07.22.11 - we found it!

07.21.11 – we’re on the hunt for sunshine…

07.20.11 – my boy

Jason fell asleep this afternoon while he and I were watching a little TV

I love this boy!

07.19.11 – accessible

On her tippie-toes Miss Katie can now open doors and since my office doesn’t have a lock (just noticed this today) it was tough work to keep her from making a mess out of my mess

07.18.11 – beach day

In Seattle we’ve learned that summer usually doesn’t start until after the 4th of July, but here we are nearing the end of July and we’re still waiting for consistently warm weather. Today was forecasted to be in the mid 70’s so we joined some friends for an afternoon at Newcastle Beach.

The weather was perfect and the kids had lots of fun playing in the lake.

07.17.11 – a relaxing sunday

Today’s picture is from my phone which doesn’t handle moving objects very well, but it will have to do.

Tonight we spent the evening at Grandma and Grandpa Fletchers. Before we left for home we gobbled up a huge bowl of buttery popcorn that Grandma made. Katie wasn’t keen on sharing and insisted on a little bowl of her own.

07.16.11 – makes me smile

Enjoying a little fruit smoothie before bed

07.15.11 – scenic route

Every summer my parents took us kids on some sort of road trip. We visited countless National Parks and historical sites from the west coast to as far east as Minnesota. Of course as children we didn’t appreciate all the beautiful areas we visited and couldn’t wait to get to out of the van and into the hotel pool. I’m sure there were moans and groans anytime my parents decided to take the longer “scenic route” to our destination.

As an adult I’m still eager to get out of the car after a long drive, but I’ve developed a much greater appreciation for the beauty we get to enjoy along the way. I’m not exaggerating when I say that nearly every time I get in the car to drive anywhere I’m taken back by the beautiful area I live. It doesn’t matter where I need to go, whether the grocery store, Costco, the kid’s school, or to swim lessons… to get there I’m surrounded by amazing views.

The kids took swim lessons this week at a pool located near the base of Mount Si (the same mountain I’m lucky enough to also see out my kitchen window). I wish the picture could do it justice – it really is impressive.

07.14.11 – 15 months old

Look who’s 15 months old today

I’ve tried everything I could to keep this girl little:

She’s still rear-facing in the car and continues to sit in her infant carrier (although I stopped lugging the carrier around long ago)

I nursed her longer than any of my other kids (don’t fret, I have quit)

I haven’t encouraged her to use utensils

I swaddled the poor child til she was five or six months old

I’m totally fine with her lack of word usage (the thought of her speaking in sentences freaks me out)

I’ll post Katie’s stats when she has her 15 month checkup in a few weeks, but I’m pretty sure my attempts have failed – she is growing up. It’s a good thing she’s so dang fun. Here’s a little update on our sweet baby girl.

Still takes two naps a day, if our schedule permits

Throws all her binkies out of her crib when she wakes up in the morning

Loves to get into the cupboard where we keep the kids dishes and play with them, I find cups and bowls throughout the house

She even got her cereal out of the pantry this time

Likes to pick up clothes and walk around with them, Jason's underwear seems to be her favorite

Has discovered the joy of playgrounds – it’s something I’ve been withholding because it means much more work for me to keep her safe, but she loves being outside and playing with the big kids

Brings me her little crocs when she wants too go somewhere, she makes a little hissing sound for "shoe".

Gets into the dishwasher EVERY time it's open and goes straight for the sharp knives, it's a miracle she hasn't cut herself yet

Has no problems sleeping in her play-n-pack

Is a light sleeper, we often run the bathroom fan while she's napping to create a little white noise

Katie likes to get into stuff – more so than any of our other kids ever did

In the girls craft cupboard

Discovered my baggie of Box Tops in a kitchen drawer

Climbs up the stairs, she can go down if she's already on them but hasn't learned to go down from the upstairs

She's a great little eater. Her daily diet usually includes: bananas, yogurt, cheese stick, applesauce, and some type of dried cereal. She loves fruit, beans, corn, and bread. She doesn’t like cantaloupe.

