Happy Halloween!!

This year we went trick or treating with my sister Janea in Maple Valley.  Her neighborhood goes all out with decorations and it is really fun.  Kids litter the streets and it feels like a carnival.  The only problem is it is easy to loose your excited child who is running form house to house in the dark of the night.  

 Xander was a ninja on the left and Soren is a scare dude - grim reaper-ish on the right.  Brynlee was a fairy and Dallin was - not really anything.......a very basic knight I guess.  He was a bit grumpy to dress up that night.

 Kamry went trick or treating with her friends, but I suppliked her this dress.  You will see me wearing it in a future post - so stay tuned.  The miricle of spandex!!

 Sadie was a hag - a scary one at that.  Way to work it Sadie.  She went to a party and skipped the tricker treating all together.  She is getting all grown up!!

The boys got a load of candy of coarse. I was so mixed on trick or treating. I wanted them to enjoy the holiday but didn't want to take pounds of candy home.  At the end of the night I offered to pay the boys 2$ per pound of candy they had.  Soren had almost 4 pounds and Xander almost 3 pounds (he did a lot of eating while trick or treating.)  Anyway they took the deal.  So before we left Janea's house, the last trick or treater we told them they were our 100th customer and we gave them all the candy I just bought off the boys.  Now it is another mothers problem.  Muha ha ha ha ha!  The next day I took the kids to value village where they could get the biggest bang for their buck.  They each were able to buy 3 toys and they were feeling so good about their decision to sell their candy.  They never regretted it. It was awesome!!

Soren turns 7!

Happy Birthday Soren!!

Soren is a LEGO man.  He can spend all day playing legos, with people or without.  So when his birthday was coming we knew just the type of party to throw - a lego party.  We started off the party with building some lego race cars and then racing them down the track.  Our birthday boy creamed everyone - I was actually surprised.  How fitting.  Then we placed bit the part of on lego man, followed by a lego tower relay race.  We finished it off with cake, ice cream and presents.  It was a great party.

Ryan was working so it was me vs 10 kids - hence the lack of pictures.  It wasn't suppose to be that big but kids brought their siblings so we had a solid party.

Soren got to celebrate his birthday all month long.  It started out in the beginning of the month with a special day with Grandma and Grandpa Harris.  Then a special day with his family on his actual birthday.  A week later a party with his friends and then a week after that he had a special sleepover at Grandma Thompson's all by himself.  What a way to kick off your 7th year.  That boy is loved.

 Soren help design the top of the cake. It was a lego guy war.  There were bad guys who were hiding behind rocks and set booby traps to get the good guy - the one with wings.

 I think all his gifts were legos or lego related

His new lego table I built

He is such a sweet, boy.  He is always soft and gentle with younger kids and girls.  He is quick to hug and give a kiss to his family.  At Christmas time he was holding up mistle to over everyone.  Then he got upset when Xander wouldn't kiss him- he has never wanted to kiss Xander before.  "how come Xander will kiss you mom and not me!"  He protested.  He probably won't like this story when he is older - he he he he.  He is amazing at anything spacial.  He just knows how to put things together and how things work.  When I ask him where he learned that he says, "I just know." - Just like my brother Zaron.  We love you Soren!  We are so lucky you are in our family!!

Recycling

Soren is a great recycler.  Not in the traditional sense.  He is a very green recycler - no carbon emissions when he recycles.  Let me give you some examples.

While eating corn on the cob one night, Soren says, "Mom don't throw that away.  I want to recycle that."

Q  "How are you going to recycle a already eaten corn on the cob?"

S "I am going to put in the ground, let the worms eat it, then they are going to poop and flowers will grow big."

S "Mom, don't throw that away!  I am going to recycle that."  Soren exclaims as I almost throw away a milk jug.

S "Mom, can I have this?"  He asks while pulling out of the recycling bin cardboard and glass bottles.

He will go into the shop and find pieces of wood that is left over from old project and cut in odd shapes and turn them into things.  I think he might be the most amazing cloud shape finder in the whole world if given a chance.  Soren can see something our of everything.

Enchanting Grandparent Part 3

If anyone is enchanting, it is Grandma Connie.  This is Ryan's Mom.  She is a very skilled retired 2nd Grade teacher who can mold kids in the palm of her hands.  There have been times of going over to Connie's house that I have returned thinking, "I did not know my kids could do that!"  I remember one time when she helped out with Soren's birthday party and the 6 wild children were getting a little out of hand with their foam weapons (hey it is Soren's party, of course there are weapons).  Without raising her voice or trying longer then 45 seconds, she had them all playing in a controlled safe fashion.  She is the master at Love and Logic.

