Blogging…what is that?

Long time no blog! It has been busy around our house with Summer time activities. I am way behind in blogging, but we have had a great time together. I have been focusing on just being with my family rather than documenting everything. I might catch up and I might not.

Chase starts school next Monday. He has morning Kindergarten which I am THRILLED about. It really is the perfect schedule for our family. School, chores, and a little preschool (taught by me)  for Parker in the morning, and our afternoons are open for activities and naps .

I am starting to think about my homemade Christmas gifts. I am going to make an apron, 3 superhero capes, and a few other small things.

I am looking forward to going to a Giants/Braves game next week with my hubby. It will just be the 2 of us. Can’t wait!!

The following weekend my cousin is getting married in Half Moon Bay. We will be going down just the 2 of us and leaving the kiddos home. I am looking forward to celebrating with the happy couple and our family!

We feel so busy all the time. However, we don’t do much out of the ordinary. Our kids, work, school, church, and our family keeps our schedule full. We are tired. Life often feels out of control. Our home is LOUD and ACTIVE. I should be used to it by now, but I am not. Probably by the time I am used to it the kids will be grown and moving out . I am holding on for the ride!!

Some things I want to remember

My kids are young. They are needy, whiny, naughty, very active, and pretty much all-consuming. Every day there are mountains to climb all day. It is hard to take care of them. Keeping track of their eating, safety, laundry, playing with them, educating them, teaching them about the things of God, disciplining them is exhausting.

However, the cute little things they do and say in a day are so rewarding and special. It keeps me going. It is so special to see how God designed them so differently and individually. It is fun to see them interact with one another.

It is amazing to me how much I don’t remember about when the kids were younger. I have a pretty good memory, but I am forgetting things. It makes me kind of sad. I want to be more deliberate about writing things down. I want to remember this really special, exhausting time of life. It really is so short! People say I will miss it. Right now I don’t feel like I will miss a lot of it, but they are probably correct.

Some things I want to remember:

• when Maggie and Parker get hurt, they immediately look for their blankies and run to be held
• Chase loves to count money
• Parker likes to have wooden gun with him when he watches Swiss Family Robinsons
• Helping me clean the fingerprints off the windows is a real treat. They like to spray the Windex.
• Maggie loves to smash her nose up against the shower door and smile. It shows her top 2 teeth and she looks like Mater from Cars
• The boys love for us too lay in bed with them at night and listen to music. They fight over who gets to lay with them.
• Maggie shows us her nose by crinkling and sniffing. Hilarious!
• Watering the plants and trees in the backyard is a huge treat
• They love chocolate milk
• Everything is a treasure-a rock, a nuts and bolts found on the ground, old soda bottles, etc.
• Chase loves to sort things by color or size
• Parker loves to change his clothes (I don’t think this is cute now, but someday I might )
• Maggie gives kisses and makes the “muah” sound. Abe takes her on the kissing tour at night where she gives each family member a kiss.
• The boys like to watch the same movie over and over.
• The boys like to wear just shorts and no shirts.
• Parker pronounces”th” as an “s” sound. Think sounds like “sink.”
• The boys think imaginary friends are called “ordinary” friends.
• Maggie loves to look at pictures.

I am sure there are more, but that is what I can remember now. My life is so blessed, even though my attitudes and thoughts don’t always show that. Thank you Lord!

Me and my loves!

Last Day of School

Chase had his last day of school on Friday. They had a fun week which included some movie watching, school assembly, and a picnic. He is excited about Summer, but he told us that night that he misses school. He said he will miss his teacher and his friends. It is actually nice to hear that he enjoyed school.

Thankfully, some of his friends (especially his BFF Roberto Carlos) belong to the same gym. We are going to meet up for swimming and maybe some park dates. He really did enjoy meeting some new people, and I enjoyed getting to know their moms.

This year has brought about many changes in Chase. He is much more able to focus, he has learned some self control, and is just easier to be around in general. So grateful!

It was an emotional day for us-exciting and kind of sad. It is hard to have something come to an end. I went to thank Chase’s teacher and totally started crying. We both cried and hugged. She really was the perfect teacher for Chase. Strict and tender all at the same time. We are looking forward to wide open days that include lots of playing, movie watching, naps, swimming, crafts. That night we went to dinner and rented a movie in celebration of the beginning of Summer break.

Here are some pictures from the first and last day of school. Parker was being a punk, so I just used what we could get from him.

