In Summer

Brady's rendition of "In Summer" from Frozen

Brady's Parent Teacher Preschool Conference

Yesterday we had Brady's parent teacher conference.  Truth be told, his teacher had many great things to say about him but she did have one thing that he needs to work on...listening to directions.  She gave us these drawings as examples.  I could do nothing but smile.

At beginning of the school year, Brady was asked to draw a picture of himself (the first picture).  For comparison, he was asked to draw a picture of himself again towards the end of the school year. Instead Brady drew himself as a bat (the second picture).  His teachers gave him a another try (the third picture).  Obviously the purpose of this assignment was to show how he developed and progressed throughout the school year.  Wondering if I should be worried since it appears that the only thing that Brady learned this year was how to draw fingers (3 on each hand), toes and a belly button?!

Birthday Questions (Abi's Edition)

Abi's 2014 edition of 20 Questions:

1.) What is your favorite thing to do? Paint

2.) What do you want to be when you grow up? Haven't decided that yet

3.) Who do you like to spend time with? Aylin and Sydney and Madison 

4.) What makes you laugh? Jokes

5.) What are you afraid of? Halloween stuff

6.) What do you love to learn about? Friendship

7.) If you had one wish, what would it be? To have a kitty

8.) What have you done, in school, sports or anything that you are especially proud of? Getting through preschool, kindergarten and first grade

9.) What is something new that you'd like to learn this year? Song writers and the singers that sing what they write.

10.) What is something sad that happened this year? I didn't get a Zoomer for Christmas

11.) What is a place that you want to visit? Hawaii

12.) What is your least favorite chore? Vacuuming

13.) When you have free time, what do you like to do? Listen to music on my iPod Touch

14.) What would you do if you were invisible for a day? Sneak out the gate and go to Aylin's house

15.) What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Mint Oreo

16.) What is your favorite person in the whole world? Mommy and Daddy

17.) What is your favorite book? Magic Bunny Chocolate Wishes

18.) What is the nicest thing a friend has ever done for you? Give me a present

19.) Where do you wish you could go on vacation? California

20.) What is your favorite outfit? Beach clothes

Happy 8th Birthday Abi!

Out of all of Abi's years, this one more than others has been filled with growth and a new level of maturity. The little girl that I know is quickly becoming a confident and independent girl and that's not always the easiest for Mom to accept or embrace.  Regardless, I realize that it's a necessary part of that little thing called "growing up" and we can only hope that we will both come out as better people on the other side. 

At 8 years old, Abi is adventurous (always willing to give things a try), friendly, crafty and smart.  I would describe her as motherly - a trait which she exhibits daily with her siblings. It is very evident when you see how much Brady and Natalie rely upon her and love their big sis. She is very social and loves hanging out with her friends. Some of her favorite things are shopping (especially for any type of accessory), riding her bike and listening and dancing to music.

Abi's birthday landed on a Friday this year so it was off to school before we could celebrate her birthday weekend! 

 "Morning Sis"

 "Have a good day!"

Meanwhile, I got to work on the tie-dye cupcakes for her birthday party.

And while I was preoccupied with the cupcakes, Nattie had fun destroying the house!

Same as last year, Abi decided she wanted to go to Din Tai Fung for her birthday dinner and Cheesecake Factory for dessert.

 Trying to get the hang of eating with chop sticks 

 She still adores her Dad!

So many choices.

 Abi was super excited when she opened the gift that she has been asking for months...an iPod!!

On Saturday, Abi had a birthday party at the local roller skating rink. It was a rink that I went to as a kid and literally nothing has changed - same colors, same skates, same carpet (eww!), same rink, same smell. The music has been updated and now some of the kids wear in-line skates, but other than that, it is exactly the same. Regardless, the kids had a blast and Abi loved her tie-dyed roller skating party.

 Abi shyly looking down at her cupcake while we sing Happy Birthday to her.

Brady and Nattie looking quite serious! 

 Did I mention that she has quite the dramatic side?! :)

On Sunday night Abi and I ended her birthday weekend with a trip downtown to see the Broadway production of The Lion King with a few of her friends from Girl Scouts.

Meanwhile, the boys (+ Nattie) were having a relaxing night at home.

Accessorizing

Football Drills

During the month of March, Brady took flag football classes at the YMCA and LOVED it!

"Hut - Hut - Hike!"

Beauty and the Beast Play

This year, Abi had the opportunity to audition for two plays at her school.  The first one occurred in the Fall and was open to second through fifth graders.  This year the Fall play was Beauty and the Beast. It requires the kids to audition and be cast for a role.  The one in the Spring is open to Kindergarten through second graders and does not require auditions.  It is written and directed by fourth and fifth graders and each child gets to say one line and learn and perform a dance. 

