Playing Pokemon

Chase loves to play Pokemon. He enlists Jeff and I to play.  Here is a battle going on!

 Chase doing his Pokemon moves

Getting ready for his next attack

No More Thumb Suckers!

That's right! We have 6 year olds who do not suck their thumbs! Yeah Chase and Owen! It all started about 3 weeks ago when I had had it.  Blankets all over the house, which goes hand in hand with thumb sucking, no one answering me because they were sucking their thumbs, germs, etc.  Jeff and I made up the story that your thumb would fall off if you sucked it.  It worked for Owen! That night he stopped sucking his thumb and hasn't done it since.  He was very concerned when he saw Chase sucking his thumb!

So, to celebrate Owen's success he got to pick out a small toy from Target-Pokemon cards.  This was motivation enough for Chase to stop.  For the past week he's been working hard and has not sucked his thumb either! Last night he got to go to Target and get his Pokemon toys too. Yeah Chase!

No Beans!

Tonight at dinner we had the funniest thing happen!  I gave Hattie a bean, popped it in her mouth and she started bawling her eyes out.  Jeff just happened to be there and quickly gave her a taste of ice cream.  She stopped instantly. So, we tried it again.  You'll see what she does on this video.  ha ha

A First Sucker

Chase and Owen got back to school suckers from a neighbor and Hattie got her first DumDum.  SHe loved it!! It's amazing how long a little sucker can last. :)

Sillies!

This is a picture from our neighbor as to what was waiting for them when they drove in the driveway. Ha ha. I can't help but laugh when I look at it.  Chase and Owen had so much fun dressing up in their old costumes yesterday.  Owen was the Easter bunny and was selling things (not sure what) in the driveway. They were greeting people as they drove by or came home.  Love it!  I'm sure when the boys are 20 this picture will be a hit!

Hattsie

Hattie is just a mover and a shaker.  She doesn’t sit down unless she is eating dinner with the family or sleeping!  She roams from room to room, spot to spot, playing, talking, following a sound she heard, etc.  She’s very good at listening. She always points to her ear indicating she heard something. Then she puts her hands up in a questioning manner.  Lately she has been singing “more” quiet often and well!  She keeps one hand flat and puts her pointer finger in the palm of the other hand.  Before she had been clapping to mean more.  She signs “all done, where, more, listen, music”. 

Last week she began furrowing her brow, which makes her look so mad. She’s funny when she does it and will start laughing shortly after it.

Her little footprints on the driveway

Her footprint in comparison to mine.

Sitting at the kid table, all ready to eat (even though we don't eat there)

This is how she looks when she wants me.

She’s become picky with what she eats. Some days she likes cheese, others she won’t touch it.  It’s like that with most foods.  Some days she doesn’t even want to eat.

She gets up around 5:00 these days and is ready for bed at 7:15.  She started sleeping through the night (minus a few nights a week) the week I went back to work, August 25^th.  It’s about time. It’s been a long 14 months.  I think not eating in the night makes her get up early, which makes her ready for bed earlier.  Sometimes she cries and whines herself to sleep, purring her little tongue.

Hattie doesn’t always like to be put in her car seat, have her diaper changed, sit alone when eating, be along, not be able to go outside, upstairs or down the stairs when she wants to.  She loves to crawl up and down the stairs and fell down a few last week when Jeff and I were talking and I wasn’t close enough to her.

Hattie loves music and will sign to have it put on.  When the music starts she slowly and cautiously starts to bed her knees so she bops up and down.  It’s very cute.

She has recently fallen in love with her Cozy Coupe. I’m so glad Jeff got this down for her because she loves to ride in it, open the door and get in and out and push it.  It’s so fun for her. 

Hattie’s favorite thing is probably her shoes or her blankeys.  She loves shoes! Her pink ones with little red tulips are her favorite.  She grabs them, sits down and lifts up her feet for you to put them on her.  She chews on her blankeys until they become wet and stinky.

Hattie loves baby dolls and stuffed animsals and will feed them, pick them up and hug them and say to them, “oooohh” as if she is comforting them like I do to her. She also pats their backs. She pats Chase and Owen’s backs too, when they need it.

