Our little Kieron turned five this Cinco de Mayo. I can’t believe he’s graduating from pre-k this year and will move on to elementary school. I wish he would slow down!

At five, Kieron is such a sweetie pie, and very sensitive and emotional. He is sharp, witty, has a healthy sense of humor, and likes to get silly. He loves the color pink, having his toenails painted, playing with trucks and in the mud, and enjoys playing Legos and going hiking. He is his big brother’s right-hand man, and is into anything Avery is into. He has a freakishly good memory, an extensive vocabulary, and loves to listen to stories.

A picky eater since birth, Kieron really turned a corner in the food department this year. He added rice, chicken, steak, some fish, celery, yellow peppers, and lots of salad to his menu this year (and those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head)! Not that he was ever small to begin with, but it is no surprise that he came in at 90% for both height and weight at the doctor’s office. (That’s 45.25″ tall and 48.5 lbs).

We celebrated Kieron’s birthday with a party at our local bounce house, and invited a few of his nearest and dearest friends from the neighborhood and school. Everyone had a terrific time, and the boys all had red faces and sweaty hair by the end of the party. I’d say it was a success!

Here he is on his last night as a four-year-old

Baking cupcakes!

Minions

At Kidz Bounce

Silas was out of control, all over the place – a bouncing fiend

Bode

Cupcake time – Kieron wasn’t so comfortable being the center of attention

“Maybe if I close my eyes they won’t be able to see me.”

The king on his throne

Here he is with Liam

And with Gaby

We had a good run, but we knew it was only a matter of time before one of our boys got stitches. It comes as no surprise to us that our little daredevil, Silas, was the one it happened to. What was more shocking was that he got it doing something as mundane as walking. So here’s the story:

The boys and I had driven to Monroe to see my girlfriend, Laura, and her family. They had stopped to visit family and friends on their cross-country move from Maryland to California. The kids played outside while we caught up on the patio. About an hour into our gab fest, Avery came from around the corner, “Mo-om?” I could tell from the worried sound of his voice that something had happened. I sprang up, rushed toward him, and then saw Silas, who at this point had been bleeding from his forehead for probably 15-20 seconds, had touched it, and had blood all down the front of his face and on his hand.

I have to laugh now at my response – I kind of freaked. Not bad, but I definitely yelped/gasped/screamed. I’m not totally sure, but thank goodness Laura was there, she grew calm and gave me a look that said “take a breath,” which I did. So we scooped Silas up, took him inside, cleaned him up, and examined him. It was a small wound, but deep. He would definitely benefit from a stitch, but it could wait a little. So I slapped a bandaid on him, and we finished up our visit. Avery and Kieron were so good! They patiently sat in silence together on the patio waiting for news on their little brother. And Laura’s daughter, Calista, got right to work on a Get Well card for Silas.

In case you’re wondering how it happened, according to Avery, who saw it all, Silas was walking, and tripped on a landscaping boulder, then hit his forehead on another one.

Jonathan met us at Urgent Care in Redmond. He brought with him the essentials that would get us through the wait: iPads and Silas’ stuffed gorilla.

Silas was in good spirits, and I think enjoyed being the center of attention

Jonathan and I took turns holding the numbing solution on his cut for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Silas held some on his gorilla’s forehead.

Silas was a great sport. He didn’t like it when they washed out his cut with “spicy water” though, and cried. We were so worried about how he would do when he got the stitch, but he closed his eyes and held absolutely still. That part was easy-peasy. Here he is after the ordeal.

Earlier in the day, Laura and me, friends since 7th grade!

Update: Silas had to have his suture removed a few days later. Jonathan was out of town for work by then, and we really didn’t want to pay the bill for one little snip. So squeamish though I am, I discovered I am quite good at removing stitches!

Here are a few pics of what we’ve been up to so far this spring.

Grammy came to visit in April. We had a great time! Here’s us on one of our many walks together.

She watched the boys one morning while Jonathan and I hiked Mt. Si.

The wildlife loves me!

Here’s Silas building one of his marble run creations

Over spring break, Avery and Kieron participated in a UK Elite soccer camp. (They’re in the back in the grey and yellow jackets). They had fun, but I don’t think either of them care too much for soccer!

Heres Silas taking Kieron for a ride. He’s really improved his driving skills. The tires are getting pretty bare though, and he likes to slide into turns, which can be a bit unnerving to watch.

Avery and Kieron working on a book together. Check out that bed head!

The boys watching the trees come down where their new school will be built. I’ve never been so happy to see trees come down!

Avery posing in front of the grounds

My flower child. This boy always makes sure I have a flower!

And this boy… when I snapped this picture, he was saying, “Mommy, look at my penis!”

We had a busy and fun Easter weekend this year. It fell on the weekend following Jonathan’s birthday, so Nana and Auntie Ashleigh came up for a visit. Here are a few shots from the big Easter egg hunt at Centennial Fields.

On Friday, we attended another egg hunt at the Farm School.

And before that, Avery presented his project on the African Crocodile that he’d been preparing all month

We celebrated Jonathan’s birthday

And there were Easter baskets

On Easter morning we had our traditional breakfast, eggs a la goldenrod…

Dyed Easter eggs…

And the Easter bunny even paid us a visit at our house.