Red, White, and Blue

Sophia and I started off the festivities with a little red and blue action. My nails were painted like that too! Our day was planned out, but it didn't go as planned at all. TJ went out with his G-pa and brother at 6am to pick up the crab pots they had left the night before. TJ was thinking he would be back around 10ish so we could go by fireworks, make the macaroni and cheese to take to a friend's BBQ, etc. Well, when the boat ran out of gas it kinda put a kink in our plans. That 10ish thought turned into a 4ish time. Yup, so Sophia, Kenton, and I did everything by ourselves and finally went to the BBQ without TJ. He finally made it there about 5. It's one of those times where you can't get mad because it's not like they wanted to run out of gas, but I had a couple "ugh" moments. I am just glad they got home safely. While waiting for him I took a lot of pictures of our kiddos in their USA colors!

Sophia was so excited to wear her red, white, and blue and was decked out in it from the top of her head, down to her toes. She picked the classic pink tank top from Old Navy and even wanted to wear it the next day too!
I love this picture. They obviously aren't looking at me, but both are looking at the same thing. What is it? I don't know...

I had fun taking pictures of Kenton on his first Fourth of July! A family friend gave us this outfit before he was born. They must have been in tune with what size he was going to be because it fit him perfectly!

Uhhhh ladies, watch out! A little wink with those dimples and he will be melting some hearts:) Well maybe not if he's grabbing his crotch at the same time. Such a guy!

My good lookin' boys! I just love them!

Had to get Sophia in the picture too. I love her too:) What do you think. Do they look like their daddy?

This is Kenton's newest cousin, Miss Ella (a little over a 1 month old). Kenton will be her protector...he looks huge next to her (okay, I think he looks huge next to any baby because he IS a big boy).

After the BBQ we went to my parents house to celebrate our nephews 9th b-day and have the firework show. Sophia started plugging her ears when her cousins did.

She loved the sparklers. I think she did both the bundles we bought all by herself!

Although the day didn't go exactly as planned, it was still fun:)

Pre-4th of July

The Poulsbo fireworks is a must for us every year. We have been going for so long that we have our favorite parking spot and spot down by the water. This year we took Christine and her kids for the first time and met TJ's brother and his family!

Still waiting for the fireworks. The show started about 10:15pm

I love holidays, but having kids makes them that much better. Sophia was so excited through the whole show, saying, "ohhhhh, ahhhh, that's pretty!" Her favorite one was the pink one (of course)! And Kenton wasn't scared at all. He actually liked looking at them:)

5 MONTHS OLD

OKAY SERIOUSLY...CAN THE TIME STOP GOING SO FAST???

Kenton is 5 months old today!

It has been a fun month watching Kenton grow and develop. And he is a big boy!

During his 4th month he:

Continued smiling and giggling (it doesn't take much to get him to smile)!

He continued to love his big sister
He found his feet and loves to take his socks off

He started rolling over from his back to his stomach and moves himself around

He started liking his saucer and slowly moves it around to play with all the toys

He has been reaching and grabbing for things even more. He loves to put everything in his mouth and the other day he grabbed my paper plate off the table. Watch out now!

DEAR MONTH OF JULY, ALTHOUGH IT IS FUN WATCHING MY BABY DO NEW THINGS, I'M NOT READY FOR HIM TO GROW UP SO FAST, SO PLEASE SLOW DOWN!

It's a boy thing

I know grabbing your crotch is a guy thing, but I didn't know it started this early...

Just makin' sure it's still there!

