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

Seaside 2014

 Oh Seaside.... it was fun.  The ocean never disappoints.

Weather was as good as we can hope for - typical July beach weather in the NW.  One day was very sunny and warm.  The kids priorities this year:

1) Jumping waves.

  This would last about 45 minutes, then the shivering would kick in.  Blue lips and the desire for a hot shower.  Past years, playing in the sand took top priority.  Those kids are growing up....

2) The arcade.

Ryan had a distinct memory of last year that consisted of winning at games and redeeming tickets for prizes aka candy.

3) Tilt-a-whirl and bumper cars.

Sorry kids, you have old parents. Once upon a time I would have taken you on the tilt-a-whirl repeatedly because I love it.  Sadly, I can only tolerate it once (and that's pushing it!) and don't dare go again.

Same goes for the bumper cars.

4) Beach food.  

Ice cream, candy etc etc.

Enter in candy hangover on the ride home from Seaside.  

Ryan moaned all the way home that his stomach hurt.

 Jammies on the beach.  

Hoping to find whole sand dollars, we took off for the beach about 7:30 in the morning.

 We hit the Seaside Aquarium for the first time.  

Small place, but quite entertaining for the kids... especially the seal feeding.  These guys had all kinds of antics to get the fish thrown to them.