James' 5th Birthday Part 2

We had a very successful party today for James! We had some friends over for cake and ice cream and then we went over to Monkey Joe's (a very large place full of bounce houses and games). Then we came home and had pizza with the family and then present time.
This is James in the box that Grandma and Grandpa Wilcke sent from Iowa. You can't get any better than packing peanuts. ;)
Mom has more photos from the party so I'll be posting hers when I get them.


... and the CAKE! He wanted a Darth Vader cake, so we put some action figures on it, a mask, some storm trooper and Vader rings and candles to make a 5 (although it's hard to see that).




Here is the video of James blowing out his candles... which were a LITTLE bit too close together. :) We removed the mask before the song for fear of it lighting on fire or melting. HA!

Happy 5th Birthday, James!

I love my son. Five years ago, when he was born, I became a mother. I never knew I could love a human being so much, and to now have two, beautiful, healthy children, I feel spoiled by God. Thank you Lord, for this blessing of being a mother.
James has had a wonderful birthday today. We started out the day with pancakes with M&Ms, a new tradition we started a few years ago. We went to swimming lessons with Mrs. Holly, and then James got to watch Nathan play Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii (his favorite thing ever). We went to see Toy Story 3 this afternoon, which scared the living daylights out of both children. It scared Kaitlyn so much I literally had to take her out of the theater twice. Poor thing. Even though James was horrified during the movie, afterward he claimed that it was GREAT!
Then we headed over to James' favorite restaurant, Steak and Shake. He had a hot dog and fries, but no shake. That was tough. We had told him that since I had made dessert here at home, that we had to skip the shakes.
After we got home, he opened his presents. He was totally exited about all of this new stuff: a Storm Trooper helmet, a soccer ball, a helmet for riding his bike, monster trucks, a new Toy Story game called Kerplunk, a Green Eggs and Ham puzzle, and new diving rings jut like Mrs. Holly has at her pool. He was most excited about the Strom Trooper Helmet and the diving rings. "WOW! Thanks!" He said about the rings. Had we known, we could have just spent $2.99 at Publix and called it a day. :)
James loves Oreos. He tries to find a way to have them for dessert at least a few times a week, although we never really give in. Maybe sometimes. ;) So, I made him an Oreo Ice Cream pie for dessert. It's a layer of Oreo cookie crust, then the Oreo ice cream, and then I topped it with a chocolate candy shell layer and then Cool Whip. When he was eating it, he said, "I like it, but I will eat it when I'm older." In other words, "I don't like it, but I like the ice cream." :( Oh well... the cake we plan on having on Saturday for his party will be good ol' chocolate. I'm going to attempt to make a fondant cake with Darth Vader on it... somehow.
The highlight of the day for me was when James blew out his candles (see video at end). I told him to make a wish. After he blew them out he said, "I wished that I could be with you guys FOREVER."
I love you James, Happy Birthday my sweet 5 year old!

Batman James showing off his flashlight in his Batman shades.

Steak and Shake!

Presents!

Year in Review: Artwork

Here are the highlights of this year's school art work. Enjoy. Definitely read them. :) Hilarious!

This is James, in Spanish. :)

Sweet Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn has started realizing that she can tell someone she loves them at any point in time, whenever the spirit moves her. At totally random points during the day she'll look at me, grinning from ear to ear, and slowly say, "I love you, Mom." Then she gives me a hug and sometimes even a big fat kiss on the lips.
I have tried, very hard, to always stop what I'm doing and let her express this to me with my undivided attention. What a sweetie!

Summer is here!