Owen and Chase's First Day of All Day K

Chase and Owen had their first day of all day kindergarten at CA on Tuesday September 2nd.  They were very excited and so was I!  We got up early to make sure we got backpacks all ready to go and pictures taken.  Being that they were in half day kindergarten last year it didn't seem so emotional.  Chase and Owen were pretty relaxed too, knowing what to expect, even though this is a new school.  They looked so cute in their new uniforms!

Unfortunately, the bus didn't come at their designated drop off spot.  There we all stood, Jeff, Owen, Chase and I, waiting and waiting. Luckly I had the bus number.  They brought the bus back to our neighborhood, which is not where we were.  The boys and I raced to the van, jumped in an were off.  They made it on the bus just fine and the bus driver was very gracious.

After school they were all smiles with stories of new friends, time on the playground, nap time and bus time.  It was so fun to see their excitement.

We're off to a good start!

Hattie started a new daycare.  Despite 4 days of major crying (which didn't last too long, because i was right outside the door listening as I waited for the bus with C & O) on Friday she went willingly to Amber and didn't cry!  All last week she didn't cry and seemed really happy to be there. Today she got down and started walking all over, playing and making herself comfortable!

Concussion

First night at Fair Hills as I was unpacking at 8:30, Hattie was crawling around and playing on the king sized bed.  I was watching her but turned for a moment and when I turned back I saw her falling.  She hit the back of her head on the ground and cried so loudly.  Soon after she started acting strange.  She got really tired and lethargic and just wanted to lay on me.  I went to talk to Lindsay about what to look for if a concussion occurs.  She had just reassured me that Hattie was ok.  I walked outside and Hattie threw up.  Oh man.  Talk about panic.  Jeff showed up just then and I ran to the office to find out if there was a Dr. at the resort.  The receptionist gave me directions to the nearest ER.  By the time I got back Hattie had thrown up 3 more times.  That was enough.  We were off to the ER but couldn't figure out how to get out of the resort! Talk about frustration. In the car I was singing to her and trying to keep her awake and she just wanted to sleep. Finally I pulled out the "Brown Bear Brown Bear" book and she perked up and started looking at the pictures.  She started smiling and giggling.  No one was real concerned about her at the ER.  By the time the Dr. finally came Hattie was totally back to normal, giggling, smiling, wanting to walk around.  The Dr. did diagnose it as a concussion. Here are some pictures of Jeff and Hattie playing with the gloves, which were her favorite things!  We are so thankful our prayers were heard during this scary time for Hattie.

Walking

Hattie started walking right before her 14 month birthday (August 18), right around the time Owen did.  A few days prior to "walking" she had been taking small steps from one item to the other, quiet proud of herself.  We knew it would be no time at all before she let go and walked.  Each time she would take small steps the boys would report it for me.  "She's walking mommy!"  Then she would look up and smile.  Finally she took off and walked from the ottoman to the chair, from a chair to the table, etc.  She surprised me and walked all the way across the room, 7 whole feet!

Pig Tails for the First Time

The first time Hattie had pig tails was at the end of August. They were so stinkin cute.  She has so little hair, but a lot in the back, so I did it! :)  She thought she was pretty cute.  The boys thought she was a "girl" now. :)

Fair Hills, Part 1

Jim and Sandy took us on a fabulous vacation to the Fair Hills Resort near Detroit Lakes, MN, for a week July 22-16th.  We had an amazing week and made memories that will last forever! It’s a fun resort for families, as they have events planned each day that are family friendly and kid friendly.  We arrived on Saturday afternoon and tried out the pool right away.  The boys loved the hot tub best as it was much warmer and still big enough to swim in.  Dinner was fabulous that night, as it was every night. 

So tired on our way to Fair Hills

The kids spent a lot of time on the deck playing.  Right down the stairs you see in the background, was the lake. It was an amazing cabin and location and we were so lucky to be close to everything!

