Winter Fun

This winter has been the longest winter if all time. Too cold to even play outside and a total of 13 or 14 school cancellations!  There was day after day when school got cancelled for below zero temperatures or slick icy roads that the boys got to stay home from school. We tried to keep busy and played in the snow if the temperatures were warm enough.

When we could play outside and the temperatures were decently warm enough, we did. Dawson loved the snow. He loved to eat it. So much so that he'd eat the snow that fell off the joys boots when they would come in from school!  The boys loved to play in the frozen woods and even discovered that there was a giant layer of ice in the woods.  They went "ice skating" on that ice and had a blast!  Then they'd try to melt it and break holes in it by carrying buckets of warm water back and forth from the house. They would stomp and beak holes in the ice.  There is so much to explore outside in the winter!!

One day we froze bowls of water in the front porch. It only took a couple of hours for the water to turn frozen solid.  Then we put salt over the ice and small amounts of paint and watched the paint run through little tunnels.  The salt had created tunnels as it melted the ice.  It turned out to be a fascinating ice experiment. 

 Another day, since it was too cold to play outside, we brought snow inside!  I brought buckets and buckets of snow into my shower and let the kids stomp around and build stuff in there, complete with their snow pants and boots and gloves!  They had a blast throwing snowballs at one another, and Kaylee is getting so big that she could hold her own in that snowball fight so well!

Nate and I had a fun time going ice skating on one of our date nights with some friends.  Fort Wayne has an outdoor pavilion downtown that they convert into an outdoor ice rink in the winter.  Super fun!  It was something we had not done for a very long time.  Fun times!

Tiger Scouts

Jaxton is in a Tiger Scouts group through school.  He really has enjoyed being a part of this group. His best friend from school in the troop is Joel.  The troop has so many boys, but they do so many fun things; it has been great for Jax to be a part of something so fun.  They had a rocket derby in the fall. The kids whittled rockets out of wood, then had a Pinewood Derby with the cars they cut and painted.  They've gone on field trips to the library and TV station, had a vet come teach them, and sold popcorn at a booth in front of Lose's.  It's given Jaxton lots of neat experiences and he enjoys being a part of it.  He also looks adorable in his uniform :)

Cooper's 6th Birthday

Cooper turned 6!! I can't believe it! He is growing up and just won't stop!  He was so excited for his birthday that he couldn't sleep :). He came downstairs at about 5:30 and woke me up to ask if I was going to decorate the house like I do for every birthday. I told him I was going to, yes, but that I hadn't gotten up yet as it was only 5:30.  He scuttled off to bed with a grin and gratefully he did fall back to sleep.  He woke up to streamers and balloons and was smiling from ear to ear all day.

School happened to be cancelled due to cold temperatures and icy roads, so our plans to go to lunch with him and take 26 cupcakes into his class failed.  It was a fun day spending all together, working on lego sets and inviting friends to come share some cupcakes with us.  Then, we celebrated his birthday with a party with Grandma and Grandpa Routsong with pizza, presents, and a three layer stacked Ninjago ninja cake.  He got all sorts of gifts, including lots of spy gear, science experiments, angry birds wii game, and some new clothes.  He was so happy and grateful and cheerful.  I love him to pieces!!!  Happy birthday Coop!!!!

Cooper is Six

Cooper turned 6!! 

Here are some fun things about Cooper at six years old:

1. His favorite food is moms homemade Mac and Cheese.  He is not as picky as he used to be, and really is a great eater, trying new foods often.  He also enjoys oatmeal topped with chocolate chips.

2. His favorite tv show is Ninjago, a ninja lego show with 4 ninjas that constantly are saving the world.  They do this spin, called spinjitsu, which Cooper loves to imitate. He will yell "Ninjaaaaago!"  And spin around and then run off somewhere doing ninja moves. It's pretty awesome!!

3. Cooper is doing excellent in kindergarten.  He is focused and actively learning. His teacher let me know that she arranged the students at desks putting Cooper next to a child with a very hard time focusing, in the hopes that Coopers ambition, listening skills, and ability to focus would help out his friend.  It sounds like it was helping the child.  His teacher does not have enough good things to say about Cooper.  The one that sticks out in my mind though is that "his smile could slay you."  I'm grateful that he is ambitious at school. 

4. Cooper has a passion for the Wii.  He gets himself all worked up when he plays.  The simple games become intensified with his passion.  It is a little bit funny, but also a little overwhelming.  His Wii time has to be limited, but he absolutely loves it.  

