Katie's big plunge!

Today was a big day for Katie ~ she got her ears pierced! She has been very hot and cold about taking this big plunge for about the last year. Last year I told her that I would let her get her ears pierced for her 7th birthday and she was very excited. As the time came close however, she changed her mind and decided that she "wasn't quite ready" to take this step. Katie is my cautious one. Big changes or decisions make her nervous and anything that might incur pain makes her down right scared. She is my sweet, innocent child and I love that about her! So this past week during dinner she informed Eric and I that she wanted to get her ears pierced. When I reminder her that I had given her that opportunity for her last birthday, she informed me that she wasn't ready then, but she now wanted to have it done. She then continued to tell us that she was the only one of her friends at school that didn't have her ears pierced. I don't think that Eric believed that she was the only one, so he started naming off friends. Sure enough, with each name, Katie and I would nod to confirm that this friend did indeed have their ears pierced.

Today I decided that I was going to surprise Katie and take her to get her ears pierced without telling her where we were going. Of course I did it this way for 2 reasons. First, I wanted to surprise her, and second because I knew that as much as she wanted to have it done, that knowing ahead of time would freak her out and she would change her mind and not have it done. On the way to the store I ended up telling her that we were going to "Clarie's" but she didn't have any idea what that place was. When we walked in the door of the store she figured out what we were doing and her face showed the signs of fear and shock. When I asked if she wanted to get her ears pierced she said yes, but not today. Even though she told me that, she continued to go through the motions of choosing the earrings, etc. so I asked her is she was sure she wanted to do it and she said yes. She did GREAT! She didn't even flinch or cry - which I have to admit I was expecting. I figured that at least a few tears would roll when the pinch initially occurred, simply because she is young and it does hurt for a few minutes. She was so brave and only complained for a few minutes about the pain. At first she went as far as to tell me that this wasn't a very good surprise and that, although she did want her ears pierced, it hurt. By the time we were almost home she was beside herself with excitement. She told me that this was the best day of her life and this was the best surprise ever! I have to admit that she looks pretty darn cute with the pink flower studs that she chose. I'm glad that she was brave today and accomplished something that she wanted despite her initial fear. Way to go Katie!

Oh yes she is!

Oh yes she is! My little Mylie is potty trained!!! It's amazing to think that I am now officially done with diapers (well ~ daytime diapers anyway! :)). I know that I should be sad to think that my kids are growing up and I no longer have a "baby" in my house, but I guess at the moment I am just feeling proud of my big girl! She was SO darn easy to potty train! She is just barely 2 1/2 and just took to it right away. We don't have to remind her to go, she just heads in to the bathroom and takes care of business when it is time. I LOVE it!! Way to go Mylie! You are one smart girl!

(On a side note, yes she does have a bit of makeup on in this picture. Cousin Cailley was over visiting and dolled Mylie up! Cute girl!)

School Days

How can I not share pictures of my cute kids - even when they are school pictures. :) I think that both Katie and Aidan took very cute school pictures this year! Aidan is 5 and is in his second year of preschool and will be in Kindergarten next year, and Katie is 7 and is in the 2nd grade. Love these kids!

Potty Training Wonder??

I am in shock (and can't believe I am sharing this ~ but it is too funny ~ so oh well! :)) Tonight, Mylie had just been sent to timeout for misbehaving and almost immediately told me that she had to go potty. This is a pretty regular occurrence when she goes to timeout - the potty distraction - but none the less, I believe her. I told her to go ahead and go potty (usually that means she runs to the bathroom) and then get back on the couch to finish her timeout (her whole 2 minutes worth). When she didn't leave the living room where we do timeouts, I went in to check on her and all seemed to be fine. When I went to get her off timeout and had finished our little discussion, she preceded to tell me that she had peed in her shoe! Sure enough, her tiny little shoe that happened to be sitting in the living room was full of pee! What??? She didn't even get a drip on the floor! Yuck! and Wow, good aim! - all at the same time! Oh the joys of motherhood! :) I just had to record this story so that I could look back on it someday and laugh!

