Jaxton Update

Jaxton is growing up and turning into a big kid!  I just can't believe how much he has matured.  He has become more responsible, surprising me when he does things without being asked.  He is motivated in his academics and he is soo very smart when it comes to school, reading, writing, and math.  He loves to excel in academics.  Jaxton was on a small soccer league this summer.  Again it was mostly a skills clinic with small scrimmages amongst his own team.  He learned all sorts of skills and tricks with the ball and his soccer skills are definitely increasing.  I love to watch him play.  He has become a very confident player with determination to get the ball and shoot the ball and work at winning.  He loves the sport!

Jaxton is an artist.  He loves to color.  He loves to draw pictures and color them in and he loves to create designs with shapes and color.  He is very careful in his drawing and also very careful in his coloring in.  He is also always very confident and proud of his own work.  

Jaxton has begun losing his teeth!! They are falling out!!  He's lost 3, but has 3 more that are loose.  They seem to be all falling out at the same time!  He has been excited about the tooth fairy, but disappointed that she only brings him one dollar each time he puts a tooth under his pillow.  Silly boy!  One time he lost a tooth at school.  So he got sent to the nurse who gave him a special tooth treasure chest to keep his tooth safe in.  The tooth fairy opened up that treasure chest, took the treasure, and left him a dollar and the empty chest as a keepsake.  

Jaxton is a wonderful big brother.  He is wonderful with Dawson.  I can almost fully trust him with Dawson.  He loves to play with Dawson in Dawson's room.  He blocks the door with Dawson's crib and then builds his brother obstacle courses out of the cusions and throw pillows and toys in there.  Usually its a disaster when I have to put Dawson to bed, but he has been a trooper at cleaning up the obstacle course before Dawson goes to sleep.  Dawson loves spending time with Jaxton too.  Its very apparent that he is having fun when they play!  Jaxton is also wonderful with Kaylee.  Today he read her a story before her naptime.  He knew that she wouldn't be able to follow all the words very well, so he just told her the story by the pictures in her level of language.  It was awfully sweet.  He is so kind and good to his little brother and sister.  With Cooper, he loves to wrestle and play hard with Coop.  They love to play together.  Often still, their play will end in some kind of fight or problem.  But it is always short lived before they are off again.  The other day during a fight, I brought up a large daddy shirt.  I had each of them get inside it and share the head hole.  In the midst of their fight they were laughing again wondering what in the world I was doing to them.  I told them it was their "get-along shirt" and that they had to wear it until they were getting along again.  It took less than a minute before they were happy as ever and ready to play again.  I'm so glad they have one another!  Love you Jax!

Fort 4 Fitness Half Marathon

Fort 4 Fitness again!  This time I got Nate to run the half marathon with me.  As we trained for it over the past weeks, I realized that Nate is much too fast of a runner for me!  So we couldn't run it together, but we both ran it and it was a lot of fun to finish it together!  I ran with Summer, my good friend whose pace we seem to match perfectly.  We chat the whole time about kids, and anything else on our minds.  It passes the time.  As long as we can keep our conversation, we can keep running!  We had been running together early on Saturday mornings before the sun came up and a week prior we did 12.5 miles.  So we felt ready.  We finished the race about 5 minutes sooner than we did when we ran it 2 years ago.  This time we finished in one hour and 57 minutes, which brought our pace to about 8:50 per mile.  I was excited to have beat our previous time!  The race was the same event as the kids race the previous night.  So the finish line was over Home Plate.  It was very exciting and thrilling and there were over 6000 people there that day.  I don't know if I could ever do a full marathon, but I would love to try some kind of partial triathlon someday.  I think that would be a lot of fun and a great accomplishment!!

