Spring Break 2016-Phoenix

This year was our first year to experience seasons as a family and this meant that when Spring Break came along, the idea of going to Arizona and enjoying sunshine actually sounded very nice. I also felt that it was important to come and spend time with Troy's parents. 

Because Troy couldn't just take a week off from work,  the kids and I started to drive to Arizona on Thursday afternoon. I had anticipated that Aleksi wouldn't love being in the car for an extended period, so we used some of our Hilton points to stay in a hotel in Albuquerque. This was a very wise decision. Aleksi's pain threshold for being stuck in a car seat is about an hour and a half and after that, it got touch and go. He never had a full of meltdown, but he definitely regularly let me know that he was not happy. Snacks helped a bit and movies made it a bit better; Eerika was my big helped and would distract him with games on the iPad. 

Saku was completely content to play on my old iPhone and other than few frustrations with the games, not with drive, he didn't make a peep during our travels.

Eerika alternated between watching movies with Aleksi, playing on the iPad and being a helper. 

Once we made it to Albuquerque, we played in our hotel room for a bit and lights were out by 8:45 pm because there wasn't really anything to do. The kids slept great. I had anticipated Aleksi to wake up but he slept through the night. I didn't sleep deeply but quantity won over quality that night.

Once I was back on the road and realized that I was going to drive through Flagstaff, I texted Camille and we were able to stop by their house to say hi. It was fun to see them, chat for a bit and see how life is in Flagstaff. 

Fortunately our travels were smooth. I ate too many starbursts to the point where my jaw was hurting. 

Our week in Phoenix has been good. We went to Popo's twice to enjoy the delicious food. Aleksi has played a ton of basketball and enjoyed watching March Madness with Grandpa. Saku was introduced to Scrabble. Eerika played Rummikub and true to her nature, independently played with dolls and outside. I read two books and enjoyed long runs in the mornings. It was so nice to run in t-shirt and shorts and come home and breakfast was ready. Grandpa had squeezed fresh orange juice or made a smoothie. It was a perfect balance of running and eating delicious food. 

We also went to see Brittny, Corrye and Heather in Tucson. Again, the driving was a bit rough with Aleksi but he was a champion while visiting friends. No pictures of those as I am lame.

I don't miss Arizona and I am glad that we live in Colorado, but this week was a nice change and it was refreshing to have Aleksi play in the backyard independently and barefooted. 

Pokemom battles

Troy is such a hands on dad.  I know I have said it many times, but I want to write it down again because it truly is a blessing. Here are pictures of him playing Pokemom with Saku and Eerika. I don't think I could have the patience and interest to learn this game, as it seems so silly to me, but Troy happily battled with the kids several times.

Snow Day for Everyone

On February 1st we had a snow day. Troy had decided to stay home in the morning so we could go sledding and Natalie had offered to watch Aleksi so he didn't have to outside. While we drove to the sledding hill, Troy received an email saying that he would get a snow day. How awesome is it to be playing in the snow and getting paid for it. Audra and her girls joined us for a bit. It kept snowing the whole time and Troy and I didn't have goggles, though I did have my glasses.

Troy got a bit obsessive about clearing our drive way and he would go back out and shovel it over and over again. 

I dont think we can expect more snow days from Rincon, but we were happy to the ones we had. 

Saku before school

I love how Saku looks when he wears his leather jacket. I don't dictate what my children wear, except for Aleksi who can't decide for himself, but it is nice when Saku is put together and looking nice when going to school.

These pictures show Saku pretty well. Happy to go to school. Hair a bit too long, especially around his ears. Loving to his brother. And showing his love of reading. There is even a peek of his dead tooth in the third picture. 

March Update

Overall these kids play so nicely together. Eerika and Aleksi happily share my attention during the school day and when Saku comes home, Eerika is usually so happy to play with him. There are some closed doors that make Aleksi unhappy when the big kids want to be left alone. Eerika and Saku are sleeping in Saku's room. Some nights they even share Saku's top bunk. I think this satisfies Eerika's desire for "chit chat" at bedtime and h

Saku is reading the Harry Potter series the second time. He does get reclusive when reading and we are trying to encourage him to find another series to read but he is pretty set on reading them again. He is currently on book #4. Just to reference that he read the first Harry Potter book for the first time right after Christmas. So he has read 10 Harry Potter books in two and half months. His reading skills are obviously off the charts so he gets taken out once a week for an advanced reading group. 

Saku will start soccer at the end of this month. He wasn't too happy when I told him that I had signed him up. He said he "had experienced soccer and wanted to try football". 

Aleksi is currently playing in the basement while I sit on the treadmill and watch him. He really likes playing in the basement for whatever reason. He has a snotty nose and a cough again. When he wakes up in the middle of the night and cries and continues to cry, I will check on him. I walk him, tucked him under a blanket and I ask him "would you like another song". Most of the time, he is happy to go back to sleep after this thirty second ordeal. We struggle with food throwing. He is more attached to his tutti, or he tends to have it in his mouth more. I am not as strict about making sure that he leaves it in his crib. Aleksi is overall very happy. He is obsessed with his toothbrush and toothpaste. He likes to practice handstands with Eerika. And he loves when he finds a friend who is willing to throw a ball with him. He remembers where to chocolate chips are and will ask for them. He doesnt like when he gets told no.

No words from Aleksi. He will say "mamama" in an urgent voice when he wants and needs something. However, he understands and processes so much. And he clearly communicates his preferences nonverbally.

Troy did his annual ski trip to Utah. He had very early travel on Friday and very late travel on Saturday coming home so he was a bit tired on Sunday. Aleksi wanted to give him some loves. Work has started to go much better for Troy in the Springs. He has many, many meetings with the companies that he works with and he has to wear more dressy clothes than he would like. He tends to enjoy the five dollar Taco Tuesday meal at Cafe Rio when he is up in Denver. In the evenings, he spends his time playing games like Ticket To Ride and Rummikub with the big kids or playing catch with Aleksi. We wind down with Madam Secretary, Bones or Dowton Abbey or discussing our next house features.

Eerika and Friends

Eerika has made new friends with Ivy and Sophie. They are twins and five months older than her, but will go to Kindergarten with her next year. So far, knock on wood, they play so nicely. We went on a hike with them to Red Rock Canyon a week ago and the girls loved exploring together. Sophie and Eerika would run fast while Ivy took her time hiking with Jess and I. We also had dinner with them that night since Troy was out of town and the girls were happy until the end of the day. 

The girls also came over for a day and the girls couldn't get enough of each other. They got to eat lunch and dinner together and do make overs and play pretend all day. Eerika actually cried when the girls went home; it was partly being tired but it shows how much she likes these new friends.