Prom

Tonight was prom for Crystal. She went with a friend (Jessica) and some guys. (Didn't catch their names, it was a bit of a whirlwind). I forget how busy prom can be. Crystal looked beautiful. The prom this year was on a boat (Argosy Cruise) from Seattle. If I recall correctly my senior ball (a million years ago) was also on a boat. Possibly even the same one. Hopefully she is having fun since she is currently gone. The life of a high school student. Don't miss it, but it sure fun to watch someone else go through it!

The Girls! Aren't they gorgeous!

The whole group!

Bike Riding and Bumblebees

Today we spent some time outside in the sunshine. In my opinion it was a beautiful day to be playing. Not too hot, not too cold. I am fond of wearing layers so I can cool down or warm up as desired. When it is too hot I just want to hibernate in a cool cave and the kids do too. So today was just about as perfect as it got!

After a little bit of bike riding (and some plant watering for me), the kids and I ate some Otter Pops. What is it about frozen juice in a tube of plastic that is soooooo good? It was nice to have a popsicle-type treat that Zane can eat without dumping 75% of it on the ground.

My Man Andrew!

Zane trying to figure out how to ride this darn tricycle. He isn't very good at it yet. I don't think the whole weight shift on the pedals business makes sense to him yet. He will get it though. I mean, he is only two!

While the kids were out riding I sat on the steps and took pictures of the bumblebees busily at work in my flowers. They are so cute when the are busy at work. I like these type of bees. I can sit and watch them for a long time. What is it about bugs that I like taking there picture so much?

Putt-Putt and a little boy's hero

Yesterday we went to play putt-putt golf with my brother and his girlfriend Angie. Andrew has been dying to go and play golf with his Uncle Reece and we finally found a time that worked well for both of us.
We met up at Funtasia in Edmonds where they have a 18 hole course and a cool Fun Forest Ball pit for the kids to play in. Here is Andrew golfing away!
Zane even played, which was shocking to me that he had the attention span to last the full 18 holes. Of course he would hit the ball from the starting point to begin with and then on his next turn pick the ball up, move it within 2 inches of the hole and then putt it in from there. He isn't competitive though is he?

Happy Zane playing golf!

Andrew did surprisingly well golfing too. He even got a hole in one! Here he is celebrating!

Once we got done with the putt-putt course, Andrew and Zane went to play in the Fun Forest. There was a section with an obstacle course with a rope climb. Andrew kept working at it and finally managed to get up the rope and over the top. He was quite proud of himself.

Two happy boys in a ball pit!

Lucy spent the day sitting around and looking cute as usual. She got a little bored in her seat but was totally content when she was out being held. I think she was a bit too small for the ball pit yet!

After all the fun at Funtasia, we went out to dinner at Red Robin. Andrew insisted on sitting next to his Uncle Reecie. He has such a little boy crush on my brother. Everywhere we went he wanted to be by Reece. Reece does really well with it. He sits and listens to him and thinks that it is fun to play with him too. This hero business is pretty new to all of us. It wasn't until Lucy's dedication that we realized just how much Andrew adored Reece. Andrew insisted on sitting right next to him the whole time and Reece was all Andrew could talk about for days before hand. I just think it is too sweet!

An appointment for Lucy

Today Lucy had her 4 month old well child check. I love these appointments. It is so fun to get the official numbers on them and to see how they are faring in comparison to the growth chart.

Miss Lucy Fern is now 16 pounds 9 ounces and 25.75 inches long. She is holding steady in the 93% for weight and the 90% for height. Her head is still in the 75% where it has been since she was born. I was curious how she stacks up against the boys at this age. So, here we go:

Andrew 17 pounds 5 ounces and 26.5 inches long.
Zane 19 pounds 3 ounces and 28 inches long.

So I would say that Lucy is right on track for being a girl.

While we were at the doctors I weighed and measure the boys too (I am always desperately curious how they are doing).

Andrew is now 44.6 pounds and 45 inches
Zane is now 38.6 pounds and 39.5 inches.

Solid if you ask me!

One of the worst decisions EVER!

So I got the boys new toothbrushes and you are thinking to yourself, what could be so bad about that. Let me tell you what is wrong, they SING. Not only do they sing but they sing for two very long minutes. It is absolutely enough to make me lose my mind. I don't know why they have to sing for two minutes. I mean really, who brushes that long? I know I don't. I know my kids don't. I don't even know that two minutes is the recommended time by the dentist. It is absolutely crazy. The worst part is that I am pretty sure I have the darn song memorized. Picture this!

Their two, their four, their six, their eight
shunting trucks or hauling freight,
red and green and brown and blue,
their the really useful crew.

All with different roles to play,
round Tidmouth sheds or far away,
down the hills or round the bends,
Thomas and his Friends!

