Cleaning Out the Garage

Nate was working late last night so I thought it would be a good time to tackle some of the stuff in the garage.  Kate was very excited to see her car seat in there and insisted on being buckled in.  She sat there in the seat for a full hour while I worked, happy as could be.  Of course Grant wanted to join her so he found one of his seats and sat for a while.  It definitely made working in the garage easier, not having to worry about her wandering away.  And with the volume and intensity of a 5-year-old boy, I never had to wonder where he was. :-)

Our Wait Staff

 "Mom, can I be your waiter?  Because I have a name tag."

And apparently he's already been paid, so that's always a plus.

Injury and Lots of Love

Grant injured his ankle at his gym class today.  We came home and set him up on the couch so he could rest it.  Kate immediately went over to him and gently wiped the tears off his cheek.  Then she found a sippy cup and held it for him while he took sips.  

Then she gave him a little kiss...

 ...and a few snuggles.  

 Something tells me that with so much TLC, he'll be back to himself in no time.

The Banana Song

We saw a commercial on TV a while back with some bananas singing.  Grant thought it was hilarious and now we will occasionally break out in "the banana song" because it makes him go crazy. One day I caught Kate trying to sing it so we tried to get it on video.  Here's part of her version of the banana song, complete with her cheesy smile that appears whenever the camera comes out.

Santa Barbara

Last weekend we planned to go to Santa Barbara and visit the zoo.  We had lunch overlooking the water the headed to the zoo which was so crowded that people were parking around the corner.  So we settled for Plan B...a walk on the beach.

 It was so gorgeous there--a perfect day to enjoy the beauty of the water and the company of our little family.

Sweet Girl

I was working in the yard last weekend, cleaning out dead leaves while Grant and Kate played.  After a while, Kate started following me and would come give me sweet hugs and pat me on the back.  

Stolen Kiss

I always catch him giving her sweet kisses on her head.  So sweet...

Learning to Tell Time

Grant has been working on learning to tell time.  He can now read the digital clocks and can tell certain times on the analog one.  He's very pleased.

 The clock that Gramma and Papa with a beard sent him has helped a lot!  Thanks for sending it.  :-)

We're still working on the finer points of schooling...like writing with your hands and not your nostrils.  I haven't found any really good curriculum on that yet.

Daddy's Girl

Kate and I drove home the other day and found Nate mowing the front yard.  She wanted to get out right then and go to her dad and was quite upset with me that I brought her into the house.  She ran straight to the front door and I let her watch from there.

 She just stood there and cried and tried to catch his attention every time he walked by.  It was very pathetic.

Kate's Purse

I dug out an old purse for Kate to play with.  She was THRILLED.

 She took Nate's finger and started leading him around.  It became clear that she had a specific plan so we just followed to see what it was.

 Around the table in the living room...

 ...hmmm, where is this going?

 Toward the steps...

 ...to the front door...

 ...Nate opened it and she waved goodbye.  Apparently, the lack of accessories was the only thing holding her back from the world.  

Turning on her morning sweetness, trying to convince Nate to stay home--I wish it worked!

Legoland

On our vacation last year, we got passes for Legoland.  They more than paid for themselves, but we hadn't gotten to use them since Kate arrived.  In February we made the trek back down to San Diego.

 Kate's 1st trip to Legoland!

 "Look, Dad--it's France!"

 Grant got to "go fishing"...

 ...and earned a turtle toy.

 Grant and I did the big slide together.  He had a look of pure terror as he slid down, but decided it was lots of fun.

 Mining for gold and jewels

 Nate and Grant built a series of airplanes together.

 Kate finally gave in and fell asleep.  

 Grant built his own Eiffel Tower

 We found a really nice boy in the building area who offered to build a house around Grant.

 It was really cool and Grant thought it was the BEST!

 Our little knight on his way out of the park

It was such a beautiful day and a great reminder of why we love Legoland!

A Visit from Grandma and Papa

Grandma and Papa Jordan came to visit in February.  There was a lot going on, so I didn't get a lot of pictures.  

 Uncle Ed showed Kate lots of fun things on his phone.

 Beautiful Kegan...she's growing up so fast!  I can really see Jill in this picture.

Grandma showing Grant and Kate how to use the toy

 We were so happy to have Grandma and Papa visit our new house.  We wish we could see them all the time!

The Pool

We're so thankful to have a backyard now so the kids can play in the water on hot days.  I picked up a pool a couple of weeks ago and they were SO excited.

 Watching the pool fill up for the first time

 Kate did NOT like sitting in the water, but liked standing or sitting outside of it to play.  

 "Mom, I LOVE water!"  

We got the scrunchy nose smile...that's when you can tell she's really happy.  :-)