waitress

capturing moments like this brings me the greatest joy because i never, ever want to forget them.  without photographs, i know i would.  the details captured in these photographs just make me so unbelievably happy... the blanket as tablecloth, the table settings, the apron, bowls overflowing with play food, and of course, my beautiful girl.  brooke has always been so observant.  she watches and listens and absorbs absolutely everything.  and then all of a sudden she's acting out an idea or reenacting a scene like this one of a waitress in a restaurant.  she knows just what to say and just what to do.  and she had the most well-behaved guests :)

cousins at play

i have such a long list of things to be grateful for - like the incredibly mild winter we had where we played outside during every single month and especially the effortless way that my children get to spend time with their cousins every single week.  i sure don't take either of these things for granted.  on this particular day in february, we picked jackson up from school and had lots of fun playing sports outside including a very competitive game of "who can get the frisbee?" between jackson and gavin.  i love watching these two boys together.  jackson's just old enough that gavin can be his typical rough self with him and jackson can give gavin some back.  one minute gavin was tackling jackson, and the next minute jackson was tackling gavin.  but as soon as the smiles and laughter faded into serious competitiveness, i called the game off before anyone got hurt.

when megan came to pick jackson up, all the kids enjoyed some play time down by the creek that runs into our property.  they called it their lily pond, and they used gardening tools to explore the area.  i couldn't stop watching them and couldn't help feeling completely blessed by family.  brooke and gavin are so lucky to have so many cousins to grow up with.  cousins that they love and adore and truly consider the best of friends.  every single one of them.

5 pictures from brooke's 5th birthday party

right before we left for disneyworld, we had a quick little birthday celebration for brooke with our families.  i had said we wouldn't do a party since we were going to disney, but i just couldn't pass up the chance to celebrate brooke's birthday with family.  brooke's 3rd birthday was the last time family was able to attend her party, and i knew she'd feel extra special having a special day with those she loves most.

i'll always remember this party as being the most low-key birthday party i've thrown to date.  i didn't even clean my house :)  i did, however, stay up all night (literally) baking and decorating a very special princess castle cake for brooke.  i started baking way too late (like dinner time), forgot to grease & flour the pan which i realized after the first cake was already in the oven :(, made a second cake and then did some major decorating!  this was my first time truly decorating a cake, and i really wanted it to be special for brooke.  i have to say, i was pretty impressed with myself.  the cake ended up looking just like the picture that came with the pan :)

we sang to our birthday girl, had cake and opened presents.  brooke got a lot of money to take with her on our trip to disneyworld!  i loved that brooke enjoyed her little party just as much, if not more, than any of her other birthday parties.  she didn't want anyone to leave and told me she wished everyone could stay all day.  lucky for me they didn't because i needed a nap :)

a whole hand full

brooke,

you turned five, and we celebrated with a special trip to Disneyworld.  you've been begging to go meet the princesses since you were three.  your daddy and i promised that we would take you to Disney when you turned five, and we happily made good on our promise. your birthday was magical.  you wore a special pin that told everyone it was your 5th birthday, and at the bibbidi bobbidi boutique they turned you into the most beautiful version of Cinderella.  so, all day long people went out of their way to wish you a happy birthday.  we even had a birthday lunch with all of your favorite princesses.  every Disney character/princess as well as every Disneyworld employee would ask you how old you were, and when you said five, they would say, "oh, you're a whole hand full!" while holding out their hand to show that you now take up all the fingers (and thumb) on one hand... like it was the most special thing in the whole world.  there is good reason that Disneyworld is referred to as the happiest place on earth.

at five years old you seem so grown up.  gavin and i were recently looking back at videos from the past 3 years, and i found myself crying.  not over how much gavin has grown but because i no longer see any traces of that little bitty girl you used to be.  and while that makes me sad, the sadness is instantly replaced by happiness over the big girl you are becoming.  you are like the most beautiful flower blossoming right in front of my eyes.

you absolutely love school.  you love to learn, and you love your teachers, and you love your friends.  you can write all of your letters, sound out words and make rhymes and riddles.  you're starting to do math and enjoy science.  you know your phone number (my cell number :) and your address.  you love music class.  you finally like to do puzzles!  you continue to be a very good artist. most importantly, you've learned how to solve problems on your own.  you're growing more sure of yourself, and with that has also come some sassiness.  i often catch you talking back to me.  it reminds me so much of myself.  so even though i reprimand you for it, a part of me totally understands it.

you jumped right into your new school and immediately became very good friends with lynn.  but for the first time this year, you started to have some insecurities about girls who didn't want to play with you at school.  you would talk to me about it in bed at night, and you were genuinely sad about it.  it was hard for me to believe that we had already arrived at this stage, but i did my best to listen and validate your feelings and give you some tips for things you could say when you wanted to play with a particular girl. thankfully, these insecurities didn't hang around long and before i knew it, you were happy to play with just about anyone in your class - girl or boy.

