June 30, 2009

Abby's 1st Birthday


As a one year old Abby is already intrigued by the phone. Everything is a phone to her. Never mind the pink presents with pretty pink bows...she just wanted my cell phone. It is always interesting watching a one year old react to presents and cake. Abby was oblivious to the presents and so the older kids helped her open them. She got some books from mom, dad and grandparents and her first baby dolls from Grandma and Grandpa Kelsch. Grandma and Grandpa got her a brand new "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" book because our previous one was all chewed up. This is by far Abby's favorite book. There is just something about those silly monkey's that just makes you want to laugh.



The older kids were so excited to help Abby open her presents. I think they were more excited than she was. Abby loved her new baby dolls and Emma was quick to eye them both and claim the pink one as her own. Not so fast big sister--these are Abby's dolls.



When we were all done with presents we sat Abby in her booster seat and sang Happy Birthday to her. It reminded me so much of Emma when she turned one almost three and a half years ago. Emma was also wearing the exact same pink polka dotted skirt and cute GAP shirt to match and sitting in the exact same booster in the same location of our house. The only difference was Emma had a white cake instead of a pink one. Oh, the memories!

Abby was just as interested in the candle as Emma was and she kept trying to touch it but Andrew made sure she didn't touch the flame. We moved the cake away from her while we sang and she just stared at the candle. Then we gave her the cake and let her at it. She was so much fun to watch as she sank her hands deep in the cake, grabbed big chunks and shoved them in her mouth. She even tried to eat the cake without her hands by sticking her face right into it. It is these first moments that are so much fun. I am so thankful I got to witness her excitement and wonder with her first birthday cake. There is no stopping this little one now that she has tasted something so sweet! Happy Birthday my sweet little one year old!








*sweet Andrew reading Abby one of her new books*

Playing together


It has always been my dream to have two little girls who can play and be silly together. I am sure part of that is because I didn't grow up with any sisters but with three brothers. I was always playing with the boy toys and occasionally I would play with the girly things. Having Abby in our family has been really good for Emma. She is just starting to want to play with her. Up until now Abby has been too little to be good company for Emma. Both girls absolutely love their pink kitchen and all of the fun food. Their favorite thing to do is pull the sink out and dump all the food into the big hole. Even Abby has learned how to pull the sink out. I know that this is only the beginning of fun moments ahead filled with tea parties and dress ups. Girls really are sugar and spice and everything nice...well, most of the time that is!!


June 29, 2009

Strawberry Fields Forever


This monday's field trip was to the Strawberry Patch. Lucky for us today was the last day to pick strawberries. Even though we had to look hard for the big ones, the kids enjoyed the hunt and had a blast. It seemed like every strawberry picked was a treasure. We found big ones, small ones, and odd shaped ones. Those odd ones quickly got named the "tooshy" strawberries because they looked like someone's bottom. Oh, how they make me smile.

We hadn't been there more than 30 minutes when they all asked me when we could come back again and pick strawberries. They told me this was the best field trip ever and it was even more fun than playing the Wii. Thank goodness for that! We will definitely be visiting the patch again next year. Until then, we will enjoy our strawberries and get ready for blackberry picking at the end of the summer!













*Abby enjoying our fresh strawberries*

Seattle Half Marathon

This year Mike and I both ran the inaugural Rock-n-Roll Seattle Half Marathon. The weather was perfect and the crowd was amazing. Over the last couple of months of training for the distance and the speed with our Wednesday night track workouts we were prepared to do well.


My goal was to break 1:30. I didn't quite get that time but came pretty close. I made it in 1:32. The morning of the race was not as smooth as I would have liked. We slept up in Seattle because we were encouraged to take the shuttle from Seattle down to the start of the race in Tukwila (only 15 mintues away). When we got to the shuttle points the lines were ridicoulsly long and we waited for almost an hour to get on the shuttle. The shuttle got us there 10 minutes after the start and so I missed starting in the first corral and missed running with my pace group. If that wasn't bad enough, my ipod stalled at the starting line. It wasn't my morning, but I ran hard and I am happy with my time. I will just have to do another half marathon until I reach my goal.


Mike did really well! I think this half marathon was a much better experience for him than the last one we ran together a couple of years ago in Pennsylvannia. As a very busy medical resident coupled with a horrible commute for the last six months, I am truly impressed that Mike was able to train so that he could run a great race. There is nothing that he can't do. I am so proud of him.