Comparison Pictures

The Big Boy

The kiddos with Daddy

Chase with Miss. H

Star of the Week

Chase is the Star of the Week at school this week. They get to bring home the class’ Corduroy bear and some books. They get to be the line leader and be Miss H’s helper. Chase has waited so patiently for it to be his turn. He would tell me every Monday, “I hope I am Star of the Week!” The great thing is that he never let is disappointment override his happiness for the person who was chosen. He was sincerely happy for them and just looked forward to the next week when he had a chance to be chosen. So sweet!
They ask the parents to write a letter to the child to be read in front of the class. He is a letter to my sweet boy:
May 9, 2012
Dear Chase and Chase’s Classmates,
I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. You were so tiny and cute. You hardly cried for the first couple days of your life even when you were in some pain. The nurse took you way for some testing and procedures some of which didn’t feel good, and when she brought you back to us she said, “he is the tiniest baby in the nursery but the bravest baby!” She said you were the only baby not crying. You started tiny, but you grew very fast. You waited to walk a little longer than some babies, but once you started to walk you quickly began running. We have been “chasing” after you ever since.
You are a strong-willed and very determined kid. You have more energy than we know what do with. It hasn’t been easy for you to learn how to control you words and your body. However, we have seen so much growth and maturity this past year. We are grateful that the Lord is helping you learn self-control and discipline.
You are such a kind and loving big brother. You are always excited to see your brother and sister in the morning. You play with them and try to help them learn new things. They love you so much, and they get so excited when we pick you up from school.
Your love of learning is so wonderful. It is so fun to watch you get excited about homework packets and learning new concepts. We love when you tell us about all the fun things you are learning. We love your desire to do your best work and how careful you are when you do your work. Your ability to focus has amazed us. We thank Miss H. for helping you learn to focus for long periods of time. J
We love that you are an encourager and love to help people. You are a friendly guy and so careful to greet your friends or say goodbye. Your ability to make friends with new people anywhere we go is also so fun to watch. Hope you never lose that!
Daddy and I are so proud to call you our son. We love you sooooo much!!
Love,
Mommy

Fairytale Town

We went to a fun birthday party at Fairytale Town on Saturday. We took Chase when he was about 1.5, but we haven’t been back with Parker or Maggie. It was fun to watch the boys enjoy this special little place. It feels like you have walked back in time about 5o years. It is very simple, and I found it to be very calming.

When we entered the gates on Saturday, I noticed that they had memberships. I mentioned this to my mom, and we decided that Bridget and our kids would enjoy going throughout the year. We hopped in the car, picked up Chase from school, and headed over to buy the membership.

We went late in the afternoon, and there were about 4 other families. The kids were able to run and play on anything they wanted. It was nice to just let them go. They were safe and couldn’t hurt much or be hurt. It was so very enjoyable. Can’t wait to go back when the rain lets up!

Here are some pictures from that afternoon:

 

In the Tee Pee (sp?)

Had to get Mags in the picture.

At the top of the owl slide.

Bridgie!

 

Chase!

Mr. Parker

Maggie is THRILLED to be out of the stroller!

Trying to get all these kids looking in the right direction and smiling=close to impossible!

Grandma and Maggie

Boys MUST climb EVERYTHING. The great thing is that they are free to climb

Parker was driving the train away from lava! Love the imagination.

Maggie is trying to walk. She took 4 steps in a row later on that night.

Parker doing his ninja moves. Chase climbing again!

He got his dance moves from his mom and dad…poor guy! LOL!!

Sherwood Forest

The Boys!

Chase and Parker are about 2.5 years apart. They just started really playing together within the last 3-4 months. They would play along side each other but not really together. It has been such a blessing to watch them enjoy one another. Don’t get me wrong. Most days they fight more than they play, but their friendship seems to be getting stronger.

Parker is so imaginative. He will pretend that a piece of wood is a cell phone or a book is an iPad. He will turn anything into a sword or a gun. He loves to dress up. This is so different than Chase. He is very literal and has never been into pretend play. However, he is learning from Parker. It is so neat to see Parker teaching him.

They are very interested in superheroes (Star Wars, Transformers, Captain America, The Incredibles, etc.). They often have battles. I love hearing the conversations that are setting the stage for the battle, gun noises, cries of agony as they are “stabbed” or “shot.”  Sometimes they are too rough and they end up hurt or in an argument. However, I love that they are pretending and enjoying each other.

