Nathan's 12th Birthday

 It is so crazy to me to say that Nathan is now 12 years old! 😱😱😱  How and when did our son get that old?  But what a great kid he is and it's been so fun watching him navigate and transition into the "tween" years. He has almost survived his first year of middle school and is doing relatively great minus the overwhelm of school with 6 classes and trying to keep up with all the social dynamics. All in all that wonderful core of Nathan we just love so much is still so much a part of our lives and we are so grateful for the joy and light he brings to our family. 

Birthday parties are now getting smaller as the boys gets older. This year Nathan wanted to take 3 friends to the Mariners game for his birthday. We went on Cal Raleigh bobblehead night so the boys got an automatic "party favor." :) Nate's friends who attended were Patty, Carsen, and Max. Fun fact about Max is he and Nate were close buddies in preschool, but then went off to different elementary schools.  Now they have been reunited in middle school and they picked up right where they left off which has been so fun!  Another fun birthday gift was we found out that Nate got on his desired select soccer team while we were waiting to get into the game!  So a pretty special and fun day. The boys were so fun and hilarious to watch. And they kept James entertained with lots of yelling and horsing around on the way home. We even got a Mariners win which is a miracle! Super fun celebration for him.

Here are the memorable things about Nathan right now at 12:

• Starting middle school has been fun because it's expanded his friend group. 2 elementary schools merge to go to our middle school so it's been fun for Nathan to develop new friendships and he has a strong group of guy friends that he's having fun with. Those friends include Patty (from elementary) and then Carsen, Max, Bennett, Dustin, Max S., Jayce, etc. He's still trying to figure out how to navigate all the new social dynamics especially with all the texting that now happens. We're trying to figure out how to navigate as well as parents. So far mostly low drama, but there's always something new to navigate it feels like.
• Learning how to manage 6 classes this year has been a bit of a learning curve. Nathan has had to get used to more homework and he hasn't been a fan of that since he didn't have much homework in 5th grade. So we've been working together this year to try and figure out good study habits, what works for him, how I can be support him without being too overbearing, etc. Still learning, but we're so proud of his hard work this year and he came out with all A's for the year! (which of course we always say it's not about the grades, but it was nice for him to see his hard work pay off)
• It was fun to have new kinds of classes this year with middle school.  He had PE the entire year and enjoyed learning how to do weight lifting and just having a regular exercise time. He had a lot of buddies in his PE class which was fun. He also had art, world language and digital media.  So some really unique subjects that he didn't have in elementary school.
• We've started to give Nate some more independence and this year he's been able to go up to the top of the Ridge by himself either riding his bike or us dropping him off. He meets up with friends at the skate park and they hang out, go over to Starbucks or Mod Pizza, walk to each other's houses, etc. He's done great with it and it's been nice to watch him learn how to manage the added independence relatively well.  
• We have not waded into the cell phone world yet.  Currently Nathan just has an Apple Watch and an iPad.  So basically everything but a cell phone. He's still trying to learn healthy habits and abide by expectations with those 2 devices so we don't feel he's ready yet for a phone. He's a pretty naturally distracted kid so we don't feel it's the best decision to add another distraction to his life--probably the worst distraction of all. But we'll see what this new year brings.
• Nathan has gotten into reading these fun historical graphic novels called Nathan Hale that tell about WWI, WWII, Revolutionary War, historical figures, etc. He devours them so it's been nice to find something that he'll read on his own. He's also been enjoying his own subscription to Sports Illustrated.  
• Nate tried out track through school this year! He did it along with Patty and some of his other buddies. They all got to run the medley relay together which was fun. I think he enjoyed it mostly, but long term it's not something he really wants to do. I think he likes team sports more and track feels more like an individual sport.
• Nathan is still in Cascade FC soccer and has really really come to love it. And he's really come into his own with it.  He's an awesome soccer player--really a major contributor and strong player on the team. He's been consistently playing left defense and likes that position. Last year there were 3 teams at his age level and they narrowed down to 2 teams this year and he made the White team (B team)! It's just where he needs to be and we know he'll shine on it. We're so happy he's found a sport that he's really loving and that has helped build his confidence. 
• For interests, Nate still loves to draw, do Legos occasionally, make up fun games with his brother, do trick scootering at the skate park, watch YouTube, play Zelda and Fortnite, and hang out with friends. He also enjoys creating digital art on Canva on the computer. 
• Nate is still our positive, curious, and imaginative kiddo. He has not lost those fun parts of his spirit and we hope he never does.  And he can remember EVERYTHING! He's got a steel trap for a mind. He still loves sports, history, science, and animals. Some of those interests have just shifted a bit as he's now a little more focused on social aspects and figuring out what's "cool." All so normal for this age. But he still exudes just so much positivity and seems ready and willing to take on the day each day even if it seems a bit daunting. 
• We still have our special talks sometimes at night where he'll tell me about what's going on for him, what he's struggling with, all the drama going on at school, etc. and I'm grateful for those special times with him. He's not afraid to be vulnerable when middle school and this age is hard. Hopefully he knows Papa and I totally understand and are always here for him.
• Nathan has definitely become more of a fashionista this year and is much more into clothing brands than even before. He definitely cares about being trendy and in fashion. He mostly wears Nike, Abercrombie & Fitch, and something J Crew for dressier things. It's fun to see him figure out his own style and I'm glad he cares about how he looks even if he ends up caring a little too much sometimes.  But again--all normal for this age. It is a little hard and tricky to keep up with everyone at school because a lot of his friends come from money and always seem to have the cool and popular new thing.  So we have lots of good conversations and good learning around that. But it can be hard. It's been fun for me as a mom because now when we do fall or spring shopping, the boys are totally involved in picking out their stuff.  It takes a lot of the pressure off me and has been a fun bonding activity for me with the boys. 

