Goin' to the lodge, Great Wolf Lodge

We were invited last minute to go to the Great Wolf Lodge.  We drive by it all the time on the way to Portland and hear the commercials with the singing wolves that I've been wanting to go forever.  The thing is, the rooms are lik $400/night and everything else costs extra. It's usually cheaper to go to Disneyland!  Destiny's mom took advantage of a Groupon deal though, so we headed down there with Destiny, Janet, and Bridget and Joel.  We got there around noon.

We checked in and headed up the the room.  It was labeled "Kids Kamp".  We soon found out why, there was a cabin with a TV and bunk beds for the kids inside.

The cool thing is that you get wristbands for the water park, but those wrist bands are also your room key- you wave it in front of your door and it unlocks!  After some lunch, we headed down to the water park.  I was a bit nervous about Sawyer since he has always hated the water, and it took awhile to get him into the swimming pool at our last hotel.  I kind of tried to build up the swimming pool to him on the way down and reminded him how fun they are.  It totally worked...or else his fear is gone...because the first thing he did was run right into the wave pool!  He LOVED it and was smiling the whole time!  He spent hours going down the two water slides that were kids sized. (They had bigger ones but he doesn't have the best control on the slides I didn't think he would want to try the big ones since there is deeper water at the end and parents can't go with them)

Here he is going down the purple slide.  He went down these non-stop, it must have been well over 100 times.  Sometimes he'd take off without us knowing to the other place though giving us small heart attacks every now and then.  He didn't always flip on his stomach this way, I just didn't want to keep my phone in the water.



I went down the bigger slides with Joel since he had to have a buddy go.  He just couldn't go down the Tornado one so I had to go by myself with strangers when I tried that one one time.  Destiny could only go on certain things since her injury and the tornado was wayyy too bumpy for her neck.  They were very fun though.  There are 2 tube ones and a raft one besides the tornado.

Sawyer was SO sad when we had to go.  The first time was for dinner and he knew he was coming back, but the second we weren't sure.  He kept running off while we were getting changed to go down the slide one more time -.-  We wanted to see what the story time thing was all about though.  Each night the kids all meet in the lobby and there is some anamatronics show followed by a story read by a staff member.

Neither him nor Joel were really interested though.  Joel didn't go in the water after dinner because he wanted to play Magic Quest (you buy a wand then can go all over the hotel on different floors and stuff waving it at things to make them activate).  We decided to go back in the water for the rest of the 40 minutes before it closed.  We stayed until the whistles blew and kicked everyone out.

We got back and Sawyer and Joel played hide-and-seek.  This is how Sawyer hid:

They went down for bed, and Sawyer insisted on sleeping on the couch cushions with his new pet wolf.  It didn't last long though because Keri and Jackson were on their way.  I finally got him to sleep in the tiny cabin beds if I slept with him.  That was pretty uncomfortable!

The next morning we had to leave early because I had a couple appointments :(  I felt so bad because everyone else was getting their swim suits on and Sawyer was just walking around with a sad face saying "I want to go in the swimming pool.  I don't want to go home."  He wasn't throwing a fit, he just kept saying it so sad.  I wish we had time to go back, but I probably wouldn't be done until 4 ish and the lodge is about an hour+ from our house.

I'm so glad he had fun, and I had fun, and I'm glad we got to experience the lodge finally!

Some videos

I've been taking videos on my phone randomly so I thought it was time to post some below.

Also, I got a guitar today!  My old manager bought the set (guitar and case) about 2 years ago but never used it (the sticker's still on it) and needed to make room in their condo.  They bought it all for $300 and sold it to me for $50.  I've been wanting lessons forever (and Andy's been looking into them for me forever for each gift giving event) but every time we run into not having the guitar in the first place.  I wanted to learn a useful instrument, as you aren't usually the cool kid when you bust out the flute, oboe, or trumpet which is all I can do right now hehe.  I hope I can do alright considering my tiny fingers.  I knew at one time how to play "island in the sun" so there's hope, plus I'm usually good with music.

