Bunk Buddies

 

 

Once when Gavin was around 4 years old he asked me if I knew why he couldn't wait to be a grown up.  I was expecting him to say something along the lines of because then I'll do whatever I want.  I was completely off base though.  He said, "because then I will always have someone to sleep with me." How could my heart not melt at that moment? 

 

Little did we know that Gavin would not have to wait until adulthood for his wish to come true.  When Landon moved out of his crib it wasn't long before he started sneaking into Gavin's bed.  Gavin tried to act like he was annoyed but we all knew otherwise.  On school nights when Landon would still be awake but Gavin had to go to bed?  Gavin was known to pointedly say, "I'm going to bed now Landon." Or not so subtly enticing him with promises of reading Landon's favorite books. 

 

Landon is a bit like Goldilocks.  I'm never quite sure whose bed I will find him in but most often it's Gavin's bed. One of the best parts of the day is seeing what positions they are in when I go in to wake Gavin up for school. 



Landon & Shoes

 

 

Landon in his first pair of cowboy boots.

 

 

  Recently Landon has become very picky about his foot wear.  It started back around April when we bought him a pair of sandals.  He wore these sandals for two hours one time.  They gave him a small blister on the instep of each foot.  He limped around for days due to the excruciating pain.  He also insisted on wearing socks 24 hours a day (even while bathing) for 3-4 days. Sandals are now at the top of his most hated list.   He also hates his church shoes because he feels the shoe laces are too long!?  As soon as he gets to nursery he rips them off.

 

I think Skecher's shoes advertising campaign has hit the bulls eye with their intended demographic.  All my kids have had a Skechers phase but Landon's obsession had the earliest conception at  barely 3 years old.  He had been asking for Skechers for the last few months now.  I took him to Ross where the shoes are a hodgepodge of disorder to get a new pair of shoes.  He immediately zeroed in on a pair of Skechers tennis shoes. There was no fooling him on which shoes were Skecher's and which were not.  It was a litte eerie!  He especially wanted a pair that lights up when you walk.  Lucky for him they had a pair in his size because I was not going to pay $45-$50 at a department store. 

 

I thought he was going to seriously hurt himself that first day because he could not take his eyes off his feet!  He also believed they were making him run faster.  Everyone in the family was shown a demonstration of how fast he was in his lightning Skechers. 

 

The poor kid has also been brain washed by Ashlyn into believing that pink is the most superior color known to humankind.  He keeps trying to wear Ashlyn's pink and too large cowgirl boots.  Since Chris accidentally took his beloved Skechers to Payson, AZ for the week we were in need of shoes.  Kohl's has Toy Story Woody boots that light up so he is now the proud owner of his first pair of cowboy boots.  I am interested to see which pair of shoes becomes his favorite once Dad returns with his Skechers.

 

 



Back To School 2012

 

It seemed like the first day of school came super quick this year!  Gavin is now in the 5th grade.  Ms. Sjursen is Gavin's teacher this year.  Whitney also had Ms. Sjursen when she was in the 5th grade.  Chris was super excited about the AZ Cardinals football jersey that Gavin is wearing.

 

 

I have noticed lately that Gavin has become very concerned about his "image".  Ashlyn thinks Gavin is the best thing ever and always hangs all over him.  He has started to become embarrassed of this behavior when out in public.  And that expression on Ashlyn's face was made on purpose. 

 

 

We found the perfect pink sequined skirt for Ashlyn's first day.  The picture doesn't really show how sparkly it truly is!  I always think her glasses are so deceiving because they make her look so mild mannered and mousy.  Ashlyn is in Mrs. Newcomb first grade this year.  She was super excited that her BFF Valerie from kindergarten is in her class again this year.  Ashlyn really wanted a new back pack even though there was nothing wrong with her old one.  I told her if she did well on her behavior chart for the first two weeks we would buy a new on.  She is now the proud owner of a Justin Bieber back pack.

 

 

Whitney for the first time ever was not ready for school to start up again.  She is now in the 8th grade.  She was very honored when her math teacher Mr. Scafede asked her to be one of his T.A.'s (teaching aid) this year. Whitney was bummed to not have any classes this year with her BFF Maya.

