Concert In The Park

Last night Alyssa and I had a girls night out and went to our favorite park and listened to the Recess Monkeys. We saw them last year and had a blast. We were unable to go see them earlier in the week and when I heard about this couldn't pass it up!
If you don't remember from my previous entry, last year, they are a band of three male teachers who work in the area. They teach kids from 3yr-9yrs. Their music is very entertaining for all! I wish I knew about this when I was working in the preschool, I'm sure we would have had some fun with it!!

Anyhow, we played in the park for about an hour before hand and than went on over to pick our place out in the lawn. There were two woman who work for Frontier, which used to be Verizon, who were blowing up balloons. Alyssa couldn't have been more thrilled, because she loves her balloons. She had a great time chasing hers around and going and getting more. The ladies there were nothing but taken with her and vice versa.

When the band finally started Alyssa wiggled her way over and was dancing. It was very cute. I can't wait to take both the kids to stuff like this. They are going to have such a blast!

Earlier in the day I had a play date with my Marysville/Lake Stevens moms. It was a blast. They are all so very nice and down to earth. I also met one of the woman whose daughter attends the co-op preschool where Alyssa will be starting the toddler program in the fall. I'm really so excited about it after talking with her. It sounds like such a great program with a lot to offer.

We are going to probably take it easy today and tomorrow since we have another fun filled week planned. I love love love summer! Not to mention the kids are going on another mini vacation to their Papa's and Nana's this next week.

***after re-reading this after I posted it I thought I should put a little disclaimer. Im in a couple different mom's groups and they are all great people and moms. ***

Remlinger Farm

On Monday Cory decided to take off since the day before he had pretty much worked from 3 am 'til that evening and wanted to get some sleep. A part of him also wanted to get up and hang with us since he has missed out on so much stuff this summer. We lucked out he got up late morning and we decided to go check out Remlinger Farm in Carnation.

The weather was awesome, in the high 80's, and we were trying to decided if heading out to the water wasn't a better choice. We made the hour or so drive east and weren't sure if the kids would even have fun. Or I guess I should say Alyssa, Knox doesn't really care and likes everything at this point.

We picked a good day to go. It wasn't crowded at all, probably due to the weather. It was amazing. They have several rides for children to go on, a petting farm, a hay
maze, canoe rides, pony rides, a train ride and much more!

The train ride was probably the biggest hit. Alyssa was so excited and ran over screaming "choo choo." She was in seventh heaven. The train ride itself was a good ten minutes or so. Afterwards, everything kind of shut down for lunch so we decided to head over to the cafe and get some ourselves.

The food was surprisingly delicious! Most of the time when you go to places like this it's not to great. It was worth the money! Alyssa was very cute with hers. She got the children's meal and it came with a cookie. She wanted to eat it so badly but I told her she needed to eat more of her sandwich before she did and she listened so well. She was thrilled when she got her favorite a chocolate chip cookie!

In the back of the cafe there is a huge train for the kids to play on and three train tables. She loved it back there and it was great I was able to finish feeding Knox while she played.
Although the drive may be long for some, it's definitely worth it. You can easily kill a day here and I look forward to going back and doing just that!

Pool Party, Movie In The Park and Biringer Farm

The last two days have been very busy for us. Well let's face it this summer has been a whirlwind!
Yesterday a good friend of mine son turned three and she had a pool party/bbq at her house. She has an amazing house with a great back yard and built in pool. The weather was perfect for the party. I was a little bummed that we didn't stay longer because we needed to get home so Cory could get to work. He stayed home to rest a little and watch Knox. He was feeling a little bummed about not going because he's kind of feeling he is missing watching Alyssa grow up a little.
Anyways, the party was great and Caden seemed to enjoy it a lot!

That evening we were going to go back to Aquafest, which is Lake Stevens summertime festival. After thinking about it a little more and already have been down there once this week, I decided to go watch a movie in the park. I packed the family up and we headed to the park for some fun! It was at Jennings Park which is another favorite of mine and we played on the playground for about 1 1/2hrs and than headed over to the baseball field where the movie was being held. It wasn't really a children's movie, well a young child anyways,we got some popcorn which was also free
and found our spot. Knox slept the whole time and Alyssa was great, she was really enjoying it. After an hour or so she started getting antsy so we left and went and got some ice cream. I was pretty stoked for I found coconut ice cream!!! It's delicious!!!!!

