Waiting for Baby!

Today is June 3. I had my hair done this morning, have organized much of the house, and am officially all caught up on blogging. I also had my last pre-delivery OB appointment this morning. The nursery is set, diapers are stocked, and aside from a few non-critical things, we are ready to meet our baby girl!

According to the doc, there has been some progress since last week, so it’s anyone’s guess whether the baby will decide to come early or wait until her appointment next week. We decided we better take our final bump shots while there still is one!
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Silas can hardly wait to join the big brother club and hold his little sis. He is adorable!
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The nursery is ready to go, just needs a baby in it!IMG_9771 IMG_9772

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Museum of Flight

During the baby shower, Jonathan and Uncle Scott took the boys to the Museum of Flight for the afternoon. They had a terrific time and had lots of stories to share when they returned. Here they are in front of Air Force One (Eisenhower – Nixon).

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Kieron in the cockpit of a Blackbird
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Avery and Andrew tried the flight simulator and LOVED it! They spun it more than a dozen times, and apparently there were squeals of delight coming from inside!IMG_7729

Poor Silas really wanted to go too, but it looks like he has a few more inches to grow. Look at that face!
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Baby Shower

My girlfriends threw a baby shower for me in mid-May. It was so much fun having these ladies together and celebrating with them. They showered Layla and me with lots of love and support. I feel truly lucky to have them in my life!
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Sweet Nicole took photos of the decor
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That’s 56 diapers there in the cake
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Everyone wrote a welcome message in the book, “My Sweetest Princess Layla”
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We had a headband making station
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Caroline had each of the guests write a special or embarrassing memory about me, which she read aloud. Then I had to guess who it was, and that was the gift I then opened. It was such a fun game, and the stories were touching to hear!
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Caroline & Heather, friends since Jr. High
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With Nicole & Manivanh
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Afterwards, a quick photo the kids
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And one of the adults
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“Do you like my headband?”
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Avery made this one for his little sis.
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May

We had a beautiful start to May. We know there will be many days ahead spent at the lake or the river, and decided it was time for some refresher swim lessons for the boys. Silas is the one in the goggles.
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And that’s Kieron on the far right.
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Jonathan took Silas and Kieron to Paddle Fest at Lake Sammamish one day.
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They tried out various kayaks, paddle boards, etc.IMG_7680

Here’s Avery with Flippy the frog, who the boys discovered in the yard one afternoon.
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Silas and Flippy
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Kieron and Flippy
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And then… :/
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Avery at his piano recital. He performed the Star Wars Theme Song by John Williams
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Avery brushing another tooth he pulled for the fairy.IMG_9531

The Avery’s came for a visit. Here’s Silas posing with Nicole
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At the park
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Mother’s Day photo with my boys!
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The boys with their lovies
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Kieron is doing a great job reading, and even enjoys reading stories to Silas now. He speaks very clearly and uses a lot of inflection.
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Jonathan has been taking the boys on some hiking outings on the weekends. I am getting, ahem, a bit waddly these days, and am taking advantage of the time alone to get things in order for baby and the busy days ahead.
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A deer visitor
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At REI in Seattle
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Kieron the Six Year Old!

Kieron turned six on May 5th. He sure has grown up a lot this year.  He is such a sweet sensitive, silly little boy, and has outgrown much of the stubbornness of his earlier years, although he still has lots of spirit. Kindergarten and getting glasses both did wonders for him. Kieron reads quite well for his age, and enjoys reading longer chapter books with us. His favorites include anything Roald Dahl and most recently, Hatchet. He also likes math, and especially science. He loves the outdoors, and is a real workhorse. Kieron is big and strong for a kid his age, and has even been boasting about his “big muscles” lately (not sure where that came from, but it’s cute). He is pretty quiet at school, but has made some good friends, and enjoys playing with Avery and the older boys when they’ll let him. Now that Silas is older and becoming more of a peer, the two (only 20 months apart) are forming a special bond, and Kieron is growing into his role as an older brother and mentor.

Some special things about Kieron: he loves slapstick humor as much as the next kid, but it’s his timing and dry sense of humor (well beyond his years) that really crack us up. He can be quite emotional and sensitive, and perceptive to the feelings of others, although he is working on translating this into words and actions. Kieron also has a strong sense of social justice, perhaps because he is the middle child. We’ve recently noticed him growing into the role of “peacekeeper”. In particular, when Avery and Silas are acting up, Kieron becomes incredibly cooperative and well-behaved.

Kieron would like to be a park ranger when he grows up, and we can totally see it. Between his love of the outdoors, strong work ethic, and solitary nature, this could be a real calling for him!

Here’s our sweet boy on his last night as a five-year-old
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Birthday breakfast request: waffles!
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Birthday morning
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With his first Fender
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Lemon cupcakes!IMG_5656 IMG_5657

This year Kieron decided he wanted to have a Minecraft themed party at our house. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful, so we were able to do the entire party in the backyard (always a plus with a group of excited little boys)! With the help of Pinterest, I devised some cheap & simple party decorations, we played a couple of games, served pizza, cupcakes, and Minecraft-themed hors d’oeuvres, and then let the kids play the rest of the time. That night Kieron said to me “Mommy, I had so much fun at my party today!” Those words made me so happy!

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Endermen
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Spider
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Everyone’s favorite game, Shoot the Creeper! Jonathan was such a sport!IMG_5676 IMG_5684 IMG_5692 IMG_5695 IMG_5697 IMG_5702

Brooklyn as a creeper
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Kieron and his friend, Louis, running through the “Ender Portal”IMG_9539

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