Kids Marathon

We have some racers!  The boys entered a race as part of the Fort 4 Fitness race to do a 1 Mile Race.  The goal of the race was to begin early in the summer and do 25 miles on their own or as a family over time.  This race would be the final mile in their 3 month long marathon goal.  Well, we started out doing a little bit of running, but we got nowhere near 25.  Regardless, this was a super fun event!  They were really excited!  Jaxton got motivation from somewhere and just took off!  Parents got to run with the kids, and Nate and I also took Kaylee and Dawson in the jogging stroller so they could participate too.  It was difficult to keep track of the big boys in the crowds.  Jaxton would run as fast as he could, but being the little mature guy that he has become, he would slow down, and wait and watch until he could see me and I could see him.  Then, off he went again.  I would panic in those moments that he was far ahead, but was always so grateful when he slowed down to "check in."  Cooper was much more nervous about the crowds.  He wanted to see me all the time and was worried about getting lost in the people.  Secretly I was grateful for his nervousness because then I wouldn't have to panic about 2 kids at a time!  We found some of our friends there and Cooper ran most of the way with his friend Cameron.  After the race he told me that if we had gotten separated from each other, that he had had a plan.  His plan was (in his cute 5 year old mind) that he would stay near Cameron and then he would just go home with Cameron and borrow some of Cameron's jammies.  He would spend the night there and he knew that Cameron's mom would call me.  :-)  It was cute that he had it all planned out what he would do if worst came to worst.  He was grateful that it didn't happen though.  Cooper did take a fall in the middle of the race.  There were so many people and he was trying to keep looking for me that he lost his footing on the curb and tumbled.  He scraped up his elbow and knee and broke down crying.  Nate helped him up and got him motivated again while I took off to keep up with Jaxton.  The next thing I know was Cooper had caught up to us and was racing on ahead.  I love that boy's determination and passion!  He fell, got up, got himself together and kept going!  That is Cooper all the way!  What a fun race!  The race ended at the Fort Wayne Tin Caps Baseball Field.  The last lap of the mile was in and around the actual baseball outfield.  The finish line crossed Home Plate.   The kids all got a medal for finishing!

Kaylee Update

Kaylee Joy continues to be a joy in our home.  She is learning and growing so fast!  She has so much to say and so much to do all the time.  She is a great little communicator and a sweet little singer.  I love to listen to her sing in her room during nap time.  She sings her little heart out!  

Kaylee loved to go out in the garden.  She had her rain boots from Grandma Hutchinson and her pink princess gloves and she would get out there in the dirt just like the rest of us.  We usually had to changer her clothes every time she went out to the garden, but thats alright!  She really loved it out there.  She also loved picking all the red strawberries and munching on berry after berry.  Her basket of strawberries to bring into the house for our morning smoothie never really got very full. :-)

One day we were drawing with chalk on the patio.  All of a sudden she announced that she had drawn a K.  So I looked, and indeed, she had!!  She had made a K without trying to and she recognized it as a letter of her name!  I was so impressed I had to snap a photo!

One of Kaylee's most favorite things to do is to jump off of mommy's bed onto the beanbags and blankets on the floor.  The most fun comes when her brothers join her.  They have a blast doing this.  We've only had a handful of bumps and bruises from this activity so far....  (Knock on wood).  

Pretty girl!

Kaylee is all potty trained.  She figured it all out back in February!  We've had some hits and misses, but for the most part, she is fully trained!  Great job girl!

Kaylee and Dawson both love to take rides in the bike stroller.  Sometimes we pull it behind the bike, and other times I will just push it while the big boys ride bikes.  She is such a great big sister to share her snacks with Baby Dawson and she loves looking out her side window and watching the ride!

Kaylee is a Daddy's Girl.  And Nate is wrapped tightly around her little finger.  She adores him, and he adores her.  He took her on a date the other night.  He asked her if she would go on a date with him, and she misunderstood thinking that she would be left home with a babysitter.  When Daddy explained that it was mommy that would be left home with the babysitter, she just grinned from ear to ear realizing that she was the one going out!  Daddy outdid himself by putting her carseat in the front seat of his one-row ranger truck so they could sit together.  He took her to Kroger for some groceries, but was sure to buy a red rose for her.  She was so proud of that rose.  We put it in water and its still in her room, slowly wilting.  What a fun time for Daddy & Daughter.