The Big 3-0

My hubby turned 30!!! That is really weird to even say, seeing as though we started dating when he was 18 years old. I know 30 isn't old, but TJ was having a hard time with it and I was having fun rubbing it in because I am still in the 20 club, ha! I wanted to make this birthday a special one, so I planned 30 different things for his 30th birthday. Here they are (man the list takes up a lot of space, hehe):
1. 30 minute massage
2. Target for goodies
3. Watch Cars 2
4. Ferry ride
5. Lunch
6. Opened present (Mariner's shirt)
7. Played new game on ferry
8. Went to team store (bought new hat)
9. Ate yummy baseball food
10. Watched game (they won!)
11. Road trip to Kent for softball tournament
12. Played softball game
13. Ate favorite snacks
14. Lunch at South Center Mall
15. Played another game (left the tournament early and boy was I harassed)
16. Crab Pot for dinner
17. Hotel
18. Swam at hotel
19. Late night dessert
20. Opened Cards
21. 30 spankings
22. Breakfast at hotel
23. BBQ
24. Visited with family
25. Opened presents
26. Blew out candles
27. Played Corn hole
28. Played Bacci ball
29. 30 kisses
30. Put kids to bed

PICTURE HIGHLIGHTS:

I think he was a little unsure when we first pulled up because he's never had a professional massage before, but he came out nice and relaxed!

MARINER'S GAME: Felix pitched and they won!

CRAB POT

We went to the one in Bellevue. It was a really pretty restaurant and ambiance.

I felt bad because he really wanted to get the bowl of seafood that they dump on the table, but you need 2 people to eat it and I'm not a fan. So instead he got his own sampler. Next time we'll have to go with people who actually like seafood.

HOTEL STAY

My brother got us an AMAZING deal! I was going to make it just us, but I didn't think it was fair to ask someone to watch Kenton since he still wakes up during the night. Sophia was the most excited. She loved the pool!

Good Morning Birthday Boy!

30 Birthday Spankings

TJ didn't want me to do anything for his birthday, but he finally said that he wanted a family BBQ!

Happy Birthday hubby and here's to joining the 30 club! Let's make it a good year!

Father's Day

TJ's Father's Day started off Friday night when we surprised him with a ticket to play golf at the Washington National Golf Course with his brother, some golf balls, and a new golf outfit. They went Saturday, rain and all. TJ hadn't played for like a year, but he ended up winning...luck? or skill?

Sophia made her daddy breakfast in bed. We had to keep it simple because we had to go our new niece's baby blessing and we needed to be on time. Sophia made him peanut butter toast, half an apple, and some slices of cheese. She also picked out a card for him...notice it's Mader!
While he ate, he opened another gift from Sophia and Kenton. My mom found white ties you can paint on, so together we stamped the kids hands on it and then I painted the stripes. I thought it was a little corny, but it actually didn't turn out too bad and TJ loved it! He loves to dress up and looks good doing it!

This is the famous trick that TJ would do with Sophia when she was little. Kenton is actually a chicken when it comes to flying in the air, but he is starting to do "the trick" so TJ is very happy! Many moms/grandma's can't handle this trick and usually can't watch, but I love it! Check out Mr. Kenton's little man outfit too:)

After the baby blessing, we went to TJ's families house to eat brunch with his Dad. It was nice spending time with him and the boys put together his new BBQ. Time for nice weather now so we can go over and use it!!! Then we headed for my house to have dinner with my dad. It is always extremely hard to get my dad a gift because he doesn't open them and use them. He keeps them nice. For example, my mom found dress shirts in his closet, un-opened and she wrapped them up for Christmas and he was "ooooing and ahhing" over them and had no idea that they were from his closet (we were laughing so hard). Anyway, so what to get my Dad that he'll actually have to use? Hmmmm...He is a nut when it comes to sunscreen. He makes sure he won't get burnt, so he lather's it on thick all over his face and ALWAYS manages to get some in his eyes. Then he walks around squinting because it stings. SOOOOOOOO....as a joke, we got his some sunscreen and tanning goggles to put so he won't get it in his eyes!!!!

I am lucky to have a dad that has always loved me, supported me and provided for me no matter what.

I am lucky to have a father-n-law who raised a wonderful man with great father instincts.

I am lucky to have a husband who is amazing with our kids, who loves them and tells them that he loves them all day! TJ, you are the best and I don't know what I'd do without you! To infinity and beyond!

