Escape Artist

Tor figured out how he could escape from the backyard.  He would stand on the light and throw his leg over the fence and then he would take off in a sprint. He is very fast for a 1 1/2 year old.  He's been trying this for several days and finally got it down so now Papa has him foiled again.  He moved the fence on the other side of the light so he doesn't have anything to climb on.  I know he will be out there trying to find another way to escape.

One More Party for Bridget

It was a big 4th birthday party for Bridget on Saturday. The house was about as packed as it could handle, and there were a lot of kids (Adam, Andy, Karlee, Rielee, Ava, Harper, Hazel and Ila) which meant there was a lot of noise. After some pizza and snacks, we sang happy birthday and Bridget blew out the candles on her Frozen-themed cake. Then it was the moment Bridget had been waiting for ... presents! She had quite the audience with all of the kids crowded around her, and she loved all of the presents she received. When we asked her later how her party went, she said "Great!"

Party at Preschool

Bridget had her preschool birthday party today. She was greeted with a "Shine Time" photo of herself on the bulletin board, a big "Happy Birthday Bridget" interlocking mat at the door entrance, and the chance to wear the crown she made. Everyone sang the happy birthday song to her, and then ate brownie bites for treats. Bridget was a very happy little 4-year-old.

Bridget is 4!!!

Today was Bridget's long-awaited 4th birthday! With her party being on Saturday, we wanted to treat her tonight, so we took her out for dinner and treats. Bridget asked for enchiladas, so we went to Guadalajara. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and at the end, about 4 of the wait staff came to our table. They put a sombrero on Bridget, then sang a happy birthday song to her. She smiled the whole time.

Afterwards, we went to Sweet Spot for treats. By the time it was over and we got home, Bridget was deliriously tired, but still excited about it being her birthday.

Bridget's Teddy Bear Picnic

 Bridget's preschool class walked to the park to have lunch with their teddy bears.  The funniest part was walking the one block to the park.  The kids don't have a clue about staying in lines and they would get distracted and go in a completely different direction, or they would lose their partner, who was looking at something.  The walk took a long time as Mrs. Takko was patiently trying to teach them how to walk in line.

 Once they got to the playground the kids all scattered to do their own thing.  Bridget went to the swings and I offered to push her.  She sat there and said, "Mrs. Takko is the one I want to push me."  She loves her teacher.  Soon Mrs. Takko obliged her and she was impressed that Bridget knew how to pump on the swings herself.

 This was Bridget's favorite thing of the whole picnic.  When they lifted the parachute and the bears went flying, she laughed every time.

This is her friend (I forgot her name.).  Bridget gave her a big hug before I asked for a picture.  On the way back to school, most of the parents took their child's hands to speed up the trip back.

More Soccer

 Jillian and Bridget always request to eat outside when it's nice at their own table.  They do a good job too.  And they always get chocolate milk with whip.

 A good action shot from soccer today.  Playing at 10:00 AM was much better heat wise and Jillian had a lot more energy.  She was so close today to scoring a few times but she is a good teammate and will pass it to someone else.

Tor was happy today as he had his own ball to play soccer.  He spent a lot of time and did great dribbling the ball around the open spaces but sometimes he wanted to get on the field and play with the girls, so Mommy had to rescue him.  You can see his focus on the ball.

Constant Motion

 I had just finished trimming Bridget's hair and she grabbed a hairband to wear.  I told her she looked like a little Indian.  Plus now she is pretty dark from the sun.

 When Brock plays with Tor he is always trying to teach him something.  The other day it was how to correctly pass a basketball and Tor caught right on to that.  Yesterday it was how to bat a ball and that didn't go quite as well as Tor always wanted to do it with one hand and sit down to hit.

What is it with boys and rocks?  The girls played with them some but Tor is out there all the time.  Today he was putting them on the big rock but mostly he likes to throw them.  Sometimes he fills my statues with rocks, puts them in buckets to take somewhere, or piles up the bigger rocks on the plants.  Someone asked the other day if he had any quiet times-this is his quiet time.  Normally he is in constant motion.

Tor's 18-month Checkup

Tor went in for his 18-month checkup with Dr. O' Neil the other day. The very good news for him was that there were no shots. So, they occupied their time taking the usual measurements. Tor continues to be on the smaller side, with a height of 32 inches (42nd percentile), a weight of 22 lbs 15 oz (32nd percentile) and a head circumference of 18.7 inches (56th percentile). Dr. O' Neil was impressed by how quietly and calmly Tor sat still while he was checked.

Jillian's Soccer

 At the beginning of the game the coach has the players point to their goal before kick-off.  From Jillian's expression it's like, "I know."

 Jillian is the designated kicker when she's in the game because she has a strong kick and many times kicked it past the defenders toward her goal.  Her cheeks were already red here from playing at 1:00 PM in the heat of 90 degrees.

 She took off on a break-away here and passed it to a player who scored the team's first goal.

Jillian is also the out-of-bounds thrower and she can throw it a long ways.  This girl has muscles!

Imagination

 Bridget was sitting in the backyard talking and talking for the longest time, which she is always good at doing but not usually sitting among the rocks.  Curiosity finally got to Papa and I so I asked her what she was doing.  Our little engineer was devising a home for her imaginary friends from rocks.  Maybe it was for that leaf that looks like a bug.  I guess we interrupted her since she quit right after that.

First Days of School

Both Jillian and Bridget had their first days of school this week. Bridget started her 3-year-old preschool on Tuesday at Calvary Community, while Jillian started 1st grade at Olympic Elementary.

Bridget was very excited to finally get to go to school like a big girl. When Mommy took her there, she just marched right in to the classroom, talked briefly to her teacher Mrs. Takko, then started playing. When we asked her how school was, she was all smiles. It looks like Bridget is going to love school.

Jillian was also excited to go back to school, mostly to see her best friends Addie and Reese. She got another new teacher this year, Ms. Hewitt. When we asked her how it went, she was kind of put out that all they did all day was learn the rules.