First Day of School

 4th, 1st Grade and pre-school.
I've never been the over emotional Mom on the first day of school. Sentimental maybe, but I feel quite happy and confident dropping them off. This year was different. I was so emotional to let them go, to hand them to someone else. Knowing that another adult, and person I really don't know, will spend way more hours in the day with them than I get too.  Also to say goodbye to summer. I was choking up dropping them off, my hands shaking trying to drive away. I may have even drove back and just parked in the parking lot. Some of it had to do with a teacher switch that I knew needed to be made, but now looking back, it had to be pregnancy hormones. I should have known.

But Cache and Naomi, were so ready to go.  They are very much like their Dad, unafraid of the world.  Excited to be part of it. Hungry to be with friends, to learn and experience. They really are amazing, normal, healthy, wonderfully balanced kids.

 Mug shots.
                              Naomi 1st.                                                                 Cache 4th.

 Gage would start his pre-school a week later.

 Gage's first year of pre-school! (Still loves the color red!)

 

 

Up to this point he has had no desire to get older, learn or grow up. Very content to be at home with his blankie and cars and "mama" that he talks to all day. But that day he flipped a switch. He was even so confident we got to pick up his little friend who was too afraid to go by himself and Gage guided him in the front door. They both went in with a smile. He hasn't looked back, and is learning so many new things and wanting to learn more. It's really quite fun for me to watch him change.

 

 My favorite memory of all was Gage coming home from pre-school that first day and teaching me this cool new thing he had learned called, "Cross cross applesauce."  He then took nearly 5 entire minutes getting his body into that position. He thought it was just the neatest thing. I can't believe he's this old and I never taught him that. So cute.

A little update

Summer 2015.
We spent the summer doing private and public swim lessons, training our new puppy,  moving to our new house, preparing the old house for Grandma and Grandpa to return home from their mission, saying goodbye to our Thueson's cousins who moved to China, Devin and I  being a Ma and Pa on Trek and making lots of trips to the Spratling farm in Oregon to hang out with cousins.

Our new little house in our same neighborhood.  Now we live down the road from Grandma and Grandpa Orton. What a neat thing that is! Our kids however, have started trying to pull things off like, " HMM I don't like what's for dinner, I'm going to go see what Grandma made." Um.. not a chance.  Mostly Cache does this of course. A few days after moving into our new home, amid boxes and boxes of things,  we discovered I was 10 weeks pregnant with our 4th. What a crazy most unexpected thing.

So now we are in the midst of pregnancy, 2 kids in school, one in pre-school, and an 8 month old puppy. Devin working at his office downtown and treating dogs and horses on days off. Our big things on our mind right now are preparing for the baby, and purchasing our first home about the same time as the baby comes. Focusing on enjoying all the little growths and achievements and joys in life as we prepare for those two big things arriving, and as always the business of Devin being his own business owner.

We are very happy.

Valentines 2015

This year I spent Valentine's with Gage. My baby. We traveled to Portland. Attended the funeral of Jeremy Miller's. Since we were there, we got to visit Grandpa Calvin at OHSU. He was in bad shape and couldn't eat or drink or even have ice chips for 7 days while his surgery healed. It was hard to see him that way.

The trips went like this:
Gage and I drove to Pendleton and picked up my Mom, my sister Sarah and her two babies Danny and Lilly and then we picked up my old friend Cappie!

The drive was so nice catching up with Cappie. I love my old friend. I've missed her since the day we drove away to college.  We got to the church for the funeral and I began getting really nervous. I didn't want to feel sadness and see the pain my the Miller's were going through.  Cap could tell I was getting nervous, so she said, "Can I tell you something that will make you happy instead?" And told me she was expecting! Man that was an awesome moment. I can't wait to meet her baby and see her as a Mom. It made me so happy. Glad she was with me.

We stayed at a creepy but very cool old hotel. Now I need to watch the Shining. I guess that's what the hotel was like according to Cap.  We spent the next afternoon at Nicole's house. It was good to be with her and her family. I love them nearly like family and it's sad for me to know that they are so hurt.  Especially Dave. We left pregnant Cappie with her Mamma Char, and took off to see Grandpa Calvin.

That night we stayed in another stupid crazy hotel. A drunk guy came into our room and shook us up. We picked hotels bad that trip.  Never more.  We also ate at the old spaghetti factory and Danny and Gage got balloon swords.

