now we are six.

I find myself saying the same thing as each of my kids celebrate their birthdays each year -- I can't believe you're .  And it's true. I really can't believe how quickly time is moving. 

One of my favorite bloggers/authors, Gretchen Rubin, summed up the feeling perfectly when she said, “The days are long, but the years are short.” That is parenting in a nutshell.

It's been six years since Cassidy Lois graced us with her presence. We started her birthday celebration in November when Granny was here visiting. The celebration continued on her actual birthday (12/15). She enjoyed celebrating with Rice Krispy Treats at school. She opened some gifts via Skype/Facetime, allowing us to feel closer to our families than we actually are (technology can be a great thing). She said she'll miss being five, but I think she'll quickly get used to being six. 

Pink frosting on a mint ice cream cupcake for the birthday girl. 

Showing off some birthday gifts in front of the Christmas tree.

More gifts! 

Hulk Mad!
Lincoln got these Hulk fists for her. 

Captain America protecting himself against the Hulk.
I know these toys will result in tears as someone gets hurt, but they sure are cute. 

EasyBake Oven! 

The kids made their first batch of chocolate chip cookies with the EasyBake Oven.
Next up: Pretzels. 

 
Cassidy continues to be extremely sensitive, very curious (she has to touch everything), and quite imaginative. She can still be slow to warm up to those she doesn't know, but at home she is LOUD. 
Kindergarten has, I think, helped her come out of her shell, which is great. 

She still loves her little blankie. 
She does not love when Little Blankie seemingly writes messages to dad on her whiteboard. 
She idolizes her brother.
She is lovely. 
Happy Birthday, Doodles.  

Orange juice, anyone?

We have a lovely citrus tree on the side of our house. When we first moved in, we thought it was a lime tree, then we thought it was a lemon tree. We finally have mature fruit on it and have discovered that it's actually an ORANGE tree! How lovely.

I bought a small manual juicer and can make tiny glasses of fresh-squeezed OJ. I'm going to need something more sophisticated to make a full jug of juice, however.

Our orange tree!

The kids harvesting oranges. 

Miniature golf.

Cassidy expressed interest in going bowling for her birthday this year (she's never been). We've decided that we'll try to go while we're in Michigan for Christmas. Instead, we took advantage of the nice weather here while Granny was visiting and played miniature golf.

Our little lady getting setting up for a hole-in-one (or 5 or 6).

Matt, Linc, and Cass posing for mom.

Is this good form? 

Should the putter really be that high off the ground? I think he was wailing the ball! 

All in all, this was a very fun family outing with just a little bit of bickering (between brother and sister), frustration (mostly from Cassidy), sweat (from all of us), and just one lost ball (mine).

Turkey Day!

Granny flew in to visit us here in Chandler this Thanksgiving. As always, we are grateful that our families are willing to travel to see us as we move about the country.

We experienced warmer than usual temperatures on Thanksgiving Day. It was about 80 degrees (normal temps would be in the 70s). Not too shabby. This year was a bit different from last year when we spent Thanksgiving in Michigan and ran the Turkey Trot in Detroit as snow fell and people wiped out as they turned corners on the somewhat icy running route. Variety is the spice of life!

Taking advantage of the weather this year, Matt grilled the turkey and it was a delicious success! Not so successful was my attempt to use the garbage disposal for sweet potato skins. They clogged the sink, thus leaving us with 1/2 sink to use on Thanksgiving Day and a plumber here the next day to clear out the disposal. Good times.

My two favorite Lions fans proudly showing off the turkey.
p.s. Matt was most grateful that the Lions pulled out a win against the Bears today. Phew!

While Granny was visiting, we put our Christmas tree up and had an early 6th birthday celebration for Cassidy, whose birthday is in mid-December. 

Granny, Lincoln, and Cassidy

Cassidy with her first birthday treat of the season -- a gingerbread girl!

Cassidy opening a gift from Granny.
I included this picture so I could remember the kids wearing shorts Thanksgiving weekend!

Cassidy showing off her new My Little Pony play sets.
Who doesn't love Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Sweetie Belle, etc.?

Fall ball 2014.

Lincoln enjoyed his first season of baseball here in Chandler. Moving here at the end of March, we missed the Spring season so he was happy to get back into the game this fall. He played in the Chandler National Little League and was on the A's this year.

Lincoln and Cassidy heading to the baseball diamond. 

Lincoln ready to run on 2nd base. 

 

At this age, the kids still have the opportunity to play all positions.
Here, Lincoln is donning the catcher's gear. 

Ready to swing.

Lincoln in action.

Grandma and Cassidy enjoying a game in the warm September weather.

Up next: Winter flag football. Lincoln will play in Jan/Feb. He can't wait!

happy halloween. 2014.

Last year, the only superhero we had in the family was Beer Man. This year, big brother and little sister donned Captain America costumes and prepared to join Beer Man in their mission to save the world. 

Capt. Cassidy ready for action.

Capt. Lincoln ready to use his shield.

Big bro and little sis.

Super family. 

Mmmm....candy.

This is awesome! 

The kids both immediately sort their candy each year after trick-or-treating.
I just love the neat rows that Cassidy created this year!

Our first halloween in Arizona sure was different as far as weather is concerned. Last year, we trick-or-treated in the rain. This year, we experienced unseasonably warm temperatures, even for Arizona. The daytime high was 92 degrees! It was in the 80s by the time the sun set and we were outside trick-or-treating. I must say it was pretty enjoyable. 

Cassidy enjoyed Halloween so much this year that she cried after she was in bed because she was SO sad that it was all over. 

One day later,..

- Cassidy is asking how many more days 'til next Halloween. Oh boy. 

- Lincoln is in the family room watching football with his Captain American costume on. Apparently he's not ready to let Halloween go yet either. 

Hope you all got a few tricks and a lot of treats! 

pumpkins become jack-o-lanterns.

Time to clean out the pumpkins!

Cassidy giving her pumpkin a hug before we stab it and dig the innards out! 

Lincoln getting ready to carve. 

Their expressions look as if they're so surprised by what's inside.

And then they're mortified by the eeewy gooeyness of it. 

Look...I got one seed out!

Ewww...I got some goop on my hand. 

 I love this next series of 4 pictures:

Ok, I'm just gonna go in with my hand.

This is pretty icky, but I can get this stuff out. No biggie. 

Ok, maybe it is a biggie. This is icky.

Eeeeeewwww! Yuck!

Finally digging in to get the pumpkins cleaned out without all the drama of getting messy.

Matt's handiwork.
Lincoln's pumpkin is on the left: Captain America shield (in honor of his costume this year)
Cassidy's pumpkin is on the right: She wanted a big pumpkin eating a little pumpkin. Look at that poor little guy: "Please don't eat me!"