Soccer days

Aidan just finished up his second year of soccer ~ and we were reminded that this boy loves sports! I think that soccer is probably one of his favorite sports, and the fact that he played on a team with all of his best friends made the experience even better! Last year, Eric was Aidan's coach, which definitely had its advantages, but I this year we had a great coach and I think that Aidan did a lot better listening to another authority figure. :) Most boy teams would not be too thrilled that they were assigned the purple shirts, but when you are from Washington, purple is the best color for any sports team. Of course their team name was the Huskies! Love it! I don't have the best pictures, but I am hoping to get a few more from a friend who was a much better photographer than we were. :)

Aidan celebrating a goal scored by his buddy

Aidan and one of his best friends

Go Aidan!

Aidan and another one of his best friends before the game

Another great Aidan shot!

A great action shot

Cheerleading fun!!

Katie loves cheerleading - pure and simple. I can remember the first time she said she wanted to be a cheerleader - it was when she was 3. If you asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would tell you that she wanted to be a cheerleader and a mommy. It wasn't long before she informed us that being a mommy was too hard so she just wanted to be a cheerleader. :) I'm glad that someone understands how much work I do. :) I honestly have no clue where she got the idea that she wanted to be a cheerleader ~ but none the less, it is a passion that has lasted through the years. At 7, she is just as excited about cheerleading as she was at 3, if not more, so I have been trying to give her opportunities to participate in cheer camps, etc. We actually looked at putting her on a cheer squad, but the time commitment was way too much for her age, so for now we will just stick to fun camps.

Katie and my niece Briana recently attended a cheer camp for our local high school. The camp lasted from Tuesday through Thursday and then the girls were able to preform at the football game on Friday night. They LOVED it!! They did a really good job at their performance!! Both girls informed me that they wanted to cheer for THIS high school (not just any high school) when they get older and Katie told me that we were not allowed to move before she went there. Very cute!

The girls watching the cheerleaders before their performance

The girls during their performance

Cheerleader Katie

Cheerleader Briana

Oh ~ late church ~ we will be happy to say goodbye!

This is what happens when we have church from 1:00 to 4:00 ~ right in the middle of Mylie's nap time! Poor little thing! I knew she was tired, but I never would have guessed that she was THIS tired, because she hasn't been whiny today and has been in an overall great mood! She started fussing because she didn't want to finish her dinner but wanted treats, but the fussing stopped and all was well ~ or so I thought! :) Now I know why the fussing stopped. Love it!

Puyallup Fair

I LOVE the Puyallup Fair!! Seriously ~ what is not to like?? Ok, the smell of the animals is not my favorite ~ and as a matter of fact, if it weren't for the kids, I would happily skip the farm animal portion of the fair all together! :) But, beyond that, there is the fair food - like those hot yummy scones! YUMM!! I also LOVE the "as seen on TV" section. I know it's not called that ~ but that is what it always reminds me of ~ this big area filled with vendors selling random and fun household and personal goods. I could spend the whole day wandering those isles, listening to the infomerical guys on their speaker headsets and getting my rings cleaned. I also really like to have my hand writing analyzed, but have refrained from that during our past few visits. :)

My poor husband does not share my excitement for the fair and that has kept me from going with him in recent years. It hasn't kept me from going - just not with him. :) It doesn't help that we have to go on a Saturday, and fair season also coincides with the start of Husky football season. Needless to say, he entertained me this year and went with us. :) Thanks babe! It makes it so much better for me to have an extra set of eyes on the kiddos while wandering through those masses of people. He even admitted at the end of the day that he had a great time! We also went with my sisters, nieces and nephew and my mom. The kids loved the animals and we also let them go on the rides - which I usually try to avoid like the plague because they cost so much! It was a great day and I am definitely looking forward to going again next year!

This is my favorite picture! Aidan was SO sad that he wasn't big enough to ride!

Little monkey Mylie trying on Auntie Patty's glasses

Aidan petting the bunny

Auntie Patty spoils Mylie rotten! Here Mylie is getting a free ride!

These two are never serious! :)

Aidan and Mylie with Murphy. Murphy is Aidan's preschool dog and came home with him for the weekend.

