Bottle & Bottega Date Night

Nate and I went on a fun unique date night.  A little place called Bottle & Botega is a little art studio.  They served a prime rib dinner and then helped each participant to create a work of art on a wood palate.  The place was full of ladies out for a ladies night, so Nate was the only male artist in the joint, but he loved it.  He has a very creative mind and enjoyed designing his art work.  He also loved the quick service for dinner with me as well.  We had a lot of fun together and the time flew by so fast we were rushing to put the final touches on our art when the place was closing up for the night.  This also was the first date night we left Owen with a babysitter.  He did great!!  We had a lot of fun together.  

The Epic Card Game

Jaxton was playing with Owen and a deck of playing cards.  It was so funny to see Owen holding his cards in his hands, it almost looked as if he were playing a real game.  He was giving funny facial expressions and turning his head and eyes different funny ways.  Jaxton took a series of photos and put them into a slideshow to music called "The Epic Card Game."  Super cute and funny!  We have a little card player!

Tin Caps Game

Half the family went to a Tin Caps game tonight.  We had Jaxton, Nathan, & Owen.  The other three stayed overnight at Melissa & John's house.  We had a fun night watching the game, eating Edy's Ice Cream, and playing on the bounce houses and climbing wall.  Nathan went through the bounce house slide more times than we could count.  And Jaxton climbed the rock wall on all three sides, including the most challenging one.  The boys ran up and down the lit up stairs behind the stadium in the dark too.  We had a nice time focusing in on a few kids at a time.  Fun times!

New School Year

A new school year is upon us.  The kids started school this week.  It has been fantastic, but this first week feels like it has been a whole month!  Lots of new routines, early mornings, to-do lists, new classrooms and the list goes on.  

Jaxton is a big 5th Grader in Upper Elementary at Oak Farm.  He is in the same class as last year.  His teachers are Jamie, and this year, Kyle Black, who he knows from before as a PE substitute teacher and front desk guy.  It looks like it will be a great year!  He's looking forward to math to see how far he can excel.  And he has goals set to stay organized and be able to manage a bigger workload this year.  

Cooper is moving up to Upper Elementary this year with teachers Macy & Sandra.  They seem fantastic and Cooper is so excited to move up with the bigger kids and to move on from the younger ages of Lower Elementary.  He's anxious to make new friends and get involved!

Kaylee has moved up from Primary and is attending Lower Elementary with teachers Meghan & new teacher Abby.  Meghan was Cooper's teacher for 3 years and we love her.  And Abby was Jaxton's teacher last year and she's moved to Lower Elementary this year.  Both are fantastic teachers.  She was pretty nervous the first day, but after that worrisome morning, she has had a big smile on her face everyday this week and no trace of tears.  I think she loves being with bigger kids too!

Dawson started school this year too.  He is a second year in Primary, which is the equivalent to Pre-K.  He has been so anxious and excited to start school, he could hardly wait!  When finally it is his turn to really go to school, he has loved every minute of it!  Big smiles on his way out the door and big smiles on his way home.  One thing he has been most excited for is riding the bus!!  He loves it!

First Day of School Cookies!!!

I have Teeth!

Owen is 9 Months!! What!!?  How has the time flown so fast?!  He just grew in 4 big teeth on the top of his mouth!!  After those were poking through, 2 on the bottom came through!!  6 big teeth coming in all at once!! He looks like a different kid!  He is the only kid who had his top teeth grow in first, and who had teeth at all before age 1!  No he can bite pretty hard!!!  He's got 2 weapons now, his teeth to bite, and his claws :-)

Baby Owen is 9 Months

Baby Owen is approaching 9 months old!! Here are some fun things about him at this cute age:

1. Owen is so very aware of everything around him.  He watches everyone and is so smart and aware.

2.  He just learned how to clap his hands.  He learned that in Utah.  Grandma and Jaxton and Dillon were clapping their hands to him at the water park and he simply put his hands together too.  When he got squeals of delight and encouragement from everyone clapping with him, he realized he had done something great and kept clapping.  Cute boy!!

