Exploring the Sunny Days

We sure do love the sun. Sometimes we are reminded of how nice it was to have so much of it when we lived in Houston. We enjoy every bit of it here as the sunny days are few and far between. There is so much to do here when the weather is not wet and mushy. 

 Brayden is starting to love exploring at the parks. He can't do much, but he just loves being outside and in the fresh air. We usually put him down the slide with Summer and in the baby swing. When we are at a park that doesn't have bark chips we put him on the ground to crawl around. I wonder why some places still use those bark chips they are so annoying. Anyhow we just play around them.

 Loving the freedom.

 This time of year I love because the bright green moss covers the trees and makes it look like Ferngully the Last Rainforest. Summer loves when we go outside together. Really who wouldn't love being outside exploring. There is so much to see and find.

 We found this interesting looking vehicle and I told her she could pretend it was her ice cream truck.

I can't believe how big she is getting.

 Crossing the Bridge.

 Really Summer's face shows just how awesome it is to be outside. It lights up her face every time. If she is ever sad I should just send her outside for a while.

Brayden having his first ride on the pooh bear bike. This was actually Summer's first birthday present. I 

am glad to put it to use again. 

Soon enough we will actually be able to put Brayden in the bike trailer. We did a short test run and he enjoyed it. Summer definitely went through a growth spurt since moving here. She really doesn't fit in it at all and before she fit with plenty of room to spare. She will just have to do her own peddling from now on. 

This was not taken on a sunny day, but the ice cream was fantastic and we plan to eat some on nice sunny days. 

I look forward to exploring some more. Perhaps farther from the house next time. 

April Fools Day and Big Roach

This year for April fools my intention was to make some fun cupcakes that looked like the main course. Well I did do some that looked like spaghetti and meatballs since that is Summer's favorite meal. While shopping for the ingredients I saw some large dates in the bulk section. I was reminded of when we first moved to Langley from Houston and Summer saw them. She said, "Mom, come look at these they look just like cockroaches."

When I remembered this I had to buy one and put it in her bathroom for her to find on April fools. That night I got practically no sleep since Brayden thought he would fool me and not sleep through the night. I was lying in bed the next morning while Philip watched Brayden and Summer downstairs. The next thing I know I hear Summer screaming and bawling at the top of her lungs. I know right away what just went down. I knew Philip was not going to let me off the hook because he had warned me the night before that it was a bad idea. Anyhow, I went to her rescue and calmed her down explaining that it was not really a roach, but one of the dates like she saw at the store. After calming down she thought is was a tad funny. I'm such a mean mom.

She immediately remembered the tricks she wanted to play on Philip. The problem was she didn't wait to do it. She went right downstairs and made a sandwich with mustard, lettuce, and cheese on it to give to her dad who HATES mustard. Well she didn't execute it well as he was not planning to eat a sandwich for breakfast and definitely not one with what appeared to be just lettuce and bread. Of course he opened it and caught her trick. Oh well Summer maybe next year. At least I fooled her. Haha.

Easter

I am late to post about Easter as I am to post about most things. We had a wonderful Easter as we were reminded of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Atonment, and especially that Jesus Christ was resurrected and that He still lives. What a wonderful message of hope to share with our children, family, and friends. There are some awesome videos about the ministry of Jesus Christ you can find here at  

www.lds.org/bible-videos?lang=eng

 Before heading to church the kids wanted to find their baskets. Summer had written a letter to the Easter Bunny asking all sorts of questions about how the Easter Bunny looks and if there is magic. I should have written it down or at least taken a picture of it but unfortunately I didn't. Summer found her basket on the first try. The Easter Bunny should have known she always hides behind the couch from us and that would be the first place she would look. Brayden didn't really get it of course, but next year will be more fun for him.

 We went to church and the weather was actually pretty nice. This made it possible for a quick photo before heading home.

It was really nice to spend Easter with family and also to be relieved from cooking duty. I loved it. Philip's mom and dad are leaving on a mission to Zambia, Africa in May so it was nice to spend quality time with them before they leave.

