Happy Easter!

Ryan is Reading

Ryan's reading skills surprise me everyday.  I am just flabbergasted by how well he reads, and how quickly he picks up new words.  He really takes his time sounding out unfamiliar words, and challenges himself.  Even though he hates reading to me, he really does an awesome job.  The other day he read me a shark book that had words like "cartilage" and "discover" and he actually read them.  It took him awhile to sound them out, but he did it.  We're so proud of him!  

Ryan reading to Kendall and my friend's little guy, Wrigley.

The Underwear Queen

There is never a dull moment with this girl around.  Over the weekend, Miss Natalie started climbing out of her crib.  I am surprised it has taken her this long to figure out that trick, and so disappointed that she finally has.  Transitioning to a big bed is not a fun task.  Even though it involves lots of snuggling which I do love, it also means lots of time spent snuggling.  I'm not talking minutes.  I'm talking hours.  After the ten to fifteen minutes of enjoyable snuggling has worn off, I spend the rest of the minutes lying there thinking about all the tasks that are left undone downstairs.  Alas, it is such a small window of time that they are this small and I shall try to soak it up and put aside all those "projects" until another day.

In any case, we decided to see if we could get Natalie to continue to sleep in her crib awhile longer.  I was hugely unsuccessful the first night.  David, on the other hand, put her down in her crib for blissful 3 hour nap the next day.  Very promising.  That same night our climber reappeared and decided cleaning out her sister's underwear drawer was the way to go.  She successfully got eight pair of Kendall's underwear up her leg before I came in to squash her fun and put her back in her crib.  I'm certain this will be another amazing adventure with Miss Natalie!

Soaking up the Sun

The sun seems to be making it's way back to us!  We are so happy when we can be outside soaking up it's warm rays.  Spring may actually be here!  Yay!!

Focused

Natalie watches Kendall and Ryan's every move.  This girl does not miss a beat!

Clothes Drama

Whoa!  Kendall's clothes drama is insane right now.  I can't imagine what things will be like when she's 13.  She is SO particular about the clothes she wears.  Only certain clothes classify as "sister" clothes, and the others will just not do.  Most of her "sister" clothes are leggings and cotton shirts.  I'm not sure how or why this started and where she came up with this "sister" clothes business, but if I don't keep up with her laundry we have some pretty awful mornings picking out her clothes.  There is lots of hysterical screaming and big crocodile tears, let me tell you.  Some days I just don't have the energy to deal with it so I let her wear whatever she wants.  Like her horse shirt and leopard tights with her bum hanging out because she refuses to wear a skirt.  Who cares?  If we're not leaving the house for anything, we certainly don't!  As long as she's happy, comfortable and feeling like a sister life is good.

In addition, she is so very particular about laying out her pajamas.  When she takes them off, she lays them out on the floor as you see in the picture below.  It's the funniest thing.  Where does this stuff come from?  This girl and her crazy ideas just cracks me up!

Baseball is Underway

Ryan has started his coach pitch baseball season.  He's super excited, as you can imagine.  His coach is quite impressive, in my opinion.  He has obviously coached at a higher level before.  Keeping 6 to 7 year old boys engaged for an entire hour is quite a skill.  It will be fun to watch Ryan grow and develop this year, AND meet some new families in the area.

All of the families have all been introduced to Natalie as she usually has me darting across the field to contain her, or fishing her out of the mud puddles. 

Emptying the water out of her boots.

Soaking wet!

March Snow

The sky opened up the other day and dumped some hail, then snow on us.  It wasn't too much, but just enough to have the kids excited beyond belief!  They couldn't wait to get out and trudge around the yard in the white stuff.

Enough already, though, we're ready for warm temps and sunshine!

The Little Fish

Kendall and Ryan have been taking swim lessons every Monday and Wednesday evening for the past three weeks.  They absolutely love them, which is no surprise.  They both love to be in the water. 

Kendall has become so brave.  Last night she went all the way under.  Something she would not have done two weeks ago.  She is so happy hopping up and down on the platform as she waits her turn.  It's so much fun to watch her.  When she does a new skill she quickly looks up at us to make sure we're watching, and gives us a thumbs up.  She is so proud.

