Papa Fitzgerald's Birthday

We headed to Grandma and Grandpa (Kellen has nicknamed him "Papa") Fitzgerald's house for Grandpa's birthday dinner. Colin and I foresee there house to be Kellen's Outdoor Oasis in a year or two. They live on acres of land, have vegetables, fruit trees and blueberries (Kellen's favorite!) growing like crazy, hills to run and roll down, deer and bunnies scurrying around, and a mini waterfall that flows into a pond that Colin made years ago. It is THE place to be when you're a kid that loves to be outside. After a delicious dinner and an even more unbelievably amazing banana cream cake, we headed outside to enjoy the scenery. Happy Birthday, Pat!!!

Kellen playing ball with Blink

The Fitzgeralds
Checking out the pond that daddy help build a while ago
Blink wanting to jump outside to play
Uncle Brendan and Daddy playing on the "WEEEEEE" aka Hill

Bikes and One Cute Babe!

Colin and I decided to buy bicycles for our anniversary gifts and we bought a bike trailer to haul our lil' monkey around whenever we ride.  We were pretty nervous that Kellen wouldn't like this new cruisin' mobile (and rightfully so....it is SPENDY!!), but even more nervous about the enormous helmet he had to wear every time we went on a venture.  Thankfully Kellen fell in love instantly!  Colin and I put on our helmets first and kept saying "Look at our really COOL hats, Kellen!  We are just soooo COOL!  Would you like a COOL helmet to wear too???".  Yup, he took the bait and we were quickly on the street ridin' in style around our neighborhood.  I even decided to pick up Kellen this week from daycare on the bike and trailer and it was surprisingly exciting and a great quicky workout to boot.  We stopped on our way home up an endless hill and said "Hello" to the tractors and trucks we saw (thank GOD for those tractors and trailers because mommy needed a little break from that darn hill!).  Now every time we go into the garage, Kellen grabs our helmets, crawls into his bumblebee trailer and says "Ride?  Ride?".  Too flippin' precious!

He just HAD to take his stuffed bear with him!

Do I really have to wear this gigantic thing???

                           Here we go!

The "W" Word

I truly cannot believe how fast this summer has gone by.  It seems like yesterday I was cleaning up my classroom at a high speed rate so I could pick up Kellen from daycare and begin my full-time mommy life right away.  Even though the summer flew by, we had such an incredible time.  I was able to see Kellen blossom into such an amazing little boy.  He is talking up a storm now (repeats EVERYTHING we do and say) and has really taken on singing and does it well!  He is such a super active lil' boy...He definitely helped the calorie burning this summer!  I'm feeling mixed emotions about school beginning on Tuesday.  I am super excited to get back in the classroom and do what I love to do (not to mention get my social life, outside of babies, back), but there are several things that have become routine for Kellen and I that I am going to miss dearly.  The snuggling on the couch every morning watching cartoons while we try to wake up for the day, trying to chug my morning coffee as quickly a possible while Kellen is yanking on my pant leg saying "Outside!  Outside!", rocking him to sleep during nap time and hearing "Mommy?! All done!" when he wakes up, getting hosed down by Kellen as we water the plants (or mommy!) every morning, playing at the park at any time of the day just because we can, running outside on Wednesday mornings to greet the garbage truck (or as Kellen calls it, the "Poo Poo Truck"), weekly playdates with our incredibly supportive playgroup, laying in the sun getting lost in a good book while Kellen naps (hey, a momma's gotta have some "me" time, right?!), and most of all just being there for Kellen all day every day.  I do have to admit though, a mommy could not ask for a more convenient job.  I feel blessed to have the time off that I do to spend with Kellen.  So here I go again as a working mom, hopefully this year will be better than last....

Yup, that's me in our school mascot costume.  I volunteered to wear it for our all staff Back-to-School Pow-wow.  Go big or go home, right??!!!  HA HA!!

  

The Next Michael Phelps?!

Kellen started swim lessons 5 weeks ago at Schute Park Aquatic Center in Hillsboro.  It is one of the classes where you have to go into the pool with your child and an instructor guides you through various songs and skills to work with your child.  I was apprehensive for these classes to begin for a couple of reasons...one, Kellen had not been in a swimming pool since he was a young baby, and two, I'd have to put on a bathing suit and wear it out in public!!  After many minutes of sucking in my stomach, watching Kellen splashing around, and kicking his feet in the water like he'd been doing it for years, all my fears and worries washed away.  I figured, I really don't look THAT bad in a suit and Kellen is having the time of his life so who really cares!  No one was looking at me anyways....they were all doting on the adorable babies splashing and squealing in the water (hopefully, anyways).  So 5 weeks later our swim lessons come to an end. Kellen has learned to kick his feet towards objects in the water, hold his breath while being dunked under water (most of the time), and "swim" to me after being pushed under water by the instructor.  On our last day of lessons we all went down this enormous water slide.  I have to admit, I was a bit nervous because when you reach the bottom, people tend to be dunked under water.  If I were going down alone I wouldn't mind at all, but I had my pride and joy sitting on my lap!  The water slide went A LOT faster than I expected, but I managed to keep Kellen's head above water at the end.  He loved that slide so much saying "Again, Again!", that we did it 3 times in a row!!  He has come so far since that first day clinging for dear life to me as we made our way into the water.  We'll definitely have to continue these lessons if he's going to be a contender in the Olympics in the future!  ;-)  Here are a few pictures and a of the class...

                     Singing songs in the pool

                               

         Climbing to the top of the waterslide
                                       

                    Getting ready to jump in
                                

             Certificate of completion...YAY!!
          

           Thank you, mommy, for not taking me under with you!
                             

                Right before Kellen says "Again!  Again!"
                                             

                                            Cheese!
   

     I don't want to go in the baby pool!  I want more waterslide!!!  

                      Kellen's first venture down the waterslide!

                                             

Three Beautiful Words...

Colin, Kellen, and I were driving down to the beach one Friday evening and it was towards the last hour of the trip when Kellen says loud and clear and out of no where "IIII Wuuuuuuuuv Youuuuuu!" and looked straight at me with an ear-to-ear smile!  Words cannot describe the warmness that filled my heart at that moment.  Tears of joy streamed down my face as Colin and I made eye contact, smiling, through the rearview mirror.  Kellen and I have been practicing this heavenly phrase for a couple of weeks, but it was mostly me saying it with the obvious hand motions that go with it (you know...pointing to my eye, putting my hands over my heart, and tickling him when I say "you"), but he has never said more than "I" by himself.  It will be a moment forever cherished in my heart.  :-)