The kids enjoyed hunting a few eggs in grandma and grandpa's back yard. I have fun memories of my childhood Easter. Our community had a big easter egg hunt at the city park every year. The park grounds were filled with candy and when the whistle blew we just ran and picked up as much as we could. Those were good times.

Battle Wounds

 This is what happens when you horse around and land on your head wearing a headband. Yep Summer learned the hard way. The teeth on the headband went punctured right through the skin and left her in a lot of pain. I am sure she will remember to take it off next time she wants to be super woman. 

A month ago Brayden was trying so hard to tackle crawling. He wanted to go places so bad but couldn't quit get the hang of it. Well he was able to scoot over to the side table which has these metal legs. He learned the hard way that bonking your head on it doesn't feel too good. Poor guy. I need to get rid of the tables since they are not kid friendly at all. 

Unfortunately my sweet kids this is only one of many battle wounds you will have in life. I wish I could tell them they won't ever get hurt again, but I would be lying. Fortunately we all usually heal from life's bumps and bruises. 

Am I Crazy or What?

This year Summer had two weeks off of school and actually it almost made three because of the teacher strike. She pretty much had most of March off. I didn't want to stick around the house watching the rain so I thought I would pack up the kids and go for a looooong car ride. We wanted to drive to Idaho to visit my family. Since Phil was going to be away for work it was perfect to be gone at the same time. 

I drove about 3 1/2 hours before I got to the first pass and it was horrible weather. Brayden was super fussy and crying, and poor Summer was left to be the babysitter as we carefully pressed on through the muck. 

 This picture is not even as bad as it really was. This was near the end. Before all the semi trucks were on the side of the road chaining up. The only lane half way visible was the two left lanes that had become one. It was soooo scary and it was then that I wondered what I was thinking taking two kids on a 15 hour road trip by myself. Fortunately that was the only bad weather on my way there. We had a bit more on the way back but not nearly as scary as the way there. 

 With kids we tend to stop a little more often for breaks. We did pretty good though. The few minutes we had we were able to chill in the car.

 Summer was such a good help and I am so glad she is old enough to do that for me. She made it so much better traveling with Brayden. He was really sick with a high fever on the way back so he cried a lot and she would just sing him back to sleep. 

 We had fun visiting with a few friends while we were there. We would have liked to see more people while we were there, but perhaps next time. 

 This is a blurry picture but I love how much it shows they love each other. Brayden really loves his big sister. The day we got to my mom's house Brayden finally took off crawling. He had been trying for a long time only to get frustrated that he couldn't move. Of course learning to crawl opens up a lot more places for him to explore.

 While at my mom's a leprechaun came and messed up her kitchen and left green foot prints all over the house. Summer was so shocked she came and woke everyone up. 

 Naughty little leprechaun.

 At least he left some treats. He forgot to wrap them up nicely but the kids enjoyed it anyways. 

 On the way back I had to snap this picture. Unfortunately the picture doesn't show exactly how messy this little boy was. I am sure that when we stopped people thought I was a mother who only bathed my kids once a week. He was so filthy. 

Sumer just had a good old time I owe her big time for all the help. 

So after going there and coming all the way back driving all on my own it is clear to me that although we love our family and friends we don't love driving by ourselves on long road trips. I think I have learned that with kids it is just different and a second driver or even another adult to have a conversation with is necessary. I am so glad I went, but I don't think I will be making that drive by myself again. I will just have to be patient and wait for Phil to join us. 

Change

Well, wether I like it or not my little girl is growing up and isn't so little anymore. Over the month of February she has had a few changes go on. I wanted to write about this on my blog just because it makes it easy to look back and remember. I should write dates too but I get foggy with some of those. 

 In January Summer lost her first front tooth. About a month later towards the end of February she lost the other front tooth. Sorry for the gross picture, but I want her to see when she is older. I was hoping it would happen in December so she could sing All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth. January and February are just as good though. I still haven't made a tooth fairy pillow even though the tooth fairy came a day late when she lost her second bottom tooth. Oops!