Well the kids have been taking swimming lessons for the last three weeks. Our routine in the morning revolves around waking up, eating breakfast, going to swim lessons and then to the Y so I can exercise. It's been a great routine!
I have started with a personal trainer that trains out of her house, so that has replaced the Y on some days at this point. However, I will still be going to the Y on the days I don't train with Jacqueline. I am trying to get into Yoga, I think I MAY need the breathing and stress reduction- MAYBE.
James is doing an awesome job swimming with Miss Holly. He is learning quickly, but still apprehensive when floating or jumping to her in the deep end. He loves his (green) goggles, and is a good sport. One day he actually surprised me and asked to go first (we alternate who HAS TO go first), and today, when Kaitlyn was swimming, he told me that he really wanted his turn to start. That's great, sounds like it'll be promising that he'll like the pool. ;)
Kaitlyn, on the other hand, has reverted to crying the entire lesson and pitifully calling out for me. "I want MOMMY!" Or she calls out for Miss Holly repeatedly. It's gut wrenching. However, the lessons keep on going, and I know something will click in little Miss Kaitlyn's head that swimming is actually FUN... someday. That's what happened with Kaitlyn when she was in Safe Start. She cried for the first 3 weeks and then by the end she never wanted to get OUT of the pool. Poor Miss Holly- she just can't seem to get Kaitlyn to put her face DOWN in the water very long. We both keep trying to explain to her that if she puts her head down in the water instead of craning her neck up, that she'll swim easier and faster. She's 3. What can I say?
SO... we have one more week of lessons, and then I think we'll give it a rest. Unless, of course, Kaitlyn makes a complete 180 in her attitude toward swimming. We'll see.

In other news... I'm going nuts with these kids around here all day long. ;)

Memorial Day weekend

Lots of beach photos lately, and guess what... here are more! Including lots of first-ever things....

James' first ever Slurpee!

Kaitlyn's first ever Slurpee, too! Mmmm, with Doritos!

Kaitlyn's first ever French braid.

James' first ever time wearing fuchsia! That's Grandma's jacket. :)

Kaitlyn's going to be a gymnast.

Ready... steady...

JUMP!

Your Attention Please!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend in New Smyrna Beach with my parents. We played on the beach a lot, thankfully, now that the kids don't mind the sand and actually like to dig in it. There was a time when James wouldn't even walk on it. We thought for sure we were headed down the path of having one of the only children on the planet that didn't like the beach. After all, I was one of them. ;) Just kidding.
My parents' condo has an elevator that we must take to get to their floor (seldom is it broken, but when it is- watch out... I'm not a very nice person). Nathan was usually accompanying the kids down the elevator to the beach because I wasn't ready to go down to the beach yet. Nathan asked me at one point if I had heard what James was saying every time he was in the elevator. I looked at him with a puzzled look and he said to me, "Your attention please..." and then trailed off. I had no idea what he was talking about.
Until... I got on the elevator with James.
James was in charge of pushing either the 8 button or the G button depending on which direction we were headed. He would press the button, wait for the doors to close and then perk up and start in with his lines.
"Your attention, please. Do NOT press open while the elevator is going up." He delivered it happily, clearly, crisply, and it a BRITISH accent. EVERY time.
Where does this kid get this stuff?
We left the beach on Monday around noon to beat the traffic out of there (and it's a good thing we left when we did). James wanted to bring a car home that he had been playing with in the condo. Nathan and I had told him that no, the toys that we play with at the condo need to stay at the condo. There were tears. Lots of tears, and very weary James. He moped around the condo for at least 5 minutes while we were getting our final things together, and he continued to mope all the way into the elevator.
When we all were in the elevator, Nathan and I looked at each other, each wondering if James would deliver his piece once again.
The doors shut.
"Your attention please," says James, with his head bowed down, with a very solemn and slow voice, "do not push open while the elevator is going down." He was on the verge of tears, but still, finding the strength to deliver to his audience.
We heard about the car for about the next 20 minutes in the car. He was so sad, so so sad. And then he fell asleep.

Green Eggs and Ham

Yes, this is real. No, I didn't paint them with ice cream.

It was a Baskin Robbins day a few days ago. This is real. This was not on purpose. Kaitlyn was making kissy faces into the ice cream and James was trying to lick the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone. Hysterical!

We had a good laugh at these pictures!

Enter: Summer Vacation.

Sigh.

I haven't been very good at blogging lately. There have just been far too many season finales on TV, busy days and sicknesses and injuries to deal with in the last few weeks.

