Jackson's 4th Birthday

Taking after my friend Sara, we decided that numerous celebrations throughout Jackson's birthday week were in order for his 4th birthday.

The celebrations kicked off Wednesday with cupcakes in Jackson's class in school.  On Thursday, Jackson stayed home from school and Corey and I took the day off to celebrate with the birthday boy.  During my and Corey's stay at Salish Lodge last summer in honor of our anniversary, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast which was a 4-course meal of all Jackson's favorite foods. We talked about bringing him back sometime, and it seemed like the perfect way to start his day.  We were excited to find that they had a 4-course breakfast just for kiddos and J loved every bit of it, eating more than he normally does in a week.  I'm not gonna lie - $22 for a kid's breakfast is insane, but it was honestly the best money I've spent in a long time, seeing his big smiles, not having to ask him to eat, and hearing his content sigh after he finished.

After breakfast, we headed to Corey's work to visit his co-workers (J is always asking us when he can visit our offices) and then we headed to his first movie in a movie theater - Home.  We were the only people in the theater and we were pleasantly surprised at how well he did.  Other than asking what time it was a few times, he stayed in his seat the entire time, didn't talk and basically ate an entire bag of popcorn himself while intently watching the show.

For dinner, Gramma Joan and Lisa and Hadley joined us at Red Robin.  As per usual, J enjoyed the singing and ice cream sundae.

First course = pastries and "kid's  coffee" (hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings)

Course 2= pancakes

Course 3 = oatmeal

Course 4 = eggs, bacon and a biscuit (he didn't touch the sausage or potatoes)

 

After lunch, we walked over to the Snoqualmie Falls viewing point - J's first time.

Another first - playing an arcade game at Red Robin. He always seems so big/tall but he had to sit on Daddy's lap to reach the pedals.

Then today was Jackson's birthday party at Central Park. After a week of sketchy looking forecasts and discussions of potentially moving the party to our house, we were pleasantly surprised to see sun and blue skies breaking through the clouds just in time for the party (and never mind the hail and on-and-off rain showers that happened just after the party!).  The kiddos had a great time running around the park, snacking on bagels, donuts and fruit and stuffing their faces with cake.  And finally, J wrapped up his celebrations by unwrapping all the gifts from the party goers once we made it back home.    He was completely spoiled by all and spent the rest of the day enjoying all his new toys and games.

Jameson is one of Jackson's BFFs at school - they had a blast playing at the park together.  

It's hard to come by a Curious George cake, so J helped design this one by providing specific details around what he wanted, like green frosting, his name on the cake and chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.

Cole loved playing on all the toys and hanging with all the big kids.  A favorite was having Addy blow bubbles towards him, and going down the slide a million times.

Natalie and Ellie joined us to celebrate the birthday boy

Romi is another BFF.  When I ask him how school was each day, he tells me he played with his friends.  And when I ask about which friends, Jameson and Romi are always included.

It's not a party unless you need a clothes change when you get home. The kids loved the chalk we brought out towards the end, Cole included.  He plopped himself down right in the middle of the action and went to town.  This was just before waving, blowing kisses and giving hugs to the other kiddos before they left.

Almost time to open presents!

Jameson's present - little kid writing is one of my favorite things.

Getting ready to open presents

Putting together a new lego set with Grampa.  Not sure who had more fun...

I can't quite believe he's 4 - in some ways it seems like only yesterday he was Cole's age.  But there there are times he seems much older and I have to remind myself that he's just a little kid.  Regardless, I can't remember life without him but seriously, time needs to slow down - 4 sounds just way too old! 

Easter 2015

Kelsey, Sara and I headed to Denver last Friday, for a girls weekend with Gina, who is expecting baby #2 (a girl!) in June.  While I was off hanging with my girls, Corey took great care of the boys, with the help of his mama.

 

The boys had a great weekend, which included trips to feed the ducks, to the park, to dance class (Jackson), riding bikes, and of course Easter!

 

As per usual, the boys were spoiled by all, and they loved every second of the holiday.  Jackson loved searching for eggs, whereas Cole seemed to enjoy his time pushing his lawn mower around.  Jackson even brought the egg hunt fun indoors later that day, hiding the eggs for Gramma Joan and Corey, and then having them hide the eggs for him to find all over again.  This hobby lasted a few days, and I was able to partake in the fun as well.

