Maybe not the next Mia Hamm....

So Kylie started off the soccer season super strong! Really excited and surprisingly aggressive! Although her work ethic hasn't faltered (she really does work so hard!) She's found complacency in always being a step away from the "pack" that follows the ball around. And she's already expressed an interest in trying something else after this season is over! Although Jason is bummed, he's really enjoyed coaching her team this year, we have to keep perspective! Before the season started...I was expecting tears, and an outright refusal to practice or play. We got more than we expected! Here are a couple shots I took at her last game. I have to keep telling myself, that as long as she's active in something and enjoying it, we're good...but man...it would have been so nice had it been soccer. Who knows...maybe she'll come back to it sometime in the future!

Stratton turns 14 months...

@ 14 months I can honestly say that Newie is one of the oddest ducks I happen to know. All of my children have made me smile from ear to ear, but for very different reasons. Kylie was/is sweet, intelligent, and passionate. Beckham was/is hilarious, expressive, and goofy. Stratton was/is...well....just strange.

@ 14 months he loves:

-throwing food on the ground while he eats (I'm surprised our dog is still alive)

-carrying around (with a death grip) sharp, pointy objects such as tooth brushes, sticks and pencils

-any violent action...if you want to really get him laughing uncontrollably, just put him on the trampoline with the kids, throw the big bouncy ball directly in his face, allow him to free fall from Beck's toddler bed to the ground, or pillow fight with his siblings (he loves getting hit).....

-chewing on rocks, really... chewing on anything, but especially rocks

-eating sand

-chasing around the dirt piles while I sweep the hard woods....he tries with all his might to grab whatever he can and shoves it in his mouth like its some sort of candy, and not a mixture of trash, dog hair, mud, and days old cereal.

-trying to bite people, particularly his brother, and more particularly his brother's toes..i know, odd right?

-racing cars. He'll get one of beck's cars on the wood floors and push it down the hall while yelling GOOOOOOOO. He also likes to yell NOOOOOO when you're doing something he disapproves of

-stacking and sorting objects

-flushing the toilet, playing with the toilet paper rolls, and playing with the bathtub faucets

-watching t.v. ...now this one needs a little more explanation...All of my kids had a fascination with t.v. at some point. For Ky it was mickey mouse then spongebob, for Beck it is bubble guppies and dora. Stratton isn't particularly picky about the show, but will randomly have emotional breakdowns with particular characters. The not-at-all-scary dinosaurs on bubble guppies, the overly friendly troll on mike the night, the list goes on, but I've never seen a child as young as he is have such an attachment. I'm talking "tears rolling down my cheeks, Mom better come console me now before I stop BREATHING crying fits...." It really is the strangest thing I've ever seen. And depending on the episode you can see it coming, so its almost one of those "wait for it..." moments. It took us a while to figure out. I kept running from the kitchen to the living room asking ky if Newie hit his head or if Beck took a toy from him. Both Ky and Beck would look at me like...Mom, we haven't even moved in 15 minutes....

@14 months Stratton's not a fan of:

-haircuts (screams bloody murder)

-any amount of time in the umbrella stroller (screams bloody murder) will only sit in the double stroller which is really too big (not to mention unnecessary) for me to take around town

-the church nursery, we've given up even trying to take him since they always end up pulling one of us out of service to deal with him.

He's one crazy cat, that's for sure. On almost a daily basis, I say to myself...If I'm ever at the police station bailing out one of my kids, I'd put my money on this one.....is that a bad thing to say? =)

Happy 14 months to my crazy, one of a kind, not another one like him, NEWIE!

Everything to the mouth...

Not sure how this one just got loaded. But this is proof of the entire container of dish soap he poured on the floor in the kitchen last month...it reminds me of the ghostbuster movies =)

The spaceship chair that hooks to our bar height table is back to make its third and final appearance. And apparently Newie is still not sure what these silly round things are that I keep putting his food on...within seconds food is everywhere and the plate is on the floor...I keep telling myself he has to "get it" eventually....right? RIGHT?

The countdown begins...

Four weeks until we close on the new house. Seven weeks until we move. We made a lot of headway this week in terms of packing, and the house is starting to look a little bare.

No where in this process did I think I'd start to get sappy about moving, but this past weekend I was watching Jason have a pillow fight with the kids (Yes, Stratton was laughing so hard I think there was a moment when he wasn't even breathing) and I realized that there have been so many memories made in this house. We've raised 2 1/2 kids here (Ky was 9 months when we moved in) and I could go on and on explaining every little knick on the floors and walls, because each one has a story behind it. But more than anything, I'm going to miss the people I've met. I know we're not moving far, but I also know that some relationships will still change. I'll loose my Target night trip partner, and Ky's friendships with so many of the wonderful girls in our neighborhood will shift as well. This terrifies me.

