Enjoying the Day

Yes, we enjoyed the day and everything that we did.

We ate waffles.
We played with toys.
We did chores.
We watched Colson get a haircut.
We played outside.
We told the kids not to jump on our bed, but they still did.
We made muffins.
We set out Fall/Halloween decorations.
We went to the store.
We got ice cream.
We laughed.
We sat in the sun.
We went on a bike ride.
We stopped at the Pumpkin Patch.
We rode bikes to dinner in Orting.
We gave the kids baths and put them to bed early'ish'.
We have clean sheets on the beds.
We relaxed on the couch.
We are thankful for the weekends.
We love each other.

Enjoying every moment.

The Toys of Boys

When you live with two young boys, your house is full of trucks and trailers, fire trucks and garbage trucks, tools and things that make noise.  It is these toys that we step over, pick up, pack to the car, carry around, move outside and then back inside, etc.  It is these toys that I unconsciously keep track of....which truck goes with which trailer and hopefully where they are located!

It is a house full of 'boy toys'.  And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Remembering Moments

Moments I don't want to forget:

Cannon and his friend Dean, Mrs. Cochran's son, spend some mornings together at school drawing and talking.  They are so precious together, hard at work and keeping each other company!

Colson's hilarious belly laugh.

This morning as Cannon was still cuddled in bed under the covers, the first thing out of his mouth was, "Mom, I'm a reader."  Yes, you are Cannon!

Cool whip with sprinkles is still a big hit for a treat at our house.

Cannon eats apples dipped in yogurt almost every day.

AC and DC are such sweet, loving cats who want to sit on your lap at all moments and purr and purr and purr.  However, they also love to chase and play and wrestle with each other.

I am reading curriculum almost every night!

Cannon is still hoping to go racing in a couple of weeks....flat track oval on his quad.

College football season is here and we love it!

Cannon changes his mind every day about what he wants to be for Halloween.

Colson absolutely loves to help wash the vehicles.  He loves the soap on his hands and gets totally soaked.  His favorite thing to do is stick his hand in the soapy water and "wash the car" with only his hand...no wash mitt.

Cannon says funny things daily...and I'm kicking myself for not remembering what he said!

Enjoying every moment.

18 Month Check Up

Today was doctor appointment day for Colson!

This morning we headed to Tacoma for an post surgery check up for Colson's circumcision.   An half hour drive, 15 minutes in the office and a half hour drive home!  I'm glad the appointment was quick and simple....."Yep, looks good."  :)

The nice part was that Colson and I got to spend the rest of the morning together playing and reading at home.  He is so funny to watch.  I love how his little mind works.

Colson had his second doctor appointment at 5pm tonight for his 18 month well check up.  I love that we can get later evening appointments.

Colson, of course, was fabulous and in good health.  He sat quietly while she listened to his heart, had his pulse taken, looked in his ears and eyes.  He did not want to open his mouth so she could look down his throat, however!  We ended with four shots, which is always a surprise to the little ones as we lay them back, distract them and then poke the heck out of their legs! Colson kept saying, "Ow. Ow." and pointing to his legs.

Height:  32 1/2 inches
Weight:  24 pounds

Enjoying every moment!

Lists

I love to make lists.
I make lists all of the time and I usually have multiple lists going.
I lose lists and have to make new ones!
I like to journal in lists.
I like to use lists when I scrapbook.

So here in sticking with the topic...here are some lists:

Cannon:
Learning the ABC's in sign language.
Loves school.
Started reading groups today and is doing Read Well Kindergarten.
Wants to be doing whatever Chris is doing.
Likes to pour his milk or juice by himself.
Enjoys playing with his friends at school.
Continues to be more patient with Colson.
Wants to please.
Funny!

Colson:
Loves laundry basket rides.
Would dip anything in Ranch dressing.
Likes to hide things.
Takes pretty good naps.
Likes being silly.
Has funny 'mad' faces.
Puts himself in timeout.
Likes to laugh.

Janel:
Trying to catch up on pictures.
Likes to read magazines.
Loves reading to the boys at night.
Always thinking about the details for the next day.
Lays out clothes the night before.
Routine oriented.
Stays up way to late every night.

Chris:
Working on the jet boat motor.
More flexible.
Not a morning person.
Likes to read at night.

 Enjoying every moment.