 

So glad Corey captured some great photos of Easter since I wasn't there to witness the excitement in person.



Seriously, these boys are SPOILED.

Pretending to act uninterested in the eggs big bro is finding...

 

..."but, wait!  Let me just get a closer look..."

 

"WOW! Look at all those eggs, Jackson!"

"Hey Jackson, let me help you count all these eggs." 

"What's this egg hunt business all about , Gramma?"

 

 

Proud of himself for finding an egg.

 

J is turning into quite the coloring maniac, and he's getting really good at staying in the lines.  This was a picture he colored for me...

...and he even wrote "Mom" at the top.

14 Months

Although I'm a day late, I couldn't let Cole's 14-month mark pass without a quick update on what's going on in his world.

He seems to have grown and changed so much in the last few months. We find ourselves saying how we can't believe how much more like a toddler he looks/acts than he did even just a few weeks ago.  It's probably a combo of the recent haircut, the walking and the constant babbling.

Here are a few highlights about Cole at 14-months:

• Loves to feed himself and although gets very messy, does a fairly good job.  
• Babbles all the time, with a periodic shouts mixed in. Current words are "buh-bye!" (said in a bit of a southern accent?!), Dada, Ra-Ra, uh-oh, mema (more more, using the "more" sign), and trying to say "what's that" and "all done".
• Walks everywhere.  Really only scoots when trying to find something to pull himself up on to initiate the walking (he hasn't yet figured out how to get up from the ground and start walking).
• Climbs up on the couch in the TV room and can climb into high chair.
• Speaking of high chair, he's now using the Stokke chair for meals.
• Always has his feet crossed at the ankles when sitting, regardless of whether it's in his car seat, in the high chair, on the ground. Takes after his daddy.
• Wiggles his whole body when excited about something - arms and legs stiffen and shoot out all over the place.
• Down to one nap a day.  He goes down around 12 p.m. and sleeps for 2ish hours
• Goes to bed between 7 and 7:30, and is up around 6:30, or closer to 7 on the weekends, if we're realllly lucky (like this a.m.!)
• Can understand many simple instructions i.e. "take this to Daddy", "get your shoes", "let me have a foot" (when putting on his socks) and then "let me have the other foot!" (he'll put the socked foot down and provide you with his other food to have a sock put on).  He even has helped set the table a few times. I gave him some napkins the other night and asked him to put them on the table. He did his little old man march over to the table and put them on the table. He's also helped with his and Jackson's silverware.
• Loves kitty cats and will trek right over to pet them when the neighbor's cats are in our driveway.

I braved the grocery store with both boys for a big shopping a few weeks back, and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  Definitely not as nuts as I'd expected.

He loves the park, just like his bro

He loves riding on daddy's shoulders, but always feels the need to hold on for dear life.  

Such a big kid, feeding himself oatmeal (one of his fave breakfasts)

They interact more and more and I just love it

Not sure what my fave thing about this pic is - his expression, his necklace, the Irish shirt, the hipster jeans, or his love of the slide

During a recent visit to Yakima, we were able to tour the local Pepsi production line and had a great time. We had to wear hairnets and surprisingly, neither boy seemed to mind. Cole ended up pulling his down so it covered half of his face, and still didn't mind.

In his big boy highchair, at the table

First Family Hike - Coal Creek Falls

With a break in the rain on Sunday morning, we decided to test out our recent kiddo backpack purchase by going on our first family hike. 

Corey did some research and thought Coal Creek Falls would be perfect and it didn't disappoint.  It was only about 15-20 minutes from our house, and was just 2.5 miles round trip, so we didn't worry about Jackson getting too tired, or about taking up too much of the day driving to and from the location.

It only took us about an hour round trip to hike to the falls and back and both boys seemed to enjoy the wilderness and the big waterfall that awaited us mid-hike.  I can't believe that this place was right off Exit 13, in the middle of Bellevue. Who knew?!

We are already planning some more hikes in the near future - a great way to spend a morning, now that Cole is napping just once a day!

