Update Again...

William is proud that he is 5 and 3/4 years old. He just graduated from Kindergarten!! Holy cow this kid grows up quick....

Favorite foods: Mac and cheese, raisins, bananas and strawberries.
Favorite colors: blue
Latest bribery tool: Ironman toy
Latest success: reading and scoring multiple goals in soccer
Favorite Music: "push the button"
William always says: "Liar Liar pants on fire."
This item might as well be attached to his hand: Books



Rowen is getting really big as well, just moved up a "grade" in preschool and is excited to be with the big kids....(kids his own age, he is sort of off by a bunch of months to most kids since his birthday is in october).

Favorite foods: Chips and cheese, spinach from the garden (plain), Cheese.
Favorite colors: green
Latest bribary tool: could use a trip to the water park but don't often need bribary
Latest success: Calming down from a tantrum on his own.
Favorite Music: "I know about pizza" by Ralph's World
Rowen always says: "I need to tell you something...."
This item might as well be attached to his hands: blanket and black kitty stuffed animal

Bee-prise, Bee-got, Be-suzz

Both of my kids have had trouble saying "surprise", "forgot" and Rowen has trouble saying "because." It's so cute though that I don't want them to say it correctly. I know, I am a terrible person for not teaching them good pronunciation. Ha ha. Also, William couldn't say "helicopter" when he was littler. He used to say "helpichocker". Awww....toddlers. Here are a few recent pics of sledding and Rowe just being cute.

Updates....please don't have a heart attack!

Will:
Since it's been a while (okay forever) since my last post, Will reads and writes and loves to make books. His favorite thing to do is make books (lots of paper and staples and markers) about Pokemons and Zelda. His love of Zelda comes from his father, who plays the video game with him. He draws fabulous Zelda illustrations and then writes usually one word per page. In one month he went from writing only a title on the book to writing one word per page, so at this rate he is going to be writing novels by 7. ;) William is very curious and very interested in science, he said today, "I wonder what would happen if water got on battery acid....." Hmm.....sounds like an experiment on that one would be bad. He is still fascinated with planets, knows how to use a computer proficiently, and recently learned to ride a two wheeler! He is amazingly smart, big, funny, sarcastic, physically active, and emotionally sensitive, oh yeah, around here we call that "William".

Favorite foods: Mac and cheese, french toast, kiwis.
Favorite colors: Red and Black
Latest bribery tool: a ream of white paper
Latest success: reading and writing...
Favorite Music: Beatles and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
William always says: "No Mom, I will never ____________" (fill in the blank with: brush my teeth, go to bed, clean my room, etc."
This item might as well be attached to his hand: Stapler

Rowen:
He loves everything that his big brother Will is doing, but he still loves spiderman, cars, motorcycles and monster trucks. He has been taking his big stuffed Spiderman to daycare everyday this week. He was scared of spiders until he learned that they help us and eat bugs. He loves his daycare teacher Molly, and after some quick turnovers at preschool, I am thankful to have her. Rowen is still the sweet and easy going kid he has always been, although the bigger he gets, his tantrums occasionally rival William's. He is very interested in rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding....and I need to find the time to teach him these things.

Favorite foods: Cheese, apple juice, spaghetti with meatballs, apples.
Favorite colors: yellow
Latest bribery tool: spiderman tatoos
Latest success: potty training
Favorite music: Beatles and They Might be Giants.
Rowen always says: "Can we do ____________ someday?" Fill in the blank with: go to a water park, a race car show, a monster truck show, hawaii, the beach, etc.

Me:
Favorite food: I recently ate vegan for about a week. Have been adding lots of veggies to my diet and still have had only snitches of dairy or meat (from food I cook for my kids). Eating healthier is making me feel great. My newest and latest favorites are: Butternut Squash Soup, Quinoa, Yellow Squash, Chard, Blood Oranges, Oatmeal, Almond Milk.
Favorite color: Still blue....
Latest bribary tool: I actually use this one on myself, always have....SUGAR.
Latest success: Feeling like I have more of a routine, selling a record amount of flowers over Christmas holiday, meeting and surpassing my rock climbing goals, earning a 30% discount at my work from being healthy.
Favorite music: Right now, my CD player has been alternating between Brett Dennen, Xavier Rudd, Yonder, and Graham Nash.
I always say: "You have to listen to me, I am your Mom."

Oh yeah....