The change brings with it a sense of excitement, but I can't say I'm excited about a new beginning, simply because I wouldn't do it any different than I did here. If I could, I'd pick up all our friends and move them with us!

Family is what makes a house a home, I'm well aware, but I think it also has something to do with the people in your neighborhood. I have my fingers crossed that our future will be as bright as our present, because there's so much I'm going to miss!

New gets a haircut...

yes...its as bad in person as it looks in the picture. blame J....and his desire for a mohawk type of kid, clearly, we don't have one =)

But who can say no to those ridiculously big, undeniably adorable eyes...

Everything that is wrong with boys...

Newie realizing his hand is covered in dirt....

Deciding to give it a little taste...

Apparently...he's a fan.

boys are so strange...

Easter 2012

On Saturday we headed to my parents as soon as the kids got up in the morning. We ate a delicious breakfast (including J's cinnamon rolls from scratch) and the kids got to do their easter egg hunt. Here are a couple pics from the event...

Love New's face here. This boy was MADE for such events. His all time favorite pastime right now is cleaning up. If there's a box or bin to put things into, he'll spend an hour putting things in it. Including Beck's cars into the toy box (this usually doesn't go over real well!)

The moment Beck realized there's something in the eggs...

Attempt at a group shot. Stratton is in tears, but both the boys were/are sick, so its understandable, he was more than done at this point...

Opening eggs: Some of the eggs were filled with candy, and some were filled with fake money. My parents set up a "prize table" and the kids were able to use the fake money to buy gifts. The Kids LOVED the idea, and it kept the excitement going longer than the 5 minutes it takes to pop eggs open!

Separating out candy from money...

The prize table. The kids didn't realize, but there were four different "age groups" they could buy from. Ie: They bought all the gift my parents got them and weren't fighting. It was still funny to watch Kylie asking my dad how much certain items cost, and thinking about whether it was worth it...like they weren't going to go home with all of it in the end... =)

Draw a model book was a big hit with Ky

Beck emptying his easter basket (yes, there were baskets as well as eggs and prize table. My parents never do anything half way!!!

After he bought his fishing pole from the prize table..

Newie hanging out playing with his stuffed dog and maracas...

Ky and I on our way to service on Sunday. Please excuse the black socks and slippers, I did put on real shoes before leaving for church. J had to stay home with the boys due to some pretty nasty runny noses.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter! I know we did. The best part? When J asked Ky why we celebrate Easter...she knew the answer. I couldn't ask for anything more!!!

Life...

I feel like lately we've been running around like mad men, but I really don't have much to show for it. We've slowly been packing boxes of things we know we won't need for the next two months (old books, rarely used board games, art work) in order to make the house look less cluttered when we start showing it to renters (hopefully in the next two weeks), but the bummer is, when you're packing away things you rarely notice and they're things that are rarely seen by others (shoved in front closet, etc) It doesn't really look like you've done anything at all. We've packed full our trash can, as well as our kind neighbors, for the last three weeks, throwing things out we no longer need and can't donate and/or sell. We got rid of the black rocker that I've used with all 3 kiddos, and I'm slowly handing down clothes from Stratton and Kylie that we no longer have use for. All in all, I guess you have to start somewhere, and I'd say we've definitely done that much!

The weather has been all over the place around here lately. One day its almost 90 degrees, the next day there's tornados, and the next day the high is in the 50's. Which explains why both the boys are sick....of course!) But when it has been nice, the kids have spent a huge amount of time in the back yard. They love using their buckets and shovels, and rain water to go "exploring", "mix up concoctions" and "take care of my plants". Newie is just as content dumping handfuls of sand on his head and laughing as it finds its way to every crevice of his chubbiness! Its a pain to clean up, but its a sure fire way to keep them entertained for an hour if not longer.

This is usually how Newie looks at the end of an afternoon playing in the backyard, caked with wet sand, he doesn't seem to mind at all, and honestly speaking, as long as its a bath night, neither do I! My boys are definitely boys, they aren't afraid of a little dirt....or a lot for that matter!

He must have some pretty big teeth coming in towards the back of his mouth, he's chewing on everything. He bit Beck's hand the other day, nearly drawing blood, and chewed on a roll of toilet paper to the point that I thought the dog had ripped into it.

Ky and Beck deep in their "work"

Love the connection these two have. She's such a good big sister!

Last weekend, Ky got to get all dolled up to go to a Fancy Nancy Birthday party for her friend Makenzie. We loved going through her closet and seeing what we could put together. The party was a blast complete with parfaits and cupcakes!

Here she is all "pink and purpled" and blinged out for the party.