Gets super excited anytime she sees an animal – which is fun because we see deer nearly everyday at home

Is learning how to play – it has been so fun to watch her “pretend” these past few weeks

Nicknames: “baby” or “baby girl” and “KK”

07.13.11 – reading rewards

Each summer we participate in the summer reading program through the county library. Children ages 5-12 are encouraged to read 1,000 minutes during the summer break. Preschool age kids have several activities they can complete to increase their reading ability (and of course to earn a cool prize too). This year the halfway prize is a 3D bookmark and cup and the finishing prize is a kaleidoscope. Today was the first day prizes were available and we were there. Abigail completed her 1,000 minutes two weeks into the summer so she received both her prizes today. Carly and Jason earned their halfway prize and are excited to continue working toward the kaleidoscope.

07.12.11 – all dolled up

After I got dressed this morning I came downstairs where Abigail and Carly were already up and playing our recent game of choice - Phase 10 Twist. The first thing Carly said to me was, “Why are you so dressed up today?”

I had to laugh. I am one of the most casual people I know. Comfort is key and I’m not above wearing loungewear to the grocery store, but for her to think that this ensemble was “dressed up” was quite funny, yet sadly somewhat understandable.

This afternoon Justin and I had an appointment in Bellevue to sign some paperwork for refinancing our home (yes, we’ve only been in the home a few months, but the lower interest rates basically paid us to refinance).

On our way to the appointment, Justin commented on our casual attire. Justin was wearing jean shorts and an old button up shirt (untucked of course). We both laughed as I told him that I’d received a dramatically different opinion of my outfit earlier that day. The gentleman we coordinated the loan through was dressed superbly. Tailored dark suit, pressed, immaculate hygiene… so impressive that we both took notice of his professional and polished appearance.

So I guess this is the part where I’m supposed to say we were utterly embarrassed and will do better to dress to impress, but I’m afraid that’s just not the case. Thankfully, the most important people in my life are still pretty easy to impress.

07.11.11 - a future pianist

Now this is something we see everyday. The kids play the piano A LOT and Jason is no exception. He especially enjoys playing the prerecorded music – his favorite is “Marcia alla Turca” by Beethoven. There have been many occasions we’ll have someone over and for a fraction of a second they think Jason is the one actually playing.

Hopefully he still has a strong love of music when he’s old enough take lessons.

07.10.11 – it’s the simple things

Tonight Justin and I got creamed by these two silly girls – boy, were they goofy this evening… must be a combination of the two hour nap we had them take this afternoon and the ultra-rich chocolate mousse we had for dessert

and I can’t count how many times they have thanked us today for taking them to get their stuffed bears

*** It has been brought to my attention that a clarification is necessary. Because Justin reached phase 8 technically his defeat cannot be classified as a “creaming”. Whereas since I fell backward to Phase 6 it is me and me alone that was creamed by my daughter. Justin was merely beaten.

07.09.11 - another fun filled day

This morning we attended the grand opening of the new Swedish Hospital just 10 minutes from our house. IT IS BEAUTIFUL! If we are ever in need of hospital services we have found the place for us.

We arrived early to beat crowds and increase our chances of being one of the 2,000 kids to get a free build-a-bear. To earn the bear we had to navigate our way through the hospital and collect 12 stamps in our passports. The kids had fun with it and each got a super-soft teddy bear at the end.

Katie was strapped in her stroller the whole time, but Justin got a passport stamped just for her. She was THRILLED with her soft little bear.

Then it was on to the party outside where they had inflatables, pony rides, rock climbing, and yummy treats. All for free, free, free!

Justin got the kids twirling so fast on this ride – Jason was nearly flying out of his seat

More jumping and flipping for the girls, but a much shorter wait this time

There wasn’t any line for rock climbing when we got there so Abigail got to go up three or four times in a row

Carly also made it to the top… even with her chunky Crocs on

We had a few hours to rest this afternoon before heading off to the ward party at a nearby park this evening. So much for not having any plans this summer… this week has been crazy busy. We’re having a blast!

07.08.11 – “decorate a cake”

I was worried that this summer would be difficult for the girls. We moved from the perfect neighborhood for summer fun. The girls could walk out the front door and have oodles of friends to play with. We lived right across from a culd-e-sac providing a flat, safe area for biking, rollerblading, playing with chalk, etc… It was normal for the girls to be outside for 8+ hours seeing them only when they needed something to eat or to use the bathroom.

Our current neighborhood couldn’t be any more different. We live on a hill, we don’t have any neighbors yet, and while they have each met new friends in the area, getting them together takes more planning and often involves driving them around.

