Sawyer balls it up on the court

Sawyer started playing basketball recently and absolutely loves it!  At first he didn’t know what to think and was a little shy.  At his first practice he had his hands in his pockets the entire time!  We made sure not to have him wear those shorts again!  Once he got over his shyness and built up some confidence, he really started to enjoy it.  They aren’t playing any games or practicing right now because of Christmas break and he continues to ask me, “Mom, do I have basketball tonight?”  

We have had lots of fun watching Sawyer play on the Spurs.  Next up, Carter starts playing basketball in January. 

Disneyland with Grandma Faye

On December 6 Sawyer, Libby and I took Grandma Faye to Disneyland. We went to Goofy's kitchen to start off our day and had a fabulous time. Chris was able to meet us for breakfast and then we headed off to the park. We went on a few rides and had a great time. We hope we can do it again soon! Thanks Grandma!

Meeting Laura Numeroff

Our local Chick-fil-a hosted a book signing with Laura Numeroff, who is one of our favorite children's authors. The kids were pretty excited to have her sign one of their books. If you aren't familiar with her I'm sure you have seen her books. She wrote "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" and several other books with similar titles. It thought it was a great experience for the kids to meet an author since they are very excited about reading and have hopes of maybe writing someday. On they way over the kids were thinking of idea's for her next book. They all thought a cute title would be "If you take a mouse to the Pumpkin Patch" When we got there they shared their idea with her. She told us her next book is going to be "If you give a Dog a Doughnut"!

It was a fun experience for the kids to meet a celebrity!

Sawyer's Day at D-land

On Sawyer's actual birthday we all went to Disneyland. Kristy, Brady and Coleman came along with us which was so much fun for Sawyer. Grammy brought Maddie and Carter in the afternoon so they didn't miss school. We had a great time and enjoyed a day at Disney without the crowds. I had a mystery shop that day too so Sawyer got to pick out some fun things for his birthday (for FREE!)

Sawyer got to do the fishing game and won a little turtle. We tried to win a bullseye for him at the horse racing game but with no luck. Maybe next time.

The kids had fun playing in the fountains at the new park area on the water front. They got a little too wet but luckily it was a pretty warm day and they dried off quick.

I just love taking pictures on the carousel. Can't get enough of em.

One of the highlights of Sawyer's day was that he finally reached 40" and was able to go on some of the fun big kid rides! The childhood theory that you grow on your birthday every year must be true!

When we were at California Adventure Sawyer was excited to be able to go on Soaring over California. At Disneyland he was thrilled to be able to go on Space Mountain. Here he is just before boarding.

Sawyer had no idea what Space Mountain was all about and since its all inside it was quite a surprise. I was lucky enough to get to ride next to him. During the ride all I could think about was what was going through his head. Here he is just as we are starting the ride, looking a little nervous.

During the ride Sawyer started to cry and kept screaming "When is this over". I felt awful and just wanted my baby to feel safe. When it was over he wasn't crying but he wasn't happy either. Daddy gave him 2 dollars for riding and that made him feel a little better. As we walked back to meet up with the rest of the group and Carter was going on an on about how cool the ride was and how much he loves Space Mountain. Sawyer then speaks up and says in sort of a grumble, "Alright I liked it"

We had a great day and Sawyer had a wonderful birthday. By the time we left he was definitely ready to go. Our last ride was Dumbo and he threw a fit in front of everyone because he had to ride a pink elephant. Even though Sawyer is now 4 he definitely still takes on the baby role sometimes. Hopefully that changes as Libby gets bigger.

Toy Story B-day Party

We celebrated Sawyer's 4th Birthday on August 28 at our home. We had a fun family party and invited a couple of Sawyer's little friends. Here is the invite.

We had so much fun with the toy story theme. I made these cute favor bags the kids went home with.

My mom made this amazing cake! No it's not fondant, its all done with butter cream. Isn't she amazing? I made the alien cupcakes.

Sawyer was so cute when we sung to him. I could tell he was very happy but shy. He doesn't like to be in the spotlight in large groups. (he used to but lately he's been funny, must be his age). He didn't blow out his candles cause he was being so shy!

We had the house all decorated for Toy Story with toys around. We served Pizza from "Pizza Planet" and salad and fruit. The kids played "The Claw" where they tried to see who could pick up the most toys with "The Claw".

They also had to put Mr. Potato head together. It was so much fun to have all the cousins there from the Nielsen and Jones side.