 



AZ Study Program & Spring Piano Recital

Whitney was able to complete the 5A level of the Arizona Study Program this past school year.  Her teacher, Mrs. Linda Johnson presented the awards to her participating students at the spring piano recital.  Whitney earned Superior with Honors once again.  The songs she memorized:

Minuet in D minor BWV 132 by J.S. Bach

Sonatina Op. 3b, No. 3 by Clementi

Douce Plainte (Tender Grieving) by Burgmuller

Blues Tango by Vandall

Whitney was Linda's only student to earn a superior on all four of her songs. I was a little worried that Whitney might not do as well this year as she was not able to practice as much due to her busy schedule. I had shared this concern with Chris.  His reaction: to tell Whitney I did not think she would do as well and that if she earned the highest marks again, he would reward her with a special something!  Linda says Whitney, "Is quite the performer!" Nerves seem to work in her favor.  She plays her absolute best when performing.  Whitney the Wonder Girl!

Whitney tickling the old ivories.

Kind Kid

At the last assembly of the school year Gavin was awarded the Kind Kid award of the year.  They usually let us know when the kids are receiving awards at school. This time they didn't and I was sad that we missed being there.  They did send home the a page with what was said about him though.

Gavin Weaver is a very caring and kind student.  You may not know him by name, but you probably recognize him from all his kind deeds around our school.  He is always helping others, whether they are struggling with their work, need help on the playground, or simply need a friend to sit with in the cafeteria.  He always acts in a very kind and respectful way and is always careful to guard the feelings of others.

Some people report that Gavin is especially courteous to others and always maintains a pleasant manner, no matter what the situation.  Whether helping a fellow classmate in the classroom, or assisting on the playground, Gavin acts without being asked.  He is simply a wonderful person and intuitively nice young man.  We are proud to have him at our school.  Gavin is definitely a "Kind Kid!"

Truthfully I was not surprised by this award.  Sweet and kind have always been two of the most common things I hear people say about Gavin.  He often puts others feelings and needs ahead of his own.  A perfect example of his thoughtfulness:  Gavin received a $10.00 gift card to Walmart for earning the third highest reading points in his class.  When I took him to the store to spend it, the first thing he did was select treats for his siblings.  Only after those things had been chosen did he then think about what he might like to get.  I am so proud of my sweet Gavin.  He's a giver!



A Lost Tooth For Ashlyn

Typically most kids loose their first tooth in kindergarten.  All year long Ashlyn had been waiting (impatiently) to loose her first tooth and make it onto the loose tooth chart at school.  Ashlyn got her teeth very late so I knew she would be late loosing them.  She had tried sawing at her gums with dental floss picks until they were bleeding to try and loose a tooth.  We had several cases of wishful thinking where she convinced herself her tooth was loose.  There was much gnashing of teeth over when was she going to loose one. Reports on who had recently lost a tooth.  And extreme envy of those who had lost multiple teeth. So on May 21, 2012 when she said her tooth was loose I did not even check. 

I was surprised when the very next day she came home from school with a missing tooth!  With only two more days of school left she was cutting it close for making that chart!  I figured she had been wiggling that tooth all day long.  When I asked her if she had been wiggling it she said, "I wiggled it all day long!"  This was quite the turn around after Whitney and Gavin who could literally have a tooth dangling by a thread and refuse to pull it out.  I was happy for her sake that she got to loose one during kindergarten.

Big Boy Pants For Landon

 

Why is it that your child becoming potty trained always seems like the most unattainable goal? Even though Landon is my fourth child I still felt like it was never going to happen!  I am happy to report that there will be no more diapers at our house ever again!  I was afraid to even acknowledge that he was potty trained for fear of jinxing myself for almost 2 weeks after the fact.  Like all my kids he was fully capable long before actually deciding he wanted to do it.  About a week before his third birthday, Chris said no more diapers and put him in underpants.  I was not home but Landon pooped in his big boy pants.  That's when he and his Dad had a come to Jesus meeting, as they like to say in the South.  This little boy LOVES his Daddy so much that he potty trained purely to please him! No accidents from that day forth!  For the next couple days whenever he used the potty he would say, "Daddy are you happy now?" It was really kind of pitiful...but I'm sure glad he decided to finally do it!

