Axel, our 2nd grader and Pheeny, our gymnast

On Wednesday August 24th Axel started the 2nd grade. I dropped Phoenix off at Angela's and then hurried home to capture our typical front door picture. Here is our cute 2nd grader in his fancy new shorts. He loved them so much he wore them on the 2nd day of school too, but with his tie dye shirt.

Axel really wanted a picture with Rubix too ,so here are my favorite two boys!

Daddy bought me a new shirt so we could be super hero, Captain America, parents for the first day of school, together.  We left Rubix at home with Annika and then headed over on our bikes in order to avoid the extra busy traffic that the first day of school always brings.

We are excited that Axel has Mrs. Hunt this year. I believe Mrs. Boehm, his first grade teacher, helped get Axel into the right classroom. Mrs. Hunt uses positive discipline and is nice and strict at the same time.

One of the other parents saw us trying to get a selfie family picture so she kindly offered to take a picture for us.

We are so excited for Axel and can't wait to see what this year has in store for him.

And here is one last photo of him at is desk before we left. 

Rubix continues to grow like a weed and make more and more milestones. He can sit for 20 to 30 minutes playing. He still looses his balance so I like to have the boppy around him just in case he timbers over.

Last Thursday Phoenix went to her first gymnastics class. We signed her up for West Valley gymnastics where her best buddy Macey goes. She is in the 3 year old tumble bugs class and absolutely loves it. She wants to go every day. They do obstacles courses, walk on the small balance beam, and jump into the foam pit. When we were back to school shopping for Axel I saw this leotard on sale for 8 dollars and snatched it up. She absolutely loves her fancy leotard.

Here she is last week with Coach Allie. We did a free drop in class to make sure she likes it. We now have Coach Carlos because Phoenix wanted to be with Macey on Thursday mornings.  

Last Friday Rubix swung for the first time. He absolutely loved it! He is such a fun, easy, happy baby. I am so amazed at how different he is now that he is no longer in pain. He is a great sleeper and eater. He is still waking once a night, but now it is at 3am after 8 hours of sleep. He goes to bed every night right at 7pm and wakes at 7 am. He drinks 5 oz bottles and still eats 6 times per day. Just about every 3 hours during the day plus the one bottle at night. I have been off and on with feeding him the Neocate cereal because we are so busy, but when I do feed him he eats it right up. He sleeps about 4 hours during the day. It can be 2 long naps or 3 naps with one that is long and two that are shorter. He can nap in the car, in the carrier or at home. The naps on the go are typically shorter, but it is great that he is so flexible.

After park time last Friday I made a yummy shake (frozen banana, almond butter, oatmeal and milk) for lunch. I was feeding Rubix a bottle when I took this picture. I think it is so funny how girly and proper Phoenix is.

Last Friday night was the annual Marshall Lane back to school picnic. Axel was running around like a mad man so I wasn't able to capture a picture of him, but I was able to capture a picture of Phoenix enjoying her fudge bar. 

With the first week of school under our belt and Axel being extremely mature we were excited for our first laid back weekend at home. We have been extremely busy all summer and were looking forward to time at home. Unfortunately, it was one of the worst days we can remember as parents. Axel was absolutely a disaster. He was rude, disrespectful and inconsiderate. We started the day at Big 5 Sporting Goods because he needed new cleats for baseball, which started this Wednesday. He was out of control running around, being a horrible example to Phoenix and not listening. We ended up having him spend the rest of the day in his room or doing chores to make up for all of the lost time. We also decided he had to earn the cleats that we bought for him through chores or physical activity (doing laps, playing baseball, etc.) since he was ungrateful. I was bummed that we didn't get to skype with Grandma Sonia and Grandpa Bruce or do anything else that we had planned that day because of his poor behavior, but it was an emergency! On a side note Axel and I did 1 hour of much needed yard work and I am looking forward to having a little helper help me slowly clean up our side and back yard :)

The lock down on Saturday helped Sunday go much more smoothly. We spent Sunday morning Marshall Lane. We played baseball, rode bikes and played on the play structure. We made sure Axel knew it is not about what we do, but the attitude we have doing it. We aren't into having him do things to make us happy, but want him to do things that make him happy. The catch is we need him to have a good attitude regardless of what he is doing. We think he is slowly starting to understand.

Here is a cute picture of Ms. Phoenix pulling our wagon full of fun!

