Noah's 5th Birthday Party.

For Noah's birthday this year he decided that he wanted to go to the Fire Station and then have a few friends over to our house to celebrate. This was the first year that we did not include parents/siblings, so it was kind of a big deal. We don't have the space at our house for a big gathering and I also wanted the fire station tour to be on the smaller side. We had everyone meet at the Woodinville Fire Station for the tour, which lasted about an hour. We saw all the fire trucks including Noah's favorite, the big ladder truck, or as Noah likes to call it "King". After the tour, Orlin and I took all 7 kids back to our house for lunch, pinata fun, and cake and ice cream. Noah had a fun day with his friends and Orlin and I enjoyed the morning with kids and loved making the day special for our sweet boy!

Scott's Soccer Tots.

We started Scott's Soccer Tots a couple of weeks ago and are really enjoying it so far. My friend Jen has been doing it for awhile with her son Landon and has had great things to say about it. Noah tried soccer through the Monroe YMCA when he was 3 1/2, but was too young to really grasp it. We have had some growing pains lately with Noah, specifically when going to school. We weren't sure where it came from, but after talking with some people, we think the move or should I say "moves" have been kind of hard on him. He's been pretty emotional when going to school and has been kind of a home body lately. It may also be just a little phase, but either way, it's been a rough go the last month or so. He has so much energy and Orlin and I felt like we needed to find something for him that would increase confidence and also push him ever so slightly out of his comfort zone. Not to mention something to burn some of that 5 year old boy energy! The first day he was a little unsure and didn't want me to leave the field, but after Scott asked if he would be his helper for the day, all was good. I was so proud of his bravery and I know he was proud of himself for how hard he was working. He was doing all the drills with the other kids and did a fantastic job. Scott is so great with the kids and I am thrilled that we have a few more fun weeks of soccer fun!

snow day.

we had a nice dusting of snow a couple of weeks and even got a snow day/no school day, so we made the most of it and did a little sledding in the yard. Part of our lot, which is across a little private road has a nice slope to it and was perfect for the boys to sled on. Such a beautiful day for fun with the boys and some great pics!

winter swim lesson.

over Christmas break we were able to sneak in a swim lesson with Andrew since he was home from college for his break. The pool is completely covered now, which made it nice and warm and Noah did an awesome job and swam quite a distance all by himself! Looking forward to more lessons this summer and also starting Drew too!

Christmas Day.

Christmas morning was great this year. Both boys slept until after 8:00 and considering I was up till about 1:30 am, it was very much appreciated! Santa delivered as usual and Noah was super excited to get the big ladder fire truck that he wanted and Drew got a cool remote control monster truck with a trailer. We usually do our thing here till around 10ish and then head to Orlin's parents for a few hours, but this year we had his parents and Uncle Ty and Jaclyn here for a little breakfast and a gift exchange with them. It was so nice to be able to stay in our jammies and just relax for the morning instead of doing our usual running around town. Both boys got very spoiled by family and we are still finding the space for all the new stuff. Later in the afternoon we headed to my parents for Christmas dinner and gifts with Grandma and Boppa, both of my Grandma's and my Uncle Rich. It was a nice mellow evening and a great end to a wonderful holiday with family.