Summer Birthdays

Alex turned 3 on July 13th and Drew turned 6 on August 22nd. My parents, Teresa, and Corbin were in town for Alex's birthday since it was two days after we got back from South Dakota. We kept it simple and just had family. Drew's birthday was a few days after school started, so we kept his celebration simple as well.

 Alex loves cars, trains, balls, jumping on the trampoline and being wild. He sleeps in a "big boy bed" now and loves it. Although, we don't always like it because the past few weeks he's been waking up in the middle of the night and turning the light on. Then he wakes up again around 5am and turns on the light to play. This wakes Drew up and then both boys are grouchy. We moved their beds together so hopefully Alex won't be scared at night and he will stop getting up. We are also starting to phase out naps, but he still can't go every day without one. We will also be trying to potty train this week. Fingers crossed that it goes well. He is still scared of dogs, bugs, and loud noises, but he FINALLY loves going to nursery. He is learning how to share, but he is a very considerate little boy. Alex has to sniff everything....food, clothes, drinks, anything. He has a very sensitive nose. We think it's funny. He loves to help and gives wonderful hugs. We love his sweet smile, funny faces, and silliness. He talks a bunch and is a very observant, smart, and stubborn boy. (He fits right in with all his siblings!)

 Drew still has that cute, but mischievous, smile and twinkle in his eyes. He recently got his new glasses....bifocals. He looks so handsome and grown up. He is reading much better, but he still struggles saying some of his sounds: /k/ and /g/. This makes reading, rhyming, sounding out words, etc difficult at times, but he is doing so well in first grade. He is still shy around new people/things and is still TERRIFIED of dogs....even if they are calm, mellow, and four houses away. I'm not sure how to get him past this fear...? He is a great brother and still adores Rose! He loves video games, jumping on the trampoline, riding bikes, cars, trucks, and the Seattle Seahawks. His favorite player is Richard Sherman. Right now he is also obsessed with Camaros, Mustangs, Chargers, and Challengers. Whenever we are driving around he looks for them. It's a contest to see who can see them first, and the most. He is very ticklish and thinks playing wild is the best thing ever....especially with his dad! We love him to pieces.
 I can't believe how fast the kids are growing and how big they are getting. I'm really trying to enjoy this time of life. Some days this is easier to do than other days. These kiddos are crazy, but I sure love each one of them!

First Day 2014

This year is the first time in quite awhile that I haven't had a child in school for half day preschool. So now it's just me, Alex, and Rose home during the day. All three kids still enjoy school and so far they all like their teachers. Drew is in 1st grade and has Mrs. Medley, Lily is in 3rd grade and has Mrs. Harford, and Erik is in 5th grade and has Ms. Donabella for his homeroom teacher. The 5th graders switch teachers for social studies, math, and science so he also has Mrs. O'Brien and Mrs. Marlatt.

South Dakota

This summer we took our first big family camping trip since before Drew was born. We went to Custer, SD and spent the week camping and visiting lots of really cool places in the area: Mount Rushmore (we even saw it at sunrise one morning), Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Custer State Park (lots of buffalo), Crazy Horse, Sylvan Lake, and Devil's Tower. The kids had fun and did great!! Even Rose and Alex had fun and slept really well, even though we had 5 people in the same tent. My parents, Teresa, and Corbin came as well. Their trailer was just a few spots down the loop so the kids were free to wander between camp sites. Our friends from church, the George's, had a tent spot right across the road from us too. We stayed in Big Pine Campground and were very happy with our choice of campgrounds. They had regular, flush toilets, showers, game room, laundry, and a playground. There were also lots of tall trees so we were shaded most of the day. We had a great time and can't wait to come back another time to do things we didn't get to this time. We're also excited to go on another camping trip next summer.

Lily's Baptism Weekend

 Lily turned 8 on February 21, so her baptism was March 1, 2014 at 9:00am. My parents were able to fly in for a week and Jennifer, Janet and Stanton were able to come over for a long weekend as well. It was great to have family support and celebrate Lily's decision. It was a nice weekend with lots of visiting, hard work and activities. Thanks to everyone who was able to come.
 We are so proud of Lily. She tries hard to choose the right. She loves her family, enjoys playing outside, still loves math, loves art and still hates to put her clothes away. She's feisty, challenging, loving, stubborn and helpful......depending on her mood and the day. We love her to pieces, but she may be the death of me before she turns 18!

Butterfly Pavilion visit, round 2, with Grandma, Jennifer and Stanton.

Aquarium visit #2 with Grandma Janet, Jennifer and Stanton.

Swimming at the hotel.

Lily's Baptism