Rubix did great. He played and then took a nap in the carrier for an hour. I love how adaptable he is!

The kids started playing on the play structure because it was cold and overcast in the morning. Here is Axel finally mastering this spin thing!

Happy boy!

On Tuesday after work I was rushing to get dinner made so that we could go and say goodbye to Annika. Rubix happened to want to eat when I was in the middle of cooking. I was excited that he took the bottle from Axel. Axel was able to feed him 3 of the 5 oz and then I had him finish the bottle after I was done cooking.

Axel created a little castle out of clay while he was waiting for dinner to be done. His attitude has been much better and he has earned his cleats for baseball by helping around the house and doing laps with me at the Y. I am looking forward to more Axel and Mommy swim dates. It was really fun doing laps with him. I haven't swam in years so swimming behind him and going nice and slow made it easier for me. We also are starting off with only 10 laps and will slowly build up as we both get back into shape!

Here we are saying goodbye to Annika. Phoenix still hasn't 100% grasped the concept that she is gone for many months and asks to go see her every day. I am sure she will stop asking soon. Phoenix has officially given up naps at home. She still takes naps at Angela's. She is back to sleeping through the night. I think she only wakes once a week scared. Daddy helps her get back to sleep so that I can get my sleep and don't have to wake multiple times per night. Phoenix has also been showing a lot more maturity the past week. Since Rubix started Angela's she has not had any tantrums or crying. She has been an absolute angel around Rubix and I. I think having Axel in school really helps him and the other two kids thrive.

Baseball started on Wednesday and the first practice was a success. We have a good group of kids that mesh well together. Over half the team has never played, but that just makes for more fun! Last night Axel went to his first Scout Meeting. He is pretty sure that he wants to join this year because his best buddy Nico is also in cub scouts. We will see how the year unfolds. For now we are looking forward to the holiday weekend and getting together with friends!

Carnival, Pizza Party and Rubix eats!

On Saturday morning we went to see a pediatric GI specialist for Axel. We have managed to stay away for 6 years, but Axel's eating has really diminished this summer and he fell off his growth curve in weight. He has been throwing up since last summer. We ruled out anything series last summer/fall with the full blood work, but have been frustrated with his continued issues with food. His constant stomach pains and "shutting down" are difficult to watch as parents. We are excited to say that the GI doctor that we saw was wonderful. He knew exactly what could be going on and scheduled Axel for an endoscopy and colonoscopy. We are thinking about cancelling the colonoscopy portion of the procedure since it seems like more of a stomach issue than intestinal issue and the preparation for the colonoscopy requires a cleansing that would cause him to miss a second day of school. We will have to see what the doctor says and trust his recommendation.

After the doctors we headed to Daddy work, where his company held a carnival for the first time. It was a fun filled day with good food and entertainment.

 The kiddos played in bounce houses, slid down blow up slides and more!

 My favorite part of the day was getting to do the climbing wall with Axel. Axel did great for how tough the wall was. Daddy and I again, were excited that he wanted to try things that he has been afraid to do in the past.

I haven't climbed one of these things in years! I always have so much fun on the way up and then realize I am afraid of heights when I get up to the top and have to some how manage to muster up the courage to get down.

 We waited in line for 45 minutes to get this light saber and princess crown balloons. Rubix did great and after staying awake much longer than normal took a nap in the baby carrier.

 Although the kids did not get their face painted like they wanted it was a great afternoon of fun.

 We got home in just enough time to prepare the crusts for our pizza Olympic party. Axel invited Nico, Kedar, Jensen and Annika over for the pizza party. Here they are decorating their pizzas.

 I finally got a shot of Annika and Rubix. Annika has spent so much time with Rubix I needed to capture them together before she leaves next week. It will be really sad to say goodbye again, but we are excited for her next adventure as she studies abroad in Austria this coming semester.

 Here are the kiddos watching the 4 x 400 relay while enjoying their pizza.

 On Sunday morning I finally had time to have Rubix try the Neocate baby cereal. The GI doctor wants me to wait until he is 6 months to start solids, but it takes up to 4 weeks for babies to get use to the texture of foods and actually consume solids so I decided the Neocate baby cereal would be a good transition. This way I am hoping Rubix will actually consume the food that I start introducing when he turns 6 months in a few weeks.