Sawyer got a lot of presents. He opened them so quickly I couldn't keep up! He was in heaven. With a Toy Story themed party naturally he got a lot of Toy Story gifts. Here he is posing in front of his Toy Story gifts!

Aunt Amanda made him an adorable stuffed alien out of felt. She is so creative! He loves it.

Libby got lots of attention at the party and actually slept through a good chunk of it too!

Sawyer was pooped at the end of the day. He had a great time and loves all his new presents! We have spent a lot of time putting legos together.

My baby boy is 4!

Its hard to believe that my baby boy is now 4! Sawyer turned four on September 1. and couldn't be happier. Four is such a fun age and Sawyer is growing up and learning so many new things every day. He loves going to preschool and every morning wakes up and asks me if he has school today! He also enjoys his time alone with Me (and Libby by default). When we talk about kindergarten he gets a little upset and says he is not going to ever go to kindergarten. I hope his feelings change by next year. Sawyer is a little shy unlike my other kids. He resists change but luckily warms up to new things quite quickly, so I'm sure he'll have no problem leaving me to go to kindergarten. We'll at least have our afternoons without the big kids around!

Sawyer looks up to his brother and sister so much. He copies everything Carter does. It reminds me of myself with my older sister. Carter gets annoyed and I try to remind him that it is a compliment. Sawyer also loves it when Maddie babies him and takes care of him. Carter is such an adorable big brother to Libby. He has always just adored her but lately he's really starting to play with her. She loves to laugh at him when he plays with her. He's also gotten a little more comfortable holding her and rolling around with her on the floor which is fun to watch.

Sawyer is a special part of our family and we love him very much. He is such a fun little character and quite funny as well. He has an adorable smile and dimples that make me melt. I can't imagine my life without him. Someday I will miss the time we are able to spend together while the older kids are at school. He truly cherishes that time we have as do I. He loves to cuddle up and tell me that he loves me and that I am the best mommy in the world. What more could I ask for? My little guy is growing up but he'll always be my baby boy.

Sawyer's first day of preschool

Last week Sawyer had his first day of preschool. I didn't put him in preschool last year because of the new baby and having a Kindergartner I thought it would be too crazy for our schedule. Next year he will start Kindergarten so preschool was a must this year. We signed him up for Tuesdays and Thursday mornings.

He was very anxious about going. On one hand he was excited to go because he knew that meant he was a big kid now but on the other hand he was very scared and shy. Chris was able to come with us on his first day which was nice.

Here he is all ready for his first day in his cute outfit and his backpack.

Here he is in the front of the school

Once we got inside he was very nervous. He would not let go of my pant leg for one second. I was nervous for him. When it was time to sign the kids in at the door I had to sign him in and say goodbye. At first he wouldn't let go of me so the teacher had to have the asst. teacher come and get him from me. He didn't resist but had a very sad look on his face and it broke my heart. As I turned to leave I started to tear up. How could I leave my baby! I felt like I was abandoning him. As we walked outside, I told Chris I couldn't leave yet, I had to make sure he was okay. I went back in and got eye contact with the teacher without him seeing me. She gestured a thumbs up and I was relieved. I knew he'd be okay.

Here he is with his teacher Ms. Heather. Isn't she cute? She is the sweetest teacher and just loves the kids. (Sawyer is so hard to get a good picture of for some reason by the time the camera snaps he has a weird look on his face)


When I went home it was so weird and quiet without Sawyer around. It was kinda nice. Libby took a nap and I though to myself, I can get used to this!

I was excited to get back to the school to see my baby so I headed back a little early with a Root beer Slurpee in hand.

I was first in line to pick him up and when he came out he gave me a huge hug and said, "Mommy, I am not a shy guy anymore! I love preschool!"

Sawyer loves preschool and has been excited to go to school each time since that day. He wakes up in the morning and gets so excited when he finds out that its a school day!

'Twas the night before School starts

Twas the night before school starts and all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring not even a spouse,
The back packs were hung on their hooks with care,
Their crisp new outfits laid out nicely (so rare).
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
with visions of pencils, crayons and notebooks in their heads,
The kitchen was quiet lunch boxes laid out,
ready for a big day tomorrow no doubt!
Bright and early we'll rise for the new school year ahead
"Lets make it the best!" Mom joyfully said.

