Alli's 1st Grade Picture

What a difference a year makes!!!

Our First Visit to the Great Wolf Lodge

 There was no school so we surprised the kiddos by taking them to the Great Wolf Lodge.  

We didn't tell them where we were going, just packed up the car and took off.

We stopped at the base for lunch and they thought that was fun because of the play area but could not figure out the final destination.  It was a hoot because we stopped for gas right across the street and told them we were finally headed to the final stop.  They were shocked when we crossed the street and parked.  As soon as we walked in the excited little giggles and squeals began :-)

As we checked in, the bigs checked out the lobby and figured out there was a water park.

Needless to say, they couldn't wait to swim!

We went up to the room, which they loved as it had bunk beds, changed and headed for the water park where we spent the next 2.5 hours playing hard.

The boys loved the little area and basketball hoop pool, while Alli fell in love with the wave pool.

Garrett's favorite was the Howlin' Tornado slide and I had fun going on the tube slides with Alli.

All in all, the water park was a huge hit but after 2.5 hours, the kiddos were ready to be done.

After changing, G took the bigs to explore the Lodge while I put Lukey down for a nap.

The bigs loved the obstacle forest and coloring!

After naps, we were off to dinner ~ yummy and fun :-)

The biggest excitement came after dinner when the kiddos got in their costumes and went trick or treating through the Lodge ~ they LOVED this!!!  I loved seeing the fish costume out again :-)

After gathering candy and treasures, we hung out in the arcade, which we all loved ~ ski ball was a hit for all five of us, though some are better than others ;-)

 After using up all our "tokens" we enjoyed the lobby show and story time.  

Then the kiddos did a costume parade and had pictures with Wiley the bear.

We finally got back to the room and in bed by 9 p.m.

Everyone was ready for sleep except Lukey, who wanted to entertain his big siblings!

We had to move him out of the Kid Cabin until he fell asleep, then moved him back in.

The next day was spent playing in the arcade and water park.

We finally decided we had enough water fun around 12:30 and stopped for ice cream on the way out.

It was all going so well . . .  G took Lukey to decorate a cookie while the bigs finished their ice cream.

Eli finished first and wanted to play on the cupcake bear (see pic above).

Alli finished her ice cream and started playing on the bear, as was another little girl.

Then it happened, Eli slipped, rolled off and hit hard ~ instant screams.

I scooped him up to assess and noticed a drop of blood so I tried to get him to stop crying long enough for me to check his mouth, where I assumed the blood was coming from, it wasn't.

More and more drops of blood were falling and I got him to lift his head . . . oh boy!!!

His chin was split open big time.

Fortunately, I remained calm but told A and E would have to go to the hospital.

We gathered our stuff and went down to the lobby in search of Garrett.

The staff used butterfly closures on the chin and gave us directions to the ER.

Off we went.  Luke fell asleep so G stayed in the car with A and Luke while I took (a much calmer!) Eli into the ER, where he proceeded to tell everyone he "rolled off a bear" basically true :-)

Luckily, they could use glue stitches and we were on our way home.

Eli was/is one tough little guy and all three kiddos want to go back to the Great Wolf Lodge again!!!

Surprising them was so much fun and we had a great time!

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." ~ Marc Brown

 Especially when all you have to do is jump together in a crib and the giggles won't stop!!!

This little brother asks for his big brother from the moment he wakes up in the morning,

and big brother is more than happy to run up with hugs and kisses for the little guy.

I love watching their friendship blossom more each day!

Surprise!!!

On Sunday {the day before my birthday} Alli went to a birthday party for one of her friends.

I took Alli and Daddy stayed home with the boys for "a relaxing afternoon" or so I thought ;-)

When we got home, we saw the grandparents' cars in the driveways and balloons on the door . . . 

Daddy and the boys had been busy!

As I opened the door, sweet little Eli ran over shouting SURPRISE!

He was so proud and excited!!!

Turns out that Alli was NOT in on the surprise and LOVED it too.

