King Cole turns 7!

What a great week it was! It was fun seeing the contrast in Kate and Cole's ages, even though they are just 2 years apart they are at such different stages and I was reminded of that during Cole's party. Kate had her cute friends over and each game and surprise I had planned was exciting and fun, then Cole had only 4 friends over, all 7 year old boys, and they were all over the place. Rowdy and loud and not super interested in structured games, just wanted to joke around and be obnoxious with each other :) So I let Cole decide what he wanted to do and it was a fun party, just so different from Kate's. Cole is at a stage where he wants to make us happy and proud, but also look cool in front of his friends and I really was hoping that wouldn't kick in till later. But I am so proud of him and the great things he does. 

Cole loves to create and imagine, he has an extremely active imagination and can come up with whole worlds and plans around a single Lego set. He wants to design Lego sets or toys when he gets older, he's always amazed at how they came up with the pieces to fit exactly where they need to go. He also wants to work at 7-11 like his daddy because he's heard you get free slurpees if you do that, so we'll see what he settles on. He is technologically proficient (aren't most kids these days? So crazy) and very interested in anything with gears, a motor, or magnetic. He likes knowing how things work. He eats a lot and isn't too picky. He is passionate about fairness and possessions and can lose his temper pretty quickly. We are trying hard to teach him positive ways to handle his angry feelings and he'll head out to the punching bag hanging in the garage if he gets really fired up. He is a terrific reader with a great vocabulary, mostly interested in Lego Ninjago or superhero/Avengers type books. He loves a good garage sale and is always looking out for new signs on our routes around town. He is amazing at math (he added up two items at the store quicker than me a couple days ago, not that I'm super quick at math but they were more difficult adding) and loves science. He has lost 3 teeth, 2 bottom 1 top. He is doing a great job of taking care of his guppy and likes to have bigger responsibilities on his own. He has a strong foundational testimony and has learned how to teach a lesson during family time which I love. This boy will always be my first baby, the one who opened my eyes to motherhood and the blessings of children. I love him so much and feel proud of all he will accomplish!

Before birthday pics though, here are a few from earlier...

I just love how she's holding this baby here, like a champ. 

On a particularly busy errand day, we splurged and did lunch at Costco. Of course, we had just gotten our food and sat down when Kate has to go to the restroom which is a big to-do at this point, because Costco was so busy, everyone was looking for an open table, and we just had gotten settled here with our food. It wasn't so simple to just leave and an older lady sitting next to us noticed my worrying about trying to get Kate to make it till after and offered to stay at our table with Lucy while I took these two to the potty. After making a quick judgment call (she reassured me she was a grandma and seemed very sweet), I left her playing with Lucy at our table. As I hurried into the bathroom, I realized I had taken my purse but left my youngest child. :/ We hurried back and the sweet lady had Lucy laughing and was very grateful for the chance to help me out and play with such a cute baby as she put it :) There are a lot of good people in this world! I'm thankful for those that help moms like me out.

She loves her bumbo!! Feels so big and likes being right in the action!

Last day of preschool 2015. This was a great year and Kate grew a ton. I loved doing it with Bert and Chase and their talented moms. I'm looking forward to starting with Luke one on one this year when Cole and Kate go to school in the fall.

This guy was making me laugh this day at the park. He still will come up and snuggle on my lap when he gets tired of running around, this day he curled up by my feet and then tried to get up a couple times but his head was too heavy to lift (this is a common problem for him from a laying down position). So he just chilled for a while. Every now and then he'd try to pick his head up and just flop right back down.

Cole earned his guppies from school! He had an amazing 2 weeks of great behavior and I picked him and our new pets up from school last week. We lost the smaller one within a few days :( But the bigger guy is going strong. He does a great job of taking care of him, cleaning out his home, and whatever else I ask. This was the first night he made the cute sign, Sorry, we're closed.

What a goofball! He decided to stand off to the side with a weird face for his baseball team picture this year. At least his individual shot was awesome.