Looking forward to seeing what this next year brings! Happy Birthday Nate and we love you soo much!

Ollie's 1st Birthday

Ollie has officially turned 1! What an amazing dog he is and such a special part of our family that now we have no idea how we survived without him before.  

He's still doing so great and we can tell he's getting older because he has started to slow down a bit.  Not as high energy as he was--much more chill and snuggly.  Our hard work at training has paid off because he's doing relatively well--understands the routine and our commands and "usually" obeys and follows them.  He is my little shadow and follows me everywhere around the house.

When we were gone in Oahu, Ollie stayed with Lizz and Johnny for the whole time and majorly progressed in being a brave dog. He was out playing with all the big dogs and fully part of the pack. They said he did so well and had such a great time at the farm every day. He's even starting to show new dogs the ropes! :)

To celebrate his birthday, Ollie got a special bullie stick to enjoy all to himself.  We're so grateful for him and can't wait to watch him grow and progress even more in this coming year.  Happy Birthday Ollie!

Oahu 2024

We were fortunate to get to go to Hawaii again this year (2 years in a row)! But this time the trip was with the Spauldings and Antis' for a whole new adventure. The Spauldings generously offered to take everyone on a trip to Oahu for about a week and a half.  We decided on Oahu because a few people had never been there or it had been awhile and we were ready to try a new location.  

We stayed in the Ko'Olina area on the southwest side of the island.  Ko'Olina definitely reminded me of the Kaanapali area in Maui. It is based around these 4 human-made lagoons right along the coast. Each lagoon has about 1-2 resorts on it. The lagoons were amazing! They were very calm without any waves because they were protected by a rock wall. So you could just walk straight in and they were so calming and relaxing to just hang out in. Our boys missed the ocean waves, but also liked the low-key vibe of the lagoons.  Our condo building was the only one on our lagoon which was nice because it was less crowded than the lagoon with the 4 Seasons Hotel and the Aulani Disney Hotel on it.  

We stayed in a condo with Gramma and Grampa and then Jacky & Johnathin stayed a few floors above us. 

Oahu is definitely more populated than the other islands and we were driving on a lot of freeways. It was especially busy by the downtown, but it also had so many beautiful areas as well. I forget how big the island is and has lots of different areas with their own landscape. 

There were some great places and activities that we did and some that were overrated because of the number of people and felt very touristy. We hung out at our hotel pool or the lagoon several days. We also took a day and drove up to North Shore to check out some beaches and have lunch.  One day was spent doing Pearl Harbor because James and the boys had never been there.  And of course we had to do the iconic Waikiki area where we went to a beautiful outdoor mall they have there and had lunch in the city. 

Overall it was a fantastic trip and very fun to make memories in Hawaii with more of our family. We were so grateful for the chance to go. It was really fun exploring a new island, but I still have more of a fondness for Maui. I think I would go back to Oahu sometime, but Maui and Kauai are my favorites.  

Here is more of the trip in photos:

Beautiful lagoon

Our wonderful condo resort

Visit to Hanauma Bay (overrated touristy spot)

Malasadas are yummy!

James and my date night to Michel's on Waikiki Beach

Day at Pearl Harbor which was fascinating and special

We found the plan Grampa used to work on during theVietnam War

James and Johnathin golfed at a magical jungle type golf course

Fun with Aunt Jacky!

Day up at North Shore

Watched a sea turtle come up on the beach!

Boys went to their first Luau with Gramma & Grampa

Went to Punchbowl military cemetery to visit Barb's uncle's grave

Being silly in Waikiki

Finale dinner at Roy's (Grampa & Johnathin weren't feeling great)

View from our condo

It's so fun to go through these photos and remember all the funny moments, laughs, hanging out time, and adventuring we had. So grateful that we got the chance to do this trip. Aloha!

