Jason’s 4th Birthday

Jason had an awesome fun-filled birthday on Wednesday. When I came downstairs that morning this is how I found the three big kids:

Not sure what they were doing (the TV wasn’t on)… maybe they were just admiring the awesome banner I made (I copied a banner my SIL purchased).

Justin was able to take the day off and made pancakes, bacon and hash browns for breakfast. Jason opened up his present from Grandma Kesler – to be honest he had no clue what a Transformer was, but it didn’t take long for him to become a fan. The girls (and Justin) have also spent time transforming Jason’s new toys.

This was also the first time we’ve heard our sweet, innocent little boy make shooting noises (thanks for that Mom) we now have a bona fide boy on hands.

Justin felt it necessary that Jason have a scooter of his own and what better time to give him one than on his birthday. Jason was thrilled.

After Katie took her morning nap we heading down to Auburn to pick up Jason’s two best buddies for an afternoon at a bouncy place. We knew the boys would have fun and that Jason would be thrilled to spend some time running around with his friends. Jason sure has missed seeing these two boys since we moved.

There’s no validity in the saying “threes a crowd” when it comes to these boys – they were inseparable.

They spent most of the time going down the big slide – over and over, and over…

I threw this little outing together way last minute and didn’t expect the boys to bring gifts for Jason, but they did and Jason loved everything.

Mitchell gave Jason a bat, ball, and a bubble wand.

Jacob gave Jason a giant lollipop and a Cars book that the boys were mesmerized with while they waited for their ice cream at Sam’s Club afterward.

We invited Justin’s family over that evening for dinner and cake and ice cream, but since we were running late we resorted to picking up pizza at Little Caesar’s (who did not live up to their “hot and ready” slogan).

After dinner there were more presents

A big ball, water gun and spinney toy from his cousins and cars, clothes, and a movie from Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher

And here’s the most pitiful birthday cake I’ve ever made for my kids and the adorable four year old boy that thought it was fabulous.

07.31.11 – I married a drinking man

for months we’ve been able to buy delicious, rich chocolate milk from Fred Meyer for cheap

Justin can’t resist a good deal like this

and honestly neither can I

darn those calories though

drinking a gallon (or more) a week over the past few months has easily added a few pounds to both our waistlines

07.30.11 - weekend with the Fletcher women

I spent the last 30 hours with Justin’s mom and sister

We spent last night in Leavenworth, WA (a Bavarian village in Eastern WA) and attended Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at an outdoor theatre

Somehow on the way home today we found ourselves at an outlet mall in Northwestern WA

We’re lucky we made it home at all

I left the camera at home and only took this one picture on my phone while walking around the shops in Leavenworth

Jason is

Earlier this year Jason promised me he would stay three forever – then Carly had a birthday and the next month Katie had a birthday and Jason decided he was going to turn four after all. It's so hard for me to see him grow up – I’ve adored him at three! (of course I’ll adore him at four too, but I wish three could last a little longer). I did a little interview with Jason this morning and included in the clip below is Jason’s promise that he will stay four forever (though I sense a little hesitation, I’m still hopeful he really means it this time).

Below are a few other questions Jason answered:

Favorite colors: blue and red

Favorite foods: pizza, sausage biscuits, and pancakes

Favorite toys: cars

Favorite thing to do outside is: play tag

Favorite treats are: cookies

Favorite animal: horse and sheep

Jason at Four:

Wears a size 5 in clothing and size 12 in shoes

Will nap a 2-3 times a week, but it’s harder in the summer with his older sisters home all day

I’ve been told he is one of the most reverent children in Primary

Plays the piano every day. If he has any future interest in playing music I have no doubt it will be easier for him because of how much exposure he gets to it now

Still plays with cars over any other toy

Isn’t attached to any comfort item – he does have a blanket but we recently lost it for over a month and he didn’t even notice

Loves to play the DS and watch TV and movies, but it’s quite limited at our house

Loves to be outside doing just about anything – riding bikes, scooters, etc…

Doesn't like big dogs

Solid sleeper, he doesn’t have any blinds on his window and the light hasn't bothered him at all

Doesn't like crusts on his sandwich

Loves key lime yogurts which his Dad typically keeps stocked up just for him

Doesn’t like to be messy and after nearly every meal, snack or treat he’ll ask "Is my face clean?"

I’m shocked how much this kids knows – somewhere along the way he learned to recognize numbers and letters without his Mom’s doing

If we’re going somewhere he’ll often ask if we’re going on the freeway – if we are he groans a little. Not sure why – he’s an awesome traveler and doesn’t mind being in the car at all, but apparently he prefers it not be on the freeway

Loves books and will often sit on the couch on his own flipping through books. Sometimes if we know he’s not quite ready for bed we’ll let him sit up in bed and look at books.

Doesn’t like soda – I love that neither Jason nor Abigail like it.

Is great at entertaining himself

Still has some sounds that he struggles to form, but I’m totally fine with it. In fact I think it’s adorable and I know I’ll be sad when he eventually gets it figured out.