i love how you've adapted to being around so many boys (in our family, amongst our friends and at school).  you can play with boys now just as easily as you can play with girls.  and most days you come home from school telling me how you played with joseph and colin.  i drop you off on the playground every morning, and i love to watch you chasing your friends around the playground as i drive away.  running is something you've really grown into this year.  you used to cry when boys chased you at the park in seattle, and you never really enjoyed running.  not anymore.  you happen to be one of the fastest kids on the playground, and you take pride in that :)  you play school yard games like freeze tag and hopscotch, and you can swing all by yourself now.  you're becoming a big kid...

you weigh 41 pounds (so skinny!) and are 45 1/2 inches tall (so tall!).  you are squarely in the "girls" section of the store now, wearing a size small or 6/6X.  i swear you grow out of pants 2 months after i buy them.  your hair finally started growing (i'm not kidding - it took 5 years!), and it's getting very long.  you have been growing your bangs out for months now, and you are very particular about how you wear your hair.  you hate for any hair to be on your forehead (you say it looks like "a boy stylish"), so you slick your bangs back with your hand, and it drives me nuts :)  you sit in a backless booster seat now, and you can buckle the seat belt all by yourself.

you enjoy playing with little figurines like your lalaloopsy dolls and strawberry shortcake.  you still have a great imagination and can entertain yourself for most of the day.  you are a little obsessed with the tv though, and you will watch as much as i will let you and then still beg for more.  you always say the tv shows give you good ideas, and a lot of times they do.  you love to spend your quiet time in the afternoon watching some of your favorite shows on nickelodeon like max & ruby and fresh beat band.  you have a knack for learning every word to every song you hear whether on tv or on the radio (in my car).  i love to hear you singing along to songs. you have such a sweet voice.

you're still a super good girl who follows the rules and doesn't cause any trouble.  you're gaining a lot of independence and have no problems being on your own.  you often go home from school with other moms for play dates with your friends.  you sleepover at gram vicki's and ba kaye and bob bob's, and while you get a little sad because you're missing me, you do just fine without me.  you look out for your little brother and nothing makes me happier than the close relationship you and gavin have.  you definitely have your share of squabbles, and you often demand your privacy, but it's easy to see how much you love gavin and how much you enjoy his company.  most of the time... :)

brooke, you are sweet and compassionate and smart and timid and mature and curious and dramatic and observant and silly and creative.  i love the girl that you are.  i love that you are my girl.

love,

your mommy

looking back on 2011

i get so much enjoyment out of our everyday life - all the typical little things that make up our days - that i often overlook just how much we do and experience in any given year.  as i reflect on 2011, i realize just how full our life was this past year and how very lucky we are...

brooke turned 4 and had a beautiful princess tea party at our house with 14 of her closest friends :) * heather, danny and stella visited over valentine's day. * brooke learned how to ski. * we went to portland. * we bought kevin skis for his birthday. * i got back on skis for the first time in 6 years! * we went to the tulip festival. * my mom visited for Easter and gavin's birthday. * gavin turned 2 and had a small, "big rig" birthday party with a few of our neighbors. * we went to maui! * kevin and i tried SUP and swam with giant sea turtles. * the kids bought their first boogie boards. * we went to our first luau. * brooke got her first "big girl" bike. * gavin learned how to hit a pitched ball. * we visited bainbridge island. * brooke had her 2nd dance recital. * gavin moved into a "big boy" bed. * brooke walked across the balance beam (by herself) and conquered the high bar. * gavin learned to ride a scooter and balance bike. * we found out we were moving back to cincinnati. * we spent a weekend at suncadia. * we took the kids golfing for the first time. * we took the kids to their first baseball game. * we had an awesome 4th of july on the ridge (our 3rd). * the kids rode horses for the first time. * bob and kaye visited, and we took an orca whale excursion on san juan island. * we saw orca whales! * the kids got their first fishing poles and went fishing for the first time. * we found a beautiful new house in anderson during our house hunting trip in cincy. * we all got horribly sick while staying with heather, danny and stella :( * we soaked up what little summer we had in snoqualmie. * we had our pictures taken by shannon sewell. * we sold our house. * we appreciated every moment spent with friends. *  we potty-trained gavin. * brooke, hanna, anastasia and i had afternoon tea at the fairmont, seattle. * we had fun at railroad days. * brooke walked in her first parade. * we said goodbyes and cried many tears. * kevin started a new job. * i got my hair chopped off. * we went to the beach. * we spent a fabulous labor day weekend in seattle, and it was the perfect way to say farewell to a city we love. * we went to our first seahawks game. * we went to bumbershoot. * we sailed little sailboats in lake union. * we rode the duck. * we moved across the country for the 2nd time. * we bought a house. * we moved in. * brooke started pre-k at her new school. * we went to kings island, and the kids rode every ride in "kiddie land." * gavin started school for the first time. * we adjusted to new routines. * we enjoyed time with family. * we went to chicago to visit carl, mercedes, pierce and meet our new niece, london. * we reconnected with old friends. * we attended many bearcat football games. * the kids had their first sleepovers with gram vicki, ba kaye and bob bob. * anastasia and hanna came to visit for halloween. * we received unexpected news. * the kids participated in their first football tailgate. * we had lots of play dates with cousins. * we started to feel settled. * we crafted and baked with family. * we made new friends. * brooke and i went to see the nutcracker for the 2nd year in a row. * gavin got on skis for the first time. * we hosted 2 thanksgivings, 2 christmas celebrations and 1 new year's party. *

