A little of this and a little of that...

So the last month has been a busy one for us! It's included Mother's and Father's days, Jack's birthday, a school Variety Show, last days of school, a death, and the real important stuff like a new season of Bachelorette...

Here's the rundown:

Love, love, love the Mother's Day gifts the kids made at school for me this year! They actually got to weave their own baskets. Connor said he specifically wanted something I'd use out on the counter and so he selected a color that would match everything. Ty loves to be creative and his showed just that and Sage made this cute imprint of her hand. I am very blessed...



Jack's birthday! No comments on the cake please. This year he chose to have Hello Dolly bars as his birthday dessert. Needless to say we don't even try to fit on all of his candles...



So about a month ago Connor came home from school and announced he was going to try out for the school Variety Show. (Note: The key word here is "variety"...not to be confused with "talent".) My first response was, "Great, what are you going to do?" Of course there was a long pause and then he responded something like "I don't know but we can figure out something!" Now I had remembered last year Connor mentioning how someone in his class didn't get selected and was crying at their desk after they received the news. At the time I thought how thankful I was that the boys hadn't even attempted to try out and also how sad it was that all the kids that wanted to perform couldn't. So after a few blank stares, I suggested that since he loves magic and we have a few magic tricks laying around, why not perform a small magic act! He loved the idea. Once Ty realized Connor was going to do it, he asked what he could do. I made the suggestion he could be Connor's assistant which initially he seemed excited about. Then we learned that each act could be no longer than 3 minutes which meant there would only be time for one trick. This meant that Ty's responsibility would include holding a bag upside down to show the audience it was empty. This amount of participation didn't blow Ty away so needless to say, he decided he needed to come up with his own performance. I knew that since we are short in the talent category in our family, he'd need to think up something unique that would add "variety" to the show. Ty came up with the brilliant idea of writing a piece of poetry to read aloud. I thought it was a great idea since I doubted too many kids would show up with a piece of poetry to share and Ty is an amazing writer. During their preparations I kept reminding them of the likely possibility that their acts may not be selected but that it was no reflection of their ability to do great magic tricks or write amazing poetry. They assured me they'd be good sports no matter what! My main worry was one getting selected and the other not. There were three days of try outs after school to accommodate all the kids that wanted to perform. Acts ranged from singing and dancing to TaeKwon-Do and acting! And then the news arrived and both boys had been selected. Next was a few rehearsals and then the big day where they'd perform in front of the whole school! Both kids did fantastic. It was so cute to see so many kids approaching Connor complimenting him on what an awesome job he did and asking him if he could teach them the "amazing bag" trick. Ty quickly grabbed the hearts of all the parents and teachers after writing a sweet poem about his bus driver Penny. I'm just thankful their first experience trying out for something was a success.



Speaking of Ty and his creative writing, I was sorting through his end of year stuff and came across one of his comics he had written. The funny thing was I also found a sign up sheet that included all the names of the kids in his class that wanted a copy of it...



Sage finished up her first year of preschool. It was more like a weekly glorified play date with some of the cutest girls we know! There were four of us that would rotate teaching each week. It was low key but fulfilled it's purpose. Next year it's on to a real PreK program!!! Here are a couple highlights of the year:




Here's Ty with his favorite teacher Mrs. Carter and his one and only most favorite bus driver, Ms. Penny! She's been driving the kids to school since kindergarten! (You'll also notice he's wearing a coat in his picture with Ms. Penny and yes, it was taken the last day of school, June 15, 2010!) I also included a photo that Ty requested I take of him with his cool mask and self portrait from the beginning of the year!)



Of course we couldn't end this rainy, cold school year without a trip to the ice cream shop! Here are a few shots from the last day of school and the week leading up to it! I am so very proud of the boys for all their hard work. Tyler's teacher noted his writing is above grade level and that he does an amazing job expressing himself on paper. We are very proud of Connor and his amazing reading ability. His teacher noted that he is reading way above his grade level and exceeds expectations with listening and obeying. As their reward for the year Connor will be doing TaeKwon-Do for the summer and Tyler chose a Lego set that he has wanted. Good job boys and hello 3rd grade!!!