And then it repeats. Over and over and over again. The worst part is that since both brushes sing, you have competing tunes. They are almost singing in a round. It is wrong on so many levels. Oh yeah, once you push the button you are stuck listening to the song too. There is no turning it off once it has been pushed. Currently there are strict instructions at our house about when you are allowed to push the button. Let me tell you, permission is needed for button pushing and it is not granted very often. Sometimes I wonder why I allow them to own things like that since it means my sanity is at stake. Then I remember I love them and I have my answer all in one!

Rock Star Shopper

I am very busily patting myself on the back over my latest shopping trip. I recently discovered that the Oshkosh store in Woodinville has excellent sales. I went earlier this week to look for a baby shower I will be going to in a few weeks and received a $10 in store card if I came back in a few days. Well, I went back today and I got all this stuff. Now, in case you didn't know, Oshkosh is extremely expensive (at least to my cheap mind) and I generally don't buy anything from them unless it is super clearance. On top of the $10 off card that I had I also received an e-mail this morning with a 20% off coupon for my entire purchase. PLUS! they were having a sale of an extra 30% off the lowest clearance price. So, here is my grand total. I spent $34.10! That is it! I got 9 items for only $34.10. (Two skirts, one pair of pants and three shirts for Lucy and two pairs of jeans and a shirt for Andrew) Decent shopping in my book. Now for the best part. I looked at my receipt and without any of the sales and discounts. If I had just paid the tag price it would have been $173.00 before tax! I saved (according to the receipt) $141.71. Now that is some rock star shopping!

Oh yeah, I also discovered that my Andrew is definitely a slim. I put the next size pants on him in a regular fit and they about fell to his knees. Even when I had cinched the waist up with the adjustable band they were still big. So, we tried the slim. I still needed to tighten up the waist with the band but it was much better than the regular fit. I think he will grow into them fine. The last time I bought Andrew jeans I bought regular fit for him thinking that Zane would need it when he grew into them. Silly me forgot to calculate in the boy factor. Both pairs of those pants have holes in the knees and will get thrown when Andrew completely outgrows them. (or potentially cut off into shorts) I am a firm believer in hand me downs but I refuse to make Zane wear ripped things (unless he wants to of course). It is only fair that he has decent clothing too. At least they are wearing out some of their stuff now. It makes me so happy to see them wear through clothes rather than just out grow them. Makes spending the money seem worth it. Plus, then I get to shop more. Hee Hee!

Big Strong Man!

The boys have decided to start pumping up Eric's ego lately. They start off by saying "Daddy, you big!" and Eric says yes, I am big. Then they say "Daddy, you strong!" and Eric says yes, I am strong. And then "Daddy, you a man!" and Eric says, yep, I am a man. They usually finish off with "Daddy, you a big, strong man!" and Eric says, yes I am a big, strong man. The funny thing is that Eric didn't even prompt them to do this and he gets so puffed up when they say it. It is like you can see his chest swell up with pride. Obviously Eric enjoys the verbal praise. I just think that it is cute. Both boys do this conversation but Zane is more likely to do it. Too Cute!

Practically Scalped

Today the boys went and got their hair cut. Zane was in desperate need of a cut. He has a super strong cowlick in the back of his head that just makes his hair stand up like a rooster if it is at all long. Andrew got a trim as well while we were there. I was just going to get Zane's done but once we got there I decided to save myself a trip in two weeks for Andrew to get his cut. Hopefully this will keep them somewhat cool and will last until after our Disney trip. Zane was beet red all weekend from the heat and I know that California will be hot. I love freshly scalped boys. They are so handsome to me!

Sprinkler Fun!

Today it was hot. Not just warm for Washington but flat out HOT!!! The temperature at the front of my house this afternoon was 95. That is right 95!!!! It is never that hot here. I think that Eric looked online and the official temp for Lake Stevens was 93. Either way it was way to warm to be moving unless you were playing in a pool or sprinkler. Since all of our kiddie pools sprung holes this last summer the sprinkler was what was left. The boys had a good time though. They ran through the water and proclaimed it cold. They asked me to turn it up like the shower. I told them to suck it up and deal with it. It had to feel good. If I didn't have to fix dinner I would have been running through it myself. Eric actually woke up from his nap and ran through it with the boys. They thought that part was fun. I think that the sprinkler will be a key part to our summer this year. Andrew is finally old enough that he isn't throwing a fit when the water gets into his eyes. Zane is still working on it. I know that I always want the heat but we could have eased into it a little bit. Three days ago it was in the mid 60's and today it was in the 90's. Crazy! Especially since tomorrow it is supposed to be back down into the 60's. Unpredictable weather. Something to either love or hate in Western Washington.