Here is a picture of them playing with Parker’s new carseat and the box that it came in. They told me that Parker was Captain America that he was “getting strengthened.”

We are giving Maggie the kitchen set for her first birthday because we knew that the boys would be able to enjoy it as well. They will play with her and teach her how to pretend as well.

It really bothered me that Chase had no interest in pretend play. I felt like we ruined him with too much TV and computer/phone games. Growing up, my brother and I would play with our toys for hours. I would play with dolls and he would play with Playmobil and his cowboy dress up toys all the time. I am so grateful that this part of Parker has shown through!

Barbie?

"Let's play Barbie. We can beat each other up." That is how boys play Barbie. Lol!

Chase's First Day of School

Chase had his first official day of school on August 15th. He was very excited to go. My Aunt Karen, Emily, and Valerie came over to be with us his first morning. They stayed home with Parker and Maggie while I took him to school.

When we got there, he was eager but also wanted me to stay with him until the last moment. He had a big smile on his face. He did a good job listening to his teacher and standing in line. Not an easy thing for an active 4.5 year old :) As the teacher told the kids to say goodbye to us, he ran over and gave me a big hug. So cute! I felt a twinge of sadness leaving my boy in someone else's care. However, I felt mostly ok with the whole idea.

I went back to pick him up with Bridget and Parker. He was SUPER excited to see us all. He said he had a good day, but didn't want to talk too much about it. He was too excited about our plan to go swimming after we left school. I asked if he behaved, and he said he only had a "few troubles." He said he talked a little bit and played in the bathroom. Not too suprising :)

Last week was a big week for us. Chase started school and Abe went on his first business trip. Abe left early Tuesday morning before the boys woke up. They woke up looking for him. My mom showed up later and watched the kids while I dropped Chase off. He looked a little overwhelmed walking in by himself, but he was ok. He was ok when we picked him up as well. That night my cousins came to stay with us which was super exciting.

Wednesday morning we woke up to Emily and Valerie here, and the boys were so happy to have them here. They played non-stop with them. Amazing amounts of help! The only problem was that Chase did not want to leave the fun. He cried and went and hid. So sad :( We got him ready and headed out to grab some lunch. He wasn't happy when we left, but we prayed for him. He had a good day, and was totally fine when we picked him up.

Thursday morning was another rough day. He was missing his Dad, and we were still having lots of fun at home. He said he didn't want to go, but we just kept on going. I walked him into school, and he was not happy. It breaks my heart to leave my sad little boy. After getting in the car, I totally fell apart. I just prayed and asked the Lord to calm his little heart. The Lord heard my prayers. His teacher reassures me he is totally fine within in minutes of me leaving. Abe came home that night which was a huge blessing!! The boys were so happy to see him not to mention me :)

Friday we woke up with just our family in the house. We had a calm morning. Chase got ready for school and was totally happy and ready for school. I dropped him off without one problem. Such an answer to prayer.

Chase's first week of school was filled with ups and downs. We made it, and the weekend was so refreshing and a nice break from the school schedule! Phew!!

California State Fair-2011

My family has been going to the State Fair for almost 20 years. We haven’t missed too many years. We really like the exhibits and the livestock. When my brother and I were younger we loved the rides as well. Since having kids our State Fair experience has changed dramatically. We barely fit in the Livestock part and spend most of our times at the rides.

Abe and I skipped last year and my parents took Chase. We almost didn’t go this year, but Abe spoke up and mentioned that he wanted to go. My Grandma watched Maggie for us, and we went last week. It was so nice to know that Maggie was in a safe, cool place. It is not the best place for a newborn. Thank you, Grandma!

We bought the kids unlimited ride wristbands. We were debating whether or not we should get one for Parker because he is risk averse and not a daredevil. We ended up getting him one, and boy were we glad we did. He had a blast!! He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to ride the whole time. It was so fun to watch Bridget, Chase, and Parker have fun! We saw a little livestock and watched a showmanship contest for cattle. We had perfect weather! The only downside was that my mom and myself were quite sick. We are looking forward to going back next year totally healthy!

 

Summer Time Fun

We love Summer. We love the extra light in the evening, the ability to play outside. swimming, late bedtimes, family trips, lazy mornings, and so much more! It is such a blast. I am trying to enjoy this Summer because Chase starts school in August and our life is going to drastically change. Here are some pictures from our Summer fun so far.

Swimming and popsicles in Hood and Grandpa and Grandma Berger’s house.

Backyard and sprinkler fun!

Water Painting