Day 60/365~2012

I was a little nervous this morning when the house was suddenly too quiet.
I started searching for Kaitlin & Andrew and found them snuggled up under their "umbrella house."
Fort building is a favorite pastime for these two.

Day 58/365 ~ 2012

Matthew loves to learn. 
His mind is always going ~ questioning, thinking, wanting to know more.
He told Dan when he was five that he was teaching himself to read because Dan wasn't telling him all he wanted to know about dinosaurs.  :)
He also told me when he was very small that he was a "thinker."
A very accurate self assessment.



Matthew was having fun creating a vortex in these photos.
While I find these sorts of things interesting, Matthew finds them captivating.
The smiles you see in these photos are unprompted.
Truly just his happiness from this little experiment.
One of the many things I love about Matthew.

Day 57/365 ~ 2012

While Mom & I were in Seattle, Andrew tested for his Blue (stripe) belt and got it!
He is pictured here with Mr. Phillip who has been a fantastic teacher ~ firm, but patient & encouraging (and with a sense of humor).
A perfect match for Andrew!

(Video to be posted on my 3 little loves blog.) :)
 

Day 56/365 ~ 2012

Ever since I heard the American Girl store was coming to Seattle, I've been excited to take Kaitlin.
The 3 hour (one way) drive was so worth it! 



Lunch at the Bistro.
Such fun ~ Annabelle & Elizabeth had their own seats & cups.
Katie loved it.



Frozen Hot Chocolate ~ a belated birthday celebration.



O Happy Day.



Elizabeth had her hair done into a style Kaitlin chose ~ a braid!



(Nevermind that I could have done that!)
She thought it was great.
Kaitlin picked out a car seat carrier for Annabelle & a purple party dress for Elizabeth for her birthday.
After the shopping, the fun lunch, the hair styling....I asked Kaitlin as I was putting her to bed what her very favorite part of the day was.  Her reply?

Playing at the mall play area.

Such a reminder that kids are really happy with so little.

Day 55/365 ~ 2012

38 today!
A day of lovely simple pleasures.
Breakfast in bed (completely thought of & executed by the kids!)
A latte delivered to my doorstep by a dear friend.
A peaceful afternoon.
Birthday greetings from family & friends.
Time to read.
Dan home in time to pick up the boys.



Opening gifts ~ gift cards to Pottery Barn ~ for something I've been eyeing.

Mom arrived & surprised me with this great cake.



Out for dinner with Dan to Tommy O's.
(SO good!)
Followed by "This Means War" ~ movie with Dan.
Laughed 'til I couldn't breathe.

A very Happy Birthday.

Day 53/365 ~ 2012

Ash Wednesday.
One to go down in history for our family.
Kaitlin's dramatic (but very serious & heartfelt) dancing & lip syncing to "The Wonderful Cross" during church will forever be a favorite family memory.
Still laughing about that one.

Day 52/365 ~ 2012

I was feeling pretty good about turning 38 until I saw the series of photos taken of me & Katie with my phone. Yikes.
It was not kind, let me tell you.
This was the best one, and we forgot to hold our Starbucks cup in it...to remember that Katie thoughtfully kicked off my birthday with an early treat.
A birthday card & a latte to enjoy during bible study.
I enjoyed the company on the drive to/from Starbucks just as much as the treat!
Thank you, Friend!

Day 51/365 ~ 2012

Homework at the kitchen table at the end of a wonderful 3 day weekend.
(Notice everyone's bed head?  There was no hair coming today). :)
The kids and I made homemade chocolate chip cookies (a great low fat recipe) & ate one before lunch.
The kids played happily.
We skipped Tae Kwon Do.
I spent the day cleaning the downstairs & doing laundry. ~ Trying to get a jump start so I can enjoy a clean house and no chores on my birthday.
Ended the day with a great snuggle on the sofa with Matthew.
 It was my happiest sort of day.  Home.  No schedule.  With my kids.
Dan's presence would have made it perfection.

Day 50/365 ~ 2012

We were treated to a "Pokemon show" before church this morning.  Drawing, and cutting characters are a daily occurrence in our house.

Day 49/365 ~ 2012

Matthew is a tenacious little guy.
Dan was working on cutting up the tree that fell this winter.
He gave the boys a hand saw and let them go to work.
Matthew worked hard to saw all the way through the stump giving us a great piece of firewood to make s'mores over this summer.
After the boys came inside, Dan got out the power saw and finished the job. :)

Day 47/365 ~ 2012

I bought this shirt when we were in Disneyland & Kaitlin was 2 years old. I thought it was so cute & put it away for a day when Kaitlin would be big enough to wear it.
I didn't know at the time, the humor it would hold!

Day 46/365 ~2012

A play date planned for the day before Rachel's birthday proved to be a great opportunity to celebrate together (with cinnamon rolls)!
There are so many things I love and appreciate about Rachel.
Her friendliness, honesty, authenticity, compassion, thoughtfulness, faithfulness, & sincerity.
To name a few.
I am truly so blessed and lucky to call her my friend.
Happy Birthday, dear friend!

