April randoms

Time to catch up!

For my birthday my friends asked me what I wanted to do to celebrate.  Normally we meet at a park for lunch, let the kids play, and visit, but this time I chose to go to Jump Street (a trampoline place) because my kids love it.  Brooklyn and Jake were off playing the whole time so I didn't get pictures of them.  I followed Remmy around for a bit to get some.

wouldn't hold still - loves to jump

This was sad - the kids were playing in the backyard when I heard Jake crying.  He came inside all hot and sweaty and his left cheek was puffy and red.  Stung by a bee.  The stinger was still in his cheek.  He was brave when I pulled it out with tweezers.

always being touch and mauled loved by her siblings

I got to go with Brooklyn and Jake on their preschool field trip to where the trash is sorted.  It was fun and we learned a lot about recycling, etc.  It stunk a little, but we were inside the whole time so it wasn't bad.

playing at the park while the weather was still perfect

dead asleep so I had to document - how can that be comfortable?  He must have been exhausted.

Swimming lessons!  Brooklyn, Jake, and Remmy did these in April.  Lots of swimming pictures below.  Brooklyn and Jake took them last year from our favorite teacher, Miss Katelyn (also their preschool teacher), and learned to swim.  Katelyn teaches the survivor swimming, meaning if they happened to fall into the pool, they can swim back to the side.  Brooklyn did awesome - she is a fish and I was so proud of all the new skills she learned and caught on to so quickly.  Katelyn worked on breathing with her, back stroke, turns in the water, diving for rings, and treading water.  Brooklyn was swimming the whole length of the pool at the end of the week.

Jake got better and better each day.  He is the one I worry about in the pool because he is SO CALM.  He looks like he is drowning half the time because he loves to be under the water and is in no hurry to come up or get to the side.  Katelyn helped him get better at this back float, taking breaths, and diving for rings.  I still wish he wasn't so calm, but can't complain that he loves the water so much.

Remmy.  I was nervous about her.  She was not quite two (almost) and I didn't know how she'd react to being under the water so much.  When Brooklyn and Jake took swimming lessons for the first time last year, they cried 5 out of 6 lessons with the survival technique.  I was blown away by Remmy.  Seriously, so proud and impressed by her.  She cried the first day and that was it.  She was the youngest in the class and did AWESOME.  She loves the water and will jump in on her own and swim back to the side.  I have to watch her extra close in the water now because she is crazy.  Constantly jumping off the stairs and side - I'm trying to teach her that I have to be watching before she does it...little nut!  But I love it at the same time.  Love my Arizona water babies!

Brooklyn - back float

Jake - back float 

Remmy - back float

LOVE seeing Jake write his name :)

sweet, content little thing

playing with Magformers outside

A very rare afternoon when ALL four kids were asleep at the same time - for 2 hours!  I had to document.  And it has never happened again since.

We took swimming lessons with our friends Burkli, Reese, and Jensen.  It was so fun to do it with friends and visit on the side while we watched the kids.  Katelyn is making the older 4 jump in at the same time together.  Remmy is in the tube and was any time it wasn't her turn.

ice cream cones after Brooklyn's last basketball practice

play date with Annabelle - trampoline and sprinklers in their underwear

John trying on his graduation get up.

love when I catch a yawn on camera

This girl is my life saver.  I am so thankful for her calm self.  I like to think that I deserve her after Remmy :)

Brooklyn finished her basketball season.  It was the cutest thing to watch and she had fun.  These are a few pictures from her last game.  She is in the neon shorts, #2.

some good defense

rebound

This describes Remmy perfectly.

John and I could hear Jake and Brooklyn giggling in our bedroom one night.  They came out like this and said, "We're John and Becky and we're getting married."  Ha!  It was pretty cute.  Brooklyn then instructed Jake that he needed to dance with her and showed him how.  Jake is always a good sport with Brooklyn's ideas.

2 month check-up 

My crazy, cute sideline buddy.  She somehow managed to sneak her way in to a snack after every game with the rest of Brooklyn and her teammates.   

 #2 with her hands up

having a grand ol' time 

Brooklyn was great at dribbling and passing.  Any time she got the ball she'd dribble for a few seconds and then pass it away to one of her teammates.

hard to see, but she has the ball and is about to shoot

Funny story:  The last game of the season, a girl on the other team was guarding Brooklyn.  And by guarding I mean all over her guarding.  Brooklyn didn't have the ball, was at half court, and the girl still was in her face.  I could see it from the sidelines that Brooklyn was getting upset and on the verge of tears.  She tried to run faster and get away from her but the girl kept following her with her arms up.  I made eye contact with Brooklyn and she burst into tears!  Ha ha!!  It was sad and cute all at the same time.  She ran over to her coach for some comfort.  After the game I asked her why she started crying and she said in a sad voice, "she just wouldn't leave me alone."  Made me laugh!  In the girls defense she was playing some pretty good defense and apparently I need to teach Brooklyn a little more about the game :)   

usual snack and drink after each game 

Brooklyn was excited to get her 2nd trophy (her first one was from soccer last fall).  She was so excited about it and told me one day she'll have as many as her cousin Hannah.

I usually took Brooklyn to basketball games on Saturday mornings while John took Jake to soccer.  Our friends husband put on an amazing soccer clinic each week (free too!).  They worked on skills with the kids and scrimmaged at the end.  When they would run and warm up Jake would start in the front of the pack and usually be one of the last ones to finish...ha ha.  I don't think he'll have a career in running.

movie night - We picked up our favorite pizza (Barro's), got a Redbox, and ate on blankets on the living room floor.   

After dinner we paused the movie, I bathed the kids while John set up the air mattress, and then popped popcorn while the kids got their pillows and blankets to finish the movie.