18 Month Check Up or 19 Month But Whose Counting

I totally forgot to make Knox his 18 month check up...oops Mommy mistake 13892894. Anyhow we got in that week and everything went well. He is 32 inches, 24.8lbs, and HC 18 3/4. He is only in the 25-50 percentile and is a string bean. Never fear eats everything in sight and if he sees you eating something he will surely want it as well. The doctor said we have a completely healthy boy and both kids were hamming it up for the doctor while there.

Alyssa was showing him her sparkly pink shoes and Knox was racing his car all over the place. He was laughing and he told Alyssa how he has never seen her without sparkles. Have any of us?!

Knox ended up getting four shots and wasn't happy about it at all. It was kind of nice at the same time because he was very cuddly that evening which he is never! We met some friends at the park that afternoon since I promised Alyssa but it was a quick trip because Knox was just wanting to get home and sleep.

We have a busy week a head of us which is becoming a common theme. It's Alyssa's turn at preschool for show and tell/snack. This is a big deal that deal they also are the room helper. She is very excited about this and when I asked her what she planned on bringing for show and tell she stopped and thought for a moment and said her sparkly blue purse. I laughed and thought I'm not surprised!

I'm getting excited for Halloween season for them and they already have several different things planned. I'm also thinking of having a little party for them. Nothing too big probably just a few of their close friends but something fun for all the kids. Plus I have all these great Halloween recipes I want to make.

Im now on an official countdown.....nine days until Im leaving to NYC!!!

My Little Man

It is so hard to believe how big and what a little boy Knox is becoming. I feel like he is boy in every way. He loves to play with his cars, get dirty, terrorize his sister, play catch with his daddy, and run around keeping me on my toes.

He has such a long list of words he is now saying. It seems everyday there is something new. Here is just a few that come to my head.

Milk (sounds like elk)
More (signs it)
Thank you
All done
Me too (just started this)
ball
car
cow
Mama
Up
Night Night
dog
vroom (which is more just a noise he makes when he plays with his cars. He definitely makes car sounds...it's so cute)
Hi
bye
kiss (he will say this but if you also ask him for one he will blow you one. It's very cute)
Uh oh
Nana
Yum
dada

Those are just some of the words and there are several animal sounds that he is making too. Like I said everyday seems to be something new and he has said his own, somewhat Alyssa's and a friend of mine. He is really a happy laid back boy. One of his favorite things lately to do is to go to the stairs crawl up half way or so and turn around and go down on his bottom. He thinks that is so funny and fun. I took the kids to the toy store the other day and whenever we go down the isle of toys with the cars and trucks he gets so stinking excited. It's very cute. His appetite is still going strong although by his waist you couldn't tell! He is going to be a tall lanky boy as I have said before.

Both the kids do great playing with each other although they both have their moments! Alyssa always tells him she loves him and gives him kisses good night and gets upset when she forgets. Cute but annoying at the same time. On a side note Alyssa had another dentist appointment the other day. It was just a cleaning but I was so proud of her. She went back there with them all by herself and got x-rays, teeth cleaned and was such a big girl! The dentist brought me back to see her through the glass window and she was doing fabulous. When she got all done she asked the hygienist if she did good. It was very cute! Love these kids!

We have a very busy month ahead of us or me. My trip to New York is quickly approaching and I can not wait for it! I'm planning on getting the kids goody bags for each day when I'm gone. Cory and my mom will be both watching them. My mom offered to come up when Cory worked so he didn't have to use his vacation time. Yay, for mom! Either way the kids will have a great time because even with just dad I can already here them say he is the fun one! I plan on doing my Christmas shopping while there so put your orders in now!

New Beginnings

We had an amazing and very busy summer this year. The last three months have been a whirlwind. Originally we were going to have a laid buck summer but with everything going on it was anything but. Besides all of the "big" things we did we also had many play dates, museum fun, and park play. At times I wish I was able to stay at home and not do anything but I'm not and there is rarely a day that goes by that we are at home with nothing planned. With saying that I was really looking forward to September to arrive and things to slow down or get back to "normal."

Finally September is here and it's my favorite time of year! I probably say that a lot because I think every time of the year has it's perks but I really love this time of year! For me, a SAHM, the big kids are back in school and public places aren't as crowded, yay. There is college football on, which I love to root for my favorite teams. I also get my crock pot back out and start making yummy meals, turning the fire on and curling up with a good book or movie.