I anticipated many afternoons of hearing the kids tell me how bored they are so I was prepared. At the beginning of the summer I created a container we labeled as the “Summer Boredom Buster” with a warning in fine print underneath that reads “take at your own risk or benefit.” Inside are approximately 70 small slips of papers with an activity or task they must complete. The kids can only draw a slip if their regular jobs are complete. Most of the slips of paper are additional chores but there are also some fun activities as well. The chance that they will draw out something really fun has kept them excited about it and kept the boredom to a minimum.

Today they pulled out the “decorate a cake” activity. I was totally dreading the mess, but they had so much fun with it that it ended up being really fun (and yummy) for everyone.

Just getting started

The girls went heavy on the decorating

The finished masterpieces

07.07.11 – girls night

Just got back from a night on the town with these two cuties

+ Grandma Fletcher, Aunt Tami and their cousin Hallie

The evening consisted of dinner at Cheesecake Factory and attending the opening night of Aladdin at the 5th Avenue Theatre

So fun!

07.06.11 - lake sammamish

Tonight we were invited to spend the late afternoon/evening on Lake Sammamish. How could we pass up a chance to cool off at a private beach on one of the most beautiful lakes in Washington?

We cooked up hot dogs for dinner and spent hours soaking up the sun and water. The family that hosted us has two kids and they all had a blast together. Our kids had no hesitation jumping in the cold water and enjoyed playing on the huge tube and taking turns on the paddle boat. We were having such a good time that we ended up staying until nearly 9pm!

Katie had fun wadding in the water and playing with the sand toys. The poor girl has had far too many late nights this week so she was ready to head home much earlier than the rest of us.

I love that she’s crouching so she doesn’t have to sit her bottom on the sand.

Independence Day Celebrations

We joined some friends on Sunday evening to watch the Emerald Downs fireworks in Auburn. They saved us a spot in a nice grassy area by the city airport – a definitely improvement from watching it along the street or railroad tracks in years past. While we waited for the show to start we visited, played a little Catch Phrase, and the kids ran around playing tag.

The show was nice and the company was great.

It made for a late night though – we didn’t get home til nearly 11:30pm. Then it was up early the next morning to join Justin’s parents at their ward breakfast in Maple Valley.

I posted a picture of our family for my picture of the day on Monday, but I also thought this picture of the kids was cute. Katie was waving at all the cars as they arrived.

This year we took scooters and bikes so the kids could ride along side the old firetruck in the parade.

However, when it came for the actual parade the kids wanted to ride on the back of the fire engine instead.

The three big kids are somewhere on the back of the truck

We went straight from breakfast to our neighborhood summer picnic in Snoqualmie.

Being new in the neighborhood we didn’t know quite what to expect. We were blown away when we saw the setup of the event.

As you can see there were many activities and rides for the kids to enjoy (several more that aren’t pictured). Immediately after we arrived we saw a bungee/jumping ride that the kids wanted to ride. The line was long though – while we waited (over an hour) we snacked on free cotton candy, popcorn, and soda and the kids snuck off every so often to do an activity with a shorter line while we saved their spot.

Finally it was our turn…

Abigail was a little more timid than I expected

Carly did a flip right off the bat

The girls were on opposite ends – here you can see them both the girls jumping at the same time

You had to be at least 45 pounds to participate – we weren’t sure how much Jason weighs, but he was willing so we had them strap him in

He loved it!

Justin helped give him a little extra bounce

By the time we were done jumping the entire event was winding down so the kids were able to play on as many inflatables as they wanted. We ran into a few families from church so the kids did race after race in the obstacle inflatables.

We knew the kids were exhausted, especially after being out so late the night before so we came home and had them all take naps so we’d be rested for the fireworks later that evening.

We were invited to join several families from church for fireworks that night.

Before the main show began the kids played with the little stuff. Carly probably did 30+ sparklers during the evening and was quite fearless – unfortunately, she also learned that fireworks can be dangerous when she was grazed on the cheek.

Snoqualmie doesn’t have any restrictions on fireworks. We moved from an area that enforced a “if it goes up or blows up it’s illegal” – which pretty much limits anything cool. We were amazed at the incredible show our friends put on. Adding even more enjoyment to the evening was that all the streets, blocks, and neighborhoods around us were putting on equally amazing displays. These were HUGE fireworks that you’d see at city sponsored events and we were surrounded by them. It. Was. Amazing! Needless to say I doubt we will ever attend the Emerald Downs fireworks show again. We will likely never even leave our neighborhood again on the 4th of July.