Kaylee is a little artist.  She still will "color herself to sleep."  She prefers a pen over crayons or pencils. She calls it "mommy's crayon."  She uses a hard book as her "table" and she will color and color and draw with that pen until she's out asleep.  Her drawings are incredible.  Usually they are portraits of people, complete with feet and hands and hair.  One time she drew a portrait of someone that was shaped like an egg with legs, arms, hands, and feet.  We saw a book once that had illustrations almost identical to Kaylee's egg person!  It was amazing!  She surprises me with her detail in her drawings.  She does not scribble, but carefully draws out details.  

Kaylee also loves to do the dishes.  She and I do the dishes as our dinner chore after dinner every day and she loves it.  She loves the library story time.  She loves to read stories together.  She loves the sandbox and she loves the swings.  She loves having a headband in her hair everyday and loves to be "pretty."  She is such a happy little angel.  We love her to pieces.  

Cooper Update

Cooper Routsong is five and a half, plus some.  I needed to give him an update on what he is up to lately.  He is such a wonderful kid!  Full of personality and charm.  His Kindergarten teacher has said on multiple occasions that his "smile will just slay you!"  Cooper loves to climb trees.  He loves to climb just about anything, but he realllly loves to climb trees.  So here he is!

Cooper loves his dog, Bella.  He adores her!  He feels safe with her.  He loves to spend time with her.  Sometimes he will get all cozy in her dog bed with her, all covered up together.  One time I found him asleep like that with her!!  He also loves to get her to do fun tricks, like flips when he throws her ball for her.  Sometimes I find him cramped into her kennel with her.  I have no idea how he can fit in there with a dog too, but somehow he manages.  He is such a goof!  A goof that loves his dog!

Here's the goofball again, with a mustache!  These two strange mustached men arrived at our back door one day.  Good thing we have an alarm system!

Cooper is in T ball this season.  He really wanted to try it out.  Here he is up to bat.  We've played a little bit before at our house and at Grandma's in Utah, so he understood the game enough to have a good time.  He really is good at any type of athletic game he chooses to try.  Just a natural!

This summer Cooper was on a small basketball team.  It was the Fort Wayne City Itty Bitty Basketball. It was nothing like the Upward team last year, but it helped him with his skills.  He was definitely the most experienced and skilled player on the team, dribbling like a champ, while many of the little 4 year olds were more focused on skipping around and finding spiders.  Cooper loved that he was good at the sport.  He won most of the little competitions his team would have.  He definitely was a little bit over this level of play, but it boosted his confidence in his skills!! Great job Cooper!!

Dawson's 1st Birthday Party

We had a family birthday party for Dawson.  He got some fun presents from everyone.  I took the kids to the store so they each could pick out a present to Dawson.  Of course he was in the cart with us, but we still wrapped them up and let him open them.  Jaxton found a ball toy that he loves.  He puts the ball in the top and it rolls down and around and around to the bottom.  He got the hang of it real quick!  Cooper found him a couple of big balls and a Thomas train that makes noise and moves forward.  He loves those too, especially chasing the big ball. Kaylee found him a bottle of bubbles.  We also got him a small pillow pet dog to keep in his crib with him and snuggle with, which he does.  :-) He also got a present from Grandma Routsong, and elephant toy that is super cute, and money from Grandma Hutchinson so we can go get him something fun!  He loved opening presents and ripping the paper. 

At cake time, Dawson was very intrigued with his cupcake.  The fire was quite strange to him and he couldn't quite figure it out.  Cooper was so worried that he would touch the fire.  We all sang to him and helped him blow out his one candle.  And then he just wasn't sure exactly what to do.  He touched his cupcake like it was hot coals.  Maybe a little afraid of it.  We helped him to taste the frosting, but that didn't encourage him.  He simple wasn't interested.  He took another little taste with his finger, but that was about it.  Didn't want it!  I couldn't believe it!  His first serving of pure sugar and he rejected it!  Amazing!  What a cutie!  He has so much personality!