now i'd say that's a pretty full year.  i can't wait to see what 2012 holds for us!

one of life's greatest gifts

my beautiful brooke.  to me this picture is the perfect reflection of your personality.  there is so much maturity in your expression, such sweetness in your features and a hint of playfulness in the way you are wearing my hat and scarf.  i absolutely love to watch the girl you are becoming.  it is like slowly opening the very best present you could ever imagine receiving.  i never believed the people that told me that parenthood just gets better and better, but they were right.  it does.

2.5 yrs.

gavin,

i always tell you that you are full of personality, and you are.  you make me laugh a million times a day. i have no doubt that you will grow up to be the life of the party.  you are definitely the life of our little party of 4.

you are always bursting with energy and ready to play.  your favorite game to play these days is football (probably because we're indoors so much of the day now).  you and brooke set up the whole game in our family room - complete with baking twine as the admission gates, the mock "locker room" behind the couch and the sideline for the cheerleader(s).  your imagination grows stronger with each passing day.  you wear your superhero costumes for most of the day.  it's the first thing you ask for when you come into our room in the morning.  batman is your superhero of choice, but you request that the entire family get in on the act with your robin and superman costumes :)  you love it when i pretend that i'm in trouble, and i need batman's help.  you love to be the hero.  i love to watch you race in to rescue me from the pretend bad guys :)

you remind me of brooke now because you constantly ask for us to "read you a story," meaning you want us to tell you a story.  you tell us exactly what you want the story to be about, and then we must fill in the gaps of your outline.  and you always want another and another and another story... :)

you and brooke play very well together now.  naturally you get on each other's nerves like any brother and sister, but you genuinely enjoy each other's company.  brooke's even getting good at playing on your terms - superheroes, trains, trucks - and you've always been great at playing on brooke's terms.  suddenly you also both enjoy to rough-house and wrestle.  one of you will grab something out of the other's hand and run away, hoping to spark a game of chase and an eventual take-down.  watching you reminds me of myself and my brother.  it brings a smile to my face.

our move to cincinnati has infinitely improved your life in terms of playmates.  wherever we go, you are always surrounded by boys who are either your age or a bit older, and you love it.  you REALLY love it.  cousin jackson is your hero, and you and joey have become great playmates at school.  you turned 2.5 in october and started school two days a week at mt. washington presbyterian where brooke, jackson and joey all go to school.  you and joey are even in the same class.  you made me proud the way you confidently strode into school that first day.  you had a few rough days after that where you were sad during the school day and cried for me, but that didn't last long.  you're enjoying school and the sense of independence that comes with it.

speaking of school, you sing your ABCs now and get all the letters right :)  you love to sing just about anything, and you know a lot of songs.  you know all of your colors, and we're working on shape and letter recognition.  sometimes, it's really hard to believe how old you're getting and how much you are learning and growing every single day.

you've had your first two sleepovers without mommy and daddy - first with gram vicki (and brooke) and then with ba kaye and bob bob (and brooke) - and you did excellent.  both times your grandparents complimented you on your manners.  you do have good manners.  almost every night you very sweetly say, "thank you mommy (or daddy) for dinner," and you almost always say "please/thank you/excuse me."  you're also loving for us to say a prayer at dinner now.  brooke usually says it, but you often request it, and you always ask, "why do we say "amen?""

at this age i want to remember that you are always on the run; that you still do a lot of physical activity with your tongue out; that you hate eating dinner (only dinner); that you always eat the fruit on your plate first; that you like to pile your toys in your bed when you go to sleep; that you still love your hippo; that you like to wake up and come into mommy and daddy's bed; that sometimes your mouth has a hard time catching up with your mind, and you just can't get the words out; that you like to throw tantrums when you don't get your way; that you're still napping - for now; that you love grocery shopping with me; that you have your own ideas and opinions; that you are super sweet and gentle with your little cousins chase and london; that you love to help mommy and daddy cook; that you love a good sword fight; that you race to get all of your tools as fast as you can whenever mommy is doing a household project; that you tell me you love me many times a day.

you are a good boy, gavin.  you are rambunctious.  you are caring.  you are wild.  you are charming. your smile lights up our world, and we love you more than words can possibly say.

xoxo,

mommy