It's a dolphin!

'Look, it's a dolphin!' said William as he ran over holding a sandwich he had nibbled into the recognizable shape of a dolphin. It made me smile for several reasons; one being that he noticed his sandwich looked like a dolphin and another that he is talking full sentences of independent thoughts. I had to take a picture!

Look, the one on the right looks like a dolphin!

Anyway, it's Labor Day weekend so we decided to do a small day trip out to Newberry Caldera before the weather turns snowy. It was fun to finally go see the crater and the big obsidian flow. The obsidian is so black and shiny and the kids got to climb over and collect lots of rocks. We went and got an ice cream treat at one of the campground shops and ate them overlooking Paulina Lake. It was a fun day and only a 30 min drive from home!

View of Paulina Lake

Reading the sign

Roarrrrr, I'm a bear in my cave...

William Turns 3!

Last week William turned 3. In typical Reese family fashion, we kept it very low-key! There was the birthday breakfast doughnuts, balloons, presents and birthday cake. It was a very fun day of just playing, mostly with the foil helium balloons I bought for them!

For me, once a child turns 3 it seems to open a door of new opportunities. There are so many classes he can now enroll in and it will be this upcoming year that we really see him become William. He talks a lot right now, but by the end of the year he'll be having conversations. He no longer wears diapers in the day, but still has the occasional accident. This time next year I won't even be able to imagine a time he wore diapers. He draws, he plays games, he laughs at funny things and he tries to make Oliver feel better when he's crying. He is maturing into a real child, a sweet child who just wants to have fun and do good. Turning 3 before the Sept 1st deadline also meant I could enroll him in preschool for this year. So, starting Sept 9th he'll be away for me for 2 1/2 hours twice a week, socializing, playing and learning. I'm so excited for him!

Going Potty!

Oh, so much updating to do about our Summer adventures, but for now you'll have to wait. Just one quick update on my adorable little William; he's finally using the potty! We're by no means ready to leave the house without a diaper, but there's certainly no going back now. He's going to be ready for when he begins preschool in September! His biggest reward is a high-five! GO WILLIAM! We're so proud of him.

Warm, Hot, Cold

We actually got some Summer weather last week just to tease us, so that the cold today makes us extra grateful for the warm. While it was hot last week we spent most of the time in the yard playing with water. This is also how we intend to spend a lot of the Summer. Luckily they all love playing in the pool and with the hose, especially little Oliver. He can not get enough of it!

Pippa began her Summer Buddies class last week, which she LOVES! It's 2 afternoons a week filled with singing, crafts, running around and swimming! I signed her up for the whole Summer, so 8 weeks of this! Then a few weeks break until her and William begin their preschool programs! It's going to be a busy year for us.

Double Outing

Today we had no plans until I heard about a Big-Rig event going on at a company somewhere on the outskirts of Bend. Because I wanted to find out details about that, I checked the paper and we saw 2 things we would rather do. The first was Airport Day at Bend Airport. They had planes and helicopters, a fire truck and an air ambulance, vendors and giveaways! They got to see everything at close range, touch them and were able to sit in some of them.







Once we were done with that, we jumped back in our car and while the kids all napped, we drove to Terrebonne for the Alpaca Shearing Festival! Today's the day they shave all that soft fur off the Alpaca, ready for the Summer! We walked between all the enclosures, saw the Alpaca being shaved, petted Alpaca and each got a free bowl of ice cream. It was so much fun!

Her name is Sweetie Sweetie

Dentist!

This morning I took all 3 kids to get a check-up at the dentist. It was their first real visit (Pippa did see a dentist in Chicago when she was 18 months old, but I don't really count that), and they were superstars! We went to a pediatric dentist, Deschutes Pediatric Dentistry, so they were all decked out with TV's on the ceiling and kid-sized sinks and chairs. It was pretty fun! Pippa, especially, had a blast and can't wait to go back. She'll have to wait a while because I can't spend that much money too often! 3's and under are free, but don't get the cleaning or the x-rays.

It turns out their teeth are looking great. No plaque build-up, no problems with Pippa's chipped teeth or her thumb-sucking, just an overcrowding problem that will get worse when her big girl teeth come in. Braces I suspect. However, the boys have lots of space! Here are the pictures from their dentist fun today.

In the waiting room looking through some books

Pippa getting her x-rays

Waiting their turn

Pippa (above) and William (below) getting checked out by the dentist

Little Monkey

Oliver is never content at the development stage he's at; he always wants more. Rolling, crawling, pulling up, walking, running, jumping (well, he tries!) and now climbing. Every time I turn around he's on top of something, whether it's the kids table, the sofa, the window ledge or the bench. His feet are rarely on the floor anymore. He always has some scratch, bruise or bump on his head, but it doesn't phase him. He just smiles and gets right up to do it again.