Connie isn't just an enchanting Grandparent to the boys but an enchanting parent to us. She spoils us often with watching our boys at times, all day long, once a week.  When we go on family trips she lets us sleep in and takes care of our early risers.  We are sooooo spoiled.  You are the best Connie!  Thanks for everything!!

I am trying to find a picture but all my pictures are messed up so TBC......

Enchanting Grandparents part 2

Once a month Xander gets to go to Grandma Thompson's house (my Mom).  In June Xander struggled wanting to go because his preschool was having a lunch at the park that day and he heard there would be face painting.  I told Xander to that Grandma had some face paints and she was really good at it.  Way better then the people at the park and if he asked nicely, she might paint his face.  

I guess he asked really, really nice........and my Mom is crazy good!  

My Mom did make up for years at a children's play. As a kid I remember strange teenager parading in my house in the summer months getting their face casted and then my mom making Masks, pointy ears, big noses, large chins and other extras for the actors.  She could make a 10 year old look 80 and a 4 year old look like a lion - clearly.

 My Mom and Dad meet doing theater in collage. She was the beautiful leads and he was the tech genius backstage.  So before I was born, they dreamed of having a traveling entertaining family.  An american Von Trap family if you will.  My Dad wrote a play and they were building marionette in a back room of our house. We even had our front room turned in to a stage much of my younger years with a curtain separating it from the rest of the house. I remember my brother sleeping on the stage for many years as his room.  I can only imagine only having a curtain separating you from the rest of the house might have made getting sent to your room all day with just bread and water harder then if you had walls......but I digress.  Sadly the reality of having 6 kids in 8 years seem to suck this dream dry and they sold their marionettes when I was 12.  

  My Mom said Xander held still for an hour.  He was serious about getting his face painted and about playing the part of the lion.  He wanted my Mom to sow him up a lion costume right then and there.  If he kept nagging her the whole time I bet she would have done it, but as it was by the time lunch was over, Xander was onto new things.  His little 1 yr old cousin came over and he was worried about scaring him so Xander had his face washed off.  I was sad to have missed it in person, but these pics are great.  

It must be so enchanting to have a grandma like Grandma Thompson.  I know it was to have her as a Mom.  Love you Mom and thanks for everything!

Starting Young

When ever I work out in the shop and the boys catch wind of that, they want me to build them things.  "Mom can you build me a priate ship that my friends and I can sit in?"

"Mom can you build me a toy car?"  

"Mom can you build me a sword?"

"Mom can you build me an axe?"

"Mom can you build me the weapon I designed on this piece of paper?"

I can't tell you how many countless "designs" Soren has given me and requested I get to work.  He usually says something like this.  "Mom, it is really easy.  First you take a piece and you cut it like this (points at a part of the design).  Then nails these two pieces together and then put this piece on but first cut it like this......"ect.  

Sometimes I whip them up a sword or shield because they are quick, but I usually say no. I feel like I don't have enough time.  This has lead to them building things on their own.  But since they aren't allowed to cut anything they scrounge for scraps.  Friday before bed they built these.  

 This is Xander's sword he built and painted.  I didn't even know he could effectively nail wood together.  You might wonder which end you hold as the cross handle part is sort of long, but it is lying on its side.  

 This is lethal pokey thing Soren made and is now dismantled due to is lethal effectiveness.

This is a riffle Soren built and painted.  This actually fits under his arm quite well and it was a bit worrisome that he knew just know what to do with this.  

I don't know why I buy toys.  Scraps of wood, cardboard, tape, glue and some paint can keep the boys busy for a very long time.  Granted it does make a lot of mess.....

Enchanting Grandparents part 1

My boys are so lucky!  They have the most amazing Grandparents that are so close to them.  Ryan's parents are just 25 minutes away in Issaquah and my Mom is 25 minutes away in Bellevue.  Not only that but they are AMAZING Grandparents that love to spend time with my kids are are magical when they do.  

Gandpa Howard - Ryan's Dad - has a great shop and is quite handy.  Saturday, after spending the whole day at Grandma and Grandpa's, the boys came home with these.

A sailboat for Soren and a motor boat for Xander.  The boys were asking me if I would make them a boat in the shop the other day and they were turned down.  Grandpa on the other hand is magical and whips these puppies up per request on the same day.  What an enchanting Grandpa.  Soren has been known to design his own weapons and grandpa goes out in the shop and makes them per his specs.  How cool is that?  The down side was Soren was coming home will many weapons every week.  Grandpa has built awesome castles and pirate ships out of random things - wood, pipes, cans, cardboard ect.  He is so creative.  How lucky my boys are to have such a great Grandpa!!  Thanks for everything Grandpa Howard!  You are the best!!