It is almost October. Between putting our house on the market, moving a family of six to a new town (more on that in a later post), getting settled in the new house, and school starting, it has been a crazy few months for the King family. It’s now a month into the school year and I am just starting to feel slightly “normal” again and like we’re settling into a groove. (Just in time for the holidays.) So it’s time I catch up on blogging. Expect a ton of posts over the next couple weeks with hasty writing and waaaay too many photos. Sorry, I just don’t have the time or energy to cull them as much as I should! But I’m glad to make the family blog a priority again. I do love having the record to look back on!

I present to you: Early May

Layla loves playing peek-a-boo from under her crib

Avery with a temporary pet salamander

Cute sleeping baby pic!

I took the littles to Sno Valley Coffee Company for some cocoa and treats

Then off to a local park

Look who likes to cruise around the playground now!

The boys enjoying iPad time together

At another park, this time in Issaquah Highlands

And this time at Lake Sammamish’s new and improved park

These two!

Silas was SOOOO excited for his kindergarten screener at Timber Ridge Elementary

Here he is practicing locking up his bike

Riding on the little train

Kieron’s 1st Grade concert. He’s in a blue shirt in the middle row, toward the left side

Won’t this be fun to move?! (But too good a deal to pass up at the local garage sale.)

This girl loves strawberries!

Sleepover with the cousins. We found Avery and Andrew like this:

And Silas was totally passed out

Avery at parkour

Meanwhile Kieron and Louis were having a ball in the waiting room

School day mornings with Hamza. Really going to miss him!

What can’t you learn from YouTube? Here’s the boys trying to learn to blow bubbles.

Little lady loves swings

Avery is so sweet with his little sis

Another park photo

On a hike

Found this gem on the camera roll. She was mad about something!

In this pic Layla is dancing in front of the fireplace, watching her reflection in the glass!

Flowers for Mother’s Day

At Paddle Fest at Lake Sammamish

At Jim & Renee Warrick’s house for a crew BBQ

Layla loved this creepy little remote control dinosaur

WWU Varsity Crew team

And with their coxswain!

We had a fun Easter this year with our little bunnies. Don’t they look cute all dressed up together?!

Layla in her Easter dress

The Easter baskets

The day before we participated in our neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Avery was in the older kids group.

Meanwhile, Kieron & Silas were good partners in their age group.

Layla loves Brooklyn

Look who found a golden egg!

Avery and Hayden – besties!

Silas thought it was a good idea to unwrap his chocolate eggs!

Later, back at home.

Here’s what we were up to the rest of March:

Look who learned to crawl! Look out boys!

Trying to pull up on her music table. By the end of the month she had it down.

Legos with Grammy

And a little fitness

Bath time

“Look what I can do!” (this was the first time she pulled up in the sink)

Chemistry with Hayden

New “anchorman” specs for Kieron

Silas the artiste

Kieron is such a sport and takes a lot of abuse from his little sis

Testing for his blue belt

My dinner company

“I sit up in my crib now.”

Silas loves to return the library books for me.

Happy St. Patty’s Day! I realized there isn’t a lot of green in Layla’s wardrobe, but she managed not to get pinched.

Silas started hip hop classes

Layla, sporting a cute outfit from Auntie Ash & Uncle Mark

Hanging new, more bigly, Tibetan prayer flags

Solar panels hard at work

A cute pic of daddy and his little girl

Getting into trouble in the kitchen

Kieron at his belt ceremony

And now in his blue belt

Sissy

The boys took me for a tour of their latest tree fort modifications

We went to Fisher Creek Bike Park for the first time. Can’t believe we hadn’t taken the boys here before! They loved it!

It seems like he was just born, but Silas turned five at the beginning of the month. He is such a little ray of sunshine — so cheerful, smiley and expressive — this boy really wears his heart on his sleeve.  Of course he loves anything his big brothers are into, but he really enjoys art, dancing, gymnastics, animals, babies, and TALKING. These qualities make him a notorious ladies man, but he doesn’t let it go to his head (or even seem to notice). I had this to say about him on his birthday:

Five. Our baby boy turns five today. It is so fun watching our sweet, precocious, positive, sunny Si grow up. Today feels a little bittersweet though. Between our three boys I’ve spent the past decade learning about construction vehicles (who knew there were so many), emergency services, trains, superheroes, bugs and dinosaurs. I habitually alert the boys when we see a vehicle of interest while we’re in the car, or if we see policemen, firefighters, or military personnel in uniform. I’ve accumulated hours watching construction zones and waving at garbage men with little boys or chasing them on their bikes with a stroller. Sometimes I get bored to tears reading Tonka books to no end. Now my last little boy is getting older. He will start kindergarten in the fall, learn to read, and soon trade in these sweet little boy things for video games, Pokemon cards, and sports. I look forward to every stage, but can’t help feeling a little sentimental too! We love you Silas Tristan and you’ll always be our baby boy!

Silas received Wii Minigolf from his brothers

He invited a few of his nearest and dearest to his party at Kidz Bounce

They didn’t have fun at all

Clare & Layla

The gang

Silas requested angel food cake with berries and “whoop cream”

It took him a while to blow the candles out and the big “5” fell off the cake and onto the platter while he kept blowing the others out. Jonathan and I briefly panicked, but all was okay.

With his gal Charlotte

With Xander

With Charlotte

With Bode & Deacon

With Louis & Emmett

With Ethan

With Caden

The three amigos

Last night as a four-year-old!