Anyways, back to the videos:

Sawyer bugging Kellan as usual


Kellan sucking on his hand (this was right after the Skagit River bridge fell into I-5 so that is what is on in the background, do not be concerned- they pulled everyone out safe)


Here is just Kellan kicking a ton, which he loves to do lately.  It's funny that Sawyer always moved the blankets off his arms, and Kellan always kicks them off.


Sawyer licking Kellan


Sawyer rolling a toy tire on Kellan and then reading him a story (this one's long)

Why we are doomed

I am not sure what we are going to do in a few weeks.  Ever since Kellan was born, I can't get to sleep until like 1-2 am (usually closer to 2).  It isn't his fault, he doesn't even stay up that late.  His last feeding is usually around 11.  As a result, we end up sleeping in until like 11:00.  Sawyer included.  I need to get our stuff together because right now if I wake up around the time I'll need to for work (like 7-ish) I am so tired I can't function and just dive right back into bed.  Uh oh!

Here are some other things we've done so far this memorial day weekend:  Andy changed the oil in the truck, we got our new compression socks in the mail (my pink ones shown), Andy got an iPhone 5 (he traded in his old one for $100 which was a dollar more than he paid for it well over a year ago), we got Sawyer some more shirts, and we watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower which was very good.  Oh, and Sawyer voluntarily put his clothes on himself instead of saying "I can't!" like he does when we ask him to try.

A visit from Vancouver

Well, first things first.  I had an orthodontist appointment and they scheduled me for retainer fitting next Friday so I can get my braces off JUNE 12th!!!  Hallelujah!

Anyways, Andy's aunt Kathy was up from CA visiting the Vancouver crew, so she and Kristi came up to visit us.  Not only that, but she brought the kids.  Trevor and Preston were home from Utah State, and Sawyer loved playing with the little kids.  It was so cute seeing them all run around and play together.  Kristi made an adorable blanket for Kellan, and Kathy told us some great news, she and Wouter are moving up here!  Well, not here, but Vancouver which is close enough.  That means all of them except uncle Jedd will be in Vancouver (well and Andy's dad but he is close enough) which is awesome because they are so fun!

Oh, I also ordered my 2010 blog book.  I read a few instances where people's blogs completely disappeared so I decided to get it in hard copy form.  They aren't cheap so I'm going to order them separate and hope the blog doesn't disappear in the meantime lol.

Sawyer always thinks he's playing the xbox at the orthodontist

The kids played mr. potato head and Sawyer wanted me to take a picture of his

Andy with Preston and Trevor, and Sawyer doing puzzles with Nathan

Aunt Kathy with Kellan

Yes, blurry, but pajama time

Kellan's new blanket quilt- it matches his shirt perfectly with the brown and lime

I did it, I attempted a run

The past couple weeks I have been feeling pretty normal again.  Sunday was 6 weeks post-baby, but after the walk to/from the Sounders game Saturday night, I have had shin splints.  I know if you exercise on an injury, it can make it 10x worse, so I waited an extra day.  Today I had no excuse.

I don't know why, but I was nervous all day thinking about getting back into an exercise routine.  I mean, the worst thing that could happen was that I wouldn't be able to run at all, but I wasn't setting any type of expectations for myself.  If anything, I had very low ones.

Andy got home late, and I was starving (not ideal times to run) so I had to eat dinner then wait a little bit.  It was 10 at night and Andy had just went to the store with the boys so it was my time.  I was wearing my new running pants, swapped phones with Andy since he has an arm phone carrier and Spotify (my phone is giant and wouldn't fit in an iphone sleeve), got a new pair of iPhone earbuds, and topped it off with my headband. I have gone years not even being able to use earbuds, but realized if I put my headband OVER my ears, they stay in with ease, yay!

