Kate Turns 3!

Kate is 3!  It's hard not to say anything cliche, like "I couldn't imagine my life without her," and "How did all that time pass so quickly?" but you use those phrases because one day, you wake up and realize that in two years, your child will be in Kindergarten just like her brother and you will miss her every day the same way you miss her brother, and desperately wish for more time together.

Kate woke up to streamers, balloons, and much anticipated birthday presents.  Since Zac's birthday, every time she sees anything she likes--even a little bit--she asks, "Can I have that for my birday?"

Zachary drew her pictures of her favorite princess and complimented her with his art:

I recently won a chance to paint with an artist in our ward.  I don't know if she's ready for my mad talent.

Kate was lucky to have a Saturday birthday--which meant Daddy could join us.  We started off at her favorite park--Baby Beach Park.

Next, we came home and made her vanilla/sprinkles birthday cake.

She then took a quick nap, and we met friends at the beach.

 After the sunshine and sand, we came home to finish off the celebration.  Zachary and Kate begged to pose with their helium balloons.

My favorite picture of this post:

Finally!  Time for presents, cake and ice cream!  Kate reminded Zachary all day that he could help her open presents.

Best reaction: opening the present from Zachary.  "Wow, Zac, it is BOOTIFUL!"

 Kate giving Zac a thank you hug for her mermaid doll:

 The cake, decorated almost exclusively by the kids.

 Sword fight:

 Daddy topped it off by reading her a princess story before bed (just like every other night of the year).

Kate loves to jump and run.  She lacks speed but has some crazy endurance.  She rides a scooter and bikes, trying to go fast like Zachary.  Her favorite place is the park, but she loves to go to baby beach, too.  Her favorite toys are play food, and she sets out generous meals for all of her "babies" daily.  She pushes them in a stroller, reads to them, and sings to them.  She talks on her play phone, telling Grandma, Tate, Jack, and Rachel all about her day.

She is a songbird.  She remembers lyrics, and sings every word to the "Frozen" soundtrack, as well as many other Disney songs.  She dances, and asks me constantly if she looks like Rapunzel.  She treks around in my heels, spins, and casts spells on Zachary.

She throws back her head and laughs.  She and Zac can giggle for 15 minutes straight.  Her favorite person is Zachary (and if we are really going there, her next favorite is Brady, and that's completely okay with me!).

Kate is comfortable talking to adults and friends, and rarely pulls the shy card.  She loves to show off her shoes and dresses.  She changes into dress up clothes every afternoon--no exaggeration.

Kate has her demanding moments.  Like every kid, routine is clutch.  Brady is in Oahu at least every Tuesday, leaving the house before 6am.  It ticks her off when he's not there to hold her while she drinks her sippy cup of milk in the morning and "weeds scwiptures."  If you tell this girl you are going to take her to the park, and your plans change, watch out.  She can tantrum for 45 minutes with barely a second between sobs.

She loves being outside.  She's not a homebody.  I don't know if I created children that have to be outside or if they came that way, but she's not satisfied without fresh air.  

She is willing to try any food, snagging bites of my spicy Thai plate lunches or sushi rolls.  She gobbles up curry dishes, and along with Zachary, thinks Quinoa is the "best rice ever."  (Before I pat myself on the back for having a hint of a "foodie" child, I will also note that her very favorite thing to do with food is dip her apples in ketchup.)

Kate is a gem.  She's affectionate and sometimes needy and I love it.  I love that she wants me to comfort her, and still needs to be rocked occasionally.

I love watching my kids grow and progress.  I really do.

Thanks for adding to the joy of the three years, sweet little gal.

Spring Break

 I love the modified, year round school schedule.  I love that I have 6 weeks of summer, a week off in the fall, and couple weeks off for Christmas, and a week long spring break.  Zac is fun to have around. He even makes Costco fun.

 I thought since we had nothing else planned, it would be good to get our swim lessons in.  Zac really wanted to go down their slides, and lessons meant we could play at the YMCA pool all week.  I did not bargain for the very cold winds we had all week.  I also did not bargain on my daughter screaming her head off with the teacher.  The first day, she outright refused to swim.  I have a video of her screaming, "MOMMMMMMMYYYY," and punching and kicking in the water.  Hilarious.

She was plenty happy to get in the hot tub after class.

 The second day, I told her if she participated in her lesson, she'd get some ice cream.  She freaked out for 20 of the 30 minutes, but then cooperated for the last 10 minutes.  Ice cream earned.

 I love everything about this picture, except the quality.  I recently gave myself permission to take pics on my iPhone instead of always feeling like I need our nice camera.  Unfortunately, I end up paying for that decision.  At least I have the picture.

Tuesday, we also went to Ele'ele park to ride bikes with friends and play at the park.  It was a day packed with play.

Spring Break meant a lot of time playing Legos and all the other relatively neglected toys.  No matter how many times I put this set away, it managed to be in the front room every hour of Spring Break.  Zac finished earning this Star Wars set on Tuesday by turning in two of his completed practice sheets (40 practice sessions).

Zachary earned a Pizza Hut coupon at school, so we cashed that in after Kate's ballet class on Wednesday.  Zachary was so excited to see her dancing.  He brought his homework, but preferred to watch her for the full 35 minutes, grinning at her.  She kept stopping by where we were sitting and waving to him.

 Day 3 of swim lessons=SUCCESS!  Kate blew bubbles, talked to the teacher non-stop, kicked, and did a back float.

Despite the chill, the kids wanted to play in the pool for hours after their classes.  We got home at around 5pm each afternoon, exhausted from the freezing water, sunshine, and constant trips down the water slides.

Thursday, we went over to Judy's house for some "Tea in the Tree," make-your-own-muffin fun, picking grapefruit, playing with all her animals, and running around her property.  I worked with Judy for three years after I stopped teaching.  Zachary was a baby, and she was still working with me when Kate was born.  It's so fun to renew relationships.

 Brady refers to Judy as an all-star.  She always knows just what to do for kids.  This paint kit entertained the kids for days.

 She also made me a tropical flower arrangement from her yard.  Beautiful!

 Friday, we went down to our "new house" to ride bikes in the cup-de-sacs.  The kids love it over there and wanted to see how the house was coming along.  We passed this bush, and Kate said, "Look!  A snowman!"

 We played at Lydgate for the rest of the afternoon with friends, since swim was canceled that day.  I love how much the kids love parks.  I know they will outgrow them someday and it makes me so happy to push them on the swings and watch them progress on the monkey bars.

Zac goes back to school tomorrow, and I know he's ready.  We've watched a few too many episodes of "Star Wars" on Netflix (kid version), played with every toy we own, and checked off our Spring Break to-do list.  I will miss him, though!  Good thing summer is right around the corner.