He's trying to learn the art of the selfie...

My boys.

One more selfie try.

Hikes really wear a kiddo out - so much so, you've gotta sleep with the butt up.

 

Jackson's on the Move, Too!

While Cole's been working on his walking, J's been spending lots of time every weekend on his scooter and on his bike. 

He can bike all the way to the "horsies" (~2 miles round trip) and goes so fast, you have run to keep up with him. It's been a good work out for both of us.

He's getting really good at both activities and really seems to enjoy them.  Looking forward to lots of bike and scooter adventures this summer. We're already talking about biking to Starbucks for a morning pick-me-up when it gets a little warmer.

Cole's on the Move!

Cole is officially a walker!  Up until last Thursday, he'd take steps and walk between us/things often, but he definitely preferred scooting/crawling to walking. 

Thursday night, he kept wanting to go into the guest bathroom to stand on the stool so Jackson and I kept moving him further and further away, and having him walk back over to it.  We did this until we were all the way at the back door, and he was walking all the way to the front of the house, where the guest bathroom is.

From that point on, he's been walking all over the place. He even seems pretty steady and has decent balance. I joke that he was waiting to start doing it until he'd perfected it.

He did lots of walking at school on Friday and they even mentioned that he seemed extra happy with his new view point.  Along with his walking, he's started to become a better climber, finding it possible to climb up on the couch and into his Stokke chair...he's keeping us even more on our toes than ever before.

(He LOVES the necklace you see him wearing here...he seeks it out and then puts it on himself.  Thanks, Natalie!)

And Cole's on the move in other ways. One of the things he loves to do is to climb up the ladder on the slide, slide down and repeat. 

(Almost) Walking!

Cole's been taking steps between us and furniture for awhile now but a few weeks ago, his teachers were excited to show me his improved walking skills when I arrived at school to pick him up. They had me stand across the room and then stood him up, had him start walking while they held on very lightly to the back of his shirt, and then let go while he (very excitedly) continued to walk all the way to me.

Since then, he's done this quite a few times, but we are never quick enough to capture video before he loses his confidence and reverts quickly to crawling/scooting.  He doesn't seem to mind walking just holding onto one of our fingers - he'll walk all over like that.  He really just doesn't like when we let of his hand or shirt, so we have to be sneaky about letting go. 

We finally captured some walking on his own tonight.  Check it out!

(Side note: Cole is really starting to understand what we are saying, and follow simple directions.  The motivation to walk here was in response to me asking him to take the things in his hands to Daddy.)

This and That

Had to share a few funny things happening in our world lately...enjoy:

• Jackson came home from school today and told me that St. Patrick's Day was on March 17 and that "we need to wear green so we don't get punched".  (He'd mis-heard "pinched".)
• Cole very much uses "dada" properly these days and at times, seems to have a preference for him.  So cute to see, especially since J was a total mama's boy, often crying when I left the room.  Cole on the other hand could care less if I leave the room.  The boys and I were playing in the TV room with the door shut tonight and I heard the garage door open when Corey got home. I announced "daddy's home!".  Cole quickly crawled to the doors and smashed his face up against them to get the first peek of his daddy - but when daddy didn't immediately appear, Cole began crying and screaming, "dada! dada!"
• Jackson knows (and often reminds us) that when he turns 16, he gets to drive. In the car the other day, he said, "I'm excited to drive - it'll be fun because you get to steer and push buttons".  Only ~12 more years until you can steer and push those buttons, buddy!
• Cole started saying "Ra-Ra" for Roxy - he will point at her and say it whenever she enters the room, or when you ask where she is.  It's extra cute, because J used to call her "Ra".  
• Coley also says "Uh oh" now and says it appropriately, often with a palms-up ("where'd it go"/"what happened") hand gesture.
• J's been even more cuddly and sweet lately, giving Cole lots of hugs, and the both of us hugs frequently. He'll often even, out of the blue, say, "Mommy, I really love you."  And he used to often turn his face when I'd go in for a kiss so that I'd get just his cheek, but lately, when I ask for a kiss before bed, he gives me a very gentle kiss on the lips.

And what good is a blog post if I don't leave you with any photos/videos?!