Ollie

In mid-June we joyfully added a new addition to our family....a puppy!  We are pleased to introduce you to Sir Oliver Wyatt Spaulding... Ollie for short.  He is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and because of his regal heritage, he of course needed a very British regal name.  Oliver was just the perfect English name with a cute nickname. And Wyatt is his father's name. 

The boys had been asking us for a puppy for quite awhile after we visited our friends, the Lapours back in 2021 who also have a tri-color Cavalier like Ollie. We started to research the breed and really liked all the traits and characteristics--good natured, friendly, good with kids, easily trainable, smaller, snuggly but also active, doesn't shed too much, etc. The breed seemed to check all the boxes for us and what we were looking for in a dog. We did a lot of research and thinking and then decided that 2023 was a great time to get a dog with the kids' ages and now that I have a hybrid work schedule and am home a couple days a week.  We knew we wanted to get the puppy in the spring or summer since that would be easier weather-wise.  So we started calling breeders in Feb/March. We found breeders called Cavaliers of Grace Victoria Manor (so bougie!) out of Fall City.  The couple actually moved to Utah, but their family is still here and they still bring litters up to the area a couple times a year. We talked to them on the phone and fell in love with them instantly because they were so kind, were exactly from our area and one of their dogs (named Paris!) was pregnant and due in June which was our ideal timeframe. We also had first pick of a boy. So we paid a deposit and started to prepare.

Similar to having kids, you can never truly prepare.  You can get all the supplies and gear, but you never truly know how the experience will change your life. Ollie was born on April 19.  And about 2 months later we drove out to Duvall and met our breeders to pick him up on June 15 to bring him home. And what a sweet, wonderful, amazing, hard, and wild ride it's been since. He is such a wonderful dog and brings so much joy to our household. But it has definitely felt like we brought a 3rd kid into our lives. It's been a change to our routine and requires constant commitment because we want to have a really well trained dog. But also he's taught us so much about unconditional love and has helped us be more present and enjoy the simple things in life. Now I can't even imagine our family without Ollie.

Here are some of the most significant memories and highlights since June:

• Our neighbors got us connected to Lizz Watson--the most amazing dog trainer in the world. She has been a godsend. She's literally been with us since day one (she came over the day Ollie arrived!) I don't think we would have enjoyed having a puppy as much without Lizz. She has taught us so much (and is still teaching us) about how to be responsible dog owners and create a pleasant, obedient and well mannered dog.  Ollie just adores her and gets to go be with her and her husband Johnny at their farm in Fall City every week for doggy day camp.
• We had such a fun summer with Ollie--taking him outside to explore, taking him out for a day to Lake Kachess when James and the boys went camping with the Spauldings, taking him to the river in Idaho on our friend trip, going on lots of walks, and exposing him to as much as we could at a young age
• Tiara is another godsend who we met in the neighborhood. She comes twice a week to walk Ollie and play with him while we're at work. She is also a professional photographer so we get all these amazing photos of Ollie. Ollie just loves her and she is so wonderful.
• Unfortunately Ollie did something to his foot in our backyard around late October and he sadly broke a toe on his back foot. It took about 6-8 weeks for it to heal and he had to be in a bandage and wear a little bootie outside. He couldn't go for walks the entire time too.  Ugh it was so hard, but he was a trooper and did a great job. Now we feel like we can make it through anything after the ordeal.
• It was fun to celebrate holidays with Ollie--Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. He wasn't much of a fan of 4th of July though. He was still really little and was pretty traumatized by all the loud noises.  
• Ollie got neutered in mid-Dec and was a champ! He healed pretty quickly and it felt like an easy procedure after all the foot stuff
• We have a wonderful vet--Salish Veterinary Hospital just down the street from us--Ollie is in good hands
• Ollie now is well trained--potty trained, can sit, lie down, spin, "place" on his cot, walk alongside us, and we're always working on "leave it" and "drop it" as he loves to grab our socks, underwear, stuffed animals, etc. 
• Ollie loves to play tug of war and fetch with his toys.  He's also a major chewer and loves chew toys--especially the nylon "sticks" that we learned about from the vet
• One of my favorite things to do with Ollie is go on walks with him--we go all over our neighborhood and back in the trails.  He's a good explorer and loves to be outside
• One of the best feelings in the world is having Ollie on your lap and snuggling with him.  He is a great snuggler. He has taught me so much about slowing down, relaxing and being present. He helps me stop to rest by asking me to sit with him with his stick. Just a simple snuggle from Ollie can make your day and cheer you up.

I'm sure there's more, but those are the major things for now. Here are some photos of him the past few months as he's grown from April through February.

WE LOVE YOU OLLIE!!