Happy Birthday, Kara!

Kara also got a jump on celebrating her birthday.  It started with a post-Thanksgiving strawberry cake...

Then the Friday before her birthday, Kara had root beer floats with Mrs. Harrell's kindergarten class.  She informed us that sometimes parents bring their kid's lunch to school at lunchtime on their birthday...

Kara's choice... Long John Silver's fish and Cheetos.  Uncle Todd must be proud!

We told Kara that when she started kindergarten, she could have a birthday party with her friends.  We also said she could choose a trip to somewhere like Disneyland or Legoland.  And after much consideration, she chose to have a friend party. 

The morning of her birthday we are discussing what she should wear for her party and when I suggested a few things, Kara said, "I wear that to school.  I can't wear that to my party."  So after breakfast we went off in search of appropriate birthday party attire.  If this is happening at six, I can only imagine the teenage years!

Kara invited her friends to come and shop at Trinkets and Treasures, which according to Ben, is the best thing in "our little town".

 

All the kids seemed happy with their treasures and Kara loved playing cashier and ringing 'em up!

After pizza and cake and lots of spilled Skittles on the floor, we headed home having had our first successful kids' party.  Kara said it was the best birthday of her whole life... and seeing Jason's excitement when we walked in with balloons reminds me to savor every moment because every moment is precious.  And I gotta say, I love the birthday skirt.

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Today is Ben's 4th birthday, but we started celebrating a week early!  On Thanksgiving, after the turkey and stuffing, it has become tradition that we have birthday cake to celebrate with all of the family that's gathered for the holiday.  It has worked out pretty well because Ben and Kara feel like it's their birthday party!

Ben chose his own cake - both the cake flavor and the decoration.  So he ended up with a chocolate mint-flavored cake and some new cars to add to the collection.

We celebrated Ben's birthday at school with root beer floats, a favorite at our house.  Ben styled his own look, asking for his "dressy jacket" and his oversized sunglasses... 

And then it was Cattleman's for ribs...

and of course some birthday dessert.

The best gift that came from Ben's birthday was the gift that Ben gave to me... At school, after Ben did his Helper Of The Day duty of couting the days of the month and after the kids sang Happy Birthday to him, he said to his teacher, "I need to tell my mom something."  I put down my camera and said, "no, Ben, just finish up and we can talk later."  But he just looked at me across the room and said in front of his teachers and friends, "Mommy, I love you." 

How Fast They Grow...

Kara has Thanksgiving week off from school and since the rain stopped, we thought it was a good day to be outside.  Kara agreed to remove her training wheels... and shortly after, she was riding solo with a big smile!  She also learned to start peddling without help and make a turn, so Kara told us she is now ready for a big bike with handle brakes.

Ben was happy to show us that he's started to dribble... and with all the excitement over Kara's accomplishments, Ben would ask, "am I doing great, too?" 

Jason is eager to do everything that everyone else is doing... so he was also outside trying to figure out how he could climb on the bicycles.  He also likes the bounce pass.

I think the best part of our first day of vacation was when we asked Ben if he was going to preschool today, which was open and not closed for Thanksgiving yet.  Ben replied, "I like school, but I want to stay home with Kara because I don't want to miss out on being with my family." 

Happy Halloween!

Kara decided long ago that she wanted to be Wonder Woman, which I found interesting because she doesn't watch the Super Hero cartoons, so I figured she didn't really know the characters... but she knew enough to ask to also order the Lasso of Truth!

Ben decided that he wanted to be a rodeo cowboy.  Not just a regular cowboy, but a rodeo cowboy.  He was fixated on each piece of his costume... "Mommy, when are we going to get my cowboy belt" and right after it was purchased it was "Mommy, I need to get boots" and "How about the lasso?"  And when I finally thought we had it all, he asked for a vest.  Good thing Grandma was able to whip one up in a hurry.

Jason definitively told me that he wanted to be a turtle.  In fact, he demanded that he wear the same costume Ben wore a few years back.

He is the fastest little turtle I've ever seen...

Everyone had a great Halloween... Jason, very tired from all of his activity, went to bed early and since it's so quiet in the country, we don't get trick-or-treaters and he was able to sleep peacefully.  I took Kara and Ben trick-or-treating in the big city and they gathered enough candy to last them quite awhile and have already made a pile of candy for the Candy Fairy who trades candy for money to use at the dollar store!  It's a win-win Halloween!

Sneak Peek

Here is Kara's Halloween drawing... with the night sky, stars and a bat.  Any idea of what they're dressing up as for Halloween?  Stay tuned!

Pumpkin & Water Fun

We enjoyed Hillcrest Farms' Pumpkin Patch so much last year, we had to go back!  The kids loved riding the steam train, watching the mini trains and eating kettle corn.

Ben and Kara thought the corn was especially interesting and picked out the ones they felt were the most unique.

Jason liked walking the grounds, checking out the sights and people watching... Last year he was in the Baby Bjorn, but this year, there was no keeping him contained.

We tried to get pictures of all the kids together... but given Jason's lack of nap, it was just not happening.  But the big kids were happy to oblige.

After a nap and lunch, Jason was back!  We needed to spend a little time outside taking care of the yard, and the best way to keep Jason occupied is to turn on the hose...

Jason just stands there, getting all wet, but not seeming to mind at all.  And I guess he feels like if I'm on my own, well, I'll just get my own drink as well...

Soon all the kids decided water play was more fun that weeding and mowing the lawn.

And why didn't they mention that they left a cup out?  Much more practical, but much less fun.

