Swimming

Swim.
Twice a day.
Every day.

That is what the boys did and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Cannon has become a little fish, swimming from one end to the other, diving for things on the bottom, jumping off the side, doing hand stands, and pulling Colson everywhere on the floatie.

Last year, Colson spent most of his pool time sitting on the steps playing with water toys.  This year was a 180 degree change.  He was in the water all of the time, hanging on to the edge and kicking, splashing and blowing bubbles.  He spent a lot of time floating on the floatie or on the noodle.  He learned to swim on his own with the noodle, kicking and paddling his arms.  We have to keep an close eye on him because he will swim right into the deep end on his own!

We have enjoyed the laid back, relaxed days of this vacation....watching the boys play, enjoying the sun and taking advantage of the little things that mean the most!

Enjoying every moment.

Hello Sedona

Chris and I were blessed with time to take an overnight trip up to Sedona.  Chris rode his motorcycle down and we wanted to take advantage of that!  Sedona is a place we had never been and wanted to see the beauty of the red rocks.

It was a trip well worth it!  There is nothing like seeing the red rocks in person and the pictures don't do the beautiful scenery justice.

We went up Tuesday and stayed at a hotel in Oak Creek, right before Sedona.  We had a nice dinner and a short walk before heading back to the room.  The next morning, we got up early and headed out to explore. We stopped a few times to take pictures, did some hiking, and explored many roads as we took in Chimney Rock, Cathedral Rock, Coffee Pot Rock, Bell Rock and many more.

Our big adventure was the hike up to Cathedral Rock.  We traversed some steep rocks that made me a bit nervous, but it was well worth it.

We are already talking about going back next year and taking the boys to do some hiking and take a jeep tour!

So. Much. Fun.

Enjoying every moment.

This Week

This week marked the end of swimming lessons for the boys.  They both did a great job and improved throughout the month. They'll be ready for the pool in Arizona!

This week Chris was in Pasco from Monday through Thursday.  The new plant is getting close to being finished and they are working on putting in the saws and tables.  There is still a ton to do.

This week Colson received his progress report from school and is sure was a good one!  He has come so far in 7 months.

This week we enjoyed on day of 70+ degree weather and other day of near 70 degree weather.  It sure felt good to feel the warmth!  The kids loved being outside.

This week Colson had his 4 year old well visit at the doctor.  He did a nice job for her and is in great health.  He had to have three shots and was not happy about that.  The good news is he doesn't have to have shots again until he turns 11.

This week was a busy week for me with an early RTI meeting, a late staff meeting and a very late Pro Teach class, swimming two days, doctor visit and all without my partner in crime to help.  I am tired.
This week we had a half day on Friday for planning and preparation for conferences next week.  I LOVED having a half day to work on things around the classroom.

This week I am watching a lot of basketball.  I love 'March Madness' and the NCAA tourney.

This week the boys played well together with Legos and toys.  It's great to listen to them talk and interact together.

This week we ate left over spaghetti three times.

This week I started to lay out clothes for our trip to Arizona!  Looking forward to a vacation and to being in the warm weather!

Enjoying every moment!

Moving Dirt

The equipment has been at the property all weekend clearing and leveling the land.  It sure looks different...and much bigger...after the trees and brush have been cleared and the mounds of dirt have been taken down.

Chris took the boys out to the property in the morning and they enjoyed watching the equipment. Each of them got to ride on the bulldozer.  Colson said he didn't realize that it would be that bumpy! I picked up Colson about noon.  Cannon and Chris stayed all day long and Cannon got to run the bulldozer all by himself!  He was pretty excited.

Enjoying every moment.

Third Grade Concert

It was concert time for the third graders this week!  We shared our evening with the 4/5 choir and everyone put on a wonderful and beautiful performance.  Our concert this year was dedicated to Ava and her fight with cancer.  Ava was there, along with about 30 family members!

The students all wore their AVA STRONG FIGHT shirts...or something green (since green is Ava's favorite color and the color of kidney cancer.)

It was an exciting night for the students as they were able to showcase their recorder skills, some great singing, some body percussion and most importantly, the message to stay strong and never give up.  Our music teacher did a fabulous job preparing the students for this concert!

Amazing, amazing night.

Enjoying every moment.  

Party Time!

Colson decided where he wanted his birthday party on the day of Cannon's birthday party in October. He wanted to have it at the same place Cannon had his:  Peak Gymnastics.  I asked Colson three different times over the next few months what he would like to do for his birthday party.  And every single time he said he wanted to go to Peak Gymnastics.  So that made it easy for me.

What I love about the party at Peak is the kids get to play for an hour and I don't have to do any games or keep them entertained.  They can jump on the trampoline, go down the sides, play in the foam pit, swing on the ropes, play on the balance beams, tumble on the floor and just have fun.

Then we have a half an hour to eat cake, open gifts and play some more if time allows.

There is no clean up. It's simple and easy.  Everyone is happy and tired.

And then we go home!

Love it!

Colson had a great time and he had a lot of friends there.  Five of his classmates from preschool came, too.

Cannon on the rope swing...

The birthday boy!

Colson, Griffin and Cannon showing us "four" fingers...Colson's age!

Colson having fun, bouncing and swinging...

Cannon was an expert at flipping.  He did the flips over and over....so many that I couldn't watch because it was making me sick!  

Colson had a ton of fun playing with daddy!

Great balance...

A few cake pictures...

It was wonderful just to watch the "fun" happening!

Enjoying every moment!

Happy Birthday, Colson!

Today is Colson's birthday and we are so lucky that he is part of our lives!

He is such a cutie.
He's smart and wants to learn.
He gives us a run for our money.
He loves books.
He enjoys playing with Legos, cars and trucks.
He often fights with his brother.
He doesn't like to be wrong.
He loves to eat ham and eggs.
He is quiet and follows directions at school.
He is NOT quiet and does NOT follow directions at home.
He has a wonderful smile.
He is stubborn.
He likes to snuggle on the couch.
He enjoys playing Minecraft.
He likes to sing and dance and run around like crazy.
He always wants to be first.
He often screams and yells when he is upset.
He doesn't want to nap anymore even though he needs it some days.
He is great at brushing his teeth.
He is independent, yet loves to play with others, too.

Colson brings a lot of spunk...and exhaustion...to our life but we wouldn't have it any other way.

We love him so much!

Enjoying every moment.