4 Months Old

KENTON IS 4 MONTHS OLD!!!

This is my new favorite picture of him. He's not smiling but there's something about those eyes that melt my heart!

His Stats are:

-26.5 inches long (90th percentile)

-15 lbs (50th percentile)

-Head circumference (50th percentile)

I am loving this stage. His personality is really starting to show. He is still a mamma's boy and does not mess around when it's time to eat! It has been fun watching him reach for his toys and play a little more. I have a feeling everything is going to go in his mouth, which means lots of DROOL! He tries to swallow his hands (ha!) and notice his tongue working the ball:)

Saturday Sun

I love the sun! It puts every one in a good mood and allows us to wear cute sandals! I forgot what Sophia's toes looked like and Kenton has never gone without socks...Cute huh?

(Look at their color difference, hehe)

First we went to Kids Day at the Pavilion. It focused on safety. Sophia got a helmet fitted to her head and got lots of goodies at all the different booths.
She also got to sit in the fire trucks

And sit on a city bus, which she has always wanted to do (it's better with no people on it, haha).

Then, we went to the lake and enjoyed the sun even more. We had a picnic...

And played in the sand and swam in the water.

We ended with BBQing steaks at home and realized it was 8:00pm when we sat down to eat. That's what happens when the sun is out!!!

IDAHO

The plan was to head to Boise from Moses Lake for a graduation, but that didn't happen because TJ ended up not getting the time off (we found out LAST minute). TJ was not going to let me drive alone, so I asked my mom if she would go on a road trip with me. I am very thankful for her because she helped entertain the kids while I drove. It took us about 9.5 hours with 2 stops. I think that's pretty good. And why is the speed limit only 65 in Oregon???? KILLER!!!

Brittany (I started babysitting her when she was 4) surprised everyone and was able to come from college, so it was great to see her too!

I feel really young, but when the girl I started babysitting when she was 2 years old is graduating high school, it kind of ages me a bit! This is Jessie, the GRADUATE!!!!! So proud of her:)

At the graduation

We stayed for a couple more days and played...

We tried new restaurants. This was at a burger place called, "Iceberg." The onion rings were HUGE and the mini milkshakes were the size of a large anywhere else!

Got a little baseball in. Trey (who I babysat since he was born) is now 14 and as tall as me!

Sophia loved playing with him. It is neat watching the kids I used to babysit play with my own kids! Ahhhhhhhh, and we hot tubed...

We love you Rutters! Thanks for the fun:)

Memorial Day Camping

We went to Moses Lake for our traditional softball tournament/camping trip. TJ's men's team played and he plays with his brothers and close friends, so it's a lot of fun. I was worried about the 4 hour drive because Kenton does not like the car, but we lucked out. He slept till Ellensburg where we stopped for lunch and then he slept the last hour...phew!

We also rented a little Aliner trailer. I love it! Me and the kids slept on one side and my future sis-n-law and her baby slept on the other side. It's perfect because it has heat, so we didn't have to worry about the kids being cold!
Kenton sat in the stroller like a big boy and watched Daddy's game

TJ pitched...his mask reminds me of a mask from a scary movie, but I'm glad he wears it because I do love his face:) I won't mention that they played 3 games and lost them all...shhhh!

The kids needed a little entertainment during the games. Aunt Hollie brought some bubbles to play with.

Saturday night we went to a night parade in the town. It was little, but neat. The kids got lots of candy thrown to them and there were some pretty lit floats, and little marching bands that played.

We had to leave Sunday because I was going to head for Boise, Idaho on Monday. We didn't want to go, so we packed up slowly and hung out for a bit.

We ended the weekend with a "Corn hole" tournament. TJ ditched me for his brother Caleb, so I paired up with Caleb's girlfriend. Both our teams made it to the semi-finals! The concept of this game is so simple, but it's quite entertaining. I want to get one!

Another fun year in Moses Lake!