Happy Birthday, Grandpa Bud!

Dear Grandpa,

For your birthday this year we made you some cards (which hopefully we got mailed off in time).

We both put a lot of effort into them.

Seth worked hard on drawing, painting, and stamping for you.

I drew you a lovely blue tornado.

But part of my card was what you'd call "four dimensional":

I worked very hard on getting the details just right for you: 

I was also very thorough--not even the inside of my mouth went unnoticed: 

We love you have hope you have the best birthday ever!  Wish we could be there to party with you!

Love, Catherine

A Little Bit of Seth

First day of Miss Katie's Preschool

I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of sending Seth away to preschool.  I really liked the idea of a Joy School-type preschool where each mom teaches (although let me say right now that I HATED the Joy School curriculum.  Don't waste your money).  But apparently I was the only mom who felt like that--everyone else signed their kids up at various preschools.  So when I found out that all three of his Joy School friends from last year had signed up at an obscenely cheap preschool run by a former kindergarten teacher in another ward, I relented.

I opted to only send him two days a week, so he's getting all of four hours of preschool each week.  (Actually, he hasn't even been to a full week because we keep getting terrible viruses).  But he gets to see his friends and get out of the house.  

On the other days, we do 'school' together.  I'm trying to get myself ready to start 'officially' homeschooling next year, so this year is our trial run.  So far it's been a blast!  Seriously--I don't know why more people don't homeschool during the early years.  There are so many fun activities to help them learn, plus you only have to do it for about an hour a day.  

Seth seems to like preschool, but he would prefer to be at home (and I prefer him at home, too).  But hopefully preschool will help with some social things--like staying in his chair during Primary!

His official stats at age 4 (plus a couple months) are 40.75 inches and 33 lbs. Which means he's grown 3 inches and gained...nothing, according to the doctor.  But she didn't seem concerned, so I'm not either.

Right now he LOVES Legos and playdough.  I also cut out some cars and shapes out craft foam for the tub, and yesterday had to drag him out after 90 minutes.  The Kindle is also a big hit most days--he loves all games with cars, but is also drawn to Jon's strategy games (even if they're WAY over his head).  

He's great at anything with numbers, including simple addition and subtraction.  He's also a pretty good reader, though he doesn't usually enjoy it.  And he's actually a pretty good writer too--provided I do it right. Paper and pens?  Not a chance.  Q-tip and paint? Awesome!  Writing letters on Mom's back? Absolutely.  I love seeing what he enjoys doing.  And I love that he loves doing 'school' with me!

That one time...

...we went to the beach with 20 mph winds:

Let's just say we were desperate--this was our third attempt to get to the beach this year,

and all had been foiled by bad weather.  We were determined.

Just so you know, that is not a good idea.  

You think sand gets everywhere when you go to the beach?

Add wind and it seriously does get EVERYWHERE.  

My diaper bag and purse looked like I dumped a cup of sand inside.

But if we stayed by the water, where the sand was wet, it was a lovely day: 

Seth was in absolute heaven, especially when Daddy built him towers for the water to destroy: 

(the sand in Atlantic City is nasty and black, FYI)

Our family had a blast.

The Oliveras (who came with us) didn't do so well--turns out Emma was coming down with RSV and had a fever (don't worry--Seth, Catherine & I all got it a few days later).  So not much fun for them.

Oh, and did I mention the part where I didn't put sunscreen on anyone because I knew it would just attract blowing sand?  Genius, I tell you.  Luckily Jon, Seth & I kept shirts on, and Catherine somehow won the genetic lottery with naturally tanning skin.  Still--all four of us had some uncomfortable days after we got home.  Not making that mistake again.

Our first and last beach trip of the year--success?

A Little Bit of Both

A brother/sister duet on my keyboard:

(they love finding the weirdest sounds possible)

One last day in the pool before the cooler weather hit: 

A little bit of playdough during our self-imposed quarantine with RSV (notice Catherine's nose): 

(Seth will play for HOURS and still be upset when we eventually make him clean up)

And a little bit of cookie thievery: 

Yes, she dragged that chair over all by herself.

And don't be fooled by Seth's innocent face and bowl of strawberries--he snagged at LEAST five cookies.

Being tall has its advantages.

A Little Bit of Catherine

First of all, some official stats:

*at 18.5 months, Catherine was 19lbs. 9 oz.  Couldn't quite break that 20 pound barrier!

*the official measurement was 32.5 inches tall, but Jon & I are EXTREMELY skeptical.  That would put her at only 8 inches shorter than Seth's official measurement, when they're clearly at least a foot apart in height.

Plus she was throwing a royal fit when they measured her, so accuracy was not the greatest.

It's been a busy month for Catherine.  She's survived both RSV and Hand, Foot & Mouth disease (lovely, huh?).  She's also talking up a storm, adding new words every day.  We even got her first sentence: "Hi, Seth!"  New favorite words are "beh" (bug or bear) and "ah duh" (all done).  Still working on "please"--she doesn't see the need to use it.

And then there's the cheeseball grin:

(while emptying my wallet at Goodwill)

(while emptying my wallet outside a local bakery)

(pretty much anytime she sees the camera)

Her new love is stuffed animals.  We had two bears on shelves in her room, but not anymore!

Now they are constantly being dragged around the house:

Yes, it's probably bigger than she is.

This was my favorite:

That's my Frosty the Snowman--my stuffed animal I slept with my entire life (seriously--until I had Seth).

Sure, she might call him "Boo" because she thinks he's a ghost, but still.  So cute!

Kisses for "Boo".

In other news, with the cooler weather, we pulled out her long pants.

Guess what?  She still fits in the pants she wore last winter. 

At least it's been 6 months so I'm not sick of them like I am her summer outfits!