Today we headed to Biringer Farm for Rooster Days. We got there when it opened and got our raspberries and headed back in for the festivities. It was a lot of fun. It wasn't too hot yet so it was bearable. We looked at all the art work and jewelry and Alyssa even scored a charm bracelet with an ocean theme on it! She than headed to the slides and bounce maze. There were some other kids in there that she seemed to have fun with. I was a little bummed she couldn't go on the pony ride, not because she wasn't old enough but because this mommy never has cash on her!!!! That's all they took so we just looked.

After all that excitement we headed to the park in downtown Marysville where Alyssa could swing. This is one of her favorite things to do. We were there again for a long time and I had a nice conversation with another lady who was there with her grandchildren. This park has a huge field with tons of trees and picnic tables. It was funny because there was some litter around and my little helper was going around picking it all up and throwing it in the garbage. It was very cute, and no worries we did sanitize afterwards!

What a fun summer this is turning out to be and it's only half over! Now your probably thinking she is having a great time where is Knox? Don't worry, he is right along with us enjoying the ride! I can't wait until the can share in all these great memories together!

Fun Time With My Mom And Sisters

This last week has been a lot of fun. With everything that I have been doing my mom and both my sisters were here as well! My mom actually arrived on Tuesday and watched the kids on Tuesday when I had my golf lesson and Wednesday when we went out on the boat tour. This was the first time we had been together in three years and we all had a great time.

Robin, was there when we got back from gymnastics on Thursday. Alyssa couldn't wait to see her Aunt RaRa. Which was what I used to call her when I was younger too! Lisa arrived later that afternoon and we enjoyed a great day of hanging around outside chatting, drinking wine, having a wonderful dinner, watching the sunset and of course playing with the kids.

Alyssa was having a blast with her Nana and Aunties! It was also great for me because this last week she has really wanted nothing to do with me so it gave me a nice little break.
Aunt LaLa brought Alyssa a purse filled with Hello Kitty bracelets, barretts, and sunglasses. She hasn't put it down since! I think someone has created a monster!

The next day everyone left except for Lisa. I wasn't sure exactly what to do and than we decided to head out to Kayak Park and have lunch and play. We were out there for a few hours and had a great time. There is nothing that I love more than the smell of salt water! Alyssa had a great time playing at the park there. It's a great place to go and enjoy a afternoon or day for that matter. I know it's one of our favorite places to hang out.

After that we headed back and rested a little before we headed back out for more sight seeing and parks. We went into downtown Snohomish for dinner at a great little seafood restaurant. They had a band playing, which is typical for the weekend there, which was pretty good and some great food. Oh and who could forget the lady who just wouldn't shut up, right Lisa!?

There were many more good time's but this was the best of the day for me and great memories for sure!

Harbor Tour

On Wednesday I arranged for Alyssa's playgroup to meet for a tour of the SPD Harbor Patrol. It turned out to be a beautiful day. The clouds burned off before the tour began that morning. Not everyone was able to attend but those who did really seemed to have a good time.

The tour lasted around an hour or so and honestly I could have stayed out there all day! There is nothing I love more than being on the water. We got to ride on Patrol 4 and just went around in Lake Union. Again, the weather was perfect for us, not too hot but warm and with a little breeze. We got to watch a few of the sea planes come in and take off as well as check out some of the nice house boats and yachts.

Before we headed back in the turned the fire hose on and sprayed the water. I think everyone was excited about this. The kids got to turn the hose and had a blast with that. Haha..

We headed back after that and I got to see a few more of the officers that I used to work with. It was nice seeing everyone but I sure don't miss working there or working period. Even though there are days I could pull my hair out I wouldn't trade being home with my kids for anything!

