Preston's Three Year Old Stats

Weight: 32 lbs --50th %

Height: 36 inches 50th %

sophie angel

This is a picture of Sophie at age 15 months. We finally got a new scanner, so I can preserve it forever on my blog! It's one of my favorites pictures of her. She just told me she has a loose tooth. I should be excited for her, and I'm pretending to be, but it actually just makes me sad... she's growing up, and a loose tooth is pure, indisputable proof of that... I wish I could preserve each moment of my kid's childhood forever in my mind -- just as this picture has preserved this Sophie angel moment for me.

Swim Team

Another successful season down! My kids did so great this year, and I saw such an improvement in their times and their skills. They really are strong swimmers. By the end of the season Sophie was swimming in the 7 & 8 year old group, and her times jumped up significantly with that extra practice. Porter mastered the butterfly and the breaststroke this year- he's so strong! What a great sport!

Doug- bowling pro

All of the attorney's in Doug's company gathered for one big three day conference. The itinerary included lots of meetings and speakers, along with meals together and some get to know you activities, like bowling. Here's a picture of Doug in action!

annual blue berry picking

best year ever! the berries were awesome, so ripe, and so abundant! the kids are getting taller, or the branches were lower in our section, because they were all able to help! and we went in the evening, as opposed to first thing in the morning--it was less crowded and the weather kept getting cooler as night approached! we picked almost 24 lbs-- we should be set for another year! (they freeze well)

Snake Program-- Sophie and Preston

Our library sponsors a great summer reading program each summer. In conjunction with their reading program, they do special shows each Monday. Last Monday the theme was snakes, snakes, snakes... My kids loved it! Sophie was fascinated, but took a while to warm up, while Porter and Preston had no fear from the get go. Check out the many photos of them meeting the snakes!

Snake Program-- Preston

Snake Program-- Sophie

Snake Program--Porter

Wipeout...

We often do 24 hour kid babysitting swaps with the J* family. They are moving the end of this month :( so sad! We will miss them. We're trying to squeeze in the last bits of fun before they leave, so we decided to try to fit in a 48 hour swap. Our turn to watch the kids was this weekend.

Preston and Will played hard from sun up to sun down. I have a feeling Preston's threes are going to be a more mischievous than his twos. Case in point, in the space of less than an hour the two boys manged to dump out all the toys in the playroom, flood the kid bathroom and color all over themselves and the couch with washable marker. Where was I when this happened? Taking care of the previous mess. I guess I learned my lesson about the need for constant surveillance! Hmmmm.

During movie night that night, we looked down around 7 pm, both boys, completely wiped out, asleep. They didn't even have the strength to finish their popcorn.

Suzuki Book One Recital

When a Suzuki piano student learns all of the songs in the book s/he is studying they celebrate that event by performing a Book Recital. During that recital the student is the only one who plays and they play all of the songs from the book. The songs are memorized and polished.

Porter, who started taking piano in October, learned all eighteen of his songs in about seven months, he then took another month to polish them.

Last Thursday night he performed his Book One recital at our home. He was very particular about his guest list, he would only let me invite a few people. He selected the refreshment menu... fruit pizza and his own special concoction for the drink (grape, apple, orange juice... mixed). He insisted on wearing shorts, Doug took that opportunity to remind me, again, that this was Porter's recital, and we decided to let him do it his way... and his way he did it!

His teacher gave him the option of playing straight through the songs, or playing a fishing game to determine the order. The fishing game, of course, sounded like more fun. So Sophie and I colored one card for each song, and attached a paper clip to it. Doug attached a magnet to a real fishing pole (per Porter, the pole had to be real). Then the kids in attendance got to fish for a card. Porter then played the song on the card. Some of the kids acted pretty silly, crazy fishing antics, laughing at the pictures on the cards. Porter gets two thumbs up for concentration. He would be playing his song perfectly, while turning his head to see what the giggling was about.

I was so proud of him, and how quickly he's learned!

He's still frustrated that one of the gift's God has given him is an ear for music and a good memory. Whenever he tells he me wants to quit piano, my response is, that's not an option, unless of course, he wants to forfeit all media time. He can't have his half an hour on the computer unless he's practiced his piano for the day. I tell him he can complain and be miserable, or decide to enjoy it. That's the part that's his choice.

When we came home from his last lesson with Book 2 he told me it was the worst day of his life... he thought Book 1 was it, and he was done. Ha ha ha... there are seven books! But the next night as he sat at he piano, he called out in an excited voice to Doug "Dad listen to this!" and proceeded to play part of the first song in book 2 that he'd just figured out.

Funny kid... I just feel like he's been given a gift at the piano, and if I don't do my part to get him lessons and help him practice I'll be the one held accountable for the loss of the gift, of the burying of this talent. He can chose to bury it when he's older, if he's still so inclined. I'm hoping, of course that his heart will soften, until then I'm trying to walk the hard line of encouraging with out making it a battle, a near impossible task with someone as strong willed and stubborn as Porter (and myself, for that matter). I hope summer will a bit easier, he'll have more time at home, healthier eating- as I'll have more control of his diet, no homework to do, and morning practice time.

swim team brag post

I wanted to record their swim times just for fun. Look how much they improved over the season.