I have been helping Mom this week by getting her to her MRI appointments and such. She injured her back/sciatic nerve about 6 weeks ago and has been in intense pain since then. It all seemed to peak about a week ago when Dad left for Utah. She was sent to get an MRI which we thought would show the need for surgery. It doesn't look like surgery is needed at this point, and the pain is subsiding. Thank God. She was miserable!

Kaitlyn and James finished school this week, and tomorrow is our official first day off. We are starting swim lessons next week, I'm very excited to get these kids in the pool! I hope that by the end of the summer they will be jumping in by themselves and swimming like fish!

Kaitlyn has seemed to grow up overnight. She is really a three year old now. She is fully potty trained now (FINALLY!) and seeing her wear "big girl" undies is the cutest thing ever. AND even though she's adorable she can pick some nasty fights with James. Every day. Stinker!

They are both into bragging and taunting now. If one of them has a toy and they know the other wants it, they skip along merrily, hold the toy up in the air with a smug look on their face just to tick off the other one. It's so annoying. I've been trying to teach them not to brag, but so far I think only James understands the concept of bragging. James purposely pushes Kaitlyn's buttons by staring out her side of the car through her window. Why does this bother her? I don't know... but HE knows it bothers her so he does it. It usually goes something like this....

James says, "I want to look out Kaitlyn's side."
"No, James! Don't look out my side! Mom, I don't want James to look out my side!"
I try to intervene, "Kaitlyn, James can look out any window he wants to look out."
"But I don't want him to look out my side!"
When I look to the back seat, James' body is leaned as far forward as his seatbelt will allow, head turned to the left, gazing out Kaitlyn's window... GRINNING ear to ear. All because he knows it makes her mad.

Oh, and Kaitlyn likes to taddle. "James isn't listening!" Like I said at the start... SIGH.

It's gonna be a long Summer.

Always thinking ahead.

This afternoon the kids and I went to the Y. We were walking hand-in-hand with James in the middle from the car into the building when James turned to Kaitlyn and said in the sweetest voice, "I love you, sister."
She looked at him with her pig tails bouncing and said, "I love you too, James."
I about cried. I told James, "That was SO sweet and nice of you to say to Kaitlyn, James!" I was nearly bubbling over with pride in my son.
Then he shrugs his shoulders and says, "Be nice for Christmas time or you won't get any presents.... That's what I told her this morning when I woke her up."

I love him!

I need TWO songs to sleep.

James likes to try to keep Nathan or I in his room as long as possible before bedtime. Whether it be needing a drink or another hug or a toy placed in a specific place, he uses them all.
He'll even call us back upstairs sometimes if he's needing something, and if we can't ignore it, Nathan or I will go back up there to see what he wants.
The example the other night was this story....
I heard over the monitor, "Mom? Can you come up here, please?"
After I had just gotten very comfortable on the couch, I got my rear up and hiked up the stairs.
"What James, what do you want?"
"Daddy only sang me ONE song and I need TWO songs to fall asleep."
Oh geeeez. Ok, so whatever, I was feeling nice and spoiled him with another song. After that was over, I gave him some goodnight kisses and told him I needed to get back downstairs.
He might as well have ripped out my heart because then he said, "Mom? Can you go down stairs and draw a picture of you and me holding hands?" AWWWWWWWW.
I hugged him a bit tighter recognizing that he needed me, not for the song, but for more hugs. Sniff... sniff....

You YELLED at me!

Kaitlyn is and always has been an independent and strong little girl. However, when she gets in trouble, all of that seems to disappear. Most of the time when she gets in trouble she says to me, "I want you to hold me!" It's long, drawn out, and sounds more like 'I want you to hooold-uh meeee.'
It tugs REALLY hard at the heart strings when she's sitting on the naughty step and crying out, "I want Mommy... I want Mommy!"
She also is a bit of a softy when it comes to me or Nathan raising our voices at her. A stern voice is all it takes to prompt the response, "You YELLED at me!"
I have to admit it's really cute and a bit heart breaking all at the same time!