I put on some Bruno Mars and walked up my hill before taking off.  I only was gone for 15 minutes, but it was very cold out tonight and my lungs don't do well in cold.  They felt like they were about to burst!  I am a little happy that the only thing that held me back was the cold lungs though and not tired muscles or something like that.  I ended up going 1.4 miles (well, I walked the hill out of my cul-de-sac and the hill on the backside of my neighborhood so the total "running" was probably 1.25ish)  That is actually really good for me (considering there was a time I could only go a mile and it wasn't post-baby).  I got back home and my lungs hurt so bad I thought I was going to throw up but I held it together.

So there it is.  I made it over the hump that is the first work-out.  It wasn't much, but it was good for me and that is all that matters.  I'd better go stretch though because I feel those shin splints coming back and we can't have that!

Other awesome things that happened today:
-The costume website had a huge sale and I got EIGHT costumes for $60 after shipping.  That is normally the price I pay for ONE female costume.  I got 2 for Kellan, 2 for Sawyer, 3 for me, and 1 for Andy.
-I got Kel to smile at me quite a bit.  He sometimes smiles when you smile at him so I know he's capable, but he doesn't do it much.  Today was a good day in the smile department.

Here Sawyer wanted to take pics with Kellan and he made some funny faces.

Here he is smiley with his tongue out

A couple showers

Saturday at lunch time was Destiny's bridal shower.  They have been married almost 3 years now, but they are finally going to have their big reception with everyone invited next month (their actual wedding was just immediate family because it was last minute).  Her sister threw her a shower and it was a lot of fun.  My favorite was the food- it was so good!  There were a few different sandwiches: curry chicken, one with apple and brie, and the best egg salad I've ever had.  There were scones with vanilla clotted cream and lemon curd.  There were a lot of fruit and vegetables.  There was also punch and cake! Mmmmm.....

Kellan came along because large groups of ladies love babies.

Afterwards we dropped the boys off at my parents' house and we went to an AWESOME Sounders game. They won 4-2 (woot), but it was also a very exciting game!

Today was another shower.  I picked up Jordan and headed to Ashlee's baby shower for little Axel in Covington.  She got so many diapers and presents, I think she is set.  It was pretty fun, and there was good food.

There was a game everyone had to make diapers out of TP and I got to do it from my team.

Opening presents.

 Here is the blanket and burp cloth I made for Axel (the blue ones).  The pink one is for Andy's cousin Megan (the one that comes up to WA a lot) because they just had little Elsie this week (can't wait to meet her).  It is in the mail :)

I got back from the shower just in time to head next door.  The family that moved into Megan and Lee's old house, Dave and Georgia, invited us over for a BBQ.  They have 2 little kids, age 4 (boy) and 7 (girl).  Sawyer had so much fun playing with them.  He had a hard time leaving.  We had a good time talking with them and our other neighbor in the cul-de-sac, Jameson, who is also around our age.  They had grilled shrimp, burgers, and ribs, and topped it off with the most delicious peanut butter ice cream pie.  They just moved from New Jersey (he's in the army) and they should be around here for a few years so we are glad to make friends with them.  Another bonus, they have little garden boxes and sent us home with fresh spinach and lettuce :)

Little chunk enjoying the barbecue

 I am exhausted and sore from walking.  It will be nice to have a break tomorrow :)

Potty... and long day of blankets

My goal was to never have two in diapers.  Mainly, I didn't want to pay for two kids worth.  I have heard from a lot of people that once the baby was born, the toddler often goes backwards in potty training and I got worried.  Though Sawyer likes to pretend he is a baby, he luckily hasn't had toilet issues.  He has only had one accident the whole time Kellan has been here, and that was because I forgot to take him potty before his nap.  We had a bag of pull-ups we put him in at night but since he always woke up dry, we started putting him in undies at night too.  He has gone 5 days now with no problems :)  Related, he fell into the toilet today which was slightly sad, but hilarious at the same time.

