Fun in the sand...

Camping at Beverly Beach - Family Reunion

Camping Cousins
These guys played hard and had a blast!

The last time we went camping was when Ellie was 5months old.
Now that Ellie is 4 and Blake is 2 - I LOVE CAMPING!

It was a beautiful sunny day at the beach on Saturday.
We played at Newport South Beach for hours.

Our weekend camping trip is looking good....

Oregon Coast
Friday Hi 81° Lo 54° Clear
Saturday Hi 81° Lo 56° Clear
Sunday Hi 76° Lo 56° Partly Cloudy

I can't tell you how excited I am that this is the weather forecast for our first camping trip of the season. Not only is it going to not rain but it looks like it will be 80 degrees at the Oregon Coast!

Blue Lake Park

This is right after one of the big pales of water dumped all over him.

He came running over to me yelling, "I did it!"

Silly kids

Is it just me or does Blake look so BIG in this picture?

Trip to the zoo with cousins Jasmine and Eli

Tea party!

We had a great weekend with Jaz & Eli

"I not a baby anymore!"

So last week I decided that I had to give up the binky. I knew it was going to be harder on me then Blake. He is my baby. I am not one to hold onto stages too much and I really enjoy my kids getting bigger but Blake is our last and it's a little strange to watch all the "baby things" disappear. So last week I casually mentioned, "Hey Blake two more days and we are going to be all done with your binky." To which he replied, "Ok." So Thursday night I handed him a toy to take to bed instead of his binky.......NOTHING! No wining, crying, pleading, begging, he just took the toy and laid down. He has not asked for it once. I knew it was going to be tougher on me but seriously the kid could have cared less. So I have decided that I am going to use this method more often with him, "Hey Blake no more accidents starting tomorrow. Hey Blake when you get your big boy bed no getting out. Hey Blake when you wake up tomorrow you are going to be in the best mood!" Seriously he cracks me up. He is a realist and unlike his sister the less you talk and process it and just say it how it is he is on board. So Blake is no longer a baby. He is almost potty trained, getting a big boy bed soon, and said good bye to the binky.

Welcome Lincoln Jeffs!

Most of you know that the Jeffs had an “exciting” addition to their family this past week. Thank you to all who have been praying and helping with meals and carting kids around (Mars you are a saint!). The last few days have been interesting with 5 kids, 1 newborn, 1 recovering mommy from a c-section, and a couple adults. Yesterday had to top them all off. The kids and I drove to the Jeffs early in the morning to drop Fara at the bus stop and then transferred into their van. We loaded up a 5yr old, 4yr old, 3yr old, 2yr old, 2 week old, Rachel and me and were off to our house. Mars met us here and dropped Charlie off and then Mars took Rachel and the baby to a doctor’s appointment. I think Mars was slightly concerned for her son’s safety when she assessed the chaos! It was pretty crazy here but the kids were having a blast. Later I got and email from my loving and supportive behavior specialist brother Shawn.

Quick... Charlie is sitting on Pierson and Blake is hitting Victoria with a toy hammer.

Shawn Fletcher
Behavior Support Specialist & OIS Trainer
Clackamas ESD

To which I replied (being the little sister that I am) directly from the OIS website….

Nice thanks for the confidence. Hey I am a Fletcher! I understand the causes and context of behavior that can aid the 5 children here to develop alternative, and often very creative, approaches to situations. I am grounded with an understanding and assessment of the "meaning" of the behaviors. I see the underlying causes of behaviors, and alternatives to avoid situations that may result in physical aggression, and if necessary, I know how to avoid physical injury to myself and to prevent Blake from injuring others. Seriously, I AM YOUR SISTER….GIVE ME SOME CREDIT!

Yes, they were all safe and had a fantastic time! That might have been due to the fact that I had completely thrown all worries and attempts to maintaining the house out the window. After the 2nd or 3rd inquiry about building forts or throwing all the cushions on the ground to jump on and my reply being “GO FOR IT” they cut loose and had a blast! The rest of the day included a trip to the Junior Rose Parade with the girls while the boys took a nap, picking Fara up from school, realizing that we now had 8 people and only 7 seats in the van, dropping Blake off at Aunt Shelley’s (thanks a ton Michelle) and then finally getting them all home and ready for dinner. It was a hoot! Rachel and I laughed a lot and the kids really thought it was a fun CRAZY day! Thanks for letting us help you Rachel and having some grand adventures.