First night at dinner was a success!  They were so accommodating to our large, loud, busy family.  The food was amazing, the service was great too! We had the same waitress each meal and she got to know our family.  Here is how we would order breakfast.  "I'd like 2 french toast pieces, 3 scrambled eggs, 4 strawberries, etc." You ordered in numbers and could get pretty much whatever you wanted. Each meal served dessert too-man.

Hattie liked dinner too and loved to sit in her own high chair.

After dinner we checked out the lake front.  Jim and Jeff took Chase and Owen out for a ride

 

Hattie plays with Nana

 Jeff and Pat took the kids out on the hydro bike.  Chase was very scared

Hattie loved the beach and sand.

Trying to figure out the toy

Sunday was our first full day here and breakfast was amazing! We all pigged out and thought we shouldn’t ever eat like that again, however we kept doing it.  The kids have loved riding their bikes all over the place and knew their way around before we did.  They met some other kids who like to ride and are their age, however it’s typically Chase, Owen, Sophie and Gavin playing together, which is nice.  It rained off and on all day and was kinda cold.  In the morning the kids had horse back riding and the afternoon was crafts (Not a fav.)

Cutie!  Early in the morning on Sunday

Chase and Owen and the kids got to go for a ride on the Fun Bus

We are waiting our turn in the rain for the horse rides

Chase rides first and loved it!

Chase

 

Owen loved his horse ride too

Guys fishing off the dock

View of our cabins, ours was the furthest on the right

Our cabin way on the right and way on the left was the main lodge

 

Sweet Chase

My boys

 

Touching the fish

Nana and Owen have a chat on the swing.

Monday

Jeff golfed with his family and they got 2^nd place in the 4 person scramble!  Not bad for the newcomers. Lindsay and I took the kids to arts and crafts for 1.5 hours while the babies napped.  We had a good lunch and the kids had their first tennis lesson. They were not that excited but once they learned how to hit the ball they enjoyed it a lot.  That afternoon we had Family Game Day.  The kids really really loved this.  There were not as many families as there should have been, in fact it was just us, Pat and Lindsay and one other family.  There were some random kids and staff there.  We played silly handshake games, tag games and other funny games.  Chase and Owen really did enjoy this and it was fun to “play” with them and laugh and not have interruptions.  After dinner there was a bonfire and s'mores and singing.  The leader, Larry, has been here forever and it sounds like they sing the same songs each year. Some were very cheesy, but again, the kids had fun doing the actions and laughing. Hattie had fun playing in the sand and gaining the attention of others with her cuteness.

Monday morning the kids had a treasure hunt which was really fun for them.  I think during this time I showered! :)They got treats and surprises.

 Owen leads the pack of kids

 On the golf cart

 More hunting for treasures

 The 4 crazies in the hot tub-their favorite spot

Later on Monday there was a picnic lunch which was preceded by a parade! The kids got to dress up and march down the hill in the parade while staff members played instruments.  Chase dressed up as Scooby, his favorite! I was a parrot and then gave the hat to Hattie.

The cousins took their first tennis lesson later that day. It was so fun, once we got there. We were at the wrong courts!  It was quite the hike, but the kids had fun and were pretty good at tennis. Hattie had a great time too, exploring all over.

Chase balances the ball on his racquet.

Hattie plays an chases her ball.

Nice hit Chase!

Owen's turn to hit the ball!

Later that afternoon we had "Family Games".  It was a fun time for all the kids and parents to be goofy and have some fun.  Some members of our family were less than thrilled about the family games.  :)  Chase, Owen, Gavin and Sophie had a great time and we had some great laughs.

The kids having some whipped cream at the end of family games

Chase was the only person who volunteered to be silly and crack an egg on his head. We all sang a silly song and then he smashed it right on his head! 

Singing the song

So cute!

Crack!

Ahhhhh, he said!

Loving the fun!

Chase then ran over to the huge and powerful sprinkler that was going off and put his head right in it. Luckily his head didn't get blown off!

We went back to the pool to swim

At the parade again

Mommy and Scooby

At the campfire, Hattie played and walked in the sand . .

 Chase sang his heart out

 Owen and Daddy cuddled