I tried to make 2 blankets and a burp cloth today.  I got through one blanket and a burp cloth and managed to mess up the second one so I have to continue tomorrow :/  It took all day though.  I hope I can get better at all that sewing stuff so it isn't hours just to make squares and pin it.

When we got home we had baths.  I moved up Kellan to these pajamas in size 0-3 months.  His nb size ones are a bit short now.  He's growing so fast :')

Braces, art, and burgers

I had an orthodontist appointment today.  Everyone keeps asking when I'll get them off.  I always say "I don't know, and I don't want to know."  I don't want to expect a certain time and my teeth not move right and end up disappointed.  Well, today in my appointment she was very pleased.  They changed my rubber bands to include TWO on each side, but made me an appointment in 10 days (usually it is 6 weeks) and the girl said if I can give her 7-10 solid days of rubber band wearing (I forget them sometimes :/) then we can talk about getting them off soon. YAY!  Here is the weird double rubber bands.  Even weirder, they cut my wire on the bottom so there is no wire in 2 separate spots between teeth and it is like having 3 small wires instead of one big one across all my teeth.

Afterwards Andy called and said his work truck broke down and I needed to come get him at work in Auburn.  My reward would be getting to go to Hobby Lobby in Federal Way.  I went there yesterday to get fabric but didn't realize the time and only had time to grab the fabric really quick before they closed.  I had really wanted to look around.  This time I got to comb the whole store (love all the home decor they have!) and bought some charms and a necklace for my mother's day gift.  Andy was planning to get me one from the jewelry store but they are like $150 once you add everything up and I got this one for like $10 and like it better lol.  He was not happy that my gift turned into a $10 gift though so I might get to pick something else too ;)  That store is neat because you can go there and use the coupon once a day from there phone app so I used my same coupon from yesterday to get a chalkboard for half off :)

I want to explain something funny that we had nothing to do with, but Sawyer refers to stores by colors, even when we don't.  He picked the colors and we just went with it.
Yellow store = Walmart
Red store = Target
Black store = Fred Meyer
*and now*
Orange store = Hobby Lobby
He said "I like the orange store.  I like the color of the letters.  Orange is my favorite color"

Since we were in Federal Way, we stopped at Trader Joes to get some of my favorite juice (it is the unfiltered organic apple juice if you are interested).  We saw a new burger place in the parking lot and decided to go in.  Great customer service!  You walk in and everyone that works there (which is a lot of people) yells "Welcome to Mooyah!"  Yes- just like Hooters, but the women were not wearing short shorts and tank tops.  A guy walked us through the menu.  You have to fill out a piece of paper with your order.  It was cool that they made their own buns (they have a little Subway-like bread baker thing) and had a big chalkboard for Sawyer to draw on.  The fries were very good too.

Sawyer is scratching his sticker from Trader Joes-they're all scratch n sniff (pizza, coffee, and cedar)

Here is where I was slightly impressed with Sawyer.  I asked him to draw letters and he drew these (I color coded them in photoshop)  he said the first was an N, the second an L and the third an O.  The other circles were there already.

Here he said he was drawing fire.

I asked him to draw an S and he drew the squiggles I circled in white over and over.  Then he made the "t" shaped thing and I asked if he was drawing a T, but he said "No, its an airplane"  pretty good for his abilities!

Here he just had fun with the chalk.

Mother's day 2013

Today I spent mothers day with my favorite little nuggets.  I love them so much!   Later we went to my parent's house to try out the pulled pork that Erik and Destiny will have at their wedding reception.

It is blurry, but he slipped and made this hilarious face

This is how he covers his ears- so funny!  An airplane was really loud.

Racing uncle Erik

A pretty flower in my mom's yard

He made Destiny kick the ball at him while he stood there with his face covered...weirdo lol

Sawyer plays with my old "Little People" they still exist but are like 3x this size now

Showing off his tower- it is taller than he is

He ended with his favorite- strawberry milk.  Though this is Pediasure because he doesn't eat very well :/

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there- especially mine! :)