I haven't had a surprise party since I was 21 and that wasn't keep secret very well so I was stunned.

My hubby did an awesome job of making me feel loved and special.

After eating it was time for cake and I had lots of little helpers . . . 

Luke really wanted the sprinkles, Eli wanted frosting and Alli wanted to lick the candles,

which she pointed out were incorrect because "Mommy is already 26 Daddy, now she's 27!"

Hey, I will happily take 27 :-)

After enjoying lots of cake, Eli declared it was time for presents and got out the special chair.

He was such a little love bug ~ kept coming up to tell me how much he loved me!

G said he was so excited at the store that he kept telling everyone it was Mama's birthday.

Love his sweet heart!

During presents, I had lots of helpers again . . . 

Alli was so precious and made me a frame with a rainbow, and also gave me a granola bar, bracelet and one of her dollars ~ I was feeling very special that I ranked high enough to get one of her dollars!!!

It was such a fun evening!

Only downfall was that little Lukey has a cold and was a bit out of sorts, but it did lead to some snuggles.

And my sour gummy worms definitely intrigued him.

What a fun surprise party!!!

My actual birthday was lots of fun too . . . 

Ducky Gramma was kind enough to watch Lukey since he wasn't feeling great so I could volunteer at Alli's school in the morning, where some very lovely friends brought me hot chocolate and a card.

Eli and I played with Alli at recess ~ they were adorable together ~ before getting Lukey.

It was a relaxing afternoon at home with the boys.

G gave me the BEST gift by getting off work early and picking up Alli from school.

More present opening with three great helpers . . . 

 Alli was so sweet and had Daddy stop at Target so she could buy me a present with her own money.

Swedish Fish ~ she knows Mommy's fave!!!

My family took me to Red Robin for dinner and the three kiddos LOVED my free dessert!

A fabulous day to turn 26, oops 27 I guess ;-)

Raise the Roof

That's what we did at the Puyallup :-)

Every year, we go "Do the Puyallup" ~ now officially the WA State Fair.

Every couple years, we see a concert and this year it was a great one!

Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North, Kutless and Jars of Clay.

Alli has begging to see Jeremy Camp in concert since I went back in 2010 so this was her year!

She was so excited and loved having a special date with Mommy and Daddy

{the boys had a very special evening with Ducky Gramma and Papa}

When we got to the Fair, some very nice folks gave us their ride bracelets so G and Alli had a blast on the rides ~ Alli has definitely gotten over any fears she used to have and had so much fun!!!

Of course, we had to enjoy some yummy fair food ~ Krusty Pups, scones and cotton candy.

Alli couldn't believe she got to eat the whole cotton candy cone ~ we couldn't believe she did it!!!

After riding tons of rides and feeling full, it was time for the concert to begin.

Little girl did so great, though did wear gloves on her ears for a bit because it was loud ;-)

Alli was having such a great time and so into it, G turned to me and said "she's really fun to have here!"

I couldn't have agreed more!!!

She was signing along and dancing up a storm but really wanted to know when Jeremy Camp would be on.

He was the headliner so of course he went last.

During Tenth Avenue North, she decided she would rest for a bit to be ready for Jeremy Camp.

Poor thing was exhausted but so desperately wanted to stay.

We finally had to leave at 10:20 while Jeremy Camp was still singing but she got to hear most of it.

It was such a great night!!!

He's Growing Up Too Fast!!!

My "baby" has found yet another way to let me know he doesn't need me as much.

He took the spoon from me and did really well at lunch.

I love his personality and hearing him chat, I even love watching his independence grow

BUT

I really wish I could slow down time just a bit and savor my "baby"!!!

Another Day of "Firsts"

Today, this handsome little man had his first official day of 4s Preschool

He could not have been more excited!!!

Eli is full of so much joy, appreciation and excitement for almost everything he does,

and thankfully, school is no exception ~ he LOVES to play and learn :-)

Of course, after breakfast, we had to take the traditional photos in front of the tree . . . 

Can't decide which one I like better

But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the one with the siblings!!!