This past weekend was a devastating one for Sage. On Saturday morning we were awoken by three kids screaming that Sage's fish had vanished. I rushed downstairs assuming it must have jumped out of the vase by accident and was somewhere on the counter or floor. Jack took a closer look and could see a tiny tip of it's tail in the small conch shell that was inside her bowl. Sadly poor London must have gone into the shell (something we had never seen her attempt before) and gotten stuck. Perhaps the shock of being stuck was too much. I have to say I even shed tears over it. Sage's fish had so much more personality than the boys. She would greet me every morning with a fast back and forth swim as I entered the kitchen. Sage had picked her out and the requirements were that it must be a "girl" and "pink". London fit the bill. Unfortunately she is now in fish heaven and has been replaced with London the 2nd. Here was the obituary Connor wrote that was supposed to be buried with London. Unfortunately, poor London accidentally got thrown out in the trash with all the dinner trash...



Father's Day! While on our Disney cruise this year we rented some bikes to ride around Castaway Cay on. The first remark Ty said to me after we got on them was "mom, I didn't know you knew how to ride a bike!" I thought that Father's Day would be a great opportunity to surprise Jack with a new bike being that they hadn't seen him ride a bike up until that point either...



It's always fun to see what gifts the kids make at school for Father's Day: What more can you expect from living in Coffee Country...kid made coffee mugs!!!

Baseball Season 2010: The year of the rainouts!!!

You know it's been a wet spring in the northwest when you have to cancel an already rescheduled game due to rain. The crazy thing is that even with all those cancelled games, we still managed to experience playing in torrential rain, hail, sleet, and snow. That didn't stop us from having a great season though! We saw some major improvement, not to mention much more attentive, aggressive playing. Gone are the days of watching them pull grass in the outfield or play in the dirt around the bases. My favorite play was when Connor was up, the bases were loaded, he had two strikes and then came through with a double. I was so nervous for him that I didn't even think to try to capture it on camera. His teammates can't seem to forget it either! Here are some of the highlights of the season:

The kickoff Jamboree: Thankfully the rain on this day lifted just in time for the parade.



Little League Day at Safeco Field: The seats may be nose bleeders but the kids could care less. The boys are as happy as clams sitting with their team mates, eating cotton candy and watching Ichiro play. Even Sage made it through the whole game. This year I convinced Jack into only letting the boys pick one item from the overpriced snack bar. We had just hit up Mickey D's for some fast food on the way into the City so I figured this wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately my efforts to save a buck backfired when Jack then felt justified in taking them to the sports shop to pick up some memorabilia with all that money we had saved from not buying every item on the menu. As you can see it was all worth it since these tacky sponge hands have now found a home in our house. We'll see how long the fancy decks of baseball cards last too. I'm told "it's all part of the experience"! :)




My boys constantly accuse me of talking instead of watching their games. I can say this was the first year that I found myself not wanting to miss any of their plays or times at bat. Unfortunately, due to the weather, I didn't have my camera out too often but here are a couple shots I was able to capture on some nicer days:

Tyler on 3rd, trying to get home! And he scores!!!



The boys high-fiving each other after they make a good play in the outfield getting the batter out.



Tyler looking cute waiting to bat:



Connor was known for making his coach work hard for the perfect pitch. He wasn't going to attempt to hit just anything! I don't even want to think about what it will be like next year with kid pitch. I'm told it a true test of everyones patience...



Our cheering squad. I have to say it's so nice when Sage has a friend to play with at the games. For over two hours at each game, she and her friend would entertain each other!



The end of game relay: Sometimes we had to wonder what was more important winning, the game or the relay! I think in part this had to do with the fact that our team knew they were fast and pretty much unbeatable!



And finally, the end of year award ceremony! Nothing makes a bunch of boys happier than swimming, eating pizza, and getting their medals! (I love that most of these photos seem to include Ty in the air...)




Connor autographing the team balls. He's assured us they will be worth lots of money someday...



Posing with daddy!

And the birthday continues!

So after a fun packed Friday spent celebrating with her friends, Sage's official birthday was Saturday, May 15th. This was good timing since the week before she was telling me how much she "missed Santa" and was blasting Christmas music on the keyboard. Although Santa didn't make an appearance, her friends stocked her up on Friday with lots of fun new Barbies, bubbles, Littlest Pet Shops, etc. When we asked her what we could get her her response was a "pink girl fish". Obviously this stemmed from watching her brothers get fish for their birthdays which surprisingly are still alive. I knew I wanted to also take Sage to Toys"R"Us since I'm a sucker when it comes to coupons and I had Five Toys"R"Us bucks that were about to expire burning a hole in my pocket. After unsuccessfully walking down the aisles and her saying it wasn't her "favorite store anymore". We almost gave up. Seriously, what child can't find something they want at Toys"r" Us? Thankfully, we found a cute scooter. I don't know who was more thrilled, Sage over the fact it was pink and Barbie themed or me because between the sale price and my Toys"R"Us bucks, we got out the door with a lava lamp night light and a scooter for under $20!

