Catch-Up Stuff

A couple weeks ago there was a local circus in town and thought that would be fun to take Sophia to. We were going to go as a family until we walked up to the booth. They were charging $22 for an adult ticket and $10 for a kid. TJ and I both looked at each other and said, "Heck no, we are not paying $44 dollars for both of us to go!" So, TJ took Kenton home and Sophia and I had a girls date! I luckily had a coupon and got $2 off my price and Sophia was free ($20 much better, but I still don't think it was worth it, ha)!

I've never been to a circus before, but this one seemed pretty cheap and I was kind of bored at times, hahaha. It definitely brought an interesting crowd out! I think I was more entertained by the people, than the acts!
Although I was not too entertained, Sophia enjoyed herself and I'm glad we got some girl time together:)

Last weekend we found a new park and got out to enjoy the sun. It is Salsbury Park (out towards Hood Canal). It is right by the water (rocky though), has picnic benches, grassy area, and a park. TJ's parents, our niece and nephews and our good friends met us there. I love this picture:)

Ahoy Matey!

There were also swings with a long chain. The kind that makes you get butterflies. It brought back memories when my dad would push me so high that I would get butterflies in my stomach. TJ and Grandpa Brown got Miles going pretty high and scared him! Love finding new parks, especially when it's a nice day!

New Lesson Learned

I have never had to baby proof anything or hide markers, etc because Sophia has never gotten into anything, but she is definitely not perfect! The other day she had a "not perfect" moment. She had gotten a place mat that you can color on with markers (thank you Aunt Sarah) and had it on my bed while I was getting ready. Well during her coloring she managed to color a large area on my bed sheets. It was clearly not just a little accident where she ran off her mat. These were long color strokes. This was definitely out of her character. I asked her about it and she said she did it with a little smirk. Being the first offense of this type I had to think about a consequence. I had her scrub with spray n' wash on the sheets, take them off the bed (with my help), and put them in the washer. I explained to her that if the marker didn't come out that she had to pay me some money out of her wallet so that I could buy some new ones. Sophia got the sheets out of the dryer to check to see if the marker came out. Well, the markers were not washable (thank you again Aunt Sarah, hehe). She went and got her wallet. At first she was going to give me a penny, but I told her that I needed a dollar (ouch!). She was not too excited about it at first, but then gave it to me. This is one of many lessons, but I hope she learned something.

Gotta Love Sisters!

I love how I can trust Sophia with Kenton! She has good mama instincts and is gentle with him. I went to get in the shower this morning and usually take him into the bathroom with me, but today Sophia wanted to watch him so I went with it. As I got out of the shower I heard her giggling and telling me to come here. And guess what I found???

ONE PRETTY BOY!

She was quite proud of herself and Kenton rolled with it too. I told her that Daddy was not going to be a fan, hahahaha!

It actually looks pretty good with his curly hair, ha!
Well Mr. Kenton, you better get used to it...That's what big sister's are for:)!

HOMER!

I was blessed to have great roommates in college and MaryAnn (aka: Homer) was one of them. Not only did we live together, we also slaved together in our education department and are Kappa Delta Pi sisters! MaryAnn is also a teacher but lives in Juneau, AK. I am just lucky that her dad lives in WA so that she still visits. We got to play with her at her dad's lake house.

Sophia swam off the dock and we all got to go on a boat ride (Kenton's first)!

As you can tell he loved it, even with his life jacket swallowing him.

Love the wind and fresh air! (Dad you seriously have to get your boat out...I miss it!!!)

We are just missing Jason, MaryAnn's hubby who also was a roommate of mine!

I love how we just pick right up when we see each other. Wish we lived closer, but I love the visits! MISS YOU HOMER!!!

COME BACK SOON:)

Yay Sun!

We lived by the words of Sesame Street this week...

"Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away!"

Thank you Point No Point and great friends. We went to enjoy the sun with Lacey, Malynda and their boys! Mr. Kenton boy got to wear his swim suit and put his feet in the cold water for the first time.

Sophia enjoyed jumping the waves
And making sand castles with the boys

Although the water was cold, my little fish loved boogie boarding...that's my girl:)

The sun was definitely out, but there was a constant breeze so it didn't feel super hot. I didn't put any sunscreen on my legs and boy did I pay for it the next day. It hurt so bad to walk, but yes everyone I learned my lesson! I told Sophia that I got a sunburn and asked her what she got. She said, "I just got brown!" And that is SOOO true. I'm so jealous of her gorgeous skin:) Sun, please stay and continue "Sweeping the Clouds Away!"

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!