Since the beginning of this year I have been traveling WAY too much. I really love traveling. I do. But time away from the kids gets old, as well as taking time off from work, exhausting all my paid time off, and traveling funds anyway. Wait, I don't think I had any traveling funds to begin with. Oh yeah, debt, that is how that works!!

I went to Moab with friends and rock climbed, then I went to Oregon to train to be a Hypnobabies instructor, then I went to Montana to see a concert, then I went to North Carolina to visit an old friend. Next I went on a camping trip with my kids and family, then to Colorado for a business trip, then I went to Michigan for a wedding, then I went to Colorado for some more concerts and to Moab and Goblin Valley on the way home. Whew! I am tuckered out! Until next month..... he he he. I currently have no trips planned....but that is subject to change without much notice. I really want to take the kids somewhere on a weekend camping trip maybe late september, but have no idea where to go....

Let's see....other things I have been doing are rock climbing (a lot), gardening (not enough, you should see the weeds!) and trying to remember to eat dinner amidst the chaos. I am working on my certification for hypnobabies, should be done in the next two weeks, oh wait, HAS to be done in the next two weeks. I am also beginning the process of changing my name back to Jacob. Beginning another and very SLOW process of trying to pay off debt, I am grateful it is only how much it is....

I am grateful for my kids. Grateful to have a house I love and can afford, and a job I love (most the time) that helps me pay for it, gives me time off to travel and generally works with my schedule so that I can have shifts during day care hours. I am grateful for my health (my cat scan, MRI and ER visits for the year have all turned out to be nothing too serious or requiring any invasive procedures or surgeries). I am grateful for the health insurance I have that has covered my booty for all of that too. I am grateful every time I can pay a bill or buy food for my kids. I am grateful for all the traveling I have done this year and the wonderful and beautiful country we live in. I am super grateful for my digital camera. It kicks butt for a point and shoot. I am also grateful for my family, my sisters and brother and parents....and also my best friends Tina, Marci and Laura....who really help me through everything.

Okay since it sounds like I just won an oscar, I will stop.

Too busy!!!

I hate to say this, but there are much more frequent updates on my facebook page.

Here's the quick version of updates on the kids:

William just turned 5! I am amazed that he is so old. He is learning to read and write, loves letters and numbers and can tell you that 120 is bigger than 80 (thanks to pokemon). He counts to 100 and knows all his letters and sounds and can now spell words by sounding them out! He is obsessed with planets and snakes. He couldn't live without his Pokemon cards, Bakugan toys, and Transformers. He just started playing soccer in august and is quite good. His natural speed, strength and aggression help him in getting the ball away from other kids. He has been gluten free for four months now and is doing very well. His behavior and emotional roller coaster has slowed down and gotten less extreme, but he is still our very exciting and intense child. He started Kindergarten at his day-care, which is great because it is familiar and only has 8 kids in his class! He gets the individual attention he needs! William recently told me that "sunday" has 3 words in it: sun, day, and sunday! Wow. He also told Rowen that he thinks Rowen is a freak.


Rowen is getting close to 3. He is still in preschool and is having fun there. He has the silliest sense of humor. He can understand jokes that adults think are funny and play into them. He is so smart and so stinkin' funny! He recently had his first buzz haircut, and now looks much more like William. Rowen LOVES cheese. He also loves cars, monster trucks and Spiderman. When he grows up he wants to be a monster truck driver, Spiderman, a power ranger, or hmm....it changes every day. Every time we walk by the skateboard park (on the way to soccer practice for Will) Rowen asks me if he can do that someday, and I say yes, then he tells me that he'll need a helmet, and a skateboard. Rowen recently tried rock climbing for the first time and climbed really high! He is still an easy going delight to have around, assuming you have plenty of cheese on hand. Oh, and it must be cheddar. Yesterday he was having a hard time falling asleep because his legs were sore from running up and down a very big hill while watching soccer practice. He told me that his "legs are thirsty!" Oh, what a perfect description for tired muscles. Currently he carries around wherever we go a stuffed doggie or birdy, and a sticky spiderman (with suction cups on his hands).

William's World

The budding 4 and 3/4 year old photographer, took these pictures.

Cute Little Hiking Dudes

We went hiking to Lisa Falls the other day. It's beautiful and raging at this time of year. A wonderful cool little hike for the kids, from house to falls and back takes less than an hour. It's a very short trail, we'll have to work up to some longer ones....stay tuned....but for now, enjoy the super cute little guys.