Soccer Girl

Katie is playing soccer again this year and absolutely loves it!!! One thing I really admire about Katie when she plays soccer is that she is always willing to work her hardest and is always running her little heart out! This year she is continuing to strengthen her soccer skills and is learning to become more aggressive on the field. Katie is our little peacemaker ~ so getting in there and fighting for the ball is a bit against her nature, but she is definitely giving it her all! Way to go Katie! We are so proud of you!!!

Aidan's First Day of Preschool!

My little buddy started his last year of preschool! It's amazing how fast time flies! Aidan has a few friends that were in his class last year with him again this year, and he has already made quite a few new friends! Aidan loves to make new friends! He is definitely is a social butterfly like his big sister! When I pick Aidan up from school and ask him about his day, he always gives me a big thumbs up and tells me that it was "AWESOME!" I can't ask for more than that!! I have also signed him up for the "enrichment" programs offered at his school. There are three enrichment programs offered throughout the year - math this fall, reading starting in January and science which starts in the Spring. The classes are 1 day per week for an hour - immediately after school - and each session lasts for 6 weeks. Aidan went to his first math enrichment class last week and seems to love that also. We are definitely off to a great start this year!!

On a little side note ~ Aidan said to me the other day, "Mom, I like all boys, but I only like the cute girls ~ like you, Katie and Mylie." I'm not really sure if I should be happy that I was counted as one of the cute girls, or shocked that my son is already looking at girls as cute! :) Last year he had a little girl in his class that he was quite fond of. This year it seems she has been replaced by another quite "cute" girl in his current class. He talks a lot about this little girl and told me today that he would find a new girl that he likes every time he changes classes. Ummm.....ok..... :)

My cute monkeys!

While the big kids are away, the little ones will play!

After Katie headed off to 2nd grade for the year, we took the opportunity to spend one of the last few nice days of the year to play with friends at Remlinger Farm. Of course, I am a bit late on this post ~ so our actual trip was a few weeks ago. :) We had such a great day!!! The weather was absolutely perfect for the outing, and the kids are all such good friends that they love just hanging out and playing together! We all left wondering why we hadn't spent more time there this past Summer. Thanks friends for a great afternoon!! It was just what I needed to de-stress after hitting the beginning of the year at a running pace.

Aidan and his new friend - silly farmers! :)

My cute little guy on the huge tractor!

Aidan and his best friend ready for a fun ride!

Look at those 3 cute boys!! They went on the roller coaster all by themselves!

This is what Mylie thought of the noise from the roller coaster! :) She HATES loud noises!

Mylie loving the carousel ride

Mylie's first time on a horse! What a brave girl!

Cute friends on the wagon

Have I mentioned that she doesn't like loud noises? :)

Mylie fell asleep on the train with her fingers still in her ears!

2nd Grade Already??

I am like a broken record! I know that I am always saying "where has the time gone", but with every big milestone I still fight with the question! Katie started the 2nd grade today and she was SO excited! We were able to go and meet her teacher yesterday and she seems awesome. She was very nice and I think she will be a perfect fit for Katie! Ironically, this was the one 2nd grade teacher that I didn't want her to have, but I guess this is a lesson to me that I shouldn't take too much stock in the opinions of others when it comes to teachers. I am slowly learning that since every child is so different, every teacher is better for some than others - and I think this teacher will be GREAT for Katie. You also have to take into account that her best friend is in her class again - for the 3rd straight year! I'm not sure how we keep getting so lucky - but we will take it! :) I did have to laugh at Katie this morning because she woke up at 6:30 ready to go and all excited for her first day. She remained excited until about 8:15 (her bus comes at 8:30) at which point she decided that she wasn't sure she was ready for the school year to start. :) One great thing about Katie is that she is very outgoing and has always been great about new environments and willing to meet new people. I LOVE this about her!

Apparently she had a great 1st day, because she was all smiles when she got in the car at pick up. When I asked her how her first day went, she said "AWESOME!" She has since told me that she just wants to go back to school! I guess you can't ask for more than that! I'm so happy for her and I am looking forward to another amazing year!

Looking Back - Mother's Day!

