Tying up 2014

That's it for 2014, all in all it has not been bad.

Notable events in our lives this past year:

Seahawks won the Superbowl.

Ryan came down with pneumonia in February.

March brings Spring and the realization that the kids will not be inside forever.

Kathryn tried her hand at cosmetology and cut her own hair.

Summer brought Ryan's transition from Kindergarten to 1st grade and Kathryn's very big move to Kindergarten.

Seaside in July

BIRTHDAY WEEK!

Seafair in August

Summer in Seattle is just plain fun.

September - SCHOOL STARTED!!

And then I swear, it's all a blur.  School started, I began to work more and life moved fast.

In November, Paul's AAA job said they wanted to part ways with him.  Paul happily said good-bye - although this meant unemployment again.

December - by late in the month Paul has found a job - hopefully a better one, he's better suited for. . .he starts January 12th.

And now here comes 2015  . . . .

 The weekend after Thanksgiving we stayed in downtown Seattle just for fun. They had a heated outdoor pool.  It was snowing at one point, freezing rain at another and the kids were swimming.  Loving every minute of it. 

 Ryan and 2 of his classmates all lost a front tooth in class on the same day!

 She's paid off! 

 When Kathryn was born, my health insurance only paid 80% of her birth.  Because Paul was unemployed at the time we asked for payment plan and just stayed on it all these years.  In December, my hospital stay, her birth and her hospital stay was officially paid off!  She's holding that last check!

Time for an honorable mention of our sweet kitty, Demeter.  She is 12 and a half as of January 2015.  Getting sweeter as the months go by.  

 Gingerbread house decorating.  

Ryan looking like he is about to say a blessing of sorts!

 Christmas Eve!  A great pic of my favorite people!

 Christmas morning.

 And finally, Christmas with Paul's family.

Here's a great one of Grandma and 3 of the grand-kids

 And all 4, piling on the grandparents

Gingerbread house decorating contest.

Everyone was a winner!

Traditionally at Ryan's school the 1st graders tell the teacher their own personal turkey recipe.

Here's Ryan's:

(illustrated by the daughter of Ryan's teacher)

The illustration cracks me up!  200 million degrees, eh Ryan?

Fall 2014

 2014 school pictures.  Ryan's school picture made me gasp when I compared it to last years....  my how they change in a year.

 This postcard was a surprise and an honor.  I got an email one day from the school's marketing manager asking my permission to use Kathryn's picture on a postcard that will be mailed out to local Shoreline home's promoting the school.  It has the kindergarten teachers mission statement on there and the flip side tells a little about the school. They chose a picture of Kathryn to be on there!

 

And the annual pumpkin carving.  A chore...err um tradition I let Dad take on each year.  The last picture shows Ryan right after he told me, "Enough pictures Mom, take some of Kathryn now!"  And oh my gosh it cracks me up!

 

 

 Ryan decided to be Spider Man again this year.  "It makes my muscles look BIG Mom."

He tried on a few other costumes, but Spider Man it was to be.

Kathryn was the cutest little frog, ever.  Ryan wore that same costume 3-4 years ago.

It was a rainy night. First real rainy night we've encountered since we've been trick or treating.  Didn't slow them down any, however.  They conquered the blocks.  There were not many children out in our neighborhood, so I think the neighbors were generous with handing out candy. Both kids came home with 100+ pieces.

 A few other fun things.  When Kathryn is older, I think she'll enjoy how she decorated her door when she was 5 years old.  It has her name, of course.  And then:

 "DANGER-KATHRYN-ROOM"

A few other random works of art down below.  These pictures will be long gone when she's older, I'm sure.  Hope she smiles when she reads this in 15 years.   : )

 This one is for you Ryan.

Your playroom, right?

I WISH!

It's our living room.  AKA Ryan's playroom.

Ryan, you spread out - all your belongings, seem to spread, everywhere in this house.  But mainly, the main living space because you like to play where the other people are.  This is what our living room looks like on a daily basis.  Once in a while we do a clean sweep and make it less hazardous to walk through. . . .

 But, all too soon, these toys will be gone too. . . and you'll move on to whatever you desire next.  For now, we'll enjoy this Jenga loving, Hot Wheel, Lego, construction vehicle fanatic boy for who you are.

 

 Ryan, this one is from you..... to me.  In 1st grade, your teacher Mrs. Faber was talking about giving.  And I believe your assignment was to write something down that you would like to give someone.  This piece of paper was found in your back pack.  I may lose the paper, but I will have this forever here on the blog and in my heart.  It says (although a little hard to decipher) "I would give a Snoopy to my mom." With your version of what Snoopy looks like and smile from Mrs. Faber.

Thanks Buddy - you know the way to Mom's heart.

2014-2015 School Year in full swing

It's a beautiful thing; one's children in full time school.  Actually, truth be told... the 1st week I felt like I was missing or forgetting something.  The second week I made up for lost time and cleaned the house from top to bottom.  That's an amazing feeling to have that done!  By the third week, I missed the kids.  Some sadness kicked in that my babies would forever be school age, slowly moving away from wanting and needing Mom next to their side.  All being the correct, healthy progression of childhood/parenting.  It sure is bittersweet.
The morning of the 1st day of school, Kathryn was so excited.  She was telling me where to take her pictures.  She wanted the picture in front of the door, she wanted the picture out by the flowers. She wanted the picture of her jumping.... etc.  As if she has rehearsed this in her head many times.  Transition to Kindergarten has gone very smoothly for her.  We've dealt with a little after school and weekend fatigue. Possibly using all her good graces at school, that the melt down ensues at home.  But that's ok.  I'm told she's doing well and she seems very content.

