What Pumpkins are For - By Caiti

Caiti's Five!

Caiti has had three birthdays since we moved to San Diego! It's amazing to me how much she has grown and changed since we moved here.

 Caiti's 3rd Birthday

 Caiti's 4th Birthday

 Caiti's Fifth Birthday!

When Caiti woke up we surprised her with balloons and birthday hats and yummy scrambled eggs.  :)

 Caiti found the presents from daddy and had great fun playing with Dora and Cookie Monster.

 Most of the day she was at school.  Coincidentally, her class had Family Day on her birthday, although they were celebrating Halloween.  Jason and I got to go to her class and meet all her people friends and have yummy treats. We enjoyed handing out Dora treat bags to her class.

Caiti was so happy when she got home to see her new Birthday friends on the table.  That made for hours of fun the rest of the day.

Jason even made her a card.  How cute!

Kevin was able to come home early, so we were able to have our traditional ice cream cake as a family.  (I did have to blow the candle out for her, but I'm sure her wish will still come true.)
My family just wouldn't be the same if my sweetie pie, Caiti, hadn't come to join us five years ago.  We love her so much!  We are so lucky to have our cute little girl in our family.  She brings so much joy and happiness and sweetness to our lives.  

I Wonder if Jason Wanted Popcorn...

Zoo Fun with Jason

 So, I know that playing on the playground is kind of a waste at the zoo because you can do that anywhere, but we were having a chill day, so I let Jason have some fun.

He was so excited to climb up and down...up and down...

 Jason only would go down the slide with me...He sure thought about going by himself though.

 Instead, he decided he was better at climbing the steps.

 If you can't tell, he's doing his happy dance.

 We went to the petting zoo next.

 About 2 seconds after we got there, Jason was waving and saying, "Bye Bye."  So we left.

 He liked the otters a lot better.  That is a favorite of our family's.

 Oh, better get going.  Jason's leading the way out again.

 We got to see a scarlet maccaw, just like in Go Diego Go.

We decided to go on the SkyFari Ride and then head on home.

Jason was SO excited.  This was definitely his favorite part of the zoo.

 It was cool to see the San Diego skyline.

 I had to get a pic of this fun sculpture of my favorite animal, the giraffe.

Bye Bye Zoo.  See you soon!

Hooray for our swingset!

Our swingset sure has provided many happy hours for the kids and less stress and worry about what trouble they are getting into for mommy.  Even Caiti's buddies enjoy the swing.  :)

My Happy Place

As part of my therapy sessions, I had to think about a memory or a place where I felt at peace, safe and happy.  That is where I am supposed to imagine when I'm freaking out or anxious or overwhelmed.  My happy place is Mirror Lake in the canoe fishing with my daddy.  I can't think of a more peaceful place or a safer, content feeling.  I will always be grateful to my daddy for sharing that place and those fun experiences with me.

Beautiful Caiti in a Beautiful Dress

 Aunt Michelle is going to be in Washington for John Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity and the Stephen Colbert March to Keep Fear Alive on Caiti's birthday, so she brought Caiti's present over early.

 Caiti loved the beautiful dress, and spending time with the beautiful aunt who brought it.

 Thank you Aunt Michelle!

What to do when you run out of paper.

Jason loves his big brother

 Garrett's favorite activity is to play computer games on Zac Browser (http://zacbrowser.com), and Jason's favorite thing to do is to watch his big brother and the fun games and movies he finds.

 Jason follows Garrett around; soon enough he'll be big enough to know how to push himself on the swings and he'll be able to join in the fun.

 Jason thought it was super fun to sit on his own potty while I was potty training Garrett (the neverending process).

 I don't think Garrett thought it was as fun though. 

I just thought this was the sweetest sight.  I love that Jason adores his big brother.  I adore them both so much.  I have the cutest little boys!

Wonder who put these there?

 Looks like Caiti's friends wanted to help make the cookies...The purple guy is from McDonald's so he's got some background in cooking...but Elmo...I think he's only like 3.

 

I think the elephant and the flamingo were giving each other goodbye hugs...because

This is where Caiti thought they should go.

Sensory Exploration by Garrett

 

Aunt Michelle brought a fun "Wild Time Pin Print" toy that she got from Wal-Mart.  I have always loved watching the shape of my hand come through when I put it underneath, etc. 

 Garrett thought it was super fun and cool, and I enjoyed watching him discover it.  :)

Oscar the Grouch isn't the Only One Who Lives in a Can