5. Cooper's favorite sport is basketball.  He loves to play and he is very good at it.  He is on an Upwards Basketball team right now and he made his first point yesterday!  The basket is really high, and he is so short, that he pretty much felt like he could never really even make points for his team last year.  His arm strength has improved and he has been practicing hard at getting that ball up higher.  And yesterday, his practice paid off.  He made a point for his team.  We are so glad he could do that and he felt so proud of himself.

6. Cooper is best friends with his dog.  He loves Bella so very much.  He will play with her and play with her till she is panting with thirst and loss of energy, but she keeps coming back to him.  They play all different kinds of "fetch" and Bella loves to play with big four square bouncy balls as well as big basketballs.  She catches those big balls with her hands and her nose, then pushes the ball around with her nose till it hits a wall or gets stuck.  She is just as much a player in a game of basketball as any human.  It really is funny to watch!  She also absolutely loves the snow!  She will jump through it and try to dig out her tennis ball in it.  She will chase after snowballs or eat the ones she catches in her mouth.  Cooper loves to play in the snow with her.  He also enjoys building forts for Bella.  She loves to be cozy and snuggle under the blankets.  Coop will snuggle her and want her to sleep in his bed with him.  It is very sweet how much he adores her.

7. Cooper's best friends these days are in his kindergarten class.  He is closest with Easton and Drew and Cameron.  It is so cute because the kids line up in alphabetical order to go to lunch or walk through the hallways.  Right in the center of the line are 3 boys with buzz cut blond hair, all about the same size.  Cameron, Cooper, and Jayce.  And Drew is right in front of them with a dark brown buzz cut.  It's a cute group of boys.  I get to volunteer in his classroom every other Tuesday and so I get to see how they interact and how the teacher teaches.  I really enjoy my time in his classroom and I think he loves it when I come.  His other close friends are from church, Gabe and another Cameron.  He enjoys going to these friends houses often and keeping in touch with them, though they go to different schools.

8.  Cooper's favorite TV show these days is Wild Kratts.  We first heard of the show when Cooper was invited to a birthday party with the Wild Kratts theme.  We had never heard of it before.  The party went all out with outfits for them to wear and live wild animals to touch and hold.  After that, we started seeing the show come on in the mornings during all of our school cancellations this winter.  Now the kids are hooked!  It is such an educational show and the kids learn so much about all different kinds of animals.  The main character brothers turn into cartoon characters and then they get to turn into animals to learn about them.  And the facts they give are always very interesting.  So Cooper is a Wild Kratts fan!

9.  When Cooper grows up, he wants to work for Simplx Security.  He wants to take over the business.  He really has no idea what that means, but that is what he wants for his future at this point in his life.  Nate ordered some small Simplx shirts for the kids recently, and Cooper will wear his to school periodically.  On Career Day, he wore his Simplx shirt too.  Some people have never heard of Simplx, so they are confused when he says he wants to work at Simplx.  Hopefully he explains enough that it is his dad's business.  He loves the employees and enjoys "going to work with them" or distracting them in the office while they are trying to pack up or get things organized.  He has gone to work with Nate a couple of times to do a quick fix for a customer or what not.  He loves being involved in it.  His passion for success is similar to Nate's drive of success.  He would be a great fit for Simplx if his career goals end up going in that direction. 

10.  Cooper is very sweet, kind, and even in tune with the spirit.  He has such a kind, good heart.  He is always thinking about other people's feelings.  Often he will explain why he did something or didn't do something based on how someone else was feeling.  He relies on prayer a lot.  When he feels nervous or unsure, I have always offered to pray with him or for him.  Now, he will ask me, "can we say a prayer?"  or "can you pray for me today? don't forget!"  I think he knows there is strength in prayer and that Heavenly Father is truly aware of him.  It is sweet to see his innocent heart and know that he understands that much, that prayer is important and that it can help him.  I love this boy so much!  Happy Birthday Cooper!!!

Build-a-bear

For Kaylee's third birthday, Grandma and Grandpa in Utah sent her money for Build-A-Bear.  So we got to go to the mall and build a bear of her choice.  Before we got there, she knew she wanted a "pink bear," so that's what we looked for. She found the perfect pink bear and got to stuff it with cotton and put a special heart inside of it. She picked out a tutu for it to wear that is similar to a tutu skirt that Kaylee has too. She got some sunglasses and a headband for it to wear and came up with the name Emy all by herself!  She loves that bear!  She sleeps with her and takes her to Grandma Routsongs overnight. She is very proud that she got to "make" Emy and that makes her bear so special.