07.29.11 – bye-bye cardboard

Getting things settled in our house has been extremely slow going. There are lots of reasons: limited fundage, indecision, lack of time, etc… Today we made a tiny step in the right direction by getting blinds installed in the girls’ rooms. I’ve looked at many, many options and have yet to find the perfect solution. There all either the wrong color, the wrong size, or the wrong style of valance. I told myself I wouldn’t settle, but after four months living with cardboard in the window we decided to move ahead. These are the right color and size, but I wanted a simple valance to match our window trim and these only came with a decorative valance (I know wo is me, right?). Anyhow, we only ordered them in these two rooms so we could see if I can live with them before ordering any others. Baby steps…

(I know it’s only been a few hours, but I still hate that valance)

07.28.11 – get well goodies

Could also be called my, “oh, crap I haven’t taken a picture today, but hey, the kids are heading out the door to deliver cookies to the neighborhood boy that fell off his bike and went to the ER, I’ll take a picture of that and call it good” photo

07.27.11 – happy birthday buddy!

07.26.11 - blockade

I asked the girls to watch Katie this morning while I took a shower. This is what I found as I was heading downstairs.

I guess this is the girls way of keeping Katie from going up the stairs unattended.

Lake Chelan

We thought it would be fun to return to Lake Chelan this summer after having a great time there last year. Justin's coworker received an invitation to stay at some new condos right by the lake and he worked it out so we could get the same deal. In exchange for attending a 90-minute tour (sales presentation) we got to stay in a “luxurious" 3-bedroom condo for two nights at a ridiculously cheap rate plus they threw in a spa package and a fancy-smancy dinner.

We got there Thursday afternoon and the kids went straight to the pool and played for hours despite the cooler than expected/hoped for temperature. After dinner we walked down to the lake and played at a nearby park.

Katie really enjoys swinging

She discovered the thrill of tilting her head backward as she swings

Justin pushed Carly as high as possible

Mr. J always wants to do the monkey bars

The kids were pretty excited to hold the green flags at the crosswalk.

There was a grocery store right by our condo so we picked up a container of ice-cream and made shakes before turning in for bed. Yummy!

Justin and I attended our obligatory tour on Friday morning and actually quite enjoyed it (the kids stayed back at the condo with Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher). The guy was really nice and not at all pushy. I went straight from the meeting to the spa for an hour long massage and pedicure - sweet! I could get used to that kind of pampering.

For lunch we tried out a little drive in across the street from the condo.

That’s our place - the Lake House at Chelan

We liked it so much we also returned there for lunch on Saturday. On both days Jason got the foot-long hotdog.

They had the most delicious Reese’s peanut butter cup shakes with the most candy I’ve ever had before AND they sold fries by the bucket – thus explaining why we had to return again the following afternoon.

The weather Friday and Saturday was perfect pool weather. We took full advantage of it. The three big kids were at the pool all day on Friday. Between naps Katie also joined in on the fun. The condo had the perfect raft/floating contraption for Katie. She loved it.

Friday evening Justin and I had dinner reservations at a delicious little Italian restaurant nearby. We were given a $75 gift certificate so that meant appetizers, drinks, and dessert as well. I’m not kidding when I say it was one of the best meals I’ve had.

We got back just in time to take the kids down to the clubhouse for smores by the pool.

Jason is the funniest little boy when it comes to eating messy foods so he was good with just eating one.

An unexpected bonus was that the tour guide/salesperson also gave us free passes to the local waterpark – 5 tickets at $17/each! (Katie was free) Had we thought it through it maybe would’ve been better to use them on Friday instead of a busy Saturday, but free is free and the kids had tons of fun. There were slides for all ages – including four that Jason could go down by himself.

Katie even got to go down the slide a few times.

We stayed at the waterpark for several hours before deciding we should probably start making the drive home. We had such a great weekend and the kids are already talking about returning again next summer!

07.25.11 - banished

I had dozens of things I wanted to accomplish today. We stayed at home and I tried to be productive… yet also present. Overall the kids did great at entertaining themselves, but it was rainy and there were a few moments of rambunctiousness. By the end of the afternoon I shooed the big kids out the door. My office is right by the front door though so I could hear them playing around on the porch.

07.24.11 – pink hippos

This morning as I dressed Katie in my favorite outfit, I realized her pretty little pink shoes are getting too small. I knew I wanted to get a picture of her wearing them before I could no longer squeeze in her chubby little feet, but she was much too busy to cooperate.

Funny story: I actually bought these shoes on clearance at Target.com for a Christmas gift for Abigail in 2009. Did you catch that? For Abigail – just shy of her 8th birthday. They were incorrectly labeled as a size 5 in girls instead of toddlers. Thankfully, I soon found out we were pregnant with a baby girl so I held onto them.

So grateful for this girl!

07.23.11 - a getaway

Just got home from spending the last few days playing at Lake Chelan

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”