4 Month Check-Up

On Tuesday Knox had his 4 month check up. I feel like he is a beast but after seeing his "vitals" he is really average and not that big in the percentile. He weighed in at 14lb.16 and 25 inches which puts him in the 25-50th percentile. I'm not a huge believer in that stuff but for those of you who are there you are.

The doctor told me I could start him on solids. I have started giving him some cereal. He seemed a little confused at first but after a moment or two seemed to enjoy it. I'm going to try some carrots next. Of course I will make his food like I did for Alyssa. It's actually kind of fun and a whole lot cheaper! Especially since I have a pretty strict rule that the kids eat what I fix or you don't eat at all. As my mom used to say "this isn't a restaurant!"

He is changing so much on a daily basis and I can't believe how time has gone by. His smile melts my heart almost as much as when him and Alyssa look at each other. She is so good to him and adores him.

Relaxation

This last weekend Cory was actually off for both of his days off! This was a first in a long long time. We actually got a babysitter and went out on Saturday for a nice dinner and drinks. Before hand we went out to Harbour Pointe Golf Course and had a drink and watched the golfers on the last hole. It was so nice and relaxing especially since summer has finally arrived.

After that we headed down to Mukilteo's waterfront and went to Arnies for dinner. Cory had never been there and wanted to check it out. I had been there before and it's good but around here for a seafood restaurant you really have to do something spectacular to WOW us. We are just spoiled in this area. It was a good dinner and we were going to head down to the beach and go for a walk and enjoy the sunset but once we were down there it was just packed. We headed home and watched it from our porch and enjoyed a cocktail relaxing. It was perfect! We really decided neither of us are weekend people or like to deal with crowds!

Our next "date" will definitely be during the week!!

Today we ended up going to the park, running errands, and hanging out. It was aperfect day! Now back to reality with the Mariner's back in town and we all know what that means. Thankfully my family is coming up this week to keep me company and to visit!

A Pissy Weekend

I was going to wait until the end of summer to start potty training Alyssa but when I looked at the calendar and saw Cory was going to be gone for six days straight working and I had a stretch of 3 days where I had nothing planned, I thought what the hell.

A friend had scanned a book she got, 3-day potty training, and emailed it to me. I liked what I had read and decided to go and get all the things I was going to need to get started. Alyssa picked out her princess underwear, we got stickers for her chart, and prizes for when she went pooh and M & M's for the first few times of going pee.

Day one we had a lot of accidents, which was fine and expected. That night I had decided to put her in a diaper even though the book said not to. After about twenty minutes of being in bed I heard her yelling downstairs for me. I went upstairs to find she had taken off her diaper and told me there was pee in it. Great, thanks Alyssa!

The next day was more of the same but she was getting better. She freaks out when she starts to go and it gets on her whether she is naked or has her underwear on. She even started doing a funny little walk that looks like her knees are locked together. At nap time she did make it through without going and her underwear were dry!

Today she woke up and has a little cold. Which explains why she wasn't really acting like herself yesterday. I attempted day three and she was feeling like crap and fighting me over everything. I decided to take a break but much to my surprise when she had to go she took the diaper off and yelled for me but we didn't quite get to the toilet.

Yes, this was what she wore for the weekend a tank top, underwear or bare, and her rain boots. I couldn't get them off of her so don't ask!! We will continue this great road to a diaper free world, well for at least one child!

Arlington Fly-In

Today I took the kids to the Arlington Fly-In. We had a blast. There were so many things to see and plus it was our really first nice day of the summer so we took it all in with some fun in the sun!
We were there for about two hours and both kids did great. We walked all around and saw all the planes and the military vehicles that were there. It was pretty amazing. I wished Cory would have been able to go but he was working.
After about an hour we got a table under some cover and had our lunch and Alyssa got a sno-cone. When we got done eating the air show started. We watched that for a little while and than headed back to the car. I was really impressed with how well Alyssa did especially in the heat. There were a ton of kids there, being it was kids day, and I think they kept her distracted for the most part.
I want to go back on Saturday to watch the hot air balloon light up with a orchestra playing. I think this would be pretty cool but I'm going to start potty training on Friday and trying this 3-day potting training method that I have the book for. So we will see how that goes and during the training I think you are pretty much supposed to give up your life for those three days.
We will see!

