Preschool and Daffodil Parade

Warning: crazy hair picture below. My parents were able to visit Dean at preschool on Valentine's Day. He had so much fun with them there and periodically prays that Grandma and Grandpa can come back to school for "Balentime's Day." Here is his goofy grin, too-long hair, and his all-time favorite shirt that he wears about 3 out of the 4 days of school.

He loves his teacher, Ms. Trish

Grandma helping Dean color hearts

Grandma brought Hershey Kisses as her treat because they are Dean's favorite candy.

Last weekend our family enjoyed watching the Daffodil parade in downtown Puyallup. I've been watching this parade my whole life, and it was fun to take the kids. And it didn't even rain for it!

It was a little chilly though, and Dean waited for it to start by hiding under a blanket.

We were lucky enough to find and sit by my sister Shelby's mother-in-law, whom the boys lovingly call Grandma Walther. She brought some of her grandkids to watch the parade.

Dawson didn't really like the parade for the first few minutes until he got a flag and waved it the whole time.

Jonathan has started playing "the claw" with the kids and chasing them around the house. They absolutely love it, and also love taking turns being the claw.

The kids have also enjoyed playing superheroes lately. My mother made them masks out of felt and elastic that they wore for a while before stretching them out. Dawson prefers to wear his tool goggles for a superhero mask though.

I Know It's Only February But...

When there's a sunny day in Washington even though its February, you mow the lawn!  And Jonathan would not be complete without his little clone and helper Dawson by his side.

Dean is ready to fight the "bad guys" with his helmet, superhero mask, and bubble gun.  It's a little too cold though to sport his "stretchy pants".

Here are the boys playing bubbles early in the morning.  I was trying to make them wait until it was warmer outside, but as soon as Dean saw the sun shining he was out the door.

Jonathan with the boys at the park just around the corner from our house.

The boys have been loving their powerwheels.  Dean has mastered the driving and he's pretty trustworthy and safe.  Dawson is still out of control and cannot keep from driving on the neighbor's lawns, no matter how many times you tell him not to!

Our stake held an adults Valentine's Day Dance which we attended. It was pretty much us and a bunch of old people! There were a lot of slow songs.  

Dean and Dawson have been really good lately at playing with eachother and entertaining themselves.  Here's a picture and videos of their sillyness.

 

For the past couple months I've been playing church ball with Shelby and some girls in my ward. Even though I haven't played since junior high, it's been pretty fun. Jonathan brought the boys to one of our games and they loved playing with the ball and cheering me on.

Jonathan took some pictures, which I wasn't too pleased about, but I thought I'd blog one for posterity's sake.

This last video is from when we took the kids to see Jonathan at work and get their teeth "cleaned." Tanya, the awesome dental assistant, really just polished a few of their teeth, but it was a great visit and the next day Dean kept asking to go back to "have Tanya fix my teeth!"

Much Needed Update

What's better than relaxing in a recliner with your pillow in your pajamas and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?  Nothing. That's a typical morning at our house!

We have a rule in our house of no food outside of the kitchen. The boys and Britton love sitting on the edge of the dining room eating their snacks...and watching tv of course.  (Do we have a problem of watching too much tv?  Yeah probably.) 

 And here they are again watching tv, but this picture is so sweet.  Dawson is an absolute Daddy's boy and if Jonathan is home, Dawson is by his side.  When I go into his room in the morning when he wakes up, the first thing he asks is "Where Daddy go?"

 Dean got this astronaut suit for Christmas from grandma and Dawson has taken a liking to it lately.

 Haircuts! We have made huge strides in our household. For the first time in four years, FOUR YEARS, we cut Dean's hair without pinning him down in the tub and having him screaming. What did the trick? A new Lightning McQueen of course! He got to hold it during the haircut and he actually stood on the chair, wore the cape, and stood still. It was quite miraculous. And he was pretty proud of himself too.

 I couldn't resist taking this picture of a beautiful sunrise the other morning. It made me smile.



Trapeze and Bedtime

Well, I went to my second trapeze lesson this week. Ever since I went the first time, I've been dreaming about going again. Jonathan and Monique came to cheer me on, and although I was still scared stiff about being up on the platform, as soon as I jumped off I loved it! I learned a new trick, the whip, and it was much harder than the first one I learned. This video is of one of my practice swings.

This one is of the catch I got to make at the end of the lesson

And last but not least, this video is of the boys playing with their dad. The night before, I was laying in bed and listening to Jonathan put Dawson to bed. He kept saying "ok, good night," then ran himself into the door. Dawson was cracking up harder than I'd ever heard, so I made Jonathan do it again the next night for the camera. Fun stuff.

Santa's Late Delivery

The best present this Christmas came a few days later because of some technical difficulties. (The Power Wheels needed a new battery).  I told the boys that Santa forgot to bring them a present and delivered it a little late.  They loved it!

A two year old behind the wheel is pretty darn scary!  Dawson has no problem pushing the gas petal to the floor, but you have to walk beside him and steer because he kept driving in the neighbor's yard.

Dean was so funny to watch until he got comfortable with driving. I would remind him he has to keep both hands on the wheel and watch the road. He'd be driving and looking backwards, reaching over Dawson, and making us real nervous.

Next purchase: a go cart that Jonathan can ride in with them this summer, atleast that's what he keeps talking about.  Keep dreaming!

Christmas 2010

We started our Christmas season off with a Santa parade in downtown Puyallup. It was freezing, but the kids really enjoyed it. We went with my sister Shelby and her kids.

 This is Dean's "happy scary face"

 The little kids dressed as presents were my favorite part of the parade.

 Santa Claus!

 We then attended our ward Christmas pajama party. Dean's friend Luke was kind enough to share his cinnamon roll with Dean.

 Dawson was a little underwhelmed with Santa, but at least he wasn't afraid!

 

 And now for Christmas Eve! Growing up, my family was never allowed to open presents on Christmas Eve, but Jonathan's family was. They always got new pajamas. Jonathan's mother still sends all the grandkids pajamas for Christmas and they get to open them the night before. They loved them!

 Dean's stocking gifts. I still have not gotten the kids their own stockings, so they had to use dollar store ones that I had from a few years ago. (Dawson's was pink but he didn't care). I swear I will buy them real stockings when they're on sale this week!

We had a wonderful Christmas in our own home this year. The fake Christmas tree we bought was too tall, so we had to cut 6 inches off the bottom.

 Dawson was pretty excited about his coloring book from Santa.

 Lightning McQueen slippers!! These were the only thing he asked for.

 I had to put this picture in so everyone can see how excited Dawson was to get this Dora DVD. Plus I love his "Cutest Kid Ever" pjs.

 Christmas breakfast of butterscotch rolls -  A Walker family favorite

Now to Grandma and Grandpa Pettit's house! We were joined by my sisters Shelby and Brittany, and their families.

My mom has been couponing lately and has gotten awesome deals and a lot of things for free, so she made me a huge basket of toiletries, lotions, and makeup. It was wonderful!

Jonathan loved his presents from my parents. He started off by getting George W. Bush's book.

 Then he got a saw he's been wanting and a new wallet. He was a happy boy.

 Until now, Dawson has been longing to play with Dean's Disney Cars toys. Now he has his own! He was SO happy, and his older brother was just a wee bit jealous.

 His other favorite present was his Mickey Mouse jammies. He has a newfound love for Mickey these days.

We missed being with the Walker family this year.  We love and miss you guys! When I told Dean today that Christmas is all over, he said "Oh, now we can do Halloween again!"