Happy Birthday Dawson!!!

Happy Birthday Dawson!! I cannot believe a whole year has flown by!!! Dawson is 1 year old!!  Happy Birthday Buddy!  Here are some fun things about Dawson at 1 Year Old!

1. Dawson is learning to sign.  He is picking it up so fast!  He can do the sign for milk, eat, and ball.  Its pretty cute.  He knows he can communicate and so I think it makes him feel good!  It is sweet though because if he is flustered or frustrated, he simply cannot bring himself to do the signs.  He loves balls and will follow them all over the house.  His sign for ball is using one pointer finger and pointing to the palm of the other hand.  The real sign is just cupping your hands into a ball shape.  It is really cute the way he has figured out his way to make the "ball" sign. :-)

2. Dawson is quite shy.  He does not have a lot of separation anxiety yet.  Maybe a little bit.  But when someone smiles at him, he dives his little head into my shoulder with a shy little smile.  It is awfully cute.  

3. Dawson now has 4 front teeth, 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom.  I love it!  He loves to bite into whole apples and pears and he puts his new teeth to use!

4. Dawson loves to do things that he knows he shouldn't.  He loves to sneak into the bathroom and climb up onto the potty!  He knows it gets a big reaction out of me when he does it, so he does it all the more.  He also loves the reaction I give him when he puts his hands into the doggy's water or grabs a handful of dog food.  And oh how he loves to savor the taste of dog food!!  He knows the stairs are another thing that will create a huge funny reaction from mom.  So he is always heading up the stairs.  One time I looked over to check on him, and he had escaped the barricade I made to keep him contained in the living room, and he had made his way all the way up the stairs and was playing by the bookshelf!  Thankfully, he made it up safe and sound!  Lastly, he knows he shouldn't be in the pantry, but he also knows there are stockfuls of snacks in there.  He goes to town getting bites of cereal, animal crackers and pretzels off the snack shelf!

5. Dawson loves to hide.  Often I will look over and not see him where I know he should be.  But then I find that he has climbed into the cupboard and is crawling around inside the cupboard!  It's awfully cute!

6. Dawson has blessed me with sleep!  He sleeps all night long.  Of all our children, he is the only one that I have never had to make "cry it out."  He simple adjusted and started to sleep all night long.  Now that I have recorded that fact, maybe it will jinx me and he will be up in the night!  I hope not.  He is a great sleeper and a great napper.  I am thankful for that because it makes for a happy boy!

7. Dawson is a great copycat.  He will copy all kinds of things that others do.  He will clap when he sees others clap.  He will make funny noises with his mouth or his voice when others do it to him.  He has watched us all throw the dog's ball to her.  He will go after that ball, but he knows its the dog's, and he will throw it.  Its pretty cute because then the dog goes and gets it, even after its gone a few inches away.  He loves his dog!

8. Dawson loves his oatmeal in the morning. I mix it with our morning smoothie and he eats it up!  He's on cows milk now, and he just gobbles up his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at lunchtime.  I always love it when I can finally give my babies peanut butter.  What a tasty treat!  He loves it!  And he just figured out how to use a straw to slurp up more morning smoothie!  What a big boy! 

9. Dawson gives the biggest hugs and kisses.  He just wraps his little arms around you and pulls you in tight.  He gives wide open mouth kisses on our cheeks.  I love it every time!  He gives the best loves!

10. Dawson is not super interested in walking.  He has taken a handful of steps, but prefers to squat down and crawl!  He can balance like nothing else, and he can do squats up and down like no one I know!  But walking?  Who wants to walk when they are faster than fast on all fours? 

Happy Birthday Buddy!  We love you so very very much!