Though they can argue with the best of them, our bigs really do support one another

in all the areas where is counts . . . including sometimes scary "firsts" :-)

After dropping Alli off at her class, Eli could hardly contain his excitement and wanted to go to his class immediately!!!  There is 15 minutes between the start of their classes so he had to be a bit patient.

Finally, we decided to take pictures in front of his school so he could be the first in the door!

Guess the little turkey didn't think he needed to be seen so long as his sign was showing ;-)

As soon as his teacher opened the door, he rushed in and showed her his sign ~ he was proud!

Then he remembered where to hang his coat and backpack before going potty in a urinal (big stuff!)

He was off to play and all smiles.

Funny side note, as I was watching him play, I ran into the mom of my college roommate,

who was there with her granddaughter, one of Eli's classmates ~ small world and so neat to see her.

I had to interrupt Eli to let him know I was leaving and would see him after school.

I got a quick smile and "bye Mama" ~ no concerns with his comfort level in new places.

When I went back to get him, he came running with a huge smile telling me about his new friend Thomas.

He LOVED school and one of the highlights was taking his own snack in a bag :-)

Another first of the day was Luke's gymnastics class.

While Eli was in class, Lukey and I started our new Mommy & Me gymnastics class.

It began with free time and Luke LOVED exploring the gym and could not stop giggling on the trampoline.

He was in awe and had so much fun the entire 45 minutes.

I wish I had brought in the camera, though we were so busy I'm not sure I would have gotten many pics.

I was so impressed by how well he followed directions and how much fun he had.

What a fun class!!!

Today was another fabulous day of "firsts" for the little fish!!!

Bring on the 2013-2014 School Year!

Gone are the days of sleeping in and playing all day.

As of this morning, the little fish are waking up early and heading to school.

Given that I knew it could be a rough morning, I tried to make it as fun as possible . . . 

 The donuts were such a hit on the last day of school, so I decided to do it for the first as well!

{With eggs, yogurt and milk as well!}

As you can see from these two happy faces, they quickly forgave me for waking them so early :-)

It also helped that they were able to Facetime with Daddy over donuts.

I still don't know how it is possible that Alli is already in first grade, the past 6 years have flown!!!

She is starting to look (and act!) so grown up.

She chopped her hair, learned how to tie her shoes and no longer wants cute bows ~ headbands only!

We love this spunky little gal so much!!!

Unlike last year, Alli wasn't nervous at all and couldn't wait to go into her classroom,

where she has her own DESK (no more group tables!)

She couldn't wait for me to leave so she could be a big first grader ;-)

After dropping Alli off, it was time for Eli's preschool orientation.

We switched to a different preschool this year and it is on the same campus as Alli's school.

We had a little time so we stopped to visit with other parents and enjoy a cookie before orientation.

Eli is such a laid back little guy and had no problems at all in his new classroom.

He immediately started chatting with his teacher and was playing hard with the other kiddos.

He assured me he had a lot of fun.

Thankfully, Alli also said she had a lot of fun at school today.

I am so proud of her as she had brought in a paper lunch bag with five items that described her,

and she got up in front of the class today and shared about herself ~ she told me that was exciting!!!

I am so grateful and am hoping this is a fabulous year for both little fish!!!

'Twas the Night Before First Grade . . .

So we had to celebrate with our traditional trip to Godfather's Pizza :-)

Sadly, Daddy is traveling for work this week but Ducky Gramma and Papa were happy to join us!

We had a blast eating yummy pizza, playing games and riding cars and horses

It was a perfect way to celebrate our final day of Summer vacation.

I still cannot believe that summer is over and our baby girl starts first grade tomorrow!!!

Time is passing soooooooo quickly!

Building El Chupacabra

Once again, the kiddos LOVED building their planes at 

This time, G decided needed some extra helping hands and Barbie Pop Pop was happy to come.

Daddy did plenty of help building but he was behind the camera ;-)

Eli has been having a blast flying Dusty "Grampopper" and El Chu.