I have the best family!! I am keenly aware that I am the luckiest girl around, and Mother's Day always serves as an excellent example to me just how amazing my family is! Each Mother's Day starts out with he same tradition ~ I get to sleep in and the kids and Eric either bring me Strawberry Crepes in bed or come and lovingly invite me down for breakfast. This year, I woke up to the familiar smell of breakfast cooking and was immediately smothered with little kisses. Is there a better way to wake up in the morning? When I got downstairs I found a table full of beautiful gifts from each family member and a big "Happy Mother's Day" sign decorating the family room. One thing that always makes Mother's Day so special to me is that Eric lets the kids choose their own gifts for me. I love that!!!! I love that each of my gifts truly come from the heart. Katie gave me a beautiful key shaped necklace. I wear it everyday and love that it came from Katie! Eric said that he wasn't sure I would like it but it was Katie's choice so that is what they got. I honestly do LOVE it and the fact that it came from her makes it even more special! Aidan gave me a Strawberry Topsy Turvy plant. He was so excited that I would now be able to grow my own strawberries and I wouldn't have to buy them from "Costco" anymore. :) So cute! Eric and Mylie gave me a beautiful pair of earrings. I know it might seem strange to write about the gifts they gave me, but I want to record it because each of these gifts came from the heart and that's what means so much to me!

The rest of the day was just as special! Church was beautiful and we had a delicious buffet during Relief Society. We also received letters from each of our family members (or pictures in the case of the younger kids) telling us how much they love us. That evening Eric made me my favorite dinner (Catalina Chicken) and we relaxed with the family. I couldn't have asked for a better day! I am one lucky girl!

Me and the kids ~ with the sign

The morning art project ~ Love it!!

Looking Back - First Sibling Sleepover

One night the kids decided that they wanted to have a sleepover together. Since Mylie is too little to sleep out of her room, Katie and Aidan decided to sleep in her room. Cute kids!

Looking Back - Mylie's New Big Girl Bed!

At just barely 2, Mylie decided it was time to move out of her crib and into a big girl bed! With our other kids we had to move them out of their crib at just over 2 because we were expecting another child and needed the crib. With Mylie, we had decided to let her stay in the crib as long as possible ~ but she had other ideas! During our trip to Disneyland in early April, Mylie figured out how to climb out of the hotel crib. The hotel crib had very short legs and so was really close to the ground - apparently giving her a little more confidence to try the climb out. Sure enough, the first "I don't want to go to bed" night after our trip gave Mylie enough desire and we found her straddling her crib rail. Yikes!!! Of course moving into a big girl bed is a big deal in our house - so we just had to take a few pictures of her first night sleeping in the bed! The big difference with Mylie and our other two is that once Mylie woke up after her first night, she came straight out of her room and was ready to go. Katie and Aidan both continued to call for us from their bed when they woke up for quite some time. Of course, we all know that Mylie is definitely her own little girl and doesn't wait for anyone when she wants something. We definitely shouldn't have been surprised. :) Now that we a few months in to the new bed, I can say that it is a mixed blessing She is great at her naps - going down and staying in her bed, but bedtime is another story. She is good at going to bed (because that isn't a choice in our house), but she loves to get out of bed in the middle of the night and come and crawl into bed with us. We desperately need to break her of this habit, but it's hard when Eric and I are both sound asleep. :)

Cute close up :)

Looking Back ~ Mylie's 2nd Birthday!

Now that Mylie is almost 2 1/2 I guess it's time to post about her 2nd birthday party! :) We celebrated Mylie's birthday with many of our friends and family at The Little Gym. Mylie has been enrolled in classes at Gymboree and absolutely LOVES it!!! The minute we pull into the parking lot she starts chanting Gymboree ~ so I would have loved to have her birthday party there, but it is really focused on younger children. With Katie and Aidan - along with many of our friends who have older kids, The Little Gym was the perfect place for our party!! It's hard to believe that our little girl is growing up so fast - but we are so grateful that we have so many great friends to share her life with!!

Cute little Mylie with her darling cake

A close up of Mylie's cute cake - courtesy of Becki!

Mylie taking a break from all of the run

Aidan, Katie and Payton waiting for the bounce track to blow up

Eric enjoying his little girls party - with nephew JJ on his lap

Aidan having a great time at the party