Got a mini pot garden (not that kind of pot, planters pots) (I guess it is Oregon...) on the back porch with some strawberries, basil, and cilantro growin. I used the cilantro for dinner tonight and basil in dinner a couple nights ago, it's been fun!

This cracked me up, Kate set it up then called for me to come see. Too cute.

This is my view almost every other morning. I run on the treadmill and try hard to finish up before the kiddos are up, but sometimes they get up early and just hang out on the steps till I'm done, waiting for their turn to run for 2 min each. I should teach them to cheer for me so waiting is somewhat productive for them.

Luke found this salamander on our front porch! Cool.

We had car cousin Eva over one Saturday morning. She was a blast and fit right in with the others.

Luke took a couple cool pics one day without me knowing...

Happy kids!

Ok Cole's bday! Breakfast in bed was: bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and mangoes. Oh and chocolate milk. He got super spoiled this day.

New bike! Sweet!

Cool new Lego set.

Checked on Lucy and she was like this one day. What a dream baby. Getting sooo big!

Caught these two together, sweetest thing.

Saying goodbye to Hershey, grandma Lisa's dog that died of cancer. She was a great dog and I'll miss her coming out to greet me when I pull up, or hang around the table outside during dinner hoping something would fall.

Kate spontaneously reading to Luke. Oh my goodness...We sure love our books around here!

I took some treats in for Cole's class his bd week. They played heads up 7 up! love that game.

We recently found this cowboy shirt (used to be Tyler's) and he has requested to wear it for a couple days in a row. His get-up to costco this week was hat, shirt, socks and cowboy boots, and linen shorts. Looked awesome.

Cole being catcher at his last game.

 Dutch bros free birthday drink! We kept him home from school birthday morning and went for a ride with his new bike. So fun.

The party crew.

Luke wanted this all on yesterday! He always entertains!

Now it's your turn Luke! Birthday is 8 days away. It's hard sometimes being the youngest and waiting your turn. I think we're set for a superhero party with a couple of friends. Then on TO UTAH!!! I want to be there NOW! :)

Kate the Great turns 5!

Well my baby girl is now 5.

I thought I'd share a little about what makes Kate so special. She is so unique and I've said it before, but she really is everything I ever dreamed of having in a daughter. She hops up on huge horses and trots them around round pens with no fear. She wrestles and plays rough and can take a hit or a fall much better than my two boys can. She also holds tea parties in which every individual cup or saucer gets put away exactly where it belongs in the original packaging. She has an adorable baby voice when she speaks to Lucy. Taking after her mom and Aunt Jessica, she LOVES books and stationary, post-its, journals, and just paper and pens in general :) She also loves bags and carrying things around, she likes to be prepared with sunglasses or a snack anywhere she goes. She is reading at a 2nd grade level but still comprehending at a 1st grade. She is great at trilling her "r"s. She remembers things very well and can repeat events with great detail (for example, when asked what she learned in her church class, she responds with "We talked about the Joseph Smith story and how he went into the sacred grove on a sunny spring morning...etc etc.) She is sassy and can throw a sharp attitude when she's feeling like it. She loves princesses and pink. She has great body control and is a good gymnast. She can make loud annoying sounds. She is the biggest sweet tooth in the family and would eat junk food all day if I let her. She loves to paint and do crafty things. She likes to talk on her pretend phone. She is determined and beautiful and I just feel like the world is hers for the taking, whatever she wants she can make it happen.

So my week was mostly spent planning a 5 year old birthday party, but I also had time to run up to Camp Alpine and dig up a few amazing Oregon ferns with my sweet Sandy. Sandy was there at the hospital when Tyler was born and (along with her husband Chuck) has been close friends with his family for many years. This lady is one of those women that you wish would just keep talking and never stop, just everything that comes from her is wise and kind and uplifting and I would just love to sit at her feet and have her teach me everything she knows. Heavenly Father has blessed me with women like this throughout my life, the most consistent and most influential being my mom, but also special women like Sandy and several others (usually older to much older than me) that have really shaped me. I'm so grateful for righteous examples that keep me headed in the right direction.

