Six Years Ago Today...

I was watching Elf (a tradition we continue to this day) and having a baby.

My baby is not a baby anymore! This big 6-year-old has a big imagination and loves ninjas, Legos, animals, bugs, the human body, science, space, and marine biology.

He can read many sight words and is getting better at sounding out and spelling words as well. William LOVES school.

He tries really hard to be good and is a sweetheart, though his emotions get the best of him sometimes. William still loves to snuggle, and is still loving his Baby Puppy.
William is a pretty good helper and listener, though his room is kind of a war zone and he can't keep socks or pants on to save his life.

His best friends are Max and Charlie. Those 3 could play Legos for HOURS. So we gave him a big Lego mixed set to round out his collection. And when he found out that Ninjago combined Legos and ninjas, it made his birthday complete.

Here's the yearly survey:
1. What is your favorite color? Sea Foam Blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Legos
3. What is your favorite fruit? Banana
4. What is your favorite tv show? Wildkratts, Octonauts, Cat in the Hat
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Pizza 
6. What is your favorite outfit? Ninja clothes and exercise clothes
7. What is your favorite game? Don't Eat Pete 
8. What is your favorite snack? Cheesaroni (his recipe...melted cheese topped with pepperoni. We have yet to make it).
9. What is your favorite animal? Elf Owl
10. What is your favorite song? The Ninjago theme
11. What is your favorite book? Any book about ninjas
12. Who is your best friend? Max, Charlie, Daniel. And all my friends at school.
13. What is your favorite breakfast? Birthday Waffles
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Hunt for things at the cabin
15. What is your favorite drink? Root Beer
16. What is your favorite holiday? Saturday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Baby Puppy
18. What is your favorite thing at school? Art. 
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Sushi. For real. We are actually doing this.
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Nature Police (forest ranger???)

We had a great day celebrating his birth. We started off with a race (kids' 1k, and a 5k for me). I placed 2nd, and gave my medal to him. He's a natural. Look at that form!

William got to have a big party with all his cousins and many of his friends. We had a total of 25 kids, most of them under 6. 

We dressed up like ninjas.

Played ninja games. 

Hit a pinata with a ninja staff.

Ate Ninja food.

And let William get buried in presents and friends.

He was literally SWARMED at present time.

 

William's favorite gifts were a Ninjago car/motorcycle from George and Addie, and a Ninjago playset from Grandma Garff.

And LOTS of Legos.

It was crazy, but William LOVED it.

We are still so happy to have William in our family.  He is still our Silly Billy,
but won't let us call him that anymore. William is a full name kind of guy.  Happy Birthday Billy Buddy!!!

Meet Cricket

It's been almost a year since Nike died.  That means that I have been without a dog for nearly a year.  Folks, this is a big deal.  So meet Cricket.

Originally, we waited because I was going to have a baby.  We got a few foster dogs to tide us over until we felt ready for a full-time dog.  And a bunny for some fluffy companionship.  But lets be honest...although Dandelion is lovely, a bunny is just not the same.

We were planning to get a puppy.  Because PUPPIES!!!

I mean, right?  Who wouldn't love a floppy, loving, silly puppy?  We were thinking fall, but most likely springtime, to make potty-training less of an ordeal.

I thought we'd get a foster or two (or 5) until our perfect dog came along. But then, I was straight up asked by a lady in my foster group if I was willing to take a Great Dane mix (since she knew I was a fan since I volunteered for the last one). I wasn't going to do it.  Steve was only willing to consider an adult foster if she was potty trained and/or crate trained.

And, she was.  Not only that, but Cricket is great with the kids, doesn't hardly bark, and she may even be ok with Dandelion (the jury is still out on that one).  Since she was supposed to just be a foster dog, I let William pick her name. William picked Cricket because he likes bugs.

Cricket follows me around like my shadow, and wants to be everywhere I am.  It's very sweet.

And in case you were wondering about the bandage, she either sliced her foot before she came here, or the day we got her. 5 stitches.  And then she got spayed two days later.  So mostly she has been recovering since she arrived.

But I have gotten to take her running a few times. She LOVES it.  You should see her gallop across the lawn.  She's like a greyhound. We still have a ways to go with leash work, but it's coming along nicely.

We don't know much about Cricket, other than that she is a Great Dane mix from Nevada, about 3 years old.  Apparently she was living in a trailer, and doesn't like being picked on by other dogs.

Like I said, we were originally going to get a puppy, but we all got so attached that we couldn't let her go. Even Steve likes her, and he's not exactly a dog person.

We're all glad she's a part of our family.

Halloween

Life has been really busy, so I'm a little behind on posts. We've had a very sick baby, kids with colds AND stomach bugs, orchestra practice, and a new dog...so time is becoming a little more limited. But I'm going to try to keep up on the blog for our family's sale. The kids love looking through old pictures, stories, and videos. 

I was resigning myself to the fact that I wasn't going to get too many more years with family themed costumes. But then Lily saw me looking at superhero costumes with tutus and was sold. The boys were easy to convince.

We started our Halloween season with a Disney store Halloween dress rehearsal. I let the kids wear any Disney costume they wanted. Caleb was Captain America, William was a Jedi, and Lily was Anna.

Our Ward Trunk or Treat was the following week.

Wonder Woman was a popular choice. There were three at or trunk or treat.

At the twins club party, we hired a photographer for photos. It was awesome.

How cute is my super family? Super baby, especially, cannot be beat.

William loved being Flash. He was running everywhere.

I volunteered for the Hallowwen party. Kindergarteners are too cute. 

And of course, we wouldn't be complete without a "super" adoption photo featuring Cricket. It was a win with our rescue group.

And in case you were wondering, this wasn't a costume...I really am Super Mom. ;) I made that comment when I had to stop at the grocery store on the way home from a party and it got a lot of kudos.

                                                           

Halloween morning I surprised the kids with a themed breakfast. I haven't been up to doing many "extras" this year as we are still adjusting to a new baby, but this was a hit. Pumpkins, ghosts, and spider eggs.

The kids had 3 trunk or treats, went trick or treating at Foothill Village (one of their favorite traditions), and also made it up and down most of our street. They only made it a few more houses than last year, but the buckets were more than overflowing. We might have to skip out on some events next year just to avoid so many treats! But we had a great time, the kids loved it!