March 20, 2016

OREGON!

I took the kids to Oregon by myself a few weeks ago; what a blast we had! Mom and Dad are in the process of moving, so it was my last chance to be in the house Dad built. The kids of course loved spending time with both sets of grandparents and with their cousins. It was well worth the plane ride (on the way there Kate had a meltdown, but she was great on the way back;))

Kate and William happenings:

• Kate has made a habit of going downstairs on her own in the morning while William and I are still sleeping. Every day I wake up and find her sitting on the stairs eating something different; apples, cereal, cheese...basically whatever she can reach. A few days ago she was on the stairs munching on an entire block of cheese.
• William is a climber. We have caught him a few too many times on the kitchen table, the desk, and in our bed.
• Both Kate and William love bubbles. It is getting warm enough to go outside finally, so we have been enjoying backyard time!
• Every night before Kate goes to bed, she asks if she can "talk one minute." So she talks about her day and then we do songs. I love it:)
• Pez dispensers and so much pez candy. *sigh
• William has to wear a drool-bandana now because he seriously drools non-stop. All. Day. Long.
• Car carts at the grocery store - who knew they could be so much fun?
• Bath time is the favorite time of day, and nothing is better than a fresh smelling kid;)

7 January 2016

Christmas Vacation

We went to Oregon for Christmas this year and the kids had so much fun! Jared and Kate sure love each others' company, and the adults were able to bond over some late night games. It was a blessing to have all of my family there, and most of Ben's. I planned this trip a bit differently this time by sending out an actual itinerary of what we were doing before we came (Kendra and I planned it out). This way I had a pre-planned list of activities to do with the kids, and I didn't have to feel the stress of being in someone else's house with nothing to do. I'll be keeping this in mind for our next trip. I'm flying to Oregon with the kids by myself in February, and since I won't have a car it will be a little different, but it will be nice to have a change of scenery.

This video does a good job of depicting Kate and Jared throughout the visit. They love having the attention of their aunts and uncles!

The most fun activity was when we took the kids to pump it up Jr. They had huge blow-up slides and Kate was able to do it "all by herself," which she loved. William took turns going down the slides with Ben and I, Freddy, Stephen, and Tim. It was a blast, and both Kate and William giggled non-stop. It's always kind of a shock for Kate when we come home and it's just us again:) She gets so much love! Although, we did use the second week of our vacation to practice some important skills...



Kate is potty trained! (almost?) She wet the bed last night, but really she has been doing fantasitc. It is quite the game changer! I have been dreaming of this phase for what feels like so long. People always talk about how hard it is, but they often forget to mention that it's worth it! I have been changing and wiping two bums for 15 months, so even if she wets herself once in a while, it's still WAY better than changing multiple diapers a day! Hallelujah!

William is getting so expressive- I can't wait until he's talking like Kate! I bought them some toy dishes and they played together this morning like a true pair. It is a joy to watch.

Ben and I are ready to go for our new years resolutions! I'm going to read and write more, and Ben is going to lose 30 pounds! There's nothing like a new year to give an excuse to get back on track.

Also this happened:

Even though I think it will end up not being too expensive, it strengthed my testimony of having an emergency fund. You never know when your house will start to fall apart!