3. His first word is definitely "banana."  He says "nana."  Grandma in Utah was feeding him bananas one day and he was very much focused on her and the food he was being fed.  Grandma kept saying "banana" over and over and over as she fed him and then he actually repeated it.  "Nana."  She kept encouraging him and he kept saying it.  Adorable little man!

4. Owen is a traveler!  He has traveled more than any other of our babies.  And he does fantastic on the airplane.  He's traveled to Las Vegas, and then the gulf coast for a cruise, and now to Utah and back.  

5. Owen is very close to crawling.  He will sit on his bum and wiggle and turn till he's on his belly.  He can roll back and forth in order to scoot forward.  And scooting backward on his belly is easier for him.  And he can pull the carpet with his tight grasp and army crawl wherever he wants to go.  But it will not be long before he is full blown crawling everywhere.  

6. Owen is a very lucky baby because he has so many little people that love him dearly.  In our home, he is rarely ever alone.  There is always someone playing with him or spending time with him.  It's something that most of the other kids never experienced.  But when I have to get stuff done, and I have to put him down to play, one of his siblings will always want to go play with him.  So I feel less guilty about putting him down, knowing that he is loved by so many little people who always love to spend time with him.

7. Owen has a funny blocked tear duct.  Ever since he was born, his eyes would get gunky with green goo because his tear ducts were blocked.  Over time, his right eye has cleared up, but the left one still gets yucky.  Its something we will never forget about little Owen though, that when he wakes up from the night sometimes, his eyes are glued shut by the green goo.  Yet he wakes up happy as ever, smiling and cooing while he can't even see.  Lately he has been waking up with just 1 eye glued shut, and still happy as ever.  It is the cutest, funniest thing to see him so happy in the mornings with his eyes shut.  Sweet boy!

8. I will always remember Owen at the office with me almost his whole first year of his life.  All my other babies were able to be at home when the office was in our basement.  Owen is the first one who has had to come to work with me in an office full of employees.  It has been a unique experience, but fun too.  One of our employees recently expressed that she has never been in an office with an infant, and how fun it is to have him there, even though its sometimes disruptive and hard to get work done.  But his smiling little face and cute presence lifts the spirits in the office.  He will sit on the floor next to the desk and play in the corner or he will sit in the high chair with cheerios coming at him every minute or so.  And when he squeals and someone is on the phone I whisk him around the corner or out into the warehouse as quickly as I can so the calls aren't disruptive.  And when I can't whisk him away in time, Melissa, our employee, simply tells the customer on the phone that is indeed one of Nate's little angels, and the customers usually don't mind his squeals (I think). 

9. Owen doesn't like the grass.  Actually he doesn't mind it.  He takes care of the problem simply by lifting up his bare legs one after the other, or both at the same time to balance on his bum so the prickly grass doesn't tickle his skin. I remember Jaxton did this too when he was a baby.  Cuteness!

10. Owen also can say Dadadada.  He will say Da,  Da,  Dada,  Da.  He is always smiling. He is a very happy baby, very patient.  Though he gets mad to be in his carseat for long periods of time.  He does have an opinion about car seats.  Other than that, he is very happy, content, patient, and loving to all.  Of course he is forgiving too.  The kids feel that from him.  Always forgiving.  Owen is our family medicine.  When any of the kids or me are down, frustrated, angry, upset, or anything negative at all, we go spend time with Owen.  And after just a few minutes of time with him, our negativity dissolves and our anger disappears.  Kaylee especially will tell one of her siblings or me to go get our medicine when she sees its needed.  And it totally works!  Jaxton tends to get frustrated a lot and he adores Owen.  So he will shut my door and play with him in there.  He likes to take him to the mirror where Owen can see his "friend" in the mirror.  After just a few minutes, Jaxton's mood is transformed and he is all better.  It is an amazing thing.  Owen's little spirit is so special in our family.  He was not a planned baby, but he needed to be here and I am so grateful that he is.  Love you Baby O! 

Divers

Cooper & Amanda were practicing their dives off the diving board.  They are both capable divers!  I was very impressed by their dives!  Beautiful divers!