 

He always wants to wear his underwear backwards so he can see the picture on the bum.  When I said I wanted to take a picture of him in his big boy pants he wanted me to get the rear view.  It is a perfect profile shot too.

My parents gave him these Batman PJs for his birthday.  I did not think he even knew who Batman was but as soon as he put these PJs on he thought he was Batman...I mean he really seemed to believe he was Batman!  He was running/flying around saying, "I'm Batman"!  We need to get this boy a super hero cape ASAP! 





NJHS Induction

Whitney was inducted into the the National Junior Honor Society on May 8, 2012.  I did not even know they had a junior chapter so I was suprised when she came home with the invitation to apply for membership.  Our Ms. Smartie Pants sure makes us look good!

 A litte info about the organization:

The National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) are the nation's premier organizations established to recognize outstanding high school and middle level students. More than just an honor roll, NHS and NJHS serve to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character (and Citizenship for NJHS). These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since their beginnings in 1921 and 1929.



2 1/2

In a few more days Landon will be exactly 2 1/2 years old so I took him on a little photo shoot today.  He is at the age where getting a good photo of him his hard.  He never wants to hold still and he was also immersed in his role of dinosaur.  Whenever we go somewhere he always has to have something to bring along.  I try to discourage him from doing it because then we have to worry about keeping track of the item.  Today it was his beloved puppy dog which I was thankful about.  It was almost his T- Rex dinosaur.  Chris brought that puppy to him when he was a day old and we were still in the hospital.

The second of the only two good shots I managed to capture.  We sure love this little boy!  He is a lot of fun and keeps the whole family entertained.  When we say family prayers he likes to go around the circle giving everyone hugs and kisses.  Afterwards the older kids like to compare notes and see who got the most love.  Ashlyn used to do the same thing.  I think it is so sweet.

I had to share this one because it shows his smart aleck side so well.  I kept telling him to look at me, (which he mostly chose to ignore) but at this point he stopped and very pointedly looked at me for a good 30 seconds.  

After our summer vacation in June, Landon gave up his nap.  He still needs it but will not nap.  I have tried several different strategies including my laying down with him.  I would fall asleep only to have him shout wake up in my face at top volume.  Somehow he knew that his soothing sounds machine made him sleepy because he would immediately turn it off as soon as I laid him down.

In the last couple of months he started just collapsing in exhaustion where ever he might be. I started to suspect a growth spurt. This was confirmed after we missed two weeks of church.  When we put him in his pants and long sleeved shirt for church they were about two inches too short.  It is hard to tell when shorts get a little shorter but not so much with pants!

 

Snoozing on the staris.

Often he will fall asleep in the evenings in the recliner with Chris.  I think he thought if he laid by Chris's feet he would be more able to fight the Sandman.  Sometimes he falls asleep in the car.  I have found if I lay him on the sofa he will sleep for an hour or so BUT if I put him in his bed he pops up immediately!  What is it about males and sleeping on the sofa???

The best part of the day is when Gavin & Ashlyn come home from school.  The worst part of the day is when we drop Whitney off at school.  He has tried pleading, demanding, delaying and tricking her into staying in the car without success.  But he has not given up!

Landon is the king of sound effects.  He makes sound effects for everything and he is LOUD.  He loves imagination play.

He loves his Ashlyn!

In case you were wondering, yes, he is still a mischief maker.  He has a sandbox but decided digging in potting soil would be much dirtier.  Covering our walls with his artwork is one of his main past times.  It's not completely his fault since his siblings are always leaving writing implements around to tempt him.

Helping himself to some Nesquick.  I have photos of all of the kids helping themselves to Nesquick.  A chair is still his best friend and tool.

I wish I could say he was fully potty trained, but he is not.  In spite of the fact that he is completely capable.  More often than not staying dry through the night.  Getting out of the tub to pee on the floor and then getting promptly back into the tub after finishing.  Demanding a diaper change while in mid flow.  He actually did great for a few days until he decided it was too much bother. *SIGH*  Hopefully he will decide he wants to do it sooner rather than later.

