August

Jaxon adores rides.

Sierra like the carousel, and that's about it.

Corvallis Knights Game!

Dance camp

Happy birthday, Daddy!

So many plums this year!  The kids loves to help pick them.

Snack time!

Sierra spends all day every day making forts/messes

Two of a kind

Beautiful grape year!  They are so delicious.

Part of the garden

This is what 14 years looks like :)  It's our anniversary this month.

It's August!  It was a very busy month.  We always spend several days enjoying the fair.  Jaxon absolutely loves the rides, while Sierra prefers to stay close to the ground, not move too fast, or go around in circles....... so she likes the slide and some of the silly houses that you can walk through.  Jaxon loves to go up high, around fast, and whatever he is big enough to go on.  We tried a ride at one point that looked slow enough for Sierra.  It did go up in the air though, so it took her a while to talk herself into going with Jaxon and I.  Oops.  She panicked the second the ride started and I ended up singing Amazing Grace the whole ride to keep her calm.  After that she stuck to the slide and did go on the Carousel several times.  She's afraid of very few things but gets motion sick easily and does not like heights.  Jaxon is afraid of most things, but likes the crazy rides.  Seriously.  It's so hard to figure out what goes on in a kiddos mind.

After a long day of rides, we told the kids that they could do one more and we would head home.  They decided on a fun house and both headed in.  On the way out, we all watched as Jaxon lost his piece of gum on the floor of the house, bent over, picked it up, and put it BACK in his mouth.  I.Almost.Died.  Of all of the places to do that, he picks the floor of a fair ride.  This child doesn't like to very many regular foods but will pick a piece of gum up off of the floor and put it back in his mouth.  I stood there with my mouth wide open.  I don't even think I said a word.  I was going through scenarios in my mind of him coming down with Hepatitis, Ecoli, or testing positive for meth.  I honestly felt my hair turning gray, or at the very least my brain was short circuiting.  Good grief.  The next day both kids came down with colds and we didn't go back to the fair.  And he is never going to have another piece of gum in a public place ever again.  Yuck.

We also got free tickets to another Corvallis Knights game this month and were able to stay for fireworks.  It was a long game but the kids had fun and we brought Jaxon's earplugs for the fireworks.  They put on a great show and we all enjoyed it.

Sierra spent her second year at dance camp this month as well.  They spend a week (3 hours a day) learning dance techniques of all kinds and some cheerleading.  The girls learn a routine and usually perform at one of the high school football games.  She loves it. She likes me to stay and watch which can be a challenge when Jaxon is with me :)

School started the last week of August.  This year was absolutely a breeze.  Sierra has grown up so much this summer.  She has become more independent and is able to handle disappointment much better.  We have talked over and over about how important it is to do what you love even if it's different than what other people are doing.  I keep telling her that we were not made to be like everyone else, we were EACH made special and different.  She was excited to go to school this year and when we dropped her off on the first day she gave me a quick hug and sat down at her desk without a second glance.  I was amazed, proud, and relieved.  Hopefully school continues to go well for her and hopefully I can keep Jaxon busy without his favorite playmate.  Time will tell.

July

Corvallis Knights in the press box!

Philomath Frolic Parade

Jesse has mad cupcake frosting skills!

Sierra's party theme was "Lemonade Stand"

This child is afraid of noises but not going fast :)

Sierra's not afraid of the water but is afraid of the slide

First dental check.  Yep he's four.  Don't judge :)

It's July!  A crazy busy but beautiful month.  Sierra finished up her softball season which made for less hectic evenings.  But Jesse's softball goes into August.  Softball along with golf keep him busy on at least one weeknight and usually one weekend day.  

The kids got used to being together all day again and they have gotten along extremely well this month.  We continue to spend a majority of our days outside.  Sierra has a tree that she climbs up into and hangs random things from the branches and declares it her "tree house".  Jaxon loves to swing and ride his bike.  Both of the kids also spend a lot of time playing with Sugar.  Sugar will be 2 this fall but really has yet to grow out of her puppy stage.  She chews less things up but she digs, still wants to jump and lick, and does not like to stay home.  But she does love the kids and they spend a lot of time keeping each other busy.

Jesse won box tickets to a Corvallis Knights game early in the month and we had a blast!  There was food, some Knights swag, and a fun place to hang out.  The kids had a ball and it was so fun to see!  We left before the game was over because the kids were exhausted (we had done the Frolic Parade that morning).  

