Nick's Birthday

On March 18th, Nicholas turned 3.  It's hard to believe sometimes how quickly he's growing but he's a joy (and challenge) to our lives.

getting a hair cut

decorating donor Easter eggs

last night as a 2 year old

riding to the neighborhood park

riding to the 5K

park fun

helping mommy bake

swinging in the backyard

On his actual birthday, he went to school and got to wear a special birthday crown all day.  His teachers said he even took a nap in it.  After school we went out to eat and just had a special time of family celebration.

His party wasn't until 4/2 due to my work schedule on 3/19 and Easter the following weekend.  We had a Pirate Themed party at our house which the children seemed to really enjoy.  It also gave us a chance to show off our house a little.

Daddy built "Bucky" off the deck of our garage

Hook Toss

Buried Treasure

grub

Yes, Mom and I made the cake

decorating treasure chests

digging for treasure

dressing the part

Walking the plank

sand box was a huge hit

hanging out a "Mermaid Lagoon" checking out the fish 

 The following are the best attempts at photographing 8 children aging from 10 months to 9 years old...

Party time

 We waiting until all the guests left before opening presents.

I don't have stats yet as I haven't made his 3 year appointment, but here's what Nick's doing:

Loves:
Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Little Einsteins
cars
trains
coloring (he's left handed)
school
playing "I get you"
playing outside
watching "cars" - screen time on the tablet
legos

Foods:
cheese, crackers, goldfish, applesauce, strawberries, bananas, oranges, grilled cheese, french fries with ketchup, ketchup, yogurt, apple juice, milk, chocolate.  He's been pretty picky lately, but thankfully most of what he likes is pretty healthy so I know he's at least eating fruit.  :)

Sleeps in a big boy bed (trundle).  Got rid of the crib when we moved in with my folks back in July.  Got rid of the toddler bed shortly after moving to the house (January).

Potty training - he gets it, but doesn't always want to do it.  Getting better each day, but I wouldn't call him "trained" yet.

Talks a lot and has some interesting things to say.  I wish I could remember them to write them down.  Everyday when I pick him up from school, I ask what he did at school and his reply, "I did Spanish."  He attends Spanish Schoolhouse.  Mikaela is in dual language where her days alternate between English and Spanish.

Here are some photos Mike took recently to commemorate his 3rd birthday.

Happy Birthday, Little Guy!  We love watching you grow!

Form Follows Fitness Run

On February 20th, we joined Kylar and Jessie Anderson in an annual 5K run in which her office participates.  Being 8.5 months pregnant, Kylar couldn't run.  Dealing with an umbilical hernia, I couldn't run.  So we walked together along with another friend and pushed the kids.  Mikaela actually got a number and ran about 1/3 or so of the race.  She ran along side us for about the first mile then after Mike finished running, he walked back to find us and ran the final half mile or so with Mikaela.  She got a number, a shirt, and a medal. She was so proud.  We look forward to many more family races.

pre-run selfie

running beside Mrs. Kylar and Nick

off to finish the race with Daddy

with her medal

Princess Ball

On January 29, The Branch Church did their annual Princess Ball, a tradition for Mikaela and her daddy.

dinner at Chick-fil-a

Daddy came to pick her up this year, complete with a rose.

There was also a Daddy-Daughter Dance hosted by the Carrollton Police Department about a month later.  Mikaela requested the bow tie.

My Baby Girl is 6

On Monday, November 2, Mikaela turned 6 years old.

We haven't done her yearly check up yet, so I don't have stats, but she's tall and keeps growing, despite her poor eating habits.

Food she likes:  sweets, mac n cheese, some chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, raisins, green grapes, cheese, yogurt, apples, bananas, pumpkin bread, chocolate and white milk

Activities she enjoys:  riding her bike (still trying to master no training wheels), running, coloring, watching t.v, singing

She is taking tap and ballet as well as piano.  She's doing a little better each week.

School is going well.  It's been an adjustment and she has her off days, but overall she likes it.

We had her party on Halloween this year so all her friends could wear their costumes.  Due to rainy weather, the party moved into the garage, but they still had a great time.

 Coloring bags to hold pinata candy

 Mummy Racing

 Snack break:

 Pinata time:

 Great American Candy swap:

 Fun with her friends:

 Swinging as they leave:

 Party's over.  She looks sad, doesn't she?