Baby Owen Knows Jesus

Today, Owen was very fussy and hating his car seat in the car.  He was mad and screaming.  Kaylee found a little 5x7" picture of Jesus and held it up for Owen to kook at.  All of a sudden, Owen stopped!  He looked at that picture with awe and amazing focus.  His little hands started swirling in excitement.  His face was looking up at that photo in desire and understanding.  There is no doubt in my mind that he knew that face.  He recognized Jesus.  If he could speak he would tell us all about Him.  His little countenance showed such love for the person in that picture.  It was the sweetest, most spiritual moment to see him look towards his Savior.  

I am so grateful for my baby boy, his sweet innocence and perfect love.  He teaches me so many things about pure love, pure joy, pure desires.  And I want to be able to look to the Savior the way he did today.  I want to look to my Savior with pure joy, pure love, and desire to be with Him again.  I will never forget this sweet moment.  

Trip to Utah 2017

I ended up bringing the 3 big kids and Baby Owen to Utah for a trip to visit family.  There's just so many of us that it is challenging financially as well as in management of the numbers, that we decided to only take half the family.  The other half will get a chance at some point.  

The kids have been stoked.  Jaxton & Cooper offered to pay $50 each toward their plane ticket.  Cooper has been working so hard at Simplx, filing hundreds of papers, counting hundreds of pieces of inventory, and cleaning toilets, bathrooms, floors, door knobs, you name it.  He has not wanted that $50 to come out of his savings so he has been working hard to earn it.  

The flight went well, through Chicago and then on to Salt Lake City.  It went late into the night and we landed around 10pm Mountain time.  Grandma & Grandpa were there to pick us up and our vacation officially began!

Autumn Ridge Swim Team 2017

The kids have been involved in Swim Team again this summer and again it has proved to be a fantastic experience.  Jaxton & Cooper are on the swim team and Kaylee & Dawson are on the prep team.  The whole month of June gave each kid some definite practice and experience.  Now in July, they have participated in specific swim meets where they have a chance to "perform" their strokes and new techniques.  For Kaylee & Dawson there are swim coaches in the water at all times helping to keep the kids learning to swim.  For Jaxton & Cooper, they are on their own and focusing on technique and speed.

The first swim meet that we had, Jaxton had a rough start with his goggles falling off and coming in last place in just one event.  He was about to throw his hands up and quit, but he gathered up some confidence and went out to his second and third event and rocked it.  I'm proud of him for gathering up courage and trying again after feeling embarrassed for the incident.  Afterwards, he said "sign me up!" for the next meet.  So it turned around for him.  That same meet, Cooper won first place in one of the events and was on cloud 9.

The second swim meet brought new challenges and fears.  Coop was so motivated after that first meet that he wanted to sign up for more events and more challenging ones.  He got some motivation to sign up for an 100IM which is 4 laps back and forth, 1 lap of each stroke.  His first event he began swimming the wrong stroke, then realized it, paused, and then kept going with the correct one, but by then he was in last place.  He was so worried about being disqualified and losing.  He melted down and wanted to quit.  But we talked through it, I asked him what Rocky would do.  The next thing I knew, he was out there getting ready for event #2.

This second meet was notable also because it brought out some good character in the boys.  Jaxton got second place in his first event.  Cooper was watching and was so excited for him.  He was so proud of his brother.  He ran over to tell Jaxton that he got 2nd and Jaxton just beamed.  I felt so grateful that Cooper could support his big brother like that.  Then, once Cooper gathered up courage to do his next event, he was still worried about the 100 yard medley.  Jaxton went and changed his clothes because he was finished with his events and he went and gave his team swim suit to Cooper for his big 100 yard race.  He knew Cooper wanted and needed a racing swim suit and it was simply kindness that led Jaxton to share his suit.

I felt such gratitude for my boys and their kindness towards each other.  Sometimes they are not kind to one another, but in the times that it matters, they are.  And that makes my heart swell.

