Crib gymnastics

I know I've posted some of Elizabeth's crib gymnastics before, but it just cracks me up when I walk in her bedroom in the mornings and see her like this.

Too much zucchini!

Not surprisingly, there is way too much zucchini (and cucumbers). Nathan enjoys cutting it up and making "soup." Don't worry. He cuts with a little kid butter knife. Extra zucchini is a great way to practice cutting up vegetables, don't you think?

Summer Videos

 

Elizabeth's thought of the day

We were driving home and I pulled over at the mailbox to check the mail.
There was nothing in there and I announced it to the kids.

Elizabeth said loudly: "What? Not even any junk mail?"

She's learning!

An hour at the track

Nathan was very impressed with the Olympics. He really enjoyed the swimming and running. It's too late for swimming lessons this year, but it's never too late to get outside running!

We took him down to the local high school track. Jeremy and I were hoping he'd be able to make 1 lap so that we could clap and cheer.

He did. He made FIVE laps. That little guy just kept going! He took a break after 3 laps to take a drink. After the 4th lap, he took a break to do some long jumping. He finished the 5th lap and said he was done running for two whole days. It was so cute.

Elizabeth did a few meters of running. Then, she liked to sit in the stands and cheer us on. After sitting, she discovered running around bleachers. What fun! (And she drank all my water).

Here are some photos.



On your mark, get set...


Go!!


Nathan doing some long jumping.


Finishing up his 5th lap with Dad.



After run stretching. We were hot and sweaty! This picture doesn't totally show it, but Elizabeth is so good at doing the splits. 2 year olds are so flexible!

Thoughts of Halloween

The kids and I were out running errands yesterday.

First, we stopped at the bank. There was a basket of candy. Each kid got a dum dum.

Next, we walked a few doors down to the dry cleaners to pick up Jeremy's uniform. The guy at the counter had a basket of candy. He insisted the kids each take a piece.

At this point, Nathan said, "Mom, this is just like Halloween!"

True...

We then went grocery shopping. As I was paying, Elizabeth piped up and said "Trick r treat" to the guy doing the transaction.

I started laughing. The guy didn't understand what was so funny. She didn't get any candy there.

The Diesel Works

Nathan still really likes Thomas and Friends. He got a lego set for his birthday. Look, he built the whole thing himself! He's so proud. It's "The Diesel Works."

I guess he's a true Tri-Cities kid now...

The last few days, the temperature has dipped below 90. Forecasts for the week are saying mid-upper 80's.

Nathan (apparently noticing the slightly cooler weather) came up to me today and said, "Mom, it's getting cold. I'm going to start wearing my long sleeve shirts and jeans now."

He also wants to wear his footie pajamas at night. I guess if it's 85, it means fall is here!

Instructions for putting on chapstick

First, you put it on your nose.


Then, you bite it and eat it...

Nathan loves space!

Nathan's newest interest is space. Today, he painted a picture of all the planets (including Pluto). He tried to paint them the right colors too. It was so cute! Here is a video of him describing his painting.

Nathan's 5th Birthday Party!

We had a fun time celebrating Nathan's 5th birthday! Here are some photos and commentary.


It wouldn't be a birthday party without Kim, Papa Ray, and Papa Norm!


Nathan always sees this game on his other games and always wondered what it was about! As usual, Kim came through and got it for him.


A "Cars" birthday card! Kim didn't even know Nathan's theme was "Cars" and made it anyway! It worked perfectly.


Blowing out his "5" candle. He helped me bake his cake. He wanted a strawberry cake with pink frosting so that is what we made!


Uncle Brian and Auntie Laura hanging out at the party.



Eating his cake.

Elizabeth being goofy.



She ended up covered in cake. Good thing we had the hose out!



Laura and her new little friend Pippa. Pippa is 8 weeks old. Laura just got her yesterday! Pippa is a Goldendoodle. Nathan LOVED Pippa and was very sad when she left. Elizabeth was not a big fan and thought Pippa was going to eat her. Or this was just Elizabeth's excuse so that Gram would carry her around all day...


Playing on his new slip n slide with Papa Ray.


Hanging out together


Elizabeth did not want to slide.



Backwards sliding!


Elizabeth in her favorite place: Gram's lap.

