KidzBounce

The boys attended a birthday party for one of Wyatt's classmate at KidzBounce and they had so much fun! We've been to KidzBounce a few times before but this was the first time that Sammy really felt confident enough to go out on his own and bounce. I helped him up the big climbing structures, otherwise he was flying solo. He was pretty scared to go down the big slides and insisted to sit in my lap with his head buried in my chest for the descent but must have liked it just a little bit because he kept going back for more. Our last time down I convinced him to slide beside me- what a brave boy!

Wyatt raced from each bouncy house as fast as he could run and his hair was soaking wet with sweat by the time we left. I hope to take the kids back a few times this winter when the weather is too soggy to play outside.

The Lazy Song

The boys love the Bruno Mars video for "The Lazy Song" because of the great beat and the monkey masks. I had to edit this video before it got to the "I'll just strut in my birthday suit, And let everything hang loose" part for self-explanatory reasons.

For those of you not "in the know" about this video- check it out here...

Swim Time!

Wyatt went back for his second swim lesson today and was able to practice a few new skills. He practiced pushing off the bottom of the pool (completely submerging his head) and then reaching for the wall. He then pushed back off to his instructor, Scott. He looked completely comfortable doing it, which was awesome!

He also jumped off the side of the pool and grabbed onto a water noodle. This was his first time jumping into the water and he did a great job!

Ross was able to attend tonight's lesson and Wyatt was so excited for his dad to come to swim lessons. Here he is giving dad a thumbs up.

Ladder Truck

Ross was on shift on his 36th birthday so the boys and I headed over to the fire house with 2 key lime pies that evening to help him celebrate. The kids, like always, had the run of the place and climbed on every piece of apparatus. This time, I was in for a treat as well, as the guys offered to put me in the bucket and go up to the top of the 105-foot ladder. Ross thought I'd never go for it since I am afraid of heights but I thought "What the heck?" and said I was in.

We put the boys in the back of the ladder truck and drove it around to the lot next door and they loved their first ride as firefighters.
 

Then I got suited up in my fire helmet and strapped in and up we went. It wasn't so scary, especially since I wasn't looking at the ground. The kids were so cute watching us in their fire helmets, waving excitedly from the ground below. And Sam was cracking me up as he held his arms against his ears because of the noise. I must say that being up that high gave me a new appreciation for the work he does and perhaps I don't always give him the credit he deserves for being a complete stud since I was raised by one. But he is and I am so proud of the work he does.

 

Remlinger Farms

We took the boys to Remlinger Farms over the weekend and it was our first time at the farm/kiddie amusement park in the neighboring town of Carnation. We started the day with pony rides and both boys loved the experience. Sam has been talking about ponies ever since and says he wants one of his own.

Next, we headed over to the canoe ride and train ride before heading over to the restaurant for lunch. Afterward, the kids fed the goats, chickens and bunnies, and then we hit some more rides.

We rode the spinning pumpkin ride first. I sat with Sam, while Ross sat with Wyatt in the pumpkin behind us. With the centrifugal force, Sam was pinned against me the entire time with a look of utter dizziness with a hint of nausea.

We capped off the day with a ride on the mini roller coaster, which Wyatt had been talking about all day. Sam said he wanted to go too so we decided to let him ride, this time with Ross, while I sat with Wyatt. Wyatt loved it and even threw his arms up in the air on the downhill parts. Sam was, well, terrified, bug-eyed and shaking. He didn't go as far as crying but would yell "I no like! I no like! I no like!" on evey downhill portion of the ride. Something tells me Sam will not be going on this ride next time around.

Wyatt's First Swim Lesson

Wyatt had his first swim lesson last week and he did such a great job! This may be hard to believe but our little four year old had NEVER been in a swimming pool and had only been in a lake once before last summer and was wearing a life jacket.

I was a little apprehensive on how he may react in the water but he was a natural. He is in a class with two other children- one a friend from the Sno-Valley Moms Group, Jake, who has done the swim class before. Wyatt really took to his instructor, Scott, and fed off of Jake's confidence and you'd never have guessed it was his first time in the pool.

 

Scott began the lesson by asking Wyatt to walk from one side of the shallow end of the pool to the other. They then practiced blowing bubbles, pushing off, kicking and floating on their backs. At the end of the 30 minute lesson, the kids had 5 minutes of free time and Wyatt decided he wanted to use it by going down the water slide! He was fearless and went down the slide 4 times, making a big splash and then working his way back over to the stairs to do it all over again. I don't know which of us had the bigger smile.
 

Wyatt loved swim lessons and can't wait to go back this Thursday when he'll get to show his dad his swimming skills. He was so happy with swim lessons that he decided to share a photo of himself going down the slide for Show-and-Tell at preschool the next day.

Sand Castles

I've always wanted to view a sand castle building contest and one came to Federal Way earlier this month. We drove the kids down and explored the 20+ sand castle exhibits and it was pretty cool. It's hard to believe no other materials besides sand and water were used to design these master pieces. Wyatt's favorites were the chameleon (which reminded him of Pascal from "Tangled"), the mermaid and the heart. I liked the Indian and the one Sammy is standing in front, which was a man and women attached at the head.

Wyatt's First Day of Preschool

Wyatt started preschool on Sept. 7th and it was such a big milestone for all of us. The night before, we read him a couple of bedtime stories, including "Curious George's First Day of School".

 

The next morning, I woke him up early and reminded him that he would not be watching any television on school day mornings unless he got himself ready early. That first morning he jumped out of bed with a big smile on his face, went to the breakfast table and ate two bowls of "Honey Bunches of Oats"- his recent favorite cereal. After breakfast, he got dressed, brushed his hair and teeth, let me take a dozen "first day of school" photos and was still ready early enough to watch a Curious George cartoon before we headed out.

Ross was off duty and was able to attend the first day, which meant a lot to Wyatt. Samuel was really excited to be a part of the first day too and loved waiting outside the school with all of the other students and their younger siblings.

When it came time for Wyatt to line up and go inside he gave us all a hug and kiss (Sam asked for a second) and then jockeyed between saying goodbye one more time and getting in line. Ross eventually walked him up the stair and he went inside with a huge smile on his face. Sam yelled "Goodbye!" and "Have fun!" over and over again to his big brother.

Afterward, we took Sam over to a new local park to play and have some fun of his own. I think he misses Wyatt on preschool mornings but is also enjoying one on one time with mom and dad.

Here's a little video I took of Wyatt coming out of class that first day...