Four months old

Caleb is now four months old and we aren't quite sure where the time went! He is now 12 pounds, 7 ounces and has grown 4 inches since birth (for all those statistic people out there). Overall, he is measuring in the 10th percentile for height and weight. For those of you who know us, we're still not expecting a basketball player, but you never know!

Caleb has been such a great baby. He is sleeping through the night (started around two months), smiling ALL the time (unless he's hungry and tired), and is so interested in everything! He loves to watch Kelsie and Brandon play, especially when they interact with him. He's so much fun to have around!

I decided to take some updated pictures of him to share. He was in a really good mood, mostly, and I was able to capture some great expressions from him. The second picture looks like he's trying to play peek-a-boo and I was just having fun with our editing program in the last one. Thanks for looking!

Enjoying the River

We went down by the Columbia River to play at the park and celebrate the last day of school last Friday. We had a lot of fun on the zip line (a favorite of ours) and playing at the park. After a while, we wandered down to the river and got some fun pictures of the kids being silly and one of Brandon contemplating the world around him (probably just watching the motor boats going by). It was fun to see the boats and people fishing while we were out on the dock.

Rock Stars "in training"

We just couldn't resist sharing these!

Office Mate

You scored as Jim Halpert, You're Jim! That's so cool, Jim's awesome. Jim Halpert 65% Angela Martin 60% Ryan Howard 50% Pam Beesly 40% Michael Scott 35% Dwight Schrute 30% Jan Levinson 20% Which Office character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Memorial Weekend in Seattle

We decided to take advantage of the holiday weekend and head out to a world unknown, or at least to explore a new city. We planned our trip to Seattle and set out on our adventure (an hour and half later than scheduled). We were amazed to find out that we had to drive about 130 miles before we saw trees again and more than just sage brush. We drove through the Cascade Mountain Range and it was refreshing to see lakes and lots of pine trees.

We were fortunate enough to hang out with one of my old roommates from Ricks and her family in Port Orchard. Our kids had a great time playing together and we're pretty sure it made for Brandon's best day ever. He rode in a kayak, a motor boat, and a ferry all in one day! He also found some crabs while Kelsie built a sandcastle with her friend and decorated it with shells. Kelsie also rode in the kayak and saw a starfish and lots of jellyfish! We took the ferry into Seattle and got to see the city at night. It was really cool to see the skyline all lit up with the lights. We finally arrived at our hotel downtown around 10 p.m., and after unloading everyone and everything we crashed for the night.

The next day, we ventured out into the city and walked through Pike Place Market and down to the waterfront. Pike Place was really cool with tons of vendors selling everything from fresh seafood to knicknacks and flowers. Down by the waterfront, we searched for pirate ships and any other kind of boat we could see. There was a carousel ride for the kids and a pirate store, which of course, we had to check out. We had a good time walking around and taking in all there was to see. We also drove to West Seattle to Alki Point where we were able to see a lighthouse and spend the afternoon at the beach. The kids had a great time playing in the sand and throwing rocks in the water. Kelsie even found an arm of a crab! That night we treated ourselves to fish & chips and chowder at Ivar's Seafood Bar for dinner and walked along the waterfront one more time.

The next day we went to the Seattle Center in search of the Space Needle and the Pacific Science Center (Wally's personal playground). We were able to see all sorts of exhibits including The Tropical Butterfly House and the IMAX movie, Dinosaurs Alive 3D. Wally rode the High Rail Bicycle that was 15 feet off the ground while we all oooed and ahhhed. We all had a great time and really enjoyed all the different exhibits and things to do. We also walked around to see the Space Needle and the Folk Life Festival around the Seattle Center.

On our way home we stopped by the Seattle Temple and also made a stop to see Snoqualmie Falls to enjoy another waterfall. We really had a great time in Seattle and can't wait to go back! It is so fun to visit big cities and see what they have to offer. Some of our favorite vacations have been to places like Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, and yes, even Boston. Seattle is now right up there with all the others.

Here are some more pictures from our weekend and the last one, a particular favorite!

Aaaaaaaaargh!

Brandon decided a couple weeks ago that he really wanted to get a pirate ship to play with. I told him that if he worked really hard and saved his money that he could buy one. He thought that would be a good idea, so he started doing "extra" jobs around the house. I got him to do things like unload the dishwasher, take out the trash, weed the garden, fold laundry, the list could go on and on. During this whole process, we had to go back to the store to "see how the pirates are doing" and "make sure they are ok." After a couple long weeks of lots of jobs and saving his money, he finally had enough money to buy his toy. He was sooooo excited. I took him to the bank to exchange all his nickels and quarters into dollar bills and headed out to the store. By this time, I'm sure you can imagine, the excitement was almost too much to handle. Sadly, when we got to the toy isle, the pirate ship that he wanted was sold out. We drove around Richland for a couple of hours to different stores to see if they had the right one and didn't find it anywhere (Wally was even on the phone calling places to see if they had the right toy so I didn't have to wander aimlessly through all the stores). Luckily, Grandma Watkins found it at the store in California and agreed to send it to him.

He received his package in the mail yesterday morning and has been playing the pirates ever since. He even took them to bed with him last night. We realized how big of a deal this really was when he woke up this morning at 4:30 a.m. and came into our room asking Wally to help him turn on the light. He couldn't find his pirates and was wide awake, ready to play with them. He was pretty upset when Wally told him that he couldn't get out of bed or play with his pirates until it was light outside, but went back to bed patiently waiting. He was still awake an hour later when Caleb woke up to eat. Needless to say he loves his pirates. He played with them again ALL day long and fell asleep before he could ask to take them to bed with him. We are just hoping that he sleeps longer tomorrow morning and still wakes up eager to play with his pirates!

Life is good

Happy Mother's Day to all the women in my life! I had a great day that started off with breakfast in bed, cards, and homemade gifts. I especially liked overhearing Kelsie and Brandon outside cutting roses off the rose bush for me and Brandon whacking at them with his batman sword. Kelsie and Brandon sang Mother's Day songs with the primary during church today and have been telling me "Happy Mother's Day!" all day. Wally has taken over the cooking and more importantly, dirty diapers.

Today has made me think about being a mom and all that goes with it. Now that we have three kids, life is a lot more hectic and a lot more fun. Sleepless nights with Caleb are quickly forgotten with a big smile on his face in the morning. Bumps and bruises are kissed away and a new pirate adventure begins with Brandon. The innocence of childhood shines through with imagination and creativity from Kelsie. To be a part of all of this brings me so much happiness. I know first hand that there are times that are better than others, but in the end life is still good. Watching my kids growing, learning, and developing new talents is so rewarding to me. After all, isn't that what being a mom is all about?