Anyway we went out in the beautiful Oregon forest and went home with a boxload of sword fern that I've planted around my yard. It felt like a very local thing to do and I loved it.

Just hanging out at the park as a family watching Cole practice. Was a happy night. Love having Tyler around during this time of day, although the trade off (in bed by 7-8 pm) is pretty stinky.

Here's Cole and his adopted brother Tye whom we get to watch every day after school. Tye had finally lost a front top tooth and they both looked so cute.

Lucy's cheeks are growing, as well as the rest of her. She is so wonderful! Still happy and content and observant. Her eyes are starting to get lighter...we just may have a blue or green eyed Petersen baby!

Kate's big day! She asked for breakfast in bed - muffins and OJ and berries. Of course the others want to eat in bed too.

Opening presents during the party!

Luke dressed up for kids to arrive :)

Reading a new princess book to the car cousins.

This was a special day, we headed to the coast with another young family in our ward the Domans. It ended up being a beautiful day weather wise and it's totally one of my happy places in the world - to sit on the beach and watch my kids spend hour after hour running, digging, getting wet, exploring, jumping off dunes, searching for shells, flying kites, eating food, and just enjoying this blessing of being so close to the ocean. We spent about 5 hours here this day and the kids could have done another 1-2 easy.

It was a perfect breeze for kite flying! No that is not a terrorist that is my husband.

Happy Luke.

 Kate and Chase, best buds. They do preschool together so they get to hang out a lot.

Cole was really proud of his castle, each time we go it gets more and more intricate and creative.

 Lucy hanging out in the shade.

The last best part of this week was Cole's end of year music performance. His music teacher has been taking the kids on a tour around the world and teaching them songs in 6 different languages, they performed them with dancers and speaking parts and it was wonderful. I was proud of him singing and being respectful and not goofy which he sometimes gets. He is working hard on his behavior to earn one of the class guppies that are being adopted out, next week we just may have our first pet as a Petersen family!

Oh yes one more, Tyler taking the kiddos for a little spin down the lane after getting back from a Memorial Day ride. :)

Busy life, happy wife

I can't believe how extra busy our life got these past few weeks! There's normal busy, and then there's feels like Im running around crazy busy, and that's been May for us. We have something almost every night (baseball) after an early dinner then church responsibilities have been a lot more demanding, which I don't mind but just takes more planning. I completely love my calling but now I'm getting more involved in Cubscouts which is opening up this whole new world. Plus being more active on the Parent Group at Laurel, Cole's school. Plus less husband help with his new hours, we get him usually around 4-7 pm every day. But I am SO GRATEFUL for it all! This is totally what I signed up for. And if I ever start wishing Tyler was home more, I just think about the moms that have husbands serving in the military that not only have their husbands/dads gone for months and years at a time, but have to worry about if they'll even come home. That gets me back to a good attitude every time. 

Lucy will be 4 months old this week! She's still growing like a weed, being a great eater and sleeper. She has started grasping things and even slowly reaching out towards things that interest her. Here's the first time she was touching the rings on her play mat. As you can see she's still working on hair :)

Kate had a special day last week, Kindergarten Kick-off. She'd been looking forward to it for weeks and was just perma-grin all day, it was so adorable. We went to her school and she got to spend time in one of the kindergarten classes reading a book and working on a calendar while parents heard about different programs at the school. Then we got to go on a bus ride together around the neighborhood and learned about bus rules. This smile perfectly sums up how excited she is to be going to school finally! Another cool thing, this totem pole in the front of her school was a project Tyler worked on when he was in elementary school!

All three kids love working on projects while they use the potty; usually reading books, drawing a picture, or working on a lego project. But this was the first time that someone worked on a sewing project while in the bathroom! It cracked me up.

Another fun thing for Kate and Cole was going to the dentist, they LOVE it. Mostly the cool prize at the end, but hey whatever works.

Cole had a fun dress up like an adult day at school, he borrowed daddy's old Costco Tire Center shirt.

Looking forward to KATE'S BIRTHDAY this week!