The boys go camping

Kyle took Carter camping for the first time a few weekends ago (I'm way behind in blogging - we've been so busy this summer!) and they had an absolute blast. This is an annual camping trip with Kyle's family that we've skipped out on for the past three years. Kyle grew up going to Cove Palisades at Lake Billy Chinook and I've enjoyed a few trips myself - it's a great campground and the lake is fabulous. Not only did I think it was important for Kyle to go this year, but I knew that Carter would love it. And love it he did. I wish I could have been there to witness the infinite fist pumps and squeals of delight. From the sounds of it, Carter was the free entertainment for the weekend and kept everyone laughing. He can be such a joy and his enthusiasm and excitement are contagious. He was very proud to report back to me on Sunday that he made it through the entire camping trip without a time out. Way to go, little man! He slept well, ate lots of junk and participated in all the quintessential camping rituals. What a special trip for him and Daddy. I begged Kyle to snap lots of pictures and he didn't disappoint, thank you honey. Here are some of my faves:

Pitching the tent with Daddy. I'm sure camp set-up took a little longer with a "helper."

Normal bedtime routine - books and milk before lights out. He had a great time with his flashlights and head lamp once he went to bed. I guess it provided a nice light show for the adults!


Enjoying the cool morning by the fire. Carter loved sharing Papa's donuts and Auntie Val's root beer - what special treats!

Boating time

Not too keen on getting in the lake, but he enjoyed going for a spin.

Crazy hats - another tradition.

Helping Papa start a fire

Roasting his first marshmallow for s'mores!

1 Year Check-up

We had Kennedy's 1 year well child check-up on Monday morning and it went very well. Other than the normal vaccine pokes, Kennedy did great and the doc didn't see anything that was of much concern. She is slightly anemic, so she's started a daily dose of iron and the doctor detected a faint heart murmur that she wants to recheck in three months. (It didn't sound like it was anything to be worried about.) She's still a peanut but our pediatrician thought she looked great and since her height and weight percentiles are in the same range she just guessed that Kennedy would be petite.

Here are her latest stats at 12 1/2 months:

Weight: 18 lbs. 15 oz (20th%) She actually has gained 13 ounces in the past month!

Height: 28.5 inches (30th%)

Head: 46.5 cm (75th%)

A fun blast from MY past

This past week we took the short trip over the Sellwood bridge to Oaks Park. I have not been there since I was a kid, so to go back and take my own children was really fun. My friend had told me about their preschool days and it was PERFECT. Perfect time (9:30-11:30 - 2 hours just the right amount of time, too), perfect price ($6 for Carter, free for Kennedy and free for us)and perfect rides. Carter loved everything. He went on every ride, wasn't scared of anything and was begging for more as we were getting ready to leave. I thought he'd freak out on the roller coaster, which I must say was kind of fast and definitely herky-jerky, but he didn't. As soon as it stopped he piped up, "can we do it again?" I was so happy that he enjoyed himself and so proud that he wasn't scared. On the car ride home he summed up our morning perfectly, "Mom, I love doing special things." And that was the icing on our perfect day cake!

The frog jump ride - so much fun!

Carter and his ostrich. Who knows?

Kennedy got in on the action a bit, too. She enjoyed the carousel, big slide and hot air balloon ride.

Hot air balloon ride - the four of us got to go on this one together.

Riding the rockets - guns, of course. What rocket would be complete without guns. Super.

Brevin and Carter riding the motorcycles. They had a great mix of big and small rides and it was fun to watch the boys go independently.

Getting ready for our first ride on the roller coaster

Carter and Mommy loving every minute or our roller coaster ride (4th time, I think!)

Our last ride of the day - a slow ride on a small train around the park. Wahoo.

Hula at the Luau Party

We celebrated Kennedy's 1st birthday with a big Hawaiian bash this past weekend. It was so much fun preparing, planning and decorating for the party and from what I could tell all our guests had a fun time, too. We had a ton of kids (19, I think) so thankfully the weather was nice and sunny and we were able to take the party outside too. Kennedy loved her cake and really dug into it. I'm still having a hard time believing that our baby girl is one year old but we sure had a good time celebrating this special milestone.

