My niece, Elena, enjoyed her 6th birthday at Discovery Village in Gig Harbor. Elena continues to crack us up with her sweet spirit, goofy ways and loving heart. The girls loved celebrating her life by joining in the party. Discovery Village has a play area, sandbox area with moon sand, pretend pizza restaurant, art center and pretend grocery store. So fun!

Super Mario Cake

I made this cake for my niece's 6th birthday party

Cake Making

The girls always want to "help" when I'm making a cake. That's really hard to do when I'm decorating. I try to plan times when they are sleeping to work on things. Another plea to "help" came when I was working on Elena's cake. All the decorating stuff was out, so I said, "Why not?" They normally help with the baking, and they were able to do so as we baked their own "cakes" (giant cupcakes). They then used my fondant to decorate however they wanted. They had a blast.

Winter Bike Riding

Jer set up the girls with a course to ride around and snapped some pictures while they played.

Toilet Paper

I went into the bathroom to find a whole roll of toilet paper unrolled and in the toilet. I called Abigail into the bathroom. "What's this?" I asked. She thought about it for a second and then realized the problem. "I forgot to flush?" She then continued, "Well, I didn't flush because there was too much toilet paper in the potty." That was her conclusion as to why my face was so stern. She then got the priveledge of getting on the rubber gloves and cleaning out the toilet. Sometimes I'm afraid that the if the clean-up is too fun, she'll do it again. She loves accessories so much, and I just know the yellow gloves were simply an adornment that would improve any outfit.

Comparing

Abigail - 10 lb 8 oz, 23. 5 inches, 6-7 hr sleep at night, cooing, smiling
Kenzie - 10 lb 4 oz, 23 inches, 4-7 hours sleep, cooing, laughing, smiling

Corban - 11 lb 14 oz, 23.5 oz, 5-8 hrs of sleep, cooing, smiling

Corban is 2 Months

Corban turned two months on January 20th. He is such a great addition to our family already. The girls continue to adore him and want to give him kisses, hugs and hold him. He has begun to smile a lot and coo. His smiles come easily, and he seems to have such a sweet tender nature. He is sleeping fairly well - 5-8 hours a night. Last night (Feb 2nd) he gave us 11 hours of sleep until I woke him to feed. During the day, his schedule seems to be: eat, be awake and happy for an hour or more, fuss a little and crash for a couple hours. Then, he wakes and does it all over again. He enjoys tummy time more than either of our girls did and has the strength to hold his body up a bit. I don't do tummy time as much as a should though. He seems to be a bit sensitive to the elements - more upset with being cold, gassy or having a wet diaper. He is a vocal baby that seems to "talk" a lot...even making noises while he eats and sleeps. The first sickness hit right after his two month birthday - with a cough and cold. I don't know if the immunizations contributed in bringing his immunity down or if it was that his sisters had just been sick, and it was hard to stop the kisses but also the germs. He checked out well at the doctor - 11 lbs 14 oz (56%) and 23 1/2 inches long (73%). His head was 15 1/3 inches (28%). He seems social and smiles easily when interacting with people. We just adore this kid and all the joy he brings to our home already.

Sickness

We have been ultra blessed to have really healthy kids. They really don't get sick much at all. This week was different. Colds hit the house. Kenzie had an ear infection in both ears with a cough and runny nose. Abigail was all boogers and cough as well. Jeremy and I weren't much better. It is interesting being at home with 2 sick kids for so many days in a row. It tries your patience for sure. We are working on having good behavior despite not feeling well, but it's a challenge for everyone. I have never had to deal with so many boogers and so many meltdowns. Abigail became addicted to tissues, getting very upset if there were any boogers in her nose. Kenzie was miserable too, and I was just hoping that she would become a bit more interested in television, which she didn't. We are at the end of it now, but I wanted to write about the realities of the struggles we go through. I wish I had a picture of their pathetic red under-noses and boogers dripping down. I am just so thankful to have such healthy kids, and my heart goes out to families who are dealing with real illnesses because despite having patience tried, you feel so bad for your babies.

Blake's Basketball Game

Despite the girls being a bit under the weather, we were able to make it to Blake's basketball game. Blake is Jeremy's cousin who plays for Seattle Christian School. It was great to see him in action. The girls seemed to be entertained by the game, but when I asked Abigail if she would like to play basketball when she gets old enough, she said, "I could be a cheerleader." That is a true Abigail answer. She seems to know herself well.

Christmas with the Kerns

We were all able to gather together to celebrate Christmas on New Years Eve this year. With 10 grand kids, it was a bit of craziness, but it is always fun to see everyone together. It was fun to do the family tradition of acting out the Nativity Scene combined with Christmas carols. Santa came to visit also. He was having some hair issues, which was pretty pathetic and will need to be resolved next year. The kids were delighted that he paid a visit. We fed the kids and sent them to watch movies while we did dinner. They enjoyed a book exchange with each other. Then, they played on their own again while the adults did a gift exchange. I love my family, and it is getting harder for all of us to gather together. Love the time with everyone.