Looooong Update

I realized that with all of my ramblings lately, I haven't really given a real update on the Collins Family for a while.
Austen will be 15 months this week, and is developing quite the little personality. She is either looking at you like, "I love you and you are my favorite person!" Or like, "What are you lookin' at?"
As I think I mentioned before, Austen cries to be outside, or at least walking around. This girl does not want to be carried, and will attempt a nose-dive out of your arms when you are least expecting it. And when you do put her down, she is off and running, literally. She definitely has had more bumps and bruises than Kaitlyn did by this age.
When you are sitting on the floor, she will come over, stand in front of you with her back turned, and back her little booty up until she can plop down in your lap. So cute. :) She also has a little list of words now, her versions of course: Uh-oh, no, stop, bird, outside, dada, mama, toes, shoes, socks, go, and a few others. Overall, she is a great little sleeper; she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night, but when she is sick she tends to wake up around 4 or 5 and fuss off and on for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately, this has been way too frequent, as the poor thing has now had 4 ear infections in 5 months. When we go for her follow-up for this current one, we may start talking about ear tubes.
Austen loves, loves, loves her dog Riley, and she can often be found hanging out in his bed:

Kaitlyn is just as sparky as ever, definitely going through the toddler phase of "mine" and "give it back!" However, we like to think that her sweet times out number the other times. :-) It's not always easy having a little sister who wants everything you have, and follows your every footstep. Sometimes Kaitlyn loves that, and other times she just needs time to be herself.
Some Kaitlyn quotes: The other day I wore a dress to work, and when Kaitlyn saw me in the morning she said, "Ohh Mama, you're a princess!"
Jeff: "Are you going to go on the potty like Paige?" Kaitlyn: "No, I go on the potty like Kaitlyn." (No, not potty trained yet.)
Goes up to Jeff on the couch, snuggles and says, "Daddy, you are my best friend."
Jeff: "Kaitlyn, do you want to take a bath?" "No, I want to do something fun, please."
And of course I can't think of any more right now...I need to start documenting them when they happen!
A while ago, Kaitlyn's hair started going into a pony tail more easily - she looks so old!


And now, a picture update:



We went to the Underwood's cabin for a night over Memorial Day weekend and had a blast:



Kaitlyn's first s'more!



The girls got a prime sleeping spot in front of the warm fire:



My parents invited us to dinner a couple of weeks ago in Edmonds, and there happened to be a waterfront festival going on. Kaitlyn absolutely loved the big potato sack slide and pony rides! She convinced Papa to send her on one more pony ride after the first one. ;-)



The top of the slide with Daddy:



On the way down with Papa:



And at the bottom with Mama (she got to go three times!):



Watching Daddy mow the lawn:



Playing in the water on one of our few nice days:





Bryan and Lindsay's sweet little guy, Jackson. He'll be one in July! They make a cute couple, don't they? ;-)



Woodland Park Zoo! So many neat, exotic animals to see, and all Kaitlyn kept requesting was the cows...
This happens to be a great example of the "What are you lookin' at?" Austen face:







On the move, as usual!



Kaitlyn started her "Lil' Kickers" soccer class, and absolutely loves it. She was sooo excited to "play soccer like Mommy." I gave her a juice box afterwards, which she doesn't usually get, and now she keeps asking for "soccer juice." :-) She got her own soccer jersey, and was so exicted to show it to Daddy when she got home.



So, Mommy gets to do soccer with Kaitlyn and Little Gym with Austen once a week. My last day of school is Wednesday the 22nd, and I'm looking forward to being a stay at home mom for two months. :) As excited as I am for the break, I always get sad at this time of year, too. As a teacher, you get to know your kids so well by June, that it's hard thinking of letting them go and getting a whole new group.

So there is the longest update ever...enjoy!

For Sale.

Grandpa Ed and Grandma Donnie, my grandparents on my dad's side, passed away a few years ago. These two people were a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. Their house is blocks from where I grew up. It's a habit to glance down that hedged driveway each time I drive by.

I knew that this would have to happen at some point...that house, which looks like just a house to anyone else but holds years of sweet memories for me and others, has the new addition of a For Sale sign out front. While I know that it has to be this way, my heart literally aches at the thought of someone we don't know "stealing" our memories. Yep, that's what the 8 year old in me is screaming while I stomp my feet and cross my arms. It doesn't seem right.

I took the girls down to the house the day it went on the market for one last walk-through. Oh how I didn't realize how much that would hurt. The second I walked in, that special "house scent" (you know what I'm talking about - every house has it) that has belonged there since I can remember hit my heart like a ton of bricks. There have been a handful of times in my life so far when it has truly felt like my heart was breaking; add this time to the short list. I may have been feeling these past few years like even though they were gone, at least we had those physical memories holding strong right down the street, and now I am realizing that those are going to be gone, too.

Life goes on, we move on, and we hold onto memories because sometimes that's all you've got. And, through all of the "it's not fair" feelings, I feel extremely lucky to have the memories that I do. I wouldn't trade them for anything.







I remember baby chicks hatching under the deck right here:



There was a spot in this hedge where you could run right through it if you hit it just right...I think you had to be a cousin to know exactly where it was.



It's overgrown now, but years ago getting down to the creek to catch water skippers was easy:



Can you hear Gowey kids screaming with delight as they rushed through this wooden gate to the freedom of the field next door?





You know those movies where someone goes into an old house and they can "see" their memories in the scene? I sat on this fireplace hearth and I swear that happened. I could feel the hot fire behind me and hear aunts and uncles and cousins' laughter and voices. Really, I could.





Jeff asked me a while ago if I know who looks at this blog. I have no idea, and I really don't know if more than about 3 people do. I enjoy doing it, and like knowing that memories and milestones will be caught in time. So, I suppose you could say that I keep it up for myself and my family, and if anyone out there does read it, I hope that it's for enjoyment. :-)

Birthday Surprises

My cousin, Katryn, came in from Texas this week to surprise our grandma for her birthday. We joined the family for dinner in Edmonds on a perfect night to be at the waterfront.



The birthday girl sat next to Kaitlyn at dinner, and when Kaitlyn dropped her shoe (or her "Croc Shoe" as she calls it), Grandma hooked it with her cane to return it. You know it only took once for K to turn this into a game. And so it continued through much of dinner, much to a certain little girl's delight.
I love, love this picture. The looks on both of their faces are priceless!






Kaitlyn entertained herself quite well with DIY bongo drums:



After dinner, we headed for a walk by the water:



I have come to terms with the fact that, with two young kids, it is just too much work to get everyone to look at the camera. So, I have resorted to choosing the ones in which Jeff and I look good. ;-) (What?)



She insisted on this outfit that morning. Said, "This is my princess dress." The skirt is too big by iteself, so the solution was to put pants under it to hold it up. I, for one, think it's cute and makes a bold statement of character. ;-)





I feel lucky to not only be Katryn's cousin, but her friend as well. She's a beautiful, fun-loving, intelligent gal, whom I love spending time with when I can.



My brudder :-)



Can't be at the waterfront without the obligatory ferry picture:



This girl LOVES to be outside. Begs for it. Cries when you bring her inside. Would stay outside all day if she could. She is our free little bird. :-) Just look at how happy she is:



We have a lot to be happy about, even if every day isn't as beautiful as this one.