While the moms are away - the boys will play
May was a crazy busy month for us and it started off with a girls only trip for me and my two good friends. We all left our kids and husbands and went to Women's Conference in Utah for 5 days. Our husbands got together frequently to keep the kids entertained - taking them to the zoo and Burger King one day, letting them have quasi-sleepovers while the men watched boxing, and so forth. Avery was definately out numbered but she charmed them all and got the attention she demanded. We women had a blast and have decided to make it a yearly ritual. I just wish the kids had missed me a little bit!
Three days after me returning from Utah, Ben and I went to Sunriver for a work conference. This time Bethany and Ben stayed at the house with the kids. It was crazy how quiet the entire town was. Ben had meetings all day so I walked around, read and enjoyed the serenity. We missed the kids like crazy and decided that next year they're coming with us. We bought James a Captain Jack hat in Bend that we were way excited about, probably more so than two adults should be but we knew he would love it - he still wears it every day.
Half an hour after returning from Sunriver Ben and James took off for their first Father and Sons campout with Jesse and Conner. They shared a tent, had a hearty breakfast and explored the woods in Silver Falls. They found buried treasure (rotten car parts) that pirates later stole from them (Ben and Jesse didn't want to car parts coming home), and got to go under a waterfall. They came home tired and smelly but happy. I had stayed over at Shauna's house since I'm a wuss and didn't want Avery and I to stay in the house by ourselves. Part of me was hoping that James would hate the whole camping thing but he is definately his father's son. I guess I'm going to have to go along with them this summer :)
James' big fall
Shauna and I were taking the boys to a store in Bridgeport to look at pirate hats when the boys tripped over each other and hit the pavement hard. James' face suffered the brunt of his fall. He got pretty bad road rash on his forhead and nose and his mouth started swelling in seconds. I was really worried that he had broken a tooth or something there was so much blood. As soon as we got home he got a pirate band-aid for his forehead and we iced up his mouth pretty well. Luckily nothing scarred but it still broke my heart everytime I looked at him. He thought it was cool to be all cut up and bleeding - he was a true pirate and his Nanna and Pappa brought him a really cool race track to help him forget about his pain :)
Ben found a turtle by his work so he brought it home so that he and James could take it to the wildlife preserve by our house. Avery was fascinated by it.
At the park with Kaitlin
Avery and her bed head
Last day of Kindermusik classes
The boys all love Miss Kristin so we took them to a paint your own pottery store and made a plate with their handprints on it. We'll do it again next year but only if Kristin is teaching again :)
The kids love sharing a room together but sometimes I wish they had seperate rooms. I usually put Avery down for her nap 1/2 an hour before James so she has a chance to fall asleep. One day when I put him to bed she woke up but laid right back down so I thought it was all ok. While I was downstairs I heard some rustling on the baby monitor so I went back up and found Avery in the midst of all this and James in his bed looking guilty. I asked him what happened and he said "Avery told me that she wanted all of my toys." I couldn't be mad at him for just wanting to make her happy but the new rule is that he's not allowed to get out of his bed, even if Avery asks him to :)
Sad little princess
Avery caught a nasty flu bug that wiped her out for over a week. It was one of the saddest and frustrating times of my life because I felt so helpless. She wasn't keeping food or liquids down and had us all worried for awhile. While I was getting ready for the day she just sat in the corner with this sad face. Not even James could make her smile. I had to take a picture to show Ben - it still makes me sad but she's completely fine now, thank goodness
