Astros party, Acrobatics, and Playtime Fun

One of Connor's best buddies had his 5th birthday party at the Astros stadium in downtown Houston. It was so much fun and such a neat way to celebrate Brady's birthday. Here are some pics from the party including the birthday boy, Connor and Kaitlynn enjoying some birthday cake, all the party kids in the Astros dugout, and a pic of me with Benjamin's mom and Brady's mom on the Astros field.

Recently Kaitlynn has developed a new habit when brushing her teeth. She leans into the bathroom sink to rinse out her mouth with water, practically turning this chore into a feat of acrobatics.

I took the following pics at a local mall play area, one of my favorite ways to keep the kids entertained when we're out and about.

Another source of indoor entertainment: drawing and coloring. I have to keep the markers away from Kaitlynn for now because she tends to color on household objects. When she does manage to color on actual paper, she makes a single scribble and immediately hollers "Mama!" to show me her work, over and over again. Apparently she wants instant feedback.

I took this picture on my iPhone after Kaitlynn's bath this week. She was so tired that she fell asleep in my arms as she watched her bedtime show. She NEVER does this but she had missed her nap at Mother's Day Out that day because she was too busy patting all the other kids to sleep.

We've been lucky to have lots of playtime with Benjamin and Lily lately. I love this picture of the boys just chatting away. Benjamin was saying to Connor, "We're best friends, right?"

I recently discovered a new park and splash pad in our area that is really nice. We packed a picnic one day and the kids played for hours. So much fun!

And finally, here's a sure-fire sign of a successful playdate with friends:

SO My Child

Recently I went to pick up Kaitlynn from Mother's Day Out and her take-home sheet said "Kaitlynn kept order on the playground today. So funny!" When I asked her teacher about it, she laughed and said that Kaitlynn was pointing and directing the other kids to make sure they were using the slide on the playground correctly (they are supposed to go UP the steps and DOWN the slide, not the other way around.) Apparently Kaitlynn was making the kids stay in line and saying "No!" to the kids that weren't following the rules. I'm not sure what is funnier, the fact that she was doing this or the fact that the other kids were actually following her directions! Keep in mind, she is the youngest in her class by many months. She is SO my child!

For a while now, I've been hearing stories about how Kaitlynn interacts with all the kids in her class. Even though she is the "baby" of the class she still thinks she owns the place. She is always trying to tell the other kids what to do, so the teacher tells her often, "Kaitlynn, you are not the teacher. I am." Despite her bossiness, she seems to be quite the social butterfly and just loves her little friends at school. When I saw these pictures taken by K's teacher, I just laughed out loud because it reminds me of pictures that I take with my friends (well, except for the chokehold). :-)

I'm starting to wonder if Kaitlynn is going to be the playground bully. She loves to boss the other kids and not in a kind way. I've witnessed this behavior twice already this week -- once at the doctor's office and once at the mall play area. She'll make a mad face, hold up her pointer finger, and yell "NO!" and sometimes even give the kid a good shove. Of course, I discipline her for this behavior but I do find it interesting that the other kids always seem to back down, ha! When I mentioned her bully-behavior to her Mother's Day Out teacher, she said that Kaitlynn wasn't mean, she's just in charge. Oh, so THAT'S what we're calling it these days?? :-)

First Swim of the Season

A couple of weeks ago, Connor decided he was ready to have his first swim in our pool for the season. We thought we'd let Kaitlynn give the pool a try, too, so we suited them both up and headed outside.

Jeff and I were shocked at what a little daredevil Kaitlynn was in the water. She had no concept of how deep or dangerous the water is for her. She would just walk off the ledge or slip into the water without any fear or concern at all. (Ms. Glendy, our survival swim instructor, is gonna have her way with Kaitlynn in a few weeks!)

Kaitlynn has this precious little bathing suit that I've been excited for her to wear since I bought it a year ago, but it kept slipping down and we had to keep telling her to put her goodies back in the jar. Ha!

The kids both wore themselves out with the first swim and took a snack break on the lounge chairs.

Mommy and Kaitlynn had matching red suits. :-)

On another day, Connor and Kaitlynn joined the Aasmyr kids for a fun time in the splash fountains at Discovery Green park downtown. I have to say, splash parks are my absolute favorite summer activity for the kids because they aren't as much work trying to keep K from drowning, plus Mommy usually doesn't have to put on a swimsuit, ha! Here's a couple pics from the splash park followed by a video of Kaitlynn running crazy into the water fountains. No fear, I tell ya!

Mom's Munch

Yesterday Connor's preschool class held their annual "Mom's Munch" in honor of Mother's Day. It's such a special time for the Moms and the kiddos to share breakfast, admire the kids' crafts, and mostly just to enjoy a little extra one-on-one time in the kids' classroom. Connor was SO excited for me to join him in class.