Jaxon's been sensitive to noise since he was tiny, so things like parades can really freak him out.  It's not constant noise, it's random loud high pitched noises that make him cry.  I told him once, "It's okay buddy, sounds can't hurt us."  His response was, "Yes they do!  They hurt our ears!"  We've learned to bring earplugs and if he knows we have them then we don't have any trouble.  Sometimes we can end up taking them out after a little bit and he'll do fine.  We went to the movie theater for the first time with him this month and brought the ear plugs because the sound in a theater sometimes bothers my ears.  We started with the plugs in but were able to take them out and he did great.  He was also able to sit through the whole movie without spontaneously combusting.  Yay for Finding Dory!

My baby girl turned seven this month.  Time sure is flying.  She's become much more independent this summer.  I'm hoping that means that 2nd grade will be a breeze.  We had a small family party on her actual birthday and then she had 3 friends from school come over to celebrate at our house the following weekend.  We invited several more girls but summers are busy and only 3 could come.  2 of her friends have sweet older sisters that we invited along as well for a total of 6 girls including Sierra.  It was a nice little party and the girls played outside and enjoyed the sunshine.  Jaxon had a great time following the girls around too.  

We've been trying to break Jaxon of the nap time habit this summer.  He's been taking forever to go to sleep at night and once school starts up I will need to pick Sierra up right in the middle of his normal nap time.  He usually isn't able to make it every day without one but is down to only taking one a couple of times a week.  I admit that I will miss naps.  It was an hour in the middle of the day where I made phone calls, paid bills, and did stuff on the computer like writing this blog (a reason I'm 4 months behind).  

We've enjoyed some pool time this summer.  Sierra is a little fish and while she has loved to swim and be in the water the last several years she would not put her face under.  That has all changed this year.  She's gotten great at holding her breath and she can swim for quite a while underwater.  Jaxon loves the water if it's warm but is like me and doesn't enjoy being cold.  If the water is cold he and I usually don't last long.  Sierra is a little energizer bunny in the water though, and doesn't mind if it's cool.  

I've been putting off taking Jaxon to the dentist because of his aversion to noise.  I've been afraid that he would panic when they tried to put the vacuum in his mouth.  But I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment.  He did awesome.  He was a little bit nervous when she came at him with the vacuum, but I held his hand and he stayed still and handled it just fine.  I was so proud and relieved!  And his teeth were perfect, so there!  ;)

June

Love this silly girl!

"Lavender" is as tame as a chicken can get.

 

June kind of revolves around baseball in our house.  Sierra has two games a week and Jesse has one game per week.  Sierra loves baseball and it's a sport that comes pretty naturally to her.  It's also something that she's practiced since she was little, so it's definitely not a foreign sport to her.  She's got a killer swing and this year has improved on her throwing and catching as well as learning more basics about the game itself.  Jaxon sits through every game counting down the days until he can play too.  Sierra's season only lasts a month but it definitely keeps us busy.  Jesse's games go on throughout the summer which means there is usually at least one night a week that I put the kids to bed on my own.  It makes for an extra long day.

The last few weeks of school are so busy it's a bit ridiculous.  There were field trips all over the place, field days, and any other possible outings that can be packed into June.  I wasn't able to go on all the field trips this year because if the trip falls on a day that my mom works, Jaxon would have to come too.  I was able to go on a trip to the library as well as a trip to a local farm.  The kids absolutely loved the farm trip.  They held baby chicks, full sized chickens, fed sheep, learned about llamas, wool spinning, etc.  It was one of the highlights of Sierra's whole year so I was glad that I was able to be there.

The first couple weeks of summer are always kind of rough.  The kids have to get used to be around each other ALL day long again.  There is generally lots of fighting and we all have to get used to a new routine.  Sierra also has to get used to a slower pace and not constant stimulation.  They kids still wake up at the same time (people keep telling me they will sleep in some day) around 6:30, we eat breakfast around 8, and spend most of the day outside.  We ride bikes, play/plant/eat in the garden, swing, make forts, and sometimes even have lunch outside.  We usually make 2 trips to town a week.  We may go to the library, a park, grocery shopping, or to visit my Grandma.  I love summer break but do have to remind myself that the fighting will resolve itself, and they will act like they love each other once again :)

May

We gave Jaxon his own toolbox in hopes that he would stop stealing his daddies tools and just use the ones we provided him with :)

He had a great time helping Jess rotate the tires!

