Our Little Fish

Kaden is on the swim team for the first time this summer.  He is absolutely loving it!  He couldn't be happier that he gets to swim almost everyday.  He has had 2 meets already and swam the freestyle, backstroke, and freestyle relay in each meet.  So far he has earned every ribbon except a first place ribbon so he is hoping to get one of those soon.  He has a signature dolphin move that is very cute but isn't exactly helping him to win any races.

 

This was from the first meet at Blythefield.  It was in the 90's that day and Emerson and Perry were such troopers for making it through the 3+ hour swim meet.

Happy Father's Day!!

One of the fun things that the kids & I did for Chris this year was to bake him "burger & fries".  I couldn't believe how realistic they looked.  They turned out super cute and were NOT a lot of work.  I stole the idea from here.

Every year since Perry was born I make the kids take pictures with these letters and then Chris has them framed in his office.  It is so fun to see the difference from year to year.

 Father's Day 2009

Father's Day 2008

Father's Day 2010 at OneTrueMedia.com

Chris' annual father's day dvd that we make for him. Warning--it is quite long.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Let Summer Begin!!

Kaden and Emerson both had great years!  I now have a preschool and a kindergarten graduate.  We are all ready for extended bedtimes, sleeping in, pool days, and the lazy days of summer.  This is when I love being a stay at home mom:)

Tiny Dancer

Emerson had her second dance recital last weekend.  She did great again this year!  I was so proud of her that I was tearing up during her recital rehearsal.  If I can figure out how to upload a video to blogger I will post it, otherwise I posted it on facebook.

 

Emerson and her brothers before the big night!  The recital was 3 LONG HOURS!  So her brothers were very nice to sit there that long.  Just today Emmy got an invitation to be in a special competition dance group a at her studio.  Not sure if that is the route we will go (very pricey) but even if we don't she will definitely dance again next year.

I've been a little busy

potty training #3!  Although most of my days are spent running to and from the bathroom, I have to say that I am having so much fun this time.  For some reason, potty training Perry has been so less stressful than the other two were.  I just think that I am a lot more laid back this time and I am letting him lead me.  He is doing great at home but for some reason when I put pants on him to leave the house he thinks that he can then pee in his pants, so we are working on that one.  Today we went through 3 pairs of pants and underwear as I was trying to run a few errands after dropping off Kaden and Emerson at school.  What also makes it so much easier this time is that I have 2 helpers that are always willing to take Perry to the bathroom or go get me ANOTHER pair of underwear.

The sticker chart that Kaden made for Perry on his own and placed on the refrigerator.  He told Perry that if he filled up the entire chart that he would give him ice cream:)

Yesterday Perry wanted both Kaden and Emmy to hold his hands EVERY time he went to the bathroom.  Luckily there is enough room in our bathroom for all of us!

Happy Birthday Perry!

The big 2 year old and his Elmo cake

Getting ready to open presents

Opening presents with his cousin Elise who turned 3 the day before Perry

Cupcake time!  He needed a little help blowing out his candles

Perry had a great birthday weekend and loved all the attention.  Both times that we sang happy birthday to him, he never stopped smiling.  He just kept looking at all of us with his big grin.  His second year of life was so much fun.  He transitioned from being such a fussy baby to a toddler that every Mother would want.  It seems like he went from baby sign language to 5 word sentences (although 1/2 of the time it is hard to figure out what he is saying).  He talks himself through everything he does, whether it is putting on his shoes or playing ball.  He LOVES to play any type of ball and I can see lots of sports in his future.  He loves milk and would drink it all day if I let him (just like his big brother) and will try most foods that you place in front of him.  As a result of that eating, he now weighs more than his 4 year old sister. You can commonly hear Perry telling knock-knock jokes in his crib to his stuffed animals and over and over and over again in the back of the van.  He has already started asking "why" questions constantly which is starting to drive me a little nuts.  The thing that everyone notices about Perry is his constant smile that is on his face.  He is just such a happy kid!  Although I am excited to see him growing older, it is bittersweet because I don't want my baby to grow up.  I am sure that I will feel like this for every one of Perry's birthdays.