Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Summer?

 Buzz cut for the Summer
 Local water feature. The kids had a blast!

 Summy always asks Daddy to bring her to me after her bath.
 Sneak peak at our life when the kids get older.

Summy got to sit with the big kids at our friend's birthday party. She is growing up so fast!

Summer is finally here, but we still haven't had a string of great days. We like to call it Juneuary around here. None the less, we are trying to make the most of the nice days we do have by spending loads of time outside. We took the kids to a local water feature and they had a blast. It was nothing too scary and it was so fun to see them both do there thing. They are growing up so fast! This will be a major theme of this post.

Leo is in Vacation Bible School this week. He seems to be having fun and I like that he has a school type structure when preschool is out for the summer. He has already made a friend named Luke. It seems as though Leo always makes friends named Luke. Leo is extremely popular and makes friends where ever he goes. He is the most articulate, outgoing, friendly 4 year old I have ever met. He is bursting at the seams when we encounter a new social situation, always eager to meet new friends and explore new situations. He is so blessed to posses this amazing ability.

Leo is doing great with Karate. He really loves it and is showing many leadership qualities. He is a shining star in class and although he does get in trouble at times for being a bit goofy or talking out of turn, he shows extreme focus and respect while in class. Plus, he looks so darn cute in his uniform.

Leo has also been doing a great job eating. He is up to 34 pounds and although that doesn't seem like much, his appetite is really taking off. I am so thrilled he isn't as finicky as he used to be.

Somerset has entered the terrible 2s a tad bit early. She is throwing tantrums and cannot be reasoned with on many occassions, ex. she wants nothing but nuts, all the time, even though it makes her sick. Although she is whiny and strong willed, she still seems like an easier child than Leo ever was. An example of this would be how she behaved ay our friend Audrey's 5th birthday party. She was able to sit at the big kid table and hang with the rest of the kids, following their lead and eating along with all of them. I can only imagine that Leo would have been all over the place, causing little disasters here and there. However, they do remind me of each other a lot.

Somerset is far more jealous than Leo. She does not like me to give Leo too much attention (but that won't stop me). She even gets jealous when I brush his teeth. Leo has never been jealous, so we are super lucky that we had him first. 

She started really articulating a few words very clearly like "yessss." She also says please and thank you now. She can understand every thing that we say to her, mind you, we speak very simply to her.

She adores animals, especially dogs and cats and I am sure she would be so pleased if we got a kitty. She also loves babies. She will chase down a mom and dad if she sees that they have a little baby with them. She also loves her baby dolls. Last night, Joe found her wiping her  baby's bummy with a paper towel and then using the towel as a diaper. So cute!!! She is more nurturing than Leo ever was.

Somerset is doing a great job potty training. She goes in the potty at least once a day, and ever went #2 a few times this week. Way to go Summy!!!

All in all, the kiddos are great! I am so lucky to have 2 happy, healthy, wonderful children.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Grandma turns 90!

 Yeah for Grandma. She sure looks pretty!

Summy has a new kitchen! She and Leo sure love joking around.
 
 My most advanced soap to date. Multi-layered! It sure smells good! I still have so much to learn.
 Somerset tucked Perry into bed. She is so nurturing.
 Not much is cuter than a toddler in jammies!

We just had a wonderful weekend with my Grandma, who came up for a visit with her sister Jeanette, my Uncle Andy and my mom's cousin Carolyn. My Grandma just had her 90th birthday and she is sharper than ever. She has such a lovely disposition and everyone who meets her loves her.

Today, we went on a brunch cruise on the Portland Spirit (a cruise ship that sails along the Willamette River) and it was a beautiful day to relax and enjoy each other's company. I would sure love to make my way down to CA soon to have more time to visit. I am hoping we can make this happen within the next year. I better start saving.

Leo also moved up a rank in Tae Kwon Do from a Orange Tiger belt to an Orange belt. Unfortunately, I missed most of the ceremony because I was on the cruise, but I arrived just in time to see them place his new belt on him. He still is super passionate about his classes and LOVES Karate. We are so proud of him.

Leo has been a royal pain. Maybe he misses school, but he has been testing the limits again. We are having many challenging moments with hi. I have such a sweet spot in my heart for this boy. I love him like no ther, but at times, he can be draining. All this hard work will pay off someday....right? 

Somerset is speaking more and more. Today, she fell and clear as a bell, she said, "I'm alright Daddy." She can put together simple sentences quite well and is really getting a firm grasp on language.

She also is sleeping later. A few times, she has even slept until 7 am, which is pure bliss to me! Her Mr. Sun alarm clock has been worth it's weight in gold!

It's been a few rough weeks because she had a minor cold and her canines have been poking their way through. I am looking forward to having my sweet Summy back!

She also got a few freckles. She got one on her rights leg and one on her left arm (I think, I will double check). They are so darn cute. Well, everything about her is cute to me!

 I have been loving making soap too. Last night, I made Joe a tea tree shampoo bar.  I hope he loves it. I just can't wait until I am super confident at this. All the learning and mistakes can be frustrating, but I am determined to get really good at this.

We are super excited for summer though. Hopefully we can meet up with friends more this summer. It seems as though there is never enough time. Plus, I have been working 3-4 shifts a week. It has been draining. I really should cut back, but the extra money made helps me justify the expenses of the soap hobby, Leo's Karate, hair salon visits etc.