There have been a couple of changes to our lives. Alyssa has started preschool this last week! I have been so excited for her to do this. She is a social butterfly and I knew she would love it too as well as benefit from everything it has to offer. Cory and I both look back at this time in our lives with fond memories and I hope both our kids do as well. I have been talking a lot about it with Alyssa so she would be OK with me leaving her etc. I take the kids to the daycare at the gym but was still a little worried since this would all be new to her. We had a meeting with her teacher a week prior to go over a few things and stuff. Alyssa felt very comfortable and had fun playing while we talked. After leaving she even talked about going back and how she was excited. Thank goodness!

The day came for her to start. She had picked out her outfit the night before, well I should say several days before. For those of you who know her you know how she is and for those who don't she LOVES clothes. Yes, she is three and I'm in trouble! I was a little worried how the morning would go but that is because my son sleeps in. We were going to be leaving the house about the time he got up so I wasn't sure how that would work out. The morning actually went very well. There was no whining, she was excited, Knox was happy and Mama was nervous! At the preschool when we were waiting for the teacher to open the door it was hard for me to get a feeling if others were nervous or what. Once the door opened and all the kids seriously went running in I walked Alyssa in and said goodbye to her and she did try and follow but didn't cry and neither did I. The teacher did have to distract her because she was a little stand offish and started to follow.

Knox and I went and had a play date with some friend and her son. When it was time to pick her up the teacher said she was fine and warmed right up. Alyssa talked about it all day and was so excited the next day as well! She pretty much just said by Mom, which she calls me now instead of Mommy. I find this funny for some reason. Anyways that was such a relief and we had a good morning running errands and hanging out. Life is going to be grand when Knox starts preschool and she is in Kindergarten. Hard to believe but yay! She has even been asking this weekend to go back and when she would. Thank goodness! Hopefully that feeling sticks around for a long time since she has many years of this to come. I'm so excited for this experience for her and to watch her grow in all areas.

The other change we made is we changed dance studios. I wasn't going to but I just didn't feel right staying where we were for several reasons. When a friend said she wanted to get her daughter into it and we started talking I decided to switch and go with her so the girls could be in the same class. I'm so glad I did. When we got there the first day of class and walked into the studio all my doubts went away. I know that sounds silly considering. Anyways this new place is amazing and super friendly. Alyssa is obsessed with dance. All dance she watches her recital DVD all the time and tries to do the other dances it's pretty cute. Anyways she went right in there and was ready to go. The instructor had them stretch for a few minutes and then were off and Alyssa was great. Such a difference from last year at the beginning. I'm really looking forward to this year in dance and to see where it brings her.

This is our new norm with preschool, dance, and play dates for the week. Don't forget to throw in the gym, errands, and all other house hold chores on top of it. We are a busy family but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Memorial Day Weekend

I originally didn't have any big plans for the weekend but that quickly changed. On Friday we had some family up for dinner that was in town. Cory's Uncle Tony and Aunt Judy were in town from Berkley so they came up to the house for dinner with Grammy. It was just me and kids since Cory was working but we had a great time hanging out. They stayed for a few hours and we had some pizza, cupcakes, and wine. The kids loved the new company to show off to.

Saturday we spent the morning at the Children's Museum, a place we go at least a few times a week. I love having a membership there! Later that afternoon we went to the park and killed the rest of the day with some friends of ours. Marysville has this amazing park that has several different playgrounds around it with trails, flowers, water all around that make it so fun to go to. We walked the trails after playing for awhile and picked some blackberries. It's a little frustrating that there haven't been more! On our way back the kids had to stop in the ball field and put on a dance performance for us.

By the time we got home it was later, for the kids, and we got dinner, baths, and bedtime. Ahh what a great day. That evening when I was chatting with my friend we decided to take the kids to the Evergreen State Fair the next morning. What a great idea that was.

We arrived when they opened and spent pretty much the whole day there not leaving until late afternoon. Alyssa probably could have stayed all day. She is just like I was and loves loves loves the rides and the scarier the better! The kids also got to spend a good part of the day looking at the animals and we talked to one of the ranchers who told us to come back later in the afternoon and the kids got to pet the baby calf that was getting ready to go on show. It was so stinking cute although by the time we got there the kids had pretty much had it with everything.

The kids went on all the kiddie rides several times. Alyssa's favorite was the roller coaster and her and Eva had a great time running around the fun house and climbing all over everything. It was pretty hot out so for lunch the kids got milkshakes. I know nutritious right?! Well they didn't complain and perked right back up! We got loaded baked potatoes and they were the best! Ah carb heaven!!!