Mr. Bear, Papa and Swimming

Monday, after the 4th we just hung out at the house playing scrabble, listening to music, enjoying the sun and getting some good conversation and laughs in. For the .
record I just want to say, I WON AT SCRABBLE thank you very much!

That afternoon the sun came out and when we were in the backyard a "Mr. Bear" popped up over the fence and started talking with Alyssa. It was so funny to watch her when she first saw him. Than she walked over there and started feeding him gold fish. It was so very cute. I'm sure if she knew it was really her Papa she would be even more infatuated with him than she already is, if that is even possible! It's very cute to watch the two of them together.

After enjoying the weather and having some left overs we headed over to the hotel and did a little swimming. Alyssa had a blast. She was having to much fun and getting pretty brave. We did have her life jacket on her though to make it a little easier and thought it would also help her be more secure. I don't think it worked quite as planned. She loved being in the water anyways and tonight at bath time she was asking to go swimming again. I think once Mariner's season settles down I'm going to get her signed up for lessons again at night so when she turns three she will be able to take them on her own.

Knox is doing awesome. He continues to change everyday and is just a lot of fun to be around. He is such an easy baby and can't believe he is almost 4 months. He is trying his hardest to role over. It's pretty funny because he gets up onto one side but hasn't pushed all the way over yet. I helped him out once and it kind of ticked him off and he pushed himself back over so Im leaving it to my independent little man. Im so excited for all these new stages but than I think am I really? I know with that is going to bring more frustrations.

4th of July

Yesterday was the 4th of July and we celebrated with having a bbq with friends and family. We had a lot of good food, beer and of course family and friends.
I would say though the real fun started once the firework show started.

Alyssa had fun playing with all the kids from her playgroup in the backyard. I was sorry that they all left before the fireworks because it was simply amazing and well worth the wait.

Our neighbors and neighborhood put on a fabulous firework show and than the Tulalip show lasted a good half hour or so if not longer and than the Everett show. It was simply amazing. Alyssa enjoyed it for the most part but just didn't like the loud noises and was really concerned about her Papa. We spent almost two hours watching fireworks and was thankful we didn't waste any money on them. Alyssa went back and forth from watching on the couch to the front porch and Knox just slept right through them!

The weather held out for us and there was no rain at the house at all that day. A little drizzle in the morning but it stopped and although it didn't clear up it was still a nice day out. I enjoyed having Cory off this year because I know if he stays on this court code he will end up having to work it the next couple of years. Although the last few he had been able to get them off due to working first watch and vacation. I guess there are some advantages to first watch but not many!

A Three Ring Circus and Little Helper

Yesterday we were outside watering flowers on our front porch and I ran back inside to grab something. As I was coming back out Alyssa was climbing down the steps. I told her to stop and she looked at me and smiled and took off! Ran down the driveway and started down the street. After her I went with Harley right on my tail. He had snuck out the door as I was running out. Picture this..Alyssa running down the street, Harley taking off across the street into our neighbors yard who was out playing with their dog and a car coming. Alyssa was laughing the whole time and stayed on the sidewalk so I was thankful for that. Thankfully the car had stopped at the stop sign and was just sitting and watching the whole circus. I got Alyssa and put her back up on the porch as she waited for me to get Harley. Who was very content playing with the other dog and his new friend.. Cory was just arriving home and that's how I finally got Harley back into the yard. He is always excited to see his daddy!
Later that evening we were all hanging out watching television after dinner. I was in the kitchen cleaning when Cory asked me what Alyssa was doing. I checked and she was feeding Knox! It was so very cute and afterwards I helped her hold him and burp him. She was so proud of herself and enjoyed it so much. The only problem is she doesn't want ANY help. She did a great job and Knox seemed to love it as well. He just looks at her adoringly. Of course Harley was right there during all of this. I think he thinks he's part cat because he loves milk and tries to like any spilled milk up or spit up milk for that matter! I know it's gross but that's life!