Our Early Morning Sunday Practice

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday night, so it was a late bed time for everyone... but early Sunday morning, Kara comes into our room and says, "it's after 6:30, so can I go out and practice basketball?"  How could I say no?  You have to love the enthusiasm and dedication... even this early on a Sunday morning!

Soon after we got outside, everyone was up and wanted to join in.

Ben decided he'd rather not practice dribbling, shooting or passing.  Instead he opted for sweeping.  I love that he wants to keep things neat, but has he noticed that we are literally surrounded by dirt!  Job security.

Jason loves being outside and he always wants to be part of the gang... He's happy doing most anything outside, but he loves to be up high in Daddy's hands... I can almost grab rim!

Kara continues to exhibit her perfectionistic tendencies.  On Saturday, she was so frustrated that she could only bounce the ball three times in a row.  So she went out back with her Daddy and they worked on dribbling... Sho says, "you gotta come out and see this" and there was Kara, dribbling for like, 20 seconds.  Pretty impressive.  Of course I told her how proud I am that she worked so hard... and then I asked, "how about the left hand?" 

No matter how focused and determined, Kara can't resist putting the ball down to get a hug from her baby brother.

Interestingly enough, after morning practice we went to a church service and one of the members read the kids a great story, The Giant Hug.  So they learned about interdependence and interconnectedness... and that hugs are the best.  As are these three little ones.  Gotta love it.

Where Did September Go?

It's been a rather busy month, I guess... because I haven't taken many photos so I haven't updated this site in a long time!  What have we been doing...

On September 1st, we attended Taylor's wedding.  Taylor is the daughter of Jeff and Brenda, the couple whose house we currently rent.  Kara and Ben were very excited to go to the wedding and they were tickled to have sparking cider to toast with and drink.  Kara giggled every time the couple kissed.

We made sure to have Kara take a photo with Pricess Taylor.  Kara remembers exactly how many weddings she's been to and to this day, still calls our cousin's wife Princess Dinh.

During the second weekend of Septmeber, Sho played in a basketball tournament in Las Vegas.  We decided to skip the trip and we cheered Daddy on in spirit. 

That weekend was also Kara's first soccer game.  To make sure she felt well supported, the whole family dressed in orange and blue.  Sho thought it was a bit much, but Kara (and I) felt like it was good for solidarity.  And Kara scored a goal!!  Just to balance things out, she also started ballet class this month.

Ben likes to choose hit clothes in the morning and the other day he surprised us when he wanted very much to buy this blazer!  He got dressed, so excited to wear his jacket to school, but quickly decided it's still a little too hot for this outfit.  After I took this photo on my phone, he asked for his sunglasses... and we thought we were only going to have one fashionista in the house.



Can't forget Jason!  Jason decided that he no longer wants the high chair and that he should join everyone at the table.  He's eager to feed himself with a spoon and fork and with help, seems to get enough in to keep him happy.

When you tell Jason it's time to brush his teeth, he gets a big smile and runs to the bathroom.  When you say it's time to go, he goes and grabs one shoe so that you can help him get ready.  When I'm cutting fruit, he goes to the drawer, grabs a bowl and stands there waiting for his serving.  If he's hungry, he'll stand by his chiar or by the refrigerator.  He totally knows what's going on!

And we've heard "uh-oh" and "bah-bah" for bye-bye... and lots of screeching when there's something he wants to eat.

I've become an active Kindergarten mother... helping in the classroom, going to Parent Club meetings, volunteering to head committees... Kara is loving school and we're happy that she is happy.  Here's her first class picture.  Note the stance of our little princess. 

Even though it feels like we've been busy, I know this is just the beginning!  Let the fun begin :)

Back to School

On August 20th, Kara officially started school as a kindergartener!  She wanted to ride the bus, even though she's the first stop and has an almost forty minute ride.  On the first day, we followed the bus to school, just to make sure she was okay.  And every day since, she's been happy to ride the bus to and from school.

Friday was the annual back to school field trip to Roller Towne, which I haven't been to since I was in grade school.  Though Kara has never skated, she was a trooper and was out on the rink learning to skate.

Kara had fun hanging out with her new best buddy, Kiara.  Kara said, "it's like we're sisters, but I have straight hair and she has curly hair."  

Before Ben and the Reedley school district went back to school, we went to Storyland with the Arakawas.  I've told Kara that Andrea and I went to kindergarten together and have been friends since we were her age... It's wonderful to know that our kids will be able to say the same.. 

Today was Ben's first day back at school... he was eager to go back to see his friends and teachers.  He immediately ran to the fish tank and playground, his two faves.

Ben graduated to a new room with new teachers.  Some of his friends from last year are in his class again, so I know it will be a great year for Ben!

Jason had a graduation of sorts as well... he's now facing forward in the car!  He looks like such a big boy, especially when you look over your shoulder and see that big smile with those big teeth!

We Love Pajaro!

Sho and I remember vacations at Pajaro when we were little kids and it's so much fun to see our kids enjoying it too!  There's always something for them to do and at the same time, so relaxing...

In the morning, Kara and Ben wake up early and head out to the beach to look for little treasures.

We go for walks...

Kara continued with her hula-hooping and really came a long way in a couple of days.  She is definitely the best hula-hooper in the family... hands down.

The kids love just running in the waves.  And even though I ask them not to get wet when the water is so cold, it's way more fun to get wet!  

They play and build things in the sand.

They climb trees... even in flip flops.

We take a lot of pictures.  Thank goodness for digital cameras.



We practice our skills...

We take time for the simple joys in life...

And we just enjoy being together.  Can they just stay little forever?