When the Two "Big Boys" Are Away...

When Cannon and Chris were gone this weekend, Colson and I had some good, quality time together.  I enjoyed giving him all of my attention.  We did a lot of talking.  Colson did a lot of repeating!  We played with a lot of trucks and trailers.  (He's just like Cannon!)  We read a lot of books.  Colson had fun playing in the bath tub for an extra long time.  I took Colson on laundry basket rides...he kept saying and signing more!  We cooked together.  We shopped together.  We sang together.  We laughed together.  We sure did have a lot of fun!

I'm thankful for our one on one time!

Enjoying every moment.

Guys Trip

Cannon and Chris went on a "guys trip" to Beverly.  They were just going to go for the day, but decided to leave Friday after work, sleep in the trailer Friday night, ride Saturday and then come home.  So that is what they did!  Cannon was so excited for the trip and even more excited to sleep in the trailer!

A few highlights from the trip:

• They had Burger King for dinner on the way over. 
• Cannon accidently broke the air compressor so they slept on the floor of the trailer instead of on the air mattress.  :(  
• Cannon liked watching the fire from inside his sleeping bag in the trailer.
• They slept in until 8am Saturday morning and then had Cheerios and milk for breakfast.
• They rode to the end of the dunes a few times.  Cannon was a big hesitant at first, then become more comfortable. 
• Cannon loved sitting in his camp chair at the step of the trailer and playing with his trucks. 
• They went for a long walk.
• Cannon went up the hills pretty fast and ended up jumping his quad on accident.  He came down hard and split his chin open.  No stitches.  Just Neosporin and band aids.  
• They were home by 5pm.
• Both of them were tired, but had fun.  Cannon spent the evening ripping around the neighborhood on the 3 wheeler.

I'm glad they had a great time!

Enjoying every moment.

Pinterest Finds

I love how I can find just about anything on Pinterest.
I love how I have everything I 'pinned' right there in front of me with just a few clicks.
I love how everything is all organized.
I love how I can find recipes quick.
I love how I can locate great teaching ideas.
I love the ideas.

The best pin I have pinned this last week:



Enjoying every moment.

Two Boys

In the midst of the flurry that the new school year brings and the pressure of learning a new curriculum...
And the craziness of 'wearing so many hats' for Chris at work...

The two things in life that really matter most are Cannon and Colson.

We've been able to come home each week day and set aside our work stress to focus on the boys.  We try to be present in the moments we have with them, enjoying their thoughts, their conversations, their expressions, their play, their mannerisms, their learning, their observations, their sense of wonder, their enjoyment.

These things have grounded us.  These two boys have made those 'big' things at work seem so small.

I'm thankful we are able to fully enjoy them. To really listen to what they are saying.  To ask questions of them. To watch carefully as they play.  To read and draw and write with them.  To hug and kiss them.  To laugh with them.

The time with the boys makes it so much easier to relax, to put things in perspective and to recharge for the next day.

For this, we are thankful.

Enjoying every moment.

Right Now

Right now we are enjoying 80 degree weather for the second week in a row!  Love how the boys are still wearing shorts and playing in the water outside in the evening.  Love how we have the windows open at 9 pm at night.  Soaking up the warm weather!

Right now I love to look in Cannon's backpack when he comes home from school to see what is in their.  Sometimes there isn't anything.  On Friday, he brings home a Friday Folder with work, flyers and comments from Mrs. Jewell.

Right now Colson is learning more words every day.  Today he said house and tried to say helmet.  He repeated book and a bunch of other words that I now can't recall.

Right now Colson pretty much goes everywhere with his blanket.  The blanket gets dragged through the dirt and put in the pool and dropped on the floor.  I need to wash it twice a day!  Haha!

Right now we are working with Cannon on how to ride his 2 wheel bike.  He's definitely getting better.  But we still need to practice and work on his confidence.

Right now I am totally overwhelmed with curriculum.

Right now Chris is feeling the pressure of completing some side jobs.

Right now we have lots and lots of love and laughter for everyone in the family!

Enjoying every moment.

Racing

So Cannon says he wants to flat track race his quad.  This is a big step for him since he really would rather ride the 3-wheeler.  However, after Chris and Cannon changed the tires on his quad from paddles to dirt tires, Cannon has ridden more in the last two days than he has in the last 6 months.

