August 2010:Goodbye Summer, You were fun while you lasted!

This is the very last weekend of summer vacation. Tuesday morning I will again feel teary that Austin has indeed advanced another grade, and another year. I will send him off to The second grade. He will have the same teacher and same classmates as last year, so it won't have the same anxiety for him as most first days will go. For me though, I still get the worry and will miss having him home during the day. Ellie will begin year two of three for preschool and soccer is well underway. Things are about to go from laid back, stay in the P.j.'s kind of days to "got to be here, got to go there" schedules. I enjoy predictability and routine so as much as I have enjoyed kicking back with the rugrats, I am still excited for life as usual.Here's a quick review of The dog days of summer.

Chase- Chase raced and worked. Or Worked then raced rather. He is enjoying riding a plus 30 class this year and seems to be doing pretty well. As far as I can tell anyway. Ellie continues to be his pit crew and he likes having that special thing that he and his daughter share a love for. Jaxon is way into Daddy lately and Chase has been loving the extra attention he gets from our little man. Jax has been watching Ellie and Austin wrestle with Dada for months and now he gets right in on the action. Its pretty cute and Chase sure enjoys it too. Chase is once again coaching Austin's U-8 soccer team and helping out with Ellie's U-6 team. A friend of ours is Ellie's coach and it has been so nice for us to be able to combine practices so we are not yet experiencing the full effect of having kids on two different team schedules... That will come soon enough.

Jessica- I have been playing with my kids! I can't even begin to Thank Chase enough for him completely supporting my desire to be a Stay at Home Mom. I can not imagine missing all the fun that the kids and I have had this summer. To think that a lot of Moms miss out on all the memories that my kids and I have built really makes me sad. There isn't a day that goes by (even the ones that stress me out) that I don't realize how lucky I am that we are getting by on one income and I am able to spend this time with our kids. I can not think of a better way to spend my days.
We are also lucky enough to live in a neighborhood full of Women who stay home with the kids and try to fill their days with fun. That has made for another busy summer. We did several lake trips, the beach, the children's museum, the spray park, Numerous other parks, bike riding, movie days, Rode the "Duck" in Seattle, Went to the Aquarium,Tye Dye art, A block Party complete with a bounce house and water gun fight, and playing in the street while Mommies catch up.
In my spare time(Ha-ha!) I got into reading the Twilight Series. It has been a really long time since I have gotten so deeply into a book that I actually wanted to read. It has been nice to have another way to unwind. I am a little sad that the fourth and final book is almost over. I will have to try to find something else that can hold my attention.
So now it is back to School which makes me even more busy. With the help of a good friend who will watch my little ones, I am still going to be able to volunteer in Austins classroom on Friday mornings. I will watch her little ones so she can do the same on Mondays. I am now a co-vice president of the PTA so that will also keep me busy. I like busy. I always say I would rather have my hands full than empty.

Lets do Youngest to Oldest this month!

Jaxon- Jaxon amazes me everyday with his ability to understand and communicate. He is now following simple commands, "Go to your chair," Sit down", Throw your diaper away" Lets go upstairs for a bath" ETC. I know they are trivial things, but toddlers have always amazed me. They understand much much more than people give them credit for. Just today, Jax and I had a conversation with no words on his part. He came into the kitchen tugging his diaper and giving me a disgusted face. I said "What? You want your diaper off?" Another tug and a grunt confirmed what I was thinking. "Did you poop?" I ask him. He toddles off toward the living room to the table where we keep diapers and wipes. He brings me the wipes and I sit on the floor beside him. He lays down in front of me. He knows the drill. I clean him up and we both giggle and say "Phew" He thinks it is funny that he is stinky. I stand him up and say "Go get a diaper" He does, and again lays down for me to put it on him.We are all done and he grabs the diaper without being asked and heads for the trash. He throws his stinky diaper away and then claps for himself, knowing I will follow suit. It is interaction like that that make parenting toddler's so fun. Not changing the stink of course but seeing that they are becoming little people. Completely capable of interaction and communication.
Jax loved this summer especially because we spent so much time outside! He loves being outside. I am a little worried about the fall weather coming, and knowing he won't be able to be out as much as he would like. I see many temper tantrums in our future.

Jax is just so much fun, for all of us. His brother and sister both adore him. His Daddy and I love him to pieces and snuggle him as much as his attention span will allow. Everyday that I look at him I feel lucky to be his Mommy. I hope that we can fulfill him in his life as much as he has completed ours so perfectly.

Ellie- Just trying to think of where to start with Ellie makes me smile. The way she has taken to riding a two wheeled bike amazes me and teaches me a lot about my girl. She was only shaky for a day or so. She now can ride through the grass, off the curb, turning tight circles and (trying to) do wheelies.She took her first ride to the park and it is about a mile round trip.I can tell you where Ellie got her sense of adventure and bravery from and I am sure you know it was not from me. There isn't anything she won't try.It seems like most everything she tries she is pretty good at. What she isn't good at doesn't seem to matter much because she has determination and will keep trying with a smile. Failure doesn't seem to effect her in the least. Its OK for her to mess up. She takes it with a smile and tries again. I love that about her and admire her for that.
Ellie had a super fun summer with tons of friends and adventures. She gets along with most other kids fairly well. She isn't as take charge as Austin when it comes to social play, but will follow the lead of other kids and fits into the group that way.
Ellie is unbelievably excited to be on her very own soccer team. The day of her second practice I rolled over in bed at 6:20 AM. There she was wearing her panties, shin guards, socks and cleats. She was also wearing a very excited and sweet smile. I asked what she was doing and she says..."I got soccer practice today mom!" I was like, "Yeah in 12 HOURS!!!!!" She is having a blast at practice. She isn't at the same level of coordination or speed as the other kids (she is the youngest on her team) but she doesn't seem to mind. She's just having fun. I can't wait to watch her enthusiasm for a real game!
This is Ellie the day of her first practice. After a shower the soccer gear needed to go back on!:)


Austin- Austin had a huge adventure with his Grandma Colleen this month. He stayed with her for a week in Eastern Washington and visited the Dam, Soap Lake and a water Park. He had a blast. We sure missed him around here though.
Austin has come such a long way from his very shy personality. He even posed with "Captain Lunachick" our driver from the Duck ride in Seattle. He thought she was really funny.

We had a rough couple of weeks with Austin and his behavior was terrible. He was whining, talking back, being rude and worst of all he was showing a very unappreciative attitude. We have done what we can to squash that attitude and after spending almost a week on "restriction" he seems to be behaving more appropriately. I came up with a system similar to the schools with "levels". Level one he earns a 8 o'clock bedtime, level two is no computer and so one. We are trying to stick with the program. Austin is a really good kid with morals and a kind heart. I think he just caught up in an "I want it gotta have it" phase.
Ever since I can remember Austin will obsess over things. The phase can last anywhere from a day to several months. Telletubbies, Thomas, Power Rangers and Milo and Otis are just a few off the top of my head. When Austin is in the "Phase" He eats, drinks, sleeps and breaths whatever it is at the moment. His head is consumed with whatever "it" may be. Today it is Star Wars Lego's on the Wii... I have been listening to him talk and sing to himself while he plays for most of today. Its so cute to hear him jazzed up about fighting bad guys and discovering secrets on the game. Every once in awhile he will run to me and tell me something exciting about the game. Unfortunately I never know what he is talking about because when it comes to star wars, I am clueless.
I am excited for Austin to begin his second grade year. It will be fun to watch him grow and learn and do all the fun school things that are coming his way.

Here is a picture of a group of neighborhood kids... We were on a "hike" at Schaffer Park.