I'm not sure who was more exhausted after we left the fair but no one fell asleep on the way home, which I could not believe. The kids were great sports and we got home had some quiet time, did a little baking, and finally cleaned up and had an early bedtime. What a fantastic weekend it turned out to be after all!

Seaside Adventure

This last week a friend of mine had mentioned that she had some extra days off work and was wanting to get away with the kids since her husband was working. I said perfect because mine was working too, where did you want to go!?

After talking it over a few days and throwing places out all over we decided to head down to the Oregon coast and Seaside was our final destination. Instead of staying in a hotel we rented a house which was actually a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel. It was $100 a night per person including cleaning deposit and only a few blocks from the beach! You can't beat that! It was a very cute house. Three bedrooms, full kitchen, two full baths, huge deck the the smell of salt in the air! Ahh...relaxation and fun!

The first night we got there in the late afternoon and after unloading and everything we packed up all the kids and headed down the board walk for a nice walk and a little time in the sand. The kids had a blast! My friend has a little girl Alyssa's age and another girl Knox's age. They are great friends. After a couple of hours of hanging out we meandered back to the house and made dinner. The kids went to bed shortly after that but not before all of them were jumping on the bed and having a lot of giggles especially about the pull ups. My friend and I ended up staying up until around 4.

The next morning or should I say a few hours later we were all up and making breakfast and than walked down to the local coffee shop. It could have been good but not sure if she really knew what she was doing making the coffee. Anyways the fresh air was good and coffee, so so and then we headed back for naps and lunch. That afternoon the sun came out and was BEAUTIFUL! We packed up all our beach stuff and headed down to the beach for a few hours and the kids had a blast! The water was actually warm. This was weird to me because in my entire life I can't remember it ever being warm there, the water that is.

The kids all had a blast. Alyssa and her friend really enjoyed running in and out of the water, jumping waves, twirling around etc. The other two kids played in it but enjoyed playing back in the sand with the toys. It was such a great time. It made me sad the next day to have to leave but before I did I stopped off at the outlet mall and got the kids some much needed clothes. Alyssa got a bunch of pretty dresses for the start of preschool, which she is stoked about. More on that later.

On our way back home we stopped at both the grandparents house and had a nice visit with both and than made the long journey home. It's always nice to be away but just as nice to be back!

Vancouver and Remlinger Farm

One thing Cory and I always have made it a point to do since having kids was to make time for ourselves. Although at times it's not the easiest we still manage to make it happen. Not only is it good for us but good for the kids as well. Our latest adventure took us back up to one of our favorite places, Vancouver B.C.

We stayed up there for two nights and had some of our friends go up there with us. They only stayed one night but it worked out perfectly. One night with friends and one night to ourselves.
When Cory and I got checked in we went down to one of the lounges in the hotel and got a cocktail and appetizer. It felt so nice to just sit. Both of us are constantly go go go and to do that it was a real treat. We waited to get the call from our friends who weren't too far behind and we wandered over to their hotel room for another cocktail before doing a little bar hopping before dinner.

We went to several fun places before we made it over to probably one of my favorite places I have ever ate, The Salt Tasting Room, which I think they just go by Salt now. As always had a phenomenal meal and tried some great pairings. Afterwards we went down to the jazz club we enjoy and listened to some music. It was a great night.

The next day after saying goodbye I enjoyed some shopping while Cory napped and then we went for a walk along the water front. If you haven't been up there for awhile you must check it out next time your there. Since the Olympics where there they have completely redone is and you can literally walk all around from downtown, around Stanley Park, and down a long the other side of town. It truly is amazing. The last time we were there they were working on it so we didn't get to really check it out but it was amazing. They have places where you can rent bikes that we talked about doing next time and riding all along. How fun would that be?!

Anyhow that was our latest adventure alone. When we came back it picked right back up with the next day we headed out to Remlinger Farm. Cory's mom went with us since she had heard us talk so much about it and wanted to check it out herself. We had a great day there and both the kids were great. Alyssa loved all the rides. Last year she was a little hesitant but this year she was all about it and her favorite was the roller coaster.

I think she is just like I was when I was young, I loved carnival rides, still do. She wanted to go on several times. The second time we got in front and just riding with her to hear her laugh was enough for me. Pure enjoyment. Nothing better. She put her arms up and giggled the whole time. Never once was she apprehensive.

We spent the whole day their and had a great time. Both kids loved it and I can't wait to go back next year.