These two really do love each other..... most of the time......

Sierra's first pony tail without any help.  The girl has so.much.hair.

The grapes are taking over!  It's going to be a bountiful year!

The wild strawberries are ready!

They are so tiny.  I cannot imagine picking enough to make jam.

Sierra's farm field trip

Most of the animals weren't really new to Sierra.  But we've never had baby chicks and she just loved them.

We rescued a baby bunny from Sugar the doggie.  Before we took it to Chintimini Wildlife Center the kids got some loves.

Sierra learned to ride her bike this month.  No biggie, right?  I had no idea how profound of a moment it would be.  After some unsuccessful tries in town on cement, we let Sierra coast down in the tall field grass.  Later, she wobbled around in circles in the garage so we walked her down the driveway to try on the flat gravel road.  She sat on the seat, picked up her feet and peddled away.  I stood there completely unaware of how emotional it was going to make me.  But when she peddled down the road in an unsteady line with her coattails flapping in the wind, I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.  So as she rode off into the sun I stood there, bent over with my hands resting on my knees, and cried. 

Of all of the moments I've witnessed this far with my kids, I've never had a moment hit me quite the same way.  I've witnessed their births, first steps, words, and Sierra's first day of school.  None of them have brought me to my knees in the same way.  Maybe it's the symbolism of her growing up and heading out into the world without me - unsteady, but excited about what she'll find up the road.  Maybe it's the realization that she is not a baby anymore and the things she's learning now are bigger and scarier than learning to walk and clap and sing.  Someday she'll learn to drive, she'll graduate, and she'll head down the same gravel road in her car to go to college.  I'll watch her drive away and wish she was back to peddling down the hill on her bike.

After she made the loop and came back up the road to me she was grinning from ear to ear and said "Did you see how fast I went mommy?"  And then she saw my face and I watched her smile turn to confusion.  I was trying so hard to contain my tears that I couldn't speak.  Despite the pinched smile I had plastered on my face, the girl knew I was struggling.  When she asked what was wrong all I could squeak was "I'm just so proud."  Which made her beam again.  Because here's the thing, even though I'm scared at the thought of her growing up, and I'm sad at the thought of watching her ride off into the sunset, the pride factor trumps it all.  At the end of my days, I know that that moment in time will be something I will recall with joy.  Parenting is so full of bittersweet moments.  The ones I expect to make me emotional, come and go so fast that there's no time for tears.  And then random moments catch me completely off guard and I bawl my eyes out.

Allergy season is upon us.  Sigh.  Sierra always gets pink eye from her allergies in May.  I end up keeping her home from school once in a while because her poor eyes look so bad.  Even with her Nasacort nose spray and Zyrtec orally, once a day, she still struggles.  I also made an appointment to take Jaxon to the Allergist to see what causes his hives.  He's also been struggling with itchy ears.  His ear canal and drum actually get blisters on one side.  He's never had an ear infection and his Doctor is kind of puzzled.   My dad knows a lot about ears and said this is something he's unfamiliar with as well.  So I've made an appointment with an ENT as well as an Allergist.  Hopefully we can figure it out because the poor guy digs at his ears until he makes them bleed.  It's awful. 

Despite our allergy issues, I don't keep the kids locked inside.  We spend lots of time outside but do make sure that when we come in we wash hands and faces, change clothes, don't leave windows open, and wash Sierra's hair every night when the pollen count is high.  The kids also have air purifiers in their room.  When Sierra was diagnosed with her pollen allergies her Allergist said it's very important than their indoor environment is free from pollen.  Their bodies need to be able to rest and not constantly be in histamine overload.  Poor kiddos with outdoor AND indoor allergies never get the chance to rest.

The end of the school year is near and we've got about 47 field trips coming up.  It's crazy.  I'm not sure why so much gets crammed into the last few weeks of school.  It seems cruel.  At the very end of the month we visited a farm about 30 minutes away.  The kids had a ball.  Luckily my mom took the afternoon off to watch Jaxon so I could go with Sierra.  It was fun and I got some great pictures.  I'm honestly really ready for summer though.  I'm ready for less germs and a lot less rushing around.  Come on, June! I'm ready!