Elizabeth's thoughts of the day

At church looking at the baptism font:

"Look, Nathan. We could throw lots of rocks in here!"


In the car:

"Dad, you should sit on the windshield and I'LL sit in the driver's seat."


On putting her toy Thomas in time out:

"He was rude with a bad attitude." (This is a line out of a funny book about a naughty crocodile."

Grapes!

We've got grapes! They are super tiny, but they are red and seedless and very yummy. Too bad they're so tiny, but they're fun anyway.


Nathan and a big bunch he picked.


Showing off their grapes.

They go along the whole side of the house!

A Clean Room

Elizabeth cleaned her room by herself! She picked up her toys and put them on shelves. She was very proud of herself. I hope she will continue to like to do this.

What would Auntie Laura want?

Auntie Laura's birthday is coming up in a month. I asked the kids what we should get her. Here is what they said:

Nathan: "How about some yarn for her knitting?"
Elizabeth: "From Farmer Brown's sheep!!"

After this, Nathan started to look through his room to find things Auntie Laura might like. He found a pack of gum and an old puzzle he doesn't play with. We can just throw in some yarn and I'm sure it will make a great gift.

Lounging

Apparently it is more comfortable to sit on the arm of the couch rather than the cushion. She's just so cute in the mornings in her jammies!

Phone Calls

Today, Nathan was playing with some of his new birthday toys in his room. The phone rang. It was Papa Norm and Grandma Jane calling to wish him a happy birthday. I knocked on the door and here is the cute conversation that happened.

Me: "Nathan, you have a phone call."
Nathan (sighs): "I know. People have been calling ALL day."

Nathan is 5!

Nathan is 5 years old today! It's hard to believe he's gotten so big and will be starting his last year of preschool in a few weeks. I don't want to think about him going to kindergarten next year.
Here are some recent pictures of him doing some of his favorite things.


He (of course) loves to play. Here he is at the "Playground of Dreams" in Kennewick. It is a super awesome playground. It has a castle and all kinds of hiding spots. He loves to climb and jump!


Throwing rocks in the river. He could throw rocks in the river all day long!


He loves the blue bridge and wants to drive over it every day. As we were here, he saw a moving van drive across the bridge. He also loves moving trucks. He thinks they are awesome and wishes we could move every day.


He loves playing in the water! He says he loves the Tri-Cities more than Spokane because there are more opportunities to do "water stuff." I think it's kind of true actually! He wants to go to the pool every day. At least we have a kiddie pool for the backyard. We'll have to get a bigger one next year! He will definitely be taking swimming lessons next summer. We moved here too late to sign up.


He loves snow cones! Since he's allergic to ice cream, snow cones are his special treat! Currently, his favorite is pineapple.


Don't let his face fool you. He loves it! This backyard pool is a hit.

Peaches!

We've got some peaches ready to eat! A lot are full of bugs or are being eaten up by bugs. But we're getting some yummy ones!

Splash Pad!

There are such great Splash Pads around here! Our favorite is this Splash Pad at Badger Mountain Park in Richland. It is HUGE so there is a lot of room for all the kids. It's never too crowded and Nathan just loves it. Here are some photos of him having fun.

This is what happens when they don't see Auntie Laura for 2 weeks

Now that Auntie Laura lives 3 hours away, the kids miss her and won't see her as often. She came to visit last weekend. This is what happened when she showed up!

Being cute

I just had to post some pictures of this cute little swinger.

Inside our new house

We're renting a house here in Pasco. They did some cool remodeling in this house!


I finally have a place to safely display those crystal bowls I got for wedding presents! There is no way the kids could get up there (easily).


The house has some neat rock cubbies. Nathan likes to keep his crayons here.


Here's the rock arch. They pretend it's a castle.


A triangle in the wall! It's also up high so I find myself putting things here that I want out of reach. My sunglasses no longer have smudges on them from grubby little hands.

Olympics 2012-Day 9-Biking

He is so cute on his little bike. I love to watch him ride and ring his little bell!

Olympics 2012-Day 8-Equestrian

The kids have fun riding on my old rocking horse!

Olympics Day 2012-Day 7-Basketball!

Basketball at this Olympics is one-on-one and features an extra short hoop. Here, Nathan is shooting free throws and Elizabeth is going for the rebound.