Whoa. That was a close one.

With our crazy Dawson boy running around our days are full of near misses.  Today was no exception, and boy was it a doozy.  I heard Mike yell "Get that out of your mouth" and sure enough there is Dawson with a STAPLER in his MOUTH.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Carter had left out the stapler; he is able to safely use the stapler and likes to make books.  But Dawson got it in his head to try to put a staple into his tongue.  Seriously, I'm flabbergasted by the crazy things this kid would do.  Laughingly Mike said "should I have just let that play out?"  Don't worry doctor, we proved our point now he knows that putting a stapler into your mouth is dangerous.  Wow.  I just had to laugh because he pouted and cried afterwards.  We really are mean parents!

Six and a Half!

I missed it by a couple of days, but Carter you are now six and a half!  Right now we are nearing the end of your kindergarten year.

 

 

You are at such a great age.  In basketball this year you started to show an inclination toward sports.  I'm excited to see how your baseball league is going to go this spring.  In kindermusik you are learning how to play the glockenspiel and read music.  Kindergarten is going along well.  The evening grumpiness is subsiding but still does rear its ugly head from time to time.

 

Your interests include legos, super heroes,  hunting and the military.  Recently you told me "I love World War II so much, do you think I can have a WWII party?" 

 

Right now you are digging the Tacky the Penguin book and you go around singing "How many toes does a fish have?"  all. the. time. 

 

 

We went to see The Lego Movie and you really enjoyed it.  When we returned home you had to make the double decker couch with your own legos.  I'm looking forward to all the new experiences this next half year will bring.  What a sweet smile and disposition you have!  Mom and Dad will love you forever!

Haircut

 

Miss Avaroo decided that she was in the mood for a change, and I wanted to document her shortest haircut.  I always appreciate it when she gets her hair cut, it's much easier to wash and brush.  Plus an added bonus, it stays out of her food when she is eating!  I like it and I think it makes her look older.  In the picture she is showing off her newest lego creation, a graveyard.

A weekend at Castaway Bay

We spent a wonderful weekend with our Bo, Grandma, Uncle Jason, Aunt Tiffany and cousin Andrew at Castaway Bay, an indoor waterpark.  We were celebrating Bo and Grandma's Birthday!

 

 

The kids were in seventh heaven with two sets of bunk beds and their very own TV to watch. 

 

We did spend a little bit of time in the arcade on Saturday night.  It is insane how fast you can blow through money in those places!  Ava was little miss frustrated.  She was grumpy after a long day of swimming and she does not react well when she can't do something perfect the first time.  She tried ski-ball and at first pitched it like a baseball.  I demonstrated proper form and she just couldn't roll it fast enough to get it anywhere.  Carter and I had a heated game of air hockey, one of his favorites.  Dawson was just happy to try any of the games, but driving a car like a maniac was just a favorite. 

 

Our sweet little cousin toddled around the arcade and just enjoyed the sights and sounds.  I remember those days of cheap entertainment!  Andrew very sweetly kissed the snoopy statue in the kiddie car.  Maybe it reminded him of slinky?

 

 

 

Ava at the top of the toddler size water slide.  Dawson and Ava went down this slide over and over and over.  She was a little daredevil and was not content to relax in the water like her brother.  There was a rather scary (for a four year old) raft ride that included some drops and lots of turns.  She was barely tall enough to go on it, but she loved every single second of it and did it over and over again!

 

 

Dawson at the top of the water slide.  This kid loved the toddler area, but boy did he play himself out quickly!   I'm pretty sure Ava and Carter could have stayed there hours longer.

 

Bo and our favorite little water baby

 

Carter's favorite spot was the wave pool.  Unless he was going down a water slide he wanted to be in the wave pool.  

 

Big Smiles from the boys

 

Dawson, smile for the camera. 

 

This is the silly little dance/face I got.  He is such a ham.

 

Happy Happy Birthday Grandma and Bo

 

I couldn't believe I got a good picture on the first try.  Everyone looking at the camera, and some smiles too!

 

Carter had to check out the map to make sure that he hit it all up before we left.

 

 

 

Mike had to make sure to take a (fake) palm tree picture.

 

Thank you for the wonderful memorable weekend!

Thankful

 

 

Thank you for this wonderful little boy who has decided to dress as batman non-stop for the past few days.  Apparently eating with the mask on is pretty tricky because batman has some sunbutter on his nose.

 

Thank you for this boy who I'm enjoying more and more every single day.  I think that ages 5-6 (maybe longer?) are a reward for surviving the toddler years!

 

Thank you for 40 and 50 degree days.  We've had so much play time outside lately, it has done wonders to lift our spirits.

 

Thank you for my Roover girl, and the poor exasperating life that she has to live with all these brothers.  I heard this conversation yesterday "Let's go to a fancy ball, we can dance together all night long."  To which Dawson replied "No, I'll just shoot you with my gun."

 

Thank you for snowball fights, shaking out sand from beach toys to use in the snow and a wonderful waterpark vacation coming up!

 

(Every time it is mentioned Dawson spends time crying at the top of his lungs "I CAN'T WAIT I WANT TO GO NOW!!!!)

Radio Station

 

Yesterday we visited Aunt Pam's radio station.  Carter has been asking "How does Aunt Pam's voice get into our car?"

 

So it was the perfect time for a visit.  But I was shocked how many people at the radio station answered that question with "magic."  So today it's off to the library to find some books on the topic. 

 

Anyways, we got to see both the AM and FM studios.  We went into the FM studio and saw all the sound boards and microphones.

 

 

 

I took this picture in the production studio.  They talked to Aunt Pam for awhile on the microphones and she tried to get them to say some phrases that could be used on the radio.  One was "make miracles come true."  So Dawson decided that was much to blasé for his tastes and changed it to "make miracles burp."  Perfect!

 

We also were showered with gifts: 1480 WHBC t-shirts, key chains, bags and the FROZEN SOUNDTRACK!!!!!!  Now we can cruise around town belting out Let it go!

 

Thanks Aunt Pam!

The post in which Carter becomes smarter than his Mom and Dad

Recently Carter had an assembly at his school where they learned facts about the moon.  Carter was listing all the different things he learned and Mike and I were nodding our heads in agreement.  Then he started explaining "During the dinosaurs time there was a meteorite that hit earth and it sent a bunch of rocks into outer space and they started going into orbit around the earth.  Then they crashed together and made the moon."

Well, Mike and I were looking at each other with skepticism in our faces, we sure hadn't heard that theory before.  But then Carter picked The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons to read before bedtime, and sure enough that entire scenario was described in this book!  I just laughed and told Carter, see now you are smarter than your Mom and Dad!  I have to say I really don't remember that theory of the moon's origins but one of the best parts of life is learning something new everyday!