Oh yeah, check out the ab lines on Zane. Under that pudgy toddler tummy I think he may actually be quite buff. He will be my little stud muffin. Plus, I swear that I could actually see his ribs when he was running and playing today. I don't know that he will ever thin out as much as Andrew but I have hope for him to just be one of those big boned kinda people! Kinda like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I'll be back!

Lucy Fern- 4 Months

Today Lucy is 4 months old. How time does fly! She is getting so big and her personality is really starting to show. She is such a happy baby and she loves her momma! Last night I went to the opera with Penny. Lucy has just not been exposed to a bottle the way that the boys were and she wanted nothing to do with it! She knows the real thing compared to those cheap knockoffs! Apparently she choked down a few ounces (out of a cup) and then threw it back up. Eric put her in her swing and she put herself to sleep. Strange little girl. She slept all night though so who knows what that was all about. Let me tell you that she was very happy to see me this morning though. It was like Ahhhhh..... momma, I missed you! Lucy is still working on rolling over. One of these days she will get it and then I will really be in trouble.

Oh yeah, Andrew was making her smile for me when I was taking this picture. Isn't she just precious!

When Elmo Grows Up

Today we went to go and see "When Elmo Grows Up." It was very cute and the boys really seemed to enjoy it. They got to their seats and waited for the show to begin. Once it did both were very excited to see Big Bird, Elmo and all of the other Sesame Street gang. I was very pleased with both boys. They both gave Telly Monster a high 5 this time. Last year Zane got patted on the head and Andrew shrunk away from him like he was a freak. It gives me great hope that we will have fun with the characters at the big D.

The only disappointing bit of the day for me was that I was not allowed to take in my camera. The guy at the door took one look at it and said no. Bummer. I was really looking forward to taking some of the characters. Oh well, at least I will have the memories of the show. Eric and I both agreed that we enjoyed this show more than "Elmo Makes Music" just a different feel to the show. The set was very similar and it featured all the characters that we know and love. Hopefully the boys will remember it fondly when they grow up!

Elmo Again!!!

Well, my guys have done it again! They both won tickets to "When Elmo Grows Up" through the local newspaper. Thank goodness for that contest because there is no way that we would be spending the money to go. They give vouchers for the tickets and you are able to get all but the most front row seats. So, we got tickets similar to last year. Hopefully they will get to experience the characters again this time. Last year Zane got patted on the head by Telly Monster. It was cute. I am looking at this as a trial run for the characters at Disneyland this summer. Hopefully there will not be any tears. Plus I can take my new camera and gets some real photos. Won't that be nice. The show is tomorrow, I will let you know how it goes!


Here are the boys coloring sheets. The one on the left is Zane's and the one on the right is Andrew's. Although I should mention that Andrew was so competitive about them winning these tickets that he colored Zane's Elmo's nose for him. I think he didn't think he was going to do it correctly. Zane didn't seem to mind though. I think that a great job was done by both of my guys!

Andrew the Hornet

Today was a big day in our house. Andrew went and registered for kindergarten. He will be an official Hornet next year. (I won't post the school name but if you are really curious call me and I will tell you) The elementary schools in our district do all of their kinder-screening in the spring when you go in to register so Andrew got to go through all of that today. The school does a basic knowledge test (colors and shapes), a motor skills test (balance beam and scissor work), a pre-reading test (letters, numbers and general book/direction knowledge), eye sight test, hearing test and a language/speech screening. He did great in all of the different areas. The speech lady asked me if I had concerns about Andrew's speech which I did. He doesn't say a few letters super clear and so she sat down and had a chat with him. She asked him about his family and pets and immediately picked up on the fact that his "L" comes out more like a "Y". There were a couple of other ones that he struggles with but I think that the "L" is by far the most noticeable. Her recommendation to us was that we just model correct pronunciation for the summer and that by the time fall conferences roll around she would be able to tell us yes or no on speech therapy. Eric and I are pretty sure that the answer will be a yes and that is no big deal to us. We got lost of complements on Andrew's behavior and the person that was responsible for making sure everyone got to the right testing said that Andrew was the sweetest little boy she had seen and was excited to see him in kindergarten next year. We couldn't agree more! Our final stop for registration was with the school psychologist who declared him ready for kindergarten based on his test scores. We got to give our preference for am or pm school (am) and I snuck in a teacher preference based on a recommendation from my friend Joanna. So, that is done. Now we just have to wait until September. I don't know who is more excited Andrew or Me!

A Mommy's Day Dinner

Today I cooked dinner for my mom and Eric's mom (dad's were included too). We had a fun dinner of beer rocks (strange name for a dinner with no beer in it) some salads and berry crisp with ice cream for dessert. It was nice to be able to do dinner with them today. They had two little boys who wanted books read. Isn't it nice that they could each have one to read to do the reading! It was a nice but very busy day!