Ryan is hysterical to watch.  He's so erratic and crazy.  He's really becoming a good swimmer, but he is so out of control.  He tries to go as fast as he can with each skill and looks as if he is drowning half the time.  Good grief.  He'll get there.

They are so happy to go to their lessons, and so exhausted when they are done.  Big thumbs up from Mom for that!

Natalie has been tagging along as little as possible.  She is as crazy as her brother is, except she is not in the water.  She can not sit still and likes to climb up and down the bleachers.  She usually stops to check out what the other parents are watching on their cellphone or iPad. 

Pedal to the Metal

Most of our days are spent outside biking up and down the driveway.  Kendall and Ryan have the best time doing this, and take any opportunity they get to pedal away.  And when I just need a moment of peace and quiet (this only happens when Natalie is napping), I can watch them from the front window while sitting in my comfy chair!

Daddy has made helmet wearing mandatory since these photos were taken.  Mom is a little more lax in this department if we're staying in the driveway.  Bad Mom. 

Natalie enjoys having snacks in the garage while sitting in her pink chair.

Happy 3 1/2 Kendall Jo!

In honor of Kendall's half birthday I made pink strawberry cupcakes.  I use any excuse around here to make cupcakes!  They really were amazing.  We will definitely be using that recipe again.  You can find it here.

It was fun to see Kendall's excitement and reflect on how much she's changed in just 6 months.  I really am flabbergasted.  Not just by her physical changes, but everything in general.  Most days you can see the sweetness seeping from her pores.  She's so kind and forgiving, and remains the most delightful little girl in my book.

The Store

Ryan's imagination is out of control - which is a good thing!

He's always coming up with crazy ideas for he and Kendall to do.  Here is a picture of his most recent store:

He was selling coloring books and coloring pages on this day.  One of David's co-workers got them play money and all! 

The Turtle

We finally got the turtle we promised Ryan up on the wall in his new room, and are all very pleased with the results.  The extra large sticker that came in two pieces was a little intimidating but turned out to be really easy to put up, with a little patience.  It was the perfect job for David, as I have no patience what so ever.  I did jump in to help line up the two pieces.

Details

Kendall has really gotten good with her coloring skills lately.  I was so taken aback the other day when she showed me the picture she colored.  She really takes her time and stays in the lines.  I'm so impressed.

Syrup Styling Gel

Have you ever wondered how syrup might work as styling gel?  Here is your answer:

It's always a good sign when Natalie starts her day by putting her sticky pancake plate on her head!

She Is Taking Over My Bed

A Week (or two) In Review

I feel like Valentine's Day was just yesterday. Perhaps it's because my unsent Valentines stare me in the face each morning. I can't grasp how it is nearly the middle of March. How did that happen?

Our days have been such a whirlwind the past couple weeks. I wake up and blink and its time for bed again, and I don't accomplish a thing in between. The kids are fed and loved. I guess that's all that really matters anyway, right?

The number of needs each child has right now is immense. The chorus of "mommy, mommy, mommy" is never ending. I love it, but it is exhausting at the same time.

Ryan and Kendall have been so creative in their play, and get along so well right now. They don't want to leave the house they are so consumed with their amazing ideas. It is a joy to watch this.

Natalie gets herself into so much trouble meddling in Ryan and Kendall's business. She just can't leave their things be, so is outcast.  This is just not fair, and so hard for my sweet toddler to understand. We're working hard to include her in their activities but are making little progress in getting her to cooperate.

Most of our days are spent like this with work, school, swim lessons, and trips to the Seattle house mixed in.

After a lot of work by David and Bill, we finally got the Seattle house ready to rent and found renters. We are thrilled for a number of reasons, obviously, but mostly that we don't have to trek over there to work on it every possible moment we could. The house looks great, and we are pleased with the couple who will be moving in this weekend. We hope they will love it as much as we did.

We had a couple weeks of illness.  First the girls, then me, then me again.  I was completely sidelined for 3 days.  I'm feeling much better but still feel like I'm getting caught up.

We're working on the house, but it's coming along slowly.  There is so much to do, and I'm trying to take things in small chunks to stop the spiraling out of control feeling.  It is so overwhelming to step into every room and know that I have 10+ things I want to get done.  I know it will come, but getting my (very little) patience to understand this is hard.  

Stay tuned for pictures...they are coming soon.  I promise.