We finally met up at the end of the race as I was trying to get our gear bags (took 30 minutes...YIKES). We walked a mile and a half back to the car and then headed home for a much needed shower and rest. Mike surprised me with a professional massage later that day. We both got our massages which felt extremely good after a long race. I can't wait for our next race together!

June 24, 2009

First Day of Piano


Peter has been so excited to start piano lessons this summer. He has been anxiously awaiting for an opening so he could learn piano just like Andrew. Mari Fellar is the boy's teacher and she is so amazing. She really knows how to connect with my boys. She makes it fun but challenges them all at the same time. At this point I just want them to enjoy playing the piano. I remember when I was 10 years old I had a really strict teacher and I didn't always enjoy playing the piano. There are definitely benefits of a strict teacher but I want their first experiences at the piano to be enjoyable ones. Since both Mike and I play the piano we are able to monitor their progress and challenge them a little outside of their lessons. I am so happy that Peter is enjoying the piano so far. His favorite part about his first day was getting a piece of candy at the end. She always gives them a piece of candy from her candy bowl at the end of every lesson. They always look forward to that special treat!


June 21, 2009

My Man and His Guitar


I love my man and his sweet, sweet guitar. One of the things that I was attracted to the most when I met Mike almost 11 years ago was his musical abilities. When we were first dating he was in the middle of writing some songs on the piano and subsequently wrote a song for me. He recorded them onto a tape...yes, I guess that ages us! I remember feeling so overwhelmed by the love I felt for him and the connection we had through music. It's amazing what music can do for people. At the time Mike didn't own a guitar but had taught himself how to play on his roommates electric guitar. After a couple of years of being married we bought him his first guitar and from there he began to teach himself how to play and more importantly how to find his own style and write his own music on the guitar. Now he is on his second guitar and we are so lucky to hear him play. He wrote some songs for the kids and they absolutely adore him for that. Our two favorite songs were written for Peter and Emma. He is still trying to figure out a song for Andrew and Abby. Peter's song is called, "Sunshine in the Morning," and Emma's song is called, "The Dress Up Song." Those songs just make me smile as I watch the kids run around singing the words while he plays them. I finally got them on video one night and I will have to post them another time because the kids were so cute.

I took these pictures on Father's Day. I am so proud of Mike and all of his accomplishments. The kids are so lucky to have him as their dad. He is so much fun to be around and extremely talented in so many areas. He motivates us all by his hard work and integrity--something that seems to be rare in people these days. On the outside he is jovial and funny, always cracking funny jokes or just being extremely sarcastic. On the inside he is kind, sweet, and thoughtful. He truly cares about others. Oh how I love my man and his guitar!




June 18, 2009

Cleaning Helpers


I have such amazing helpers. When did they grow up to the point where I could assign them a task and actually have them do it? It seems like yesterday that they were all little and completely dependent on me. Now I completely depend on them to help me get things done around the house. Today I gave three tasks that needed to be done and they each picked one. They had fun doing it and I even got to teach them a few things along the way. I am grateful for good helpers who are happy to be cleaning to make our home a place where we can feel the spirit and be happy. A clean home = happy mom = happy kids !!


June 15, 2009

Another Attempt


Well it's not perfect but at least I have all four of my kids in one picture and all are looking in the same general direction. I consider that a success in my book. My kids are super sensitive to the brightness of the sun and even though I always try and put them in the shade, sometimes it is still too bright. I guess that is what happens with super blue-eyed kids. For now this will have to do and I will have to hold out for that perfect picture as they all get a little older. We did have fun taking a few other pictures. After we were all finished we headed to the mini mart for some ice-cream. Hooray for the sweet reward of being good and sitting still so mom doesn't pull all her hair out.







Jack and Jill's hair salon = happy kids

We tried a new hair cut place for the kids last month and absolutely loved the experience. The kids got to pick cool chairs to sit in and the stylists actually knew what they were doing. My boys hair is tricky. It sounds crazy because most boys hair is rather simple. They got the best cuts at Jack and Jill's Hair Salon. This time Emma got to enjoy her very first REAL haircut. She enjoyed every minute sitting in that pink jeep. Her hair is still long but not out of control anymore. Thank goodness for a fun place to go every once in a while!