In case you don't know who is who! Andrew is sitting with my mom and Zane is sitting with Eric's mom. And the feet belong to Crystal :)

Time is Flying

It is so amazing to me how time flies. It seems like we are nothing but busy these days. Eric has had the last two nights off and they have been jam-packed with activity but yet I can't tell you really what we have done. I think all our running around and doing stuff with Crystal the last few weekends has taken it out of me. Today we went to Costco and got a whole ton of stuff. Then we came home and Eric built a soccer goal for Andrew and Zane out of an old pallet we had laying around. (Our swing set was delivered on it last year) The boys played in the yard, we ate dinner and then put the kids in bed. Bam! Day gone quicker than quick. It doesn't help that I am not feeling well right now, my sense of time is a bit whacko. Tomorrow I have a very full day ahead of me. I am having my mom and mom-in-law over for dinner (oh yeah, the respective dads are coming too!) and I have to cook, attempt to clean my house and finish my shopping. I don't know what I have been doing all week but I can guarantee you it wasn't everything I should have been doing. Somehow the week just flew on by. Anyway!

Things have been happening with the kids but I haven't been blogging it. Andrew finished yet another swim lesson session. He is still working on passing Preschool 3. Zane talks constantly about his birthday. I hope that it isn't going to be a disappointment for him. He seems to have a whole lot of definite opinions about everything that is going to happen during it. And Miss Lucy is so close to rolling over. She gets partway up on her side and then flops back. If she rolls anytime in the next 2 months it will be way earlier than either of the boys did. (Andrew 6 months and Zane 8 months) Both of the boys sat long before they rolled. Who said that kids always followed the book right? Oh yeah, I am also making Lucy cry it out at bedtime. I am a mommy with a heart of stone but it really doesn't take long at this age for them to learn to put themselves to sleep and it is so nice for me once I can just lay them down and not have to worry about them.

I am excited for Mother's Day this year. Eric always does such a nice job with the kids. I can't wait to see what they are doing for me this year. Plus I can look back and think about last year. It was 2 days before Mother's Day when I found out I was prego with Lucy. No surprises like that this year but I am sure thankful to have my 3!

Go Mariner's Go!

Last night we strapped on our adventure boots and headed down to see the Mariner's tackle the Texas Rangers. We had a good time riding the bus down to the game. It was so much less stress than driving, looking for parking that did not require the use of an arm or a leg :) and was conveniently close to the park, all while costing less than the price of gas for my van. The boys had a good time once they got used to the cheering and the loud speaker. I had ear plugs but forgot to grab them in our haste to get out the door. Lucy did really good too. She was quite the hit with a camera guy who filmed her for the big screen in the park! All three of the babies fell asleep on the bus on the way home. That was fun getting them to the car. They woke up enough to walk to the van and then crashed back out. I think Crystal even had fun at the game. She took a lot of pictures and seemed like she was having a good time cheering for the home team. It was a fun game and fortunately we won! Even better in my book. I highly recommend a game anytime you are in the Seattle area!

Dim Sum and the Museum of Flight

One more stop on our roller coaster tour of the PNW for Crystal. We headed down to Seattle yesterday for some yummy dim sum and a stop at the Museum of Flight. I mean, what could be more PNW than flying?!? Anyway, we headed to the New Hong Kong Restaurant for some delicious dim sum, translation courtesy of Crystal. Eric and I were totally lost as to what all she was ordering for us. All I know is that it was tasty and I filled myself WAY up on it. Strangely enough, we ran into her uncle and aunt there who were visiting from Hong Kong. This is the second time that we have seen them since Crystal was here. Crystal's cousin is going to Western and they come to visit regularly. After a quick stop at the Mariner's team store to exchange some tickets we headed off to the Museum of Flight to experience all that it had for us.

Lucy was not super impressed but there wasn't a whole lot for her to do!

Zane talking to the "air traffic controller." He sat and chatted to that prerecorded devise for quite some time.

My two guys in an airplane.

I always forget how much Eric enjoys this museum. I think he has fond dreams of one day flying a plane on his own. He was looking for any excuse to sit in the plane himself. The boys would have done it on there own but he insisted that they sit on his lap for pictures. He wanted to be sure that they could see the camera.

All in all, it was a fun day. They had finished a cool WWI and WWII section since the last time I was there. That was pretty fun. It had a plane thing that you could pretend you were flying the plane that was free. Eric and the boys thought it was a lot of fun. Crystal had a good time too. She is currently learning all about the world wars so it was neat for her to see some of the stuff she had been learning about.

We are headed to a Mariner's game tomorrow night, hopefully they will win and show Crystal a good time!