Luke's 5th Birthday Party

Luke had such a wonderful time at his 5th Birthday Party. He chose to have an an Angry Birds party theme and he wanted his party at jump Planet. There were about 30 kids there and it seemed that they all had fun. (It is hard not to at Jump Planet) I made Angry Bird cupcakes and they were so exciting for Luke and the kids. The best gift of all was having our cousins, Paige and Chase there and Auntie Jen and Uncle Chris and all of our wonderful friends!!

My Little Swimmers

We are going to the Ocean soon so we wanted to get the kids in the pool and swimming since they are pretty scared of the water.  Luke Amazed me with how quickly he went to the instructor and he did everything his instructor asked of him.  He never would of warmed up that easily 6 months ago.  Ava had a really tough time with it.  She was so scared of the water.... but I didn't realize how scared she was. I grew up with a pool in my backyard and we have always belonged to an outdoor pool in the summer but it is not like that in the PacNW.  Not only that but it is hard to take all 3 kiddos to the pool at the same time since they are so close in age and need me constantly. Anyway, we have many more lessons before we go so maybe I will have 1 of 2 kiddos swimming soon :)

House Update after 1st Month

We are a on a holding pattern as we wait for the permits to get approved to start the construction phase of building.  Apparently the city of Bothell is pretty slow to get things going.  Right now we are on target for construction to start in late April or May.  The kids get so excited each time we drive by the lot.  As for the interior, we have chosen most of details.  Our deco appointment lasted 8 hours!  We were pretty exhausted by the end but it was fun to pick out every detail. 

The first month of having our home on the market was ok.  We have had one or two people that made it sound like it was a serious consideration.  We have not had any offers and may not until we lower the price. We will see how the next few months go...  Not including neighbors looking in our house, we have had 13 people come through in about 1 months time.

Passports!

We have been wanting to get our passports for a while now.  When Steve won (earned) a salestrip to the Bahamas we were forced to go get them :)  Our pictures were taken this weekend at Rite Aid and we are going to apply for them this afternoon.  Hopefully our trip will be booked today as well.  Bahamas, here we come!!!

Bellies!

We had so much fun the other night blowing raspberries on tummies.  The kids laughed so hard and so did Steve and I!  Ava has a cold and her nose is running, hence the band-aid on her nose.  Amazing how band-aids make EVERYTHING feel better!

Luke and Sydney :)

One of Luke's favorite things to do is make his "bainy" laugh.  This time he set up the ipad on the floor and turned on this skateboarding game and he and Sydney just sat there and laughed while they watched the stick figure guy crash.  These two have such a special bond. He protects and watches out for Sydney and Ava is best bud.

Luke's new bike

Luke was finally ready to get a bike.  He has just not been interested in it until now and his balance bike is too small for him.  He picked out the fastest bike in the store and all he wants to do is ride it!  He is riding it like a pro.  He and Ava like to race up and down the street.

ALMOST 5!!!!

Where has the time gone?  Luke is turning 5 next month.  We just ordered all of his party gear and his cousins, Auntie Jen and Uncle Chris are coming for his big bash!  Next month we start talking to his teachers about what Kindergarten program he will transition into.  So far, I like what see of what the "5's" are going to be like.  Luke has gained a lot of maturity the last month and I can rely on him to get dressed in the morning if I ask him enough times.  He has started earning money.  He is very money hungry to buy toys.  He will clean up his room without me even asking if he want's to earn a dime or a couple pennies.  I dread the day he realizes what a penny is even worth....  Lately he and Sydney have been battling it out for the "good kid award."  They don't even know what this is but Steve and I have realized on a daily basis that one kid inevitably stands out from the others and we congratulate whoever it is by telling them what great behavior they had for the day and we shower them in kisses.

Ahh, the many faces of Luke....  Funny how many emotions a kid can have in the time period of 3 minutes.

Goofy Luke...

Sweet and Happy Luke...

Sad Luke...



Sydney's 1st Haircut

Sydney had her first haircut last Wednesday, February 8th.  I barely took any length off, just evened it out.  She looks super cute with her new little bob!

19 months and counting...