Day 45/365 ~ 2012

Valentine's Day!
A rough start to the day....Matthew & I had an issue (consequently he wasn't in the pictures before school), then after dropping him off at school and getting almost to the highway Andrew told me he wasn't wearing shoes!!  We had to go all the way back home.  Consequently,  Kaitlin was VERY late for school...I was frazzled.

 But we managed to turn it around and had a great day!

Favorite memories....



Delicious Beef Stroganoff, cherry chocolate chip cake, Valentine's Chex mix for movie treats.
Andrew trying so hard to be a cooperative subject for my camera because he always wants his mama to be happy.
Matthew drawing hearts on Andrew's valetines because he loves him.
Handmade valentines from the kids ~ simply the best.
Matthew's excitement over receiving a ream of copy paper. :)
Happy, excited boys talking over one another as they got in the van sharing about their Valentine's Day parties.
Exchanging family valentines during dinner.
Kaitlin's response to each Valentine, "Awwww, that's so, so sweet!"
Kaitlin's excitement over writing her name on her valentines.
"I wrote my name, Daddy!!!"
Falling asleep on the sofa to Mr. Poppers Penguins and enjoying a delicious snuggle with the Bug.


The Kids' Valentine's for this year.  Matthew chose "Cars" ~ too big for a cutesy valentine made by Mom.  Andrew chose the mustache/lips on the lollies...silly, just like my boy. 

It was a wonderful day!!

Day 44/365 ~2012

A little day before Valentine's Day fun.

Day 42/365 ~ 2012

Kaitlin had a "Ballerina" Birthday party for her 4th Birthday.
Daddy gave her a corsage which he has done since she was two. 
She loves this.
He's so sweet to wear pink on her birthday.



The dessert table & favor bags.



The cake!  Oh, the cake.   White cake, each layer dyed a different shade of pink, with cookies & cream and chocolate buttercream filling.  It was a chore to make this cake!  But it turned out really fun.  I was up until 3am, which was the least amount of sleep I've gotten before a party.  I attribute that, to this cake!





Nana made the trip for the party.



As did Grammie and Grandpa...we were happy to have them all here!



Our sweet friends.  Kaitlin was SO delighted with all the people, as they were arriving she exclaimed, "Mama!  Our house is going to BURST!!" 

There was also dancing with ribbon wands....

 

Time for cake!



 

Dan took the boys bowling, and I missed sharing this moment with him.
But the boys were much happier bowling than doing ballet.



The Bug has no trouble being the center of attention.



There were lots of thoughtful, girly gifts!



When the party was over, the boys returned and we finished the day with pizza/cake with brothers and cousins.

It was a happy, happy day!!!

Day 41/365 ~ 2012

(Note to self: Skipping day 38)



"A dance for Elementary school kids? That's ridiculous!" Said Matthew's old, crotchety mother.

Lucky for Matthew, he has a friend with a cooler, more laid back mom who thought it sounded like "fun."

Matthew went to his first "dance" (if you can even really call it that).  More like, running around in the gym to loud music, buying tickets to get pizza and candy and 80's fluorescent bracelets....He had a great time going with Stephen & his Dad (who kindly showed me video on his camera so that I could see this was not what popped into my head when I saw the words "dance" on the school flyer).
He had a great time being with friends, and I was glad to see him return so happy.

Note to Matthew's Mom:  Loosen up.

Dau 40/365 ~ 2012

Katie's puppy "Valentine" is never too far away.
She loves puppies & would like one...Alas, Valentine will have to fit the bill for a while longer.
Mama isn't ready for the real thing.

Day 38/365 ~ 2012

Nearly every morning last year Andrew would come in my bedroom and watch Curious George while I finished getting ready. 
This year,  he often opts to play Legos with Matthew before we head down for breakfast.
Not this morning.
While Matthew & Kaitlin slept in, Andrew watched Curious George on my bed...and a sentimental mama snapped this photo.

Day 37/365 ~ 2012

(I skipped Day 36, Feb. 5th, so that I could use more photos in my book for Kaitlin's birthday).



Kaitlin turned 4 today.
I'm okay with that. It somewhat feels like a continuation of 3.
Five will be a different story.
After a rough start, we rallied and ended up having a great day.



Her wish?
Ice skating!
We picked up the boys a half hour early from school and went as a family.
Lots of falling, but we lasted an hour.



The Bug loved it and is already asking to go back so she can do her "Ice Skating Performance."
Her red nose tells the tale of the temperature in the ice skating rink.
Brrrr!



Followed by a toasty warm dinner at Red Robin.
And for those of us who dieted for the last 5 weeks, this meal was much anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed!

With a big cake in the works for her party on Saturday, I thought we could get by with the Red Robin sundae on her birthday. Her disappointment led me to DQ where she was delighted to pick out a "puppy cake."

She was thrilled, I tell you. (Tell me again, why I spent hours making fondant ruffles for her cake?) :)



Make a wish!

Happy 4th Birthday, Bugaboo!

Day 35/365 ~ 2012

Dan and his boys watching tv.
They looked so cute, a photo was in order.