07.05.11 – birthday balloons

Grateful today for the little cluster of balloons Carly taped to the mantle for my birthday

“M-O-M” with a little handwritten note on each balloon

07.04.11 – happy 4th of july!

Already a full day of fun

Kids all napping before the festivities continue tonight

07.03.11 – napping house

In preparation for several late nights this week the Fletchers have implemented a mandatory afternoon of napping

Five down, One to go

07.02.11 – muffins

The girls earned blueberry muffins this morning by taking care of Katie so I could sleep in.

A little explanation why these muffins have the ability to buy me an extra hour of sleep:

Having children with food allergies can be challenging. Unfortunately for them, I've never been very good about finding ways to work around cooking without eggs and nuts. Instead I'd typically cook what sounds good and if they can't eat it, they go without. People always feel horrible when Abigail and Jason can't eat a dessert or treat, but sadly they are used to be excluded and doing without. It's all they've known. As part of my recent increase in cooking I've also found some good egg-free recipes. I tried an egg-free blueberry muffin when my brother and his family were visiting and it was a hit. In fact Abigail wouldn't stop asking about them all day. My brother commented that usually he'd be begging his kids to eat the last few muffins and I could hardly hold Abigail off from devouring the whole batch. I guess if you're unable to eat something for nine years then suddenly it's allowed it makes it a bit more special. Thus the power of a muffin.

07.01.11 – a picture a day

Does the name Becky Higgins mean anything to anybody besides me? I’ve followed her work for over ten years when she started her career contributing to Creating Keepsakes (a scrapbook magazine). I loved her clean simple lines and mimicked her layouts in my own albums. She’s a wife, mother, church member, decorator, etc.... she’s inspiring. One of those people you just want to be friends with. Over the past few years she’s developed a product called Project Life. I love the idea. Simplified scrapbooking with a focus on the everyday moments.

In July I am going to attempt what Becky has been doing for years now. Taking a picture each day. She makes no exceptions. To keep myself motivated I’ll be posting them on the blog. I can’t promise they will be of interest to anyone, but interesting or not they should be a glimpse into our everyday.

I took a few pictures today, but my favorite is this:

Tonight it was just me and my girls

We ate Parmesan Cheese Pasta Roni for dinner

Then we worked together to clean the kitchen and family room

We watched a little Cake Boss

and ate the last of yesterdays cookies

and homemade creamy fruit freeze

After Katie went to bed we played a game of Ticket to Ride

We didn't finish til nearly ten

I promised them blueberry muffins in the morning

But only if I get to sleep in

High-C

Each spring schools across the country test their students to ensure they have learned the curriculum expected of them. In some school districts a handful of students are issued additional testing to determine eligibility for gifted programs. These students are selected by teacher recommendation, prior high scores on standard tests, or by the request of the child’s parents. Abigail was one of the students at her previous school selected to be tested for their STEP = (student teacher enrichment program) class. The way it worked is that based on these special tests the top 25 third grade students in the district (14 elementary schools) would attend 4th and 5th grade together. These students would be bussed each day to the school where the program is sponsored. The program sounds great in that it provides a challenging environment for these students, but the drawback (in my opinion) was that they would be completely removed from their peers. Shortly after we moved we were contacted by our previous school counselor with Abigail’s test scores and were told that she would have been one of the few students in the district selected for the gifted program. Of course we were proud (but let’s be honest, not surprised). The counselor advised us to send Abigail’s scores to our new school district where they too have a gifted program they refer to as High-C (highly capable). I called the gal over the program and she unofficially told me Abigail was a shoe-in and explained how their program is structured. The students are pulled out of their regular classes once a week for 90-minutes. So while it’s not nearly as much time as STEP would have been I feel that it may be just the right balance between providing additional opportunities to excel while also remaining quite normal and mainstream.

This week we received official notification of Abigail’s acceptance into the High-C program – she didn’t know anything about it so it was exciting news for her. The teacher included an outline of the program and it sounds really awesome – the students get to go on extra field trips and are taught some really fun and challenging curriculum.

Great job Abigail!