Here's Connor with his sweet teacher, Mrs. Day. For some reason Connor acts quite shy around her and was embarrassed to have his picture taken!

Here's the entire class with Mrs. Day and Ms. Mory. Most of these kids will be graduating preschool this month and entering kindergarten in the fall. Wow.

Probably what I look forward to the most about this event is the question and answer page that each child completes about their Mom. It's just like the one they do in the fall for Dad's Night Out. Here's Connor's completed sheet (you can click to see the answers and picture more clearly.)

Can I just say, I am SOOO busted on the "quiet time" remark. Ha! It really makes me laugh out loud! Also, the picture he drew is of us at bedtime (he is on the top bunk with me on the lower bunk) reading a bedtime story. And can I just say, I LOVE his answer when he said I am so beautiful and he likes me so much. Sometimes I truly believe that I am so undeserving of all the love and affection he bestows upon me. I am a lucky, lucky Mom. :-)

Easter Fun

Better late than never: I'm overdue for a post about our Easter celebrations this year. It was very low-key for the Courtrights. Believe it or not, I didn't buy a single Easter outfit for the kids nor did I even bother putting together our usual Easter baskets and egg hunt. The kids celebrated with their friends at school and church so I figured that was good enough!

On the morning before the kids' Easter parties, I tried to get a couple quick pics of the kids with their Easter baskets.

Kaitlynn's class at Mother's Day Out had an egg hunt first thing that morning. The Mommies didn't attend (so that the kids didn't get upset if they saw us) but Kaitlynn's teacher was so kind to take pictures for us. From the looks of it, K had a blast.

Later that afternoon, Connor's class had their Easter egg hunt. It was great fun! The big kids definitely turn it into a race rather than a hunt.

Not to forget the true meaning of Easter...our church showed this really cute and sweet video called A Very Special Sunday about the story of Easter and I found a copy on YouTube. We just loved it! Watch it and I promise you'll love it.

And finally, I just had to share this recent artwork by Connor. He drew it all on his own during his rest time on Easter Sunday, and it's a picture of Jesus dying on the cross. When I asked him to describe the picture for me, he told me that the men in red are the "bad soldiers" with spears who killed Jesus (notice their "angry" eyes), the brown circle is the rock in front of the tomb where Jesus was buried, the purple lines are the "path to heaven" and the gray structure shows all of the rooms in heaven. Just when I think he's overly focused on the Easter bunny and egg hunts...it's nice to see that he actually "gets" what Easter is all about.

Five

Happy 5th Birthday to our Con-man! I told him yesterday that he was going to bed as a 4-year-old and he would wake up as a 5-year-old. He thought that was pretty darn cool (although he was also a bit confused, which prompted a lengthy discussion about how people get older and what makes them different ages, etc.... but I digress).

Jeff and I say to each other all the time what a neat kid we think Connor is. Yes, we're his parents so yes, we're biased! But, he's just such a fun-loving little guy with a tender heart. He's also a rule-following, people-pleasing, family-loving, inquisitive, highly verbal people-person.

These days he's really into dinosaurs, Houston Texans, guns, Disney movies, cheetahs, drawing/coloring, games, acting, music, Bible stories, school, friends, ... oh, and talking. Have I mentioned this guy LOVES to talk? All the time. Spend a day or two with him and you'll need a quiet time-out. (Ask my parents.)

I wouldn't have it any other way, though. I love this little guy with all my heart. And I can't believe he's 5! Love you, buddy!

Connor's 5th Birthday Party

Connor was so excited to celebrate his 5th birthday by inviting all his friends to a Houston Texans party at Pump It Up. He couldn't wait for his party all weekend and it did not disappoint! Here's a recap in pictures:

Arriving at Pump It Up in his full Houston Texans gear. He wouldn't consider wearing anything else!

Kaitlynn had to sit in time-out before the party even started. Ha!

Here's the party gang! Love these kids!

Anyone who's ever tried to take pictures at these action-packed parties knows how tough it is to get clear pictures. Most of mine were completely blurry from the kids' fast pace!

Finally, time for snacks in the party room!

Connor was so excited to be surrounded by his awesome friends.

Kaitlynn just thinks she's one of the big kids, of course.

Since this was a Houston Texans party, we really wanted to do something a little special for Connor. His favorite part of every Texans game is when all the football players are introduced in the pre-game and then they run out of the tunnel, giving everyone high fives and chest bumps. We tried to simulate this experience for Connor by having the kids make a "tunnel" and letting Connor run through it. We had a technical malfunction with the Texans music that was supposed to be playing but he still LOVED it!

Here's the video of Connor making his grand tunnel entrance and then everyone singing Happy Birthday.



It was SUCH a fun party and we sure appreciated all of Connor's best friends, classmates, and neighbors joining us! As Connor said, it was the BEST. PARTY. EVER!