Sydney Bean is 19 months and she has made some developmental leaps after getting over her recent ear infections.  Verbally she is still pretty much yelling "Moe" all the time as she points and tries to tell me what she wants but she is walking all over the place without falling.  She understands about 85% of what I am saying and follows most of my commands.  We are working on body parts.  She is a very advanced eater :)  She can hold her sandwich correctly and eat the whole darn thing!  She is very social and is playing with her siblings quite a bit. 

Almost there....

What better way to celebrate successful potty training than with mini drumstick cones!  Ava has been camping out on her little toilet when she feels the need to go.  Luke wasn't into his little potty much and neither was Ava until she learned it was eaier to go #2 while she relaxed and watched her favorite shows.  It is still a work in progress.... but at least there is some PROGRESS these days.  We still have a ways to go but we will be there soon.  The best motivator to get Ava to wear her undies or use the potty is to tell her that Baby Sydney is doing it too or wearing undies.  Ahhhh...the sibling rivalry begins!

I love february

Every year we have one week of 60 degree sunshine giving us hope of Spring.  Let's hope we have a sunny spring this year. 

So proud of my girl....

Ava has been writing her name for a few months but she has really perfected it lately.  So proud of her!

Sold sign

It's official when you drive by...

Our new house by Luke Lass

The day is never stopped snowing!

We have been snowed in all week, with the exception of one trip to Target when it let up.  Last week we were in the whole week because the girls were sick. This week Luke is battling a cold but has gone outside despite it. Yesterday we made cookies, watched TV, played in the snow and made forts.  It never stopped snowing the whole day!  It's been fun.  The snow will probably be melting today and tomorrow as the temperatures rise again.  I will miss the pretty trees covered in snow outside out my window. 

My Snowbunny's first time in the snow!

Sydney has been feeling better so she wanted to go outside! I took her out for 20 minutes and she got to watch her brother, sister and Daddy go sledding down the big hill in the neighborhood.  I took a couple pictures of her with Daddy's camera. 

Snow days all week!!!

We had snow days every day this week.  It has been so much fun.  My little snow monsters played outside today while Sydney napped.  We built an igloo, thre snowballs and went sledding with the neighbors.

Final Elevation of the House

We changed a couple things on the exterior.  We added stone to the garage and changed the type of pole and came to agreement with the builder.  Can't wait for the next steps!  Our house goes on the market this week. 

First Snow of the Winter!!!

We woke up to snow this morning, it was so exciting.  I know I say it every year but the size of the snowflakes that fall in Seattle are the biggest I have ever seen.  The snow was pretty wet so I didn't get to take a lot of shots.  Luke and I played outside for a couple hours.  He built 2 mini snowmen and I was quite impressed.  They both tried out Jacob's sled and loved it.  When we came in we had hot cocoa!

My sick babies :(

We had a rough week, illness wise.  Ava had a fever for about 5 days straight starting last Saturday.  She wasn't getting much better so I took her and Sydney back to the doctor on Friday... we were there on Monday too.  Sydney had a sleepless night, it seemed her cough was getting worse and she was very irritable.  I could not put her down, she just wanted to be held and would through her body back and crash her head to floor if I left her.  Turns out she has pneumonia, a ruptured ear drum and ear infection.  Ava has an ear infection and her lungs sound junky but he did not diagnose her with pneumonia.  The both of them were given antibiotics.  Friday night was the hardest night I have ever had as a Mom.  Sydney refused to sleep so I was up with her the WHOLE night besides a couple hours in the early morning.  I was delirious and so was she.  I took her back in yesterday morning and got some codeine for the pain.  That seemed to do the trick... the Advil I was giving her every 6 hours just wasn't cutting it.  Ava seems to be doing better so hopefully we can get back to our daily routine and actually leave the house this week.  I hate it when my babies are sick.  I feel so helpless.

Elevation of the new house!

We just got the elevation of our new house and we are very happy with it.  In 3 weeks, we will pick out the exterior materials including stone, siding and shingles and all of the interior options.  We will also get the closing date and construction dates.  The kids are just as excited as we are about this whole process.  Our house goes up for sale this weekend.

To be continued.... 

Well Child Visits ~ Ava and Sydney

I always love to get the kids growth and stats of their size at their well child visits.  Since the girls are almost exactly a year and a half apart, I have Ava's 3 year stats and Sydney's 18 month stats.

