7 and 5

Well, since I have been super slacker blogger, I am going to start all the way back at Zoe’s 7th birthday!  I can’t believe I have a seven year old. She was 61 lbs (88%) 49” (60%)  Its.. weird… and all the sudden, I feel like she has grown up so much.  She is just.. not little anymore.  She has her own ideas about how things should be and can reason, and have an in depth conversation.  We celebrated her birthday with  just the family because Zoe and I are taking a mommy/daughter trip with Lindsey and Ainsley to Florida in July in lou of a birthday party.  BEST decision ever.  We did do a couple fun playdates to get ice cream or go see Moana (which she LOVES) but we really had a low key birthday.  Of course, that is definitely not taking into consideration the massive amount of birthday decor I put out (Rainbow again by request).  She asked me WEEKS before her birthday what kind of decorations she was getting and the night of her birthday she wanted to make sure that we weren’t out too late that I would have time to decorate for her birthday.  Ah.. well.. at least in some ways she is like me! She got some rainbow barbie goodies from the grandparents and of course more Beenie Boos - Im scared to know how many she has.  Her favorite buddies are still all the same as last year - Ainsley, Ella, Rainey, and Sydney.  My sweet girl still loves art and drawing rainbows on everything, or rainbow colored anything.. I can always pick her work out of the class when we go to stuff at school.  She is doing fantastic at school and excels especially in math (ahem Daddy) but thankfully it has been pretty easy for her all around.  She does NOT thankfully have my sense of spelling and actually got a perfect score on every single spelling test (every week) of 1st grade!  Thats pretty impressive.  She also scored 97% in math on her grade benchmark test.  Im glad she has Daddy’s brain and memory even though her handwriting which is AMAZING is def. mine ;)  ! She also got her Daddy’s sense of order.  She asked me to put her pen back the other day (which was actually MY nice pen that she turned into hers) because she wanted to go play - but she wanted to make sure that I put it back in the proper spot upstairs in her art corner (which we had organized a month or so ago)  I told her I would but she said, “mommy, I dont think you know EXACTLY where it goes”  I said, ok, take a phone picture of the cubby you want it in, and Ill put it there after dinner.  So, she hands me the phone back a few minutes later and she has made me a 76 second video explaining EXACTLY where that blue flair pen goes and where it doesn't go, and "thank you very much, and to close the bin all the way and if you knock something down to please please please put it back and do not leave it like that”  I died laughing about that video all day.  And after all that, she put it away herself!   Zoe sill loves her one on one time with each of us - particularly at campouts.  She got to go to pine cove twice this spring, once with me, once with daddy.  She is empathetic, sensitive, and still wants to be a teacher, especially an art teacher.   I loved her Mother’s day card to me - “ My mom is the best because she gives me hugs and kisses and she doesn't get mad at me that much and says she loves me no matter what.  Other things about my mom is that she lets me have playdates a LOT and every time she wakes me up she rubs my back and it feels so good!  I love her more than Candy!”  She also is trying to convince J and I to get a Chihuahua  because she wants a small animal she can hold (read - control) and baby.  So not going to happen though.  My sweet Zoe girl.  

My buddy boy - still MY buddy.  I still wish I could freeze him and keep him 4 forever, but he had to go and turn 5.  He wears drift (usually under armour) every day unless I make him wear “church clothes”  But, at least he is still sweet!  He still loves to hang with his momma and play games, read books (forever!), and have playdates with his buddies that typically involve cars (still- thank goodness!)  His teachers adore him and I will say that he is inherently a very kind kiddo, especially with friends.  Now, he may not to try ANY new foods, but Ill take what I can get! ;)  He has become a little more like Zoe this year in that he loves having friends over - preferably one at a time.  Like Zoe, he prefers that as opposed to groups.  He still rides his scooter every afternoon when we go to pick up Zoe from school with his buddy Evan.  I will really miss that next year.. maybe I will have to bring the scooter to pickup!  We celebrated his birthday at Altitude trampoline Park and that was a great time with all his friends.  He is so fortunate to have such a solid group.  Of course I had to have decorations at home too- transformers.  His favorite birthday present was his new wakeboard - which he was thrilled ride memorial day.  He had a total blast.. until he got cold and thought he was going to run into the river bank ;)  But his smile was radiant at the beginning!   At age 5 Chase is 45 lbs (75%) and 43.5” (55%).  His mommy info sheet he did for mothers day said:  She can - find stuff- faster than anyone.  She make the best - videos.  She likes to - play tennis.  Her favorite thing to do is - cuddle with me.  She cooks the yummiest - chicken nuggets (score).  HA! At least the first ones were good!  I am going to miss his sweet preschool and all the memories there.  His little carpool friends made his last year there even better- every single car ride with those 3 was an adventure.  Chaser also played his first season of baseball this spring.  It was simply the best. Daddy coached and Im really and truly note sure who loved it more of the 3 of us.  (Zoe could take or leave it I’m sure)  A fabulous group of families plus the cutest little baseball players in the world = a total blast.  We are all sad its over!  Chase couldn’t understand why we couldn’t just keep practicing every Monday.  Zoe actually played on her own softball team (voluntarily!) so I was proud of her too- though she decided lacks the excitement over the sport itself.  ;)  Its been a busy, but wonderful spring.  It seems like has gotten busier just in general.  I was thinking of how I used to think i was SO busy when Zoe was a baby and I spent the whole day at the arboretum taking pictures of her.  ha.  Oh, and I also just went through her baby clothes.  Lets just say she has QUITE a bit more than Chase.. Those were the slow days!  I kind of miss it, yet I very much love the stage we are in.  The kids are able to so do many different things and its amazing to watch them grow and learn things.  Chase can actually read a little bit already- though he gets frustrated pretty quickly.  I just can’t imagine him being in kinder next year - reading, writing stories, and just growing up even more.  Cue the tears.  Its going to be a tear-filled day!