 

Mom gets ONE second to get the picture, because this is what happens in the next second.  I think I like this picture as much as the other one!

Three days before school started, Ryan had a momentous occasion. 

 The first lost tooth.

 When it first became loose, he was petrified and wouldn't touch it or let anyone look at it.  It was barely hanging on and then popped out one evening as he was watching TV.  The tooth-fairy made an appearance.... Ryan decided to tape his tooth to the head board because one never knows where his pillow will end up during the night.  The tooth-fairy followed suit and also taped the money to the head board.  The going rate in this house is a 50 cent piece plus a dollar for the first tooth.  One dollar for each tooth there after.  Ryan has since lost another tooth which came out before it was due, all because he thought it was his time to be on the tooth chart in the 1st grade classroom! 

Ryan has also smoothly transitioned into 1st grade.  His reading is slowly coming along. His math skills and desire to do math are still his favorite.  This past weekend he brought home Snibbles, the 1st grade hamster.  Much excitement around this little creature.

Lastly, a few random pictures I want to include. The first being a picture of the neighborhood gang.  There are 6 kids all 7 yrs and under... 3 boys, 3 girls.  Quite the crew.  Ryan, Kathryn, Cooper, his sister Mira, Allison and her brother Nathan.

And a few misc. pictures.
Ryan & Mom selfie
A road side lemonade stand
Kathryn the tiger
And Kathryn just being my beautiful 5 year old Kathryn

Annual (at least I hope I remember to make this a tradition) recap per the kids

RYAN

"What were your favorites while you were 6 years old?'

Food: spaghetti, fried rice and sushi

Vegetable: Grandma Soon's cucumbers

Fruit: Apple (I can attest - he eats MANY of them)

Color: Red

Outdoor Activity: Riding my bicycle

TV show: Octonauts (also Wild Kratts and Survivor. . . but he didn't mention them)

Person: Daddy

Toy: Hotwheels, Jenga game (used more as barriers, roads, ramps etc.  I don't think we have ever actually played the game!)

Animal: our kitty (Demeter)

Dessert: all candy

Game: Ninga turtles

Place: Arcade

Sport: Baseball

Flower: all flowers

Movie: The Lego Movie 

Best part about being 6 years old: Kindergarten & playing with Cooper

Worst part about being 6 years old: Listening to Kathryn sing Frozen (from the Disney movie, Frozen) ALL THE TIME!    (yes indeed she did - and when Ryan said that, I totally cracked up!)

KATHRYN

"What were your favorites while you were 4 years old?"

Color: Blue, pink & purple

Food: Sushi

Dessert: Cotton Candy

TV show: Cinderella

Outdoor Activity: see saw

Animal: bunny

Toy: "Lucy" - stuffed tan colored puppy

Person: Mama

Vegetable: Carrot

Game: Count your Chickens

Flower: Rose

Fruit: Pineapple

Place: Arcade

Sport: "Seahawks!"

Movie: Frozen

Best part about being 4 years old: Going to the YMCA

Worse part about being 4 years old: Ryan fighting with me (hahaha, yes that does happen.  Daily, hourly, sometimes it seems like every 5 minutes someone is yelling about someone else).

Birthday Week

As usual, it's a whirlwind.  Ryan's birthday fell on a Saturday - we had the family BBQ that day. Great weather, great people.  Much fun indeed.

The cousins on the Lewis side!

3 of the 4 generations.

My 7 year old : )

Kennedy side  : )

This year was Kathryn's turn for the birthday party with her friends.  

We held it in our backyard.

There were 4 boys and 2 girls - making a girly theme difficult so we threw out the theme idea and got creative.

First was a bug hunt.  Hid little plastic bugs all over the back yard and it was a success with the kids.  Everyone got a basket and a net to help catch those creepy crawlers.

Next was pin the horn on the unicorn.  Total crack up and a throw back to party games when Mom was a kid - although we only had a silly old donkey to pin a tail on.

Lastly a pinata. . . My Little Pony pinata - Pinkie Pie I think was the name.

Kathryn's cake as a mild disaster, but Kathryn never knew it.  The back started to collapse due to the frosting I used.  But the front looked presentable.  When Kathryn saw the tiara on top she had a very genuine, sweet reaction.  "That's for me?"  Melted my heart and made all the work put in to that cake completely worth it.

Kathryn, Kathryn Kathryn.  

You are one tough nut.

Wise beyond your years in lots of ways.

You and I - we butt heads. A LOT.

You're passionate, emotional, exceptionally generous and very bright.

You are going to grow in to a wonderful, strong, capable woman.

In the meantime, you and I are going to constantly readjust how we respond, cope and deal with each other.

I love you down to my core. 

 Your beauty stuns me.

You're a gift in my life - thank you my sweet one.

Happy 5th Birthday Kathryn

Love, your Mama