Valentines' day we headed home but not before first stopping by the Portland temple. It was closed but the visitors center was open. That temple is just so gorgeous and the grounds were peaceful. Danny and Gage ran around in their red boots pretending they were captain Moroni. Danny grabbed my scriptures from me after I showed them where Captain Moroni came from. He climbed up on this ledge and held the book up and announced "Gage! THIS, THis is Captain Moroni's BOOK!" It was pretty funny and dramatic. Love that cute boy.  I hope Danny and Gage always are close friends.

We made it home in time to go to dinner with Sam and my Mom and Nick at Mazatlan. Then I lost my phone and felt pretty bummed about that driving around Pendleton late at night missing my real Valentine Devin. Got myself a blizzard and that helped! It always does. :)  Sunday Gage Louie and I drove home in time for Devin's belated Valentin'es meal for us. Pictured above. He is so nice.

Disneyland 2015

~HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAMILY~

We celebrated this land mark in our family by taking ourselves all to Disneyland! Here are some notes I took about our trip.

~HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY TO OUR FAMILY~

* Gage's first time on an airplane! He loves "blasting off."  Our flight attendant was named Helene and was polynesian.  We came to love her by the end of that flight. She brought Gage a new treat every two minutes. Finally she just brought him a Delta garbage sack FULL of every cookie, peanut and chocolate that was on the plane.  She loved Gage and said she thought he needed to go to BYU-Hawaii because he would fit right in with his personality.  Helen later showed Naomi some videos on her phone of her girls dancing Tahitian dance. Naomi told Helen all the names of the moves and Helen loved her so much. She said " you nee to move by me and I can be your Auntie!"  Anywa, she ended up sitting by me for the landing. She also gave me some mother advice to be a fierce and involved mother and a few other things that I hope I never forget.

*Naomi sprints everywhere all over the airports. Then collapses. Nay is very concerned about measles.  Also on the plane she followed the safety instruction card and studied it intently. 

As we rove above the clouds she was overwhelmed by the beauty. " Whoa! It's sooo beautiful!! It's so amazing!" Over and over. "It's like I don't know.. Oh I sea of clouds!"

* Disneyland Day 1.

First Disney magical moment.

Naomi spotted  Elsa down the street on a float. I grabbed her hand and the chase began!  We ran down the side walk following Elsa along the parade route for a very long while it felt. We lost the boys, and were just always a step behind Elsa. When we came to a road block and couldn't follow Elsa any further, out of breath, Naomi stood there with her hand on her heart and said: 
"Oh I so want to meet her!!!"
Then she gasped and looked down at her clothes.
"But I'm not dressed!" 
We both cried a little from emotion of the chase, the let down of aaaalmost seeing Elsa's face and the magic of it all. Little magical memory. Then we had to go track the boys. Poor Gage had tripped and scraped his knee trying keep up with all of us. So he joined us in crying. Devin was a bit upset that we had just bolted with no explanation.  Love that memory. We watched the parade and the Disney magic really took hold then. 
The next day we made sure Naomi was dressed properly to meet Elsa.

 Another fun moment was taking Naomi on space mountain. She absolutely loved it!  Cache was horrified and so ticked. So scared.  Naomi was hooping and hollering and laughing so hard saying, "Oh my gosh this is sooo awesome!! "  Gage liked it too, but said he didn't after he saw Cache so upset.  They all loved Star Tours, especially because their Mom was the rebel spy.  I gained new respect from them.

More princess time.

Belle and Naomi discussing their favorite books.  

On the Snow White ride an alligator popped up and Nay grabbed Gage trying to protect him from the alligator! He wasn't scared at all. Just laughing like a crazy man.

The boys had to complete Jedi training to receive their own custom light saber. (My rules, but they thought it was some Jedi rule).  They did it and Naomi got picked to come on stage too. Incredible memory.

Cache was very pleased that Darth Vader had sensed "The force was strong with him."

There was the cutest down syndrome man that did the final fight and defeated the dark side! I loved that boy. It was an awesome fight!

Darth Vader looked at Naomi and said : "Oh no Not in THAT dress!"

First thing in the morning, we were walking in a crowd of adults and no one was evening noticing Lightening McQueen, but he noticed Gage and called him to come over. Gage was star struck, but McQueen talked him down. It was so cool.

We visited Mickey and Minnie's house on the last day.

Thanks so much Mickey! 

We had the most magical time.