This is what independent eating looks like (i.e. won't let mommy fed him, but still really wanted to eat what was in the bowl).  And this is also what a 1-year old eating soup on his own looks like. That blob just above his nose is spinach. 

 

#independenteatingcontinued #itwasn'tsupposedtobebathnight

 

Ta-DA!

 

Seriously - never knew a box could be SO fun. (And a diaper box nonetheless.)

 

This kid's getting pretty dang good at his scooter - balancing, turning and stopping.  Scooter videos to come soon, along with some bike videos (also something he's doing great with).

Don't mind the wedgie picking at the beginning.

Life Lately

Nothing too crazy going on around here, but definitely lots of cuteness.  Both boys are growing, changing and learning so much so frequently, I sometimes feel like I blink, I'll miss something.

Jackson continues to be extremely perceptive and picks up new phrases almost daily, using them the right context.  Case in point...the kid is a negotiator and we often find ourselves making deals with him ("you can have five more minutes of your show, if you try to go potty" for example).  I guess when we do that, we often say, "Here's the deal".  The other night, Corey had tucked Jackson in and was about to leave his room and they were negotiating whether his door would be open or shut, when Jackson said, "Okay, here's the deal, Dad..."

He remembers everything - the date, that Friday's are sharing days which means we need to pack up something to take on Thursday night, promises we've made or details we've given him days and sometimes weeks before, the weather forecast for the week. It's really amazing to me, because I just don't have that kind of memory - I have to write everything down.  He is often reminding me about things he knows I need to do/remember.  Love it!

He continues to love his bike and scooter and is doing so well on both of them.  Other favorite past times are going to the park, watching Busy Town Mysteries episodes, puzzles, and helping me cook.

Cole's in a bit of a transition phase. He knows how to drink out of a sippy but just doesn't do it much. He still prefers a bottle, and wants us to hold it for him when he drinks. So, to ensure that he's getting enough (12-16 oz./day), we give him a bottle when he wakes up and before he goes to bed, using sippy cups in between.  So though he does well with food during the day, he doesn't get much milk and in turn becomes a bit hangry.  Between that and his one nap a day, he's pretty tired and often fussy when we get home.  He still likes most foods though and can pack away a surprising amount - the other morning, he ate an entire oatmeal packet plus some fruit (right after drinking a 6-oz bottle no less), and tonight, he had a bowl of soup and almost half of a PB&J plus some puffs, crackers and cheese.

He loves doing big boy things like going to the park and doing all the things Jackson does there, and doesn't seem to have many fears. He is pretty close to walking, and I think we have his first official word - "hi".  He's been saying "dada" for awhile but only sometimes it's in the right context.  The other day though, he held a phone up to his ear, and very clearly said "hi!".  A few minutes later he did the same thing but we haven't been able to hear it anymore.

Here are a few photos and videos of our life lately.

J's latest haircut might be the shortest he's ever gone, and I sure love not having to wet, brush and gel the crazy bed head each morning!

J thought my sit-up video looked so fun, he had to try it himself.  Hardly!

This is how Cole spent most of the forth quarter of the Super Bowl.  

In a matter of weeks, J made vast improvements with his coloring (and staying in the lines).

My new trick to keep Cole in one place for longer than 10 seconds - give him lots of puffs and a sippy of milk.  I prepped dinners for the week and made up a salad to take for lunches this week, all while he sat and quietly ate for a good 15-20 mins over the weekend.

Jackson brought this home last week and after asking him what it was (since it didn't seem to go with the "L" theme for the week), I learned that that "It's an Inuit, Mommy!"  Why yes, it sure is.

These two are playing together and sharing more every day and I love every second.

Signing Valentine's Day cards for his class is hard work and takes lots of determination.

While not practical, I couldn't pass up these cute skinny/hipster jeans the last time I went shopping.  Never mind the fact that Cole walks funny in them and can't bend his legs as much as he'd like in order to scoot.  Sometimes, fashion wins.

Cole's getting pretty close to walking, and loves holding one of our hands and exploring.  

After a scary experience on this slide a year ago or so (a wet slide plus slick jogging pants made him literally shoot off the slide), J asked to go on it again over the weekend and had a great time.