As in past years, Abi wanted to audition for the Fall play and tried out for one of the non-speaking roles.  Her audition consisted of dancing on stage with other kids. A few days later, she was over the moon when she found out she got cast as a "book". After rehearsing several times a week for months, she was all set for her big performance!  As with all of her plays, she exceeded my expectations and I was in awe of her confidence on stage.  

Abi's bio was hung with the other actors on the wall as we entered the theater.

Abi and her co-stars

Sorry for the quality on this video - it is so hard to get a decent video with the stage lights and Abi always seems to be right underneath them! 

At least it will give you an idea of her performance- it was just adorable!

In keeping with the Beauty and the Beast theme, we made red rose chocolate covered Oreos for the cast party!

Birthday Questions (Brady's Edition)

I decided it would be fun to ask the kids 20 random questions around their birthdays this year. I've done this before and it always fun, especially to look back to see how their answers change and evolve. Here is Brady's 2014 edition:

1.) What is your name? Brady
2.) How old are you? Five
3.) What do you want to be when you grow up? A garbage man
4.) What is your favorite food? Burgers
5.) What do you do really well? Flag football
6.) What are you afraid of? Monsters
7.) What makes you laugh? When Daddy does a silly face or I spit out my milk or I spit out my ice cream on my pants
8.) Who is your best friend? Chase
9.) What do you like to do with your family? Go and buy a toy at Target
10.) What do you love to learn about? Flag football
11.) Where do you like to go? Jump Planet
12.) What is your favorite book? A garbage truck book
13.) If you had one wish, what would it be? I would be a garbage man when I grow up
14.) What is your favorite color? Blue
15.) What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Banana
16.) What is your favorite cereal? Cheerios
17.) Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Arizona and Oregon
18.) What song do you love? (starts singing) One Republic, Counting Stars
19.) Who is your biggest hero? Wolverine and Hulk
20.) What is your favorite outfit? The Green Lantern one that I used to have

Brady's Birthday Extravaganza

FIVE! My little guy is turning five years old. At this age, I would describe Brady as not only tough and athletic, but very funny, affectionate, sensitive and thoughtful.  He still has his infectious giggle that can brighten anyone's day and he will do just about anything for a laugh. I am in awe of his creativity and imagination and hope that it is something that he will never lose. He LOVES Legos, garbage trucks, all sports (but especially baseball and football) and is a good little student (except for the times when he is not listening and talking - which is another thing he is especially good at.) His energy is unmatched although he is always up for a snuggle (with his Lovies and pillow pet, of course)! If I go out, he is often the first one to meet me when I walk in the door, usually with a smile, hands reached out for a hug and generally has something to tell me. Did I mention he loves to talk? :)

Brady's Birthday Extravaganza was a 3 day celebration.  It actually started a few days before for Josh and I when we started working on his birthday cake. In keeping with his love of garbage trucks, he decided he wanted a garbage truck birthday cake. In the month leading up to his birthday, we went on a search but we couldn't find the perfect cake so we decided to make one. For our first attempt at using fondant, I think we did pretty good and it actually tasted decent too. The birthday boy loved it so apparently we did alright :)

DAY ONE (March 8th)

Instead of having a big birthday party, Brady opted to spend the day with family and his best friend Chase. We started at his favorite restaurant, BurgerMaster - a greasy but yummy drive-up where you eat in your car. It's a big hit!

Next we went to the Family Fun Center. The kids had a blast playing on all the rides! Unfortunately it was pouring on the day we went so we couldn't enjoy the outside attractions but there was still plenty of fun inside.

This was their favorite and they went on it 5 or 6 times.  I thought for sure someone would end up sick!

Meanwhile, Nattie was busy on a slide.  I love watching her watch all the other kids :)

Next we headed back home for presents, pizza and cake with the rest of the Worsley clan.

Brady's new Seahawks hat!

DAY TWO (March 9th) 

Brady's Actual Birthday

Good morning Birthday Boy!

After a quick breakfast we headed off for swim lessons.

Next we stopped by another one of Brady's favorites - Dickey's BBQ. His favorite thing on the menu is fried okra; however when eating it, he takes off the fried breading and just eats the okra.  The second best thing is the free soft serve ice cream.

Today we had some serious giggles while eating our dessert :)

Then it was back home to hang out for the afternoon and open family presents!

While we had a few minutes of sunshine, we ran outside for quick game of catch with Dad.

Then it was back to business as the lego makin' began!

To end the night, B decided he wanted dessert at DQ.  He wanted an banana split but they were out of bananas (seriously??!??) so he opted for a waffle cone sundae.  

Good night my sweet boy! 

I love you more than you can imagine.

DAY THREE (March 10th)

So, what do you get for the kid who loves garbage trucks? 

A tour of the landfill, of course. 

The boys anxiously waiting for the tour to begin.  

They actually have a van pick you up and drive you around while they talk about the inner workings of the landfill.  Who knew they had such a thing?!

In addition to seeing TONS of garbage, lots of trucks and construction vehicles, we saw eagles, deer and a coyote.