All decked out in our Hawaiian duds

Kyle, Kennedy and Grandma

Thankfully my mom is in town and was here to help us celebrate Kennedy's big birthday!

We couldn't have gotten everything ready without her help.

Sarah and Kirstin were on hand to help us party

Can you believe how orderly this line is? I was shocked at how well everyone did lining up (from youngest to oldest), waiting their turns and then swinging away at the pinata. Impressive.

Carter taking a crack at the pinata

Kennedy managed to get her hands on some candy...this girl has a serious sweet tooth.

Getting ready for the big moment...CAKE!

Hmm...feels kind of funny.

But it tastes so gooooood.

Messy girl - she had frosting everywhere

365 days ago...

It barely seems possible that our sweet girl turned one today. Kennedy has proven to be an amazing daughter with a strong and loving personality. I don't think we could love her any more, she is everything that we hoped and prayed for.

Just 1 day old...

Although her big birthday bash isn't until Saturday we still did some celebrating today. We made a trip to the children's museum, had dinner at Red Robin (complete with balloons, singing and ice cream) and then opened a few presents. What a fun day it was.

Kennedy is just about old enough to enjoy some of the activities at the museum. She spent quite a bit of time in the baby garden exploring everything.

She is her mother's daughter for sure...she LOVED the ice cream!

She attempted opening most of her gifts but got preoccupied once she opened her new tea set.

I was amazed that she knew exactly what to do with the tea pot and cups. It's a super cute set and she seems to love it.

Parties galore!

It has been a very busy couple of weeks and I feel it catching up with me. But, the good news is that we've been having a lot of fun and have celebrated some BIG birthdays. My mother-in-law turned 60 and we partied in style - two parties, really. One a fancy dinner out at Paragon, sans kiddos, on her actual birthday and then a party on Sunday with family, friends and neighbors. Happy Birthday, Diane! In addition to the big parties, we had a nice lunch with the ladies (Carter and Bennett, too) the following week. It was a wonderful excuse to get together and celebrate a wonderful mom and grandma who does so much for us. Kennedy got a little pre-birthday treat, as well. Since Auntie Stacy, Uncle Justin and Bennett can't be here for her party they wanted to see her open her gifts. She loved the doll and bassinet and stroller from Auntie Val.

Kyle and the birthday girl!

Kyle and I thoroughly enjoyed our night out...it was so fun to get dressed up, enjoy a nice dinner and uninterrupted conversation.

The Phelan five - Stacy, Kyle, Diane, Ken and Val


Thankfully the weather was perfect for an outdoor party


The munchkins. I can't wait to watch them grow and play together!


Carter enjoying a mini cupcake - yum!

Papa and K

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Grandma must have been in heaven - all three grand kids there to help her celebrate.

Here's Little B


Auntie Stacy and Bennett at the luncheon and Peg's. It was great food and great company!


Nana and Kennedy


Happy girl, loves presents!


In addition to Diane's parties, we celebrated my grandmother's 90th and great-aunt's 85th birthdays up in Tacoma on Saturday. My grandmother is in amazing shape and I can only hope to be so sharp when I am 90! Wow. The kids did remarkably well with all the craziness and seemed to enjoy the festivities.

Carter LOVED the stage that was in the church hall. He hopped up and serenaded GG with a wonderful rendition of "Happy Birthday". Very sweet.

GG and her only great-granddaughter


This past weekend we helped our friend Brevin celebrate his big 2nd birthday. Carter had a great time at the baseball themed party and everything was so fun and cute. Happy Birthday, Brev!

Watching Brevin open all his presents. I was so proud of Carter for not jumping in and "helping." He did a great job and helped with one present but then sat back and watch.

The birthday boy! Happy 2nd Birthday, Brevin!