This weekend Cannon practiced going around in circles in the backyard.  He improved each time.  He listened really well to Chris when Chris gave him pointers and suggestions.  Most importantly, Cannon went out and DID what Chris suggested.  Chris rode on the 3-wheeler and 'raced' with Cannon, which quickened Cannon's pace.  It also taught him about being passed and about passing people.

For now, Cannon is excited.

The racing season starts in mid-October.  There is a beginner class for kids who are 6 and under who have never raced before.  We'll see how it goes!

Enjoying every moment.

18 Months

Today Colson is 18 months old!

Every day is always exciting with Colson.

He is saying more words every day.  His newest words are:  juice, rock, shoe, help
He plays with trucks as intensely as Cannon does.  He loves to hook and unhook the trailers, load things on the trailers and drive the trucks everywhere...with sound effects!
He loves the cats and follows them everywhere, including across the street and into the neighbor's yards.
He steals food off of Cannon's plate.
He has favorite books and wants to read them first every night.
He takes his blanket everywhere he goes.
He loves to play in the dirt and gets totally dirty. I am constantly cleaning dirt out of his hair and sometimes out of his mouth.
He also loves to play in the water outside and has no worries about sitting in the pool fully clothed or pouring water over himself when he is still dressed.
He enjoys giving high fives and fist bumps.
He loves riding on the 3-wheeler.
He likes playing with trains.
He brushes his teeth every day when Cannon does.
He doesn't like it when he doesn't get his way.
He is one sweet, loving boy!

We are so blessed to have Colson in our lives!

Enjoying every moment.

Lucky

This week has been an overwhelming week for me at school.  Lots of learning on my end and not enough time in the day to do it all.

However, tonight I am feeling lucky.

Lucky that I am surrounded by a sweet, caring family.
Lucky that I have a job.
Lucky that I have wonderful friends.
Lucky for Tylenol PM!
Lucky for pictures.
Lucky for sunny days.
Lucky for laughter.
Lucky that I take the time to exercise.
Lucky that I get to see Cannon during the day and also see his artwork in the hallways.
Lucky that Colson smiles and reaches for me, calling mom, when he sees me.
Lucky for music.
Lucky that tomorrow always comes.
Lucky that I am loved.

Some of Cannon's artwork in the hallway at school. 

This is what I found when I came to get Cannon out of the shower!

These bathtub letters are the best!  Cannon took this picture.

Sweet, Colson.

Enjoying every moment.

School

We are in the middle of our second week of school.  Cannon and I, that is.

I am finding that 4th grade is suiting me just fine!

I'm enjoying the discussions we can have.
I'm enjoying the independence of the kids.
I'm enjoying the amount of partner and group work the kids can do.
I'm enjoying the various activities we accomplish.
I'm enjoying 4th grade sense of humor.
I'm enjoying the fun we are having while learning.
I'm enjoying my teammates.
I'm enjoying the learning that is taking place by the kids and by me!

Cannon is loving school, too!  He is sharing more about his day compared to what he did last year.  He has said:

He gets to go out to recess.
He loves riding the bus!  The bus is a big one and he can see the stop sign come out when they stop.
He likes listening to the stories that Mrs. Jewel reads.  Today they heard the teddy bear story and sang the song.
He likes the artwork.  I have been able to see some of his work hanging in the hallway as I walk by!
He likes all of his new classmates.
He enjoys seeing Maddy at recess and on the bus.  She was in his preschool class last year and is in the other Early K class this year.
He likes to wear his new backpack!

Enjoying every moment.

Fair + Birthday Party = 2 Tired Boys

This morning we ventured down to the Puyallup Fair.  I always enjoy the fair....looking around, eating scones, seeing the animals, people watching.  Today, I enjoyed it through Cannon and Colson's eyes. And I loved it!

Later this afternoon, we headed to Dillon's 4th birthday party.  The kids played and played and played.  They ate yummy cake and ice cream and then played some more.  They jumped on the trampoline, climbed on the big toy, kicked balls around, rode trikes, and much more!  Cannon wasn't too happy when I told him we had to leave.

Both boys were tuckered out from our busy day.  Colson went right to sleep and Cannon could hardly keep his eyes open.  He was out by 7:30 pm.

I think an early bed time for me is in order, too!

Enjoying every moment.