Starting at the age of 3, they are now giving the child's BMI and a percentile for that number as well.  Ava measured in at 38 1/4" (75th%) and 30 lbs (50th%)  Her BMI is 14.5 and she in the 10th percentile for overall size based on her BMI.

Miss Sydney Bean is 32 1/8" (55th%) and 24lb 8oz. (35th%).  Her head is the 50th%.  She is the same weight Ava was at the same age but about 1 inch shorter.

Georgie and Ariel

The newest members of the Lass family.... Georgie and Aerial.  Luke and I picked them up at the petstore yesterday after we let Finn swim to heaven.  Poor Finn will be missed.  Ava's fish is Aeriel and she lives in a pin castle in her aquarium and Georgie has a cool sand castle in his!

Tough Day :(

I usually do not blog at night because it is hard for me to turn off my brain and go to bed but I felt compelled to tonight.  Luke's beloved fish, Finn is dying and I am taking it harder than I thought.  He hasn't looked good the past few weeks and tonight he is just hanging on.  Steve and I are trying one last ditch effort to save him so I just cleaned out his tank and we will see what the night brings.  I thought he was dead this afternoon and I told Luke he went to heaven and he cried. We have talked about death and we talk about heaven and all of the special people in our lives that are there but this is the first death that he has been old enough to witness and "get."  He is handling it well and wants to get a new fish so I think that is good. He has so many good questions that I hope I answered good enough for him.  The hardest one is explaining what a "soul" is to a 4 year old.  And why does the body stay here on Earth.  I know it is just a fish but it is more to Luke than that.  Poor little guy....  Ava has been so sick all day so she has missed all of this.  I have no idea how she will take it.  Anyway, we ended Luke's bedtime with a prayer to God to bring Peace to poor Finn.  We will miss you little guy!

Wishing Well

Today we were at the coin wishing well thing at the Children's Museum... well this coin actually gets spun down the well for charity.  Anyway, Luke made his wish and put his penny in.  Two minutes later he looked at me and said, "Where is my talking garbage truck I wished for?"  This question stumped me.  I told him it may take some time for his wish to come true. I don't want my little guy to lose faith in Santa or wishing wells but this same talking garbage truck is the same one he asked for from Santa, apparently (I don't really remember hearing that request), and he never got it from Santa.  The day of Christmas he asked me why Santa didn't get him this talking truck.  Hmmm.... I think I need to figure out what this talking truck is. 

Mutual Acceptance on House Offer!

We finally came to an agreement on our offer with Buchan as of Wednesday.  We will be moving in about 9 months to our new home.  The kids are so excited and want to drive by our empty lot everyday.  It will be so exciting when they start building it and we can actually see it go up.  It is only 3 minutes away so we are there frequently as it is.  Next step is waiting for them to draw up an outside elevation.  The same floor plan is right next door so they need to create a new elevation so it is not identical. We are putting our house up for sale in about a week so we have lots of decluttering and depersonalizing to do this weekend.

My 18 Month Old Baby...

I can't believe she is 18 months already....but she is still my baby and we all still call her that.  I wonder how long the name "baby" will stick. She has her well child visit next week and I will update her stats then.  As for now, she is walking around and much less frustrated.  She still can be quite tempermental but overall she is banging her head less on the ground and is ok if I leave her for longer periods of time.  She plays well with her brother and sister and they share good with her, but most importantly are very patient and understanding that she doesn't quite "get" concepts like they do. I truley feel blessed to have Luke leading the way for her.  He is so kind, patient and loving with his sisters and I know it doesn't have to be that way.  It is just in him and he was born with a deameanor like that.  I am one Proud Mama!

Sydney's favorite toy is her Bitty Baby.  She likes to undress her and pat her back while she is hugging her. Now that she is walking, she likes to give her strolls around the house.  Some of her other favorite toys to play with are Ava's dollhouse and other little dolls.  She is a good eater but doesn't eat a lot, just like her Sissy. Her favorite food is oatmeal and she loves juice.  She is a good sleeper.... goes to bed at 7pm and wakes up around 8 but sits and plays in her crib till about 8:30 or 9am.  She takes one nap a day from about 1:30-3:30 or after.  She loves to say "uh oh" and understands what it means. She can say Daddy and "Yes" but it doesn't sound like yes it sounds more like "bop."  She loves to give kisses and her underarm hugs are the best.  I can't wait to see what the next 6 months have in store for our little fireball!