06/12/10 REPASI, PORTER Male (8 & Under) 25 Breast 29.36Y 4/21
06/12/10 Repasi, Porter Male (8 & Under) 25 Breast 29.60Y 7/31
05/15/10 Repasi, Porter Male (8 & Under) 25 Breast 34.49Y 5

06/12/10 REPASI, PORTER Male (7-8) 25 Free 21.69Y 7 /28
05/29/10 Repasi, Porter Male (7-8) 25 Free 22.95Y 7/33
05/15/10 Repasi, Porter Male (7-8) 25 Free 23.83S 5/24
05/08/10 Repasi, Porter Male (7-8) 25 Free 23.86Y 4

06/12/10 REPASI, PORTER Male (7-8) 25 Back 28.47Y 5/25
05/29/10 Repasi, Porter Male (7-8) 25 Back 32.31Y 13/27
05/15/10 Repasi, Porter Male (7-8) 25 Back 30.88S 4/22
05/08/10 Repasi, Porter Male (7-8) 2 5 Back 28.50Y 2 time trials

05/15/10 Repasi, Porter Male (8 & Under) 25 Fly 31.48S 3/13
05/08/10 Repasi, Porter Male (8 & Under) 25 Fly 30.33Y 1 time trials

relay
1:54.42 1st forest cove 5/15
1:36.73 1st/6 mills branch 6/12

free relay
1:27.80 2nd/6 vs otters 5/29
1:25.67 2nd/6 vs mills branch 6/12


06/12/10 REPASI, SOPHIA Female (6 & Under) 25 Free 28.00Y 7/27
06/12/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Free 32.28Y 7/29
05/29/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Free 35.96Y 8/22
05/22/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Free 41.15S 7/20
05/15/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Free 31.82Y 1st --time trials

06/12/10 REPASI, SOPHIA Female (6 & Under) 25 Back 33.11Y 5/27
05/29/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Back 33.43Y 3/26
05/22/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Back 45.96Y 11/21
05/15/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Back 48.63S 6/19
05/08/10 Repasi, Sophia Female (6 & Under) 25 Back 57.22Y 6

relay
2:23.72 2nd vs forest cove 5/15
1:50.91 1st vs otters 5/29

Sophie can tie her shoes!

Sophia came home from preschool at the end of April announcing that her teacher told the whole class that she would take who ever learned how to tie their shoe to chick-filet. To be honest, I didn't know if Sophie could do it.

Several weeks went by, and the end of school was approaching, she kept asking me to teach her, and I thought, I'd better at least try. We sat down on a Sunday evening and we worked on it for a while. Doug came over and showed us how he ties his shoes, a slightly different way. It was still a little too tricky.

Then Porter walked by. Now, I never taught Porter how to tie his shoes, he just came home from pre-school one day with the skill. His teacher had taught him. I asked him how he ties his shoes. He sat down and showed us. He then proceeded to teach Sophie, she had it down perfectly in around five minutes.

She practiced over and over again that night, and in the morning on the way to school. She had to practice on Preston's church shoes, because the only tie shoes she has are soccer cleats, and those laces were a little too short to make for good practicing. She successfully showed her teacher her new skill that Monday. She was so proud of herself!

The teacher brought in chicken nuggets from chick-filet for the last day of school. I thought that was the reward. But her teacher called a few days after school got out, asking if we could meet her at chick-filet for lunch. Wow, way to follow up on your promise-I was impressed with her teachers! Sophie was elated, as it turns out, there were only three kids of the eighteen in the class who took on the challenge. Both Sophie's teachers showed up and spoiled those three girls with kids meals, huge milkshakes, and playtime on the toys. I'm sure this is something Sophie will never forget.

Preston is Three!!!

He requested a black spider man cake. I assumed he meant chocolate cake, and as we were coloring the frosting, he wanted it blue.

When we asked him if he was excited for his birthday, he said yes, and Mommy's going to make me a cake! I don't think he realized presents were part of birthdays, he sure figured it out by the end. The day after his birthday he asked me "Mommy, do you have another present for me? I like presents!"

The Geo-Trax High Flying Airport

It was hit!

Baseball and bat for our future slugger. He loves sports already.

The long awaited for piggy bank, complete with quarters. Thanks Grandma Barbara!

Thanks to the grandparents and aunts and uncles who helped make his birthday special with their packages!

You have to watch this, Preston blows out the candles, tells us how old he is and sings the beloved Spiderman song. Turns out Dad taught it to him, one of his hidden talents!

I sure love my sweet little boy. I can't believe my baby is three already!

He is full of love and is easy to love.

I love how, when he gets angry he announces before what he's going to do about it. For example, "I'm going to hit you mommy!"

He will stand up for his sister, enunciating every word. "Don't. you. be. mean. to. my. sister. my. Sophia!"

He knows what he wants. Last night he came inside, looked at me, "I don't want you mommy." Then looked at Doug. "Daddy, I want you to push me on the swing!"

He love trike ride, trips to the park, and playing in the sprinkler outside.

He loves to read books at night before bed. And he loves his daddy. Doug usually puts him to bed at night.

Preston has a wonderful imagination. Long stretches of time will go by where I don't see him because he's off playing a with his toys by himself. He can entertain himself, and he's a good independent player.

But he also loves his friends and he loves going to nursery.

He's a singer, we play kid tapes in the cars, and if he knows the words he'll sing along. His favorite song from nursery is 5 little alligators. But he has to sing it, if I try to sing with him, I usually get into trouble.

He loves to help me sweep the floor, by filling up the dust pan and dumping it into the garbage. He also likes to use the toilet brush on the toilet, and spray window cleaner where ever he can.

He has a beautiful, happy smile and a beautiful personality. Our family is so blessed to have him in our lives! I'm so grateful Heavenly Father sent him to us three years ago!