Next up was a Starbucks frappachino and the long awaited trip to PetSmart. Luckily after searching through all the female beta fish in the store we found a white Beta fish that had a glimmer of pink in her tail. Sage was beside herself with excitement and I was happy to see that Sage's desire for a female fish paid off too since they were a couple bucks cheaper! :) Although I question why a female fish would be cheaper than a male one, I was happy with the $3 savings.

So here's London, the new addition to the family. Apparently we watch a bit too much of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody in our home...



And here are her new wheels. I was worried she wouldn't be coordinated enough to get the hang of a scooter but she surprised us and is quite good on it! If only these "wheels" would be good enough when she turns 16...



And finally we ended the day with pizza and cake!



I don't know what we'd do without our Sage. She brings so much happiness and joy to our family. Here are a few things that stand out most about our baby girl:

1. She's pretty much a girl version of Ty. Need I say more...
2. Her beautiful hair. We can't go far without someone commenting on what great hair she has. If only I knew what to do with it!
3. She loves things to be tidy and in their place. (Hmm, wonder where she got that!) It cracks me up to listen to her tell her friends that they can only play in her room "if they don't make a mess".
4. She loves food! Right now her favorite vegetable is asparagus. Her favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs, and her favorite dinner is pizza. She eats pretty much anything but has a particular fondness for anything sweet. And she LOVES bubblegum!!!
5. She loves to sing and dance around but don't think about singing with her. She's our soloist...
6. She still enjoys starting her morning drinking "milky" or "juicy" from her sippy cup while watching her favorite Disney Channel shows in my bed.
7. She adores her brothers and her daddy. She gets very upset if the boys head off to the bus stop without giving her a hug and kiss. Daddy is always greeted with a big hug and kiss as he walks in the door from work.
8. She loves to draw and paint pictures. They always include a picture of her with someone from the family (usually holding hands).
9. She's easy! Thankfully she's been an easy baby and toddler. I'm sure this means trouble for our future... :)

Sage's birthday beach bash!

Well, another birthday under the belt. It's hard to believe our baby is four. Jack and I were just talking about how much easier Sage has been as a toddler than the boys were. It's not that the boys were particularly difficult but boy were they BUSY. With Sage there's been no broken toy of the day, no need for reverse locks on her bedroom door and no worries about her tumbling out her bedroom window. I know this probably means we will be in for it during those dreadful, hormonal teenage years when she'll probably be locking us out of her bedroom as she tries to sneak out her bedroom window but for now, we are enjoying the moment.

Since Sage didn't really have a particular theme she was interested in for her birthday party, I was stuck on my own trying to figure out what to do. A couple weeks ago (in the midst of our unseasonably, dreary spring weather) Sage asked, "When is the sun going to turn on it's light?" We all got a good chuckle but it sparked the idea for a beach themed birthday party! It's no secret the Roddy family loves the beach so this was right up our alley. Even if it meant pumping up the heat and hanging a tanning bed over the dining room table we were doing it. Thankfully the sun "turned on it's light" and the weather was beautiful.

I'm no baker and definitely no cake decorator but I have to say I'm really liking cupcakes. I love that I can test out an idea on a cupcake and if it doesn't turn out there are a couple dozen more I have as backups. I am far (and I mean far) from being a domestic diva but I have to say these cupcakes turned out rather cute! The boys were especially angry that I decided to again have Sage's party while they were away at school so I tried to make up for it by making them some shark cupcakes that were waiting for them when they got home.



No need to worry about blowing germs onto everyone else's piece of cake...just concern that all the candles get blown out!




How cute are these girls!!! They decorated sun visors, played pin the sunglasses on the sun and tested out their their water balloon tossing abilities!





One of my favorite images was watching all the girls gather tightly around Sage with their presents begging her to select their gift to open next. Boy, what a different scene this is compared to the one I use to witness when the boys attended parties at this age. It's bad enough having to listen to all the complaining beforehand about having to give a gift that they would want to always keep for themselves but compound that with the shedding of tears during the opening of presents and a full on tug of war between them and the birthday child over the gift, made for one ugly scene. Thankfully, those days are now a distant memory and a memory we didn't have to revisit with Sage.




Now I better run and start thinking about next year's theme...