Tomorrow is the big day, the kids can't wait, and I can't wait. Summer's been hard with all four home. Don't get me wrong I love my children but it is really hard entertaining them all day, keeping the house clean, keeping them from killing each other, and getting anything done. Luckily my kids are still at the age where they love the first day of school and they are excited. Carter is in first and Maddie in 4th. Carter gets to stay all day so no more running back to school at noon to pick up Carter. He'll be done at the same time as Maddie which is sooo nice. Sawyer starts preschool next week so much more to come on that.

We've had this fun tradition for the past few years of doing a fashion show the day before school starts. The kids get really into it and I love watching them model all their new clothes. This year we invited Chris and Amanda and my parents over for dinner and we had them watch the fashion show. Here's the kids posing for the camera. Sawyer was a little shy at first but warmed up.



The kids were so excited with each wardrobe change they threw their clothes off and put on another outfit. This is what their "Dressing Rooms" looked like when they were done!

We {Heart} Chick-fil-a

We are huge fans of Chick-fil-a and just love their chicken nuggets and diet Lemonade. Their waffle fries are yummy too! Last year I discovered Cow appreciation day and went with Carter and Sawyer and enjoyed some free food. This year we really went all out and the whole family got dressed up like cows (yes even Chris, sorry he wouldn't let me take a picture to prove it!) It was well worth it because we all got to choose any combo meal we wanted, even the kids got to have adult meals. (except Libby she dressed up but didn't get food since she can't have that kind of food yet) Of course it was all free because we dressed like cows. We got $40 worth of food free! We had a great time and plan to do it again next year!

Sawyer plays T-ball!

After watching his siblings play soccer and Carter play baseball and basketball, Sawyer finally got his turn to shine in our city pee-wee T-ball league. It was pretty funny to watch a bunch of 3 year-olds play, it was obvious it was more for the parents in some cases! Nonetheless Sawyer had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed getting a snack after every game and of course didn't share with his Big bro and sis most of the time (payback!). He was a pretty good batter and could usually hit the ball pretty hard. He didn't like fielding and didn't like running either. I think he was just too excited he'd hit the ball he didn't think to run. He had a great coach who was super into it which made it very fun. He even did a pizza party after their final game and gave all the kids awards. Sawyer slept with his trophy for a few nights after.

So excited for his pizza party, he felt pretty cool.

Coach John and Sawyer

Mmm... Rootbeer

Disney's World of Color

We have annual passes to Disneyland but they have lots of black out dates which are during busy times. Our passes our blocked out for half of June, all of July and some of August. This is fine with me since I don't like going to Disneyland when it's packed anyway. June 22 was the last day that we could go until August. We decided to take a chance on a crowded day to go see the new World of Color show at California Adventure with Chris and Amanda. We didn't arrive until 4 or so and we thought we'd go see the Aladdin show and then ride a few rides while holding a spot at the new show, watch the show then go home. Good plan right? Well we headed into the park and got in line to see Aladdin.

In the first musical number of the show the stunt Aladdin still connected to ropes swung into one of the sets and got hurt. It was kinda sad, and we were disappointed to not get to see the show. Maddie and Sawyer were disappointed. (By the way Carter's pass had expired so he stayed with his cousin Jake and Grandma Faye which he was more than happy to do.) So we decided to head over to stake out a spot at World of Color. Well it turns out that the show is so popular they do fast passes in order to see it and you have to arrive very early to get one! We were told the only place we could see the show is behind it and you can't see any animation. So we were pretty bummed. It was really crowded so our favorite toy story ride had over an hour wait, which was just too long for us. We just walked around got dinner and thought maybe we'd catch part of the show just walking by. The kids had fun winning some prizes at the boardwalk games.

Maddie couldn't believe she won the LARGE prize in this fishing game. I liked this one because everyone wins! Sawyer played twice and got two small prizes.

They had this cute toy package the kids could get inside and take a pic.

After riding the golden Zephyr we noticed a small area that was not "reserved" for the show and it was near the front so we were hoping we'd get a better view than from the back. It was about an hour til the show started so I stayed and waited with Libby and Chris and Amanda took the kids on a few rides.

Libby was entranced by these lights and she just loved staring up at them. I wish I had a nicer camera cause I think it would have been a cool picture.

The show started and we were definitely looking at it from and angle but boy was it fantastic. I can't wait to go back when its not so busy to see it. It is way worth going early to get a fast pass. California Adventure is awesome and this show makes it that much better! I can't wait for the new Cars land to open up!