SeaWorld

The prebirthday celebration continued at SeaWorld!  Here is Ashlyn with her free pass.  Thanks for saluting the heroes (and their families too) SeaWorld!  She was one excited little girl!

We had to have a photo of the SeaWorld themed bug.

Ashlyn feeding the dolphins.  Her favorite part of the day!

Ashlyn & her Mama Mia. Ashlyn says, Mama Mia is what you call your Mama when she starts to get old.  Then she told me, "but when you wear your make up and your hair down you don't look so old." 

Pleeeease Moooommmm? Can I keep him? I just barely managed to say no to that irresistible face.

Ashlyn wanted a stuffed Shamu, Shamu wallet and Shamu headband.  Managed to say no to this face too.

First row, front and center for the soak zone at the Shamu show! 

And as you can see they were thoroughly soaked.

Gavin & his spider monkey. Love my boys!

Ashlyn's and her new polar bear friend.  Thanks Daddy!

Landon impatiently waited for his turn to visit with Zoe and the Count. 

Ashlyn's Birthday Vacation/Pre-Celebration

One of Ashlyn's many birthday wishes was to stay at a hotel for birthday.  The kids have a week off school for fall break the week prior to her birthday so we decided to take a quick trip to San Diego.  Ashlyn still talks about how she misses Alabama.  One of the biggest things she misses about it is the beaches.  The first thing we did upon arriving was go to the beach.  The water was too cold for swimming but we still had fun hanging out.  As we drove away Ashlyn declared California beaches inferior to Alabama's beaches. That girl's heart still belongs to Bama!  I thought it best not to point out that it was Florida's beaches she remembered so fondly.

Look Mom!  A seashell!!!

Whitney is never one to miss out on having her picture taken.

Landon loved the beach! He takes such joy in everything he experiences but sand & mud are a lethal combination for him.  He actually got down and started rolling around in the sand like a dog at one point.  Then he discovered the joy/humor of throwing mud at all of us.

After we were done enjoying the beach we headed back to our hotel for pizza and swimming.  Also on Ashlyn's wish list.  She specified many times that our hotel must have a pool.

Back to School 2011

August 8th was the first day of the 2001-2012 school year for my kids.  Gavin is in Mrs. William's fourth grade this year.  When we went to the open house I noticed that Gavin was not much shorter than Mrs.Williams.  Mrs. Thelen his gifted teacher said he can't grow anymore cause she doesn't teach kids taller than her.  Ashlyn is in Mrs. Howard's kindergarten class this year.

Ashlyn and her giant backpack!  I always forget how big they look on the kindergartners.

Gavin at his desk.  Ashlyn's teacher was not allowing parents in the classroom.  I guess she was worried about getting a bunch of over anxious parents out of her classroom.  I swung back by Ashlyn's classroom to sneak a peak through the window on my way out.  She already had her glasses on and was hard at work coloring. 

Whitney started the 7th grade at Tortolita Middle School.  There are around 1,200 7th and 8th graders at her school!  This is just mind boggling to me!  The thought of that many kids is just crazy to me.  Notice the shirt, it reads: Chick with Brains. That's my girl!

I teased her about coming in and taking pictures in front of her locker and the school sign.  I really wanted to. . .but decided not to set her up for that kind of humiliation.  I have been driving her to school in the mornings and it has become our time together.

We drove Ashlyn & Gavin to school that morning.  Landon was so sad when Ashlyn got out of the car too.  He just cried and cried for his Ashlyn.  He has been really clingy with me since the kids started back to school.  I think he realizes I am the only constant now.  Despite Ashlyn's large smile exiting the bus she is not a fan of the bus.  Most kids love the bus at first but not her!  Gavin is the bus driver's helper and helps all the kindergartners with their seat belts.

Ashlyn is a shopper!  She begs me to buy her new clothes whenever we go to any store with clothing.  I took her to Carter's to pick out an outfit for the first day. She was having a very hard time narrowing it down to one outfit.  But once she found this shirt that was it.  Whitney was not a fan at first but then when she put the leggings with it, Whitney said, "Wow, that's really cute together!"  She does have style.

Completely and utterly exhausted after her first day of school!