Kaylee's 3rd Birthday

Kaylee wanted a Snow White birthday this  year.  So we had a princess Snow White party with Grandma & Grandpa and our family.  I put together a Snow White cake for her and she loved blowing out those candles!  Then she opened her presents.  She got a Baby Alive Doll that actually pees after she drinks her real juice.  She got Caillou books, which she adores!  She reads them over and over and over before nap and bedtime.  She also got a play dough set and has been hard at work with play dough for weeks since her birthday.  That stuff never gets old!!  Happy Birthday our little princess!!

Kaylee Turns Three

Happy Birthday Kaylee!!   Here are some fun things about Kaylee at 3 years old:

1.  Kaylee is our little princess. Right now her favorite is Ariel and the two princesses from the movie "Frozen," Elsa and Ana.  When that movie came out, she watched it a handful of times and she now sings all the songs at the top of her lungs.  It's amazing how she knows all the words!!!  She will dance around and the motions that the princesses do in the movie.  It is adorable!

2. Kaylee loves to work.  She loves to have jobs and responsibilities.  Her dinner chore is to help mom wash the dishes and she just loves it.  She spends most of her time at the sink playing in the water, but she does get the dishes rinsed and she is so proud when she hands me the dishes ready to load in the dishwasher.  We also rearrNged our Saturday chores.  The boys taught Kaylee how to do their old Saturday chores because they got new ones.  She was so excited to be responsible for cleaning out Bella's kennel and picking up the shoes on the garage steps.  It was fun to watch her learn her job and be excited for the responsibility.

3. I have been teaching a simple preschool for Kaylee and four other of her three year old friends on Wednesdays.  This, she has loved.  She will ask every day if it is preschool day and she looks forward to it each week.  We have been doing color themes and will do shapes after that.  Her friends that come are Mia, Rhett, Carter, and McKenza and sometimes McKenzas brother Abryn, and Dawson.  It's a fun little group and they are all so cute.

4. Kaylees best friend these days is Mia.  I babysit Mia three times a week and the two of them have gotten to be such good friends.  They run around the house pretending to be monsters and scaring each other, then they turn around and switch roles and run the other direction.  It's awe fully cute.  They love to have tea parties.  They will cover a kitchen stool with a dish towel for their tablecloth and set out their dishes and play food.  Kaylee has a pitcher that she calls her "happena-oops." We have no idea where she came up with that name, but she really believes it is her happena-oops.  It's really funny.

5. Kaylee is a Daddy's girl of course.  She has him wrapped around his finger just as any little girl in a family full of brothers would.  Daddy loves to take her on dates and she just grins with pleasure when she gets to go with daddy by herself.  Often their "dates" are to Kroger to pick up groceries, but she will always return with a red rose that dAddy got for her.   And she is so proud do that red rose.  She is so lucky to have such a wonderful daddy who loves her so. Dry much!

6. Kaylee has loved the snow!  She loves to wear snow boots and "go stomping in the snow."  She will tromp up the snowy mountains Nate builds with his tractor and slide down them.  She really has enjoyed the snow this winter.

7. Kaylee loves to dress up and wear headbands.  She doesn't like bows as much and will pull them out, but she loves headbands and will keep them on all day.  Her hair is so much like my hair.  It frizzed at the front just like mine and is impossible to take without water or gel to keep it flat.  If she showers at night and her hair is wet, I coil it into a right bun on the top of her head.  She sleeps on it and when she wakes up, she has the most beautiful ringlets.  Her hair is getting so long and gorgeous.

8. Kaylee loves to stay at Grandma Routsong's house in Kendallville.  Grandpa cooks waffles with sausage and syrup for her and Grandma takes her to McDonalds and Walmart.  She loves the artention and spending time with them.  One time when she came back from a 3 day trip she came in the house crying so hard.  I was concerned and tried to find out what the matter was.  She simply did not want to come home a and was mad that she had to.  I couldn't help but laugh at that!

9. Kaylee loves to read books.  We can spend a lot of time reading together.  She prefers to read books to herself on the carpet while I work in the afternoons.  She loves to go to the library and bring books home too.  Her favorite books these days are Caillou stories that she got for her birthday and Curious George books.  

10. Kaylee is very excited for the new baby to come.  She always has lots of questions about the baby, like, "is he squished flat?"  She always catches herself when she bumps my belly and says, "sorry for bumping your baby."  I know she will be a wonderful big sister and this will be an experience for her that will be memorable for her, now that she is old enough.  

Happy Birthday Kaylee!  We love you so much!