4th of July 2017

The fourth of July we spent in Lafayette with Mike & Kim and all the Routsong side of the family.  We had a fun pool party, great barbeque lunch, great fun with family.  The kids spent the entire day in the pool.  And Little Nathan proved he is a fish!  He had no fear swimming in that pool.  He was jumping off the diving board, sliding down the waterslide, putting his face in.  He had to wear floaties, but he had such confidence in the pool, it was great to see him having so much fun!

School Year is Done

This past school year has been fantastic.  Jaxton finished 4th grade.  He has really enjoyed Upper Elementary and mingling with older kids that are great role models for him.  The upper elementary classrooms went on a 3 day camping trip.  They had a great time & learned a ton!

Cooper finished 3rd grade and will be going to Upper Elementary in the fall.  He was blessed to have the same 2 teachers for his whole time in Lower Elementary.  That is rare, and we are grateful.  Meghan and Lori have been so wonderful.  Cooper was getting tired of the rules that are in place in Lower, and I reminded him that Lower has 6 and 7 year olds who need rules like those.  However, he is 9 and ready for Upper and he is beyond simple necessary rules and ready to have more freedom of choice and room to grow.  He is very excited for Upper.

Kaylee finished Kindergarten and will go to Lower Elementary in the fall.  That means she is a big kid now, not a little girl or a little kindergartener.  That chapter for my little girl is over!!  But she is so excited to move on and move up.  She is so mature and so ready and so eager to learn.  She is reading like a pro and I'm so grateful for her! I look forward to all her experiences in Lower Elementary.

Dawson did a co-op preschool again this year and that was so much fun as always.  Next fall he will join his siblings at Oak Farm in the Primary program as a Pre-K student.  And he is so ready for that.  He is beyond the simple co-op stuff and is learning cursive already and learning basic reading.  Next school year will be a big one for him in reading.

My school kids are just growing up and getting bigger.  Its exciting for them and I love to follow them through the journey!

That yummy stuff called food...

Owen has started to eat real food!! He started with some green veggies, squash & avocado, then applesauce, bread, and bananas.  He is such a funny boy when he eats.  He would much rather prefer picking up bites with his hands and feeding himself than being spoon fed.  He can't seem to focus when being fed with a spoon, sometimes he won't open his mouth, or just grabs the spoon with his hands and makes a mess.  I think his personality is that he wants to be independent and do it himself. He gets satisfaction when he can do it himself.  If there are bites of avocado or bananas or bread pieces on his tray, then he will stay busy and focused for a very long time.  At first he would make silly sour faces when he had a new taste.

He definitely does not prefer green veggies.  However, he loves avocado and will eat it up so fast.  Of course he loves the sweetness of bananas and loves having bread bits for a snack.  

But now, when he's sitting on the floor or the carpet, anything he sees he thinks must be a snack to pick up and eat.  So we are in that phase where he wants to pick up crumbs or pieces of anything that he can find on the floor and stick it in his mouth.  His little pincer grasp is getting very strong.  Love you little eater!!  

Baby Owen's Baby Blessing

Baby Owen was blessed on March 26th.  It worked out really nice that Grandpa from Utah was here visiting that weekend on a business trip.  So Owen was able to have all of the Routsong uncles and both of his grandfathers bless him.  It was a beautiful spring day.  Owen was given a very handsome blessing outfit by his Grandma in Utah who could not be there.  He is 4 and a half months old, so he is a lot older and did not sleep through his blessing, but he was awake and happy the whole time.  Grandpa told us that he was smiling at Nate during the blessing because he may have thought that Nate was talking to him.  Sweet boy!  Here are some of the things our Owen was blessed with:

Owen was told he is such a blessing and a joy and has a special place in our family.  and that we are thankful for his many smiles.   He was blessed to know how important he is to Heavenly Father and to his family.   Owen was blessed to be faithful and loyal to those around him and to look to his older brothers and sisters who are examples to him.  He was blessed to be strong and healthy to accomplish his goals.  He was blessed that he would make choices that would be pleasing to Heavenly Father and his earthly family.  Owen was blessed that he would be able to be sensitive to the spirit and recognize inspiration from Heavenly Father and be able to make choices that will bring joy.  He was blessed to know how special his name is, feel a connection to the uncles for whom he carries their names, and look to them for direction.