   

 He had fun the first day and I think consumed a little bit of food. Yesterday and today was not as successful, but I am hopeful he will get use to it soon

 

.Rubix appears to be transitioning to two long naps a day that are about an hour and a half to two hours long. He is also transitioning to 5 oz bottles and only 5 or 6 feedings a day. He is still getting up once a night, but I am hopeful that he will be sleeping through the night in the next few months.

After breakfast we headed to Marshall Lane to check out the campus and see if it is ready for students. Phoenix has been under the weather still and didn't want to ride her bike. Here is the solution I came up with in order to make her happy and make it easier for me. It was a bit of a tight fit, but in the end worked out well. 

 After Marshall Lane we headed over to Annika's house for her birthday party. Phoenix brought Annika a birthday crown to wear.

 The kids played in the pool. Phoenix was in the hot tub, while Axel showed off all of his swimming strokes to Annika's family.

 Everyone was really impressed with our little swimmer.

 Axel and I are headed over to Marshall Lane now to see who is teacher is for second grade. Tomorrow is the big day for Axel. We will officially have a second grader!

Washington Trip and Rubix turns 5 months

We headed to visit the French Family on Thursday morning, August 11th. It is a nice quick flight of just over an hour. We were enjoying each others company by 11 am. Here is Daddy and Rubix playing in the play room. 

After lunch and inside play time the kids headed out for a trail walk and black berry picking. Phoenix enjoyed the berries much more than Axel, but fun was had by all. 

 The trail is covered with blackberry bushes. It was absolutely beautiful.

 I had to stay back because Rubix was catching up on sleep. Daddy was kind enough to bring me a bowl of yummy fresh blackberries.

Once Rubix woke we headed to a local park. A woman and her children painted rocks and hid them all around the park. Carter, Mason, Axel and Phoenix had a blast running around the park trying to find the painted rocks. 

We let the kids take home their favorite painted rocks and then asked them to hide the other rocks they had found. 

All three nights we were there the kids enjoyed watching the Olympics. Mason, who is in gymnastics always requested gymnastics, where Axel always requested to watch swimming. 

On day two the kids enjoyed playing in the sprinklers. Bella, their dog enjoyed it the most though!

In the afternoon everyone headed to the pool and more play time in the park. Axel wasn't feeling well so he mostly watched from the sidelines. 

On day three we headed to a local river to play. The kids had a blast. Apparently, this is one of Mason's and Carter's favorite places to go. 

Kaia and I had great fun catching up. It was so nice to see her. I love how our families get along so well. The kids played great the entire time, our husband's enjoy each others company. All in all it was a great trip. Maybe next time we can all go camping together!

Before we left for the airport on Sunday morning Rubix fell asleep in Andrew's arms. I tried keeping him awake just 30 minutes longer, but Rubix had other ideas. Rubix did amazingly well and slept like a champ the entire trip. He took two, 2+ hour naps a day when he was able to sleep in the pack and play. He is becoming more and more adaptable, which is great for how busy we are as a family.

Now that we are a family of five, I had the privilege of sitting alone with Rubix while daddy took care of the other two kiddos. Daddy is much more fun than I am. 

The kids had a great time with Daddy without any electronics or any other entertainment except Daddy himself.

So cute!

On Monday, August 15th, Rubix turned 5 months, on Grandpa Bruce's birthday. Since Axel hadn't been feeling and eating well he stayed home with Daddy and Annika. 

As a result, Daddy and Axel were in Rubix's 5 month photo shoot. After talking with Axel's doctor and allergist we have him on Zantac, Flonase and Claritine daily right now. He went from practically not eating all day to being able to tolerate 3 bland meals. We have an appointment with GI tomorrow morning. We hope to get more answers and a better plan at how to help Axel and his ever growing stomach /food issues. As of now it seems as if the severity of his outdoor allergies caused enough post nasal drip to irritate his stomach and create a gastritis like irritation. Hence for the above medication. 

Since we have come home Phoenix has now been running a fever of 101-102 degrees for the past 2 days. We went to the doctor yesterday because she also has been complaining of neck pain. Luckily, meningitis is ruled out. Hopefully, she will get better soon. The kids felt well enough this afternoon to go to Marshall Lane. Apparently, Axel has built up a tone of strength and confidence. He can now do the monkey bars and a bunch of other things he couldn't do before. He is super excited about starting 2nd grade next week and being on the big play ground with the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. 

Can't wait to post on Axel's first day of second grade next week!