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 :)