We are truly so grateful for this sweet little boy of ours.  He is pure innocence and joy.

Kaylee's Birthday Party

Kaylee wanted an Owl themed birthday party at Jungle George's.  So she invited her closest friends and the kids all jumped in the bounce houses and played in the arcade and ate pizza and cake and ice cream.  It was great fun!!!

Here's to another year for our Kaylee Joy!

Happy Birthday Kaylee!!!

Kaylee Joy has turned 6!  Where has the time gone!!  Here are some fun things about Kaylee at 6 years old:

1. Kaylee's favorite food is Grandpa's chicken &
noodles.  She's sometimes picky, but she gobbles this up every time he makes it.  And she also loves Dad's chocolate cereal!

2. Kaylee's favorite thing to do is gymnastics.  She is getting really strong at gymnastics and skilled.  She feels 100% at home when she is on the gymnastics arena, confident and happy.  She loves to be the one to model the gymnastic skill for the rest of the class.  I hope she keeps it up because I think she will continue to be really good at gymnastics!!

3.  Kaylee's best friends these days are:  Oliver, Lennon, Junie, & Elaina from school.  She spends most of her time not in school with Keagan Stump.

4. Kaylee loves to "organize" and "sort" things.  She will do this with everything.  Upon first sight, her room may look like a disaster, but by looking closer one would see that everything has been sorted, aligned, and organized in a unique way that makes sense in Kaylee's head.  She may be a master organizer one day, not of paper and toys, but of bigger and better things!!

5. Kaylee has a darling singing voice.  She loves to sing.  She loves to go in the basement, turn on the electric piano songs and dance and belt her singing.  We can all hear her from upstairs, and it just makes me smile.

6.  I have given Kaylee a few piano lessons using a "non-readers" piano lesson book.  So she has a little bit of an idea about finger placement and such.  But she hears her big brothers playing suzuki songs constantly and one day, she just started playing the melody of one of the suzuki songs!!  She had just figured it out by ear, by listening over and over to the song being played, she was able to figure out the notes of the melody.  She can't wait to start real lessons and learn to play lots of songs.

7. Kaylee has loved her new baby brother Owen.  She has become his second little mom.  She adores him.  When Owen came home that first day, Kaylee held him for several hours without wanting to give him up.  I'd feed him and give him right back to her to hold.  She just couldn't get enough of him.  That motherly nurturing instinct.  I love that she is a big sister to 3 little brothers.  She is also amazing at helping her 2 year old brother, Nathan.  He is exactly that: two years old, and very challenging.  She has an ability to help him, communicate with him, and he responds to her, differently than he does to his other brothers.

8.  Kaylee is in Kindergarten.  Her teacher, Ashley, resembles Kaylee.  They both have blue eyes, blond hair that is long and straight.  It almost looks like they could be related.  She is excelling in Kindergarten.  Her reading has been an amazing transformation.  And she is learning basic math concepts.  She is very smart.  Yet she prefers art over any kind of academic work.  But thats ok in Kindergarten.  She is moving away from being a little girl and becoming a big kid!  Its amazing!

9. Kaylee loves her long hair.  It is the longest hair in her whole class at school she says.  She has no intention of cutting her hair.  She wants to keep it growing.  The problem is she hates to brush it.....  Her hair is so long that some of her friends at school have dared her to cut it.  And she says she may sometime when she feels like it.  But not anytime soon.  We love our Rapunzel!

10. Kaylee is so talented and skilled.  But she dislikes anything new or any new change.  A substitute teacher, unscheduled event, new class, or new experience will throw her into a worrying state.  She will worry and worry and worry.  But she will go and do.  And then once its all over, she is smiling and happy because it all ended up being just fine, and often really fun.  I love that she is cautious and aware of everything around her.

Happy Birthday to our 6 year old!  We love you Kaylee!!