match for this Thai Chef.

John, Larkin, and Reagan’s second experience of snow came at home where Durham got about 2 inches, which was just enough to do some good sledding and to close most businesses and schools. The adorables sledded with their neighbor friends Matthew (3) and Thomas (1.5) for a couple of hours in the morning. This was a much welcomed treat for everyone when compared to the normal daily routine of going to day care and work.

Reagan is now climbing stairs on her own. She grabs on to the railing and stays in a standing position while walking up each and every step. Someone has to stand behind her to make sure she doesn’t mis-step, but she doesn’t want you to hold her hand (this independence reminds us of Larkin). Her vocabulary is really starting to expand as well. When asked to say different words, she attempts to pronounce most things as best she can. It’s quite fascinating to see. Reagan recently had four of her molars come in and now has 10 teeth. This led to some interesting nights, but these molars have come in handy because Reagan doesn’t like her food to be cut up anymore (trying to emulate her older brother and sister, no doubt). Reagan eats most things in front of her, but has started showing more frustration when she doesn’t get what she wants. She will slam her fist down on the table and give a dramatic scowl to her caretaker. It’s quite difficult to keep a straight face with this eighteen month old.

John loves kicking the soccer ball around in the backyard with anyone that will join him. He is extremely talkative, is very observant, and is always asking questions. He loves watching the show “Super Why” and has learned how to spell and write his first name J-O-H-N. When asked what his name is, he quickly and confidently says, “John FitzGerald Kindem.” Paul recently purchased an alarm clock for their room that announces the current time when prompted with a button, and also lights up green at a certain time every morning to let them know that it’s time to start the day. They notice it every morning and announce to the house, “the light turned green Daddy, the light turned green!” John has learned how to read what time it is on the clock and gets it right the majority of the time – ex. “six forty three pm.” He says PM regardless if it is morning or night, but we are all quite impressed with his growth over the last couple of months with regards to letters and numbers. His favorite book right now is The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. This is grandpa O’Brien’s favorite story & it’s a pretty long book, but John will sit there and listen to it for as long as it takes (there is a wide gap here depending on if the reader wants to do the long or short version).

Larkin has learned how to pump her legs while swinging to keep her momentum. She performs this with near perfect form and has a wide winning grin on her face. She is able to do many more tasks by herself now; snap her own seatbelt (sometimes), dress herself, and go to the potty & wipe with toilet paper. Larkin is a very good eater and proves this by making “happy daddy plates and bowls.” A happy daddy bowl or plate is one that no longer has any food on it. She holds her bowl up with great pride in her eyes and says, “look daddy, I made a happy daddy bowl.” Larkin went swimming recently with Nana and Bapa and she’s gotten to the point where she will jump off the side of the pool, go underwater, and swim back to the side to do it all over again. Way to be fearless Kapoozer! Larkin continues to be the little caretaker, but her independence and stubbornness also get her in trouble. Larkin is very fast, so when it is time to put on pajamas or shoes or brush her hair, she takes off and thinks it’s the most hilarious game. It can be really cute, but when someone needs to be somewhere it’s rather frustrating.

The rest of the family continues to do well. Grandma and Grandpa O’Brien have been going to weekly grieving classes and they took a week-long vacation with Kathryn at Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic during the month. This was a much needed break for all of them. Bapa Kindem has one last semester of teaching at the University of North Carolina before his full retirement begins. Both Nana and Bapa Kindem enjoy going to UNC basketball games, and eagerly await some spring time trips they have planned. Paul continues to rehab his knee, has found some good books to read, and looks forward to getting active again in the spring.