 You may wonder why Philip is scowling while Summer is smiling really big. Well her dad has a very week stomach and could not bare to look at her smile when she first pulled the tooth out and it was all raw looking. I don't know how he managed to pull it together when our children were born in the OR room when he can't even look at a bumpy red gum. Some people just have very sensitive stomachs. I sure hope if you are reading this you aren't the same. 

 I just love her cute little missing front teeth smile. It makes me smile. It has been an adjustment for her to eat though. She can't really eat an apple which I didn't think about until she brought it home in her lunch uneaten and said I need to cut it up for her. Haha

 Next on the list of changes for the month of February is eye glasses. Her teacher told me I might want to get her eyes checked because she often times gets out of her seat to go and look at the words on the board. She wasn't sure if she just developed a habit of getting out of her seat or if she couldn't see. Right after her teacher told me about it she got very defensive and said her teacher was wrong and needed to mind her own eyes. She was clearly sensitive and embarrassed that she might need glasses. She even said, "I am NOT going to sit in a chair and let some doctor stare at me in my eyes. I will just get out of the chair or close my eyes." I knew I had to help her feel comfortable with the idea so I started first by explaining that her teacher cares about her and is not trying to make her feel bad but just wants to make sure she can see well. I explained what they do at the doctor and made appointments for both of us to go in together since mine was due in a few weeks. Well, we took her to the doctor to check it out. Sure enough she is going to inherit my bad eyes. She needed glasses. The picture above is her getting her fitting for the frames. 

Once she knew she needed them she couldn't wait to pick them out and wear them. I wanted her to pick the ones she wanted most because I wanted her to feel happy, confident, and comfortable in them. 

 She chose these black frames with hot pink on the inside. They suit her well I think. I am just glad her teacher noticed it now and not in 7th grade like me. 

 Next, she made her second meal last night. She made french bread pizza.

 Don't worry I was there incase the knife went wonky. 

Ready for the oven. Great job Summer it was fabulous. 

Brayden Our Little Rascal

Since it has been so long since Summer was a baby I have since forgotten how interesting things get once they start getting a little mobile. The last month and a half have become a bit more interesting since Brayden is starting to move a bit. He still can't crawl yet, but he manages to make his way around the  room somehow getting into things. A few of his favorites are my sewing Garbage, fortunately it is mostly paper and fabric, he has found my scrap fabric drawer a few times, and he loves his daddy's work bag.

Getting into my sewing stuff. I guess I will have to find a way to get it put away. I found a great idea on pinterest and think I might have to try it out. 

  

Oh yes, I can't forget the door stopper. He loves this thing and what baby wouldn't. I am sure the sound and vibration every time he pings it is just delightful to him.  

He has found the book shelf up in our room. He likes to pull them all off of course. I guess early reading habits are good even if it is only pulling them off the shelf and onto the floor.

 I took him for a walk the other day when it was fairly nice out. He loved the baby swing. It is only now that I am realizing how dirty it was. Gross!

 One of his most recent activities is learning to crawl. He can finally get himself on his hands and knees and rock a bit. He occasionally reaches forward with one hand only to fall face first into the ground. He  tries a few times and then rolls onto his back frustrated and crying. It's OK Brayden you will get it soon enough. I don't know if this is normal, but I swear he is practicing in his sleep too. The last couple nights he wakes up and when I go in he is sitting up all by himself which is a first. 

This little guy loves to eat, but usually it is only if he can hold it himself. He has quickly move up to eating chunks of food because he is not a fan of being fed especially baby food. He does have six teeth already, so this eight month old is good to chew a bit. 

We sure do look forward to watching him grow and reach new accomplishments. I can only imaging what it is going to be like once he can crawl and walk if he is already into things now. I need to baby proof my house again. I don't even know where to begin except for outlet things and cupboard protectors.