Caleb's 4th Birthday

Caleb wanted a Dinosaur Party for his 4th Birthday. So I did some research online and fell in love with DIY at home parties for kids. Some of their stuff I used and other stuff I made up on my own.

When all 12 kids arrived I had set up a table outside so they could color and eat snacks.

Next, I had made plaster of paris dinosaur bones by filling some sand toys and then burying the bones in the sand box. They could only dig up the bones using little paint brushes, like archeologists.

After they un-buried the bones, we brought them on the grass and they had to assemble them into the 2 different t-rexs.

Next, they all got dinosaur masks and gave their loudest roars for a photo op. After that, most didn't want to take off their masks.

Next, the dinosaur pinata, that sucker was hard to break. After all the kids, it took Brandon a few swings to open.

Presents


Caleb was so happy during his party.

We sang Happy Birthday

This is the "Sweetivore" Table, aka the dessert table, there was also a "Carnivore" table, aka lunch table and an "herbivore" table, aka snack table.

Of course Jacob got to attend the party!

Caleb's Preschool Graduation June 2011

Caleb & McKenna attend Children's Park Learning center since September 2010. They love it there and seem to learn lots.

June 2011, Caleb graduated from the 3's class. This is his 3's class.

His teacher Miss Tia giving him his diploma

Kenna attended and got to play with her best little buddy Mazzin during the graduation. One of Mazzin's first words was Nenna for Kenna.

This is Caleb's best buddy Will. They act alike, sometimes it's almost scary how much they act the same.

Kenna wanted to graduate too.

Congrats Caleb

Late spring 2011

We try and spend as much time as we can outside as soon as possible, but that is not always the case in Oregon.

We had a warm day and decided to bring out the baby pool that was obviously too tiny for Caleb, but he loved it.

At pre-school one day, all the kids in Caleb's class dressed up for a tea party at school.

Kenna & Caleb getting to play outside, she was feeling a little better this day.

We got out the bikes to play, they love riding up and down the street.

Kenna & Caleb wanting to help us prune trees and clean up the backyard in the spring. It mostly involved them chasing a ball and pulling pruned branches around the yard.

Illness

We spent most of the winter and spring of 2011 in and out of the hospital with McKenna. She had numerous colds that turned into infections. Ear, sinus, tonsil and intestinal infections. Bronchitis, even some pheumonia. There was another thing, she wasn't talking at all, no response. We couldn't figure out why. I pressed and pressed to have them figure out what was going on. Finally they did, the result, she couldn't hear us, from all the ear infections she had scarring and fluid in her middle ear. After hearing tests and a consult with an ENT at OHSU/Doernbecher. They decided she needed tubes and her adnoids out. In May 2011 she had the outpatient surgery. We were so greatful all went well. From there, her speech began to improve dramatically. She was a totally different girl and best of all, she was no longer ill.

What a helpless feeling it is to watch your child be so sick and feel there is not much you can do, but keep them comfortable. I learned what it is to be an advocate to get her into the right doctors and best surgeons I could find to get her as well as possible as soon as possible. I am so greatful she is so healthy now and so full of energy.

Easter

For Easter my parents came over and we had an egg hunt at the house and I attempted to decorate cupcakes. I made "grass" with a pastry tip and put little bunnies on them, I also tried to make little bunny faces too.

The beginning of the easter egg hunt. Caleb got right on it and starting collecting eggs.

McKenna didn't get it at first, but when we picked up an egg and opened to show her there was candy inside, it clicked. She picked up as many eggs as possible opened them and stuffed the candy in her mouth as quickly as possibly and then moved on to more eggs. She had a blast.

Tulip Festival

Each year in April there is a Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR. I love the flowers and was excited to take some pictures of the kids. I imagined them coming out stunning and the kids wanting to cooperate. I was so off, the kids wanted to do anything but have their picture taken. Nevertheless, it was beautiful there and the kids had fun.

The only picture she stood still for

Once she found the slide, she was so happy and wouldn't leave.